"What a prodigious difference have our machines made in the gain of the females of the family! Formerly the chief support of a poor family arose from the loom. The wife could get comparatively but little on her single spindle. But for some years a good spinner has been able to get as much as or more than a weaver. For this reason many weavers have become spinners, and by this means such quantities of cotton warps, twists, wefts, etc., have been poured into the country that our trade has taken a new turn. All the spinners in the country could not possibly have produced so much as this, as are now wanted in a small part of our manufacture. If it were true that a weaver gets less, yet, as his wife gets more, his family does not suffer. But the fact is that the gains of an industrious family have been upon the average much greater than they were before these inventions." Page 16. "When I look upon our machines, with a regard to the _Poor_, and as _their friend and well-wisher_, my heart glows with gratitude and pleasure on their account, in the full hope that, by means of them, our manufactures will _continue_, and be _extended_ and _improved_, from age to age. _Perhaps_, e'er long, our manufacture may be _chiefly of cotton_. _Linen_ may be almost _laid aside_. Suppose, for instance, _common yearn_ could be brought to market, made with _cotton warps_. What a sale might we expect! _Such goods_ would have the demand of _all the world_. Nor is this at all unlikely to be the case, in some future time. Already cotton yarn has been offered to sale, as I am very credibly informed, _almost_, if not _entirely_, as cheap as linen yarn, of the _same length_. _Germany_ and _Ireland_ then _have_ reason to be alarmed at our machines. Their yarn manufactures may suffer severely. But surely this will be the highest advantage to us, by increasing the quantity of _labour_ amongst ourselves and keeping so much _money_ at home. _Perhaps_, by new improvements, we may vie with the _East India_ goods in fineness and beauty. And then--what a prospect would open upon us! But you say all this is a mere _perhaps_. It is so. And I only offer it as such. But, I ask, is it more _unlikely_ than our present improvements were, _twenty years ago_? I believe not. Some tradesmen thought the cotton manufacture at its _highest pitch then_. It was _then_ but in its infancy. Perhaps it is so yet. Human ingenuity, when spurred on by proper rewards, _may leave_ whatever has been done _already_ at a vast distance. We may have goods brought to market, _cheaper, finer, better_. The necessary consequence of this will be, the demand _will increase_ and all the world become our _customers_. If we can _undersell_ all the world, we may have the _custom_ of all the world. Merchants are alike all the world over. They will go to the _cheapest market_. What a pleasing thought is this! But in order to do this it is necessary to _encourage_ our machines, and to keep them as much as