A History of American Manufactures from 1608 to 1860 ... Comprising Annals of the Industry of the United States in Machinery, Manufactures and Useful

Ix presenting the public with the first portion of a work on the Manafi Butures of the United States, I do not deem an apology necessary for the design. The short period of oar national history, has fhmished an unexampled progress in prodnctiye industry, and in the creation and development of all the elements of a great and increasing material prosperity. The annual product of Manufactures, according to the last published returns in 1850, had reached an aggregata value of more than ten hundred and nineteen millions of dollars; and the capital employed in them, exceeded five hundred and fifty millions of dollars. To attain this result from a state of great feebleness in little more than threefourths of a century, while the other branches, Agriculture and Commerce, which constitute the tripedal support of a nations prosperity, have been commensurately increased, is a subject of national gratulation. The record of such a progress might be expected to show remarkable illustrations of national character and appetencies, of the influence of social and political institutions, of public economy and of individual genius and enterprise. The operative industry of the country, has exercised no little influence in shaping the public and social organization of the country and the legislative policy of the general and local Governments, and has in turn been modified by each and all of these. I ts history furnishes lessons of instruction bearing upon nearly all the great questions of the day, interesting alike to the legislator, the political economist, the merchant, the manufacturer, and the philanthropist. I ts importance therefore seemed to justify an attempt to trace the successive steps by which our present position has been attained, and the principal causes which have retarded or promoted that progress. This attempt has, however, in the present instance, been confine(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)