495
blacksmiths, plougb.wrigh.ts, tanners, shoemakers, weavers, tailors, who must
exist in every society. But the scanty population of her villages, at the end
of half a century from the commencement of her meliorations, evinces with
strong conviction the absence of a busy manufacture. A coarse fabric of wool has
always existed here, though it was originally intended for domestic uses. A woollen
manufacture has long existed in Haddingtontown, particularly in the Nungate. In
this town, a similar manufacture was settled during the troublous age of Oliver
Cromwell, who particularly encouraged it, seeing, perhaps, with his sagacious
eyes that fanaticism could only be cured by employment (a). After all those
failures, a fabric of wool has at length taken root at Athelstaneford, where a
variegated cloth is supplied at an easy price, and makes a pleasant dress, that
is known at Edinburgh by the name of the Gilmerton livery (V). But such a
fabric cannot create much circulation or energize much labour. A linen
manufacture has long existed in this shire; but it has been always feeble,
and has never been of much importance to individuals or the state (c). At
Dunbar, there is an appropriate manufacture of cordage and sail-cloth, which
does not yield much profit nor employ many hands, and there has been
erected here a machine for the spinning of lint, which is said to promise
better, though it appears not to have much ameliorated the linen manufacture(d).
The first bleachfield for whitening linen is said to have been erected in
Haddingtonshire, which was patronized by Cockburn of Ormiston. The first
bleachfield of the British Linen Company was fixed at Saltoun, under the
willing eye of Fletcher, Lord Milton (e). In 1793, there was erected a cotton
works. Stat. Acco., x., 87 ; iv., 170. There are also several starch manufactoiies in this shire,
which are carried on to great size and profit. Ib., iv., 170 ; x., 258 ; v.. 481 ; and these breweries,
distilleries, and starch works, manufacture a great quantity of corn, and, of course, furnish advan-
tageous markets to the farmers.
(a) Transact. Antiq. Soc. Edin., 52-3. Colonel Stanfield, who was assassinated by his son, had the
honour of converting his warlike spear into a woollen loom. This undertaking had failed before the
Revolution. About the year 1750, a company, at the head of which was Fletcher, Lord Milton, and
which revived such a manufacture, but it soon failed. Id. Another company, unwarned by the
failure of the former, a third time tried with still less success to establish such a manufacture at Had-
dington, where fuel is cheap and the materials at hand, while labour is dear,
(b) Stat. Acco., x., 170.
(c) According to a three years' average, ending with 1790, there were of linen made for sale in
Haddingtonshire, 26,875 yards, which were valued at £1,86(5 4s. 2d. sterling. According to the same
average, ending with 1800, there were made 27,221 yards of the value of £1,766 5s. 6d.
(d) There appear to be now erected several flax mills in this county.    Stat. Acco. throughout.
(e) Ib., iv., 170 ; x., 258 ; and there are now various other bleach-fields in this shire, which seem
to suppose that they produce an adequate profit. Ib., i., 347 ; xvii., 40.