and its combinations, than at present exists.  There are in this country, many persons possessed of moderate capital, who do not themselves enjoy the power of invention in the mechanical and chemical arts, but who are tolerable judges of such inventions, and excellent judges of human character.  Such persons might, with great success, employ themselves in finding out inventive workmen, whose want of capital prevents them from realizing their projects.  If they could enter into a limited partnership with persons so circumstanced, they might restrain within proper bounds the imagination of the inventor, and by supplying capital to judicious schemes, render a service to the country, and secure a profit for themselves.

436.  Amongst the restrictions intended for the general benefit of our manufacturers, there existed a few years ago one by which workmen were forbidden to go out of the country.  A law so completely at variance with everv principle of liberty, ought never to have been enacted.  It was not, however, until experience had convinced the legislature of its inefficiency, that it was repealed. * When, after the last war, the renewed intercourse between England and the Continent became extensive, it was soon found that it was impossible to discover the various disguises which the workmen could assume; and the effect of the law was rather, by the fear of punishment, to deter those who had left the country from returning, than to check their disposition to migrate.

436. (4*) The principle, that government Ought to interfere as little as possible between workmen and their employers, is so well established, that it is important to guard against its misapplication.  It is not inconsistent with this principle to insist on the workmen being paid in money—­for this is merely to protect them from being deceived; and still less is it a deviation from it to limit the number of hours during which children shall work in factories, or the age at which they shall commence that species of labour—­for they are not free agents, nor are they capable of judging, if they were; and both policy and humanity concur in demanding for them some legislative protection.  In both cases it is as right and politic to protect the weaker party from fraud or force, as it would be impolitic and unjust to interfere with the amount of the wages of either.

Notes: 

1.  Twenty eight shillings per cwt for the finer, twenty one shillings per cwt for the coarser papers.

2.  I cannot omit the opportunity of expressing my hope that this example will be followed in other trades.  We should thus obtain a body of information equally important to the workman, the capitalist, the philosopher, and the stateman.

3.  The expense of a patent in Spain is stated in the report to be respecitivly 2000, 1200 and 1000 reals.  If these are reals of vellon, in which accounts are usually kept at Madrid, the above sums are correct; but if they are reals of plate, the above sums ought to be nearly doubled.