to the English government in this kingdom, and to that rcligion and conftitution which they happily enjoyed under it. At the Revolution they were conftant in the fame principles, and fuccessfully taked their lives and properties againft domeftic and foreign enemies, in füppert of the rights of the English crown, and of the religious and civil liberties of Britain and cf Ireland. They bravely fhared with her in all her dangers, and liberally partook of all her adverfities. Whatever were their rights, they had forfeited none of them. Whatever favours they enjoyed, they had new claims, from their merit and their fufferings, to a continuance of them. They now wanted more than ever the care of that fostering hand, which by refcuing them twice from oppreffion (obligations never to be forgotten by the proteftants of Ireland) eftablished the liberties, confirmed the ftrength, and raised the glory of the British Empire.

Befides our exclufion from foreign markets, England had two objects in the difcouragement of our woollen trade.

It was intended that Ireland should send her wool to England, and take from that country her woollen manufactures It has been already fhewn that the first object has not been attained; the fecond has been carried fo far as, for the future, to defeat its own purpose. Whilft our own manufac turers were starving for want of employment, and our wool fold for less than ene half of its ufual price, we have imported from England in the years 1777 and 1778 woollen goods to the enormous amount of 715,7401. 135. od. as valued at our custom-houfe, and of the manufactures of linen, cotton and filk mixed, to the amount of 98,0861. rs. 1d. making in the whole in those two years of distress 813,8261. 145. 11d. Between 20 and 30,000 of our manufacturers in those branches were, in thofe two years, fupported by public charity? From this fact it is hoped, that every reasonable man will allow the neceffity ofufing our own manufactures. Agreements rood bm. Ji tur

The commiflioners of trade, in their reprefentation, dated the 11th of November, 1697, relating to the trade between Englard and Ireland, advife a duty to be laid upon the importation of oil, upon teafles, whether imported or growing there, and upon all the utensils employed in the making any woollen manufactures; on the utensils of worsted-combers, and particularly a duty by the yard upon all cloth and woollen, ftuffs, except frizes, before they are taken off the loom. Eng. Com, Journ, 12 Y. 428. ST W 2

among our people for this purpose are not, as it has been fuppofed, a new idea in this country. It was never fo univerfal as at prefent, but has been frequently reforted to in times of diftrefs. In the feffions of 1703, 1705 and 1707*, the Houfe of Commons refolved unanimoufly, That it would greatly conduce to the relief of the poor and the good of the kingdom; that the inhabitants thereof fhould ufe none other but the manufactures of this kingdom in their apparel and the furniture of their houfes; and in the laft of those feffions the members engaged their honours to each other, that they would conform to the faid refolution. The not importing goods from England, is one of the remedies recommended by the council of trade in 1676, for alleviating fome diftrefs that was felt at that time t; and Sir William Temple, a zealous friend to the trade and manufactures of England, recommends to Lord Effex, then Lord Lieutenant," to in"troduce, as far as can be, a vein of parfimony throughout "the country, in all things that are not perfectly the native "growths and manufactures ‡‚”

The English law of 1663, reftraining the exportation from Ireland to America, was at that time, and for fome years after, fcarcely felt in this kingdom, which had then little to export, except live cattle, not proper for fo distant market...

The act of fettlement paffed in Ireland the year before this reftrictive law, and the explanatory ftatute for the fettlement of this kingdom, was not enacted until two years after. The country continued for a confiderable time in a state of litigation, which is never favourable to industry. In 1661 the people must have been poor; the number of them of all degrees, who paid poll money in that year was about 360,000 §. In 1672, when the country had greatly improved, the manufacture beftowed upon a year's exportation from Ireland, did not exceed eight thoufand pounds**, and the clothing trade had not then arrived to what it had been before the laft rebellion. But ftill the kingdom had much increafed in wealth, tho' not in manufactured exports. The cuftoms which fet in 1656 for 12,000l. yearly, were in 1672 worth 80,000l. †† yearly, and the improvement in domeftic wealth, that is to fay, in

*Com. Journ. 3 vol. 348, 548.

Sir W. Petty's Political Survey, 312.

Sir W. Temple, 3 v. 11.

Ib. 9. and 110.

** 15 Ch. II.

§ Sir W. Petty, p. 9.

++ Ib. 89.

building,

building, planting, furniture, coaches, &c. is faid to have advanced from 652 to 1673 in a proportion of from one to four, Sir William Petty in the year 1672 complains not of the restraints on the exportation from Ireland to America*, but of the prohibition of exporting our cattle to England, and of our being obliged to unlade in that kingdom † the fhips bound from America to Ireland; the latter regulation he confiders as highly prejudicial to this country.

The immediate object of Ireland at this time, feems to have been to get materials to employ her people at home without thinking of foreign exportations. When we ad

vanced in the export of our woollen goods, the law of 1663‡, which excluded them from the American markets, muft have been a great lofs to this kingdom; and after we were allowed to export our linens to the British colonies in America, the restraints impofed by the law of 1670 upon our importations from thence became more prejudicial, and will be much more fo if ever the late extension of our exports to America fhould, under those restraints, have any effect; for it is certainly a great difcouragement to the carrying on trade with any country, where we are allowed only to fell our manufactures and produce, but are not permitted to carry from them directly to our own country their principal manufactures or produce. The people to whom we are thus permitted to fell, want the principal inducement for dealing with us, and the great spring of commerce, which is mutual exchange, is wanting between

us.

As the British legiflature has thought it reafonable to extend, in a very confiderable degree, our exportation to their colonies, and has doubtless intended that this favour fhould be useful to Ireland, it is hoped that those restraints on the importation from thence, which muft render that favour of little effect, will be no longer continued.

From thofe confiderations it is evident, that many strong reafons refpecting Ireland are now to be found against the continuance of thofe restrictive laws of 1663 and 1670, that did not exist at the time of making them,

Ireland was by thofe laws excluded from almost all the trade of three quarters of the globe, and from all direct beneficial intercourfe with her fellow-fubjects in those countries, which were partly stocked from her own loins. But ftill, though deprived at that time of the benefit of thofe colonies,

Sir W. Petty, p. 9 and 10. † Ib. 34, 71, 125. ‡ 15 Ch. II. ch. 7.

the

she was not then confidered as a colony herfelf; her manufacturers were not in any other manner difcouraged, her ports were left open, and fhe was at liberty to look for a market among ftrangers, though not among her fellow-fubjects in Afia, Africa or America*.

By the proceedings in the English parliament in the year 1698, and the fpeech of the Lords Juftices to the Irish parliament in that year it appears, that the linen was intended to be given to this country as an equivalent for the woollen manufacture. The opinion that this fuppofed equivalent was accepted of as fuch by Ireland is miftaken. The temperament, which the commons of Ireland in their address faid they hoped to find, was no more than a partial and a temporary duty on the exportation, as an experiment only, and not as an established fyftem, referving the exportation of frize, then much the most valuable part to Ireland +. The English intended the linen manufacture as a compenfation, and declared they thought it would be much more advantageous to Ireland than the woollen trade.

This idea of an equivalent has led feveral perfons, and among the reft two very able writers, into mistakes, from the want of information in fome facts which are neceffary to be known, that this tranfaction may be fully understood, and therefore ought to be particularly ftated.

The Irish had before this period applied themfelves to the linen trade. This appears by two of their ftatutes, in the reign of Elizabeth, one laying a duty on the export of flax and linen yarn, and the other, making it felony to fhip

Sir William Petty mentions that "the English who have lands in Ireland were forced to trade only with strangers, and became unac"quainted with their own country, and that England gained more than "it loft by a free .commerce (with Ireland), as exporting hither three times' as much as it received from hence;" and mentions his furprize at their being debarred from bringing commodities from America directly home, and being obliged to bring them round from England "with extreme hazard and lofs.-Political Survey of Ireland, p. 123. †The Lords commiffioners of trade in England, by their report of "the 31st of Auguft 1697, (Eng. Com. Jour. 12 vol. p. 428) relating to the trade between England and Ireland, though they recommend the reftraining of the exportation of all forts of woollen manufactures out of Ireland, make the following exception, except only, that of their frize, as is wont, to England."

See before fpeech of Lords Juftices.
Mr. Dobbs, and after him Dr. Smith.

|| iv Eliz. feff., 3, ch ro.

them

them without paying fuch duty *. In the reign of Charles I. great pains were taken by Lord Strafford to encourage this manufacture; and in the fucceeding reignt the great and munificent efforts of the firft Duke of Ormond were crowned with merited fuccefs. The blafts of civil diffentions nipped. thofe opening buds of industry, and when the feafon was more favourable, it is probable that, like England, they found the woollen manufacture a more useful object of national purfuit; which may be collected from the addrefs of the English houfe of commons, "that they fo unwillingly promote "the linen trade ‡ ;" and it was natural for a poor and exhaufted country to work up the materials of which it was poffeffed.

In 1696 the English had given encouragement to the manufactures of hemp and flax in Ireland, but without ftipulating any restraint of the export of woollen goods.

In 1699, there was no equivalent whatever given for the prohibition of the export of our woollen manufactures.

But perhaps it may be neceffary to inform the reader, that. the foregoing privileges at first extended only to the Englif adventurers in the pale and five Irish families, the O'Briens, the O'Cavanaghs, the O'Neals, the O'Conors, and O'Mea Loughlins of Meath, the reft were deprived of their lives,. lands, and liberties by the English with impunity; and, to compleat their misfortunes, the celebrated ftatute of Kilken-. ny, which here follows, was paffed in 1365, which proved a more respectable and numerous affembly than had hitherto been convened in Ireland. The prelates of Dublin, Cafhel,, Tuam, Lifmore, Waterford, Killalloe, Offory, Leighlin, Cloyne, obeyed the fummons of the king's fon. The temporai peers and commons chearfully attended. Both eftates fat together: and the refult of their deliberations was, that the Englifh of the realm § of Ireland, before the arrival of the duke

13 Eliz. feff. 5, ch. 4.

† 17 and 18 Ch. 2, ch. 9, for the advancement of the linen manufacCarte. See before.

ture.

Which included Dublin, Meath, Uriel, now Louth, the cities of Kildare, Waterford, Cork, and Limerick.

"Tho' a Prince affume the title of Sovereign of an entire country, (as our Kings did of Ireland,) yet if there be two-thirds of that country, wherein he cannot punish treafon, or murder, or theft, if the jurifdiction, of his ordinary courts of juftice doth not extend to thefe parts; if he have no certain revenues, no efcheats or forfeitures, I cannot fay, that fuch a country is conquered. Davis's Hift. of 1re. p. 9.

§ MSS. Lamb. G. Nó 6-8. fol. 1.