Our diftrefs and poverty are of the utmost notoriety; the proof does not depend folely upon calculation or estimate, it is palpable in every public and private tranfaction, and is deeply felt among all orders of our people. This kingdom has been long declining. The annual deficiency of its revenues, for the payment of public expences, has been, for many years, fupplied by borrowing. The American rebellion, which confiderably diminished the demand for our linens; an embargo on provifions continued for three years*, and highly injurious to our victualing trade; the increafing drain of remittances to England for rents, falaries, profits of offices, penfions and intereft, and for the payment of forces abroad, have made the decline more rapid, but have not occafioned it. If we determine to investigate the truth, we must affign a more radical caufe: when the human or political body is unfound or infirm, it is in vain to inquire what accidental circumftances appear to have occafioned thofe maladies which arife from the conftitution itself. If in a period of fourfcore years of profound internal peace, any country fhall appear to have often experienced the extremes of poverty and diftrefs; if at the times of her greateft fuppofed affluence and profperity, the flighteft caufes have been fufficient to obftruct her progrefs, to annihilate her credit, and to spread dejection and difmay among all ranks of her people; and if fuch acountry is bleffed with a temperate climate and fruitful foil, abounds with excellent harbours and great rivers, with the neceffaries of life and materials of manufacture, and is inhabited by a race of men, brave, active, and intelligent, fome permanent caufe of fuch difaftrous ef fects must be fought for. If your veffel is frequently in danger of foundering in the midst of a calm; if by the fmalleft addition of fail the is near oversetting, let the gale be ever fo fteady, you would neither reproach the crew, nor accufe the pilot or the mafter; you would look to the conftruction of the vessel, and see how she had been originally framed, and whether any new 2 By a proclamation, dated the 3d of February, 1776, on all ships and vessels, laden in any of the ports in this kingdom, with provisions of any kind, but not to extend to ships carrying falted beef, pork, butter and bacon into Great Britain, or provisions to any part of the British Empire, except the colonies mentioned in the faid proclamation. 4th of January, 1779, taken off as far as it relates to fhips carrying provisions to any of the ports of Europe. works 1 works had been added to her, that retard or endanger her courfe: But for fuch an examination more time and attention are neceflary than have been usually bestowed upon this fubject in Great Britain; and as I have now the honour to address a perfon of rank and station in that kingdom on the affairs of Ireland, I fhould be brief in my firft audience, or I may happen never to obtain the favour of a fecond. I have the honour to be, my lord, &c. SECOND LETTER. MY LORD, Dublin, 23d August, 1779. FROM the time that king James the firft had established a t regular adminiftration of juftice in every part of the kingdom, until the rebellion of 1641, which takes in a period of between thirty and forty years, the growth of Ireland was confiderable *. In the act recognizing the title of king James, the Lords and Commons acknowledge that many bleffings and benefits had, within thefe few years paft, been poured upon this realm ;" and at the end of the parliament in 1615, the commons return thanks for the extraordinary pains taken for the good of this republic, whereby they fay" we "all of us fit under our own vines, and the whole realm "reapeth the happy fruits of peace t." In his reign the little "In that could be given by the people, was given with general confent : and received with extraordinary marks of royal favour; he defires the lord-deputy to return them thanks for their fubfidy, and for their granting it with univerfal confent ; and to affure them that he holds his fubjects of that kingdom in equal favour with thofe of his other kingdoms; and that he will be as careful to provide for their profperous and flourishing state, as for his own perfon. Its tranquility was fo well established in 1611, that king James reduced his army in Ireland to 176 horfe, 1450 foot. Additional judgės were appointed; circuits eftablished throughout the kingdom, ad Cox, 17; and Sir John Davis obferves, that no nation under the fun, lovės equal and indifferent justice better than the Irish. Davis, p. 184, 196. + Vol. Com. Journ. p. 92. || Ib. p. 88. 13 Jac. ch. i. $ Ib. 61. Davis mentions the profperous flate of the country, and that the revenue of the crown, both certain and cafual, had been raised to a double proportion. He takes notice how this was effected," by the encouragement given to the maratime "towns and cities, as well to increase the trade of merchan"dize, as to cherish mechanical arts;" and mentions the confequence, that the ftrings of the Irifh harps were all " in tune." ; In the fucceeding reign, Ireland for fourteen or fifteen years appears to have greatly advanced in profperity. The commons granted in the feffion of 1634, fix entire fubfidies, which they agreed fhould amount in the collection to 250,000l. and the free gifts previously given to king Charles the firflt, at different times, amounted to 310,000l.t; in the feffion of 1630, they gave four entire fubfidies, and the clergy cight; the cuftoms which had been framed at gool. yearly, in the beginning of this reign, were in the progrefs of it fet for 54,000l The commodities exported were twice as much in value, as the foreign merchandize imported, and fhipping is faid te have increafed an hundred fold f. Their parliament was encouraged to frame laws conducive to the happiness and prof perity of themselves and their pofterities, for the enacting and confummating" whereof the king paffes his royal word; and affures his fubjects of Ireland that they were equally of as much refpe& and dearnefs to him as any others In the fpeaker's fpeech in 1639, enumerating the national bleffings, he mentions as one, that our in-gates and out-gates do stand open for trade and traffic*** and as the lord chaneel lor declared his excellency's high liking of this oration," it may be considered a fair account of the condition of Ireland at that time. When the commons had afterwards caught the infection of the times, and were little difposed to pay compliments, they acknowledge, that this kingdom, when the earl of Stratford obtained the 66 government, was "in a flourishing, wealthy and happy estate After the restoration, from the time that the ads of fet tlement and explanation had been fully carried into execu + Some of thefe fubfidies, from the fubfequent times of confufion, were not raised. 1 I Lord Stafford's Letters, 2d Vol. p. 297. **Ir. Com. Jour. ift Vol. p. 228, 229. †† Lord Clarendon. Cox, ib. Ir. Com. Journ. 1 Vol. p. 280, 311. tion, to the year 1688, Ireland made great advances, and continued, for several years, in a moft profperous condition*. Lands were every where improved; rents were doubled; the kingdom abounded with money; trade flourished to the envy of our neighbours; cities encreafed exceedingly; many places of the kingdom equalled the improvements of England; the king's revenue increafed proportionably to the advance of the kingdom, which was every day growing, and was wellestablished in plenty and wealth†; manufactures were fet on foot in divers parts; the meaneft inhabitants were at once enriched and civilized and this kingdom is then reprefented to be the most improved and improving fpot of ground in Europe. I repeat the words of perfons of high rank, great character and fuperior knowledge, who could not be deceived themselves, and were incapable of deceiving others. 1. James, the first duke of Ormond, whofe memory thould be ever revered by every friend, of Ireland, to heal the wound that this country had received by the prohibition of the export of her cattle to England, obtained from Charles the Sea letter dated, the 23d of March, 1667, by which he di rected that all restraints upon the exportation of commodities, of the growth or manufacture of Ireland, to foreign parts, fhould be taken off, but not to interfere with the plantation Jaws, or the charters to the trading companies, and that this fhould be notified to his fubjects of this kingdom; which was accordingly done by a proclamation from the lord lieutenant and council; and at the fame time by his majesty's permiflion, they prohibited the importation from Scotland of linen, woollen, and other manufactures and commodities, as drawing large fums of money out of Ireland, and a great hindrance to its manufactures. His grace fuccefsfully executed his fcheme of national improvement, having by his own constant attention, the exertion of his extenfive influence, and the molt princely munificence, greatly advanced the woollen, and Archbishop King, In his ftate of the proteftants of Ireland, p. 52, 53, 445, 446. Lord Chief Juftice Keating's addrefs to James the Second, and his letter to Sir John Temple, ib. The prohibition of the exportation of our cattle to England, though a great, was but a temporary diftrefs; and in its confequences greatly promoted the general welfare of this country. + Lord Sydney's words in his fpeech from the throne, in 1692, from his own former knowledge of this country. Ir. Com. Journ. 2d Vol. po 577. Carte, 2 Vol. p. 342, 344. revived revived the linen manufactures, which England then encouraged in this kingdom, as a compenfation for the lofs of that trade of which the had been deprived; this encouragement, from that time to the revolution, had greatly increased the wealth, and promoted the improvement of Ireland. 1 The tyranny and perfecuting policy of James the fecond + after his arrival in Ireland, ruined its trade and revenue; the many great oppreffions which the people fuffered during the revolution had occafioned almost the utter defolation of the country. But the nation must have been restored in the reign of William to a confiderable degree of ftrength and vigour their exertions in raifing fupplies to a great amount, from the year 1692 to the year 1698, are fome proof of it. They taxed their goods, their lands, their perfons, in fupport of a prince whom they justly called their deliverer and defender, and of a government on which their own prefervation depended. Those fums were granted, not only without murmur, but with the utmost chearfulness, and without any complaint of the inability, or reprefentation of the diftreffed ftate of the country. The money brought in for the army at the revolution, gave life to all business, and much fooner than could have been.expected retrieved the affairs of Ireland. This money furnished capitals for carrying on the manufactures of this kingdom. Our exports increafed in 96, 97 and 98, and our imports did not rife in proportion, which occafioned a great balance in our favour; and this increase was owing principally to the woollen manufacture. In the last of those years the ballance in favour of Ireland in the accounts of exports and imports was 419,4421. **. But in the latter end of this reign a law was made in England, reftraining, in fact prohibiting the exportation of all woollen manufactures from Ireland. From the time of this prohibition no parliament was held in Ireland until the year 1703. Five years were fuffered to pass before any opportunity was Lord Strafford laid the foundation of the linen manufacture in Ire-land, but the troubles which foon after broke out had entirely stopped the progrefs of it. + Harris's life of K. W. 116. The Words of Lord Sydney, in his fpeech from the throne in 1692. Com. Jour. 2 Vol 576. Ir. Com. Jour. 3 Vol. 45 and 65, that great fupplies were given during this period. ** Dobbs, p. 5, 6, 7, 19. |