after the linen trade declined rapidly; in 1772, 1773, and 1774, the decay in that trade was general in every part of the kingdom where it was established; the quantity manufactured was not above two-thirds of what used formerly to be made, and the quality did not fell for above three-fourths of its former price; the linen and linen yarn exported for one year, ending the 25th of March, 1773*, fell fhort of the exports of one year, ending the 25th of March 1771, to the amount in value of 788,82 l. 1s. 3d. At lady-day, 1773 †, the debt increased to 994,890l. 10s. 10d. 1-8th. The attempt in the feffion of 1773 ‡, to equalize the annual income and expences failed, and borrowing on tontine in the feffions of 1773, 1775 and 1777, added greatly to the annual expence, and to the fums of money remitted out of the kingdom. The debt now bearing interest amounts to the fum of 1,017,600l. befides a fum of 740,000l. raised on annuities, which amount to 48,900l. yearly, with fome incidental expences. The great increase of thofe national burdens, likely to take place in the approaching feffion, has been already mentioned. The debt of Ireland has arifen from the following caufes : the expences of the late war, the heavy peace establishment in the year 1763, the increafe of that establishment in the year 1769, the fums paid from 1759 to forces out of the kingdom, the great increase of penfions and other additional charges on the civil eftablishment, which however confiderable, bears but a small proportion to the increased military expences, the falling of the revenue, and the fums paid for bounties and public works; thefe are mentioned last, because it is apprehended that they have not operated to increase this debt in fo great a degree as fome perfons have imagined; for though the amount is large, yet no part of the money was fent out of the kingdom, and feveral of the grants were for useful purposes, fome of which made returns to the public and to the treafury exceeding the amount of thofe grants. When thofe facts are confidered, no doubt can be entertained but that the fuppofed wealth of Ireland has led to real poverty; and when it is known, that from the year 175 to Christmas 1778, the fums remitted by Ireland to pay troops ferving abroad, amounted to the fum of 1,401,9251. 195. 4d. it will be equally clear from whence this poverty has principally arifen. Com. Jour. 16 Vol. p. 372. † Ib. p. 190. 191, 193. + Ib. 256. In 1762, lord Hallifax, in his fpeech from the throne*, acknowledges that our manufactures were distressed by the war. In 763, the corporation of weavers, by a petition to the houfe of commons, complain that, notwithstanding the great increase both in number and wealth of the inhabitants of the metropolis, they found a very great decay of several very valuable branches of trade and manufactures † of this city, particularly in the filken and woollen. In 1765, there was fo great a scarcity of potatoes, fpring corn, &c. that it was thought neceffary to appoint a committee to inquire what may be the best method to reduce it; and to prevent a great dearth, two acts paffed early in that feffion, to top the diftillery, and to prevent the exportation of corn, for a limitted time. In 1778 and 1779 there was great plenty of corn, but the manufacturers were not able to buy, and many thousands of them were supported by charity; the confequence was that corn fell to fo low a price that the farmers in many places were unable to pay their rents, and every where were under great difficulties. FOR feveral years the exportation of live cattle to England was the principal trade of Ireland. This was thought most erroneoufly, as has fince been acknowledged**, to lower the rents of lands in England. From this, and perhaps from fome lefs worthy motive ++ a law paffed in England ‡‡, to reftrain and afterwards to prohibit the exportation of cattle from Ireland. The Irifh, deprived of their principal trade, and reduced to the utmost diftrefs by this prohibition, had no * Com. Jour. 12 Vol. p. 928. Ib. 14. Vol. p. 69, 114, 151. $ Carte, 2 Vol. 318, 319. + Ib. 13 Vol. p. 987. Sir W. Petty's Political Survey, 69, 70. Sir W. Temple, 3 Vol. 22, 23. By feveral British acts (32 G. 2, ch. 11. 5 G. 3, ch. 10, 12. G. 3, ch. 56.) allowing from time to time the free importation of all forts of cattle from Ireland. ++ Perfonal prejudice against the duke of Ormond. (2 Carte, 332, 337. # 15 Ch. 2, ch. 7. 18 Ch. 2, ch. 2. refource refource but to work up their own commodities, to which they applied themselves with great ardor*. After this prohibition they increased their number of sheep, and at the revolution were poffeffed of very numerous flocks. They had good reasons to think that this object of industry was not only left open, but recommended to them. The ineffectual attempt by lord Strafford in 1639, to prevent the making of broad cloaths in Ireland †, the relinquifhment of that scheme by never aferwards receiving it, the encouragement given to their woollen manufactures by many English acts of parliament from the reign of Edward the 3d, to the 12th of Ch. 2d, and several of them for the express purpose of exportation; the letter of Charles the 2d, in 1667, with the advice of his privy council in England, and the proclamation in pursuance of that letter, encouraging the exportation of their manufactures to foreign countries; by the Irish statutes of the 13th Hen. 8, ch. 2, 28th Hen. 8, ch. 17, of the 11th Elizabeth, Ch. 10, and 17 and 18 Ch. 2, ch. 15, (all of which, the act of 28 Henry 8th excepted, received the approbation of the privy council of England, having been returned under the great feal of that kingdom) afforded as ftrong grounds of affurance as any country could poffefs for the continuance of any trade or manufacture. An act, in its title, profeffes the encouraging the importation of wool from Ireland. By a report from the commiffioners of trade in that kingdom, dated on the 23d December 97, and laid before the houfe of commons, in 1698, they find that the woollen manufacture in Ireland had increased fince the year 1665, as fol The bill for reftraining the exportation of woollen manufactures from Ireland, was brought into the English house of commons on the 23d of Feb. 97, but the law did not pass until the year 1699, in the first feffion of the new parliament. I have not been able to obtain an account of the exportation 2 Carte, 332. tCom. Jour. 1 Vol. p. 208, by a clause to be inferted in an Irish act. See poft, thofe ads stated. of of woollen manufactures for the year 1697, but from the 25th of December 1697, to the 25th of December 1698, being the fift year in which the exports in books extant, are registered in the custom-house at Dublin, the amount appears to be of New drapery. Old drapery. Pieces. 281h Frize. Yds. 666,901 Though this encrease of export fhews that the trade was advancing in Ireland, yet the total amount, or the comparative increate fince 1687 could scarcely "fink the value of lands, and tend to the ruin of the trade and woollen manufactures "of England t. King William in his anfwer, fays, "his majefty will take "care to do what their lordships have defired;" and the lords direct, that the lord chancellor fhould order that the address and anfwer be forthwith printed and publifhed f. Of what Ireland gains it is computed that one-third centers in Great Britain §. Of our woollen manufacture the greateft part of the profit would go directly there. But the manufacturers of Ireland would be employed.. Mr. Dobbs, who wrote in 729, aflirms, that by this law of 1699, our woollen manufacturers were forced away into France, Germany and Spain; that they had in many branches fo much improved the woollen manufacture of France, as not only to fupply themfelves, but to vie with the English in foreign markets, and that by their correfpondence, they had laid the foundation of the running of wool thither both from England and Ireland. He fays that thofe nations were then fo improved, as in a great measure to fupply themselves with T In a pamphlet cited by Dr. Smith, (v. 2, p. 244) in his memoirs of wool, it is faid that the total value of thofe manufactures exported in 1697, was 23,641. 9s. 6d. namely, in frizes and stockings 14,6251. 128; in old and new draperies 8,9881. 178. 6d. and that though the Irish had been every year increasing, yet they had not recovered above one-third of the woollen trade which they had before the war (ib. 243). The value in 1687, according to the same authority, was 70,5211. 148. of which the frizes were 56,48 1. 16s. Stockings 2,5 201. 18s. and old and new drapery, which it is there faid could alone interfere with the English trade) 11,5141. 108. + Preamble of English act of 1699. Lords Jour. page 315. § Sir M. Decker's decline of foreign trade, p. 155, and Anderfon on commerce, 2 vol. p. 149. Effay on the trade of Ireland. p. 6, 7. many. many forts they formerly had from England, and fince that time have deprived Britain of millions, inftead of the thoufands that Ireland might have made. It is now acknowledged that the French underfel the Englith; and as far as they are fupplied with Irish wool, the lofs to the British empire is double what it would be, if the Irith exported their goods manufactured. This is mentioned by Sir Matthew Decker*, as the cause of the decline of the English, and the increase of the French woollen manufactures; and he afferts that the Irish can recover that trade out of their hands. England, fince the paffing this law, has got much" lefs of our wool than beforet. In 1698, the export of our wool to England amounted to 377,520 ftone; at a medium of eight years, to lady-day 1728, it was only 227,049 ftone, which is 148,oco ftone lefs than in 1698, and was a lofs of more than half a million yearly to England. In the laft ten years the quantity exported has been fo greatly reduced, that in one of thefe years it amounted only to 1007ft. 11lb. and. in the last year did not exceed 665ft. 2lb.5. The price of wool, under an abfolute prohibition, is gol. or 6ol. per cent. under the market price of Europe, which will always defeat the prohibition . The impractacability of preventing the pernicious practice of running woot is now well underfood. Of the thirty-two counties in Ireland, nineteen are maritime, and the reft are washed by a number of fine rivers that empty themselves into the fea. Can fuch an extent of ocean, fuch a range of coafts, fuch a multitude of harbours, bays and creeks be effectually guarded? The prohibition of the export of live cattle forced the Irish into the re-establishment of their woollen manufacture; and the reftraint of the woollen manufacture was a trong temptation to the running of wool. The feveret penalties were enacted, the British legiflature, the government and houfe of commons of Ireland, exerted all poflible efforts to remove this growing evil, but in vain, until the law was made in Great Britain** in 1739, to take off the duties from ⚫ Decline of foreign trade, p. 55, 56, 155 † Dobbs, p. 76. In 1774. Nor was this deficiency made up by the exportation of yarn. The quantities of these several articles exported from 1764 to 1778, are mentioned in the appendix, Numb. Smith's Memoirs of Wool, 2 Vol. p. 54. The only way to prevent it, is to enable us to work it up at home. Ib. 293. This was done for the benefit of the woollen manufacture in Eng Land. Eng. Com. Jour. 22 Vol. p. 442. woollen |