1

on them; but alfo that the confumes near 30,000,000 yards of Irish linen, at an equally advanced price above what foreign linen could be afforded at, which in this cafe appears to be 361. 10s. per cent. This, upon about 41,000,000 of yards, (the quantity of foreign and Irish linen confumed in Britain, valuing the linen at 15. 8d. a yard,) will amount to no lefs a fum than 1,184,333. a year, to which is to be added 29,2327. the bounty paid on export, making in all 1,213,565%. now actually paid by England for the encou ragement of the Irish linen manufacture.

Let us now confider what has been the operation of these high duties upon foreign linens. This I fhall endeavour to fhew, from a comparative view of the import and consump. tion of Irish and foreign linen in Britain, in the years 1785 and 1798.

I have heard the confumption of linen in England efti mated at 65,000,000 of yards annually; and as it is immaterial whether this eftimate be right or wrong in this cafe, as the comparison is to be made between the Irish and the foreign linens, I fhall affume that this calculation is a true

one.

Total quantity of linen confumed in England
in 1785,

Ireland imported of that quantity 21,000,000
Of which was re-exported

Yards.

65,000,000

2,500,000

From this statement it appears, that the quantity of foreign linen exported from Britain in

8,000,000

2,500,000

That foreign countries imported into England

for confumption, in 1785, And in 1798, only

Yardr.

19,000,000

11,748,164

7,251,836

6,429,476

2,500,000

3,929,476

8,000,000

3,014,626

4,985,374

The ftatement here given is made upon fingle years; it would be much stronger, were it made upon the average of ten years, given by Mr. Irving in the account No. 8; for according to that account, the average quantity of linen exported from Ireland in ten years, to 1798, was 35,544,607 And by No. 9, the quantity re-exported was

Leaving for consumption,

5,343,440

30,201,167

From the confideration of these feveral statements, it is evident, that under the prefent fyftem of laws, and under the operation of the high duties upon foreign linens, the Irish linens are, in every inftance, fuperfeding the foreign in the British markets; and in like manner it fhould feem, from the progress which our manufacture has made fince the year 1743, when the export bounty in England was granted, that we are equally indebted to that country for this other inftance of her liberality.

This progrefs will beft appear by the following table:

An account of the quantity of linen-cloth exported from Ireland, upon an average of feven years, from the year 1715, to the year 1742, the year before the bounty upon export was granted in England, and from thence to the year 1798.

If we wanted any further proof of the efficacy of bounty upon our linen manufacture, I would refer the reader to Mr. Fofter's fpeech in 1785, page 110; he there fays,

As to bounties, England almost ruined our manufacture of fail-cloth by bounties on her own to Ireland, in 1750, or thereabouts, when her bounty commenced, we exported more than we imported, and in 1784, we exported none, and imported 180,000 yards."

Surely then, if the bounty on British fail cloth, could fo fuddenly annihilate our manufacture, the bounty received by our linen on exportation from Britain, must have had confiderable influence in promoting the profperity of that manufacture.

Again, Mr. Fofter ftates, in his printed fpeech of this year, page 85, "That the bounty commenced in 1743, and operated as 12 per cent. on British, and 61⁄2 per cent. only on Irish linen, the remaining 5 compenfating the charges of freight, commiffion, &c. from Ireland to Britain, by which unequal encouragement, the export of British arofe in 1763, to be equal to that of Irish, fince which time, the export of British has fo encreafed over Irish, that the proportion of

the

the bounty is now as 82,935/. is to 24,959/. if then the dif fluence of 51 per cent. bounty, in favour of British linen, as oppofed to Irith, fhall have had the effect here stated, will not 6 per cent. in favour of Irish, as opposed to foreign linen, produce as great an effect in favour of the Irish?

And here, before I quit this part of the fubject, let me draw the reader's attention to this obfervation, that if Britain, at this day, can fupply fo great a proportion of her own confumption of linen, as has been herein fhewn, and that fuch a bounty as she gave upon fail-cloth in 1750, or a difference of 5 per cent. in the bounty on export, fhall, in the one inftance, annihilate one fpecies of our manufacture, and in the other give fo decided an advantage in every other fpecies of our linen export from England, can any man fay with truth, that this manufacture did not, or does not, in any degree, depend upon the will, the liberality, or the generofity of the British Parliament? God forbid that any confideration fhould ever induce Britain to try experiments upon this fubject, but as fuch are poffible, I join heartily in the fentiments of Mr. Fofter, in 1785, page 108-“ As the "propofitions then under confideration, would for ever con"firm all the advantages we derive from our linen trade, and "bind England from making any law that can be injurious "to it; furely, gentlemen who regard that trade, and "whofe fortunes and rents depend on its profperity, will not "entertain a moment's doubt about embracing an offer which "will fecure it."

It appears by the account No. 10, that the total export of linens from Ireland, upon an average of 7 years to 1798, amounted to Of which there was exported to Britain and the Britif. fettlements,

And to the United States of America,
And to the reft of the world,

Yards. 41,670,659

nd} 36,908,574

3,856,399 905,686

So that of our export of linens go to Britain, and the British fettlements. Where then are we look for a market for of our linens, if any misfortune fhould deprive us of the British ?

Mr. Fofter tells us indeed, in page 88 and 89 of his fpeech this year, "That if our linen was prohibited to the British ports, it is impoffible to forefee what ports we

may