may find, what returns we may get, and in those how much "of what she now fupplies us with, may be included. We "know our linens beat the German and the Ruffian in the "AMERICAN MARKET,-they are preferred even to "to the Scotch, and no nation can bring the fabric to the "perfection we do, not perhaps so much from superior skill, as from the peculiar fitness of our climate for bleaching, "which gives a pleafing whiteness and durability that no "other bleached linen poffeffes." "We know," he fays, "that SPAIN and PORTUGAL "confume an immenfity not only at home, but in their ex"tended colonies, which their fabricks do not furnish, and "which we were beginning to supply. In no place are we "protected against German linens, except in Britain, and yet ours is finding its way almost every where." I refer the reader to the account No. 10, above quoted, and I defire to know where thofe places are to which our linens are finding their way, fo as to fupply the place of the British market? No fuch places appear to me upon the face of our accounts, and I am afraid that none fuch will appear. Of this opinion was Mr. Fofter in 1785, when in anfwering Mr. Grattan, page 193, he fays "Gentlemen feem to undervalue the British markets for 66 our linen, and that if Britain shall difcourage their import, they will find vent elsewhere. I would ask them where "would they expect to find a market to favour the linens of "Ireland? Where will they find a market, under Heaven, "for that manufacture, which now brings 2,000,000l. an"nually into the kingdom? Will PORTUGAL take them? « Will SPAIN take them? Will FRANCE take them? "No; they will not. Will RUSSIA, GERMANY, or " HOLLAND take them? They are your profeffed rivals, " and able to underfell you Where then will you find a "market, if England shuts her ports? Will you go to the "Weft Indies? You cannot go to the English colonies, they "will be like Britain; there you can have no admittance. "The French, Spanish, and Portuguese have fout their ports long fince--your only market then is in the bankrupt "States of NORTH AMERICA, that have not money "to pay their just debts, and many provinces of which, if "they had the money, have not perhaps the honefly to do it. "This bankrupt country is to give you the market Britain "affords.-No, no; cherish the market you have, you will 66 never 66 never get fo good; fhe ever exports WITH BOUNTY for you; and here let me obferve the benefits of exporting duty free all our fabrics through HER PORTS, which "this fettlement fecures. 66 "You first found the way for your linens to foreign places "through HER PORTS, by HER CAPITAL, and ex"tent of dealing; do not refufe the like for your other fabrics, "the profperity of the linen fhould teach you." How are thele fentiments of his in 1785, to be reconciled to his opinion in 1799, given in pages 88 and 89, before quoted? Or with his affertions in page 82-" that neither the British duties on foreign linens, nor the British bounties on Irish linens, exported from Britain, are causes of the profperity of our linen trade; and that foreign colony produce could be procured and paid for by our linens, and that an extended and very beneficial market might be opened thereby." I am equally at a lofs to reconcile other paragraphs of thefe two celebrated fpeeches; for instance, Mr. Fofter in 1799, p. 77, fays, "We are told in the fame glaring parade of general affertion, that this project will give us a full participation of all the extended commerce, and with it of all the wealth of Britain, the greatest and proudest country under Heaven; that the offers a full partnership. Why, fir, this talk might do to people who are ignorant, but let me tell you, and no man can contradict me, that we are as free to trade to all the world, as Britain is at this moment; and that if the minister was to ask me, what benefit he could offer, what trade he could open, what manufactures he could promote, my answer, and I fpeak it from a firm conviction, would be this-You can give In 1785, page 106, Mr. Fofter fays "Great Britain offers to take us into partnership in her trade, the an old eftablished country, raised by commerce alone, to a height above any other European power, invites us to partake of the means that raised her to wealth and greatnefs, to a full and equal hare in that trade which coft her millions to obtain, and will cost her millions to preferve," In page 192, in answer to Mr. Grattan, he says, "The Right Hon. Gentleman fays, we might have foreign trade without entering into this measure, and that England, as to foreiga trade, gives us no right which we already have not; as to colony trade, he fays, us as nothing, and my only request on the part of Ireland is, that you will let us alone.” "I fpeak not of fome trifling articles, which poffibly in hunting through the book of rates, might occur on paper, but they are few, if any, and of fo little moment, that they are not felt, for it would require a hunt to find them.”. Mr. Fofter fays further in page 77," What port in the known world can a British fhip go to from Britain, that an Irish ship cannot go with the fame cargo from Ireland? What article, great or finall, can a British fhip import into Britain, or Ireland, that an Irish fhip cannot import equally into Ireland or Britain? I fpeak not of the EaftIndia fettlements, though Ireland is as free to them as Britain is. What manufacture can Britain establish, or encourage, which Ireland is not equally free by law to do. It new fources of trade fhall be opened by conqueft, or by treaty, do they not belong equally, and at the fame inftant to Ireland ?" "I afk thofe questions explicitly, and I defy any man to fhew an instance." G he gives us what we had before, on the former conditions that we give her colony. products a preference in our market; an therefore, he fays, cannot we remain as we now are." "With refpect to the coonly trade," replies Mr. Fofter, "I answer, we hold it by the gift of Britain, and the may repeal her act and reaffume her monopoly. As to foreign trade, I have fhewn that it is no way affected, except by the preference to be given to British colony. goods, against those of foreign colonies; but why does the gentleman allude to Por-. tugal? It is the ftrongest meafure against him: Portugal has prefumed to distinguish between the goods of Great Britain and the goods of Ireland, the will not receive the latter, but if this fettlement is entered into, all our goods the can have, may go duty free through Britain; the diftinction between British and Irish manufacture is loft, as to foreign nations; our goods are made one physi cally, as well as politically,. in respect to foreign, and our union cemented by the freedom of intercourse," Mr. Fofter in 1785, has himself answered these quef tions most explicitly, when he faid, In 1799, Mr. Fofter, page 87, and 88, in treating of the raw materials furnished to us now by Britain, fuch as coals, hops, bark, rockfalt, &c. fays, "Should rafh councils, forgetting the advantages of friendly intercourse, attempt to prohibit or clog thofe articles with duties, which no man in either country deprecates more fincerely than I do, neceffity may compel us to fearch for coal, which exifts in Ireland, but which we have never looked for effectually. It would not take many years, with proper and regular application to fupply ourselves with bark, nor perhaps with hops; and falt can be got." That we wola these right by the gift of Britain, and that She may repeal her act, and reassume her monopoly. In 1785, page 110, Mr. Fofter fays as before quoted." England imports to us falt for our Fisheries and provifions; hops, which you cannot grow; coals, which we cannot raife; tin, which we have not, and bark which we cannot get elsewhere, &c Vide before page 32. And in page 193 and 194, he fays, "Do you think it an object of no confequence to receive coals from England for ever, duty free, while the duties on coals in England brought from one of her own Ports to another, are very high. England may now raise any fum on the export of her coals, which will fall upon the confumer, and raise a revenue for her advantage." "Rock-falt is the next, -where will you get it?" "As to the tanning-trade, where will you get bark? from no place in the world but England, and if he was to prohibit the export of it, that trade must be at an end." Let him look to Hops; will this country grow them? Thefe laft paragraphs from Mr. Fofter's fpeech in 1785 are abridged here, as the whole is before interted in page 32 of this pamphlet. I have quoted thefe paragraphs, and oppofed them one to the other, just to fhew with how much eafe Mr. Fofter can can make the various articles of trade, and raw materials of manufactures, fuit his purpofe. He can either raise them in Ireland, when he wants them there for his argument, or fhew the utter impoffibility of their being ever railed there, when it fuits him better. We can have no coals, when it is necessary to fhew that we can have no manufactures, or employment for British capital, for want of fuel; and we can fearch for coal, which exifts in Ireland, and find it, when it fuits him to make us independent of England for that article. In like manner, in 1785, rock-falt can be had only from England; in 1799, fhould rafh councils prevail, rock-falt can be had, but we are not told from whence. So in 1785, bark for tanning can be had from England alone, and if the withheld it, there must be an end to the tanning trade; in 1799, it would not take many years, by proper and regular application, to fupply ourselves with bark. Hops feem to be a little more problematical; it is only faid that the fame application might perhaps fupply us with hops. In 1785, Great Britain taking us into partnership in her great trade, would raise us to wealth and greatnefs; in 1799, he has not any thing to give. An offer of full partnership is idle talk, fit only to amufe the ignorant; and the only favour that she can confer is to let us alone. In 1799, Ireland can in despite of Britain trade to any part of the world, and in any article whatever, that Britain can; but in 1785, we are told that we hold the rights of trading to Britain and her colonies, with whom 6-7ths of our trade is carried on, by the gift of Britain; he may repeal her act, and reaffume her monopoly. In 1785, we are advised to cherish the market of Britain for our linens, we are told we never can get fuch another, that neither Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, or Holland will take them from us; that England not only takes them for her own confumption, but exports them with bounty for us; and we are ftrongly urged not only to continue to fend our linens thus through England, but as we have experienced the good effects of it, in refpect to that article of trade to accept of the offer then made us, and not refufe the like advantages for our other fabricks. In 1799, we are told that neither the high duties impofed on foreign linens, nor the bounty paid by England on the G 2 export |