APPENDIX, No. 10. An Account of the Number of Yards of Plain Linen exported from Ireland in the last feven Years, diftinguishing the Quantity taken by British Subjects from that taken by others. Mr. IRVING'S ACCOUNT, No. 17: Appendix, No. rr. An Account of the total annual Value of the Imports into, and Exports from Great Britain, on an Average of four Years, to 5th January, 1799, diftinguifbing the Imports from, and Exports to Ireland, from the Reft of the World, extracted f om Mr. Irving's Account, No. 17, and rated according to the old Cuflom-house Rates, Annual Medium of the tour Years, preceding 5th January, 1799. Ireland were only 3,555,000l. including in both cafes fo reign merchandize imported through the medium of the one country into the other, and that there was of courfe a clear balance in favor of Ireland of 2,056,000l. Now we not only gain this great balance upon the whole refult of our dealings with Great Britain, but if we examine minutely the account No. 1, we fhall find that our exports confift but of a few great articles, for which we could not find a market in any other part of the world that I know of, to any extent. Mr. Fofter" acknowledges the value of the market which Britain affords us for our linens; but he denies that the "profperity and increase of that manufacture, is owing to "the duties impofed by Britain on foreign linens, or to the "bounty given by Britain on the export of Irish linen, or that "it depends at all upon the British parliament; and be afferts, "that it owes its prefent flourishing ftate to the fostering care "of the Irish parliament." I fhall decline entering into this argument at large, it will be fufficient to confider matters as they are; although were I to deliver an opinion upon the fubject, I should not hefitate to fay, that both the duty on foreign linen, and alfo the bounty on the export of Irish linen from Britain, must have effentially contributed to the increase and profperity of our manufacture. That a heavy duty on foreign linens, amounting at prefent on an average to 361. 10s. per cent. on the rated value, and in the lowest inftance to 33. 6s. 8d. per cent. must have a very confiderable effect towards fecuring the English market to Irish linens against a rival commodity, appears to me to be felf-evident. If foreign linens, with fuch a duty on them, can find their way into the British market in oppofition to the Irish, can there be a doubt that the Irish would have been driven out if thefe duties had not been impofed? And ought we not ftrongly to acknowledge the kindness of England in laying on thefe duties, in order to give us a preference in her market: 1. Because it is a notorious fact, that by her doing to, he has injured the fale of her own woollen manufactures in the foreign markets; duties having been laid upon them, in return for thofe impofed upon foreign linens. And 2. because it is clear, that by her impofing thefe duties, the confumes not only the quantity of foreign linen fhe ules, at 361. 10s. p. cent. higher than fhe would do, were there no duty F оп |