to concentre its forces in the heart of the kingdom; in two days the garrifon of Dublin might be conveyed in boats to Athlone, and met there by the troops difperfed in the counties of Limerick, Clare, Mayo, Galway, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, King's and Queen's Counties, Carlow, Kildare, Longford, Leitrim and Rofcommon.-Thefe are confiderations, which make the advantages of an extenfive Inland Navigation appear in a new and important light.

I have been informed from refpectable authority", that the average amount of Grand Jury prefentments in Ireland exceeds £.300,000 per ann.-if we allow one-third part of this fum for bridges, gaols, courthoufes, &c. &c. there will remain no lefs than £.200,000 per ann. for making new and repairing old roads ;-to which may be added L. 50,000 more annually expended on turnpike roads, which fum, is repaid to the Commiffioners, or Proprietors, by a heavy tax on the public.-But fuppofe the whole expense of roads were taken at £.200,000 per annum, it might be well worthy the confideration of Parliament, what proportion of fo large an annual tax on the agriculture and commerce of the country, might be faved by the various and extenfive navigable communications herein pointed out.

And here let me add another confideration, of ftill greater moment.One boat, drawn by a fingle horfe, and attended by three men, will with eafe transport fixty tons burthen on a ftill-water navigation, at the ordinary rate of travelling ufed by cars and waggons, which is about twelve miles per day. -To

F

* It has been declared from the bench.

To convey the fame quantity of goods by land, the fame diftance, would require one hundred and twenty hor. fes and forty men.-We fhall be greatly within compafs, if we compute the annual tonnage, including manure, brick, stone, fand, and other gross materials, which would be tranfported on the navigable extenfions, herein recommended, at two millions of tons per annum, carried on an average fixty miles distance.

One boat would tranfport 60 tons, a distance of 60 miles in 5 days;-fhe would therefore convey 4380 tons, 60 miles in one year.-But as fhe may not always be fully laden, and muft fometimes return empty, it will be fair to take the average quantity tranfported by one boat the above distance, at 3000 tons per annum.- -At this rate, 666 boats would transport two millions of tons, a distance of 60 miles in one year; the expence whereof would be

666 horses at 20l. per ann. for each horfe, including maintenance and

deterioration

1998 men at 20l. per ann. for each man 666 boats at 30l. per ann. for each boat, including repairs and deterioration

Total annual expence by water car

£.13,320

39,960

19,980

riage in tranfporting 2,000,000 tons of

goods 60 miles diftance

£.73,260

120 horses, 120 cars, and 40 men, would convey 60 tons, a diftance of 60 miles in five days, or

4380 tons the fame distance in one year.-A fimilar deduction to that made above, for want of full lading in boats, muft alfo be made for cars, particularly as it requires an able horse to draw half a ton weight on land. The above horfes, cars and men, will therefore tranfport 3000 tons a distance of 60 miles in one year.-The number and expence of cars, horfes and men, neceffary to tranfport two millions of tons a distance of 60 miles in one year is as follows:

79,920 horfes at 20l. per ann. for

each horse

79,920 cars at 11. per ann. for use

and wear of each car

26,640 men at 20l. per ann. for

each man

Total annual expence by land carriage in transporting 2,000,000 tons of

goods 60 miles distance,

L.1.598,400

79,920

532,800

2,211,120

Annual national fav

ing in the carriage

by water of the

above tonnage

79,254 horfes,

24,642 men, and

2,137,680 pounds Sterling.

If I am asked, whether it be my intention to recommend the immediate granting of bounties, fufficient to induce individuals, or bodies corporate, to undertake the opening and improving of the feveral rivers herein enumerated, I reply it is not.-First, because

F 2

because no furveys, fufficiently accurate, have yet been made of any of those rivers, except the Barrow, and the Shannon; next, because this is not the moment when it might be eligible to raise so large a fum of money as would be requifite to carry on fuch various and extenfive works; and laftly, because I am of opinion, that undertakings of this nature fhould be well confidered, and accurately furveyed and eftimated, before they are undertaken.-If Parliament fhall, in the prefent feflion, think fit to accede to the propofal of the Company of Undertakers of the Grand Canal, for making the river Shannon navigable, the whole of next fummer will be spent in taking further levels and furveys of particular parts, in laying out the different works, and forming contracts for their execution; fo that little or no money can be demanded from the Treafury, on account of this river, before the year 1796, and then, the whole amount that can be judicioufly expended in that year, will not probably exceed 1 5,000l. The fyftematic commencement of this great work, muft, however, neceffarily ftir the public attention, and if Government fhall, in the mean time, direct proper furveys to be made of the feveral rivers already mentioned, and eftimates to be formed (by engineers capable of fuch a work) of the expence of making them navigable. This, I conceive, to be all that is prudent to be done at prefent, and when Peace fhall come to reflore public confidence, with it will revive the fpirit of internal improvement and judicious enterprize.

I come now to speak of the fund, from whence these various and extenfive undertakings may be fupplied with the means of execution, without levying any new tax for that purpose,

Without entering into a painful recital of the crippled state of our legislature, before the glorious event of its emancipation in the year 1782, it is fufficient to obferve that no bill enacted in this country, previous to that period, which in the flightest degree affected the interefts of British manufacturers, farmers, or traders, had any chance of paffing into a law.-Such bills being ufually cushioned in the office of his Majefty's Attorney General in England, and the Irish Parliament being always too polite, to ask any impertinent questions concerning their fate. We can now fpeak of fuch proceedings with the more patience and temper, because we may bless the happy æra of liberality and good-fenfe, which feems, in the present day, to befpeak a conduct the reverse of fuch impolitic and fordid monopoly-But fuch having then been the ftate of affairs in Ireland, the market of our capital was left open and unprotected, to the farmers on the western coaft of England, who fupplied Dublin with corn at a less expense of carriage by fea, than the Irish farmers beyond ten miles round that city could fupply it by land. This neceffarily acted as a powerful difcouragement to our agriculture, but the difficulty was, how to put the Irish farmer on a footing in his own market with the English farmer, without raifing

the