it is carried on in thofe parts of the country where the collieries do not lie?

In England, there are great manufactures of New Drapery in Devonshire and Norwich; and of Old Drapery, in Wiltshire, Somerfetfhire, and Gloucestershire, where coal is not remarkably cheap.

The two articles of woollen and worsted yarn, afford a ftrong example of the neceffity of taking the aggregate prices of all the articles neceffary for carrying on a manufacture, together with the price of labour in its various branches, into confideration, in any computation which may be made of the relative advantages with which a manufacture may be carried on in two diftinct fituations; and not concluding upon any one article, fuch as fuel. For it is a well known fact, that wool is dearer in Ireland than in England, and yet we can very much underfell the English in the articles of woollen and worsted yarn. The reafon is, that the price of labour and of wool in each country being added together, the aggregate fum is lefs in Ireland than in England: and therefore, although the raw material is dearer, yet the manufacture as far as yarn, which may amount to one-third of the value of the ultimate manufacture, is actually cheaper in Ireland than in England.

As to the manufacture of Cotton, I do not know that fire is an essential article in the carrying it on. All the machinery of Arkwright can be worked by water, as well as by fteam-engines, and certainly at a cheaper rate: and furely have an evident advantage over England in the command of

water.

With the disadvantages which may be against us, either in the article of firing or other articles, we certainly do carry on at present a confiderable Cotton manufacture; which is increafing every day, and in every part of the kingdom. We have cotton manufactures at Celbridge, at Profperous, at Malahide, at Balbriggan, at Drogheda, at Belfaft, at Clonmell, at Cork, at Kilmacthomas, and at Mountrath, and various other places; and fome of these manufactories carry on the bufinefs to a very great extent: which confirms in a very great degree the affertions of the cotton manufacturers of England, who were examined upon this fubje&t in the year 1785. They, in that early ftate of our cotton manufacture, gave it as their opinion, that from the cheapnefs of labour and provifions, exemption from taxes, and having it in our power to obtain the raw material as cheap as they can in England, together with the great advantage

which we certainly have in all those branches which were compofed of cotton and linen, or bay yarn, we must be able to beat them in our own market, and meet them to a great advantage in every other market.

Upon this occafion, fome of the most extenfive and principal cotton manufacturers of the kingdom were examined; men of the first character, for principles, integrity and fkill, and the moft extenfive in their dealings; men who employed great capitals, and had made immenfe fortunes in the bufinefs; fuch men as Mr. Robert Peele, who now has subfcribed £10,000 a year, to the expence of carrying on the war, Mr. Jofeph Smith, Mr. Thomas Walker, Mr. Thomas Richardfon, Mr. Thomas Philips, and Mr. Thomas Kershaw; thefe Gentlemen stated, fo early as the year 1785, that Manchester had loft a great part of the Irish trade, fince Ireland engaged in the cotton business, in which she had greatly extended her manufacture.

It appeared that there were 50,000 people employed in the cotton manufacture in Lancashire. Mr. Peele and Mr Smith each employed 6000 in the manufacture; and from 800 to 1000 in printing. They each of them 'paid in the year 1784, £20,000 in excife, and on the fame quantity of goods, the excife would be in the year they were examined in £27,000.

They ftated that the increase of capital, on account of the advance of duty and price of labour between England and Ireland, was on goods manufactured, £20 per cent. that the price of labour in common articles would make a difference of £20 per cent. and in finer articles more.

That the Irish, after paying 10 per cent. duty, could fend their goods to the English market from 12 to 13 per cent. cheaper than the English could.

That by these means the Irish would in time get the manufacture; but that the English, from their fuperior skill and ingenuity, would retain the printing branch; that the former employs in the proportion of of the hands, the latter.

Mr. Peele faid, he was fo convinced of the trade's being transferred to Ireland, that he had written there to become a partner; and he alfo, as well as Mr. Smith and Mr. Walker declared, that fhould the refolutions of the Irish Parliament pass into a law, they would carry on their trade in Ireland; and that they were confident many others would do the fame,

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fame, and that many people of great property and capital, would either fettle or form fuch connections there, as would give the advantages arifing from cheapness of labour and provifions their full effect."

They stated that they had no doubt but that skilful workmen would go over with great capitals to Ireland, and that the Irish want nothing elfe to aid them, or to establish manufacture.

That formerly, Holland had the whole of what is called the fmall-ware trade confifting of tape, garters, binding, &c. but that this was transferred to England by the migra tion of a fingle manufacturer, a Mr. Vanfandford.

Such is the opinion of men bred up in the cotton manufacture, and who have made immense fortunes in that trade. I have stated their evidence fairly and exactly; and I fet it against the opinion of Mr. Fofter; let the public decide which has moft weight.

As to the iron trade, and the advantages and disadvantages under which it can be carried on in Great Britain and Ireland refpectively, it is a fubject of great magnitude; and has been, fince the compact made in 1778, to this day, a matter of difpute and controverfy between the two countries: Great Britain infifting upon it, that we had an advantage over her in the great American market, owing to the low duty of 12s. 6d. Irish, which we pay upon imported bar iron, while Britain pays 27. 16s. 6d. English and Ireland, on the other hand, afferting, that as England makes from the ore, onehalf of the iron fhe confumes in manufacture, that ought to have been taken into the fcale of computation, in 1778, and of course, the equalizing duty, impofed on the export of our iron manufactures, ought to have been less than 34. 35. 11d. the duty agreed upon by the compact.

It is not my intention to enter deeply into this fubject; all that I mean to do is to state a few obfervations on the point afferted by Mr. Fofter, of the utter impoffibility of Ireland having an iron manufacture, owing to her want of coal.

The firft obfervation I fhall make is, that Mr. Fofter himself has pointed out the principal reafon, if not the only one, why we have not collieries, and that is, that we have never looked for them as we ought to have done; but, whenever it fhall become an object to fearch after collieries, or to work thofe properly, which are already dif covered, it cannot be doubted but that men with capital, and fkill in matters of this kind, will come over to this country, and that there will be no want of coal.

It is a matter of notoriety that there exifts in the county of Leitrim, as I have already ftated, not only great collieries, but many fpecies of iron-ftone and ores; and that nothing but skill and capital is wanting to establish iron works in that county, on the borders of Lough-Allen, the head of the river Shannon; to which point the two great navigations of this country direct their courfe, the Grand and the Royal Canal.

Mr. Fofter has chofen for his purpose, four of the great and profitable manufactures of England; and has afferted, that they cannot be carried on in this country for want of fuel proper for the purpose; and therefore that no capital can or will be brought into this country-arguing from the particular to the general. And in like manner he states every thing relating to thefe trades as beft anfwers his purpose, making no diftinction in any of them. It is, however, highly neceffary that the public fhould be acquainted, that in the Iron trade there are two branches totally diftinct from each other, and having total different interests to pursue; the one is that of the makers of iron from the ore, the other that of the manufacturers of iron after it is made.

It is the intereft of the former that there fhould be a very high duty on imported iron, that it may not be able to contend with their iron in the Irish market; on the contrary, it is the intereft of the latter, that the duty on imported iron fhould be as low as poffible, that the material of his trade may come to him on as low terms as may be.

The encouraging the making of iron from the ore, in a country which not only fupplies itself with every article made. of iron, but also exports immenfe quantities of every manufacture made of that metal, from an anchor to a needle, is an object of very great magnitude; the importation of iron being from 40,000 to 50,000 tons yearly into England, which at 14. a ton, amounts to from 560,000l. to 700,000l. It is worth their while to encourage the making of iron, to save fuch great fums from going out of the kingdom; and there fore it may be politic to impofe fo high a duty as 27. 165. 6d. on imported iron, which not only protects their own manufacture, but brings in a revenue of 126,000l. a year. But in Ireland, where we are not in the fame fituation, and where the woods which formerly abounded, and with which iron was made, are now exhaufted; and where we have not at prefent collieries open fufficient to fupply our common confumption of coal, it would be madness to entertain the

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idea of contending with any country in the making of iron; we must content ourselves with bringing in iron for our own ufe, at the lowest price we can; and therefore it is our intereft to have the duty on imported iron as low as poffible.

The queftion then is, whether we can have a manufacture of iron in Ireland, under the protecting duty of 21. 16s. 6d. English, or 3. 15. 24d. Irish, opposed to 12s. 6d. our prefent duty?

It appears from the evidence given before the English parliament, that the Irifh have a confiderable manufacture of iron in rods, hoops and nails; and the truth of this muft be obvious to every man's obfervation.

That the trade of England with Ireland, in the feveral articles of iron, was daily decreasing, except in the article of bar iron, which may in refpect to the manufactured iron, be esteemed a raw material.

That the import of bar iron, as well from Ruffia as from England into Ireland, is increafing, that if the duties on iron imported and exported, remain as at prefent, they apprehended there would be a ftrong competition with England in the iron trade-and that with respect to the American market, the great confumer of the English manufacture, Ireland would have fuch an advantage as would beat them out of it, as they would not be bound by the duty of 31. 35. I1d. agreed by the compact of 1778, to be paid on the export of manufactured iron to the colonies, America being no longer a colony.

Ireland, at this day, imports the greatest part of her bar iron from Great Britain, although the could bring it cheaper from Ruffia, Sweden, &c. becaufe fhe gets credit in Eng Jand, and can purchase in fmall quantities, and carry on her trade with less capital. This fhews clearly, that if she can now fupply a great part of her own confumption of iron manufactures, and alfo meet England in the American market, fhe wants only capital to enable her to extend this trade to any amount; and that if it fhall appear advantageous, both English capital and English workmen will come over, and establish themselves in Ireland.

Every man who has obferved the progrefs of manufactures in Ireland for the last twenty or thirty years, muft fee, that there is none in which we are more improved than that of iron; and that we are now arrived to fuch a degree of fkill, as to manufacture the fineft articles of that branch.I cannot, therefore, fee any reafon to argue the improbability,