and habits of fobriety, ali the fits and ftarts of exertion, in favourite 

 branches of manufafture, according to the caprice of fpeculation, and 

 giddy theories of the moment, will fade, " Hke the bafelefs fabric of a 

 vifion, nor leave a wrecii behind." it v/zs a faying of one of the em- 

 perors of China, " that, if any man was idle, in his dominions, fomc 

 " one mufl go worfe cloathed, and worfe fed ;" the emperor was in 

 the right, for though the idicnefs of one man does not direftiy tear 

 the coat off the back of another ; the fum total of the confuming or 

 accumulating powers muft be dirainiflied in the fame ratio. 



If much yet remains to be done in the country, we may enter with 

 confidence, on the taflv of improvement ; fince we know, that the evils 

 which we mufl; encounter and fubdue, are not natural and inherent, 

 but accidental and adventitious. The native qualities of the foil and 

 its inhabitants are truly excellent ; remove the obftacles that prevent 

 their full effeft and the work is done. Could we attribute the back- 

 ward ftate of Irela?jd in many particulars, to the fituation, foil, or cli- 

 mate of the land, or the national charafler of the people, the cafe would 

 be defperate ; but when we refer our backwardnefs or deficiency to 

 obvious caufes, removable without difiiculty, by the hands of wifdom and 

 patriotifm, the profpeft of our paft; and prefent evils becomes a lef- 

 fon of encouragement and exertion. 



It is obfervable, that the Irijh, in every country but their own, ad- 

 vance with equal firmnefs and addrefs, and diftinguifli themfelves, in 

 arts, in commerce, in war and letters ; while the meagre encourage- 

 ment 



