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ment allowed to native merit drives them from the unnatural bofom of 

 the parent foil. In faft it appears, that when due encouragement is 

 given to the exertions of the Irijh, neither genius nor induftry are want- 

 ing. An excellent judge, Count Rumford, has declared that he found 

 no artifts more intelligent than thofe of Ireland; how criminal then is 

 the cant of fome people, who affeft to decry every thing that is the 

 produftion of this country ? 



To procure information concerning the Hate of the labouring poor, 

 to fuggefl: the means of ameliorating their condition, of augmenting the 

 ftock of national induftry, and with it the ftock of national virtue and 

 comfort — to promote thefe is fo great and fo good a work, that he, 

 who but applies a band, to move them forward, however feeble his 

 effort, and inconfiderable his ftrength, may flatter himfelf that he has 

 done once in his life a praife-worthy aft. All difquifitions on ftatifti- 

 cal fubjefts, though in themfelves they may not be profound, ingenious, 

 or fraught with novelty, anfwer a profitable end. They are to the 

 public, what habits of felf-examination are to the individual, they turn 

 the political, like the mental eye inward, they roufe from the trance 

 of apathy, they imprefs a knowledge of fecret faults and weakneffes, 

 and frequently fuggeft the means of reformation. What pleafure can 

 be greater, to the benevolent mind, than the confcioufnefs of having 

 co-operated in plans for the bappinefs of myriads i" Whether fuch plans 

 fucceed or fail, their authors and promoters muft find a fdid reward 

 in their own feelings. 



