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fifty pounds ! The fame may be faid, of various manufaftures, in tin, 

 papier maciiee, copper, ivory, and even in filver and gold. The work- 

 manfliip is nearly all in all ; but, in this refpeft, as well as in extent 

 and utility, the fabrics of fteel have a diflinguiflied pre-eminence. 



I'he manufactures of hardvs^are in this country are, at prefent, in a 

 low and contracted ftate. Far from being able to enter into compe- 

 tition with Britain, much lefs to obtain a fuperiority over her, in the 

 foreign market, in the fabrication of arms, cutlery, the finer kinds of 

 hardware, watches, toys, enamelled work, and what we call the ma- 

 nufactures of gallantry ; our productions of thofe kinds fall very fliort 

 of fupplying the demand of the home market, and for a fupply of the 

 deficiency we depend on Britain. It is not, fo much, in the fuperior 

 quality of the commodities, that the fuperiority of the EngUjh manufac- 

 turer appears. We produce various articles of cutlery, watches, locks, 

 fire-arms, toys, manufactures of gallantry, various iuftruments and uten- 

 fils, for the ufe of arts, fciences, manufactures, and hufbandry, in Ihort 

 all fabricks, which can be wrought out of metal, of a quality, which 

 would not difgrace the beft Englijh artiils. It is in the unequal prices of 

 fabricks of the fame kind, and equal quality produced by Britij}} and 

 Irijh workmen, and the great advantage, in point of cheapnefs, on the 

 fide of Britijh manufacture, that the overbearing irrefiftible power of 

 fuperior capital and fuperior ikill appears. 



Indeed, I think, the fuperiority of Britain is no where fo evident, 

 liS in the department of hardware. The manufactures of Sheffield and 

 Birmingham are fold in Ireland infinitely cheaper, than articles of a like 

 quality, fabricated by native workmen, can be afforded, o;j the fpot 

 where they are made. Yet, thefe goods muft be conveyed, a confi- 

 derable diftance, from the place where they are made, to the port where 

 they are to be fliipped for Ireland ; in faCt, they are conveyed almoft 

 invariably by means of the inland navigation to Liverpool, from whence 

 they are forwarded to this country. For the transportation of thefe 

 goods to Ireland, freight, fometimes, infurance mufl be paid ; the com- 

 modities 



