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** of a legiflator, whofe deliberations ought to be governed by genc- 

 " ral principles, that are always the fame, as to the /kill of that ia- 

 " fidious and crafty animal, vulgarly called a flatefman, or politician, 

 " whofe councils arc directed, by the momentary fluftuation of affairs. 

 " When there is no probability, that fuch repeal can be procured, it 

 " feems a bad method of compenfating the injury done to certain 

 " claffes of our people, by doing another injury, both to thofe claiTes, 

 " and to all other claffes of them. Wheii our neighbours prohibit 

 " fome manufafture of ours, we generally prohibit, not only the fame, 

 " but fome other manufafture of theirs. This may, no doubt, give 

 " encouragement, to fome particular workmen among ourfelves, and, 

 " by excluding their rivals, enable them to raife their price in the 

 " home market. Thefe workmen, however, who fuffered by our neigh- 

 " hours' prohibition, will not be benefited by ours. On the contrary, 

 " they, and all the other claffes of our citizens, will thereby be ob- 

 " liged to pay dearer than before, for certain goods." 



It might, perhaps, be expedient, to proteft the Irijh manufaftures, 

 of woollen fabrics, and of {lamped, and printed cottons, and callicoes ; 

 by a duty on Englijh manufaftures, in thefe branches, at leaf!:, equi- 

 valent to what is laid, on the like manufaftures of Ireland, when im- 

 ported into England. It feems to be but jufl, that when there are 

 protecting duties in England, there fliould be correfponding protecting 

 duties in Ireland, to put the manufaftures of the two countries, on 

 an equal footing ; and to counteraft the induftry, which is em- 

 ployed by the manufacturers of Britain, to ftifle the manufactures of 

 Ireland, in the cradle, and to overcharge the market of this country, 

 with their fabrics. But this is periculofa plenum opus alecE, the politi- 

 cal practicability of fuch a meafure is queftionable, the economical 

 expediency is doubtful. 



I would inftance, as an example of an injudicious application of pro- 

 tefling duties, for the purpofe of encouraging a manufacture, a late 

 tax of two pence per pound, on paper imported. In vain did the 



printers 



