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But though every intelligent perfon, who confiders the fubjeft, mufl; be 

 convinced of the impropriety of a legiflative interference, to fix the price of 

 labour ; it mud be acknowledged, that the wages of the peafant are 

 by far too low,, in almoft every part of Ireland. Six-pence a day 

 are by no means adequate, to the fupport of a man and his family. 

 This low price of labour, not only makes the peafant wretched, but, 

 operates univerfally, to the difcouragement of manufadures. Toung ob- 

 ferves, in his tour in France, that there prevailed there, in mofl places, 

 a poverty, that flrikes at the root of national profperity. A large con- 

 fumption amongft the poor is of more confequence, than among the 

 rich. The wealth of a nation, lies in its circulation and confumption ; 

 and the cafe of poor people abftaining from the manufaftures, of lea- 

 ther and wool, is an evil of the firll magnitude. It reminded me (fays 

 the Traveller) of the mifery of Ireland. 



It will be difficult to point out any fcheme, for the encourage- 

 ment of manufactures, fo effectual, as an amelioration of the condi- 

 tion of the labouring poor, in general. For this end, we fliould 

 begin, with increafing the wages of the peafantry, at prefent unac- 

 countably low. Were the poor better lodged, cloathed, and fed ; did 

 they difplay more utenfils, and furniture, in their habitations ; they 

 would give employment, to a large additional number of manufac- 

 turers ; they would open an extenfive confumption, of linen and me- 

 tallic manufacturers, of carpenters work, and articles of furniture ; but 

 to encreafe this confumption of the poor, which, as has been juftly 

 obferved, is of more importance, than the confumption of the rich, the means 

 of the poor mufl: be encreafed, by augmenting the price of labour. 



There is a peculiar advantage, in the confumption of the poor. 

 In the firft place, it confifts more in home productions, and lefs in 

 imported luxuries, than that of the rich. In the next place, it not 

 only brings the market to the door of each manufacturer, by the 

 demand of his neighbour ; it produces alfo, in addition, a profitable 

 re-a<5tion, a reciprocation of exertion. Through the mutuality, of fu- 

 pcrfluities, and wants, the peafant, or manufafturer, who takes any 



(3 A 2) article 



