Foreign Commerce. 69 
They resemble those which have sometimes 
resulted from extensive commercial specula- 
tions turning unfortunately out. Private losses 
of the same kind arise even from occurrences 
which are productive of essential gain to the 
country. Working people are put to as much 
inconvenience by the change of fashion in a 
particular luxury, or even by the invention of 
machinery which supersedes a portion of their 
labour, as they are by the decay of foreign 
commerce. They are equally obliged in each 
of these cases to enter on a species of labour 
to which their habits are not adapted. When 
peace is concluded, and foreign commerce 
restored, it is not unlikely that this restoration 
will bring with it inconveniences exactly 
similar to those which follow its temporary 
departure.. 
The alarms of merchants and manufactu- 
rers are not confined to such occurrences as 
the loss of foreign connections, but are some- 
times loudly heard when changes are appre- 
hended which are undoubtedly beneficial to 
the public. Of this sort was the alarm taken 
by the woollen manufacturers of Yorkshire, 
when it was proposed to give greater freedom 
to the trade and manufactures of Ireland: 
With the same justice might the proprietors 
of West Indian plantations deprecate the 
