An Essay 071 Commercial Policy . ill 



■which the Irish had made in agriculture and forming, to- 

 wards the close ot the 17th century, have abridged, beyond 

 the possibility of remedy, the staple of England, her woollen 

 manufactures. In the reign of Charles II., conceiving the 

 produce of their estates considerably reduced in value bv the 

 tree importation of cattle and grain from Ireland, they suc- 

 ceeded in setting aside the general interest of the country 

 by obtaining a law to prohibit the inijortation of such 

 commodities. The Irish, being thus prevented from im- 

 porting into England, were obliged to salt v* hat thev could 

 not find consumption for at home, and export it to other 

 countries for a market ; by which that great branch of Irish 

 trade, the exportation of salted provisions, was established*. 

 It was long, however, before a sufficient foreign consump- 

 tion could be obtained, so that their sheep were allowed to 

 increase for the sake of wool alone ; by which that com- 

 modity was rendered much cheaper in Ireland than in Eng- 

 land. The cheapness of wool in Ireland enabled the Irish 

 to set up woollen manufactures of their own, wiiich soon 

 rivalled those of England ; so that the English merchants, 

 finding themselves equalled by the Irish, brought down 

 another misfortune upon the general interests of the coun- 

 try. In 1699 an act was passed to prohibit the exportation 

 of woollen manufactures from Irelaud to any place except 

 to England and Wales; even to England and Wales the 

 exportation was so unmercifully restricted that this was an 

 indulgence in words only: the consequence was, that many 

 of the Irish manufacturers were obliged to seek employ- 

 ment in foreign countries ; and tl>e greater number went to 

 France : by them the woollen nranufactures ot that king- 

 dom were established, and by their connection a clandes- 

 tine exportation of wool from Ireland was carried on ; so 

 that the French soon made sufficient cloth for themselves, 

 and became our rivals in foreign markets. 



It is therefore evident, both from the nature of the thing, 

 and the variety and number of instances which might be 

 given, that freedom is not more essential to commerce ihan 

 immediate legislative interference is pernicious. Mankind 

 are always regulated in their undertakings by the character 

 of existing circumstances ; and the objects of trade vary 

 with politic/'il occurrences, which, iitnerally originating from 

 causes the most obscure, are placed beyond the control of 

 preconcerted schemes, and frequently exhibit the reverse 

 of their prospective estimate. Hence it is that laws founded 

 wn particular incidents, and intended to promote temporary 



purposes 



