ijpl* LITER ART INXELLIOENCER. 2^5 



" Commerce. — :Botli our exports and imports have greatly' 

 increafed. We export here goods from Pailly, Mancheller, 

 &c. 5 and we import conl'iderable quantities of the Irifh li- 

 nen manufacture. The inhaoitants of Portpatrick, how- 

 ever are generally only the carriers ; the dealers are thofe, 

 •who, not being futhciently opulent to freight and load large 

 fliips, carry on a hauiiing bufinefs by land. They bring 

 tlieir goods iu carts, and hire the Portpatrick velTels to con- 

 vey tliem from one Ihore to the other. 



" Iriih Cattle. — But of all the articles of the commerce 

 of Portpatrick, the import of black cattle and horfes from 

 Ireland is by far the moft interelling. Formerly fuch a com- 

 merce was prohibited, for the purpofe of encouraging our 

 own breed. The free importation was firll permitted by 5th 

 George III. cap. 10. \ i. for leven years, and from thence to 

 the end of the next felTion of Parliament. It was after- 

 wards continued by feveral temporary acts, and at laft made 

 perpetual, by i6th George III. cap. 8. From the firft re- 

 moval of the prohibition, there was a fmall annual importa- 

 tion ; but it was never carried on to any great extent till 



1784, when it rofe fuddenly, without any caufe that has yet 

 been affigned for it. In that year there were imported, be- 

 tween the 5th of January X784, and the 5th of January 



1785, no lefs than 18,301 black cattle, and X233 horfes. 

 The importation of cattle and horfes, for the laft five years, 



ending the 10th of Odober 1790, has varied in the follow- 

 ing manner : 



Black Cattle. Horfes* 



I'rom loth Oft. 1785 todo. 1786 10,452 ijSjd 



1787 7po7 1,62.^ 



1788 9,488 ^ 2,777 



' 1789 13^321 2,213 



, ^ 1790 i4»873 2,402 



Total in five years, 55)14^ 10,270 



which, at an average, is about r 1,000 head of cattle, and 

 2000 horfes p^r annum. Great as this importation has been, 

 it has not as yet materially hurt the fale, or diminiilied, the 

 price of cattle, in the neighbourhood of Portpatrick. On 

 Vol. I, f Mm 



