

IRELAND. 



workmen, and the great ascendency of England 

 and Scotland in all departments of manufacture, 

 will, there is reason to think, hinder Ireland from 

 ever attaining eminence in this department. Linen 

 may be regarded as the staple manufacture, of 

 which Belfast and the surrounding districts of 

 Ulster are the chief seats. 



The exports of linen yarns and manufactures 

 from Ireland to Great Britain were, in 1864, 

 10,327,000 in value. The woollen manufacture 

 was nearly extinguished at the revolution of 1688, 

 but it revived some time afterwards. There seems 

 to have been a decrease in the number of factories 

 from 1839 to I ^5> since which time the trade has 

 revived, and many of the discontinued factories 

 have been reoccupied. The total number of 

 factories is 47, but in only two of these in the 

 counties of Cork and Dublin is the number of 

 hands employed over 100. The total number of 

 persons employed in 1868 was 1374. The quantity 

 of flax grown in Ireland, annually, on the average 

 of the seven years ending 1864, was 30,985 tons. 

 The number of acres sown in 1863 was 214,099 ; 

 in 1872 the number had fallen to 121,864 ; in 1885 

 it was 108,149 acres. The position of Ireland as 

 a manufacturing country will be seen from the 

 following table, which shews the number of textile 

 factories, and the persons employed in 1885. 



Factories. 



Cotton 7 



Woollen 141 



Worsted 4 



Flax 166 



Hemp 2 



I."'? 4 



Hair.. 



Persons employed. 

 1,248 

 3,136 

 202 



670 

 961 

 192 



33 



68,158 



Of the persons employed in these factories, 31 

 per cent, were males, and 69 per cent, females. 

 A great source of employment for females 

 in the north of Ireland is now the working of 

 patterns on muslin with the needle. Belfast is 

 the centre of this manufacture, which employs 

 about 300,000 persons, chiefly females. About 40 

 firms are engaged in the trade, some being Irish 

 houses, and others agents for Scotch firms. The 

 gross value of the manufactured goods amounts to 

 about 1,400,000. 



Distillation. In 1829, there were 80 distilleries 

 in Ireland, and the number of gallons entered for 



home consumption in that year was 9,212,223 

 gallons, the duty being 2s. lod. per gallon. In 

 1836, the number of gallons entered for home 

 consumption had risen to 12,248,772, the number 

 of distilleries being in that year 90, the duty 2s. 4d. 

 With some oscillation, the tendency has been 

 from this period to an annual decrease in the 

 quantity of spirits consumed in Ireland. In 1842, 

 the home consumption was 5,290,650, the duty 

 being 2s. 8d. to 35. 8d. In 1854, again, the figures 

 rise to 8,440,734, the duty being 33. 4d. to 43. ; but 

 by 1864, again, they have fallen to 4,845,100, the 

 duty being los. ; in 1881, they are 5,184,953, the 

 duty being los. per gallon. The force of these 

 figures is, of course, to be considered in connection 

 with population returns. 



Trade and Shipping. The exportation of the 

 agricultural produce of the country has always 

 been the principal branch of Irish commerce. 

 Great Britain is by far the best and most extensive 

 market for all kinds of the produce of Ireland. 

 Much the greater part of the export trade is carried 

 on by the cross Channel navigation, chiefly to 

 Liverpool, Bristol, and Glasgow ; the staple articles 

 being black-cattle, sheep, swine, salted provisions, 

 grain, flour, butter, eggs, and linen. The trade 

 with the colonies and foreign countries is com- 

 paratively inconsiderable. The cessation of the 

 collection of the duties on the cross Channel trade, 

 which took place in 1825, has taken away the 

 means of estimating the amounts of imports and 

 exports to and from Great Britain since that 

 period. The total ' Declared real value of British 

 and Irish produce exported direct to foreign 

 countries from Ireland,' from 1866 to 1883, was as 

 follows: (1866) 194,204; (1867) 283,266; (1868) 

 /35,766 ; (1870) 213,685 ; (1883) 863,877. 



From Dublin, Belfast, and Cork, these values 

 were as follows : 



NUMBER AND TONNAGE OF VESSELS AT PORTS IN IRELAND ON 3IST DECEMBER 187! AND l88l. 



Total Foreign Colonial and Coasting Trade. 

 Number and tonnage of sailing and steam vessels 

 entered inwards and cleared outwards at ports of 

 Ireland, in the coasting, colonial, and foreign 



nciciiiu.* ill tiic ivvaobUJK) v-viwiiic**j * ** * 



trades (distinguishing British from foreign vessels), I vessels, 295,350 tons 



in the year 1881 : Entered inwards British, 

 31,129 vessels, 6,445,849 tons ; Foreign, 632 

 vessels, 307,591 tons. Cleared outwards Brit- 

 ish, 29,997 vessels, 6,319,155 tons; Foreign, 589 



263 



