DUBLIN. 



175 



f jlir. junction with the Liftey at the west end of the town ; 



,-*' and unfortunately for themselves, they determined to 

 proceed to the Liffey by a southern circuit of the city 

 for three miles. They had twelve bridges and four- 

 teen locks. Adjoining the river, they excavated the 

 outer dock 4000 feet by 330 feet ; the inner 2000 feet 

 by 280 feet; the whole ground purchased being 35 

 English acres, 26 of which are covered with water 16 

 feet deep. There are three locks open to the sea ; be- 

 sides three graving locks. The other nine acres not oc- 

 cupied by embankments are to be employed for the 

 building of stores. The nature of the Irish revenue 

 arising from customs and excise, brings all the vessels 

 to moor in the custom-house docks, and visibly exposes 

 the improvident speculation, by which the company of 

 proprietors have been obliged to relinquish a dividend 

 on their stock. The only relief for this at present with- 

 in the power of the government is, to make these docks 

 the depot of the malt trade and coal trade, by the erec- 

 tion of offices on the quays for the discharge of the car- 

 goes by some of the commissioners attending there. 



U>: C'anal The Royal Canal Company was incorporated by act 



* m J- of Parliament in 1789: it is completed to Mullengar 

 in a western direction from the north side of the city : 

 the object is to reach the Shannon at the distance pre- 

 scribed by the acts of Parliament. The line near Dub- 

 lin, caused an immense expenditure. The subscription 

 was opened with L.I 34,000, and government gave 

 L.60,000. The line of country finished cannot give the 

 occupation. The whole demand on the property by 

 loan and stock is L.800,000, the interest of which can- 

 not be paid. The case of the Company and loan-holders 

 is now before a select committee of the House of Com- 

 mons; and commissioners of enquiry are appointed for 

 the purpose. 



The true state of the kingdom may be known by 

 the unemployed capital, which is lent at interest. From 

 the Reformation to the accession of the Stuarts, that is, 



from 1535 to ]6oi, it was L.12 per cent. 



. . . 1G01 . 1707 ..... 10 



. . . 1707 . 1725 8 



. . . 1753 . 1814, 6 



The Bank of Ireland, from 1783, the time of its insti- 

 tution, discounted at L.5 per cent. The private bank-; 

 and others are at liberty to receive six. It is well known 

 that the public funds always produce to the holders 

 fully L.6 per cent. The fluctuation of the exchange 

 between England and Ireland ha frequently, within 

 these last twenty years, given a premium of L.8 and 

 L.9 per cent, for this service for twenty-one days ; there- 

 fore the highest favour that could be done to die trade of 

 this city would be, by the drawing and redrawing of the 

 national banks of England and Ireland at L.I } per cent, 

 above par. The directors of each are fully capable of 

 distinguishing the fair course of the business carried on. 



On the accession of the House of Hanover, money 

 was borrowed in Flanders at L.3 per cent, and lent out 

 in Ireland at L.8 with mortgage security. This fact, 

 which became known to the government by the hasty 

 process of foreclosure and possession, occasioned the 

 dilatory and expensive proceeding on this security in- 

 troduced at this period in the courts, to prevent a 'total 

 change of the landed property ; encumbered a-s it was 

 then by the miseries of the civil war, and the struggle 

 at the Revolution. 



The national bank has now shewn its capacity of 

 direction by the accumulation of its capital, and there- 

 fore should look to the political principle that guides 



Dublin. 



the rate of interest : That the profits of capital should be 



in proportion to the useful occupation of it in the hand " "" v ~~ 



of the owner, and thus reduce their rate of discount to 



L.4 per cent. 



Dublin has for near a century been the staple of all Imports ami 

 the imports consumed in the twelve counties west of exports. 

 Dublin and Wicklow. The communication by the 

 canals liave assisted this commission trade. The ex- 

 ports from Dublin are chiefly com, live cattle, butter, 

 and linen. 



The woollen manufacture flourished in the south- Manufac- 

 west district of the city, when it was stopped by the tures - 

 law enacting a high duty, and thus prohibiting the 

 exportation, about the year 16'98. At present the num- 

 ber employed would not furnish an eighth of the con- 

 sumption of the kingdom : without capital, without 

 machinery, without fuel in any proportion in these se- 

 veral respects to the manufacturers of the same class in 

 England, an observer is astonished at the artifices prac- 

 tised to avoid the small protecting duty laid on by the 

 act of union, the policy of which was evidently to give 

 an opening to human ingenuity in this branch, without a 

 p-.issible prejudice to the interest of the sister kingdom. 

 The cotton and silk manufactures have their special 

 excellence alone to recommend them. The protecting 

 duty on the cotton goods will shortly expire. 



Among the number of hospitals, there is one for Hospital*, 

 lying-in women, which is principally supported by the 

 profits arising from musical entertainments, balls, and 

 card parties, which are given by subscription at the 

 Rotunda, and great assembly rooms in Cavendish Row 

 adjoining the Rotunda. Dr Bartholomew Moss, a licen- 

 tiate of midwifery, in 1 7 45, began this charitable insti- 

 tution in South Great George's Street ; and finding it 

 not sufficient for this purpose, took a field in Great 

 Britain Street, then at the extremity of the City Build- 

 ings, (and now nearly in the centre of them ;) and in 

 1751 expended not only hi; entire fortune, about 

 L.2000, but also all the charitable donations he had re- 

 ceived, and money borrowed to the amount of L.6'000. 

 In 1754, the zeal of the Doctor, unable to fulfil his 

 design by the means which he supposed to be within 

 his power, applied by petition to the I louse- of Com- 

 mons, and obtained not only the L.6'000 borrowed, but 

 also the I, .2000 of his own property, and L.tiOOO in 

 addition, to complete the whole design. Its use may be 

 estimated by the following summary account from the 

 day it was opened. From December 8, 1757, to Octo- 

 ber 31, 1809, there wi-re fil-,010 women delivered of 

 30,831 boys, and ,"I,!2y girK The usual admittance 

 every year is 26'00. The building is incomparably well 

 fitted for its purpose-". It is entirely built of hewn 

 stone, and ornamented on the north aucl south with re- 

 gular architectural fronts. A beautiful steeple is in the 

 front, and semicircular colonnades form the wings. To 

 the east of the house is the rotunda, 80 feet in diame- 

 ter, with convenient recesses ; this is connected with 

 the apartments in Cavendish Row, the front of which 

 is of white granite, and of the Doric order, in the frieze 

 of which the arms of Ireland, the star of the order of 

 St Patrick, and the crest of the Duke of I Jutland, are 

 agreeably united. These apartments consist of a ball- 

 room (J(i feet by 40 ; a card-room u'6 feet by 35; a tea- 

 room 5 ! feet by 24 ; a great supper-room 86 feet by 40; 

 a lesser supper-room 54 feet by 2 i ; four dressing- 

 rooms, each 19 feet by 13; a hall 40 feet by 30; a wait- 

 ing-room 36 feet by 20; a chairman's hall 40 feet by 

 30; a vestibule 20 feet by 14; and kitchens with all 

 their offices. The physicians are a master, and two 



