646 



A. D. 1779. 



% 



extent as Ireland, and moreover, without confulting the parliament of 

 Ireland, pafled an ad [10, 11 Will. Ill] making the heavy duties on the 

 exportation of Irifli wool, Sec. perpetual; by which, and fome others 

 that followed it, the woollen trade of Ireland was annihilated *. He 

 ftated the exports from Britain to Ireland upon an average of fix years, 

 1 766- 1 772, at fomewhat above two millions annually, and in the fuc- , 

 ceeding fix years, extending to 1778, about as much more, whereof 

 nearly one half was Briti(h manufadure or produce, and the remainder 

 certified articles, whereof this country was the medium of conveyance. 

 Of thefe exports the woollen goods amounted only to about /^2oo,ooo a- 

 year ; fo that it would be very bad policy to rifle an export trade of na- 

 tive produce to the amount of a million for the fake of an export of 

 woollens to the amount of /^200,ooo f . He obferved, that the woollen 

 trade of Ireland, though freed from all the refl:raints it had hitherto 

 been ftiackled with, muft long continue in fuch a ftate of infancy, as 

 would render it impofiible for that country to compete v/ith England 

 in foreign markets, feeing that now, notwithftanding the low rate of 

 wages in Ireland, Englifh fine cloths, though loaded with the various 



* ' The woollen manufa£lurers of Ireland, who, ' might be fmuggled from both iflands. The 



• or their anceftors, came chiefly from England, • foundations of manufaftures were laid, or they 

 ' now emigrated from Ireland ; certainly, however, ' were p.tjmoted, highly to the prejudice of Eng- 

 ' in fmaller numbers than were at the time repre- ' land : and thus fome return was made for the 



• fented. In their refentment and necellities many ' manufactures ellablifhed in the Britifh dominions 

 ' of the proteftants moved to Germany, many of ' by the equally wife [revocation of the] edift of 

 ' the Roman catholics to Spain, and others of each " Nanti.' [_Lord SLfficU's Olfcrvations on the trad: 



• defcription to France, where they received en- of Ireland, p. 151 eJ. 17S5.J 

 ' couragement, and (hewed the way how our wool 



\ The amount of the trade between Great Britain and Ireland, according to the Britifli cuftom- 

 houfe accounts, may be feen in the annual accounts of imports and exports, by which Britain appears 

 to draw almoft every year a very confiderable balance from Ireland. But it is necelTary to obferve, 

 that the linens, which generally conftitute above one half of the whole imports from Ireland, are there- 

 in rated at %d a yard, rather lefs than one half of their true average value, which mull necclTarily pro- 

 duce an error, or falfification, of very great magnitude. In the Irifli cutlom-lioufe accounts the liners 

 are rated from l^dto 17//, which, though Hill under the truth, turns the balance in favour of Ireland 

 to a very confiderable amount. The following is the Irifti account of the trade with Great Britain in 

 anoll of the years referred to by Lord North. ^ 



1769 

 1770 

 1771 

 1772 

 1773 

 1/7-1 

 1775 

 1776 

 1777 

 177 



Ireland exported to Great Britain ; 



^2,266,151 

 2,-108,838 

 2,514,039 

 2,405,507 

 2,178,664 



2, n 7,695 



2,379,858 

 2,551,211 

 2,552,296 

 2,718,145 



whereof inlinens,! 



a^l,237,121 



1,458,543 

 1,435,110 

 1,387,584 

 1,542,748 



and in linen yam. 



£^1/5,166 

 183,592 

 216,915 

 178,190 

 168,653 



Ireland imported from Great Britain ; 

 whereof in woollen goods. 

 ^1,776,996 



1,878,599 



1,806,732 



1,566,623 



1,679,212 



1,711,17-1 

 1,739,543 

 1,875,525 

 2,233,192 

 2,076,460 



..1 





358,408 



The year 1777 is noted for the uncommonly great amotint of the importation of Britiih goodo, 

 which in confequence of non-importation agreements and other circumftances, fell off very much in the 

 enfuing years. [^Lai'd Sheffield's Obftrvatkns, pp. 8, 160, 276, 284..] 



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* 



