A. D. 1666. rjT 



died, until, by the treaty of Utrecht, France ceded tlie whole to Great 

 Britain. 



Parliament having found the aft [15 Car. If, c. 8] for preventing 

 the importation of foreign live cattle ineffectual, now enadted, that all 

 great cattle, fheep, and fwinc, and aUb beef, pork, or bacon, imported, 

 except for neceilary provifion, fhould be forfeited, the importation of 

 fat or lean cattle, alive or dead, being unnecelTary, deftruclive of the- 

 welfare of the kingdom, and a public nuiiance *. And for the better 

 encouragement of the tiihery, the importation or fiile of ling, herring, 

 cod, or pilchards,, frelh or faked, dried or bloated, and of falmon, eels, 

 or congers, taken by foreigners, was alio prohibited ; and any perfon 

 whatever was empowered to feize the iiime, half for his own ule, the 

 other half for the poor of the parifh : proviib, that 600 head of black 

 cattle, ot the breed of the ifle of Man, might annually be imported at 

 Chefter only. The term of this ad was for feven years, and to the end 

 of the firft leflion of the next parliament. [18 Car. II, <r. 2.] 



It was prolonged and further ftrengthened by two fubfequent acts 

 [20 Car. II, f . 7 ; ^2 Car. II, c. 2] by the later of which it was extend- 

 ed to mutton, lamb, butter, and cheefe, from Ireland : yet by reafon 

 of a late very great dearth of provifions in the year 1757, an act of 

 parliament allowed the importation of faked beef, pork, and butter, 

 from Ireland. 



Concerning thefe laws for prohibiting the importation of Irifh cattle, 

 many people think them in the main to be hurtful, and that it would 

 be wiier to luffer the Irifli to be employed in breeding and fattenmg 

 cattle for us, than to turn their lands into fheep-walks, as at prefent, 

 whereby they are led, in ipite of all our laws to the contrary, to fupply 

 foreign nations with their wool, to our very great detriment. Of this 

 opinion was the great Sir William Temple (in his Miicellanies), and 

 later experience has conhrmed it. 



By a itatute for the encouragement of the woollen manufactures of 

 England [18 Car. II, c. 4], it was enaCted, that no perfon ihould be 

 buried in any fl:iirt, fhift, or flieet, made of or mingled with llax, hemp, 

 filk, hair, gold, or filver, or other than what fliall be made of wool, 

 only, upon forfeiture of L5 to the poor of the pariih, towards a ftocL 

 or work-houfe for their employment. 



This is certainly a wife and I'alutary law, as it is a means of confum- 

 ing a confiderable quantity of our llight woollen manufadures : yet 

 fuch is the vanity of too many, that they will rather forfeit L5, than. 

 be inftrumental in promoting our own raofl; important manufacture. 



* Sit- William Petty [\n h\% Phlitlcal furvey of Ireland) fays that before this ftntute touk place 

 three fourths of the foreign trade of Ireland was with England, but not one fourth ot it fince that 

 time. A. 



