INLAND BOUNTY. 135 



ic. Why not carry the corn in fhips, as well as tear up all 

 th roads leading to Dublin by cars ? Why not increafe 

 your failors inftead of horfes ? Are they not as profitable an 

 animal ? If you muft have an inland bounty, why not to the 

 nearelt port from which it could be carried with the mod 

 c;ife, and at the lead expence to Dublin ? This would have 

 anfwered the fame end. The pretence for the meafure was 

 the great import of foreign corn at Dublin ; this is granting 

 that there was a great demand at Dublin ; and can any one 

 fuppofe that if the corn was forced to Corke or Wexford, it 

 would not find the way to fuch a demand as eafily as from 

 the eaft of England, which is the only part of that kingdom, 

 which abounds with corn for exportation ? But the very pre- 

 tence was a fallhood, for with what regard to truth could it 

 be aflerted, that Dublin was fed with Englifh corn before 

 this meafure took efteft, when it appears by the preceding ac- 

 counts, that the import of the whole kingdom from 1757 to 

 1763 was only 84,000!. a year, and from 1764 to 1770 no 

 more than 101,604!. ? This import account does not diftin- 

 guifh like the export one, the ports at which the foreign corn 

 was received ; if it did, I fhould in all probability find but a 

 moderate part of this total belonging to Dublin, as it is very 

 well known that in the north there is always a confiderable 

 import of oatmeal. Granting however the evil, ftill the plan 

 of remedying it by a land carriage of 130 miles was abfurd 

 to the laft degree. But fuppofe fo confiderable a city as 

 Dublin did import foreign corn to a large amount, is it wife 

 to think this fo great a national evil, that all the principles of 

 common policy are to be wounded in order to remedy it ? 

 Where is the country to be found that is free from confider- 

 able imporcations even of the produdl of land ? Has not Ire- 

 land a prodigious export of her foil's produce in the effedts of 

 pafturage, for which her climate is fmgularly adapted ? 

 And while (he has that, of what little account is a trifling im- 

 port of corn to feed her capital city ? We have feen the un- 

 doubted lots that has accrued to the nation from a violent 

 endeavour to counteract this import, yet the meafure has only 

 lefTeued it to an inconfiderable degree. 



I was at a mill on Corke harbour above 1 20 miles from 

 Dublin, and faw cars loading for that market on the bounty, 

 with a fhip laying at the mill quay bound for Dublin, and 

 waiting for a loading ; could invention fuggeft any fchemc 

 more prepofterous than thus to confound at the public ex- 

 pence all the ideas of common practice, and common fenfe ! 

 By means of this meafure I have been allured it has happen- 

 ed, that the flour of $laine mills has found its way to Carlow, 

 and that of Laughlin Bridge to Drogheda : that is to fay, 

 Mr. Jebb eats his bread of Captain Mercer's flour, and the 

 latter makes his pudding with Mr, Jebb's affiftance ; they live 



100 



