16o LINEN MANUFACTURE. 



By one of thefe accounts the annual net produce I. 



of thofe duties appropriated to this manufac- 

 ture, on an average of the Jaft 7 years, is ll >74 2 



But by the other, the treafury charges the ma- 

 nufacture on the fame average with, 14,446 



Difference, . 2,704 



The fact however is, that the larger of thefe fums is paid 

 to this purpofe, and the account of the linen boards diiburfc 

 meat amounts to 14,100!. 



The total annual fums at prefent applied appear to be 

 thefe : 



Produce of duties appropriated to the purpofe 

 Parliamentary bounty, - 



Bounty on the import of flax-feed, 



Total per annum, 33>54 



And that the total fums thus applied fincc the year 1700 

 have been : 



I 



Paid by the vice treafurcrs, 847,504 



Parliamentary bounty, 192,540 



Bounty on fl;ix import, 226,834. 



Ditto on export of canvas, 28,682 



Total, 1,295,560 



The tnoft carelefs obferver cannot help remarking, the great 

 amount of this total ; and mull think that an annual grant 

 of 33,000!. a year in fupport of a manufacture which works 

 to the annual amount of two millions fterling, an extraordi- 

 nary mcafure. I muft be free to own, that I cannot, upon 

 any principles, fee the propriety of it. They cannot have 

 done any confiderable mifchief I grant, but if they do no 

 good there is a great evil in the misapplication of fo much 

 money. That a manufacture in its very cradle, if it happens to 

 be of a fickly growth, may be benefited by bounties and pre- 

 miums, is certain ; but thut even in fuch a cafe it is wile to 

 give them, I doubt, very much ; for fabrics being fickly in 

 their growth is a reafon againlt encouraging them. The truly 

 valuable manufactures, fuch as linen in Ireland, wool and 

 hardware in England, and filk in France, want no help but 

 a demand for their produce. Ireland has always hitherto had 

 a demand for her linens, and having fo much longer than the 

 beginning of this century been in the trade, would naturally 



increafe 



