, 7 8 COMMERCE. 



jn the public funds, and a general fall in the value of that 

 great portion of landed property which is obliged to be fold. 

 But the fums borrowed in this country may be too large to 

 raife by taxes ; I do not think it is the fame in Ireland ; and 

 that kingdom had much better raife their fupplies within the 

 feffion than leffen their little capital by tontines. 



SECTION XXI. 



Commerce Fijheriei > Embargoes. 



T TNFORTUNATELY for Ireland, the general commerce 

 U of it is to be fully treated in a very fmall compafs ; and 

 the fads which I have already had occafion to lay before the 

 reader, in the two preceding feftions, go very far towards 

 completing the whole that is neceflary to explain its ftate. 

 Being a dependent country, the Britifh legiflature has upon 

 all occafions controuled its commerce, fometimes vrith a very 

 high hand, but univerfally upon the principles of monopoly, 

 as if the poverty of that country was to form the wealth of 

 Britain, 1 have on every occafion endeavoured to fhew the 

 futility of fuch an idea, and to prove from the evidence of in- 

 variable fafts, that the wealth of Ireland has always been, 

 and is, the wealth of England, that whatever fiie gets is ex- 

 pended in a very large proportion in the confumption of Bri- 

 tifh fabrics and commodities. The increafed profperity of 

 Ireland, which fhe has experienced in fpite of our abfurd re- 

 ftrictions on her commerce, has raifed her to be one of the 

 greatefl and bed markets this kingdom poflefTes in any part of 

 the globe. 



It is a remarkable fucT: which was pointed out to me by that 

 very able politician, the Earl of Shelburne, that the narrow- 

 nefs of our prohibitory laws in England is of late date ; from 

 the old Englifli acls of parliament it appears, that before the 

 reftoration the true fyftem of commerce was much better un- 

 derftood than it has been pf late days : if the tranfac~Hons of 

 the commonwealth are examined, there will appear great li- 

 berality and- the founded principles in Cromwell and the 

 leading men of thofe times ; and that it was the clear deter- 

 mination of the protector as well as of the long parliament, 

 to make the trade of Ireland as free as potlible ; nay, the aft 

 of navigation itielf, at thf reftoration, included Ireland upon 

 the fame footing as England ; it was not till twelve years af- 

 terwards, that the exception crept in by a fmgle claufe in an- 

 other 



