P R E S E N T S T A T E. 20 i 



The total decline in the laft year amounts to about one 

 hundred thousand pounds, and from the particulars it appears 

 to lie /on the import account ; for as to the fall of nve thou- 

 fand pounds on the export cuftoms, it is very trivial, thofe 

 diftrelfes which have, by aflbciations or naturally, fo imme- 

 diate an effect in cutting off the expences of importation, 

 while exports remain nearly as they were, have a wonderful 

 tendency to produce a cure the moment the difeafe is known; 

 for that balance of wealth, arillng from fuch an account, 

 muft animate every branch of induftry in a country, whofe 

 greateft evil is the want of capital and circulation. 



Generally fpeaking, a declining revenue is a proof of de- 

 clining wealth ; but the preient cafe is fo ftrong an exception, 

 that the very contrary is the fad ; the Iriih were very free 

 and liberal confumers of foreign commodities ; they have 

 greatly curtailed that consumption, not from poverty, for 

 their exports have many of them increafed, and none declined 

 comparably with their imports, circumftances marked by the 

 courfe of exchange being much in their favour, as well as by 

 thefe and other accounts ; this liberal confumption being 

 lellened from other motives, they are neceffarily accumulating 

 a confiderable fuperlucration of wealth, which in fpite of fate 

 will revive their revenues, while it increafes every exertion of 

 their national induftry. 



In the years 



1776. 



acO 



m- 

 ex- I 

 du- )-4i6 



In the above ac-' 

 count, cuftoms 

 wards, import ex- 

 cife, and wine du- 

 ty, added together 

 amount to thefe 

 fums, being, - j 



Cuftoms outwards, | 42,^ 



From 1777 to 1778, the cuftoms on their exports increafed, 

 but their cuftoms on imports declined above 77,000!. From 

 1778 to 1779 the former fell 4,310!. or more than a ninth, at 

 the fame time the import duty fell 63,000!. or a fifth ; this 

 difference in thefe articles is very great, and if all the heads of 

 the revenue were included, it would be more ftill. 



It is not furprizing that the national debt fhould increafe 

 while the revenue declines. At lady-day 1779, it amounted 

 to 1,062,597!. which is more than in 1777, by 237,171!. 



But the decline of the revenue has by no means been gene- 

 ral, as will be feen by the following table of articles, which 

 have been upon the rife. 



In 



