EFFECTS OF A FREE TRADE. 213 



me to the queftion, whether any prejudice is likely to refult to 

 England. 



Whatever the diftrefs may be in Ireland, it appears that 

 thefe freedoms will not ftrike immediately at the evil, nor 

 bring any confiderable remedy j they are general favours, 

 and not applicable to the diilrefs of the time ; this ought to 

 be well underftood in Ireland, becaufe faHe hopes lead only 

 to difappointment. It was highly proper to repeal thofe 

 reftrictions ; but it is every day in the power of the Irifh 

 to render to themielves much more important fervices. In 

 order to convert their new fituation to immediate advantage, 

 they muft eftablifh woollen fabrics for the new markets opened 

 to them ; thofe already in the kingdom I cannot fuppofe to 

 be exported for this plain reafon they are rivalled in their 

 own markets by fimiiar manufactures from England, I mean 

 particularly fine broad clothes and ratteens ; if the Irifh fa- 

 brics cannot (land the competition of ours in the market of 

 Dublin, while they have a heavy land carriage in England, 

 freight, commiffion, and duties on landing ; and while the 

 Irifh cloth has a great bounty by the Dublin Society to encou- 

 rage it, they certainly will not be able to oppofe us in foreign 

 markets, where we meet on equal terms ; this removes the 

 expected advantage to new fabrics, which, let me obferve, 

 require new capitals, new eftablifhments, new exertions, and 

 new difficulties to be overcome, and all this in a country 

 where the old eftablifhed and flourifhing fabric could fcarcely 

 be fupported without Englifh credit. It may farther be ob- 

 ferved, that the reafon why that credit and fupport have been 

 given to the linen of Ireland, is its being a fabric not inter- 

 fering with thofe of Britain, it is a different manufacture, 

 demanded for different purpofes. Had it been otherwife, the 

 fuperiority of Engliih capitals, and the advantage of long 

 eftablifhed fkill and induftry, would have crufhed the compe- 

 tition of the Irifh linen ; as in future they ow/7/ crufli any com- 

 petition in woollens if of the fame kinds we manufacture our- 

 felves. When the capital of Ireland becomes much larger, 

 when new habits of induftry are introduced, and when time 

 has eftablifhed new funds of fkill, then new fabrics may be 

 undertaken with advantage, but it muft be a work of time, 

 and can no more operate as a remedy to prefent evils, than 

 any fcheme of the moft vifionary nature. Their Weft-India 

 trade, I believe, will I believe be of as little fervice ; every 

 thing in commerce depends on capital; in order to fend fhips 

 freighted with Irifh comodities to thofe colonies, reloaded 

 with Weft-India goods, capital and credit are neceffary ; they 

 have it not for new trades ; the progreffive prosperity of the 

 kingdom has increafed all the old branches of their commerce, 

 but they all exhibit a proof that they are ftill cramped for 

 want of greater exertions, which time is bringing. If new 



ipccu- 



