128 Linen Manufacture extending. 



should be spared to correct the defect in the 

 Irish manufacture. The application of che- 

 mical aids in bleaching, principally for the pur- 

 pose of discharging a stain acquired by the 

 fibres in the process of water steeping, may 

 possibly be injurious to its strength. Could a 

 cheap and expeditious mode be discovered for 

 obtaining the flax from the plant without its 

 undergoing the present tedious and wasteful 

 process of steeping, it would be an incalculable 

 benefit to Ireland. 



We perceived a great disposition in every 

 part of the country to extend this business. 

 Formerly the linen trade was almost exclusively 

 confined to the northen counties ; but you may 

 perhaps recollect that I remarked with pleasure 

 an expansion of its growth as far south as the 

 county of Kerry. 



The foundling hospital here for the reception 

 of children is on a great scale, though the 

 policy and even propriety of the institution are 

 highly questionable. The view with which it 

 was founded, unquestionably, was the preserva- 

 tion of helpless human beings ; but it admits of 

 very great doubt, whether this benevolent end 

 has been promoted. Much discussion has taken 

 place on the state and general conduct of the 



