54 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



Joseph Moore converted the sugar establishment in Londonderry into a glass 

 house, and, with his son, carried on the maniifacture on a small scale until 

 1825, when they abandoned it owing to the imposition of duty on glass. 

 Probably only black bottles were made here. 



Irish Glass in G-eneeal. 



An Act of Parliament of 1746 placed a duty of 9s. Ad. on every hundred- 

 weight of materials for flint glass made in Great Britain. The Act restricted 

 the importation of glass into Ireland, English glass only being allowed to be 

 imported, and also prohibited the export of any glass from Ireland. 



In 1777 the duty on glass in Great Britain was increased ; but no duty was 

 placed on Irish glass until 1797, when every quart bottle became liable to a 

 duty of one farthing, and smaller sizes in proportion. Dealers in glass had 

 also to take out a licence of twenty shillings. 



In 1811 flint glass made in Ireland and exported became liable to duty; 

 and in 1825 the final blow came, when a duty of £12 10s. was placed on 

 every 1000 lb. of metal made in Great Britain and Ireland. 



From this time the manufacture of glass in Ireland began to decline. In 

 1829 the tax on flint glass produced £23,612 ; while in 1834 it had fallen 

 to £14,678. The excise duty on glass was removed in 1845 ; but by that 

 time the glass industry in Ireland was almost dead. 



In 1825 there were eleven flint-glass houses in Ireland ; in 1833, seven 

 (two in Dublin, two in Cork, one in Belfast, one in Waterford, and one in 

 Newry); and in 1852, only two — one in Dublin, and one in Belfast. 



The restriction on the exportation of glass from Ireland, imposed by the 

 Act of 1746, was removed in 1780 ; and shortly after that new glass houses 

 were erected in Cork, Waterford, Newry, and Belfast. 



Immense quantities of glass were imj)orted into Ireland from England, and 

 some also from the Ehine district, diuing the eighteenth century, notwith- 

 standing the large amount made in the country. 



From about 1719 to 1727, the average imports of drinking-glasses 

 amoimted to about 133,000, and of bottles to nearly 55,000 dozens annually, 

 besides other glass-ware to the value of about £4000. 



About 1737 the average number of glass bottles imported annually 

 amounted to nearly 79,000 dozen, at Is. M. per dozen; drinking-glasses to 

 nearly 102,000, at 2s. per dozen, and other glass-ware to the value of over 

 £4000. 



About 1747 the average value of imported glass was nearly £9000 annually, 

 andabout 1773 the imports of bottles amounted to about 40,000 dozen, drinking- 

 glasses to nearly 210,000, and other glass-ware, to the value of over £3000. 



