⚫ glorious constitution of 1782,' which enabled her to legiflate for herself, and fecure, protect, and cherish by her own vigilant attention to the great objects of her profperity, that trade, and all the other branches of her commerce, her manufactures, and her agriculture. These compacts they treat as binding and complete. They cannot be departed from, and nothing farther is wanting to the growing profperity and safety of Ireland. But a Union would annul them, would shake or destroy every fecurity which they have established, and would fubftitute in their place, the capricious, selfish, and defpotic will of an unjuft, narrow-minded, and rapacious rival. Thefe, perhaps, are not the words, but I think they exprefs, and do not exaggerate the meaning of what has been frequently and very recently infifted upon. Let us therefore a little inquire, but, as far as we can, with moderation and temper, the beft companions of reafon and juftice, how thefe different allegations stand in point of fact. And first, as to the fuppofed compact concerning the linen trade. It is admitted that Great Britain is the great customer of Ireland for that her staple commodity; that we receive it for our home confumption free of all duty; and encou rage its re-exportation from hence to foreign parts by the fame bounties which we bestow on our own manufacture. This, I fay, is admitted; but,-befides endeavouring to extenuate the merit which it is feared this country might lay claim to for the liberality of fuch conduct, by the hackneyed anfwer, that fhe, like other ftates and nations under like circumftances, is governed in her tranfactions with Ireland, merely by the impreffion of her own benefit ' and H and advantage-it is ftated, That this encouragement to the Irish linen trade is the effect of a fpecial contract, by which, for a valuable confideration, England became bound to grant and maintain it. The valuable confideration was, the relinquishment by Ireland of her woollen export trade, in which fhe had or might have become a dangerous rival. England had grown jealous of this rivality; her manufacturers and her Parliament had urged King William to check it; he had confented, and had expreffed that confent in terms juftly offenfive to Ireland; a negotiation enfued; and acts of each of the two Parliaments paffed, by which Ireland engaged to withdraw from all competition as to woollen goods, on the condition, that England would give that preference and affistance, which fhe does, to the linen manufactory of Ireland; in confequence of this treaty, the woollen fabrics, of which she at that time exported to the amount of 110,000%. a year, were abandoned; they cannot be refumeda; and therefore Great Britain cannot recall or cancel that obligation by which the engaged herself to promote, in the manner alleged, the linen trade of that country.' Such is in fubftance the statement made. It is extraordinary, but true, that fince thefe debates. began, many perfons, not ill informed in matters of this fort, and anxious to obtain correct information on the point now in question, have avowed their ignorance, and unfuccefsful endeavours to obtain the knowledge of the documents and acts in which this fuppofed compact is contained, of its date, particular claufes and provifions, and of the fanctions, whether of a statutable or diplomatic nature, by which it was guarded. But what I have to add, is ftill more extraordinary, and equally true, namely, that, fuch as it was, it no longer exifts, but was done away, and totally and entirely repealed and made void, many years ago, at the inftance of Ireland herself; and that the advantages which Great Britain ftill confers on the linen trade of Ireland, are, on her part, at the present hour, merely voluntary, whatever may be the motives of generofity, policy, or self-intereft, which induce her to continue them. For my own part, I confefs that I know of no fatiffactory evidence of agreements or compacts between nations, except what are to be found in their diplomatic or legiflative records. Between nations totally diftinct, they muft, to have fubftantial validity, be expreffed in the ftipulations of mutual and folemn treaties, duly executed; between countries connected as Ireland and England were, and as Ireland and Great Britain are, by acts of their respective Legislatures, paffed with relation express or implied each to the other, fo as that the act on the one fide fhall be the condition and confideration of that on the other fide. I have accordingly endeavoured to trace the history of the bufinefs I am now difcuffing, in those fure, and only fure, repofitories of the national tranfactions of both countries with each other-their refpective ftatute-books;-and the correct result appears to me to be as follows: Restrictive taxes had been laid long ago back as the period of the Edwards, on the importation of woollen goods into this kingdom, whether from Ireland or any other country beyond feas. But not to go back to any earlier period than the Restoration, by the act of 12 Car. II. c. 4. f. 1. 8s. 6d. per yard were impofed on all woollen cloths, H 2 cloths, and is. 3d. on woollen ftuffs, imported into England. These last-mentioned duties have never been repealed. They have indeed been increased to 17. 175. 5d. per yard on cloth, and 55. 6d. on ftuffs, by the operation of new and general fubfidies, affecting them in common with all other articles of importation. But the duty of 8s. 6d. per yard alone amounted, and would of itself ftill amount, to an entire prohibition; for neither Ireland nor any country on earth could come in competition with this in her home market, if burdened with that duty. Thus ftood the law at the period when the supposed bargain took place. The Houfe will fee that England did not then want the concurrence of Ireland, nor had any occafion to purchase that concurrence by any conceffion on her part, in order to exclude Irish woollens from her own home market. But it feems the English Legislature and Government of that time thought it good policy to liften to the reprefentations, made by the English manufacturers, of the danger their staple trade was expofed to from the competition of the Irifh in foreign countries. The Irish Parliament, on the other hand, feem to have been fatisfied, that it was upon the whole for the interest of their country, to obtain the favour and protection of England to her linen manufactures, which had been even then carried to a confiderable height, by an amicable understanding, and the relinquishment of that hoftile competition in the woollen business abroad, which had occafioned fo much ill humour on this fide of the water. Note. The duty was 12d, in the pound, or 5 per cent. on the value, as valued in the book of rates; and cloths were rated fo high as 8%. 10s. per yard, stuffs at 11. 5. Accordingly Accordingly they paffed a law, in the 10th year of William III., imposing an ad valorem duty of 4s. in the pound on all broad cloth, and 25. in the pound on ferges, baize, &c. exported from Ireland to any part of the world. This amounted in effect to a prohibition; but no act was paffed in England on the occafion, to check or prohibit the exportation of English linens. Will it be faid, Ireland had reason to expect such a law to pass? where is the evidence of this? The English Houfe of Lords, in an addrefs to the Throne, had indeed preffed the King to declare, that if the woollen trade were relinquifhed in Ireland, and the fubjects there fhould turn their industry and skill to the fettling and improving the linen manufacture, for which generally the lands of that kingdom were very proper, they should receive all favour, countenance, ⚫ and protection from his royal influence for the encou⚫ragement and promoting of the faid linen manufacture, 6 to all the advantage and profit that kingdom could be • capable of <.' The English Commons, in like manner, had implored the King to make it his royal care to difcourage the woollen, and encourage the linen manufacture in Ireland, to which they said they fhould always be ready to give their utmoft affiftanced.' с And the King, in answer to this addrefs of the Com 1698. Irish Statutes, 10 Will. III. c. 5. Journals of the House of Lords, vol. xvi. p. 314. 9th June 1698. mons, |