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from thence a conclufion that they ought to be taxed, until their expence was equal in proportion to that which it cofts Britain to govern eight millions. He had no idea of a contrary conclufion; that if three millions may be well governed for 70,cool. eight millions may be as well governed for three times that fum; and that therefore the expence of his own government should be diminished. In that corrupted nation no man is afhamed of being concerned in Incrative government jobs, in which the public money is egregiously mifapplied and fquandered, the treafury pillaged, and more numerous and heavy taxes accumulated; to the great oppreflion of the people. But the profpect of a greater number of fuch jobs by a war is an inducement with many to cry out for war upon all occafions, and to oppofe every propofition of peace. Hence the conftant increafe of the national debt, and the abfolute improbability of its ever being difcharged.

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Fourthly, Refpecting the amount and certainty of income, and folidity of fecurity, the whole Thirteen States of America are engaged for the payment of every debt contracted by the Congrefs; and the debt to be contracted by the prefent war is the only debt they will have to pay; all, or nearly all the former debts of particular colonies being already difcharged. Whereas England will have to pay not only the enormous debt this war muft occafion, but all their vaft preceding debt, or the interest of it; and while America is enriching itfelf by prizes made upon the British commerce, more than it ever did by any commerce of its own, under the reftraints of a British monopoly, Britain is growing poorer by the lofs of that monopoly, and the diminution of its refources; and of courfe lefs able to discharge the prefent indifcreet increase of its expences.

"Fifthly, Refpecting profpects of future ability, Britain hás none fuch. Her iflands are circumfcribed by the ocean; and excepting a few parks or forefts, fhe has no new lands to cultivate, and cannot therefore extend her improvements. Her numbers too, inftead of increafing from increafed fubfiftence, are continually diminishing from growing luxury, and the increafing difficulties of maintaining families, which of courfe difcourages early marriages. Thus the will have fewer people to affift in paying her debts, and that diminished number will be poorer. America, on the contrary, has, befides her lands already cultivated, a vaft territory yet to be cultivated; which being cultivated, continually increafe in value with the increase of people; and the people, who double themfelves by a natural propagation every twenty-five years, will double yet faster, by the acceflion of ftrangers, as long as lands are to b had for new families; fo that every twenty years there will be a double number of inhabitants obliged to difcharge the public debts; and thofe inhabitants being more opulent, may pay their fhares with greater cafe,

"Sixthly, Refpecting prudence in general affairs, and the advantages to be expected from the loan defired; the Americans are cultivators of land; thofe engaged in fishery and commerce are few, compared with the others. They have ever conducted their feveral

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governments with wifdom, avoiding wars, and vain expenfive projects, delighting only in their peaceable occupations, which muff, confidering the extent of their uncultivated territory, find them employment fill for ages. Whereas England, ever unquiet, ambitious, avaricious, imprudent and quarrelfome, is half of the time engaged in a war; always at an expence infinitely greater than the advantage to be obtained by it, if fuccessful. Thus they made war against Spain in 1739, for a claim of about 95,cool. (fcarce a groat for each individual of the nation) and spent forty millions fterling in the war, and the lives of fifty-thoufand men; and finally made peace without obtaining fatisfaction for the fum claimed. Indeed, there is fcarce a nation in Europe, against which he has not made war on fome frivolous pretext or other; and thereby impru dently accumulated a debt that has brought her on the verge of bankruptcy. But the moft indifcreet of all her wars, is the prefent against America, with which he might for ages have preferved her profitable connection, only by a juft and equitable conduct. She is now acting like a mad fhopkeeper, who by beating thofe that pafs his doors, attempts to make them come in, and be his customers. America cannot submit to such treatment, without being first ruined; and being ruined, her custom will be worth nothing. America, on the other hand, aims only to establish her liberty, and that freedom of commerce which will be advantageous to all Europe; and by abolishing that monopoly which she laboured under, the will profit infinitely more than enough, to repay any debt which the contracts to accomplish it.

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"Seventhly, refpecting character in the honeft payment of debts; the punctuality with which America has difcharged her public debts was fhewn under the first head.-And the general good difpofition of the people to fuch punctuality, has been manifefted in their faithful payment of private debts to England, fince the commencement of this war. There were not wanting fome politicians [in America], who propofed fopping that payment, until peace fhould be restored; alledging that in the ufual cource of commerce, and of the credit given, there was always a debt exifting equal to the trade of eighteen months: that the trade amounting to five millions fterling per annum, the debt must be seven millions and a half; that the fum paid to the British minifters, would operate to prevent that distress, intended to be brought upon Britain, by our ftoppage of commerce with her for the merchants receiving this money, and no orders with farther fupplies, would either lay it out in the public funds, or in employing manufacturers to accumulate goods for a future hungry market in America, upon an expected accommodation; by which means the funds would be kept up, and the inanufacturers prevented from murmuring. But against this it was alledged, that injuries from minifters fhould not be revenged on merchants; that the credit was in confequence of private contracts, made in confidence of good faith; that thefe ought to be held facred, and faithfully complied with: for whatever public utility

might be fuppofed to arife from a breach of private faith, it was unjuft, and would in the end be found unwife; honefly being in truth, the beft policy. On this principle the propofition was univerfally rejected; and though the English profecuted the war, with unexampled barbarity, burning our defence lefs towns in the midit of winter, and arming favages against us, the debt was punctually paid; and the merchants of London have teftified to all the world, that from their experience in dealing with us, they had before the war, no apprehenfion of our unfairness; and that fince the wàr they have been convinced, that their good opinion of us was well founded. England, on the contrary, an old, corrupt, extravagant, and profligate nation, fees herfelf deep in debt, which he is in no condition to pay; and yet is madly and dishonestly, running deeper, without any poffibility of discharging her debt, but by a public bankruptcy.

"It appears, therefore, from a general induftry, frugality, ability, prudence, and virtue of America, that she is a much fafer debtor than Britain :-to fay nothing of the fatisfaction generous minds must have in reflecting, that by loans to America, they are oppofing tyranny, and aiding the cause of liberty, which is the cause of all mankind.” [To be continued.]

A View of the prefent State of Ireland, containing Obfervations upon the following fubjects, viz. its Dependance, Linen Trade, Provifion Trade, Woollen Manufactory, Coals, Fishery, Agriculture. Of Emigration. Import Trade of the City of Dublin. Effect of the prefent Made of raising the Revenue. On the Health and Happiness of the People. The Revenue. A National Bank: And an Abfentee Tax. Intended for the Can fideration of Parliament, on the approaching Enlargement of the Trade of that Kingdom. To which is added, a Sketch of fome of the principal Political Characters in the Irish House of Commons. 8vo. Is. 6d. R. Faulder.

Agreeable to our promife we fhall give fome extract from this very ingenious and intelligent performance. The fubjects which are treated of in this workare all fo extremely interefting, that we find it difficult to make any particular felection; however, as the woollen trade has been lately laid open to the inhabitants of Ireland, the remarks which the author has made upon this important manufactury will, we conceive, merit more immediate notice, VOL. XI,

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66 Of the Woollen Trade.

"In confidering the trade of Ireland, from the fituation of the country, the difpofition of the inhabitants, and the affluence of the material, this would promife to rank in the first line of preeminence, as an article of exportation. A malignant peevish jealoufy poffeffed the minds of the English, when they beheld the firft dawnings of this rifing manufacture. Immediately after the revolution, they addreffed a monarch to deftroy a flower in its bud, whofe recent establishment would not permit him to refufe a requifition fo fraught with impolicy, and fo replete with ruin to an unfortunate country.

Thus perifhed the woollen trade of Ireland. Since that meJancholy period, it has scarcely merited the name of existence. Some efforts have been made indeed to cherish its miferable remains, in the vain expectation of fupplying the confumption of the kingdom,

"There is a peculiar genius in fome countries, united with local circumftances, which, altho' it may be combated by diffculties, will never be overcome. Analogous to the human mind, if Nature has implanted a strong difpofition to the attainment of any honourable object, it may be depreffed by misfortune, or it may be impeded by unkindness; but by a juft and steady perfeverance it will, at length, furmount every obftacle.

"The chimate of Ireland is humid; and, altho" not fubject to that rigorous air to which many northern countries are expofed, yet its winter is fometimes fevere, and always extended. Nature, liberal in fupplying the various neceffities of mankind, has covered the plains of this fine pafturage country with a profufion of the fleecy tribe. The inhabitants have not been inattentive to this gracious munificence. The aufterity of the clime first inftructed them to cloath themselves, the redundancy of the material furnished the means, and fuggefted the difpofition of making it the subject of an extenfive and beneficial commerce.

But these bounties have been poured out in vain! The temper of its industry has fruitlessly, languished after the object of its wifhes---Bound down by the fetters of an illiberal monopoly, this unhappy country has long been the object of the pity and contempt of furrounding nations. It has been pitied as the victim of Englifh avarice and injuftice--it has been contemned for a patience which no ignomy could aroufe to refentment.

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"The conduct of England has been equally impolitic and cruel. It has been impolitic from two caufes firft, because the depreffion of the commerce of Ireland is injurious to Britain; * and next, because the restrictions on this article in particular, have recoiled increased evil on its envious framers.

* England and Britain are put one for another in this pamphlet, and ufed as fynonimous terms.

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The first reafon I have affigned for confidering the conduct of England impolitic, I have endeavoured to prove under the head of the commerce of Ireland. That which remains, being the principal object of this effay, I fhall now attempt to illuftrate.

"The most judicious English writers on trade * have been of opinion, that opening the wollen trade of Ireland, would be of advantage to this kingdom. This they prove from the following obvious argument. France is the great rival of England in the woollen trade. She cannot carry on this important branch of her traffic without the affistance of Irish wool. The Irish are compelled to difpofe of their wool to France, because the prohibition of England denies them the liberty of its manufacture; therefore the conclufion is inevitable, that whenever the Irish are enabled to refume the right of Nature, they will manufacture all their wool, and the French will confequently be no longer able to procure it : this formidable competitor will have her induftry relaxed, and England will at length difcover, that Irish profperity will rather irradiate than darken the glory and happiness of the empire.

The confined limits of this temporary work will not permit me to prove in detail the various propofitions of this argument, I fhall content myself with a few curfory remarks, which, I hope, will tend to elucidate this fubject.

"When the plague raged at Marfeilles, the demand for English woollen cloth, to fupply the Turkey, German, Portugal and Spanish trades was incredible, and afforded the moft convincing proofs of the large proportion of the confumption of these markets the French had been accustomed to fhare.

"The wool of France is fhort and coarse, being, in the languuge of the manufacturers, neither fine in the thiead nor long in the ftaple. This obliges them to have recourfe to the wool of Ireland, which poffeffefs, both thefe qualities. Aided by a pack of Irish wool, the French are enabled to manufacture two.

"The arm of vindictive penalty has been stretched out, and the coafts of Ireland have been guarded by English cruifers without effect, to restrain the exportation of Irish wool. There is a fpirit in fome articles of commerce which difdains its fhackles. The hand of illiberal power may erect its envious but unavailing mounds, the tide of traffic will ftill burft over its feeble and impotent barriers.

Thus the wool of Ireland, in defpite of these artificial entrenchments, finds it way to enrich our foes. England cannot manacle the trade of other countries; but if the cannot be unjuft to all, the will be unjuft where it is in her power. In exercifing the fword of reftraint against a friend, the opens an avenue to the market for a natural enemy.

It is by a cultivation of the woollen manufacture, and caufing a market to be opened at home, that the French would be deprived of this important fupply. It is the interest and natural rights of the

Sir Jofiah Child, Sir M Decker, Postlethwaite, &c.
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