ABSTRACT
Though Douglas Irwin’s comment (Chapter 2) on my 1991 article (Chapter 1) raises some interesting issues, overall I feel that his criticisms are misplaced. He gives greater emphasis to a different historical period than I chose to discuss; his understanding of the notion of free trade and what it means to be a free trader differs from mine; he has misread and oversimplified my use of the trade statistics; and he is mistaken about British intentions with regard to the tariffs and excises on wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages. Indeed, Irwin seems unaware of the complicated historical origins of the wine tariffs, of their essentially political and protectionist nature, and of the extent to which fiscal and other policy evolved in Britain in the wake of British trade measures specifically directed against France.
