ABSTRACT
Jan. 19. Earl Nugent moved, ‘That there be laid before this House, an Account of the quantity and value of goods exported from Great Britain to Ireland, and imported from Ireland into Great Britain, from the 1st of January 1768,’ which was agreed to. His lordship said, that this motion was preparatory to one for leave to bring in a Bill for granting further relief to the trade of Ireland. He represented the inhabitants of Ireland as being in a famishing condition, and appealed to two noble lords in administration for the truth of his assertion. He said that a secretary of the viceroy was just come over, expressly to lay before government the deplorable state of Ireland: he referred to a letter he had received from Dr. Woodward, dean of Clogher, mentioning that all had been done that could be effected by contribution to relieve the starving poor, but in vain; employment alone could remedy the evil. He appealed to the noble lord at the head of the Treasury for the truth of another observation; that the revenue of Ireland was so diminished, that it now yielded little more than the expences of its civil establishment. These facts pointed the necessity, as we had lost our trade with our American colonies, of taking care we did not lose Ireland next, by a separation or invasion. If our impolitic restraints were not removed from the trade of that country, we should lose our best customers for many articles of merchandize. Good estates in Ireland were offered to sale at 16 and 14 years purchase, yet no buyers appeared even at that low price. He expected to be opposed by those who had particular interests to support against the national welfare intended by his Bill; but he remembered many similar oppositions to Bills which, after they had 8passed, and the good effects had been experienced, had been highly applauded. For instance, the Bill for importing bar iron from America was strongly opposed by the parties concerned in mines and iron-works at home; yet it was found that Great Britain did not produce a tenth part of the iron wanted for consumption. He declared himself as warm a friend to England as any man; and if he did not think it was promoting the interest of this country to grant Ireland relief to her trade, he would not move it. He concluded with a kind of prophecy, that if Ireland was not assisted in her commerce, it might become a question in that House, to vote a sum for the support of that country, from the insufficiency of its own revenue. The establishment of a cotton manufactory, and leave to export the manufacture to Great Britain, with leave to export and import to and from America, the West Indies, and Africa, were the points he had in contemplation. He concluded with saying, if all he wished could not be obtained, he must be satisfied with a part.
