way in the dark, and by
stealth, to the sea side, as is now the case; and the justice of
prohibitions and seizures would be more easily to be defended; indeed
there would be no excuse for the running it off, nor would there want any
excuse for seizing it, if they attempted to run it off.

But I am called upon to answer the objection mentioned above; namely, that
the manufactures in England do indeed already take off a very great
quantity of the Irish wool, as much as they have occasion for; nay, they
condescend so far to the Irish, as to allow them to manufacture a great
deal of that wool which they take off; that is to say, to spin it into
yarn, of which yarn so great a quantity is brought into England yearly, as
they assure us amounts to sixty thousand packs of wool; as may be seen by
a fair calculation in the book above mentioned, called the Plan; in a
word, that the English are not in a condition to take off any more. Now
this is that which leads me directly to the question in hand; whether the
English are able to take off any more of the Irish wool and yarn, or no. I
do not affirm, that, as the trade in England is now carried on, they are
able, perhaps they are not; but I insist, that if we were thoroughly
resolved in England to take such wise measures as we ought to take, and as
we are well able to do, for the improvement and increase of our
manufactures, we might and should be able to take off, and work up the
whole growth of the wool of Ireland; and this I shall presently
demonstrate, as I think, past doubt.

But before I come to the scheme for the performance of this, give me leave
to lay down some particulars of the advantage this would be to our
country, and to our commerce, supposing the thing could be brought to
pass; and then I shall show how easily it might be brought to pass.

1. By taking off this great quantity of wool and yarn, supposing one half
of the quantity to be spun, many thousands of the poor people of Ireland
who are now in a starving condition for want of employment, would be set
immediately to work, and be put in a condition to get their bread; so that
it would be a present advantage to the Irish themselves, and that far
greater than it can be now, their wool which goes away to France being all
carried off unwrought.

2. Due care being then taken to prevent any exportation of wool to France,
as, I take it for granted, might be done with much more ease when the
Irish had encouragement to