estraint. Wool they can export
only to Great Britain. Woollen manufactures they can export
only from certain ports in Ireland to certain ports in Great
Britain. A very slender interest of our own manufacturers is
the foundation of all these unjust and oppressive
restraints. The watchful jealousy of those gentlemen is
alarmed least the Irish, who have never been able to supply
compleatly even their own market with glass or woollen
manufactures, should be able to rival them in foreign
markets.

The Irish may mean by a _free trade_ to demand, besides, the
freedom of importing from wherever they can buy them
cheapest all such foreign goods as they have occasion for.
At present they can import glass, sugars of foreign
plantations, except those of Spain or Portugal, and certain
sorts of East India goods, from no country but Great
Britain. Tho' Ireland was relieved from these and from all
restraints of the same kind, the interest of Great Britain
could surely suffer very little. The Irish probably mean to
demand no more than this most just and reasonable freedom of
exportation and importation; in restraining which we seem to
me rather to have gratified the impertinence than to have
promoted any solid interest of our merchants and
manufacturers.

The Irish may, however, mean to demand, besides, the same
freedom of exportation and importation to and from the
British settlements in Africa and America which is enjoyed
by the inhabitants of Great Britain. As Ireland has
contributed little either to the establishment or defence of
these settlements, this demand would be less reasonable than
the other two. But as I never believed that the monopoly of
our Plantation trade was really advantageous to Great
Britain, so I cannot believe that the admission of Ireland
to a share in that monopoly, or the extension of this
monopoly to all the British islands, would be really
disadvantageous.

Over and above all this, the Irish may mean to demand the
freedom of importing their own produce and manufactures into
Great Britain, subject to no other duties than such as are
equivalent to the duties imposed upon the like goods of
British produce or manufacture. Tho' even this demand, the
most unreasonable of all, should be granted, I cannot