MISCONCEPTIONS OF FACTS,

AND

MISTATEMENTS

OF

THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS,

BY

THE RIGHT HON. JOHN FOSTER,

SPEAKER

OF

The Irish Houfe of Commons,

PROVED & CORRECTED

ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS AND AUTHENTIC EVIDENCE OF

THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF GREAT BRITAIN.

IN

A LETTER TO WM. JOHNSON, Esq. Member of the Irish Parliament,

FROM THE REV. DR. CLARKE,

A

SECRETARY FOR THE LIBRARY, AND CHAPLAIN IN ORDINARY. TO

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF WALES.

-DUBLIN:

PRINTED FOR J. MILLIKEN, 32, GRAFTON STREET.

1800.

MISCONCEPTIONS OF FACTS,

AND

MISTATEMENTS

OF

THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS,

&c. &c. &c.

My Dear Sir,

In order to give vigor to the Laws, power to the Rights,

increase to the Commerce, improvement to the Morals, and fecurity to the Property and Lives of our Fellow-Subjects, your efforts have not been wanting, through fupport of an Union. To be connected with you, in fuch things, is a public satisfaction, to which my mind is not infenfible.

,

Far be it from me, however, while I value your opinions, to depreciate wantonly, thofe of other men. The judgments of ignorance should rather be shaken off in filence; or let to fall of their own accord, like dew drops from the lion's mane. But there are opinions which claim notice, because they derive authority from the rank of their author. Falling from on high they make impreffion, and uttered in places of great confequence, they come forth with importance. Mr. Fofter's fpeech in the Parliament of Ireland is of this caft,

* See Mr. Johnson's "Letter to Mr. Spencer, on the "Union": alfo, his "Reafons for an Union."

B

It is now before the British public, after having been corrected by himself;" and confequently, it refts with every man here to embrace thofe truths, or confute thofe errors, which Mr. Fofter would imprefs upon us, while he inftructs us on a measure of such magnitude to the empire. I feel myself, however, particularly called upon to do juftice to myself, without arrogating a claim to any thing, except what the fimpleft humility cannot furrender-truth. Because, if those representations of Mr. Foster's on the commerce of Ireland be true,-mine, which I have given under the fanction of official documents, must be false

In order, therefore, to judge juftly upon whofe fide the errors lie, the fame authority shall be reforted to, which Mr. Fofter quotes to accredit his affertions: I mean that of Mr. Irving, Inspector General of the imports and exports of Great Britain. And, according to this evidence, I commit the business to the just tribunal of public decifion.

The official accounts given into Parliament by Mr. Irving, will appear, however, to have been grofly, I do not fay wilfully, miftated by Mr. Fofter. And the great end jor conclufions which this perverfion of the public accounts goes to establish is:-firft; the trade of Ireland affords fuch advantages to Britain, that all apprehenfions of being deprived of it, in cafe an Union be rejected, are idle on the part of Ireland.

The next propofition which Mr. Fofter's arguments prefent against an Union is one that is founded on an affumption of facts, or of things as facts, but which have no existence, And the end or confequence aimed at, through this affumption is-that all extenfion of the commerce of Ireland, in the establishment or participation of the great articles of British manufacture, in confequence of an Union, is radically impoffible.

* According to the Publisher's advertisement in the Newspapers.

7

To these two heads or queftions, all that Mr. Fofter's book contains on commerce may be reduced; one of which tells the Irish they cannot lofe their trade, if they refuse an Union; and the other, that they cannot extend it, if they embrace an Union-therefore, let them reject it. But we shall find his conclufions presently crumble all about him.

However, though his edifice be pulled down to the foundation, I do not mean that he should be hurt, by a single stone of the ruin. I therefore premife, through refpect for even Mr. Foster's erroneous opinions, that his mistatements, I doubt not, have arisen from misconceptions. For that must be called a mifconception, which differs, unintentionally, from the reality of things. That must also be called a mifconception, when any perfon, (as I fhall fhew Mr. Fofter, has done) gives two different opinions upon one and the fame point. And that must be called a mistatement, where a man fwerves from the fair official accounts, which he tells you are his authority: and tells you, that he quotes them accurately, while he shifts the fums, and fhifts the denominations.

Now let us confider, in detail, thofe mifconceptions and mistatements.

FIRST POINT. Does the trade of Ireland afford fuch advantages to Britain, that all apprehenfions of being deprived of it, are idle on the part of Ireland?

The reverse of this is demonftrated by the Inspector General's accounts, as clearly as arithmetical evidence can do, and as incontrovertibly, as any mathematical proof whatever. Thefe accounts fairly and obviously fhew that the trade is infiuitely more beneficial to Ireland, than to Britain: the fame accounts, therefore, cannot prove the direct contrary, as Mr. Fofter fays he makes them do, but by great perverfion. Let us examine this.

In the trade of raw articles, which are certainly of the firft confequence, becaufe, being the materials of manufacture, we