The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-07-05 00:00:00

tiiiPLoYMENT of the POOR ix IRELAND.

TO WILLIAM OILECIORT, ESQ. CHAIRMAN 017 TITS
commit-rex •PPOINTED BT ISIS EXCELLENCY
THE LORD LIEUTENANT TO PROMoTE 1111: SM.
PLOYMTNT OF THE FOWL IN IRELAND.
SIR—I shall make no apology for addressing you
thus publitly on • subject of great national import-
ance. Our first consideration in reeking the means
of affording. employment to the poor of Ireland, is
to reader, as fur as may lie Practicable. she labour
of our own people the medium whereby
to supply
the deruntid (or our own consumption of those
articles which are imported from other countries.
I du not mean at present to recommend any pre-
ference to be given, 'generally, to Isiah above Eng.
hill, or even foreign manufactures, 'noires where
such preference may consist with the iuterest of the
consumer; but iu the particular case which shall
form the-subjes,t of this letter, a slight exertion on
the port of the Committee, of which you, Sir, ere
the head, would sdffice to combine site interest of
the individual with those of the whole people.
It is stated in a Report of a Committee of the
Horst Dubin' Society, presented Nib of February,
MO, founded, I presume, upon satisfactory evi-
dence, that a quantity of worsted yarn, of 300,000/.
its valise, is annually imported into Ireland. It is
also ascertained that a quantity of linen yarn, to
nearly the lame, or, ',ramps, equal. amount, is
ansmolly imported front Germany to supply
a coherent demand for this article in Eng-
land nod Scotland. Now, Sir, if she statements
here set forth he correct, and I believe they •re,
it requires, as I have before stated, but • mo-
derate exertion to enable the poorest and the
most helpless of our people, to provide Ilse respec-
tive artich s alluded to, in sufficient quantity to
supply;. as well our own consumption as that of
Great Britain; thereby affording the mean* of im-
mediate permanent and prc!fitabk employment
to the male and female peasantry of the south of
Ireland—a part of the country, where for want of
manufactures of some sort. the people are, duo.
ing a large portion of the year, unemployed, the
evil consequences of which are so obvtous, that
it is unnecessary to dwell upon them here. The
materials which form the two articles I have men-
tioned, can be produced in Ireland, in, any swan-
tity that may be required ; and besides supplying
the demand fur worsted and linen-yarn, to the
limited extent berme mentioned. we might he
brought to save a quantity of flax-seed sufficient to
obviate the necessity of importing thin article from
Russin, Holland, or the United States; and it
might, I have no doubt, ultimately enable us to
grow the important article of hemp in sufficient
quantity to supply our own want., and thus resider
us indepeudent of importation from the north of
Europe.
To enable us to produce in the South of Ireland
the article of worsted yarn, it is only necessary to
make • liberal distribution of wheels, reels, and
woollen cards ammo; the pourer peasantry. The
article of wools is there already in abundance. It
is a lamentable fact, that the great majority of the
females are destitute of wheels and reels, although
p messing a very general knowledge of spinning.
I have often been surprised, thet in the county of
Tipperary. the women, should hare so generally
acquired the knowledge of spinning, without any
eatabhshed manufacture ; hut it is a fact which I
have ascertained io my endeavours to introduce the
spinning of courre linen yarn where I result., or haul
any influence. and have often admired with what
eagerness these poor itsdustitosis people will go a
considerable distance on the chauce of borrowing
• wheel. _ _

From my knowledge of the linen bnsisiess, hav-
ing lived in the midst of it in the county of Down
for more thin 30 }ears. and from my observation
of the province of Munster, if the sowing of flax
was more generally introduced into the South,
with a sufficienry of wheel, and reels (I allude
particularly to the inqsroveil wheel, the iovention
of Mr. Bernard Coils, for which he received the
thanks of the Dublin S ciety, for their superior
uttlity and abridgment of labour, and bring equally
well adapted to the spinoiog of flax and wool). its
• short tithe r.e would sir industry and comfort, in
place of idleness, illegal meetings, and disturb-
ances; and in place of taxing the counties for spe-
cial commissions, prosecutioes, 'piing • pca-
sanity prove, to industry, if properly siotisted, we
should have ;ware, content, and subordination,
the necessary and constant attendants on industry.
There is no where to be met with a more indus.
trios* people thaii the pi:wintry of Munster, or
who grasp so eagerly at employment in any shape.
The %stamen W II wolf: the year through, wet or dry.
at field labour, whhout duet, for 4d. per d.,y, and
the men for ed. (but even that is precarious, as is
the case in my neighbourhood, in the barony of
Middlethirdy. Besides their employment Ur the
field. the women' continue to stake time fur lino.
tiug (even as they come to mot go from wools), mail
whilst employed at oilier domestic. offices.
Can they be licensed of idleness ?—No ; it is
soh ly the want of means that keep. the women as
well as the men unemployed, for uolerai the lot.-
ltaid or tusk in a leanly is able to procure a little
flex or wool by his labour, after the iweesotry food,
potatoes alone is raid h,r, nod that die kmale can
Mores. a wheel, to make clothing for the family,
they must be destitute of raiment ; indeed, lit
many instances, loth boo, and tor ,ears back,
they have been at night compelled to set k blither
in the most Inclement .e4Sona, under the same
clothes which cover tliem by il ,y, and these often
damp.
There is not a doubt .but flex-seed can be saved
as easily in' Irelaitil as 'stout. woo. or any other
grain, together wish She
_Paz. Tlris is a point
of the utmost importance to the country, as the
general impression is, tlutt either the flax or lie
seed must be sacrificed. My hither has saved for
thy last three ye.es seversl hogsbeests of seed, from
which, when sown, there have trivariablf been pro-
duced as good crops as were fineb tote:igu peed
(wills the exception of one eery drp season). And
the flax on which it grew ss preferied to that from
which uo stied bad I,een WSW. it is truly necessary
that the flair should be litiker,stesprd iu .wattr, end
afterwards kept a loner dine 011 the psis than the
venal time allowed fur these purposes, whets the
snricg of wed has not beets attended ie.
consequence of increased arteution to the
mode of prrporios the flax, sod the itrroOnctiogi
I •
. .
. .