American Influence in Ireland

^American Influence in Ireland, 1760 to 1800 p until the time of the American Revolution, British expan- sion had largely been concerned with the American colonies U and Ireland. These two possessions differed greatly in two respects—namely, geography and the length of time each had been under English control. As Ireland was geographically a part of the British Isles, distance in no way lessened supervision of the English over this neighboring island. On the other hand, the American colonies were separated from the homeland by a wide expanse of ocean which increased the difficulty of any close direction of activi- ties. As for the length of time each had been under, or considered under, English jurisdiction, Ireland had been regarded as a possession of Great Britain more than four times as long as the oldest of the American plantations. In spite of these two differences, there were many similarities in the positions held by Ireland and America during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Both were considered as markets for English manufactured goods and as sources of raw materials and products of which there was a shortage in England. Neither was permitted eco- nomic development except in so far as it could be co-ordinated with English plans. The Acts of Navigation, Acts of Trade, and other legislation applied equally to both. Both countries were thought of as colonies or plantations; in each the administrative personnel was English appointed. Legislative bodies were elected to handle domes- tic matters, but they met at the desire of the governors who had been named by the*British. Neither country had representation in the British parliament, and thus had no voice in matters of taxation. In the case of both countries England expressly reserved the right to legislate for her dependencies.1 1 The reservation of the right to legislate is contained in 6 Geo. I, c. 5, "An Act for the better securing the Dependency of the Kingdom of Ireland upon the Crown of Great Britain," and 6 Geo. Ill, c. 12, "An Act for the securing the Dependency of his Majesty's Dominions in America upon the Crown and Parliament of Great Britain." 103 IO4 HOMER L. CALKIN April Before the American Revolution there seems to have been little actual attempt by either Ireland or America actively to champion the cause of the other. However, the two countries had a common basis for friendship. Their relative positions in the British Empire were so nearly alike that whatever might be done in regard to one might very well be expected for the other. With the development of opposition in America toward England, an increasing interest arose in Ireland regarding American events. In the latter part of the eighteenth century, Ireland, influenced by these American attempts, was to try to better her own position under England. The American Revolution and the events occurring from 1765 to the end of the century affected Ireland both materially and ideologi- cally. As is usually the case, the materialistic impacts were evident much sooner and at the same time more quickly forgotten than were the ideas which were developed by the colonists and accepted by many of the Irish. The tangible phases felt in Ireland as the war progressed centered chiefly around trade and the raising of Irish troops to participate in battles across the Atlantic or as home de- fenses against both external and internal enemies. Economics and man power usually play the obvious roles in international conflict; political and philosophical ideas must of necessity take secondary places for a while, and it is only eventually that they exert their full force. Ireland early felt the brunt of the American Revolution com- mercially. The chief exports of Ireland were linen goods, wool, glass, hops and provisions such as cattle, beef, hogs, butter and cheese. A great amount of linen was sent to America while foodstuffs were exported to Continental countries. The chief imports from America consisted of pearl, potash, flaxseed, oil of turpentine, rice, tobacco, wood, staves and cotton wool.2 Newspaper accounts, which gave the number of ships arriving from, or sailing to? Ireland in the ports of New York and Philadelphia, listed 576 ships from 1771 to 1774.3 In 1773, at a single time, seven "North American ships, laden with wheat and flour, were arrived at Dublin/'4 Nor were the north- 2 Edward Wakefield, An Account of Ireland, Statistical and Political (London, 1812), II 3O-3I- 3 M. J. O'Brien, Hidden Phase of American History (New York, 1921), 287. 4 Newport (Rhode Island) Mercury, No. 765, May 3, 1773. 1947 AMERICAN INFLUENCE IN IRELAND, I760 TO l8oO IO5 ern and middle colonies the only ones to carry on trade with Ireland. Silas Deane, in a memoir written in 1776, said that "Virginia & Maryland export One Hundred Thousand Hogshead of this Article [tobacco] annually, of this about Twenty Thousand are consumed in Great Britain & Ireland."5 Manufacturing in Ulster, as well as the number of Irish imports and exports, had been on the increase during the middle of the eighteenth century. As a result, trade and prosper- ity in general had swung upward. The American colonies, becoming more and more antagonistic to English measures, decided in 1774 to Put restrictions on British goods, including Irish products. Benjamin Franklin was apprehensive of the harm that non-importation and non-exportation would do to Ireland. He wrote to his son, William Franklin, I should be sorry if Ireland is included in your agreement, because that country is much our friend, and the want of flax-seed may distress them exceedingly, but your merchants can best judge. It can only be meant against England, to insure a change of measures, and not to hurt Ireland, with whom we have no quarrel.6 However, this was of no immediate avail. On September 17, 1774, the Suffolk Resolves were read before the Continental Congress. One of the points which formed the basis of the program was: That until our rights are fully restored to us, we will, to the utmost of our power, and we recommend the same to the other counties, to withhold all commercial intercourse with Great Britain, Ireland, and the West-Indies, and abstain from the consumption of British merchandise and manufactures.7 In February, 1775, the merchants, linen drapers, and principal inhabitants of Belfast petitioned Great Britain, saying they were apprehensive of the results which would come from the differences between Great Britain and the American colonies. If the colonists' demands were not met, the Irish were certain to suffer. The non- importation agreement excluded Irish linen; if linen manufacturing decayed, emigration would increase, the value of lands would go down, and all trade would lessen. Non-exportation from America 5 Silas Deane's Memoir, Aug. 15, 1776. Contained in Benjamin Franklin Stevens, B. F. Stevens* facsimiles of manuscripts in European Archives relating to America, 1773-1783 (London, 1889-1895), No. 577. 6 Benjamin Franklin, Writings, Smyth Ed. (New York, 1907), X, 274. 7 Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-178% edited by W. C. Ford and others (Wash- ington, 1904-37), I, 35- IO6 HOMER L. CALKIN April would deprive Ireland of flaxseed, lumber, wheat and flour and like- wise be destructive to Irish landed property.8 However, it was the colonies rather than Great Britain who made the first move to eliminate these restrictions. Even then it was not until the fall of 1775 that the Committee of Trade of the Continental Congress acted to alleviate the hardships which the Association of 1774 exerted on Ireland. At that time they reported that the distress in Ireland, caused by the non-importation and non-exportation restrictions set up by the Americans, was great; they urged that the Irish be permitted to have American flaxseed in return for whatever military stores and wool they might bring to America.9 America was not the only country to place restrictions on Irish trade. England also restrained the shipping of products from Irish ports. An order in council in 1776 placed an embargo on vessels that were loaded with cattle, hogs, beef, pork, butter and cheese.10 Various ports in America were also closed by the British so that goods could be neither exported nor imported by Ireland or any other country. In 1778, with France entering the war on the American side, trade between Ireland and France was also prohibited. As a result, Irish export trade fell to a low point during the war. Ireland became dependent upon some other source than France and the colonies in North America. With a decrease in trade, there came a decrease in manufacturing. Living conditions, finances, the state debt—all became worse as the war proceeded. Although the adoption of non-importation and non-exportation agreements by the American colonies caused a curtailment of Irish trade, there was little indication of a rising antagonism toward the Americans on the part of the Irish. Only in a single instance did a member of the Irish Parliament stress this factor as an argument in the debates on raising troops to send to America. Captain Jephson said that: We have no reason to be so tender to the Americans, who had treated us ill; they had resolved in their Congress to receive no commodities from, nor have any com- merce with Ireland; and this declaration not only set us at defiance, but fully proves they do not think us so infatuated as to take their parts.11 8 American Archives, edited by Peter Force (Washington, 1837-46), ser. 4, II, 1631.

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