THE REVOLT OF THE COLONIES 583
It is also true that the forests in Ireland were ruthlessly AP Jin
wasted, at a time when anxiety was keenly felt in regard _; their
to the preservation of English woods. The English iron ghar
manufacturers, suffering as they did from dearness of fuel’,
were glad to have smelting carried on elsewhere, so long as
they had advantages in working up the material provided
for them. In 1696 and 1697 the duties were removed
from bar iron imported into England from Ireland?; this
led to a rapid destruction of the Irish forests®; though
various measures were taken to prevent it, and to promote
the planting of trees, they proved utterly ineffective. Not
only so, but the exportation of timber to England was
permitted on very easy terms, and as a result the forests of
Ireland were absolutely ruined. As Ireland had at one time
been specially well provided with the materials for building,
fitting and provisioning ships®, this wanton waste prevented
her from taking the part she might have otherwise done in
the work of ship-building or in the shipping trades. In brief
it may be said that all the encouragements, which were given
in England, acted as positive discouragements to the develop-
ment of Irish estates, and that she derived no countervailing
advantage for the disabilities which were imposed upon her
by the British svstem.
XVII. THE BEGINNING OF THE END.
238. The Declaration of Independence has had many es
results; for our purposes it is important to note that it tion of the
recasioned a revulsion in the economic policy of this country. Tones ”
Parliamentary Colbertism had aimed at controlling the de- Beieid)
velopment of all the territories under British rule in such a system.
way as to react on the prosperity of British industry. When
‘he thirteen colonies threw off the authority of the Mother
1 On the other hand, the glass manufacture in England had an exclusive right
lo the exportation of glass; the prohibition of export hindered the development of
in Irish trade, though the country was especially suited for it. until 1779.
Newenham, op. cit. 104, 192.
* 7 and 8 Wn. III. c. 10, § xvii., and 8 and 9 Win. IIL. c. 20, x.
$ The manufacturers subsequently agitated for the admission of bar iron from
America. See above, p. 526.
t 2 Anne, ¢, 2 (Irish) ;: Newenham. 153-4.
8 Jb. 156.
