Thoughts on Trade

This 1736 pamphlet by Edward Lloyd, a London silk-thrower formerly of Dublin, argues against further trade restrictions on Ireland. Lloyd contends that restraints on Irish industry, not Irish competition, have damaged English commerce. He presents economic analysis of population disparities between England (eight million) and Ireland (1.2 million), arguing Ireland cannot flood markets with exports. Lloyd examines the silk manufacturing sector, noting Irish-made silks equal English quality but cannot export profitably due to equal production costs. He documents the desperate poverty of Ireland's masses—dwelling in huts and caves, subsisting on roots and water—claiming restraints exacerbate these "calamitous circumstances." The pamphlet includes supplementary essays defending British distillery against moral criticism, discussing a proposed Westminster bridge, eulogizing Prince Eugene, and congratulating the Prince of Wales's marriage to the Princess of Saxe-Gotha. Throughout, Lloyd advocates freeing Irish trade as economically beneficial to both kingdoms.