At the Peace of Paris in 1763 the question as to whether England or France was to be the great colonizing country of the world was finally settled, and a great development of English trade ensued.  It was accompanied by a great increase of population, exports of corn were largely reduced, and the balance began to incline the other way, so that the next Act of importance was that of 1773 which permitted the import of foreign wheat at a nominal duty of 6d. a quarter when it was over 48s., but prohibited export and the bounty on export when wheat was at or above 44s.  This was the nearest approach to free trade before 1846.

The time, however, was not yet ripe for this, and the nominal duty on imports was too small for landlords and farmers, so that in 1791 the price when the same nominal duty was to come into force was raised to 54s., while between 50s. and 54s. a duty of 2s. 6d. was imposed, and under 50s. a duty of 24s. 3d.; and export was allowed without bounty when wheat was under 46s.  Export of corn, however, by this time had become a matter of little moment, England having definitely ceased to be an exporting country after 1789.

Not only were English landowners after the Restoration anxious to protect their corn, but they also took alarm at the imports of Irish cattle which they said lowered English rents, so that in 1665 and 1680 (18 Car.  II, c. 2, and 32 Car.  II, c. 2) laws were framed absolutely prohibiting the import of Irish cattle, sheep, and swine, as well as of beef, pork, bacon, and mutton, and even butter and cheese.  The statute 12 Car.  II, c. 4, also virtually excluded Irish wool from England by duties amounting to prohibition.  It was not until 1759 that free imports of cattle from Ireland were allowed for five years,[365] a period prolonged by 5 Geo. III, c. 10, and a statute of 1772.

In 1699 wool was allowed to be shipped from six specified ports in Ireland to eight specified ports in England,[366] and by 16 Geo. II, c. 11, wool might be sent from Ireland to any port in England under certain restrictions.

FOOTNOTES: 

[339] Worlidge, Systema Agriculturae (ed. 1669), p. 10.

[340] Ibid. p. 124.

[341] Ibid. p. 124.

[342] Pomona (ed. 1664), p. 1.

[343] Ed. 1635, Book i, p. 175.

[344] Markham, op. cit. i. 188.

[345] Worlidge, Systema Agriculturae, p. 38.  Plot, however, in his Natural History of Staffordshire, 1686, says hemp and flax were sown in small quantities all over the county, p. 109.

[346] New System of Agriculture (ed. 1726), p. 113.  Woad is still grown ‘in some districts in England’ (Morton, Cyclopaedia of Agriculture, ii. 1159), but in the Agricultural Returns of 1907 apparently occupies too small an acreage to entitle it to a separate mention.

[347] Worlidge, Systema Agriculturae, p. 43.