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Ordered, That there be laid before this House an Account of all British Plantation Tobacco imported into that part of Great Britain called England, from the year 1760, to the year 1775, and the quantity exported from England in the same period; distinguishing the Exports and Imports in each particular year.
Ordered, That there be laid before this House an Account of British Plantation Tobacco imported into that part of Great Britain called Scotland, from the year 1760, to the year 1775, and the quantity exported from Scotland in the same period; distinguishing the Exports and Imports in each particular year.
A Petition of the Manufacturers of Felt Hats, and dealers therein, as also of the Shoemakers in the Town of New-Castle, in the County of Stafford, was presented to the House, and read, setting forth—
That the said Town has, for many years past, been the principal place in the Kingdom for Felt Hats; and that large quantities of Shoes have been made there, the bulk of which have from time to time been exported to different parts of America, until the differences unhappily arose betwixt this Kingdom and the Colonies; since then a total stop to their trade thither has taken place; and that their manufactured Goods lie dead upon their hands, payments are suspended, and their works stopped; so that great numbers of their people are quite destitute of employment, whereby the Petitioners are involved in the general distress, and their lower class, of people and their families are reduced to very great extremity; and what enhances their unhappiness, is the very high price of most of the necessaries of life at this season of the year; and therefore praying that the House would take the same into their serious consideration, and concert such measures as they shall dictate for alleviating their miseries, and that may operate in opening their trade again, and thereby enabling them to afford an opportunity to their working people of procuring a subsistence for themselves and their families.
A motion was made, and the question being proposed, that the said Petition be referred to the consideration of the Committee of the Whole House, to whom the Petition of the Merchants, Traders, and others, of the City of London, concerned in the commerce of North America, is referred;
An amendment was proposed to be made to the question, by leaving out from the word "whom" to the end of the question, and inserting the words "it is referred to consider further of the several Papers which were presented to the House by the Lord North, upon Tuesday the 19th day of this instant, January, and this day by his Majesty's command," instead thereof,
And the question being put, that the words proposed to be left out, stand part of the question?
It was resolved in the Affirmative.
Then the main question being put,
Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the consideration of the Committee of the Whole House, to whom the Petition of the Merchants, Traders, and others, of the City of London, concerned in the commerce of North America, is referred.
A Petition of the Manufacturers and Traders in Earthen Ware, residing in Burslem, Tunstall, Colridge, Shelton, Hanly, Stoke Lane, Delf Lane End, and places adjacent, in the County of Stafford, was presented to the House, and read, setting forth—
That in Burslem and the several places above mentioned, there are near two Hundred separate Potteries for making various kinds of Earthen Wares, which together have found constant employment arid support for near ten thousand people; and that a considerable part of the Goods manufactured by the Petitioners were exported into the different parts of America, until the late differences unhappily arose between this Kingdom and her Colonies; and that the Petitioners have great quantities of Goods now lying upon their hands; and instead of receiving from America the orders usually given at this season of the year, those few orders they had received, have since been countermanded, and a total stop is now put to that trade, and the payments for Goods already sold to them rendered very precarious; in consequence of which the Petitioners have been obliged to reduce their works and discharge numbers of their servants, and unless some speedy alteration in affairs takes place, they must discharge many more, whereby a great number still will be destitute of employment, and reduced with their families to the utmost necessity; and therefore praying the House to take the premises into their serious consideration, and concert such measures as to them may seem expedient, for opening again the commercial intercourse between this Kingdom and her American Colonies.
A motion was made, and the question being proposed, that the said Petition be referred to the consideration of the Committee of the Whole House, to whom the Petition of the Merchants, Traders, and others, of the City of London, concerned in the commerce of North America, is referred;
An amendment was proposed to be made to the question, by leaving out from the word "whom" to the end of the question, and inserting the words "it is referred to consider further of the several Papers which were presented to the House by the Lord North, upon Thursday, the 19th day of this instant, January, and this day, by his Majesty's command," instead thereof,
And the question being put, that the words proposed to be left out stand part of the question?
It was resolved in the Affirmative.
Then the main question being put,
Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the consideration of the Committee of the Whole House, to whom the Petition of the Merchants, Traders, and others, of the City of London, concerned in the commerce of North America, is referred.
Mr. Edmund Burke moved, "that it be an instruction to the Committee of the Whole House, to whom the Petition of the Merchants, Traders, and others, of the City of London, concerned in the commerce of North America, is referred, that they do inquire into the manner of procuring and signing the Petition of the inhabitants of the Town and neighbourhood of Birmingham, which was presented to the House upon Wednesday last; and also the Petition of sundry Merchants, Factors, and Manufacturers, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, on behalf of themselves and others in that neighbourhood, who are interested in the trade from thence to North America, which was presented to the House upon Friday last; and how far the persons severally signing the same are concerned in the trade to North America."
This brought on a debate respecting the manner in which the Petitions had been signed, and by whom: that the first Petition from Birmingham was signed by persons not concerned in the trade to North America, and therefore ought not to have the least weight with Parliament; that the second Petition from Birmingham being signed by the persons really interested, merited a serious consideration.
Sir. W. Bagot opposed the motion.
Mr. Burke replied, that the persons who signed the first Petition were not in the least concerned in the, trade to North America, and that they chiefly consisted of shop-keepers. He then read a paper, containing an account of the manner in which the Petition was procured, viz: "On the 11th of January, 1775, a meeting of the Merchants, Traders, &c, of Birmingham, was held, to consider of proper methods to be pursued on account of the alarming situation of their trade, when it was unanimously resolved to wait and see what the North American Merchants in London did, and to be guided by them. On the 17th another meeting was held, when it was likewise resolved to petition Parliament. At this meeting, a Mr. Bolton said he did not think petitioning would have any good effect; but he had a friend next him, Doctor Rocbuck, who knew more of the matter. Doctor Roebuck, after apologizing for his neither being a trader nor inhabitant, desired them by no means to petition Parliament; for, by a conversation he had lately with a Lord of the Treasury, he was acquainted that a petition to Lord North would be much better, he being the Duly person that could give them redress; and that to his certain knowledge, there was at that time in the House of Commons, four Members to one determined to execute the laws in force against America.: In this manner did Doctor Roebuck endeavour to hinder the people from
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