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Petition of the Manufacturers and Traders in Earthen Ware

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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 and 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,

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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.

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