Petition from the Merchants, Traders, and Manufacturers of Wolverhampton

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A Petition of the Merchants, Traders, and Manufacturers of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, and places adjacent, was presented to the House, and read, setting forth —

That the present stagnation of commerce to the North American Colonies, and the prospect of increasing embarrassments, occasioned by the unhappy differences subsisting between Great Britain and those Colonies, greatly alarm the Petitioners, who are engaged in, and greatly depend on, that trade, for vending various kinds of Goods they manufacture of Iron, Steel, and other metals; and that they view with the deepest concern many Manufacturers already out of employ; and the evils which they before experienced in similar situations daily increasing, which presage the utmost misery to the said Town and its neighbourhood, and, therefore, praying the House will take their trade and distresses under their most serious consideration, and grant them such relief as to the House shall seem meet.

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 of the several Papers which were presented to the House by the Lord North, upon Thursday last, 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.