House of Commons Journal Volume 12: 17 January 1699

Martis, 17 die Januarii;

10° Gulielmi Tertii.

Prayers.

PETER Barailleau took the Oaths appointed, in order to his Naturalization.

Tone Navigation.

A Petition of the Freeholders and other Inhabitants, of the Parishes of Wiveliscombe, Milverton, and Parts adjacent, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the making the River Tone navigable from the Town of Bridgwater up to Taunton, in the County of Somerset, will be a great Benefit to Trade in general; and particularly to the Petitioners, by bringing Sea-coal, and other heavy Goods, much nearer and cheaper, to them: And praying, That the Bill, depending in the House, for making the said River navigable, may pass into an Act.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the said Bill is committed.

Ditto.

A Petition of the Freeholders, and other Inhabitants, of the Parishes of Buscombe, Ulfcombe, and Culmstock, and Parts adjacent, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the making the River Tone navigable from Bridgwater to Taunton will be a great Advantage to the Petitioners, and other Parts of the County of Devon, by bringing them Sea-coal and Culm cheaper than now they have it; whereof they use great Quantities to burn Lime, wherewith they improve their Land: And praying, That the Bill, now in the House, for making the River Tone navigable, may pass.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the said Bill is committed.

Exporting Wool.

Ordered, That the Committee appointed to consider which way to prevent the Exporting of Wool from England and Ireland, to foreign Parts; and to consider the properest Ways to encourage the Woollen Manufactures of this Kingdom; have Leave to fit in a Morning.

Abuses in King's Bench and Fleet Prisons.

Ordered, That the Committee, to whom the Petition of John Goodhall is referred, and who are to inquire into the ill Practices and Abuses of the Prisons of the King's Bench and Fleet, do sit de die in diem; and have Leave to sit in a Morning.

Committees.

Ordered, That all Committees be revived.

Earl of Darwentwater's Estate.

An ingrossed Bill, from the Lords, intituled, An Act for the more easy and certain Payment of the Debts of Edward Earl of Darwentwater, by Sale of Woods and Timber; and for enabling him to raise Money for Discharge of Incumbrances upon Part of his Estate; was read the First time.

Resolved, That the Bill be read a Second time upon Friday Morning next.

Officers and Soldiers to exercise Trades.

Ordered, That Leave be given to bring in a Bill, That the Soldiers who have been, and shall be, disbanded, may set up and exercise Trades in Cities and Corporations: And that Mr. Harly and Sir Godfry Copley do prepare, and bring in, the Bill.

Woollen Manufacture.

A Petition of the Clothiers, and others, concerned in the Woollen Manufacture, in the County of Gloucester, on behalf of themselves, and many others concerned in the same Trade, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the old East-India Company are, by his Majesty's Charter to them, obliged to export yearly 100,000£. worth of Manufactures of the Growth of England; which has been done, to the great Advantage of this Nation, and particularly to the Woollen Manufacture; but, the last Session of the last Parliament, an Act was passed, wherein the Trade to India was given to such Persons as should subscribe to raise Two Millions of Money, at 8£. per Cent. per Annum, without any Injunction to trade, or carry out any of our Manufactures; without which restraint the Nation will . . . . a greater Loser than the Value of the said 2,000,000£. in a little time; it being to the private Loss of the Exporter, to send our Manufactures to India, though an Advantage to England: And praying, That the New East-India Company may be obliged to export our Manufactures in such manner as the House shall think fit.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee appointed to consider which way to prevent the exporting of Wool, from England and Ireland, to foreign Parts; and to consider the properest Way to encourage the Woollen Manufacture of this Kingdom.

Exporting Wool.

A Petition of the principal Traders and Dealers in the Woollen Manufactures, residing within the Town and Borough of Cirencester, in the County of Gloucester, in the behalf of themselves, and the poor Inhabitants employed therein, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That, by reason of the great Quantities of Wool combed into Worsted, Worsted and WoollenYarn, and other wrought Woollen Goods, imported from Ireland to Bristol, and other Ports of this Kingdom, the poor People here are very much impoverished for want of Work; and lose 8£. for every Pack of WorstedYarn, 4£. for every Pack of Woollen-Yarn, and so proportionably for all other wrought Woollen Goods, brought from Ireland to England; and that, notwithstanding the great Care of the King and Parliament to prevent the Exportation of Wool, yet that pernicious Practice is still continued, to the great Decay of our Woollen Manufactory Trade: And praying, That some speedy Care may be taken to prevent the like Mischiefs for the future.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee appointed to consider which way to prevent the Exporting of Wool, from England and Ireland, to foreign Parts; and to consider the properest Ways to encourage the Woollen Manufacture of this Kingdom.

Woollen Manufacture.

A Petition of the Clothiers, and others concerned in the Woollen Manufactures, Inhabitants of the Town and Borough of Cirencester, in the County of Gloucester, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That by his Majesty's Charter to the old East-India Company, they were obliged to export yearly 100,000£. worth of English Manufactures, which was a great Advantage of them, and particularly the Woollen; but, by a late Act of Parliament for raising Two Millions of Money, by establishing a new East-India Company, there is no Provision made to oblige the new Company to export any of our Manufactures to India; and, it being to the Adventurer's Loss to export any thither, the Petitioners conceive the Want of such a Restraint will be more prejudicial to England, than the Value of the said Two Millions: And praying the House to make such an obligatory Provision for the new East-India Company, as may be to the Advantage of this Nation in general.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee appointed to consider which way to prevent the Exporting of Wool, from England and Ireland, to foreign Parts; and to consider the properest Ways to encourage the Woollen Manufacture of this Kingdom.

Duty on Leather.

A Petition of the Tanners, Cordwainers, Sadlers, Girdlers, Tawers, Glovers, and other Artificers occupying the Making, Dressing, and Cutting, of Leather, in the Town of Chippenham, and other adjacent Places, in the County of Wilts, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That, by reason of the great Duty laid upon Leather, and the troublesome Way of collecting it, the Petitioners are very much impoverished; their Trade decayed; and they unable to carry it on, and maintain their Families: And praying, That the said Duty may be taken off, or some other Provision made for their Relief in the Premises.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table.

Distillation from Corn.

A Petition of the Grand Jury of the County of Middlesex, at the General Quarter-Sessions of the Peace, held for the said County, the Eleventh Day of January 1698, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That it is most evident the Poor in all Parishes within the said County are very much increased; and that, by the Scarcity and Dearness of Corn, they must soon be reduced to the greatest Extremity: That the Petitioners conceive the Distilling Spirits from Corn is the Occasion of a vast Consumption thereof; whereby the Price is raised; and the Poor Sufferers thereby: And praying the Consideration of the House in this Matter.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table until the adjourned Debate upon the Bill to prohibit the Distilling of Spirits, and low Wines, from Corn; and to prevent the Frauds in Distillers; be resumed.

Ditto.

A Petition of Richard Pilkington, and others, on behalf of themselves, and several other Housholders and Inn-keepers, within the Town of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That their old Stock of Corn, especially Malt and Barley, was consumed, and transported before the last Year's Harvest; and the Merchants and Maltsters thereabouts have engrossed the greatest part of the Barley and Malt of the last Harvest, and ship the same for London, as supposed; so that if the Distillers go on to distil from Corn, there will not be a sufficient Supply of Barley and Malt left in the Country for necessary Brewing till the next Season; and the Duty upon Malt, with the Excise of Six Shillings the Barrel upon Beer, is so heavy, that the Petitioners, and the Poor of this Kingdom, are very much impoverished thereby, having not above half their Weight and Measure of Bread and Beer for a Peny as they used to have: And praying, That the Bill depending in the House, to prohibit the Distilling of Spirits, and low Wines, from Corn; and preventing the Frauds in Distillers; may pass into a Law.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table until the adjourned Debate upon the said Bill be resumed.

Mr. Blackhall to preach 30th Jan.

Ordered, That Mr. Blackhall be desired to preach before this House, at St. Margaret's, Westminster, upon the 30th Day of January instant: And that Mr. Hare, Mr. Hamond, and Mr. Perry, do acquaint him therewith.

Petition respecting a Member.

A Petition of Francis Gell Merchant was presented to the House:

And, the same relating to Peter Shackerly Esquire, a Member of this House; who not being in the House;

Ordered, That Mr. Shackerly do attend in his Place, upon Thursday Morning next: And that the said Petition be then read, and taken into Consideration.

Revenues, Taxes, &c.

Mr. Lowndes, according to Order, presented to the House an Abstract of the Accounts of the Revenues, Taxes, and Monies borrowed, from Michaelmas 1697, to Michaelmas 1698: And also,

An Abstract of the Accounts of the Funds, given by Parliament, for the Service of the Year 1698; to wit, in the Sessions began the 3d Day of December 1697, and ended the 5th Day of July 1698, made up to the 30th of December 1698.

And the Titles thereof were read.

The said Abstracts are in Books by themselves.

Ordered, That the said Abstracts do lie upon the Table, to be perused by the Members of the House.

Barailleau's, &c. Nat.

A Bill for naturalizing Peter Barailleau, and others, was read a Second time.

Resolved, That the Bill be committed to Colonel Wharton, Sir Rowland Gwynn, Mr. Mountague, Mr. Heveningham, Sir John Bolles, Mr. Hayes, Sir Edw. Hungerford, Sir Henry Pickering, Mr. Cox, Sir Edw. Ernly, Mr. Stonehouse, Sir Barth. Shower, Sir Wm. Ashurst, Mr. Lowther, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Lowndes, Mr. Hamond, Sir Richard Cox, Mr. Vernon, Sir Geo. Hungerford, Mr. Mountstevens, Mr. Perry, Mr. Blaake, Lord Ranelagh, Mr. Blofield, Sir Step. Leonard, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Foley, Mr. Hughes, Colonel Kirkby, Mr. Thornhagh, Mr. Hare, Mr. Brewer: And they are to meet this Afternoon at Five a Clock in the Speaker's Chambers.

Ease of Sheriffs.

A Petition of the several Officers in the Exchequer, concerned in the passing Sheriff's Accounts, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That there is a Bill depending in the House, for the greater Ease of Sheriffs in the Execution of their Offices, and passing their Accounts; wherein are several things contained contrary to the Constitution of the Exchequer in general, and prejudicial to the ancient Rights and Interests of the Petitioners: And praying, That they may be heard before the said Bill do pass.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table.

Liverpool Parish.

Ordered, That the Bill to enable the Town of Liverpoole to build a Church, and endow the same by their own Contributions, and otherwise; and for making the said Town, and Liberties thereof, a Parish of itself, distinct from Walton; be read a Second time upon Monday Morning next.

Ogilvy's Nat.

Sir Henry Ashurst, according to Order, presented to the House a Bill for Naturalizing of Bartholomew Ogilvy: And the same was received.

Distillation from Corn.

The House resumed the adjourned Debate of Yesterday, upon the Bill to prohibit the Distilling of Spirits, and low Wines, from Corn; and to prevent Frauds in Distillers:

And the Accounts of Exportation of Spirits, and the Account of Drawbacks allowed for Spirits exported, were read.

Resolved, That the Bill be committed, upon the Debate of the House.

Resolved, That the Bill be committed to a Committee of the whole House.

Resolved, That this House will, upon Thursday Morning next, resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, to consider of the said Bill.

Ordered, That the Petitions, which lie upon the Table, relating to the said Bill, be referred to the Consideration of the said Committee of the whole House.

And then the House, upon the Question, adjourned till To-morrow Morning, Eight a Clock.