The Sun.
London, England, 1826-08-05 00:00:00

THE BIRMINGHAM DEPUTATION.

(From the Birmingham Chranick.)
TO THE MANUFACTURERS OF THE TOWN OF BIRMINGHAM, Nimo

SIGNED THE MEMORIAL TO HIS MAJESTY6E GOVERNMENT,
DATED JULY 13, 1826.

Gentlemen,—We think it proper to report to you, that at the
instance of some of the principal manufacturers of the town, who
signed the memorial, we preceeded to London for the purpose of
presenting it to.his Majesty's Government, and of answering any
questions relative to the state of the town which Ministers might
think proper to ask. Upon our arrival in London we addressed
a note to the Earl of Liverpool, requesting the honour of aninter-
view, for the purpose of presenting the memorial, and his Lord-
ship appointed Friday last, at one o'clock. We were received
with great courtesy by his Lordship; in company with his Mr.
Secretary Peel, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Presi-
dent of the Board of Trade. These Ministers peruse memo-
rial with great attention, and made many inquiries respecting the
state of the trade inthe town, and the causes of the general die-
tress, which they appeared to thiuk arose, in a great degree, from
over-trading. We ventured to represent the impossibility of this,
because, during the last year, to which the charge applied, all
oar manufacturers were carried off, by absolute consumption,
quite as fast as they could be produced ; whereas now, in the
present year, almost all our manufactures are made for stock, not-
withstanding the workmen are very generally placed upon half
work, or less.

We further ventured to state, in answer to some questions put
to us, that in our humble opinion, and in that of many of the
principal inhabitants of Birmingham, the distress proceeded
chiefly from the contraction of the circulating medium, and could
not be remedied without providing an ample and secure currency,
adequate to meet the obligations and immense engagements of the
country.

The increase of our population, the amount of our poor le-
vies, the management of the poor, and a variety of matters re-
lating to our workhouse and parochial regulations, were specific
objects of inquiry, with reference to the statements contained in
the. memorial, and upon each td them we gave the fullest
in-
formation.

After an hour's conversation upon these important subjects,
our interview was terminated by an expression of the strongest
assurance fron► the.Eati of Liverpool, that the facts contained
iu the memorial should hays the most serious consideration of his
Majesty's Government.

We'could have wished that nothing had been made public
respecting our proceedings until the publication of this re-
port ; but we find that some unjustifiable remarks have found
their way into the public papers, one of which it may be proper
to notice.

In Aria's Birmingham Gazette of yesterday, an article ap-
pears (which we are persuaded never proceeded from its respect-
able Eolitor), in which it is asserted, that " a number of the
principal inhabitants, deeply interested in the manufacturing and
commercial prosperity of the town, declined countenancing the
measure; on the express ground that the allegations contained in
the memorial were not borne out by fact." As this representation
may be construed into a denial of the facts stated, we think it
proper to mention, that out of upwards of one hundred of the
principal manufacturers of the town to whom the memorial was
presented, nut more than eight or ten declined signing it.. Of
these, no one individual denied the general correctness of the
facts stated. One or two expressed their full concurrenn4 but
stated, that owing to some peculiar circumstances, their own
trades hod not fallen off to the extent represented. Two or three
others concurred iu the whole statement, but expressed their opi-
nion, that the Chamber of Commerce ought to have taken up the
subject ; and three or four others represented that the subject
ought to have been brought forward at a town meeting.
The gentlemen with whom we acted, as well as ourselves, were of
opinion that the Chamber of Cornmeal: was net the most proper body
to take up the subject, because the Chairman, and Deputy Chairman,
and many of the most influential meinfiere, are *hers, who are irri-
tated and injured by the measures of Government, and whose in-
terests might by sonic be supposed to be too much compromised by
those measures to allow their disinterested interference. With re-
gard to a town's meeting also, it was thought to be advisable to
make a private representation to Government in the first instance,
which might perhaps obviate the necessity of a public measure of
that kind, during a period of so much excitement and distress.
Under these impressions, the memorial has been signed by manu-
facturers only, who can have no other interest than that of the
country at large ; who have the responsibility of employing the
mechanics and artisans; and who are of course better acquainted
with their sufferings and privations than either merchants or
bankers can be.

We cannot but regret that the sufferings and privations of these
meritorious and unfortunate classes of men should have been treated
rather lightly in the paper above alluded to, because nothing so
soothes and consoles a distressed population, as the lmowlidge that
theirdistresses are known and appreciated by their more affluent
_ _

We think it proper to mike one other remark. We bare twin
Informed from good authority, that some individual in this town
has had the meanness to write to a member of the Administration,

for the purpoose of misrepresenting the statements made in the
,
memorial, and of disparaging our huMble exertions, in making
known the real situation of the town, in a quarter from whence
alone relief can be expected. We have, however, the satisfaction
of assuring you, that this unworthy 'conduct has had no effect ;
for we had every reason to be satisfied with the reception whiCh
we experienced from his Majesty's Ministers, and with the kind
and anxious attention which they paid to our repreeeutationi.
We insert below a ropy of the memorial, and of the signatures
attached, which, with the exception of the gentlemen above al-
hided to, and of a few others who are absent from Birmingham,
are generally those of the most respebtable manufacturers of
the town.

We are, Gentlemen, your most obedient servants,
CHARLES JONES.
BE. NJA N HADLEY.
THOMAS CLUTTON SALT.

Birmingham, Aug. I.

We, the undersigned Manufacturers of the Town of Birmingham;
think it our duty to make known to his Majesty's Governroeni
the following Statement of Facts:—
I. For the last six months we have experienced a great, Conti
nual, and progressive falling off in the demand for our roanufac.;
tures, and ark increasing ditliculty in obtaining payment of 001
debts due from even the most responsible houses.-. - -

2. That in t►rder to meet this state of trade, we have been com-
pelled to dismiss great numbers of our worktuen, :and hay* gene-
rally placed the temaioder of them upon four, three, and even
.two days'. work per week.
3. That notwithstanding these distressing reductions in the
employment of our workmen, we find that the diminished demand
for our mauttfacturea rsouires-still further sacrifices ; that we are
keeping open our manufactories at a great and positive !coo., and
many of us apprehend that it will he necessary for us to close them
altogether, unless his Majesty's Ministers can devise some measures
for Our relief.

4. That some of nit, whose name are hereto affixed, have been
manufacturers in this uswn from 40 to 60 years, and that during
that eventful period we never experienced difficulties of a charac-
ter %CI universal and overwhelming as those in which we are now
involved:

5. We also think it our duty to represent, that hitherto some sub-
-14,4,1e, htt, been buined by the working classes from their past
savings, and the sale of clothes and furniture ; but that we con-
template with great alarm the rapid exhaustion of these means,
and the longer continuance of so great a population out of em-
ployment.
Birmingham, July Is, 1826.
iHere follow the signature of more than 100 manitfaciurvi-cl