Star.
London, England, 1802-02-16 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

A new Wrk was moved by Mr. Sturges for the Borough of
Eait Lone, in room of the Right Hon. Sir john Mitford, Knt.
who has been removed to the Upper Houfc under the ftylc and
title of Baron Redefdale.

A new Writ was alfo moved for Heytdbury, in the room of 1,
the Right Honourable Henry Welbore Agar,Vifeount Clifden.
of Ireland, who has fueeceded to the titles of the late Lord II
Mendip.

BOOKSELLERS PETITION.

Mr. SHAW LEFEVAZ prefentcd the petition of
the bookfellers, printers, and others conflated
with the Rationary trade, Rating the grievous dif-
advantages they labour under in confequence of
the exceffive duty on paper. The Hon. Member,
in laying the Petition before the Houfe, conceived
it to be his duty to fay a few words on the claims
which the Petitioners poleffed to the attention of
Parliament, from the hardfhips to which, in con-
fequence of the duties, their trade was expoftd.
He Rated, that while the duty pleffed immedi-
ately and direly on the capital employed in this
trade, the Pale was often extremely flow, and the
returns in a high degree precarious. The opera-
tion of this pre ffure was feverely felt at home, but
it bore iliil more heavily on the export trade to'
various parts of the world. With refped to this
branch of the trade, he had indeed to Rate to the
Houfe, that at preent, in confequence of the du-
ties, it was very nearly annihilated. It was an
important and a moR ferious fall, that within
thefe few lag months many Englifh publications
had been printed abroad, and brought into the
market at half the price which could be afforded
in this country. Tile drawbacks allowed on ex-
portation might here be alluded to; but he was
enabled, from good information, to fay that this
allowance dia by no means put the Englifh ex-
porter on a footing with his foreign competitor.
Having alluded to thefe points, he did not with
to detain the Honfe longer at prefent, and there-
fore be concluded by moving, that the Petition
ihould &ft be read. The petition was read ac-
cordingly, and is as follows :

That the Petitioners have ever been willing cheerfully to
bear their proportion In common with the re it of his Majdty's
(objets towards the uptakes of the State; but they humbly
beg kave to reprefait to the Houle that the additional duty tin-
pofed upon Printing Papers and Milled Board, during the lift
Seffion of Parliament; ban greatly affected the trades of printing
and felling books, and has injured the laterals of the Petition-
as bromine, that if it be not repealed, it mulL infallibly tend
zp the dettrudtlon of a trade very beneficial and important to
the country ; namely, that of printing, felling, and exporting
boots, and confequently oecafion a diminution in thereceipt of
the Public Revenue; and that this tax is peculiarly opprellive
on the Petitioners as a trading body, and falls &rally and
wholly upon their capitals, and but Clowly upon the public at
:arse, beware in priming an edition of any book, they are un-
der the neeeffity of purchafing and ufing the whole of the paw,
•he duty on which has been previoufiy paid, totwithitanding
the edition nay be many years upon fait, or may never be fold;
and that they humbly beg kave to explain to the Houfc, that
isnao6t-a^ ten a^4aar-gillidlrlander.ADA3aULANNO•~l..

copy as (man a proportion as poffible at the heavy menet Orr
the copy-right, and of the firft felting up of the prefs, they cr
always obliged to print a much larger number of copie. than car
be fold for a confidemble time, and they are thus, from thi.
peeLliar feature attending the prirdudion of books, under the
neccllity of paying for heavy ftoeks of printing paper, before a
finele fpecimen of the manufaCtured article can be produced
for (ale ; whereas the generality of manufedurers are exempted
from this expenfive tucclfity, as they can manufadure their
articles at filch times, and in fuch proportions, as the demand
may require; and that to diminilh the ruinous cffed% of the
prefent high prices of paper,and to prevent the inereafe of their
expenfive Rocks, the Petitioners have, in force inftances, for-
borne to re-print new editions of meritoriousworks ; and have
alto, in other inftances, been induced to print much (mallet
editions of books than was formerly their predict.; in contr.
quence of which the expence of the Copy-right, and of the file
I letting up of the Types being neceffarily laid upon a (mailer num-
ber, the feparate copies have unavoidably been railed in their
price. It has, however, been found, that the confequent ad-
vance in the price of books to the Public has greatly diminiflied
their fele, the Petitioners therefore find no adequate refource
in their own means, and are compelled to apply to the Houle
for relief. And that the Petitioners are aware that it might
have been expeded they would have found relief in the appli-
cation of various new inventions in the manufadture of paper
which have been propored to the public; and Tome of which
have received the fandtion of the Legifiature ; but not any of
thefe inventions have hitherto enabled their condudors and
proprietors to offer their paper in a Rate fuitable to print
books upon, at a price which promifes to leffen the grievance
above Rated ; and that the Petitioners are efpecially called
upon at this time to pray for relief, bccaufc they have re-
cently found that editions of all rise belt and molt favourite
Englifh Authors have been printed, and are now printing,
in various fixes at Berlin, Me, Philadelphia, Bolton, and
other Cities in Euro?e and America ; and as Come of
thole foreign editions are offered for fate, at one half of the
price at which the fame books can be printed and fold at a very
moderate !profit by the Petitioners, they are threatened with
the lots of the export trade to America, and to the European
Continent efpecially, and to other parts of the world, fince,by
means of foreign veffeb from the ports on both fides of the
Atlantic, the cheap foreign editions of Englith books are, with
tranfported to the Britah and other European Settle-
ments in Alia and the Weft Indies ; and that u it may be al-
ledged that the Petitioners in their export trade have a relief in
the drawback of four-fifths, or two-pence per pound weight,
upon printed books exported, they feel it incumbent upon them
to obferve,that this relief is inadequate, and does not enable tho
Petitioners to meet foreign competitors in foreign markets; be-
cub the full drawback adlually viewed feldom amounts to
more than one-third of the duty, and, upon the whole exports.
not to one-tenth; becaufe not any of the additional advance
confequent upon the new duty is drawn back ; becaufe not any
of the advances upon printing which has occurred within thefe
two left years is drawn back ; and beeaufe every other c,pence
attending the produetion of books,is much higher in Great Bri-
tain than in other parts of the world ; and that although in con-
fequence of the Peace, raw material is lower in price, and
paper in Come degree cheaper, yet the redudion has not been
fo great, nor is it likely to be fo gnat, as to enable the Ped.
tioners to maintain the export trade, 1w books, inafmuch as
the price of the raw material is fluanating, while the duty
remains a permanent charge upon which the manufadturer
and !brim= put as permanent a profit ; and that the Pe-
titioners are convinced that the injurious tendency of this
Tax will operate nearly as a prohibition uf every new li-
terary (peculation, and confequonly that the Revenue, in-
field of being benefited by the new duty, will eventually
fuftain a confiderable injury; whereas, if the Taft duty upon.
printing papers, ftridtly to called, copperplate-papers, and mil-
led-boards, be repealed,it appears to the Petitioners that tbe in-
credal demand for printed books, which would naturally fol-
low a reduction of their price would, in a great meafure, com-
pmfate, by an increafed demand for printing papers, this (mall
deduction from the revenue ; and that by the operation of this
tax, an important branch of trade is thus in a great manner di-
verted from the country; the Petitioners are reftrained from
rifting their capitals, in the uncertainty of meeting with an
adequate return; many thoufands of &high fubjeds engaged
in the various branches of paper-making, printing, bookfelling,
engraving, and book binding, in danger of being deprived of
' fubfdtence ; the progrefa of education is checked, the cxtenfion
of knowledge impeded, and literature manifeltly
and the National Genius difeouraged and depreffed : and that
the Petitioners are prepared to prove the various allegations
above Rated, If thought neceffary, which they beg leave to Cub-
a* to the confideratiou of the Houfe; and therefore praying
for fuel, relief as to the wifdom of the Houle (hall appear to be
expedient.
Mr. LEFEVRE moved that it do lie on the table.

The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEOyER took an
opportunity of remarking, that he did by no
means wills to objet to the Hon. Gentleman's
motion; on the contrary, he trufled that the Hon.
Gentleman had an intention to move that the Pe-
tition be referred to a Committee, who might ex-
amine into the truth of its allegation, and bring it
regularly under the confideration of the Houfe.—
For himfelf, he was fully convinced that the peti-
tioners laboured under great difadvantages, and
as far as he could perceive, thefe difadvantages
were detailed with accuracy in the petition. With
refped to the mode in which thefe difficulties were
to be removed, there might be a ground of doubt,
and a fubjed might be opened for future difcuffion.
concurred,He however, heartily in the prefent
motion, and he fully hoped the Hon. Member
would take an early opportunity of following it
up by another motion, which would put the rub,
jed into a regular comic of inquiry.
Mr. SHERIDAN faid, that when the additional
Tax on Paper was propofed laft Seffion, he had
taken the liberty of objeding to it, as highly impo-
litic and inexpedient. He was well aware that it
would neceffarily produce the confequences which
were now fo feverely felt by the Petitioners. Now
that the matter was brought before the Houfe, he
hoped the Honourable Gentleman would name an
early day for taking the fubjed under confedera-
tion, to live an opportunity for a full difcuffion.
The policy of accumulating taxes on fo important
and valuable a part of the national trade, he could
not help confidering as barbarous in the extreme,
as well as highly degrading to the literary charac-
ter of the country. The pernicious alas of the
tax had been mentioned with a move particular re-
ference to the export trade. What had been (laced
on this fubjed was aridly confdlent with fad, and

..... •L.•..~•L:.

ao lets than fix editions of Shakcfpcarc were
:LI at Paris, betides a variety of valuable Treatire,
on Navigation and other fithjeets molt intimately
connelled with our national interests. Under the
prefent chcumßances competition was impoffible,
and unlefs the duties on paper were repeakd. no-
thing could prevent the whole export trade flora
palling into other hands.
'rise CHANCELLOP. Of the EXCHEn!IEP., 1^ expla-
nation, obferved,that when he laid that there might
be a difference of opinion refpedling the mode of
removing the difadvantages under which the Peti-
tioners laboured; he alluded to the mode of redrefs
which had been pointed out in the Petition. When
he laid this, he willed the Houfe to underfland
that he did not think thee difadvantages grew out
of the additional duty impofed during haft Sefilon.
That this duty had fome (hare in producing the
effeet complained of, he did not mean to deny, but
he was perfuaded that there difficulties and difad-
vantages were the refult of other canfes,which were
increafed by the reafonalledgedonly in a very flight
degree.
Mr. SHAW LEFEVILE then intimated that he
would on Monday move for referring the Petition
to the confederation of a Committee.

MESSAGE ;ROM HIS MAJESTY.

The CHANCELLOR of the Exc;aoyea brought
down the following MeffAge to the Houfe :
GEORGE R.

His Makily feels great concern in acquainting the Haute of
Commons, that the provifion made by Parliament for defray
ing the napalm of his Houfehold and Civil Go►ernment bar
been found inadequate to their fupport. A econderable Debt
has in confequence been unavoidably incurred, as account of
which he has ordered to be laid before this Honk. His Ma.
Jetty relies with confidence on the real and affealon of its faith•
ful Commons, that they will take the fame into their early
confederation, and adopt fuch meafures as the circa:vita/las
may appear to them to require. G. R.

The MelTage having been read with all due
refpeet, the Rigbt Hon. Gentleman faid, that at
prefent he had no intention of doing more than
moving, according to the method ufital on Each
occafions, that his Majelty's mott gracious Ideffage
be referred to the Committee of Supply. He
would now however (late, that it was his intention,
in obedience to the commands of his Majeity, to
lay a variety of accounts relative to the fubjeet of
the Meffage before the Houfc to-morrow. Thefe
accounts he lhould on Wednefday move to be re•
terred to a Selea Committee, on whole report the
lloufe would found its future decifions on the fub.
jeZt. The MeiTage was in the mean time referred
to the Committee.