REASONS humbly offered by the WEAVERS
of London, againſt a Bill now depending in
Parliament, entitled, A Bill for the more ef-
fectual Preventing the Importation of
Foreign Thrown-Silk, &c.

HAT the Manufacturing of all Sorts of Wrought-Silks here in England, hath, ever since the happy Revolution, been greatly improved, the Decrease of the Quantity of Wrought-Silks brought in from abroad, and the Increase of Raw and Thrown-Silk imported for our own Consumption, do moſt abundantly demonstrate.

That, by the moſt modeſt Computation, there are ten Times the Numbers of Poor more employed in this Manufacture than were formerly.

That this Increase of their Trade hath, in a great Meaſure, been
owing to the free Uſe of every Sort of Silk fit for their Manufacture.

That this hath enabled them, as often as the Fashions have al-
tered at home, or new Patterns been brought from abroad, imme-
diately to turn their Hands to them; and not only to imitate, but
to improve them.

That great Part of the Silk-Weaving Trade cannot be carried
on without Italian Thrown-Silks, which vary in great Numbers, and
are every one of them not only proper, but absolutely neceſsary to
make the different Sorts of Wrought-Silks, as well as thofe mixed
with Worſted.

That, ſhould they be reſtrained from any of theſe Sorts of Silks,
(as by the Throwſter's Bill is intended,) either a Law muſt paſs
to confine our People to the Wear of a few particular Commodi-
ties, which can be made with English Thrown-Silk, or ſuch Wrought-
Silks as cannot be made with them will be imported from other
Countries, and paid for with our Money, as was the Cafe formerly.

That the Difuſe, which theſe Throwſters complain of for their Trams,
&c. is owing not only to the very ill Quality of it, but to the acci-
dental Variation of the Fashions, which hath occafioned Goods, in
which it was uſed to be employed, to have been of late but little
demanded.

That as this Turky-Silk hath, for some Time paſt, been declin-
ing in its Quality, the Raw-Silk of India, (which hath ſerved the
fame Purpofe, and been equally beneficial to the Throwſter) hath
been improving, which has obliged the Manufacturers to fall more
largely into the Uſe of it.

But that if there be ſuch a Want of Employment amongſt the
Throwſters, they are only in the Cafe of all the Manufacturers of
the Kingdom at this Time; and cannot expeſt an Increase of Em-
ployment by succeeding in ſuch Meaſures as muſt deftroy the whole
Manufacture.

The Manufacturers, for theſe and other Reaſons, humbly hope,
that they ſhall not be debarr'd of any Sorts of Italian Thrown-Silks,
which are proper Materials for the carrying on their Manufacture to
the greatest Perfection; --- That they ſhall not be obliged by the
Reſtraints of any particular Sorts of Silks, to give ſuch Prices for
the other Sorts of Italian Thrown, as ſhall not only prevent their ex-
porting their Commodities, but give room to other Nations to
run in theirs upon us; and, in Conſequence, to turn out of Work
great Numbers of Poor that are yet employed by them.

All which is humbly submitted.