THAT the Art of making White and Brown-paper was brought into England by Sir John Spelman a German, to whom King James I. in the Second year of his Reign granted a Patent for fourteen years, and alſo for his encouragement to ſettle the Trade in this Kingdom gave him an Eſtate of 200 l. per Annum at Dartford in Kent, where he erected a Paper Mill, which is to this day imployed in making of White and Brown-paper.

That White Writing and Printing Paper is but a degree of goodneſs from Courſer Sorts, and the making thereof no New Invention.

That the Grant to the Pretended Inventors for their ſole making of White Paper, upon which the intended Act is grounded, is a Monopoly and againſt Law; and all ſuch Grants are declared to be void in Law, and all Bodys Politick and Corporate are diſabled to exerciſe any ſuch by the Statute, 21. Jac. cap. 3.

That the ſame Grant was obtained through their ſpecious pretences of ſupplying the whole Kingdom, and imploying of Fifty Mills, which they have not performed, nor can, for that in fifteen years ſince they had their Firſt Patent, they have imployed but five Mills; and if they had more, cannot procure Materials ſufficient for making of a twentieth part of the quantity of White Paper uſed in England; and their want of ſuch materials is moſt evident by their uſing their Mills, deſigned for White Paper, in the making of very great quantities of Brown.

That whereas they have inſinuated that vaſt ſums of mony have been ſent out of this Nation yearly to France for Paper, by a computation taken thereof, there is not above 50000 l. worth of Paper in a year imported from Germany, Holland, France, Italy, and other plac • s, and a great part of that is the Returns of Engliſh Manufactures and Merchandizes, and of great advantage for the imployment of Engliſh Shipping; the Freight, by reaſon of the Bulk thereof, being very conſiderable.

That Foreign Paper was not brought into England, becauſe the like was not, or could not be made here, but becauſe Materials proportion • ble to the quantity required, could not be had here to make a ſufficient ſupply, and that it was made abroad at a cheaper rate; ſo that the prohibiting the importation of French Commodities, as was done by an Act of the laſt Parliament, whereby the prizes of ſuch Paper is advanced, is incouragement ſufficient for the Paper Makers in general to make▪ and they now imploy themſelves in making of ſuch Papers, and having above a hundred Mills in England, can make greater quantities than the new Pretenders thereto, who have but five: and if the Paper-makers in general, and not a ſelect Company, do exerciſe the ſame, they will endeavor to exceed one another, and by that means ſuch Paper will be made better, and ſold cheaper than otherwiſe, and the Engliſh Nation better ſupplied, and the ſame, or a greater number of Poor maintained.

That the Importation of French Paper being already prohibited by the laſt mentioned Act, there is no benefit can accrue by this intended Act to the Nation or Trade of Paper-making, nor can ſuch Act anſwer the Title given it: For inſtead of encouraging, it will diſcourage ingenuous Workmen, who through ſervitude are free of the Trade, to ſerve others who have no right to it, and dividing the Trade will ruine it, and not eſtabliſh it.

That the intended Act is not to make all the Paper Makers a Corporation or to Regulate the Trade, or to furniſh the Makers with Materials, or to limit the Work only to Engliſh men, and ſuch as have ſerved Apprentiſhips, or to aſcertain the goodneſs, or prizes of Paper, or for the like good purpoſes, as other Societies of men have been incorporated; but to ſubject the whole to the power, and for the benefit of ſome particular men, as evidently appears by their Propoſals added to their Caſe; which Propoſals can be of no Advantage to the Subſcribers, unleſs the perſons concerned, by impoſing upon Owners of Mills, to have them at ſmall Rents, and by paying ſmall Wages, and exacting great prizes for their Paper, deſign to make their gain out of other mens Eſtates, and poor mens Labours.

That if the ſaid intended Act ſhould paſs, it will allow of a Monopoly, which is repugnant to the Act 21. Jac. which expreſly ſaith amongſt other things, that all Grants for the ſole making of any thing within this Realm ſhall be void, and that all Bodies Politick and Corporate ſhall be diſabled to put in ure any ſuch Monopoly.

That thereby alſo above a hundred Paper Mills and all dependents thereupon will be deſtroyed, and divers Paper-makers who have taken long Leaſes, and are in Bonds and Covenants to pay great Rents will be diſabled to pay the ſame, to the Ruin of them, and of above a thouſand Families.

That the ſame will alſo be a bad Preſident, and of dangerous Conſequence to all other Crafts; for ſome men pretending to a greater Excellency in any Craft than others, may by the like means ſtrip all the reſt of their Freedoms, Trades, and Livelyhoods, and then impoſe upon all that ſhall work, or buy of them at their pleaſure.

That the Caſe of the Paper makers, doth much concern the Paper Sellers? for that as the Makers have truly ſet forth the making of Brown Paper alone will not pay the Charges; and that if (as by the intended Act) they ſhall be Limited in making White Sort of Paper, their Mills will be their Ruin; and then by Conſequence, no Paper of any Sort can be made but by the Patentees, and, there being no other Market to go to, may Sell it when, where, in what manner, and at what prize they pleaſe; by which means all the Paper Sellers in London, who are very numerous, and have ſerved Apprentiſhips to, and brought up in that Trade, which is a diſtinct Trade of it ſelf, will be deprived of their livelyhoods, and many of them and other Families impoveriſhed.

It is therefore manifeſt (by the ſmall Number of Mills now imployed by the ſaid New Pretenders, as alſo by the ſmall quantity of Materials to be found for making White paper, the advance of their price being already more than double) that it is unreaſonable as well as againſt Law; for ſome few perſons to have the ſole priviledge of making Writing and printing Paper, which will moſt certain •• ruin very many of the Ancient Paper makers, and be a very great detriment to the many Traders in Paper; and how miſchievous it 〈◊〉 to eſtabliſh a Monopoly, for ingroſſing an Ancient Engliſh Manufacture, is Humbly Submitted to your Honours Conſideration.

This Sheet is the Common Printing Paper made by the Old Paper Makers.