WE the Embroiderers , Drawers , and others concerned in the further Improvement of East-India Silks , and other Goods after their Importation , Humbly Crave leave to represent to your Lordship , That our Council informs us , That the Bill now before the most Noble House of Peers for restraining the Wearing those Goods in England , Subjects all Noble Personages as well as Commoners to an Indictment for wearing thereof after the First of May 1697. as it doth all Persons whatsoever for disposing of any of them , though long since brought in and paid for , or that shall be brought in before that day if worn or disposed of after .

I. So that in Case of Death , or otherwise , your Lordship can't Sell any Furniture of a House that is Indian Wrought Silk or painted Callico , if less than Fifty Pound Value .

II . And would your Lordship give it away , the Party receiving can't make use of it , nor is an Upholsterer or Taylor permitted to alter it or put any English Manufacture to it : Which Furniture and Cloths in the Hands of the Nobility and Commons of England are modestly computed worth a Million of Pounds Sterling ; notwithstanding which the Weavers have 〈…〉 to Address the Noble House of Peers , and Assert it is Theirs and the Nations Interest at this time to Pass the Bill , which makes all this useless , and to supply the Place with Norwich Stuffs or English Silks .

III . We had not at this time presumed to Address your Lordship , had the Honourable House of Commons taken the like Care which the Noble House of Peers did before the Act past for prohibiting Allamodes .

It was Saturday before we knew our danger , and then about Twenty of us met together who are Embroiderers , Drawers , and others who Employ the Poor in the like way , and have the said Goods now on our Hands to upwards of One Hundred Thousand Pounds Value , one Fourth part of which we are Debtors for ; and if the present restriction passes , we fear the whole quantity of Goods will yield little more than to discharge that Debt , and all the rest lost : It being reasonable to believe that People will give very little for that which they must not long enjoy .

IV . Besides our selves , there are more than a Hundred Families that we know of under the like Circumstances , who though less in Fortune will suffer more severely , it taking from them their whole Subsistence .

V. To Ship our Goods abroad is at present Fifty per Cent . Loss , and the time Limited for wearing them being so short prevents our Markets here . Which being so , We Humbly hope your Lordship will think it very equitable and just , That we may have Free Liberty to dispose of the Goods bought , with our Fellow Subjects in the same Market , which are now lying on our Hands .

VI . Against the Bill in General , We shall Object no further than to the Damage it may do us in diminishing our Future livelihood , and therefore most humbly intreat that the annexed particulars which are Manufactured here to an improvement equal to our highest Wrought Silks may be excepted out of the Bill . And if this Request ( which we hope is very reasonable , considering it is only in Favour of our own Manufacturers ) be not allow●d ; We humbly pray a Clause may be added to the Bill .

That we may sell the Goods now lying on our hands after the Prohibition takes place in such Parcels as our Chapmen and Customers have occasion for , and not to be compell'd to sell no less than 50 l. Value at a time , and that only for Exportation .

And , That the Weavers Seal the Goods in our hands at the Prohibition day as was done before by the Lustring Company , that so we may have the Liberty of our best Market .

And if your Lordship thinks not fit to relieve us herein , we humbly Pray ,

That the Weavers be obliged to take our Stocks of these Goods at prime cost and be allow'd Five years time to sell them in , they being as we conceive as fit to change their Employments , as they deem us , this their Bill giving them a favour Tantamount to the bearing such a Loss .