House of Commons
Monday, May 25, 1812.
Peitions from the Ship Owners of Scarborough—and the Merchant Venturers of Bristol, in Fsvour of the Orders in Council
A Petition of the ship owners of Scarborough, in the county of York, was presented and read; setting forth,
"That the petitioners having perceived, from the votes of the House, that various Petitions have been presented praying a repeal of his Majesty's Orders in Council of the 7th of January, 1807, and the 26th of April, 1809, and that a committee of the whole House has been appointed to consider these Petitions, feel that they should be wanting in duty to their country if they omitted humbly to express to the House the opinion which they entertain upon that most important subject; and that the petitioners most respectfully beg leave to state to the House, that they have, from the first promulgation of these Orders, viewed with approbation the just and necessary retaliatory measures which have been opposed by his Majesty to the lawless and unprecedented system adopted by the enemy for the destruction of the commerce and manufactures of the British empire; and that, in the humble opinion of the petitioners, the repeal of the Orders in Council would, at best, only afford a temporary relief to some of the British manufacturers, while their repeal would give a decided advantage to our enemies, by opening the trade to the continent to neutrals, whereby France, and the countries under her controul, would be relieved from their present difficulties, without alleviating the depressed state of the commerce of this country; but, on the contrary, it is the unbiassed opinion of the petitioners, if this indulgence be granted to neutral states, that it will give to our enemies greater facilities to carry on the war, and afford them better hopes of overwhelming the British navigation laws, whose destruction they have frequently declared to be their principal object; and the petitioners further beg leave to state, that they are sensible of the difficulties which the commercial interests of this kingdom labour under at present, and they also feel the pressure of the times as much as any of their fellow subjects, the shipping trade being much limited and confined; yet, notwithstanding these difficulties, they are willing to submit to any privations which the continuance of the Orders in Council may cause, as they are confident it is the best means of ultimately removing that distress, by compelling the mitigation or the repeal of the French Decrees, and the restoration of the ancient system of commerce and warfare; and that the petitioners have seen, with great concern, the attempts which have been too successfully made to mislead great numbers of industrious and meritorious workmen in different manufactures, by persuading them to ascribe their sufferings to those necessary and indispensable measures of his Majesty's government; but the petitioners have full reliance in the wisdom of the House, and persuade themselves that they will weigh with due attention the interests of every part of the empire; and praying, that the House will not adopt any measures for the purpose of inducing his Majesty to rescind the Orders in Council, until the enemy shall have effectually repealed his hostile Decrees, and suffered the trade of neutral nations to resume its legitimate course."
A Petition of the master, wardens, and commonalty of merchant venturers of the city of Bristol, was also presented and read; setting forth,
"That the petitioners have observed, with great and increasing concern, the industious attempts of evil disposed and of ignorant men, to excite the lower orders of the community to acts of tumult and disorder, destructive of their own happiness, and disgraceful to the national character, by various misrepresentations of the causes which have produced a check to our commerce, and a consequent want of full employment in some of the manufacturing districts of the kingdom; and that the petitioners particularly deprecate the unfounded clamour raised against his Majesty's Orders in Council, of the 7th of January 1807, and the 26th of April, 1809, and lament that these misguided men should have been taught to believe that a repeal of those Orders would materially benefit the commerce of the country, and relieve the temporary pressure on the manufactures; and that, whilst the petitioners sincerely lament the distresses at present felt in some branches of the commerce and manufactures of these realms, they cannot forbear expressing their firm conviction that these partial evils are to be attributed only to the unjust, extravagant, and unprecedented Decrees of the ruler of the French empire, issued for the purpose of annihilating our commerce, without regard to the distress of the people over whom he has extended his iron sceptre, or to the rights or interests of nations in amity with him; and that his Majesty's Orders in Council, as retaliatory measures, have been most effectual in destroying the trade of the enemy, and the consequent resource of his revenue derived therefrom, depriving him of all external commerce of the export of the produce and manufacture of France, and the countries which have submitted to his domination, and obliging them to pay enormous prices for raw materials and foreign produce, intro- duced by circuitous and expensive routes; and the petitioners further humbly submit, that, whilst the enemy, by the wisdom and energy of his Majesty's government, suffers all those distresses and privations, and whilst America is foregoing her neutral advantages by a mistaken policy, the commerce of this realm is finding new channels of intercourse with the continent of Europe, every day improving, by being better organized for the sale of British manufactures and of West India produce, which advantageous trade, carried on in British ships, has nearly superseded the American carrying trade; and that the commerce with South America is almost exclusively carried on by his Majesty's subjects since America has deprived herself of the means of assorting her cargoes with British manufactures; and that the trade of our American colonies is greatly encouraged and encreased both by the demand for their produce and by the introduction of British manufactures through the colonies into the states of America; and that the petitioners, confident that the advantages so secured to the country, hare long been apparent to the House, humbly submit, that a repeal of the Orders in Council would deprive this kingdom and its colonies of ad these advantages, would destroy the trade now carried on in British ships, and would open the ports of the enemy to neutral nations, would relieve him of the double pressure of his produce and his want of raw materials, would force his manufactures on the markets of North and South America, and throw into the hands of neutral nations the carrying trade now possessed almost exclusively by British ships; and praying, that the House will not allow the clamour and misrepresentation of ill-informed men to induce them to advise the repeal of his Majesty's Orders in Council until the enemy shall have absolutely and unequivocally recalled his obnoxious Decrees, and restored neutral commerce to its ancient rights."
Ordered to be referred to the Committee on the several Petitions against the Orders in Council.
Orders in Council—Call of the House
wished to be informed how long the examination of witnesses in favour of the Orders in Council, would occupy the attention of the House, because the call at present was fixed for Wednesday next, and he apprehended that the evidence would not be concluded by that day. He was himself perfectly prepared to submit his propositions on the subject to the House, but in consequence of a communication with Mr. Stephen and earl Bathurst, he thought it would be better if the call were postponed until Wednesday fortnight, and his motion on the subject of the Orders in Council were to be discussed on the Tuesday preceding.
stated, that the evidence on the part of government would not occupy more than two or three days.
observed, that his motion for postponing the call, originated in a wish that so important a subject might not be discussed until the country were blessed with something like a government, and until the sort of interregnum which now existed were hapily terminated.
added, that no man was more anxious than himself that all the arrangements should be as speedily as possible concluded.
protested against postponing the call, on the ground of inconvenience to himself and others, who were thus detained in London. He thought that a great deal of time had been very unnecessarily employed on the subject of the Orders in Council, the importance of which had been greatly exaggerated: for himself, he was convinced, that it was of little consequence.
replied, that it was difficult now, as well as on former occasions, to account for the perverted views of the right hon. doctor. It was the first time he had ever heard it stated by any member, on any side, that a question involving the very existence of our manufacturing interests, was of little or no magnitude.
The question was then put, and the Call postponed until Wednesday fortnight.
Mr. Henry's Secret Mission
observed, that as it would not be expedient in the present state of the government to bring forward his motion for the Correspondence of capt. Henry, which stood for to-morrow, he should postpone it sine die. He thought it unnecessary to put off his other motion, regarding the Toleration Act, which was fixed for a more distant day, as before that period, in all probability, an administration would be formed.
The House then resolved itself into a committee on the Orders in Council.