A, D, 1798. 



441 



felves as moft peculiarly aggrieved by the ad for impofing new duties 

 on gold and filver plate, which took place on the 5'" of July 1797. The 

 duties now impoied upon watch-cafes, they faid, put it entirely out of 

 their power, notwithftanding the acknowleged fuperiority of their work- 

 nianfhip, to compete with foreign watchmakers, who have their cafes 

 fo very much cheaper. They moreover complained, that while their 

 export trade was thus annihilated by the additional duty, their home 

 trade was alfo reduced almoft to nothing in confequence of another adl 

 impofing duties on all perfons ufing watches and clocks, together with 

 the operation of a more recent ad for the dupUcation and triplication 

 of thofe duties, which had obliged many of their cuftomers to give up 

 the ufe of clocks and watches altogether ; in confequence of which 

 many of the workmen employed in the very numerous departments of 

 their bufinefs, together with their families, were reduced to the necef- 

 fity of applying to their pariflies for fubfiftence. As a proof of the 

 great decreafe of their trade fince the commencement of the additional 

 duty, they produced the following 



Account of the number of watch-cafes marked at GoldfmitV s hall in London 

 in the feven preceding years *. 



Years. Silver cases. Gold cases. 



1791 6l,644i 3,384 



1792 69,080 . ,• 3,833 



1793 63,022 2,815 



1794 67,922^ 2,334 



1795 



1796 92,828i 



76,159 2,857 



1797 first quarter 



second 



third 



fourth 



19,857 

 20,424^ 

 ]6,522i 

 10,660 



67,464 



617 

 515 

 404 



3,3<J1 



1,692 



March 9"* — In confideration of the hardfhips brought upon the watch- 

 makers by the late ads, the legiflature exempted gold and filver watch- 

 cafes, not only from the duties impofed on gold and filver plate by the 

 ad 37 Geo. Ill, c. 90, but alfo from the other duties of the fame 

 amount, which had been impofed by an ad 24 Geo. Ill, c. 53. And 

 a drawback of the duties on gold and filver watch-cafes was alfo allowed 

 on the exportation of themf. [38 Geo. Ill, c. 24] 



* I believe, there is no account kept of the 

 metal cafes, and other kinds of cafes for watches. 

 If they could be all brought together, I fuppofe 

 they would juftify a conjetlure that the value of 

 the watches and marine chronometers, made in 

 London and its neighbourhood, is above one mil- 

 lion fterling a-year independent of clocks. Nor can 

 that fiim be thought too great, when it is recol- 

 lefted, that the watch-makers of London make 

 watches not only for all the Britiih dominions, but 

 alfo for all the civilized part of the world. 



Vol. IV. 



f By an ad, afterwards paflcd in this fcffion, for 

 repealing the duties on windows in order to lay on 

 heavier ones, the watchmakers were gratified with 

 a repeal of the duties on the ufe of clocks and 

 watches, which thus remained in force only three 

 quarters of a year. On their reprefentation that 

 the allowance of the drawback was quite inefTctl- 

 ual, as the charges incurred in obtaining it run fo 

 liigh, tiiat no ufual exportation of watches (feeing 

 they are never ordered in large quantities at once) 

 can fupport the expenfe, they were further indulg- 



3K ^d 



