Correspondence of Lieut.- Col. J. L. Philips. 49 



Looking back at this distance of time it may be frankly- 

 conceded that Mr. Philips's dissatisfaction — he declared 

 himself " most heartily disgusted with the conduct of the 

 Town" — was possibly due to a difference of opinion merely 

 on various important questions, on which his own views 

 were not necessarily sound. Nowadays, at any rate, 

 it is a little startling to find a Lancashire cotton-spinner 

 opposing the admission of American cotton, as the 

 following letter, and the accompanying copy of a memorial 

 presumably enclosed with it show that Mr. Philips did : — 



Manchester Mar 16th 



1813. 



My Lord, 



We are desired to transmit to your Lordship, as President of the Board of 

 Trade, a letter addressed to that Board on the subject of American Cotton. It 

 is signed by the most respectable Mercantile houses, as well as by the Borough- 

 reeve and Constables in their individual Capacities, but it is thought best to 

 avoid the Confusion of a public Towns Meeting, which in this place is 

 frequently composed of very improper persons, to give any opinion upon 

 public Measures — This We are desired to state to your Lordship as the cause of 

 its not appearing with the official Signature of the Borough Reeve. 



We can assure your Lordship that in the 4 Factories which We ourselves 

 employ, We have entirely substituted Surat for Bowed Georgia Cotton. 

 We remain very truly 



My Lord your Lordship's faithful Servts 



J. L. PHILIPS & BROTHER. 



COPY OF ENCLOSURE. 



The Members for the County having communicated to the towns of Man- 

 chester & Salford an Intention on the part of his Majesty's Ministers to permit 

 the importation of Cotton of the Growth of the United States of North 

 America by Neutral Vessels on the payment of an additional duty of 3d in the 

 lb. & by British Vessels of i d §, We the undersigned Merchants & Manufac- 

 turers take the freedom to state our doubts as to the propriety of such a 

 measure, least our Silence should be construed into an acquiescence in its 

 propriety, or even an approbation of representations that have been made 

 either on the grounds of individual Interests or possibly of ill founded timidity. 



We have great satisfaction in stating the very material improvement that 

 has taken place of late in the manufacturing Districts of this County, in conse- 

 quence of the increased demand for goods executed for the West India & 

 Brazil Markets, arising from the improved prices of West India produce 



D 



