REASONS AGAINST A CLAUSE in the BILL, entitled, An Act for the preventing the Exportation of wool, &c. and for the better Regulating of the FACTORS in Blackwell-Hall.  Bill, fo. 11. The Clause, 
And be it further Enacted, That if any Person or Persons called or known by name of Blackwell-Hall Factor or Factors, acting in the Sale of Cloth in the said Hall, shall hereafter be concerned in the Buying or Selling of wool, by himself or Agents, upon information thereof from time to time to the Governors of the said Hall, such Factor or Factors so offending, shall forfeit 5 l. for every Bag of wool so bought or sold, &c.  
THIS Clause is prosecuted by a very few of the rich designing Clothiers, to ruin the middling and small Clothiers( who are the more numerous ten to one) which cannot be effected, without first destroying the Factors that do support them, by Credit and Advance both of Money and wool before sale of their Cloths; To which purpose the Prosecutors brought in a Bill last Sessions of Parliament, totally to prohibit the Factors from trading at all, which was rejected. Now this Clause is intended by degrees and consequence, to accomplish the same purpose.  
I. This Clause is against Common Right. Every Englishman, and especially every Freeman of London, having a right to buy and sell what Commodities he thinks fit, and to deal with whom he pleaseth; which Right ought not to be taken away, or abridged by general accusation to the prejudice of any Englishman, or Freeman, much less of a Body of considerable Traders, without due proof of Misfeazance or Forfeiture of such Right, or of a general Inconvenience in the further use of it; neither of which have, or can be proved in this Case.  
II. The Pretence of this Clause is, The Benefit of the Clothiers of England, who indeed best understand, and are the most competent Judges of their own Interest. And if it be their Advantage, will refuse to buy wool of the Factor,( without Aid of an Act of Parliament) they being now absolutely free to buy or not of the Factor, as they please, and are not under any manner of Necessity, but at their own free Election; so that it is thought unreasonable to make a Law to prohibit that, which is already in the power of the Clothier himself( as his Interest leads him) to do or not to do.  
And as the Clothier is now free, so the greatest part of them, by their Petition, pray they may be left free to buy of whom they shall think fit, they themselves alleging the said Clause will be very prejudicial to them, if passed: The several Petitions of the Clothiers from the several Clothing Counties of England sufficiently justify this.  
III. If this Clause pass, it will oblige the Factor to draw out his Stock from the Clothier's Credit( which is very considerable,) and will leave the middling and small Clothier without means to subsist, or Money to carry on his Trade; which they now do in great measure, by the wool and moneys the Factors advance upon the Credit of their Cloth upon hand unsold( without Consideration;) which if the Factor should withdraw, the Clothier must stand still until his Goods are sold, and Money received, and in the mean time the poor Work-people must starve, or come to the Parish: and the Consequence of that, will necessary be the Lessening and Decay of the Woollen Manufacture, instead of the Advance thereof, as the Act intends.  
IV. This Clause is against the Opinion, Prayer and Interest of the Merchant Importer of wool, who, if it pass, must turn Retailers, or be forced to Export the greatest part of the wool they Import, to Holland, &c. most of the Clothiers having occasion but for small Parcels, and the Merchant being a Stranger to the Clothier, and his Circumstances, will not, nor can in reason sell to them, without present Money or Security, which the Clothier will not be able to pay or give; and that will be a means to hinder the Importation of wool, and a great Detriment to the Clothing of the Nation.  
V. The great Objection against the Factors is, That they engross all the wool that comes, and thereby the Clothier is forced to buy of them at Advanced Prices.  
Answer. All the Factors of Blackwell-Hall are not able to buy the Third part of the wool Imported at the Port of London only, and great Quantities are Imported at Exon, Bristol, and other places; Therefore they cannot engross the Commodity: Besides, if they could, the Clothier is not bound to buy of his own Factor, but( as they now usually do) buy of another, if he think another more indifferent, and will use him better. And there was always( time out of mind) Persons concerned, in buying and selling of wool between the Merchant and Clothier, and who( as every Body knows that knows the Trade) sold to the Clothier at greater Advanced Prices than any of the Factors ever did.  
VI. The Selling to their Principals the Commodities they use, is practised by all other Factors, as the Canterbury and Norwich Factors sand to their Weavers their Silk; and those that deal in Fustians from Lancashire, do furnish their Weavers from London with Cotton, wool, and linen Yarn.  
So that this Clause being prosecuted by a very few Clothiers,( who are only able to buy of the Merchants, and thereby hope to have the sole Selling of wool by Retail to the other Clothiers) which is to make the greatest part subject to a few Rich men of the same Trade; and if it pass, will be the Ruin of the greatest part of the Clothiers, who cannot afford to advance Money, nor have Credit with the Merchant, is a plain Design in the Prosecutors to engross the whole Clothing Trade to themselves, and destroy all the middling and small Clothiers: when as the Woollen Manufacture will be most advanced by remaining in many hands, and left as formerly, and thereby Thousands of Poor will be preserved from Beggary and Want.  
Since therefore the Clause is against the Prayer of, and very prejudicial to all the said Factors, and Merchant-Importers, and greatest part of the Clothiers, and consequently fatally Injurious to the Woollen Manufacture of the Nation, It is hoped the said Clause shall be rejected.   

THE Blackwell-Hall Factors CASE Relating to the BILL for preventing the Exportation of wool, &c. And Regulating the Blackwell-Hall Factors.