REASONS humbly offered by the Company of Glass and Earthen Ware Sellers, in Answer to the Pot-makers' printed Reasons for their Bill now Depending in this Honourable House.  
The First of their printed Reasons is,  
1. THat the Manufacture of Earthen Ware is of general use in private Families of all Conditions, and of absolute necessity in divers Trades and Professions, sufficient Quantities whereof are, and with ease might be made at home, for supply of the whole Nation, in all respects as good as any Imported, the same having been fully Demonstrated to the late King Charles, and King James the Second; who in Testimony of their Satisfaction therein, issued out their several Proclamations for the better putting the Statute against the Importation of such Foreign Ware in Execution.  
Answer. They never did, neither can they make such Painted Earthen Ware as is Imported; And the Proclamations they mention were Clandestinely got (and the first of them was in the time of the Dutch Wars) without any notice given to the said Company of Glass and Earthen Ware Sellers, and the Act they mention does not take notice of Earthen Ware.  
II. That the said Manufacture is wholly made of English Materials, great Quantities of Tin, Led, Day, and Kelpe to a considerable Value being therein yearly used; and if the same were duly Encouraged, a much greater Consumption would be had, the said Art be Improved, and the Exportation and Vent thereof in Foreign Parts be Promoted.  
Answer. Far greater Quantities than are or could be here Consumed of the said Materials, are Exported to Holland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Genoa, Persia, and the East Indies, to make the said Wares so desired to be Prohibited.  
Note, The said Materials do Pay Custom, both at their Exportation and Importation, and all Earthen Ware now Imported pays Four Shillings in the Pound; and all such Ware has constantly been Rated in the Book of Rates, and never pretended to be Prohibited till within these Twenty Years by the said Proclamations so surreptitiously got.  
III. That the said Trade cannot be managed without great Numbers of Artificers and Labourers, so as several hundreds of Poor Families do wholly depend thereon, besides the several Tradesmen, as Bricklayers, Masons, Mill-Wrights, Cooper's, smith's, Watermen, Bargemen, etc. who are frequently Employed in Matters relating thereto, to so great a Degree, That a full Moiety of what the Goods are sold for, is paid and expended by the Master for Labour.  
Answer. There are but Six or Seven of the said Pot-makers' in England, who may Employ Fifty Families or thereabouts; several of the Artificers they mention, as Bricklayers, Masons, etc. being but very seldom Employed, and that only in the Building and Repairing of their Kilnes, which are not Twenty in the whole, and the Profit thereof to the Persons, so seldom Employed, can be but very inconsiderable, and they but few in number; Whereas there are several hundreds of Families maintained in the Dealing and Retailing of Foreign and Inland Earthen Wares, whom this Bill, if it should pass, would utterly Ruin.  
iv That so great Quantities of Foreign Wares are now on divers Pretexts Imported, That unless a more effectual Prohibition be Established, the Consumption of the said English Materials will cease, the Poor be unemployed, and the said Manufacture be totally lost, and Foreigners thereby enabled to set what price they please on the said Commodities.  
Answer. That very little or no Foreign or Earthen Ware is Imported, which they do or can make here, but chief China and Persia Earthen Ware, and Melting Pots, (though some have had Patents for the sole making Fine Earthen Wares here, after the manner of Holland, and have had all Encouragement imaginable from the said Company of Glass Sellers and others, but could never make such Ware or Tiles for Chimneys) and therefore cannot hinder the Consumption of such Earthen Ware as is made here; but the Importing of Foreign Earthen Ware has been a great Example to the very Pot-makers themselves, by making their Wares after Foreign Patterns, to their great Interest.  
Observe. That if the said Bill should Pass, it would be very prejudicial to the Nation in general for these Reasons, Viz.  

I. It would give the said Pot-makers' an Opportunity of setting what high Prizes they please on their Commodities, which they already threaten to do, in case the Bill should Pass, and have formerly done the same, upon the first putting out of the said Proclamations.  
II. It will lessen His Majesty's Customs, for most of the Materials of which the said Commodities are made, are had from hence, and pay Custom, both at the Exportation and Importation, and at the latter it pays Four shillings in the Pound by Act of Parliament.  
III. The said Wares have been constantly Rated in the Book of Rates, and never Prohibited till by the first Proclamation, which was Clandestinely obtained in the time of the Dutch Wars, and by virtue of that the Prizes of all Earthen Wares were here very much Enhanced.  
iv It would be a great Prejudice to the Mint, and to all Silver smith's, Chemists, and others, who use Crucibles and Melting Pots, the same being Imported from Abroad, and cannot be made here.  
V It would hinder the Exporting of several Thousand pounds a year of our English Commodities which would never be Sold were it not in Barter for Foreign Earthen Ware.   
Note, This Bill Prohibits the Importation of China, and all other curious Earthen Wares which can never be made here.  
All which is humbly submitted to this Honourable House, and 'tis hoped for the Reasons before mentioned, that the said Bill will not be suffered to Pass.  
REASONS Against the BILL for Preventing the Importation of Foreign Earthen Ware.