| Description | "My discourse at the Button Meeting."
As many Gentn. are present whom I do not remember to have seen at either of the former General Meetings I beg you will permit me to lay before you the proceeding of the General meetings & those of the Comtee. in order the better to enable you to judge of the Conduct of the Committee & ultimately to form such resolutions as are necessary to bring this business to a Conclusion.
I will therefore request the Chairman to indulge me by ordering the Resolutions of the General Meeting of the 22 Decembr to be read over. Read.
In consequence of these Resolutns. The Committee regularly & punctualy met once or twice a Week & spent between 3 & 4 Hours at each Meeting in the advancment of the Business committed to their Charge and after forming the outlines of a plan & finding non that was practicable without going to Parlt. They calld another General meeting to report progress on the 29 Janr. the Resolutions of which I beg may be read over.
You'l please to observe Gentn. that the Committees conduct was approv'd & they were orderd by the Genl. Meeting to prepare a petition to Parlt. to get it signd & to sollicit Subscriptions & expedite the business least the Parlt should be dissolvd before the Compleation of it. The Comtee obeyd & with unwearied dilligence they pushd forward to the best of their Judgment a Rough Sketch of a Bill was made as the ground work for a Special Pleader to form the Bill which was done & the first that was sent arived at the Shakespear last Sunday.
The Comtee. lost no time but met on Monday & calld a Genl. meeting on Tuesday in order to lay the Bill before them that any additions might be made, or any Clauses expungd & the blanks filld up And this was the last act of the Comtee. I must therefore request of this General meeting to declare whether they know think or believe That the Comtee. have left undone any thing wch they ought to have or done any one thing which they ought not to have done.
The Comtee. being now exhonoratd I must beg leave to say a Word or two for my self & I appeal to such of my Bretheren as atte[n]ded to the Business for ye truth of what I may say.
Gentn. I have most punctualy & regularly atte[n]ded the Business every Comtee. night & sometimes morng I never missd once except last Fryday when I was obliged to be at Stafford assizes.
I have not only taken pains at the Comtee. but I have spent some time and thought upon the business at home. I have made many Expts in order to determine what were proper Standards for the different qualitys. I have made drawings to illustrate to the Comtee my Ideas of different means for fixing a Standd. & without reserve have communicated all my Ideas as they arose to the Comtee. without ye least regard to my own interest for I found my self zealous in the cause & extreamly desireous of retrieving the lost honor of the Button Manufac. |