and be used verj Kindelj in the prices, else it will not be mij Interest to send to Venice for neither drinking Glasses nor Lookeing Glasses, for we make now verij Good Drinking Glasses in England and better Lookeing Glasses than anij that comes from Venice, for generallj your Lookeing Glasses are not well pollished Therefore S' I pray looke well to them and observe all mij former directions for mij Interest S' I have not more at present but to present mij respects to you. I rest

S' I will assure you I have seen facterijs of Mr. Wijld's bying wherin good glasses of Lana were bought for 26 Livres a piece and glasses of Lana for 36 or 37 Livres piece and soe Larger & cheaper than yours but S' I praij Lett me have these glasses at once verrj good and as Cheap as anj other man has them Vallc.

S'I doe not much care if these be made of same fashions a dozen or 2 ribt glasses soe y' I woud not have a bove 6 or 8 . . . of ribt beer & 6 doz Ribt wine glasses.

No. 7.

London, Octob. 20th 1671. S' Yours of the 12th June last I Recd and paid your bill According to the time, and I have now also Recevied the 10 Chests of drinking Glasses with ye box of Looking Glasses & 2 boxes of false pearle & brushes out of ye Hope well, & S' notwithstanding your punctuall Care & directions thej have not dealt well bj mee in six of those glasses sike measure for one box was yeir full measure but ye other box yeir was not one held ye

full Measure yej wanted almost 2 Inches both in Length and breadth I assure you that box of glass was not worth aboue 18 Livres a peece but who ever it was that putt them upp I will tell him such dealeing is not fare and square, as for ye rest of ye boxes of Lookeing glasses thej came Indifferent well Conditioned though I had a few of the small glasses broken, but I had above thirty dozen of mij Drinking Glasses broken (and Mr. Allen had more) all these things putt to geather I hope ye Lookeing Glass man will be so Civell as to send me 2 glasses of sir A brace gone. I shall cast mij selve Apone you to see that I have right done me as for those 3 dozen of Looking Glasses that were left behinde I woud not have you send them till I Give you further order neither woud I have you provide me these 110 dozen of drinking glasses which I sent to you the 5th of Maj which additional patterns came to late to you, because I will verrij shortlij send for a nother parcel of Drinking Glasses fo you I woud have ye Lookeing Glasses putt in with them I praij lett mee heer from you next post that I may know whither you have Laid aside. my last patterns for if shoud not have done so then I shall not weight for so manij bj a 100 dozen as other wajs I would soe with mj Respects to you giveing you thanks for all yor Care and Trouble I rest yor ffrind

Senio' Allesio Morrellj.

No. 8.

London, Novemb' 30, 1672.

S' Mij Respects presented unto you not hearing from you in anser to mijne of the I have now sent you mij patterns for a small parsell of drinking glasses &c, which I praij you to order to bee made with all convenient speed, and shiped apone the first good sure ship for England that I may have them heer in March or Aprill next if possible: but as for those Aditionall patterns which I sent you last Maj which came to Late to be performed with the Last glasses you sent mee I would now have you Lett them a Lone and not send them: but onlj give order for these that I now send for and that theij be made as exact as maij be to ye pattern both for Quallitij and Quantity and of verij good cleer whit sound Mettall; for truelj the last you sent me the Mettall was indifferent good and cleer, but not so sound and strong as theij should have bin made; for therin Lies the exelencj of your Venice glasses that they are generallij stronger than ours made heer, and soe not so soon broken, Therfor SI praij take such care that these be made of verij good sound mettal and thicker and stronger than the last, that I maij gaine Creditt by them though not so much proffitt: heer is 120: doz beer glasses 90 dozen french wine & 20 dozen of Cruitts for oijle & Vinegar which makes upp 230 dozen which I would have packt in three deepe halfe Chests such as you sent Mr. Richard Sadler, and I desire you now to send me that Glass or Glasses which you got for me for the former default, and also the 12 glasses of 14 inches & ye 12 glasses silke measure that were wanting of mij former order; & also 6 glasses more of Lana pray let all these be packt up in ye bottoms of ye Chests of drinking glasses that I maij therebj save the Custome of them here, and to that end I must further desire you to send me two facterijs, and in one of your

facterijs not to mention anij Looking Glasses nor the full number of the drinking glasses by 8 or 10 dozen in a chest for our officers heer are soe strikt that theij will see our facterijs, I would also have you to send me 6 dozen more heath brushes such as ye last you sent mee, and 30 mast of the best long ffalse peerle neck lacces 20 mast of the verij Largest sortt, but theij must be Larger than the largest you sent last, & 5 mast midle size & 5 mast of small seede pearle, the last took wett and manij of them were spoijled, I hope you may gett them for 7 Libres a Mast as well as for Mr. van Mildert though I have not so manij as hee, and Sir one thing more give me Leave to tell you that I see bij other marchants ffactorjs heer that Looking glasses are now bought cheaper than Latelj thej have bin, or then in mij last were therfor sense the Market is fallen I hope I shall have some benefitt by it but I shall Refer mijself to you hoping your Care and kind useaighe will be such as I may have no Cause to Complaine, and S' when you have shiped theass goods you maij please to draw a bill apone me for ye valleu and it shall puncktuallij paid, soe commiting yo" to ye protection of the allmightj I rest

yo' Reall ffriend & Serv1 John Greene.

CROWN (FIRST).

PAPERS RELATING TO THE GLASS-SELLERS, 1670-1691.

Petition.

In the beginning of the Last year 1669 Mr. Boalter, Mr. Todners, Mr. Burroughs & Mr. Hudgeabout petioned ye King & Counsell for a prohibition of Venice Looking Glasses pretending it would be for the public good of ye nation bij Increasing the Manufactur there off.

The petition was sent down to ye Consell of Trade and by them Committed to A Committee sitting at ye East India House London to call before them the workmen and Dealers in yt Commoditie and to examine the Good or evell of such a prohibition.

I. That Whereas thej pretend to make as good and Cheape as Venice Glass it was made Appear that the Venice glass are much Truer and better than the English (except some verj few of the Choisest plates thei can pick out) and that the Venice are now sould 25 per cent cheaper than the English when there is noe prohibition.

2. That thease persons are in no wise capable to suplj the Trade of the Nation, it Apeard soe when their was A Late prohibition neither can thej now, especiallj now soe manie are used for Coaches, but thej are persons alwajs Laboring to Jngrose this Commoditie into ye'r owne hands which thej will now efectualj doe if thej obtajne a prohibition their being but one Glas house in England that makes plates for Looking glasses and he has a pattent for it, with whom these persons have a peculiar Interest and know they shall have the disposall & choice of all that are made if they obtaine a Prohibo".

3. That there are not a sufficient Number of Workmen in England to Grinde ye Glass to supplj one Third part of the Nation, and these for the most part verrj Botchers and will not improve there work soe long as their are soe few workmen and soe much worke for Coach glasses which thej put if not half wrought or polished as is need full for looking Glasses,