THE WORK CUT OUT WITH A KNIFE BY A CHINESE ARTIST, AND PRESENTED BY SIR GEORGE GREY, MANY YEARS A RESIDENT AT THE ENGLISH FACTORY AT CANTON. in London, that the interests of each town might be dis- 1812. cussed. The following is a copy of the printed card of the deputies from Birmingham: Mr. Thomas Attwood, High Bailiff, Mr. Joseph Shore, Chairman of the Mr. Richard Spooner, Mr. Edward Thomason, Mr. John Towers Lawrence, Deputies from the Town of BIRMINGHAM, Bedford Coffee House, Covent Garden. Mr. Thomas Attwood and Mr. Richard Spooner were the leaders of the speeches relative to the Birmingham deputation; and Mr. Gladstone, for the deputation from Liverpool; and they were uniformly selected by the Committee to wait upon the Minister, which proved successful in making the first great inroad upon that great and impolitic monopoly. Mr. Attwood, a few months afterwards, was the principal in a deputation to the Minister, to break down the then ruinous Orders in Council, which the deputation accomplished; and it was clearly proved, that if his measures had been acted upon but one month earlier, it would certainly have prevented the late American war, and all the direful and disgraceful circumstances attending it; for the declaration of war from America, grounded on those Orders in Council, literally crossed the repeal of those Orders on the ocean. 1813. In 1813, I invented a convenient mode to weigh franks which lay in the small compass at one end of a usual-size silver pencil-case, which was marked with halfounce, ounce, ounce and a half, and two ounces; a pair of salver-form tweezers were attached in the slide to a fine barrel-spring; by bringing out the points of the tweezers the letter was immediately held, and, holding the pencil-case vertically, the weight of the letter forced down the spring to the degree of weight marked on the outside. I did not obtain a patent for this, and not many hundreds were called for. To shew, at this period, the estimation in which my establishment was held, even by my competitors, Messrs. Rundell and Bridges, see their letter to me, dated "Sir, "Ludgate Hill, 6th April, 1812. "Our friend, Mr. Meyer, jun., of St. Petersburgh, having requested of us an introduction to some of the manufactories of Birmingham, we take the liberty of giving him a letter to you, and we are assured he will be much obliged by your permission to inspect your manufactories. "We remain, Sir, "With great respect, "Your very obedient servants, "RUNDELL, BRIDGES, & RUNdell. "E. Thomason, Esq., Birmingham." I had, this year, rendered some service to the Royal Mint, by explaining to them my mode of hardening steel dies; and a letter from one of the officers of the Mint exhibits their appreciation of my endeavours to serve them. "Dear Sir, "I own my neglect in not having sooner sent you some specimens of our coins, &c. I have, however, selected some, which I shall send you soon, and I hope to show you one or two rather better than our first. "Our new guineas I cannot say much for: such as they are, I shall send them you with great pleasure. "With best regard to Mrs. Thomason, I remain, "Dear Sir, 66 "Yours truly, Janver Lawson Royal Mint, 29th June, 1813." As Lord Wellington received from his Sovereign additional honours, as Baron, Earl, Marquis, so did I bring out a fine new medal of him at each of these periods, the legend corresponding on the medal of Marquis. I presented, as usual, the Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Wellesley Pole with one of the first struck. See the reply, dated July 21st, 1813 : "Mr. and Mrs. Wellesley Pole return Mr. Thomason many thanks for the medals of the Marquis of Wellington, which were worn last night at the National Fête, and were much approved." On the 21st June, 1813, the celebrated battle of Vittoria was fought, and gained by the Marquis of Wellington, being the defeat of Joseph Buonaparte in person, the capture of all the French cannon, ammunition, and materiel, including Marshal Jourdan's baton, which trophy 1813. |