Lot 104
Great Britain and the United States of America
Acts of Parliament, 1783-87
Auction: 16 June 2026 from 10:00 BST
Description
London: printed by Charles Eyre and William Strahan, 1783-87. 101 acts in 3 volumes, folio (30 x 17.5cm), contemporary marbled boards, rebacked to style in calf retaining original labels, gilt red morocco labels of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and Manufactures to front boards, each act with individual title page, and concerning trade, duties, shipping, customs, distilleries, fisheries, smuggling and manufacturing, including trade with North America and the importation of cotton and tobacco. Volumes as follows:
1) 53 acts, covering 5 acts from the third session of the 15th Parliament, which met from 5th December 1782 until 16th July 1783, (23 Geo.3. c.11,21,26,49,77) and 48 acts from first session of the 16th Parliament, which met from 18th May 1784 until 20th August 1784 (24 Geo.3. sess. 2), including the Trade with America Act 1783 (23 Geo.3.c.26), manuscript list of contents on front free endpaper, some spotting and staining throughout;
2) 35 acts, covering 17 acts from the second session of the 16th Parliament, which met from 25th January 1785 until 27th October 1785 (25 Geo.3), and 18 acts from the third session of the 16th Parliament, which met from 24th January 1786 until 11th July 1786 (26 Geo.3), including the Trade with America Act 1786 (26 Geo.3. c.4), with partial list of contents on front free endpaper;
3) 13 acts from the fourth session of the 16th Parliament, which met from 23rd January 1787 until 30th May 1787 (27 Geo.3), including the Trade with America Act 1787 (27 Geo. 3.c.7), the Importation and Exportation Act 1787 (27 Geo.3.c.27) covering trade with the West Indies, the American Loyalists Act 1787 (27 Geo. 3.c.39) (3)
Footnote
Glasgow was the first city in the United Kingdom to establish a Chamber of Commerce, although the city's merchants had previously held general meetings to discuss particular issues; it is the second-oldest Chamber of Commerce in the English-speaking world. Membership was open to any merchant, manufacturer or trader residing in Scotland, but most of the original 118 members came from the Glasgow area. Its first meeting was held on 1st January 1783 under the chairmanship of Patrick Colquhoun.