To the Public.
The very magnificent mode J. B, has adopted to extend the circulation of the respective addreſses he has been honored with, having received the sanction and approbation of the Encouragers of the Liberal Arts, and the many respectable Gentle, men whose names will appear in the work, he requests them to accept his sincere thanks for the confidence they have manifested; and he hopes, in the execution of the design, he has fully justified the opinion they entertained, that it would be both useful, elegant, and ornamental.—Yet, in submitting it to the Public, he feels it incumbent on him to state to them the reason why, all the inhabitants were not inserted, fearing, otherwise, they may imagine it a partial undertaking.—In so doing he thinks it requisite to lay before them, extracts from the different Advertisements he has occasionally inserted in the public newspapers, as well as some thousands of hand-bills, which will clearly evince that he was actuated by no other motive than to promote the interests of the Town and Trade of Birmingham, and, in a commercial point of view, extend the manufactories of the place.
Copy of Advertisement. July 16, 1799.
"J. Bisset takes the liberty of informing the Public, that having a little poem in contemplation, descriptive of the manufactories, and other curiosities, to be seen in and about Birmingham, intended chiefly for the use of strangers or travellers, who occasionally visit the Town, and who are often anxious to gain permiſsion to see the most noted manufactories of the place—he (with all due deference) submits for their consideration the propriety of annexing a few elegant and appropriate Copper Plates, containing the name, profeſsion or place of residence of any gentleman, merchant, tradesman, or manufacturer, who may wish to be more generally known. Insertion of names 10s. 6d, each.
"J. B, feels every sentiment of gratitude for favors received; but solicits no patronage to his present undertaking, conscious that if it is deserving of notice, it will receive it from a discerning public;— and as he does it with no view of pecuniary advantage, but a desire of promoting the interest of individuals in particular, and the town in general,hopes he will be excused making personal application to any one, though all communications, bearing real signatures, will be strictly attended to.
"A nominal Concatenation, alphabetically arranged, and engraved in a superb manner,will supersede the neceſsity of gentlemen, & c, iſsuing their own cards, as, by this means, their names will be more generally known, in conjunction with the
