“That in the opinion of this House the time has arrived when the interests of trade and commerce, and the progress of the arts and sciences in this country, would be promoted by the abolition of Patents for inventions.” That your petitioners, believing the proposed total abolition of Patent-Laws will be of great benefit to the country, are most desirous that the above-named resolution should be adopted by your honourable House. Your petitioners, therefore, humbly pray that the said motion may pass your honourable House. And your petitioners will ever pray, &c. NOTES OF SPEECH OF MR. MACFIE, M.P. Mr. Macfie, after apologies founded partly on the circumstance that, so far as he knew, this was the first occasion when the policy of granting Patents for Inventions had been discussed in Parliament, proceeded to say, that manufacturers could not be indifferent to improvements. It is indeed significant that they do dislike Patents, while they appreciate and honour inventors, even those inventors who claim from the State exclusive privileges, some of whom have the glory of being among the greatest benefactors of mankind. In considering the important subject which he now brought forward, he submitted that it is not the interest of inventors, nor even the interest of manufacturers, of agriculturists, of miners, nor of shipping, that this House should consult, but those of the nation. The question to be considered is, do Patents, on the whole, promote our national welfare? Another principle on which he proceeded is, that there can be no property in ideas. The Creator has so constituted nature that ideas can be held in common, which is not the case with things material. Letters Patent for inventions have been instituted in order to confirm to certain persons, and deprive every other person of, the common, natural right to act on the ideas or knowledge there patented. These exclusive privileges, while they last, are, of course, property. Further: It is a recognised principle, that the State is not bound to grant Patents. These are grants dictated by royal favour. In the words of Stephens’ Commentaries: “The grant of a Patent-right is not _ex debito justitiæ_, but an act of royal favour.” Every Patent is a voluntary transference by the State to an individual of power for fourteen years to tax at pleasure other persons for making or doing the thing patented; aye, if he likes, to prohibit or withhold the thing altogether.