14S MINUTES OF EVIDENCE BEFORE SELECT COMMITTEE djl". Mr. appeared likely that the payment of the charge would be disputed, they changed Isaac Stewart, the measurers, so as to keep their demand under that sum. ' Is there not a duty charged for the use of coal tubs?— There is 3,?. gkd. paid { 22 May.) at t| ie coai office, to Oulton and Howard. Is there not a demand also made of a certain quantity of coal?— There is. How much?— A heaped half barrel of coals from every ship. What is paid by the measurers to the guild of merchants ?— I understand they have varied from time to time, but the highest I have heard them mention is 32 guineas, and the lowest 22 or 23 guineas. Have you ever heard of a fee being paid by theeaptains of ships for leave to choose small tubs in preference to large ones?— I have ; and I was unwilling to believe it for a long time; but since the present lord mayor came into office, he discovered on measuring a quantity of coals, that some bags were measure and some not; in consequence he seized the coals and took them away ; the owner of the carts being a man of very excellent character, and very independent, followed his carts and begged the lord mayor would inquire into the affair to the bottom ; he urged him to go to the ship and examine the tubs; accordingly the lord mayor accompanied this gentleman to the ship, he examined the tubs and found one of them correct measure, and the other not. Were they both stamped?— Yes, I understand they were both stamped, and both corporation tubs ; the lord mayor went further, he went to the yard where the tubs were kept, and on examining a number of them, he found some correct measure and some not; having heard of this occurrence, I went to the yard myself, where I saw the cooper in the act of putting in a new stave into the smaller tubs, in the form of a wedge, about an inch and a half broad at the top coming down to a point at the bottom, so as not to make it necessary to take out the bottom ; it appeared evident that the tubs must have been made so from design, because they are made of strong oak, and have iron hoops inside as well outside; with respect to the large tubs; there has been a discovery made lately, the reason of this requires to be explained, a merchant, such as one in my situation in life, who does not follow the trade of retailing coals to housekeepers, when they get an occasional cargo, they usually sell them to a jobber, who, it would appear, can, if he chooses, get tubs larger than the quantity ; I am induced to form this conclusion from my having been informed not long ago, at the clerk of the market's office, where I was upon other business, and where 1 saw some tubs that had been seized; one of them was a pint, another a quart, I think he said the third was near two quarts larger than the legal size. Are the appointment and preparations of those artful measurers, great tubs and small tubs, all under the authority of the guild of merchants of the city of Dublin ?— The man working in the hold of the ship as the artful measurer, has nothing to say to the guild of merchants at all. Who appoints him ?— He is a person hired by the captain of the ship, or owner of the cargo. Who prepares those tubs?— I have always understood it was the guild of mer- chants ; there is another matter I will mention with respect to the right of measuring; in the votes of the Irish House of Commons in 1C95, which I beg to refer to, to show that at that time there was no such thing; there is in those journals a peti- tion from protestant porters, complaining that papists were allowed to buy and carry coals; a variety of discussions had taken place, complaining of the conduct of those people that they had connived with the captains of vessels to defraud the in- habitants, and several Acts of Parliament passed upon the subject, but I can find no Act of Parliament whatever, which authorized them to go on board a ship, and insist 011 performing the duty, and I can find no Act of Parliament fixing any rate for themselves. Are you free of the guild of merchants ?— I am. Do not you know there was a committee appointed by the guild of merchants, for the purpose of hearing and redressing the complaints that may be made of the coal measurers ?— I heard there was a committee appointed by them, but what their duties are I do not know. Did you ever know a coal measurer, when required by the buyer to do his duty* refuse it; or, if complained of to the coal committee, that they refuse to punish them for the neglect of duty ?— No, I do not know, of my own knowledge, of any instance. Have you ever known a complaint refused to be attended to ?— No, I have not * Do