ig6 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE BEFORE SELECT COMMITTEE Mr. George Nugent. ^ — ( 26 May.) Are you aware of beams and scales ever having been seized ?— I have been pre- sent at their seizure in the liberties of Dublin, where, Mr. Poppelwell was one of the market jurors. I saw him seizing beams and scales which appeared to me to balance. I asked him the reason for seizing them, and it was that one arm of the beam was longer than the other, and that the long- arm side would take much less to turn it than the weight at the opposite one. What are the weights in general made of in the city of Dublin ?— Cast- metal. Are they cast to the exact standards, or how are they made equal to standard weights ?— They are, I believe, always cast under the standard. What is the mode of adjusting them ?— There is a ring attached to lafge weights in the centre by a staple, and a hollow is left round it, in which probably a pound or more of lead is put, to adjust it to the standard, the greater part of which may be cut away without removing the standard mark. Are you a housekeeper in Dublin ?— I am. In what parish do you reside ?— In the parish of St. Peter. Have you ever purchased coals directly from the ship?— Several times. Have you ever been supplied from a coal- yard?— Yes. Had you any reason for preferring one mode to another?— I always preferred to buy from a ship, because I considered there was more fair dealing there than in a coal- yard, where coals are often mixed ; and I was sure to get Whitehaven coal from the ship. In one instance in which 1 purchased from a coal- yard, my servant informed me the coals were put into the bags without measuring them at all, after which I stopped dealing there. Have you read the petition of St. Mary's parish on the subject of coals?— J have. Do you live in that parish ?— No ; in the parish of St. Peter's. Do you consider that as the bond fide petition of St. Mary's parish ?— I do not, because three of the Committee told me that there was a resolution of the parish, appointing thirteen persons, then named, as the committee of that parish, and that the reports made were signed only by six out of the thirteen; that in order to pass the reports under the original resolution, a member of an increased committee of twenty was procured to sign them after they were printed; so that as the reports stand, neither a majority of the original committee, or of the increased one, signed them. The petition founded on these reports was drawn up, and called the petition of the parish of St. Mary's, though thirteen of the committee out of twenty refused to adopt the reports. Have you read the petitions from the other parishes ?— I have, all that are printed. Have any others of them made any representation on the subject of coals ?— None; but in that of St. Mary's parish, and which, from information I received, I believe to have been introduced by a person who is or was himself an importer of coal, or dealer therein, and in corn, and who has been infrequent communication with coal- factors who attend the Corn Exchange. Are you a housekeeper in St. Peter's parish ?— I am. Did you attend anv meeting in that parish on the subject of local taxation?— I did. Were any resolutions, or petition, agreed to at that meeting ?— There were. " Was the petition signed by the churchwardens ?— It was not. Why did the churchwardens refuse to sign it?— Because it did not agree with the resolutions passed at the meeting. What became of the petition after they refused to sign it?— I do not know. I heard there was some petition from St. Peter's presented to Parliament; but I never saw it, nor do I apprehend that it has been printed. Do you consider that the recommendation of St. Mary's parish to sell coal by weight instead of by measure would be an advantage to the citizens of Dublin?— I think not. With respect to measure, the only deceit that can be practised 011 board ship is, that it may be deficient; but with respect to weight, it would induce many frauds to be committed, such as adding to the weight of coals by wetting, and adulteration. The encouragement it would give to the importation of the worst coal, as it weighs the heaviest, and lies in the smallest . bulk. The storing of coal, which would in time exclude the purchase altogether from the ship, as I have been credibly informed it has done already in Cork, and encourage the use of fraudulent weights, which I think it would be impossible to check or control, for the Lord Mayor and clerks of the markets have told me that they have several times seized weights in yards and stores in one week; and in the same places before another week again. Do