Bailiff of the CITY, and to certain other CITY Officers, called Yeomen of the Water Side. The last Ordinances made under these ples of Corn from their Hands: this Conduct, induced certain Dealers to petition the Legislature for Redress, when Mr. SCHOLEY, Corn-factor, declared in Evidence, that he had seen the Beadles turn People off the EXCHANGE, and that there are Twenty-eight or Thirty Leases, granted, of so many Parts of the Buildings, which did not descend to the Heirs of the Holders, but expired with them, nor could any Possessor under those Leases, who became Bankrupt, or compounded with his Creditors, ever be admitted to sell there again. The present improved Regulations of the Market, where Stands, for the Display of Samples, may be procured without Artifice, were the Result of the above Application. There are Ten Corn-Meters, or Measurers of Corn, whose Offices are, to see Justice done to the Purchasers. These are sold to the highest Bidders. In 1757, One Corn-Meter's Place produced, 2600l. The following Case very lately decided in the Court of EXCHEQUER, seems to abolish the Practice of selling CORN by Sample, as to its Legality. Hill v. Smith, in Error.-This was an Action of Trespass, brought by the Plaintiff against the Defendant, by which the Plaintiff, sought to recover Damages from the Defendant, for taking a Quantity of Corn belonging to the Plaintiff, as for Tull for Corn, said to have been sold by Sample, in the Market at WORCESTER.-Judgment had been entered by the Defendant, and the Plaintiff had removed it by Error into this Court.-Sir JAMES MANSFIELD this Day pronounced the Judgment of the Court. From a Review of the Law of the Case, from the earliest Authorities down to the present Period, the Court was of Opinion, that a Sale by Sample, was not a legal Contract for the Sale of any thing whatever; and that the Lord, or Superior of an open or public Market, was not entitled to Toll, or Duty, on any Commodities, not brought in BULK into the Market, and there disposed of in open Market. Supposing a Person to have 1000 Bushels of Wheat which he intends for Sale, but only 50 Bushels of which, he brings into the Market and sells, that could never be construed to amount to a Sale in open Market, of the whole 1000 Bushels, but of the 50 Bushels only. A Sale by Sample, it had been held by Lord COKE, and by other great Law Authorities, was illegal; such a Sale was directly against the original Principle and object, for which a Market was appointed. It was directly against the whole Spirit of the Law, relating to the Origin of Markets. It was therefore ordered, that the Verdict for the Defendant be reversed, and that it be sent back to the Court below, to order an Inquiry into the Amount of Damages to which the Plaintiff was entitled, for the Trespass committed against him, in taking of his CORN. R ACTS, were confirmed by the JUDGES, and promulgated A. D. 1785. But however well intended, all those Provisions might be, to guard against the Abuses in the FISI Trade, it has been accurately noted by NOORTHOUCK, in his Writings upon the History of LONDON, that no Accumulation of Laws, or Trials of Schemes, have been yet able to bring FISH to LONDON, in Quantities and Prices answerable, to its Neighbourhood to the SEA. "One Method (adds the same Author), remains to be tried; and this, is, to undo all that has been done; to throw the Employment of Catching and Selling FISH, entirely open, clear of all CORPORATION Restrictions whatsoever, beyond what may be necessary to preserve the Spawn or Fry, and to maintain an impartial Freedom of SALE." It is observable, that in the Effects of the ACTS of Parliament, relating to the Fisheries, there has always been a Difficulty, so to frame Laws, as to prevent the Mal-practices of dishonest and interested Persons. It was found, that the FISHMONGERS contracted with the Fishermen, for their whole Cargoes, and obliged them to stop at GRAVESEND, instead of coming to BILLINGSGATE, and The Proportions of Cultivated Land, has been seen in the preceding Pages. As recent Evidences of the FERTILITY of two Sorts of Grain, most serviceable for the Sustenance of Man, may be recorded, that in October, A. D. 1811, three Pints of WHEAT, were dibbled into a small Spot of Ground, whereon formerly stood a Blacksmith's Forge, in the Parish of BECKLEY, in SUSSEX, occupied by T. BOWLER, which this Year produced Six Bushels and three Gallons.' 'It is common to sow One Hundred and Ninety two Pints, or three Bushels on an Acre, which, according to the above, would give Four Hundred and Eight Bushels, or Fifty-one Quarters of WHEAT per ACRE; and, that in September, 1812, there was growing on a piece of bog Ground, in the Farm of Nether Park, of Closeburn, SCOTLAND, which was never before cultivated, a Crop of POTATOE OATS, the general luxuriance of which may be conceived, from this circumstance, that in a variety of instances, one Grain produces Five or six Stalks, and each Stalk three or four Heads from the upper Joint, making the amazing Increase of Two THOUSAND FOLD. then they only brought it by Boat Loads at a Time, the Remainder of the Cargo, being shipped into a Well-boat, under the Care of some Servant, who sent it up by Degrees, as directed by his Master. Thus the best Fish was doled out in small Quantities, and often a Month or Six Weeks elapsed, before the last was ordered, or sometimes having wasted in their confined State, so as to be unwholesome, was destroyed, to make Way for Fresh, and perhaps not a Twentieth Part of the Fish caught, had been sold, whilst the Poor were distressed for Food. To perpetuate this Fraud, the FISHMONGERS became themselves Owners of Vessels*, hired Fishermen to go Mas By the Report of the Committee of AGRICULTURE, it appears, that the total Amount of Waste Lands in the United Kingdom, is as follows:-ENGLAND above Six Millions of Acres; WALES Two, and SCOTLAND about Fourteen. If Ministers would use their Efforts, to appropriate one Million of Money to the Cultivation of Waste Lands, it would prove a great Saving to the Public. The above Quantity of Land, divided into Farms of Fifty Acres each, would make Four hundred, thirty-three Thousand, five hundred, twenty-five Farms. A Bill, to enforce the general Enclosure of Commons, &c. would be the most advisable Step to be taken. * It is an Incident perhaps worth the Narrative, that the SHIPS in which Sir FRANCIS DRAKE, our illustrious COUNTRYMAN, embarked for the WEST INDIES, A. D. 1570, were not of larger Dimensions, than many employed in this Trade, the Pascha, being of Seventy Tons, and the Swan, of Twenty-five, only. The first double Deck Ship built in ENGLAND was A. D. 1509, in the Twenty-fifth Year of the Reign of HENRY VII. whose Name it bore, and was 1000 Tons Burthen, the total Expenditure of which, is estimated at 14,000l. Before this, Twenty-four Gun Ships, were the largest in our NAVY, and those were without Port-Holes, the Guns being on the upper Decks, only. For the Invention of Port-holes, and various other Improvements, we are indebted to the Ingenuity of M. DECHARGES, an eminent Mechanic of BREST, about the Year 1500, during the Reign of Louis XII. First-rate Ships, did not become very general, until, comparatively speaking, a recent Date, although, in QUEEN ELIZABETH's Time, the Armament of ENGLAND, in the Naval Department, was computed at 15,270 Men. ters, and compelled the Fishermen's Apprentices to be bound not to the Fishermen, but to them, as FISHMONGERS, although the A Seventy-four Gun Ship swallows up nearly, or full, Three Thousand Loads of Oak Timber; a Load of Timber, contains Fifty Cubical Feet, and a Ton, Forty Feet; consequently a Seventy-four Gun Ship, takes Two Thousand large, well-grown, Trees, perhaps two Tons each. The Distance recommended for planting Trees, is Thirty feet; but supposing Trees to stand at the Distance of two Rods (Thirty-three Feet), each Statute Acre wonld contain Forty Trees; of course the Building of a Seventy-four Gun Ship, would clear the Timber of Fifty Acres. The Complaints relative to the Decrease of our Timber, are not to be wondered at, under such Circumstances; but this Calculation points out to landed Proprietors, the Necessity and Patriotism of continually planting more Trees, to supply our future Wants. The Superiority in working our Ships, is undoubted, but many of the Men of War, taken from the FRENCH, and now in our NAVY, are perfect Models. A very essential Alteration has taken place in Building many of his MAJESTY'S Ships, and Vessels, by laying the Timbers in Triangles, instead of right Angles, and it has fully answered all Expectation. The Tremendous, Captain CAMPBELL, is the first Ship, and she has been employed in the BALTIC, that, being considered a Service, that would try the Alteration: She has worked remarkably well; and will run any Vessel of her own Burthen, out of Sight, in five Hours. The Saving in Timber, Workmanship, and other Expences, particularly in her Keel and Sheathing, is immense; independent of the great Advantage of keeping all Filth away, as well as of admitting a free Circulation of Air, and by that means avoiding the dry Rot, &c. The Ramilies, and some other Ships, have been ordered to be Rebuilt on this plan, and will shortly confirm its Utility. The Two poetical Specimens, One of which is supposed to be the Production of a SAILOR, whilst upon his proper Element, and the other, written, amidst the Tumult of a CAMP, and addressed to a Lady, by a SOLDIER, will not weary the Eye, and may probably gratify a momentary Attention. See how beneath the Moon-beam's Smile, Yon little Billow heaves its Breast, And foams and sparkles, for a while, Then murmuring, soft, subsides to Rest. Fishermen are a distinct Company. As to the Fish brought to Market by the Fishermen, the FISHMONGERS in Conjunction, em Thus MAN, the Sport of Bliss and Care, Rises on TIME's eventful Sea; Thus melts into ETERNITY! YES! I heard the roaring Ocean, Round me in convulsive Motion, Felt my yielding Canvass strain: Wind and Water, vied together, Tent and Tent-walls, piercing through; Still, regardless of the Weather, All my Soul was turn'd to You. Not a glimm'ring Ray to cheer me, Spread on Down, and Angels waking, Fiercer as the Tempest grew, |