The Sun.
London, England, 1838-03-17 00:00:00

YOUGHAL.

The vote of John Maguire, objected to yesterday on the ground that
his residence was without the boundary line, was struck off', whereby
the petitioner (Tory) was again in a majority of one.
Mr. HARRISON then applied to have the votes of certain freemen (be.
tween twenty and thirty) struck off, on the ground that they had been
illegally admitted.

GRAND JUNCTION RAILWAY.—An accident has
occurred upon this line near Preston Brook, by the giving way
of part of the tunnel at that point, owing, apparently, to a
fault or slip underground, which caused a pressure upon the
brick-work that it was not calculatad to sustain. The fall took
place on the evening of Saturday, but was attended with no
worse consequences than the detention of the trains, the pas-
sengers in which will have to change carriages, and walk for
about one hundred and fifty yards, until the debris can be re-
moved. The passenger train and mails will be despatched as
usual ; but gentlemen's carriages, horses, and goods, cannot
be forwarded beyond this point until the communication is
restored; to effect which the utmost exertions are being used.
Lord Morpeth transacted business yesterday at the
Chancellor of the Exchequer's Office, in Downing-street.
The Grand Duke Alexander, heir apparent to the
throne of Russia, has written to a person of distinction at
Vienna to say that his Imperial Highness will visit that capital
in the course of May.
The Prince of Schwartzembur, will execute his
mission to London, on the coronation of Queen Victoria, with
great splendour, having the other day contracted a loan of
4,000,000 florins for this purpose.

THE COAL MONOPOLY.

CONCLUSION of the ENQUIRY—YESTERDAY.
Yesterday the Committee on the Coal Trade Bill con
c,uded its examination of witnesses. On no former occa—
sion has more important or interesting evidence been given.
The first witnesses were three of the poor coal whippers,
who detailed a system which, for profligacy, cruelty, and
iniquity, ha§ few parallels. We are prohibited from giving
the evidence at present ; but we may state, that among the
other evils which the infamous Coal Combination has pro-

duced, the whole of the coal whippers have for a great length
of time been held in bondage by divers publicans, tea-dea-
iers, grocers, and other tradesmen, who contracting for their
employment in gangs, and paying them only when employed,
those who permitted themselves to be plundered by " bad
scores" (viz.), setting down to them the liquors, &c.,
taken by the Captains and their wives, and compelling them
to spend a very large proportion of their weekly earnings in
their houses—it was proved that out of every 255. per
week they earned, they must spend Bs., and scenes of hor-
rible destitution, and most gross and indecent huddling tc.'-
gether of families were the results.
The City Remembrancer, on being closely cross-ques-
tioned by Mr. HOME and Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET,
was compelled to admit some very extraordinary and
suspicious negotiations on the part of the City Au-
thorities with the different Railway Companies, to
compel the payment of_ the dues on all coals that may
come within a circuit of about sixteen miles round
London ; while he was obliged, reluctantly, to confess that
they had no such power by their Charter, but got it in-
troduced into those Railway Bills under the threat of an
opposition to their passing through the Legislature. This
was followed by Sir John Hall (who is connected with the
Docks) being examined ; and he read and delivered to the
Committee a most lucid, argumentative, and unan-
swerable paper, on the abuses of the monopoly,
and suggesting remedies. After the reading of this
paper, which occupied a considerable time, the room
was cleared, on the motion of Mr. Pease, we presume upon
the question whether it should be received or not as evi-
dence. On our re-entrance, it was agreed to be received,
and ordered to be printed. On Mr. Northhouse coining-
into the room, he was asked what he proposed to prove,
and what witnesses he should call. He said he had pre-
pared a written statement of the case of his clients, which
he laid before the Committee, and of which the following
is a copy :
STATEMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS ON THE BEHALF OF THE
COFFEE AND EATING-HOUSE KEEPERS, WITHIN THE VEND
OF COALS OF THE CITY OF LONDON, WHOSE PETITION HAS
BEEN REFERRED BY THE HOUSE TO THE SELECT COMMIT-
TEE ON TIIE COAL TRADE BILL.
Mr. NORTHHOUSE, agent for the petitioners, submits on their
behalf :

1. That they are upwards of three thousand in number,
and that their estimated consumption of Coal is upwards of
60,000 tons per annum.
2. That they tender evidence to this Committee that
an increase of upwards of six shillings per ton has been occa-
sioned, from various causes, in the price of coal, and that they
are, therefore, taxed upwards of 18,0001. per annum, which
tax they are obliged to charge to the classes of society who
frequent their houses, while the inhabitants of London and its
vicinity are, from the same cause, taxed nearly one million per
annum.

3. That no class of persons connected with the coal trade
obtains any advantage corresponding to this enormous tax
upon the community, but that this great increase in price is
mainly occasioned by unnecessary crews remaining unnecessa-
rily idle for a great portion of their time, in order that certain
regulations avowedly made to keep up prices may not be broken.
4. That such regulations impede and obstruct the navi-
gation of the river Thames and the Port of London, and are
productive of much more mischief to all, than of proportionate
profit to any.
5. That by the Act of the Ist and 2d Wm. IV., chap.
76, it is enacted, " that it shall be lawful for the Court of
Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London, from time
to time, to make, ordain, and establish such orders, rules,
and bye-laws for the regulating, governing, and managing
of the Coal Market, and all officers to be employed in such
Market, and all persons transacting business therein, as to the
said Court of Lord Mayor and Aldermen shall seem just'
and reasonable ;" and certain clauses contingent on the mak-
ing of such bye-laws and regulations arc contained in the said
Act.
6. The petitioners tender evidence :that the said Court
of Lord Mayor and Aldermen have never made such Bye-laws
and Regulations, but have notoriously neglected to do so, oil
the ground that they are only " empowered," but not required
by the said Act ; the consequence of which has been, that such
regulations have been made by persons who were neither em-
powered nor required to make them—who have interests . IDL,_,
verse to the public, and who are acting in connection vrl".%
and subservient to a Committee of Coal Owners in the North,
to keep up prices to the public.
7. That the petitioners tender evidence of the long and ,ap-
parently wilful neglect of the said Court of Lord Mayor and"
1 Aldermen to protect the public against frauds and impositions
in the said coal trade, and that their refusal to make such bye-
laws and regulations as the said Act empowered, and the
Legislature expected them to do, proves that they arc either
unable or unwilling, and manifestly unfit to continue to enjoy
such unexcreised powers.
8. That in the said Act there is no provision whatever to
protect the poor, who purchase less than 5601b5. of coal, from
frauds, there being no penalty and no forfeiture, and your
petitioners tender evidence that such frauds are committed to
a great extent.
9. That the petitioners tender evidence that great
frauds arc committed by mixing coal of various qualities to-
gether, and selling them as of the best quality, and that the
said Act contains no adequate protection for the public against
such frauds.
The petitioners therefore respectfully submit-
1. That their numbers and their consumption of coal;
entitle them to consideration at the hands of your Honourable
Committee.
2. That their business, which is chiefly carried on by
fuel, renders an increased price of Coal more oppressive to them
than to other classes of the community.
3. That neither Coal-owners in the North, nor Coal-
sellers in the South, nor Factors, nor Merchants, get, either
individually or collectively, any advantage at all approaching
to the dead loss which the present system occasions to the
public.
4. That 'the Lord Mayor and Corporation of the City of
London, being Conservators of the Thames, are scandalously
negligent in their duty, by not preventing the obstructions to
navigation which the present system occasions.
a. That the powers to make bye-laws, regulations, Ste,:'
granted by the Act of the Ist and 2d of William IV., L'4:l
withdrawn from the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen, 80
vested in Commissioners to he appointed by, and responsible to
the Crown, removeable for misbehaviour at pleasure and re-
newable every three years.
6. That such Commissioners shall receive from every
Captain, the moment he is laden with Coal from the pits ill
the North, a letter, stating the quantity and quality of his cargo,
and that such letter, with an offer for sale, be exposed for
pubic inspection in the said Coal Market, on its being
'eceived and that immediately, or as soon after as may be
on the same cargo being declared to be sold, the said ye's°
shall be allowed to take its berth, and be weighed and de-
livered without loss of time ; but that no vessel shall be al-
lowed to enter the port until such cargo be so declared to be
sold.
7. That a clause be inserted in the Bill before
the House, fixing a penalty of not exceeding (C ).
er less than on the sale of all Coals which may be
found deficient in weight or deceptive in quality, and that one'
half thereof go to the informer.
8. That in the Preamble to the Bill before the House'
it be stated that the intention of the said Bill is (inter die) to
prevent combinations and frauds in the Coal Trade, and that
in all cases of difficult construction such intention shall be held
to govern the decision.
Ile CHAIRMAN asked,Mr. Northhouse what witness"
he proposed to call ?—He answered Mr. Charles Pearson'
Mr. Bradfield, and others.
i ,t
The CHAIRMAN said—Mr. Northhouse could - °
examine those witnesses himself.—Mr. Northbouse
replied be was aware of that—be should merely ten-
der his witnesses, and the Committee would examine
such as they thought proper. Mr. Hume undertoo;
i to examine the witnesses, and Mr. Bradfield then gas
evidence, after which the Chairman asked Mr. Northhouse
' who else he was prepared to call ; and on Mr. Charles
Pearson's name being mentioned, Mr. Pease said Mr. Peaci
son had already given evidence on a former occasion, an
was a most intelligent witness ; but lie thought there was
• no necessity for hearing him over again. The Chairma;
said the Committee had no more witnesses before it, c%eePd
those Mr. Northhouse mentioned, on which the latter askfit
whether the Committee had agreed to receive Sir Jo na
Hall's paper as evidence. The Chairman said they had, al? _
had ordered a copy to be given to Mr. Northhouse for tto.
' use of his clients ; under which circumstance, Mr. N°rt a
house said he considered the case already established, anA.,
should call no more witnesses. Tho Committee then 11'
journed to Friday, to make their Report.

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL. —A Court of
Common Council was held on Thursday for the despatch of eiv,ic
business. Alderman T. Wood presented a petition, numerousilt
signed, from the inhabitants of Watling-street, praying tha
the street might be widened. Several members bore testimony
to the inconvenience reulting from its present state, and the
petition was ultimately referred to the City Lands Committee;
A petition was then presented by the Rev. Mr. Williams °ds
the subject of the " Civilization of the Savages of the 'shined
of the Pacific Ocean." It was most attentively listened
to, and ordered to be laid on the table.—The Court then
broke up.
STEAM TO NEW YORK.—The Cdombus steami,
ship reached Liverpool on Saturday, having steamed rom a
from the river Thames during the week, and may now be se
in the Clarence Dock. We know not when she will procbeed
on her voyage ; it will, however, be in a few day
with the packets of the 16th, or the packet of the 24th. t
iq, it will be reoollectid, propelled by Mr. Howard's Pat".
vapour engines, and can carry fifty days' fuel at the sane ual
mersion as a steam-vessel of the common plan, of eV
power and tonnage, can carry twelve days' fuel.—Liverpoo
Albion. s—probar.ltro