The Sun.
London, England, 1836-09-28 00:00:00

their turn, and very considerable delay must frequently
take place. In the month of June, 1835, the number of
ships at market was from 0:35 to 307 daily ; whilst the
numbers s•aid were ()ally from 30 to 51 daily. In the month
of December, 1833, the number of ships at market was
from 8 to 435 ; whilst the numbers sold were only
from :11 to 111 in any one day.

" Mr. BerAticy stated, in justification for making those
regulations„ that, under the old Act, the trade we►e com-
pelled by. 'penalties to transact business in a peculiar way,
but no-ar they have adopted such a system as appeared to
men of -business best calculated to promote the interest of
the trade and of the public at large:

" The factors have an office at Gravesend, very much for
the convenience of the masters of the colliers, and paid for
(2s. 6d. per ship) by the owners of cargoes ; that certifi-
cates of the cargo are sent to that office as soon as the ship
arrives within the limits of the Port of London, and the
clerk there then sends one copy to the collector of customs
in London, the other to the Coal Exchange, where it re-
mains with the clerk ori the Exchange for public inspec+.Lon.
The ship is entered, in a hook at Gravesend, ao?, also at
the Coal Exchange, according to her arrival, and the coals
are offered for sale by the factors in rotatic
n. The first 40
ships on th© register only, whether of the best or second
coal, are eZered for sale if the prices on the previous day
were less than 21s. per ton ; if above 215., and 'less than
21s. 6d., 50 ships are offered, and so on, according to
their resolutions ; 21s. being assumed as a remunerating
price, for summer, and 225. 3d. sufficient for the winter
voyages. The factors are very strict in keeping to
the•dr regulations ; and although a fleet of three hun-
dred sail should arrive, no more than forty ships
viill be offered on any one day if the prices should
'be below 21s. the previous market-day. Tha factors in
reality feed the market, so as to keep the prices as near as
possible to those fixed by their regulations ; and, according
to the price on the preceding market-day, the number of
ships are offered for sale. The secretary communicates
every alternate Thursday to the Coal Trade-office at New-
fastle the sentiments of the facto-es as to the general state of
the trade. ••• if any owner 07 captain violates the regula-
tion, and brings, for example, the fiftieth ship to market,
when forty only are allr,wed, his conduct will be reported
by Mr. Scott, the Sccretary of the Coal Factors' Society,
to the Coal-owners' Committee in the North, as was done
to the Olive Branch and Lavinia, noticed in another part
of this report ; and the captain must go the next voyage
to orie of the collieries not in the regulation, or procure his
cargo from a colliery in the vend by any kind of subterfuge
he can practise.

" There are three market-days—Mondays, Wednesdays,
and Fridays, continued as before, though not required by
statute ; and the hours to sell and buy are from 12 to
half-past 2 o'clock., as by the former Act of Parliament.
Every factor he's a list, setting forth the sorts of coal he
has for sale r'n the Coal-Exchange every market-day ; and
when a cargo is sold an agreement is entered into with the
buyer, tb'e price and conditions of payment being stated in
detail ; and the buyer agrees to pay lid. per ton for half
mete ge. All sales are private sales. The merchants may
buy at all hours, but the factor will not enter his purchase
ou that day if it should be made after half-past 2 o'clock ;
after half-past 2 o'clock, say on Monday, any person may
buy Tor the next market-day to deliver on Wednesday ;
but, no factor will sell to deliver on Tuesday, as that
would be against the regulations, and the factors will not
take the consignment of coals unless the owner complies
with the rules and regulations—that is, to have their
cargoes sold in rotation. Factors are paid by a commis-
sion of one-half per cent. on the amount of sale, and 3d.
per ton factorage ; and they take the risk of the merchants
for payment.

" It is proved that the coal-owners and ship-owners in
the North were consulted by the factors in London when
the regulations were adopted, and that they were agreed to
by, the Coal-owners' Committee. Mr. Brandling states the
object of these regulations to be, that if the price in Lon-
-don rises above what is considered to be the fair average
price of coal in the London market, the factors offer a
greater number of ships for sale ; if it falls below that, they
offer a less number for sale.' The ships, therefore, witY,,
coals must wait their turn, as the factors shall direct ; and
any master or owner who refuses to act according 'to the
regulations, and dares to sell his own coals, or take the hip
out of turn, is noted by the factors, and compla;lned against
to the Committee of Coal-owners in the Nozedi ; the secre-
tary of the Factors' Society writes to the, secretary of the
coal-owners in Newcastle, and the 'Amster who has so
offended is• prevented from obtaining a cargo of coals from
any of the collieries in the regulrition of vend, unless ho
will promise to act under the reguaptions established by the
factors in London ; and it has bee n proved in evidence be-
fore your Committee 'that the coal-owners refuse, under
these circumstances, to give cargoes to any master vvhe
shall disregard the regulatior
s.
" The evidence of Mr, 'Dyer, a coal-merchant and ship-
owner in London, is co' nclusive, and shows that the col-
leries on the Tyne ant). Wear would not load his vessels
with coal, although money had been tendered for the
same, because he w ould not employ the factors in London,
and allow his verJels to take their turn for sale in London
according to th'e rules and regulations which the factors
have establisb ed. The letters from the masters of the
Olive Brand and Lavinia, will explain some of the diffi-
culties in olJtaining cargoes of coal when the factors' rules
in London are not complied with, and vessels so circum-
stanced are very much delayed in procuring a cargo, and
sometimes obliged to leave the trade altogether. Doubts
have been expressed to your Committee whether the com-
bination of coal-owners in the North could be continued if
there was no combination amongst the factors in London ;
and the whole system of combination is, therefore, worthy
the attention of Parli-went, in the hope that measures may
be devised to prevent such inconvenience to the trade.
" Mr. Taylor, coal-merchant, says, there is little varia-
tion in prices during the regulation ; but that during the
open trade they were cheap, and the poor were supplied
cheaper ; that the market would generally take off a larger
quaeaity of the best coal, if sold a little cheaper ; that in
the open trade a larger proportion of the best coal came
to market ; he prefers the regular trade to the open trade,
because the fluctuation is not so great, and thinks it has
not interfered with the house-keeper's supply.
" Mr. Metnalc says, that their regulations have rather
excluded best coals ; that on the 4th of January, 1836, there
were no best coals at all in the market, although, there were
plenty of Them in the river, and the public were obliged to
take infcior coals, owing to 40 ships only being brought to
market. instead of 70, although the price on the previous
mark was 235. 6d. per ton ; and of that circumstp:_nee
he complained to Mr. Wood, the coal-owner.
" Mr. Metcalf, however, thinks that if the r,eulations
were done away, the public would not be bene-r,,tted ;
they
lceep the price steady and moderate. In Jur,e,
1833, when
no regulation existed, best coals were as low as 14s. 0(1.
and 1.55., and many of the collieries must have been laid in
if the open trade had continued. It has also been stated,
that during the regulation great inr,onvenience has at times
been felt from the want of coals of the first quality, and
buyers have been obliged to Fea.ve the market without being
supplied ; there were, he
market 30 years ago than. ow in
',:a;.nks, fewer best coals in the
" There are other cis proportion.
contributed to the st•ady
.cranastances which affect and have
lotions ; and Mr. supply of coals besides the Bentleyregu-
states, that since the intro-
duction of steam
wete coaltrade has' quite changed ; that
before the ship,
tite tugged by steam-vessels out of the
Wear and T
were periods of five or six weeks
when Lon dAon was Wiethout periods
of coals, and it was
then neeessary to keep suffici'n't quantity or supply in
watch ruses and in craft ;Olt nosy
ithe trade purchases
only for present wants, kno-winag that there is always a sup-
ply in the river ; and th-At, ever since the regulation, there
has been little variation in price."

Viscount Melbourne is entertaining several of Lis
Noble collearacs in office at Brocket Hall.
e
llolland arrrived on a visit to his Lordship on Lotr
„d and Lady
rday. count Palmerston and Lord Glenelg are ati;
John Russell would, it is understood, bay.... joined rtt. Lord
Lord-
Lord Poltimore's mansion.,
but P.m. the reeent demise, at Tunbridge Wells, of mres.PaLls
Y
ter, of Armitage Park, mother of the
lady of the Noble
in Grosvenor-square, is
r.ndergoing many improveme-As.

Monday last the TA ight Hon. C. P. Thomson had
a long interview wi',:n.
of the Manchester Chamber
of Commerce l:iie Directors
; I, the leading i
`lio'n wooing questions of present in regard
to commercial,
and we beli. 'arrangements and legislation were carefully,
Tuesday t' •
ev e satisfactorily, discussed between them. On
berland Iv: Right Hon. Gentleman left town for Northum-
-•---Manchester Guardian.
Fa,lne Earl of Westmoreland and Lady Georgiana
, .: have arrived in Grosvenor-square from Brighton, in con-
ctpuenco of the serious indisposition of the Hon. Colonel Mon-
hea
guelth . Pane, of the 34th, who came home from Halifax in bad i

The Ductiess of mar
ton Court .13alace from Marlborough has arrived at Hamp-
St. Leonard's. The Duke, when at
Blenhe;,m, resides inawing of that princely residence, where
the 1.-Ate Duke kept up so splendid an establishment.
The very ancient Episcopalian Chapel at Dinmore,
in Herefordshire, which has not been used as a place of divine
worship for about half a century, has lately been thoroughly
rep P.-ired, and was on Sunday week opened for divine service
by the Rev. Job" Fleming St. John.

Great efforts have been and are now making to raise
funds for building and endowing anew district church at Derby.
A Ladies' Bazaar was held on Thursday last, which produced
WI., and private subscriptions have been sent in, leaving a
deficiency of only 6001. in the amount necessary.

On Tuesday the foundation stone of a new Roman
Catholic Church at Tiverton, near the lace manufactory, on
the South Molton road, was laid with much pomp, by Miss
Chichester, assisted by the Roman Catholic Bishop, Dr. Baines.