The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-10 00:00:00

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

Alderman WILSON presented the annual report of
those most useful officers the inspectors of the weights
and measures of the city of London. It stated, that al-
though the visits of the inspectors to the tradespeople
were by one-sixth more numerous than those of last
year, the number of the informations laid within the
year was smaller.
The following is the sum of the complaints made by
the inspectors. It is hoped that some remedy will be
applied to the evil, which is one of greater magnitude
than it is generally considered to be:—
" The poor are defrauded frequently by those trades-
people who have their goods weighed in packets for
their customers—viz., flour by the bakers; tea, sugar,
cocoa, &c., by the grocers; snuff and tobacco, &c., by
the tobacconists; candles, starch, blue, &c., by the oil-
men."
The practice of some coal dealers is to use small
weights t n their machines, in order to confuse their
customers who may require say half a hnndredweight of
coal. They will use 281 b., 141 b., and 71b., and thus
manage to give 71b. short weight, as was proved before
the Police Committee a few days ago. The inspectors
are constantly coming in contact with cases of the kind,
but they cannot interfere.
The report was referred to the Gem ral Purposes
Committee.—Adjourned.

DESTITUTION in the SHETLAND

ISLANDS.

From a communication dated "Lerwick, 25th May,"
in the John 0' Groat Journal of Friday last, it appears
that famine is spreading rapidly among the Shetlanders.
We sincerely trust that public sympathy will be ex-
tended towards the sufferers without loss of time. The
following is part of the communication alluded to :
" Want and misery are now written on many a face,
where, till now, such had not been scen; and, if not
t
promptly relieved in some way or other, hey() is great
reason to fear that, during the summer, and before the
crops can come on so far as to be made available, even
in a half-ripe state, for the pressing wants of the popu-
lation, cases of death, from actual starvation, will be
neither few nor rare. During the years 1837-38-39,
well named the bad years; the want of food, through
these islands, was not greater than it is at the present
time. At this moment individuals are known to the
writer of this who have not tasted bread for a whole
week ; and others who have neither tasted bread nor
meal, in any shape, for periods varying from ten to fif-
teen days ; who, when they had scraped together the
sum necessary, had to take their bags under their arms,
and travel distances of from six to eighteen miles—Zet-
land miles, too—before they could procure the small
quantity of meal which they were able to purchase ;
and that, too, at a most exorbitant price. The
.break-
fast of shell-fish has to be gathered in the morTng, at
the sea-side, among the rocks, before the cravings of
hunger can be satisfied ; then the next meal, consisting
of fish, with perhaps a few potatoes, and if they have
a little meal, fish and bread, or else fish and potatoes,
again, before going to bed, comprises all
that
the only
°
afford, fish and potatoes being the chief, almost they can
articles of diet, and bread being used e like a lux-
ury than as the staple article of food. These are not
cases of rare occurrence.

WARLIKE PREPARATIONS•--The guns at the top of
the keep at the Castle are to be dismounted, and others of a larger
calibre mounted in their place; and the fortifications round Dover
and the line of coast are to be placed in the beet pc,Ssible State of de-
Nuce.—ihrer Clitvnicrf.