MISCEL 
spect to the price which grain, 
wneal, or flour, whereofsuch bread 
shall be made, shall bear in the se- 
veral public | markets.” 
By the 31st of Geo. II. the ma- 
gistrates are in like manner 
directed ‘to have respect to the 
prices which grain, meal, and 
flour shall bear in the public 
market ;” but it proceeds also 
to direct and impower the meal- 
weighers of the city of London to 
collect the respective prices the 
grain, meal, or flour shall openly 
and publicly be sold for during 
the whole market, and not at any 
particular times thereof, and the 
returns so collected, the meal- 
weigher or clerk of the market 
was to give in, and to certify 
upon oath: and by these returns, 
theprice of bread continued to be 
set as long as the 31st Geo. II 
continued in operation. 
Your Committee beg leave in 
this place to point out, that the 
preamble of the act of Anne con- 
tains a clear definition of the ob- 
ject of these Jaws, which is there. 
stated to be ‘to provide for the 
observance of the due assize, or 
the reasonable price of bread, and 
to prevent covetous and evil-dis- 
posed persons for their own gain 
and lucre from deceiving and op- 
pressing her Majesty’s subjects, 
especially the poorer sort ;” 
your Committee are of opinion 
that without the allowance made 
to the bakers, whether it is in ad- 
vantage bread or money, or in 
both, is moderate and reasonable; 
and further, that without the re- 
turns which are obtained of the 
prices of wheat or flour, the 
real prices at which they are 
bona fide sold openly and in pube- ' 
7 
LANIES. 
and : 
5 67. 
lic market, the above defined be- 
nevolent intention of the Legis- 
lature cannot: be obtained by the. 
operation of the assize law ; and) 
your committee, referring to the 
detail they have given of the most: 
essential points in those laws’ 
which have heretofore been acted: 
upon, by which it appears that. 
the advantage bread continu-' 
ed to be allowed to the bakers, 
whilst the money allowance: was. 
largely increased, and whilst the: 
value of the surplus bread was 
increased also with its augmented 
money price. Your Committee 
cannot but entertain doubts, whe- 
ther the assize laws, even in their 
earlier and better state, ever 
really effected their intended ob- 
ject ; but, in later times, when 
the tables in the 31st Geo. 11 came 
into use, your Committee are. 
founded in believing they had a 
veral contrary effect. 
Your Committee next proceed- 
ed to examine the Act of the 37th 
of the King, and the subsequent 
Acts by which that Act bas been 
explained and amended; and they ' 
found, in the first place, that their © 
operation is limited to the City of 
London, and the space within ten ’ 
miles of the Royal Exchange ; 
the first of these acts contains two 
tables of assize, one for wheat, 
and another for flour ; and it is: 
left to the discretion of the magi- » 
strate to fix the price of bread 
either by the one or the other, as » 
he may see fit; and your Com- 
mittee, finding that this is the 
first statute which ever contain« 
ed a regular flour table, beg leave 
to point out the course of this in- ' 
novation in the ancient assize sys- / 
tem. From the year 1202 to 1709, 
