APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 347 



be unmerciful, and strengthened 

 his argument by saying, that the 

 very reading of the matter on 

 which they were to proceed 

 would occupy two hours. His 

 object, he said, was to save the 

 magistrate trouble. 



Sir Claudius Hunter requested 

 that his time or attention should 

 not be considered as ill bestowed 

 in the investigation of what he 

 heard was a most flagrant case. 

 He would undertake to attend 

 to every statement that should be 

 made with the most scrupulous 

 care. 



Mr. Andrews said the infor- 

 mations must be read. 



Sir C. Hunter expressed a 

 hope that there would be no pro- 

 longation of time beyond the 

 actual necessity of the case. 



Mr. Andrews suggested that a 

 penalty might be taken on one 

 information, and an acquittal 

 given upon all the rest. 



Mr. Freshfield said it was a 

 mistake, if want of liberality to 

 the defendant was presumed by 

 his Counsel. The Bank would 

 prove that the very reverse was 

 the case. 



Mr. Freshfield and Mr. An- 

 drews then withdrew into a 

 private room, when it was ar- 

 ranged that the defendant should 

 plead guilty upon the whole 50 

 informations, and that he should 

 abide the decision of the magis- 

 trate as to the fines under the 

 lenient hand of the prosecution. 



Mr. Freshfield then stated that 

 he attended the office on the 

 behaif of the Bank of England, 

 by whose instructions he had 

 lodged the informations. The 

 first accused the defendant with 

 having sold and delivered coal? 



without a meter's ticket. The 

 rest charged him with having 

 sold and delivered coals without 

 a vender's ticket, countersigned 

 by the meter. Those informa- 

 tions were laid without any view 

 but the benefit of the public. 

 The Bank had proceeded without 

 at all considering the loss they 

 might have sustained by the 

 conduct of the defendant, and 

 being well able to afford the 

 expenses of a prosecution, were 

 determined to maintain it in 

 consideration of the public alone. 

 The cass was a most important 

 one. The penalty, in the event 

 of conviction, would amount to 

 nearly 1,000/. Mr. Freshfield 

 then stated, that it was most 

 necessary the public should have 

 full measure and quality in such 

 an article as coal, and it was but 

 justice to the coal trade to prove 

 that the practice he had to com- 

 plain of was the mere act of the 

 defendant himself, and not com- 

 mon to the trade. It was not 

 his intention to dilate on a subject 

 so well understood. He should 

 but mention a few things that it 

 would be improper to omit. It 

 was found necessary to pass an 

 act in the ^Tth of the King, to 

 protect the public against what 

 were called in the act, " the 

 frauds of the coal trade." He 

 would not designate the present 

 case by that name, but certainly 

 the public were liable from their 

 carelessness to impositions in the 

 trade of the grossest kind. It 

 was regulated by the act, that 

 coals contained in any ship 

 should be sold at the coal-market 

 only, and that they should be 

 publicly exhibited, under a 

 penalty of 100/. It was required, 



tha' 



