56 AN AGRICULTURAL FAGGOT. 



" because it was lost." On the very day on which the 

 Assistant Commissioner held his public inquiry in that 

 town, the missing board was found and produced before 

 him. 



In some market towns the inhabitants, the freemen, 

 the burgesses, or some other privileged class are allowed 

 certain advantages in regard to the market charges. In 

 many instances auctioneers are charged an extra toll on 

 all animals sold by them. At Leicester, Northampton, 

 and Cambridge, for instance, they paid a triple toll. At 

 Leeds they were still more discouraged, for no auctioneers 

 were allowed to sell cattle either within or outside of 

 the cattle market. 



Among other anomalies the exemption from toll of 

 certain commodities in some markets is curious. Thus, 

 at Blackpool, butter, eggs, fresh fish and shell fish are 

 specially excepted by statute. At Hastings, fish landed 

 on the beach is toll free, while that brought by land pays 

 toll — a very intelligible distinction. At Knaresboro', 

 Northallerton, and other places, butter and eggs are toll- 

 free by custom. At Londonderry, the corporation charge 

 2d. for each cart with buttermilk entering the city, 

 whether taken to the market or not ; but no toll is levied 

 on carts with sweet milk. The explanation given of this 

 remarkable distinction is that, when the Act was obtained, 

 the members of the corporation of that day were the 

 principal vendors of sweet milk through the town, and 

 they did not wish to tax themselves. 



It is a little surprising to find that, in at least two towns 

 — Newcastle-on-Tyne and Carlisle — there exists a charge 

 which is substantially the same as the octroi of the 

 Continent, being, in fact, a toll levied on all goods, 

 cattle, carts, waggons, etc., passing into the towns from 

 the adjacent districts. They are known as " through " 

 or " gate " tolls, and traces of similar charges under the 

 name of street toll and passage toll are to be found at 

 Cambridge and Dorchester. At Carlisle, in addition to 



