A. D. 1800. 



r I 



The number of proprietors on the books of the Eafl-India company, 

 who were entitled to vote, and their fevei"al quaUfications, as they ftood 

 on the 8"' day of April 1800, were as follows, viz. 



1,683 proprietors, qualified to give single votes 1,6S3 



342 two votes (J84 



87 three votes 261 



51 four votes 204 



2,163 proprietors, whose number of votes amounted to 2,832 

 Proprietors of less than ^1,000 stock are not entided to vote. 



The enormous price of coals being felt as a very grievous hardfhip 

 in London and the adjacent country, a committee of the houfe of com- 

 mons, after inveftigating the matter with great attention, were of 

 opinion that the enhanced price was occafioned by — ' the /imitation of 

 ' vends, by which each colliery on the Tyne is limited fo as not to ex- 

 ' ceed a certain quantity in each year,' as flipulated by the owners of 

 the collieries ; — the detention of fliips at Newcaftle, fometimes fix 

 weeks, waiting for their turns to get the befl coals ; — the want of an 

 open market in London, the prefent one being engrofTed by a few fub- 

 fcribers ; — the coal-buyer being fometimes owner of both fliip and car- 

 go ; — the detention of the fhips by the want of a fufficient number of 

 coal-meters for unloading them, and a further delay in getting ballaft ; 

 — the pra(5lice of mixing coals of inferior quality with the beft, and 

 felling the whole as the befl ; — and frauds in the meafurement, car- 

 riage, and delivery, of the coals. 



In the courfe of their inquiries many authentic documents relating 

 to the coal trade were produced, from which I have extraded the fol- 

 lowing 



Account of the coals iviported into London in every year since the V of March 178O.. 



Years ending 

 l^t March 



1781 

 1782 

 1783 

 1784 

 1785 

 1786 

 1787 

 1/88 

 3/89 

 1790 



Years ending 

 I*'- March. 



1791 

 1792 



1793 



179-1 

 1795 

 1796 

 1797 

 179s 



^799 



1800 



Tuns. 



2,345t 

 2,251 

 2,403i 

 1,540^: 

 1,748 

 573 



93 li 

 813i 

 408i 

 508 



During twenty years, 1780 to I799 inclusive, there sailed with coals from 



for London. for all other places.- 



Newcastle (including Blythenok and HarUey) . . 54,917 ships. 51,444 ships- 

 Sunderland and its members 4,916 103,423 



This account includes repeated voyages. The number of individual vessels, 

 employed in the coal trade from Newcastle and Sunderland to London was 597 in 

 INIay 1800 ; and they are generally larger than those employed in the coasting and. 

 foreign coal trade. 



