Copy of a Letter from Charles Dundas, Esq. to the Chairman of the Committee appointed to inquire into the high price of Cern. SIR,

AS many of the members, who have attended the committee ap. pointed to inquire into the high price of corn, may visit their constituents during the Christmas recess, I beg leave to call their attention to a subject which I con-ceive does most materially affect the sale of wheat, and to propose a remedy for some part of the grievances which are now complained of, meaning that our constituents may be consulted, during the adjournment of parliament, on the practicability of adopting weight as a regulator of measure, which appears to me to be the only just criterion of the quality of

corn.

The

By this, jobbing would be anni. hilated, and certainty would be established in the returns of your markets, and in the profits of the miller, mealman, and baker. At this instant, notwithstanding the prevailing opinion, that the Winchester bushel is the legal standard, yet there does not exist a certain measure in the kingdom. bushel kept in the Exchequer is less than eight of the standard gallons there, the gallon less than four standard quarts, and the quart is more than two standard pints. The bushel of queen Elizabeth, 2,124 cubical inches; the gallon of the same date, 271 cubical inches, and the pint, dated 1602, 34 cubical inches: Therefore the inequalities of your

1591, contains

Sixty-four of the standard pints

2,240

2,227 But this inequality of your standard measures is not the griev ance of which I particularly complain; it is the uncertain practice of selling corn in the country markets by measures of various sizes, which is an evident fraud on the consumers of bread, and an advantage to none but the jobbers in corn, who, from practice, are as well acquainted with the size of every farmer's bushel as with his face. As the measure varies almost every ten miles, the difference is a great encouragement to corn dealers, and the public are deceived by seeing in the Gazette the account of the prices of grain in different counties, which cannot be accurately collected, whilst the measures so locally differ.

In markets where certainty of measures is not strictly attended to, all averages must be false. In many, where the nine gallon measure is customary, I have known measures of ten gallons, and, what is a shameful fraud on the consumer, gentlemen's bushels of ten gallons and a half.-The dealers, knowing this, give an advanced price for the largest measures, conse. quently when the average of the market is struck, and a return

made

made by a reduction of the customary measure of the market to Winchester measure, the price of the measure of ten gallons being ranked as nine gallons, they raise the price of the article considerably above the value it sold for. In other markets, where no average is taken, the price of bread is ge. nerally fixed from the highest sale of the best wheat which has been in the market; consequently the price of flour, bearing a proportionate value to the wheat of which it is made, and that being put at a higher average (owing to this false return) it follows, that bread is sold at a dearer rate than it would be if the sale of wheat was properly regulated.

It will be said, Why is not the use of the Winchester bushel enforced, as the law directs? This has been attempted during the last century without success; it is a very unpopular proceeding to bring this forward. The lower orders of people detest it, from the smallness of its contents, and the dealers of provisions instigate them to this, it being their interest to retain every uncertainty in weights and measures, and this cannot be enforced, but by informations, which do not suit the honest character of the people of this country; but if it was brought into general use, certainty (which is one object of this letter) could not be obtained; for in the act of measuring, no two men fill the same quantity into the same bushels, and the manner of striking the measure is as uncertain as that of filling it. Weight, regulated by the 35th Geo. III. which gives the magistrates a power of preventing false weights, would re.

medy this, and prove the difference of the quality of good and bad wheat, which is supposed to be nearly one-third; this difference will shew the fallacy of the origi nal formation of the bushel, which is to contain 495,040 grains of wheat, "well dried, and gathered out of the middle of the ear," not. withstanding there is perhaps as much difference in ears of wheat, arising from soil, climate, and culture, as there is in the uncertain measures of this kingdom. The system of weighing corn is practised in many parts of the country; it is authorized to be done by the 31st Geo. III. in which act the respective weights of all grain taken by the bushel, and also of the meal of the different grains, is inserted; and as most corn dealers buy according to their judgment of the weight of grain, and all millers weigh their corn on its being delivered at the mill, the regulation which I propose would not be strange to them, and it will place the shopkeeper, manufacturer, and labourer (who purchase wheat for their own use) on a fair footing with dealers. It will reward the industrious farmer, by giving the highest price to the best and cleanest corn, while it exposes the idle and slovenly farmer, by reducing his price to the proportionate quality of his unproductive grain.

Salt was originally sold by mea. sure it is now sold by weight, 561b. to the bushel. The act which regulated this, in one instant equalized all the salt measures in the kingdom: the same effect would follow a similar proceeding in the sale of corn, by which the assize on flour might be justly set, and the

relation

1

elation between the articles of porn, flour, and bread, ascertained nd fairly regulated, and the maistrates should be empowered to ontroul the clerk of the markets, nillers, and bakers, so as to prerent fraud, which is the only object of any regulation which I wish to propose; but perhaps, if the quantity to be weighed in the market was declared to be not less than a bushel, this would meet the ideas of many gentlemen who now complain of the difficulty of the poor becoming the purchasers of small quantities of corn, and are desirous of having that quantity pitched in the market as a sample. And also, as the weight of the bushel of the different grain is fixed by the 31st Geo, III. c. 30. I shall add that regulation to what I wished to submit to the consideration of the committee.

49

32

56

Wheat flour

55

Rye meal

53

48

Barley meal
Beer or bigg meal 41
Oatmeal

22

likely to produce a certainty in the returns from the markets of corn in this kingdom, and by a just and clear statement of the relations between the prices of wheat and flour, to enable us to prevent fraud, and to supply the inhabitants of the coun try, with bread at a more moderate rate, than it has been sold for, al. lowing a fair profit to the persons employed in the manufacturing of these articles, I would reconmend the following resolutions, or such as would enable the committee to act with certainty in setting the just values on flour and bread.

1. That the returns shall be made of the corn sold from every market town in England, stating the quantity and weight of grain sold in such markets.

2. That in striking the average of the grain so sold, it shall be computed from the weight of such grain, as that is fixed by the 31st Geo. III. c. 30.

3. That a certain quantity of the grain intended to be sold, not less than one Winchester bushel, shall be pitched in the public market, and the weight of the wheat, or other corn, openly marked on such sample.

4.That the weight of the bushel, and the quantity of the corn sold, shall be delivered, with an account of the price, to the clerk of the market, for the purpose of making his returns, and also to prove the quality of the corn, if the quantity sold should prove, on the delivery, to be of an inferior quality to the sample produced in the market.

MILLERS.

1. To keep a regular account of the weight of the corn delivered in

at

at their respective mills for the purpose of being ground.

2. To grind all grain separately, maslin excepted.

3. To keep a regular account of the produce of the said grain, subject to inspection of the magistrates of the county or district where the mills are situated, when they shall find occasion for setting an assize on flour or bread.

4. Persons who have had corn made into flour at any mill, to have the option of paying the miller's toll, either in money or in kind meal) as they choose.

5. That nothing of this shall affect the custom of soke mills, as far as relates to their ancient tenures, but that the magistrates shall have a power of examining their books as above,

When I propose these resolutions to the committee, it is for the pur. pose of drawing their attention to the subject, and to request of them to converse with their intelligent neighbours in the country, who are either farmers,, flour dealers, or bakers. I have received several letters on this subject, containing opinions of persons of experience and practice. They all agree in the justice of the plan I propose; some dread the dislike which attends every thing that is new, but almost all allow that the improvement would be of considerable benefit to the country. I am particularly satis. fied by the decided opinions (in favour of weight being the regulator of measure) of Mr. Strutt, of Ter ling, of Mr. Davies of Longleat, and Mr. Messiter, of Wincanton (in their letters to Mr. Morton Pitt), and of Mr. Billingsley, of Ashurst Grove, in Somersetshire: gentlemen who are so fit to judge, from

theirability, experience, and judg. ment in these matters. Mr. Bil. lingsley is desirous that the weight of the grain should be put higher than it is directed by the 31st Geo. III. I have subjoined his letter to this, that the weight he recoamends may be considered.

I have only to add, that should the committee, on their return to parliament, approve of the pro. posal I have now made, and it is thought of too great importance to be contained in a part of the aft for regulating the objects which now engage the attention of the corn committee, I will (unless some gentleman of more consideration will undertake it) move for leave to bring in a hill for the purposes stated in this letter."To use weight as the regulator of measure, in buying and selling of corn;" not intending to carry the bill through the houses of parliament in this session, but that it should be printed and distributed in the coun try, and brought forward here. after, if it should be generally approved.

I have the honour to be,
With much respect,

Your obedient servant,
CHARLES DUNDAS,
Barton-court, near Newbury,
7th Dec. 1795.

Copy of a Letter from Mr. Billingsley, to Charles Dundas, Esq.

Suppose the following: Wheat

Barley 52 or 53 ditto
Oats 38 or 49 ditto

It is not only my own opinion, but also that of the most intelligent farmers and corn dealers in our part of the kingdom, that such an alteration would be highly conducive to the general weal of the kingdom.

I am, dear Sir,

Your most humble servant,

J. BILLINGSLEY.

Ashurst-grove, Dec. 6, 1796,

10th Dec. 1795.

P. S. Since I had the honour of submitting the above letter to the committee, I have received several Letters from gentlemen of experience and judgment in the country, on the proposal of substituting weight as the regulator of measures in the sales of corn: all of whom (except two very respectable men) approve of the plan. The two gentlemen I allude to say, there will be an alteration without an improvement: their reasons have, however, relieved my doubts, as they rest their opinions on two grounds:

1st, That weighing will occasion

trouble.

2d, That it is already practised by all skilful purchasers. In answer to the first. When a load of wheat is delivered, if the sacks should be suspected to be small, they are sooner weighed than measured; and if the corn is not as clean as the sample was, the weight will prove this, which cannot be done by measure.

In loading and unloading of ships, after having ascertained the

Copy of a Letter from Mr. Billingsley to Charles Dundas, Esq.

SECONDLY, as to the present practice of weight being used, I am well acquainted with this circumstance, and it is a very obvious reason for endeavouring to make the mode general, as by this pub. lic regulation, fraud would be prevented, and the labourers or ma. nufacturers purchasing corn would be put on an equality with the most artful seller.-I have introduced the pitching of a bushel in the public markets, to meet the wishes of many respectable members of the house of commons, in consequence of applications from their constituents, who have found great difficulty in procuring wheat to purchase. But as pitching a bushel may be attended with in. convenience to the farmer, and also raise the price of that small quan tity to the poor; and as compul. sive regulations are considered by many as unjust and impolitie, in the sale of an article, the growth of which is optional, I beg to suggest to the committee the propriety of empowering the magistrates of towns, the clerks of the markets, or the overseers of the poor in their parishes, to open, or authorize shops (under the regulation of their jus. tices of the peace) to supply the labourers, manufacturers, poor, &c. of their parish, with any quantity, from one peck to one quarter of corn, at the market price, with such addition as would be necessary to pay the attendance of a person

to