THE
CASE
OF
The
Coal-Meters
.
THat
the
Coal-Meters
did
for
a
great
Sum
of
Mony
purchase
of
the
City
of
London
the
Farm-Rent
of
4
d.
per
Chaldron
for
all
Coals
imported
into
London
;
which
said
Rent
has
been
paid
for
Metage
of
Coals
ever
since
the
Reign
of
King
John.
That
time
out
of
mind
the
several
Coal-Meters
used
to
alienate
and
transfer
their
places
,
paying
to
the
Lord
Mayor
a
small
Fine
for
the
Person
to
be
admitted
.
That
upon
consideration
of
the
power
of
alienating
,
the
several
Purchasers
did
pay
proportionably
for
their
Places
,
and
particularly
Four
of
the
present
Coal-Meters
,
being
induced
by
the
aforesaid
Consideration
,
did
about
Four
Years
since
purchase
their
Places
,
which
were
sold
by
the
City
,
to
pay
the
Orphans
,
and
they
received
above
5000
l.
for
the
same
.
That
the
respective
Coal-Meters
pay
an
Annual
Rent
to
the
City
of
80
l.
apiece
,
and
the
Importation
of
Coals
is
so
much
lessened
in
time
of
War
,
that
they
can
expect
to
receive
little
more
than
will
discharge
the
aforesaid
Rent
.
Tht
the
City
has
granted
to
the
several
Coal-Meters
,
that
their
several
Executors
shall
receive
one
Years
Profit
after
the
decease
of
each
respective
Coal-Meter
,
to
be
reckoned
from
the
day
of
the
date
of
their
Admission
;
which
is
altogether
inconsistent
with
the
Design
of
giving
the
Orphans
an
immediate
Right
after
the
Death
of
the
said
Coal-Meters
.
They
hope
therefore
,
it
will
not
be
thought
suitable
to
the
Wisdom
of
the
Honourable
House
of
Commons
,
to
disturb
their
just
Properties
of
Alienating
,
which
they
have
purchased
by
a
valuable
Consideration
,
having
laid
out
their
Fortunes
to
purchase
the
same
for
the
subsistence
of
their
Families
;
since
the
power
of
Alienating
being
taken
away
,
the
Value
of
the
Purchase
is
lessened
nigh
one
Third
Part
;
and
it
seems
hard
to
make
several
Families
miserable
,
to
advance
a
small
Proportion
towards
the
Payment
of
the
Orphans
.