out by sworn meters, carefully selected for their responsible duties,
and over whom is maintained a constant and jealous supervision. The
Court of Common Council appoint ten "corn-meters in trust," who are
placed over 150 deputy meters, chosen by the Corn and Coal and Finance
Committee, and sworn in the Lord Mayor's Court to do their duty
without fear or favour. There are also a few other officers connected
with this very important branch of the civic regulations as to trade,
to whom, however, it is unnecessary further to allude than as an
illustration of the useful and practical precautions adopted by the
Corporation to secure strict fairness of dealing between buyer and
seller. The fruit-meters are four in number, who appoint their own
deputies, and are equally bound to impartiality. There are likewise
twenty-one deputy oyster-meters, one salt-meter and several deputies,
and a fruit-shifter and a salt-shifter. It is now proposed to deprive
the Corporation of the funds realized by these metage dues. The
principle of free trade is to be carried out to an extent that will
exclude honesty as an essential ingredient in commercial transactions.
Everything, we are told, finds its own level. Every man is the best
guardian of his own interests. Neither seller nor buyer will submit
to be wronged by the other. It is contrary to the modern system of
trade to interfere between dealers and purchasers; they are quite
competent to take care of themselves, and are quite ready to dispense
with the intervention of a third party. Besides, there is no
necessity to do away with sworn meters, payable by the job according
to a fixed scale. The only alteration that is required is the
confiscation of the right of the Corporation to derive any profit from
their labours. This doctrine of confiscation is a convenient one, but
it is somewhat inconsistent with the outcry that has so recently been
raised because Lord Canning was supposed to have confiscated the
rights of certain farmers of the revenue in India; for that is the