Matthias Lucas-evidence to House of Commons (1796)

Post date: Apr 29, 2015 2:39:1 PM

My thanks to Sarah Palmer for providing this reference to Matthias Lucas' evidence given to a select committee of the House of Commons (1795/6) which had been established to "enquire into the best mode of providing sufficient accommodation for the increased trade and shipping of the port of London." At this time shipping was handled entirely within the Pool of London on the stretch of the River Thames on the south side of the City of London. All imported cargoes had to be delivered for inspection and assessment by Customs Officers, giving the area the name of "Legal Quays". The Pool saw a phenomenal increase in trade in the second half of the 18th century and so expansion elsewhere was needed, but threatening some vested interests.

At the time Lucas was aged about 35; he appears knowledgeable and rational. Much later he may have been benefited from compensation paid when the old Pool of London was replaced by the new docks and possibly this could have financed his acquisition of Wateringbury Place. Other evidence (Committee on Gauging in the Port of London, 1814/5) points to him being in the business of importing wine from Teneriffe in partnership with a Mr. Bedke; and ( 1824 Accounts related to the port of London) to owning a 36 feet Sufferance wharf frontage (out of a total of 6,451 feet of legal quays and sufferance wharfs) on the Thames. Sufferance wharves had the same rights as Legal Quays in respect of the landing of dutiable goods but were on the south bank of the river and technically only of a temporary nature.

The House of Commons papers are available online (with a subscription), but a brief extract specifically relating to Lucas at the 1795/6 committee is given below

Mr. Matthias Lucas, a Customs House Lighterman, called in, and examined.

Why do you describe yourself a Customs House Lighterman?

We are so called from conveying goods subject to duty, and to distinguish us from Coal Lightermen and others.

How long have you been engaged in this business?

About sixteen years.

What number of craft do you conceive are employed in conveying Foreign Merchandise to and from ships in the river?

Upwards of six hundred, amounting to about Twenty thousand tons.

What number of men are employed in stowing, unloading and navigating such craft?

About seven hundred.

In your statement of the number of craft, do you include those employed in the coal and timber trade?

I do not: the number and amount of tonnage of the coal craft is much more considerable than ours. I should suppose it is more than five times that which are employed in our business; this may be accounted for by the coal merchants employing the craft as warehouses for their coals. I should suppose the number of timber craft to be about one hundred and five thousand tons; and I should think about eight hundred men employed in the coal craft, and about two hundred in the timber craft.

Do you conceive the craft of the Lightermen, employed in the foreign trade, sufficient for the dispatch of that part of the commerce of the Port of London?

The craft have invariably increased in proportion to the commerce of the port; and I think them more than sufficient for all the purposes of dispatch, provided a sufficient number of officers were appointed to discharge them, and Quay Room and Warehouse Room to receive the goods when landed.

What are the causes of delay in unloading and landing the foreign cargoes in the river, and on the legal quays and sufferance wharfs?

They are various-the number of holidays; the want of officers at particular periods, some of the officers not being punctual in the hours of attendance; the present confined state of the legal quays, and as well the confined communication with them on the land side; the present system of the officers on the Customs Inwards in landing of goods being a bad one, except in respect to Liquors- various other delays arise from goods remaining upon the quays for sale to be surveyed for damage, and for want of the port entries not being paid up; dry fruit, in particular, I believe to be very frequently sold twice while remaining upon the quays. considered and used as a

Does it not frequently happen that wines, rums and other liquors remain in cask upon the quays and impede the regular dispatch of business?

It does very frequently- the quays being considered and used as market for liquors, to the great inconvenience of all other bsiness.

State, that in case the Customs House were to employ a greater number of officers, and establish certain regulations respecting the dispatch of business upon the quays, would not such regulation promote the expedition of the same?

They would, particularly if they were to adopt the Excise system of landing goods inwards. The present mode of landing goods inwards by the officers of the customs, is that of two particular landing waiters are appointed to eighteen or twenty ships that are discharging at the same time, while other land waiters, though appointed to an equal number of ships , may not at the same time have full employment; and from this it frequently occurs , that some of the officers have more goods up than they can attend thre landing of, while others are scarcely employed; the Excise System is that of an officer being appointed for landing waiters generally, without their being specially appointed to particular ships. On application to that office, the first officer disengaged is sent out to do the business, so that all the officers in that department are fairly employed as long as there is employment for them. The Customs have adopted the Excise System with respect to liquors, and it has given complete satisfaction to the liquor merchants.

Withdrew