Selected quad for the lemma: city_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A78263
|
The case of the orphans and creditors of the city of London
|
Reading, Nathaniel, d. ca. 1712.
|
1688
(1688)
|
Wing C1120; ESTC R231175
|
17,284
|
16
|
which Encompass'd them and whereby they were then Impregnable Nay the Crown it self and consequently the whole Kingdom were so at ease under the Loyalty and Greatness of your City That not only the Conservacy of the Rivers of Thames Ley and Medway but of the Narrow-Seas also was committed to it And so exceedingly successful was your City in the Service of the Crown both against Enemies and Rebels that the London Laudamus instead of Te Deum was publickly Sung for it And the Reverse of your Antient Seal shews the great Esteem was had for you For the Admittance of each Apprentice to this Priviledge after seven Years Faithful Service the Antient Fee pay'd by the Master to your Chamber is but four Shillings but it was appointed in those days when Money was so Dear that they who Built your first Hall had but Pence a piece for for their daily Wages The Orphans Patrimony having amongst other things been lately profain'd to the laying out near 100000 l. thereof in Fortifying your City against the Kings Blessed Father who Graciously Enlarg'd your Priviledges and declar'd in his Royal Charter to you That his Soul Affected your Prosperity and in Pensions Thanksgiving-Dinners Presents to the great Officers of the Rebels c. for the Success of your Arms against Him and your publick Debts doubling while the Members of your Court were intent upon Improving their own Nine-pences into Nobles And in the particular Companies of which some of you are Free and by reason thereof take Apprentices with several Hundreds of Pounds and gain considerably by their seven Years Serving you the taking far greater Summes than 4 s. for Freedoms hath been advis'd and is practis'd And every person praying the Freedom of any of those Companies Payes it with Thanks and something to the Poors Box also and yet cannot obtain being a Fellow-Citizen with you without your Order and some other small inconsiderable Fees to your Officers If you please therefore that each Person taking his Freedom from you may pay for it and do what in you lyes to Establish a Table of Fees for Freedoms somewhat proportionable to the Advantages thereof To the values of their respective Companies To your publick Exigencies And to the present value of Money By doing whereof several of the said Companies have to their great Honour pay'd their Debts and rais'd their Funds And if you will pursue the legal Powers you stand Intrusted to see perform'd concerning Freedoms And each Freeman stands Sworn to observe And if you will not continue to grant Freedoms to Aliens whereby His Majesty is defrauded of His Customes your Rights are prejudic'd your Leasses are Disabled from paying your Rents and vast Numbers of your Fellow-Citizens and their Families are reduc'd to Beggary You will then make one further good step towards relieving the Orphans III. The Duties of the Water-Baylage which were in Lease to Mrs. Carpenter are by the Consent of the Kings Vice-Chamberlain in whom the true Interest of that Lease is capable of being Improv'd considerably So are the Lands which were granted to you under the Royal Contracts for Disposal whereof Mr. Brandrith and others were Commissionated by you IV. The Kings-Beam by reason of your not duely Managing the same is so far from bringing any Moneys into your Chamber that it occasions taking Moneys from other Branches of your Revenue The Courts of Conservacy of the Rivers by reason of the Neglects and Abuses committed by your Officers have not only been to the Scandalous Destruction of Fish but instead of bringing any Moneys into your Chamber as it was once order'd have by keeping them semetimes cost your Chamber near 1000 l. per Annum and seldom under 300 l. per Annum And the Antient Duties for Barges passing from Gravesend c. have not been so much as ask'd for The Green-Wax-Duties are so far from being Collected for the good ends for which they were Granted to your City that the Justice of His Majesties Government the Welfare of the Subject and the Honour of the City exceedingly suffer by the undue Prosecution of them And so far are they from bringing in 300 l. per Annum which hath been offer'd for them that they are a Burthen to your Chamber The Chamber Receives no Penny Profit by Penalties Incurr'd for Transgressing the Antient and Establish'd Laws of your City which are or ought to be Presented in your several Sessions or in the several Ward-Motes or by your Officers Nor by the Presentments of the Dissolved Monastery of Christ Church commonly call'd Dukes-Place Nor by those of the Mannor of Finsbury And yet the Allowances you give for looking after them are a constant Burthen to your Chamber If you please that due Amendment may be made in these Particulars the Orphans will not only be Advantag'd by saving these Expensive Exhaustings but by the great Improvements which may arise to them thereby also V. The vast and numerous Charities which have been given to Pious and publick Uses and which were conceiv'd to be happily committed to the Care and Comptrol of your Court are not only sufficient to maintain and Answer the neglected good Ends for which they were respectively given But also by due Improvement to contribute towards the payment of the Moneys due from you to divers of the starving Orphans who stand Related to their Religious Donors And yet some about you instead of doing their Duties therein make a very ill Advantage of the late Alterations which have been among your Members several of whom have been altogether Ignorant of the Transactions of your Court and either Imbezil or Connive at the undue Managing of those Sacred Revenues and permit the other Moneys of your Chamber which should buy the poor Orphans Bread to be Squandred away even at this present under the Notion of publick Works the which when finish'd will neither bring in one Penny of Profit to the poor Orphans or your Chamber VI. If you please that the 1000 l. per Ann. which is allow'd for the single Mouth of one of your Domestick Officers may go towards the Feeding of the Starving Orphans while your Doggs are plentifully provided for out of their Estates And that the Liveryes which are yearly given out of the Chamber may go towards covering their Nakedness If the great Summes which without any shaddow of Reason are yearly pay'd out of your Chamber to Mrs To your Market-Clarks To your Fruit-Meters To your Water Bailiffs and others out of your Market-Rents If the Frauds and Surplusage of the Revenues of the Bridge-house above the just and necessary Expences relating thereunto If the Frauds and Surplusage of the Revenues of the several Hospitals under your Government due regard being first had for the just support of them according to their respective Institutions If the great Dammage sustain'd by your Chamber by Non-performance of the Covenants of the Purchasers from you of what was granted you under the said Royal Contracts be justly