An EXACT and TRUE TABLE Of the FEES of the Chief, or Head-Searcher, and of His Majesties five Under-Searchers in the Port of London, Established by the Commons in PARLIAMENT, Anno 14 Car. 2.
Together with an Account of the several Laws and Statutes that forbid them to Exact, Require, or Receive, any other or greater Fee of any Merchant or other Person whatsoever, than the several Fees here under-specified, and the Penalty and Punishment of those Searchers or Officers that shall act contrary to the said Laws.
Collected for the Benefit of all Persons, as well Merchants as others, Trading in the Port of London.
| The lawful Fees between the Chief, or Head-Searcher, and His Majesties five Ʋnder-Searchers that attend at London. | s. | d. | |
| For every Ship that passeth into Foreign Parts at clearing out | SPAIN, Portugal, the Streights, West-Indies, Guinny, or the Western-Islands. | 06 | 00 |
| East-India | 10 | 00 | |
| All other English Ships into Foreign Parts | 04 | 00 | |
| For every Strangers Ship or Bottom | 06 | 08 | |
| The Lawful Fees due to His Majesties five Ʋnder-Searchers that attend at London. | s. | d. | |
| English and Aliens | FOR every Certificate for shipping out Goods, formerly Imported | 02 | 00 |
| But if half the Subsidy to be received back amounts but to forty shillings, then | 01 | 00 | |
| To be paid by English and Aliens for Goods that pay Subsidy and pass out by Cocquet or Warrant. | Pipe, Puncheon, or Butt | 00 | 04 |
| Hogshead or Bagg | 00 | 02 | |
| Tin, the Block or Barrel | 00 | 01 | |
| Beer-eager, Wood of all sorts, Copperas, Allom, and such gross Goods, the Tun | 00 | 04 | |
| Corn the Last, Sea-Coal the Chaldron, Beer the Ton, Lead the Fodder | 00 | 02 | |
| The Maund, Fat, or Pack | 00 | 06 | |
| The Lawful Fees due to the five Ʋnder Searchers. | s. | d. | |
| To be paid by English and Aliens for Goods that pay Subsidy and pass out by Cocquet or Warrant. | The Bundle, Bale, Chest, or Case, | 00 | 03 |
| Raisins and Figs, the twenty Frails or Barrels | 00 | 03 | |
| Butter and such Goods, the Barrel | 00 | 02 | |
| For every Cost Certificate or Cocquet | 01 | 00 | |
| Transires for the Coast, free | 00 | 00 | |
| For every Horse, Mare, or Gelding | 01 | 00 | |
| For certifying every Debenture for receiving back half Subsidy, &c. | 00 | 06 | |
| For every piece of Ordnance | 01 | 00 | |
| For the Endorsement of every Cocquet | 01 | 00 | |
| For every Certificate out of their Books, of Goods lost at Sea, taken by Pirates, or return'd, whereby by so much may be ship'd Custom-free | 01 | 00 | |
| For every Bill of Sufferance, or Bill of Store above ten Shillings in the Book of Rates | 01 | 00 | |
| If under | 00 | 06 | |
| The Fardle or Truss by English of three hundred weight, or upwards | 00 | 06 | |
| Woollen-Cloth, the Bale not exceeding five Cloths, or three hundred weight, Stuffs, Bayes or Says | 00 | 03 | |
| Merchants Strangers, Un-freemen of London, or such as ship on Strangers Ships or Vessels. | The Fardle or Truss | 01 | 00 |
| The Bale | 00 | 06 | |
Note here, That Merchants Strangers, Un-freemen of London, or such as Ship on Strangers Ships or Vessels, are not obliged to pay to the Searchers double Fees or Duties for any parcel of Goods whatsoever, except the Fardel or Truss, 1 s. and the Bale 6 d.
Note also, That there is no Fees due to the Searchers, or any other Person whatsoever for Victualling Bills and Contents. And it is farther to be observed, That there is no Fee due to the Searchers, for any parcel of Goods that pass out by Cocquet or Warrant, that is not particularly expressed in the abovesaid Table, as for instance; for a Coach or Cart, &c. if they pass by Cocquet or Warrant, there is no Fee due, because not above expressed, but if by Bill of Store, then 6 d. and no more, by reason it pays under 10 s. Custom.
Note, That every Searcher that belongs to the Custom-House, that takes greater Fees or Duties than what are above expressed, is guilty of that odious and abominable Crime Extortion, or Exaction, the Definition of which, you have in my Lord Cooks sense, to be this, (viz.) Extortion in its proper sense, is a great Misprision, by wresting, or unlawfully taking by any Officer, by colour of his Office, any money, or valuable thing, of or from any man, either that is not due, or more than is due, or before it be due. 1 Instit. pag. 368. And in the same page, he saith, that it is ever accompanied with the grievous sin of Perjury.
Another saith, that Extortion is Wrong done by any Officer by colour of his Office, by taking excessive Reward or Fee for Execution of his Office, or otherwise; That it is no other thing than plain Robbery, or rather more odious than Robbery; for Robbery is apparent, and alwayes hath with it the countenance of Vice; but Extortion being as great a Vice as Robbery, it carries with it a countenance of Vertue, by reason whereof it is the more hard to be tried or discerned, and therefore more Odious. Expos. Law-Terms, pag. 153.
And because some there are that will not stick to stretch their Office, Credit, and Conscience, to purchase money, as well by Extortion as otherwise, it may not be amiss to give the Reader an account of those Laws, Orders, and Rules, which are now in Force, and establish'd by Act of Parliament, and the Penalties that are inserted therein, that so all Searchers that shall offend in that kind, in taking any other or greater Fees then are above expressed and Establish'd by Law, may know the Penalties and Dangers they incurr, and so avoid them; and also that all Persons whatsoever grieved thereby, may know and be acquainted with their Remedy and Relief against all such Searchers that shall so offend.
And in general, All Persons that are guilty of Extortion, or Exaction, are guilty of a Great Misprision, and so lyable to be indicted; and for their Punishment, my Lord Cook saith, that the Antient Common Law is, that Extortion and Exaction in His Majesties Officers, is punishable by Fine and Imprisonment.
12 Car. 2. For the particular Penalties against all Searchers that shall offend in this kind, see the 24th Rule in the Book of Rates, pursuant to the Act of Tonnage and Poundage, which is as followeth (viz.) For avoiding of all Oppression by any of the Officers of the Customs in any Port of this Kingdom, in exacting unreasonable Fees from the Merchants, by reason of any Entry, or otherwise, touching the Shipping or Unshipping of Goods, Wares, and Merchandize, It is Ordered, That no Officer, Clerk, or other, belonging to any Custom-House whatsoever, shall EXACT, REQƲIRE, or RECEIVE any other, or greater Fee, of any Merchant or other whatsoever, than such as are, or shall be Establish'd by the Commons in Parliament Assembled. If any Officer or other shall Offend contrary to this Order, he shall forfeit his Office and Place, and be for ever after uncapable of [...]ny Office in the Custom-House. And it is further Provided by the said Act, that all Merchants, as well Denizens as Strangers, be well and honestly entreated [...]nd demeaned, without Oppression to them to be done.
14 Car. 2. And also in an Act intituled, An Act for Preventing Frauds, and Regulati [...] Abuses in His Majesties Customs, it is Provided and Enacted, That if any Person employed in His Majesties Customs, shall demand or take any other or greate [...] [...]um of Money than by Law is now due, or hereafter shall become due, or shall put any Merchant or other out of his Turn, without express Order before, or im [...]diate Approbation after, from the Person or Persons who are or shall be appointed by His Majesty to Manage his Customs, or the Superiour Officers for the Cu [...]ms; or shall illegally Detain the Goods of any Person, or shall Neglect or Refuse to make Repayments and Allowances, which are or shall be due since the [...]th of June 1660. or shall not after Notice given, Give out and Execute his Warrant, shall be liable to double Costs and Damages.