Quote

HILSEA BARRACKS,
January 9th, 1805.

THE Committee for regulating the Meat Concern, in the District of Portsmouth and its Dependencies, do hereby give notice, that on Monday the 28th day of January instant, they will be ready, at the Pavilion, Hilsea, to receive sealed Tenders for all the FAT arising from Beasts and Sheep, killed for the use of his Majesty’s Troops, in the above-mentioned District, &c. at per stone of 8 lbs. under St James’s Market, for Twelve Months, to commence the 1st day of February next.—The Fat to be taken from Mr. Padwick’s Slaughter-house, Portsmouth, as often as the Party who takes it, may require; to be paid for on the 25th of every month, and to give security, if required.

Any further particulars may be known by application to Mr. Padwick, No. 34, Warblington-street, Portsmouth.

N. B. No Tender will be received after twelve o’clock on that day.

— Hampshire Telegraph, Monday 14 January 1805 source

Ok, so if I’m reading this correctly, “Mr. Padwick’s Slaughter-house, Portsmouth” has a contract for suppying Hilsea Barracks with meat, there’s fat produced as a by-product, and they are either selling it, or want to pay to have it taken away. One bit that isn’t clear to me: “at per stone of 8 lbs. under St James’s Market” - is that fixing a price, rather than talking about a place? Something like “0.5% under the Bank of England interest rate”?

the Pavilion, Hilsea” - that’s new. Part of the Barracks, or something else?

Committee for regulating the Meat Concern” - is this a polite way of saying “the cartel that fixes the price for selling to government”?