The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-30 00:00:00

MANCHESTER CHAMBER OP COMMERCE.

A meeting of the directors of the Manchester
Chamber of Commerce was held on Wednesday, Mr. H.
ASHWORTH presiding. The following commanicatiou
were received from the Foreign Oflin:—A letter, seclosi•`
a summary of opinions expressed by various chambers of
commerce in Austria on the projected unit, commnaiested
to them by the Austrian government, December, 1563 ; •
letter, forwarding a copy of the craft of • new tariff of the
Dutch colonies in the esatern seas ; a letter (orienting
• oopy of a tras•letion of a treaty, signed in June and J nly,
by which Bavaria, Wortemberg, the Crud Duchy of Home,
sod Nassau Thad acceded to the renewal of the Zolleenin ;
• letter, forwarding extracts [of • despatch from a charge
d'affaires at Stockholm, including a translAtion of new
trade laws meetly promulgated by the Swedish govern.
meat affecting the rights of foreigners to trade in Sweden ;
• note informing the chamber that Mr. Ward, C. 8.,
chute d'Affaires at H►mburg. will shortly visit Manchester;
• letter from Earl Reseal, advising an alteration in
the export duty upon rags from France ; and • further
letter on the seine subject, stating more precisely when'
the alteration will come into operation ; • letter from the
same department with respect to the reduction of the
French import duty on silk ribbons ; • letter from Earl
Russell in reply to a letter from the chamber on the sub-1
ject of the adoption by maritime nations of • uniform
system with reference to the law affecting general average
in marine insurance, and stating that the matter had bees
referred to the Board of Trade ; • letter from Earl /teased,
introducing Mr. /terries, her Majesty's secretary of lega-
tion at Turin, to the chamber, in order that the directors
may have an opportunity of conferring with that gentle-
man os the Italian tariff ; • letter front Earl Russell. on
tie differeatial duties levied by the Netherlands govern-
ment on yarns and sugars. Mr. Roes said be had given
the latter subject much attention, and he was not yet
sstisbed with the position in which it stood. The sub-
ject was referred to a sub-committee. A letter was
read from the Board of Trade, forwarding the copy of •
letter from M. V. N. Ss:vim*, with respect to the injury
inflicted on commerce by certain of the recent customs'
regulations, and requesting the obiniou of the Chamber
thereon. The letter was referred to a sub-committee.
Another letter was read from the same department, for
• the copy of • report drawn up by her Majesty's
secretary of legation at Beres, on the Swiss ribbon trade.
It was remarked as a gratifying circumstance that recrossed
attention was apparently being paid to commercial matters
by the Foreign-office and the Board of Trade. The
chamber had had more documents from the F'or►igo-office
during the last four months than it had in the eight
preceding years. A letter from the India-office was read,
referring to a memorial respecting the introduction of a
gold currency into India, and stating that • despatch had
been forwarded to the government of India desiring that
• proclamation might be issued to the effect that sovereiges
and half sovereigns, according to the British and Australian
standard, should, until further notice, be received in all
the treasuries of fedi& as value for ten and five silver
rupees respectively, and that they would, unless objected
to, be paid out again at tie same rate.—A letter was read
from the Dublin International Exhibition Committee,
1565, asking the Chamber to support it by its iiiithenos.
A reply, which had been sent by the secretary (11r.
Fleming) was approved.— A letter from the Belfast
Chamber of Commerce was read ; it supplied, at the
request of this chamber, statistics relative to the realties.
lion and importation of flax.—A letter was read from Mr.
H. 0. Shea, Biarritz ; be forwarded • sample of fibre
which he coosidered might be useful as a substitute for
cotton. The secretary reported th►t he had forwarded
the sample to the Cotton Supply Association. A letter
was read hem the Association for the Abolition or Itedoc.
Coo of the Duty on Fire Insurance, asking for the aid
of the chamber. It was rewind to memorialiae in
faeour of the abolition of the duty. A letter was read
from Mr. Ayrtoo, commissioner in bankruptcy, acknow-
ledging the receipt of documents presasted by the