The Express.
London, England, 1850-06-20 00:00:00

THE LONDON DOCK COMPANY AND THE

BOARD OF CUSTOMS.

TO TIM 101701 OT TEN TIMMS.

Sts,—]!y attaation has been called to • paragraph
la the leadlos article al year paper of this day, us which,
after referviag to the demand of the Customs spoil the Loa-
" Desk CoMpaay ter the duties ea 14 bass of sugar ex-
ile:Wish, and the pesseedngs had thereen, yes quota from
tPhs oorreeposiesses published by that sompany the knowing
Ca ten bas net ventured to prams this gait, they
IM
band preame, but waned the time for alias the declare-
Mom Is pose wittiest decturiag"
Of MIMS you an sot responsible ter the labrepressatation
whether intentional or net of the author et that paragraph,
but sires yes have been neerassental in bringing before the
public the statoassat, though perfectly immaterial so ion is
it simply eametitand sa istorpolation in the printed corre-
spondence of the 'company for private purposes, it now bo-
somy, my duty publicly to gonad the error, sad the im-
prenioa it is designed to convey.
The emersion that the time fur " filing the declaration has
bees allowed to pass without declaring" betrays ignorance
on the part of its promulgators, as to the nature of the pro-
eeediage is this cam, which are by informatics at the
suit or her Majesty's Attorney-Oramal, is the Ezahequer,
with reference to relish the defeadaate will speedily discover
that the lantern is issue, without any deviation from the
ordinary coarse, will be in due time brought to trial in epos
noon, peadieg wheel' it would ill became me to enter pre-
maturely sate details epos which the public con only form
• safe sad impsrUal judgment when duly roved before the
proper tribasial. Toe Customs do not • press," but they
pruned and will proceed in due course to try this suit.
You refer to a similar demand for duty on twelve begs of
cafe so Delta of York, and gravely quote the assertion of
Kr. Fowles " that the claim itself bad no foundatiou what-
ever in tact." That remains to be ores. I shall not meet
this by setting cue assertion @gaunt another: but, as 1a the
ems of the Bealab, refer it to a jury to line the fact.
It is no part of my duty or ienrections to engage in •
public distention of the various other polo's, the intiatt cf
the article reigned to, but I must beg not only to apprise
you that jou are grievously misinformed as to the facts, but
to caution you against the reiteration of the very serious
misrepresentations into which you have been led by ezporte
statements, the object of which, comb Bea with the simulta-
neous publication of the correspondence, I. too obvious to
require team. at.
Throughout the correepondence, the board of cutouts has
carefully abstained from unnecessarily enunciating or giving
publicity to the facts high have come to their knowledge,
the protestor, disclosure of which, pending the inquiry them
In presto's, might have been sot only injudicious so per as
the crown's ease is concerned, but also detrimental to the
enact. r of the Dxk Cempany.
The impriasioa sought to be conviyed by the article is
that there were no legitimate ground. for the interference of
the Corona, and that the recent investigations and pro.
',inclines of the hoard and its Akan, are marked by a desire
gratuitously to injure the Dcck Companies.
I will ni,t stop to cuisine the roulade and refute the saga.
meats from which those conclusions are drawn, nor to vindi-
cate the officers from the aspersions heaped upon them. Thh
would be In-rely to anticipate the decision of the proper
tribunal.

♦ slight acquaintance with the onerous nature and extent
of the duties delAwing open a public board like that of the
Customs, must be sufficient le satisfy any reasonable mind
that they have ample occupation without voluntarily seeking
to embroil themselves in the turmoil of &maim litigation.
The measures they hove felt themselves compelled to adopt
were dittoed not by choice but by imperative duty. The
causes presented themselves within the walls of the Docks,
and the fault must rest t►ere, but none can regret more
deeply their eastern aid the unavoidable consequences
than the beard. For my own part lam not anxious to aug-
ment the arduous dries of my own department by
wantonly embarking fa fruitless suits and protecutions,
bat whoa called upon to act in the t Remise of my
public duty, I ~naive that, whatever the rink, wealth, or
station of those w►o may be brought into antagonism with
me, then needs no apology for the faithful and dispassionate
but fearless discharge of that duty, nor shall I be deterred
no shrink from its rennusibility.
These matters will, ere long, form the subject of a search-
ing inquiry before • jury of the country, and it is a grave
offence to alma the public ear and prejudice the minds of
thole of whom such a jay mot era airily be constituted
by misrepresenting the tuts, prejudging the co,, Impugn-
ing the motives and operetta the cooduet and character of
thou who deem it necessary to appeal to such a tribune'.
Should these oboervations appear at first sight to be
Marked by undue severity, or should sorting be wanting
to show the animus which hat influenced your pen, it is to
be found in your endeavour to trifle with • grove queen in in
which certain officers c f the company are involved, mad who,
se you say, " await their trial, should any jury find true
bills spina them." Tao design of these stigaestive words
u obviota, though powerl se. and, therefore, I refer to it,
net to defeat, but to exemplify the sinister motive by which
it is dictated, since it cannot operate to date • jury from
" tritium true bills," the cue being in • more advanced
stare than that, and of • totally different nature.
Ike parties will stoutly be called upon to plead, and take
their trial in open court, when the jury who shall pass upon
the boa trial will form les own judgment of the value of the
19S was of " black stuff," upon which I refrain from doing
more than to advert to the defendants' own recorded
admission, that they ►eve sold the material at prices
rising from 30s. to 425. per a•k, increasing in value
with the reduction of dull_•, and delivered from the docks
without payment of any duty at all, and without the cogni-
sance of the crojtr omen of Canons, to say nothing cities
extraordinary practice of cootie:4 packing the alleged con-
Sects of a dust bin, and refute of the fio as, in sugar coke
In a ferric, to thee- facts, I beg to remind you that I con-
fine myself strictly to the information of girded by their own
printed correspondence, without reference to the crown's
••se, and am cot therefore deputing from that spirit of &tr-
am against the 'ablation of which I have thought it right to

This 1. cot the purer field in which to try the question
of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the mizurie made by
the crows, or t 3 repudiate the accusation that the Custom,
have offered " bribes to pen3ns is the company's service to
make diseloeuree;" bat I must be escuead for observing,
that in common honesty you should have subjoined the
board's reply, M which they express " their readiness to
visit ouch offences with the greatest severity, cc the same
being satisfactorily preyed ;" and the company's rejoinder of
the 17th May, in which they pledge themselves to furnish a
statement which should form ' the subject of a separate
comeausseation," but which communication, notwithstand-
ing the grievous nature of the charge, and the use that is
now twine made of it, has n 0,,, peen received.

The London Dock 'Company should bear in mind, that,
whilst complaining of the board for not responding instanter
to every tart of the diffusive correspondence of Mr. Fowles,
he has in that correspondence devoted all his energies he
matters or minor importance, regardless of the more serious
que=tions and .sigures or great magnitude, upon which this
boar I has sought explanation in vale.
I cannot conclude without adverting' to the confusion in
which you have mixed up the St. Katharine's and the
London Decks, and the circumstance of your having dealt
with the proceedings of the crown as an attack upon the
dock companies generally. It is suftici, at for the London
and St. Katharine's each to bear their own individual
responsibility, without being held amenable for the acts of
each other ; and it would savour of injustice if I did not here
fully exculpate the West India and other docks from the
imputations which in general terms you coat upon them.
1 am, sir, your obedient servant,
F. J. HAMILL,
Solicitor for the Custom.

Jam 19.

PARLIAMENTARY AND FINANCIAL REYORM Asso-
CIATION.—Laat evening • public mestiag of the White-
chapel district cf the Tower Hamlet, broach of this arida-
tics Ira, held is the Easters Lecture Hall, Comsessial-read,
_ . .

in support of the principles of the emaciation. Mr. W.
liens, late M.P. for Coventry, was called to the chair, and,
in commencing the proceed*" mid it was true the princi-
ples of the mot:adios did not go so far as thou of the
charter, but, if they could get these principles carried out,
they would Nos redress the grieve cue of the country. The
present constituency of the country did not number more
than 80,000, bat if the franchise were extended, as this use
ditties sought to extend it, the constituency would
number five millions and a half. Another feature of the asso-
ciation was to adjust the electoral districts. At present there
an 216 boroughs, with an aggregate population of 161,000,
which returned a majority ol tare House of Commons. Was
it to be wondered at, then, that the House et Commons did
not represent the people? A great deal had been heard
lately aboat reductions of the expenditure; but, after all
this cry, the reduction was oaly 260,0001. this year as cons-
pired with last. For the army, navy, and ordnance, there
were voted 160,000 men. Mr. Hams moved a reduction of
10,000 man in the army, and 7,000 in the navy. Only four
metropolitan members voted with Mr. Hume for the first
motion, and not one for the second. Then, again, with regard
to the wiadou tax, • motion was made for Its repeal.
That motion was supported by only five of the metropolitan
members, and was lost by • majority of three, so that had the
metropolitan members done their duty that tax would have
been repealed. Again, there bad bees a motion this swigs
for en Inquiry into the salaries and duties of public Akers,
and only two members voted for it. When the metropolitan
members voted in this way it was fair for ministers to say,
" Here are the representative. of the people voting in this
way, and they must be taken to re; meat public opinion."
Tnougb an exunsion of the franchise was required, he
must say that the people had to blame themselves
in • great measure for the present state Or things.
Mr. White moved the first resolution, in favour of en exten-
sion of the elective franchise. He enlarged upon the various
abuses of the state and the church, and expreased himself in ,
favour of giving every man a vote, and instead of paying
bishop large salaries, he would have the money applied to
the education of the people. The resolution was seconded
tiMr. Brooks, who silo advocated manhood suffrage. Mr.
arshall supported the resolution, which was carried unani-
mously. Two other resolutions, moved and seconded reaps-
lively by Mr. Bishop, Mr. Newton, and Mr. Preece, declar-
ing that the financial department of the kingdom required
revision, in order to obtain a reduction of taxation, and
pledging the meeting to assist in carrying out the object' of
the emodation, were also carried.
Fast TRADE MEETING 111 NOIWOLX.-011 Monday
euedsg last, a public soiree, to edentate the triumph of free
trade principles, was held in the large roon, at the White
Lim Lan, llisram. After tea the room was dowdy
awarded. Mr. Arthur Mores, author of one of the prise
essays on free trade, ocespied the chair, and delivered along
Mann is elacididaas el the principles and effects of free
trade. The meeting was also addramed by J. H. Tale*
Mu., of Notiririt ; by Mr. Liadray. of ; ettd pis
ti ib• 1 Wtmeß omit sigerbisi M a MN box.