The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-27 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL TOWN DUES.

The Bill of Spoliation introduced into the Com-
mons House of Parliament, has been, as will be
seen by reference to our report of the ParliamentarY
proceedings last night, abandoned by the Govern'
ment. For the reasons for that abandonment we
refer our readers to the explanation given by Lord
Palmerston. This fact is patent that the infit9,2_?:
of the principle of the measure could not stand the
ordeal even of a single evening's discussion. The
opposition to it opened by Sir F. Thesiger'
Derbyite, was seconded by Sir Francis Baring' I:0
Whig, who thus summed up the estimate of the
measure—

r;
First, he recognised in the bill a dete
mination to interfere with the principle of seil,
management in local affairs ; and, secondly, he

' recognised in it, what was more important, 3
sacrifice of public and Parliamentary faith." The.
Government, seeing defeat inevitable, has, w
repeat, abandoned the bill, and proposes to ref
'
the whole question of local and differential dues
to a Select Committee. Let us remind our readers
that this tribunal will be compelled to hear stle
evidence as the ratepayers and other parties affected
by the now defunct measure, shall offer in OPP°t
of their asserted rights; and it will be for theill'
when the Select Committee shall be nominated, to
be prepared with evidence to that end. 'Mai a
view to assist, by information on the subject, wePro. t
pose to supply ourfellow-townsmen with a docutaertf
of immense interest, bearing upon the questiea c
the dues payable in this town and port. Before
commencing this task, we cannot but congratulate
the general body of ratepayers upon their escaP_
from a nefarious project, and, to add to that 01'0
gratulation, a behest that they will not beeol%
apathetic in the cause, but that the easily-gall/ee
success will incite them to further, and still rna'y
triumphant, exertions in a just cause. Of the
document to which we refer, we shall continue
7v
the publication from day to day, until it is perfectly
completed.
The document is "A Report of theProceedingsof
the
Associated Merchants of Liverpool who have recent
ll
resisted the Payment of the Town's Dues; to which zs
added an Appendix, containing the bill of excepti°'
filed in the cause of The Corporation of Liverp.o°
versus Bolton and Others.' "
The report bears date February, 1835, and COfc.
mences thus :

The struggle of the merchants of Liverpool to re a
hemselves from the payment of town dues hav oa
terminated, it has been considered proper to place 11.1)00
record a brief history of the case, together With
„a y.
Issasons which induced the merchants to resist the r;
went of what they considered to be an illegal deMatiod
na
and also with such remarks upon the proceedings'
on the present situation in which the right of the o
ration to levy those dues now stands, as will inform :of
public of the exact state of the question. The port s
Liverpool has risen, within a space of little more that,
century, from a fishing hamlet into the second port ea
England. The population and the trade have ther,e se;
of
together. For a considerable period, the corporal°.otot
Liverpool have levied a rate upon all goods imported'
to
or exported from, the port of Liverpool, not being 91,
property of freemen of the borough. In the year 1:00,
the payment of these (lilts was enforced against. per, be
who, though not freemen of Liverpool, claimed
exempt from the payment of town dues in that port' of
virtue of the exemption enjoyed by them as freenlei'
Lancaster, which exemption they claimed woe r the
charter granted to the freemen of that town. Upon
ioe
resistance of the freemen of Lancaster the corpora
proceeded to enforce [their claim by an informs.;
tOO,
!".
exhibited in Easter Term, third William and Al'ory,o
against the corporation of Lancaster, and two Verses!
named Greenwood and Bryer, by the Attorney-Gen_ ef
as well on behalf of their majesties as at the relations,
the corporation of Liverpool. The information stated
that the corporation had constantly kept the port nd
haven clear at their very great charge and trouble, 11,.
that, from time out of mind, they had kept and 0130 0
tained a common beam, and warehouses and cellars
and convenient for the weighing and keeping all sorts
,
merchandise, and had provided carts and carriage;. all
carry and remove goods and merchandises 111)°thats
occasions. The information then proceeds to state
00,
either by prescription, custom, or some other I°_,. to
from the time whereof the memory of man was 11'-'`tbe
the contrary, there had been due or payable t°„s of
burgesses of the borough several small rates or s°.--es or
money, called or known by the names of town's (Int.,' dyne
customs, for several sorts of goods and laurel/a:oak
imported into, or exported out of the said port, an into,
the defendant, Greenwood, had imported goedsfidedl
Liverpool, and had refused to pay the rates dews-ol
from him in the nature of town's dues. The deleneree•
justified his refusal to pay on the ground that, as a 'such
man of Lancaster, he was exempt, from paying
tbe
dues, by virtue of several charters granted "'c
ied
00,
borough of Lancaster. Upon the hearing of the
the Court of Exchequer directed two issues to be
rtaio'
at the bar of the court. The first issue was to asq„n,
whether there was of right, payable to the corporati"rtea
duty, called town's duties, on all goods &c. /1:011°05.
into, or exported from, Liverpool ? The second issneo,ere
to ascertain whether the freemen of Lancaster
es it
exempt from the payment of the dues ? These lselint of
appears were never brought to trial ; but the accost
them is given here in order to show upon what grn tl4
the corporation demanded the payment, namely, °t the
ground of giving a beneficial consideration 1111,.„01,
duties, in the cleansing and maintaining the 11."arn'or
and clearing the port and the strand, and lit; excise the,
the facilities afforded by them, from earl' times,,l°ol
maintenance of the scales, vvarehosises„ &c. for the ,
the traders to the port.
In the year 1695, the corporation seized certain ebee?
for town's duties, alleged to be payable thereraport
consequence of this seizure a bill was filed in the
~'eeses
of Exchequer, by Nathaniel Hawes and others!. (11-` taig
mongers, of the city of London. The plaintiffs i° sod
bill set forth, that they were natives of England, uctif
freemen and citizens of the city of London, and, a :5 Sv
the
they were advised that they ought not only to enAO/Y
liberties and privileges of their Majesties' free born itch',
jests, but also several ancient and other liberties of
had been, time out of mind, enjoyed by the citizerler*
London. That the plaintiffs, being oheesent°llb'esse
were accustomed to purchase great quantities of chi to'
in Cheshire and Lancashire, which was brag% or
London by ships which usually touched at Liverre:be.
came to anchor in the river :Mersey ; and the, 017
such ships anchored in, or passed through, tilC,,,,,,,tiff
Mersey, the corporation, by themselves or their gel' , et
boarded the same, and under pretence of some rAltiitel
toll which they alleged to be due to them, obriughtv-hat
always refused to say what, or from or under ,i-the,
authority they derived the same,) had
decks of the ships, and had seized s'nd taken owlttli°,
plaintiffs' cheese, and which they 'continued to do)",giiii:
tahltehotouwghn.therry:oadplhalitniatieffrstopdraeymeadndthdat
exact by usurpation, and ref-, authority atbP
the known laws of the I:ealm, and threatened pee
per ton, yet they wont have t e but twelve
might set fors:n the
every ship lila: caw
een so quantitysei ed of
and
twenty pence per
e within the river, though
toroekecenivoedPeplietflolitte
not
„ants-
what dp.iv, and by what:iiiineentaondti:nyewbhomrantaudtho,r. cheeseauthority
y thtaek
same
mh
ecs rhhnaad;:hurtael edriotrhe!frii
seizs.d ; and if by- ay royal or other grant or co°
tents thereof ; or if granted
prescription
duration, and upon what reasonpi or
rito
ground,? or datec,tshtaoew,,:rf:o,
as
founded.
ded
In their answer to this bill the corporation Prfjlricetelleir much on the same grounds as they assumed
esoo°ll
information against the freemen of Lancaster,
'Dole
they stated in addition, that in order to bear the ed ft)r
of clearing the port, and other necessary uses of 31:forl"
the borough, as well as for the uses
previously se'ter':
in their information against the freemen of Lenses as b./ as they hoped to prove, as well by living witnesses, or
prescritp_teiocno,nttlriaeryti,moer
divers books papers, charters, and records, by oilcus:b
parce. -teco-A
due g
Lancaster
paid,o r
andby soofme righttotherought
gghoto wood
or
tif_eibrtiFifroeo:o",
duchynha td t
been
e eohnf washetirleeofbotrhoeutr
waosry of eirti
payable, to the burgesses of the borough, as we woo
men citizens of London, as by others, except the by
of Liverpool, several small sums, called or know Arin jt name of town dues, on all sorts of goods exporte; Jo 9
or imported into, the port of Liverpool, particuAabolor
every ton of cheese, Is. Bd, The cause was heard 00.
the barons of the exchequer on the 2nd of J° Y 1:, doll
The decree ordered that for settling the right of ti "at 131;
demanded by the Liverpool corporation, a trial tar
130 should be had in a feigned action, to be tried at_ Her
of the court, and to be brought by the plaiutiVses
and others, against the mayor, bailiffs, and burg /
Liverpool, wherein the issue should be, Ought?
Whether any, and what, toll duties, or custom,
(To be continued.)

--
Printed and Published by CHARLES
WILLMER,
os pi
street, at his General Printing and Stationtry Estebilob
south John-street, Liverpool.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY Sr, WS