The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-08 00:00:00

REFORM OF THE CUSTOMS.

Mr. TRAVERS (the chairman of the committee) said,
there was at present no confidence among the mercan-
tile classes in the city of London in the existing system.
The more these changes went on, the more necessary it
was that practical and mercantile men should be placed
at the head of the departments ; otherwise great lose to
the revenue must ensue, or great injustice be done. He
believed he represented the feelings of the whole of the
mercantile classes of London when he said that he had no
confidence whatever in the Board of Customs or their
solicitor.

The Earl of DERBY observed that he was very sorry
for it, and

The deputation then withdrew.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

WOOLWICH, DEC. 7.

The Rhadamanthus steam troop-ship, Master-Com-
mander Belam, on being taken into dock at this port to
have her bottom examined, was found to have sustained
considerable injury, and had a narrow escape of being
wrecked on the same rock, it is said, as the Birkenhead
was wrecked upon at the Cape of Good Hope. The
stern under 'the bows was twisted out of its place to a
distance of about five inches, and was only held on by a
small portion of the bolts which had not been withdrawn
from the lower part. About 20 feet of the false keel
amidships was also injured, the copper being torn off
that entire length, and the wood splintered into small
fragments, and her bottom amidship perforated to some
depth by the sharp pointed rocks on which she had
evidently rested. Fortunately, the vessel was got off
the rock, and returned safe to England, 'and she is hav-
ing a piece sawn out under her bows to be thoroughly
repaired:
The stern of the Royal Albert, 120, is now nearly
taken down, and she is ordered to be lengthened 16 feet,
instead of 10 feet, which will give a far better run for
her screw propeller than could have been obtained by
only lengthening her 10 feet by the stern. The workmen
employed upon her have been put upon task mad job
work, and are to commence as soon as they can see to
work in the morning, and continue until they cannot see
to work in the afternoon. The blocks on which her ex-
tended keel is to be laid have been placed in their posi-
tion, and extend some distance beyond the present
coffer-dam.

RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS.
LIVERPOOL, DEC. 7.

STOCK EXCHANGE.—The share market has been very
dull and quiet to-day, arid our quotations are again slightly
reduced. The following are the closing prices from the
official list :—Caledonian, 33i ; Eastern ounties 13 1-16 ;
East Lancashire,, ; Lancashire and Yorkshire,' 86.4 ;
Lancaster and Carlisle, Third shares, 12k prem. ; London
and North Western, 127} ; Midland, 80; North British,
10$ ; South Eastern and Dover, 24 ; York, Newcastle, and
Berwick, 18i ; York and North Midland, 30 j.

MANCHESTER, DEC. 7..
STOCK EXCHANGE.—Prices were somewhat lower to-
day, and, business except in Lancashire an d Yorkshire, was
Caledonian, 33-it ;
not at all brisk. The closing prices were :-11:irkenhead, Lan-
cashire, and Cheshire Junction £2O shat e 3, 2 11-16 dis. ;
) Quarters e, 14 prem. ;
East Anglian Preferezwe 6 per cent.,
3 7-16 • Eastern Counties 134- • East Le ncashire, 191;
"fit,Lrncas'hire and Yorkshire, 'Bq ; Clitto Weal.. Riding Union,
dis- ; London and North Western, 1274: • ditto (M. and
Eastern, 24 3-16: Lincolnshire Manchester, 'Sheffield, and
..3A.; Midland Railway Coxsols, 80g ; South

1 lllRxri ---
day no alteration -wort. hylle;
STOCK ExCHANGE I,TQUAAI, DEC. 7..
railway market indicated to-
small amount of business
particular notice, and a very
transaciLed an 'Change.
Quotations remained nichueesht:rZis same as at the close of the
old at 25-4.
market yesterday.
114 Holyhead shares were

Yesterday a deputation from the Committee for Re-
form of the Board of Customs waited on the Earl of
Derby, at the official residence of the First Lord of the
Treasury in Downing-street. They were received by
the Earl of Derby and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Mr. TRAVERS (chairman of the committee) said that
the deputation had the honour to represent a very im-
portant association in the city of London. The sub-
scribers and members of that association, being gentle-
men of a great variety of political opinions and social
position, had thought it more respectful to his lordship
and satisfactory to themselves to explain their views in
the shape of a memorfal. These views he had the
honour of submitting to his lordship, and, therefore, it
would not be necessary to occupy his lordship's time in
reading them. He would simply state that the com-
mercial classes were in a condition of great anxiety re-
garding the question of Custom's reform, and, referring
to the promise made by the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer, that the subject should be taken into considera-
tion before Christmas, they wished to be informed
whather it was the intention of her Majesty's Govern-
ment to proceed at once upon the matter ? The memo-
rial was then presented by Mr. Travers.
The Earl of DERBY said that he was in great hope that
her Majesty's Government would shortly be able to come
to some conclusion upon this matter. It was impossible
for him at that time to enter into a consideration of the
17 or 18 points enumerated in that memorial, or upon the
specific reforms that it desired to introduce in the mana-
gement of the Customs. The whole question had been
entered into at great length by a committee of the House
of Commons, and the Government had thought it right,
after receiving their report, to refer it to the Board of
Customs, in order that they might consider its different
recommendations. The Board of Customs had made its
observations upon that report, some portions of which,
he believed, had been adopted. The general subject was
under the consideration of the Government. It was one
of which it was impossible to exaggerate the importance
or the difficulty, and no time should be lost in giving to
it the necessary attention ; but it was unavoidable that
before they could do anything they should have time to
give the subject the fullest deliberation. In the mean-
time the Solicitor of the Board of Customs was engaged
in examing the particular object they had in view,
namely, the project for the consolidation of the Custom
laws, for the introduction of such amendments as the
Board might think it desirable to recommend. The
question would be submitted at an early period to Par-
liament, and it would not be right at the present mo-
ment that he should enter into greater detail with regard
to the specific measures they intended to introduce.
Mr. BROWN, M.P., wished to know if they were to
understand, that the question would be submitted in the
form of an act of Parliament ?
The Earl of DERBY.—The consolidation of the present
acts, and the amendments to them, could be submitted
in no other way. Neither the Treasury, nor the Board
of Customs, nor her Majesty's Government had the
power of setting aside existing acts of Parliament.
Alderman THOMPSON wished to know if the bill, when
brought before the house, would be submitted to a select
committee, as there might be many points in it which
would affect the reveuue and the mercantile community ?
The Earl of DERBY said, that the object of her Ma-
jesty's Government was to make the measure as satis-
factory as possible on those two heads. What course
the House of Commons might take with respect to the
bill when introduced it was not for him to say ; when
there were measures of detail, it was sometimes an ad-
vantage to refer them to a select committee upstairs,
but he should deprecate the reference to a select com-
mittee of a subject which involved the whole system of
the Customs' laws without their having a bill to go upon.
Alderman THOMPSON, M.P., said he had sat on a
committee of the House of Commons for two years with-
out their having a bill before them, and that committee
had made its recommendations on this subject to Par
liament.

The Earl of DERBY said, that her Majesty's Go-
vernment were engaged on the recommendations of that
committee, and whenever the Government came to a
conclusion as to what alteration ought to be made, their
recommendations would be introduced into an act with-
out loss of time.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER thought the
Government had the whole of the facts of the case
before them, and he had hoped before Christmas
to lay on the table of the house a treasury minute on
the subject, but it seemed to him that there were
many points which a treasury minute could not reach,
and he had reserved to the Government the right
of taking that course which seemed most adapted
to meet the merits of the question. There were
some of these points which might be carried into
effect by the Commissioners of Customs, and there
were others which, as he had said, a Treasury minute
would not touch, and which, therefore, must be dealt
with by Parliament. If they introduced a bill, it seemed
possible that it might be more satisfactory ; but if it
seemed more desirable to proceed in any other course,
they would do so ; but not a moment should be lost by
the Government in investigating the necessary details.
Mr. BROWN, M.P. said that in this case they desired
something more stringent than even a Treasury minute.
Mr. CRAWFURD said it would be satisfactory for the
deputation if they understood that the Solicitor of the
Customs was engaged in the consolidation of the existing
orders of the Board of Customs and the Treasury.
The Earl of DERRY said, that there was a monthly re-
port of them issued, but nobody read it.
Mr. CRAWFURD said, there were so many orders of the
Board of Customs that they were rather difficult to go
through. They extended over 40 years.
Mr. MITCHELL, M.P., wished that an official digest
might be published every year, for many of the orders of
the Board were very contradictory. If a bill embracing
the whole code of the Customs' laws was to be intro-
duced into Parliament, however satisfactory it might be,
it would be impossible to go through with such a bill
without a reference to a select committee.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that if it
was a question adapted for the consideration of a select
committee, there would be no objection to refer it to one;
but if it was a matter of legislation which required no
such consideration, the question might be safely brought
before the house. He considered, however, that it was
premature to decide such-a point at that time.
Mr. MITCHELL, M.P., observed that the mercantile
community would be perfectly satisfied if the promises
made last year were carried out to the full extent.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER observed that
some of them had already been carried into effect.
Mr. GAssiom said, there was danger to the revenue
from the way in which they had been carried out. They
had not been dealt with in a mercantile manner ; as, for
instance, in the landing of free goods.
The Earl of DERBY said, that was a point which was
pressed in the memorial as a grievance upon the mercan-
tile community. He did not know how they could give
any greater facilities for the passing of free goods with-
out leaving room for great fraud, such as admitting taxed
goods bound up with those which were free.
Mr. GASSIOT did not wish to see too great a facility
given to the passage of free goods, They complained
principally of the class of officers selected for their ex
amination.