The Sun.
London, England, 1839-10-24 00:00:00

CUSTOM-HOUSE VEXATIONS

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SU-N;
annoy'
ances have taken so much interest in the su--61.:
ances which are inflicted on the public by the GasTo
house regulations, that I venture to trouble Pu ply
an account of what happened to me on Monday
arrival from Hamburg, by the steam-bast 14e,P,0t-0)
We had made an exceedingly quick passage 7-the
and landed at the Custom-house at ten o'clock al ere
morning. Not the most trifling article of luggal;e,r.a
we allowed to bring on shore ; all, bags with dirty
&c., were locked in the hold, and afterwards brought*;
shore by the Custom-house people. The passengeig
ladies and gentlemen, had to wait until it pleased tv
boatmen, porters, and clerks of the establishment th.,
brirg on shore and sort the luggage. At length
was done, and the passengers were called in, three 8(1°5.
three, to be present at the searching of their own gti,,d
My name was one of the first on the list, andl ""th
but few things to be searched ; yet, when I at lefil,
left the Custom-house, it was past one o'clock, and
quite sure that at least one more hour must have elpiP".„
before all the luggage had been opened and searched. Nye,
I will not touch on the more important question, w`11"
ther such a proceeding, such an infringing on the
berty of private individuals, be just or expedient,
could, I am sure, satisfactorily prove not to be the cas-ni•
but I will merely ask whether, if such an inspecti°l3l,,
the property of individuals be necessary at all, it ',-
equally unavoidable that the annoyance of such 14-9
enormous delay should be added to the first grievance
I am not at all acquainted with the internal arrange
.
inents of the Custom-house, but it appears to me that;
practice such as this must procure immense advantag,
to the public at large, to compensate for this excerssitlee
nay, almost unbearable evil to individuals. 13Yb fa
are
greater number of the passengers from Ham burg are
commercial men, whose time is valuable under-
any other good ; and I confess, that 1 naanot
ance
stand how they have until now put up with a cur
which certainly could, and ought to be diseolltintieni
As a means for preventing smuggling, the Cust°t-
to Wens
house regulations are evidently totally inefficient, w-e
etoble
annoyance .. falls heavily upon honest respe
persons, who must bear the indignity of re;
ing their luggage pulled about and injured helorn;
their faces, while less conscientious persons, ef
there will always be many under circumstances sue' °a
these, bring many valuable things on shore unmoleste
by the officers, whom they know bow to outwit•
wouldld
In these days, when everybody travels, Y"
c„
render the public an important service if you ve
point out some means by which the present incon
nient, degrading, and—worse than all—useless Custorir
house regulations might be obviated or abolished. n
• •

POPULAR EDUCATION.

The Sun of Thursday last, alluding to the obser;
cations which we made last week upon the Recorder
charge to the Grand Jury at Cambridge, contains solne
very severe remarks upon the want of education Orn
bited amongst a population dwelling at the gates 0;:"
richly endowed University. We have no hesitation ""
declaring that a want of education appearing in age°
days among the lower classes, implies a neglect of 11,15°'
rious nature on the part of the independent and 00.
ent portion of society.
We could wish that neglect was the only ingredien
in the case before us ; we have not merely neglect t.°
complain of, but the most virulent and illiberal op,r'li
tion. They who have the management of the Nail°ll,3.
School in Cambridge, having determined to ct)o,
duct it upon such narrow and illiberal Pries
ciples, as to drive out every one who j 5 no.
a member of the Church of England, it was °lip.
sidered necessary, by some of the most influential ',_
habitants of the town, that steps should
supply the lamentable want of education existing 11,1c1
a large and increasing population. A meeting was and
for this purpose in the spring of the present year ;
coo,
resolutions were passed for establishing a school in
nexion with the British and Foreign School Soci?rtil,
No sooner was this done than forth came all the ivot ,
lence and slander of the Tories. A choice morsel the
token from the Cambridge Chronicle, representirl tett
be takenovi;
British and Foreign School Society, which is sulW°rieb,
and patronised by the present excellent Bishop of N°r.v:nt
as an establishment of infidels and atheists ; wa4
to every house in the town, to excite, by means of a slangbe
of falsehoods, a prejudice in the mind of the public, anGt"_„n 1
to frustrate the above praiseworthy and charitable cv;, I
deavours. Truth and justice will ever prevail o
f
such base virulence as this. We appeal to all °L,Ir ie;
low-townsmen who are sensible of the benefits of (.'ucri
cation, who have shared those pleasures and blessold
which it is capable of conferring, to step forward' aost
by their assistance to hasten the completion of this `Doe
necessary work. Education is all that convitutes the
wide distinction between the civilized man and se
savage. It is the light by which man steers his eousr e
through the tortuous path of life ; and is enabled to eo
and to fix his hopes beyond it. Ignorance and darkrnrse;..
are one and the same thing ; therefore it is that's
ranee and crime are ever found associated tog
We have received from our Reporter the Gaol
dars of the past Sessions for the Counties of Camb,rritdeg.er;
Huntingdon, and Bedford. The first contains 'P.:I
prisoners for trial ; four of them under sixteen years oad
age, and only One is described as being able to read
write well. The Huntingdon Calendar, contain 4:
sixteen prisoners, omits to describe the state of eaut.;
tion of ethecr.aieri,
the prisoners. The Bedford Calendar contaenl).,
t\s,;Teenty prisoners, and only one can read and write w
to
will undertake to , say that this would be food
be the case, or nearly so, if we were to inquire into,,.abnitj.
other three adjoining counties ; thus pract:cally ex'
ing the alliance between ignorance and crime.
Cambridge Advertiser.

Viscount Maidstone, M.P., is making a toured
visits in the Highlands. His Lordship is not e%Pect
to return to town until after Christmas.
On Saturday, the 12th inst., Lord
son and heir was christened in the chapel in k.Ventwo
House, in the presence of the family and a number gt
visitors, by Lord Fitzwilliam's chaplain, the Rev•
Upton.—Sheffield Independent.
WEST KENT AGRICULTURALASSOCIATIOI:I:
rtil
—A meeting of the members of this Association te
place at Bromley, on Tuesday, to celebrate the ni°cllr
teenth anniversary of the Society, which has the n°un
ha
of being the parent of all similar institutions in the co;
try. After a ploughing match, in which great s.kill
displayed, the members dined together at the Whl"t
Hart, G. W. Norman, Esq., in the chair. A
eve greasi
number of country gentlemen were present, and zr,,,
speeches were made, the chief tendency of which sva9 `i;
encourage agricultural associations, and to avoid on sue
occasions all allusion to politics.
A COITIMISSIOII has been appointed to proceed
• •tO
Paris, and resume negotiations for a commercial treat).
with France. Mr. Bulwer and Mr. M.Gregor arc the
Commissioners.