The Sun.
London, England, 1839-08-19 00:00:00

ABUSES IN THE EXCISE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL MAIL.

Sir—With your permission, I wish to call the atten-
tion of the public and the Lords of the Treasury to the
recent frauds practised upon the Excise department,
and in doing so, I shall endeavour to be as concise as
possible.
It is alleged by the Hon. the Customs' Commissioners,
that the frauds in question, amounting to nearly
70,0001., overpaid as drawback, to a glass manufacturer
of this town, have been facilitated in consequence of the
searchers not having acted up strictly to their instruc-
tions, as issued by a surveyor of searchers, in the year
1880, but, in my opinion, these extensive frauds may be
traced to other and distinct causes :-
Ist. To London mismanagement.
2d. To the paucity of officers.
As regards London mismanagement, it will be only
necessary to mention that the searchers' department,
during the whole time the frauds in question have been
committed, has been under the entire care and super-
visiono f
and London inosipeector-egenieral, aided by London
surveyors,
Li-
verpool (ricers; and yet most strain'agve°,utrilbaets'thensoet ver;
clever London officers should have allowed such frauds
to be carried on for so many years, and not make the
discovery themselves. yet such is the fact.
Now, it will be naturally asked, what is the duty of
an inspector-general ? Hear what the Commissioners
say on the subject. "It is the duty of the inspector-
general," say they, " to see the searchers' duty pro-
perly and efficiently executed, and to take care the
supervision over the outward department be properly
attended to by the surveyors," That both Inspectors
and surveyors have culpably neglected their respective
duties in this respect may be inferred by the following
statements from the Commissioners :
" They (the Commissioners) consider the superintend-
ing officers have been guilty of most culpable remissness
in having permitted shipments of this fraudulent nature
to take place for so long a period, in the absence of all
supervision, check, or control on their parts."
Here are Commissioners, with salaries to the amount
of about 12,000/., besides their extensive patronage,
havingthe sole management of the Customs, making the
sad and humiliating confession that the aforesaid " super-
intendingofficers" whom they have promoted, and "whom
their hearts delighteth to honour," have been guilty of
"culpable remissness" to the amount of about 70,0001.
This is bad, but worse remains behind. Will it be
believed that. the inspector-general and the surveyor,
who are here censured by the Honourable Board,
actually are now promoted to London—one a surveyor-
-o.eneral, and the other to an increased pay, as a I:ion-
,
don surveyor, whilst the Liverpool officers who acted
under them have been degraded and dismissed. I
trace these frauds to the door of the Commissioners. It
was they who did away with the really useful office of
surveyor of searchers, and instituted that police-like
office of inspector-general ; soon after which these
frauds commenced.
As respects the paucity of officers and clerks, com-
pared with London, it will be merely necessary to state
that London has more than double the number of
searchers and six times the number of clerks, all with
higher salaries, of course, whilst the outward depart-
mentem work here is veiy
pleasedto inform t
considerablybeatiie
ier.
publicl
Lon o n searchers and clerks have less worka‘ ilmore thhy
Cm
pay
It was prophetically said by you, when editor of the
Standard,* " that the conduct of the late inspector-
general at this port (now surveyongeneral!!!), whe-
ther acting from his own will, or in obedience to the
Commissioners of Customs, was calculated to sow the
seeds of dissension and discontent among the operative
officers, and must be detrimental both to the interests of
the public revenue and to the merchants," and that " a
feeling of being deprived of the rewards due to services
long, steadily, and promptly performed, must engender
a sense of degradation on the part of the Liverpool
officers, and that those feelings must be productive of the
worst consequences to the service generally."
The Treasury must now look fully into this disgrace-
ful business, and probe it to the bottom, if the revenue
is to be guarded against similar frauds. The ambitious
projects and insidious proceedings of the Commissioners
must be put an end to ; for it needs no lengthened ar-
guments to prove that inefficient public servants will
always be found when the patronage is used for the
promotion of private or political objects.
The Treasury must not be blind to the faults of the
system, nor refuse to rectify them. They will find, on
inquiry, that the Chairman of the Board of Customs, if
not. the Commissioners generally, hate Liverpool for
her rebellious spirit and her rising greatness. Hence
every inspector here has been their willing tool ; and
the Liverpool officers are like an apple in a cider-press,
while each inspector turns the screw ; and, when he has
squeezed it to the extent of his power, makes over the
handle to another ; and he to a third ; and so on ; for
each inspector knows that his prospects depend upon
his keeping the establishment here within certain de-
fined limits, and that any recommendation for an in-
crease of clerks would only be considered by the Ho-
nourable Board in the light of a register of his own un-
fitness for promotion.
However, whatever notions may have been enter-
tained by the Treasury, through false statements, late
Excise frauds, and also Customs 'rands, both here and in
London, must bring to light the truth—the great paucity
of hands in every department, and the ignorance and
mismanagement of the superintending officers ; and,
moreover, however unpalatable to the self-love of the
Honourable the Commissioners such a conclusion may be,
it is now self-evident and conclusive, that they hold pos-
session of their offices, not from any fitness thereto, but
by their own misrepresentations palmed upon the
Treasury.

In future, appointments to the office of Commissioner
must depend upon fitness for and knowledge of the
laws of the Customs ; at present, through their igno-
rance of their duty (the Chairman, perhaps, excepted),
they are either dictated to or influenced by the sur-
veyors-general, who are all London men, with London
interests and London prejudices constantly before them ;
our inspectors must be as fixed stars, and not comet-like in
their visits, terrifying the officers by their long tails ; all
deep intrigues and predetermination to ruin or degrade
men of unimpeachable character must be done away with ;
and, above all, talent must be encouraged and patronised,
which will never be the case so long as that unconstitu-
tional office of inspector-general, or police-court, is
allowed to exist under its present form and government.
July 18, 1839. JusTus.
* Vide paper, 21st August, 1834.

EGLINTON TOURNAMENT.—As the period
approaches for the commencement of the magnificent sports
at Eglinton the interest excited is enhanced. On a visit
to the grounds the other day we perceived that preparations
on an extensive scale were going forward with great acti-
vity, and that there was a de!ermination to overlook nothing
that could be rendered available to contribute to the splen-
dour and magnificence of the entertainment. The place
chosen for the lists lies about a quarter of a mile to the
east of the Castle, amidst scenery of the most enchanting
and picturesque description, and among which it would be
a perplexing task to select one spot more beautiful than
another. The arena extends to about four square acres,
around which is already erected a fence, engrossing 12,000
square feet of hoarding. The barrier in the centre of the
ground, up to which the knights are to ride, measures 300
feet. There are fifty men at present engaged in erecting a
gallery for the " Queen of Beauty," and fair ladies and
" peerless" damsels of the tournament. This grand pavi-
lion is 200 feet in length, and capable of accommodating
1,000 people. The decorations of the pavilion and lists have
not arrived, but are said to be of the most costly and gorgeous
description. Within the lists space is allotted for the marquees
of the knights; the number of these spoken of at present is
thirty-one, and there is a prospect of a large augmenta-
tion. A place has been prepared for a banquetting hall
and a ball. room, attached to the Castle, in which the en-
tertainments of the day will be finished; and there are
numerous galleries and stands planned for the accommo.
dation of the Nobility and Gentry, to the number of many
thousands, expected to be present. The Knights are to
ride in procession with their ladies from the Castle in a
circuitous direction through the deer parks to the tilt
yard, crossing the Lugton, which runs by the Castle walk,
by a splendidly ornamented bridge. The. tournament is an
engrossing subject of interest in the districts around. In
Irvine houses were let for three days, commencing on the
28th, at from to 201., and the Manse, we are told has
been let to a family at 301. There are a great number of
houses taken also in Arran for the occasion, and the rail.
way to Ayr has came most opportunely, as those who hsve
taken up their quarters in the " Gude Auld Town" will be
brought to the scene of festivity in nineteen or twenty
minutes. The rich and the great look forward to the
tournament as a period of gay and lively pastime, but the
artisans in the districts of Kyle and Cunninghame arc, in
the meantime, reaping the advantages of well paid employ.
ment. Besides the out-door erections there is a vast deal
of ornamental work going on in the Castle, giving employ_
ment to a large number of workmen. There are two saw
mills kept going in the cutting of wood,, and. carters and
Empire by
joiners are in much request.—Glalow Courzer.
the young
We understand that a most important preliminary
of his em-
step has been taken respecting the Tnrkish
the five great European Powers. It said,. and with
truth, we believe, that these Powers, in assuring
em-
pire, Sultan
requested
uf
etheirhim perfect
not accord ord
conclude upon tbhye
himselfb j.ee t a n
y settle.
ment of the differences between the Sublime Porte and
the Pacha of Egypt, but to leave that question to their
consideration and decision. To that proposition the Sultan
has given his perfect acquiescence. Doubtless a similar
communication has been addressed to Mehemet Ali, but
we are as yet without his answer.—Observer.
On Saturday, at the Eltham Petty Sessions,
George Smith, alias Jones, a ferocious-looking fellow,
was charged by Mr. George Smith, a farmer of Eltham,
with highway robbery. The prosecutor stated that, on
Wednesday- night, he was seeing a lady home, when three
men attacked him, one jumping on his back, which made
him fall to the ground, when they robbed him of his
purse ; and, in attempting to take his watch, broke off the
chain from it ; he seized the prisoner Jones, who had on a
white frock, which he tore down the front in the struggle,
and managed to break from him. A man named Foster,
hearing a cry for help, ran to
and took the spot, and seeing the
prisoner run away, followed him, him as he was
r pulling off his frock under a
.bush ; one of the Eltham
I police coming up, he gave him into custody. The prose.
cuter swore positively to the prisoner's identity, and the
Magistrates fully committed him for trial.