The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-06 00:00:00

ThE NEW STAMP ACT.

The following further correspondence regarding the
Stamp Act has passed between the Bank of England
and the Board of Inland Revenue, from which it will be
seen that, upon reconsideration, the Board have modified
their view expressed to Mr. Grain, the notary, and
published in The Sun of the 25th ult., to the effect that
each part of a bill drawn abroad in sets, and payable in
this country, is liable to the duty on an inland bill :
"Bank of England, Oct. 26, 1854.
"My dear Sir,—l am quite sorry to trouble you further
on questions arising under the new Stamp Act ' • but I am
rather puzzled at the answer you have given to Mr. Grain
with respect to bills in sets drawn abroad, and payable in
the United Kingdom.

" Will you, therefore, allow me to ask if you mean that
each bill of the set is liable to the full duty on a single
inland bill of the same amount ?

" In other words, supposing that I am the holder of two
parts of a bill for 1,5001., are both these parts liable to the
full duty of 155., or only to ss. each ?
" If you hold that they are both liable to the full duty
of 155., then double duty is exacted, and in the latter case
one-third of the duty would be lost to Government.
" I raise this question simply on this ground :—lt is the
most common of practices to draw bills abroad in sets,
send the first for acceptance, and negotiate the second or
third, affixing a note at the bottom that the first is with
A.B.

" The first is claimed by the holder of the second, and,
as the latter contains all the endorsements, the two are
pinned or wafered together, and form one bill, liable, I
think, as in the case of a 1,5001. bill, to the duty of 15s.
" The third probably never makes its appearance.
" Now, we hold a large number of bills in this condi-
tion, on one of which the full duty as for a single inland
bill is indicated by the appropriate stamp, and, as they
are maturing every day, and paid without hesitation on
presentation, it is of importance that the point I have
raised should be clearly understood.—l am, my dear sir
yours very truly,
" Thomas Keogh, Esq., &c.

M. MAIISHALI.."

" Inland Revenue, Somerset-house, Nov. 3, 1854.
4‘ My dear Sir,—l have laid your letter before the
board, and the subject has been carefully reconsidered.
" I have now to acquaint you, that it is the opinion of
the board, that, although a bill drawn abroad, and pay-
able in this country, may be in duplicate or triplicate, it
only represents one transaction, and that it is liable to the
duty on one inland bill of the same amount.
" The practice of the Bank as described by you is,
therefore, correct.

"1 am' further directed to state that, although the
board desires to pay the most respectful attention to every
question, and give all the information in its power, yet
that the public ought to recollect that the opinion of the
board can have no authority in a court of law, and that it
would be safer and more expedient on every ground for
parties to apply to their own legal advisers for the soln-
tion of doubts on the construction of acts of Parliament._
I am, my dear sir, yours very truly,
" M. Marshall, Esq. THOMAS KEOGH."

PREPARATIONS FOR EXPLODING TEE
SUNKEN RUSSIAN SHIPS.

d at Woolwich from
been receive
feet in diameter, have
put
on board the Robert Lowe
forti-
fication Manchester, to be 1 for conveyance to Sebastopol:
transport steam-vessel,
ployed in blowing up the Sunken
Thirteen large iron cylinders, each 12 feet long by 4
where they are 0
ofofththate
in
the Crimea.
fication
that were employed in blowing up the
size as the two
sunk at Portsmouth ; and each will con-
tainemuthmofe
utyhleinhdaerrbsouurre
f 1 0001bs. of gunpowder. Twenty-four
ships of war at to
cylinders in .
all have been ordered to be made and for-
the Black ;
for-
warded immediately toSea but thirteen only
hadwa arrived on Saturday afternoon. Some idea may be
Roal Geheaorrggeeyo ,
formed of the strength of the cylinders when it is stated
that the weight of each is upwards of two•and-a-half
tons when empty.
The Sunderland News gives the following further
particulars as
W to the employment of these cylinders :
" essrs. W. G. Armstrong and Co., of Newcastle-
upon-Tyne, patentees of the hydraulic crane, are busily
employed executing an order for the Admiralty for the
construction of apparatus for blowing up the Russian
ships of war which now obstruct the entrance to the
harbour of Sebastopol. The cranes are 25 in number-
-13 large and 12 smaller—and each consists of 7ratterbe-
tight cylinders, of different sizes, placed one within
The
other so as to form three different compartments. ;
innermost cylinder will be filled with gunpowderfinebar blasting
the space between it and the next with ordinary
to powdor, and the outer one left vacant.
will be inserted in the innermost cylinder.ll.
apparatus will weigh
communi-
cate with the battery. The larger app gaalvyauic wire
completed this week.
Prior to their being shipped to Se
understand that the order will be
bctuol,
the effect of
sunkenSebastopol,
wreck at Tyne•
three tons each, and when charged, four tons. We
of them will be tried upon a
mouth."

- -
A committee of the Lords of the Privy Council on
shipping had a meeting during the week. ' Lord John
Russell, the Lord President, did not attend, but Dr.
Lushington, the Judge of the Admiralty Court, Mr.
Cardwell, President of the Board of Trade, Lord
Granville, Sir W. Molesworth, and other lords were
present.