The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-19 00:00:00

ct.mpelling the dayment of his unjust demands by many
circumstances of oppression, and in a manner highly
derogatory to our national honour. It was not his in-
tention to deny that the King of Hanover had a
tight to buy the tolls, unhappily for the interests
of Commerce, he (Mr. II.) was compelled to admit
that he had a right to levy those tolls, but he was push-
ing that right to a most extravagant and illegal excess,
and was compelling obedience to his mandates in a man-
nor which neither our national interest or national honour
would allow us tosanction. It was not his intention to make
any personal attack on the reigning King of Hanover.
The character and political opinions of that Prince were
in no way necessarily mixed up with this subject—nay
more, he would say he bed little doubt that the King of
Hanover, in exacting those tolls, was merely exercising
his undoubted rights, inasmuch as he was only continuing
a practice that had been handed down to him
by hls immediate predecessor. The circumstances
under which the Hanoverian family obtained a right to
levy a toll at Stade, formed a necessary part of his state-
ment, and they were full of instruction to foreign
nation-3. The Stade duties were of some antiquity,
they grew up among the early Emperors of
German, under their sanction. In 1648 the town of
Stade, together with other territories, were ceded to
the King of Sweden. The King of Sweden excrcisad
the customary privilege of collecting a toll at
Stade upon all ships and cargoes proceeding up
the Elbe, the flat' of Hanover being alone exempted.
In consequence of disputes which arose in the col-
lection of these tolls between Sweden and Hanover, a con-
vention was appointed for the purpose of settling the mat-
ter between them. That Convention assembled in 1691.
A treaty was drawn up with the sanction of both
parties, which, after reciting the exemption of Hanover,
ent on in a clear and explicit manner to lay down the
mode in which other ships and cargoes should pay
the duty. In 1692 a tariff was drawn up with the
sanction of those two States, which was afterwards
incorporated in the treaty, and the two documents
were in the course of the same year signed officially.
Almost all articles of Commerce were rated at 1-16th
per cent., according to the real value as it appeared by
the invoices of the goods. To this was added various
provisions for the protection of Commerce and the
King of Sweden, as Lord of the Stade, bound himself
not to alter or increase the duties. In 1715 the Stade
was ceded to George the First, as part of his electoral
dominioos, in considerittion of the sum of 150,000/.
paid by the British nation, and of certain acts of
hostility committed against Sweden. The sacrifices
were a good deal complained of at the time, but the
Minister of the day justified himself by stating the
great importance of obtaining the Stade for the promo-
tion of the British trade. Of course the Elector of Hanover

took possession of the country bound by all its obliga-
tions, and amongst them the Stade duties, against which
he did not paote;t. Under these circumstances the
power of levying the dues at the Stade was transferred
to the Hanoverian family. In 1736 George 11. in
consideration of his obligations to the British nation,
modified in a great degree the manner in which the
tolls were to be paid by British and Irish vessels ; and
again in 1740, he went further, and gave up his right
to levy the toll, but which continued only for a time.
In 1804 the French took possession of the North of
Germany, and then the duties at the Stade
ceased. In 1814, the French were driven out
of possession, and the dut:cs were restored
under circumstances of very considerable aggravation.
One of the first objects to which their attention had
been directed, had been the intercommunication

between the several States by means of the navigable
rivers ; and the grounds had then been laid
down of the great principles which for the
future were to regulate the question of river
navigation, and on which all future negociations on that
subject were to be based. The principles were of the
most salutary character, and were expressed in language
as clear as legislation had ever employed. They had been
received throughout Europe with the greatest feelings of
satisfaction, more parcularly had they been received
with the utmost satisfaction throughout Germany. 'rho
enlightened men of that county thought with delight that
the noble rivers of the Fatherland were about to
be made the medium of commercial intercourse,
and consequently civilization. They hoped the
time had at length arrived when these magnificent
streams should no longer be closed at the will of
every petty arbitrary power which might choose to
exercise its authority. But this pleasing dream
was fated to be disappointed. The Congress of Vienna
had decided on the general principle, but the details
were left to be regulated by a Convention of repre-
sentatives from the States more immediately con-
cerned in the river navigation. This Conven-
tion met at Dresden, in the year 1819, and consisted
of representatives from Austria, Prussia, Saxony,
Hanover, Denmark, Mecklenburgh, and Hamburgh.
There had been no document published officially
by that Convention, but a full account of the proceedings
had been published by a learned German lawyer, who
had access to all the documents, and he hoped the House
would permit him to refer to that publication.
The object of the Convention of Dresden was
to carry into effect the principles laid down by the Con-
gress of Vienna. Hamburg had declared in accordance
with those principles, at the very firtt sitting of the Con-
vention, her willinones to give up all taxation on the navi-
gation of the Elbe. On the 9th June, however, the
Minister representing the State of Hanover astonished
the meeting of the States by claiming for
the Stade Duties an exemption front the considera-
tion of the meeting, on the plea that these duties were a
tea tax, and did not fall within the sphere of the inquiry.
The President of the Assembly protested against this
objection, yet, whenever the subject of the Stade
duties was brought forward, this miserable quibble
was resorted to, and although it was afterwards
given up.—(Here the impatience of the House became
so great that the Speaker was obliged to interfere for
the restoration of ordar.) The Honourable Member
continued he was afraid that these were dry
and uninteresting details.—(Loud cheers.) He wished
it had been in h s power to have rendered this subject
otherwise ; but it was necessary in the making of any
s•a'ement on this subject to explain the whole ques-
tion, and he therefore trusted the House would extend
its indulgence to him for a short time.—(Cheers.)
Denmark and Hamburg protested against the with-
drawal of documents of so much importance, and at last
a resolution was come to which constituted the 13th
article of the Convention of Dresden, by which the Stade
duties remained untouched. Having said this much he
thought he should have very little dffiiculty in proving
the justice of the charges he had been making
against the Crown of Hanover. Up to the year 18:29
the Tariff for the purpose of protecting the Navigation
of the Swedish rivers was a secret tariff.
The answer of the Court of Hanover was—" You
don't know what it is, and we don't intend to tell you."
Last year, however, the Noble Lord obtained a

copy of the document, and it appeared that it had

no resemblance whatever to the tariff submitted to
the Convention of Dresden—it bore no resemblance

to that establishment in 1632, or if it bore any
it was that of a hideous caricature. In the firs'

place, it was ten times the amount.---(Hear, hear.)
I❑ the second place all the provisions and regulations
for the protection of commerce had been struck out.
In the third place there was so much ambiguity in the
cording, and so large a discretion left to the collecting
officers, that the Stade Tariff might sanction any abuses or
exactions. To give the House an instance, it appeared
that goods shipped as " bales," were liable to pay double
the amount of duty as if they had been entered
under another denomination. English horses, of which
a large number were exported, were liable to a duty
sixteen times the amount of that imposed on horses of
any other country. In short, the whole system was
one of usurpation and injustice. These were not
merely his opinions, but they were those of the autho-
rities at Denmark and Hamburg, whose interests
were averse to the continuance of these duties.
He would read to the House the statement of the

Niinisters of Denmark, when their attention had been
turned to the subject in the year 1835. The Hon.
Member here read the document in question, in which
it was stated, that the taxes levied in Hamburgh
were unjust and oppressive, and were little better than
a renewal of the Club law of former times.
(LEFT SPEAKING.)

CATTERSALL'S-THIS EVENING.

THE DERBY.
13 to 1 agst Angelica colt
16 to 1 agst Confederate—taken
16 to 1 agst Theon
20 to 1 agst Launcelot
20 to 1 agst Gambia—taken j
23 to 1 agst Bokhara
30 to 1 agst Monops,
30 to 1 agst Waraan—taken
30 to 1 agst Chameau
33 to 1 agst Melody—taken.
40 to 1 agst Black Bess—taken
40 to 1 agst Torres Vedras
50 to I agst Grey Milton—taken
50 to 1 agst Diplomatist—taken
1000 to 1 agst Dreidnought—taken.
1000 to 10 agst Refresher—taken.
1000 to 10 agst Janns—taken
1000 to 15 agst 31olineux—taken
1000 to 15 agst 'Morgan Rattler—taken
1000 to 20 agst Assassin

TILE OAKS.
7 to 2 agst Crucifix
8 to 1 agst Black Bess—taken
8 to 1 agst Lalla Rookh—taken
12, to 1 agst Filly out of Rowton's darn
TWO THOUSAND GUINEA STAKES.
10 to 1 agst Crucifix—taken
6 to 1 agst Wardan
7 to 1 agst Angelica colt—taken
to 1 agst Angelica winning 2000 Gs. Stakes and Derby—
taken,
Very little doing.