The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-02 00:00:00

SOUND DUTIES.

(From the Morning Chronicle )
That crying grievance on the Bab is trade—the Sound duty,
is about to be brought under the consideration of the House o
Commons, Mr. Hutt, the • Member for Hull, having given
notice of a motion on the subject for the 9th of March. There
is no question of more pressing importance to the interests of
European commerce, nor any which calls more loudly for the
interference of Parliament. How it has happened that in the
twenty-sixth year of peace, a fifth-rate power like Denmark
should be permitted to extort from shipping passing, its shores
tolls to the amount of more than 200,000 i. sterling yearly (of
which from 70,000 i. to 80,000!. per annum falls upon British
shipping alone), whilst its right to such a revenue is not only
in dispute, but in great part notor iou ly unfounded, is quite
unaccountable. The Danish Government must, how-
ever, have long since been prepared for a day of
retribution, and that day is probably not very far distant. It
is impossible for the European Powers to permit the continu-
ance of the .e.ound dues on their present footing. The impedi-
ment which these dues form to the extension of our commercial
relations with the Baltic ports is toe serious to be overlooked
by the British Government, at a time tviien our markets are
threatened with the active competition of continental manufac-
tures. Prussia is deeply interested in the abatement of a nui-
sance which almost precludes commercial intercourse between
her Rhenish dominions and her provinces on the Baltic,
SwedenSnciently exempt from the burden, is now one of the
. severest sufferers ; though, indeei!, it is hard to say which of
the States bordering on the Baltic has sustained this greatest
in-
jury by Danish exactions under the Castle of Cronenberg.
That a ship toll has been levied in the Cattegat from early
times is true, but it is out of the power of the King of Den-
mark to show that either custom or treaty warrants the exist-
ing dues, or mode of collection. Without going back to those
good old days when t'se Sound duty did riot affect merchandise
at all, but consisted in the simple tribute of a golden rose-
noble for every sail, it is sufficient to remark that the Danish
title is understood to rest mainly upon the Christianople treaty
of 1645, and upon a subsequent treaty, or convention, of Co-
penhagen, in 1701. The Christianople treaty contains a scale
of duties, said to be the groundwork of the present tariff,
and provides that non-enumerated goods shall be charged
according to the usage of merchants. This usage is
explained by the Copenhagen treaty to he one per cent.
ad valorem on the goods of favoured cations (under
which category Great Britain and all the principal
trading powers now stand), leaving 1 per cent. as the 11171. Vi.
71711111 to be required from nations not so favoured. That such
were understood to be the legitimate clues during a great part
of tke last century is well known, though at what pree,se
period the present. abuses began it may not be so easy to dis-
cover. In " Busehing's Geography" (a German work of high
reputation in its day), it is stated that in 1752, English, Dutch,
Swedish and French ships were net searched at the Sound,
and paid only one per cent. for goods not specified in the
tariff ; but that other nations paid 1 a per cent., and
must submit to be searched. What, therefore, Denmark
must do as the very first step towards the esta-
blishment of a legal right, is to show that the sys-
tem of usances which she has latterly set up is
within the limits of the rates sanctioned by treaty.
How she is to make out this we cannot comprehend,
for, in point of fact, the usances exceed the legal rates to the
extent of 2,4, and even 6 per cent. Sugar, coffee, and other
articles of colonial produce, being unenumerated, are amongst
the goods the most heavily charged by the usances ; nor are
these usances establi-lied even in the form of an official tariff,
so that, for aught we know, an attempt may be made to in-
crease the tolls stilt further, if foreign interposition should not
speedily take place. Whether the Danish Government may
not fairly be called upon to refund such sums as may be
proved to have been levied in contravention of the legal tariff,
is a point which deserves considesation ; and we trust Lord
Palmerston w ill not overlook the just claims of British subjects
in this particular.
'We are aware that his Danish Majesty expends some small
portion of his Sound revenues upon lighthouses in the Catte-
gat ; but this portion is very inconsiderable, compared to that
for which the public gets nothing whatever in return. Ad-
mitting that Denmark has a right to some toll, it is high time
that the present exactions should be reduced within legal
limits ; and that the Sound clues should be, if not entirely
abolished, at least placed on a footing not absolutely injurious
to the commercial interests of Europe. These are not times
when either the King of Denmark in the Sounds or the King
of Hanover in the waters of the Elbe, can be permitted tcc ob •
struct the course of navigation at their free will and pleasure.
We say nothing here of the Stade duties, further then to ex-
press our hops that the commission understood to have been ap-
pointed for their adjustment will lead to satisfactory results.
But we wish to impress upon those who are exerting themselves
for the reform of our tariff, that an alteration in the Sound
dues is one of the indispensable preliminaries towards the en-
largement of our commercial policy. Mr. Hutt's motion will,
we have no doubt, be well supported. Let the Legislature
only supply the favouring gale, and we venture to say Lord
Palmerston wig find speedy means of applying a remedy to the
abuses we have noticed.

Patronized by their Majesties the King and
Queen of Hanover, and their Royal Highnesses the Princesses
Augusta and Sophia, her Serene Highness the Princess Esterhazy,
the Princesses Mary and Rosa, her Grace the Dowager Duchess
of Bedford, and their Graces the Archbishop of Canterbury and
the Dukes of Devonshire and Manchester. In addition to the
above distinguished patronage to the newly-invented Spectacle
Lenses and Invisible Operative Voice Conductor, the Messrs. S.
and B. Solomons, opticians and aurists, 19, Albemarle street, Pic-
cadilly, and 76, King William-street, Bank of England, feel great
pleasure to state that their valuable inventions have also gained the
sanction and unqualified approbation of above four hundred of the
principal members of the medical profession ; as also of numerous
individuals of high distinction, who have heel' greatly benefited by
their use. Immediately these improved Spectacle Lenses are
placed before extreme imperfect vision, it is at once brought back to
its natural and original state, every object becomes clear and dis-
tinct, and the most minute particle is seen, either by day or candle-
light, with ease and distinctness. Their Voice Conductor, by
which thousands of deaf persons have been greatly benefited, is not
the least perceptible, nor more uncomfortable, than having a piece
of wool in its place, and the faintest whisper at a public assembly
is heard with exact distinctness.-39, Albemarle-street, opposite
the York 'Lae', and 76, King William-street, Bank.—No con-
nexion with persons of the same name.

SUPPOSED MURDER.—Sunday afternoon, as I
a young man was standirg on the timber, near Old Barge
House, Bl ickftiars, his attention was drawn to what an-
p,:ared at first a bundle of clothe,, but which on nearer
approach proved to be the body of a gentleman, about
thirty years of ag e. With assistance he removed it on
shore, and afterwards procured a shell from Christchurch
parish, who the body was taken to the Royal Humane
Society receiving-house, in Upper Ground-street. On an
examination of the deceased's pockets, some papers and a
silk purse, contiinirig some silver, were found, but nothing
to lead to his name or address. The head presented u
frightful appearance, the forehead having been nearly
severed in two, and there were other injuries about his
h• uds and arms.
BRISTOL SUGAR-MARKET, FEB. 26.—The
sr gar market has been in a most uninteresting state during
c past week. The quantity on show is ottremely li-
t_ited, and the prices such as afford no inducement to pur-
&lase. The country generally are acting with the greatest
t:toti.n, under a strong conviction of an impending de-
cline. The trade is in consequence unusually flat, and
t here certainly exists also an universal reluctance to press
Lusiness.—Bristol Mercury,