The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-15 00:00:00

The ship Queen, from London, takes out 9,000 pieces long ells, not
included in the above return.

One of those cool acts of injustice which Govern-
ment boards alone can perform with impunity has just
been laid before the public in a printed statement by
Messrs. Travers and Son. It appears that at the
close of last year this firm imported a considerable
quantity of French plums in the ornamented paper
boxes made purposely for that description of fruit, part
of which were allowed to pass at the Custom-house in
the usual manner, while 45 cases were stopped for duty
upon the boxes. The article being a perishable one,
Messrs. Travers lost no time in memorializing the
Commissioners of Customs, which memorial, after two
subsequent applications and a delay of a fortnight, was
at length attended to, and the goods were ordered to be
released. This delay, however, involved a loss of 9( 1.
(the fruit having been sold immediately on its ar-
rival to buyers, who afterwards cancelled their
bargains), and a claim fur compensation was ac-
cordingly preferred. This claim was met by a
direct refusal, and an appeal to the Commissioners of
the Treasury produced a similar result. Compelled thus
to put up with a loss arising from en avowed error on
the part of the Custom-house, the sufferers, with a view
to pretect themselves and the trade for the future, peti-
tioned that some definite order might be made, by which
they might be guided in their operations, and which
would prevent a repetition of such occurrences. To this
petition no answer was returned, and it is now alleged
by Messrs. Travers that some packages of French fruit
have this year again been stopped under precisely similar
circumstances. In the absence of explanations, the
statement places the conduct of the Commissioners in a
very unfavourable light ; but, discreditable as it is,
there is reason to fear that many analogous instances
daily occur in the various minor departments of public
business, which, in like manner, are carried off with
high-handed indifference, in the belief that the details
are too insignificant for the sufferers to succeed in bring-
ing them into notice.—Times.
ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS.--The
last meeting for the season was held yesterday evening
at the rooms in Grosvenor-street, when the chair was
taken by Mr. Angell, V.P. Numerous donations were
ocefdtth,eeamongst which were several drawings illus.
atri:aurti?lovuden of h
eamrcphloityemctouorte
ooff
dSecoootrlaantidvefroamrt.thaendeaarblioesstt
of Mr. Sanders, the architect of the Townley :Gallery at
the British Museum, which was yesterdaydisposed' of
by public auction. A communication, illustrated by
drawings, was read, from Mr. Gardeer, on the mode of
heating the Portuguese Synagogue in Bevis Marks,
adopted by him in 1815, and where heated air was in-
troduced from au underneath vault; and a description
was given of a new system of
heating green and hot-
house., in which the heated air is made to traverse over
a long and open shallow cistern of water before it is per-
mitted to enter into the building, and which plan it
was thought might be equally applicable to churches
and other large places. The chief principle in the ar-
rangement was that of affording an adequate supply of
moisture to heated air, of which all previous ones
have been deficient. Mr. Mocatta gave some lengthened
details on the recent erection of a distillery, in which
the requirements cf the process subserved to the archi-
tectural construction, after which the meeting adjourned
to January 11, 1847.
A RASII STATEMENT.—Laq Sunday a Perth mi-
nister, during his discourse to his flock, made an attack
on our national poet Burns, by saying that he did not
hesitate to name him, and assert that he had sent more
souls to hell during his life than all the ministers have
been able to send to heaven since his death.' This
statement gave offence to many of the more liberal and
intelligent of his congregation—one of whom, on ar-
riving at home, took Burns' Poems, and read to his wife
and family, " The Cotters' Saturday Night."—Edinburgh
E.l press.
THE RIVER PLATE.—LIVERPOOL, MONDAY.--AC-
counts to the close of September from Monte Video, re-
ceived via America, state that an attempt had been made
by a partisan of Oribe to assassinate Rivera. The at-
tempt was unsuccessful. The assassin was secured, and
was being tried.