The Sun.
London, England, 1856-09-24 00:00:00

MONEY MARE:ETI SP :ARE MARKETS.
(THIS DAY.)

AND

THE SUN} LO DON, Wl] DN ES :ga E E

LINES LEASED AT FIXED RE

THE CUSTOMS CONGRESS.

Lecsia,
COmpans,

anAtn,
yesterdiy.

11

(From the Daily News.)
BRUSSELS, SEPT. 22.
A cold, wet morning—one modelled on a Nevem-
er sunrise in London—has not sufficed to damp
the ardour of the delegates from various nations
who have taken up their abode in this city for a
few days, to discuss the grave subject of Customs
Reforms all over the world, in au International
Congress. Last evening a preliminary private
meeting of the delegates was held at the Hotel do
Suede, at which business of a formal character was
discussed, and in which vice-presidents of the vari-
ous sections into which the Congress is separated
were appointed. That sections are determined
to work, and that the Belgian Customs Reform A -
soc.iation keep clearly in view the elimination of
telling facts, while they discourage more oratori-
cal flourishes, are points which may encourage
us to hope that, ere the Congress separates, it
will have passed a series of important re-
solutions ; and, more, will be ready to back
them with carefully arranged illustrative reports.
The rapidity with which the Belgian Association
has grown, the readiness with which the provincial
manufacturing towns of Belgium—as Verviers,
Liege, Charleroi, Huy, &c.—have identified them-
selves with the metropolitan organisation ; and,
above all, the injury done to Belgian manufacturers
by the heavy import duties on iron and coal, com-
bine to strengthen our hope that public opinion in
this country will soon be brought to bear with irre-
sistible force upon the government. The Belgian
Association has already poured uo less than 140,000
printed reports, pamphlets, &c., over the country.
The ironmasters are up in arms, and while the ma-
nufacturers demand the total abolition of the im-
port duties on coal and iron on the one hand, these
producers of native iron use their powerful influ-
ence upon the legislature to prevent the demand
from being heard. Moreover, they pretend that
the gentlemen who have called together the Inter-
national Congress now sitting are simply actuated
by interest, being chiefly manufacturers, or rather
merchants, who have everything to gain from the
reduction or abolition of import duties on raw ma-
terials. These arguments are represented by such
ironmasters as Dupont, of Fayt, and M. Moncheur.
Of course the members of the association have re-
plied to these taunts, and successfully; being, in
the first place, clearly able to retort upon their ac-
cusers, who appear to talk about the heavy com-
pensation the Government will owe them, should
they listen to the free-traders. But the appeal
made., by the association to the manufacturing
towns of Belgium shows, by the answers it has
called forth, the temper of the Belgian people with
regard to Customs Reform.

The resolutions submitted by the Central Asso-
ciation to the chambers of commerce of the pro-
vincial manufacturing towns ran thus :-
1. The free admission of raw materials.
2. An ad valorem duty of 10 per cent. on manufac-
tured articles. Certain industries, however, now pro-
tected by prohibitive duties, may for a time and under
exceptional circumstances be protected by a higher
duty, to be fixed hereafter.

3: The classification of articles liable to duty in broad
clasf.eP, so that the tariff may be reduced to the simplest
possible form.

The answers received from the more important
commercial towns prove that the Central Asso-
ciation has the entire sympathy of the Belgian
people. Bruges applauded the efforts made by
the association for the wise reform of the Belgian
custom-house, and hoped their labours would
be crowned with success. Ypres and Dixmude
passed resolutions in support of the propositions,
and promised their aid to make them become
law. Alost fully appreciated the object the asso-
ciation had in view in calling together an Interna-
tional Congress in order to hasten the freedom of
commerce throughout the world. The sympathies
of Alost were with the movement, because no
country had a weighter interest than Belgium in
this liberty. Namur was in favour of reduced
duties, but believed that they should be reduced
gradually, in order to protect the interests of men
already embarked in commerce under the standard
of rigid protection. Verviers declared that it had
long pressed the Government to abolish the import
duties on alimentary substances, coal and iron.
Antwerp had se4.,d every occasion to urge upon
the Government the simplification of the tariff, and
the free admittance of all raw materials, in order to
enable the Belgian manufacturers to compete with
foreigners. These answers are proof positive that
the Central Association is backed by the country,
and that M. Corr Van der Maeren is destined to
become the Cobden of Belgium.
On Saturday evening the list of registered mem-
bers and delegates to the Congress contained no
less than 561 names. Among these are the Lord
Mayor ; Mr. Ewart, M.P., who represents the
question of uniform weights and measures; Mr. C.
Lawson, delegate from the Edinburgh Chamber of
Commerce ; Mr. W. Scholefield, M P., delegate
from the lirmingham Chamber of Commerce ;
Sheriff Mechi, from the Society of Arts ; the Right
Hon. Milner Gibson ; Mr. Alfred Taylor, Messrs.
Leone Levi, John Bennett, George Lawford, Jas.
Yates, and Dr. Buchanan, delegates from the Deci-
mal Coinage Association ; Messrs. Titus Salt, H.
W. Winckam, Jacob Behrens and J. Darlington,
a deputation from the Bradford Chamber of Com-
merce ; Mr. J. K. Jefferey, from Liverpool ; Mr.
E. Chadwick, Mr. H. G. Bolin, Sir F. Foster, and
J. A. Turner, Pre--ident of the Manchester Com-
mercial Association. In the list of foreign delegates
I remark the names of M. L. Wolowski, of the
French Institute ; Guido, from the Society of Arts
et Metiers at Milan ; Dr. E. Engel, delegate from
the Government of Saxony; Alfred Darimon, contri-
butor to La Presse, Ph. de Molinari ; F. Magemes-
ter, from St. Petersburg • Baron Edouard Cogels,
senator, from Antwerp ; Dr. Michel Berend, of the
Gazette de Cologne; M. E. de Rivero, consul general
for Peru; Pcyer Imhoff Neher, delegate from the
Swiss Government, and M. Cherbuliez in the same
capacity; Dr. Maurice de Stubenrauch, member of
the municipal council of Vienna ; L. de Dorlodot
de Moriame, from Lodelinsart ; Lieftnans Dolagach
delegate for the Oudenaerde Chamber of Commerce;
Seb. Bertaut, delegate for the Marseilles Chamber
of Commerce ; Carl Antonio Sialoja, professor of
political economy in the University of Turin, dele-
gated by the Count de Cavour ; H. P. Vankeuke-
horn and Theophile Leotard from Amsterdam ; E.
Van Voorthuysen, from Maarsin, near Utrecht ;
Bischoff, delegate from the Aix-la-Chapelle Cham-
ber of Commerce ; G. Cipri, from Italy ; and Dr.
D. D. Friedlander, from Heidelberg. This glance
at the long list of names will suffice to prove the
general interest taken by the practical men of
various nations in the movement of the Belgian
Association. In the list of replies only one notable
exception to the general expression of approbation
appears to have been received, and this is from the
Chamber of Commerce of Brussels itself. The in-
creased interest shown in the subject of customs
reform may be proved by comparing the number of
delegates who attended the congress of 1847 with
that which the list of to-day exhibits. In 1847
there were 160 members, and on the present occa-
sion no less than 561 gentlemen have adhered to
the proposition of the Belgian Association. At a
little past 12, while the great fountain in the Grande
Place was drenching all people who got to wind-
ward of it, and while the dealers in second-hand
furniture were dividing the attention of loiterers
before the Town-hall with the picturesque flower
merchants, the delegates from Holland, from Swit-
zerland, from Spain, and even from Russia, were
seen picking their waythrough the mud to the Esoa-
her dos Lions of the Town-hall. In the noble Go-
thic hall, decorated with the Belgian tricolor,
some four or five hundred people had already as-
sembled. Various delegates were busily employed
distributing pamphlets on the subject in which they
were respectively interested. The decimal coinage
advocates of England were especially active.
The chair was taken by M. Cur Vau der Macron,
who in a speech of some length thanked the foreign
delegates for their presence on that occasion. Hu
bade them welcome in the name of prosperous Bel-
gium. Their present congress was widely different
from that of 1847. We had advanced. Rolland had
abolished her navigation laws, and in England the
opposition of the protectionists to an established law
had ceased. France had modified her tariff and was

about to erase the word "prohibition" from it ; and
Sardinia, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, (ic.,
had liberalised their customs dues. Something had
been done, it must be confessed, in Belgium ; but a
coalition of interested men bad prevailed to rotard
the application of the good intentions of the Govern-
ment. Still the principle of free trade, or of a re-
duction of duties, had boon allowed—the method of
reduction was alone the question. And now the two
great questions which the present Congress would
have to deal with were-Ist. What were tile obstacles
in each country to the reduction of customs dues ?
2d. What were the remedies applicable to the re-
strictions that existed in each country ? Nor would
their inquiries be limited to these questions. There
were the coinage and passport systeins—both mat-
ters that restricted the free commercial inter-
course of nations. This remark was received with
loud cheers. The hon. gentleman then referred to
the meeting held at the Hotel de Suede last'even-
ing, at which the 24 vice-presidents, representing
various nations, were nominated. At this point, the
secretary, M. onorem, read the names of the vice-
presidents, in which the names of Messrs. Oliveira,
Henry Bohn, and Winkworth, figure with others,
for England. The reading of the list over, the
vice-presidents were requested to advance from the
body of the hall, and take their places around the
president. This . was done amid general cheers.
M. Cor Van der Maeren then announced to the
meeting that 11, Brook*, burgomaster, a Brus-