The Sun.
London, England, 1856-06-21 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The committee met yesterday, in Room, No. 17; Mr.
Villiers in the chair.

Mr. Pearson was called, to speak as to the operation
of the Sound dues. He said, he was a partner in a
mercantile house carrying on business in London and
Hull, and exported goods to the Baltic. The Sound Wall
very narrow, and the navigation most intricate, and' •
these difficulties were greatly increased by the detention
at Elsinore, where the dues were collected. The deten-
tion was the cause of much danger and inconvenience,
owing to the frequently crowded state of the Roads.
Vessels arriving after clearing time, which varied from
6 to 9 o'clock in the summer months, and 8 to 6 o'clock
in winter, were obliged to remain all night, and even
when they arrived in the day time, the weather was
sometimes too rough for the captain to land with his
papers. Ships waiting for clearance were compelled to
anchor in the Roads, and frequently lost anchors and
cables, which could not be recovered at a less expense
than 1001. The shortest time in which it was possible
to clear a vessel would be about an hour, but
it was generally much longer, often twenty-four hours.
There was an additional charge for clearing vessels on
Sundays. The ships' bills of lading were implicitly re-
lied on by the Danish Government, and no dispute ever
arose upon them. As to the amount of the dues,
assuming a vessel of 200 tons to leave England for St.
Petersburg with a cargo of 100 tons of cotton, the dues
would be about 255. a ton, and about 81. on the ship,
malting 1331. ; and, supposing her to bring back a cargo
of ISO tons of flax (the dues upon which would be 7s. a
ton), the dues would amount in this case to 681., in-
cluding the 8/. on the ship. During the past year two
other routes to the Baltic had been opened : one by the
Tonning and Flensbury Railway, and another by small
steamers vide Gottenburg. These placed the shipowners
who had to pass through the Sound, and consequently
to pay the dues, at a great disadvantage. Coals were
exempt from the dues, but not machinery. The total
expense on a ship of 200 tons might be taken at 1/. per
ton. This would include the Sound dues paid by ship,
light dues, wages of crew, and every other expense of
the voyage to St. Petersburg, and a fair profit to the
shipowuer would be 2001. If the American ships and
cargoes were to be exempt from dues, while others had
to pay them, the result would be to throw the whole
carrying trade into the bands of the Americans.
By Mr. Bramley Moore—He was aware that an
American ship had last week attempted to pass the
Sound without paying the dues, but was stopped and
afterwards paid them under protest. If that ship bad
forced the Sound, she could not have discharged her
cargo at any Russian port without producing a certificate
of having paid the dues.
Mr. Thompson, merchant and shipowner of Hull, said
he was well acquaint©d with the Baltic trade, and could
confirm the evidence of the last witness as to the
inconvenience and danger attending the collection of the
Sound dues. The expense ultimately fell on the con-
sumer, but he did not think that the 72:,000/., the amount
returned by the Danish Government as paid by British
ships, represented the injury done to trade by these
dues ; for much of the Baltic produce was imported into
this country in foreign vessels. There was no doubt
that the British carrying trade in the Baltic was declia-
ing, owing to various causes ; but he (witness) did not
' intend to represent that this was the case in other quar -
ters, as he believed the shipping interest was at the
present moment in a satisfactory condition. He had
heard of the proposal made by the Danish Government
for the abolition of the Sound dues, and be did not con-
sider the terms unfair.

Mr. Clarke said he bad been an underwriter at Hull
for the last 40 years, and had been in the habit of in-
suring vessels trading to the Baltic. The detenti9u at
Elsinore very much increased the risk, and this was
consi iered in the premium demanded. Witness handed
in a list showing a number of cases of casualties which
had occurred to vessels in the Sound, owing to the de-
tention mentioned. The average time the vessels
were detained was a day ; he knew a vessel which had
been kept nut three months. There was a strong de-
sire expressed by all part es trading to the Baltic for
the abolition of the Sound dues.

The elnlmittee then ajourned until Tuesday next at
1 o'clock.

MARKET NEWS.—(Tllis Day.)

COVENT GARDEN.

Very large supplies of fruit and vegetables sold to-d ,
as follows :

FIIIIIT.—Pine apples, English, 6s to 10s per lb; coh nail
do., Os to Os each ; hot-house grapes, 3s to 8s Oct per 'b :
foreign ditto, Oct to Os ; melons, N Od to Os Od erth ;
peaches, 15s Od to 30s ; nectarines, 15s to 30s per doz' n ;
apples, 3s Oct to 5s Od per half sieve ; pears, 3s Oct to
6s per dozen •, plums, Os to Os per sieve ;been gages, Os
per punnet; apricots, Os Od to Os Od per doz.; common plums,
03 Oct to Os Oct per sieve; cherries, 4d to 2s per pound ;
lemons, Gd to is Gd per doz ; oranges, Os to 14s per 100 ; 6.1-
P,erts, Os to Os per doz. lbs ; cobuuts, 15s to Os ; almonds,
Os to Os per lb. ; walnuts, Od to Od per 100 ; figs, Os 9d
to is 6d per doz. ; strawberries, Gd to is per basket; goose-
berries, 2s Od to 3s 6d per half sieve ; currants, is ticl to
2s Od per basket; raspberries, Od to Oct per pottle.
VEGETABLES.—Greens, is 6(1 to 3s Oct per doz. bunches;
cabbages, Od to Is 61 per dozen ; Savoy ditto, is to
2s (id per do. ; brocoli, is Gd to 2s per dozen ; old potatoes,
603 to 110 s per ton ; new ditto, 8s to 14s per cwt. ; peas,
2s to is Od per half sieve ; French beans, Os 6d to is Od per
100 ; turnips, new, 8(.1 to is Od per bunch ; carrots, 6d to is
per bunch ; cucumbers, Os 6d to is 6d each ; garlic, M to
Os 8d per pcund ; spinach, Is Od to Is 6d per sieve ;
old onions, is 01 to 8s per bushel ; new ditto, 3d to M
per bunch ; leeks, 41 to 6d per bunch ; shallots,
4d to Os 6d ; horse-raddish, 2s to 4s per bundle ; parsley,
3d to 4d per bunch ; celery, Os 6d to is 9d ; per
bunch ; endive, 3s Od to 4s Od per doz. ; beet, is Od to ?s
per doz.; parsnips, Os 6d to is Od per dozen; small
salad, 2d to 3d per punnet ; mushrooms, is Od to is 6d
per pottle ; artichokes, 6d to 8d each ; cos lettuces,
is to is 6d per score ; sorrel, Od to Os per half sieve ;
radishes. Gd to is 6,1 per dozen hands ; tomatoes, 3s to 4s
per half sieve ; chillies, is to is 6d. per 100; Brussels
sprouts, 2s Od to 3s Od per half sieve ; capsicums, is to 2s
per 100 ; walnuts pickling, Od to Os per 100; cauliflowers,
2s to 8s 01 per doz. ; rhubarb, 4d to 8d per bundle ;
aspsragus, 2s Oct to 4s per 103 ; sea kail, is to 3s per pun.