The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-03 00:00:00

THE GREAT WIIVETYASE:.

We reprint from the New Orkans 11(publican, of
January 29, an interesting article in relation to the
controversy which has now been pending for three
years between the United States Government and 3
large number of French wine merchants. This con-
troversy has been the subject of a vast amount of
newspaper comment on both sides the Atlantic, and
several efforts have been made to make the quarrel
a diplomatic one. After much correspondence be-
tween the representatives of the French and Ame-
rican Governments, it was concluded to allow the
courts to determine the important questions at issue'
The result, involving over 40,000 packages of French
wine, valued at half a million dollars, is awaited
with much anxiety by the parties interested. Wre
shall he able to state the result in an early issue
4, We Lave taken pains to ex amine the records.
which show how these cases, which have excited so
much attention in this community and throughout
the country, originated, what is the theory of the
Government in their prosecution and the defence
interposed by the defendants. In 1862 the atten-
tion of the Government was called to the extensive
under- valuations of imported goods, from which
under-valuations the Secretary of the Treasury stated
to Congress resulted in an annual loss of mere
than twenty million dollars of revenue. Acting
upon the recommendations of the Secretary of the
Treasury, Congress in 1863 passed the present law
requiring copies of all invoices of goods shipped t_°
the United States to be filed with the United
'States Consul at the port of shipment, and imposed
heavy penalties for the falsification of invoices.
New and stringent regulations were made requiring
all Consuls to examine such invoices, and fater
comparing the prices at which goods were invoiced,
to comp Are the prices as therein stated with the
real market prices at their respective parts, and t°
report to the Government any under-valuations;
To better secure the execution of these laws an
regulations, and to supervise the action of the
Consular corps, an agent of the Treasury was sea'
to reside in Enrope. Among the multitude of alleged
fraudulent under-valuations reported to this agent
were those in the invoicing of Bordeaux wines'
The shippers of these wines were required, lik° 3,1
others, to present to the Consul true invoices and
descriptions of their wines, and to declare before
the Consul that their invoices were in all respects
true.' While this formal evidence of the kind and
f
description of wine shipped over the signature o 1
shippers, the Consul undertook to compare invoice'l
,
values with the values well known in the open market
of Bordeaux. Ihe bulk of the wines shshippedNew Orleans were described in the invoices on the
bottles and on the casks and boxes as pure wine:.
of well known growths and years, and of wel
known values. But instead of the real market
values, those put down in the invoices, and 03
which duty w,ts to be paid, were greatly keiellf,
such market value. The wines in the cases now el-
trial were invoiced, for example, as B 1 lye save;
rior,' and at ninety-three cents the case of twelv
bottles. Many wines of well-known growths v'e„r)
s
invoiced for entry at the Custom-house as lov
eighty-five cents the case. The well. established an
authenticated quotations at Bordeaux Proved
most of these invoices to be false. Experts
were sent to Bordeaux carefully to examine illtoot
the matter. The invoices were declared by thee
to be false, and their reports, with the evidence'
were forwarded to the agent of the Treasury vof
partment at Paris, and by him to the Secretary
the Treasury, who thereupon directed the seizare;
The Government, in the case now on trial, alle%
that the wine is invoiced at much less than le.
real market value, and is liable to forfeiture.
To prove this the prosecution proved by "5,
foreign experts that Blaye Superior of 18
as
in cases, was worth eight to nine francs Pe
case, and that the wine actually shipped, °'h,
subsequently seized, was good wine and 'w°r:en,
at least, eight francs and a half per case. It is la
portant here to mention that wines in cases valued
1,,f
at less than five francs seventy-five centimes per
case are subject to a duty of twenty cents per galio;
and twenty-five per cent. ad valorem; those worth
more than that sum are liable to a duty Of fifty
cents per gallon and twenty-five per cent. ad valore;
An advance in the value of these wines of one franc,
or say 19 cents; per case, would have placel tije
in the second category. After making out a Priinnt
jack case as provided by law, the Governined-,
rested, and the defence was commenced by a°3.130
mission that the invoice was not true ; that
wine invoiced and described as Blaye SuPeri°,lo
of 1865' was really a common mixture or low gr3e,
—common wine falsely named and branded to :be
present a good natural wine. Mr. Fuentes, of
first witness for the defence, a large inVrterres
wines, testified that the wine was a cheap iniic",a fa
and that it was not such wine as is describel',
the invoice upon which it was entered at the Coof
tom-house. He further testified that 13°3eTei
`gadOrleans high grade natural wines are shipped in
ad
Orleans ; that the bulk of the wines received
r,
sold here are not natural wines, but cheap inixt.!eesit,'
which are labelled ' Medoc," Margaux," St.
&c., and that wines with all these labels are :01
here ' out of the same cask.' The defence i: the
engaged in examining witnesses. Some 0' the
ablest counsel in the country are engaged ja
case. The United States Government is ref) of
seated by the Hon. M. Gibbs, a gentletnalithe
exalted character and legal abilities, wile IS AS'
special counsel of the Treasury Departmettoti
sisted by District Attorney Morgan, Randell tor of
H C. Judd, and Mr. Billings ; while the Nes 4iool
the New Orleans bar, the Hon. Christian Res
represents the defence."

,
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14
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unsuccessful medical treatment. We quote from the 0,0
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his Holiness cannot praise this excellent food too hjg-53,21n0t
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the Marchioness de Brehan, of seven years' liver opitat'ir
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Order BARRY DU BARRY and Co., No. 77, Regent -
don; and all Grocers and Chemists.

Births.
ALDRIDGE —On the 25th ult , at 29, Eccleston-Witlie'
wife of Major Aldridge, M:P , of a son. „fnulseil
DAWSON—On tho Ist inst at. Madoc house, E. "
the wife of Osborne Dawson, Esq., of a daughte

Marriages. , orelit
MALLOCK—HART—On the Ist inst. at at All Souls' Qvsteri
andrfleomas Mallock, Esq., of Millba.ok-street,Westooctreet,
of West Croydon, to Sarah Hart, of L
I'a
no
London. ii,A,
Spar 'o
'N DALE—On the 23(1 nit., George SimpsoiL , liA,
of Earby Ilall, Barnard Castle, York,hiret to iript-
only daughter of Josopli Langhatn Dale, 1%..,41, °
rington-square, London. .-inghion-
Deaths.
CALVERT—On the 25thiult., at 48, Glcucestcr-creScel'ti
John Calvert, Esq., aged 62. , Olin II;'
HYDE—On the hat inst., at 13, 3laida-hill west, J"-- ,
Esq., aged 64. ,trilico
EIDLEY—On the Ist inst., at 11, St. George'6-road, l'''
the Hon. Mrs. Ridley." ' .
WALCOTT—On the 28th ult.., at Clfton, Win' L• W'dc°t('
Esq., aged 78.
---'-'-''

0 2,
London : Printed and Piblishod by WiLLIA-.„
C S') of
of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at :CDR SUN 0)110-
20:1
Strand, iu the Precinct of the Sa VOY, to the
liddlesex.—Wednesday, Match 3, 1869.