The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-21 00:00:00

BELGIUM.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 18.—The meeting of the " Bel-
gian Association for Customs Reforms" took place
yesterday. Several members addressed the assem-
bly in favour of, riot one opposed, the objects of
the association. The president, M. Corr Vander-
maeren, laid great stress on the obstacles opposed
to the development of sundry manufactures, to their
competition with foreign industries, and to their
faculty of supplying home markets at cheap rates,
from the amount of customs dues upon indispensa-
ble raw articles. He mentioned that many articles
were liable to no less than 240 different duties under
divers shapes, and added that matters went so far
that a transit duty amounting to prohibition was
exacted upon nightingales and some other singing
birds. M. Masson, of Verniers, secretary of the
chamber of commerce, laid stress on the hardships
imposed on Belgian operatives by the "iniquitous"
nature of the tariff on coals and iron, which were
taxed far beyond their value. He added, in the
name of four of the great engine builders of Ver-
viers, that they required no protecting duties, and
could compete with England if the duties on articles
requisite for their manufactures were reduced. M.
Hardy de Beaulieu pointed out by cyphers the ad-
vantages, as shown by the British tables of experts
and imports, which England derived from her libe-
ral system of commerce. Several other members
having spoken in the same sense, and no one having
risen to oppose, the following resolutions,were read
and unanimously adopted
:
"Seeing the superannuated ate, the unhearc'- f com-
plications, and total ab.ence of unity, views, and princi-
ples of the Belgian customs tariff :
" Seeing that this situation has been recognised by tl:e
Government itself in the expose of the proyet ban sub-
mitted by the then Minister of Finance, in Jan., 1 553,
to the chambers :

"Seeing that our tariff, a; sai,l in that document, pre-
sents in divers parts a character approaching too much to
prohibition :
'• Seeing that industrial progress is not a fact particu-
larlo Belgium, and tiiat in proportion as it is developed
elsewhere, competition becomes more difficult for us in
foreig❑ markets ; and that unles we abandon the strug-
gle, it is requisite to have recourse to reductions of
duties on raw ~übstance

"Seeing that foreign m'rchants, and the greater part.
of foreign con,,uls abroad, whom the tariff concerns, are
net always enabled to see their way amidst the multipli-
city of charges which it consecrates :
"Seeing that there result therefrom causes of uncerti-
tude for commercial combinations, and serious obstacles
to the extension of international exchanges of produce :
"Seeing that the general interest of Th,lgium inv.-li-
on:4ly demands a general and definitive revision of our
customs legislation, a,regards simplification, reduction of
exaggerated duties on manufactured articles, and the
same off everything coming under the head of raw pro-
duce : The assembly declares—
" That all cla'ses of the Belgian nation are deeply in-
terested in the reform of the tariff, and that they ought
to associate, in order to concentrate and direct their
scattered forces for this purplse."

The principles on which the association is found-
ed, and the objects it has in view, are indisputably
gaining ground throughout the country ; and an
impression exists that the legislative body will in
due time see the question in its proper light ; that
is, if individual members can shako off that esprit
de exciter, or devotion to local interests, which is
carried to greater lengths here than in any other
country possessing representative institutions.
Belgian members are invariably hard sticklers for
the very letter of the constitution, except as re-
gards that clause which tells them that " each,
when elected, represents his country at large, and
not the special locality where he is nominated."

Intelligence has been received from Martinique
and Guadaloupe to the 29th of January. At the
latter island a considerablo amount of illness still
prevailed, but at Martinique the yellow fever had
subsided, .and a great improvement had taken
place in the public health. At Martinique, the
lofty building erected near St. Pierre, as a watch-
tower for the purpose of discovering and announc-
ing as early as possible the arrival of the transat-
lantic steamers, was completely finished, and was
found to answer perfectly. The official Gazette of
Guadaloupe publishes a decree from the governor,
according a drawback of sfr. for every kilogramme
of vanilla of the first quality, and one of 2fr. for
ordinary quality, to any planter exporting 25 kilo-
grammes at least.