The Sun.
London, England, 1832-09-17 00:00:00

FRANKFORT, SEPT. 9.

There is no doubt but that the English trade
with Germany is about to receive a serious check
by the encroachment of tie Prussian-Hessian sys-
tem of Custom-houses, if the English Government
does not begin to think a little more seriously of the
bad consequences which that abhorred system must
at last have, as it not only injures the mercantile
interests of all those German States that do not
feel inclined to accede to it, but is equally dangerous
to those Ennglish merchants and manufacturers,
who are in intercourse with Germany. An instance
which happened but a few days ago shows clearly
enough the truth of my assertion. A house of this
town was to receive from Sheffield, by way of
Hamburgh, a chest of hardwares, under which de-

nomination the wares coming from that place are in
general declared. The Spediteur of Hamburgh
translated, as is quite correct, hardwares by Eisen-
warcn (iron-wares), and it was never before, neither
at Sheffield nor at Humburgh, thought necessary to
take the great trouble of giving an exact specifica-
tion in the Declarations of the contents of srch
chests. At Cassel the chest is opened by the cus-
tom-house officers, during a violent rain, and in the
open street; unluckily a few saddles are found
among the hardwares. The officers declare this to
be a fraud, and decree the carrier to pay a fine of
75 dollars ; he not having so much money, but be-
ing tnreatened in a brutal manner with imprison-
ment, applied to his fellow-carriers, advanced the
amount, and claims his goods; but the money was
taken, and the chest confiscated into the bargain.
The crying injustice of Hessian Custom-house
officers being allowed to seize transit-goods has
raised the greatest indignation, and it is indeed
equal to open robbery. By such nefarious means
Prussia thinks she shall be able to take her revenge
on us, for having entered into a treaty with England.
And if we ask how Hessia has the right to mclest
our trade, the answer is, by acceding to the Prussian
Tarif—in breaking a treaty entered into with other
German States, and by the rupture of which the
Hanoverians, the subjects of the King of England,
suffer most. Though we know that this will be no
reason for the English Government to look more
closely into the matter, we should, however, think
that the interests of the English merchants might
claim that attention. For in many cases like that

just now reported, the English merchants will be
the losers, as the Prussian and Hessian Custom-
house officers are known to have lately received
strict orders to treat the ware.; coming from England
with the utmost rigour, and they will now certainly
find fault with 90 chests out of 100. In the present
case, the Frankfort merchant will apply to the spe-
direur at Hamburg'', and the latter will say, I
translated correctly the declaration of your friend at
Sheffield, and the latter not having yet received his
money, must bear the loss caused by a robbery in
Hessia that could not be foreseen. Applications
for redress made to the Diet on similar occasions
were always unsuccessful, and will be at present still
more so, as Prussia is just now resolved to try all
tricks and means to compel the German States to
accede to her system.