The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-22 00:00:00

THE TARIFF,

The Bill to amend the laws relating to the Customs,
which embodies the tariff, declares that all the new
duties and regulations shall come into operation on the
passing of the Act. There are a few exceptions, but
cattle and potatoes are not amongst them. Thus beef
salted, not being corned, is not to be admitted under the
new duty till October 10th. Pork salted is subjected
to the same restriction. These two articles, chiefly
used as ships'. provisions, are now admissible at a duty
of 12s. per cwt., and will come in under the new tariff
at Bs. The increased rate of duty on nutmegs imported
from foreign countries is not to take effect till July sth,
1843. The same date is fixed for the commencement of
the new duties on onion-seed, on train-oil, blubber, and
spermaceti, the produce of foreign fishing ; and on cork.
Thu alterations on the timber duties, our readers will
recollect, are to take effect from the 10th of October,
1842, and 10th of October, 1843.
The Customs Bill likewise contains enactments re-
pealing the prohibition to import cattle and meat, slightly
salted ; it prescribes that no fish of foreign taking, ex-
cept anchovies, eels, turbots, and lobsters, shall be im-
ported in fishing vessels, or any vessels, unless they be
regularly cleared out from a foreign port ; and it reduces
turbots, hitherto exempt from all Custom-house control,
under the same discipline as other fish. The Bill makes
also a number of regulations about the exportation of
tobacco ; allows spirits to be imported in stone bottles
not exceeding a quart ; makes Southampton a free port
for the importation of foreign silks ; it amends the War-
ehousing Act, and permits wine for the use of officers of
the navy to be shipped at Liverpool. Respecting the
IMPORTATION of 1300K97 it repeals that part of the
General Customs Act which allows the importation, for
private use, of English works reprinted abroad, because
great abuse has prevailed respecting it to the injury of
authors ; and it prohibits the importation into England
of all books wherein the copyright shall be subsisting,
first printed in the United Kingdom, and reprinted in
any other country. It requires, however, the proprietor
of the copyright to give notice to the Commissioners of
Customs that the copyright exists.
The Bill further makes a number of regulations about
ships, goods, cargoes, and smuggling. It enacts the
new duties, called the Tariff, according to two tables
marked A and B, and confirms the additional duties le-
vied in 1840 on spirits, and of five per cent. on all cus-
toms. It gives the Lords of the Treasury power to re-
duce local charges, duties. &c., where treaties of recipro-
city are entered into. It abolishes the bond now re-
quired by ship-owners that they will land beef and pork
which they take on board as cargo, and shall not-con-
sume it as ships' stores, which abolition will enable our
ships to be victualled as cheaply in London as in Ham-
burgh. Altogether, the Bill, independent of the tables
of ditties, contains 57 clauses, many of which make
minute regulations, of interest only to the parties to
whom they apply. The main feature to which we call
attention is, that the new duties, except in the cases we
have specified. will come into operation as soon as the
Bill receives the Royal Assent.