The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-25 00:00:00

THE BOULO-6-NE CUSTOM-HOUSE

The. following letter has been addressed to the
Editor of the. Boulogne Gazette of Monday, and with
the remarkS' appended to it, will be read with interest
by all those who have witnessed the harassing treat-
ment to which passengers are occasionally 'subjected.
Nothing tends more to alienate the two nations.
can indeed serve no other purpose
:
Sir,—l regret exceedingly to observe week after
week in the columns of your journal complaints on
the part of the Post-office and Custom-house autho-
rities towards passengers by, and parties connected
with, the steam-boats plying to this town, and I,
jointly with others residing here, hope your exposures
will do good. Smuggling, we know and agree, it is
the duty of every Government to pi-event. IV e feel,
however, also, that the person is sacred,. and ought not
to be touched; it is so in England, why should it not
be so here ?
"To Boulope, deriving, as it does, its chief pros-
perity from England, this unwise exercise of power
does incredible mischief, and those interested in 'its
welfare, ought to do their utmost to stop it. They
know as well as we do, that' the pasengers by the
steamers to Boulogne are not generally sinttg;iler-s by
trade, but individuals in search of pleasure, and it
is intlifferent to our pleasure-hnting countrpuen,
whether the steamer they embark in takes thew U
France, Belgium, Hollatid, or Germany, 1 opine it is
but natural they should bend their steps to the nation
that it is most civil to them, and if France will hold
out no inducement other than that of being Searched,
and fleeced, she cannot he surprised if ' Julio Bull'
thinks twice before he visits her.
" Travellers have, in most countries, certain indul-
gences, and why should they nut in France ? tra-
vellers, particularly a real John . Bull, will not leave
home without -his letters of introduction, credit, and
innumerable articles for his own and family's use, and
how disgusted must he feel, when landing here, to
find his pockets searched, his letters seized, and the
few things he may have for" his domestic use, such as
plate, soap, &c., subjected to a heavy tax, amounting,
in fact, to a prohibition ! NO, Mr. Editor, this is bad.
Nothing. can be more ridiculous, absurd, or short-
sighted.than trying to prevent John doing this. It is
necessary to his comfort, and if France won't indulge
him, he will go elsewhere.
" In another point of view this rigour does harm,
inasmuch 'as it creates in the breast of Englishmen
here coldness.to the French, and as nothing is more
injurious to friendship than coldness, so nothing can
injure the revenue of this country, or encourage the
real smuggler, more than the exercise of petty power.
Boulonnais, see to this ; your town, for some time
past, has.been falling off: try, and, if possible, 'Cog
the wheel,'. 'ere it be too late.
" Your well wisher,

«Q.„

[The letter of "Q" reminds us of a new order
issued:by the Customs this week, the inconveniences
of which we witnessed, and the curses it occasioned
we unfortunately heard. This order 'renders it neces-
sary tp malf.e a declaration for everything which is
shipped, and no article of ship's provision can go on
board a steamer without a previous declaration to that
effect.: • This order, which was meant to be applied
only.:th the persons in the habit of supplying the
steamers with provisions, was unfortunately applied
also to the passengers, at least for the first days, by the
Donaniers, to whom the distinction had not been
pointed out. This absurd application of an order, the
wisdom and utility of which we have too little
or too much good sense to appreciate, has been since
put a stop to ; but while it lasted it was a source of
much annoyance and murmur. Let us take, for ex-
ample, the itamsgate Packet. Many come over in it
to return next day ; most of these arm themselves with
a couple of bottles of brandy. They came late, the
boat was on the point of starting, they were told by
the Custom louse officer they could not take the
brandy with them unless they previously made a de-
claration; the officer might as well have addressed
them in Hebrew ; an interpreter was called, the order
explained. We leave our readers to imagine the hlol:
and the reply of all thus armed with bottles of brandy.
But we noticed that all finished by saying,' " Why
they ought to afford us every facility to take their
brandy with us, and not throw difficulties in our
way !" And we admired the justice of the reniarh.
We know not who gave the orders, who are the per-
sons who control the Customs. or what their object
fbr such regulations can be, but tins we know, that,
instead of facilitating the commerce or prosperity of
the country, they clog energy and enterprise in every
possible way. They require forms and entries whieli
demand five clerks to every one they now pay; they
harass merchants by frivolities; they insist upon mi -
nutite which seem to say, we look upon every man
as a rogue leagued to rob the State. If we ht
presume to offer advice it would be this, give mo might
presume to offer advice it would be this, give more
latitude, rely more upon honour in.id honesty, but it
yveor), . 3
you find men cheating you, punish them most se-

Sinche the licensed
ting-houses were closed
there
nature, so completely under then se of private parties,
gt
that the police
' have hardly been able ..
to detect •them.
avee?cis variousgain
establishments of a similar
Into one of these M. C
tNoir a srec
partakee received d
sßoi tvilletnhteifuiy utmost
o f
—, the son of a partner
in the bottle manufactory at Sevres, was intro-
duced on Saturday last, under the pretence of its
eh offered to him, that he lost his self-govern-
ment, and sat down to play. Fora while he won largely,
being a selectt estnvdr:s. -
lie
induced
but fortune at length turned against him. In the
htl°lesPpiutanlitY'
infatuated hope of retrieving himself, he continued
on till eight o'clock on Sunday morning, when he re-
tired a loser not only of a very considerable sum which
he had with him, but also one of a much larger
amount which he had had perfidiously lent him.
Under the feelings of remorse he went to his room and
shot himself. The ball did not enter his head, but only
lacerated his cheek. Had not the.general noise of the
manufactory prevented the report from being heard he
might have been saved, for the ultimate cause of his
death was hemorrhage, which could at the commence-
=ea have been easily stopped. This prant is rendered
the more lamentable from the circums.tanco that M. C
Vis full "able to pay the.,debt ont'Of hi& own ftids, and
*11.2. 011 the poiit of mairiqe with A lidy of lafgelbrtune.
. ..7t,
. -

..

LONDON :
MONDAY MORNING, JULY 25, 1842.

Mr. H twEs is, undoubtedly, a very rising mar,
but we believe he has not yet been in the Cabinet.
The House of Commons was somewhat surprised,
therefore, on Friday night, to see him rise after Sir
ROBERT PEEL had appealed to her MAJESTY'S late
Ministers, to express their disapprobation of motions of
adjournment, and hear him do as Sir R. PEEL wished,
and oppose, with as much vehemence as if he were a
proximate Prime Minister, the motion to adjourn the
House. lie was quite shocked at his Hon. Friend think-
ing of resisting the will of a majority, which, accord-
ing to Mr. Hawes, struck at the root of a representative
Government—the guarantee of all our liberties. We
feel Ourselves compelled to differ from Mr. H AWES, and
. feel ourselves bound to assert, .that when a House o;
• Commons has been cohected as the present House of
Commons has been, by, notorious bribery and eor-
ruptlonL-when it is not a just representation of the
p.ople—when it is engaged in measures pregnant with
mischief to the public—when it is intent only on
• voting away the public money, and refuses
to redress the public grievances, the 811110.
rity of the Howe of Commons will not do
its • duty if it do not obstruct such a Go-
. 1-eminent to the extent of its means. As to a repre-
sentative Government being the guarantee of our
liberties; when we cease to guarantee them ourselves by
our own'.opinions -and our own deeds, if necessary, we
need not Took to the House of Commons to secure them.

We are well aware that all those gentlemen who
expect to form part of an administration at any time,
areas.lealous of the authority of the Government
when ..they are in opposition as when they are in office.
They regard that authority as a joint property, of
wbich they may by and by have the use ; and
however . heavily or disastrously it may weigh
on the people, they defend it in hope of soon being
called on to wield it. In truth Mr. IliwEs spoke as
if he expected soon to be sent for to form a Cabinet,
not to be one of its subordinate members. Does he
aspire to cut out Lord Jows RussELl., who has tied
from the Parliamentary battle, and catch the Treasury
ststYwhen Sir ROBERT PEEL casts it away ? What
party 'Mr. IlAwns i to lead we are not aware, but
certainly the Liberal party is not likely, after his
exhibitiol on Friday evening, to place itself under

his guidance.

Mr. COBDEN alluded, on Friday night, to the veto
lately pronounced by Mr. President TYLER, to the
ordinance recently issued in France, relative to the
duties on linen-yarn, and to the convention which that
country has formed with Belgium, as good reasons
why the House of Commons should now inquire into
the distress of the country, and the means of relieving
it. On all hands the distress is admitted to be great
on all hands it must be agreed, as we have an abun-
dance of manufacturing power, that the distress arises
from the want of markets ; and by no person can it
be denied, that our protective system, by the example
it h.is set, and by the immediate elects it had on the
United States, Prussia, and France, has limited and
curtailed our markets. By now inquiring into the
effects of our laws, in excluding us from
foreign markets, we should probably arrive at
the conclusion, that to open our ports to . the
raw produce of the United States, would be the
certain means of securing that market for our manu-
factures. All the Western States, which have a pre
ponderating influence in Congress, would be favour-•
able to a low tariff on manufactures, were their agri-
cultural produce admittedfreely into England. That is
a fact which is susceptible of proo ; and as Mr. TYLER'S
veto leaves the whole question open, it would be only
prudent in England now to make such alterations in.
her laws as would insure arevision of the United
States tariff favourable to the trade with this country.
We hope that Mr. COBDEN, who has started this topic,
will not lose sight of it, -but will take other means and
opportunities of bringing it before the House of Com-
mons. The Parliament of England has yet a noble
opportunity by doing justice, to our own people, of
promoting the prosperity and civilization of the western
glory of Britain.
world, as well as the happiness and

Tke Report of Mr. lloEnum's Bribery and Cor-
ruption Committee, laid some days ago upon the
table of the house of Commons, has been printed and
circulated. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman has well
redetned tlw pledges which he made to the House when
ur,,v.ing for that Committee ; and the temperate and
di-pe..,ienate tone in which the Report, is drawn up,
proves that its management Could not have been
entrusted • .to any gentleman less capable of
a great principle to personal, factious, or
purpe.:es,. qtt42ent i 3 made ill the Re-
F•.. 7 t to 'prejudice the lleut-e or the country,
aganiA indiviluals, however deeply involved in corrupt
prac::ces. . Ali that is sOught is to expose a system of
corroption which is to rspreading the country, and
hich, 130. ss checked, must terminate in the destruction
of allpublie virtue. ThePressihowever, is not called upon
to be equally tolerant with. Mr. ROEBUCK of the crimes
of men, ()umpired with whom the miserable.receivers ofbribes are the most venial of offenders, •
The Commit tee commenced its inquiries with Harwich,
for which Mr. J. Arrwoov and Major BFRESFORD were
the 'returned Monbers, anti, •!Nlt,
.17!Aos,1•A`k-
Dstos LE Maitc.tilis4' diereitttroteati'ilda"-z- There
titurc: bt d Wen a. Oorrupt, .k•QAPP439. at a risk to Mr.

ATTWOOD of 2,5001 Independently of this sum, Mr.
ATTWOOD and Major BERESFORD expended the enor-
mous sum of 6,8001. at the election ; the greater part of
which was distributed in bribes. No less than 3,0001.
was divided among 33 voters directly in bribes. Sir
DENIS LE MARCIIANT spent 1,500/. in bribery, and Mr.
BAGSRAW 500/. Thus no less a sum than 9,300/. was
spent in bribery by the Tory Members for Harwich.
The Committee, having investigated the extent of
bribery at Harwich, proceeded to Nottingham. Here
the successful candidates were the Whig-Radical Sir
J. C. HORHOUSE, once a branch in Westminster's golden
candlestick with " Old Glory," and Sir G. LARPENT.
The return having been petitioned against, a corrupt
compromise was entered into with Mr. WALTER, one of
the rejected candidates, at an expense to HuntrousE of
1,0001., and a risk of 4,0001. provided the conditions of it
were violated. The returned Members, HonnotrsE and
LARPENT, expended 12,0001. in bribery and other cor-
rupt practices, and WALTER and CHARLTON, who op-
posed them, from 4,000/. to 5,0001. The Committee ac-
count for the smallness of the amount spent in bribery
on the part of the Conservative candidates, by stating
that the poll was not taken.
In the case of Lewes, for which Mr. HattFonD and
Mr. ELPHINSTONE were returned, the Committee found,
that they being petitioned against, a corrupt compro-
mise was entered into. That on their part, and that
of-the rejected candidates, Mr. FITZROY and Lord CAN-
TALUPE, there had been gross and corrupt bribery; there
having been spent, in a constituency of 850, on the part of
Mr. ELPHINSTONE and Mr. HARFORD 5001., and on
that of Mr. FITZROY and Lord CANTALUPE '2,000/.
In the case of Reading a corrupt compromise was ad-
mitted by Mr. RUSSELL and Lord CHELSEA, at a risk
to them of 2,000/. The constituency of Reading is
only 1,050, and notwithstanding the unwillingness of
the witnesses to afford any information, the Committee
found that nearly 8,0001. had been spent in corrupt
practices at the last election. As regards the
borough of Penryn and Falmouth, a corrupt com-
promise, bribery, and,. other corrupt practices,
were proved against all the candidates, with tke
exception of Captain PLUMBIDGE. The whole sums
so expended were 4,0001. a=side, making 8,000/. for
that inconsiderable constituency. The refusal of Mr.
COCHRANE arid his agents to give any information as to
the system of bribery carried on by them at Bridport,
leaves the evidence necessarily imperfect relative to that
borough. Nevertheless the Committee expresses a con-
viction that he was guilty of bribery to an extent fully
equal to that of the other candidates. We go farther
We are persuaded that he spent more in bribery than
Mr. WARBURTON and Mr. MITCHELL both together.
Mr. WARBURTON spent 2,166/. and Mr. MITCHELL
3,300/. at the last election.

Such is the substance of a Report which has at-
tracted more attention, and encountered more opposition,
than any appointed by the Legislature since the passing
of the Reform Bill. We have not yet had time to do
more than glance at the evidence ; but from the little
which we have read, we have been struck with the great
discretion and ability with which Mr. RoHnucx per-
formed a task as delicate as it was difficult. He seems to
have fully appreciated the responsibility which devolved
upon him, and to have suffered neither taunts nor
menaces to divert him for an instant from the even
tenour of his passionless course. Of the corrupt prac-
tices thus laid bare we shall take an early opportunity
of speaking in terms more commensurate with our im-
pression of their atrocity.

The only news of any importance in the French and
Spanish Journals, will be found in our Foreign Sum-
mary. We subjoin a few additional items :
The Spanish Senate, in its last sitting on the 14th, voted
the Budget. The Marquis de Julies proposed in the same sit-
ting to restore the dotation of the Queen.mother, Maria Chris-
tina, which was susyended in consequence of the events in
October. This motion was rejected by a majority of 41) to 17.
'f he Captain-General, and the political chief of Madrid, left
the capital on the 15th, to go to Guadalaxara, to meet the
eldest son of the infant Don Francisco.
The journals of Barcelona are of the 15th. General Zurbano
had left that city arid gone to Gerona.
TURIN, JULY 16.—( From a Letter.)—" The King and the
whole Court returning from Genoa are gone to the Royal
Palace :of Rumigni for the summer. It was hoped
that on this occasion, Charles Albert would have
extended the amnesty, granted to the persons impli-
cated in the revolution of 1821, to all the individuals con-
demned for political offences in 1833.4; but hitherto partial
favours only have been granted to some Genose condemned in
these latter years. Among othets are the Alarquis de Ravesedo,
who has obtained complete amnesty and liberty to return to his
native country. Doctor Orsini. who was confined in the Fort
of Fenestrelles, and has just been set at liberty ; Marquis
Cattaneo, who has obtained permission to return to Genoa for
two months, it is hoped that he will be permitted to stay there
permanently; and M. Noti, wht has obtained permission to
finish, at Genoa, the five years' confinement which he had still
to pass at Fenestrelles. Heaven grant that these measures may
tie extended to all other persons condemned for political offences
who are still in exile or in the public prisons."
A letter from Nantes of the 16th July, addressed to the
Journal La France, says;—" Our city continues to feel
The consequence of the treaty in the right of search. The
English ships take freight on lower terms, and with more secu-
rity in our port than the ships belonging to the town. Accord-
ingly several merchants prefer shipping their goods under the
English flag. Such a state of things deserves the most serious
attention of the new Chamber, especially as it affects the most
valuable interest of our citizens.—Commerce.

BOURSE—PARTS, TUURSDAY, JULY 21.
First Highest Lowest Last
Price. Price. Price. Price.
French 5 per Cents 117 ... 117 ... 116 90... 117
4 per Cents 101 30... 101 30... 101 30... 101
3 per Cents 77 10... 77 20... 77 ... 77 10
Bank of France 3175 ...3175 ...3175 .. 3175
Laffitte Bank 5,000 f 5035 —.5035 _5035 _5035
Belgian Bank 772 50... 772 50... 772 50... 772 50
Belgian Fives lO3 ... 103 ... 1024 ... 1024
1840 1034 ... 1034 ... 1034 ... 1034
Spanish Active 22i ... 22i ... 22 ... 22
Portuguese Fives
Neapolitan .
Roman

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