Star.
London, England, 1814-11-11 00:00:00

THE BONDING srsrEm.

Yesterday a Meeting was held at the City of Lon-
don Tavern, of the Merchants and others interested
in the Warehousing and Bonding System, to receive
the Report of the Committee on their law interview
with Ministers, and to take into consideration what
might be further conducive to the attainment of the
objects in view. •
At one o'clock Sir C. Para took the Chair of a
respectable and numerous assembly. He commenced
a short address by expressing his regret, however
great iliedionour, that he, for the third time, pre-
sided over the present Meeting, whose assistance was,
unfortunately, twain required in consequence of the
complete failure of the Committee in the accomplish-
ment of the object for which they bad been appointed.
It had been reasonably imagined that arguments un-
controvertible, on the principles of general policy,
with which a number of the individuals, eminent for
their mercantile interests and abilities, had been fur-
: nished, would have at least produced same effect
upon the Lords of the Treasury, even if it should not
induce them to comply with the object of the meet-
ing. The result, howevei, proved that all that had
been hitherto said was unavailing, and that Minis-
ters *ere determined to adhere to the resolution pre-
viously communicated. This intention had been con-
veyed in A 1'..1.,40 from the Treasury, dated the 27th
October,. Which had been already ni.ide public. This
nistrtinientof not in its terms, at least in the determi-
nation its stated, .conveyed an implied censnre upon
the.Consebittre, appointed
. at the previous 'Fleeting
of merchinis, for it, armed as they were, they could
produce no impression upon Government, it should
'rem that they had been negligent in their Om or,
incapable, of wielding the weapons put into their.
kinds i paoperly itnployed it must be thought that
;hey would be invincible. The result, however, had I
' fthfratstitelflhefilttonliniern,' Ibr Mintirifird Isar,
tiently heard all that could be advanced, and had I
made no reply to the arguments, but had contented
themselves with giving a mere negative to the remon-
strance. Of his °Wu exertions he would say nothing;•
of the exertions of his coadjutors, the rest of the Come
mittee, nothing need be said—they had done every
thing that ability, seconded by the strongest reason
ing, could perform. It had been a matter of surprise
in some persons,• that be (Sir C. Price), not indivis
dually interested in the result of this question, should
preside over these Meetings. It was true that his
only interest Was an anxiety for the welfare of the
country, and of the City of London in particular, in
which he had filled the office of Chief Magistrate, at
the time when the excellent Bonding System was
first established ; the continuance of that system was,
in his opinion, absolutely necessary to the prosperous
continuance of the trade of the British empire. The
unavailing exertions of the Committee were detailed
in a long Report which had been drawn up, and
which would now be read for the information of the
Meetings
M. WATSON then read the Report, which contairsed
a detailed statement of the arguments ,used by the
Committee in the interview with the Lords of the
Treasury, on the Ylth October. As the document
will be printed it is useless to repeat or abridge any'
of the statements. The replies of Ministers did not'
occupy any large portion of the paper, beifig confined'
to one laconic re:: ink of Mr. Nausittart, that he had
approved of the bonding System, find that his opi-
nions remained unaltered. The instrument was drawn
up with great perspicuity, placing all the arguments
in the strongest point of view, and ooneluding byre.
commending, that a Memorial should tie dratsn'ttp;
and sign:d by all persons interested, to prove that I
nitet
the Committee did not represen a small ; .y Oemo
noqiiarrs,,ittu nearly the whole ce4wie
tabu icy of the'City of [Hoehn. Thelop"phn o.* 44
Ministers irnagitud that few interests were. . (lAA
and represented, was the only plausible mode of ac-
counting for the immoveable silence and final 'deter-
mination of the Lords of theTreisury.
Mr: IL nom took this opportunity of expressing his
perfect approbation of the proceedings of the present
and of the former meetingf. 'ffe had not attended the
previous deliberations of the Merchants of London
upon this important question, partly because he was
not in town, and partly because he thought the sub-
ject so clear, and the decision of Ministers in favour
of those who made the remonstrance so indubitable,

that no influence of Members Was necessary—the'
mete statement of the disadvantages and inconvenien-
cies thatwould result from the perseverance of Govern.
ment in their determination, he had imagined would
have been enough to induce them to abandon their
project of enforcing the payment of the duties.—
In this expectation be was disappointed, and finding
that the influence of numbers and weight of in-
West were required, and that unsupported reason
and argument were insufficient to influence the
Lords of the'rreasury, be had determined to give his
support. however weak, to the object of this assembly/
—.The woe opinion. of the reasonableness of the re.
quest had 'doubtless kept sway many others. whose
assiitance would have been useful. There could not


be twoOphaentlipon the great advantages whielethe
boticlinl; system gave to this c entry ; it was a mea-
sure originating in great wisdom, and to it we had
been perhaps indebted for our commercial :asperionty.
It was equally unquestienable, and had been ad.
netted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that the
Co..seeuence of it had been the reduction of die prices
of the various commodities ; it consequently effected
not merely the merchants and traders, but the whole
of the com:nunity, the cens,mers of the articles that
were bended, netil a market could be pr eu ed. It
was a great mistake on the part of ettnieers, and
proved how superficially they had examined this sub-
ject, when they asserted !tin one coesequeire cf the
bonding system was to ieduce the Merchants to re-
tails their goods on hand, and not to hrtrT them to
the market, so as es keep tip the p: ices. lead not
the owners of goods, particularly as fir as-rel ttes to
wines and spirits, sufficient ieducem, re t i find an
early sale from the charges which they incurred, the
interest of money lest, and the leakage and waste
which must necessarily happen? At the present mo-
ment the hardship was peculiarly severe, since the
order compelling exportation of the goods bonded
was given at the most tedaeouetele seas -n of the
year; when all charges of freight, insurance, de:. and
the risk was augmented. At any other petite! the
requisition would have been severe, hut noel it was
peculiar, and in his view, a most unnecessary hard-
ship. Another mistake Ministers committed, *as
the opinion they entertainer, that the Merchants of
London were unwilling to comply, because the sum
of money required was large; it was but a trifle In
comparison to what they contributed te the revenue
annually, and it was indeed a short-sighted policy to
raise a sudden and comparatively small atneuet at the
expense of the ultimate interest of the country, par-
ticulatly of the revenue. As sees well said in the
Report, the consequence- of compelling Merchants to
export their bonded goods, would he to en .ke theta
seek warehouses in foreign countries, fcir they could
not sell on the present disadvantageous state of tits
markets. The truth was, that the Merchants of
London did not complain so much because their own
personal interests were affected, het because, taking
a broad and general view of the consequences of per.
sisting in the determination promuleated by Ministers,
they foresaw than it would be intimately attended
with great injury, ifnot with the ruin of the trade of
this country. In the present state of Europe we
should have many poweiful competitors ; under any
circumstances we should find it difficult to maintain
our station in the Continental markets, but if •the
bonding system were abandoned, our endeavours
would unquestionably be fruitless. •
Sir C. Paica observed, that in pursuance of the
recommendation of the Committee, a Memorial to
the Lords of the Treasury had been prepared, which
would now be submitted to tire Meeting for adoption
and signature.
Mr. &eliminate after a few remerks, which were
not perfectly audible, upon the necessary of infetteir-
cing and awing the Treasory, by a display of.nten-
hers, read the Memorial reteired to by Sir C. Price,
re-urging sbe principal topics and arguments used by
the Committee, in the interview of tile smb October.
A Mr. Cowen, of Plymouth, after the Memorial.
had been unanimously adopted by the Meeting, hand-
ed* litter from the Chamber of Conimeice Or the
port by which he was deputed, requesting that he
would give the proceedings of the Meeting this day
held his support, and promising to give evcry assis.
tance, by petition, memorial, or otherwise, that might
be deemed expedient.
It was determined that a copy of the Memorial
should be sent to Plymouth for signature.
A similar letter was put in from Liverpool.
Sir C. Piece observed, that the aid of the ports
might be of considerable importance, considering the
mode in which Ministers were to bar iptiuenced.

The Report of the Committee h.iving• hem adopt-
ed, and the Members of it, as well as-the Chtirm.m,
having received the thanks of the Meeting, it w.ts
adjourned. A great number of signatures were
mediately affixed to the Memorial, and a copy of it
was ordered to be left at St. John's and other Cof-
fee-houses.

Sir Gvoaor and Lady EMILY BERKELEY and suite
will sail shindy for Lisbon, where they propose to re-
side for some time, for the benefit of her Lidyship's
health, which, we'are sorry to say, is very delicate.
The Goat* di From'e contains, a prayer and a tn-
lemn promise, purporting to have been made by
Louis XVI. about the comuiencement of the year
1792. They were drawn up in concert with M.
Eleb:•rt, General of the Eudists, his Majesty's Can-
fessor, trt whom they were given to the .Ihhe D—,
to copy. A short time ago he wits seat t.hy. the
Duchess of. Angottli•me and iuterrogated. He At
nut know wnetlter the criginals were in :he !Land:
writing of Louis !ft VI. because he was un.l.:quxi:-.tesi
it, but he certitird *but they Intki been given to
him by his MajTsty's Confess )r, wids trht.rn L. was
intimate. In the prayer, his Majesty imrlores the
Yiercy of Gon, and his lorgiteneis for nothiarink in
tee days of his power riftres*d that ileontiotrzfeis of
porals, and that worlcot religion which hied been the
principal cause of it. He clOtes to tep.tir hit faults,
and to become a King accort!in3 to Gun's heart. In
the promise his /rf:tjt sty .slys—
.4 If, through the infinite soo4ness of GOD I recover my li-
berty Anil my royal power, I solemnly :
"' I. To revoke, as soon as possible, all the laws thet shall be
pointed nut to me (either by the Pope, hr a Cooncil, or by tour
Bishops chosen from among.' the most enithtened and virtuous
in my kingdom) as c.mtrary to the ',nifty and Ir.tevi:y of the
IYdy to the discipline and spiritual jurisdiction of the htsly Cacho-
ile Chttreb, Apostolic and Roman, particularly to the Civil VW'.
atittition of the Clergy.
GG " 2. To restore without delay all legit'mwe pastors, and all
wwns possessed of bencficts instftute.l by the CLurcii. to the
linefices of which they have been unjustly despoiled by the de-
grees of an Incompetent Power, with the res.-nation of taking
canonical means fur suppressing the titles of bent Ikea whits are
least necessary, and to api.ly them to the wants of the State."
BMITHFIF.I.G MARKET, NOVEM:SFR 1t
Beef 41 Ed to Ss ed Veal 7. .01 us ths Oil
11.4.itton is Od to es Od I.Perk es Od to is 01
Beasts 970--Shoep and lambs 4 irk —Oll/44 100.—Pit 400
HAT AND STRAW; PRI' rom): • ; •
Meadow Harr /1 to 51 Os 1 Clover el Os to 11 ,ag
Straw tl its to ttl Os.
CORN EXCHANGE, MARK.I.ANE, No vEmluot 11.
Having no fresh arrivals of Wheat this morniog, slum *se
quality sold readily, ositio.full as good terms, o 0 Wsoissesy.
ter dearer, antready sale at that !detect
of Barley being
emOureassupprlyartiass,
there 'Loft, prime sa
fasMMssfl psi,
mple. au tis
no
alutiekm

• •T