The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-10-28 00:00:00

THE LivErrooL STANDARD, 'TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1851.

The most startling piece of the new
for the last, in order that my letter

of the week I keep

Ti at his own

and is off bag and K

zgage, shot, shell, combustible

:et, to offer him-

the dealers in tea are furnished by the Excise with an ex-
tract from the statute 4th Grorge 2, cap. 14, sec. 11, which

shall forever-NT pound

zredient

:lit forfeit thesumr

£10." Now,

11y was in.

the object of this wisely-framed act douhtles
tended to secure to the public a genuine commodity, and
to afford protection against the evil-minded and dishonest

Wished throLgh the instrumentality of the Board of Ex-
cise is rendered nugatory through the management of the
Board of Customs, the regulations of which allow any
mass of filth made into imitation of tea to he imported as
the genuine article, being charged with duty as such, al-
though it is a well-known fact that scarcely a leaf of the
legitimate plant is in the compound.
then, we see that the two great governmental
re at variance with, and opposed to each other.
allows a fraud to he permitted, or rather assists
tting a fraud, and the other is empowered with

lot upon tF

uilty parties,

he really
i the dealers or vendors of the
rho have received their sanction
The Commissioners of
a..rainst adulterated
ties preclude the
of the law being carried into effect by per-
mitting " lie" and other spurious teas to be bonded and
entered,—the consideration being the netting of the
amount of duty. It is, therefore, clear, that were the
Inland Revenue officers to carry into effect the law as it
stands, the inevitable consequence would be to bring their
board and the Board of Customs into antagonism and
contempt,--the lormer for seizing what the latter had
received duty on. Is it not shameful that this despicable
farce should continue to be played?
We understand that several extensive tea-merchants in
this town have at length turned their attentian to the
subject of these vile ingredients, which are regularly
entered at our Custom-house as tea, being received as
such, and that a movement is being made amongst the
more respectable dealers to put a stop to the system. The
difficulty which presents itself in the case is, how a remedy
can 'ae obtaintd so long as the Customs will bond and
receive duty on any thing called tea. We are of opinion,
however, that the nuisance might be abated by carrying
into affect that law which requires that every article
entered for duty shall be truly denominated; and if so, as
a matter of course, sand, paddy, gum, and more filthy
ingredients, could not then be entered as tea ; conse-
quently the public would be protected by the paid officers

illegal commoditie
from the Board of Customs

.1 Revenue caution the tea-dealer
and the Cus

Ir
articles

of the crown, wl

duty ought to be something more

than merely receiving the-revenue

To this, however, 'under the present system of conduct-
ing business at our Custom-houses, a difficulty presents
itself. The Board of Customs have no recognised stationed
officers for testing articles on which duties are charged ;
so that there is no guarantee for the goods imported being
bond fide those specified in the entries. This we look
upon as a matter of paramount importance ; and
when it is known that the Board of Inland Revenue
keep up an efficient staff of analytical chemists, in order
to prevent imposition on the public, and to protect the
revenue, it does appear strange that the Board of Customs
possesses no such machinery, although it must be mani-
fest that in their department they have much more occa-
sion for it, as frauds to a serious amount may be,
and are, committed on the revenue by unprincipled
persons, who, knowing that there is no chemical test ap-
plied to goods imported, take advantage of this. Thus,
in the matter of wine, brandy may, and frequently is, im-
ported as wine in such quantities as to return a good
profit on the expense of re-distilling; and wine, so called,
has been imported, and that not long ago, which consisted
of little more than a pure decoction of logwood. A speci-
men of this decoction, obtained by a process of analysis,
and turned to the uses of a writing fluid, may now be seen
exposed in the window of our publication office, in St.
George's-crescent. Similar remarks .would apply, more
or less, to nearly all articles imported from abroad.
It is remarkable, that whilst the Commissioners of In-
' Revenue scrupulously guard -against the English,
~otch, and Irish tradesman adulterating any article on
which duty is paid, the customs appear to have no such
rectrictions on foreign goods. The fault rests here : every
article received inland, or manufactured in England, is, or
can be, submitted to a ready and immediate chemical
analysis, at a cheap cost ; whilst in the Customs' depart.
ment, even should the adulteration be so palpable as to
render itself apparent to the " grosser senses," no such
test can be applied ; the process of analysis becomes tedi-
ous, expensive, and unsatisfactory, such as would not
justify. but in few cases, a chemical test being had resort
to, the Board of Customs having no competent party,
without hiringone for the occasion, to submit the matter to.
From what we have already said, more especially with
regard to our own port, we think the desirability—nay,
the absolute necessity,—of some competent analytical
chemist, in whose scientific skill confidence could be
reposed, being appointed to submit to a test all doubtful
articles received at our Custom-house, must be apparent.
This is a desideratum which we trust the Board of Cus-
toms will not be slow in furnishing. The interests of the
revenue call for it,—protection to the public demands it.
The thing would be easy of accomplishment, as there
would be little difficulty, without going beyond our own
town, in finding a gentleman well calculated for the
performance of the important duties which would
derolve upon him. We have amongst us pecu-
liar appliances to meet the requirements of such an
office as that which we seek to show the necessity of
establishing. Liverpool can boast of what but three
other places, we believe, in the universe, can boast of, a
college of practical chemistry, and this second to none,
and presided over by one of the first chemists of the day ;
and even in the absence of Dr. Muspratt, there are in
Liverpool other competent men in this branch of science,
in every way qualified to discharge the duties of an office
',Thiel' ought to be established without delay.

[ADVERTISEMENT
THE WATCH COMMITTEE AND THE POLICE

BOOT

TO THE EDITOIZ OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.'
SIR,—On last Saturday I addressed a letter to the Chairman
of the Watch Committee, complaining of the injustice which
I bad received at the hands of that body, stating the loss 1
would sustain by the course they were now pursuing in refer-
ence to my contract for supplying 600 pairs of policemen's
boots. I stated to them the injustice of detaining my boots
nearly two months before pronouncing any definite opinion
upon them, and then returning them without having a fair
examination. To this letter I have as yet/received no reply,
but I have been informed that the sub.tommittee refuse to
entertain my application because I wouTtl not comply with the
terms they originally offered me. TI 'se terms were:—" That
the sub-committee should appoint hree parties from distant
towns to examine the boots, and t ..• t I should not appoint any
one, or be present myself; that e same members of the sub-
committee, who before had ..jected to them—including, (I
suppose) Mr. Bighorn, who as most active in the affair—
would be permitted to • present with the examiners,
and that I should pay all he expenses of such re-examina-
tion, whether the report as favourable or unfavourable to
me. The cost of this xamivation I understand would be
about .t. 15, or nearly t whole of the small profit derivable
from the entire contr• t. This unfair course was warmly pro.
tested against by M • Johnson, of Lime-street Ward, as being

unjust to a trades an and a ratepayer; and to show hom
willing I was to t the cemtnittee in any reasonable arrange.
meta which cou be made. I expressed my willingness to sub

mit the boots to the inspection and report of any three respect-
able curriers and bootmakers of the town, whom the committee
might select, and that I should willingly abide by theirdecision.

These terms the committe

rejectec

FIFTH OF NOVEMBER.
Q PLENDID FIREWOR every deseripf
L and of the latest' ' provements, supplied by I
ATKINS, Zoological ens, with the greatest despatch,
on the most reaso e terms. -

All comrin-iii;ii'rtiOn; addressed to EDWIN ATKINS, Zoo-
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MONEY LENT on PLATE, WATCHES, JEWEL-
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Apply at 66, eet, two doorsfrom Back Colquitt-street.
Private House.

MO tip lurtion

FURNITURE, LIBRARY OF BOOKS, &c., ROSCOMMON

STREET.
ESSRS. THOS. WINSTANLEY and SONS will
SELL by AUCTION THIS DAY, (Tuesday,) the 28th, and
TO-MORROW, (Wednesday,) the 29th, at Eleven o'clock each
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FURNITURH, &c., NETHERFIELD-ROAD SOUTH,
EVERTON.

m- Fs. SESLRL Sb.
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AHUOCST. I NOVNI NTSoT
mA
or \RI,
oEwY and d
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)%ttihl
el
29th instant, at Eleven o'clock precisely, on the Premises, 19,
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The genuine and useful HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE, fine-
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property of a Lady leaving the neighbourhood.
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The PA KLorms'contain'a Set of' Six so • sewood Chairs,
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To be viewed Tats (Tuesday,) the 28th instant, when
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WINSTANLEY and SONS' Office, Church-street.

Aillts Ourtic:l.

---
VALUABLE BOOKS, LIBRARY BOOKCASE, SIMI?ES
IN THE ROYAL • INSTITUTION, ATHENSOff,

AND LYCEUM

By Mr. BRANCH,
To-MORROW, (Wednesday.) the 29th, and THURSDAYriat,
the 30th instant, at Eleven o'clock each day, at the Hanover-

rooms,
rtA Ninecicituedni
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Residence, together with the excellent Maliogiwy OTT,
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gtheanLdiiv,r aalruyabolte aCo l
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