The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-12-10 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR 01? THE LIVERPOOL ST',I.7BII4RD

Sir,—The public are greatly indebted to you for the manner.
in which you have taken.up and exposed sundry matters rela-
tive to the regulations and management of the Customs.
As an individual who regards the indefeasible prerogatives of
public rights, 1 trust you will fearlessly-persevere in yourcourse
of bringing out, and so far remedying the partial operation of
certain vexatious laws made for the advantage, not of the many
but of the few.

The Customs' Annuity and Benevolent Fund, falsely so
named, deserves the utmost exposure ; 'and you have dealt
very fairly with it. It is earnestly hoped' that you will be the
means of calling for an account of the present state of its funds
in the next session of Parliament, and there can be no doubt of
its standing before the public as one of those miserable jobs
which has so fearfully disgraced the legislation of former times.
There is reason to believe that the early members of this shame-
fully legalized association have long since ceased to pay any
premium to it, and that they are relieved from this by au appro-
priation of the compulsory exactions from the officers, which
ought to go exeliisively • to' the Benevolent Fund, for the ,relief
of the widows and children of those who fire made to pay.into
it, and for whose support and assistance it ought to have been
sacredly devoted. _

This Institution, as it is now apparent, was formed to be di-
vertedirom its original purpose, and the sooner it can be res-
cued from the exclusive privilege of receiving a benefit fur
those who least deserve, and who ought least to need it, the
sooner will you merit the high eulogium of being a public bene-
factor, as you have been the first iu this case to plead the rights
of the widow, the orphan, and the destitute.
The office of Inspector-General of the Customs here is one
which the country 'can well dispense with, anti of which the
public ought to can for the immediate reduction. The manage-
ment in the Comptroller's department can be made that would
easily obviate its existence : this situation, with its attaché,
costs nearly £lOOO per annum. The history of this office is ra-
ther curious, and not generally knowu.—About ten years ago, a
person filling an obscure situation in one of the docks in Lon-
don, had the good fortune to obtain the prevaleiit interest of
that day, and was appointed to an office iu the Customs. Shortly
afterwards he was sent down to Liverpool, and in due time was
created Inspector General of his Majesty's Customs at this port;
and ever since this gentleman's road to high promotion has been
unobstructed. To give a colour to this transaction, it was deemed
necessary to appoint Inspectors-General to the ports. of Bristol,
and Newcastle, which wasaccordingly carried into effect.;
but the fact of the non-importance of such offices is now deter-
rained; for in all these places the office has been abolished, and
the persons appointed to them are now filling situations of a
more necessary and indispensable character: this fact speaks
volumes, and-shows that the place in the first instance was
made for the man, or that the originators of it did not know
that the ports in question required the functions of such an
officer being applied to them. .
I cordially coincide with all you have written on the subjects
now-glanced at, and wish you may ever sustain the character
you have fairly achieved for yourselves, of being. the conserva-
tors and unflinching advocates of truth and justice, the appli-
cation of which, to all existing institutions, a discerning public
must sooner or later demand, as the foundation upon which to
erect the administration of right principles and. good govern-
ment.—l am, &c., ALEXIS.

Henry Berthold, the man whose witnesses at the Old Bailey
denied the existence of a God, has been sentenced to seven
years transportation. It appears that he is not the author of
" The Black Book," but of a twopenny, and, therefore, a more
mischievous publication, called the 331ack List. He has, how-
ever, been ingenious enough to place himself on the black list
at last. -
GRAND FLINTSHIRE EISTEDDFOD.—It is with feelings of the
highest satisfaction that we direct the attention of our readers
to the advertisement in a preceding column, announcing that
another Eisteddfod is on the tapir, which promises to exceed in
splendour .and magnificence any thing that has hitherto taken
place in the principality. It is to be holden at Holywell, in
Flintsliire, the original locus of the ancient Eisteddfodau, under
the auspices of the Hon. E. M. Le Mostyn, of Mostyn, and
M.P. for the county, the lineal descendant and representative of
Richard ap Hywel ap Evan Vaughan, Lord of Mostyn, who,
in 15'23, presided at a great meeting of the Bards, held in the
neighbouring borough of Caerwys, under a commission from
Henry VIII; the first Eisteddfod on record. The silver harp,
the honourable badge, worn by the Pencerdd at these•olympies,
is still in the possession of the Mostvn family. The ['resident,
it will be seen, has headed the list of contributions with the
munificent donation of £100; and we hope in a short time to
have the pleasure of informing our readers, that the gentry of
that county have followed the laudable example of their worthy
and patriotic representative. . The inhabitants ofthe flourishing
and opulent town of Holywell have come forward with their
accustomed taste and liberality, and as there is not a suitable
room sufficiently commodius for the holding of such a meeting,
measures have been set on foot for the erection of a market-
place and Town-hall, in which it is intended to celebrate this
bardic festival. .

TICKET POIITERS.—In consequence of the inconveniencies
to which strangers, entering Liverpool, have been subject, from
those intolerable nuisances, coach-office cads, whose practice it
has been, not only to annoy passengers alighting from coaches
by their applications for employment, but to insult them when
refused, a new and wholesome regulation is about being adopted
to remedy the evil, on the same principle by which the ticket
porters of London are ruled. All coach-office porters are in fa.;
tore to wear a badge, on which is to be inscribed their number
and the office to which they belong, so that in case of miscon-
duct they can with facility be brought before the Mayor, from
whose court the new regulation cruana'es; and no porter will in
future be'allowed to ply for hire at the coach-offices, until fur-
nished with a badge of the kind alluded to.

Their Majesties continua at Brighton. The Queen has re-
covered from her late indisposition, and has appeared again in
public.

Letters have been received from Berlin, which contain a very
favourable account of the results of Baron Graeffe's treatment
of his highness Prince George of Cumberland.
Intelligence has also been received of the birth of a pi incess to
their royal highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
• The office of Consul-General of Portugal at Nantes has just
-been suppressed.
A .stron!, remonstrance has been addressed, by the parishioners
of St. Nicholas, Warwick, to the Bishop of Lichfield and
Coventry, for suffering Dr. Wade to be a non. resident at his
living at Warwick.
The electors of Huddersfield have sent a requisition to Mr.
Blackburn, the chief corporation commissioner, to allow him-
self to be nominated- as a candidate, in the place of the late
Captain Fenton. Mr. Blackburn has accepted the invitation.
Sir Edward Sugden is said to have remarked, that it was a
great pity Lord Brougham did nut know a little Chancery law,
for if he did he would have a matte-Hug of almost everything.
Lord Fitzwilliam has announced, iu a letter to a friend, his
intention of making a vigorous effort to repeal the Corn Laws
next session.
Captain Ross is staying at Tunbridge Wells, on a visit to the
Vice-Admiral of England, Lord de Sauivarez, at Clarence
Villa. We uudeistand these two distinguished individuals
were formerly shipmates.
We are sorry to announce the death of Mr. Majoribanks, the
member for Berwickshire, at Lees, in that county, on the 3d
instant.
M. Sartoris, one of the principal bankers of Paris, died on
Thursday last He was one of the first promoters of canaliza-
tion in France. The canals of the Somme, and those of the
Oise, were executed by him.
M. AUgustin Perier, brother of the late M. Casimir Perier,
on whose death he was created a Peer of France, died on Mon-
day at his seat at Fremily, of an attack of apoplexy. He was
to time 59th yet.r of his age.
We learn, by letters from Ferrara, that, on the 17th ult., the
statue of Armste was inaugurated with great pomp in the square
of. that town, which has for a long time been called the Piazza
A riostea.
The whole number of journals now published in the Polish
language amounts to only ten, namely, five at Warsaw. one at
St. Petersburg, one at \Vilna, one at Lemberg, one at Cracow,
au6 one at Posen.
ItEr RESENTATION OF LEEDS.—The approaching vacancy for
this Lorough has set all parties-in motion. Mr. M. T. Saddler