The New York herald., 1850-06-07
The Steamship Hermann.

From the London Times, May II.
The United States mail steamer Hermann, Capt.
f. CTabtree, sailed from Southampton, on the
afternoon of 20th ult., for New York, with the
American contract mails for Germany, France,
and England. The Hermann has about l2o pas
sengers, and on freight l50 tons cargo from Bre-
men, and GO tons from IIavre. Considerable dis
satisfaction has been long expressed by the mer-
chants in the French trade, connected with the
American and other steamers, at the difficulties
thrown in the way of transshipping foreign mer-
chandise, by the British customs regulations. The
laws in question are certainly ridiculous in the
extreme, and tend 10 nJure British commerce, by
prohibiting the possibility of large traffic in
foreign merchandise, which would otherwise be
diverted to English ports. All goods from abroad,
in transit 10 foreign countries, before transshiment
at an English port, have TO be entered at the Gus
tom-house, with the same formalities as though
they were intended for home consumption; the
precise value, contents, details weight, and guam
tty in each package have to be declared; and out
of bulk of goods few packages are selected for
examination, which, if not found to agree exactly
with the original entry, the whole cargo is liable
to be stopped, and its shipment interrupted. Be-
sides this, the goods, though really transferred
from one vessel TO another, have TO be formally
warehoused in one of the bonded warehouses, and
then entered outwards and reexported, after bonds
TO an almost fabulous amount have been given
by the exporters. To comply with all these regu..
latons the goods are actually entered and declared
in less than thirteen different shapes at the Gus
tom house, and the great delay, extreme expense,
and risk involved in the operations OF these per-
fecuy useless formauueS, totally eXcluue any out
merchandise of the most valuable nature, from
being sent TO British ports for transhipment. A
persistence in these regulations is no protection to
the revenue, nor is il of the slightest utility in re-
gard 10 the public service Ii certainly matters not
to the customs how large a quantity of foreign
goods is brought TO English ports for re-shpmeRt,
provided such goods are not landed for consumption
in this country and trade of this nature ought to
be encouraged rather than repulsed. A simple
entry specifying The number of packages, their
general contents, and aggregate value, is all that
should be required beyond a bond to reasonable
amount for re-exportation. Laws contrary to
common must gradually disappear before the
force of public opinion. Weperceive that already
strong remonsrances have been made from Liver
pool against them, and as they are most injurious
in their tendency and operation, and worthy only
of an advanced stage of red-tapism, we hope that
the demonstration about to be made at the Board of
Trade will result in the abolition Of the obnoxious
formaltes, contrary as they in their effects to
recognised free trade principles We understand
that the English and French houses connected
with the trade at Southampton intend to petition
the Board of Customs and Treasury authorities to
the same effect.