The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-04-25
Quar- Waahington Correspondence.
WASUrNoToN A r;l - VS6

WAshlN6ToN, April "a, Se0t.-
The Great Erhi6xioa-A Letter from the Con~sss--
sionUs-Populatron Of the District.
The Secretary of the United States Executive.
Committee of the London Industrial Exhibition
has, to-day, received lengthy communication,
from Edward Riddle, Esq, the authorized agent
in London, dated April 8, and giving history Of
the progress which had been made to wards getting
the articles contributed from this country in their
proper place in the Crystal Palace. Mr.. Riddle,
complains somewhat of the rigid scrutiny to which,
the Custom House officers subjected all the goods,
displaying great illiberality in the construction Of
the severe regulations of their imposts, consider
ing the purposes for which they had been sent,
and that they came authenticated by the certii-
Gates of the central authority at Washington but,
on the whole, he is satisfied with the result. " The
packages OF books" Mr. Riddle writes, Z" and those
packages only, required formal representation OF
the case, before they could be admitted. Two APP
plicatons had to be made to DIR. John Murray, for
his assent to the admission of few books sent as
samples OF binding only, OF which ne holds the
copyright, which assent was cheerfuly given" A
portion of the communication refers to q matter
which may be Of some general interest, and we
therefore extract it,
81 have found it necessary to establish rule that
written instructions from contributors the only
evidences admissible to establish the validity Of
neeship of goods. Many persons in London
are hoping to make the exhibition source Of pc
cuniary profit. They care nothing for the amount
of expenses incurred by the goods, so long as the
goods themselves are of sufficient value to meet
those expenses. In the outset, supposed that the
possession of the Observation-Disclosures of your
committee would be sufficient to show proof Of con-
sgneeshp; but when | found that those certificates
had in so many cases been simply given to midi
vidua to bring across the water, and thai parties
who did not hold them were in fact the real con-
sgnees Of the contributors-that scores of those
certificates had been merely sent by third per-
the carrier between the owner and the consignee,
but had by that person been passed for considera
ton, into the hands jobbers and agents-and that
all cases where the real consignee appeared to
claim the goods of his consignor, claim was set up
against him the ground Of holding the cc-tf-
cate, | saw no other way than TO publish the rulo
requiring written authority As evidence of con-
signeeshp, and to insist upon holding every to
its letter. Even this day, party has come forward
claiming the consigneeship of more than three
quarters of all the contributions Sent from the
United States, whereas it has proved, upon inyest
cation, that not forty ndi yidual consignments have
ever been made to that party.
"Above everything else, this single thing gave,
in the outset, great dissatisfaction to the contriou
tors who here. Charges of the most exorb-
tant character. altogether unnecessary, and, in some
cases, amounting to the full value of he goods,
were incurred by parties who claimed to be con-
signees upon the authority of holding tho certif-
Gates. A, the risk of strong opposition, but with
the appreciation of the contributors upon the ground,
| have taken the responsibility Of denying all but
the written authority Of the ownerss, and 10 so do
ing have reduced the expenses upon the goods at
least one-half."
The Royal Commissioners were very de sirous to
get back much of the allotted space this
country wouli not require, in consequence of an
increased demand being made for the display Of
cargo of shaws and carpets, which the sultan Of
Turkey had despatched in of his steam frgates.
The official returns of the population of the Dis
trct of Columbia have been made up at the Census
Office, as follows 80