Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-04-06
The New Tariff at the New York Custom
House.

The New York Herald says Some amusin,
scenes occurred Tuesday in front of the entr,
clerks desks. One was an invoice of so man.
"tumula" of nuts. The tumula is a measure
the nuts pay by weight, viz: one cent Pc
pound The following conversation ensued be
tween the clerks:
"How may pounds of nuts 90 to a tumula -
"All depends whether the nuts are green o.
dry"
How can we tell that?"
" Ask the merchant and take his numbers
1t you do not think them high enough clap or
an extra ten per cent. and charge the duty t.
the sum total -
Now, this was all very we'll for the clerk.
to talk so; but how the merchant would have
felt had he heard the conversation is better Il
be imagined than described. Certain it is he
would have taken care to so specify the weight
as to allow Of the ten per cent addition A
similar case of intricate calculation occurred
In shipment of hemp seed, which was in.
voiced in quantities under some particular
denomination. The duty had to be rated upon
every bushel of ffty-two pounds The first
the said quantity, then reduce it to bushels
and charge the duty. Oh, the poor clerk
One brokers' boy, while our reporter was
present, brought up an entry of goods on board
the Borussia, having in his possession bill of
iias1g Sssr5n9g 9 date SsusI Marsh f. He had been
accompanied with bills of lading of the 18th
and 10Th
"Ah, ha :" said the boy, "thats the 18th.
Now, that comes under the old tariff
"I'll not take that" said the entry clerk.
"You must" was the reply.
mo, / must not, p" said the clerk
Then of goes your head" replied the
young urchin as he ran off.
But the entry was subsequently passed
Another case was an entry for some "extract
of coaP'-a new, beautiful dye, lately intro
duced. Now the purport Of the tariff is sup
posed to admit all extracts used in dyeing free
of duty, as the clause is thus worded Extract
Of indigo, extract Of madder, extract and de-
coctions Of logwood and other dyewoods not
otherwise provided for-free,"
The clerk said that the article was not speci.
fed.
"It's an extract for dyeing," asserted the
merchant.
us it of indigo'"
''Is it of madden"
'Is il of wood?"
eyes, slightly altered
"Coal is not wood, no how you can fix it.
so you will have to pay a duty of 20 per cent
for this as an article manufactured, wholly or
In part, not otherwise provided for"
"You don't mean that, do you'"
''Yes, do"
"Well, then, the dyers will grumble, you'll
And so the conversation ended We have
no doubt the dyers will grumble, and so will
the ladies, for by this duty the beautiful Sol
ferino, Magenta and mauve colors will be all
but prohibited
What is the difference between precious
stones and GLACIERS diamonds" cries out an
entry clerk
Don't know; don't see any difference" is
the response.
Diamonds are included under the head of
precious stones, are they not?'
II suppose So"
"Well, here are precious stones not set re-
qulred to pay five per cent; precious stones,
real or false set in metal, twenty five per cent,
and glsizers' diamonds, set or not set, ten per
cent what is the cause Of this difference"
"Ask Mr.. Morrill,; he only knows"