me rcantile business?-I am not aware whether he had confined his business to the country.

(797) Had he been a solicitor at an inland town in the country?—Yes, he bad.

(798) So that he could have had no knowledge of the Customs business, or of mercantile business, when his appointment as assistant solicitor to the Customs took place ?—I am not aware that he had any such knowledge.

(799) Did I understand you to say that you found him acting as assistant solicitor when you went to the office?— Yes.

(800) And if I rightly understand you, he was appointed solicitor in 1849?-Yes, he was appointed solicitor in consequence of the recommendation of the Commission of Revenue Inquiry that some reduction should be made in the solicitor's department. If I recollect rightly the Lords of the Treasury wrote to the Board of Customs, directing them to point out the way in which that reduction could be carried out, and what was the best arrangement that they could suggest. At that time we had a solicitor in London, with a salary of 2,500l. a year; we had an assistant solicitor with a salary of 1,000l. a year, increasing to 1,2007. There was a solicitor in Dublin with, I think, a salary of 500l.; and a solicitor in Scotland.

(801) Do I understand you to say that all those offices existed in the year 1849?—Yes.

(802) Do you know the salary of the solicitor in Scotland? -His salary was 4007. a year; that officer died in the year 1849, in September.

(803) That amounted altogether to 4,4007.?—Yes, the maximum being 4,6007.; and there was an agent in Scotland for Scotch law, at a salary of 801. a year. We were of opinion that the offices of solicitor for Scotland and Ireland might be very properly abolished, and that a solicitor and assistant solicitor in England would be sufficient to carry on the business, still retaining the agent for Scotch law at 807. a year. Then it was necessary, in order to reduce the number of the solicitors from three to one, that one of them should be superseded; and the Board determined to recommend that the solicitor in London, Mr.

A a

Walford, who was above seventy years of age, should be requested to retire, and that the assistant solicitor should be appointed solicitor in his place, reducing the salary from 2,5007. to 2,000l.; and that the solicitor in Ireland should be made assistant solicitor in London.

(804) What does the assistant solicitor receive ?—1,0007, a year.

(805) What superannuation does Mr. Walford, the late solicitor get?-His superannuation is about 1,4007. a year.

(806) So that by way of economy you have substituted for a solicitor and assistant solicitor in London, and a solicitor in Dublin, receiving 4,2007. per annum, a solicitor and assistant solicitor in England, and a superannuation allowance, making altogether 4,4001. ?—That is the result of the arrange

ment,

(817) In the new arrangement of the solicitor, you ap pointed the London assistant solicitor, with a salary of 2,0007, per annum ?—Yes, the assistant solicitor in London was promoted to be solicitor, and the solicitor in Dublin was brought over to be assistant solicitor in London, with a salary of 10007.

(818) How many years had the solicitor in Dublin been in the employment of the Board as solicitor?-About twenty-six or twenty-seven years; he was an old officer.

(819) Had he not been for many years, at the time of his appointment as solicitor in Dublin, filling some situation in the solicitor's office in London ?—No I think not.

(820) Do I understand you that Mr. Blacker, the solicitor in Dublin, had been for the whole twenty-seven years for which he had been in the service of the Board, the solicitor in Dub. lin?-During the Custom-house frauds, when there was a great pressure of business in the solicitor's department in London, Mr. Blacker was brought over to assist, and he was some time in London, but he was always attached to Dublin,

(821) He had acquired experience in London business?— Yes; but there was an additional advantage in appointing him assistant solicitor in London, as we abolished the oflice of solicitor in Ireland; we had the benefit of his experience to enable us to carry out that saving; there was some doubt en

tertained as to whether we could safely abolish the office of solicitor in Ireland, but having Mr. Blacker as assistant solicitor in England, we felt sure that with his experience of Irish practice we could safely abolish the office of solicitor in Dublin.

Mr. Dawson is Sir Robert Peel's brother-in-law. Mr. Hamel was his solicitor at Tamworth, it is believed. Mr. Dawson is asked

(1741) Do you consider that a barrister having a higher standing in his profession would be as likely to recommend a course of litigious proceeding to the Board of Customs as a solicitor?-I think that a barrister of high standing in his profession would be very apt to slur over cases that come before the solicitor of the Customs; and I think it is very likely also, on the other hand, that a solicitor would be very apt to be a man of very sharp practice in those matters; so that you have to choose between the two points, having an indolent and careless solicitor as a barrister, or a very sharp practitioner as a solicitor. In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the cases that come before the solicitor for prosecution in the Customs, are cases of rogues and smugglers, and swindlers, and cases of that kind. In these great cases of the London Docks and the St. Katharine's Docks, it is a different question; perhaps it is one which required a man of very enlarged mind to decide upon it, but I do not think Mr. Hamel had the power of deciding upon it himself; he is only an officer of the Board, and he referred to the Crown officers.

It has to be explained that the Treasury had resolved and directed that the solicitor of the Board should be a barrister, not a solicitor.

(1746) I observe from this minute that you consider Mr. Blacker to have manifested great aptitude for busiuess?— He had.

(1747) And he had also been employed during those great frauds in London to assist Mr. Walford ?—He had.

(1748) You have also stated that you did not consider Mr. Mr. Hamel as assistant solicitor to have any decided right upon that ground to be appointed solicitor?—Yes.

(1749) Then why was Mr. Hamel, who had been three years assistant solicitor, recommended for the appointment of solicitor in preference to Mr. Blacker, who had been twenty six years in the service of the Customs, and had shown great aptitude for business?—I believe Mr. Blacker would not accept the office of solicitor in London, and that weighed very much with the Commissioners in their recommendation.

(1750) Was it offered to him ?—I am not sure that it was offered, but it was ascertained from him that he would not accept it.

END OF PART II.

A

REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS

AT A

PUBLIC MEETING

OF THE MERCHANTS, BANKERS, AND TRADERS OF THE CITY OF LONDON, HELD AT THE LONDON TAVERN,

ON WEDNESDAY, DEC. 3, 1851,

FOR A

Reform of the Board of Customs.

JOHN MASTERMAN, ESQ., M.P.,

IN THE CHAIR.

TO WHICH IS ADDED A

REPORT OF THE DEPUTATION

то

LORD JOHN RUSSELL.

LONDON:

EFFINGHAM WILSON, 11, ROYAL EXCHANGE.

1851.