THE NEW YOEK CUSTOM HOUSE.

Southland Times, Issue 1262, 7 June 1870, Page 3

THE NEW YOEK CUSTOM HOUSE.

* A correspondent of the Daily New* gives a doleful account of his troubles on recently landing at New York from one of the Cunard steamers: — We were ushered into a long barn ; our luggage was carried into it, and after some delay each passenger gathered his impedimenta about him. Slowly, one by one, we passed before the open window of an office, where we were given printed forms to fill up, specifiying the number of our packages and their contents. The forms were collected by a clerk, who sent us each back to our luggage in company with a subordinate. My keeper was a young man of demure appearance, who might have been taken for a village schoolmaster. In obedience to his orders I opened all my boxes. The first thing which he lit upon were some cigarettes. I pointed out that I had entered them in the printed form, and they were laid aside. Beneath the cigarettes were some gloves. The schoolmaster shook his head. "Do you not know that the gloves are dutiable?" he said. I replied that I had not been aware that a traveller would be charged for a few pairs. They were placed with the cigarettes. Then ensued a search which I thought would never end. Everything was turned out." The schoolmaster pried into my boots, and poked his fingers into my bear's grease, because, as he observed, " watches or jewels may be concealed anywhere." At tarn not in the habit of

carrying these costly articles either in my boots or my pomatum pot, noiie were forthcoming and we went back to the office with the gloves and the cigarettes. On the latter I pvd $2 50 cents per lb., besides an ad valorem duty of 25 per cent., but the former I contended were wearing apparel, which it was absurd to tat To come to a Just conclusion upon the. suk. ject, one of my cigarette boxes' was opened, and each clerk lit * agarette. The schoolmaster observed that _he was not a smoker himself, but that he .bad* cousin who was, and he thought perhaps this relative would like a box of cigarettes, I begged him not to baulk his family affections, and aboxwas putaside fortheeousin.By this time the conclave, worked by the fumes of my excellent Latakia, had decided that the United States Treasury were to derive no profit from my &}<>**** and they and my cigarettes were earned back to my trunks. " I got you off 60c. a pair on these gloves," observed the schoolmaster, and I think that they would just fit me." My number is 7* : the schoolmaster had a hand like a leg of mutton, but, overlooking this physical i difficulty, I gave him a pair, which he at once absorbed into his pocket. My good* and chattels were put back, and my trunks were locked up. I thought that my friend l • extortions had come to an end ; not at aU. "If it had not been for, me," he said, " you -would have-paid ten dollars duty on those gloves ; n«w don't you think—" and he gave me a cunning, greedy look. I responded with some, dollars, for, as a matter of curiosity, I was determined to test to the full the capacity for robbing possessed by this guardian of the public purse ; and I saw no more of the schoolmaster. My schoolmaster was, I imagine, neither better nor worse than his colleagues. On the day after my arrival I met a fellow-passenger, who, I observed, had only been subjected to a nominal examination, and I asked him why be had been specially favored. He toldsme?that he had given his card, with his address, to the officer into whose hands he fell, and begged him to call upon him. That morning he had received a visit from him, and handed him ten dollars. This, he assured me, is the plan adopted by those who are experienced in the ways of TJnited States Custom-house officers. The whole thing is a beautiful comment upon high protective duties. If, in the port of New York, goods may be smuggled ad libitum by feeing those whose duty it is to prevent it, the amount of smuggling along the seaboard and Canadian frontier of the vast country must be enormous. Indeed, I am told, upon good authority, that many respectable houses purchase their gooas in Canada to be delivered duty-free in New York. Smuggling has, in fact, become a recognised and almost legitimate line of business.