CHANGE OF DUTIES UPON IMPORTS INTO PERU.

We are indebted to the Department of State, at Washington, for the following important information respecting a change in the duties levied upon certain articles imported into Peru. The information was received at the Department from STANHOPE PREVOST, Esq., United States Consul at Lima, on the 2d of August, 1848.

In the Appropriation Bill for the years 1848 and 1849, sanctioned by the Congress of Peru on the 10th of March last, the import duty was varied from 25 per cent to 40 per cent on paper and on "Tocuyos;" which term comprehends all kinds of gray or unbleached cottons, twilled as well as plain. This bill received the executive sanction on the 27th March, but was not promulgated until the 12th of May, as per decree of that date published in the official gazette of the 13th of same month, namely, the "Peruano," No. 41, vol. xix. According to Art. 5th of said decree, this increase of duty is not to take effect until after the different periods prescribed by Art. 153d of existing tariff, which says, that in all cases of alterations in rates of duties, the change shall not commence to take effect until ten months thereafter, on goods or vessels arriving from Europe, Asia, and the United States; thus making it the 13th of January, 1849, before the new duty of 40 per cent, as above, can be exacted by the Peruvian authorities.

The same law, or Appropriation Bill before mentioned, prescribes a reduction of the duty on leaf tobacco from $35 per quintal (former duty) to $15 per quintal; which reduction is also to take effect at the same period, namely, 13th of January next, on vessels from the United States.

MASSACHUSETTS MACKEREL INSPECTION.

At a meeting of the Massachusetts Inspectors of Fish, called by the General Inspector, and held at the Tremont Temple, Boston, June 22d, 1848, E. G. Nickerson, of Boston, Timothy A. Smith, of Gloucester, Joseph J. Proctor, P. S. Atwood, of Wellfleet, Enos Nickerson and E. Smith, of Provincetown, and William Hale, Jr., of Newburyport, were chosen a committee to prepare a suitable statement for publication in the Philadelphia, New York, and Boston papers, which we here subjoin :

The committee have carefully considered the papers and evidence offered to the said meeting, and state that, while they fully admit that much negligence and carelessness has existed in the inspection and packing of mackerel during the past fishing season, they wish to call the attention of those interested to the fact, that the inspectors labor under great difficulties and responsibilities, and have been subjected to gross impositions.

This statement is not made as an excuse for the quality of the parcels of mackerel which have been complained of and in many instances condemned by the general inspector, but as a candid view of the case, due alike to the inspectors and the dealer and consumer. Satisfactory evidence has been offered to prove the practice as having existed, during the past season, in other States-particularly in New York-of branding packages of mackerel with a fictitious Massachusetts brand; for instance, "Provincetown, Mass., No. 1 Mackerel. E. Smith, Insp." Thus, by omitting a letter in the inspector's name-the true name being E. S. Smith-the penalties of the law against forgery are evaded, and a gross fraud practiced upon the inspector and purchaser.

In reference to the complaints against rusty mackerel, the committee would state, that mackerel often become rusty through want of proper care, after leaving the inspectors' hands.

The buyer has a duty to perform as well as the inspector. Mackerel are often exposed to the weather in shipping and loading, during the summer months, a longer time than is necessary; they are frequently stored in piles of four to six tiers high, in which case the pickle will leak out of the lower tier, and the fish, of course, become rusty; the barrels are then sometimes refilled with water, to the manifest injury of the fish. The general inspector has stated that he will not condemn any fish where there is no apparent neglect in the culling, packing, or the quality of the casks.

The committee have above endeavored to state some instances in which, by the malpractices and carelessness of the dealers, the reputations and pockets of the inspectors have been made to suffer.

The committee distinctly repudiate the construction of the inspection law as read by some parties, that the best of each fare are No. 1. Mackerel must be of suitable fainese to constitute No. 1.

The specimens offered to the meeting by the general inspector, as a standard, are considered sufficiently low, without dissent. The great diversity of quality from year to year, and at different periods during each year, will always render the duty of the inspector a difficult one.

The Chatham No. 1, of the last season, were as much above our standard of No. 1, as the Bay Chaleur were below it.

The committee unite in calling upon the inspectors to abandon the practice heretofore prevalent in some places, of allowing any of the crew to cull their own fish, and insist that no fish should be passed except by the inspector and his hired and authorized assistants. Great care in the selection and coopering of casks is recommended, and buyers are requested to erase the brand after emptying the cask.

The committee would state that complaints have been settled the past season by some inspectors, without the intervention of the general inspector, in which case the condemned fish are liable to go into the market again under the original brands, to the injury of the character of the said brands; they therefore recommend that no claim for damages be allowed or paid unless sanctioned by the general inspector.

The committee have noticed sundry publications in New York and Philadelphia papers, in reference to Massachusetts Inspection. In reply, they have only to say that the Massachusetts Inspection is the only responsible and reliable brand in the market. Let that brand be protected from the evils cited above, and the complaints of the past season will rarely be heard.

MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANIES IN NEW YORK.

We publish below an accurate copy of a law passed by the New York Legislature April 8th, 1848, in relation to the business of Mutual Insurance Companies.

AN ACT IN RELATION TO THE BUSINESS OF MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANIES.

SEC. 1. Every person becoming a member of any Mutual Insurance Company now incorporated under any law of this State in any of the counties of this State, by effecting insurance therein, shall, before he receives his policy, deposit his promissory note for such a sum of money as shall be determined by the directors of said company; such part of said note, not exceeding twenty per cent, as shall be required by the by-laws of the corporation shall be immediately paid, and the remainder of the said deposit note shall be payable, in whole or in part, as the exigencies of the company shall require for the payment of losses by fire and the incidental expenses of the company. At the expiration of the term of insurance, the said note, or such part of the same as shall remain unpaid, after receiving thereon from the maker a proportionate share for all losses and expcuses occurring during said term, shall be relinquished by the company to the maker; and it shall be lawful for the company to loan such portion of the money as may not be immediately wanted for the use of the corporation, provided the same shall be secured by a bond and a mortgage on unincumbered real estate of double the value of the sum loaned.

SEC. 2. The acts of the Franklin County Mutual Insurance Company, in receiving more than five per cent upon their deposit notes at the time of insurance and taking of their respective notes and risks, are hereby confirmed.

SEC. 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

THE WEIGHT OF SACK SALT REGULATED.

The "People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly," passed on the 5th of April, 1848, the following

ACT TO REGULATE THE WEIGHT OF SACK SALT.

SEC. 1. The superintendent of the Onondaga Salt Springs shall, by regulation, require that all salt manufactured at said salt springs, and put up for market in sacks or bags, containing a less quantity than one bushel, shall contain either twenty or twenty-eight pounds; and he shall require that each sack so put up, shall be legibly marked with the name of the manufacturer or person who may put up the same for sale or market, together with the number of pounds of salt contained in such sack; and all such salt shall be deemed to be uninspected, and subject to a duty of one cent per bushel, the same as all other uninspected salt is subject, until it is legibly marked with the brand of the said superintendent; and any person who shall remove, or attempt to remove, such uninspected salt from the reservation, shall be liable to all the penalties to which they would be liable, in case they should remove, or attempt to remove, any other uninspected salt from the reservation, and upon which the duties had not been paid.

REGULATIONS OF YACHT NAVIGATION.

The following "Act to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to license yachts, and for other purposes," passed both houses of Congress at its last session, and was approved by the President of the United States, August 7th, 1848.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized to cause yachts used and employed exclusively as pleasure vessels, and designed as models of naval architecture, and now entitled to be enrolled as American vessels, to be licensed on terms which will authorize them to proceed from port to port in the United States, without entering or clearing at the custom-house. Such license shall be in such form as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe: Provided, such vessels so enrolled and licensed shall not be allowed to transport merchandise, or to carry passengers for pay: And provided further, that the owner of any such vessel, before taking out such license, shall give a bond, in such form and for such amount as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe, conditional that the said vessel shall not engage in any unlawful trade, nor in any way violate the revenue laws of the United States, and shall comply with the laws in all other respects.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That all such vessels shall, in all respects, except as above, be subject to the laws of the United States, and shall be liable to seizure and for feiture for any violation of the provisions of this act.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That all such licensed yachts shall use a signal of the form, size, and colors prescribed by the Secretary of the Navy, and the owners thereof shall at all times permit the naval architects in the employment of the United States to examine and copy the models of said yachts.

LIQUIDATION OF CLAIMS AGAINST MEXICO.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, August 4, 1848.

In pursuance of the provisions of the act of Congress of the 20th July, 1848, entitled "An act for the payment of liquidated claims against Mexico," notice is hereby given to the holders of said claims, to "surrender and deliver up the certificates issued to them respectively from the Treasury Department of the United States, under the provisions of the act of Congress of the 1st of September, 1841," so as to enable this Department to pay said certificates on the 27th of October, 1848, being the day of payment notified under the law. The certificates should be transmitted, with as little delay as practicable, to the Fifth Auditor of the Treasury, so that a speedy settlement and adjustment of the claims may take place. R. J. WALKER, Secretary of the Treasury.

BELGIAN COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS.

The Belgian consul at New York gives notice that the Belgian government has suspended, until the 1st of January, 1849, the enforcement of the following regulations, applicable to both Belgian and foreign vessels and their cargoes:

1. The Consular Visa to charter parties' Manifests or Bills of Lading is no longer

3. Both Belgian and foreign vessels and their cargoes, sailing from the United States for Belgium, are now allowed to call or stop at any intermediate ports, and be admitted subsequently to Belgian ports upon the most favored footing, provided they can furnish a certificate of any Belgian consulate or local custom-house, stating that the cargo has remained unbroken.

THE COLLECTION DISTRICT OF BRUNSWICK.

The Act of Congress destroying the collection district of Brunswick, in the State of Georgia, in 1844, was repealed at the last session of Congress, and the "said district is re-established, and restored in all respects as it was before the passage of said Act."

RAILROAD, CANAL, AND STEAMBOAT STATISTICS.

THE RAILROADS OF IRELAND.

THE railways in actual operation on 1st December, 1847, were-The Dublin, Kingstown, and Dalkey; Ulster; Dublin and Drogheda; Derry and Enniskillen, to Strabane; the Great Southern and Western, to Carlow and Roscrea; and the Midland Great Western, to the Hill of Down.

The Dublin and Kingstown line was opened in December, 1834, to Kingstown, 6 miles, and thence, in 1844, by atmospheric agency, to Dalkey, 14 miles. The business on the line, (that to Dalkey excepted,) both as to passengers and goods, during the three years ending the last day of February, 1847, was:

There has been a diminution of income from the Dalkey (atmospheric) branch, which the Directors conceive has been more than compensated by the increase of traffic on the original line, caused by this extension. A dividend, at the rate of £9 per cent per annum, was made at the half year ending in April, 1847, leaving a reserved fund of £9,007. The following table gives the classification of passengers for each of the last eight years, ending the last day of February:

The Ulster line, opened in 1842, proceeds from Belfast, by Lisburn, Moira, and Lurgan, to Portadown, 25 miles. The traffic has, since the opening, been increasing, and was, for the years ending

March, 1843..

46 1844..

66 1845..

Passengers. Fares.

690,477 24,295 11,471 35,766

The Dublin and Drogheda line, opened 24th May, 1844, proceeds from Dublin, by Malahide and Balbriggan, to Drogheda, 314 miles. A branch line to Howth was opened in May, 1847. The expenditure of the company, from its commencement to July, 1847, was £631,258. The traffic on the line has been, from commencement, 24th May, to—

The Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway was opened, as far as Strabane, about 15 miles, on 19th April, 1847.

The main line of the Great Southern and Western Railway to Kildare, with the branch to Carlow, a distance of 55 miles, was opened in August, 1846. A further portion, from Kildare to Maryborough, (20 miles,) in June, 1847; and from Maryborough to Roscrea (16 miles) in September, 1847. The total length of railway then in actual working was 92 miles. The cost of the line to Carlow was only at the rate of £11,960 per mile, being for construction, £562,540; Parliamentary and other contingent expenses, £113,000;

total, £675,540. This company participated in the recent government loan to Irish railways to the amount of £500,000. The traffic shows a progressive increase, and yields now upon an average more than £2,000 weekly. The passenger traffic, since the opening of the liue, has been as follows:

66

5 months ending 31st Dec., 1846. 30th June, 1847

6

Fares.

First class. Second class. Third class. Total. 19,166) 41,283 82,036 145,485) £17,778 74 27,925 60,692 128,779 217,397 24,935 10 3 The Midland Great Western Railway was opened on 28th June, 1817, as far as Enfield, and has since been further opened for traffic to the Hill of Down, a distance of about 33 miles.

The Belfast and County of Down Railway is rapidly approaching to completion. That portion which forms the branch to Hollywood was opened for traffic in the month of April, 1843; and the main line, as far as Comber and Newtownards, most probably during the ensuing summer.

RATE OF RAILROAD FREIGHT AND FARES

ON SIXTY-EIGHT RAILROADS IN THE UNITED STATES.

The American Railroad Journal furnishes the following statement of the rates of fare and freight on sixty-eight American roads. It will be found exceedingly convenient for merchants and others.

Eastern Railroad, Boston to Portland, 105 miles-freights on groceries, grain, iron, butter, and dry-goods, $3 55 through, or 3.4 cents per mile; light and bulky articles, $5 through, or 4.76 cents per ton per mile; fare, $3 through, or 2.85 cents per mile.

Boston and Maine Road, Boston to South Berwick, 72 miles-freight, salt, sugar, groceries, iron, and coal, $1 76, or 2.14 per ton per mile; light and bulky articles, $2 88, or 3.5 per ton per mile; one horse, $3 62; two horses, $5 43; one horse carriage, $2 71; two horse carriage, $3 62; four horse carriage, $5 43; fare, $1 62 through, or 2.25 per mile.

Lowell Railroad, 26 miles-merchandise generally, $1 25 per 2,000 lbs.; by cargo through, $1 10; passenger fare, 56 cents, or 2.15 cents per mile.

Nashua and Lowell, 15 miles-freight generally, $1 per ton; horses, $1; one horse coaches, $1; passenger fare, 40 cents, or 2.66 cents per mile.

Concord Road, Nashua to Concord, 34 miles-freight is divided into 1st and 2d class, and is charged about 4 cents and 3 cents per ton per mile, or $3 and $2 50 through to Boston, 75 miles, and lumber, 75 cents per 1,000, and hard wood, $2 75 per cord; pine wood, $2 25 through; horses, one, $3 25; two or more at $2 50 each; two horse carriage, $2 50; fare, 80 cents, or 2.35 per mile.

Worcester Railroad, 44 miles-coal, iron, lumber, etc., 4 cents; heavy merchandise, such as sugar, salt, butter, etc., about 6 cents; groceries and dry-goods, 6 to 8 cents; light and bulky merchandise, 6 to 10 cents per ton per mile; passenger fare, $1 25, or 2.8 cents per mile.

Boston and Providence Railroad, 42 miles-coal, iron, grain, and merchandise generally, from 5 to 7 cents per ton per mile; horses, $4; carriages, $3 to $4; passenger fare, 81 25, or 2.97 cents per mile.

Stonington Road, from Providence to Stonington, 47 miles-corn, grain, iron, coal, sugar, salt, and dry lumber, $2; butter, dry-goods, and bulky articles, $2 80 per ton; one horse, $3; stage-coach, or large carriage, 6 cents per mile; fare, $1 50, or 3.1 cents per mile.

Boston and New York, via Providence and Stonington, 216 miles-freight, measurement goods, 7 cents per cubic foot; by weight, 30 cents per 100 pounds; passenger fare, $5, or 2.3 per mile.

Boston to New York, via Fall River, 223 miles-freight, 7 cents per cubic foot, and 30 cents per 100 pounds; passenger fare, $5, or 2.24 cents per mile.

Fall River Railroad, 53 miles-coal, iron, and grain, $2, and sugar, salt, groceries, butter, and dry-goods, $2 50 per ton; light and bulky articles, charged by measurement, 140 cubic feet to the ton; passenger fare, $1 35, or 2.54 per mile.

Boston and New York, via Norwich-freight as on the other through lines; fare through, $5—and if a passenger wishes to stop over a day on the way, he can do so by applying to the agent in New York or Boston.

Norwich and Worcester Road, 60 miles-we have not got the rates of freight; fare, $150, or 2.5 cents per mile.