the character of our journal, and of the officers of Customs at Liverpool, will point out to us the propriety of publishing the whole" of their report on the case. Accordingly we do so :

Copy of an Order of the Board of Customs, dated 7th February, 1873.

The Board of Customs have had before them the evidence adduced at the investigation which has been held by Mr. Ogilvie, Surveyor-General, in pursuance of their directions, in consequence of the statements reflecting upon the character of the officers of Customs at Liverpool, contained in an article entitled "Written with a Purpose, by an American," and published in the periodical called ONCE A WEEK, on the 9th November last; and also in a letter by Mr. Dent, the author of the article referred to, to the editor of the periodical, and printed in the number published on the 4th January.

In the article in question reference is made to the grievance arising from the gratuity system, which is stated to be prevalent from one end of this country to the other; and the article then proceeds as follows:

"My experience of the gratuity system dates from the time when I had been in England about thirty seconds. The moment I disembarked at Liverpool, I walked forward into the large cattle-pen where passengers' trunks and luggage are supposed to be subjected to the scrutiny of the Custom House officials.

I say 'supposed to be,' because, in point of

fact, they are, as a rule, only subjected to such scrutiny in the event of their owner's neglecting to espouse the gratuity system by 'tipping' half-acrown-or it may be a few pence-to the person whose duty it is to examine his luggage. I was asked if I had any cigars or tobacco in my trunks. I replied in the negative, and was proceeding to unlock and unstrap them one after another for the official's inspection, when I received from him a gentle, insinuating nudge on the shoulder. I looked up, and then, for the first time in my life, I saw the face of a veritable Jerry Sneak. He placed his knuckles up to his forehead, and then, with a sort of wheezy grunt, commenced rapidly moving his eyes from my breast to the ground, and vice versa-he had not sufficient manhood to look as high as my face. I had never been subjected to anything of this kind before, but I had read of it; and there was no misunderstanding his pitiful, hangdog gestures. If ever actions spoke louder than words could possibly have done, they did on this occasion. With a smile of unconcealed contempt, I slipped half-a-crown into his apparently unconscious hand, and for that sum purchased the privilege of relocking my trunks without any further inspection, and going on my way rejoicing. For all he knew to the contrary, I might have a hundredweight of choice Virginia in those

more.

"Far be it from me to assert that there are no honest men among the Liverpool Custom House officials. For all I know there may be one, or even two. But here I beg to record my sin

cere conviction, a conviction in which nine out of every ten American travellers in England will fully bear me out, that such officials are as few as were righteous men in the Cities of the Plain.”

The assertions and charges contained in the foregoing extracts may be shortly stated to be

involv

1. That the baggage of passengers arriving in the event of the owners neglecting to give at Liverpool is only subjected to examination gratuities to the officers of Customs, ing a general charge of corruption against all the officers of Customs at that port whose duty it is to examine the baggage of passengers arriving from abroad.

2. That passengers have been put to delay and inconvenience in consequence of their determination not to yield to the tacit importunities of the Custom House servants.

3. A specific charge that an officer of Customs, on the occasion of Mr. Dent's arriving in Liverpool from America, solicited, by actions which if possible spoke louder than words, a gratuity; and on receiving it passed his (Mr. Dent's) baggage without examination.

In support of this last charge the following evidence was given by Mr. Dent at the investigation:—

"I am the author of the paper published in the number of ONCE A WEEK, dated November 9, 1872, called Written with a Purpose.' When I arrived in England the first time, I had no experience of the venality of the Customs. The arrival referred to in my article was on the 11th of June last, by the City of Paris, from New York. I do

nation if they received gratuities. My observations apply to the inferior as well as the superior officers."

Mr. T. B. Sherlock, baggage agent to the Inman line, states :

"I never knew of gratuities being given to Customs officers for examining baggage. I have never experienced any difficulty or delay, and find the officers most willing. I have never heard complaints of delay from people in consequence of not giving gratuities. I have never seen baggage delivered to passengers without its being opened and examined. I have never known a case of a gratuity being given to a Customs officer for any purpose."

Mr. J. Wallace, superintendent of the Customs department of the Cunard line,

states:

"I have never had any difficulty in getting baggage examined by the Customs officers, quite the reverse. . . . I have never heard any complaints of delay in the examination of baggage from passengers whose luggage is examined ashore. Every facility in case of necessity is given by the Customs officers; but the examining officer is always consulted by the inferior officers before such facility is given. I have never seen baggage passed without examination by the officers. I am not aware that gratuities are given to the officers; and such a system certainly does not exist. I knew some time ago of one or two cases where passengers offered half-acrown or so to subordinate officers, who refused to receive the money. My experience is of over seven years.

Mr. Hansell, baggage agent of the Allan line, states:

"I am in the employ of the Allan Steamship Company, and my business is to attend to the Customs business of the firm, including the landing, &c., of baggage. . . . I never have any difficulty in getting the baggage examined, nor have I heard passengers complain of delay-at least, not of any that it was possible to avoid.

"I have never in any case seen the passengers give the officers money, and I never heard of such a practice. I have never seen passengers offer money to Customs officers. The subordinate officers examine passengers' baggage out of turn on application; but not without the sanction and knowledge of the examining officer, who satisfies himself of the necessity for the indulgence. I never saw baggage passed without examination. The examining officers are always present, and keep a constant watch over the subordinate officers. My experience is about seven years."

The Surveyor-General appointed to conduct the investigation has made a report to the Board, from which it appears that the evidence of Mr. Fox and Mr. H. L. Sherlock was given in the presence of Mr. Dent, who was then, at his own urgent request, allowed to retire from the investigation. It further appears that, before Mr. Sherlock was examined, Mr. Dent asked whether he

might cross-question the witness, and was informed that he was at full liberty to do so; but that, notwithstanding this permission, after hearing the evidence he declined to ask Mr. Sherlock any questions. The Board are also informed that before Mr. Dent left Liverpool he tendered his thanks to the Surveyor-General for the courtesy that had been shown to him, and expressed himself quite satisfied with the fairness with which the inquiry had been conducted.

The Board, after a full and careful consideration of the whole case, are satisfied that the assertion in the article of the 9th November last, that baggage, "as a rule, is only subjected to scrutiny in the event of the owners neglecting to espouse the gratuity system," has been made without any foundation on fact, and that the imputation against the integrity of the officers of Customs at Liverpool is altogether undeserved. The weight of evidence on these points clearly tends to prove that no delivery of baggage takes place without the cognizance of the superior officer in charge of the baggage warehouse, nor until a proper examination of the packages has been made. The two cases specially referred to by Mr. Dent in his evidence, with the view of proving that the delivery of packages without examination may be secured by "tipping" the officers, are founded partly upon hearsay and partly upon surmise, and cannot therefore be accepted as any proof that a gratuity was even offered, much less that it was accepted, in either case.

As regards the assertion that passengers have been put to delay and inconvenience in consequence of their determination not to yield to the tacit importunities of the Custom House servants, the Board are satisfied that any delay that the passengers may experience in the delivery of their baggage is not due to the cause alleged by Mr. Dent, but that it is occasioned by the time necessarily occupied in transferring the packages from the importing ship into the baggage warehouse, arranging the packages therein. for inspection, and in removing them from the warehouse after being examined. The Customs department is in no way responsible for the manner in which these arrangements are carried out, the work being performed by persons unconnected with the department. The only duty the officers of Customs have to perform is to examine the baggage with as little inconvenience to the owners as

is consistent with a due discharge of their duty to the Crown.

It only remains for the Board to deal with the specific charge brought forward by Mr. Dent-viz., that on the occasion of his arrival from America on the 11th June last, an officer of Customs, by actions which, if possible, spoke louder than words, solicited a gratuity, and on receiving it passed his baggage without examination. The evidence given by Mr. Dent himself is entirely inconsistent with the truth of this accusation, as-without taking into consideration the discrepancy as to the time when the money is alleged to have been given-he states distinctly that the officer who passed his baggage "did not ask for money, but I had some conversation in which I conveyed the idea I would remunerate him. I don't recollect the precise words. The offer came from me." The Board observe that Mr. Dent did not identify the recipient of his money amongst the thirteen officers who alone were employed, on 11th June last, to examine the baggage by the City of Paris, when those officers were paraded before him on the 30th ultimo.

On review of the whole case, the Board consider that they would fail in their duty to their officers at Liverpool, whose integrity has been so wantonly impugned on this occasion, if they did not record their conviction that the evidence adduced has failed to afford any foundation for the accusation that has been brought against them.

As we wish to be perfectly fair towards her Majesty's Commissioners, we publish the above report in extenso. At the same time, we must say that we are unable to concur in their opinion as to the conclusiveness of the evidence in vindication of the integrity of the subordinate officers of Customs at Liverpool. It seems to us that the negative evidence of four or five persons, or even of ten thousand persons, to the effect that they never saw gratuities given, cannot be permitted to prevail against the positive evidence of our contributor, who brings forward three specific cases which have come under his own personal observation, and do not rest, as the report most unfairly states, upon mere hearsay or surmise. If a man be detected in the act of cutting a throat, the court before which he is tried will scarcely regard it as conclusive evidence of his innocence that several other persons did

not happen to be present on the occasion, and see the crime committed. If prisoners were acquitted upon such evidence-which is, of course, no evidence at all-it would be impossible to convict a criminal of any offence whatever; since it stands to reason that, out of the many millions of persons who make up the earth's population, some few must be absent from the commission of every offence. It is as who should say, the Pyramids of Egypt do not exist. It is true that innumerable writers have given their testimony to the contrary, and one gentleman has positively sworn that he has seen them. But what then? Smith and Jones have sworn that they never saw themtherefore, they do not exist.

The report of the Commissioners is an ex parte statement, and has the value generally attaching to one-sided statements. There is a reply to the Commissioners' report. We have not space for it this week. We shall print it in our next issue.

TOLD ROUND A NEW ZEALAND - CAMP FIRE.-V.

THREE NIGHTS IN A FORSAKEN CLAIM.

(Concluded.)

To make myself as comfortable as pos

sible, and to dispel the miserable, lonely feeling that would keep stealing over me as darkness set in, I made a good, bright, cheerful fire, which lighted up my prison; then I made some tea, and, rolling myself in my blanket, lay down, and being tired by having had no sleep the night before, and with the anxiety and excitement, soon fell into a deep, sound sleep.

It must have been some hours afterwards that I awoke, feeling cold and wet. My fire, which I had put on the mound of earth I had made, had burned low, and was almost gone out, so that I was in darkness. Stretching out my hand, with the intention of throwing some wood, which I had placed all ready before I lay down, on the fire, I put it into a pool of water up to the wrist. At first I thought I had put my hand into a hole, which was filled with water by the rain; but on getting up to feed the fire, I felt the whole floor was covered about two or three inches deep with water. Suddenly, the thought flashed across my brain that the creek had swollen so much as to be finding its way into the hole. The idea gave me

such a start that I could hear the pulses of my heart beating.

What a terrible death was before me if this was the case! For a moment, I pictured to myself the water gaining inch by inch until I was floated off my legs, and I fancied myself swimming round and round the hole, like a mouse in a basinful of water, growing weaker and weaker, until at last, exhausted, I let my head sink below the water, never to rise again-probably never to be seen again by mortal eyes. The thought paralyzed me for a few moments. Then I heaped wood on the little fire there was, and soon got enough flame to show me a stream of water, small as yet, trickling down the side of the hole. There was no doubt of it—the creek, or some other stream, had found its way into the hole, and would soon fill it.

What could I do? Must I be drowned in this miserable way, without even a struggle for life? Certainly, the rain might stop before enough water flowed in to drown me; but a very few short hours would decide that; and meantime the stream steadily increased, until at last it became a small waterfall, not running down the sides, but leaping boldly down, as if eager to seize on its prey. By the time daylight appeared, I was up to my knees in water, and it was gaining faster than ever. Of course the fire had gone out some time before this, so that I had been left in complete darkness; and you cannot imagine the terrible misery I endured during that time, listening to the falling water with the same dismayed interest with which the condemned criminal listens to the sickening sound of the hammer preparing the scaffold on which he is doomed to die a revolting death on the

morrow.

The light at first seemed only to show me more than ever the utter hopelessness of my position. The water was now pouring in, and filling the hole more rapidly than ever, and a very short time would suffice to do so now. I gave up all hope of being saved now; and taking an old letter from my pocket, wrote a few words on it, telling how I was situated, and where; then, putting it into my quart pot, I tied a piece of wood over the mouth with a strip of my shirt, and threw it away, hoping that it would float out at the top of the hole, and perhaps be picked up some time or other.

And then, like lightning, it flashed across

my mind, why not float out myself? If the quart pot could do so, why should not I? With tremulous haste, I got hold of two or three of the largest pieces of wood which floated about beside me, and bound them together as well as I could with what little was left of my shirt. Still, I had not enough to float me; and by this time the water was breast high, and in a few minutes would take me off my legs. Why had I not thought of all this sooner? Suddenly, the pole I had made attracted my attention, and I hurried to untie and add each piece to my raft. It was slow work; and by the time I had fastened three more pieces to it, I could no longer stand. Still, the raft was a great support, and I continued to increase it as much as possible. I felt now that I was saved-unless, indeed, my frail raft went to pieces, and of this there was every chance, for the water was now coming in with such force as to cause a sort of whirlpool, making my raft spin round and round like a top, and giving me as much as I could do to cling to it, without trying to make it more

secure.

For about an hour I was bobbing about in this way-the water increasing faster and faster, but not too fast for me now. Then I became aware that it was darker; and, looking upwards, to my dismay I saw the roots of a large tree slowly being swept into the entrance of the hole, and threatening either to tumble in and crush me, or, worse still, to close up the mouth like a lid. I need not say how anxiously I watched its progress. Each time I looked it seemed nearer; but after a little I thought it had ceased to move, then I felt quite certain of it; and now the spinning motion of my rast was less, although the water flowed in more rapidly than ever. This I soon saw was owing to the large tree breaking the stream, and spreading the water more round the edges of the hole, so that the tree proved at last my best friend; in fact, had it not been for this, I very much doubt if I should have had strength sufficient to have held on to the raft, with the water falling on me in such quantities and with such force as it latterly would have done, if the tree had not intercepted and scattered it.

You may imagine, for I cannot describe, what I felt when I floated high enough to lay hold of the roots of the tree. I soon got on to the trunk, and gazed round. What a sight met my eyes! The whole flat was one