§ MR. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been directed to a Report of the General Inspector of Sea Fisheries relative to the Continental herring trade, showing that a uniform rate of duty is charged on all kinds and qualities of herring imported into Russia; and whether, in view of the effect upon the trade if the duty on the cheaper classes of Scottish-cured herrings were reduced to a level somewhat similar to that imposed by Germany, he will consider the expediency of making efforts to secure the desired reduction.
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Lord CRANBORNE,) RochesterThe subject of 688 the Russian duty on Scotch herrings has been under the consideration of His Majesty's Government for some time past, and, after receiving a Report on the matter from His Majesty's Ambassador at St. Petersburg, they came to the conclusion that no good purpose would be served by any representations to the Russian Government with a view to the lowering of the Customs tariff.