asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether any complaint has reached the Foreign Office of great hardships and losses inflicted on British subjects in America through a Custom House rule that any error in an invoice forfeits the whole amount of that invoice, being of late held to apply to even the smallest clerical errors without fraudulent intent; and, whether any representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government on the subject?

No complaint, Sir, of the nature alluded to by the hon. Member has reached the Foreign Office. After the Question of the hon. Member, however, Her Majesty's Government will consider it to be their duty to make inquiries upon the subject.