Orders Issued by the Board of Customs, Treasury and Queen, 1846-1848

Great Britain: S.n., 1846-1848. A Glimpse into the Daily Operations of Victorian British Customs [Board of Customs]. [Great Britain]. [Collection of Orders Relating to Commerce and Trade Issued by the Board of Customs, Treasury, Privy Council and Queen]. [Great Britain: S.n., 1846-1848]. [357] ff. Folio (13-1/4" x 8-1/4"; 33.6 x 20.9 cm). Contemporary three-quarter vellum over plain paper-covered boards, early hand-lettered title to spine, edges of bound-in sheets untrimmed. Light soiling to exterior, vellum starting to crack through paper, corners bumped and worn, front hinge split causing front board and spine to separate from text block, rear hinge just starting. Most items printed on blue paper and docketed "On the Service of the Customs./ Collector and Comptroller/ at [blank]" in print, some dockets completed "Hull" in ink. Light toning to interior, light soiling to edges, single hole through each item near top (from prior posting?) affecting text, legibility slightly impacted in places, occasional light foxing, a few partial cracks to text block, a few items loosening but secure, early manuscript notes, signatures and/or corrections to many items, some with postmarks or manuscript dockets. $1,500. * An extraordinary and remarkably detailed insider compilation of official orders, broadsides, circulars, and departmental notices documenting the day-to-day administrative machinery of British global trade at the dawn of the High Victorian era. Likely assembled contemporaneously by a senior customs officer-with several entries pointing specifically to operations out of the port of Hull-this volume captures a pivotal moment of institutional transformation as Great Britain dismantled long-standing mercantilist protections and embraced free trade. Spanning the crucial years between 1846 and 1848, the collection highlights the radical liberalization of British commercial policy triggered by Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel's repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. As trade tariffs were slashed and imperial commerce exploded in volume, the Board of Customs was forced to adapt rapidly to unprecedented administrative, logistical, and legal challenges. Many of the orders in this volume are apparently unrecorded, with no copies located on OCLC or Library Hub.…