Mr. CHANDLEIR. In 1852 a law was passed which contained the following provision: “Upon the application of the master or any owner of steamer employed in the carrying of passengers for a license to carry gunpowder, oil of turpentine, Qil of vitriol, camphene, or otheroburning fluids, and materials which ignite by friction, or either of them, the inspectors shall examine such vessels, and if they find that she is provided with chests or safes composedof metal, or entirely lined therewith, or one or more apartments thoroughly lined with metal at a secure distance from any fire, they may grant a certificate toing that effect, authoriz such vessel to carry as freight any of the articles aforesaid, those of eachdescription to besecured in such chest, safe, or apartment, containing no other article, and carried at a distance from any fire to be specified in the certificate: Provided. That any such certificate may be revoked or annulled at any time by the inspectors, upon proof that either of the said articles have been carried on board said vessel, at a place or in a manner not authorized by such certificate or that any of the provisions of this act in relation thereto have been violated.” That act has never been applied to friction matches until September, 1806; nor was the Dept aware of the existence of any such law. In September a man in Louisville discovered the existence of such a law, and for reasons best known to himself called the attention of the Dept to the fact, and compelled the Secretary to issue orders that friction matches should not be carried except in metallic cases. No steamboat in the U.S. is prepared with metallic cases to carry friction matches. The consequence is that the transportation has ceased; they cannot be car ried. They are very bulky. One man in detroit ships 2 or 3 car loads a day. No iron safe can be prepared large enough for them. The SecyTreasury stated to me that he had the matter referred, on this application, to an expert, and that expert told him that you might thrust a red hot iron bar into a box of friction matches, as at present prepared, and they would not ignite unless you withdrew the bar; you must let in air. This is simply a law which was made to apply to something else, and has never been applied to matches until the present moment. A petition has been sent here, asking for a change of the law, by a very large number of wholesale gro cers and others who have occasion to sell friction matches, and the ComCommerce this morning unanimously directed this JtResolution to be reported, and I asked that it be put on its passage at once because very great inconvenience is being suffered by the people of the western rivers by the enforcement of this law.