CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, a body of merchants and traders, associated for the pur pose of promoting the interests of its own members, of the town or district to which the society belongs, and of the community generally, in so far as these have reference to trade and merchandise. Of the means by which these objects are sought to be accom plished, the following may be mentioned as the most prominent: 1. By representing and urging on the legislature the viws of their members in mercantile affairs: 2. By aiding in the preparation of legislative measures having reference to trade, such, for example, as the bankrupt acts; 3. By collecting statistics bearing upon the staple trade of the district; 4. In some places, by acting as a sort of court of arbitration in mercantile questions; 5. By attaining by combination advantages in trade which might be beyond the reach of individual enterprise.
These institutions are of continental origin, and, like so many others which England has borrowed from that source, were first introduced into Scotland. The oldest C. of C. in France is that of Marseille, which dates from the end of the 14th or commencement. of the 15th century. This chamber was invested with very remarkable powers. It shared in the municipal jurisdiction, and in the administration ofjustice in mercantile questions. It was several times suppressed and re-established, and it was not till 1650 that its powers were fixed, and that it received its ultimate organization, The second chamber in France was that of Dunkerque, which was established in 1700. The same year a council-general of commerce was instituted at Paris, which, in addition to six councilors of state, consisted of twelve merchants or traders, delegated by the principal commercial towns of the kingdom, an arrangement which led within the next few years to the formation of chambers of commerce everywhere in France. We thus find that the chamber at Lyon was instituted in 1702, those of Rouen and Toulouse in 1703, of Mont pellier in 1704, of Bordeaux in 1705, etc. By an order of council of Aug. 30, 1702, a direct relation was established between these various chambers and the central council of commerce. These chambers were all suppressed by a decree of the national assem bly in 1791, but they were re-established by a consular edict in 1802, which fixed the population of the towns in which they might be established, and the number of their 1 members, who were to be chosen from amongst the merchants who bad carried on trade in person for a period of not less than ten years. Sixty of the best known merchants, .,presided over by the prefect or the maire, were charged to elect the members of these new chambers. They then presented to the government two candidates for the office of member of the general council of commerce, instituted at Paris under the minister of the interior. This organization was again modified in 1832, and still later by the ordon nances of Sept., 1851, and Aug., 1852, by which these bodies are now regulated. In accordance with that decree, the members of these bodies are now elected bythe chief merchants of each town chosen for Plat purpose by the prefect. Their number cannot
be less than 9, nor more than 21. They hold office for six years, one third of their num ber being renewed every two years, but the members resigning being re-eligible. The functions now assigned to these chambers in France are—to give to the government advice and information on industrial and commercial subrts; to suggest the means of increasing the industry and commerce of their respective districts, or of improving com mercial legislation and taxation; to suggest the execution of works requisite for the public service, or which may tend to the increase of trade or commerce, such as the construction of harbors, the deepening of rivers, the formation of railways, and the like. On these and similar subjects, the advice of the chambers, when not volunteered, is demanded by the government. In most of the other countries of continental Europe there are similar institutions for the purpose of conveying information and advice to the central government, and making it acquainted with local feelings and interests in com mercial matters.
The oldest C. of C. in Great Britain is believed to be that of Glasgow, which was instituted 1st Jan., 1783, and obtained a royal charter, which was registered at Edin burgh on the 31st of the same month. That of Edinburgh was instituted in 1785. and incorporated by royal charter in 1786. The Edinburgh C. of C. was the first public body which petitioned for the abolition of the corn laws, and the adoption of free-trade principles; and stood almost alone in the United Kingdom in advocating the Suez canal project. It also originated the movement that government should undertake the telegraph service in connection with the post-office. Six hundred of the hankers, mer chants, and ship-owners of Edinburgh and Leith constitute the chamber. The Manchester chamber, since so famous for its exertions in the cause of free-trade, was not established till 1820, and for many years it continued to be the only institution of the kind in England. Its members number about 400. In Hull there has been a C. of C. since 1837, but those of Liverpool, Leeds. and Bradford, notwithstanding the great trading and manufacturing interests of these towns, were not established till 1850, in which year, strangely enough, a similar institution was established• in s. Australia. The Liverpool C. of C. numbers nearly 600. The annual income of the Manchester chamber is upwards of £600, that of Liverpool about £800, contributed entirely by the subscriptions of members, amounting generally to Z1-1s. a year. There are now chambers of commerce in all the great mercantile towns of Great Britain and Ireland, and in 1860 there was established an "Association of Chambers of Commerce of the United Kingdom." In Canada, there is a Dominion board of trade, which consists of the chambers of commerce, or boards of trade, as they are indifferently called, of a dozen of the most important cities of the Dominion.