in 1871, because they feared that the new money would result in a further loss of Hamburg's sovereignty. Kirchenpauer, who was the long-standing envoy of the city at the Federal Council, fought for the special position of Hamburg. But, in October 1872, the empire announced it would take 30 million Hamburg Marks from the Hamburg bank to ease the effect of the change and the Senate gave in. The two sides in Hamburg on the Accession question 1877-81 The majority of Hamburg's wholesale merchants were opposed to joining the Customs Union and in favour of the maintenance of free trade. This camp included shipping companies, entrepot traders, overseas exporters, the importers of goods into Hamburg that would have been subject to duty in the Customs Union, such as coffee and tea. These were imported in bulk, then repackaged, processed, or refined in Hamburg. The Chamber of Commerce, the stock exchange and the Senate were all decisively for free trade. On the other hand, there were supporters of joining the Customs Union from the ranks of wholesalers of goods produced within the Customs Union, also local tradesmen, certain branches of Hamburg industry (which was anyway a small component of the economy), retail tradesmen, especially those located near the Customs Union borders. For these groups, the customs cordon made their trade with the union more difficult. Important branches of industry therefore moved from Hamburg to adjacent parts of the Customs Union area. For example, tobacco companies with a workforce of 3,000 settled in Ottensen. These pro-Customs Union protagonists on 25 May 1880 founded the Hamburger Zoll Anchluss party, which advocated the city joining the Customs Union territory but at the same time setting-up a smaller free port district. Supporters included the Ohlendorff family who owed their nobility to Prussia. Another group of merchants spoke out for the Customs Union because they held interests in industrial companies within the Customs Union. Gustav Godeffroy, a senator, supported joining the Customs Union in 1877/78 with the publicly stated grounds that he had acquired holdings in several coal pits of Westphalia (in Prussia) and that the protection interests of this industry made him a supporter. On 31 October 31, 1880, 32 merchants wrote to the Minister President of Prussia and Imperial Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, advocating the accession of Hamburg but with the formation of a free port district. Thus, the alternatives had shifted; it was