The Sun. — London, England, 1821-12-15 00:00:00

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. BERLIN, Dec. 3.—The Statutes of the Rhe nish West India Company, which have been sanctioned by his Majesty, are published in the State Gazette . The following are some of the chief articles : " 1. The Company is formed for the purpose of exporting the natural or manufactured produce of Germany, under the denomination of the Rhenish West India Company, and wil therefore carry on business with the West Indies, North andl South America, or to other parts of the world also, either for its 0" account, or by cOnsigarnents, with or without advance of money, for the account of other persons, but will confine ' • s itseilin its exportations to 'the manufactures and produce of Germany exclusively. " 2. The duration of the Company is fixed for 20 years front Bth March, 1t321. But if it should at any, time appear, on balancing the accounts, that the third part of the original capital is lost. the lonsiness . of the Company shall be closed and liAttidated as soon as possible. " 3. The capital to consist of shares of 500 Perlin dollars cleft. The number of shares not to exceed 2,000. The shares , 14) hear intere,t at 4 per Cent. • " S. The general -meeting.; of the share-holders to be held fir the present at Elberfield." NUREMEURG, DEC. 3.—The vintage, say the ..accounts from the Rhine, has been every where bad, or, to speak more properly, there has been none. Our distress, already so great, is not a - Mule aggravated by this circumstance. To this • may be added, that we have been also deceived in the hope of seeing other articles of produce rise in price ; even wine, of which the stock is still large, has not risen, notwithstanding the failure of the vintage. There is a ,want of pur chasers, because the consumption daily dimi nishes, from the stagnation of trade. To thi s may be added the impediments thrown in the way of exportation by high tolls and duties. It is easy to see what will be the end of all this. — The most lamentable part is, that though this in creasing distress has been so long represented in Journals, Memorials, in lively colours, no relief appears from any quarter. It is remark able that a complaint has lately been heard from the North, like that which has so long resounded in the South of Germany. It is true that it would be folly to expect the existing evil to be entirely relieved ; but as no effectual step has yet bden taken by the Govern ments to afford any kind of alleviation, this is extremely discouraging, and it is certain that if any measure of this kind, indicative of good will, should be put in effect,,it would be a great encouragement to the citizen to induce him to take the best advantage of the relief afforded, and to submit in patience to what cannot be al tered. Our attention is directed to the negocia tions at Darmstadt, and we look impatiently to the result. We may expect that something will solar. transpire ; fur this subject, which is of the highest importance in the economy of all the States, must necessarily be brought forward in the Assemblies of some of the States concerned, and it is to be hoped that obstacles not hitherto to be removed will become known, and means taken to remove them. HELIMANSTADT, Nov. 18.—Fugitives who ar rive on our frontier agree in stating, that while , the Turkish Commanders in the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia display on all occasions the greatest arrogance, their soldiers, on the con trary, are .seized with a panic at every idle re port•of the approach of the Russian troops. A report was lately spread near Bucharest that the Russians were advancing.—lintnediately the Turks dispersed in confusion, and tied in all di rections. COPENHAGEN, DEC. 1.-En the last storm a great number of ships have been' stranded, or sunk, on our 'different Coasts.—Among them is a ship belonging to the house of Donner and Co., at Altona, insured for 100,000 dollars specie (25,0001.),,which foundered, and all on board perished. ST. PETERSBURGII, Nov. 21.—8 y an Ukase, addressed to the Senate, his Majesty the Emperor Las commanded the establishment of a Russian General Consulate in Persia. . a li MBURGII, DEC. 7.—We communicate the following particulars from letters that have been received from Constantinople :- 44 Constantinople, Oct. 26.—The invasion of the Persians is confirmed. It is thought they have taken Bagdad, as well as Wan and Topral kali, in Armenia; and besiege Kars and Erzerum, the only defences of the empire ou that side. " Oct. 29.—The force of the Persians is esti mated at 150,000 men. It is not supposed that Erzerum can hold out long. This war has been made known to the people by a Firman of the Sultan. " Oct. 30.—Important intelligence is said to have , been: received from St. Petersburgh, which Jolly lead to an amicable arrangement between the two Powers. " Nov. 2.—lt is certain that dispatches have been received by the Porte direct from St. Pe tersburgh, and others express from Vienna by the Imperial Internuncio. The day before yes terday a general council was held of all the great Officers of the empire. The Reis Effendi was dismissed yesterday, and sent.into exile to Asia. Some believe that this is only a covert measure of sebding a negociator to treat with the Persian ".G-rtat uneasiness is entertained respecting the answer that the Sultan will give to the ulti matum of Russia. The situation of the Turks is extremely critical. The Ministers of the Porte have no power ; all reports are made to the chief favourite, Haleb EtAndi, who receives the corn tnands of the Sovereign, and he is, unhappily, arrogant, obstinate, fanatical, cruel, and covetous. "The Ambassadors of all the European Powers, without exception, have for some time past signified to the Porte that it must hasten to accede to the terms of Russia, otherwise it can- not expect any support from their Sovereigns.— M. Zea had demanded an audience of the Grand Vizier, and commenced negociations to obtain also an audience of the Sultan, without being obliged to give the' usual presents. This has been counteracted by an intrigue, and the au dience has not taken place. " This Empire is so ill directed, so embarrassed within and without, that one might doubt almost whether a war with Russia is necessary to lead it o ruin. " From the preceding statements, received from good authority, it appears that the great Assem= bly of the Divan, on the 31st of October, was for debating on the Russian proposals ; whence we may judge what credit is due to the accounts of the 27th, received by way of Augsburg, stating them to have been rejected." HAMBURGH, DEC. 4.—The bankruptcy of the Dantzic house of 'Pennies and Connabursky is estimated at four millions of Polish florins. Many, houses, both here and at Altona, appear to be considerably interested in it. Large purchases of timber for the French navy have lately been made in the Northern Ports. Extract of a letter from St. Petersburgh, Nov. 13:—« Very considerable contracts for the sup ply of the Russian army have been entered into by our Government. All the soldiers of the' Corps of Occupation have been newly clothed, and have received warmer great coats than those hitherto supplied. The Emperor will not forego in the least the conditions contained in his ulti inatum. The occupation of Walachia and Mol davia, as well•as some fortresses in the Morea, is confidently expected here. The inhabitants of these provinces would be happy to live under the sceptre of ALEXANIiEII, who, in return, would do every thing to promote their welfare." 1H EL AN D. ANOTHER MunnEr..---(Cork, Dec. 10.)—In formation has, we regret to find,•reached this City to-day, that on last night, between the hours of ten and eleven o'clock, as the Limerick Post boy was conveying the Mail from that City to this, accompanied, as usual, by two Dragoons, they were attacked near Ballyhowra Mountain, by some of the lawless banditti, who are at pre sent every. night on' the alert for mischief—One of the Dragoons was shot, and the POst-boy's hat was perforated, from another ball. This attack was made shortly before they reached the place where it is usual for the Limerick post-boy to meet and ex change with the Cork post their respective bags, and the Limerick post and the single dragoon had to return over the same ground where their companion was shot a few minutes before. It is laMentable to reflect to what an extent the ban ditti are proceeding, as the present , attack was made with no other object than that of com mitting a wanton and unprovoked murder. On Thursday night last, the haggart of the Rev. Mr. Gash, situate between Macroom and Carrigdrohid, containing, as we are informed, 10 stacks of corn, was burnt down. Surely this evi dence of the contiguity of such a malignant spirit, spews the necessity of having every mea sure of precaution and defence speedily adopted, to meet the alarming evils. DUBLIN, DEc.l I.—in the direction of. Rose green, some Notices were posted up, a few days back, purporting, that, no person would be al lowed to offer more than thirty shillings an acre for the best land, and from that down to fourteen shillings, and no arrears of tithes to be paid. A Circular has been issued by. Mr. Charles Grant, Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant, to the Colonels of the Irish Militia in the disturbed dis tricts, calling on them for a list of 'the men and officers in each corps, in Order that they may be put in a fit state of equipment to extend their local duties. • On Wednesday last, at a full parade of the Dundalk Yeomanry, commanded by the Earl of Roden, that corps (with the exception of a few who hold public situations) volunteered their ser vices to any part of the kingdom. For some years hack, Mr. Robert Barry, of Caher, as. Seneschal, under a Patent from the late Earl of Glengall, has been in the habit of holding, at certain fixed periods, Manor Courts at Caller, Castle Grace, and Ballylooby. Wednes day, the sth inst. was appointed for holding a Court at the latter place ; processes had been served accordingly, and Jurors had been summon ed to attend ; the Court is always held in a room in_a public-house in the said village of Ballyiooby. However, on the night preceding the said sth inst., notices were posted on the public house, threatening destruction to the owner, if he should permit the Court to he held there ; and, on the same night, notices were served on those sum moned as Jurors, that, if they came forward, they had better first make their wills. The con sequence was, that, on the Seneschal's arrival at Ballylooby, on Wednesday last, the people be longing to the public-house entreated him not to hold his Court there, and several persons, whose attendance was necessary, did not make their appearance—in short, the Court was knock ed up altogether, for that day, in the village THE RIVAL PUGILISTS.—Gas, and the Bristol Hero,met at Jackson's School, in Old Bond-street, yesterday. It is almost incredible that the van quished should display so few marks of the blows he received in the late terrific rencontre—one eye was closed and bandaged ; he complained of a pain in the head only. Several Noblemen and Gantlemen were present. jackson paid over to Nectte four hundred sovereigns, for bets made in his room, and fifty were presented to Gas.— The contrast in the size of the two champions struck every one. THE SHIPPI NG INTEREST. REPORT of the COMMITTEE of SHIP OWNERS, pre sented to the GENERAL ANNUAL MEETING, held at the City Of : London Tavern; 18th• December - 182 1 . • At the General,Anntial 'Meeting, held on the 7th of Decem ber 1820, it was recommended. to this Committee, to consider of a Petition to the House of Commons, praying that a Committee might be appointed - " to'investigate all our Maritime Laws and 'lnstitutions as regard Seamen; and hear evidence thereon, with a view to the formation of a Code of Marine Law for our Mer chant Service ; and to arrange a System that s'Ao - uld tend to man our Navy and Merchant Service effectually, during the time of war and peace, with regular bred British Seamen, and without the aid of foreigners : and that after such Petition should have been drawn up, for the purpose described, a public meeting should be requested of the Merchants, Ship Owners, and Master Mariners of this Port, to express their sense and consent to the same, to promote the object intended." In de_ ferenee to the deSire of the Meeting, 'the Committee lost no time in proceeding iipon the proposed inquiry ; and Mr. Urqu hart, the mover of the Resolution, having addressed a letter to them, assuring them that " they need not be alarmed at any difficulty which might appear to attend the accomplishment of the object proposed by him, as a few simple Laws and Regula tions, founded on light principles, agreeable to the true natural maritime policy of the country, would, in a few years, produce all the desired effect," this letter, together with all former com munications relating to the subject, were referred to a sub-corn. , mittee consisting of all the Nautical Members, who requested Mr. Urquhart to attend persbnally, and to explain to them, in a more particulsr manner, the means by which he conceived that such important . kesultSlmight be obtained; he aecordingli attended, and entered into a full exposition of his plan; conclud in& by declaring his opinion that, in order to accomplish the, objects he has in view, a Petition ought to be presented to Par liament, " founded on the Outlines of the Plan contained in his Letter to Lord Melville of May 1815 ; and the extension of that part of the plan which relates to numbers'for manning the Navy, and Merchant Service, during the time of war, as stated in his Private Letter and Tables, (dated March 1818) and that the principles laid down in this latter statement ought to be the basis of all laws and regulations that may be adopted as regards seamen, for the welfare of the country, the interest of the Ship Owner, and the just rights and support of British seamen as British subjects." The Sub-Committee lield-neveral meetings, and finally made a Report, declaring their- Opinion, that the plan was liable to strong objections, and by no means one to which this Society ought to give its countenance or support. This Report was afterwards unanimously approved by the General Committee, who deem the subject to be one in which the Society cannot with propriety interfere; and it is indeed inconsistent with - the ob jects for which the Society was funned, (as declared by the Ge neral Meeting of September 1818)'namely, " the obtaining re lief from the many vexations, charges, and disabilities under which the shipping property of the country had laboured, and to guard against their imposition in future :" under these cir cumstances it became unnecessary to call the General Meeting contemplated by the Resolution of December last. But though the Committee have been so little assisted by Mr. Urquhart in the formation of 'a 'Code of • Marine Law f•Jr the Merchant Service, they are well aware of the necessity of some Rules for the better Regulation of Seamen, and have availed themselves of every opportunity of submitting for the consider ation of his Majesty's Government and the Legislature, such measures as have appeared to them to be conducive - to that end. Desertion of Seamen.—The Committee have, in the most pointed manner, drawn the attention of Government to the in adequacy of the Act 37 Geo. 111. cap. 73, to prevent the def:ar tion of seamen in the West India trade ; and to the want of any provision of a similar nature in the case of British ships in all other parts of the world. With the view to prevent such desertions, it has been suggested that a regulation might be adopted, imposing upon seamen, when abroad, the necessity of being provided with certificates from the Masters of ships to which they respectively belong, whenever they shall require to be absent from their ships for any length of time, stating the term for which they are.permitted to be absent ; that any seaman who may be found wandering on shore, without sucheertificate, should be liable to be taken up, and sent back to his ship; or, refusing to give an account of himself, when questiOned by the local Authorities, be aubject to be punished : and that Seamen who may have shipped themselves abroad; on board another vessel than that in which they had engaged to-perform a voyage out and home, should be made liable to the forfeiture of their wages home, upon proof of their having deserted from the ship with which they had-first engaged. The subject is now under the consideration of the Board of Trade, and the Committee hope that, in the next Session of Parliament, some remedy will be applied to this great anctin creasing evil. Select Comtnittee of the House of Commons. The Chairman of this Society having been called upon to give evidence before the Committee of the House of Commons, and to enumerate the duties and charges to which ships, both British and Foreign, are liable in the ports of this country,; and to point out those Laws, Rules, and Regulations, which appear susceptible of im provement ; he has, in a particular manner, directed the atten tion of the Honourable Committee to the folloWing subjects, among many others, viz. : The heavy Light Dues, particularly thOse on ships in the British Channel, which appear to produce an income far more than sufficient for the support of the Light-houseestablishments. The Tonnage Duty, which was originally imposed as a War Duty, and operates as a heavy addition to the burthens to which the Shipping Interest is exposed. The tort of London Dock Duty, which,although professedly a temporary tax, there is reason to fear will remain a perpetual one upon shipping frequenting . the Port of London, unless re lief be obtained through Legislative interference ; or, unless the large accumnlated Fund in the hands of the West India Dock Company, to which British Ship Owners have so greatly contributed,-could be applied to that object. This tax was ori. ginally imposed upon shipping for the purpose of creating a fund, the yearly interest of which should defray the charges of Mooring Chains, and the salaries and wages of Harbour Masters and Assistants ' • and' o . repay advances niade'for compensations under the Dock Acts, but to which objects (whatever may be the cause) it has proved inadequate. The heavy charges for ballast,. buoys, and beacons, in the Port of Landon, which it is conceived would admit of reduction. The RaMsgate Harbour and Dover Pier Tolls, which occaa sion an expellee far beyond any benefit derived from them. - The Port Charges at several of the West India Colonies, which are in many instances excessive in amount, and are ex acted at every Port the Vessel may touch at, however small may be the quantity of goods landed ; a practice that, as regards the supply of cattle, lumber and provisions, appears to be most im politic and injurious. The trouble and expense of obtaining Veenees for vessels in the East India Trade, 'and the necessity of the existing statutes which relate to that trade (between 20 and !T in number) being embodied into one, and divested of their pre. ent obscurity. As also the desirableness that thecharges Aip94:Xtritish ships. when in Dutch Potts, and upon glitch ships when in British Ports in India, should be established upon a principle of reciprocity. The unsatisfactory state • of the shipping intercourse with France, the Biazila, and the Havannali t with regard to Port Dues ; as operating most unfairly and prejudicially upon British Shipping. The great advantage that would result from the removal of the monopolies of the several. Dock Companies, by the esta blishment of a free and 'open competition, and the consequent reduction of the present rates and charges, and the removal of various grievances which owe their origin and present existence to those monopolies. The extensive and universal benefit that would accrue, from the separation of the business of the Customs from that of the Excise, the Practice of the .two Boards being frequently at va riance, under the same Acts of Parliament ; which is produc tive of . the most haraising and injurious consequences to the Trade and Shipping of the Country. The expediency and practicability of separating the duties of these two Public Boards, is treated of at large in an able Pamphlet recently published, entitled, " Observations upon the warehousing System and Navigation Laws, &e." which places - the 'subject before the Public, in a manner that .appears to this Committee to be at once clear and convincing. The Charges under the Pilot's Act, for Pilotage and Board ing Money; which have so long been the subject of the just and general complaints of the Ship Owners, but which still remain unredressed. As hOweVer the Select Committee of the House of Commons have gone into detailed evidence upon these Charges, and have expressed their opinion, that they are " sub jects of discontent and obstacles to Trade," this Committee en tertain sanguine hopes that, in the course of next Session, a Bill will be introduced into Parliament, under the auspices of the Honourable Committee, for the purpose of effecting the ne cessary regulations. The regulations regarding the authority of Consuls, and their remuneration, which appear to require revisal. .It is with much satisfaction the Committee have heard, that the whole of this subject is under the particular consideration of his Majesty's Government, with a view to the introduction of a Bill into Parliament in the next Session, which, it is hoped. will remove every ground t)f complaint, by providing a liberal reward to the Consuls, and relieving the Shipping Interest from the burthens,, vexations, and inconveniences, of the present system. _ Registry Laws.—The representations which the Conirnittee have made to the Lords of Trade on the subject of these Laws, have been referred to, and fully considered and reported on, by the Commissioners of the Customs ; and the Committee have recently received an assurance from their Lordships, that the subject will engage their attention previous to the meeting of Parliament. The Committee think it necessary to state, that considerable progress had been made in most of the. preceding matters ; and indeed; that several of them had been nearly brought to matu rity, when the appointment of the Select Committee of the House of Commons upon Trade diverted them into that chan nel, whereby a delay has been necessarily created ; which how ever, it is believed, the Shipping Interest will eventually hue no cause to regret. • Timber Duties.—Whether the change in the Duties on • Timber, effected by the Act of the last Session, (founded upon the Report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons on Foreign Trade,) and which the utmost efforts of the Ship Owners land Ship Builders were. unable to. avert, will be productive of benefit to our Trade with the Continent of Eu rope, in a degree to compensate for the serious injury ofwhiCh it has already .been productive to British Shipping, remains to be seen ; on the present occasion the Committee have only to express a hope, that whenever this most important subject shall again come under the consideration of the Legislature; it will be viewed not merely with reference to its influence upon Foreign Trade ; but as a question involving interests of vital importance to British Shipping, and consequently to the security, strength and prosperity of the Empire. Assessment of Shipping to Poor Rates.—An experimentwas made in the course of the last Session of Parliament, by certain inhabitants of Hull, (similar to the attempt made some years ago, at Liverpool,) to obtain the sanction of the Legislature to an Act for charging with the Poor Rat,f, the Shipping belong ing to the Port of llull, or. of which that Port; for the time be ing, should. be "the usual home or'domicile ; or from or to which the Ship should usually trade ; and a Bill was brought into the House Of Commons accordingly, but met with such a reception from all sides of the House, as. to occasion its being withdrawn ; and which,' it is hoped,, will prove an effectual discouragement to the renewal of any such attempts, Trade with Ireland.-LThe Ist - and 2d George 4th cap. 19, permits the removal of certain Goods from Great Britain to Ireland. • The object of this Act is, to place tinder •the Coast Regulations, all goods Which are not the subjects of duties or drawbacks haween the two Countries; whereby. great - facility and despat;h is given to .Shipsearrying such goods only ; and as the Conamittee understand it to be in "the contemplation of Government to equalize, in most cases, the Duties of Customs in England and Ireland, in, order to avoid the necessities of. drawbacks ; and . as the protecting Duties between the two Countries ate in the progr.iss - of extinction, the intercourse will, in all probability, before long, be conducted as a Coasting Trade, (with very few exceptions) to the great advantage of the Shipping Interests. Night Signals for Ships in distress.—The Committee for Lloyd's having brought under the consideration of this Com mittee, that many valuable lives and vessels might be an nually saved, if' some 'general rule were ad6pted for ships in distress 0 make their situation known, they have united in re commending, by a public notice, that the Master of every ves sel should be . provided with a dolen rockets, and 3 dozen blue lights, to be used mall eases of distress at sea—vii. : First, A rocket to be fired. Secondly, Blue lights to be burned until relieved. With the view to give the most extensive effect to this recom mendation, Earl Bathurst has been pleased to cause a number of the notices to be transmitted from his Lordship's Office to the Governors of the several British Colonies ; the Committee for Lloyd's have given the most pointed instructions to their Agents on the subject ; and this Committee have addressed letters to the several Eritish Consuls at foreign ports : and they take, this opportunity of earnestly entreating that no . owner will suf fer his ship to put to sea, without the requisite supply ofrockets and blue k;hts. It may be proper to add, that this mode of communicating distress is approved by the Elder Brethren id • . the Trinity House. Classification of Ships in i Lloyd's Registry Books.—The Com mittee have (lb ected their particular attention to the very import ant subject of a plan for the improvement of the present system of classifying ships in the Registry Books, which is found, in many cases, to operate in a manner extremely prejudicial, not only to the interests of Ship'Owners, but to those of Under writers and Merchants. The Committee entirely concur in opinion with Close Ship Owners by whom the subject had been pressed upon their attention, that the existing syitem is suscep tible of much improvement; and have prepared the outlines of such a plan as they hope obtain the countenance and sup port of Underwriters and Ship Owners at large, which are ne cessarily indispensable to such a measure. Change in the Method of. Computing the Tonnage of British Ships—A' Committee of scientific Gentlemen has been ap pointed by Government, to consider of a more correct mode of admeasurement of the tonnage of ships ; who, it is understood, have recommended the adoption of a method by which the re gister tonnage shall btar a more equal proportion to the actual burthen, in lieu of that prescribed by the Act 26th Geo. 3rd. cap. 60 ; and it cannot be doubted that, on many accounts, (but especially with reference to an improvement in the construction of ships), such an alteration is highly desirable : If, however, the proposed regulation should be adopted, this Committee will endeavour to obtain a provision that it shall be confined to ves sels hereafter to be built : and that if, upon the whole, the tonnage would be increased, a proportionate reduction maybe made in the duties and rates payable thereon, so that the'existing burthens on Shipping may not thereby be increased. in these sentiments the Committee have reason to believe that his Ma jesty's Government concur. Light Duties.—lt having been the practice of the Collectors of the Light Duties at Deal, to demand payment from vessels merely touching in the Downs for orders, a complaint of such practice has been made to the Elder Brethren of the Trinity House, who have signified to the Committee, that " it being their wish that every accommodation should be afforded to the Trade in the receipt of the Light Duties, consistently with the security of the collection, they have (as suggested by this Com mittee), given directions to the Collectors at Deal to receive the undertaking of any responsible local Agent to a British ship (so touching for orders), to pay the duties, in the event of the vessel's destination proving to be a foreign port." In the contrary event, the vessel will, of course, pay at her British port of discharge. Navigation Laws.—An important Bill was brought into the House. of Commons at the close of the last session of Parlia- went, by Air. Wallace, the Chairman of the Select Committee of the House of Commons on Foreign Trade, by the title of ` A Bill to explain and amend the several Acts for the encour aging' and increasing of Shipping and Navigation, and to regu late the Importation of Goods and Merchandize into Great Bri tain, So far as relates to the Countries from whence, and the Ships in which, such importations shall be made." The groun d of the proposed change in the existing laws, is stated to be, a necessity that the several Acts which relate to the countries from whence, and the ships in which, goods and merchandize should be imported into Great Britain, should be amended ; and that certain parts of them should be repealed, in order that the same, together with other necessary regulations, may be consolidated into.one Act, whereby the Law by which Impor tations are to be . regulated, may be simplified and rendered more certain, as well as more effectual, in promoting the ob jects of the said several Acts, and. in facilitating and extending .the commerce of the Realm. The Bill accordingly proceeds to repeal various provisions of Acts passed for the encouragement and increase of shipping and navigation, of which the most important are as follow, viz. so much of the 12 Car. 11. cap. 18, as restricts the importation into Great Britain of Goods of Asia, Africa, and America, to British ships, and directly from the place of their growth, &c. ; and the importation of goods of Russia, and certain enumerated goo& of Europe, and Turkish goods, to British ships, or ships of the country of their growth. And also, so much of the said Act as relates to goods of the Streights and Levant Seas, or of Spain and' Portugal. And so much of the 13 and 14 Car. 11. cap. 11., as prohibits the importation of certain (bulky) articles from the Netherlands. The regulations .proposed by the Bill, in lieu of those to be repealed, •are, that goods the production of any part of the world, (except of British Colonies) should be importable in British Ships, from any part' of the world, though they may not be of the growth or production of the country from which they are imported ; and that the enumerated (bulky) goods of Europe should also be importable in ships of the country of which they are the production, and in ships of the country from whence they are exported. Some exceptions to, and extensions of, these rules, are made in the subsequent Clauses of the Bill, viz. Gum Senegal is to lie allowed to come from countries in Europe, in British ships, or in ships of those countries respectively. The Laws which regulate the trade between Great Britain and Ireland ; and that of Guernsey, Jersey, Sark;Alderney and elan ; the Ameri can and Portuguese, East India Company, and Cape of Good Hope; and Mauritius Trade Act; those authorizing the grant ing of licenses, in certain cases ; and which relate to the trade in Corn, Fish, Oak Bark, &c, &c., are not to be affected by the proposed Act. It being impossible, in the limits of a Report, to discuss the expediency or policy of the proposed measures, the Committee will only observe, that the apprehensions which they had en tertained on the subject have been greatly removed by the as surance given• by Mr. Wallace to the Chairman of this Com. mittee, that it is intended to propose higher duties upon goods, the production of the distant parts of the world, which shall ha imported from other countries than those of their growth or production. As the Committee are aware of the anxiety which prevails on this subject among Ship Owners generally, they re gret that they have it not in their power to state the amount of the intended protecting . duties. The Committee also lament, that the form of the Bill is not calculated to effect the desirable object of bringing the Laws of Importation under one view, so distinctly as they had' hoped would have been found practi cable ; it being the decided conviction of the Committee, that the complaints of Foreigners against the British Naviga tion Code are to be more attributed to its complexity and rig our than to the principles upon which it is founded. In the judgment of this Committee, those complaints will not be removed, unless the regulations regarding importations shall be more simplified than they will be, - if the Bill in ques tion should pass: to effect which object. completely, it appears to the Committee that all the existing Laws on the subject should be rep2aled ; and all regulations regarding importations compressed into a few clauses, and embodied into one Act . : in ' stead of being left to be doubtfully collected from numerous Acts of Parliament. . , . . It is, however, highly gratifying to the Committee to point out that, under this Bill, irregularities in importations are not, as heretofore, to expose the ship to seizure. Passengers.—Much inconvenience has frequently arisen from the Laws respecting the carrying of passengers out of the Country, us well from the difficulty of knowing with sufficient precision the exact nature of the regulations to which they are to conform, as from the application of all their provisions to cases which were never contemplated by the original framers. The whole system of • these Laws is of recent 'date, the first Act on the subject having been passed in the year 1803; but several others have been subsequently passed, introducing such a variety of plans, and proceeding upon such different prin ciples, in different cases, that much of uncertainty and ccrsopli cation is the consequence. • The Committee have therefore great satisfaction in stating that the Commissioners of the Customs, limier the direction of the Lords of the Treasury, are employed in fraMing one gene ral on this subject, which is to take effect upon the repeal Of all the Laws now in force. The principle of the intended Act is, First, that vessels carrying only a few passengers, and vessels going to parts of the world to which the common people of this country seldom or never emigrate, shall be wholly free from the specific regulations of the Law.' And next, that ves sels not coining within those exemptions, shall be subject to such regulations as, upon the most mature consideration of the Acts which have already been -passed, . and the experience which has been had under theM, 511'411 be deemed to be most effectual to the sole object of protectir4 the passengers upon their voyages, with the least possible embarrassment to the vessel. • Trade with the Ea.t their Report for the year 1819, the Committee stated that they had drawn the attention of Government to the restrictions upon British Ships, imposed by the Laws relating to the East India and China 'T ratty ; and they have now the satisfaction of stating, that the Committees on Trade ofthe two Houses of Parlianient. have; received evi dence at great length upon-this most important subject: *At preseni the only Legislative measure founded thereon has been the Act of last Session, cap. :hi, which extends to British Ship 4, exceeding 'AO tons burthen, the general •privilege of trading froM the United Kingdom, circuitously to. all.parts of Indial anti also permits British Vessels, without limitation of tonnage, to trade directly and circuitously between all ports and - places within the limits of the Company's Charter, and all ports and places in amity with this country ; with tl , e prohibition however, in all cases, of treading in tea, or proceeding to CJ lin a. The Committee confidently hope that the further considera tion of the Asiatic Trade will occupy the attentioh of the 1.3..J -liamentary Committees early in the next Session. , • • Apprentices.—ln the last year's Report, the Committee stated that a Bill was about to be introduced into Parliament, for repealing the Act 37 Geo. 111. cap. 73, which obliges ships in the , West India Trade to take an 'Apprentice for every hun- . dred tons, upon condition that vessels in general should take a limited number of Apprentices in proportion to their burthon The Committee have now to state, that on Reports being made by the Select Committees of.Parliamcnt on Trade, recommend ing that Duties should be imposed on Timber imported from the British Colonies, and that those on Foreip Timber should be reduced, the Committee felt it incumbent on them to repre sent to the Right lion. the Lords of Trade, that under the existing burthens, and the increasing disadvantages with, which the British Ship Owners were thereby threatened, they would not be in a situation to sustain the expellee which must :neces sarily attend their being compelled to take even the lilnited number of Apprentices proposed ; and. their Lordships having been pleased to signify in reply, that under all the circuni stances it might be advisable not to submit the proposed re gulation to Parliament, until experience should have slicwn the effect that the alteration of the Timber Duties might heve upon the employment of British shipping, • the measure in cen templation for the present remains suspended. E"xcise Traiisfer - Entriessesel itch in;:onvenience having arisen from the practice of the Excise, in requiring that goods shut out from a vessel outward bound should be returned to the Dock Or Warehouse from which they had been sent for re-exarninae tion, before allowing them to be shipped, althoirgli another vessel might be at hand, bound to the same port,. ready to re ceive them ; the Commissioners, assimilating their practice to that of the Custbms, have (upon the solicitation of the Com mittee,). been pleased to give relief, by allowing the goods to re main in the lighter, (under charge of an officer) until' shipped,. provided the shipment be completed within four days. . South SeaTrade.—An Act of the last Sessions, cap. 60. relieves vessels in the South Sea Trade, which sail or realm in ballast, froin the duty of Is. 6d. per ton. Coasters Laden with Stones.—Cap. 84. affords facilities lo vessels carrying stones coastwise, foe particular uses. Warehoused Goods removed Coastwise. , Cap. 97. permits' warehoused goods which have been. removed from one port to another, to be removed a second time; and authorizes Offi cers at creeks and out stations to receive coast duties, and dis charge cargoes carried coastwise. Seamen's Hospital.—The CoMmlttee, have the highest grab= fication in stating, that in the course of the present year a f'loat ing Hospital has been established for the reception of Sick and diseased Seamen, on board the Grampres, two-decker, which eas been liberally granted by the Lords of the. Admiralty -for that purpose. The Grampus is stationed off Greenwich, and is open for the reception of all seamen, who are proper objects for an -11nspita4 who have only to present themselves alongeide to obtain a re ception. The establishment is maintained by voluntary do natiens and subscriptions ; and, it is hoped, will meet with that support from Ship Owners, to which it is -peculiarly entitled. • Registry of Merchant Seamen.---The successful progress of the Lstablishment for the Registry of merchant seamen, and the advantages derived from it, both by them and their ems ployers, were pointed out in the Committee's Report of De cemberlast. From returns of the cl . ..aractrs of the crews which have. been - made to the eeTe e by roasters of ve s s e ls, it apneees that, in the conreee of the current year. upwards of 200 searnen which belonged to those ships h ave tliserteil, while abroad, in order to obtain higher wages. for the run home ; and a rn. atk has accordingly been set against their • named in the book of registry. From the earnest entreatiss or these men for certifi cates of character, as necessary to their obtaining employment, there is good reason to believe that if the. returns were univer sally made, (but which too many masters cf vessels neglect)* the practice of desertion -would be - greatly checked, if not en tirely prevented. Post Office Packets.—The Committee have drawn the atten tion of the Lords ef the Treasury. to the reemenspesetiee of the' Post Office Packets between Holyhead and Dublin, in taking large quantities of goods as cargo, to the serious' injury of mer chant vessels, which are subject to Custom House Regulations and Duties, from which Packets are exempt; and as their Lordships have instituted an inquiry on the subject, the Com iiiittee have no doubt that the necessary orders will be gisal, to put an end to a practice so extremely partial and unfair. - Cape of Good Alejesty 's Government have re quested that the Committee will Make it publicly known, "that on the first day of September lest, a - flag-staff was erected on the Lion's Rump, for the purpose of communicating with ships entering Table Bay, by Means of s Creptain Marryat's Cole of Signals, now in general use in the lilereleant Service. "'Vessels approaching the land, haee therefore only to make . use of that Code, as directed, for the purpose of either cone's) .- ingS or receiving, communications to 'or from the Signal-post on the Lion's Rump: "Jt is to be recollected, that tit this Flag Stiff a Colonial Tee, legrap . li is also in:Sise ; but .. no mistake can arise therefrom , 1 ' ships in the oiling pay attention to Captain 3larryat's Code, the, • Flags of which are entirely different from those of the Colonial Telegraph." Miscellaneous.—Among other subjects upon which the Cam' mittee haie been employed, are Gravesend and TilbulyO r Dues ; Stamp Duties on Policies of Insurance, and on Bills °f Sale and Custom House Bonds; the stationing of Buoys ut particular places ; Salvage Act ; Regulations regarding Sea men at Quebec; Police Regulations below Gravesend; deter: tion of British vessels by Lord Cochrane; detention of British Ships in the West Indies; upon the erroneous idea that t he / . were liable to losses by Drogliers e &c. &c. The Committee have finally to Report, that the Subscription,: for the present year amount to 4729 15s. sd. being equal t° the expenses of the Establishment, but-leaving still unproSided fo r an arrear of £139 Ms 2d. arisine• from the unusual expellees which the• Society was exposed by the proceedings in Parlisol e-- in the year 1820. JOHN WILLIAM BUCKLE, Chairtna• London, 13th December, 1321. •