The Express.
London, England, 1852-12-08 00:00:00

THE CHARTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN
SCREW STEAM-SHIP COMPANY.
Kr. BROWN paressaat maim. to mem frir
Copies of mode by the the Liver-
po.l, sad North Amebas Resew Etseirship Company to
the Board of Trade*, • ehartert sad of all sememteedeetee
' Waagen the amid mei Beard of Trade ea the sub.
jest thereof; sad elemethis, amilethrw esessas-
aiealielle esesived bp the Emil elites& hem ether groat
mad aseleletlese eels*, le each
TI wine
whit was very imperfeetlystricard. :el
In My dot this win a est( of great interest
to the ddre mramanity, and the principle of a
charter it emegeey. with a Umbel liability, for which
&policed= had bees made to the lewd of Trade, hat been
resolved welt pat deem. Ile reed a memorial from me-
tals minim of the ~es Jetting at Liverpool to the
BOA of Trade Mile Meet " that es application had been
megogijanmiele to lbe beard, and wee seder consideration,
he the Liaise, Limped, and North Amen-
ma Strew Stremilip Company, whisk Wes Awned for
efigT7W and pods to Canada mad the Vatted
States wheel alleuter was te beef a spesielekenerar, and
limiting the MOM of the ihmeebeidees; they submitted
that such • &ester weld be inimeless to other
sobs had invested Wei mpg la the Canada
=waairiewbe were liable te fir fell east of their pro-
perty, mites Mill them te ea Weir isenthetition with a
empway whisk was not exposed to the same risks as they
wen, es* whisk was not restrained by the ordinary natal
of eseimtereill prole, sad which iaterfered with private en-
ter ; am ems these anything epeeist in the compeer or
u thick requhred ea easeptional charter." The
boa. patemea theta urged that this principle of limited
liability is • Ibanez of this kind was mach to be depre-
cated, ea beim, esthalated to be most injurious to the cre-
ditors of the esmpany, aid instanced the ease of the
Araerlena beaks, to which, prior to 1837, charism had been
panted with limited liabilities, but the system had been
resod to work so ill that the more enlightened states
had refused to renew them • and it was strange that
is a commercial country like this we were trying to get
into the very diaculty which America ma trying to get out
of. He hoped that the papers and correspondence he moved
for would be granted, sad that a committee of the house
would have as opportunity of considering the subject.
Kr. HENLEY said that the hon. member had been kind
enough tomy that he (Mr. Henley) was placed in a very ,
diffisalt rides Ia the Klee which be held ; but he thought
the how wadi sink dust the hon. gentleman had done
all Is W pewerte sake his ditties not only more difficult,',
bat most rinealt, and almost impossible to be fulfilled. The
fair mane mould have been for the bon. gentleman, enter-
tainting the views he did, to wait and see to what judgment
the Kest ef Taub ewe; he the question was still "sub
judies." The M. member, who claimed for himself
such free pewees of amptition' was not content
to wait the theilies of the tribunal on the questioa,
previously* trele&sti it before the house. The lair way
would have hose to Gave moved to rescind the pose Cr. of
the Beard 11/ Tillie te riat charters; and he must contend
that it velment unfair to raise • question of such import-
gam as Waited liability on • particular ewe, and that case
being " sebjedies." Net was that all, for in his speech
he out the gresed ism esder his own het, for he said that
there might be emegliesel same in whisk such privileges
la • charter wield be peeper. The hes.gentleman and
the gentlemaa who prepense* the aemtrial to him (Mr.
Healey), bad not imiseenthled to leak is that part of the
ease which was easepaiesek until he had pointed it out
es thin, and that was the eleamesbetles with Canada.
lie would eft wee go late the gesing ,itemise, for it was
set oa that pened be objected te past the papers—al-
though the patleman had math seise remarks which
did sot beet sall his general views. He bad said that it
limited wee established, mesas would not be able
M pay their ; and yet, while holding those views, he
said that cltartith el that kind might be granted, in cases
whisk would be exceptional in three results. The
soda (mad en which he (Mr. Henley) oppoold
the modes was, that the matter was " sub juilics."
Whoa he bed arrived at his determination on this subplot
he woad be ready to produce soy papers which parliament
might sell fee; but that time not being arrived, he hoped
the house would refuse this motion.
Kr. J. CLAY regretted that the right hon. gentians*
had set weeded to the request for papers, for it was very
deelealti• that the house should be put in possession of the
whale cam; and obviously the right bon. gentleman's ad-
vise, that the hos. member for South Lancashire should
welt, wee not wise, seeing that if they waited until the
right hon. gentleman had come to a decision; they would be
two late to effect the object they had is view, which
was, that this charter should not be conceded at
all. The boa. pederasts (Mr. 3. Clay) then entered
into the g nerd familiar argument against the proposed
charter ; and concluded by saying that the difficulty which
had now arisen convinced him that the power of gracile(
thew charters ought to revert to parliament Itself ; sad
that, if it bethine • custom to grant such special privileges,
dies the whole commercial law of the country ought to be
changed, ad we would have to come altogether to the
French loi en consteestelite.
Mr. It. LOWE pointed out the inconvenience of the
course which the How of Commons was being asked to
take in debating on its merits • question which, with all
trailer questions, was referred b' act of parliament to the
decision, which decision had in this case inept been gives,
of a specific and responsible department of the gov,rnoteut.
11r. E. B. ROCHE hoped that in the decision on this
question the interests of Ireland would not be forgotten.
(Laughter.) In his opinion it was to the advantage of the
poor Irish emigrant that the trade to North America should
be left free and open, and that, with that view, the com-
petition between different parties should be free and upon
an equal footing.
BROTHERTON supported the proposition of his
hon. friend the member for South Lancashire. The object
of the optional power given to the Board of Trade was to
provide for tines desirable enterprises which it was not
likely would be entered into without the extensive protec-
tion of a charter. The enterprise which this new company
was proposing to undertake was not at all of that nature ;
and to pant • charter in such a caw w nth!, therefore, be
to give one party an unfair advantage over other parties.
As, however, the object sought by the hon. member for
Laneashire had been in a great degree gained by the die
curios which had taken place, be would suggest to his
hon. friend to withdraw his motion.
Lord OODERICH could not understand upon what
ground the has. member for Kidderminster (Kr. Lowe)
bad awed upon the movers in this matter • desire to
" eliminate from the field of Sows a new and powerful
competitor ha the name of free trade." He (Lord Gods-
Mt) could not perceive an y sash object. (Ham, bear.)
He beloved that the aim* object was that sees bell
shield be observed between competitors, or, Meeker week
gothrament should net give one party ea sedative mines
tage over other parties in the same enterprise. (Hear,
hear.) The hon. member for Cork county (Mr. Bache)
warned thionevernmat to keep the trade to North Aso-
rim open ; bat rarely the way to keep that trade open
was not to give special privileges to •
which, by the aid of those privilmies, would rapidly
la driving ell other competitors oat of the trade. Ober,
beau) The elms proffered was, that the new
only aimed at filling unoccupied groundwil gs:e=
Canada oaly • bet it was obvious to him
that the reel 'object was 10 signet the Sat=
direction. (Rear, bear.)
Mr. J. MACGREGOR did met at all regret the epiele
be had taken is belagiag the memorial of this new eamesep
before the Board of Trade. He setkesteed that there were
as British ships at primal empleped is that Made; and he
esossived Uri be had bees pit rag a eallseal eldest in
aiding the limb of Newsy- tibia would mil British
ship, made ef &NM hem massed by Erkkh
ear,ee Outwits Brie& minim sad British ports. (Ha hear.)
Ho woe aliegether neerseested with the sempany
a Meter ; bet he esgeedel it as eethied to a charter;
he hoped that the right hes. gesdemen (Mr. Henley)
would give the matter the Mesa meridelasims.
Kr. HUME was easeedlegly geatilled with the able
manner in whisk tb• whir brd (Lod Goderich) had
treated this enhjest. The mile heed bed, he thought, put
the am veryarceister
yations.emy ; mil he entirely
agreed with miler the stream-
steno% seam that the diermalee had enabled hem. gentle-
men Se pet the whole argument before the right boa.
genes. he (Mr. Hume) would advise his he& 61mai le
withdraw the motion. (Hear, hear.)
Sir F. BARING did not desire to offer any 'Oaks
whatever in the merits of this case, and he oily rase to
state that he did not see in the fact that the question was
still nab judiee before the right hon. gentleman, any reason
why papers should not be produced. It was hardly the
practice to refuse papers on that ground: and he did not
mis that there could be any either public or official incon-
venience in laying all the papers before the house.
Mr. HENLEY explained that what he meant was that
papers, on both sides of the question, were still coming in
daily, and that in that state of things there wallahs an
obvious incompleteness in the ease which the how meld
be put in possession of. (Hear, hear )
Mr. C. TURNER was strongly opposed to the OWN.
Igoe of the charter sought for. He believed the law of VW
limited liability was the only safe law for a sernmerelel
eirentry
Mr. It. M. FOX remelted that the oppoeftlea le this
granting of the charter did not come from private wise
wishing to carry on private enterprise, but from companies
who had subsidies from government; one of which—Cats
liras's line -had 140,0001. • year fir carrying the mails;
and from Collins's company, which was also strongly aided
by the public money of another country. If this chatter
were granted there would be • direct communication b.
tween Ireland and Canada, which would be a great mime
of expense to Irish emigrants, as they would not then be
under the necessity of going to Liverpool to embark. He
must say that the character of the men who were asiociated
for the purpose of obtaining this charter ought to have
saved them from the imputation of getting up a scheme for
the purpose of trafficking in the shores. It was a bona fide
transaction, and it was proposed to entry out the project
without • shilling of aid from th;s country.
Mr. V. SCULLY said it might be a reason for not grant-
ing • charter in this case if there were no peculiar facili-
ties panted to other companies, but they knew very well
that there were two largo and powerful companies who
were largely assisted by this country sad the Crafted States,
sad in consequence they had a monopoly now.

that .. „,,, • of, 144nrintry whO
al ' to He - ....v.:, ~ . wk•i =lra
then ".'sew depositaries of pee-
'
;VI ~
~ 0 pinioned Wong atensbets woad
Mesa wen Om speed to, with an addition son•
sued be M. lananirmoltat the *Smith* should inquire
nimbi' any alteration in the mode of selling the papers
their pbMlyation wad not he incased.