The Express.
London, England, 1852-03-01 00:00:00

danger, distress, er in want of Memel emistemt• ; and no
claims dm 'Aveiro are to be raised Gtr wash ehistaner, nn-
lees really important unless, or minima seemegenled with
honed, have been rendered te soh mem&
2. Wises seek Norden have beam reedered, the rem
manding Miser of the alp is le treemmit a hill report of
the whole eirmaastaaese of the ease, with a copy of the
shies lag, is the Ceesmemler-in•Citief, or senior naval
eine of the senalea, whine written approval shall be legal-
site bedew emly ellem under his eseassand sea raise • 01401
hr mime, mil seal approval la get le be glees .el
really important berries, or oorrior theempenied with
hazard, bait bees rendered.
3. Incase' where relays of men are sent for the poems
of affording eseistance, and where a large portion of the
crew have been employed, the salvage winch mg Is
awarded is to be distributed acrordiog to the prodders el
the pane proclamation in force at the time, Was waft
appertioned by the terms of any decree or awed, Or SWF
wise to bo divided among the parties actually employed. as
my Lords Commi.sioners of tt Admiralty may direct.
4. All officers are to no. their best efforts to save, awl
protect property and stores, especially those belonging to
the crown, which may be on hoard any vessel placed is air.
eumstanees of danger or distress ; and, if necessary, to te.
move such stores to o place of safety.
5. Commanders-is-chid; or senior officers in ememiega.
ate to report all leases of assistance rendered, or 411111
raised, to the Secretary of the Admiralty.
By command of their lordships,
(Signed) J. PARKER.
chief, captain., cernmanders,

and commanding officers of ►ee Majesty's ships
sad vessels.

The Daily News has the following remarks res-
pecting the preceding:
One of the last nets of Sir FRANCIS BARING at
the Admiralty was to issue circular orders to restrain
improper claims made for salvage on the part of
ships for services, or alleged services, ren-
dered to merchantmen. Concurrently, the Trinity-
house of Deptford Souud has reduced its light dues
one-half to the coasting trade; and there is now a
bill before parliament for abating the oppressive
shipping charges of Ramsgate Harbour—ail three
measures which have long formed the subject of dis-
cussion in this journal; all goal in their way, and
so tar as they go; but all halting far short of the
ultimate object aimed at in each case by the shipping
interests.

We deny the policy and the justice of Qukes's
ships,—paid fur out of the general taxation of the
country, and commissioned fur the protection of our
trade,—having any legal claim on merchantmen for
salvage under any eireutnstauces. We confidently
assert thnt lighting the coasts of a country is a
national duty to be defrayed out of the national
treasury, not by taxing a particular clam. And we
assert that it has been established beyond all
doubt, before a committee of the House of
Commons, that the Commissioners of Rams-
gate Harbour are iu a position adequately
to maintain it out of the income derived from the
house property they have purchased in that town,
and out of the dividends of the large sums they have
invested in the funds. We cannot, therefore, recom-
mend the shipping interest to accept any one of
these three measures in full satisfaction of the
justice of their case. On the contrary, we strongly
urge them to persevere in requiriug to be altogether
liberated from salvage claims as a matter of legal
right, from the support of lighthouse, and from the
payment of any dues whatever to the Commis-
'loam of Ramsgate Harbour.
Under Sir Fittzets atm:tufa orders (which will
be found in another column) no claims for salvage
are hereafter to b made unless really important
services, or services accomisuiied by hazard, have
been rendered; no claim is to be raised without the
written approval of the commander-in-chief of the
station, atter a full report made to him of the cir-
cumstances, and such approval is not to be given ex-
cept under the condition just mentioned; and all
claims et assistance rendered, or claims raised, are to
be reported to the Admiralty. Henceforward, then,
we shall not have merchantmen cast into the Admi-
ralty Courts by Query's officers for merely throwing
these a rope or giving them a barrel of water; hencefor-
ward important services must be does or great danger
risked; henceforward prosecution of traders such as
those which have lately disgraced the navy, cau on ly be
commenced under the responsibility of commanders-
in.chief ; and henceforward the Admiralty itself will
watch all such transactions. if fully acted upon, these
orders will give great relief to the mercantile marine ;
they will save shipowner* sad underwriters much
litigation and expense; and they will protect con-
signee. from that pressure under which they have so
frequently paid scandalous demaitde made for
salvage rather than involve their principals in a suit
in the Admiralty Courts.
So far, therefore, Sir FRANCIS B MING has in
leaving office done the merchant service a good
turn; but the Duke of NORTIMIDERLANI) will have
to go much further before it can be satisfied. For
even if the law of liability to salvage is to be left in
its present state, come general rules as to the amount
of salvage to be paid ought to be laid down ; and
some popular clement ought to be infused into the
tribunal which has the power of fixing the amount. in
the particular eases brought before it. On the first
point all is now incertitude; there is no principle of
gnantiing generally adopted in the Courts of
Admiralty. Here a fifth of the cargo saved
is given, then an eighth, for services so
nearly akin as almost to be identical ; and
this incertitude encourages Qt LEN't3 officers to make
the most preposterous demands, the very magnitude
of which frightens owners into payments greater
than even the courts might sustain. His grace ought
therefore at once to advance a little further than his

predecessor,and direct the commanders-in-chief to limit
the amounts of the claims to which they tray give
their approval. And in the Vice-Courts of Admi-
ralty, the judges ought to bo directed to call in tho
aid of experienced merchants to advise the courts u
to the sums to be award( d for salvage. With these
additional protections the merchant service might
perhaps rest content, until a good opportunity arises
of discussing the principle of rewarding QUEEN'S
ships at all.
The reduction of the light dues one-half by the
London Trinity House is. no doubt, a substantial boon
to the coasting trade. Hut the spirit of limiting the
reduction to the coasting trade is untenable. The
coasting tiade is now the only portion of the ship-
ping trade that is still protected; the long voyage
shipping, the Baltic shipping, in short every
other branch of our mercantile marine, has to
struggle, and is struggling, with foreign
competition. Yet, by the wisdom of the Lon-
don Trinity House, tho protected trade is
to be relieved of one-half the weight of the
existing light dues, and the unprotected trade has
to bear the whole burl hen of the present rotes.
" Which "—as mathematicians say—" is absurd."
The reason, however, is at once obvious, and shows
how inveterate prejudice W. Thus restricted to the
coasting trade, British shipowners will, it is argued,
receive the whole benefit of the reduction. Hut as
light dues, by whomsoever paid in the first instance,
ultimately act as a tas on consumption, the cost of
11 lighthouses will, notwithstanding this
commaniimlotion, continue to fall on the general nity ;
and the foreigner will Live a ground of complaint
uhith he will not be slow to utter.