The Express.
London, England, 1851-03-08 00:00:00

'THE 'EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING; MARCH 8, 185'

(ERCANTILE MARINE ACT AND THE
' SEAMEN OF LONDON.
(►ram N. Daily Ness.)

his extremely probable, we regret to say, that
by the time this article meets the eye of our readers
a strike will have occurred among the seamen of the
port of London. Movements of this kind are
I always foolish, of course, but then in cases like the
, present they are the result of the previous foolishness
of other people. If, by this time, „Jack" hap-
I pens to be " doing nothing"—certainly the Board
of Trade must plead guilty of " helping him!"
We had occasion some time ago to speak of the
failings of the Mercantile Marine Act. or a long
time the relations between seamen and their captains
were kept in a fine state of vagueness and indeter-
initiation. The captain got his crew how he could, and
treated them almost as he liked, always being liable,
of course, to being . brought up before the Thames
police court by an injured employs. It is only. with-
in the last few years that even the registration of
seamen was thought of, and that measure, we believe,
owed its origin to the exertions of a private indivi-
dual. That vast body of 200,000 of the best sailors
the world ever saw was less under cognisance and
control than any body of men on the globe ;
the authorities trusted to chance or impressment for
a supply fur the QUEEN'S ships in the case of a pos-
sible war; and our skippers became such notable
specimens of English produce, that the evidence
about them on the Navigation Laws inquiry startled
civilised mankind. _ _

By degrees, however, the absurdity of this state of
things became apparent even to officials. The
nautical leviathan was gradually circumvented
by legal. meshes—remaining the While unconscious
of, or indifferent to, the process. At last the
Board of Trade set to work at " a great and compre-
hensive " scheme for organising mercantile seamen,
and produced the act now attracting so much atten-
tion. The result has been that the most quiet, care-
less, nnbusiness-like and politically indifferent por-
tion of our people, has broken into an earnest, deter-
mined, anxious, and organised agitation. There
have been strikes in the north—there have been
meetings, delegates, and deputations, and our seamen
have, for the last few weeks, been in a state of ex-
citement only paralleled we imagine by the excite-
ment produced by Gulliver when he seized the royal
fleet of Blefusan.
On Wednesday a party of seamen boarded Mr. LA-
Boeciimis's official quarters, and presented a long me-
morial of grievances, which was received with extraor-
dinary
attention. The seamen have certainly many
things to complain of, as appears from this document.
Most reasonably of all they may complain of thcabrupt-
ness of the change. Their captains, a class of men who
have certainly not that kind of superiority over those
they govern that a naval officer may claim, arc
elevated now, artificially and offensively, above
their crews. The captain carries to sea an
" official log," wherein he is to register
their offences, and report on their charac-
ters. Few captains, as things go, are really fit
to exercise such an important power, and the con-
sciousness of such a regulation must tend to throw
an embarrassing uneasiness over the mutual re-
Wiens. Then there is a list of 22 penalties, or
fines, stuck in the corner of the agreement to be
entered into by ship's crews. These, though condi-
tional legally, have obviously a partly compulsory
effect on men situated like sailors wanting a ship ;
they are such as to be liable to constant dispute,
and are generally of that petty and trivial character
better fitted fur a monastery, or a mendicant order,
than a ship. Meanwhile no provision is made for
the protection of the sailor against the captain : the
captain is to tine for oaths, but what mulct may the
sailor exact as a recompense for blows?
Again, all arrangements of signing articles, paying
wages, &e, between skipper and man, go on in pre-
sence of the government " Shipping Master." That
functionary's powers are so vaguely settled as not to
be definable by himself. He is to arbitrate and
arrange • but where does his power begin or stop?
The " Shipping-offices," also, situated W 4 they are
hill. .

, .
on Tower-i and in the Minories, are very in-
conveniently placed with regard to the East
India Docks Company, and put the seaman who
wants to ship very much out of his way. Then,
there is a "tie" to pay out of the most hardly
earned wages in the world, and this part of the busi-
ness is so managed that persons in the coasting trade
pay more than those going lung voyages. There is
a want of discrimination in the regulations ; in fact,
a want of proportion and adjustment suggestive
equally of haste and short-sightedness.
The Board of Trade having received the last sea-
men's deputation gave them to understand that they
Iwould have an answer last night. A large meting
of sailors took place in consequence last night, sad
no answer having come much indignation was ex-
premed, and the delegates plainly proposed a resolu-
tion calling on seamen to refrain from entering on
board any ships at all while things remain as they
-
. are. At present, too, it happens that sailors are inure
at a premium than they have been for a long time ;
and trade must suffer from this strike, should it
be carried out. Meanwhile an ill feeling prevails
I among an important, a well-meaning, and obedient
body of men. Surely, it would be as well to have one
class at least of the country's working masses not
obliged to resort for their rights to agitation.
This Mercantile Marine Act will have to be modi-
fied, and that with the assistance of aural men. Beal
knowledge of the maritime character is required on
the part of those who would legislate for seamen ;
and no official mechanism can supply the want of it.

IRE L AND.

DURLI/, Mecca 7.

It appears, according to a statement in the Eren-
in!! Post, that a Bev. Mr. Fitzgerald, the parish
priest of a place called Italian, in the King's County,
having lately presided at a meeting of his jra-
rishioners to petition against the Ecclesiastical
Titles Bill, took it into his head to forward his peti-
tion to the Duke of Wellington for presentation in
the House of Lords. In the process of a few days
(continues the Poet), Mr. Fitzgerald was honoured
with a letter from his Grace, expressing his readi-
ness to present the petition, but intimating some
irregularity in the document, which he desired
should be conected. But the important, the really
important point is this—that his Grace intimated he
should cheerfully present the petition, and support I
its prayer. The Peat promises to publish his Grace's
letter, and mentions this circumstance as the first
public intimation of the Duke's views on the subject.
The Master of the Rolls yesterday made an order
for the payment of 51,001)!. to Ludy'llarriet D'Orsay,
out of the proceeds of the late sale of the Countess of
Blessington's Irish estates.

(From laat niebt'e Gaartie.)
WAR-OFFICF, Mara 7.
Sid Drag GAL— Veal D 11. Itoweta.„ from l3th Lt. Drags., to be
ek• Ilitkett, app. to 14 Y.
13th Lt. innage.—Lteet. I. H. BAUM. Irma let F., to be lieut., elm
Howell, app. to had Dreg Gds.
let (or Grenadier) Rest. of Ft. Ode.—Lieut. anti Capt. the Hon. H
ii. Y. ram, to be nip . and hew awl., by par , etc • J. Dixon,
wbo reit.; Bon and land. J. hemre to be Beat. and rapt, by
par., TM Piney.
let F.—Lieut. L. llteamer, from 2nd Drag. Gds., to be bear., Mee
Barbee. app. to 11th Lt. Dram.
3th F.—Capt. W. R. L. Ban err, from hap. %matt, to bo rapt.,
F. Aelape.eL who each.. Utul. 1. W. L'horeasos to be rapt., by
put., sloe &melt, who rem.
th F.—Lteut. the Hon. W. Shoat to be mat., by pqr., • c.e Wlteem,
who mu, ; Ea.. R. W. Toon., from the st. Helens Rom , to be
trot br pur., rim Monett; Lima. T. B. S/SSIA to be aid., Mae
Nionek, .
lath 9—her
e, 0. A. Limor to be lieut., by pur., vire Ferrer, wlid
rets.
_ _ _

plitiP.—Liret. W.O Bier, to be capt, by pur., vine Sir G. t>•,Wye,
Bert., who WA: raw A. T. 1.. Outset Li be limit., by pur. sed
adj., vise Best prom.
Mtn r.—Litat. 8. J. Ma fracas to be eapt., by pur.. vier Adams,
nib, rem. ; Van. F. J. Caorta to be lieut., by par., vice Matlitrenn.
17th F.—Lkat. R. A. Loom! t be e ipt., by par, vim Ashton, who
rota ; Eau 0. J. Foa►rre to be lieut., br per., vine Loon.
7.1e1 r.-I.4eut. J. JAOo to be apt, by pm., trhe W. C. tram, who
NM; ►tot P. Pant.r or to be lieut ,by par., vice Joao.
Oise F.—Major H. YUMA= tube Ileac-set, by mar., vice Willer, who
mak ; Cap. the Hon. M. A. G. Galata. to be ni .tor, by por , vice
Format. ; I.lisit. F. Larne to be n. 4., by per., rue Dalai I Ens.
W. E. Tom" to be Lem., by par , vice Leave.
Wee 7.-I..test. W. It. ANIMPLIP.T. from the 97th F., to be lieut., vice
ale, prom. to as mien. c raptly.
Ist West India Rest—Lieut. E. bagnesu, from b..p. of the Corm
Lie Rec., to he nem , rte Kola prom. to an unatt. comp trty.
Cape Mounted WM rnen.—lios. 0. L irmookar to be lieut., by pur.,
vice Lavery. wbo rms.
I.7aavr.

sscaso..—Liew. the Hos. R. S. Ptcparrr. from the ellt Ft .t.
-be apt, without par.; Lieut. A. ReTSLIFORD, from the 76th FL,
to hr rapt., wattoot pur.
asser.-1.1148.-CuL V. Ass m, C 8., tate of Bengal Engineer;
(Lbrateeneat-tjusersor of the East Innis Company's Military seral.
Wiry at Aildissombe,) lobar the local and temporary rook of Lieut.-
Cot. la the army whine:, eineoted.
OFFICE ar OtiUNANCR, Matra S.
IS. Raft. or Arlo.—deeciad Capt. J. P. Cann to he mat., vice Low,
rat. CS ; First Ilea J. P. L lieDeeLST to be M. apt Vies
Cater ; isesad fleet. B. IL 0 Prams to be first lie t., sW
ADMIRALTY. Mama 4.
Corps of 111. Mariam—Gent. Calet 1. B. Cutes.t to be see. lieut.