The Express.
London, England, 1848-05-30 00:00:00

owners represented the commerce of this country. Nothing and after that that there was a rapid increase,until in Igoe,
idtowu
bast
thelso peabraceitynto.f ltabreg e.rb
ithp.abliiidnenlB2.3.,4
thPrOv7hwed.h'uloethi7altoer. -t-h:s
couldscents
lts is mooemployed
by
uhf undid.
merchant
h eeybawernreinmuef.recltyweth,e :on; t
that-
trai, a i t of their goods, and had no more claim to represent this country to compete with foreigners. Ole ',-b4er Fs ::
the interests of commerce than the carter who was employed the house see the difference between the intact ear.'
skip
upon the road. (Hear, hear.) As to the affecting pictures built then and now. In 1811,1822, 1823, the ;ler a1...46,..-"."
which had been drawn of the ruin to be expected from the the alteration of the law by Mr. Huakision,-themsO . 176,0,„
repeal of these laws, he did not attach much value to them. amounted i i Monza. to 74,0 N, 78,000, and Wow ,nri,,,,,..."
ocalb4thisandt these did i,oTtbienecluiletseteacieantrisylipi
Similar predictions had been indulged in with respect to 'he ,a the three years 1864, 1845, 1816, the y ounted ' "-'o.onrr
ors-laws, and the house was aware to what extent they bad 203,000, and 223,000 tons. (Hear, hear.) lie musr°lsese,„:
cbebeanngfactifitebt
exTtehnettaacnttiw,
iapsa,ttelida,to
iltehgeisrlabt,irono producedrnaeav:ir,,,ttb
n t.
homes of the country. It was quite fair that the shipowner had been no decline in the power of the ship mO.-
shouldhavethePrivile goof building hisehipe wherever he could to sail vessels, nor the thip•builders to buildOwth-ses--
get the work done cheapest; but he (Dr. Barring) did not in competition with the continent, They
fear that ultimately he would have to go abroad fir that pur. that the reciprocity acts of 1813 greatly benefited were told
pee. lie thought that once exposed to competition the Engiish shipping. lo order to test their effect b tee
British ithipowner would find the way to build shits as they ought to take the whole of the shippinitpr* errhooeutt
cheaply as his foreign rivals. (Hear, hear.) Th• mw as one seta and for some years sobsequently. In 1810 prior to
„.-.7.),
portion of these resolutions of which he disapproved, and ships entered outwards fur those countries with e'l3 --,„--;
that was the power of reprisal given to the Qaesn in council. had treaties of reciprocity amounted in tonna which
we
that
thought that we should endeavour to teach tenure which in 1846 had increased to 1,129,000 tons. If gweetor 61...2.1
nations by our example, and not by any return te a nitric- to the trade of the whole world it would be found thaetre fet,
tive policy, which es. a general p alley ho hail condemned. had been a large and rapid increase over foreignslope,-
Having read an extract from the Louden pe,ition in favour In 1824, the fi-st year of Mr. Huskimon's law, to
of the abolitien of commercial restrictions, the le,n. member British shipping entered outwards was upwards of 3,000 000
concluded by saying t .at the public bad come to the seine that of shipping was 1,325,000. In 1816 the foreign tipping
conclusion conclusion on this question as upon the corn laws. namely, had increased to 3,327,000, or more than 100 per tentl';`-`
that the most expedient course would be the imm, diute red that of Great Britain bad increased toupwards rent.
'
of 8600 000 i
total aboli ion of all restrictions on commercial transit. (Cheers.) In 1826 the foreign shipping represented pet
Mr. BAILLIE (Inverna as) admitted that the navigation cent. of the whole shipping employed; in 1846, 4°
'-
law was to a certain extent injurious to the made and c ire- standing the demand occasioned by the transinisirenirh'
mercer of the country, as were all laws which tended to restrict foreign grain, foreign shipping was only 41 per cent- of rt
the tree interchange of commodities between nations. Thu, whole. Therefore, whether with regard to them con° the:
harbour and light dues were to a certain extent injurieus to with which we had treaties of reciprocity, or otherwise,arr.,.
trade ; but the question was whether the advontag, a derived had as yet no reason to be alarmed by the su oo, -
I y commerce from harhoure and :ights did nut more. than British ship builders or owners were unableP to'ulap-o-e
couraerhalatme the restrictions occasioned by those ilaararr ? with foreigners. Much had been said on the subjectCo of our
dealing with thin question there were tr./ pOhta I. con colonies. It was a purpose opinion that our colooie: ese
sider-first, the efficts of the propene:4 change maintained for the of securing a market t woo.
on the culon.sl policy. of the empire; secondly, manufactures and • large trade for our commercial or
' -
its effect on our shipping and commercial interests. But that was a fallacy which could be explained by facts. •
With n geed to the first question, they must inquire whether 1820 he quantity of thippirot which leftour por awu 1, 119, In
the colonies contributed to the power and weieh of the tons. Of that 746,000 went to our colonies, and 803,e0r
mother country, or whether they were in, re Carl, appen neutral countries. In 1816 the colonial trade, chieflyof the
dopes, maintaieed at a met expense, and centributino East Indies and Australi e, had increased from 7 -
46,000 to
nottaiog to the general and permanent weal, h and prune rite. 1,276,000 tons ; while the trade to neutral countries had
of the empire ? He conceived that the latter view must h increased from 802,000 to 2,711,000 tons, being an increase
that entert iined, if not by the noble lord, at I, nut by a majo- of 110 per cent. on our colonial trade, bar of Me
ray of the government, insomuch as all their measure s hail cent. on our trade to neutral countries. (Hear, h par I
tended to lead the colonies to look to the connexion with the If the government of this country could rem est.'
ove the rank.
mother countzy to one from which they were heeceforth to dons under which the colonies laboured, by enabling there
deuce no advantage ; and by the measure now propneed to employ lumber chips from North Am riea, to bring Otto
goverument were aunt to tell them that they were to bane produce to this country, a great benefit would be confined
no favour or protection for their ships in our harbeure IN r upon them ; and it the manufacturers here cou.d send oat
other countries, and that, in return, we would no longer de- their goods by those ships, on their return voyage,
mend from them any favour or protection for our ships in cheaper rate than at present, a benefit would be conferred,
their ports over those of other nations. Now, if these not merely on the British manufacturer, hut also won so
were the views of ministers and of parliament, he the industrious classes who were dependent upon hie efforts,
would ask for what purpose was it that we were (Cheers) The b-it. gentleman who had last addremee the
incurring a large annual expenditure in providing for house had ale, alluded to the effects which the imposed
the maintenance aid d' fence of our colonies 1 (11e ar, hear ) alterations would have upon the East India shipping be.
Take the case of the Calandra. We had accorded to them a longing to Britielli au rchents. Now, he (Mr. Wilson) sp.
constitution which established their indeperidence-th, it prahended that nothing would be held to he of greater ad.
government being now responsible only to the colonial vantage to this country than to adopt any mesas,
legislature. Carry this law, and would nut the C madams be by which East India cotton could be imported and
just as useful to the mother country Hallo formed one of the made available for manufacture arid consumption
mates of the American union ? (Hear, hear.) That heino in ths country. (Hear, bear.) Hence he thought the facts
the case, how long did they suppose the people of this he had mentioned were sufficient to establish the position be
country would consent to he taxed for the maintenance and took-namely, that there was nothing in the tree trade Fee
defence of that colony 1 'l eke another case. By a series of ciples which had yet been extended towards the Danglem
unwise and impolitic measures, having deprived the We at laws to lead the house to doubt that the Brandi ship
wmr
India colonies of the labour they formerly possesse,l, we had and ship-builder was able to compete with toreigners, OT to
prevented their obtaining labour tram countries front whence induce the b-lief that the shipping inte rest ought to be el
it might he procured, and having reduced those colonie a could be an exc. ptiose to other matters to whin free beds
to a state bordering on ruin we now intimated to them principles had been applied. This 'wombs him to Adam
that there was no greater advantage to the people of Eng- Smith's ehjections to the navigation laws. If he had shoes
land in drawing produce from those islands than in drawing that free trade had sti.uulated the abipowner and the ship.
it from Cuba and the Hazes, and that henceforward we builder, and that competition acted upn them as it Mel
were to ehtain what we required ii the cheapest market aid upon every other chain-if he hied proved that free trade bad
give no tanner or protecticto to our colonies whatsoever, de- tetided nut to the diminution but the Mclean of Break
mending nn the other hand, no favour or prof mien from shipping, then he had proved that the national defences
thins. Would any one contend that, under such Mecum. were maintained and ready to be so. He found that la
stoners, the possismon of the West Ineiet would be of any the year 1820, the whole o. the British Mkrehlat
benefit to this country-or rather, would any one conteud ships employed 130,000 men, while in 181 G the Zola
that they would not be an immense and us. less but den ta ber employed under the new principle of action amounted
us ? Ile, for one, would say that if such was to be the future to 230,000 men. And, seedy, this large number of mm
policy ot the country, he would be no party to tax the people from which strength might be drawn rendered the royal
of England to maintain colonies, which minieters by nave safer from want of hands in time of need. Than, be
their measures had ruined, destroyed, and rendered thought. these tuts must remove any doubts which MO
radars to them. (Hear, beer.) To show that this exist as or the alteration in he navigation laws endangering
was not mere idle declamation, but that it was a the national defences. (Hear, hear.) But there usu.
feeling vrhich obtained to a great extent, be would read a other censideration which had been very much overlooked
resolution come to by the West India Association i f Liver- in the coarse of thin i
deate, and that was that since Mr,
pool, in which they said it was impossible for the Wi at Huskisson tad introduce d his policy-a police which bed
India colonies to continue the production of auger and coffee liven allowed by successive governments, and lastly cured
on terms of equal competition with foreigners, and that the
Tinto execution
in ma by therti cle right hon b
a aronet, th
demand sedan.
to the crown to n lease them from their present unprofitable aumption in this country, he
in(Mr. Wilson', asked if an il.
allegiance,•in order that they might attach themselves to crease had not taken place foreign shipping, how it wall
a tale other country that would extend to them the rotec- have been possible to have brought to this
oatsco the Ls
lion of a parent state. Thai was important, as shownng creased quantities of the raw materials ufsetan
togatht the West India inferno telt that they might be drivi n which tier been imported within tee last 20 years. Darim
eek from the United States that protection which that period the whole object and intention of legitimate
was so cruelly denied to them by England. He was anxious (as especially during the latt seven years) had hex ts
that the people of England should fairly understand increase the quantity of the imports and expro. If that
what must be the effect of these measures as term 'ed the was the object, then it would ha been necessary to Meese
colo? because if then they supported the governm nt the amount of British shipping; and he coati:tied the it
in them they would have themselves alone to blame. Ile would not have been wed to divert, by high mutate".
would now inquire as to what must he the a fl, et on our pital to the shipping trade when capital was scarce for other
shipping interest. The right hon. gentleman, when he purposes to wince it coirld he better directed. In 11323ths
brought forward these resolutions, admitted tbat the power quantity of sheep's wool brought into this coney en
and greatness of this country depended on the maintenance 19,000,000 lbs. ; last year it was 62,000.000 lbs. (Mesas
of her commercial marine , it followed, therefore, that any wool, in 1823, there had been imported 169,000,0001 M; h
measure which was calculated to weaken the coramercial me- 1817 it amounted to 473,000,000 lbs. 01 sugar the ineet
rine of Enghted and strengthen that of the Uuited States in 1823 were 210,000 tuns ; in 1847 it wan 4100 A
would be injurious to us in the some proportion as it was ad- tons : while of wheat the importation in 1823 mad
vantageous to our rivals. He would take that admiseion as 449,000 qrs., while last year it was 2,950,000 qrs. Tit
granted. Now, what was promisee to the people of showed the necessity for foreige ship. to bring thew nem
England in the way of compensation for this injury A %trials to thh country. If, however, the sh.ppum interest d
reduction in freights. (Hear.) And they had hi en told that Great Britain could compete successfully with that d
that reeuction would not be less than one million annu dly. foreign nations in some respects, there war reard
Admitting the currectoem of that estimate, for the take of countries in the latter had greater success. He bed t
argument, it was because he believed the iiiterest of the return from Rio Janeiro, showing the number of sheen.
Selfish shipowner was the interest of the whole people, that tered from that port in 1845. They were 571 in number,
he was prepared to maintain that interest, even at .he cost and of those 84 were British ships. And where did they go
of a million • year. (Hear, hear.) But how was this ad- to ? Not home, but with cargoes to all the lonia curare
vantage of reduced freight to be obtained ? By the employ- in the world, in open competition with the chips of TM*.
meat of foreign ships. (Her.) But, as we gave employ. Prussia, and other nations. Only 20 came to the pond
meat to foreign ships, we must disle our own ships Liverpool, and the rest went to foreign ports. He was have
Wein re ) They could not employ foreign ships without ever sorry to find from accounts he had remind during the
tnrowing British ships out of enaploynaent. Take the case of past week, ofta complaints had been made against them
the British West Indies. He was ready to admit that the eying trade this country. This had been referred to is
navigation laws actedunfeirlytothe colonial interest-(minis- the consular returns quoted by his right hon. frieaddis
teriel cheers), but that injury, he believed, had been President of the Board of Trade. His right hoc. Mites
much exaggerated-(hear, heary-for the colonists, feeling statement on a former evening had been correherated bye
how mainly they w, re mewed, had naturally enough exag- letter he (Mr. Wilson) had received from a highly roped.
Iterated the evil which those laws entailed en them. (Hear.) able house at Rio Janeiro, dated the Ist of An') lot, and
l'he British West ladies were suppli.d with lumber to the stating that while foreign ships were getting might at 50e,
extent of 140,000 tons a veer by means of American shipping. 5.55., and 60s. for coffee, and though there were 21 Eagliali
Under the present laws those ships could not take back car- ships of 12 years stanaieg. they ware unable to get charmed
goes of sugar to British ports, and were in consequence often in consequence of the character of their captains for tereles-
obliged to leave the West Indian ports in ballast. If those nese, and for the bed manner in which they disdinted
laws were r. pealed, they might take in cargoes of sugar or their cargoes. (" Hear," and via of " No, no.")
ether produce for Worth ports at a reduced rate of freight- letter was corroborated by a document which had hem
age. And, suppose that 60,000 tons of American shipping stuck up one day last week at Lloyd's, hut which hod hea
should yearly take in cargoes for British ports in this way, taken down by a member of the committee of Lloyd's.
there could be no doubt that 50,000 tons et British shipping However, there now remained the great question as to
would be thus thrown out of employment. But that shipping, in which a great variety of aped°, s were tete
would not be the only evil. These vessels would endeavour rained by gentlemen of very high authority. Macy thought
to obtain return cargoes from the British ports rather than that the principles of reciprocity first adopted by Mr. Sae
return empty, and u they would take freights at a lower kitson should be the principle now to be followed. lie
rate than British ships it toll Owed that much more English differed from that opinion. If free trade was good to this
shipping would be thrown eta of employment. Mr. Alwyn, country, it was well to make other nations adopt it. P!
in the statement he had sent round to members of the house, rigat hon. gentleman the member for Oxford (Mr. Oleo
said that hie firm, which hau been tor many yearsstone), had admitted that in 1844 and 1845 the thee. coma
weed with the continent, could at any time charter Ame- talent had done all in their power to induce foreign omega+o
rican ship" from European ports to Calcutta at 41. 10e. a ton, to join them in arts of reciprocity ; hut their /writer: el
which was 20e. a ton less than he would have to pay that effort would prevent them adoptiag again that mw!
for British shipping ; and he added that the am- of policy, for alter long negociations the elf ots had roes
'petition of foreign ships in the East India and China futile. He, therefore, thought it was quite right to urglatM
trade acted lower the freight of British ships and adoption of the principles of free trade, for it was be
throw the m out of employment. That American ship- set en example to induce that adoption than to sunateal
ping would compete with us successfully in the China enter upon any treaties of reciprocity. On that ground ow
aed East India carrying trade which we now had in our thought the plan proposed by his right hon. friend (Id
hands, there could be no doubt. There was one trade, and Labouchere) t
reemus more successful than if his temeted
one trade only, in which we had been competing fairly had rested upon procity treaties. (Hear, bear) flat
far 25 years with the United States, and in which no favour gentlemen opposite hail cheered when he (Mr. Wilson)!I
had been shown to either art ; and what had been the re. referred to the succe of free tree.. It was uite maws
sult ? The total destruction of that trade as far as England nobody could deny issO the
present moqment thews!
was cncerned, aad the triumph of the Unted States. e mercial teress ot his country
were suffering under re!
tradeo he alluded to wasi
the South Sea i
whale fishery- Tha
pleasure and t
reducttion of and that there !!
trade requiring mush whet, able and energetic seamen, been a tiobutt the usual demands for Bee!
and a trade cMculated theorist the best school for the navy- manufacturto ; he would ask those hommur
England had all the advantages of capital and sailors gentlemen who had cheered, what would have bees tos
had not tee
ready at hand - yet what had been the result ? condition of this country if free-trade principles . , ,
In 1821 the number of American ships employed was under adopted ? (Hear, hear.) Look at other crouton's, mee
90, the seamen, 2,900. On the let of January, 1846, the was matter of the greatest wonder and surprise that Tie!
number of ships had increased to 737, the number a f officers should have been able to pass through the ordeal of d fredo.
and seamen to upwards of 20,000. Well, the number of and distress to which she had recently been messed; (lilt!
British ships in the same period engaged in the whale hear.) It was painful to refer to the condition f
,eetr:
fishery was in 1821, 2,15, and of seamen, 11,900, whereas in bouring states, in which monopoly and restriction Uee!!
1848 the vessels were only 61 and the seamen 2,630. Thus adhered to with the utmoet tenacity, hut he NW cosh"!
had we been utterly driven out of this trade. If he was that had it not been for the immures carried by the efl
right in asserting, as hr did, that by this measure a certain hon. baronet (Sir R. l'ecl) during the last seven yam,'
reads egg*
number of British vessels would be put out of emment, sufferings of thh country would have been R . ~
and American vessels substituted in their place ;flitwould vated, and he, for one, entertained the %tamest hoPelor;
lead to a decrease of our commercial marine, and the sepa- those measures, when fairly and fully developed, sto°'"e
__,,,
ration of our colonies; hose who proposed it would have found to contain in them the germs of great and fan lese
justly incurred the indation of the people of this country, pertly. Allem, hear )cuts bit
whose teteresta would be sacrificed, without the prospect of MrDRU tIMOND mid he wished to ha up
any adequate remuneration. (Hear, hear.) opinions on this question, though it was not hit intestoo-
Mr. J. WILSON considered that the [amendment moved embusses the government by giving a hostile in
.1 if.
was the proper one to bring the whole question before present occasion. in the first place, he oirueed hot':
the house ; and that question he looked upon to be, whether astonished that it should he proposed by the it
rrrn, P
we were premed to carry out the principle of free Ueda to one fell swoop to carry oft all the code of laws i Ole i
chipping. To the theory of Adams Smith he opposed the navigation which had been passed from the re%
experience of the last twenty years. Adam Smith, in treat- Richard 11. down to the present time-lau note sero
ing of the question, freely admitted that, if the shipping Once, hut developed are after age. It was said.gtht ia
could be built, manned, and carried on cheaper in other proposal was only another development of the ICI. !O;
countries, it would be the policy of this to maintain its tree trade. Many hon. members might know _
helie,,
defences. If that were the cue he should be prepared to meant by that conventional term, bat he know
Mi
assent to the doctrine of Adam Smith, that our political a loss to comprehend it. He knew that Thor, , .
defences most be maintained in preference to our heaved on one aide, and Lancashire on the ot
_,,,e ,roß;ri-
commercial superiority: Bat Adam Smith had over- something great was expected to bedrodu I 0 °`. ejoe
looked a great princtple-naniely, that free trade not of Trade lent ite obstetric aid, and the Fa in tetwoo.)
only introduced cheaper commodities from abroad, but a was ready to attend the bantling. (" Rear," sead,llll.l
larger and cheaper production at home, causing an increase) lie knew also the dogma promulgated in tot
Ti5,..70.
power of competition with foreign countries. Surely if the buying in the cheapest and selling in the dearest,,, the 0.
partial free trade measures of Mr. Huskisson had had that that it wth contended that ry such a t ; ,'':,..e
effect we had encouragement to go on in the same direction. tional defences, navel and military, were tou:
The question was in reality one of facts. In 1823 Mr. lins- suchw also that the saga of ages bad proeno tee'l:
kisson first proposed the amelioration of the navigation laws, u " Know thy:wit,' t' Pieature is he greer., 'or; if
in order to avert the difficulties and dangers arising on " Virtue is the greatest good ;" but the simple donit7s. .
every side ; and what, be would ask, had been the state of the free trade dogma wee "Buy fora Pul"Ythe PO°.
our shipping then and since 1 For several years prior to the pound." f " Hear," and laughter.) This waseo.
~,,dos
act of 1823 it had been in a declining state. From 1817 to on which the government had founded this m ,
yfel 00.
1823 the amount of tonnage of the United Kingdom only ground furnished for it to-night was, thatiger 4e.".-es
gradually declined from 2,623,000 toper 2,506,000 ; where- tiou cochineal could be got at a muath.eterst,„ L''„„,o 0
as nom 1823 it had gradually ieased, until in doubt that this country was now in ellil
or, 5-- - sere
1846 it was no less than 3,817,000. (Hear, hear) that in which she stood at the end of the war, :Ken_ .
if, then, it happened that in our strongest gaveled herself, but olso inn spect of °there,'
_l'm ltd Aso
state ot' monopoly our shipping trade was in a el,:cliniug Mete, and it was wise ice Mr. lluskoson, Mr. 11 ell