The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-26 00:00:00

SHIPPING.

M AILS ARRIVED.—DubIin, 3; Waterford, 2 ; Donaghadee,
1 ; Flanders, I.
LONDON, Feb. 26.—Wind this day at noon, 3.5. W.,
light breeze, with rain.
Dear., Feb. 25.—The Kent, from London to Halifax, wax
in contact last night willt a collier, end sustained some
damage to her beade and quarter-gallery. Arrived: Souris-
baya, Batavia, and sailed for Rotterdam ; Willem le Clerq,
Batavia, and sailed for Amsterdam ; Emperor of China,
and Condor, Calcutta, and sailed for Hamburg; James
M'Queen, and William and Alfred, Demerara; Harriet de
Boer', Havanna, with loss of top-mast, and sailed for
Antwerp ; Eclipse, Maderia; Union, Oporto.
POWItiIIOUTH' Feb. 25.—W.5.W. strong. Arrived:
John Laird, for Victors, Macao, and Canton; Lady Clarke,
London for Algoa Bay, &c.
OFF TORBAY, Feb. 24.—Henry Warburton, London for
Monte Video.

PLYMOUTH. Feb. 25.—5. W. Arrived; H. IC St. Eagle,
Rio Janerio; H. M. St. Persian, Jamaica.
CARDIFF, Feb. 24.-70 tons of iron have been paved from
the wreck of the Radiant, which sank at Barry Island, 6th
instant.

M ILFORD, Feb. 23.—The Catherine and Jane, from Liver.l
peol to Bantry, which put into this port 21st inst., with
pumps choked, has commenced discharging.
RADISOATZ, Feb. 2:,--S. W., strong.—Arrived v "Bolus,
Bergen, for Gijon, loss of sails, and leaky; Sisten, Grange-
mouth, for Genoa, leaky.
OFF Faucet:ref, Feb. 24.—Arrived Tricolor, Cape ;
Baytien.
Ore BARGOR.—AFTiTed . Nelson Village, supposed from
St. John's, N. 8.. . .

LIVEKPOOL, Feb. 25.—Arrived : Mangosteen, Bombay;
Mary Hartley, Calcutta; Herald, Honduras. 26th, Acadia
(at.), Baton, left on the 12th instant, with 9,000). in specie.
Bast, Feb. 25.—Put back ; Emerald, for Antigua.
ABERSSIWITH, Feb. A.—The sloop John and Mary, for
Aberdovey, stranded near this place, 9th inst., has become a
toad wreck.
DUBLIN, Feb. 20.—Two boats, end part of the stem of a
ship, were passed, 19th inst., Tuskar, by the Gem, arrivid
hue.

-/MASERBURGH, Feb. 22,—The Elizabeth Jane, of Sunder-
land, from Liverpool to Newcastle, went down about forty
ns:les elf Christian Sand, about 25th ult.; crew saved.
YARMOUTH, Feb. 25.—The Trade, which went on shore on
the bcrohy Sand yesterday, has bectme a wreck and sunk;
part of the stores paved. The William, of Hartlepool, has
been I,rcught in here a derelict, having been picked up on
her beam-ends by a clay lugger ; crew supposed to have been
saved by a brig which bore down non her prior to the lugger
reaching her.
GLOUCHIaTER, Fi.b. 25.—W.—Sailed, 24tk : Princess,
St. John, N.B.

CLYDE, Feb. 24.—Arrived, 23rd : Medora, Trinidad.
241 k : Madonna, Demerara; E:iaabeth Swift, New York.
Corm—Arrived, 23rd; Mount Stewart ElphlAstone,
Valparaiso.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—Fassuy, FeBRUARY 2s.
ma Loan Cvstacectma took Wm seat at .5 o'clock.
THE NAVIGATION LAWS.

The Earl of HARDWICKE said it now became his duty
to addrms their lordships on a motion which he Red on the
paper praying for a committee of inquiry into the navigation
laws, and, if he was able to induce their lordships to give a
calm consideration to the subject, which now for the first
time for many yenta bad been brought under the notice of
parliament, be should be satisfied. In a question of so much
detail, having connected with it so many trades and imerests,
and also the subject of the national defences, it was de-
sirable that their lordships should have the opinions of prac-
tical men on the operation of the navigation laws. (Hear,
hear.) But there were other considenrions involved in the
question. He found a wide-spread feeling of mistrust in the
governiag powers of this country. Opinions were so sod-
denly and frequently changed, that the people began to
doubt whether men in power possessed any filed priociples
at all ; and he certainly could see no reason for the recent
change of opinion on the subject of the navigation laws. On
the lath of March, 1847, a deputation from the shipowners
of London were assured by the government that there
was no intention of int, rfering in any way with these laws :
but on the 23rd Nov. the Queen's speech announced
that it was in the contemplation of the government to
alter them; and it appeared that in the interval between
the 16th March and Nov., a paragraph in an American
newspaper announced that Mr. Bancroft, the American
minister, had been informed by the Minister for Foreign
Affairs in this country that the navigation laws should
oe tepealed. That was the first notice the people of
England had that there had been any negotiation
between Lord Palmenitonsed the American minister on the
subject. (Hear, hear.) Thus, not only hail the country
been deceived, but the foreign minister was pledged to the
people of the United States that these laws should be re-
pealed, and he thought that was clearly illegal. Before the
committee of the House of Commons on the subject of the
navigation laws the evidence was one-sided, '26 witnesses
being examined in favour of a repeal of these laws, and only
9 against. Mr. Porter had endeavoured to show, in the paper
in question, the great advautages of an unprotected trade -
but the statements in that paper were false. (Hear.) It had.
been stated that it would be an advantage to the
West Indians to m-ike a change in the navigation laws;
but, as fir as he had been able to ascertain, the West In-
dians scouted the idea. If the freights were reduced, say
26 per cent., from tie West Indies, they would also be low-
ered in the same ratio from the East Indies, the Mauritius,
and :Aber plaoes, and the reduceica in tip rate of freighlrs
would produce no sensible alteration in the price of cotton or
tea. But the fact was, the noble marquis was the driver of
a theory which was peril/lug the beet interests of the coun-
try. The polity pursued from 1700 to this time bad
Iraised the shipping from 214,ar10 at this moment
3,800,000 tons, and he was convicted that the only saki
course wan to pursue the system which had produced such a
result. (Hear, hear.) He was convinced that if the
American trade were opened it would ruin our colonial
trade, wnich at erownt employed 40,000 seamen. W..ite
the smallest henetit would be gained by this country we
were shout to gives the American commercial navy advan-
tages that would ruin us. We could not compete with
America in this respect. (Hear' hear.) 'thin, as to
Our reciprocity trade, if we referred to theme countries with
which we had reciprocity treaties the result would show that
they had operated greatly to our disadvantage. Another
subject to which he wished to direct attention, was
that if the shipowner were allowed to build where
he could do so at the cheape't ran, we should soon lose our
private dockyards, which were almost as important (referring
to the subject of national defences) as the mercantile navy
itself. With these mirchatit yards, which had produced u
very large pr portion of our military shipping in the last
war, we should also lose the numerous artisans wines they
employed. I; must be 'sieved that our shipowner. a eild
have recouise to foreign shiphuilders an I forei.
where they could obtain their vessels much cheaper. BIM
this worse' not be all. We must admit foriign seamen
also. Abandon the mercantile marine, and we must
abandon the navy of England, for in time of war it would
be utterly impoesible ever to man it. If their lordships,
therefore, were determined tollive en effective :airy, if they
desired to have a certain way of =ening that navy in time
of war, and if the country wished to have cheap navy esti-
mates' they mast maintain the protection and the monopoly
which the Bri:ish shipowner at present enjoyed. The noble
lord concluded by submitting his motion.
Earl GREY said, as their lordships were already informed,
it was not the intention of her Majesty's government to op-
pose thia motion. The motion might not be necessary, hut,
at any rate, it could do no harm, and it wee his belief that
the more information their lordships had th.• better they
would be encliled to deal with any measure her Mejests 's
government might have her, afar to propose. Hoeing said
this, be should be without juetification if he were
to follow the noble lord through his various re-
marks. As there was to be an inquiry, and as a
measure was hereafter to come before them, there
was no necessity now for a discussion. When the noble lord
alto said that the government had changed their views upon
this subject, he must beg to say that he thought he had
brought forward that charge without sufficient evidence.
Lord Clarendon had merely informed the deputations to
which the noble lord alluded, that it was not intended to
people a change to parliament during the last cession. His
ploke did out in any way affect the course to be taken at •
future period. Then the noble lord had referred to certain
correspondence published in America, Now, if that corre-
spondence was rightly read, it would resolve itself into a
general exprevion to the American minister, to the effect
that the government believed a mutual arrangement
with regard to slopping would be of benefit to
both countries. That was not a statement wliieb
ought to subject them to the noble lord's censure.
But then the noble lord complained of the mode in which
a committee appointed in the other house upon this subject
had been selected, and the way in which their inquiries had
been conducted. Now he must say that he did not think it
a ccnveaient course to discuss in that house how the House
of Commons conducted an inquiry. For his owe part, he
must say, that he believed the inquiry in the Commons had
been conducted with strict justice, and with the most scrupu-
toys care. (Oh.) It always happened on inquiries of such
• sort, that Torre witnesses were examined upon one side
than upon the other, and nothing could be fairer than the
whole arrangements respecting the examinations in the case
is which he alluded. Another point on which he must say a
word, was the charge made against Mr. Porter, whom
the noble lord had declared to have made a state-
ment which he mid to be " false." (Hear, hear.)
Now what did that charge of falsehood resolve
itself into? Nothing else than an erroneous deduction.
Mr. Porter's fieures were all correct; hut he took a view of
them in which the noble lord did not agree. He bad only
to add that he was perfectly willing the committee should he
appointed, and that he was very sanguine indeed in his an-
ticipations that the result would be to afford strong evidence
in favour of the measure proposed hereafter to be sub-
mitted

The Eatl of ELLENBOROUGH expressed his gratifica-
tion that her Majesty's government did not object to the
committee. When the noble lord, however, said thnt the
present law had been very injurious to the mercantile navy
of the country, be was led to infer tle measure the govern-
ment would propose would be calculated greatly to improve
that law. It ouch were the case, he trusted the house would
consider no bill that had not lot its object greatly to in-
crease the traile and the importance of our mercan-
tile marine. (Hear, hear.)
The motion was then agreed to.
Their lurdships adjourned at twenty minutes past seven.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FRIDAY, FEL 25.
Tha BezAm took the their at 4 o'clock.
PUBLIC ISUSINF.sS:

...
SECOND READING.: I.lrtlid Property ,'lrelicntl;
REPORT.--l'airolielated Pond ,t; 000 .4) 1

NOTICE OF MOTtON.—lNrona Tax.- L, Dllll./.1, Sr, •RI, on
Tuesday next, to move for returns of all ;arson, sase—,d to the in-
come tax under Schedule 0, distinguidiuur profewiomt and tiadon,
and 01101 persona generally who have been :mewed to the said tax.