The Express.
London, England, 1849-03-10 00:00:00

states in his chapter A Peep ince the Future, " are in every
respect infinitely greater than our own:" and Mr. Mackay wu
most accurate in that statement. He fully concurred UV% Mr.
Mackay, that the mourns of America were vastly superior
to our own in numerous important respects; but he did not
agree wfth Mr. Mackay in his deduction, that therefore
England must of necessity succumb to America. Nu
man could doubt that the injuries which would be in-
flicted by the repeal el the navigation laws upon the int rests
of the mercantile and marine cilium of Eogland would be
very great. But in having regard to the situation of the
British shipowners, it was not just to look only at those con•
sideratims to which he had already referred. They must
look also to the proportion of ships sailing in ballast be-
tween the years 1814 and 1847. In 1814 the cumber
of ships entered outwards in !mint amounted
to 22 per cent. of the whole number which sailed out of
port. In the year 1847 this proportion was incri astd to 61
per cent. Another method of judging of the relative situa-
tion of British and foreign shipping in 1814 and 1847 was
by looking at the average amount of foreign tomalte em-
ployed in the British trade in the two periods. In 1814 the
average foreign tonnage thus employed was 241 per a at. less
than the British tonnage employed in British trade.
But in 1847 the average amount of foreign ton-
nage employed in British trade was 21 per cent.
above the British tonnage employed In the same trade.
The average increase of British tonnage between 1814 and
1847 was 134 per cent. The average increase of foreign
tonnage in the same period was 259 per cent. Be hoped that
the house in dealing with this important question would not
forget the number of attisana that would be thrown out of
employ by the repeal of the Navigation-laws. With
respect to the assertion that • reduction in the
pries of commodities would follow the repeal of the
navigation laws, by lowering the freights from foreign parts,
he must express his conviction that the consumer would get
nothing. In whatever way they were viewed, the
navigation laws were not objectionable. They occa-
sioned no inconvenience. To. freights under their
operation were moderate, and the merchants said
on all sides that they dreaded a repeal of them
The hon. gentleman opposite objected to reciprocity on the
ground that we had already complete reciprocity with foreign
nations, and that they had nothing more to give us. If that
were the hon. gentleman's opinion, why did he allow the
government to write those letters which had been despatched
to foreign nations ? To ask those nations whether they would
reciprocate, when the hon. gentleman stated that they could
not, was a mere fallacy and a delusion. (Hear, bear.) But
het agreed with his right hon. friend (Mr. Berries) that,
great as was the irjustice which this measure would inflict
on the British shipowner and artisan, it sank into insignia.
canoe when compared with the danger of destroying the
naval superiority of this country'. He owned, for his
own part, that he dreaded this introduction of foreign
shipping into our colonies and into the harbours and ports of
England. It put him in mind too much of the introduction
of the wooden horse into Troy :

TaMae Wadi* peejurique ante Mirage,
Credits roe captique dolis,lscrymiaque coacti ;
Qua, emus TOW; nee Ludlam' Achill.e,
Nola cool domuere dean, DOG male corium.

Still, he cheriehtd that feeling of patriotim—that love of
country--which showed itself superior to every difficulty.
Hs had no fears of the result of this great question : and, de-
spite the recklessness of the government, he believtd that
they would yet weather tho storm which now encompassed
them.

Mr. CARDWELL said that the noble lord who had just
at down end the right hon. gentleman who had proposed
the amendment anticipated with de:p dismay the decay of
our mercantile marine and the declension of our maritime
Tt.;;;;;;.4 he could not share in theif.glo.otay
hangout, yet tne name natural anxiety weighed upon uum
in approaching a question of this great importance.
They were told by the highest authority that reel.
procity was to be the order of the day. What was
our position in regard to one of the most import-
interests in this country ? He knew of nothing more
important than that which was known by the deno-
mination of the warehousing system, which had been the
growth of recent years ; which was the tffspring of a good
relaxation made in the navigation law, which had consti-
tuted us the great entrepot between the tropical productions
of the distant world and the great consuming countries of
civilised Europe. We exported the cotton of America,
the sugar of the tropics; we sent all the large
articles of consumption to the ports of the Baltic.
In regard to Russia, we sent last year no lees than 93,000
bales ; we had the whole carrying trade of RWSill ; we bad a
kegs part of the carrying trade of the Baltic. We were told
that reciprocity was to be the order of the day. When the
treaty with Russia had expired, when Prussia put her
threats in execution, what would become of our carrying
trade ? Let it be recollected that as we would not allow
that the products of Asia, Africa, and Ameries, should be
exported into this country except in their ships or in
our skips, Rugs, when the treaty expired; Would say, the
products of Asia, Africa, and America, shall not come into the
pinta of Russia, unless it shall be in ships of those countries
or Russian ships ; if you will not relax the system, they
shall not come in. The British shipowner would thug have
loot his share in the import of these articles from the tropics
to Great Britain, and would have lost the entire trade as re-
garded the export from Great Britain. Let not this
be regarded es an unimportant circumstance. As t
the United State% of America, we had now recipro-
city with them in many important respects; • recipro-
city, not of friendly intercourse, but of a jealous and guarded
character. Did they think it was of no importance
to regard the effect of these laws as. regarded America.
Thera was a great trade springing up in a new part of the
world, viz., California. He errs not talking of money, but of
that which was palpable, that a large trade was opening
thus. He was happy to know • gentleman who was reaping
the reward of his enterprise in having sent the teas of China
and the sugar of the Philippine Islands to California. When
the American government had established themselves in
California, the clause of the navigation laws came into ope-
ration, and no more produce could be carried to the western
coasts of America in British ships. It was important
thou engaged in shipping; it was important for the coin-
medal interests of the country, to come to a right under-
standing as to this clause. Mr. Huskimon had said, be
careful, on political grounds, that you do not so arrange the
navigation laws se to raise np in a great country a maritime
competitor. What country would carry cotton to Russia, to
Prude—tea and sugar to California ? That one country of
which they were afraid—that one country which, under the
advice of Mr. Huskison, they had made it their particular
policy not exclusively to consult. He did not know that he
had ever listened with so much astonishment to any
statement, as lie bad listened to-eight to the measured deli-
berate statement of so wise a person u the hon. member for
Stamford, when he deliberately said, he thought the case of
Canada was good for nothing. They were told last night, if
Nu want to show captivity take the case of a single captive.
ow a most respectable gentleman bad written to bias, say-
ing that he stood in this predicament, he bad received by an
American vessel from New York, a quantity of flour.
He perceived that the corn had been grown in
Canada; he stated the tenth to the Custom-house
officer, and his answer was that it could not be
admitted, as if it were grown in America ; and
this gentleman had written to him (Mr. Cardwell) to
go to the treasury and endeavour to assist him. Would
hon. gentlemen tell him, on what principle he was to pro-
tut the corn grown by the republic of the United States)
against the corn grown by our fellow subjects In Canada ?
Now he had been told that there was a plan devised by
which this difficulty could be got over, and yet the principle
could be maintained. The plan was this, you were to
nationalize the produce. The corn of Canada was
to be received to the prudiee of the cern of the
United States by passing the large canals. Consider
the ease of Canada. There was a keen competition
between the Canadian interest and the interest of the United
States. The Americans were nearer the sea at New York
than the Canadians by way of the Bt. Lawrence, but Canada
had expended large sums of money, and the government,
out of the imperial credit, waisted her in making excellent
navigable canals to carry the traffic by way of the St. Law-
rence. Notwithstanding the great distance, you could carry
corn to Liverpool as cheap, by the way of the St. Lawrence,
al you could by way of Lake Erie. The honourable
member for Stamford had greatly lauded the sagacity
of the Americans for the drawbacks they bad given
for the transit through their provinces. If it were sagacity
which gave a bounty to the going through the district of
New York, what virtue was that by which we placed a dit-
imaragement on the navigation of the canals ? The Canadian
said, " lam not asking you for protection, I am free of the
market. I have • difficult navigation to contend with—but
I entreat you, do not discourage your loyal subjects,. enable
them to compete on equal terms, and they will bring you
produce., grown by British subjects, to compete with others
m foreign markets." Were they to refuse this reason-
able demand, he could not be persuaded to come
to any such conclusion. A governor of one of the British
colonies in 1671 (recently after the passing of the navigation
bill), remonstrated against the obstruction to trade and
navigation, by that severe act of Parliament, and raid, "if
it were for her majesty's service or the good of the subject.
we should not repine, but, on my soul, it is the contrary."
And it was so, for what would British shipowners do, it by
the sagacity of the Americans and our want of sagacity, all
the produce of Canada went to New York, and was mini d
eat la y pa with American produce. It would shut
the Wetisei Canal, and alienate the minds of the
witheat enuring to the British shipowner
Vat which was the only object. Now there were
amemolies in the law which it was quite impossible
they could allow to remain. They had made • small
port at the mouth of the Danube, not actually in Austria, •
part of Austria. They had made Memel a port in Olden-
burg, but Holland came and said T have a favoured nation
clause, and if you have made, for the convenience of
Austria and Oldenburg, ports, which geographically speak-
ing, are situated in other countries, pore of those °Gantries,
for this convenience I claim, under the favored nation
clause, yen shall make some particular port convenient to
me, a port of my country for my convenience. America
might say the same. But it was said that the evidence of
the lords' report showed that ships were dearer, wages
higher, and the eeriness of navigating altogether higher
hare than in America. He had taken pains to make him-
self acquainted with the contents of the lords' report, and
found an oppoidte statement. Mr. Dunbar, the chairman of
the London Shipowners' Aaeooiation, said that it was better
to build dear ships than cheap ships, because they lasted
longer and cost ha in repairs. Another gentleman
being asked whether he tbeught the English sailors
superior to any in the world, said that the Amtrican crews
were three-foarths English, and the Americans paid more
On the whole it would be found, that the country
which the greatest capital, where the rate of in-
terest was the lowest, the country which had most energy
and enterprise, which had the command of all the markets of
the world, was the country which, on fair and equal terms,
could compete with others. He knew that this was a topic
not always popular to argue; that the compliment to the
energy, enterprise, and skill, of the British shipowner, was