The Express.
London, England, 1848-06-03 00:00:00

ive the jettil‘
'Prone& *Oat thl
cest wet deli
did nol

be • • partinipeeina Ja the coasting trade of this
eons Now he did not think that soy hon. mem-
ber, in his isemedlate neighbourhood, enterteined
the f that if the eberetine trade was opened
to America, any vessel with the (leg of the stars
and stripe, would ever engage in it. (Hear, hear.).
practically it would be an idle and an empty permission
We had a coasting and • colonial trade America had no co-
lonies, hut had a misting trade equivalent to a colonial
trade • and with our connexions in North America and the
West 'lndies, to the north and south of the United States,
we were In • position to take • very beneficial part in that
trade. America was ready to give us all we gave her. If we
gave her the coasting trade, we were entitled to ask for her
coasting trade; but by giving her our colonial trade only.
we withheld what was worthlem, but which would enable
her to refuse valuable concretion% to us because we had not
given up all. (Hear, hear.) He cordially concurred iii the
general principle of the relaxation of the navigation laws;
he was sincerely desirous to give effective support to this
measure, and should he sorry to take any step to iejuni it.
On the either hand, he hoped that ministers would not va
themselves precluded front accepting any eilinrestions which
upon discussion they might colloid. r an improvement.
(Hear.) With regerd to the general principles, he never
telt more certain of their soundness, of their appicatelity
the cam in hand, or that the time hail come which was
marked out for their application. A petition presented
the previous day from merchants, &c., in the City, declined
that this was the last moment for touching the navigation
laws' he much wondered to what clam of considerations
these gentlemen could have applied their minds; for whether
he looked at the aspect of affairs on the continent, the posi-
tion now assumed by Preemie. or the sn ps taken by the
United States, ho never remembered • great question where
the preliminary coosidermion of time had been a, deter-
minedey settled and pointed out by the concurrence of im-
portant circumstances. (Hear, hear.) In one sense, cer-
tainly, it might be true that this was the last moment tor
touching the navigation laws; for if the question were
po t.
poned a year or two the opportunity of considering it might
bo for ever lost. I HeirHe.ir.l Fur whenever wit bud endea-
voured to plead the relaxation of our commercial code as an
argument with other countries, we hail always been m t
with the observation that that argument came too late from
us, for that we had always clung Is our restrictions as tine
as we ceuld, and had only surrendered them under the pees
sure of overpowering necessity. Considering what was the
avowed intention of one great maritime power, and observing
that the course of political change on the continent was not
favourable to commercial freedom, he feared that if
we refused to close with the fair offer, though made in an
unfriendly form, by Priiihia, this might really be thi, last
moment for considering the navigation laws. (Heat,
hear.) Much sympathy had barren expressed for the
British shipowner. Did he alone fear the competition of
foreigners? Did he labour under greater disailventeges in
this respect than other interests from whom protection had
been removed Did not all teed.* pay higher wages, and
buy their materials dearer, than the same trades in other
countries ? Yet these classes were abl••, not only to hold up
their heads in the se neer! competition of comm. fee, but hi
take the lead in the race. (Hear.) So would it be with the
shipowner. it had the same advantages u other trades—
in enme respects greater. He had in his favour the unpa
ralleled cheapness of capital, the enormous trade of this
country, which being the chief home of trade, and a so his
home, his employment lay almost at hie door, while his
foreign competitors would have to seek it at a distance. Ile
had the immense commercial connexion of this couetry, and
the high comm. re al character it bore, which paseased a
pecuniary as well as a moral value. Besides that, he hal
the geograplecal position of the country, se admirably placed
between the canines of trade in the led world and the raw,
so that th, ir Gale must of necessity pass Engle, d. He had
what was more than all these, the maritime genius of the
nation, the hold mid ehterprisine disposition which made an
Heel shelves feel himself at home upon the wave, that power
which characterised us beyond all nations of the globe, and
which made it true of British navigators and merchants that
the whole worli was lb. ir home. (Cheers ) With these a-!-
vantages be surely ought not to dread the permaaent and
general effects of any competition into which he might be
called to enter. Former fears h•ert bee n tested by experience,
and proved to be wholly unfounded. It was said that the
reciprocity treaties would ruin the country ; multitudes of
calamities had been predict. d to smelt, therefrom ; yet
it was now said the atate of things was a i satisfactory that on
no
menu,' should it be interferel with. (Hear, hear.)
Taking therefore, not theory, but past experience, for their
guide, let them not hesitate to adopt the ehanste proeneeed in
its main prinaplss; and adopting these principles boldly and
heneetly, and applying them firmly, we might rely on their
working oue their own renal% It now, and without fur-
ther delay, we sanctioned the principle of freedom of nevem.
lion, we might expect cur example to have a powerful in-
fluence on foreign coantries ; fir we hail already the first
fruits of that result in the invitation given to us by so great
• power as America. And when England and. America
concurred in setting the example, it would h • difficult indeed
for other notions to resist it; they would be drawn iuto com-
pliance by moral ties, and considerations of expediency as
well. The ocean, the great highway of nations, would become
as free for the ships of all as the winds that swept over
its bosom; and &rallied would thus achieve aeother tri-
umph, and add another contribution to the general prospe-
rity of all nations. (Cheers.)
Mr. Ill:USW( wit he had the honour to represent n
borough where the largest amount of ship-building was car-
ried un of shy place in the kingdom, and where 25,000 out
of the 70,000 inhabitants were employed in it; and on this
account he felt hound to expiate his views on this impurta it
question. The right hurt. gentleman who had last spoken
hal disapproved of almost every part of the gimernment
measure—to carry out his own vines, let him support the
amendment of the hon. member for Stamford. (Hesr.) The
right Lon. gentleman hail alluded to the tact that the low-
priced vessels built in our colonies were dearer than those
built at home. This was perfectly true ; bas', when we had
to compete with the ship•builders if Dalitiec and the Premien
ports, the case would be very different. At present the trade
tram Ramis was carried on with English ships; but very men
it would be found more convenient to maser British
skill in ship-building to the place where ;he materials existed
rather than to bribe the materials here to .ie wrought up.
The shipbuilder of Sunderland stated that ho was eubji cc
to charges from which the Circlets ship•buildere were exempt,
equivalent to not lees than el. 10i. nee. ton. It was true that
the shipping of this country had been highly prosperous
during the last year ; but from a return of the ships ent..fing
the hurt of Sunderland for ten years, since the p sin¢ of the
reciprocity treaties, he found that the number of Ala Iron
Sweden, Norway, l'russia, and lianov, r, seemly exceeded
the number of B h ships—the latter hang 95, while the
former was 350. (Hear.) Should the proposed measure
pass into law, the sehhbuildine trade woad, in a grea, mea-
sure, leave this country ; at Sunderland, about 13 00J hands
would be thrown out of employ ; and already there was quite
a ategna'ion of the trade, owing to the uncertainty *filch
prevailed as to this measure. lion. gentlemen opposite said
that, having adopts-1 free trade measures, we must progress;
but he was a bold man who cuuld hold that language. Leek
at the state of the woe king claws in the manufacturing di.,
'flees, arid the country generally. If such was the effect of
free trade measures, the sooner we revered to pro-
tective measures the better. in the We-I Indies the
elanters hal been almost wholly destroyed :by the
nee-trade measures ; and a committee of that house bad re-
esenmendee. that their protection should he restored. In the
event of a great fall in the price of cone, the agriculturists at
hnmo would again demand protection; and, if the shipping
interest were next sacrificed, what was to he the math of all
this? Surely, it would be wisdom to wilt till the measures
already adopted had bad a fair trial. The people had been
promised abut idan t ean ploy ru tat from tee free-trade measures,
thsteed or which employment had been diminished and .
wages reduced. (hear.) The present meisure threat ,neel
to deprive of employment 26,090 of the reopte of Seethe-
land, who were directly dependent on ehipemitiling ; and
there were probably 25,000 snore, indirectly dependent on the
soma interest. It was most harsh to deprive such large bo-
dies of employment at one stroke. (Hear.) The right hon.
gentleman (Mr. Gladstone) was clearly bound to support the
amendment; for he even disapproved of proceeding in this
ca-e by leeplation, and thought treaties the preferable
course. (Hear, hear.) He had criticised every point of the
proposed measure with great ability ; and yet he had come
to the extraordinary conclusion that rte ought to support it.
If the measure were curled. it certainly ought not to he no-
co:rip:mica by any restriction on British shipowners, either
as to the composition of their crew, or en any other
matter. ((fear, hear.) Ile differed from tne hon. mem.
her fur Menchester (Mr. (Dimon) in thinking that the only
thing worthy the notice of parliam. at was commerce.
Surely an object well deserving the considers ion of the
legislature was the means of giving employment to the
poor. ((Lae.) Ile much regretted thee a member of the
goveinmi nt had chosen to cast aspersions on the British
to urine. Out of the large number of 33,000 mistime it was
impossible but that mime should be of objectionable cha-
racter. The returns from the consuls on this suhject had
been ably analysed by his hon. friend near him tMr. Hen•
ley) ; thiet was a book which ought never to have he n bald
ou MC table of the house; and en, ry one interested in our
marine must regret that it hail ever fit en produced.. (Hear.)
He implored the house to pause before adopting a measure
which must involve a most important interest in ruin, and
which must, to a large extent, destroy the ship-building
trade of this country. At al events, let them pause. Sec
what was the effeatot the free trade measures already passed.
There was no demand for the measure now proposed; it
might very well be deferred for an ineefinite period. It
was said Prussia demanded it ; but let not the legislature
make conees-ions to Prussia which would he injurious to our
own country; at all events let some countervailing advan-
tage be teetered. The corn law had been repealed in a
panic, otherwise some valuable concessions might have
been obtained from the United States, in return for
the admission of their grain. (Hear, hear.) We had taken
largely of grain from Prussia and other continental states ;
and hal we made the most of this, surely some advantage
might have been obtained from those countries. The ship-
ping interest was now apparently about to he sacrificed fir
no object whatever ; the only inducement being that we
might propitiate Prussia or America. Gevernment were
pushing on the measure ; but, for his part, he should take
every opportunity of opposing it. Why had it not been
brought 'inward earlier, and not delayed until June > The
inquiry bet ore the committee had been abruptly brought to
• clam. One make branch of the question—the national de•
fence—had been left untouched, with the exception of the
examination a single witness. If the tnemuro pissed. he
hoped it would he with the amendment of the right hon.
geetleman (Mr. Gladstene). The proposal was either too
large or ton small ; it threatened to destroy our commercial
marine, without enuring an advantage to coy other interest.
Let not the house be led away by eulogies ore the fanciful
advantages of tree trestle, none of which had us yet heels real-
ise I. (Hear, hear.) Under the present law shin, were
built at Sualerlend cheaper than in any other place. That
port furnished one-third of the shipping of this kingdom ;
hut, seeing how little British timber was employed. it was
imeeeehlo to reetet the eeachmien. taut, if tow ea.:lame be-