The Express.
London, England, 1851-05-06 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-310Noes, MAT 3.
The Loan Ciaxcemas took his seat at five o'clock.
THE MERCANTILE MARINE ACT.
Lard grANLity, pursuant to notice, presented petitions
from Shields and Liverpool. praying for the repeal or an
extensive modileatioa, of the Mercantile Marine Act. The
petitions were well worthy of careful attention. The ped-
dles from Liverpool was signed by 6,000 of the merchants,
WAIN, and seamen of that port. From several private ems-
smaiestions which he had had on the subject, as wells from
the allegations in the petitions, the language of which was
rather galena, he amid state to their lorilthips pews of the
evils complained of. And, in the outset, he might say the
act wee cempleiried of as having been founded too much on
the reports of naval officers; and these who were practically
concerned—as the masters and mates of merchant et-wels—
hed not been sufficiently consulted. They complained of
the rigorous enactments to which they a one, as marten
sad mates, together with the seamen, were subjected. That
part of the act which provided for the examination of ,
masters and mate* was likely toe be beneficial, but it
wee complained that it had been Draught too ra-
nd suddenly into practice, and that It bore
too hardly on old masters and mates of 20 and 26 years'
sanding, as it debarred them from the exercise of same
parts of their profeseioe, unless they would submit to an
examination by persona who were buys when they first
went to sea. Ile knew they could obtain certificate* of
service ; but they eomplained that even with such certifi-
tes they were not allowed to take charge of any govern-
ca
mint ship or say ship freighted with government stores or
emigrants; whilst no such restriction was put upon the
captains of foreign ships which entered into competition
with therm and obtained • portion of the carrying trade.
He thought some indulgence might be shown to these old '
masters and metes. Then as to the operation of the ticket
system, under the Merchant Seamen's Act, they objected to
the constant interference of the government ; they objected
also to the amount of fees, and to the application
of the surplus of those fees; as also to the minute restric-
tions which have been imposed by the Board of Trade,
subjecting seamen to deductions from their pay. Then
with regard to the fees charged and the manner
in which they were charged the complaint on
this point rather applied to the manner in which
the act had been practically worked out than to any
fault in the set Beat In Liverpool it appeared there was
only one master or shipping officer, which caused great
difficultv and expense to the men who had to peas. The fees
paid in Liverpool alone under the act amounted to between
13,0001. and 14,0001. a year, and in the l:nited Kingdom
the fees reached no less a sum than about 130,0001. • year,
and this amount was raised partly by fines and de-
ductions. It was important for the seamen to
le eata.fied with the application of the fund raised ; but
this was far from being the case. It must go first towanis
the nsaintenanee of the staff, no doubt ; but there was • go.
amid impression that any surplus which might arise INS
intended to be applied to the Seernen'e Homes. These SO
doubt were valuable institutions, and in their origin were
iatended to he • refuge for seamen against the frauds
practised on them by crimp+, but when they came to be
half self.eupported and half maintained by • general
tax levied on all seamen it became them to ace how such in-
stitutions were likely to benefit the whole claw. He did
not wish to say a word against the Seamen's Home in Liver-
pool, for he believed it was under the best management;
but it was, after all, no more or less than • superior class of
boarding-house, and married men who bad their wives and
families. to go to could derive no advantage from it. Single
men, moreover, when they could nut pay 115. • week, were
turned out and exposed to all the evils of the crimping sys-
tem. Ile intended, on an early day, to recommend the
prayer of the petitioners with a view to apply a remedy to
the evils complain. d of. (Hear, hear.)
Earl GEA N V !LLB (who was very indistinctly heard)
was omit:rebind to my that the Board of Trade would
be dispioeil to attend to the suggestion, which had
been made, but in many eases the seamen had been labour-
ing under • compli te misapprehension of the meaning of
the act. it was true that masters with certificates of ser-
vice only were debamal from the command of government
venal., and, no doubt, it was • hardship ; but certain de-
partmenle of the government refused to employ any captain
who could not pewter, a certificate of having passed an
examination. As to the registry ticket, the noble lord had
stated some reasons why they should not be done away
with ; and it must be remembered that they would be very
useful in c.i.e of • mold. n emer,..eney—in the event of
war. (Hear, bear.) They must nemsoarily be useful to
prisms of good reputation, and would only be objected to
by men of bad character. With reference to the shipping
officer in Liverpool, although there was only one, he had
several deputies, and the duties were performed satisfacto-
rily. As to thu sundae, it had been under consideration
whether it should all be applied to the Seamen's flume, or
partly to the porpoos of eduvation ; and the suggestion of
the noble lord would certainly have great w, fight. But as there
ma. no surplus at present, it would be premature to determine
how it wan to be disposed of. With the assistance of the Ma-
rine Board, • few regulation. had been printed and 'usual by
the burl of Trade, but there was no compulsion as to their
being adopted by masters or crew, either of whom might
object to them it they pleased. The hoard of 'trade had re-
cently sent cirectlan to Liverpool and some of the other large
ports, stating that, as some misapprehension seemed to exist
as the subject of these rigulatimie, it might be desirable
that they Should be withdrawn ; but the replies which they
had received were all to the effect that it was better
to leave them fur the masters and seamen to peruse.
l• conclunon. he might observe that it was not the inten-
tion of the government to propose any important
mudigca-
tionsof the bill of last year.
The Earl of HAKIM HAKE had no doubt that if the
act hail Naomi some time ago, before the repeal of the sad-
gatiou laws, it would have been carried into effect without
ar any de:ally ; but, at this period of distress =Mist
the nirre.ustile navy, it was DO matter of sur-
prise to him that they wen: dissatisfied with its provisions.
Earl WALDEGRAVE, who was all hut inaudible in the
gallery, observed that he knew of on class of institutions
I a hich seamen derived su mach benefit as the sailors'
home". _ .

1 he petition WU then ordered to lie on the table.
Their lordship‘ adjourned at a quarter to 7 o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-MONDAY, Mkt 5.

TM Breassit took the chair shortly before 4 'cluck.
I'ItIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bilis;crc se;crally read a third time and
passed : Edinburgh, Perth, and Dandee Railway ; Man-
chester and Aiihtiin-under-Lyne New Road ; South Devon
Railway, and York, Newcastle, and Berwick Railway
(aroutuvut of part of Bishop Auckland branch, Re.) ;
WATRRFORD, WEXFORD, WICKLOW, AND
DUBLIN RAILWAY RILL.
. . .

Sir W. VERN bit begged to move " That it be an in-
struction In the eommittev (Uroup 1:1) on the Waterford,
Wexford, Wieling, and Dublin Railway Bill, to consider
and n•port to this house as to the propriety of winding up
and dissolving the company (instead of prolonging the
same), having regard to the judgment of the Master of the
Rolls regarding the same, the pledges of the directors to
the shareholders in June and August loot to do so, the state
and nun.igement of the company, and the papers laid be-
fore this boor."

Mr. LABOUCIIERE said that, as the motion was • eery
unusual tine, the house should be very cautious in adopting
it. The motion of the bun. baronet was founded on a dis-
pute long rusting between • portion of the shareholders
and dimetors of the company. Now the rule laid down by
that house, in all matters of railway undertaking, was to
consider the directors as the representatives of the company.
The fact was, the company was then. before parliament with
• bill to amend a portion of their undertaking; and the
peuu TI sought to be allowed to state their reasons fur
abandoning the undertaking altogether. Now, if the direc-
tors had dune anything contrary to law, they were amenable
before a legal tribunal; but It would be highly inexpedient,
in the ease of a private bill, then lb fore a committee of that
house, to allow any private dispute to interfere with them,
the weather. of the committee, in the performance of their
duty. lle therefore hoped the hon. baronet would not per-
severe in hi. motion. (Ilear, hear.)
bit. W. V katNElt, alter • few observations, withdrew
the motion. .

W. I'.t rapremed his mtisfaction at the with-
drawal of the lima/Innen, as be should hare oppomil it on
the grounds of WI nonconformity with the rules of the
Mue.

PUBLIC BUSINESS.
ENNISTYMON UNION.

Air L. '''''''''''''''''''''''' the dismissed
rardisas of the Annistymon urns ' and moved that it be
rhe intended to call attc to ntiou it on a futon,
C.l.dellear. herr )
Itt;CLLSIASTICAL TITLES BILL.
_ . . . _

On the order of the day fur going into committee on this
bill,
Sir B. HALL said that, as the government had post-
poned this misissore, he begged to postpone the question
'which, in somplimme with the notice given by him, he in-
tended to psi te Imo prime minister, namely," what stops the
orebbisbops nod Illshops of the established chervil had taken
in pu rows* of do hatter addressed by the Secretary of
State to this Asidirlbsp et Canterbury, by command of her
ldate.ty, Gse the geirr: summating certain practices in
places of worship he 'ng to the established church."
le LITAN SEWERS.
Sir B. ILALL pre sober of another question which he
would to•socrow ask Lord Ebrington regarding these