Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-02 00:00:00

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TESTIMONIAL.

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Family Herald.

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C 3, CHURCH-STREET, LIVERPOOL,

THE SHIPPING INTEREST.

In our yeiterday's impression we gave an extended
report of the.proceedings which took place at the great
meeting held on Tuesday, at. the London Tavern. The
importance of the meeting, and the great value, nationally
speaking, of the interests under discussion at it, justified
—indeed demanded—the length of the report which we
gave. As will be observed from that report, however,
considerable confusion occurred at different periods of
the meeting, and more especially during the well-consi-
dered and very-telling speech delivered by our respected
and able townsman, Mr. James Beazley. The confusion
referred to rendered it a matter almoSt impossible for
the reporters to do justice to that speech, which is
admitted on all hands to have been the speech of the
meeting. Consequent on this, we are much gratified in
now presenting our readers with such a report of it as
will supply the deficiencies, and correct the inacuracies,
which occurred, no doubt unintentionally, in the report
we published yesterday from the London papers.
Mr. Beazley, of Liverpool, came forward amidst loud
applause. He said—Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I
rise under a very great disadvantage, not only because I
have to follow four gentlemen who have . been ac-
customed not only to address public assemblages, but
also to address themselves to the first. legislative as-
sembly in the world, whereas this is'my first attempt to
make a speech in Publie. (Hear, hear.) • Nothing
but a sense .of public duty would have induced me
to come forward to-day and address an , assemblage
like the present, composed, of the shipowners of this
great city and of this great nation, had I not felt
convinced that the time has arrived: when it is the
duty of every man, be his influence little or be it great,
to come forward and point out the unfair competi-
tion to which We are exposed, and to demand that
redress for our grievances to which we are entitled, not,
as stated in the press of late, a repeal of the Navigation
Laws, but " free trade," and " fair play and no favour."
(Hear, hear.) It is not my intention to trespass on
your time with a lot of fancies ; but I will endeavour to
point out a few facts, which are better than all the argu
ments in the world. I will endeavour to show you,
coming from Liverpool as I do, a port enjoying so large
a share of the foreign. trade, a few facts. We imported
last year from America 2,000,000 bales of cotton,
employing shipping to the extent of 700,000 tons.
And I should like to point out to you a new feature
which has developed itself in the last twelve
months, owing to the extension of the electric
telegraph from New York to New Orleans, and from
Queenstown, in Ireland, to the Continent. It has
become the custom :to send out from Liverpool, orders
for cargoes of cotton. The orders, you must remember,
emanate entirely from England. Well, I was asked
whether I would take an interest in an order for 5,000
bales of cotton froM New Arleans. At the first blush,
I thought I might employ one, of my own ships in the
business ; but I was met at once with the remark, " We
cannot employ a British ship, for the success of the
speculation requires that we must employ American
shipping, and the ship must call at Queenstown and
take the cargo to Havre or to Liverpool, according. to
prices at the time. • (Hear, hear.) But is it right that,
with orders from England to New Orleans—remember
on English account—we should be prohibited from em-
ploying our own shipping ? No sophistry, no perversion
of the English language, will ever induce me to believe
that this is free trade, or fair play either. (Cheers.)
Our legislative enactments are giving such undue ad-
vantage to foreigners as to throw our shipping out of
employment. I allude to the Passengers' Act and to
Lord Campbell's Act. I will assume a ship of 1,200
tons, a British ship, at Liverpool, bound to Australia.
She will take 'about 400 passengers. I will assume that
on the voyage she meets with an accident,' and-puts
into that beautiful port of Pernambuco, where an
attempt was once made by the British Consul to
charge a ship homeward-bound from Australia some
£lO,OOO or £12,000 commission for taking charge of
some gold. (Laughter.) We will assume that the
ship is condemned. It is utterly impossible to repair
the British ship. They have not a spar in the place that
will make a mainyard for a ship of 500 tons. Well, the
consul would take up a lot of small craft, and the pas-
, sengers would be forwarded on at enormous expense,
which would fall on the British shipowner. We are
bound to pay it. (Hear, hear.) But if you take a
foreign ship, an American ship, for they are much em-
ployed,.Brother Jonathan would go off in a schooner
from Pernambuco and never be heard of again. (Laughter.)
Then as to Lord Campbell's Act. We never know our
liability with regard to passenger ships. They are not,
I suppose, worth more on an average than £7 a ten e
but, under this act of Lord Campbell's, What are the
liabilities in case of accident.? Why, about £l5 a
ton, which we are compelled to pay. Consequently,
we are excluded altogether from that trade. We have
seen the evils of that act pourtrayed during the last
fortnight in connection with the loss of the Royal Charter,
and the strong endeavours made to fasten upon that. un-
fortunate captain, Captain Taylor—to throw a stignia
upon his memory by imputing to him the crime of
drunkenness. (Hear, hear.) What was the object of
that ? To throw on the owners of that ship a loss of
about £45,000; and this could have been accomplished
had any two scoundrels amongst the passengers been
found who would have sworn to a lie. (Hear, hear.)
What is the remedy for these grievances ? We do not
return proper members to the House of Commons. (Loud
cheering.) I say, gentlemen, at the next election we must
exact from every candidate a pledge that he will go in for
reciprocity in shipping, whether the Government be my
Lord Derby's or my Lord Palmerston's. (Hear,) Let
Reciprocity, in any case, be the cry. (Cheers.) A great
deal has been said about the unnatnral increase given to
the American trade, and I shall be able to show you the
undue and unfair influence which has been at work to
produce it. And although you may not believe it—
although our own magnificent colonies of Australia and.
Canada are prohibited from sending members to Parlia-
ment—yet I say the United States has a representative
in the British House of Commons. (Hear, hear.) I hold
in my hand written and unmistakeable proof of my asser-
tion. (" Name, name.") I know a ease—(" Name, name.")
Gentlemen, hold' in my hand• extracts front a letter
from a gentleman who represents in the House of Com-
mons the Shipping interests of a British Port. If you
have any doubt about the state of our trade, this letter
will enlighten you. (Hear, hear.) It is a letter from a
gentleman who represents a large shipping port, andis
a merchant and broker of this city. (Hear, hear.)
When I read the letter, if he denies it, I am ready to
meet him. It 'was written during the great emigration
trade to Australia, and was addressed to an American
correspondent ; and I dare say that a great many ship-
owners present will now understand why their offers of
ships at the time had been refuse& The letter runs
thus :
Make your mind quite easy; my' position is such that I am
quite prepared to guarantee to any of your American friends to
obtain for them from the Government the highest rate given on*
the day of tender, and place their ships where others would
not at any rate;
I have the means of knowing and doing what others have
not. • •
—(The reading of the letter was frequently interrupted
by loud cries of Name, name, and Oh, oh.) This letter
was written during the time of the great emigration
exodus.—A Voice : What is the date ?)—I don't know
the date—l believe it was written in 1852.—(A Voice :
Name). Gentlemen, the writer of the letter is the hon.
member for Sunderland.—(Hisses and uproar). Gentle-
men, will you allow me to go on ? I will read another
mole:of:hem:is:
letter.—[Mr. Lindsay You. have, mentioned my name,
and I ask you for the letter.] I will give it you by and
round, and
Other
by. Gentlemen, I have another letter.--(Question).
Gentlemen, the other letter runs thus :
The charter of the—has given great satisfaction to• the
and have it in
AmericanlaneadditiAfth
four ships are wanted, and if you direct attention to it, and
e leading houseiheraswlosdfeoittnh;vi sltelhucpoi ,cotetuhotsi
this
he
oreifocAuch
had
makeill no s suitable
theta b l
Americans
inv eestsiect on
our power.
Then, gentlemen, in wri tin •
of a tender, made'by
another London broker, the letter goes on to say
I saw that tender, and I will give him a handsome' sum if
he sees any of my tenders. •
Gentlemen, I say, better the hand hid been withered
upon the, paper than that it should have written anything
so uu-Eftg,lish 1' Was Lnot riglit in saying that Aine-
rica is repreeented in thC House'of Commons ? Will You
believe anything so unpatriotic of our representatives in
Parlianient as to suppose 'they triutiphed over the. chi-
ea;2cry by which our own fix* was rejected by, our own
government ?
•Gentlemen, r will not believe it. ' I.be-
Rove. the House of COMmons is composed of 653:—1 will
leave out one—(laughter)----1- say' the House of Com-
mons' is coMpoged of 653 gentlemen, end loyal subjects
of the Queen—(hear, hear)—•-and who would not
rejoice to tee the stripes and stars triumph over
our glotious flag, and see England anything but
what she is, the mistress of the seas. (Cheers.)