Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-02-16 00:00:00

THE TREATY-AND THE
INTEREST.

The more the provisions of the French Com-
mercial Treaty arc considered, the more flagrant.
and indefensible appears to be the injustice they
are calculated to inflict upon the British ship-
owner. In our impression of Saturday we drew
attention to the stipulation in Article 10 for the
mutual remission of port charges and harbour
dues, in which French ships, at all events, will
find their account. But the entire disregard of
the interests of British navig-ation is best illus-
trated by Article 3, to which we referred on

Tuesday, which provides "that the rates of
duty mentioned in the preceding articles are
independent of the differential duties in favour
of French shipping, with which duties
they shall not interfere, " There is no
room for misunderstanding here: It was and is
the intention of the negotiators of thiS treaty
that the system of discriminating duties -- by.
which our shipping is shut out of the French
ports in the indirect trade shall be retanied—in
other words, that while French ships enter our
ports and compete with British . ships for the
atrnadderetmo
aailnl
,paprits.o.t oefe
tethae
aegaaritnhs,t Ftih-eenechoisihwipetsitifiroen
of British ships in French ports. And this
narrow-minded policy is. not only retained by
a State that has for ten years enjoyed all
the privileges that our system of open, ports
could confer upon her commercial marine, but it
is deliberately introduced in a treaty professedly
framed on the principle of reciprocity. It is
difficult to know which to stigmatise most—the
illiberality- which could so long adopt such a
policy, or the stupidity which could give
_it a.
formal place in a Treaty professedly, founded on
the principle of reciprocal privileges and ad-
vantages. In reply to a question put to the
President of the Bodrd of Trade last night
by Lord John Manners, Mr. Milner Gibson,
simply confirmed .the fact to which we have
more than once directed the attention of
our readers :—" There were differential duties in
the indirect. trade," said the right hondurable •
gentleman, and Article 3 of the present Treaty -
refers to the indirect trade of France, whether
with our colonies or with foreign countries: "But,"
adds Mr. Gibson, " this is not a Treaty of
Navigation as well as Commerce ; therefore, the
French Navigation Law, of which these dif—
ferential duties are part, is not touched by it."
This is precisely what we complain of. A
Treaty of Reciprocity has been concluded with
France, which expressly provides for the exclu-
sion of British shipping—by differential duties—
from the indirect trade of France, even to the
extent of the trade to French ports, from our
possessions in India, and all our Colonies ; whilst
France freely participates in the whole of our
trade, whether colonial, coasting, or foreign,. and
is placed on the same footing in all respects 'as
British ships. We say the injustice which is
thus perpetuated is the more manifest because
the Convention, which professes to be a treaty:of
reciprocal advantages, especially provides for the
withholding of those privileges from our carry-
ing trade which this country has given to the
French carrying trade, the effect of which
arrangement must inevitably be fo extend to
French shipping still greater advantages.
But even in the direct trade between France
and the United Kingdom. French ships , can
hardly fail to have the advantage, seeing that tie
French coasting trade is still closed against
British shipping, which trade, as we have shown,
is not touched by the present treaty. The result
will be, that French vessels, having the command
of the coasting trade of France, can afford to
take lower freights from the United Kingdom to
any one French port than the British ship that
is restricted from pursuing a coasting voyage
beyond that port. It is easy to see_ the material
advantage that is thus at once secured to
French vessels in the direct trade between the -
two countries, but we question very much if this
point was understood by the negotiator of the
treaty on our part.' The advantages which
the commerce of France will reap by the
operation of the treaty are. immense, and we
have little doubt that the French Govern-
ment, sooner than risk the failure of so valu-
able an arrangement, would open the French
ports, and trust to the *energy of the French
mercantile marine to hold its own in the
competition with the shipping of this country.
France is hound, as a matter of common honesty,.
to open her foreign, her colonial, and even her.
coasting trades to a country that has made French
ships free of those trades for some years. She is
especially bound to do so, us part of an arrange-
ment which professes to be based upon reciprocity,
and which is calculated greatly to increase 'lift
commercial wealth and consequence. The open- -
ing of Algeria is a step in the right direction,
but it is only a narrow instalment of the fair
dealing we have a right to expect, and
which we are determined, if possible, to secure.
We trust that our seaport representatives
have well considered the -certain effect of this
Commercial Treaty—if accepted in its present
form—upon British shipping. It will give, for
the reasons we have stated, a decided advantage-
to French ships in the Carrying Trade between
the United Kingdom and France—a tradi,rwe-.
may observe, which promises to be very consider-
able ; while from the indirect trade with France,
British shipping is still, end by this treaty will
remain, virtually excluded. We cannot suppose.
that such an arrangement can be entertained for
a moment by those who are charged with the
guardianship of our maritime interests in -Pai-
liament.—The Gazette.. .

STEAM AND SAILING SIIIPS.—A return to an order
of the House of Commons shows that there are now,
i. e., on February 1, 1860, the following number.. of
steamships and, sailing vessels or being converted':—
Ships of the line, 74 : frigates (screw 34, paddle 9),
65; black ships, 9 ; screw iron cased Ships, 4 ; screw
corvettes, 21; sloops (screw GO, paddle 35), 117; -small
vessels (screw 3, paddle 24), 27; screw gunboats, 192 ;
screw floating batteries, 8; transport, troop-ships,
tenders, yachts, &c. (screw 18, paddle 43), 61; screw
Mortar ships, 4 ; mortar vessels and floats, 84. The
sum total is as follows : Steam—total screw—afloat,
345 ; building or converting, 67; together, 41,2 ; total
paddle—afloat, 111 ; total screw and paddle, 523 ;
effective Sailing ships afloat, 143 ; total steam and Bail-
in ships, afloat, or building, 660.
Holism TIIIEyES LYNCIIF.D IN lOWA.—At Perry,
Terra county, lowa, the bodies of two men were found
hanging from trees.in a grove not far from the village:
The snow around was much trampled, giving evidence
of a desperate,-struggle. The men were hung—one.
upon the limb of a, fallen tree,.which was but six feet
from the ground ; the other not much higher. The one
farthest west was evidently lung first. His hands were
tied behind him, crossed at. his wrists. 'The-knot in the
rope around his neck was behind his right ear.. His legs
were turned back, the feet resting on the ground. There
was no rope around his legs; but evidently there had
been, for the purpose of pulling them, from under him,
otherwise he would .have rested on the ground, and the
rope around his neck would have had no effect. His cap
and shawl were lying near hiM. The other was.secured
like the first ; the knot was at the back dale head ; a rope
was around his legs, used for the purpase of pulling them
out from under him untille died. His cap and shawl
were lying beside him. Blood was,. or had been, issuing
from one nostril. A coroner's inquest was immediately
held, by which it was shown that the deceased persons
Were two brothers, named Bunker, whO hid been seized
and put to death , by three men named Small,, Seamans,.
and Klingaman, Who, arrested them for horse stealing.
While in their eliarge•the "prisperS had. unsuccessfullyattempted to escape, ankwere thus summarily dealt with
to savo further trery.,

drimmatial

THIS DAY.

This Day (Thursday), the 16th ins ant, at Twelve o'clock, at
the Brokers' Office, 18, Hackin's-hey,
100 Bags New German RED CLOVER SEED,'
100 „ Old 1)o. DO.
100 Bales „ Italian RYE GRASS SEED.
For particulars apply to
GASKELL & CO., Brokers.

This Day (Thursday), the 16th instant, at Twelve o'clock, at
the Broker's Office, 3, Exchange-alley_North, Chapel-street,
2,590 Bags American Red CLOVER SEED,
100 Bags American TIMOTHY ?SEED,
200 Bales'ltalian RYEGRASS SEED: • •
THOMAS SILL, Broker._