The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-17 00:00:00

LITERATURE.
OUR NAVIGATION AND MARINE LAWS.
By W. S. Lindsay. Longrnans.
This is a general investigation of our Navigation
. Laws, from the earliest period, when laws were
framed for the protection of the British merchants, to
the present time, and after a brief retrospect of the
progress of trade and ship-building is olden times
Mr. Lindsay proceeds to expose the errors which
- still exist in the management of our mercantile ma-
' rine. The great difficulty that there is in obtaining
the miserably inefficient punishment for desertion in
Calcutta is cited as an example of the temptation
which is held out to the English seamen to forsake
their own vessels for the sake of the higher wages
which they can obtain abroad, and the means of its
prevention are given at some length. But the most
important subject treated of is the iniquitous and un-
just law regarding salvage. With regard to salvage,
recoverable when a vessel is re-taken in time of war,
the law is strict and uniform and easily decided. If
the vessel claiming it is one of her Majesty's ships she
is entitled to one-eighth of the value of the ship and
cargo captured,---if she be a privateer or other
private vessel, one-sixth. In this case a
Government vessel receives less for her ser-
‘ vices than a private ship, but how different is
the case when the service rendered is that of assist-
ance when a ship is in danger from stress of weather
or other causes, in which circumstances the salvage
is decided by the Court of Admiralty, to which we
shall refer hereafter, when the sum awarded is some-
times one-half of the value of the property saved,
and sometimes not one-tenth. But it may be taken
as a general rule that the salvage adjudged to men-of-
war far exceeds that given to merchantmen, although,
'b it remembered, that men-of-war are maintained at
the public expense for the protection of the, lives and
property of British subjects. We quote a few of the
most glaring examples from many before us
"In the award for salvage of her Msjesry'a ship
Thetis, for services rendered in raising enivate treasure
and government stores lost on board tsi King's ship, end
valued at 157,0001., we find that the e :tut awarded to
officer's and men of the royal navy the earn of 54,0001.,
besides a compensation to the Admiralty for the pay,
vietuelling, wear and tear of her Majesty's ship v.hile
employed on that service. May we inquire for what r
Majesty's ship Thetis' was commissioned?—surely nut
for pualse service if she is to be paid so highly fur per-
forming a duty which a private contractor would have
executed for half the money."
Again—
'.On the 23d July, 1848, the brigantine Sappho,
was stranded on the English bank, at the mouth of the
Plate, on her voyage from Liverpool to Buenos Ayres;
the master proceeded to Monte Vidio, and procured the
assistance of her Majesty's steamer Lizard, and the
merchant brig Arno. For the services of the Arno he en-
gaged to give 101. per day, and by their joint aid she was
got off in five days, for which service the commender of
the Lizard put in a claim for salvage of one-third of the
value of ship and cargo, and the consignees ultimately
paid 15 per cent. of the value of both, a sum amounting
2,500/, in addition to 65/. for the fuel consumed by
the Lizard. Now, to show the evil consequences of such
a proceeding to the merchant service in general, on
the 26th of the following March, the William Peele
grounded on the same bank; again the master went to
Monte Video for aid, and secured that of her Majesty's
steam-tender Harpy, Cut before the Harpy reached the
grounded vessel she had been so much lightened by a
merchantman, sent to her assistance by the consignees,
that a stream-cable was sent an board of her by the
Harpy, and then putting on the steam she towed her
into deep water, the whole operation occupying three-
quarters of an hour, for which service her commander
Claimed and obtained 3,1461., or 15 per cent. of her value,
hot so much for the service rendered, but because a like
shot had been awarded to the Lizard a short time be-
fore for a somewhat similar performance, and the pre-
cedent was sufficient."
The last case which we shall record is one in which
her Majesty's brig Grecian obtained full salvage
for merely performing the duty for which she was
commissioned :
"In December, 1840, the British ship Lancashire
witch run aground at the mouth of the River Plate, but
the weather being fine, she stood in no danger from the
sea; but while she was being lightened by boats sent by
the consignees she was attacked by a vast number of
marauders from the shore, to the number of about one
hundred and fifty, armed with axes and long knives,
with which they threatened the lives of the crew, and
look possession of the vessel, broke open the hatches,
and commenced plundering the cargeo; still the captain
(41 not desert his vessel, but claimed, protection from the
Grecian, then lying in the roads, 'which was promptly
tendered, the pirates driven cff, and the greater part of
gle proprecian, whiles rsto
onreboabrd;
dut
of becaus
theee Lancashire Witch, the crew of th
,e
'stye some assistance in getting her off, they claimed
11401 obtained the enormous salvage which the Acitni-
!,ltY Court had both the power -and desire to award.
le hese facts are bad enough, supinssing tha the same
.11W8 existed with all other maritiene nations;t otz' such
1: not the case. __The ships. of war .of other nations not
only render gratuitous assistacce toy vessels of their own
tti°D, but when they are applied to by British mer-
ellants in the absence of British men-of-ear, fur aid,
haonot only do not charge a fract ion, but in many cases
refused any remuneration Ism the men engaged in
de,u Service. The United States' ship Columbine ren-
CI such signal service to the Spain,chn pre
sitte-,,t_ort shore on the coast of on being
tja"..d t.O assist. her, there being no British man-at-war
et time in the roadstead of Gibraltar, for which see-
ofe the committee of Lloyd's sent the commanding
~""":er a special letter of thanks; but this was all that the
—tai qican would receive. Shortly after the American Con-
, requested a like favour from her Majesty's ship
deucs, under similatecircumstauces; the service was ren-
I-6,2) but salvage was also claimed and awarded.
11,'4' at the evil does not end here; the sailor does
' get his prize money, in many cases, for years after it
tetwerded, tor the Court of Adeuiralv having the power
ir.t'cijust what it pleases, takes the full advantage of its
thivilege- But we trust that the time will come, al-
e:ngh it be yet distant, whea maritime affairs will not
ofettled in Doctors' Cammovs by proctors and other
eloeittatical gentlemen, who understand about as much
Leval matters as a Jackeear dues of preaching a
aermona
She volume concludes with an Appendix, in which the
throw
quoted are arranged, and the work must
n ranch light on the subj act of our ill-regulated
:/,,"glOOl1-laws to those who will take the trouble to
• use it.
2'

LITERARY WORKS OF SIR JOSHUA
6EYNOLDS. 2 Vols.—Bohn' s Standard Li-
ar
„47 This is a new and improved edition of the literary
w it
(Irhfirstks Of the President of the Royal Academy,
c, a memoir of the author, and remarks on his
e'leer, by henry Beechey. It contains fifteen dis-
to()2rtes) Which must possess the greatest attractions
'''Pe interested in the beautiful art to which he
et!:devoted. An alphabetical list of painters, and a
,o devoted.
list, which also informs us under whom
theystudied and in what department they excelled,
lQioalPletes the volume. It offers the advantages of
ke,4esraPhY and essays combined in a form easy of
ssarnt net. The, discourses of so great a painter must
_e
student Y Prove of the greatest assistance to the

i
b7`4 UNTON'S CHESS TOURNAMENT. fS
Bohn's Scientific Library.
This volume contains the games played at the
Tournament of
delay which has The editor trusts that the
occurred in their publication may be
compensated for fobssofatebsence of those typographi-
es). errors which
student of printed games. nApeTplex and mislead the
An introduction, by Mr.
Staunton, gives an account e
and the regulations and mane the Chess Congress
tient. The work is illustrateg iTent of the Tourna-
seve!al diagrams,
Which will be found a great assistance i
in llustrating
the games.

TEE WORKS OF SIR TIIOIII-As'En
Edited by Simon Wilkie, ivo ° WNE.
11-1..--Bohn's Antiquarian Library. II- and
The present volumes contain be three last books
(1 Vulgar Errors, Religio Medici, and the Garden
cf Cyruslftr, ; Urn Burial, Christian Morals, miscel-
tai'!Qus Correspondence. It must be satisfactory to
intelligent readers to have the writings of so dis-
"Rnished a man thus presented in a form so easily
littainable

THE SOUL IN NATURE : with Supplemen-
tary,
Contributions. By Bans Christian Oersted.
-translated from the German by Leonora and
JohannaT Horner.—Bohn's Scientific Library.
16,,,hi8 is a most abstruse work, comprising the fol
ter".lrlg erudite subjects :—" The spiritual in the ma-
-141151 ; the comprehension of nature by thought and
thlglnation ; the natural philosophy of the beautitul ;
the relation of natural science to different periods of
e World."

4,-E TRAVELLER'S LIBRARY. Rue's
'travels in Tartary, Mimi, and China. 2 Parts.
gjhis is a condensed translation, by Mrs. Percy
tClaett, of the " Recollections of a Journey made in
ie Years 1844, 1845, and 1846," by 'M. Hue, mis-
,,,,°,ll:arY priest of the congregation of St.l.4,:zarus. The
::side of scenes and characters described in it
lidera it singularly interesting. The translator ob-
tiz'ves in the preface, after explaining or apologis-
tg for what she terms the weak points of the author,
totlleh as his credulity of the marvellous, &c., that " the
t,s4rras of his picturesque narrative of personal adven-
rs4re
remote regions, where scarcely an European
pi' nits ever trod, have been already too widely up_
pry to need any remark.°

RS 2'o A LADY. By the Baron Rid-
- reratron Humboldt. Arthur Hall, Virtue, and Co.
1:4115:ja translated from the Garman, with an in-
t ruction by Dr• Stebbing, in which he gives the
desoription of the author :
vo While the brother of this celebrated man, '
Alexander
iluteboldt, was engaged in those pursuits of science
oi"h have rendered him One of the greatest naturaliststhe
awn Gf e or
ag country, he was himself employed in
s
pryfotpul eltunicol and pliilmphie oKiticira.