The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-25 00:00:00

ADDRESS DELIVEREts BY WILLIAM DIGBY SEY-
MOUR, ESQ , BEFORE THE ELECTORS OF SUN-
DERLAND, IN THE NEW ASSEMBLY HALL,
SANS-STREET, ON' MONDAY LAST.
Mr. Seymour me, a numerous and influential body of
the electors at the Assembly Hall, on Monday evening.
The hall was crowded by at least 2;000 individuals.
On the motion of J.
_l3. NUSCHAMP, &q., seconded
by W. BURN, Esq, Joshua Wilson, Esq., was called to
the chair.
Mr. SEYMOUR' who was received with enthusiastic
plaudits, having been called upon by the Chairman, ad-
dreaied the meeting, amidst hearty and oft-repeated
acclamations, as follows:
Mr. Chairman and Electors of Sunderland, —I am
anxious that you should understand my views upon the
greet—the vital question of the shipping interest, that
before you de teratine whether I am to represent you in
Parliament you easy havna clear and adequate outline
of my sentiinentse—(Hear, hear.) My esteemed and
excellent friend Mr. Joshua Wilson, whose laborious and
indefatigable exertions, added to the patriotic zeal with
which he: hes devoted his. talents and his time to the
interests of this port, have already insured him your
warmest gratitude=-(Cheers)—and which will make his
name long remembered in this town—(Cheers)—has en-
tered practically into the details of the subject, and has laid
bet;re you tales and figures'relative to the shipping of
the, country 'generally and of this port in particular;
and, with • these facts fresh in 'your recolledtion, 1
trust beforei sit down to lead you to the impression
that, whatever or Wheev4 be' to blame, whatever be
the cause which operaeei .to depress the shipping
interest, that ,cause is but temporary—(Hear, heal)
—that, however• dark_ the 'clouds which hang
over the horizen at the present moment, there
is a ch.erieg breelt of .eblue Avitioix,, promises Attie
return of Rl±relirOftperOUS, dal's to tbetlo pditditig.l42:
owners of Etiglitode—(ProtraCted cheers:) I doubt not
you.are &efficiently aware of the haetti of ohs; Inatibilal
history, aredertiereetilitiestleeirenefistantier titiceleti whicstilfa'
famous Acteof-Neeiotion was' 'seised. Introduced by
the Protector, A.D. 1651, as.a check upon the maritime
ambition of the Dutch, then the great ocean-carriers o'
the world, it was thereby ebacted that no merchandise
of Asia, Africa, and America should be imported into
Great Britain in seer but geglish built ships, navigated
by an English- c •niinander, with three-fourths of their
crew at least Eeglith. In addition to this exclusive
right of British shipping, it • imposed discriminating
duties, so that goods which might still come in foreign
ships from Europe were -.taxed higher than if they were
imported under the British'flsg. ' This system of nevi-.
gation was perfected by-12th Charles 11., ch. 18, and cone
tieued during more than 160 years to be the great mari-
time charter of this country. Probably in that infant
state of our marine the effect of this system was favour-
able to its growth and expansion, just as you may have
Seen young trees surrounded' with protecting palhsades,
which become a deformity-and an encumbrance in their
maturer growth, and so it. proved in the case of these
restrictive enactments. Declared the law, when the com-
merce of England was yet in'embryo—as soon as disco-
ver) had given us a New-World, science new arts, in-
dustry new raanufaCtures when millions of customers
were found for ur productions, and boundless wealth
re warded our labours, the principle of the naviga-
tion law that sought to shelter the little navy of a
tittle trade was no longer wise or justifiable.—(Cheers.)
It was not, howeier, reason or forestght, but the force
el a stern necessity that compelled this .country into
the adoption et' a less restrictive system.—(Hear, hear.)
True, Grotius had
.written his •" Mare Liberum,"
and Selden his ":Mare Clausum,"—the " Open Sea"
and the " Shut Sea," and' Sir M. Decker, Sir J. Child,
and others, had investigated the subject, and either dis-
puted or supported the policy of these acts; but truth
was not elicited from:these controversies. We persisted
in a rigid protection,—we refused to let foreign ships
share our carrying trade,-=and it ?till continued to be
our policy to drive into the ships of England the car-
rying trade Of the whole world.—(Hear, hear.) Mean-
while, however,-on the etber side of the-Atlantic, a new
empire was rapidly maturing,—a young and vigorous
scion from the loins of our- forefathers,—a country
which, when it was weak and dependent, was compelled •
to submit to our protective system; but which was, even
then, speeding forward to the high destiny which awaited
it.—(Cheers.) The indepetidence of the United States
was the inevitable result of our Navigation Laws.—
(Hear, heate) Wits that independence came a re-
newed energy and spirit of self-reliance. Gradually the
commercial ardour of the United States rose superior
to the influences which had depressed it, and at length
en American Navigation Act taught England to know
that if she injured she would be punished—that retalia-
tion was the recoil of restriction.—(Cheers.) See what
followed —:lmericen ships sailed to Liverpool in ballast,
having British ships in their wake laden voila tobleee,
rice, or cotton; while British ships traversed the At-
lantic to New York :in ballast, with American ships
hard in their wake laden. with ealicoee,e_entkry, hard.-
et are, and iron.e- (itiate_ hear.) A pretty game for two
arrat nations to play for the space of 28 years—'•
(Laughter.) In 1815, this state of things was put an
end to by mutual consent. A treaty of reciprocity was
signed between England and Atner;ca.—(Hear, hear.)
A similar treaty was next made with Portugal.—(E-Isar,
hear.) In 1823, these treaties produced their natural
result—a menace of retaliation on the part of Prussia.—
(Hear, hear.) The Prussian Minister of the day called
ea Mr. fluskissen, and quietly intimated the intentions
of his Government. Our shipowners, too. looking for-
ward with anxious eye to our Prussian trade, and fear-
ful of retaliation, exerted themselves in favour of a
treaty. Meanwhile Denmark and Sweden demanded
a similar concession, till at length Mr. Huskisson,
yielding to a necessity he could no longer oppose, intro-
duced the Reciprocity Acts, by which it was provided
that his then Majesty, King George the Fourth, might by
order in council, admit ships of foreign states into our
ports, en payment of -such duties as were charged on
British vessels, provided that British ships were admitted
into the ports of such foreign states on payment of the
same duties as were charged on their own vessels.
Under the authority of these Acts of Parliament, reci-
procity treaties have been concluded with the Govern-
ments of thirty different states.—(Hear, hear.) Thus,
then, Sir, was Aeolis fable realized, when we, like the
north-west wind, blew from a restrictive quarter, other
nations retaliated, by drawing the cloak of protection
more tightly around them ; but when the sun of free
trade broke out, in warmth and brightness, the pro-
tective cloak fell from their shoulders.—(Cheers) Now
what was the effectf• of this change in our commercial
system? In the.. five years preceding 1825, when the re-
erocity meesures of Mr. Huskisson were passed, the
British shippied entered inwards increased 6 per cent.,
while the foreign during the same period increased 22
per cent. R- member that this proportion took piece
while our legislative enectinents were closely protective.
The ports were then opened to those who would deal
with us on equitable terms. Calamity and ruin were
prophesied to our shipping interests. But what was the
result? In the five years between 1825 and 1830, the
entries inwards of British shipping increased 17 per
cent., while foreign only increased 12 per cent.—(Cheers.)
From that peried till 1840, our shipping rapidly pro-
gressed, and the steadily increasing and advancing tide
of prosperity showed the- soundness of the principle
upon which the new policy was based. Then another era
dawned, and the name of another great stateman became
associated with the shipping interest of the country. In
1841, Sir Robert Peel received the reins of power and
immediately set about a thorough revision of our customs
tariff. The result to the shipping interests was that from
1841 to 1845 inclusive, there was an increase of 37 per
cent. entries inwards of British' tonnage, while the in-
crease in foreign was only 15 per cent.—(Cheers) The
famine of 1847 caused a suspension of our laws of navi-
gation, and the vessels of all nations were allowed to
enter our ports free with cargoes of grain or flour. To
this we must refer the fact that in' 1847 the entries in-
wards of foreign tonnage were higher, by 447,657 tons,
than they were in 1846.' ' At the close of 1849,, the re--
no took plaice;
exceeded,and ibay1386540,5t8h;
toss, what they were in 1849.
.The comparative rate of
sealentries o f
inwards our navigation-laws
of
freign t tonnage
cent. foreign,. must be ascribed
cent. British and 50 per
mentioned.—(Hear, hear.) I
tincr'e've during the five years ending 1850, of 28 per
to the two causes I havethat
I have proved that, taken
think, then, gentleßmeeni
on the whole, the p gentlemen, that
Act was a step in the right
ethe years 1834 and 1835 there was
direction. True,d
lassionin different departments of
occasionally a
These were attribu-
d the market.
overspread
exceptional causes, into which we
table to
to inquire. You must not,
commerce—credeirreeeeived a shock, and a general panic
need not now stop
broadly; you must t look at
must deal with facts
you
must group years together,
another, but you
one year or
If .you look alongside your
form an estimate.
therefore, take these isolated years by thenomselves,
so ae to
docks, if standing on the
shore you look out towards
the sea, you may see thomasts
of a vessel in the offing,
but if you ascend the cliffs of linker or Hendon, you
a man who
may see the hull as well as the masts;
thus
takes a narrow view of commercial statistics will not
pip
see the truth so clearly, and it is only when he ascends
to the elevation of principle that he can take a com-
manding survey.—(Cheers.) But do you owe nothi ug
more to free trade than the mere relaxation of your
navigation system? Has not the repeal of the
corn-laws given a great stimulus to the ocean-car-
rying trade of the country ? Did not the value of
England's exports rise from forty-seven millions in
1842, to seventy-one millions in 1850? Was cot the
value of her imports swollen from sixty-five millions,
in 1842, to one hundred millions in 1850? Did not the
aggregate amount of tonnage euteted inwards
and outwards, in the United Kingdom, increase from
7,046 000 tons in 1842, to 12,019.000 tons in 1850? And
if our exports and imports have beta so augmented, can
it be denied that an immense advantage has been derived
by the shipping of the country? Ido not mean by the
cheapening of provisions, by which to victual vessels,
but by the increased employment arising from the im-
petus given to our carrying trade. Take sugar, for in-
stance. Were there not in 1850, 120,000 tons more of
sugar brought into this country than in 1842? Again,
with regart to corn. Were -riot eight million quarters
wore grain imported into Great' Britain in 1850 than in
1842? What thsn! you, who sigh after protectiOn—you
who declaim upon the wisdom and policy of the past—
would you re-iwpoie the corn sud uevigetiou-law§?