The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-22 00:00:00

THE SUN, LOADON, SATURDAY EVENING-1, MARCH 22, k 1862.

ment, and the estimate for civil contingencies within a month
after the close of the financial year, the 31st day of March."
He remembered that last year the house met early in Feb •
ruary, and on a question being pnt by the hon. member for
Norfolk to the First Lord of the Treasury as to when the
civil service estimates would be laid on the table, that noble
lord replied in about a fortnight. The fact was that they
were not presented until the 19th of April. Now why should
not they be laid on the table at the same time as the army
and navy estimates, which occurred generally a week after
the house assembled.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER admitted
the necessity of having the civil service estimates proposed
and laid on the table in proper time; but it was attended
with a great deal of difficulty, which was being gradually
overcome. His hon. friend asked why it was they were
not produced as soon as those for the army and navy, within
a week after the house met. But he must remember that
they were proposed within their own respective depart-
ments, whereas the miscellaneous estimates were varied
and diversified, and spread over a vast number of items.
Some of them, in point of fact, did not belong
to any public department, such as the expenses of
members of commissions, with whom, and with other
bodies of a similar description, a great deal of correspon-
dence took place before the estimates were sent in. It was
not, therefore, possible to present them with the same ac-
curacy or certainty 48 those for the army and navy. There
was no fixed time for doing so, and they had been obliged
on all occasions to take their chance, in consequence of the
mass of public business which usually occupied the house.
Besides there was a sort of provision required to know what
the amount would be; and, under all the circumstances, he
hoped no attempt would be made to bind the house or the
department to any particular time, because if they were
laid on the table of the house a fortnight or so after the
house met, they would necessarily be in a very imperfect
condition.

The house then went into Committee of Supply pro
forma. _ _ .

The CHAIRMAN reported progress, and the house re-
sumed. _

INCLOSURE BILL.

This bill was read a second time.
BLEACHFIELDS (WOMEN AND CHILDREN

EMPLOYMENT) BILL.

This bill, as amended, was considered, " young persons"
having been substituted for children. i 2

MERCHANT SHIPPING ACTS AMENDMENT

BILL.

Mr. M. GIBSON said the object of this bill was to give
effect to the recommendations of the Committee on Mer-
chant Shipping, and to give power to the Board of Trade
to deal with acts of misconduct and others in connection
with the shipping trade, and to withdraw certificates from
captains in case of negligency or incompetency. :The act
also had reference to what was called the rules of the road
on sea in cases of collision. The French Government had
agreed to the regulations proposed by the British Govern-
ment, and it was to be hoped that other Governments
would do the same. One of the most important recommen-
dations of the committee had reference to the question of
pilotage. At present the owners of ships were not answer-
able for the damages occurring from the conduct of the
pilot, as under the present system pilots were serving in a
compulsory manner. It is now proposed to abolish com-
pulsory pilotage under certain circumstances. Under
stress of weather it was most improper to restrict a vessel
from seeking shelter in a harbour without the assistance of
a pilot. It was also proposed by this act, that in case of
masters not carrying the lights already required, and which
had been adopted nearly all over the world, it should be made
a punishable offence, One of the most important recom-
mendations of the merchant shipping committee referred to
pilotage. The present system was much complained of so
far as it was compulsory in pilotage districts in this country.
In the Merchant Shipping Act it was enacted that the ves-
sel in charge of a compulsory pilot might do any damage
through the default or neglect of that pilot, and that the
owners would not be liable for such damage because he was
not their servant, but a compulsory pilot forced upon them
by the regulations of the port ; if he were a voluntary pilot,
then he would be held to be the servant of the owner, and
any damage done through his default would fall on the
owner of the vessel. They had endeavoured to deal with
this without abolishing it directly by enactment. They had
in their bill machinery by which parties interested in pilot-
age might petition the Board of Trade, who might make a
provisional order exempting any particular class of vessels
in one or any pilotage district from such compulsory pilot-
age; but such orders would not have the effect of law
until it had been confirmed by an Act of Parliament.
They did propose to abolish compulsory pilotage in some
cases, in accordance with the recommendation of the mer-
chant shipping committee; it was proposed that a vessel
passing a pilotage district, but not bound to any port in
that rliatr;,,t is a plat.. a ii;.,,,i,s•e, should be exempt
from compulsory pilotage. This was desirable, masmuca
as it was said that vessels were deterred from going into
harbours of refuge (and consequently sometimes lost)
owing to the charges to which they would subject their
owners for compulsory pilots. Where there was a central
pilotage authority such as the Newcastle Trinity Mouse,
which exercised a pilotage jurisdiction over Shields, Hartle-
pool, Sunderland, and some other places, they proposed to
enable such places by applying for a provisional order to
obtain for themselves the jurisdiction of their own pilots.
They proposed, in accordance with the recommendation of
the bon. member for Yarmouth, to make certain provisions
with reference to salvage of life and property. It was also
proposed to repeal certain clauses in the Customs Consolida-
tion Act with reference to timber ships, which clauses were
found too nugatory, and to interfere with the fair competi-
tion of the British with the foreign shipowner. There was
another point of considerable importance which they had
felt it necessary to deal with, viz., the liability of ship-
owners. As the law at present stood, if a ship did damage,
the personal liability of the shipowner was measured by the
value of the ship and freight. This was simply a premium
on bad ships; and the man who sent his ship to sea well
found, and in all respects did his utmost to provide for the
safety of the freight and contribute to the comfort of the
passengers, was the man who incurred the greatest liability
on account of any accident or misfortune. He contended
that the owner of a good ship and the owner of an inferior
ship should be on the same level ; and they had fixed the
limit of liability in respect of sailing ships at £45 a ton—
taking the exact figure recommended in the report to which
he had already referred. In the case of steamships the mea-
surements would be so made that the same principle would
be applied to them as to sailing ships. There was another
question with which the bill dealt—it was with regard to
the unshipment of cargoes and the preservation of the lien
for freight on goods after they were landed. Under the pre-
sent law a great deal of irregular practice went on, because
ships could not be discharged, whatever be the a zreement
between the shipowner and the shipper, until after the ex-
piration of 48 hours after the arrival of the ship, if the
owner of the goods availed himself of that delay. In
these days it was perfectly obvious that, when continental
and other steamers came and went with so much rapidity
the existence of such a system must be an intolerable
inconvenience, and the consequence was that in practice
it was evaded, and this bill would .legalise the existing
practice. If a consignee dld not enter and take delivery of
I his goods on the arrival of the ship, the shipowner was to
be at liberty to land the goods, proper provision for their
safety being taken, and the lien on the goods for freight
would remain. In the case of large sailing ships which
went into the docks, the provision was necessarily some-
what different. The bill proposed to give for these large
ships three days to enter and commence landing. At the
aspiration of the three days, if the owner did not enter and
land his goods, the shipowner was entitled to do so, and
thus relieve the ship of its cargo and the docks of its ob-
struction. The bill was one dealing with many subjects,
but he had thought if better as they all related to matters
connected with merchant shipping, to combine them in one
bill rather than to effect the same object by a number of
small bills.

Mr. LINDSAY expressed the great satisfaction which
ho felt on the introduction of this bill by his right hon,
friend, and he was glad to hear that her Majesty's Go-
vernment had entered into negotiations with France and
other nations, with a view to establiAiing proper regulations
in relation to that which was called " the rule of the road.,
at sea. With regard to pilotage, he regretted that the right
hon. gentleman's bill did not go farther than he had stated.
He regretted that the bill did not propose to abolish the
system of compulsory pilotage, and leave shipowners at
liberty to engage pilots whenever they thought it necessary
to do so. Tho system of voluntary pilotage had been found
by shipowners and ship captains to work well at Newcastle
and other places, and he therefore hoped her Majesty's
Government would re-consider the subject. With regard
to the liability of shipowners, with respect to the question
of discipline on board, he questioned whether it could be
extended to such smell boats as fishing boats. He regarded
the bill with great satisfaction, and should give it his
support.

Mr. G. BENTINCK quite concurred with his hon.
friend who had just addressed the house, with regard to
the change in what was called "the rule of the road."
But he must remind the right hon. gentleman that what
might appear well on paper in reference to that question,
might not operate woll when put to the test. They should
take care on this subject that men, in observing the rule of
the road, did not fun the risk of losing their lives and for-
feiting their insurances. With regard to what his hon.
friend the member for Sunderland had said in relation to
pilotage, ho entirely concurred with him that captains of
vessels should be at liberty to take a pilot when they thought
necessary, and that compulsory pilotage ought to be done
away with. There was another point, too, for considera-
tion. A pilot, for instance, was generally "a man of
straw," and he thought that where a ship was injured by his
running the ship in his charge in collision with her, the
shipowner in whose vessel he was, ought to be responsible.
What he (Mr. Bentinck) wanted to see was free trade in
pilotage. Ho wanted to have that point settled; for it was
of great impartance that when a person in command found
his vessel in circumstances of danger, he should be at libe,t ty
to avail himself of the best possible chance of obtaining the
most competent pilot. He himself had seen vessels in
circumstances of danger, and persons near who were corn
potent of them, but who knew that on the
v cys elto
runningtake v
ire rd s harbour, they would be turned
out of her as not licensed pilots,by the Trinity House autho-
rity, What he wanted was that every man who could show

that he was competent to take charge of a vessel should be
at liberty to have the right to do so, (Hear, hear.)
Sir H. STRACEY trusted that the right hon. gentle-
man had not the fear of the High Court of ?admiralty be-
fore his eyes in relation to that part of his bill which re-
ferred to the adjudication of claims. He thought it desir-
able that the right hon. gentleman should introduce a pro-
vision in his bill appointing a court of magistrates, who
should be at liberty to decide on claims to the extent of
£5OO. There was no such jurisdiction now vested in magis-
trates, and the consequence was that the owners were
thrown into the High Court of Admiralty and subjected
to the imposition of heavy costs. He hoped the
right hon. gentleman would take that matter into conside-
ration with a view of further improving his bill.
Mr. J. EWART congratulated the right hon. gentleman
on having brought in this bill, and he trusted it would be
regarded by the shipping interest as calculated, in its ob-
jects, to give satisfaction.
Mr. A. SMITH said what he objected to was that ship-
owners, sunder any circumstances, were obliged to take
licensed pilots. He found, on information which he had re-
ceived from St. Ives and other places, where there were no
licences, that ships were far better served with pilots than
they were in Penzance and other places where there were
none but licensed pilots, He should have been glad, too, to
have heard from the right hon. gentleman that it would be
optional with captains of vessels to take any pilot they most
approved of, or to take a Filot just as they deemed necessary.
The house resumed, and leave was given to bring in the
bill, which was accordingly brought in, and read a first
time.

hibitors explaining their backwardness in sending in
their things, and attributing the fault to the delay
of the Commissioners in allotting space. But we
have the best possible reasons for knowing that the
very few instances in which this excuse is admissible
are rare exceptions to the general rule; and not
only is this so, but some of those very few exhi-
bitors who might with justice have advanced this
excuse as a reason for being behindhand have their
cases now actaally in the building and their goods
coming in this week. In some instances unfortunate
delays and difficulties did arise in the allotments of
space, and one most eminent London firm had the
position given them changed at least twice—once
after they bad nearly completed their case, specially
made for the position they were to occupy. Yet,
even this firm has its case in the building, though,
as it is to be filled with plate and articles of great
value, these, of course, will not be sent in till the
last moment. But the great mass of exhibitors
cannot pretend to any excuse of this kind. In three
or four classes the courts have been ready for the
reception of goods for the last month, and the
superintendents of classes have been daily expecting
their arrival since the Ist of this month ; but for
these not a single packet has yet come in. This
delay, as we have said before, is a cause of most
serious anxiety to the Commissioners and all inte-
rested in our success in this universal competition.
Packages are in the building from the most distant
parts of Europe, workmen are busy over all the
foreign departments erecting their handsome courts
and counters, yet English exhibitors, who are
virtually on the spot, have scarcely a thing in the
building, and for them hardly a nail is being driven.
Our countrymen may rest assured that they will
have quite enough to do this time to hold their ossn
against all corners, without being subjected to the
still further disadvantage of showing to our most
distinguished foreign visitors at the opening a mass
of half-filled courts and hastily ill-arranged goods.
From these observations we wish to exempt the
exhibitors in classes 1,2, 3, and 4—viz., for mining
and minerals, chemistry, food, and raw materials.
These classes are to be placed in the eastern annexe,
an admirable situation when completed, but which
just now labours under the disadvantage of not being
finished, and it appears impossible that it can be by
the Ist of May. The contractors must look to this
keenly, and we hope that the praise which was re-
cently very deservedly bestowed upon their care and
energy will not turn out to have been prematurely
awarded. They have shown great skill and perse-
verance, but now that the pinch is coming they
must show still more. The public will not care to
listen to excuses for delay, and, indeed, are never
likely to know more of the matter, if there should be
any shortcoming, than that the contractors under-
took to do the work and did not do it. The light
wooden columns' of this eastern annexe are getting
out of perpendicular, in some cases almost as much
as those in the annexe for machinery in motion, the
western side of which leans over 13 inches, and
seems inclined to go still further. With these
wooden sheds, however, this is a matter of very
minor importance, as, being all of the lightest pos-
sible description of timberwork, they can be pushed
back at once by a couple of shores. In the western
annexe, however, this inclination has the disagree-
able effect of making the cast iron columns for the
shafting seem totally out of plumb.
The orchestra for the musical ceremony at the
opening has been ordered to be erected and finished
by the 20th of next month, and we believe that the
suggestion we made that it should be retained for
the repetition of the music during the two follow-
ing days will be acted upon.
The indignation expressed at the ugly exterior of
the building by our correspondent, M. Jules Pirer,
has excited much amusement and comment at South
Kensington. That the exterior is very ugly no one
denies or ever attempted to deny. But, on the other
hand, it must not be forgotten that if anything be-
yond bricks and mortar in their plainest forms
, had been attempted with a structure covering up-
wards of 20 acres it would have cost nearly
£1,000,000 instead of £350,000, and would have
prevented our doing what no other country in the
world has ever succeeded in doing, namely, making
our exhibitions pay. If M. Jules Pirer had waited
till he saw what was a fine interior he might have
" saved his indignation," and bestowed it much
more worthily upon his countrymen, who, by
their colossal wooden box, reaching from the ground
to the roof, in the very best part of the building,
have contrived to ruin it most effectually. It is
said that much of the hanging space on hoardings
nailed across the upper galleries is wanted for the
exhibition of instantaneous photographs of a horse-
life size! But it is very generally rumoured, though
with what truth we cannot say, that these life-sized
photographs are, after all, only obtained by the
very common process known to all photographers
of copying an ordinary photographwith magnifying
lenses till the life size is attained. Yet no matter
for what purpose these partitions are erected the
strongest remonstrances against suffering them to
remain have gone in from other foreign courts, some
of which are much darkened by them. The Royal
Commissioners have already succeeded in reducing
the topmost screen by 2ft. Gin., and still require a
reduction of 3ft. more. It is uncertain whether or
not they will obtain this last concession, though
even if they do it will be but a slight abatement of
the whole disfigurement. The Belgians do not
appear to be laying out their space to the best ad-
vantage, inasmuch as in the centre of some of the
passages between their counters are columns with
tie rods which almost bar all entrance. They, of
course, will be the sufferers by this mistake. In our
last notice of the eastern annexe we inadvertently
stated that trophies of food and raw materials would
be erected there. This was an error, as these, like
all the other very handsome trophies, will be erected
lin the nave. The food trophy will be an exceed-
ingly curious and beautiful one. The Illustrated
Catalogue will this year be published in a different
arrangement from that of 1851. On that occasion
it was a private enterprise, and the volumes, though
interesting in the highest degree, and beautifully
illustrated, were necessarily high priced. Yet the
sale of this edition was so large and profitable to
those who undertook it that the Commissioners this
time will publish it themselves, and, in all proba-
bility, will clear scme £5,000 by the transaction.
Their catalogue is to be an extended form of the
Industrial Shilling Catalogue, and will be printed
in super-royal Svo., so that it may range with the
catalogues of 1851 and 1855. One or more classes
will form a separate part, which will be sold for the
low price of a shilling. Exhibitors who intend to
avail themselves of this catalogue are charged at the
rate of 10s. for five lines or under, for a half page
£5, and for a whole page £lO. They are allowed to
insert minute descriptions of the works they exhibit
on these terms as to length, and to provide their own
woodcuts and engravings. So eager have been ex-
hibitors to avail themselves of this catalogue that
enough to make three such volumes as the catalogue
of 1851 has already been compiled, and is almost fit
for printing. There are to be 13 parts in all, so
that the cost of this work will not exceed 135., and
Mr. Cundall, the superintendent, is labouring
assiduously to render it as valuable and interesting
as possible. The only disadvantage which it has is
that, unlike a private enterprise, the illustrations,
though as numerous as in the old catalogue, are,
instead of being inserted on their own merits as de•
signs and works of art, necessarily restricted to
such illustrations as the exhibitors are willing to
pay for. This slight drawback, however, might
easily be obviated by the Commissioners issuing two
or three supplementary parts containing descrip-
tions and designs of the chief foreign works in the
building, which would render it complete. Mr.
Whiting is also labouring day by day and hour by
hour on that most ungrateful and difficult of all
tasks—the compilation of the Shilling Catalogue,
the highest recompense he can hope from which is
to escape censure.
We are sorry to say that the combination which
we stated a short time since all the railways north
of the Thames were about to enter into to avoid
running excursion trains for the opening, or making
any reduction of fares until after the middle of
June, has been agreed to by the companies.
greed displayed by English lines in this The
iespect
appears doubly odious when ,;ontrasted'Niith the
liberality shown by the manager's of continental
railways, who have made the most important re-
ductions both for goods and passengers to and from
the international Exhibition.—Times.