The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-04 00:00:00

sailors exclusively, but whether it was possible to get ships
and sailors at all. (Hear.) He did not think there was
much in the objection urged by tb e hon. member for
Liverpool, namely, that if the monopoly of British vessels
in the coasting trade were destroyesi„ great injury would
be inflicted on the best nursery of British seamen. He be-
lieved that if the present high rates sv -ere kept up, the con- '
sequence would be in a few years to annihilate a large por-
tion of the coasting trade and to trainsfer the traffic to the
railways. That result had been already predicted by a high
authority in these matters, Mr. W. t. 14 Lindsay, thoughfor
his own part he did not think that wider ordinary circum-
stances, and with a low rate of freig ;11,0, the competition of
the railways would. seriously affect the coasting trade. He
was convinced, however, at the Barrie time, that if, by any
unhappy combination of causes, t he present extravagant
rates should be maintained for a period of four, five, or
six years, the prediction of Mr. L indsay would be accom-
plished. The effect of admitting foreigners to participate
in our coasting trade would not be injurious, but the ships
would enterinto competition with British vessels ; but un-
der such circumstances as occur' •ed last year, with rates
extravagantly high, and with an e xperienced impossibility
of getting vessels at all, the admi mien of foreigners would
prove a great boon to the country. In order to show how
the present law operated, he mi ght mention that in the
northern district of Scotland, witl i which he was more par-
ticularly connected, there was an e:xcellent crop of potatoes
last year, while in the south of Eng:l and the crop was almost
a complete failure. The result was. that potatoes were very
scarce and dear in the London mr but cheap and plen-
tiful in the marksts of Scotland. At the very time when
the scarcity prevailed in London the ere were several Prusian
awl Norwegian vessels coming to the ports in the north of
Scotland with battens for the her ring trade, but in conse-
quence of the law prohibiting for eign ships from engaging
in the coasting trade of England, they could not be employ-
ed in conveying potatoes to the T h ames. (Hear.) The pro-
posed alteration in the law won Id. be mainly confined to
Prussian, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian ships, and
could anything he asked, be more desirable than that we
should cultivate friendship with these northern nations
upon the foundation of mutual in t erests ?
Mr. PELLATT directed the at t 4 sntion of the committee
to the restrictions imposed upon t b.e coal trade by the local
laws of the Tyne, especially that which rendered it impe-
rative that no vessel should be lo u ded before another, thus
sometimes occasioning a delay IA • three weeks. Several
parties had contemplated hiring or building screw steamers
for the coal trade ; but they had. been- compelled to aban-
don the idea, in consequence of the regulation to which he
had referred. _ _ _

............_
Leave was then given to b ring in the bills, and the
house resumed.

HER MAJESTY'S ANSWER. TO THE ADDRESS.
Lord DRUMLANRIG, comp troller of the household,
appeared at the bar with her Maj e. sty's answer to the Ad-
dress, which he read in the follow i ng terms :—" I have re-
ceived with much satisfaction your loyal and dutiful
address. It will always be my emu' est desire to co-operate
with you in measures calculated to promote the welfare of
my people and strengthen the instf:.tutions of the State.'