The Sun.
London, England, 1825-06-24 00:00:00

by their conduct, and that no conduct of their's could deprive
the merchant service of the protection which was due to it from
the country. Another species of combination equally injurious
to our commerce was that which sometimes prevailed among
merchant-seamen, particularly in the northern ports, in Shields,
Newcastle, and other places, by which vessels were prevented
from going to sea from want a sufficient number of British
seamen. To remedy this, he would move another clause, giv-
ing a power to the King in Council, upon a proper representation
of the necessity of the cause, to allow British ships to clear out
from our ports with a larger portion of their crews consisting of
foreigners than was at present allowed by the Navigation Laws.
On the clause being brought up,
11. Ir. ELLICE said, he entirely concurred in the proposition
of the Right lion. Gentleman, and he only regretted that he
did not carry the principle farther; tbr he could not see on
what fair ground British merchants should be prevented from
taking their ships to that foreign port where they, might get
them repaired at the cheapest rate. The present state of things
in the port of London was a good deal the fault of shipowners,
who might if they pleased have a considerable number of ship-
wrights from Norway. As to the combinations among the
merchant-seamen, he thought in the course of time it would
prove a benefit to the country; for at present many ships were
principally worked by apprentices, which in the course of a
few years would give a vast addition to the number of able
seamen.

Mr. ROBERTSON opposed the clause, and contended that
this mode of acting was unbecoming the firmness and dignity
of the Legislature. They themselves had caused the evil to
which they were now about to apply so inadequate a remedy.
They drove the working classes to discontent and desperation
by the system (which had been proposed on the Opposition side,
and sanctioned by Ministers) of allowing all the artisans of the
Continent to come into competition with them. It was impos-
sible that a course of policy having a . tendency so injurious
could have any other eject than that of producing great dis-
content amongst the people. The course now proposed would
have the effect of driving our shipwrights to America from
whence we should not be able to recal them in time of need.
in the same manner, the measure now proposed would affect
the seamen. It was now intended to allow competition with
our seamen, by permitting the employment of a greater
number of foreign sailors to form part of the crews' of British
ships than was authorized by the Navigation Laws. Was not
this gross injustice to our seamen, when at the same time the
policy we were pursuing in other respects prevented our mer-
chants from giving them that fair remuneration for their labour*
which they had a right to expect? By some recent measures,
the ships of all nations were permitted, in a great degree, to
come into competition with our own; and these, which would
have the effect of preventing the merchant from paying the
sailor the wages to which he was accustomed, were now to lie
followed up by an enactment which would drive him out of
the service altogether. How was it possible to expect the
gratitude of these men after such treatment ? ' He would will-
ingly enforce the Combination Laws, and put- down all
attempts to procure higher wages by such illegal means ;
but he could not shut his eyes to the fact,' that the working
classes, the mechanics and artisans, were badly treated by
the legislature. There seemed a disposition in the House
to grind and oppress those people.—(Cries of " No, no.")---
He repeated the assertion, and took the actions of the House 21
demonstrations of its sentiments. The recent measures by
which the trades of the Continent were allowed to enter into
competition with our own, had, lie maintained, no other ten-
dency. The effect of these impolitic regulations had already
been felt in the diminution of the carrying trade. The tonnage
of the British vessels which sailed from our ports had been
considerably reduced. It was less this year by some hundred
thousand tons than what it had been some few years back.
Mr. HUME said that the Honourable Member wil°
spoke last had quite mistaken the principle of the proposed
clauses. He could not have understood them, if he stir
posed their object was to oppress the people, or any por-
tion of them. He would be as unwilling as any man to c 00"
• sent to any measure which would .have the effect of oppress-
ing the people. In the Committee on the Combination La` 4
and elsewhere, he gave it as his opinion, that the workinett
should have the power of getting from the masters the high!.:st
price for their labour, but lie would not sanction their assess,'"
dons to force men from their employment who were willing t°
work at a lower rate. It was hut fair that all parties should be
protected alike. The object of the proposed clauses was to pi,'
down those pernicious combinations which tended so directly t°,
injure the commerce of the country. So far he fully concurred
in them, and was only sorry that they did not go farther, on,ft
allow merchants to resort to foreign ports to build ships as we",
as to repair them. This would effectually teach those "clubs
and " unions" that their associations would in the result he
highly injurious!?thertselves.

showeditlnh
disastrous 1
er70e3212.c
Ili; CHANCELLOR of -the EXCHEQUER said, that A
few facts would tend more to elucidate this subject than all the
wrath of the Hon. Member for Grampound (Mr. Robertson.>
The Hon. Member had stated, that in consequence of the
,lheolialwriaehi
ndleidlnt
tannage
mea-
sures which he deprecated, there had lately been a considerable
decrease in the number of-British ships which cleared out frau
our ports. Now he had a statement belbre him which clearly
our 13-.1
in
destructive
Irueoeoc2ionit3iflv:
tiettn:heo,telloi
British
rn, Honourable
tirrieitistsnhi Ashsilote:femi2po4(bsewrareale,titvrescaheisßl;
eriani
fanttarid:errorin i
p:cil:
was
this subject. From this it appeared that in the year 18%
British ships; in 1819,11,071 ; in 1820,10,222; in 10`.1,;',„7-ille
year 1825, that year which the Hon. Mern'aer 9,251;
etV4sli
shipping, the number of British ships which left our parts ~rts
in 1818 was 1,500,200 tons and that of the vessels this Ye'c
was 1,797,000=-( Hear o—being an increase in the last ye"' °„
296,800 tons.—(H ear, hear !)—Then as to the number a liwa";
chant vessels built within the last three years. In the yea
ending 1823, there were built and registered in our porta 7 . _
merchant ships, burden in the whole 67,144 tons ; in 1824, tnt;
number built and registered was 847, burden 86,028 tong ;-
' in
' commerce—there were built and registered 1,011 ships, exceed
-
gin the whole 100,000 tons. If this was the ruin and de-
struction of our commerce to which the Hon. Member alluded,
he would say, may such kind of destruction go on.—(Hear !put
Mr. ROBERTSON, in explanation, read a short statem-03
of the amount of British shipping in the last few years,
,Year'fra
which, he said, it appeared that our shipping had, last
decreased by nearly 400,000 tons. ere'
Mr. BRIGHT opposed the clauses, which, he said, ''',.,,,..
not at all intelligible, and which, if necessary, ought, he 701
tended, to be made the subject of a separate measure, .. 41
not thus introduced in a bill with which they had no nal°
connection. ea
Sir M. 11". RIDLEY supported the clauses, and maintliie
that, when known, every man in the country would admit "
propriety of their enactment. te'
Mr. HUSKISSON said, that if the clauses were allowed on,
be read, every man would see their plain import. He that
sidered the circumstances in which they applied so urgent' eot
if no other means of affording a remedy existed, Governtl; 0
would be wanting in its duty to the public if it did not app,lto
similar one on its own responsibility, and trust afterward
the legislature for an act of indemnity. icl'
Mr. ROBERTSON would be very unwilling to grant stcv,
a power to Ministers, except in some extraordinary envrgen '
which he did not believe now existed.
Mr. ELLICE expressed a hope that, as a general meal' he
the Right Hon. Gentleman would, at no distant day, adillithel
principle of allowing merchants to repair their ships where_opy
could get them done cheapest and best. There were new c_. of
binations of workmen, but there were also cornbinationLlso
master shipwrights ; and these were as bad for the rnere"tbe
service as those of the workmen. The prices charged bi the
masters for repairs were enormous, • and enough to drive
shipping trade away from the port of London. eth
Tice clause allowing British ships to repair in foreign Plot,
under the circumstance above stated, was then read a roe
second, and third time, and agreed to, as was also the.,el thus
respecting the employment of foreign seamen. The bil
amended was passed, and ordered to the Lords.

SPRING GUNS BILL. 030
The House then went into a Committee on the Sring-,
Bill.
Lord BINNING moved as an amendment, that in the chfal::
prohibiting spring-guns from being set in and plantatioo9Zace
den, or any place whatever, the words "garden, or an,,L;eteeli
whatever" be omitted; but after some conversation 00,
Mr. Alonck, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. 0,• "(100'
and others, consented to withdraw it, as the sense of t"e
mitte appeared to be agdnst it. onler
The clause allowing any man to enter an enclosure, t° rfter
spring-guns and steel-traps harmless, was thrown out, lhorP,
discussion in which Mr. Peel, Mr. F. Lewis, Mr. Ci°u"-
Mr. Tennyson, and M. G. Lamb took a part'.t On the clause for giving treble costs to the plaintiffs in a he!'
for injuries accruing from spring-guns, the House wasciose
cleared for a division; but no division took place. The svas
was then negatived. The House resumed ; the rel,°r:,onsi'
brought up, and was ordered to be taken into further
derati on to-morrow. a the
The other Ordeis of the Day were then disposed of, 31'
House adjourned at a QUARTER PAST Two.

•
On Tuesday morning last, a fish is eighinggilii
ounces, was seized in the river Calder, opposite the ing
Dewsbury, by a crow, which landed it safely on the Th°oter
side of the river. T. Greenwood, clothier, crossed th,etbotig!
and obtained the fish ;it was alive when he got CO it, OW
its enemy had made a considerable hole in one of 't"'
behind the head,