The Sun.
London, England, 1813-04-17 00:00:00

INDIA SHIPPING.

RESULTS FROM THE ADMISSION OP INDIA-BUILT
SHIPS BY REGISTRY TO THE GENERAL COM•

MLIZCE OF THE EMPIRE.

When a nation has arrived at a state of unpa-
ralleled power atfd prosperity, and that, princi,
pally, from the long continuance of a political
measure, framed by' the wisdom of its ancestors,,
it .is• obviously highly,. dangerous to admit any' in-
road into a system so sanctioned
.by experience.
It would be a waste of words to prove that our ,
navigation .laws have principally raisul the Bri4
tish Empire to its present colossal strength and
magnitude, and verified the ancient axiom, . that .
whoever commands the sea must likewise emu,:
maw! the.-land. .We have exerted that power, in
every eitarter of the globe itod every climate of
the earth; and, under Providence, it • has been
the leading means of saving Enrope: and all the ,
civilized portion of Mankind frtim groaningbe-
neath the despotism of the most insatiable tyrant :
the world ever knew ; let „Its, therefore, prase,
and eonsider wed what hove heait the remits of.
the deviations, 'IA! have already made; from that,
tyke 1,1. ~,-.4occbturs, wh!4:4l
t6ilt of irtgeA, and let. Us, seriously, dilcuss t.;ee.,
effects that • have arisen, and may arise, from the
introduction of ships built in • India, to the advan►
tapes of being registered us L'ritish ; anal as the
real, or alleged benefits of this measure, cait
afford the only motives for
.lopping otf „the
brandies of that venerable tree, with whose
growth we. have prospered, .anti under whose
shade we have safely rested; let us cointnence
with a statement of such arguments as may- be
adduced in favour of this de,viation. These, for-
ttituftely for the advocates of the true interests
of this empire, are but few, and consetitzeotly.
easily enumerated.
The first, I conceive to be the plea of Momen-
tary necessity, and •which somc persons deuitiml,
partially existed s: few years since, namely, that
from want ,of sufficiently numerous artificers in,
the parent country,,, and also from a deficiency
the essential article of timber, we were reduced to .
the alternative of either wai.,ting a due number of
ships for commerce, and for war ; or of obtaining,
them elsewhere, either from foreigners, or our
own territorial possessions.
2dly. That the ships thus obtained Were either
cheaper or more durable than those of this
country. ,
_

•
3dly. That they were the• mcani of so much
specific value b*Cing remitted to this country by
the Briti'h residents in India, whict? .they otter.
wise could not have effected.

Melina of these 'arguments affords on,eflicient
plea, but only. the former, part of the assumption
ever existed, namely, such a demand for ship ear-
pentiers as induced them 'to enhance their wages
for ai short period ; it was ;Of no long duration,
anti the effect ought necesciarily to have ceased',
whenever the cause. was clearly removed.

. •-
' The second argument, that. of Indian ships be.
ing obtained cheaper than those built at home,
;would justify the purchase of, innumerable articles
of foreign Manufacture, • and if admitted, world
soon - ,ftunihilatc numerous manufactures of our
own, which find employment for a considerable
portion of the people, who 3tlStaili gryat burthen
of taxation, and which, 4eing occe,ary for tilt
existence of the State, must fall on the ikes lilac) and-
destroy:the whole fabric of Government-, by tile.
immensity of its pressure„ H eoll_t_ tin. COMM
ow
manufacturers of England, nocwitlihtaminig the
grcast (pi
omastitis ivientßettisltailiti.ikt:ierr
tiloriiel
oe
the:t t:
i.lcetiad,yi;
iwpurtut
fdutlowerer the fact may he of supCrior cheap
ties's, and it must be admitted that India-built
• ship» can, be protineed at 151. and 20/. Per cent.
cheaper than ,Liritish•built-Aips, and no doubt in
• time may be'prodaeed at two-thirds the cost
country may be able to furnish them ati by the
aid of British capital assisting the residentS in In-
dia to promote tlleir great design of ruAking ship-
bnilding and outfitting them thefr .first-m;intikc-
to.ry ; for it is building ships, not commerce, that

?Icy licive, in view, as is clearly manifested iu the
ieports of Sir Frineis Baring itnd otber
o 'March 1802 *, and it the'peesent lus (aK they
and alloble Marquis has declared) entitle ships.
built ;a ludiA to a -BMW) register, And their Las
cars to the rights of British seamen, the naval
strength of this country; so for as It is suppot'ted
by the great estObliShments. of the. Merchant
builders wads this kingdom, the gm-0 nursery
of sliipn,rights and artificers. in peace, must ne-
cessarily decline. An alteration'in the laws must,
immediately take place, .'otherwise. few British
ships can be built ; for the East India,Cimidany
e compelled to engage their ships by open com-
pet!thin, and. ettipkty:the Jou est tender. In the
engagements made ut 1811.-12, the teak: ships
were at a price so match under the British, that
contracts .ere made fOr four or live of them la
low a price that the owners of them afterwards
applied to thi. C.nirt of Directors, and actually gut
permigsion to take a cargo of cotton, on their own
accdunt, front Bombay and Bengal to China ; a
game which had a few:years before been played,
and notwithstanding it is declared-it will not again
be practised, will contilme to Inive its effeet upon
the tenderer, who will hope by interest 'to obtain
the boon ; a bonus of not less than 15,000/.
It should be considered that the mainrity of the
East India Directors are gentlemen who have pass-
e sl
the active period of their in 111(141; and
although I will mink they arc as, honourable. as
anymen in the Direction, yet ey havc a 'natural
bias to every thing that yelioes to, the welfare of
theirmost intimate friends reinainhigthere,
and those
,with whore they are -Connected In this
country naturally influence them to entourage
India-built ships. The Colony, has their affection,
more than the parent state, it is the natural effect
of habit ; but Britons must exert themselves, that
the legislature May on
.the present occasion: pre-
. cart the parent state from being destroyed her
Vital strength by her own colony. Pecuniary ad-,
vantage is not now the question, it is l‘vhether
we'shall, as heretofore, have establishments at
'home to aid the navy. in ease of any sudden' enter-
geney, or that the proprietors who have millions
embarked in works throughout the , liingdom;
(those in the Thames being above one million in
value, shall he compelled to the dreadful necessity
of - throwing themselves upon the liberality of
Parliament for remuneration. . •
Stijl, in a political point of view, cheapness is
not to be considered by the price given by the in-
(l4;iatial for • the' article bought,. hitt by that paid
by'the nation of which he is a. member. Tried
by'this rule, as India-built ships pay no duties on
their cordage, sail-cloth, or any,other constituent
part, the whole sum paid is 'nearly a deficit ; as
the circumstance of purchase does 'not occasion
but very trifling articles of British, manufacture
to be exported more than otherwise would have
been done t
'On the other hand, bad we substituted for these
ships; vessels built at home, no one portion of
them would', in general have been foreign, but
the'hemp used in the manufacture of their cordage
and sail-cloth, The cost ,of this raw material,
and the freight of it hOine, admitting it to be in a
neutral vessel, which too often has been the case,
would.; when combined 'with the priMe cost of the
.foreign articles of. (leek planks and tar, scarcely
exceed one-torth of the value of the ship fitted for
scei-i. tut:re-lot-6 the rennin-ling 'no!. 443.1th2 would
be 'expended on British liioduce, and. British
industry. This • Species of expenditure was, by
Dr. Price's caicalation, estimated to contribute
to the State fifteen, shillings in the pound.---7
Taxatien has much increased since that period,
therefore there Can be no danger of exaggeration,
if we assume the cOntrilnition to the State, from ,
British industry and produce, to he ten shillings
in the ponnd, or half of its -amount ; which as
that species of, expenditure' eontributes nine-
tenths of the outfit of a British-built ship, it fol-
lows that nearly,one half its whole friallithiC.•
tared value, returns back in taxes to the State ;
so that in fact, although the purchaser of
an lnciiu-
built ship nay be no loser, yet the nation is pav-
ing double the Amount it ought to'do. It appears
that from 1795, when these ship were first admit-
ted to Brititihregistry up to March, 1809, the
so admitted- amoonted to 33,000 tons,
itinee (besides those unregistered and not
employed iii the Company's service) a greater ex-
tent of tonnage than the preceding has been ad-
•Mitted into the general trade of the empire, which,
with ships of war built in Asia, can scateely be
les than 10'..,000 tons, but taken only at .830,000
tons and at 301. per ton, their cost ,and outfit
would amount. to 2,400,000/. half of which, as al-
ready stated; has beettabstraeted front the revenue
of theeonntry, and likewise the means of employ-
bint to numerous industrious families ;- and that
nursery for seamen arising from bringing naval
stores from the Baltic, Canada, Nova Scotia, and
New Brunswick.
The third plea only remains to be discussed,
vii. that India-built vessels afford the nicaus of
remitting property to this country.
No dependant State. 'nut possessed of the, pre
011$ liletll3s can' make remittances to the parent
country t4.,r its protection ; but either in raw or
manufaetured articles or in the balance. of her
'trade from other territories. The true policy of
any parent state pl'ohibits her colonies not only
from sending their
.manufactures 'any where in
'competition with those of the 'mothee country,
who bears thud bnrthen of taxation, but also, in
many ins antics front manufacturing them for
their own,- use ; which principle, in its latter pa-
sition, is limited by local and political circurn-

stance.., - • . .
' Wise as these general principles are, lire have most
:lamentably depgrted from them,; as ,we have not
only taught qur Indian subjects to rival us in variott4
articles of iron, braSs, and other manufactures, and
'C't' n I 111 S I , but iIISO in the fabric of ships, which
tieccs,arily includes artificers of almost every de-
aeription 1- viz. tarpenters,.caulkers, blacksmiths,
-ropernicrs, sail.,eloth WeaverS, Sailitrztkers, and
valioni otliers.uunecestary to enumerate • so as
D'''t 4"/1 to give these iettleu:euts the means of

t printed iTiont of Sint/ isl t'omtnittc,e of l)irecturs of
tha pap: 122—.4.17, no" IGI, rublixbed by
J. Richardson octavo.
' 't
Vide the'rfenp;blo, rlitiliiin-4-by-flatthard, ic cansi4era
tion6 on Colonial i'orw-y, awl thr, 4ih onlanyv of the N6v
4,),darterlylitevieiv; anO C(ihmial
See the examinations of Sir John' M.,kohn and otintra.
priatd rittcOntiy by order of the iltJuse of co:110.001a.