The Sun.
London, England, 1849-07-27 00:00:00

FRIDAY

object of this Bill to be, to afford facilities to shipowners
in respect to pilotage, and to relieve them of certain ex-
penses to which they were now by law liable. He doubted
, whether the Bill would relieve those parties in the way in-
tended; but of this he had no doubt, that it might have the
effect of putting down certain ancient establishments in
tiais country, which had existed time out of mind, con-
nected with which were men who had been most useful
in piloting ships in the difficult navigation of the narrow
seas, and more particularly in communication with this
great commercial metropolis. Under the existing law,
all vessels coming up Channel were under the necessity
of taking pilots on board, and of making signals that
they were in want of pilots. Now the object of this
measure was to relieve those vessels from the obligation
of making signals when they might have on board any
person or officer who was possessed of a certificate as to
his competency to take charge of the ship in these seas.
He was apprehensive that the consequence of this mea-
sure would be to put down that body of pilots who had
hitherto contributed by their labour to the safety of the
navigation. These fellowship pilots existed under the
provisions of Acts of Parliament, which insisted upon
the necessity of every ship having a pilot on board. The
ciuty of these pilots was regulated by Act of Parliament;
and their duty was carried on under the supervision of
the Privy Council. No alteration could be made in the
regulation except by the Council; and the remuneration
of pilots had been fixed by Act of Parliament. Under
these circumstances he contended that Par
liament bad formally protected this institution,
and he, therefore, earnestly entreated their Lord-
ships to consider well before they adopted any measure
which should have the effect of putting it down. He
had himsel! been Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports for
twenty
:and he found that in a term of ten years,
in each of the ten years there had been
3;80013 brought into the river every year, and there
Were only twenty-two complaints of any misfortune or
misconduct on the part of the pilots. These complaints
29
were all inquired into, and it turned out that there were
only nine cases which had any foundation, thirteen of
t shipso years,lB3
the complaints being proved to be unfounded. In the
following years, 1839 to 1849, there were only fourteen
complaints, there being each year, as before, 3,800 ships
brought up into the river; of these fourteen complaints
only six were well founded, all the rest being unfounded.
Now, considering the number of ships carried up the
river every year in safety by means of these pilots, and
that in each ten years so few complaints had been made
tand inquired into, he did not think he was asking
too much of their Lordships when he begged them to
take great care that no steps should be taken which would
prejudice the case of those ancient institutions. There
were now 120 of those pilots, and if more
were wanted an increase could be made to their
numbers. As to the provisions of the Bill, he would ob-
serve that it was in the power of the Lord Warden to
grant licences to those individuals who undertook the
management of a ship as master or mate, being on board.
He would say, as Lord Warden, that he would not give
licences to any individuals to take charge of a ship as
pilot, unless he first proved himself to be perfectly quali-
fied under the existing Act of Parliament as capable of
taking charge of a vessel into port. But when a man
applied to him, and he was called upon to sign such and
such certificates, that fact showed the necessity of mak-
ing every possible preliminary inquiry. He did not
think that it would be desirable, either to the ship-
owners or to the merchant, to put down this institution,
and not to insist that they should have on board every
ship a person having a thorough knowledge of the pilot
age. There was now a aufficient number of these
men to convey safely into port 3,800 ships an
nually; and he was sure it was more desirable
to a commercial port that they should have these
120 men duly qualified to perform the duty, rather
than trust the safety of a ship to the chance of any
one who might be on board, having one of these certifi-
cates. He did not see the advantage of such a mea-
sure. With reference to the saving of expense also, be
observed that the average expense of the Government
pilot was 31. or 41. a ship; was it possible that each of
these pilots under this Bill should go on board a ship,
and go a voyage, and not get more than 41. in wages ?
But the pilot was paid at the end of the voyage. A man
under the existing law dare not take more than he was
allowed. He doubted the economy of the measure, as
respected the shipowner; and he was sure that the com-
mercial interests of the country did not require that they
should take any measures to put down the fellowship
pilots.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said that the sole
object of this Bill was to repeal an existing burden on
the shipowners. He heard that it was felt to be a
burden by them, and it had been strongly represented
to him that such was the case. For himself, he could
only say he should be the last person who would wish
to see that burden removed at the expense of an existing
institution over which the Noble Duke so ably pre-
sided ; which he was bound to respect, not only from its
antiquity, but from the diligent administration of its
' functions. But he must beg the Noble Duke and the
House to recollect that this Bill, far from being founded
in disrespect to those parties, was founded in entire
respect to them, and in the fullest confidence, because it
was a permissive Bill, and nothing but a permissive Bill;
because the Noble Duke was left to preserve the system
as it stood, or to introduce such modifications only as he
should think necessary. But this Bill went to authorise
parties who had long exercised the same functions to
obtain the same privileges on obtaining certificates as to
their ability to act as pilots. The commanders of
steamers especially complained of the present regulation.
He thought that this Bill would hold out encouragement
to sober and intelligent seamen.
Lord STANLEY said he should be very sorry to stand
in the way of the removal of any burden which fell upon
the shipowner; but in regard to this Bill, it appeared to
him, from what he had heard elsewhere, that in point of
pressure, this was not a burden which pressed upon those
interests which had been referred to. This Bill had only
been introduced in the House of Commons on the 12th of

July. He held in his hand a petition from the commis-
sioneri of the Humber navigation at Hull, which prayed
that this Bill might not come into operation,
and stating that it would injuriously affect their
interests. That petition was intended to have

been presented to the other House, but the
measure had passed with such rapidity that he had only
only received it on the day on which it stood for a second
reading in their Lordships' House. Several ports had
their respective establishments for pilots; but he could
not see why their numbers should be increased, as that
would lead to uncertainty and change as to the efficiency
of such establishments, or it might result in the necessity
of their reducing their standing staff. There was no
urgency in the case to justify the carrying of this Bill.
He would ask whether the Government meant to confine
the grant of these licences to British vessels and British
subjects? Did they mean to give an advantage to British
ships over foreign vessels? If so, that would be in con-
tradiction with what they professed—namely, the put-
ting our trade on an equal footing. Ho hoped their
Lordships would pause before they passed such a
measure. . - -

Lord COLCHESTER bore his testimony to that body
over whom the Noble Duke presided. If the effect of
this Bill should be such as to prejudice the interests of
that most useful body of men, it could not fail to have
the most injurious effects. He considered that sailors'
homes were a great benefit to seamen, and he was in
favour of their establishment.

Earl GR ANVILLE did not think any point had been
raised in the discussion which had not been anticipated
by the Noble Marquis near him (Marquis of Lans-
downe), except that point which referred to the position
in which foreign powers would be placed by the Bill. He
did not anticipate any danger from admitting foreign
masters of foreign vessels to the knowledge of the pecu-
liarities of our coast and harbours, because even at the
present time American vessels of a certain tonnage were
admitted to our ports without an English pilot.
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH objected to the Bill.
He considerad this Bill had been hurriedly introduced,
to forward the objects of those steam-vessel owners who
now plied between this country and the opposite foreign
coasts. It was unfortunately too much the case at the
present day, when a grievance was discovered, to intro-
duce not a measure to do away with that particular
grievance, but a measure of larger and more important
effects, which would have a tendency to create greater
grievances than the grievances sought to be remedied.
It would be the case he apprehended with the present
Bill. If the Bill were passed, he feared that a class of
pilots would be introduced who might be able to pilot a
vessel in a particular locality with great ability, but then
an existing class of pilots would be destroyed, who
could now navigate vessels anywhere. He hoped,
however, that certificates would not be given by the
Trinity House to pilots, except on a certificate that they
were not only acquainted with our own coasts, bat also
the opposite coasts. He saw very considerable risk at-
tending this measure; for he feared it would have the
effect of preventing the higher class of pilots from enter-
ing the service of the Trinity House. It might, possibly,
be true that some expense would be saved by employing
a master instead of a pilot if the Bill were adopted; but
he was pretty sure that the increase of insurance rates
on account of the increased risk would vastly overbalance
the saving that might arise in another direction. He
should move that the Bill be read that day three
months.

Their Lordships then divided, when there appeared
for the amendment—

Contents
Non contents ••• ••• .••
Majority for the second reading of
the Bill ...
The Bill was then read a second time.
The Royal Pavilion (Brighton) Bill passed through
Committee.

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