The Sun.
London, England, 1822-05-21 00:00:00

Gentlemen connected with the shipping interest might agree
with him, but he could assure them that they had not trieir
interest at heart more sincerely or more warmly than he had.—
(Hear, hear.)—He wished to protect them through the other
interests of the country, but he Mt no desire to protect them
independently of those interests ; neither did he wish to extend
to them any thing that could be deemed an unnecessary pro-
tection. Ile would ask what was the best and truest support of
the navy, but, a large, extensive, and flourishing commerce ? He
did not know a country in the world that had a great navy without
an extensive commerce ; neither did he know any state that had a
flourishingcommerce, without being at the same time an extensive
naval power. He knew there were some cases in which navi-
gation and commerce came. in contact ; and in those cases he
would prefer the interest of navigation to that of commerce.
He would support navigation, because commerce evidently de-
pended on the existence of ' a great naval force. In that point
of view it was, that the Acts of Charles IL were wise and po-
litic. The legislature of that day preferred navigation to com-
merce, and it was right that they should do so. That system
of policy had answered all the purposes for which it was intro-
duced, the principal of which was to cramp and fetter the com-
merce of the Dutch. But that object having been effected,
there was no longer any necessity for pursuing the same course.
What had been the history of the commerce of Great Britain
since that time ? Was it improved by a strict adherence, at
all times, to this system ? Certainly it was not. On the con-
trary, the whole history of our commerce, from that'period,
proved that a system of relaxation from those Acts was
adopted. In fact, the statutes relaxing the Navigation Law
in favour of commerce amounted in number to more than
300. In carrying the commerce of England to the highest pitch
that the commerce of any country had ever reached, it would
be found that, during die last twenty-five years, our naval
power had gone hand in hand with our commercial greatness.
The principles and feelings by which our own restrictive policy
was so long governed, had been closely imitated at different
periods by all 'the Continental Powers. There was scarcely a
State in Europe which had not endeavoured to turn our own
system against ourselves ; and even lately several of them had
adopted prohibitions similar in their tenour and spirit to those
by which we had laboured to promote our commerce, and to
extend our marine. In particular it must be in the memory of
gentlemen what strenuous efforts had been recently made by
Russia, and how far she had gone in copying our ancient ex.
elusions and prohibitions. But they ought at the same time to
recollect, that it was our own example which was pursued—nay,
they could mitfail to be aware that the cry at home, on learning
these new regulations, which had in fact emanated from our own
policy, was, that we should retaliate, and render our prohibito-
ry system yet more rigid and unsparing. For his own part, he
conceived that the time had arrived for legislating on wiser and
soh more liberal maxims. Our merchants were likewise convin-
ced, that these were not the true principles of carrying on the
commercial intercourse of nations. Sound wisdom prescribed,
and to us especially, who had led others into mistakes and er-
roneous views, upon this subject, to adopt conciliatory measures
and tituste a course the reverse of what we had so long and so
blindly followed.—(Hear, hear !)—lt now became his duty to
explain the chief relaxations and provisions of the bill which it
was his object to introduce. 'lnc first,•he apprehended, would
yery shortly meet with the approbation of all classes ;—it pro-
posed to allow fereign ships to bring goods from any port
' where they happened to be, provided that they belonged to the
port in question. This lte did not think there was any reason
for fearing would generate or encourage an habitual trade. It
would, however, remove a great deal of inconvenience by super-
seding the necessity ()fusing circuitous routes on many occasions.
The - expenses and other disadvantages incidental to trans-
shrpments would always prevent any new or irregular practice
from receiving encouragement, to the prejudice of a more direct
and established system. Another relaxation to which he had
to draw the attention of the House, referred to a particular part
of Europe, now in close amity and alliance with us. The
celebrated Act of Charles 11., to which he had already adverted,
permitted foreign goods to enter our ports either in British ves-
sels, or in ships of that country of which they were the growth
and produce. But such at that time was our dread of the rivalry
of Holland, that the Dutch were debarred from the benefit of this
general rule, and all importation was forbidden from Holland
and the Netherlands in an yships but our own. There was certain-
ly no reason now why Holland should not be placed in the same
situation with the rest of Europe. The same rule of policy
that applied to other countries wasjust as applicable to her.
In so expressing himself, he was, indeed, fortified by the evi-
dence of the principal and most intelligent merchants who had
been' examined on this subject. There were some, undoubtedly,
who entertained objections of a peculiar nature, and with re-
gard to which he should make a few observations. They re-
ferred generally to the probable event of Holland becoming a
depot for the Mediterranean trade, and to the danger, attending
our importation of large quantities of goods through this me-
dium, of our coasts being visited with epidemic disease. Now
he thought a very little reflection would suffice to prevent any
such alarm from gaining ground. If the trade was safe to Hol-
land, it was not very easy to understand why it should be danger-
ous to us. They were also rendered secure by the neeeenr state of
our own law. An Act of the 45th of (leo. HI. gave power to th.
King it Council of regulating and applying the law of quaran-
tine to all such cases. When Gentlemen added to these considera-
tions what he had before alluded to—he meant the charges upon
transshipment—the hazard of our incurring any disaster like
that which had been pointed out was reduced to too small a
point to excite any apprehension whatsoever. The celnlynlk
ties mentioned in the naviteetion OfUfro-w, were the goods im-
1e0..., "tussia, whom it was proposed to place in the same
order with France, Spain, and Holland. As to thrown silk,
when he contemplated the more free admission of it from
abroad, he begged to remind the House that our own thrown
silk was protected by a duty, and by a duty only. This it was
not his wish or intention to touch; it might be imported at this
moment from various parts of Europe, and particularly of Italy,
under an act passed in the 22d year of the late King. What
became, then, of the reasoning, if fairly discussed, which had
been so unceasingly pressed of late on some Members by their
constituents ? And as to any new facilities which the plan
was to afford to smuggling, lie could not at all comprehend
where they were to be discovered. This, then, was a sketch
of the alterations which he was desirous to introduce,; and it
would not fail to be remarked, that a great object was to sender
the general principle uniform and consistent. By repealing
many useless Statutes,- much confusion would be avoided, and
we should get rid of that anomalous system by which we ap-
plied one principle to a particular state, and,' without any as-
signable or rationable cause, a different policy to another. If it
were only to introduce a greater degree of simplicity into our le-
gislation, the purpose in view would not be unworthy their seri-
ous attention. The next relaxation, however, was one that was
not less important in its nature or possible consequences than the
former. Gentlemen were, doubtless, fully aware of the great events
that were passing in South America, and of the splendid field
that was there opening-to commercial enterprise. What had al- '
ready been made known through accredited agents seemed to hold
out the most flattering prospects ; nor did the Government of
tile United States manifest any slowness or indisposition to avail
itself of these advantages. Probably the new States in South
America were by this time recognised as legitithate by the Presi-
dent and Congress, and that most valuable commerce opened to
the only competition which in that quarter could inspire us with
the least anxiety. It was not for him, on an occasion like the
I present, to touch upon the reasons that might decide the ques.
ton of our recognition • but he thought it right that our law
should be so far altered as to enable us in this latter case not to
delay the intercourse which might then be opened upon condi-
tions of reciprocal advantage, and of receiving in our ports their
ships with as much freedom as ours were admitted into the
ports of South America. It had also been proposed to extend one
of the relaxationS of our restrictive system so far as to allow the
importation of all goodss of whatever kind, with a view of en-
couraging the transit trade, and for the purposes of re-expor-
tation only. It was said that these changes would lead to a
very great derangement of the habits of commerce, and might
obstruct many of the channels through which it had long been
accustomed to flow. This would form a fit subject for consi.
deration in the committee ; but he was himself by no means
satisfied that the inconvenience so much dreaded would prove
a serious evil. With regard to the construction of our vessels,
there was no ground for believing that the nations of the north
had any permanent or decided advantage over us. Of
late they had declined, and our only rivals were the French,
the Dutch, and the AmericanS, of whom it ought to be re-
collected that the latter had adopted precisely our own navi-
gation policy. In conclusion, he would again, observe, that
the effect of those new regulations which he had suggested,
should they be approved in the Committee, would be to sim-
plify a code of laws now rendered intricate by their number,
and to bring the whole subject to a dependence on two or three
general enactments. 'He trusted the House 'was fully aware
of the importance of the question, and the propriety of losing
no time in relaxing the severity of a code which, if it was in-
jurious to other countries, was certainly not beneficial to our
own, but which, in his opinion, called solemnly on us to seize
this opportunity of setting a more liberal example, and of teach-
ing-a wiser ptlEcy to foreign nations.--( Hear, hear ! )—The
Right Hon.'Gentleman then moved that the House do resolve
itself into a Committee, to consider of the laws relating to com-
mercial intercourse and navigation.
Mr. DAVENPORT denied that any persons had attempted
to dictate to the House. The silk trade he thought a success-
ful trade, and the only successful trade in the country. He
should therefore oppose the part of the Bill which referred to
this trade.

Mr. WALLAcE and Mr. DAVENPORT mutually explained.
Sir W. DE CRESPIGNY protested against the principle of
the Bill. It was equally hostile to shipowners and seamen.
Sir M. W. RIDLEY rose to state the opinions of a body
whose interests he represented, and who were hostile to several