The Sun.
London, England, 1814-07-04 00:00:00

INDIA SHIPPING BILL,

With an_anxiety propottioned to, • the impor-
tance of 'the subject, we again call the 'attention
of the Pithlic.to the Bill which is to-night o
read
a second time in the House ofConmions,fot the en-.
couragement.of"ships. built in India ; or, to speak
more properly, for the removal of the bulking of
large ships from Great ,Britain to the shoresot Asia.
By au unexamp!ed stroy,-gl for the mairiten,ince
of ancient notions and, established principles,
Great Britain has preserved her own safety, and
taught the world the ditlicult Jesson of regAining
rights which had been destroyed, mid ,re-esta-
blishing instita6ons which bun been superseded
by successful innovation. Specious reasonings
Jnive been reetrumendesi by all the force of elo-
quence, and al-tful ridicule has been pointed 'with
all t:le keenness .of malignant wit, against the
aximiis which it was thought expedieut to sub-
vert ; but the tenacious regard ever felt for those
institutions of our ancestor, to which we owe
our greatness and prosperity, was suflicient to
• repel the insidious attempts so earnestly made,
and to give that stability to our counsels totd firm-
IIeSS It) 0111' C011(illet, 'WHICH HAVE US,
AND RESTORED ALL EUROM Bat in.
which most essentially regards the in'etests and
, Nvelfare of the community, it is at this 6ay to lJe
essayed to throw .(twit those barriers of eon-iler-
-631 legislation by which our ancestors have pro-
tected the interests and secured the prosperity of
the nation ; and a new system is to introduced,
subversive of ail dim-it) ancieot provisions, and (14.
.structive of all the safety and all the confidence
•which had been derived from them.
On this occasion, self-interest assumes the tone
of liberality. and even of patriotism. .For the
purpose of rapidly enriching a few tnereaatie
.houses in India, a magnificent assertion is mane,
•that the welfare of 60 millions of natives is at
stake. Marvellous, 'indeed, is khis sudden atten-
tion, this spontaneous zeal for the comfort of
these natives ; wonderful the discovery so r'keent-
lv made on this side of the water, that (he natives
of India will all he starved, unless ships built at
Bombay arid Calcutta arc allowed to be regisetrVd
as British : astonishing the sudden light which
has been shewu, that all the country trade which
can be carried on in the Indian built shipping, ex-
tending to a coast of vast extents and applying to
the wants of so nearly millions of persons, cannot
afford adequate encouragement to these Anglo-
Asiatic projectors, unless the Navigation Law of
England can
_be laid prostrate bsfore theat, and
the British ship-hod Tiers given up to immediate
and total ruin.

It has been proved in the Select Committee of
the House of Commons, which has been-so long
employed on the investigation, that the great ship-
building yards, which IN WAR furnished the fleets
which protected the country, nod Is PEACE lIIAII7
taMed the artificers dismissed from the public
Dock-yards, are now without employ, and thu-.
sands of workmen and their families reduced to
implore parochial • relief, NviiiieJ new ships tire
daily -arriving from the -East Indies; and more
are daisy expected.—lt has been proved that not
the shipwright alone, but every artificer connect-
ed with the building., repairing, and equipment
Of ships ; the rope-maker, sail-maker, block-
_coppers:lnt lt, and many, others, must sei►
ler a huge share of this great calamity ; that the
Revenue will be affected in proportion ; and that,
even in a private and personal sense, the mis-
chief will be tell through many classes ofsahjects,
from the ship-builder, whose art and labour are
most immediately engaged, up to the In:Pi-owner,
on whosee7,ta:e the timber lot building is produced.
The British ship-builders have proved til;.o ail
the calumnies so confidently advanced agani.n
them, are utterly unfounded, and that the renort-
ed scarcity of oak timber is. a wicked ifivention.of
interested persons, calculated only to terrify and
to delude.

It stands uncontradieted ; it is even a part of
the case of. those who support the Indian cause,
that large merchant. ships can no' longer be bui, r in
England for the India trade, if once the teak ships
are admitted, to registry under the Bill now before
Parliament. - Thus while competition is the pre-
text, monopoly is the aim. Were circumstances
equal, the British ship-builder could make his
stand effectually against the competition of the
whole world ; but it. is not to be supposed that
in a country where every individual, from tee pro-
prietor of the forest down to the humble
.day-
labourer, contributes so largely by direct contri-
bution, and ny indirect taxation, to the debts and
necessities of the State, an effectuaf,sstruggie can
be maintainefl, in pint of price, against those
who employ workmen, feeble indeed in their per-
sons, and inexpert in their laboars, but free front
wants and unincumbered with expellees.
'the system of excluding, or at least of subject-
ing to very high duties all those foreign i)roduc-
Lions which vie with our domestic .manufactures,
has alone enabled Great Britain to sustain the
weight of her public burchens, and to keep her
ample share of the- commerce of the world ;
but it is now attempted, in this high and
most important intance, to introduce a enzinge,
called for by no circumstances of political lie,
cessity, and invoked by no considerable body of
his MAJESTY'S subjects, either at home or in the
foreign dependencies of the State. Jr is required-,
that the power and the means of building large
ships in private yards shall be given up ; and that
.that resource, so important in peace, anti so avail-
able in war on great and sudden emergencies,
Shall no longer be under the eye and open to the
requisitions of the Government, but shall be re-
moved to a distance, which even were it secure,
would tender it often unavailabie ; but which
circumstances, which every sound politician must
take more or les:s,into his calculation, may place
in the hands of those, who, .Itholigh, not na-
turally aliens or enemies, may become indepen-
dent, or even hostile. We therefore hope his
Majesty's Government will hesitate,, before the
Bill in the present shape is pressed further on the
attention of the LegiSlature, and that full and ade-
quate protection will be afforded the i3ritith Ship-
builders and Shipwrights, who haVe surely equal,
it not superior, .claims to public. consideration
with the linen and silk manufacturers. Much
more might be said on this vital subject. , We
however cannot suppose that this • impolitic and
unpopular ineazure will be persevered-in.

THE SUN.REVIEW.

(No. VI.)

POLITICAL ATE:\ lENTO, 8,-c. by a Parliamentary Re-

porter

We now resume the prognosticatecTyrophecies,
the abuse of our incompetent Ministers„ who' were

to. bring Only disgrace and ruin ou the Getvry,
and ail the other •solcum loppeties of the great

Lord GRENVILLE.

Again, in February the same year, in moving
an A mendno,nt to the Address relative to the
Coin cotton with' Portugal, " He felt it an un-
grattfol task, a painful duty to recal their Lord-
attrotioo to predictions formerly made to
them, but • then despised. and rejected ; though
now, unfortunately, too fatally fulfilled. He
knew how little acceptable, it was to anticipate,
by a refcrence to our past experience, a continu-
ance of the same disasters ; but in discharging
• that duty, he did, it with the more consolation,'
because it was not a mere barren censure of past
errors that was his object, but rather from the'
consideration of those errors, to conjure them to
rescue the country from similar calamities, to pay
some regard to the valuable lives of their fellow-
citizens, and to ask their Lordships whether they.
,were disposed' to sit in that Utilise day after day,
alter year, spectators of wasteful expen-
diture, and the useless effusion of so much of the
best blood of the country, in hopeless, calami-
tous, and disgraceful efforts ? Such being his ob-
ject in rising to address their Lordships, he might
plead to them the cause of the British army, which
might soon- be wanted for our own safety, and
should, therefore, not be exposed in wild, int-
:practicable and useless expeditious. 'Let their-
. Lordships ask themselves the question—was there
any man that heard him, who, in his conscience,
believed, that even the sacrifice of the whole of.
that brave British army would secure the king-
dent of Portugal ; and if he received from any
person an answer in affirmation of that opinion,
be should be able to judge from that answer, of
the capacity of such a person for the government
of is country, or even for the •transaction of
,public business in a deliberative, assembly.: By
whatever -circumstances., by whatever kind of
fate it was, he must say, in point of fact, that
in his opinion,. he.always thought the object -of
•the enterprise impossible ; but now, he believed,
it was known to all the people of this country, \
that it had beconte certainly impossible."
‘, Would any °lie say, that in the present si-
tuation of affairs in Portugal and Spain,-there was
the least ground of rational expectation of suc-
cess ? In the former instance, (the situation of
.Portugal in 150.6) France was .fully occupied in
.another quarter; the situation.of Europe was far
,different then, from its situation at.the present
moment ; and there was, at that period, every
reason to hope, that a manifestation of aaleter-
roin'atioa to defend Portugal, would have the ef-
fect; as it -really had at the time, of delayirig the
,attack upon that.kingdom. Would any one say
in-thepresentinstance, that the British army in
l'ortugal, aided by the native force which it was
now proposed to provide for by a subsidy, would
be suffleient to retard, or finally to resist such an
attack ? What reliance could any man place on
subsidiary force; unaccustomed to the use of
arms, unpractised in the operations of war, and
wholly ignorant of military discipline, except the
little they might have learned from a few British
Officers ? That Portugal could be defended by
such a force, was a thing absolutely impossible."
" Their Lordships were, by the determination
of this question, to decide whether, in.the pre-
sent arduous and difficult situation of affairs, they
were to place further confidence im such men.
They were, by the result of that night's discus-
sion, to spew whether the management of public
affairs was to be entrusted to the discretion of
men who had so conducted themselves, and so
aytematically deceived the public ; they were then
fully aware of the determination that would be
formed by, his Majesty's Ministers upon any great
question of national policy or interest. If the
subject of their consideration should happen to
be of a military description, their Lordships might
-be sure that they would consult military authori-
ties, but they might also be convinced, that
though every such authority should lean against
their projected measure, Ministers would still per-
-severe. It would he unavailing for military men
to say, that an operation was impracticable. His•
Majesty's Ministers would reply, you may think .
it impracticable, but dont mind, go and try.' It
would be criminal in their Lordships, therefore,

so far as they might have the means of preventing

it, to leave the administration of affairs in such

incapable bands. For his own part, he did not
soinuch-object to the question as connected with

political interests, or as a incre financial question
of owenditure but, as it was likely to.iead 'to
the sacrifice, the useless, the unprofitable, sacri-
fice, of the liires of thousands of his fellow sub-

jects. lie bad mentioned this point upon a former
night, but so strong; were his-feelings upon it, that
he did not think he could too otteu repeat the ob-

nervation : It was for their Lordships to consi-
der whether, under all the circumstances, they
.. •

-would be disposed again to commit the British

army under such guidances in Spain and Portugal.
?.I't►e campaigns in tt►ose countries had already cost

this nation the lives of twelve thousand of its
brave soldiers ; and it was now to be considered
whether any further sacrifice was to be incurred
in,the hopeless contest, Ills Noble Friend (Mar-
►luis Wellesley) had earnestly besought their Lord-
ships to bear ill mind the blood that had already
been shed, and the treasure that had been ex-

pended, in order to induce them to agree to his
proposition for making any further sacrifices for the
saine' object. He, ton, would conjure their Lord-
ships, but for a different object, to cull to mind
the losses that had been sustained, not that they
shimid go on in the fruitless profusion of lives and
treasure, but that theyshould,. whilst there was

yet time, arrest the fatal progress uf nat loud ca-
lamity tied, disgrace. He should conjure their
Loidsbips not to lend themselves to such,a sys-
tem, in order that new millions might be squan-
dered, that fresh thousands might be sacrificed,
but to take care that no time sbouJd be suffered

• ~...
to clap ,7 befgre they obliged tac
pursue such measures as would be.loc,t cafe
to promote the national interest, by enhancing'
the national character and honour. lie particularly
called upon their Lordships not to suffer the venimiut
,of our brave army to he'exposed to the same disas-
• trous fate which had befallen the armies arready sa-
crificed. lie trusted t hat their Lordships would come
to that dezermination, Which all, who felt for the
hardhips of our brave army, who valued the lives
- of our valiant soldiers, who were anxious for the
honour and true interests of their country, must
• approve. They had but to bear in mind the use-
less sacrifices-which had been made, without any
possibility of any advantageous result—the desti-
nation of Sir John IVoore's army to the north,
when that General was of opinion that it should
have been sent to the south of Spain ; the loss of
.6000 men in that calamitous campaign ; ithe loss
of 6000 more in the late campaign tinder Lord
Wellington ; and all the fruitless waste of trea-
sure that must have been incurred in both these
disastrous campaigns. Were their Lordships to
be told, after ail that had happened, •that as his
.Majesty's Ministers alune entertained any hope
upon the result, they were still to go on in the
indulgence of expectations of future success is
Spain, •and under that vain, that idle, and delu-•
sive impression, 4) expose still more of the va-
luable lives of Brittle troops
"lle was not afraid to assert, that against a
power pcitisessing the rz-hole means of Spain, as
he must suppose the French to do at this mu'
went, Portugal, SO tar from being the most de-
fensible, was the least defensible of any country
in Europe."
In 1811, the same strains issued from his Lord-
ship. Ministers were still imbecile, the cause of
Spain hopeless, and the country going to ruin,
and ail becatise his Lordship and his friends were
not in power.
" He did not wisb•to detain their Lordships un- ,
necessarily, and should briefly state, that upon a
full view of the campaign, tile opinions he had
formerly held on this important' subject, so far
from being disproved, appeared to him to be com-
pletely verified. The more he considered the.. to-
pic, the wore lie saw of the nature of the con-
flict, the more was he confirmed in the sentiments
he had before endeavoured to. impress upon their
Lordships, that other modes of succouring :the
Peninsula would have been Much. more 'advan-
tageoug than that of.makiug Ourselves a principal
in the war—a mbde imprudent and improvident
,for Britain, without being effectually conducive
to the interests of her allies. It was from eater-
touting this view of the matter, that lie rose to
.prolest.against being pledged byany wdrds in the
address, to.give further aid by means of a British
military force, to the Spanish and PUrtuguese
nations."

nted

The light bec9ming more strong in 1812, was
not sufficient to penetrate the glUom-covered ca-
pacities of All tha Talents.

" He would protest against a continuance of
those measurss, which had brou„irlit'such calarui-
ties on the country calamities So real and so
momentous, that they must soon press themselves
with irresistible force on their Lordships' atten-
tion, whether or not they were willing to give
them the considera►ion they deserved. -People
might chose to close their eyes, hut the force of
truth must. dispel the wilful blindness;' they.might
chose to shut their ears, but the voice of a suffer-
ing nation must sooner or later be heard. He
still retained his objections to every part-of the
system he had so often condemned ; lie still de-

precated that wanton waste of money, and of all
the public resources, when it was more necessary
than ever• to husband them with the most provi-
dent care."

Even in November, " the Ministry had not yet
advanced one step in the accomplishment of- their
object in the Spanish war why then should he
be ashamed to avow his former opinion, when this
third advance into the interior of Spain. had, by
its failure proved the correctness of the data on
which that opinion was founded ? Nor must the
Noble Earl (the Earl of Liverpool), think that he
had answered his Noble Friend when he stated

the number cf our troops on the Continent, or
When he made a ,boast of having delivered Anda-
lusia from the French. Tliis was an empty boast;
for no one believed that the release was more

than temporary, and that the French Army could
not re-occupy the province cv;lenever they pleased.''
Such have been his Lordship's sentiments dur-
ing the eventful struggle in which we have been

engaged. As be, litever, read his recantation
six months ago, we shall take no further notice of
him than to record these things as a worning, and
to repress future pretensions. We shall not be
so gentle: With.his Colleague, Lord GREY,

LAW INTELLIGENCE

COURT OF KING'S BENCH, JcLY 2.

SIR GREGORY PAGE TURNER V. STRuGHLI,N.

This was an action brought by SirG: P. Turner,
a celebrated patron of the Polite Arts,,against the
defendant, a foreigner and a painter, to recover
a picture-frame, or its value, under the following
circumstances :—The plaintiff had bought of the
defendant, for 1500 guineas, his 'painting 'of
" Daniel in the Lion's Den," which,,at the time
of purchase, was in a rich gilt frame, valued at GO
guineas, but was afterwards sent hoMe on rollers:
The plairitilf-applied for the frame, but was told
by the defendant that it was not the practice to
part with the frames in which pictures were usually
exhibited and sold.---Verdict for plaintiff—Da-
mages G3l. and 40s. costs.

COURT OF EXCHNUER, Juor 2.
THE KING V. BROWNING.

The defendant in this case, the owner of a
smuggling vessel caned " The Fos," w4§ con-
victed in the penalty of 10001. for ii4ving contra-
baud goods op board his ship.
THE KING V. JENKINS.

This was an information against the defendant,
,a maltster, to recover three penalties, au4ounting
to 4001. for making malt in a private place; for
not giving notice to the proper Officers of the
time of wetting it; and for not making regular en-
tries in his barley book of the, quantity made by
him. The facts were distinctly made out iu evi-
dence. The Jury returned their verdict for the
Crown for 1411 the panotti4a,

Ina TI:E LONDON GAZETTE, iULY 2

Lf:rrl Chambetlain'eQilice, .Trenc 28, 1814

Notice is hereby given, tlia:t her Niaje,,ty will hold a Fr:n•-

i:.0..,;-room at the Queen's. Palace, on Thursday, the o

alp ntAt, at Two o'Clock

[This Gazette contains an .accnunt of the ceremony of the
Proclamation of Fedce on the 46tb.ult. It also, sttues, that
with regard to Louis 'XVIII. Lord Liverro,l, a.nd Lord Cas-
•tlcreagif, who have been elected Knights of the Garter, the
Prince Regent has dispensed with all the. statutes.and re-
lations respectiii;•7 installation. It further notifies, that on
Friday the Dulie ,lont.ellano, the Spanish Ambassador, at
a private audience, delivered a letter to the Prince Regent
from Ferdinand VII. announcing his return to Spain; and
Baron de Dorenbcrg, Envoy from the Electdr of Hose, had
the same day an audience of leave-that General Sir
Stew.irt has been appointed one of the Bedchamber LO-rd..;,
in the room of the late Lord Onslow ; and C. F. Beltz, Esq.
Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod of the Order of the Bath,
on the resignation of Sir Isaac Heard; that the Him. G.
Grey, Commissioner at Portsmouth, and Sir J. Wylie, of
the Russian service, have been created Baronets ; and that
the honour of Knighthood has been conferred ou Counsfllor
T. E. Tomlins.]

;Tar-Office, .1:1ly 2, 1814.

Ist Regiment of Life Guards, Ensign Wilkins George Terry,
from 65th Foot, vice Chambers, resigned, and S. Cu,x Gent.
vice Moore, prompted, to be Coirnet and Sub-Lieatenant,
by purchase.