The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-01 00:00:00

hare the great bulk of the trade to the northern ports in

;heir hands.

By Sir G. Clerk—The reason of that is, that the
goods are generally insured in America, and the terms
of the insurance are that they shall be shipped by the
American packets; and those ships have likewise the
advantage of filling up with goods of every description.
I admit that the removal of some of the restrictions im-
posed by the navigation-laws might prove beneficial;
but I should always be afraid of infringing upon the prin-
ciple of these laws—of opening the market at all, lestthe alteration should be carried to an extent which
trin
g the
extent.ra!es
would injure British shipping-.
By Mr. Ricardo—l do not think that the navigAtion-
l;%w have
If the navigation
were was
to a s
very raised
repealed foreign ships might carry cheaper fur a time,
but I believe that when they had driven the English
ships out of the market they would raise their rives
again. The British shipowners have had little or ro
profit for the last 20 years, and that is a proof that the
navigation•laws had not raised the rates of freight.
Mr. Ricardo—Then the navigation-laws have not
answered your views.
Mr. Lockett—lt has answered them to the extent that
they gave confidence to the shipowners.
By Mr. Villiers—Freights have been higher since
December last, although the navigation laws have been
suspended, but that was caused by an increased demand
for shipping to bring breadstuffS to this country. An
increase in the trade of this country must necessarily
create an increased demand for shipping. I have no
doubt that the withdrawal of protection from the West
India colonies caused a greater amount of sugar to be
imported into this country, and, consequently, a greater
demand for shipping. The more cargoes a ship brings
of course the better for the owner.

By Mr. Ricardo—The freight for sugar at present
from the West Indies varies from 4s. to ss. per cwt. ; at
this time last year the rates varied between 3s. Gd. and
3s. 9d. per cwt. If the navigation-laws were repealed
we entail not compete with .kmeriean ships ; they would
have a great advantage evor us in being the
carrying trade to our West India colonies. But the
principal competition I apprehend would be with the
Baltic ships. In fact I believe that if the market was
thrown open British ships would be driven out of the
trade. English shipping had already suffered much in
consequence of our entering into treaties of reciprocity
with foreign ship-building nations.
By Mr. Liddell—The shipping of those countries with
which we have entered into treaties of reciprocity has
invariably increased, while our shipping has diminished.
This is a proof that throwing open the trade cannot fail
to annihilate British shipping, for it is impossible for us
to compete with the foreign cheap ship-building nations.
Mr. William Imrie was the next witness examined.

By Sir H. Douglas—He was a shipowner and ship-
broker at 'Liverpool, and was acquainted with the
principle and the operation of the navigation-laws. If
the navigation-laws were repealed he believed that
freights would be lowered for a short time. But when
British ships were displaced, which must inevitably
be the case if those laws were abolished, ho thought
that the foreigners would return to their old rates.
He had no doubt whatever that the shipping of
this country would fall off, and that the trade which our
shipowners at present possessed would emerge into the
hands of foreigners. He saw by the accounts brought
by the Halifax steamer, which arrived at Liverpool yes-
terday morning, that the Americans had, during the
last ten months, exported twenty-eight millions sterling
of bread-stuffs to England, including freights, and they
had chiefly been sent in American ships. The West
India trade, he thought, would suffer very much, for the
Americans would bring to this country the sugar of the
West Indies, which was the only advantages the ship-
ping interest derived at present from the West India
trade. He did not consider that cheap ships produced
cheap freights. He thought that the admission of slave-
grown sugar into this market was the greatest boon that
was ever conferred on British shipping.
Mr. Ricardo—Cannot the Brazilian ships bring Brazi-
lian sugar, and Spanish ships bring Cuban sugar?
Mr. Imrie—Yes; but they have no ships to bring it.
The Americans have ships that could bring it if they
were allowed to do so. He thought that there would be
more fluctuations in freights under a free trade in
shipping than under the present system, because the
foreign tonnage would be very much increased, and the
greater the amount of tonnage the greater would be
the fluctuations in the rates of freight.
The Committee adjourned till Thursday.

RUSSIAN MINISTERIAL COR-
RUPTION.
We find the following in the Union Monarchique :
" A letter from Warsaw, of the eth, infornis us that the
Emperor Nicholas was expected in that city, but the
precise date of his arrival could not be fixed, both on
account of the state of his health, and on account of
some unforeseen affairs, the solution of which will
him for some timn libncear Ist St RiAcona.
burgh. If appears that by circumstance's, owing mainly
t) chance, the Emperor has discovered the trace of a
host of mal-practices committed by several high func-
tionaries, who enjoyed, till now, all the confidence of his
Imperial Majesty. The indignation caused to the
Emperor by this discovery exercised the most seri' us
influence on his health, which seemed almost entirely
re-established. Among the persons said to be com-
promised in this affair is cited General Levacheff, one of
the principal judges of the conspiracy of 1825, and the
Minister of War, Prince Tchernicheff, the same who in
1811 was sent to Paris by the Emperor Alexander with
the secret mission to gain over some employs of the
Ministry of War, to obtain possession of documents re-
lative to the state of the French army. Already a most
severe investigation has been ordered by the Emperor,
who, without regarding for a moment the elevated rank
of the guilty parties, has energetically declared his firm
intention of exposing all the truth, whatever it may
be, to the face of day. Unfortunately it is to be feared
that the Emperor will not bo seconded as he could
desire to be in the interest of the country, in the
rude task of justice that ho has imposed on himself.
The new penal code which is to come into operation on
the Ist of January next, has been received at Warsaw.
The general principles on which the code is based
are, it is known, entirely opposed to those of the French
legislation, which at present is in operation in Poland.
This event, however, has produced very little sensation,
and for the moment nothing seems to menace the per-
feet tranquillity which reigns in Poland, all the inha-
bitants of which, without exceptions of classes, ap-
pear profoundly discouraged from the recollection
of the political convulsions of the last year. There
reigns at present a little disquietude among the
people of Little Russia, in consequence of the sudden
arrest, at Cracow, of four professors and some students of
the University. The motives of this proceeding were
kept a secret, but it was generally attributed to the
clandestine publication of some works in which the Rus-
sian Government was severely attacked with reference to
the question of Polish nationality. At the commence-
ment of the month a writer, M. Kulesza, who passed for
one of the authors of this work, has also been arrested
at the moment at which he passed through Warsaw on
immediately
sent way to a foreign country, and ho was
sent to St. Petersbtsrgh.