The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-19 00:00:00

NAVIGATION LAWS.

The Select Committee appointed to inquire into the
operation of the navigation laws met on Thursday.
There were present Mr. M. Gibson (chairman), Mr.
Alderman Thompson, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Liddell, Sir
George Clerk, Mr. Ricardo, Admiral Dundas, Sir
Howard Douglas, and Mr. L 3 all.
Mr. Cumming, the witness who was under examina-
tion on Tuesday, was recalled, and examined.
By Mr. Alderman Thompson—He had ascertained
that the Swedish ship Sir Charles Forbes, five years old,
had been insured at Lloyd's for twelve months at eight
guineas per cent. He did not know that this was the
ordinary rate of premium, as there were so few Swedish
ships insured in this country. He should certainly be
surprised if Alderman Thompson produced seventeen
policies of insurance on Swedish ships by one house, in
the course of three years, at six guineas. So far as his
own knowledge went he was not aware of Swedish ships
being insured at less than eight guineas per cent. The
The premium on a British ship going to the Baltic and
home in the fall of the year went as high as 60s. or 705.,
or even higher than that. He should infer that there
was a greater risk in insuring a ship in the Baltic trade,
whose home was in the Baltic, than another ship whose
home was in England, as it was more dangerous to
navigate the Baltic in winter than the English seas.
That, therefore, might in fact account fur the higher
premium charged on foreign ships. A British ship of
the first class for a voyage from Liverpool to Calcutta
and back would be insured for 70s. per cent. He had
known two French ships to have been insured for a simi-
lar voyage at 80s. per cent. He had no experience from
which to speak with regard to Swedish and Dutch ships
for the Calcutta voyage. He would insure a first-class
Dutch ship for the voyage from Holland to Java and
back at six guineas. He preferred the Java voyage to
the voyage to the East Indies. A Liverpool ship to
Java would be insured at 51. 10s. per cent.
By Admiral Dundas—Other things being equal he
should be inclined to insure ships whose officers had un-
dergone an examination.

BY. Mr. Ricardo—He was sorry to say the general im-
pression was that the foreign captains and crews were
more temperate, more intelligent, and better educated
than English captains and crews, excepting ships of the
first class.

By the Chairman—The rate of insurance always be-
gan to rise rapidly after the Ist of August, and con-
tinued high till the 12th of January following.
By Mr. Ricardo—The American ships were navi-
gated with fewer hands than British ships ; yet he had
insured an American ship at a lower rate than an Eng-
lish ship of the same class, and it was probable that the
former vessel might have been the weaker of the two.
The impression was that the Americans took more care
of their cargoes. They used more machinery on board
their vessels, and the consequence was four or five men
were enabled to perform as much work as it would take
seven or eight men to perform on board British ships.
Mr. Jansen, a ship-broker and underwriter, was next
examined.

By Mr. Mitchell—He had given a paper to Mr. Young,
which that gentleman had laid before the committee, re-
garding the equality of insurances on British aid foreign
ships. He believed that ho had added some qualification
to the opinion when he signed the paper; but he was not
sure that he bad done so ; and he was prepared to
authenticate the statement as it stood. There might be
a difference under certain circumstances of a half per
cent. in the insurance of a Dutch as compared with a
British ship. With regard to the Swedish ships he
thought, allowing for the difference of risks, that they
were insured at a half per cent. lower than the English
ships. With respect to Prussian ships in the Baltic
trade they were done at 4 per cent. higher than English
ships, but that difference was entirely ascribable to the
difference of the voyages. The value of the ship was an
element in the calculation of premiums, but not equal to
the character of the captain or of the cargo. In fact the
character of the ship was the last element in the cal-
culation.
By Admiral Dundas—He was not of opinion that the
English captains were more intemperate than foreign
captains ; but he believed that they were more reckless,
and frequently pressed on more sail at times, when
foreign captains, who were more prudent, would shorten
sail. Again, it was often found that an English captain
would put to sea in weather when a foreign captain
would reef close in harbour.

By the Chairman—He thought that marine insurances
tended very much to encourage shipping.
By Admiral Dundas—He thought that the intention
of the navigation laws was wrong, but there were a
great many other wrong things in the world.—(Laughter.)
He was of opinion that these laws tended in their opera-
tion to make the few richer, and the many poorer. He
could not say what might be the effect if the trade of
this country was in the hands of foreigners, or whether
that would happen from the repeal of the navigation
laws. He was an insurance broker and not a legislator.
Mr. Carruthers, another underwriter, was next ex-
amined.
By Mr. Mitchell—He was prepared to confirm the
letter he had written to the Hon. Member regarding the
difference in the rates of insurance between British and
foreign ships.. He did not agree with Mr. Jansen that
the reason why Prussian ships were insured higher than
English ships was that the latter carried more valuable
cargoes, for in point of fact he (Mr. C.) believed that the
one carried as valuables cargoes as the other. He always
found that underwriters looked to the value of the ship
itself as an essential element in calculieing the rate of
premium. He had never heard that such an opinion was
entertained at Lloyd's of the superiority of foreign over
British captains as to counterbalance the superiority of
English over foreign ships. He concurred generally in
the evidence given by Mr. Cumming.
By Mr. Alderman Thompson—He thought that eight
guinees per cent. would be a fair average for all English
ships engaged in the Baltic trade, but he believed that
ships had been insured in that trade at less than seven
guineas, but they were not done- for twelve months, but
for the season during which the Baltic trade was open.
The Committee adjourned till Tuesday, at 12 o'clock.