The Sun.
London, England, 1824-07-10 00:00:00

NAVIGATION.

'The PROCEEDINGS of the SPECIAL COMMITTEE
of SHIP OWNERS of LONDON, appointed to oppose
the Adoption of the Principle of Admitting Foreign Vessels
to Trade with this Kingdom on the same Terms as British
h i ps.—(Conclarkd from yesterday': Su x.)
APPENDIX.
(C.)

• Po the tionDs of 111.5 MAJESTY'S MOST UOIVOURARLE
PRIVY COUNCIL.

The !nimble Petition of the Ship Owners of the Port of

l on.lon,

SitEweern,—That the Bill to authoriee his Majesty under
certain circumstenees to regulate the Duties on Drawbacks ox
goods imported or exported in Foreign Vessels, which declares
it to be expedient teed his Majesty should be " empowered to
" allow the importation or exportation ofuny goods, wares, and
merchandize, when imported or exported in Foreign vessels,
" from or to those countries in which no other duties are charg.
" ed, or other drawbacks, bounties, or allowances granted
upon the importation or exportation of any goods, wares,
" and merchandize, into or from such country, in British
" vessels, than arc charged, or granted, upon such goods, when
" imported or exported into or from such countries in Foreign
" vessels," having passed into a law, and your petitioners be-
ing the more convinced, the more they have inquired and re-
flected upon the subject, that if the powers given to your Lord-
ships by the said Bill should be, acted upon, and the rules there-
by laid down be applied to the trading intercourse between this
kingdom and the rest of the commercial world (particularly the
Northern States of Europe), the most destructive consequences
Must result to the merchant shipping of (great Britain, and
thereby to the nursery of seamen which it is the means of main-
taining; your petitioners, as individuals practically acquainted
with the subjecti feel it to be theit duty to make the present
most solemn appeal to your Lordship', against the adoption of
measures so minims to British shying, and of such infinite
danger to the must Important National Interests ; or, at all
events, they do entreat your Lordship's to defer the same, until
you shall have received that evidence which your Petitioners
were prepared to 'give, if an opportunity had heen liffbrded
them, upon the important question, of whether the British
Ship Owner will eventually be likely to retain any, and what
portion of the trade with the several Ship-building States of
Europe, if the protection by differences of duty, and • draw.
bucks and allowances, which have hitherto been found necese
vary, should he withdrawn.
That your Petitioners have no hesitation in declaring to your
Lordshipe, as their most decided conviction, that the disadvan-
tages to which the British Ship Owners would be thereby sub-
ject, would be such as to make it impossible for them to com-
pete with the shipping of other countries, particularly those in
the North of Europe,' and censequently that the greater part
of that portion of the British trade with them, which the Bri-
tish Ship Owners now enjoy, will eventually be carried on by
the Shipping of those countries; in like manner as the inter-.
course with the United States, under the same system, is chief-
ly carried on in American Shipping.
That the Petition of the Ship Owners of' London to the
lion. the House of Contmons against the said Bill, contains
extracts front the official accounts, which clearly show that the
amount of British tonnage is annually diminishing ;_that Brie
tish ship building is rapidly declining ;--and that, of the late
increased trade with Norway, Prussia, and Sweden, Foreign
Shipping bus had much the greatest proportion.
That in the discussions in the House of Commons upon the
said Bill, the evidence afforded by those extracts frogs the offi-
cial accounts was opposed by, further quotations from them, •
which shewed, that the number of arrivals of British ships in
the year 11122 exceeded by 1,474 ships and 126,423 tons, the
number of arrivals in the preceding year.
That upon this head your Petitioners humbly beg to submit
fo your Lordships, that although an increase in the number of
repeated voyages! made in tiny one year tut be evidence of
the increased trade of the Coentry, it would by no means follow
that the Shipping Interest was therefore in a flourishing state ;
with respect however to the fact itself, your -Petitioners beg
leave to observe, that although the official accounts of time
number of vessels arrived in (great Britain (including the arri-
vals from Ireland) exhibit an increase in the year 1822 beyond
that of 1821 (as above stated), yet those accounts also spew,
that the number of arrivals in the United Kingdom in the year
1022 (which, your Petitioners humbly submit, presents the cor-
rect view of the subject) was only 282 vessels, and 11.1,204 tons
beyond those in 11121 : ,and that, it' the comparison of the arri-
vals in the year 1022 he made with those in time year 1820, there
is a falling off of 193 somas, and 4',433 tons ; and that, if' the
comparison beenade with the year 1819, the falling off Is 1187
ships and 144,501 toes.
That your Petitioners, however, beg 'to submit to your Lord.
ships, that in order to see the state of the Foreign Trade of the
Country, the account should be taken exclusive uf .the number
of ships arrived in this Kingdom from Ireletid ; when it will
appear, that the arrivals in thieUnited Kingdom front foreign
parts, .in the year .1822, ;exceeded those in MI, by no more
gem 236 you's, and 57,9116 tons t and that the arrivals in
11322 were less titan in 1020 by 311'shipe and 18,1130' tons; and
lessehan 1810, by 832 ships and 108,8e0 tons
That on the occasion of those discussions in Parliament, your
Petitioners perceived, with the most painful feelings, the preva-
lenteolgrent m isappreheneion on the part of those Bon. Members
by whom the Bill wits supported, on the subject of the relative du-
rability of British and Foreign Shipping ; and of the power of
the British Ship Owner to build, equip, and navigate his Ships,
upon such terms as to enable him to compete with his rivals in
the North of Europe.
That your Petitioners are prepared to prove to your Lord.
shin that this maintenance of such competition is Impossible t
and that it must continue so, notwithstanding any remission of
Duties on articles used in the building and equipment of Ships,
which it may he in the power of the Legislature to grant, as the
British ship Owner will always have to struggle against the
effects of Fr:ight and Expences, on the Materials necessary for
building and equipment, and likewise of indirect Taxation,
which raises the price of labour, and extends to every home pro-
duction used in their coeetruction ; together with the unavoid-
able and important &armee in the expence of provisions and
wages, which remain, and form an irremediable disadvan-
tage; and your Petitioners trust that the matter will appear in
the mute light to your Lordships, when you consider the follow-
fn circumstances', First. That no Vessel is entitled to Registry, unless British
built, or prize.
Second. That every British Vessel must be manned with a
Matter and three-fourths of the Crew British Seamen ; and if
exceeding 80 tons, must have a certain number of Appren-
tices, according to their Register Tonnage.
Third. That no British Vessel can be repaired in a Foreign
Port (unless such repair as may be absolutely necessary to
suable her to return home) to an amount exceeding Fifteen
Shillings per Ton.`
Fourth.—That any sails with which it may be found neces-
sary to provide a British Ship, in a Foreign Port, are subject
ore the vcssere arrival, to a Duty of 1041.9 x. 2d. per cent. ad
valorem.
'Fifth.--That heavy thdies are in like manner chargeable on
any spat*, cables, cordage er anchors, which a British vessel
may have occasion to provide in a Foreign Port.
That the effect of these burthens, with time other ditties and
charges to which British Ship Owners are liable, (as your pe-
titioners are prepared to prove) is, that a British S!lip cannot
be built and equipped for less than front 141. to 231. per ton
whilst the Prussian pays from 7/. 15a. to 10/. per ditto; the
Swede and Norwegian about 71. per ditto; the Frenchman
about 10/,
That the disproportion in the wages and victualling is net
less than in that of the cost of the vessel, viz :
Present rate of wages for British Seamen, 455. to hss. per
month, according to the voyage.
The average may he eoe. per Month-
Prussian-Ze4e. to Mils. Average 255. Do.
Swede--123. 6d. to 20. Do. 171. Do.
Dutchman Do. 2135. Do.
That the ditferenee in the expence of provivioning being ex-
tzscnely variabki, cannot be stated with accuracy, but is in pro-
portion to-that of the wages i the result of all which is, that the
Foreigner has an advantage of 40 pet Cent. in the employment
of his capital over the Brinell Ship OWner.
That under such dietitivatitages, nothing but time protecting
diffkreneee of duty, drawbacks, &c. end the co-operating regu-
latimes of the Navigation 'AWN hew hitherto enabled nut Uri-
tish Ship Owners to compote hith these of Foreign Powers ;
and therefore roar petitioner* submit to your Lordships, that
if that protection be withdrawn, the exclusion of the British
Ship Owner from it participation in many of the trades with
other countries wel be inontable; whilst what remains will be
unproductive of income ; and that, in time event of war between
Cheat Britain and any other Power, which wintlit "abject
fish Shipping IQ war expences, alp the comiidereteene herein

• The New Regi‘try Act Uwe 208. yet Tun,