The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-15 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

Mr. Charles Buller, Juflgo Advocate General, had an
audience of the Queen yesterday at Buckingham Palace,
and submitted to her Majesty the proceedings of some
courts-martial.

The Queen and Prince Albert left town yesterday
afternoon for Osborne, her Majesty's marine residence
in the Isle of Wight. Her Majesty and his Royal High-
ness were in an open carriage-and-four, accompanied by
the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal. Their
Royal Highnesses Prince Alfred, the Princess Alice, and
the Princess Helena, occupied another carriage-and-
four. The Countess of Mount Edgecumbe, the lion.
Miss Murray, Hon. Miss Macdonald, and Major-Gen.
Bowles were in an open carriage. The Earl of Morley,
Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. C. B. Phipps, Colonel Buckley,
Lieut.-Colonel Seymour, and Mr. Meyer occupied two
carriages and four.
Her Majesty and Prince Albert were conducted to
their carriage by the Master of the Horse, the Groom
of the Stole •to Prince Albert, the Treasurer of the
Household, the Vice-Chamberlain, Viscount Carden,
Mr. R. Ormsby Gore, and Captain Francis Seymour.
The august party left Buckingham Palace at a quarter
past two o'clock for the terminus of the South-S1 estein
Railway at Nine Elms, and took their departure by a
special train.

His Roy al Highness Prince Waldemar of Prussia
honoured Lord and Lady John Russell with a visit yes-
terday, at his Lordship's residence at Richmond. The
Prince accompanied Lord John Russell !roc his resi-
dence in Chpsham-place. His Royal Highness was at-
tended by Baron de Liner, his Prussian Majesty's
Chamberlain, and Counts Oriola and Groeben, Officers
of the Prussian Staff. His Excellency the Prussian
Minister and Madame Bunsen accompanied the illustri-
ous party from town, and a select circle had the honour
of meeting his Royal Highness.
Prince Waldemar and suite partook of a dejeuner and
afterwards returned to town.
Their Royal IEO.I-messes the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge, attended by Lady Augusta Cadogan and
Mr. Edmond Mildinav, honoured Lord Foley with their
company at dinner, yesterday evening,
at his residence
in Grosvenor-square.
A deputation from the Central Board of Scottish Dis-
senters, headed by the Rev. Dr. Taylor, of Glasgow,
and introduced by the Right Hon. the Secretary at War,
had an interview with the Lord President, at the Privy
Council Office, yesterday, with reference to the recent
minutes of the Committee of Council on Education.
The Lord Advocate of Scotland and Mr. Gibson Craig
had an interview with Earl Grey yesterday at the
Colonial-office.

Mr. John Wood, Chairman of the Excise, had an in-
terview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday.
Sir Thomas Freemantle, Chairman of the Customs, had
also an interview with the Right ion. Baronet, at his
official residence in Downing-street.

---
THE NAVIGATION-LAWS.
The Select Committee appointed by the House of
Commons to inquire into the operation of the navigation-
laws met yesterday in Committee-room No. 2. There
were present Mr. Milner Gibson (Chairman), Me. Ri-
cardo, Hon. Mr. Liddell, Sir Howard. Douglas, Sir G
Clerk, Mr. T. Baring, Alderman Thompson, Mr. Hume,
Admiral Dundas, Mr. Lyall, and Mr. Mitchell.
Mr. Richmond was recalled and cross-examined by Mr.
Ricardo—He considered protection indispensable to the
prosperity of British shipping, and he thought the reci-
procity treaties should be repealed, and matters placed
as they were prior to the signing of those treaties.
Speaking as a shipowner, he certainly should have no ob
jection to see the Prussian trade stopped. Perhaps the
exclusion of the French ships would be an inconvenience
to the shipowners, and still more to the merchants. But
he objected to this line of examination, because he
thought these were questions more for the consideration
of the Committee than for the witnesses. He was willing
to answer any question of fact, but not of hypothesis.
As an individual, he should have no objection that all
the goods going from England to America should be
carried in American ships, and that all goods coming
from America to England should be brought in English
ships, and he knew then that the balance would be
advantage of England that the
be carried out with regard to all
greatly in our favour. He thought, upon the whole,
that was so at present with
ocher
hma
eter itpnrwai
coninlpdsl
e; b esf
oh
rof,ourli
should
hbefact,
regard to America and France ; Spain and Italy were
fast following the example. At the same time he had
no wish to see these extreme opinions carried out.
By the Chairman—He did not see why the navigation-
laws should not apply to iron ships as well as to wood
ships. It was true we could at present build iron ships
cheaper than in any other country, and that might in-
duce fort igners to build their iron ships in this country ;
but he was satisfied this would only be for a time. It it
were proposed to abolish the navigation-laws, and to give
the shipowners compensation in money, that might meet
his views as a shipowner extremely well, but it would be
very injurious to the country at large ; for it would re-
move ship•building out of the country altogether. The
shipowners would then "sell their birthright for a mess
of pottage."—( Laughter.) The protection now given by
the navigation-laws was so
trifling, in consequence of
their mutilated state, that any compensation the ship-
owners might claim for an abrogation of them would be
little or nothing.
The room was then cleared, and strangers were ex-
cluded for some time. On our return,
Mr. Grieve, working shipwright, was examined by
Mr. Liddell—lie had been a shipwright for the last 45
years, and had a general knowledge of the praotice of
ship-building in the various yards of London. He was
satisfied from what he had seen that foreign shipwrights
were not so good or so quick as Englishmen. He little
expected ever to have been asked the question, whether
English shipwrights received a day's pay for the third of
a day's work? Mr. Browning must have been mad at
the time when he made such an unfounded statement.
If his information was no no more correct on other points
than on this, it was worth little. The price-which was
paid for shipwright's labour did not exceed 455. to 50s.
per ton.

oullldy di\ orrm. Ricardo
n—fTorileaitgwneorusl,d be
two East India ships, the Duke hoef Cornwall, and some smaller ships had not paid that.
By Mr. Liddell—Asa proof that English shipwrights
and the Coromandel, 600 tons, had been overhauled,
anill,enstOioOn tons
caulked, shipped, and cop eyed, in five days. After
some other observations illPustrative of the activity of
English shipwrights, he said he never heard of foreigt.
dock yards turning out their work in such quick time.
He denied Mr. Browning's statement thst the Ship-
wrights' Combination advertised their meetings, and he
indignantly repudiated that witness's other state-
ment, that their combination had led to secret assassi-
nation ; that was the worst and most unfounded of all
Mr. Browning's calumnies. He had been connected
with the association for tit. e last forty-five years, and
had never heard of so much as a common assault arising
out of it. He denied also that the shipwrights were un-
grateful towards their em lo eras When Mr. Brown-
ing said the men had been Pune•Yrateful to Mr. Green, the
extensive shipowner, the witness (Mr. Grieve) went to
that gentleman, for whom he had been working the
greater portion of his time, and asked Mr. Green if
athmaytthwing
was correct.
himb I
r.. Green tomed round, and stared
at him, and asked who is Mr. Browning? I don't know
business, not mine.
Mr. Henry Green. who also said he knewnothing about
Mr. Browning.
For the last twenty two years there
had been no act on the part of the shipwrights to coerce
,Thhee
witness
es bsehttaeir
also mind
wahiitsedow oi
ni
or intimidate their employers. Their unions partook
very much of the nature of benefit societies. He should
say, for the last twenty- five years, that the average rate
of wages had been about 355, per week ; of late they
had been less, and sin 2e Christmas he had not himself
averaged 21s. per week, and he was sure he had worked
as much as half the shipwrights of London.
By Mr. Ricardo—He thought the foreigners could not
do as much work as Englishmen. He was not afraid of
giving a foreigner one side of a ship and taking the other
half himself; but he should be very sorry to see it, for he
thought there was enough of shipwrights already. The
question had never come before the union whether they
would allow foreigners to work here or not.
By Mr. Mitchell—The Sliipvvrights Union had at
present from 5,0001. to 6,000/. in hand. There had been
no material alteration in the rate of wages for the last
twenty years. Provisions had not much fallen off, as he
would show by a table of his present expenditure.
Mr. Mitchell—Are you aware that provisions are
higher now than at any time during the last ten years?
running into debt.
Mr. Grieve—l am going too nshootwdep
that
nwoenhtahvoe
pricebeen
Mr. Ricardo—Then wages do
of provisions.
Mr. Grieve—We have found that they do not.
Mr. Mitchell—And do you say that the question was
never
mooted among you what you would do if the
masters reduced your wages? _
Mr. Grieve—We never stirred the question, because
week, which, allowi2nn7ogst.for the cost of living
w e never heard
t teT intentionhtheawnoatrtigh_ teehs eraaptt part
Sunderlandrtoof f
wt haeg emsahws teeerrrees
.
to reduce the wages.
14s. 6d, a
dwperori
ricalect 1
rdo
ef
thanglaubl
aoruil
3,nr,
eibnLerroSttritheldrneon wages could
in Sunderland was be .
the rate of living in
A Sunderland shipwright paid ad 1 . a year for his house—
witness paid 131. A Sunderland shipwright got a ton of
coals for is. 6d.—witnessdpyaolu
London.
ontwoao
not be
ddb eoonn nominallybu
reducedt he
eh
in
wastip
cecrso, therefore,
artdisafinecde
‘tvhi t h
By Mr. Ricanlo—
at a low rate of wages'', gad
irregularly at a high rate?
Mr. Grieve—Certainly not. He knew it was the
opinion of some political economists that they ought
not deputed by the
only to be permitted to live—to the credit of his em-
ployers he must say, they did not take that view of the
case.
requested by twenty or
thirty of his friends among the shipwrights to attend
here and give evidence, in order to rebut the calumnies
mwi t:ieceh thenys,e adjournedundersta n
understand
towill
b e Thursdaythe
lastnext d
aa)t,
Union. lie was not an officebearer of the Union, but he
was a member.
of .11y1r.MSra. miluicealrl3l°:nien
of the Committee's meeting. We understand also, that
while strangers were excluded, it was agreed, after
onrerhoe'cleockn,
some discussion, to give no opinion of their own upon
the subject of the navigation laws, but content them-
selves with reporting the evidence to the House.

tphreemEinugtinisohn
Mint
aptriPcearoist
3i3I.AIII4ON7sP.Eer mill', which, at YlOO per ounce for standard gold, gives an
exchange or 25.50 ; and the exchange at Paris on Lon-
don at short being 25 40, it follows that gold is 0.39
per cent. dearer in Paris than in London. By advices
from Harnburgh the price of gold is 431: per mark,
which, at the English Mint price of 3 17s. 100. per
ounce for standard told, gives an exchange of 13.8 k;
and the exchange at Hamburgh on London at short being
13.9, it follows that gold is 0,35 per cent, dearer
in London than in Iltunburgh.