The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-02 00:00:00

estereel to en seeh a n ,zestie as thee en[l..e- consPeee-
bone
the fi • 1- •
e entreated the Government to pause Gelore
final step was taken. In the words of the preamble
vef tho Act of Charles 11. he entreated Ministers not to
repeal an Act, the object of which was to increase the
;Z :)igng and science of, navigation Of the country, on
which, under the orotection
of God, the wealth, the
th, and the safety of the empire were so much de-
Pendent.-((,beers.)
• Ur. M. GIBSON said that the Noble Marquis who had
JUrt sat down had uttered loud lamentations at what he
seemed to think was the reckless course which the House
W:1:8 Pursuing. He had referred to the successive steps
etta,ich had been ado ted---firsethe blow given to the agris
vulture' interests Peet, that inflicted on the colonies;
end
b.- now he deprecated the ruinous policy by which, as
o e had observed, " perhaps the mercantile marine
Great Britain would be swept from the seas." He
Bwould venture to tell the Noble Marquis that if it had
11 unwise to embark in the policy of free-trade mea-
t
after"it would be still more
un•vise to stand still, and
h'
te e•ing exposed the agricultural and colonial in-
du to 4 ayto the unrestricted competition of foreign pro-
to cars, to refuse to adopt the same course with respect
the navigation-laws. (Cries of " Oh.") It was ne-
etoessary to call upon Parliament to go forward, and not
allow itself t h d b the importuniti urged
nit be o etoppe es
he half
of a mistaken selt-intere . had often
ard it asserted, when free-trade principles were first
szn
iitilotethreiug
dig it
that if the Legislature carried those principles
terestsmore than equal justice ought to be done to.
oughtnd it was argued that the agricultural
not to be subjected alone to the competi-
14°Itlhof foreign producers. He recollected a phrase used
"re time by the Hon. Member for Essex, who said,
even
ti.,°,ll't object to free trade, only hold the dish
(lei That was what the Government was now
oh ntgh' The Noble Marquis had dwelt very urgently
; be e dangers resulting from competition; but if
lastPler• M. Gibson) talked to the House about the
he shipowners being able to compete with foreigners,ha
les, t'haao mo.re
.with a view to calm the fears of . _
;.jotzirs.
ritnistho vindicate the principles of free trade, for if
.eware to be proved beyond possibility of doubt that
shipowner could not compete with the
lthe,'Zner, that fact would only render him the morefit
serteeri,t in his desire to use the foreigner's ships
hear his his. convenience and his pocket.—(" Oh," and
to s -Ind the opponents of the proposed change mean
erseay that the weaker the British ships were the stronger
th; tihce necessity for driving the foreign ships away ; or.
*vie" a British- ship was no better calculated for navi-
etor,7 the seas than the Chinese junk she ought to be
K„esYed in preference to the finest vessels in the world?
d"" Was it that the Hon. Member for Poole had urged
the i!fence of the navigation-laws ? Nothing else than
qa thtnPossibility of building ships in England as cheaply
ssoritpt would be constructed in outer parts of the
corded And what was the answer which he found re-
eenti al the blue-book on the navigation laws by a
etePtan who was Lloyd's surveyor at Sunderland.
eslfr. x.,..b°BINSON—The surveyor of registers.
40n.a.5."4. GIBSON—The surveyor of registers, as the.
dettee'rneber had stated. That gentleman, in. his evi-
bebo-e"efore the Committee, asserted that a ship might.
ellea-hi't at Sunderland of oak' imported from Dantzic
oastitsestiteortithen she- could be built at Dantzic. And the
Was reasonable and well founded, for all the
e 81°1! materials which entered into the construction of
Phtell),?,vare far cheaper in England than in any other
laget s'," the world. The iron knees, the copper sheath-
Pr7::Zee,eables, the rigging, and all the accessories. were
• their st' from England even by Americans, who sent
to h eaiPs to this country when half finished, in order
quesaji: them completed. He could not dwell on the
element Of competition, which was no more an essential
the dee_of the discussion than the price of corn was to
anew. on the repeal of the corn-laws. There was
leest.ufaction which he had in considering the present
not :an!, and that was, that the Navigation Act could
Ist":it, as it was. But then he might be told that
Itiva-th'ing the necessary changes in the navigation-
great e 3 Ought to be careful not to surrenderhet
sous.
peri Principles by which were guaranteed
Englandt
44447 for which the mercantile navy of
; the
Roar 41WaYS been renowned. Now, what
horantee for the superiority of England's w_tacommercialtoria,
ph'? It was based on the Act of 8 and 9 V.c
• Poriteah„,,°.nlY applies to the imports into the kingdom. Ea-
Zit 'eight be sent in ships of any nation, an. d ships of
tonzations might also import goods, prosided those
nee Were not consumed in England, hetet
..m.oerfely±en-
'bo 'Lied here in transuti If goods so impor 1 r.oreite
I,l4ttorti•. were to be exported then they were outside the
tienigation-laws. But if they for home consump-
Ives ithen those goods must be imwpeorarewtead. in the way which
Now, he would
1a... aid down by the prohibitionilom
whatsoever place
ah/
b,no,ldly, that let a ship come r
would not 'drive that
111;ii,"-'ght, laden with produce, he
Port-t
awaY• Was England to bewrafewrracid
tohfeyreteoeivtienag ha-
lee a from foreign countriesf?
why exclude the pro-
an
thier:ase in her revenue?.
of foreign countriesl not,li'ss not that exclusion
(DI a serious injury to the manufacturing interests—
he such a course of policy
h_e era and e 4313,0)s-en- could
for instance, that
tv,l.lls.tified ? It could not.d Suppose,
presented herself at an
ship laden with
.h port. She was refused entry because food was
but
raised in the country to which. the ship,_ belonged.
..4 the Legislature pretty plainly showed, when itf
-Qt end d - navigation-laws in favour of this class o
Imports,Pe the
1—(No no.)
that those laws were a great evil.—(No, .
ten why did every one of them clamour for the sus-
nirion of those laws? Was a law good in principle
;saki' was to be suspended by force or clamour? At the
Wants
moment how could the House judge of the future
04nta of the manufacturing or the labouring population?
tied wants must be left to the course of free trade,
ail t° Pursue any other policy than that of affording
townalinaited means of supply would be a gross injustice
leasaras the people. The navigation-laws had been
'eTled during the famine crisis. Could those who
"op
tee Posed their abolition give the country a guaran-
lee 'haat they would not again require to be suspended?
'to th stated that the navigation-laws were confined
%leo Policy of prohibition; but they were not exclu-
oleo Y calculated for the protection of the British ship-
elsseepri• There was another and a distinct feature to be
keen-tee(lis ,in the operations of those laws. The Noble
~upphad quoted Mr. Huskisson, and in doing so had
the Ree" an important omission which had been made by
k*het, n• Member for Stamford on a former
.eveninag
r.R.T-uting the same authority. The omission
countries
talghtubskissons declaration that, whilst foreign
saot,io a Permitted to carry for themselves, they were
soy
oth,nat statesman's opinion, to be permitted to carry
140kanti Now, he must be permitted to say, that
da
;en d Cr,"clUated or obsolete maxim never yet was ctte
Zgitee,," of a bad cause For the only meaning
"avißtt-tr bei attached to it 'was, that in so far as the
teell4ll:Y go()oeti:"wra were concerned, one country was to
which for all other countries; and the question
i. 6 %11,. country ? Was America to be the carry-
, the e‘ry for
for Object the rest. of the
.world? It would seem as
ever y es ei the British Parliament was to
.nurse navies
es witteect l'untry in the world. But the point to
the
40 call the attention of the House, was real
15.4,,„it vsa„atacter of the Government proposals. The
pr7.,aricao h`° repeal at the same time the English and
ee-Pasels rigation-laws. Would the House reject that
Jon, they did, what would they be calling down
all th -aelYea it; another direction? The fulfilment
ry fey
thr
f e°nritri
eate which they had been receiving from
o act, from ea, from Prussia, from the Hanse
tat d the, ea,
town in the German Confederation.
eeei‘,eetseeena`tan considering the British shipping, hesi-
tlisat have freese alternatives? On the one hand they
coestetrsai thee access to the United States from every
val-eereet globe, and in addition they would acquire
?so' of. the portiqn of the trade of the Baltic. The
11'-°°,oon e imports into the United States was
toadlaW de;ndeolilars, of which 36,000,000 came from the
e world. °II; and 39,000,000 from all other parts
ttel they Under the operation of the navigation-
eve", but iiPled but one-half of the American import
cheer Prospect` eY repealed these laws there would be
the s ireornot•
their enjoying the whole.—(lronical
eiiJtreatelst
the Opposition.) They would certainly have
IltteeYed tbare of the whole, while they now only
s lort heTa'f•—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member for
I:Lrts, called the attention of the House to the
ah_ arid „`' sets of the combined influence of the Eng-
ewe th"'_caerican laws on English shipping, and had
thgetie tobe 'leder those laws English shipping must con-
ek,l)°ll of oft The evidence of the collector of
ser acs eeondon was strong on this point. That
o,,°tleeeo; that the effect of confining the import of the
let(' /sawtail-, Africa, and America to British ships,
41°54114 belonging to the countries from which the
A 44,..Z„t11e, had been to confine almost the whole of
sslitlll4iett•ct "t!: triad, between America and England to.
settaerneol IPs• All the liners were American, and it
acie3(l a remarkable fact that hardly one of those
laccou fr°4l all English port. It was, however,.
ssoll'ite the nted for by the operation of the na.vigation-
thik 13a oblt'we countries, because the English liner
-°utit 'ged to confine himself to the produce of
reJeeArad ty,
allheEr:r"opteh.e_( American could take back the
he Hear hear.) If then they
Ihi Prcilaat of the Government they would
thet,lanag one of thegreatest blows on our
}hei: of at could be inflictedg and depriving
to ere rettehan edvantage which was almost within
devirc'sts, wc-(llear.) With regard to the colonial
boutlalliy the'pahr.ha.d been alluded to as being. pressed
has ,
on inciples of free trade, he certainly felt
nf thekposese :ho had advocated those principles, and
eitte.worhis, e colonies to the unrestricted competition
seitl°eir pro give them that freedom of transmission
lailtlthe deg to this country which was consistent
that eit"'n es.'"eloPment of those principles. How could
eei.steesech zPosite resist the justice of such an appeal as
eh et
he "as made on behalf of the colonists, that they
tel Neat Permitted to transmit their produce at the
ales - Nee rate t
ii ,131 the ri°, the home market ? Hon. Gentlemen
reatr. aely t° sis of losing our colonies. Were the colo-
liSe,letit,,,become discontented if we removed the
443' to make which they laboured? Were they
the. skit ke it a grievance that we permitted them to
ferniah itnPoseible rdatitec;
alaeat their pro
to the home market at the
Pei Ports —(Hear. Why not the
the ing merchant on
Is reel. . Porting as good a footing puss.the
ea s etssot, merchant? Under the present law,
ttlnkieelihnitfitieheitas teohecxoj.nPoorting from Canada to this country
ahiP, while the United States mor-
eiehB that _ Ice of two English and American. Ho
oeiciaXhieite'n.,Gentlemen opposite, who on all occa-
tek thPet theta' 0 much sympathy for our colonists,
leir rant the a footing with the foreigner, by giy-
reikhts —vantage arisin from a competition for
the loaie • The Hou
ws, in th se shouldg recollect that the na-
-"nee for the Penal enactments being imposed not so
°jitiPunisehrtent of the colonies, or the parent coun-
pee el opinie certain portions of our colonies for their
)'aril t 4 the UnitedP' That being the case, the independ-
'kJ by these State.
del/tcle ver s, which had been brought about
th-tati t -"Pen 0 Y laws, should be a warning to us not
ges% t.O be a prey a! colonists that which they all consi-
-411(4 pfttn.et' sing grievance. Suppose the case of a
going to the United States, which