The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-15 00:00:00

REGIUM DONUM.

Mr. SCULLY moved for copies of the order to the
Government agent in Ireland, Dr. Cooke, to withhold
the Regium Donum from the congregation of Clonmel
in connexion with the General Assembly of the Pres-
byterian Church, and of any correspondence be-
tween the Ist day of August and the 31st day of
December last ; of any correspondence between
the said congregation of Clonmel and the Irish
Government since the Ist day of December last, or be-
tween the Presbytery of Cork and the Irish Govern-
ment since same date. And of the annual certificate
from said Clonmel congregation, received and passed by
the Irish Government in April, 1847, and included in
the Parliamentary estimates for the past year.—
Agreed to.
ORDNANCE SURVEY (IRELAND).
. .

Mr. E. DENISON said as he intended- to move for
a return of the expenditure in connexion with the
Ordnance Survey of Ireland, he wished to ask his
Gallant Friend if it was true that the expense
would be 120,0001., and not 30,0001. as originally
estimated by Colonel Goldwin ; and, if so, whether any
second reference had been made to the Treasury ?
Colonel ANSON was understood to say that no addi-
tional reference had been made to the Treasury, but that
it had been found that the survey could not be made
for
uumlnitt motion
presentonedtheMr.Committee
theHouse.chaurpcheteistißonill.from Montrose in
Mr. COWAN presented several petitions from Edin-
burgh to the sameAveffeie
NAVIGATION LAWS.
Mr. LABOUCHEREthen
movedan to refer the laws
with respect to the navigation
and seamen to a Committee of the
dawalrioelgeuHlaotinosne. of ships
Mr. Alderman THOMPSON w
no ground what-
ever for the House going into a Committee,
subject,There had
there
been no report of any Committee on the
had been no petitioning in favour of the adoptiont
navigation-
lawso f such
a course, or requiring any change of h
as they at present existed; and it must be recollected
that the subject was under the consideration of a Com-
mittee of the House of Lords. He thought the Right Hon.
Gentleman, considering the present state of Europe,
should have detailed to the House what coarse it was
intended by the Government to pursue upon this
important subject ; whether they intended to
throw open the ports of this country to the
whole of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America;
whether they intended to make any alteration
with respect
to the merchant seamen, the pro-
visioning of ships, the quarantine laws, and so
on; as these were all matters which, in his judgment,
the House should be informed upon before it acceded
to such a motion as that proposed for its adoption.
Mr. LABOUCHERE believed that the course he
proposed to pursue was consonant with the regular and
established practice of the House. The objection of the
Hon. Member seemed to him to be only as to whether
the plan of the Government on the subject of the
navigation-laws ought, to be stated in the: House
itself, or in a Committee of the whole
House. He believed the best course to pur-
sue would be for the House to go into Committee,
and then that the Government should bring for-
ward its plan. He thought it would be highly
objectionable to debate the subject upon the ques-
tion that the Speaker do leave the chair, instead
of in Committee of the whole House. He had framed
his resolutions so as to embrace the whole scheme pro-
posed by the Government on the subject, and when the
House went into Committee he should state them to the
Rouse.
Mr. ROBINSON believed that it was a most unusual
thing, in a subject of such vast importance, to ask the

Horteebefore the scheme of the
G
o
v
uesto r
n
e g m
e
n
on
t
wiataolCmaiodbmefiote it.
He regretted that the Government had thought it pro-
per, in the present state of public opinion, and at that
advanced period of the session, to introduce the subject
at all ; and he trusted that they would see the necessity
of acquainting the House, before going into Committee,
forward
somew ard h
the
et hmeeraesausroonio reasons which hadimi. induced them to bring
Mr. HERRIES did not pretend to say that the Right
Honourable Gentleman was not correct in the statement
which he bad made, because he was well aware that the
House often went into Committee in order to receive
the statement to be made by the Minister of the Crown,
and either to adopt or reject the Bill; but on the other
hand he was also aware that it was more frequently the
case for the Minister, in the first instance, to state his
reasons for inviting the House to go into Committee at
all on the Bill.—(Hear.) The measure was to effect an
important change in a most important fundamental law
of this country, and they had not been told from any
quarter whatever what the reasons of the Government
were for inviting the House to go into Committee. He
thought the Right Hon. Gentleman ought to state
in what respect those laws required revision, and when
they went into Committee, he could state his reasons and
opinions more in detail. He, therefore, did think that
hoawfinhs explaining
calledxchhpei Hon.
he
thierneuFr
i snatei
attention
(
considered
nhtethi
aortnAdm ,
the
iolewfwae
tGsrs
hboe an
before
G o Thompson)
veromgoingeo
into
to ha
the
cd
Committee
properly,ompirtiteet ey
yv
etranrmt he
ne
tmwoos
would
Irde gular
adopt i
t.
L Captain HARRIS was of opinion that more evidence
ought to have been laid before the House before any
, alteration was proposed in the law, and he considered that
[ the information which had already been obtained was
, for the most part erroneous. The Honourable Gen-

tleman gave notice that he should take the
earliest opportunity in Committee of moving that
the Chairman do report progress for a month, in order
that the evidence taken before the Lords' Committee
might be laid upon the table of the House.
Mr. HUDSON said it was unfair to call upon the
House to go into Committee without some previous
reasons being assigned for their doing so ; and if the
Noble Lord at the head of the Government had any
statement to make, he could just as easily do it then as
wait till they got into Committee.
Mr. THORNELY said it was usual to make such
alterations as those in a Committee of the whole House,
and for any one who had any objection to urge
to make his statement on the motion for going
into Committee. He was acquainted with shipowners
who opposed any alteration of these laws, but he knew
of more who were opposed to the alteration of the prin-
ciple which prevented ships from importing into the
continent of Europe the produce of Asia, Africa, or
America. He thought they ought at once to go into
Committee, and then discuss the proposed alterations.
The House then went into Committee; Mr. BERNAL
in the Chair. The passage in the Queen's Speech with
reference to the navigation-laws having been read by the
Chairman,
Mr. LABOUCHERE said, in rising to redeem the
pledge given in her Majesty's Speech at the com-
mencement of the session, that the Ministers
would lay before the House some proposed altera-
tions, he assured the House that he approached
the subject with a full sense of the great re-
sponsibility which devolved upon him in rising to state
the nature of them to the House. He was aware that
the navigation-laws had been defended by some of the
greatest statesmen and some of the greatest philosophers;
but, on the other hand, he might venture to remind the
House, that they had been the object of changes and
alterations.—(Hear.) Jt was remarked long ago by
Burke, that if the Navigation Act was suffered
to run the full length of its principles,
and was not changed and modified according to the
altered spirit of the times, and the fluctuating cir-
cumstances of commerce, that it must do mischief
and defeat its purpose. And if the changes which
the Government were about to propose were
more extensive than those proposed, ho begged to tell
the House that everything else had been changing about
them.—(Hear.) What changes, even in their time, had
they not witnessed in the circumstances which
governed the industry, intelligence, and commerce
of this country.—(Hear, hear.) They had witnessed a
revolution
,in the government of the South American
colonies—the introduction of steam navigation, and that
awakened a spirit of rivalry which, since the peace, had
placed this nation in commercial enterprise far beyond the
other nations of the world; above all, there were the great
changes that had taken place in the laws and system of
protection—the system under which trade was conducted
—all these things rendered a change in the navigation-
laws necessary, but only such changes as would main-
tain the commercial greatness of the country, and keep
the navy in an efficient condition. The first law on
the statute book with respect to navigation was that of
Richard 11., which was to the effect that no subject of
the Crown should send goods except in the King's ships
or private ships, which being found oppressive was
modified the next year, but even then the character of
the law was exclusive, and productive of monopoly and
extinction ; it rested so, however, until the time of
Elizabeth, when the law was reversed, as it adopted
the principle of differential duties instead of ab-
solute exclusion, as it allowed foreign ships
to come to that colony as well as English
ships, on paying a certain differential duty.
The Right Hon. Gentleman, after reading the preamble
of that Act, observed that the principle adopted by
Queen Elizabeth was the principle that prevailed
in these times, and at the present day the
infliction of duties upon goods in foreign vessels
for the protection of their own. One country in Europe
only acted upon a different principle—Holland,
who gave the most unrestricted commerce, and
that the result of that policy on the part of
that country was most remarkable—Holland built
herself up a fabric of such commercial greatness
that the world had no parallel for. But while Elizabeth
made this change in the navigation laws, she made for
the first time the coasting trade of England a monopoly;
for till that time it was open to foreign vessels. The
state of things lasted till the time of the Commonwealt
and then began the system which had lasted till tl
present moment. This system was developed in the
statutes of Cromwell, and confirmed by t
statute of Charles the Second. Those statutes,
he believed, were not founded upon commercial
motives, but in order to punish certain colonies which
bad espoused the royal cause, and also for the purpose
of clipping the wings of the Dutch. This system
had existed, certainly with some considerable changes
up to the present day ; the first circumstance that
broke down that system were the events that
led to the independence of the United States.
That declaration produced many remarkable events,
in the ffrst place it destroyed a great existing trade, and
it required the considerations of the first statesmen of
the day to avert the consequences it might engender.
It was some time before Parliament could make up its
mind to adopt the course which it was ultimately obliged
to take. Mr. Pitt, on the first declaration of indepen-
dence, with true wisdom and great courage, came for-
ward to propose the continuance of the intercourse
which had formerly existed with the United States of
American, but be failed in convincing the country of
the necessity of adopting the course which he proposed.
It was not till the greatest practical evils had arisen, that
Parliament gave its consent to a measure to remedy
the objections to the law as it then existed.
The island of Jamaica having been visited with a hurri-
cane for two successive years no less than 15,000 slaves
perished between 1780 and 1787 for tho want of the
accustomed supplies of provisions from America, occa-
sioned by the interruption of the system of inter-
course which had existed between those two colonies.
At last, however, a step towards a more free intercourse
was conceded, and proved successful ; but it was only in
our own time that the insercourse had been made so com-
pletely free between the United States and our West
Indian colonies. These changes, he asserted, made the
first breach in our navigation laws.—(Hear.) He had
seen many changes subsequently, but he would no
weary the House by going into them, as they were fa
miliar to all who had paid the slightest attention to the
subject. No person could look at the results of these
alterations in the law, without seeing the advantages
%hich had arisen to this country, and that a considerable
breach had been made in our navigation system which it
is difficut to repair, and still more difficult to resist
extending. The right honourable gentleman then pro-
ceeded to call the attention of the House to
the state of the law as it stood at the present
moment, and which was comprised in three statutes.
He came now to the anomolies which the present law
exhibited with reference to the ownership of vessels,
such as, for instance, that a foreigner naturalised in
England might be the owner of a British ship, whilst
a foreigner naturalised in the colonies could
not. The next point he wished to touch
upon related to manning British ships. A Bri-
tish ship engaged in the coasting trade must have all of
its crew composed of British seamen; every British
ship engaged in foreign trade must have three-
fourths of its crew composed of British seamen,
There was also an enactment relating to these latter
ships, which provided that every ship should have a
certain number of apprentices, the number being as
large, he believed, as to amount of to one-
sixth of the whole crew. He had now endeavoured its
concisely as possible to bring the present state of the
law before the House, and he would, with the permission
of the 'House, proceed to state the reasons why he
thought many of the regulations be had alluded to
required alteration. The House would perceive from
%hat he had already stated, that the law rested upon
three main principles ; first, to secure the Colonial
trade ; secondly, to secure to British ships a portion
of
the foreign trade ; and, thirdly, to secure the car-
rying trade. He would, in stating his reasons for ob-
jecting to the law, commence withthitehe
demand Colonial
trade.theColonies
made upon that House for relief, it was
He
believedhad if
m therede
raelitivd just
tedemand
from
the evils of these laws. The le
House had
already, for the benefit of the mother country, adopted the
principle that no differential duties ought to be tolerated
on produce coming into the English market, and as the
had suffered enough from the navigation-laws, now
that they will afford no protection from deferential
duties, they ought to be relieved from the bur-
dens which these laws imposed upon them.—(Hear.)
He then read a communication from the Governor-
General of Canada strongly recommending a total and
immediate repeal of the Navigation-laws. He might mul-
tiply similar recommendations to the same effect; but he
felt it unnecessary to do so. They sought, by
cheapening freights, to give every facility to their
colonies to carry on a largely increased amount
of trade. He also read memorials to the same
effect from Jamaica, and other of our West Indian colo-
nies. That from Jamaica stated that the repeal of the
Navigation Laws would be hailed with exultation.
(rJrr sniALLWO.I

TATTERSALL'S-THIS EVENING.

Six o'CwcK.

SODIF.RSETSHIRE STAKES.
2 to 1 agst Silver Eel
Saddle, Duplicity, and Bellenden are scratched.

DERBY.
3 to 1 agst Surplice
6 to 1 agst Nil Desperandum
8 to 1 agst Springy Jack
9 to 1 agst Glendower'
12 to 1 agst Loadstone
12 to 1 agst Swiss Boy
20 to 1 agst The Fiddler
20 to 1 agst Sponge
20 to 1 agst Shylock
25 to 1 agst The Stinger
25 to 1 agst Eagle's Plume
30 to 1 agst Great Western
OAKS.
7 to 1 agst Do-it-again—taken
10 to 1 agst Queen of the May—taken
10 to 1 agst Sister to Satirist—taken
10 to 1 agst Cymba

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH.

The Earl of Auckland,. G.C.8., First Lord of the Ad
miralty, has resumed his levees; and Admiral Dundas,
C. 8., M.P., will commence his periodical reception of
officers to-morrow, at the Admiralty.
THE IRISH SQUADRON.—On the detachment of Sir
Charles Napier's squadron from the Irish coast to Ports-
mouth, Rear-Ad
Mackay,Rear-Admiral l the commander-in-chief
(,f the station, will detain under his orders the Amphion
and Dragon steam-frigates, hoisting his flag occasionally
in the latter to proceed to Dublin to confer with his Ex-
cellency the Lord-Lieutenant. The ships under the
orders of Sir Charles Napier are expected to sail for
Spithead on the 17th inst.
COAL DEPOT FOR PORTSMOUTH. .Captain James,
R.E., director of works at Portsmouth, has been ordered
to prepare estimates of the expense of a jetty for coaling
steam vessels from the Royal Clarence Victualling-yard.
United Service Gazette.
THE SAVING or THE COllllB 16-GUN SLOOP IN THE
ELVER PLATA.—The natives at Colonia were much
surprised to find that the exertions of the Firebrand,
and the British seamen, fished the Comus, sloop-of-war,
up from the bottom of the Rio Plate, and sent her to sea
again, after four months hard work. The French sa-
luted the Firebrand on her sailing from Colonia, as a
compliment to their success. A court-martial was held
on Commander D'Eyncourt, and his officers and crew,
for the disaster of that vessel the Comus, which termi-
nated in the acquittal of all except the master, who was
reduced to the rank of second master.—Hampshire Tele-
graph.
John Sowden and John H. Combes, shipwright ap-
prentices, of Devonport Dockyard, have been selected,
through the recommendation of the Rev. Professor Mos-
ley, to complete their studies at the Central Mathemati-
cal School, at Portsmouth dockyard, in accordance with
the new regulations, and are to present themselves at
Portsmouth to Rear-Admiral Prescott, C. 8., superinten-
dent, this day.
The America, 50, and Racer, 16 guns, were examined
Devon-
port, on Saturday,dmiralSupe Superintendent Sir John Louis, at
accompanied by the master-ship-
wright and mechanical staff, in order. to determine and
report upon their fitness for immediate recommission.
COURT MARTIAL ON LIEUTENANT MILLS, R.N.—
This trial was nut concluded on Saturday, we are,
therefore, unable to give the particulars. The prosecu-
tion closed at three o'clock. The defence commences
this morning at nine o'clock, on board the Victory, at
Portsmouth.
A marble tablet has recently been put up in Alver-
stoke church, as a gratifying memorial from the friends
of departed worth:—" Sacred to the memory of William
Henry Langtry, master, R.N. ~ aged 37, who was
wounded by pirates whilst serving on board her Majesty's
sloop Ringdove, in Maloodo Bay, coast of Borneo, on
the sth August, 1846, and died at Manilla, from the
effects thereof, on the 13th following, in which bay his
mortal remains were interred. This tablet is erected
by the Captain (Sir William Hoste, Bart.) and officers
of the Ringdove, as an humble tribute to the memory
of their late much esteemed and deeply lamented ship-
mate."