The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-30 00:00:00

circumstances, that statesman would have adhet 'ed t's
what Mr. Burke had declared to be the paper chitin
se!
the navigation-laws. Various high authorities .b
strongly recommended the relaxation of the navigatv:rnd
r,
laws in favour of the colonies, and recently —',,e
Harris had distinctly decisred for the abolition of t'cb
restrictions imposed on the West Indies, by
means alone they would be enabled to supple' the
selves with free labour at moderate rates. .13" s
fact was that the protection party in the West diesLi
n
were afraid that if the navigation laws were gives
that party in the House of Commons would abet f
duo
their cause. He was ashamed to take up the tiler 3
f.
the House in referring to such trivial and futile
it; et gun.
ments, but they had been forced upon his atteint
Were the Canadas to be sacrificed to the views of, rd
small section of the celonies ? Whoever had read
Elgin's admirable dispatch on that subject would e.tleeed
see the justice of conceding what those colonists c: Lecxil'iJn.
—namely, freedom to compete with others in the vith
ing trade. It was useless to contend any longer s,is
the broad facts that stared them in the lace. 1 'T°
had declared that she was willing- to put herself'
upon
an equality with England, provided she bad a fair
is,rto
procity allowed to her. It was useless for Engle/if so
contend any longer for her exclusive privileges:
_eieo
believed that England could not compete with
ou'la
countries in respect of the commercial made e, he w_
then tremble for her supremacy. No privileg,cseen"silip,
elusiveness could preserve her supremacy if h for the
and her sailors were not able to do so. As 'cola
United States, the facts of a few years last past
00,
show that England could compete with thew ufacts
the present system. He would merely cite s few
the
to show the relative proportion of inerease between
tonnage of Great Britain and the United States,.7Doe
was observable during the course of 19 y ears• lie a jeSe
that the tonnage of American ships in ehe Par pto
was 1.621,000, whilst in 1846 it had seeress- The
2,562,000, showing an increase of 941,000 wnseno, la
amount of British tonnage in 1827 was 2,4609";30
1846 it was 3.817,000, showing an increase in °erode
space of time of 1,36.5,000 tons, or 44 per cent. igl.n the
than that of the American commercial nav, Y wit %hies
same number of years. The number of B riish,osecl
engaged in the trade of the United States in 1342
b'uo err
nage aggregate amount of 45,000 tons. In ett-16Lt. eor
nage had increased to 205.000, these being s"113:
and
ployed exclusively between the United i„.este
from
England. But it' he were to take the he
for
all ports the increase would be still gre3teri eta
it would show 766,700 tons in 1844 al roiretimilg:
54,000 in 1824. These facts were eve
and they proved that even under the present sYstetforf
increase had been enormous. He entertained Alteration
the competition which would result from the ; into
of the navigation-laws, for if England could et anPS:vessife
America she would have still less to fear fro en
S aul
Deemerk, or Prussia. He would not enter indigue
further details. Those were subject-matter f'.re vouie
sion in Committee. The real question which t,'" jd cow
had to decide was whether the Legislature w°llea ale
lk,
tent itself with patch-work legislation, and
great blot of the navigation-laws on the stattete-be
whether the House was prepared to carry out thheires of
ciples which it had declared to be the true ,",„%-oet.
commerce. He had never disguised the insPrl;oone'
the question to himself or the House, and the qttti°
went of the Right Honourable Gentlemen 13%, esr
subject fairly before the House. If his motion enter
ried it would be fatal to the views which be ;Os
tamed, and he should deeply regret it, for, tPseeorre;
had arrived at which it was necessary to matte at whir"
spondent alteration in the navigation-lea's to Li"'
country'
had been made in the commercial policy of tba det/i}j
He would not detain the House further. D'e disc
were, as he had already said, subject-matter for
ens for
pe
sion in Committee, and having stated bis,r-„ wit
''
opposing the motion, he should content biro
leaving it in the hands of the House. Arid
Mr. Alderman THOMPSON said that, tb oeviga;
his opposition to the proposed alteration in peitLC
tionslaws, he was quite disinterested, as
possessed any ships, nor did he represent a'Vri-eoe'P"Of
ency that was engaged in maritime pursuitee 1,11o0,;
Member proceeded to contend that all our leg's, the
late years on maritime affairs had tended t l;„11,;-,
is 11
reigner an advantage over the British ship °" •d
much as that while the latter was homp!re,`;,,,eolii:,
kinds of restrictions, the former had every ft,
ship-building and manning his vessels, for ,0
rates which would be ruinous to his cornnerit °file Sere
so late as 1844 we had passed an Act, called 'co ige
chant Seamen's Act, by which several otreene
created, and made misdemeanours against t" ootel7/
shipowners, of which the foreigner linen„ ioPro°o.
Having read an extract from the Act in elsins,"l,-,13 esl7"
of his assertion, the Hon. Member concluile°,'",Lrew-
sing his intention of voting against the u". tit
proposition. s 136 ti'
Dr. BOWRING contended that, of late e'estre'etorts,
shipping had not had the worst in the race: °I eo.
tion with American vessels, even in AlDZ,vicoirofe4uealsee
but more especially in neutral markets.
pamphlet had been printed and sent round to ev,:•fiea hol
ber of Parliament, which he presumed e' )1/-,slion'ts-et
whole case of the Protectionist, but, in his. 01:en-oge!soe.
case was not at all satisfactorily made out. -b'„frja-eigst,el
rimer
things it asserted that even it the repeal of ti costi;re.
laws lowered freights, the reduction of price to 4-111 the sod
would not necessarily follow. Surely every ell e upplioesi
sent day knew that prices were regulated by ly f, of
demand, and that any means by which the 6 ij,,7101?..001
be increased must inevitably result in the r soefleefe
prices. Adam Smith was also called into Beat Wolf
restriction, as having expressed an opinion %Lae 'will
vigation-laws were necessary for the mainter 'h.-0 eels; of
navy. He had a great respect for teeny
(1
of
e)t'te rienc-os
of Adam Stnith, bus, on this question, the 'Locl su„►
subsequent years bad proved him to have f obiviss 'Oll
correct opinion. The change now propo` ee sib 0' to
the complement of previous alterations. Tl aPe%e4l
recent commercial legislation had been to c,"-ecourto
coat of transit. First of all canals had been e"."„Ltion":is
then railways, and now the repeal of the WO UgojeoL'eeo
would remove all unnecessary and artificial e': heti ea
the price of merchandise or manufactures e spPes„ror
producer and consumer. The navigation-lsw,snie of ref
to him to be founded on the perverse ptin"'iseeess"se
supposing that hostility among traders sva s was° 0
ingredient in their prosperity, and t• is
diminished the prosperity of our neigh bu-pd vie oel
equal ratio, increased our own. But he nerhe seetiliee
arrived at a period when such doctrines woo I, tbs
out of Parliament, when it would be concucle,stentolei
prosperity of our neighbour was not only cob. looteree.
but highly promotive of, the commercial ati" the es
our own country. One delusion under whi'l tiooseette
tlemen who opposed the Government propose the c0..0,
to labour was, that the shipowners represent° more 'jot
coerce of this country. Nothing could be eoplef of
founded. They were merely the instrumen tetrsoo
by the merchant and manufacturer for the t the ad
their goods, and had no more claim to repee' le eiiipielos
terests of commerce than the carter who w i actin& P
b
ep
upon the road.—(Hear, hear.) As to the e opeet
c
tunes which had been drawn of the ruin t() scb °ied
from the repeal of these laws, he did not it-tiodulgo,
value to them. Simil'tr predictions had be Cfba Ilesusj,
in with respect to the corn-laws, and "
was aware to what extent they had hee:bad elts°,64
The fact was, that legislation never prodlit',:idests'sa
to the extent anticipated, either for or b; the s:d
interests of the country. It was quite fair his Sbio
owner should have the privileee of building but ';,l
wherever he could get the work' done cher ees'',:e wool
(Dr. Bowring) did not fear that ultimate tb
have to go abroad for that purpose. He bipo:ls
once exposed to competition the British-envesrlt
would find the way to build ships as chef:aro pelts
foreign rivals.—(Hear, hear.) There evas end
of these resolutions of which he diseperoreu,'„
was the power of reprisal given to the Queen 411: or
He thought that we should endeavour to tot° to 0 re
nations by our example, and not by any r•tarrbacl c°,l
strictive policy, which as a general polity sve dou pe;
damned. Having read an extract from the l'°ri.rietiol;
tion in favour of the abolition of commercial reTt'e pobli
the Hon. Member concluded by sayingrathoastti.toslsio;:th.
had come to the same conclusion on this gilseenodiene
upon the corn-laws, namely, that the
course would be the immediate and total alaculti
ose
restrictions on commercial transit. the us"d°
Mr. BAILLIE (Inverness) admitted that ,he ti! ,
tion-law was, to a certain extent, injurious to
and commerce of the country, as were all 1"wooslitle
tended to restrict the free in of °nip were, t°
between nations. Thus harbour and light dues ,ion was
a certain extent, injurious to trade; but the quer*..ore bar:
whether the advantages derived by consrnerc_ea tbe fe„
hours and lights did not more than counterbid esita
strictions occasioned by those imposts? In ciseilleiceeew firs,
this question there were two points to colonial pooled
„ohelso
ee
the effects of the proposed change on the coo",
of the empire; secondly, its effect on ourfitirliiP.
stP one
q'siAttlito
commercial interests. With regard to the
contriptjte
they must inquire whether the colonies or whet ot
the power and wealth of the mother co.untrYt , et s vod
aintainee
they were mere costly appendages, 133 ss °veers. -00
expense, and contributing nothing to tueue.Lse , ed,
entered o'
permanent wealth and prosperity of till:,
conceivedithat the hatter view must be t rekl"
if not by the Noble Lord, at leastL. Jasessns
rity of the Government, inasmuch as all ,beetO th c°"eler.
had tended to lead the colonies to look
hiee theY were
with the mother country as one fromclifb the bas-shot
henceforth to derive no advantage; an te Ytell the;-shipo
now proposed Government were about
: for the" - Ott
they were to have no favour or protecteo,nl,st,in eel
in our harbours over other countries, On y faVOUrt;
we would no longer demand from there noose of ° ors
protection for our ships in their ports overs miefsos
nations. Now, if these were the view . .urpo.se in
arid of Parliament, he would ask fur whit,' ..aditur
I OP' r
it that we were incurring a large annua eof nu- lasi
providing for the maintenance and defeec_,,o. W74o.eir
pies?—(llear.) Take the case of the Cseese,u_bliehed 151,',10
accorded to them a constitution which
_Lb; respon
independence—their Government being Duthie law(;rer
,
only to the Colonial Legislature. Carryfu to them of •
would not the Canada: be just as oufse al° este!.:,„,
country if she formed
,e, peorle,:ofee ' •
the American union ?—(Hoenser,
the case, how long did they seppos; the
ee r . 13Y
n3eas,orbout r theY oing
hear.) That frl7;
country would consent to be tax..
Takes°nother ee'.eo, de
and defence of that colony? es bs°l tor
a series of unwise and
imP°plrietiveefotitheeu P°rb ht rd°eriecig
prived the West India colonies ° e their eere '
merly possessed, we had
alintbdouhrayfiriolgmrceoluuncterdiesthfores'
that there
on ruin we now intimated to the Tsogisod itirora Cub,
greater adventage to the people. i
ard we A g
and the the Brazils, and that henceforw
_.,,rketd 0
produce from those islands, than in draw.ine t frond so
taro what we required in the cheapest
'froteee
emcwolhoennicees ltinteraistate boolo 00
mending, on the other hand, n thatfoal
no favour or protection to our cooloufileyso; pr,ot`uvi.ler
'Au them. Would espy curie';ill '0°4.00
wsuocullideirbeeumosftasilnc
yes,
btelineeaptostsoe stsbzoi: