The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-20 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS. , some sort or other, within foe knowledge of the coin-
FROM THE MORNING FAPERS OF THIS DAY. mittee, occurs at sea as nef Orly as may be at intervals
HERALD.—Spite of the angry growls of some of 2 hours throughout the year. It must not, of
of our contemporaries, whose maxims of right and course, be understood that every accident implies a
wrong are measured by their prejudices, we must total wreck, with the loss of all hands. if a ship
uphold that Louis Napoleon was justified in the carries away any of her ini portant spars, or, on en-
course which he has pursued. It may be very well tering her port, strikes heavil y against a pier, whereby
to tell us that there were no overt acts on the part of serious damage is occasioned, the accident is duly re-
the Assembly which could warrant such violent pro-
gistered in this pithy chronicle of Lloyd's. Never-
ceedings ; it may suit the temper of losers to affirm theless, as we glance up and,down the columns, it is
that the President was bound to wait and see what no exaggeration to say that t evo-thirds of the accidents
his opponents would do before he resorted to force. recorded are of the most serious description. One ship
This is the language of men who have been antici- is crushed in the ice near Lief) au—another is burnt out
paled in their designs by one more bold and more at sea—a sloop is capsized at St. Kites—or a huge
energetic than themselves ; but it is not the dictate merchantman founders off Cape de Gatt. Thus the re-
of reason nor of sound policy. " There is no ques- cord continues for well nigh to io hundred pages, filled
tion," says Lord Bacon, " but a just fear of immi. with these brief memoranda a loss, and misery, and
law- death. We are unable to sa cot what degree this re-
ister of Lloyd's can be ac pted as a fair index to
nent danger, though there be no blow given, is a
the tragedies which are of such hourly occurrence
ful cause of war." That the danger was imminent g
upon the surface of the ocean. The machinery
Ano s s
eomn ehlcya
,can ooufletth we hion
ehna s
,c,s,
ht uods
ei e dn
at
mh ee
st e
hmapveer
goafi
nt he
de
more than usual notoriety by their present restraint. brought into action by the directors of this great
That some of the most leading politicians who graced establishment for the inform etion of the underwriters
the debates of the last two months with no common and of the mercantile commitaity certainly appears to
share of fluency and virulence, made no secret of their act upon every quarter of the globe. Would it, how-
hostility to the very person of Napoleon, is notorious ever, embody the information collected at New York
enough. Hado not their tnhoewirloscuhdeemsteisn beentheir
edxefeelaatmeda,tiotnhes
for the benefit of the United
this register contain an abstaact of all that is known States ? In short, does
very men who
at the outrage done to the laws would themselves with regard to accidents at sea ? How does it deal
have been the foremost in defending the line of con- with the cases of those ships concerning which nothing
duct which Napoleon has turned against them- is known other than that fthey sailed away from a
selves. It is absurd of them to talk of law and particular port, and have Mince not been heard of?
constitutional order, which they have daily endea- We can readily conceive that whatever information
voured to bring into contempt; it is monstrous
is received at any British port, or any port within the
for men whose conduct was marked with the
British possessions, is transferred to the central
selfish and narrow, the mean and tricksy spirit which
establishment at the Royal Exchange. Are
characterised so large a portion of their political we also informed of Nvhat is known in fo-
conclave, to come forward and claim the sympathy reign countries as to the losses of their own
of Europe, as if their lives had been devoted to the shipping on their own shores, when no British
welfare of their country—as if, indeed, their con- seaman, or seaman trading to a British port, has
duct and votes in the Assembly had been such as been a witness of the disaster ? We cannot tell how
befitted immaculate statesmen, and had not been dis- this may be. It would have been very desirable, for
graced
by intrigues, by insubordination, by con- the information of the general reader, to whom the
fusion, by clamorous and furious passions, which will
system of Lloyd's register is not a matter of course,
long make it remembered in the annals of Europe as
had the return been accompanied with a few prefatory
the most disgraceful assemblage that ever professed to
remarks, explaining the sources of these returns, and
deliberate for the interests of a great nation.
the principal points on which they were defective.
_ If all were known, we fear that the average of acci-
that the farce should have been played out—that
dent or wreck every 2 hours would be fearfully in-
It is quite time that it should be swept away
the possibility of a revival under any such adulterine creased. Let us take the case of the small fishing
phases should be removed. We might have wished,
craft which sail from our Cornish and northern ports
perhaps, that such a result could have been effected to the herring and other fisheries. A gale might
without loss to the subject
arorwe timesithout and theretorestrainta
hisre swamp one-half of the little squadrons—would
personal liberty ; but there Lloyd's books record the fact ? So throughout the
men that cannot be judged by the ordinary maxims
world. A very heavy per-tentage of the loss of life
by which other states and other men are regulated.
which occurs by peril of the winds and waves happens
There are periods when in the body politic, quite as
in the small coasting boats, whose owners, in one
much as in the natural body, violent diseases admit
fashion or another, seek a livelihood on the fringes of
no other than violent remedies ; when the physician
the sea, We much suspect that, could we obtain a per-
who confines himself to ordinary rules is a traitor feet knowledge of all the mishaps that occur on the sur-
to his patient, and the strictest observer of the face of this unstable element, the average loss would be
letter of the law is the greatest violator of its spirit ;
n; fearfully increased in amount, and would be repre-
-the summum us is become summa ilg'uria. That sented by still more untoward proportion than 1 loss
the present conjuncture is such a one, no one can,
to 21 hours. In all probability a serious loss or total
for a moment, doubt. The loudest oppugners of wreck every hour would tally more closely with the
Napoleon's coup de main do not attempt to justify truth of the facts. It would not, however, be to much
the proceedings of the Assembly; no one raises a Purpose turning over the leaves of this terrible record
voice in defence of their doings, or pretends to see unless we could derive from them some practical in-
in their conduct any real love, much less any indi-
formation whereby such disasters may be prevented,
cations of self-sacrifice, for those great principles of or at least greatly diminished in number for the
government which can alone restore peace and order future. It would be in vain for us to hope that nauti-
to France. The only spirit by which they were go- cal skill and the science of shipbuilding can ever be
verned was that of hostility to the man who was the brought to that degree of perfection, that sea and land
most popular in their nation ; who alone has shown, travelling shall be brought to the same level of se-
in all the convulsions by which his unhappy country curity. But a very cursory glance will suffice
has been lacerated, some consciousness of his duty as to show that the accidents which occur to ships
a ruler, and some ability to have his rule observed; suited to the stations upon which they are
who alone, amidst the furious follies of the Mountain, employed, and—according to the natural presump-
or the Utopian republicanism of Cavaignac and his tions of the case—ably manned and commanded,
followers, has shown some sense of what is prac- are comparatively few in number. Bad ships, bad
ticable and useful—some indications, at all events, of crews, and bad commanders afford but a sorry chance
power and ability to rule, and rule well, as far as the for a successful voyage. The natural tendency of the
circumstances of the time will allow. No wonder, great extension of commercial intercourse, of the in-
that having treated him as a puppet, they are creased necessity of high speed, and consequently the
now furious at their disappointment; that intend- employment of larger and better craft, under the com-
ing to have made the President a tool, they have mend of more competent men, will infinitely diminish
long found that the weapon has recoiled upon them. the number of accidents at Bea. How often is it that
selves. Their conduct towards him has been we hear of a disaster occurring to any of the noble
that of mean and malignant spirits, who have fallen
ships owned by the leading members of the shipping
into their own pit, and been duped by their own interest ? The truth, too, must be told. The inca-
devices. The offence never to be forgiven is to P
acity of too many of the masters in the British mer-
cantile marine has been the pregnant cause of loss to
have been outdone by a man whom they had intended
to over-reach, and whose intellect they had despised. their owners and death to their crews. Men scarcely
They have shown all along that they never intended
competent to take the responsibility of an ordinary
that Napoleon should rule de facto ; they have vio- day s work, or, if competent, of notoriously intemperate
lated, if not the strict letter of the Constitution, yet habits, were placed in command of sea-going ships,
its meaning and its spirit, in making the voice of the through the parsimony or nepotism of the
people, which they professed to respect, a nullity— owners. 'The consequences that might have
so far at least as that voice was heard in declaring
been expected naturally ensued. We find the results
that Napoleon should be the head of the Government. of these improper appointments in Lloyd's books.
They could not shut their eyes to the fact, that the There was no kind of security, no guarantee of any
vast majority of the nation gave their votes to him, kind, that a man was competent for the discharge of
not on the mere supposition that he was to be a puppet the duties he undertook. The remark, we are
in the hands of the Assembly, but that he was to pos- ashamed to say, applied with greater stringency to the
sess and exercise a far larger amount of power than British merchant service than to any other. The
the Assembly ever felt it convenient or agreeable to masters in charge of ships from the United States and
acknowledge. Throughout they had been the ag- Baltic ports were far above the average of their British
gressors ; they have been the men who have been compeers, if we except the commanders of the very
setting the constitutional liberties of the people at best class of ships, trading to the Indian and Chinese
defiance ; they have been undermining the right of seas. This evil, too, is in the course of remedy. The
popular opinion in their attacks upon the President, result of the educational clauses in the Mercantile
who is the representative of it. The people of France Marine Bill of last session will no doubt be to provide
must now be the judge—they alone can decide who is a much larger body of well-trained men, from among
the real aggressor, who has been the true obstacle in whom our shipowners can select the most competent
the way of improvement and of good order. They persons for command. We will not, even so, presume
who have been so loud in professions of respect for the to say that there will be an end of all peril from tem-
ests and collision, but at least it is not too much to
sovereignty of the people, who have lauded the people P
of France as the light of the nations, who have spoken predict that one-half of the accidents which occur to
of the late revolution and its consequences as " the seagoing ships might be avoided. The mere
Istate-
revelation of a new gospel"—they, surely, of all men, ment that, according to Lloyd's books, a disaster at
will not have the effrontery to decline a decision from sea occurs once every 2 hours, should call attention
those whom they affected to respect and almost to to the point.
idolise. The men who professed to consider that DAILY NEWS.—The Chancellor of the Exche-
the remedy for all evils, social, moral, and Intel-
ledge,
quer, in his speech to the people of Halifax on
and his conviction that education should be
Thurs-
lectual, was to be found in a republican mode of day, described his great faith in the value of know-
government, can scarcely, with any degree of
f this admis-
decency, disclaim their own work ; the idolisers of
extended in this country.
Mr. Cobden, who sat be-
side Sir Charles IVood, made the most o
republican enlightenment can only, with a very bad
reminding the Hon. Member of her Majesty's
sion
grace, now turn round and condemn as partial, blind, by
and frivolous, what, only a few weeks since, they
Ministry that every particle of the substance on which
would have exalted to the skies as the very perfection knowledge is conveyed—every primer of the child
of all schemes which it had ever entered into the heart and every newspaper of the man—has to bear a heavy,
of man to conceive. Our contemporary pursues mischievous, and indefensible tar. The earnest and
itties, mean, we un-
another method. He has leave to be erratic—expert intelligent men who exerted themselves at the close
in proPnecYing when the event is passed—slow, so- of last and the beginning of the present year to pro-
derstand, to renew their exertions before Parliament
l
lenan, and sonorous in administering advice when it cure the abolition of the paper d
i os
nt
go o late—he
chapter
on
n hi
s gratifiespol i
thisica readers n
s an d occasionally w i with
experiences.a again assembles. They are prepared to contend that
industry, a stoppage of the very sources
Monarchy, republicanism, and despotism fall before the paper duties—being an injurious restriction on
roposed—ought to be abolished. Though it may
his pen like the hopeless Trojans before an intellectual praiseworthy
Ajax_o the Chamber of Deputies was too narrow"— of revenue, and suicidal therefore to the purpose
" the National Assembly had repudiated its own P
existence"—" Monarchy failed from the obliteration be alleged by nonchalant or greedy recepients of taxa-
of the aristocratic element„ --until the hapless tion, that the wants of the Government will not permit
patient is left under thise, political physician in the the smallest diminution of revenue, the advocates of
same state as Sancho "nza in "is government of the the abolition of paper duties have much too good a
island of Barrataria. We will, however, do our con- cause to be stopped by such a flimsy barrier. A sur-
temporary one piece of justice, slow as he is in plus, let it be reiterated, always has reference to ex-
rendering justice to other men—we will give him iSting expenditure, which is never likely to be more
credit fur not being of that vile exception which he wantonly excessive than when self.sufficient Ministers
has so readily applied to others of theimorning prints. preside over a nation rich and prosperous by other
He never formed an exception ; however erratic his exertions than theirs. The proper basis for propos-
course may be, he is always sure to come in at the ing the abolition of taxation is not the supposed ex-
death ; ailint ? aid,; negant .9 nego. He will be no igencies of the Government as mapped out by Lord
John
martyr ;he has no inclination to suffer for any poli- Russell and Sir Charles Wood, at the suggestion
tical or religious peculiarity. To coincide with the of the Horse Guards and Admiralty and Ordnance
opinions of others, when his own have become un. Boards; but the injustice or inconvenience of a tax,
popular is become with him a property of easiness; compared with the value of the services it is imposed
,
and with the like boldness as a great master of fence to pay for. Befor! restrictions on industry be tole-
in former times, when the mountain will not come to rated—because Sir C. Wood has expended every
Mahomet, Mahomet will go to the mountain. It farthing he can lay his hands on—it must be demon-
does not often happen that all prophets are so fertile strated that no portion of the Government expenditure
in expedients. can be dispensed with. The usual official insinuation is,
TIMES.—A very interesting return to an or- that the dividends will be unpaid and national credit
der of the House of Commons has been made by annihilated—that the navy will be dismantled and
the management of Lloyd's. We find in it an abstract national security endangered—that the judges will be
of all collisions, accidents, and wrecks of vessels, and unsalaried and justice not administered, if all the
the number of lives lost in each year, since the Ist money be not granted which the Government
day of January, 1847, till the 31st day of December, demands. No just man would impair the national
1850. In other words, here we have placed before credit, endanger the national security, or lessen the
us a sort of index of all the misadventures that have efficiency of the courts of justice. But, with the
occurred at sea for the last four years, so far as they performance of great duties, numerous assumptions
have fallen within the knowledge of Lloyd's. The of injurious power are coupled, for which men in
sacrificed to statistics. We scarcely know how to essential services ; and a reduction of taxation which
register is sufficiently dry and bald. Sentiment is office make the people pay as munificently as for
convey an idea of this curious blue-book to our would compel the Government to lessen these as-
readers otherwise than by superficial measurement. sumptions, and limit the sphere of its operations,
It contains 193 pages, each page averages about 70. would be doubly beneficial. We are advocates of
lines, and each line contains the record of a disaster. a reduction of taxation, because we believe that the
Supposing we open the book at random, we find an expenditure of the Government is in various
abstract of the mishaps that occurred on the 26th of ways wantonly excessive, and
might be greatly
February, 1847. Thus ran the first half-dozen lines reduced—with great advantage to its cha-
of the page, line for line as in the original :
uet iissue
—of the
the Government
'and great benefit to the public. The
Vessels. Tonnage. Nature of accident. q
Lord ltavensworth 361 Put back to Shields, laid on shore. come to a stand-still if it be required to forego the
Andre Felix
5 at
5.7 il. i s
t note
paper
rmduent duties,
Amaury .. ..
stated for 1849—but whether that sum might not
h produce whether
Ulrica At Malta, been on shore.
H0rati0......403 At Malta, considerable damage. be saved by wise retrenchments. In fact, a large por-
Prince George 482 Wrecked at the Dardanelles. tion of the public expenditure is wasted on "services"
To abandon the tabular form of the original, we find which inflict injury on the nation, and should be dis-
that on the same day the Mogul was wrecked at pensed with even if given gratis, instead of costing
Barber's Point, the Aura went on shore at the Dar- 1 vast sums of money as they do. The Government is
danelles, the Princess Royal got on shore at Bombay t 1 a trustee for the taxpayers, and every farthing of the
the Surrey put back to Moulmein, having been on money it expends for purposes not conducive to popu-
shore ; the Lady Nugent, a 642 ton ship, in the gar advantage, is surplus revenue which ought not to
Straits of Singapore came into contact ; the Johns be levied at all—much less levied by duties restricting
sank off Point Romania ; and the San Antonio was industry. The first step towards levying the paper
abandoned at sea. Such are the contents of the duties is, to make every man who desires t 3 become a
first thirteen lines of page 11 of Lloyd's register as paper-maker register himself and take out a licence.
transferred to the blue-book. Now, if we mul- The next is, to have his premises surveyed by an ex- i
tiply 193 by 70—the number of pages by the else officer, and every room in them marked and num.
number of lines—we find that the return coin. bered. Before he commences business he must make
prises an account of 13,510 accidents at sea. Let a true and particular entry, in writing, of all his
us divide this by 4, the number of years over mills and premises, and every implement he uses in
which the return travels, and we have 3,377 the manufacture of paper of every description ; he
and a fraction to represent the mishaps of each year. must state what kinds of paper he means to make,
This yields, within a trifling fraction, 65 accidents, and every engine, press, vat, and machine, is to be
wrecks, &c., for each of the 52 weeks of every year, distinguished and numbered. The Government as-
and, COW equently, rather more than 9 for every period sumes a lordship over industry, and claims a right to
of 24 hours. As a last result, we may take as a fair control its exercise. It requires to be paid four pounds
deduction from Lloyd's return that an accident of four shillings before it will allow a man to become a
paper-in Aker. The licence confers ti privilege ; it is