The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-25 00:00:00

T E SU N,

•
he found that for the six months cmiing June, 1849, it
was 2,753,000; for the six months endin;.!,- June, 1850, it
had fallen to 2,632,000, while in foreign tonnage tte:re
was an increase from 1,675,000 tons, to 1,728,000 tons.
He also found from looking into the Sound duties
which had been paid on the shipping employed in
the Baltic trade, that during the last three years the
proportion of British to foreign ships passing through
the Sound was greater than at any former period. lite
the Right Honourable Gentleman next told them that
they were losing the Indian trade, from recent changes,
but he found from accounts which had been published
by the East India and China Association, that within
the last two years the tonnage inwards and outwards of
British ships in that trade had increased 25 per cent.
The Right Honourable) Gentleman had, however, passed
over a most important feature in the subject. He meant
those new trades which for the first time had been

opened up to the shipping interest of this country. He
found that during last year 213 British ships, of 68,000
tons, had entered the ports of the United Slates with
cargeei, where they could not have traded before, so
that the increase of tonnage in that cite alone was nearly
half the diminution which during that year had taken
place in the home ports. There zero numerous instances
of a like nature. A most active trade with Australia
had sprung up, and even with France an increase hod
taken place. He found that in one month 18 ships
had arrived at San Francisco with cargoes from Aus-
tralia, and an active trade was being carried on. The
Right Honourable Gentleman complained that there W2a
a great decrease in the freights, but if that were so the
increased trade enabled shipowners to carry at a cheaper
rate. As to the shipbuilders being ruined, the case
had turned out exactly the reverse. In 1310 only
10,000 tons of foreign-built ships had been entered, and
during the past three months only 511 tons had ben
entered.

Here an HON, MEMBER observed that 40 Members
were not present in the House, upon which strangers
were ordered to withdraw, but upwards of the requieite
number having been found present,
LA.BOUCHERE resumed. Ho challenged con-
tradiction of the statement that, generally speaking, so
far from decay or inactivity pervading over ship-building
yards, they were in a state of great aeivity. From a re-
turn of ships built in the United Kingdom during the
last three years, he found that the number of ships built
in 1848 was 847, with a tonnage of 122,000 tons; in
1849 the number was 730, with a tonnage of 117,000
tons, and in 1850 the number was 689, with 133,000
tons. The average tonnage in the first was 140, in the
second, 161, and in the third, 194 toes. It is quite true,
as the Right Hon. Gentleman the Member fur Stamford
had observed, although the, number of vessels built had
decreased since 1848. the average tonnage was larger.
At Sunderland, one of their greatest ports,would it be de-
nied that the business of shipbuilding there was in a
state of unprecedented activity, and that more and
better ships had been built during the year 1850 than
at any period since Sunderland had become a ship-
building port? In support of this statement, he
quoted the authority of a respectable fecal
paper. In 1848, the tonnage of ships on the stocks
was 15,000; in 1849, 23,000; in 1850, 28,580 tons. In
consequence of the complaints made by the shipbuilders
and shipowners of the port of London, he had deter-
mined to ascertain the state of the London shipbuilding
yards, and through the Surveyor-General's office of cus-

:ma he obtained—information-as accurate as could be ob-

tained ou the subject—information, he might add, which
had not been furnished by private individuals, but by
ship-builders. In 1848, there were built in the London
yards three ships of iron and seven of wood; the ton-
nage of the former 1,300, and of the latter 3,100. In
1849 there were built seven ships of iron, and ten of
wood; the tonnage of the former 1,656, and of the lat-
ter 7,356. In 1850, the number of ships built we
thir teen of iron, and seventeen cf wood; the tonnage of
the former 4,562, and of the latter 9,935. Thus in the
year 1850, no less than thirty vessels of 14,000 tons
had been built in the London ship-yards, or double the
amount of tonnage built in 1849. He might be told that
these ships were built not for British merchants, but for
foreign ship-owners or Governments, but he used the
fact as an argument to show the improved condition of
the ship-building interest, and not in reference to ship-
owners. An extraordinary improvement had also taken
place in the quality of the vessels built, as well as in the
amount of tonnage. From all sides he had been fur-
nished with evidence of the increased science applied to
ship-building—of the great efforts made to procure the
best ship-builders, and of the general improvement that
had taken place in the trade. The Right Hon. Gentle-
man read extracts from a letter written by some ship
owner in Liverpool, detailing the improvement that hud
taken place in that town, and stating that a repeal of the
navigation-laws had given such an impetus to the trade
of ship-building, that many of the educated classes
were bringing up their children as ship-builders. He
should next consider the consequences of their relaxa-
tion of the navigation-laws. From all great maritime
countries they enjoyed some substantial equality. It was
said that they had not much to give us. That might
be, but they certainly had much to take away.—(Sear,
With regard to Holland, they had gained an
important advantage, for the Dutch had placed British
vessels on a footing of equality with the national ships.
Since the change in the navigation-laws, they had en-
tered into a most advantageous treaty with Sardinia—
advantageeus to the country as well as to Sardinia itself,
and worthy of the distinguished statesman who was at
the head of affairs in that country. They had not only
obtained reciprocity, but an important siipula-
tion for introducing into the Sardinian ports their
own manufactures at low rates of duty.—(Hear, hear.)
It wPs with gratification he had to state that foreign
countries generally-were disposed to meet us in the same
liberal spirit in which we had acted. The only excep-
tions to this were the three countries of France, Spain,
and Belgium. With respect to the arrangements be-
tween these countries, ho was prevented from saying
more at present. Negotiations were still going on he.
tween them and this country, which he trusted woull
terminate satisfactorily to all parties. Bet when French
authority was quoted against him, he must say that, de-
siring to speak with every respect of the public men of
that country, he could not accept them as authority on
this question. Looking at the capabilities it possessed
of bscoming a first-rate shipping country, it did not at
all occupy the position it should do. He believed at this
moment it did not possess a single mercantile ship above
600 tons burden.—(Hear.) In fact, by her absurd sys-
tem of restrictions, France had absolutely excluded her-
self from the commerce of the world. Her iron duties
alone were sufficient to do that, for if she could not build
her veseels cheaply, she could never occupy the position
she ought to do.—(Hear, hear.) But he would not rely
on British authority as to that. He found the Chamber
of Commerce at Bordeaux, in its report for 1847, stated
that the nets of protective and prohibitive duties, which
was cast around the mercantile and shipping interests,
were the cause of the decay and death of their mercan-
tile marine.—(Hear, hear.) He now came to the
motion of the Right Hon. Gentleman. If it had any
meaning at all, it meant that they should address tee
Crown to place foreign shipping under any absurd re-
strictions which might be imposed by any foreign power
ou British vessels. For instance, if Spain excluded Bri-
tish vessels from Cuba, we were to retaliate by exclud-
ing Spanish vessels from Trinidad. This was in effect
to ask us to punish ourselves and cur colonies for the
sake of punishing Spain. He could not believe the
Reuse would ever consent to such a policy. But he
might be asked what then was the intention of giving
this power to the Crown if it was not meant to bo used?
Was it to stand a dead lette,r? Certainly not. He said
it ought still to be maintained, in order that the Crown
should exercise it for the promotion of great national
objects.—(Hear, hear.) He certainly did not expect
that any foreign power would modify its policy simply
to please us. But if any foreign power should single
Great Britain for exclusion, then it might be a mat-
ter for consideration how far this power should be
brought into operation. No foreign power, however,
showed any inclination to act in this spirit. On the
contrary, they had placed us generally on the footing of
the most favoured nation. There was one point ou
which he could not help saying a word. He believed
that, of late, a great improvement had taken place in
the building of our ships. Another point for congra-
tulation was, that an Act passed last session for the
examination of masters and mates was beginning to pro-
duce a marked effect. Up to the month of January last
1,304 masters and mates had applied to, be examined;
269 failed at the first examination, but most of them
passed successfully afterwards. Mr. Towsen, the exa-
miner of Liverpool, a well-known and highly-respectable
man, said that since his appointment several schools for
naval tuition had been established, in which parties were
anxious to perfect themselves in navigation before pre-
senting themselves for examination, trail naval schools
o hoped thathehe
were being established in various parts of the country.
Henever hadng e s
wproved our commerce had not suf-
feredE le
r prospects
from
the
were a de, a
an
td that
u
which
hre had beencouragingen
m
than
pre-
sent, and ha did not believe that British seamen ever
would be beaten on their own element. An allusion had
been made to the fact that three-fourths of every crew
in British ships must be British seamen, and one-fourth
allowed to be foreigners. He hoped that
always be maintained, as otherwise our flag might
b
to thiscountry. The same
roweneogeluyl were
hoisted
uti o l 1 prevailed ehvi ap isl enrinot betihoen.gbelonging
United States. Their vessels
must be manned by two-thl.rds American sailors and one-
third foreign, and .he believed in all cases preference
it had
was given to English. seamen, who were not only the
best but the cheapest in the world. In conclusion, he
.eve.d satisfactory,th e policy
trusted
agreedwould say,
to
e that
the
i t
pastthe
had Houseb.e
ebn.e I
they would not interfere with It in future., tr
ese had the
greatest confidence of our success on the trade being
thrown open. Ho could never understand how British
industry in all other departments could compete suc-
cessfully with the world, and British shipping
masters and shipbuilders should fail.—(Flestrf hear.) All
the evidence before the House proved the contrary.
With regard to the motion before the House, he held
that it would be a most impolitic course, in a mere spirit
of retaliation, to imitate the absurd restrictions of other
countries, and on this ground he hoped the House would
reject it.—(Hear.)
Mr. G. F. YOUNG said he hoped he should not lbe
out of order in prefacing the remarks he had to make by
acknowledging the reception lee had experienced on re-
appearing in a place which was associated with so many
agreeable recollections, and he trusted that, having of
late been compelled to take a more prominent part than
he wished in the discussion of commercial matters out
of dooors, he would not be considered presuming
in venturing so soon to take a part in this debate, on a
subject with which he had been connected all his life.—
(Hear, hear.) He would follow the Right Hon. Gentle-
man as closely as he could, in the order in which he had
presented the various topies touched upon by him. The
Right Hon. Gentleman had very adroitly assumed at the
commencement of his speech, what he ought to have
proved—namely, that if there were difficulties affecting
our shipping interests, they must be but temporary, be-
cause in the end they must share is the general_prospe-
ray of the country. We had already had proof 9f the