The Sun.
London, England, 1821-12-15 00:00:00

PUBLICATIONS.

On Tuesday, December 18, will he published,
in Bro. price Iss.
SARDANAPALUS, a Tragedy. The TWO
FONCARI, a Tragedy. CAIN, a Nlyster3%
By the Right lion. LORD BYRON.
Printed for JOTIN MURRAY, Mbentarie•Street.

ENCYCLOP/EDIA METROPOLITANA.
On the Ist of January next will be published, .
Price 11.1 s. the Fifth Part, and the lour preceding Parts,
price 11. Is. each, of
;TIM ENCYCLOP/EDIA.. IVIETROPOLI-
TANA. This Work has fallen under the management
of new Proprietors, who have made arrangements for its per-
manent continuance upon the original Plan, and fur its fu-
ture regular Publication. • •
rf A new Prospectus he, ready for delivery in a few
days.
• Printed for J. Mawman ;F. C. and J. Rivington, Baldwin,
Cradock, and Joy ; Sherwood, Neely, and Jones ; G, awl W.
B. Whittaker ; Ogle, Duncan, and Co.• London; J. Parker,
Oxford.; and Deight6t) and'Sons, CauAridge.

SHIPPING, &c. &c.
MR. EDITOR—On the 22d ult. the Public'
Ledger published observations on the Speech of
the Vice-President of the Board of Trade (in
last Session of .Parliament) and his Bill for par-
tially repealing our Navigation Act, which is
understood to be intended- as apreliminary to a
general uuprotecting system of , commerce,.and
which was extracted from. Mr. JOHN HALL'S
Pamphlet. On the perusal of this article, 1 saw
its . evil tendency to the public, and immediately
wrote the Editor the hasty letter to that effect
which was inserted in the Public Ledger on the Ist
inst. Now, as the Navigation Act is of vital im-
portance to the British Empire, I write this to sup-
ply 012 defects of that letter, and will feel ob 7
liged by your giving it an early insertion for the
• • public good.
First, Then, in presuming that the History of our Naviga-
tion Act is well know to your readers, I need not tell them,
hat previous to the passing of that Act, the Dutch were not ,
•
only our carriers, but our masters by sea. Yet this Niviga.-
tlan Act very soon not only made us, on the same eleinent,
Half our own, but the carriers for, and masters/of. nearly bah the
world. It must be equally well known to your readers, that
that Act provided that foreign producti should only be im-
ported from the place of their production, and then only in
British or Native vessels, the consequence of which, added to
the countervailing duties on foreign vessels, was, thit English
vessels have been ourprincipal importers of such foreign products„
as well as our ports the principal depots of foreign wares and
merchandize, for the supply of foreign market in the North
of Europe.
But, Sir, the consequence of the Vice-President's intended
Bill would be, that the northern ports of Europe, in lieu
of ours being so for theirs, would become the depOt of
foreign goods for the British and foreign markets, and
that foreign vessels would become the carriers for four-
fifths of the voyage. For instance, as several foreign na-
tions can navigate their ships at two-thirds the expence of Bri-
tish ships, and as the warehousing and port charges in the north
of Europe are much less than ours, at the same time that the
cost of transhipment of a cargo from a foreign to a British or
native ship, added to the freight from many of the northern
ports of Europe to England, would not exceed 20s. per ton.--
Thus, most of the goods from the Mediterranean to the east-
ward of Barcelona, as well as from Archangel, would pay to
the foreign merchant for our importation by foreion ships
through some of the ports of the north of Europe, while those
from America and Africa, or the Atlantic, would in like man-
ner afford a profit to *foreign over British ships, (and by the
aforesaid circuituous route, in lieu of coming direct in British
ships) of from 20s. to 40s. per ton ; and, from India, China,
and the Pacific Ocean, of from 21. to 31. per ton. Indeed, the
-consequences of such repeal (loaded as we are with taxes), we
cannot see to their farthest fatal end ! But it is fair to calcu-
late that it would be the means of investing' British capital
in foreign ships, &c., and depriving of profitable employment.
at least one hundred thousand British subjects, and throwing
them on the poor rates to be maintained by the 'landed interest,
at a cost of not less than two millions per annum, as well as
depriving a large portion of British shipping, docks, ands ware-
houses, of employment and occupation. It is most singular
that the Vice-President should, at the very time of bringing
in this Bill, submit another for the extension and improvement
of the Bonding and Warehousing System : whereas the former
would completely destroy the interest of the latter, by transfer-
ring the warehousing of foreign goods from our own, as well as
those for Our own Market, to foreign ports. Though, when
things are considered, I am not much surprized at the Ship-
ping Interest displaying its present apathy and inefficiency in
the defence of its interest against the intended Bill, which is
brewing so fatally. their future destruction ' still, I feel the re-
verse at the Members of the Dock and Warehousing Interests
'viewing this pending destruction of their property with so
much composure : and I regret the Landed' interests being so
situated as not to perceive that the, Bill in question may sub-
ject them to the expellee aforesaid, for the maintenance of
100,000 additional paupers.
I am equally sorry that the valuable time of the Chancellor,
of the Exchequer should be so employed, in providingexpedi-
ems for the day, as to prevent his seeing that the Bill in ques-
tion (if passed) is likely to deprive the Empire of indirect.
revenue, equal to a balance loss of one million sterling per an-
num : which revenue a ould be otherwise paid by the people in
the consumption of exciseable and taxed articles, and in the
building and wear and tear of ships, &c.
I therefore contend, that a more impolitic measure than the
one in question could not be devised by man, although it may
appear to the consumer, at first sight, a hard case that the pro-
duce of India or America, deposited in Holland, and Wanted
for our market, should, before imported here,•be obliged to be
carried to the places of their production, at the expellee of our
consumers, which presumed hardships foreigners and stiperfi-
cial interested Englishmen avail themselves of, by erecting it
into a powerful battery to play on the feelings and fancies of
honest John Bull. . But, when, we possess the depot for foreign
goods, this can rarely happen, nor can it under any circum-
stances exceed (in my opinion) £20,000 per annum. There-
fore, to preserve our Navigation Act would be only like sacri-
ficing a farthing to gain a sixpence.
I beg leave further to state, that all Legia!ative measures
should founded on-the basis of these principles— •-
- That the-profitable employment of our people constitutes
the 'wealth and posperity'of the British empire;
That, as we require about 200,000,000 additional inhabitants.
to do our empire justice, that every man deprived of Profitable
employment through the consumption of foreign articles, the
like of which we can preduce ourselves, is a loss to the em-
pire equal to about £5O per annum, and makes even the
of such foreign goods, dearer to us than if we had produced
them ourselves at an expence of £io per man per annum, with
our own unemployed people.
' That Agriculture is taC root of and propelling power to all
our industry; consequently the branches of ourintitistry cantiot.
be injured without affecting the root.
That our exports are the mere payments of our imports; and
that we cannot carry commerce beyond our consumption, nor
can we increase that consumption but by increasing the profit-
able employment of our people in'the aggregate.. •
That our distress is not owing to our late war, to our cur-
rency, to superior crops, or to the amount ; but to'the mode of
our taxation,: and to a national ignorance of the mighty re-
sources of the British Empire, of that system of commerce and
finance (the former should be founded on the principle of reci-
procity of 'benefits, and the latter on self-creatmgand seff-sup-
porting principles), necessary to' bring those mighty resources
into action, so -as to give all our people profitable employment,
,and to increase our revenue in the same ratio.

• The great error of our Committees is the wasting their time
in receiving evidence relative to cost and quality. from self-
interested people, whose business is to sell or buy 'their own,
or any other country, or interest, which. may ofkcr them the
greatest individual benefit, and which only belong to traffick-
ers, consumers; producers, and carriers ; whereas,. if they &in-
fined.themselves to State iestions only,• which is all they are
required to do, they wduld . merely inquire the value of cur
,British and Colonial Interest to the State, and then protect
•them'by protecting duties accordingly, from foreign competi-
tion : and, subject to thii protection; allow Commerce to nave
the freedom of air, and to invite Foreigners to do the same.—
And•as all British and Colonial Interests have but one End to
serve, the whole should join in an application to•Parlianient for
aCommittec to ascertain the value of their respective interests to
the State,. and obtain protection as aforesaid, as all undue pro-
tection is self destruction.

As my object is the establishment of truth, justice, my Coun-
try's and the World's good, I invite every man,- by facts or
fair reasoning, to refute and drive me from my positions.
Although I disclaim charging the Authors of the But 'in
question, and its supporters in Parliament, with improper inn-
fives, still I cannot so readily release them from a conduct bor-
dering on (if it be not) presumption itself; in attempting to
repeal a law, .to the beneficial effects of which, in practice, we,
not only owe our maritime grandeur, but our exalted rank Ns a

Yesterday morning the Twenty-third Annual
'Exhibition opened, of, Fat Cattle, 'Sheep, ana
Pigs, sent up from most of the Counties within
150 miles of London, to be shewn for the Pre-
miums offered by the Smithfield Club, and by
his Grace the Duke of BEnionn, the late Presi-
dent thereof. The six Gentlemen who had been
appointed by the Club, as Judges for awarding
the Premiunis were— -
For the Oxen and Cows—Mr. William Sheild,. grazier,, ei
Frieston, ,Lincolnshire; Mr. John Webb, grazier, of Barton
Park, Derbyshire; and Mr. William Williams, butcher, cf
South Audley-street.
For the Sheep and Pigs—Mr. Thomas Chapman, graziei,
of Drayton, Warwickshire ; Mr. John Ellis, grazier, of Exeat,
near East.bourn, Sussex; and Mr. William. Featherstone, laic
butchat, of Clarendon:place, Ellgryare-road.__