The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-28 00:00:00

MERCHANT SERVICE.

Captain FITZROY rose to move for leave to bring
in a Bill to require and regulate the exami-
nation of all persons who wished to become
masters or chief masters of merchant vessels.
The Honourable Gentleman said he would ask
the House in the first place what was the present con-
dition of our mercantile marine ? Since the peace
our merchant vessels had increased exceedingly in
number. . The-cessation of war had been followed by
the spread of our shipping .over every part of
the globe. During the war the merchant ves-
sels of this country sailed in oonvoys, or in com-
benies of two or three. At present they found them
bearing singly to every quarter of the Flobc, and it
became additionally necessary to ascertain the quali-
fications of the commanders. The East India Com-
pany's marine was the last mercantile establishment
in which an examination 'of officers was insisted upon,
In our immense mercantile marine, numbering up-
wards of 20,000 vessels, of about 50 tons burthen,
there was lib • examination .of any • kind, with
romped to the • qualification of officers, and how-
ever able and trustworthy the majority of
Commanders might 'be there were too many.
instances in which the indignation of Englishmtn was
roused at the conduct of those who were intrusted
with the command of vessels. He hoped
that in a future session the attention of the
Government would .be directed to the subject.
His present object was to introduce a measure
which had been prepared by a great number of
practical and experienced persons connected with the
shipping interests. He would remind tee House that
One. of. the most marked recommendations in :the
Report of the Committee which had sat hi
1836, for -the 'purpose of investigating the causes
of • shipwreck, - was the recommendation the
Boards should be constituted, for the examination of
officers in the merchant service. It might be thought
perhaps by smile that it' was sufficient, if the ship-
owner or merchant himself was satisfied with the
commander's
,capacity, but let the House bear hi
mind, that passengers • who went out in ships
and the• country generally were interested in the
capabilities and qualifirations of captains of vessels.
The length of a passage depended almost en-
tirely upon the judgment, skill in navigation,
and practical seamanship of the captain, and from the
time the vessel loft the shores of our country
until . • its arrival in a foreign port, the
lives of all on board were in his Iraids.
He once met a ship in the Pacific Ocean, which was
six or seven degrees out of her longitude, and upon
his asking the Captain how it was, he replied, " why,
.
Sir, 'we do not come here to navigates we come here
to fish." What he would prOpose was, that Boards of
Examiners should be appointed in England, Scotland,
and Ireland, consisting of three, examiners each ; that
there should be a principle examiner; and tt Secretary.;
that that principle examiner should haVe the choice
of the executive management of the whole system,
that system to be approved by the Trinity HotiSe and
put under the contrOl of the Board of Trade. These
examiners to be all of them practical seamen, having
commanded ships in the merchant service ; a certain
number of years one of the three should have been in
the northern hemisphere, another employed in the
coasting, and the third have been thiplOybd iii 6thaiti.
vessels, This Was in order that they should
combine practical knowledge and experience.
The expenses to be defrayed by moderate
fees, and be paid by each officer examined upon re-
ceiving his certificate of qualification: The fee for a
master to be flir a certifitate entitling him td gO to
any part Of the World ; the master of a coasting vessel,
going short voyages, 21., and mates 30s. ; and the mates
of coasting vessels 1/. No one could complain of these
fees when they considered. that the pilots in the river
Thames paid three guihats for a less time, it being
three guineas annually, and in other parts *of the
kingdom they paid three and two guineas annually for
their license, therefore no one could 'complain of a
fee of three guineas fbr a lifetimes This Bill would
not apply to persons now in employment they
would only be required to ihrnish a certificate of exa-
mination, fin* which they would pay 10s. and mates ss.
ProvisiOn would be found in time Bill for meetinkf as
much as possible all the objections loved by practical
men on the subject, and he thought he might go so
far as to sto that , some who were averse to the
mum* hid; in tuntetinenee tit the
ttnittiltatitilis that had taken place, and the
plans proposed to meet the objections, they had
removed all their former opposition. They all felt it
was not a measure that should be dealt with by any
private indiuidual, but one that ought to be taken tip
by the Government. The lion. Member concluded
by asking leave to bring in the Bill to which he
had referred, not with a view to proceed with it
further in the present session;-but that it Might
be printed and ciretilated through the tenntry, in
ortiet that the objections entertained to it Might be
fully tobsicio•etb_ _ _ . .

Mk' A, NalittAN seconded
athe introduction of
the 13ill, but in doing so he begged to be untlergtood
-,v
not to pledge himself to the details of the Meattite:
Imi,aesAtiVeOUttiiidi tbarkoeugitisittftoortwisairodhs
hientowcoouilidsidsteartaetei.ohmnieisat:ottliptdie.
in tht Ootitte of the next session, when th
i itikt said it Ntiis deci,:,:aiteltffervid:rele
some measure the preknt should be passed
n jut 11. ti ihein; k
14; '
14i.ii.atint16(:ji:ntai i 1112 t bts
bft
ibl ir
uua considered o
ou tnottid
atedriehucl:
pursue;
de
;Was tile isea t e. Hblast enni4
tpjebt: .thbp`ght the rhiitse plreposed by the
he
therefore, most • cordially con-
cur in ,tti Atsitqj Orlfiss 11§h: Friers:.
T: ttuunttnio,,apimoved tit tofirse pro-
posed pursued by, the Ilon. 3lember.
(If, 110111 thetight would derive great be-
nefit from the experience of the Gallant Officer, and
he giaddi therefore, gire thp ineastire his support.
fit ter COCKEtitii said it itioidd 190 necessary to
go fully into the question, before giving any &vision
upon it. 1f the Bill was brought in, printed, circu-
lated; arid read by those interested in,.printed,
it, he should
haVe ho objection, but 6luittitl he quite prepared to
consider it, and; in another session, give his decision
upon it:
tiea4 eras the kill,
ELECTION COMPROMISES,
Air, ROEBUCK rose to move the resolutions of
width had giVeli notice on the previous day. He
Aid he should are been glad, if possible, to have
avoided having to aunts forward on this occasion ;
111.MOintely necessary, after the
course NA been taker', that. some steps should
be taken at the close of the Session. When he
'0:1: that
first stated in the'llouse • that he had heard certain
rutneurs respeeting einlain individual in that House.
The House believed those stutemcnts to be so extraor-
dintall so remarkable, and so important in their char-
acter, that it appointed a Comattee of inquiry to ascer-
tain whether they were well founded or not. The House
had further passed a Bill givii4 some extraordinary
powers to the Committee so appointed. He conceived
the House would not have taken that course unless it had
believed the inquiry ,vas an important one, and he felt
when they came to the close of the proceedings that
.he ought not to shrink from it necessary duty.
(LEFT SPE.II:INC.)

LONGEVITY.— burials at ILedbury Church,
during the year 1840, the ages of 20 amounted to 2,323 years,
averagng t-,0 and a fraction. The ages of 13 ttverag, d 92 years;
fpurteen, 75 1-sth; pad our, a woman, Was 97. W,orcesicr-
Aire Chronicle.