Star.
London, England, 1827-05-08 00:00:00

pear d that there Wis a considerable falling off in Bel;
nab shipping in the last year, especially in the trade with
the south. He thought that he had already stated
sufficient grounds for an inquiry being set on foot ;
and if a Committee were appointed, he should be pre-
pared to off r evidence, not only of what he had then ad-
vance-1, but upon a great many other equally important
facts. If foreigners could navigate their vessels, as they
certainly could, at 40 per cent. cheaper than the Eng-
ti.h, and could build thee* for half the money, the Bri.
Oh trade most be sacrificed when brought into compe-
tition with persons who possessed such advantages. The
result had already been felt. The shipping interest of
thiscountry had been materially injured. There had'
or only been a material falling off in this department,
but he could shew that the trade was now being carried
on at a loss. The shipowners did not meet with a
greater return than 5 per cent. and when it was con-
sidered of how perishable a nature their property was,
it would be easily seen that a return of five.per cent. was
by no means a profit. He wished that the bock of the
register, which, though it could not perhaps be laid be-
fore that House, might be produced in a Committee,
had been investigated, because he thought that a great
deal of light would be thrown upon the extent of the dis-
tress which at present prevailed among the shipowners
of this country. He thought, that by an investigation
of that book, it would be found that that distress was
much greater than was generally believed. It might
be said, " Look at the number of ships employed ;
look at the comparative statement of the numbers of
British and foreign ships cleared out, which has been
made up to the sth of January, 1827 ;"—but he begged
leave to say, that that return was by no means a fair
one. He could net possibly conceive why any com-
parative statement at British and foreign vessels should
have b en made, when it was well knowp that no fo-
reign ships could be cleared out to the Colonies. If the
lei= were 'divested of this compare on, he thought
that, instead of the amount stated, the British ships
cleared out would trot be found to amount to more
than 800,000 tons. He confessed himself utterly un-
able to comprehend. that comparative statement which
had been laid upon the table, and the reason of the
statement having been so 'drawn up was as inexpli-
cible to him as the mode by which ai?bther ingenious
person proceeded to find out the half of any thing,
which he did by first doubling the actual amount,
and then divide it by two—(A laugh.)—lt had
been attempted, to be proved, that the great increase of
shipping within the few last years was a proof of the
flourishing condition of the shipping interest. This
was an assumption, however, which was not warranted
by fact ; because if• there had been an excess of ship-
building, there must also be an excess of tonnage, and
be thought, horn what he had already shown, that
such was not the fact. It was lamentable to consider
the distressed state of the shipping interest, and the
lamentable falling off, in point of. valuetof the shipping
now itf dock, both in Liverpool and elsewhere. It was
rl fact, for whiCh be could vouch, because he . bad it
from the best possible source; that in thrill:at of Li-
verpool, vessels, the building of which originally cost
14,0004 were _sold a • short time ago for 60001.
It was urged by the supporters of the system upheld
by the Right Hon. Gentleman, that if 'the Corn Bill
should pasa into a law, it would give employment to a
great deal of the shipping which was now disengaged.
He for one sincerely hoped that the Corn Bill would
sever be carried, because he
.was opposed to the .111eA•
sure from Principle.' lint ifeven.if should be carried, •
tt.e anticipations of the Right Hon.-Gentleman and
his friends would be found totally to fail; for he was
convinced that the passing of that measure would not
give employment to more thin 5,000 tons of British
shipping. Foreign shipping *ould always have the
preference. In every dock yard in the kingdom numbers
of unemployed *hips would be found, which, but lot the
present crate of things, would be busily engaged in
traffic. The falling tfr in the number of sailors was in
proportion to the amount of unemployed shipping. By a
calculation which had been made, and the result of
which was now before him, it appeared that there were
seedy 12,000 sailors less in the present year than in
the year 1816. • The ships were still in existence, but
the energies of their owner.. were paralyzed. It ap-
peared that nearly one-third of the ships which were
built for the British merchant service were built in
Canada. Now he (General Gascoyne) could see no
advantage to this country from the transfer which had
thus taken place. It appeared that in the year 1625,
536 ships were built in the British plantations. In the
year 1626 there were nearly 400 vessels built in the
British plantations. Now, what was the number built
in England during those years? In 1825, 443 ships
were built in England ; and in 1826, only 415 ships
were built; making a falling off in that short space of
time of 28 ships. He could not but regard with jea-
lousy the transfer to the Colonies of our trade in ship-
building, and he objected to it principally because the
price of Col real produce was thereby enhanced.—
The Gallant General entered into a calculation re-
specting the amount cf tonnage inwards for the
last three years, by which, he said, it appeared that
the average of foreign tonnage employed in con
',eying merchandise to this country, amounted to 61 per
tent. more than the average of 13. irish tonnage employed
dining the same period. It was impossible, he con-
trived, considering the subject in every view, and in
all its bearings, that his Right Hon. Friend would at-
tempt to resist that inquiry which was the object of the
present motion, and to which the shipping interest
looked forward with so lunch antiety—that interest, so
great a proportion of which belonged to that populous
and important place which his Right Hon. Friend
represented in conjunction with himself. There was
a material distinction between merchants and ship-
owners. Merchants were generally partly shipowners,
but the shipping interest was divided between a class of
men who wet e deeply, he would almost say exclusively,
interested in the shipping question. It was quite true,
as his Right Hon. Colleague had :asserted, that
several of the merchants of Liverpool who were ship-
owners supported the project of Government ;* but'
le (General Crascoyi.e) denied that the shipping in-
rtt as a body had ever expressed a favourable opinion
o the changes introduced by his Right Hon. Friend.
_t
was impossible, he contended, that one night's de-
bate would be sufficient to satisfy the shipping interest
Ibd the country at large with respect to the all-im-
Mout question which the House was now called upon
_t,iodiscuss. If his motion should be lost, would it satisfy
t in:erest whose welfare and prosperity were so
ciftlt connected with it ? The wealth, safety, and
ints.
.—Ptbdence of this country depended on the state of
the +Lipping. His Right Honourable Colleague might
attest
pt to " masticate" the figures of the shippins teturns---(A laugh).—He meant mystificate, for he was
"'ii *ware that hi, Right lion. Friend and Colleague,