Star.
London, England, 1826-09-14 00:00:00

commercial marine of America, by giving to it privi-
leges greater than are permitted to the shipping of
other States :—States less jealous of our marine in ascend-
ancy time of war, and, at all times, confining their
views upon the ocean to the industrious° employment
of their sea faring people, without looking to the ulte
nor object of, one day, disputing with us the dominion
of that ocean:

Considering, therefore, the Act of 1821, and the
changes which had taken place in the colonial system
of other Powers, it appeared to me, that the time was
arrived when, upon every sound principle, it would be
right to extend, to the foreign shipping of Europe, the
same privilege of trading with our Colonies in the New
World, which had been granted to the shipping of
America ; and also to give a greater facility, and exten-
sion, to the intercourse between foreign countries and
our Colonies generally ;—strictly confining, however.
to British shipping only ail. trade between this country
and the Colonies, and all inter-colonial t ade between
the different foreign possessions of the British empire.
Whether we look to the interests of our commerce,
which are also the interests of our navigation;—whe-
ther we look to the separate interests of the colonies, or
to the general interests of the 'went country ;—or
whether we consider the changes which have recently
taken place especially in the New World ;—all these
considerations appear to me to concur in support of the
measures to which I have referred, and the enlarged
views of policy, upon which they are founded.
Shipping, like other branches of business in this
country, is liable to A•rctuation. There may be great
excitement at one period, and great depression at an-
other. Last year, for instance, the demand far exceeded
the means of the British Ship-owners to supply it. The
price of freight for foreign adventures was, in conse-
quence, so much raised as to become a very serious in-
jury and interruption to other branches of navigation,
more especially to our coasting trade. Yet, such was
the unbridled rage for speculation which then prevailed,
that our tonnage could not keep pace with it, and
foreign vessels were taken up in every port of Europe,
not from a preference, but because British ships could
not be procured. This is not the proper occasion to in-
quire into the origin of the almost universal mania,
which appears to have seized upon merchants and ma-
nufactures, not of this country only, but, more or less,
upon these of other countries, during the last year. It
is now too generally seen and admitted, even by thbse
who were ntest infected by that mania, that their spe-
cUlations were carried on without reference to the, habi-
tual scale of our consumption, or to the rapid accumu-
lation of goods, or to any of those circumstances which,
in their calmer mOments, direct the operations of com-
mercial men. When prices Lad risen, in the first in.
stance, from natural causes perhaps, speculation soon
forced a further and more rapid rise, and the only
inference, for a time, among buyers, seems to have
been, that it would continue progressive, and almost
indefinite.

Connecting this rage for speculation with the em.
ployment of Shipping, the House will. be surprised to
hear in what a degree the quantity of bulky articles
from foreign countries, and from oar possessions in
North America, in the last year, exceeded the importa •
tions of former years. In the year 1822, the total im-
portation of timber from foreign countries was 140,715
loads—in 182.5, it mows* to not less than 301,548.
Cwts.
Of fax . . 111'1822 . . 607,143
Do. . . . in 1895 . . 1,042,956
Of talbw . . in 1822 . . 805,958
Do. . . in 1825 . . 1,164,029
Lbs.
Of wool . . In 1822 . . 19,048,879
Do. . . . In 1825 . . 43,708,553
Bushels.
Of linseed . in 1822 . . 1,411,137
Do. . . . in 1325 . . 2,876,571
From British America. Loads.
• Of timber ' in 11122 . . 345,741
Do.

Cwts.
•
Ashes
Do.
Masts from all parts of the world, under Nuinber.
twelve inches in diameter . in 1622 . . 14,464
Do. . . .
Above twelve inches in diameter Loads..
In 1822 . . 4,577
in 1825 . • 8,698
The result of all this overtrading of last year, of
which I have selected only a few instances, is the depres-
sion which now prevails, the interruption of colonic' cial
credit, the great diminution of employment for manu
facturing labour in this country, and the getieral de-
rangement of business in the countries a ith which our
principal interchange of commodities is carried on. I
deplore this state of things, not the less, certainly, be-
cause it is not confined to this country: and in alluding
to the sufferings of others, I do so, not as a source of
consolation to ourselves, but as evidence, that this de-
rangement is to be traced to some cause of mere eaten•
sive effect than the municipal regulations of this country.
It would be matter of surprise if, amidst this almost
universal stagnation of demand, the shipping interest,
which had fully participated in the extraordinary acti-
vity of the preceding. period, should not partake of the
langour by which it is now succeeded. In looking dis-
passionately at this or any other of the leading interests
of this country, we must not draw our conclusions from
extreme cases either way. We must also recollect that
shipping, in common with every ether mode of em•
ploying c§pital and industry, when it seeks a foreign
mu ket, i liable to be effected by a competition with
other countries, and by acts of foreign states, over which
we can have no controul. As far as exclusion is within
our reach,—in the Coasting trade,—in the Fisheries,—in
the trade between this country and our foreign pos.
sessions,—we grant a strict monopoly to the British
Shipowner. It is our duty to maintain and enforce that
monopoly, not for his special advantage, but for the
public interest. It is further our duty to give him every
legitimate countenance and protection in the trade-of
this country with other maritime countries ; but if
any branch of that trade is interfered with, either by
new regulations in those countries, or by the erection of
territories, once colonies, into an independent statek
however we may regret the circumstances, as affecting
our ancient navigation system, it may not be in our
power to overrule those circumstances.
In such a state of things, our policy must be, retain-

mg the important principles of that system as much as
possible, to adapt it to the change in our situation, and
to the altered relation in which we stand to the patties
with which we have to deal.

The first effect of inch inevitable changes, either in
navigation or trade, is, usually, more or less, to derange
theinterests, upon which they, immediately bear; but
the temporary difficulty is generally overcome by the
speedy opening of fresh channels of employment, and
is soon merged in the increased enterprise which attracts
capital and shipping to some other quarter. This was
the case after the separation of the British Colonies in
North America ; and I hope for a similar issue on the
present occasion.

We are all agreed that our commercial marine is the
foundation of our naval power, and that the maintenance
of that power is the paramount duty of those who ad-
minister the affairs of this country. In an inquiry like
this, therefore, the most important Question for the con-
sideration of the House is, not the detail of each separate
branch of trade in which our commercial marine was
employed in any particular year, but its aggregate
amount at this time, compared with the aggregate
amount at some antecedent period.'
Now, Sir, I have already stated what that amount
was at the breaking out of the last war in 1793, and
what it is at the present time. The comparison; taken by
itself, certainly affords no ground for despondency or
alarm. But, in making this comparison, in reference
to our military marine, we are also to bear in mind, that
in 1793, both the military and commercial marine of
France and Spain were much more numerous than they
are at present. . The navy of Spain, once so powerful,
has dwindled almost to nothing : her merchant ships
have nearly disappeared from the ocean. The navy
of France is less numerous and less formidable than,it
was at the breaking out of the kevolution, and her com-
mercial shipping, though reviving since the peace, is
probaby, at this moment, not more than one half of its
amount in 1792. On the other hand, whether we look
to the number of ships of war, to the means of manning
those ships, to the general spirit which pervades every
branch of the service, or to any other element of naval
potter, what a contrast between our situation at the close
of the last and of the American war! Can we forget
the period when the combined fleet of the House of
Bourbon was master of the British Channel—when a
West India convoy was obliged to assemble at Leith.
and go north about, in order to escape capture by an
enemy's fleet, within sight of our principal seaports ?
Can we forget when Gibraltar, blockaded by the united
naval forces of those same powers, was relieved, as it
were, by stealth? when it was considered matter of just
praise to the highly distinguished Officer who command-
ed the British Beet, on that trying occasion, that in per-
forming this service, he was able to elude the vigilance
of a superior enemy, and to return to England, without
having risked a combat ?
These are among the recollections which belong to
the American war. How different from those which
connect themselves with the war by which it was suc-
ceeded That our sway on every part of the ocean was
undisputed by the naval power, not of France and Spain
only, but of all Europe, before the close of the last war,
is matter of notoriety. In fact the British navy was then
occupied in the blockade of every naval arsenal of its
enemies; and this, for the last years of the war, formed
its ptincipal employment in Europe.
When we began that w.f., in the course of which we
achieved 54 many victories. our commercial marine was
three-fifths of its present amount. Our seamen in the
King's navy, 16,000, instead of 30,000, their present
number. We had then no reserve of veteran seamen,
receiving for former services an annual allowance from
the State. We have now such a reserve, amounting to
many thousands, all of whom are liable, upon an emer-
gency, to be called upon by the Admiralty, and of
whom a large proportion would, I have no doubt, be
found as efficient as before their discharge. Our ships.
likewise, are in a more complete state, and better pre-
pared with all the means of speedy equipment, than at
any former period of peace. •
Never, I will venture to affirm, was there a time when
the country might rest with greater confidence and
satisfaction on the sufficiency of its naval resources than
.t the present.
But we are told, and I am ready to admit it, that if
the naval resources of France and Spain have declined,
a new and formidable power has grown up in the United
States of America. I have already stated, that the ma-
ritime means of that country had, from peculiar circum-
stances, been considerably benefited during the late war.
which lasted so long, and spread so generally through
Europe. But, if the commercial marine of the United
States increased, during that period, our own advanced
in a greater amount. Since the restoration of a general
peace, the Shipping of both countries has rather de-
creased. The diminution in that of the United States
has been stated at 168,000 tons, which I believe to be
fully equal to any diminution drat has occurred in this
country. lam warranted, therefore, in concluding
that, upon a comparison of our commercial marine, with
the commercial marine of other powers, we have no
reason to apprehend any of the difficulties now which
the Petitioners predict, and that our naval means are
fully adequate to any possible emergency which may
compel us to call them into exertion.
lf, Sir, I have trespassed too long upon She time of
the House, my apology, 1 trust, will be found in the
vital importance of the subject.
The severe distress under which the country now
labour; is attributed, in some quarters, to the changes
which have recently taken place in our Navigation
Systlm, and in our Commercial Policy.
If any Hon. Members entertain that opinion, all that
I ask of them is to come forward, and point out dia.
tinctly to the House the specific changes to which they
'ascribe these consequences. It is for them to show,, if
they can, by evidence, er by argument, the connexion
of cause and effect between those changes and the dif-
ficulties in which the country is now, unhappily, in-
volved. Let them give a notice, and appoint a day for
that purpose. This would be the manly course to pur-
sue;—it was the course taken by the Hon. Member for
Coventry*. on the question of the Trade in Foreign
Silks. For having taken this course I return him my
sincere acknowledgments. To follow his example is
the only favour I ark of those who heap abuse upon