Star.
London, England, 1826-09-13 00:00:00

NAVIGATION LAWS.

SPEECH OF THE RIGHT HOW. W. HUSLISSON IN THE
HOUSE OF C •MMONS, FRIDAY, THE 12TH 01 MAY,
1826, ON THE PRESENT STATE OE THE SHIPPING
nincitypr.

:rave
from our last.)
From what I aave now read, the House will at once
understand the nature of the measures adopted by the
Prussian Government, in the year 1822, and the motives
which influenced then! in that proceeding. What was
the consequence of these measures? Why, that; in the
next year, 1828, the Board of Trade, and other depart-
ments of the Government, were assailed with represen-
tations from all quarters, connected with .theshissping
and trade of the country, against the heavy charges
imposed upon British ships io the ports of• Prussia. .In
such circumstances, what comae did his Majest,y's"Go-
vernment take? We felt it to be our duty, in Me first
instance, to communicate with the Prussian Minister=s
this country; and our Minister at 11.alin. was, I believe,
'also directed to confer with the Prussian Government
on the subject. I myself had a conference wiih the,
Prussian Minister at this court, and I well recollect the
substance of his reply to me—" You have," he said,
" set us the example, by your port and light charges,
and your discriminating duties on Prussian ships ; and
we have not gone beyond the limits of that example,
Hitherto, we have confined the increase of our port
and tonnage charges to ships only ; but it is the inten-
tion of my Government next year (and of this he chewed
me the written proof) to imitate you still more closely,
by imposing discriminating duties on the goods im-
ported in your ships. Our object is a just protection to
our own navigation; and so long as the measure of our
protection does not exceed that which is afforded in
your ports to British ships, we cannot see with what
reason you can complain."
Against such a reply, what remonstrance could we,
in fairness, make to the Prussian Government ? We
might have addressed ourselves, it may be said by
some, to the friendly feelings of that Government; we
might have pleaded long usage in support of our dis-
criminating duties; we might have urged the advan-
tages which Prussia derived from her trade with Eng-
land. Appeals like these were not forgotten in the
discussion, but they were of little avail against the fact
itated by Mr. Consul Gibson—that le the-Pruseina ship-
owners were all going to ruin."-
By others it may be said, " your duty was to reta-
liate, by increasing your own port-charges, and discri-
minating duties, on Prussian shipping.", I have already
stated generally my reasons against the policy of, this
latter course. We were not prepared to begin a system
of commercial hostility, which, if followed up on both
sides to its legitimate consequences, would only tend to
reciprocal prohibition. In this state of things, more
prudently, as I contend, we entered upon an amicable
negotiation with the Prussian Goveriiiiient; upon the
principle of our treaty with the United Stites—that of
abolishing, on both sides, all discriminating duties on
the ships and goods of the respective countries in the
ports of the other.
Having concluded an arrangement with Prussia upon
this-basis, we soon found it necessary to do the same
with some other of the Northern States. Similar con-
ventions were accordingly entered into with Denmark
and Sweden. Reciprocity is the foundation of all
those conventions; but it is only fair to add, that
they contain other stipulations for giving facility to
trade, and from which the commerce of this country,
I am confident, will, in the result, derive considerable
advantage.
When his Majesty's Government had successively
made the concession of these. discriminating duties to
the United States, to Prussia, to Denmark, and to
Sweden, I should have been ashamed of the Councils
of this country if we had hesitated to enter into a similar
agreement with the free Hanseatic towns of Hamburgh,
Bremen, and Lubeck. These little states, I admit, had
imposed no discriminating duties upon our ships, though
they had the power to do so. But would it have been
worthy of the character of this great country, consistent
with its justice, or honourable to its generosity, to con-
tinue to levy, upon the trade and shipping of these ports,
duties which were no longer paid by the subjects of
more powerful states—to have made their lorbearance
the plea for our exaction, or to have waited to do an act
of justice until they had deprived us of that plea ?
In our treatment of these free towns, this country
ought not altogether to forget that, amidst the barba-
rous ignorance, and habitual violence, of the feudal ages,
those little Republics were the refuge of commerce, and
the nurseries of civilization. They were the sanctuaries
in which the arts and pursuits, most conducive to the
enjoyments and improvement of mankind, were re-
spected, amidst the scenes of bloodshed, rapine, and
insecurity, by which they were too often surrounded.
With these recollections I shall, perhaps, be excuses! if
I e;press my regret, that several of the little trading
communities on the Continent have ceased to be free
and independent. In point of policy, it has always
appeared to me that the incorporation of these com-
munities, with the military monarchies of the Con.
tinent, was not the most satisfactory part of the late
settlement of Europe. This incorporation was, pro.
bably, more the inevitable consequence of the general
derangement of the war, than the legitimate result of
the principles which prevailed at the restoration of
peace. Were I disposed to illustrate the inconve-
nience of that incorporation, in reference to the present
subject, I might, not inopportunely, refer to Dantzic.-...
Ifoostead of passing under the dominion of an abso-
lute monarchy, that town , (formerly. I believe, one of
the. Hanseatic League) had continued tree like Ham.
burgh, and. had the liovernthent of Prussia then said.
‘‘ You shall not trade with us, exeepfon such and such
c mditions"—our aniWer "bight have been 0 the com-
modities which we want from your country we cad pro.
cure at allltZie, where no such conditions are imposed
on British ships."