The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-10-05 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

liar Majesty has, we believe, visited Scotland twice since her
accession to the throne.
“ J. M." says, " I wish to have, in some contemporary history,
a faithful record of transactions unprejudiced by favourable
or unfavourable opinions." Does not our correspondent see
in a moment that, by asking for such evidence as this, he is
only furnishing another instance of the weak credulity of in-
fidelity. Our readers would smile to perceive the coolness
with which "J. M." avers that Paley, in his " Evidences,"
and Butler, in his "Analogy," "assume the truth of their
proposition before attempting to prove it" 1! We fear there
as not any likelihood of profit accruing from as argument
conducted with a gentleman who can make such a foolish
statement as this. Will our correspondent inform us how he
accounts, on his own principles, for the origin and preserva-
tion to this day of the Jews?
We are requested to state that the teetotal lecturers do not at-
tend to give addresses at the Custom House on Sundays after
five o'clock, and that, therefore, it could not have been at
one of their meetings that the gentleman was robbed on
Sunday night week, at half-past six o'clock.

The consequence of the receipt of these will in all
probability be, that stocks in the United States
will at once have been attracted to this country.
The steamer of the 19th ult. also took out advices
of full rates, which, however, declined immediately
after her sailing. In the next place, the low rates
of freight, quoted from New York to Liverpool at
ls. 3d. to is. 6d. per barrel, and from New Orleans
at 2s. per barrel for flour, are likely to attract ship-
ments, especially as before long we shall have the
new cotton crop coming forward, which will of
course increase the rates of freight. A further
consideration, which augurs in favour of large
shipments, is the rapidly-increasing rate of ex-
change in our favour, which promises shortly to
render sovereigns a profitable shipment to this
country. With the Mexican war unsettled, and
ample supplies of breadstuffs in America to pay
her European debts, it is infinitely more likely that
we shall have those stocks than gold. The packet
which sails to-day, and which will carry out advices
of declining markets and of a fully-realised good
harvest both in Great Britain and Europe, will
probably bring upon us the full tide of. American
superfluity. The shipper will be fortunate whose
stock arrives first.

A further guarantee of coming low prices of
grain is to be found in the general abundance of
the harvests throughout Europe. For some time
past, the depressing effect upon prices of the sup-
plies
poured into our ports from America has been
checked by the demand from France and other
European countries. These are henceforth to be
regarded as exporting countries, and their produce
is rapidly reaching our shores, if not to be con-
sumed here, at least to be paid for with British
money, and to be stored here until wanted. It
must he borne in mind, too, that the foreign ship-
owner fully understands at present that the privi-
lege granted him by the suspension of our Naviga-
tion Laws expires on the Ist of November; and
we may be perfectly assured that every cargo avail-
able up to that date will be seized with avidity for
transport to Great Britain.

A report will be found elsewhere of a meeting of
the Birkenhead Commissioners, convened to dis-
cuss the course to be adopted with respect to cer-
tain negociations pending for the disposal of the
dock works in Wallasey Pool, which, however, it
was adjudged could not be satisfactorily discussed
in the presence of the members of the press, who
were therefore directed to withdraw. The resolu-
tion come to—appointing a committee with certain
powers—is, consequently, all that we give. We
understand, however, that the parties in treaty for
the purchase of the works are the Liverpool Dock
Trust ; and that there is every probability of the
matter being ultimately arranged to the satisfaction
of all.

Several statements have been put forward by our
contemporaries about negotiations with this and
that railway company or body of capitalists, but
these, we apprehend, are merely inventions, in pro-
mulgating which the wish was no doubt father to
the thought. We do not believe that any other
party except the Dock Committee of Liverpool has
the slightest idea of purchasing the docks of Bir-
kenhead ; and we rejoice to see that the commis-
sioners of Birkenhead are taking the only common
sense course open to them by placing themselves
in treaty with that body, which we feel more and
more assured is the only one by whom the property
can be turned to good account for the interests of
the population on both sides of the water.

IT is now an all but proclaimed conclusion that
her Majesty's government will, in the ensuing
session of parliament, deal, in some way or other,
with the Navigation Laws. The shipping interest
like other industrial and commercial interests, is to
be denuded of the remnant of protection which it
has thus far retained; and the British shipwright,
and the British sailor are to be subjected to a
competition with the foreigner, similar to that
under which the home agriculturist is about to
sink. We shall be prepared to enter onr protest
and to combat against such a measure, when it
comes before us in a tangible shape. In the mean
time it is important to ascertain how far the ship-
ping interest, pending such a contest, is likely to
be restored to the position which it held twelve
months ago. At present it is well known that the
Navigation Laws are suspended. The commercial
marine of Great Britain is favoured with no pro-
tection. What is material to us now, is to enquire
whether, before the permanent fate of that im-
portant interest is decided, it is once more to be
recognized, as it has been by the first statesmen
of the present and of times gone by, that the
shipping interest, as contributing to provide one
of the main sinews of our country's strength,
thould be excepted from the tampering of experi-
mental political philosophy,—whether, in short,
the suspension of the Navigation Laws, for which
the temporary circumstances of the country af-
forded a pretext, is to be made a permanent mea-
sure, by the fiat of the Privy Council, the subse-
quent consent of the legislature being only asked
to acquit the government of the offence of antici-
pating its decision.
We think we are warranted in the feeling of un-
easiness, which we entertain upon the subject, by
the the course taken with respect to the suspension of
Corn Law,—a measure announced simultaneously
with the suspension of the Navigation Laws, and
the termination of which has since been extended
from the first of September to the first of March.
From straightforward men we should fear no imi-
tation of this course with respect to the shipping
interest. Whiggery, however, is proverbially mean
and tricky; and, to place the friends of that in-
terest on their guard against betrayal, we propose
to show that at the present moment there is not the
shadow of a ground for pursuing a similar course
towards the British Commercial Marine.

In proposing the suspension of the Corn and
Navigation Laws, on the 21st of January last, Lord
John Russell grounded his arguments in favour of
the necessity of the measure upon the failure of the
potato crop, and the increasing prices of bread-
stuffs. From the first week in August, when it
was 475. per quarter, wheat had gradually advanced
until in the first week in January it was at 645. ;
in the second week, at 665. 10d.; and on the 16th
of January it was at 705. 3d. His Lordship calcu-
lated upon a still further advance, in which calcu-
lation he was fully borne out; for we find that
prices, although checked for a time by importation,
continued to progress upwards, the average being
in the week ending March 17th, 745. id., from
which point it rose steadily until on the 29th May
it had realised 102 s. sd.
With such an emergency threatening the country,
it was doubtless most politic to offer every induce-
ment to immediate importations ; and hence the
suspension of the Navigation Laws was at the same
time proposed. In defence of such a course it was
urged by Lord John Russell that the rates of freight
from America were at that time greatly increased
by the demand for tonnage to transport troops and
munitions of war to Mexico. The rates from con-

tinental ports were also greatly enhanced. From
ports in the Danube we were paying 16s, 6d. to 17s.
per qr. for Corn, instead of the ordinary rate of los.
per qr. From Odessa we were paying 13s. to 13s.
6d., instead of the ordinary rate of Bs. From the
United States we were charged 12s. 6d. to 135. in-
stead of 55.; from the Baltic, had it been open,
we would have readily paid ss. to ss. 6d. instead of
35. 9d. to 4s. 6d. ; and our own coasting prices
were similarly advanced. For instance, we were
paying 3s. to 3s. 6d. from Cork to London, instead
of ls. to ls. 3d., which is about the ordinary rate.
The suspension of the Navigation Laws, thus
justified, was to extend to the first of November
next; and it may be fairly asked—what is the state
of affairs now, and how far will they justify Go-
vernment in the adoption of a similar course to that
pursued in the case of the temporarily suspended
Corn Laws ? In the first place the emergency of
famine has gone by. The average price of Wheat
in the last week in September, was 535, 6d. It
has since declined. We have a splendid harvest at
home, as well as throughout Europe ; and there is
at present every prospect of a glut, instead of a
scarcity in our Corn Markets. The reduction in
the rate of Freights, which has followed the sus-
pension of the Navigation Laws, is as signal as the
worst enemy of the Shipping Interest can desire ;
and the displacement of British by Foreign ship-
ping, in the conveyance of grain, has taken place
to the full extent anticipated. The reduction in
Freights has of course been large. Our last Ameri-
can advices reported the freight of Flour from New
York at ls. 6d. to is. 9d. per barrel; and rates
from the Continent are in rapid course of reduc-
tion. The most important fact to notice, however,
as bearing upon the question at issue, is the fact
that European vessels are, by the latitude which
we have given them, partial aki it is, being confined