The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-08-16 00:00:00

sures for the relief of the shipping interes
which he briefly explained to the house
moving that the Pilotage Bill b

and concluded by

cad a second time

The Earl of HARDWICKR regretted that these important
bills should have been brought before them at so late a
period of the session, when it was almost hopeless to secure
a discussion upon their merits. It was, no doubt, right
and proper that those who had suffered by the legislation
of that house should receive such relief as could be given
them ; and it was clearly their duty to alleviate the evils
of which the shipping interest had complained. With
regard to the Pilotage Bill, he felt himself called upon to
represent to their lordships the serious injury that it would
inflict on the port of Liverpool. The Mersey was exceed-
ingly difficult to navigate, from the shifting nature of the
sand in the river, and no one but a pilot resident on the
spot, and well acquainted with the locality, could be aware
of the changes that took place or the variations created in
the channel. The bill, by permitting all vessels to be
navigated by their own masters, who were ignorant of the
peculiarities of the river, would endanger the stranding of
numerous vessels ; and therefore he hoped, if the bill was
not modified in other respects, that Liverpool would be
exempted from its operation.—The Earl of HARROWBY
objected to the great powers given by the bill to the Board
of Trade, and pointed out the evil that would result from
overruling the local authorities in the licensing and em-
ployment of pilots. He also represented the injurious
effect which the bill would have on the navigation of the
Mersey.—The bill was then read a second time.
MERCHANT SHIPPING BILL.

On the order of the day being read for going into com-
mittee on this bill, Lord COLCHESTER complained of the 13th
clause, which repealed the provision of the 12th of Victoria
restricting the number of foreign seamen in British ships,
and expressed his alarm at the serious consequences to which
it might lead, both as regarded the maritime strength of the
country and the national security.—After a few words
from the Earl of Waldegrave, the Earl of HARDWICKE
said, that her Majesty's late Government had contemplated
a measure which would have enabled the mercantile ma-
rine to compete freely with all the world, and to man their
ships without restriction. In such a measure as that he
was perfectly prepared to agree, but he had never contem-
plated for a moment including the coasting trade in that
provision. If the principles of free trade were to be car-
ried out in this manner, the result would be that we should
very soon be obliged to iNep up a, standing navy.—The Earl
of ELLENBOROUGH shared in all the apprehensions which
had been expressed as to the effect of the nnlimited ad-
mission of foreign seamen into the ...coasting trade. He
solemnly assured their lordships that he had viewed no
measure within his memory with such deep apprehension
as the present bill.—The bill then passed through com-
mittee.—Lord COLCHESTEM moved the omission of clause
31.—The committee divided ; the numbers were : For the
clause, 18; against it, 5 ; majority 13.—The remaining
clauses were then agreed to.—The Government of India
Bill was read a third time and passed.—Several other bills
were advanced a stage, and their lordships adjourned at
two o'clock.