The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-03-11
Correspondence of the New York Mirror.l
InNnoN Eehruarv N

We have been indebted to your minister MIR Ban
Croft Tor one OF the most remarkable professions which
have witnessed since first came to London now some
fifteen years. 1t will hardly be necessary to inform you
that the American minister addressed letter TO Lord
Palmerson last November, inquiring If her Maesty's
government had design OF removing the existing re-
stricuons on international commerce, and informing him
that he Mr BancofD was prepared on the part OF the
United States "to propose that British ships may trade
States, and be received, protected and in respect to
charges and duties treated like American ships, if, recp
rocay, American ships may in like manner trade from
port in the world to any port under the dominion OF
her Britannia majesty"
The answer from the foreign secretary encour-
aging to the hope that the British government was
ure; and upon the correspondence being made pub
lie, the ship-owners society, and the shipping mer
chants generally, took fright and began TO talk about
their rights, foreign competition, cheap SHIPS ill-pad
and halt-ed seamen, and thousand other absurdes,
until Threadneedle street in ferment, and Tower
Hill and The Commercial Road in commotion. The
sailors always ready for row. and not particu-
larry nqulsltve INTO the merits OF question when il
affords reasonable excuse for "shndy" and an extra
glass OF grog few shippers, with Captain Smith,
of the royal navy, succeeded in creating impression
among the "tarry breeks" that the repeal of the
cation laws would be the ruin of them and de-
crease of wages and rtons They resolved to get up
grand procession in the city, and march to the Office of
the Home Secretary, and demonstrate with that official
parsonage on the proposed enoy of giving freedom TO
trade and allowing merchants to send their freight by
whatever ships would carry 1t at the cheapest rates.
The gentlemen who instgated this very sensible
ment and who seemed to think that her Maestys min
listers would be very much impressed by powerful
argument against Tree trade procession of ignorant
seamen, the majority of whom could neither read nor
| write, applied to the Lord Mayor for permission to
march through London on their way TO Westminster
but his worship had the prudence to refuse the request
The sailors then determined to 60 by water, and great
preparations made for grand aquatic procession
and it having been bruted about that some twenty, thir.
y forty and even fifty thousand seamen, would proceed
up the Thames on Wednesday, to demonstrate with Sir
George Grey, there was an immense gathering OF Gu
riosy hunters on the wharves and bridges to this
imposing show. Sir George Grey had been applied to,
to know if he would receive the depuaton, but treated
the application in very cool manner ntimatng that he
Ne hep
attending to his duties in Parliament at the time OF their
arrival
At daybreak on Wednesday morning. nearly all the
shipping in the docks and the pool were gayly dressed
with flags and steamers of all kinds and, observed,
that OF the American ships in ST. Catharines
dock also displayed their striped bunting not knowing
that the river had not presented so gay scene before,
since the coronation of George the Fourth But the pro-
cession much smaller than anticipated; it
sisted of three small steamers containing about thou
sand twelve hundred men, and ninetytwo small row.
boats, in which were about five hundred sailors.
The procession arrived at Westminster at about
marched up Bridge street to Parliament street. and pro-
ceeded to Whitehall, preceded by band of music play
ing Rule Britannia, Hearts of Oak and other popular ma
val airs great number of the seamen dropped into the
beer houses the procession moved along and when it
reached the Home Office. it did not much exceed 200
men, They were a looking set of fellows, who
seemed to be thinking good deal more about lark than
the object of their visit to Sir George Grey Every
wore blue rband round his hat, and another round his
left arm which was printed in gold "Navga-
ton Laws" The deputaton CHANGED to find Sir George at
his office, and they introduced to him by the
Der of Parliament for Shields. The memorial of the
mons,rants received by the Secretary who promised
to lay it before her Majesy and the affair ended But
this trust, will not be the end of the attempt to
the oppressive restrictions which interfere with the inter
communication of commercial nations 1t is little re-
markable-or rather is not remarkablethat precisely
the urged here against the removal Of
the American papers-namely, the danger to our com
merce of being undebid by the lled and llpad sailors
of other nations
should hardly have devoted SO large space in my
short letter to affair which purely local in its in
huences had not the agitation of the subject of repeating
the navigation laws been owing to the action of your
own government.