The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-04-23


The Government Navigation Bill has UNI
dergone very material change since our
last. In order that our readers may unler-
stand clearly the exact position Of this i'm
portant measure, we may Here repeat that
the principle Of the Government plan for
removing, with the least Inconvenience, the
present anomalies and restrictions on British
shipping, was based upon reserved right
"to retaliate' upon those foreign nations,
which, after the bill was in operation, re-
fused to concede those advantages to our
trade which we freely accorded to them -
Mr. Gladstone, disappearing Of this reserved
right Of retaliation, which he thought would
involve our Government in perpetual dis
putes with foreign nations, had pet scheme
OF his own to effect the object which the free
traders sought to accomplish, and the right
honorable gentleman has now prorounded
his views. He proposed to divide the. law
into two branches; the one to apply TO our
foreign trade, aud the other to embrace our
colonial and coasting trade; and to make our
bargain with foreign countries conditional"
upoa their granting equivalent advantages to
our own. Mr.. Bouvere had third plan to
secure reciprocity in way which nearly all
parties deemed impraeticable namely, by
our restrictions being only removed afier a
declaration that the British trade was exempt
from similar restrictions in any foreign coun-
try. The "most favored nation" clause rem
dered this impossible, and only Is members
supported Mr. Bouvere's amendment,
whilst 1872 voted for its rejection. We,
therefore, dismiss his plan from further con-
sideration; and it will be seen that, after all,
the pinch Of the question was, what and
how much we should give up to the Ameri-
cans to induce them to make corresponding
concessions II was frankly avowed that il
they would "give up alb" namely, their
coasting trade even, in return for our colo
NAL, and intercolonial, and coasting trade to-
gether, that in the end we should not be
losers. But Mr.. Gladstone and the free
traders have found that they were too san
guine The last arrival from the u. States
shows that the Americans are quite averse to
the project Of giving up their coasting trade
precisely as we have all along minated inthe
European Times. They ask us to give up
the long voyage, for which they will give
us in return the right Of sending European
and Asatic produce in British ships to the
United States from our shores; but what
they propose to give us in return for our CO.
lonlal trade does not appear 1t is easy to
anticipate the consequence Of the refusal OF
the cabinet Of Washington to ratiiy the pro-
mise held out to US last year by Mr.. Ba:-
croft, " il you will do all we will do all, y
which we, at the hazard Of giving umbrage
to many of our readers, stated distinctly
would not be sanctioned by Congress. The
idea Of opening the coasting trade Of the
United States and the British islands to each
nation respectively, must, therefore, be
abandoned for the present MIR. Labou-
chere, under the plea that the difficulties to
which we alluded in our last number-re-
speeding carrying duty-paid tobacco, coast
wise for instance--are found to be insupera-
Bile in practice, has Withdrawn the whole Of
the clauses having reference to the coasting
trade; and the. Navigation Bill now stands
in much the same position as it did last year
as respects its actual provisions, but with a
| reduced majority in its favor in the House Of
Commons. Whether Mr. Gladstone has
been Influenced BY the reported refusal Of
the Americans to yield up their coasting
trade, which at once demoishes his con-
ditional'' scheme, or whether he finds it
otherwise impracticable, and likely to en-
| barrass the Government if pressed upon the
| Commons, certain it is that he has with
| drawn his proposition, and, as might have
been expected, the Protectionist party have
| loudly ridiculed the signal failure Of both
| the Government and the " conditional
plans SO far as they have been relinquished.
The bill has gone through the committee,
and the third reading is fixed for an early
day after the Easter recess. Another strug-
gle will then take place The Peelites, il
there is such party, or, at any rate, that
body which Mr.. Gladstone represents on
this question, are now in unison with the
Government; but the Protectionists will
muster their whole strength upon the next
division and if they increase or even main
tain their large minority, the ultimate fate
Of the measure in the Upper House may be
easily coniectured, when il is remembered
that the opinion Of the LoIds has been al
ready expressed against the proposed altera-
tons. Whether the Lords will attempt t.
modify and improve the bill, or whether
they will throw It out altogether, viii, aswe
have already said, depend upon the issue o
the final contest in the House Of Commons
Irish Anairs.
No one can reproach the British Parlia'
ment for inaitention to the state oil Ireland
Three -fourths Of the time Of the House o
/ Commons during the present session hay'
been devoted to Irish affairs, and the las
week has produced from Sir Robert Pee
and other m embers some Of the best speech
es ever made upon the great problem Of re
generating that unhappy country. Mr.
Bright, by mo- means favorlte IN the Hous
of Commons, has also delivered masterl,
/ al a.I.,irnd n,.atinn. but with all this com