Ship-Owners' Society.
The Times, 1824-01-28T00:00:00

Yesterday the annual dinner oiothis society took plawe at the Lon- don Tavern.I The cbmpahy which assemble4on the-oecasion was Idhly respectable, aud In nu mber exceedtd 30O. - At bh1f-past e12 o'clock, the Earl of Liverpool, tle President of the society took the chair near 'hiui sat the Riglht Hon. George Can inR the Right Hon. Vni. Huskisson, Messrs. Croker, N. P., B.Eilice, M. P.;. J. Wells, Il. P., A. Robertson, P. Adermen bridges and Thdmpson,. All. P., -Thomas lViL7 J.. P., G. Lyati, Esq., J. Baclde, Esq., and niany other gentlemen eminent in tbe commercial world. . The dnmner having been- disposed ofl and the doth removed, the Chairmian proposed the hcalth of the king, uhrcb was drunk with thiee times three. The" Duite of York, and the rest of the Royal Family;" " Lord Melville-and tbe Navy;" and " The Army," were likewise drunk with similar honours. The CsssKsttscai{ said, that he rose to propose a toast most inti- matelr connectedt wvith the object et' the rneignmlf " Pros- perity' to tbeShipp'gInterestof.te United tingdom," (Applause.) In looking at the comnpany befiore him, and consi4ering 'the great interests which were involved in nnd coituected wtfh the sodety which they were assembled to supprt, he coitld not avoid repeatinR what he a stated on former occasions--that the cduatry owev much to the shipping interest.- (Heir, hear.) At the period of the chuange from war to peace, uhen everY great interest labonredd nmore or less under difficulties, no interest had aufFeird more than the shipping interest of the U'nited -Xingdom. 'I'hat was the uniivoid- able result of cire-umnmsancea; but whilst he said that no i nterest snf- fered more than the shipping interest by flie transition from war to peace, he was also bound to add, what he knew to biethe faat.hat no interest had borne their sufferings so well. (Land applause.) It w. as gratifying to know that the shipping hiterest, like all the other great interests of the coutry, wtas now emerging from the dtfficaltieq under which they had for many years Iaboured; On former occasions he had said, and he would now repeat, that tO her maritime interest- and her navy, this country owed its safety and greatness among the other uations ot the world; and thathahat maritime interest and navy had been created and supporLed by thie attention which had been bestowed on thf interests of nari- garionl; for it was not true, that. before the interests of navigatioD received the support of Government and Parliamnent. the navy of thisr country, and consequently its safety, was what it had been siuce. It had been often contended, that commercial weslth and a milit3ry spirit Were incompatible; but the unioII of the navigation and ma- ritime interests in this country was a proof to the contrarv. The seamen who carried our commnerce. in time of peace, leusrned thereby to be our protectors in time of war. It was no disparagement to the other interests of the countrv, to 93y that they ivere all, in some de- gree, subordinate to those~ connected-writh the maritime interest. Such being his opinions, he felt no hesitation in deelaring, ihat the first of Britisn manufefactures was that of British ships, and that the cl.ass of the populatioti which was5 most wrtthy of support ti'es that of British seanmen. (Loud approbation.) '[he noble Lord then proposed the toast which he had nientiorted at the comlmencement of his speech, and it was dlrank with great applause. ilir. L1ALL .said, that he felt much honeured in baving been se- lected to propose the health of the noble'chaitman. The sentiments which tie noble Earl had that day uttered, as welt as the-hereditary predilection for naval afrairs whihl lie had heard the iaoble Lord avowv on a fonner occasion, fullv jtstifie(d bim- (Mr. Lyall) in the conriction which -he felt, that their chairman would at all times g,ive thatattention-and supporttotheshipping iaterest which its great national importance in every, respec entitled it to maintain. He prtuposed the health of the Xasrlof Liverpool. The toast having been drank with three times tbreei The CtAtrtAs4 said, that after what he had before addressed to the meeting little remained to say except to expressJ his most sincere- thanks for the honour which the company had done him, aud to as- sure them tha: lie felt it at the bottom of his heart. He might add, too, in consequence of whas had faUent from the hon. gentlemnan w.ho hadl proposed his health, that he ihottld be ashamed that any person bearing his name sliotild not be a friend of the shipping interest. (Applause.) ilr. Buc xaLi. in proposing tl:e bealth of M r. 1uskisson, and the other eembers of the Board of Trade, complinented the right hon. gentle;nan for the readinesa with which he at all times listenred to any communication which the Ship-owners' Society made on subjects connected with their interests. 'rThe toast was then drunk with much applause. Afr. usrissoN felt much gratified, in finding from the manner in wlhich the last toast had been received, that the proceedings of the Board over which he at present unworthily presided, had not ap. peared altogetier undeserving of the supportof the Ship-owners' So- ciety, and of the distinguished honour ot th ir enlightened approba- tion; lt was the special duty of the personl who filled the situation which he had the honour to bold, to watch not only over the interests which were connected with navigation and commerce, but also over those which were connected with agriculture and manufactures. He might perhais in the discharge of his duty pursue a tine-of policy w;hwulbe copsidered detrirnental to one particular interest, but it was only because he was oblied to look w ith an im- partial eye to aU the great interests of the country. The com- plaints of any particular class, however, always inducedl him t0 re- vise his opinions, and tO re-examine the grounds on which they were founded. (Applause.) Alr. T. WILSONr proposed the health of the " Right Hionourabie G)eorge C:anning, asd the rest of his lilajesty's Mtinisters; andmacy they ever be the guardians of the maritime and commercial interests of tbic country." The toast was drank atniidstacclamations.' MIr. CANNING rose, and was received with a general burst of ap. plause. It wvas,- he sid, impo5sible for him to express hi6 thankful- ness for die t;ind manner ill which the mention of his natne had been received. WVhen with his name was coupleda recommendation, that he and the rest of his Alaijtsty's NAlinisters should attend to theoma- ritime interests of the country, it was only sayvmg in other wvords -that they should remember that they were Mlinisters of Eng- land. If any rhiing could add to the satisfaction which he felt at being so k~indlg received by such a large body of his countryti-en, it was the consideration that theg represented' an [ interest peculiarly English. The situadon to which this country had raised itaseIf in the world-a sittiation far beyond that to which it was entitledl by this extent of its territory or the amount of its population-was mainly to be attributed to that interest whieh pro- vided in titne of peace the means of vigorous exertion in war. FPor many years pawst, the cornmantling situadon of great Britain had entitled it to interfere in matters in Awhich its own imnmesiiate in. terests were not concerned. W.5e had beets called on to combat for the world, and it had been shown, that whilst with one band wve held the trident rwhich ruled the seas, with the other we were able to launch the thunderbolts of war. (Loud-applante)- It woutld 3P- pear as a matter of astonishment on the page of history, that this small island should have been able to act so considerable a part on the theatre of war, but, after all, our reputation must depen.d on our maritime enterprises. At all times the field of our native glory hod |been the sea. (Cheers.) It was very gratifying to perceive, that notwithstanding the exertionls of the late War, and the lassitude end exhaustion naturally produced by those exertions, the eountry was in a state of permanent and progressive improvement, which promised more prbsperity than had been experienced as any former period. He trusted that no untoward accident would- disturb thia state of 'repose; bat if any such misfortune should occur, let them remember tHe ex- perience of the last 20 ye-ars, and defy-the prophecies of evZil, and look with confidence to the future. (Continued aplause.) The followving roasts were then drunk: " The Vice-Presidents of the Society ;" " The Chairma and lno Committee ;" and " The Stewards." At halY-past ten o'clock the Chairman retired, and was followed by the majirity of the company. SMIP.OWCvBRS' SOCIETY,