626. Navigation Laws. (Dee, 
exclusively engaged in it.—6th. And finally, the facilities of peace tend 
to lower the demand for shipping. “More work can be’ done by the Samé 
number of ships in time of peace. As soon as a vessel has landed ‘her’ 
cargo, she can load and sail again. In war, she must wait for’ convoys! 
and convoys are not always to be had at the moment vessels requirin 
their protection are ready. Four or five hundred must sometimes’ ' be’ 
collected, before convoy can be given. These again, while under conivoy,. 
must be kept together, and the worst sailer regulate the rate of! going of 
the whole fleet. Time is thus lost; and time is of Valué'in commerce; 
as in every thing else—it costs ships. In peace, single vessels can cross 
the ocean, unretarded by any fears of interruption. On the whole, 
Mr. H. hesitates not to affirm, that two-thirds of the vessels employed 
in time of war will do the same business in time of peace—and we 
believe him. h SASS 
What then is this diminution of 686 ships in the last year, compared. 
with the number employed in 1815? Insignificant. Had the diminu- 
tion amounted to 5,000, we might safely pronounce the shipping-interest : 
had not deteriorated by the breach of the Navigation Laws. |) 
' But let us turn to the number of vessels actually built in the first : 
year of peace, and the year 1825, eek 
In 1814;...... Number of Ships 818, Tonnage 95,976. r 
“s 1825 ...... — 1,312, a 171,827. Psy 
Contemplate the facts; the tonnage last year is nearly double that of 
1814, and. considerably exceeding, it seems, that of any one of the 
thirty-seven years upon.record. This is conclusive—if nothing else is. 
Now again—the shipping people complain—let this be borne in mind 
—thatiin consequence of the changes in our Navigation Laws, within the 
last three or four years, the employment of , British, shipping has 
decreased, and that of foreign vessels trading with us, has increased, 
Mr, Huskisson has, furnished us with returns of the number of vessels, 
native and foreign, entering inwards and clearing outwards. The 
number entering inwards is the only criterion to be relied upon, because 
vessels leaving. port in ballast do not necessarily clear out—do not 
ports must, be 
register, and therefore the return of vessels leaving our . 
imperfect. The numbers then were, 
BRITISH. FOREIGN. 
In, 1814....-.4.. 16,065. Tonnage 1,846,670 | 5,109. Tonnage 566,516 
1824...<s++0. 19,164. _ 2,364,249 | 5,280. — , 694,880 
1825...-20008 21,786. _ 2,786,844 | 6,561. — 892,601 
If the number of foreign ships have increased, the number of British 
has also increased: so that the result is, a general increase of commerce, 
and no diminution on the part of Britain. And to this, then, amount the 
clamours which have been raised against the real innovations upon our 
Navigation Laws, and the pretended approaches to free trade! te 
We have still a word or two with Mr. Huskisson. To hear him talk, 
one might really suppose we were making rapid strides towards a state 
of free trade, and all under the honourable gentleman’s sole and safe 
guidance. ‘It seemed to ME time to do so and so’’—is the language he 
uses. Now what, let us ask,—what has Mr. Huskisson done towards 
the accomplishment of this magnificent object? What steps has he 
actually taken? In the north of Europe he has extended the reciprocity 
system ; and, at home, substituted the protective for the prohibitive, in 
the matter of silks, &c. True—the first, half a step; and the other, 
