15,000 American seamen, and 650 large ships, are engaged in the Pacific fisheries, there are not as many hundred of those of other nations. Not more than about one-half of the whale oil produced by them, finds a market in the United States. Nearly all the other half is exported to the Baltic and North Seas, and is principally consumed in the States of Germany. Prussia has long manifested a desire to monopolize this trade, and she advances a bonus of 20 thalers per last to every vessel that will engage in it, and gives a premium of 1 thaler for each barrel of oil that may be produced and brought home by them. This fearful odds against our fishermen never discouraged or injured them. By the treaty, in December, 1847, with Mecklenburg, a nation that consumes more of the article, in proportion to her population, than any European State, she has obligated herself to lay no higher duty upon it, for the next ten years, than the mere nominal one of 18 cents, or thereabouts, on the 100 lbs., less, by twenty-five per cent, than that exacted in Hanover, and only onehalf of the amount exacted in Prussia and the Zoll-Verein. This state of affairs mainly induced England to remove her duties on oil altogether; and she now permits American whalers to arrive there direct from sea, instead of requiring the oil to be cleared from a foreign port. All the privileges enjoyed by her own whalers could not sustain them against American enterprise, and she has now thrown her doors open to the latter without reserve. While our whalers have thus triumphed, our shipbuilders have been equally successful. The foreign trade is open without distinction to British and American vessels, but the former have privileges in the coasting trade. Instead of forbidding the employment of a foreign built ship in that trade, as was formerly the case, in order to confer a monopoly of furnishing the vessels upon British ship-builders. in compensation of the enormous tax imposed upon timber and other materials, required by the colonial and protective systems, British merchants may now purchase ships where they will, and have them registered and sailed as British. The old protective and colonial policy required England, by tariff regulations, to debar her ship-builders from availing themselves of the cheap and serviceable timber of the northern countries of Europe, and confine themselves to the dear timber of the North American colonies. So great was the difference of quality and prices, that on some occasions, timber was carried from Norw y to Canada, and re-shipped for England, to be applied to purposes of builders. Russian hemp, canvass, cordage, and iron, as well as Swedish iron, were all heavily taxed, for the benefit of the producers of these articles at home. Those disadvantages, added to many vexatious internal impositions, disabled the British builder from competing with the American, even, although the English tariff of 1845 diminished the timber duties. Our vast forests, Iming our water courses, furnished ample materials, from which American skill has constructed, at comparatively small cost, those beautiful ships, that are the admiration of the world. The nations of the north of Europe, having similar natural advantages, have, under the pernicious influence of bad government, failed to produce merchant vessels that can compete with those of America. The great supply of cheap timber, as well as the superior skill of the American builders, have counteracted the suicidal course of our government, which, on a false policy, has sought to encourage hemp growers, cordage, canvass, and iron-masters, by taxing those articles used in the construction of ships. The effect of

the navigation laws of England, was to deprive her merchants and their trade of the use of those splendid American-built vessels. This disadvantage was felt by every practical merchant. Many of the northern countries of Europe, by treaty, had long since stipulated with the United States that a vessel, owned and manned by the citizens of the respective countries, should be deemed a national vessel of the country. England, on the other hand, required that the vessel should be built in the country of its nationality. Thus, the Hanse Towns could purchase cheap vessels in the Baltic, or of American build, and sail them as Hanseatic in the American, but not in the British trade. The merchants of those countries were thus placed upon a footing with those of America, in ability to procure good and cheap vessels, while American ship-builders, hemp-growers, and cordage-makers, had an extended market for their productions. By the treaty of Mecklenburg, before referred to, this privilege has been partially withdrawn; that is to say, in our intercourse with that country, none but United States or Mecklenburg built vessels are deemed national. Her merchants cannot buy of any other nation than the United States. By the new navigation act of England, her merchants may purchase vessels where they will, for employment in the coasting trade, and employ any vessels for freighting in the foreign trade. The terms thus adopted by the government of England, are those, which for twenty-two years have been waiting upon our statute books for her acceptance, and under the "favored nation" clause of most of our treaties, they will be extended to all nations that make similar advances, and a great market for the sale of American ships will doubtless be opened. That our builders can manufacture them cheaper, stauncher, faster, and generally better than those of any other nation, is universally admitted; and it is not too much to anticipate for them a monopoly of supply, in the benefits of which hemp growers, cordage and iron-masters, must largely participate. Another concession of the new navigation act of England, is the removal of the requirement that all British vessels should, at all times. have one apprentice for every certain number of tons measurement. This relieves her merchants of a great tax. Although, to constitute a British crew, there must be still threefourths British seamen; yet, Asiatic sailors, Lascars, and natives of British India, are now deemed British seamen, and one British seaman to twenty tons burthen shall be deemed sufficient; or the queen may at her pleasure, remove the requirement altogether, and permit a British vessel to be navigated mostly by foreigners.

What a vast change is here produced in the policy of that arrogant government! It has resulted from the progress of the industrial principle, forcing upon rulers the true interests of labor and commerce, in opposition to the antiquated theory of protection. The progress of manufacturing industry has developed the fact that cheap and speedy transportation is a great desideratum; that the expense of conveying food, raw material and goods from producers to consumers must be diminished. The quantities of the bulky articles that require to be transported have immensely increased since the peace of 1815, and the numbers and influence of those engaged in the foreign trade have come far to exceed those of the shipping interest, and the latter, with the navigation act, which was the means by which they laid the country under contribution for their benefit, have been obliged to give way. At the close of the last century,

there were no great interests directly concerned in opposition to the shipping interests. That the nation at large were taxed by high freights on all of foreign commodities that they consumed, was the case; but this was not felt particularly by any single interest. The East India Company had, down to 1831, a monopoly of the trade with the East, while that with the West Indies was also a monopoly. The raw materials imported for manufactures were not considerable, while England was but just losing its character of a grain exporting country. Under these circumstances, the notion that the stability of the navy depended upon the navigation laws, was more than sufficient, in times of military glory, to have them regarded as sacred, and to ruin forever any public man who should ever so remotely hint at their modification. The shipping interest was all powerful, but, in the words of Mr. Huskisson, they "found the necessity" of a modification in the direct trade with the United States at the peace of 1815. During the thirty years that have since elapsed, most important interests in England and America have grown up, directly opposed to the monopoly of transportation enjoyed by the shipping interests. The development of the warehouse system, commencing in 1807, was the first indication of their growing importance: and the reciprocity treaties, which commenced in 1822, marked their increased strength, which was exercised, at a later period, in the abrogation of the East India Company's monopoly, and the throwing open of that trade, and now freedom in navigation has crowned their wishes. The increased consumption of West India goods, and tea and raw materials of foreign growth, and the sale abroad of larger proportions of the goods manufactured from those articles, in competition with the growing skill of the nations, have produced that necessity for the best, swiftest and cheapest modes of transportation, which has thrown the carrying trade of England open to American vessels, and exposed these latter to competition in the transportation of our grain and cotton to England and Europe. The cotton trade affords. a remarkable instance of the growth of an interest opposed to the navigation monopoly.

Now, in estimating the tonnage required to transport these goods and produce, the average cotton freights from the southern ports may be taken as the basis. This is 1500 lbs. per registered ton. Consequently, it required, in 1848, 484,673 tons of shipping to carry to England her cotton, against 39,256 tons in 1815, an increase of 445,415 tons alone for that purpose. The exportation of the goods would require more than a similar quantity, because the cargoes are assorted and the destinations various. The number of people supported by the British cotton manufactories is not far from 2,500,000-being an increase of 2,000,000 since 1815. The influence of these persons procured the removal of the duty of 12 per cent. on raw cotton, by the British tariff of 1842, and the abrogation

of the corn laws in 1845. The removal of the corn laws, by making a large importation of foreign food necessary to supply the greater consumption which the low prices resulting from its competition enabled the people to effect, enlisted the whole body of consumers on the side of the cotton interest, to effect a reduction in freights. This was hastened by the famine of 1847. The enormous quantities of food required in that year were beyond the power of the existing mercantile navy of the world to transport, and Belgium, France and England suspended their navigation laws. Notwithstanding that the ships of all nations were thus pressed into the service, freights were at almost incredible rates, and the ordinary trade was checked for want of vessels. The quantity of food imported into England was as follows:

This vast quantity required 10,019 ships, of nearly 2,000,000 tons, and they were of the following nations :—

The vessels of all countries carried grain to England from wherever they could get freight, and yet the supply of vessels was altogether in- · adequate. The experience of this year went far towards convincing the public of the evil effects of navigation laws. England now annually requires large importations of grain. For the year ending August, 1849, the quantity imported was 11,117,512 qrs., requiring 1,500,000 tons of shipping. The increase of the cotton and corn importations require together an increase of more than 2,000,000 tons of shipping, as compared with 1815, and the persous interested in these articles have demanded free trade in ships.

While the wants of industry and commerce have thus constantly demanded increased facities o transportation, the progress of improvement has step by step tended, both in Europe and America, to check the number of vessels required. Thus ships have been better built and larger, making shorter voyages with larger freights. A few years since, a vessel of 500 tons was of the first class. Those of 1000 to 1599 tons are now quite as abundant, and skill has added to the number of passages they may make in a year. The tendency of this has been to prevent, in all countries, the increase of the influence of the shipping interest, in proportion to importing and exporting interests. Steam has become another powerful element in enhancing the capacity of the same tonnage to do more work in a year; and it is not a little remarkable, that those who cling to the old superstition that the navy depends upon the encouragement given by law to the mercantile marine, have not objected to the progress of steam, which is entirely and radically changing the condition of

the navy. The following table shows the number of tons, distinguishing sailing from steam vessels, belonging to the United States and Great Britain at four periods.

COMPARATIVE TONNAGE, UNITED STATES AND GREAT BRITAIN.

1848,..24,162..3,166,913....1,033..231,008......3,154,041.......427,890

In Great Britain all vessels, whether in the coasting or foreign trade, are registered. In the United States only those in the foreign trade are registered, others are enrolled. It will be observed that an apparent decline is manifest in the English tonnage from 1814 to 1832, and that the increase of that of the United States, in the same period, is very small. This arises from the fact, that in both countries, prior to 1827, no regular account had been kept of the vessels lost, sold or broken up, and in 1827 an investigation took place in England, when all these were deducted from the aggregate. The same thing occurred in the United States in 1829. It will be observed, also, that the steam tonnage of Great Britain is very small as compared with that of the United States. This arises from the fact, that in England the engine-room is deducted from the tonnage in the register, making a difference of eighty per cent. Thus, including the engine-room, the steam tonnage would be for 1848, 415,814, or nearly the same as the United States. As it is, the fact is apparent, that the tonnage of the United States, both steam and sailing, is as large as that of Great Britain and Ireland, including the channel islands! This is a fact not generally known, even by those who are disposed to magnify the naval resources of Great Britain The United States, in the constant pursuit of reciprocal freedom, have, in sixty years, exceeded the marine strength of England, which has been clinging to its antiquated navigation act as if there were any virtue in parchment theories. The tonnage of the United States has vastly increased since 1832, and its progress in the last three years has been more rapid than in the previous twelve years, and this progress has marked that employed in the foreign, as well as that confined to the coasting trade. The whale fishery, which has received, from the nature of its employment, the least aid from other occupations, has gone on steadily to increase. The tonnage so employed has doubled since 1835, yet it has depended entirely on its own resources, having no protection of our government in the Pacific harbors, but subjected to the insults of foreign cruisers at the Sandwich Islands and on the Java coast. On the other hand, the cod and mackerel fisheries, which are the only

*

*REGISTERED TONNAGE EMPLOYED IN THE FOREIGN TRADE AND WHALING-THE ENROLLED AND LICENSED EMPLOYED IN COASTING TRADE, FISHERIES AND STEAMBOATS,

1821

1827

1846

1847

1848.

701.517

45,653

747,962 40.197 84,278 873,437

937.019 6,286 1,041.832 5,631 193,858 1,053,413 399,210 101,629 1,554,252 1,152,641 16,067 192,178 1,209,165 411,823 126,643 1,747,631

186.930 941,264 341.606 103.779 1,399.270