toms thoroughly searched, and all necessary repairs done, and caulked and coppered, in five days; the Baboo, of 423 tons, unfortunately got on shore in going down the river, was docked, part of both topsides shifted, about 1000 feet of inside plank and several timbers shifted, her bottom doubled with two-inch plank (not oak, but American elm), from her wales down to her keel, caulked, coppered, and turned out of dock in four weeks. That is the only answer I can give to this honourable committee; as far as regards cases of emergency, I should say, decidedly, that there is no place anywhere, in the Baltic or any other port, where the foreigner ever does an equal quantity of work to that which is done here.”—(8011.) But the plain fact is, that there is nothing in the Navigation Laws, or any other law, to prevent the employment of foreign artisans in this country, and it is notorious that, while no one of these cheap Saxon cotton-spinners, or Hamburgh wool-sorters, or German shipwrights, are employed here at the low money wages, there are English workmen of every sort earning the high money wages all over the continent; and so we dismiss the question of wages. A Hamburgh vessel, from 200 to 500 tons, iron-fastened and coppered, costs, ready for sea, about £11. a ton. She stands seven years A 1, and no more. The English ship costs £20. a ton, stands twelve years A 1, and four years more, making sixteen years. The Hamburgh ship therefore stands nine years less on the first letter than the English ship; we deduct as before, £1. a ton for each year; and we find the English and the Hamburgh ship are the same cost. We have yet to consider the expense of navigation. PAY PERQUISITES AND PROVISIONS ON BOARD HAMBURGH SHIPS. "Take a ship of 350 tons; the captain's wages are £4. 8s. 3d. a month, exclusive of his perquisites. The perquisites of the captain consist of a share of the primage from 2 to 3 per cent., a share of the profit of passengers, and the profit of the cabin freight where passengers are not taken, and, in some cases, a share in the freight on bullion, amounting, in one instance, to £7. 10s. per month; but it must be sometimes greater and sometimes less; it is impossible to fix an average; it depends entirely upon circumstances. I should say his perquisites were worth from £5. to £8. a month, according to circumstances."-(3127, 3132, 3128.) 1. ; "The chief mate gets £2. 16s. 5d. ; the second mate, £2. 28. 4d. the carpenter, £2. 2s. 4d.; the cook, £1. 15s. 3d. Four able seamen, who have each £1. 8s. 23d. per month, making £5. 12s. 11d. together; two ordinary seamen, each £1. 1s. 2d., making £2. 2s. 4d.; and two apprentices at £1. ls. 3d.: that makes altogether £29. 11s. 1d."-(3133—5.) The witness states that "The ships are victualled remarkably well,"-(3136,) and gives the following Sailors' Bill of Fare on board First Class Hamburgh Vessels. Sunday.-Beef, pudding, and stewed prunes, 1 lb. beef per man, and 1 lb. for the mess over. Monday. Pork and yellow pease, lb. pork per man, and 1 lb. for the mess over. Tuesday.-Beef and grey pease, 1 lb. beef per man, and 1 lb. for the mess over. Wednesday.-Pork and green pease, or sauer kraut and potatoes, lb. pork per man, and 1 lb. for the mess over. Thursday. Beef, pudding, and stewed prunes, 1 lb. beef per man, and 1 lb. for the mess over. Friday.-Pork and white beans (haricots), lb. pork per man, and 1 lb. for the mess over. Saturday.-Salted or dried fish and potatoes, so long as they can be kept; otherwise pork or beef, and pearl barley or pea soup, 1 lb. beef per man, and 1 lb. for the mess over, or 2 lb. pork per man, and 1 lb. for the mess over. Unlimited quantities are served out of the following Articles : Bread, flour, pease, beans, potatoes. The cook is allowed to use as much of them as the sailors require. Each man gets one pound of butter per week, and one pound for the mess over. For breakfast the sailors get pearl barley, bread, and coffee. In the evening, besides tea, the sailors are served with whatever may have been left over at dinner, and also with bread and butter. In ships where spirits are allowed, each sailor is allowed two drams per day. In ships where spirits are not allowed, the sailors get an extra allowance of tea. N.B.-Where bread is served out in rations, the sailors are allowed seven lbs. per week each. Hamburgh, 29th March, 1847. The foregoing bill of fare is certified by two masters of Hamburgh (Signed) “The cost of victualling for one month is £25. 18s. 10d., exclusive of a small charge for wine in the cabin."-(3140.) Cost of navi- Assertion £37. 10s. per month. Fact £62. 13s. 8d. There is a constant endeavour to create an impression that foreign ships are miserably found and victualled. The following questions and replies may serve to test the accuracy of such statements. "It was stated in a public meeting by Mr. Driffield, that the cost of manning and victualling the bark Victoria, of Hamburgh, of 397 tons, was £37. 10s. per month; is that correct?-This is the identical vessel alluded to."-(3142.) That would make it considerably more than £37. 10s. ?—It makes £62. 13s. 8d. a month, calculating the perquisites of the captain at £5. only per month."—(3143.) "Is that the opinion of the owner of the ship?—I have it under his hand and seal."—(3144.) "You have it under his hand and seal, that this vessel, which was stated by Mr. Driffield to be manned and victualled at £37. 10s. a month, costs £62. 13s. 8d. a month; is that so ?—That is the case, estimating the captain's perquisites at only £5."-(3145.) And the witness confirmed his evidence by putting in the original tradesmen's bills for the articles mentioned in the above table. With the above evidence before us, we cannot think that English shipowners have much to fear from Hamburgh. Sweden imports every thing for build of ships. All equipment from England. SWEDISH BUILD. It is needless that we should go into details of the build of Swedish ships. If built in the north, they import the oak from Prussia. If in the south, they have it at home, but with dearer labour than in the north. Anchors, chains, iron, rigging, and all the iron-work afloat, are generally imported from England.-1865-1872. "The Swedish shipowner would prefer, if it was free of duty, to have the whole of the equipment of the hull from this country. He would prefer to have his anchors, and chains, and cordage, and sails from this country; in fact, if the Swedish shipowner could send the mere hull over here to fit her here, he would do so, because the fittings can be procured in this country much cheaper than he could get them in that country."—(1882.) The duty, however, prevents their importation, and so it has become "The general practice to equip vessels very lightly in Sweden to make their voyage here, and then they take in the remainder of Vessels equip their rigging, sails, and so on. It is very much the case in Sweden, lightly in Sweden, and because there is a duty upon almost all those articles if imported complete their into the country, whereas if a vessel comes here barely equipped, equipment in and supplies herself in England with those things, they are able to England. avoid paying the duty, therefore the Swedish shipowner immediately sends his vessel on her first voyage to England, where he can get her equipped."-(1874.) There can, therefore, be no doubt that we have the advantage of the Swede. We have it from Mr. Graham, that "A ship built of Dantzic oak timber and plank, would be entitled to seven years and could not have any more."—(1458.) The Swedish timber is no better than the Prussian; so that if the Swede is to have as good a ship as an English the term first letter, he must import from England, Africa, India, North or South America-as the case may be-English, African, or live oak, teak, Morung Saul, greenheart, or Mora; without one or other of these, he cannot build an A 1. ten years' ship. "The total cost of a Swedish ship adapted for a long voyage would be about £10. a ton."-(1907.) COST OF NAVIGATION. Mr. William Tottie, the Swedish Consul, states that "The captain of a vessel of 450 tons, has in wages forty Swedish Total cost of Captain's pay dollars a month, that is £3. 6s. 8d. a month; he has, in addition to and perquisites. that, twenty-four dollars, or £2. sterling a month for extras for his cabin; he has also five per cent. on the gross amount of all freight earned by the ship. He has the permission to carry passengers, taking the profit to himself, in his own cabin, and if he likes to load his own cabin he may do so, and take the profit of it. Then he has also permission on all occasions to take twenty tons on every voyage for his own profit; and he may use the ship's provisions if he likes, which I have no doubt he does. So that in a vessel of 450 tons, the captain's earnings amount to about £28. a month, if the ship were at sea only nine months in the year."—(1890, 1891.) Of course if she were longer, his perquisites would produce a larger amount; but the Swedish ships are ice-bound for three months in the year. As to the remainder of the officers and crew: "The first mate has £2. a month, the second mate has £1. 10s. a Petty officers month, the carpenter has £1. 16s. 8d. a month, the boatswain has and seamen. How Swedish ships are provisioned. No truth in the statement as to £1. 8s. 4d. a month; there are six sailors at 25s. a month, three inferior sailors at £1. 1s. 8d., three young boys at 18s. 4d. a month, and the cook at £1. 3s. 4d. a month. That would make £55. 19s. 4d. as the cost per month of the ship."—(1902, 1903.) Then as to the victual of the ship. "For breakfast there is barley porridge, as much as the crew can eat; and butter, which they generally take with this, is given to them at the rate of 14lb. a week each man. They have as much rye bread as they can eat, and prefer it.”—(1908-11.) "The men are also. allowed a glass of Swedish corn brandy in the morning, but the men have preferred it, and the captain allows them two Swedish rix-dollars a month instead, that is 2s. 2d. ; for dinner they have, alternate days, one day a pound of beef clear of bone, and another three-quarters of a pound of pork clear of bone. While in port or at sea, as long as they can, they are allowed fresh meat instead of salt meat. They are also allowed with this meat peasoup as much as they can eat, and bread as much as they like; and in the evening they have tea or pea-soup and bread." The statements, therefore, of the miserable food on board black bread and these North ships-the wretched half starvation of the men— the black bread and train oil, and so forth, are pure romance. Mr. Tottie says: train oil. American ships are the best provisioned, Swedish next. Number and tonnage of "They are certainly not true as regards the Swedish and Norwegian seamen, for I have seen English seamen who have been on board Swedish and Norwegian vessels, and they have never made a complaint; in fact, on board this ship there was a Swedish seaman who had been fourteen years on board English or American ships, and he preferred this rye bread." Comparing the provisions in the different ships, which did he think was the best?-The American, and the next he said was the Swedish. The cost per head of victualling the men is about 1s. a day, English."—(1914–16.) In 1846, the whole number of Swedish coppered ships, and Swedish ships. they are the only ones fitted for long voyages, were 162, amounting to 42,086 English tons.—(1975.) The Swedes Denmark and The Swedes build ships for Denmark and Hamburgh, and it may therefore be taken for granted that those countries cannot build for themselves at less cost. Swedish sailors are in great demand, both in English and American ships. The Americans have a good many of them—we very few, though we might take one-fourth of a crew of them, or they might at |