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be obliged to concede to the ships of France, though France will not concede it to us; and to the ships of Sweden, Holland, and many other countries, which need not concede it to us, though probably they will. The chief danger of their not doing so is in the case of Holland.

2. We shall have to open the trade with India to Dutch ships, to an extent which will certainly not be met by equal liberality on the part of Holland; and we must also open that trade un- conditionally to a number of other countries, particularly Sweden, Russia, Austria and Greece. 3. We must be prepared to dispute the claim

which will probably be made by Spain, and to contend that the stipulations of our old treaties do not bind us unconditionally to treat Spanish vessels on the footing of the most favoured nution.

4. We must be prepared to maintain a similar

position against Sweden, Denmark, and the

South American States, in case any of them should alter their laws to our prejudice.

It may be said, One more remark is called for. why not adopt a self-acting rule, with a special proviso to meet treaty obligations? This might undoubtedly be done, but it would have the effect of calling the attention of foreign countries to the existence of such obligations on our part, and of

tuducing them to set up claims founded upon them. The Bill as drawn does all that is needed: it empowers the Crown to retaliate; it defines the limits of retaliation; it leaves a discretion which meets the case of treaties; and finally, by virtue of the provision that it shall not come into opera- on till January 1, 1849, gives time for the Queen to make arrangements with foreign Powers

the interim. Such a course is not only reasonable, but quite in accordance with the precedents set by Mr. Huskisson in 1822 and 1825.

b. It is asked why the Bill, while it abrogates Question of man-

ning. de protection hitherto enjoyed by British ships,

retains the restriction that such ships must still be manned by a certain proportion of British

seamen.

The Fisheries.

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If it were a question whether the proportion now required by law should be altered, and if it were represented that it would be of advantage to shipowners to be allowed to introduce a larger number of foreigners than at present, it would not be easy to answer this objection. But I believe it is notorious that our shipowners do not avail themselves to its full extent of the right they now have to employ foreign seamen, and that when they complain of being restricted to employ British subjects, what they want is not a mixed crew, but a

crew wholly composed of foreigners. Upon this the question naturally arises, what would be the meaning of calling a ship built abroad, and wholly manned by foreigners, a British ship? Under such a system our registry

of British ships would be a most imperfect index

to the extent of our maritime strength; it would be a real index only to the amount of British capital invested in ships-whether British or foreign. At the present moment British capital is secretly invested in Swedish shipping; and on the passing of this Bill all the Swedish ships so owned might immediately take out British registers, were it not that by so doing they would render it necessary that they should be navigated by British crews; otherwise they might appear as British or Swedish indiffer- ently, as it suited them. This would be incon- venient.

I do not know how far an alteration in the Manning Law would affect the impressment question. Would it not make impressment still more difficult than at present! Again: ought we to give the sanction of the British name, and the protection of the British flag, to crews entirely composed of foreigners? How would such an alteration affect our Merchant Seamen's Act? How would it square with our treaties with foreign countries, in some of which-for example in that with Holland-we define what is to be admitted as a British ship? These are questions that ought to be considered.

e. The Navigation Act does not directly affect the fisheries, further than inasmuch as it renders it necessary for British vessels employed in the

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

PERERE C.O. 885

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