ferred to a sub-committee to take the same into their consideration, and to point out not only the several inconveniences resulting from the regulation, but the means by which they might be remedied without any injury whatever to the revenue, and to report the same to the committee, and which was at present under their consideration.

2dly. The next subject which had been submitted to the consideration of the committee was the claim recently set up by the directors of Ramsgate harbour, for payment of the harbour dues, on colliers returning in ballast coastwise, and from Guernsey or Jersey; and the committee had, at the request of the ship-owners at Sunderland and Scarborough, taken the opinion of a very eminent lawyer on the subject, and it appeared by that opinion the directors were not warranted by the act in demanding the harbour dues on colliers returning in ballast coastwise, or from Guernsey or Jersey as before stated; and that the committee deemed it proper to intimate that several very serious facts had been communicated to them respecting the management of Ramsgate harbour and its revenue, which it was their intention at a proper time to take into their most serious consideration.

3dly. Another important subject which had been submitted to the committee was the present rates of pilotage from the Downs to Gravesend, and from thence to London; and as the several acts respecting the pilotage from the Downs and Orfordness to London would shortly expire, a sub-committee had been appointed to take the same into consideration, and to report to the committee what, in conjunction with the lord warden of the Cinque Ports, and the elder brethren of the Trinity-house, they may think will be most proper to be done in that respect †.

4thly. Another subject of the greatest magnitude to the ship-owners in the port of London, which had engaged the most serious and anxious attention of the committee, was the recent disputes between the ship-builders and their workmen, and as the termination of those disputes would be in the recollection of the ship-owners present, it was not requisite to go much into detail on the subject.

The committee having received a letter from Mr. Noakes, the secretary to the committee of ship-builders, stating that the differences with the workmen had been settled on the precise terms offered by the ship-builders, without stating

* See post for this case, and the opinion of the Court thereon. See post resolutions, and letter to Sir Charles Price on that subject.

what those terms were; the committee directed the secretary to write to Mr. Wells, the chairman of the committee of ship-builders, requesting him to inform the committee of ship-owners "the circumstances attending the conclusion of "the late negotiation with their workmen, and the prin"ciple upon which they had settled with them, with the "rate of wages it had been agreed the workmen were to re"ceive per day," to which letter the committee regret to state no answer has been given; in consequence of which, at a special general meeting, held at the London Tavern on the 30th day of September last, some resolutions ** were entered into, expressive of the disapprobation of the shipowners of the motives which seem to have led to the conclusion of those disputes.

The committee were sorry to observe the conduct of the master shipwrights had been guided by so little attention to the shipping interest of the country, and eventually of their own, as to give way to the combinations of their workmen, who, previously to their late rise of wages, were capable of

* Extract from the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Special General Meeting of the Ship-Owners in the Port of London of the 30th Day of September, 1802. "Resolved, That the ship-owners present at this meeting do highly dis approve of the manner in which the ship-builders have for some time past submitted to their workmen, who have lately committed acts of violence dangerous to the community, and destructive of those principles of subordination which ought always to be maintained between employers and their workmen; and they likewise observe with very great regret, the manner in which the recent disputes between the ship-builders and their men have terminated, by the masters treating with delegates from large bodies of their workmen, who it appears were combined together for illegal purposes.

"Resolved, That the ship-owners present at this meeting do likewise disapprove the sentiments expressed in a letter signed T. Noakes, who is secretary to the committee of ship-builders, and which was published in the Public Ledger, wherein it is stated, ‘that the ship-builders, in justice to the ship-owners, had placed themselves in the situation of mediators between the two interested parties,' that is, their workmen and the ship-owners, who think it necessary to declare, that they conceive it to be the indispensable duty of the ship-builders to keep their men in due subordination, to prevent illegal combinations amongst them, and to exercise the right of employing and discharging such men as they may think proper; and that the ship-builders ought to prosecute with the utmost rigour of the law such of their men who may endeavour, by threats or acts of violence, to deter others from working and performing their duty who are so disposed; and in case the existing laws are inadequate to check in their origin such outrages, or to suppress them in their progress, the ship-builders owe it to the public, and it is a duty incumbent upon them, to apply to the legislature to remedy such se: us and growing evils.”

earning more money by six days' labour in the week that would maintain themselves and families in the necessaries of life befitting labouring men; and which consequently enabled them to waste a considerable portion of their time, and of their superfluous earnings, in attending clubs, and supporting combinations; the result of which is, they become masters of their employers, only work when and how they please, and make their families and themselves more dissipated and poor than they would be on wages suited to maintain them with frugality and industry; whilst, by enhancing the charges of building and repairing ships, they most materially injure the maritime interest of the country.

It therefore required the most grave attention and consideration of the legislature to remedy this serious and growing evil, and such legal restrictions ought to be obtained as would most effectually prevent similar combinations, and all contributions to maintain men in idleness, who will not work because they cannot obtain their own terms, should be made illegal.

5thly. The committee's most particular attention had been directed to ascertain the real state of the shipping interest of Great Britain at this most critical and trying juncture: and their inquiries had been made with the utmost impartiality and candour. Not satisfied with their own ideas on the subject, they had applied to those persons whose habits and situations in life were most likely to enable them to form true and unbiassed judgments on the subject; and it was with great regret the committee had to report, that the result of those inquiries too truly and fully corroborated and confirmed the opinion the committee had formed of the depressed state of the shipping of Great Britain.

In addition to the objects before stated, many other matters were incidentally submitted to the consideration of the committee, and disposed of, they hoped to the satisfaction of the parties. The committee had not been unmindful of the peculiar situation of many ship-owners, whose masters had inadvertently lost or mislaid their Mediterranean passes; and the committee flattered themselves, that the shipping interest of the country will be most materially benefited by the permanent establishment of the society.

That the committee ventured most earnestly to recommend a strict adherence to the spirit of the navigation laws of the kingdom, as the privileges which had been of late

years allowed to foreign bottoms in consequence of the suspension of those laws, had been attended with very injurious consequences to the maritime interest of the country; and they most strongly deprecated any attempt or endeavour to relax those wholesome and beneficial maritime regulations, which had so conspicuously and effectually contributed to the greatness and power of the country; especially at a time when all the other maritime nations of the world viewed with an envious and jealous eye the superiority we had gained by our carrying trade, and who were at this time most sedulously using every effort to participate in the benefits of our navigation, and to rival us, if possible, on our natural element.

The chairman then reported the result of the second interview of the committee with the right honourable the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and stated, that they had been unable to convince him of the impolicy and injurious tendency of the duty on the tonnage of ships, and on oil and skins, the produce of the British fisheries, and consequently of the urgent necessity, of repealing the same.

Resolved unanimously, That the committee be instructed to wait on the right honourable the lord mayor *, *, and to request his lordship to present to the honourable the House of Commons the petition of the ship-owners in the port of London, for the repeal of the duty on the tonnage of ships, and on oil and skins, the produce of the British fisheries.

Resolved unanimously, That the committee be instructed to request the other members of parliament for the city of London, the members of parliament for the borough of Southwark, and for the counties of Middlesex and Surry, to attend in the House of Commons to support the petition, when presented by the right honourable the lord mayor.

Resolved unanimously, That it be recommended to the committee, previous to the petition being presented by the right honourable the lord mayor to the House of Commons, to wait upon not only the several members of parliament for the out-ports, who have received petitions from their constituents for the repeal of the tonnage duty, but likewise upon those members who have been requested to support the application for the same.

* Sir Charles Price, Bart. e

Resolved unanimously, That the thanks of the shipowners present at this meeting be given to the committee for the port of London, for their constant and indefatigable attention to the several important matters relative to the shipping interest which have been submitted to their consideration.

Resolved unanimously, That the thanks of the shipowners present at this meeting be given to the chairman, for his unwearied assiduity and attention to the general interest of ship-owners.

At a numerous meeting of ship-owners, convened by public advertisement, and held the first day of February, 1803, at the London Tavern, to take into consideration several matters of great importance to the shipping interest:

Mr. HILL in the Chair:

THE secretary reported-That since the last general meeting the committee had been anxiously engaged in obtaining documents to establish the correctness of the statements they had previously made, respecting the present state of the shipping interest of Great Britain, and that it appeared by the documents received by the committee, that the opinion they had formed on that subject was completely confirmed.

That the committee, in order to obtain the most correct and certain information of the present state of the shipping in the port of London, had applied to the several shipbuilders on the river Thames, and it appeared by their letters annexed*, that only two ships had been built in the river Thames, for the merchants' service, since the 5th of October, 1801; namely, the Pacific of 307 tons burthen, for the South-Sea trade; and another of 600 tons, now building on speculation: and that it also appeared, that no other ships had been contracted to be built in the river Thames for the merchants' service since the 5th October, 1801.

That the committee, with a view to ascertain the real de

* Appendix to this Report of the Committee, No. 1.