present majesty, certain ships, vessels, and boats, therein par ticularly described, are, in certain cases, subject to forfeiture, unless the owners thereof shall have a licence, as therein described and directed, for navigating the same from the lord high admiral of Great Britain or commissioners of the admiralty for the time being, or any person authorized by them to grant the same. And whereas the owner of every ship, vessel, or boat, so licensed, is required to give certain security, as in the said acts directed, before such ship, vessel, or boat, proceeds to sea, or sails out of any port, harbour, or creek, in this kingdom.

And whereas, by an act passed in the thirty-ninth and fortieth years of the reign of his present majesty, for (amongst other things) extending bonds given on licensing ships, vessels, or boats, to all cases wherein ships, vessels, or boats may be liable to forfeiture, the terms and conditions of such security are directed to be extended and taken in manner hereinafter mentioned. And whereas,

owner of the
of

of the breadth of

being a

called of the length of and

the depth of within the meaning of the said in part recited acts, hath this day produced a licence for the same under the hands of the commissioners for executing the office of lord high admiral of Great Britain, and seal of the office of the admiralty, to the purport and effect mentioned and contained in the said hereinbefore recited acts of parliament.

Now the condition of this obligation is such, that if the aforesaid shall not be employed in the importation or landing of any tea, or foreign spirituous liquors, or any prohibited or other goods, contrary to the true intent and meaning of any act of parliament which now is or hereafter may be in force, or in the exportation of any goods which are or may be prohibited to be exported from this kingdom, or in the re-landing of any goods whatsoever, contrary to law, which are entered outwards for exportation for any drawback or bounty, or which are or may be prohibited to be used or worn in Great Britain. And if the said shall not be found at anchor, or hovering within the limits of any of the ports of this kingdom, or within four leagues of the coast thereof, nor discovered to have been within the said limits or distance,

contrary to the true intent or meaning of the hereinbefore recited act passed in the 24th year of the reign of his present majesty. And if the said shall not

be found within the distances and situations particularly described and set forth in the hereinbefore recited act passed in the 34th year of the reign of his present majesty, contrary to the directions and provisions of the said act. And also if the said shall not be employed, or be found, or discovered to have been, out of the limits within which the said is licensed to navigate or trade, contrary to the directions and provisions of the before recited act passed in the 27th year of the reign of his present majesty. And if the said

shall not be engaged for, or used in, any trade or employment whatever, other than that described and set forth in the licence for such

, contrary to the before recited act passed in the 38th year of the reign of his present majesty. And further, if the said shall not be used or employed in any other way or manner whatever, contrary to the laws in force relating to the revenue of customs, on and immediately before the passing of the said before recited act made in the 39th and 40th years of the reign of his present majesty. And if the licence granted for the said shall, in case the said

shall be lost, broken up, sold, or otherwise disposed of, be delivered up to the collector of the customs for the time being, or his deputy, at the port of within the space of three calendar months from the time such shall be lost, broken up, sold, or otherwise disposed of, then the above-written obligation to be void, otherwise to be and remain in full force and virtue.

Sealed and delivered (being first duly stamped) in the presence of

L. S.

LETTER FROM SIR STEPHEN COTTERELL.

Office of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade, Whitehall, July 18, 1805,

SIR,

THE memorial transmitted by you on the 5th of May last, on behalf of the owners of British ships who have been

obliged to take out licences and give bonds in consequence of the particular construction of their ships, having been referred to the commissioners of his majesty's customs by the direction of the lords of the committee for trade; and their lordships having received the report of the said commissioners thereupon, by which it appears that, in consequence of doubts having been entertained at a former period, the case had been submitted to his majesty's law officers, who were of opinion, that every vessel which comes within the descriptions in the several acts relating to this subject does require to have licences, I am directed to acquaint you, that the prayer of the said memorial cannot be complied with. I am, sir, Your most obedient humble servant, (Signed) STEPH. COTTERELL.

TO NAT. ATCHESON, Esq. &c. &c.

At a general meeting of ship-owners held the 26th April, 1803, at the London Tavern, to take into consideration the present very critical state of the shipping interest:

P. KENNION, Esq. in the Chair:

Resolved unanimously, THAT the ship-owners present at this meeting are confirmed in their opinion of the injurious operation of the tax on the tonnage of shipping, and that it is the most impolitic and ruinous principle of taxation that could have been adopted in a maritime country; and as the uniform system of the legislature of Great Britain had previously been for centuries to encourage, by every facility in its power, the maritime interest of the nation: the ship-owners present at this meeting rely with confidence on the justice of the legislature, and they trust it will not continue a tax, the effect of which will most inevitably tend, not only to decrease the carrying trade of the country, but very materially injure its commerce and manufacturers.

Resolved unanimously, That the thanks of the shipowners present at this meeting be given to the right honourable the lord mayor *, for his great attention to the shipping

*Sir Charles Price, Bart.
[M]

interest, and that his lordship be requested to procure thepetition from the ship-owners of the port of London, for the repeal of the tonnage duty, to be taken into consideration previous to the discussion of that part of the intended consolidated act which relates to the duty on the tonnage of ships.

Resolved, That the preceding resolutions be transmitted to the lord mayor by the secretary.

(Signed)

P. KENNION, Chairman.

At a meeting of the committee of ship-owners for the port of London, held the 5th May, 1803, at Wills' Coffee-house:

Mr. HILL in the Chair:

RAMSGATE HARBOUR DUES.

THE secretary read a letter from Sunderland on this subject, dated 9th April, 1803:

Resolved, That as it is to ascertain the liability of the ships in the coal trade to pay the Ramsgate harbour dues when returning in ballast, the committee are of opinion, that the committee at Sunderland are warranted in adopting the suggestion in the letter of Rowland Burdon, Esq. M. P. to them, and in taking measures to ascertain by law the point in question, and that the secretary be desired to lay the case again before Mr. Wood for his further consideration.

Resolved, That the secretary be instructed to put up a notice at Lloyd's to the following effect:

Mediterranean Passes.

Ship-owners who have experienced any inconvenience, or sustained any injury, from having inadvertently lost or mislaid the Mediterranean passes of their respective ships, are requested to transmit statements of their several cases to Mr. Atcheson, secretary to the committee of ship-owners for the port of London.

5th May, 1803.

(Signed)

J. HILL, Chairman.

* Vide Parliamentary Debates; also, Cobbet's Political Register, vols. and 2; also, Journals of the House of Commons, 1803.

At a meeting of the committee of ship-owners for the port of London, held the 19th day of May, 1803, at Wills' Coffee-house:

JAMES PYCROFT, Esq. in the Chair:

THE secretary read the resolutions of the House of Commons, as stated in the votes, respecting the dock dues in the port of London.

Resolved, That the secretary be requested to wait on the lord mayor and Mr. Vansittart, and to endeavour to obtain an exemption for ships entering inwards and outwards in ballast from the payment of the dock or canal dues.

Resolved unanimously, That the right honourable the lord mayor be desired to wait on the right honourable the chancellor of the exchequer, and to request that the duties on the tonnage of shipping may be separated from the consolidated bill now pending in parliament, and also to inform Mr. Addington, that from the peculiar situation of the country, the ship-owners of the port of London forbear to press their application to parliament, and submit to the continuance of the duty on the tonnage of shipping under proper modifications, but expressly on condition that the said duties on tonnage shall cease at the end of the present war.

At a meeting of the committee of ship-owners for the port of London, held the 16th June, 1803, at Wills' Coffee-house:

Mr. HILL in the Chair:

Resolved, THAT the chairman be requested to wait on the right honourable the lord mayor, and to desire that he will endeavour to prevail on his majesty's ministers to delay the bill for the suspension of the Navigation Act, until the shipowners have had an opportunity of seeing it; and also to request some explanation relative to the increase duties on tonnage; and in case no relief can be obtained in that respect, that the lord mayor be desired to use his endeavours to obtain that both the former and the intended further duties on tonnage shall cease with the war. (Signed)

J. HILL, Chairman.