No. VI.

Extracts from the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Society of Ship-Owners of Great Britain, since its Institution, 1802.

At a general meeting of ship-owners, held, by public advertisement, at the London Tavern, the 6th day of May, 1802, to receive the report of the committee appointed at the last general meeting, and to determine on such further measures which it might be advisable to adopt respecting the present state of the shipping interest of Great Britain:

Mr. HILL in the Chair:

THE chairman reported the result of the interview of the committee with the Right Honourable the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and that they had been unable to convince him of the impolicy and injurious tendency of the duty intended to be imposed on the tonnage of shipping.

Resolved, That it is the unanimous opinion of the shipowners present at this meeting, that from the present state of Europe, there is every reason to apprehend the shipping. of this country will decline, and that any tax on that species of property will be attended with the utmost danger to the state, by diminishing the great nursery of British seamen, and weakening that source of national defenter 5

Resolved, That it is the unanimous opinion of the shipowners present at this meeting, that in order more effectually at this alarming crisis to promote and proct the shipping interest of Great Britain, and to endeavour to prevent any further infringement of the navigation laws indispensably necessary to form and establish a society of ship-. owners, with committees, to be annually chosen from amongst them in London and at the out-perts, who are from time to time to enter into and adopt such measures as shall be requisite for the preservation of the privileges, which the

legislature has in its wisdom conferred on the owners of British ships.

Resolved, That the minute to the above effect, signed by several ship-owners, and now produced and read, be subscribed by those present, and that a committee be appointed for the port of London for the year ensuing, viz. [Here follow the names of 47 persons of great respectability, who were the first committee for the port of London:] and that such committee do, without delay, prepare such rules and regulations which it may be proper to enter into for the purpose of carrying into effect the preceding resolution; but that such rules and regulations shall not have force, until the same have been confirmed at a general meeting to be held for that purpose. And that five of the said committee do constitute

quorum.

(Signed) J. HILL, Chairman.

At a meeting of the committee of ship-owners for the port of London, of the 20th May, 1802, at Wills' Coffee-house:

Mr. HILL in the Chair:

Resolved, THAT a person be employed to take an account of all the ships now on sale in the river Thames, with the names of the brokers or owners, and their burthen, age, and build, and the time such ships have been on sale; and that a letter be written to the out-ports to procure the like information of ships on sale there.

Resolved, That Mr. Akenhead, Mr. Dowson, Mr. Robinson, Mr. Tulloch, Mr. Moorsom, Mr. Curling, Mr. Keddey, and Mr. Brown, be appointed to make application to those owners or brokers in London who have ships for sale, and to certain from them how much they have de clined in their demand or expectation of the price of such ships since the peace, and upon what their ideas of the difference of value are founded.

Resolved, That a statement be made, from different ships' accounts, of the actual rates of freight and expences during the late war, and also at the present time, to shew the inability of ship-owners to bear the tax on tonnage..

Resolved, That a statement be procured of the number of ships and their tonnage in the transport service on the 5th of October, 1801, and how many are in that service at the present time.

(Signed) J. HILL, Chairman,

At a meeting of the committee of ship-owners for the port of London, held at Wills' Coffee-house, 2d June, 1802:

Mr. GILLESPY in the Chair:

THE draft of the petition against the bill imposing duties on the tonnage of shipping, and on the depressed state of the shipping interest, according to the resolution of the former meeting of the committee, was read * and confirmed.

Resolved, That Mr. Lushington, one of the representatives in parliament for the city of London, be desired to present the said petition to the House of Commons; and that the other members for the said city and the borough of Southwark, and also for the out-ports, be requested to support the same; and that the secretary do communicate to those members this resolution, when Mr. Lushington has fixed the day for presenting the said Petition.

(Signed) T. GILLESPY, Chairman.

At a general meeting of ship-owners, held at the London Tavern, the 22d day of June, 1802, to receive the report of the committee for the port of London, and on other business:

Mr. HILL in the Chair:

THE petition to the honourable the House of Commons, for a repeal of the duties on tonnage, was read, and the several resolutions of the committee were confirmed.

Resolved, That the rules and regulations prepared by the

* See Parl. Debates in 8vo. Also Cobbet's Political Register, vols. 1, 2. et seq.

committee for "the society of ship-owners of Great Bri"tain," and now read, be confirmed and printed for the use of the members, and that the same be transmitted to the ship-owners at the out-ports.

A letter addressed to the chairman, and signed by the príncipal ship-builders on the river Thames, was read, stating, "That in consequence of the final establish66 ment of peace, they had deemed it necessary to re"duce the wages of workmen who were employed in repairing ships, and that they had experienced very "considerable inconvenience in their endeavours to carry the same into effect.”

Resolved, That it is the opinion of this meeting, that the wages recently paid to workmen employed in repairing and building ships in the river Thames were exorbitant, and that the ship-owners present approve of a reduction being made in such wages by the ship-builders; and that it is their determination not to employ, independent of the shipbuilders, any journeymen shipwrights, or others engaged in repairing and building of ships.

Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting be given to William Lushington, Esq. M. P. for the attention which he has invariably shewn to the interests of ship-owners, and in particular for his conduct and readiness in presenting their petition to Parliament for a repeal of the duty on tonnage. (Signed) J. HILL, Chairman,

At a meeting of the committee of ship-owners for the port of London, held the 9th day of September, 1802, at Wills' Coffee-house, Cornhill:

Mr. HILL in the Chair:

THE secretary reported, That he had written to Mr. Wells, chairman of the committee of ship-builders, respecting the dispute with the shipwrights.

The committee then took into consideration the letter addressed to the secretary, respecting Mediterranean passes. And also, a letter from James Smith, esq. master of the Trinity-house, Scarborough, respecting a claim made by the directors of Ramsgate Pier, for dues on ships returning

in ballast; and on the construction recently given of an act of parliament respecting the admeasurement of ships, and the inconvenience resulting from it; and also a letter which appeared in the Hull Advertiser on the same subject: but the consideration of them, as well as of the termination of the differences between the ship-builders and their men, was adjourned until the next meeting of the committee.

At a general meeting of ship-owners, held the first day of December, 1802, at the London Tavern, to receive the report of the committee of ship-owners for the port of London, respecting "the duty on "the tonnage of ships, and on oil and skins, the

produce of the British fisheries," and on other business of great importance to the shipping interest:

Mr. HILL in the Chair:

THE Secretary reported from the committee for the port of London, that they had met regularly since its establishment on the second and fourth Thursday in each month to transact business, and that they had received several communications from the ship-owners in London and at the out-ports, on many important subjects relative to the general interest of shipping.

That the great object of the committee's attention had been the present depressed state of the shipping of the country, and towards endeavouring to obtain the repeal of the duty on the tonnage of ships, and on oil and skins, the produce of the British fisheries *.

The most important subjects which had come before the committee were the following, viz.

Ist. The serious inconvenience many ship-owners had felt from being obliged to take out a licence, and give bond to the commissioners of his majesty's customs, from the particular construction and build of their ships. The subject was considered of so much consequence, that it had been re

* The ship-owners at the following amongst other out-ports petitioned Parliament against the tonnage duty, viz. Sunderland, Bridlington, Wells, Whitby, Blythe, Hartley, Scarborough, South Shields, North Shields, Newçaştle, Kirkaldie, Liverpool. See the Commons Journals for 1802 and 1803.