powerful standing armies and conscriptions | created a partial glut before shipping could to maintain them, and as a necessary conse- be prepared to meet it, the truth is that no quence the probable shifting of battle-fields ships (or none worth mentioning) were from Flanders and Picardy to our own eventually employed that might not have shores-from Ramillies and Waterloo to equally brought their cargoes under the Pevensey Level or Barham Downs. These Navigation Laws. But this outcry helped are considerations which seem never to have to increase the public panic, to swell the occurred to the advocates for free trade, and clamour against the corn-laws, and to create which they will no doubt call wild and prejudice against the Navigation code-and visionary; but long attention to subjects of so it was passed; and the result of all this this kind, and a distinct recollection of the irregular legislation-all these stimulants to situation of this country in its last struggle speculation-all these undue and unnecessawith Buonaparte, together with, as we be-ry incentives to importation, has been to lieve, a just appreciation of the probable re- swamp the markets, and drown most of those sults of steam navigation, convince us of the who were rash enough to yield to these dejustice of the apprehensions we have ex-lusive impulses. The device was in chapressed, and of the vital importance to the racter with the rest of these insidious prosafety of the empire of resolutely and de- ceedings, and the result has been even more cidedly resisting any measure that can tend immediately calamitous. in any degree to destroy or weaken our own We have thus treated-very imperfectly, natural peculiar MONOPOLY, our insular posi- we are aware the three great subjects tion, which has generated our shipping and which are likely to be brought into the our seamen, and of which in return these are earliest discussion the Christianity of our the first and best protection and safeguard. constitution-the security of property and The Committee which sat last Session on public Credit-the elements of our maritime the Navigation Laws, and which Sir Robert power, colonial empire, and national safety. Peel and some of his friends attended with Upon the first of these we have no indicasuch remarkable assiduity and so evident a tion how the third party may be disposed to determination against that system, was little vote: on the two latter their Leader-for so, better than a solemn mockery-a vain and in spite of his Nolo episcopari, we must idle and delusive investigation, set on foot presume to call him-has given in his Eland pursued, we fear, only to endeavour to bing Letter so distinct a pledge-not merely find some colour for the contemplated of opinions, but of actual designs if his michange. A statesman need not inquire nisterial career had not been arrested-that whether these laws do not, to a certain de- we have little doubt that, with perhaps some gree, trammel trade and enhance freights- special reserve some tertium quid to prethat needs no inquiry. It is evident; but so serve a colour of individual consistencydo all measures of security and defence-so Sir Robert Peel will substantially forward do lighthouse dues--so do the walls of forti- these measures, whoever may propose them. fied towns. The real question for both We know that some persons for whom we ministers and people is, whether the amount have great respect have even of late exof impediment or dearness created by the pressed a reluctance to break altogether Navigation laws-even if much larger than with Sir Robert Peel, and a hope that the any one pretends it to be-is too great a Conservative party might be again united price to pay for the additional security that they contribute to our harvests and our homes--the inviolability of our territory our independent national existence.

under his command. We should most heartily join in the same wish, if we could hope that Sir Robert Peel would or could rejoin his ancient banner; but we are reOn a question so vital as we consider this luctantly obliged to declare that we hold to be, we cannot refrain from adding one re- such a hope to be a dangerous delusion. markable fact of another class, which will The thing is impossible; the attempt would develope the kind of tactics by which this produce nothing but disappointment and misfree-trade fraud is to be imposed upon us. chief. Sir Robert Peel is not merely pledgThe unhappy Irish famine, that was made ed to all the measures that the Conservative the stalking-horse of the repeal of the corn-body deem so perilous to the country, but laws, was also made the pretext for propos- he is in the first degree the author of the ing the suspension of the Navigation Laws.

It was pretended that there was not British * At one time 30,000 tons of shipping had confreight sufficient to supply the wants of Ire-gregated at New York, which could obtain no land. There was, in fact, no want of shipping for all legitimate trade; and, though the immense speculations in particular ports

ladings; freights that had jumped up to 14s. fell to night ago, that Indian meal was actually sold in 28.; and we have seen in the newspapers of a fortBelfast il. per ton cheaper than guano.

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