Page:History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce (Volume 3).djvu/20

CHAPTER XV.

First Navigation Law in France, A.D. 1560—Law of Louis XIV., 1643,
revised by Colbert, 1661—Its chief conditions—Regulations for the
French Colonial trade—Slightly modified by the Treaties of Utrecht,
1713, and of 1763, in favour of England—Provisions of 1791 and
1793—Amount of charges enforced—French and English Navigation
Laws equally worthless—"Surtaxes de Pavillon" and "d'Entrepôt"—"Droits
de Tonnage"—Special exemption of Marseilles—French
Colonial system preserved under all its Governments, but greatly to
the injury of her people—English Exhibition of 1851—Messrs. Cobden
and Chevalier meet first there, and ultimately, in 1860, carry the
Commercial Treaty—The French, heavy losers by maintaining their
Navigation Laws—Decline of French shipping—Mr. Lindsay visits
France, and has various interviews with the Emperor, Messrs. Rouher
and Chevalier on this subject—Commission of Inquiry appointed,
and Law ultimately passed May 1866—Its conditions—Repeal Act
unsatisfactory to the French Shipowners—Another Commission of
Inquiry appointed, 1870—Views of rival parties—M. de Coninck—M.
Bergasse—M. Siegfried—M. Thiers and Protection carry the day,
and reverse, in 1872, much of the law of 1866—Just views of the
Duke Decazes—Abolition for the second time of the "Surtaxes de
Pavillon," July 1873 422-462


CHAPTER XVI.

Recent legislation relating to the loss of life and property at sea in
British vessels—Committee on shipwrecks, 1836—Estimated loss of
life at sea between 1818 and 1836—Recommendations of the Committee—Committee
of 1843, loss of lives and ships at that period—First
official return of wrecks, 1856—Loss of lives and ships, 1862
and 1873—Further recommendations—Various laws for the protection
of seamen, 1846 to 1854—Agitation about "unseaworthy ships,"
1855—Further provisions for the benefit of seamen, 1867-69-70—Mr.
Samuel Plimsoll, M.P.—His first resolution, 1870—Introduces a
Bill, 1871—Government measure of that year—Mr. Plimsoll publishes
a book, 'Our Seamen,' 1873—An extension of the principle applied
to testing chain-cables strongly urged—Mr. Plimsoll moves an
Address for a Commission of Inquiry, which was unanimously
granted—Royal Commission on unseaworthy ships 1873-74—Its
members—Their order of reference—And mode of thorough investigation—Their
reports—Load-line—Deck loads—Government survey—Its
extension undesirable—Shipowners already harassed by over-legislation—Mode
of inquiry into losses at sea, examined and condemned—Recommendations—Examination
of masters and mates,