SHERRY. See WINE. SHIPS. Nautical men apply the term ship to distinguish a vessel having 3 masts, each consisting of a lower mast, a topmast, and top-gallant-mast, with their appropriate rigging. In familiar language, it is usually employed to distinguish any large vessel, however rigged: but it is also frequently used as a general designation for all vessels navigated with sails; and it is in this sense that we now employ it. Merchant Ships.-It is hardly possible to divide merchant ships into classes, at least with any degree of precision. Their size, shape, the mode of their rigging, &c. depend not merely on the particular trade for which they are destined, but on the varying tastes and fancies of their owners. The ships employed in the China trade, by the East India Company, are the largest merchantmen belonging to this country; the private traders to the East and West Indies rank next; then follow the whale ships, those engaged in the trade to the Baltic and Canada, the Mediterranean, and a host of others of every variety of burden and shape. The reader will find, in the articles NAVIGATION LAWS, and REGISTRY, an account of the peculiar privileges enjoyed by British ships, of the conditions and formalities necessary to be observed in order to acquire and preserve these privileges, of the mode of transferring property in ships, &c. And in the articles CHARTERPARTY, FREIGHT, MASTERS, OWNERS, SEAMEN, &c., the law with respect to ships and ship-owners, in their capacity of carriers or public servants, and the reciprocal duties and obligations of the masters and crews, is pretty fully expounded. In this place, therefore, we shall content ourselves with laying before the reader some official statements exhibiting the progress and present magnitude of the mercantile navy of Great Britain. Increase of Shipping in England.-It would be to no purpose, even if our limits permitted, to enter into any details with respect to the shipping of England previously to the Revolution. Those who wish to examine the subject, will find most of the scattered notices of contemporary writers collected by Anderson in his "Chronological History of Commerce." The mercantile navy of England first became considerable in the reign of Elizabeth; and gradually increased under her successors, James I. and Charles I. At the Restoration, the British shipping cleared outwards amounted to 95,266 tons; but such was the increase of navigation during the reigns of Charles II. and James II., that at the Revolution, the British ships cleared outwards amounted to 190,533 tons. The war terminated by the treaty of Ryswick, in 1697, checked this progress. But commerce and navigation have steadily advanced, with the exception of 2 short periods during the war of 1739, and the American war, from the beginning of last century down to the present day. The first really authentic account of the magnitude of the commercial navy of England was obtained in 1701-2, from returns to circular letters of the commissioners of customs, issued in January of that year. From these it appears that there belonged, at the period in question, to all the ports of England and Wales, 3,281 vessels, measuring (or rather estimated to measure) 261,222 tons, and carrying 27,196 men and 5,660 guns. Of these there belonged to None of the other ports had 100 vessels; and there is some mistake in the returns as to the tonnage assigned to Newcastle and Ipswich. Of the Hull vessels, 80 were at the time laid up, which accounts for the small number of men in that port.-(Macpherson's Annals of Commerce, anno 1701.) I. Table of Ships cleared Outwards from 1663 to 1811. Years. English. Foreign. Total. Years. British. Foreign. Total. Years. British. Foreign. Total. Tons. 1663 1669 95,266 47,634 142,900 1761 1760 1762 1700 1701 273,693 43,635 317,328 1702 456,483 1728 1736 1737 476,941 26,627 503,568 Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. 540,241 107.237 647,478 1786 1,115,024 121,197 1,236,221 582,020 122,735 704,755 1787 1,279,033 138,220 1,417,253 543,444 124,926 668,370 1788 1,411,689 128,997 1,540,686 1763 631,724 91,593 723,317 1789 1,515,021 103,722 1,618,743 1764 662,434 79,800 742,234 1790 1,424,912 148,919 1,573,831 1765 726,402 72,215 798,617 1791 1,511,246 184,729 1,695,975 1766 758,081 66,153 824,234 1792 1,561,158 175,405 1,736,563 389,318 1767 725,835 68,006 793,841 1793 1,240,202 -187,032 355,735 1768 761,786 77,984 839,770 1794 1,382,166 218,077 1769 805,305 68,420 873,725 1795 1,145,450 382,567 1,528,017 448,004 1770 806,495 63,176 869,671 1796 1,254,624 478,356 1,732,980 1771 877,004 66,898 943,902 1797 1,103,781 396,271 1772 923,456 72,931 996,387 1798 1,319,151 365,719 1773 874,421 57,994 932,415 1799 1,302,551 414,774 1774 901,016 68,402 969,418 1800 1,445,271 685,051 1775 1776 1,427,234 1,600,243 1,500,052 1,684,870 1,717,325 2,130,322 882,579 68,034 950,613 1801 1,345,621 804,880 2,150,501 2,051,135 2,101,030 2,054,472 170,775 778,994 1807 1,424,103 631,910 2,056,013 1,654,955 1,531,152 699,750 2,230,902 2,762,801 2,203,585 1757 The preceding Table of the British and foreign shipping cleared outwards from 1663 to 1811, both inclusive, is taken from the last edition of Mr. Chalmers's Comparative Estimate. It gives a very complete view of the progress of the navigation of the country; and from the attention paid by the author to such subjects, and the facilities which his situation in the Board of Trade gave him for acquiring authentic information, its accuracy may be depended on. II. Account of the Total Number of Vessels engaged in the Foreign and Colonial Trade of the United Kingdom, with the Amount of their Tonnage, and the Number of Men and Boys employed in navigating the same, that entered Inwards from all Parts of the World, in the several Years from 1814 to 1835, both inclusive; distinguishing British from Foreign. III. Account of the Shipping employed in the Foreign and Colonial Trade of the United Kingdom, in the Year 1835, exhibiting the Number and Tonnage of Vessels entered Inwards and cleared Outwards (including their repeated Voyages), with the Number of their Crews; separating British from Foreign Ships, and distinguishing the Trade with each Country.-(Board of Trade Papers, vol. v. p. 45.) Total 14,295 2,442,734 133,688 6,005 866,990 47,132 13,948 2,419,941 136,537 6,047 905,270 47,927 IV. Account of the Vessels employed in the Coasting Trade of Great Britain and Ireland in 1830, 1831, and 1832. V. Account of the Number of Vessels and of their Tonnage, built and registered in, and of those belonging to, the different Ports of the British Empire, from 1820 to 1835, both inclusive; specifying the Number of their Crews, and distinguishing between those of the British Islands and Possessions in Europe and those of the Colonies. N. B.-The falling off in the number of ships in 1827 is apparent only. The numbers returned in the previous years were those that appeared on the registers. But a ship, when once placed on them, remained till evidence was produced of her having been sold to foreigners, lost, or otherwise destroyed; so that a good many ships were at all times on the register, which, in fact, did not exist. The Registry Act passed in 1826 obliged all owners of ships to register them of new: when, of course, the names of those that had ceased to exist disappeared from the books. VI. An Account of the Number of Ships or Vessels belonging to the different Ports of the British Empire on the 31st of December, 1835, stated in succession, agreeably to the Amount of Tonnage belonging to each; and specifying also the Number of the Crews. (Obtained from the Custom House.) VII. Account of the Number of Ships, with the Amount of their Tonnage, distinguishing between British and Foreign, which entered the under-mentioned Ports, from Foreign Parts, in each of the Three Years ending with 1835.-(Papers published by Board of Trade, vol. v. p. 46.) VIII. An Account of the Number and Tonnage of the Vessels entering into and sailing from the Ports of Ireland in 1801, and the subsequent Years mentioned below, distinguishing between the Trade with Great Britain and that with Foreign Parts.-(Papers published by the Board of Trade, vol. i. p. 174.) IX. Account specifying the Number and Tonnage of the Ships built and registered in each Division of the British Empire in 1832; with their Classification according to the Amount of their Tonnage.(Papers published by Board of Trade, vol. ii. p. 49.) Ship-building. The cost, including the outfit, of the ships built in 1832, may, we believe, be taken, at a rough average, at from 101. to 121. per ton, or 117. at a medium, making their total value 1,302,2351. London, Sunderland, Newcastle, Liverpool, Hull, Yarmouth, &c. are the principal building ports. The business has increased with extraordinary rapidity at Sunderland; so much so, that while only 60 ships, of the burden of 7,560 tons, were built in that port in 1820, no fewer than 109 ships, of the burden of 25,519 tons, were built in it in 1832. Ships built at London, Liverpool, Bristol, and other western ports, are, however, in higher estimation than those built on the Tyne and the Wear, at least for those branches of trade where the best ships are required. Within the last few years, a great many steam boats have been built on the Clyde.-(As to building in the Isle of Man, see next paragraph.) State of the Shipping Interest.-A great deal of evidence was taken by the Committee of the House of Commons on trade, Manufactures, &c., in 1833, on the state of the shipping interest. The statements made by some of the witnesses differ very materially from those of others; but, on the whole, they go to show that it was then, and had been for some years, very much depressed. It is difficult, however, seeing the number of new ships that are every year built, not to suspect that the complaints of the ship owners are very much exaggerated. No doubt their profits are a good deal lower than they were during the war; but this, if it be really an evil, is one that is not peculiar to them, but equally affects agriculturists, manufacturers, and merchants; and is not even confined to this country, but extends to others. We have already shown the groundlessness of the clamour raised against the reciprocity treaties (vol. ii. p. 211.); which, far from being injurious, have been signally beneficial to our commercial and shipping interests. It is believed that, owing to the peculiar facilities afforded by means of docks and other devices for the loading and unloading of ships, the employment of steam tugs to bring them quickly to their moorings and to take them to sea, and the greater economy and despatch that now pervade every department of the business, 3 ships are able to perform, and do, in fact, perform, as much work as was done by 4 at the end of the war! There has, in this way, been a virtual addition of 400,000 to 500,000 tons to our mercantile navy. And this surely is enough, without looking at any thing else, to account for the decline in the rate of freight since 1815. The fall in the value of ships has been a consequence of the still greater fall in the value of the timber, iron, hemp, &c. of which they are constructed; and, however injurious to those who happened to have bought or built ships during the high prices, it is in no ordinary degree advantageous to the public, and to the ship owners that are now engaging in the trade. The heavy discriminating duties on Baltic timber are, in fact, the only real grievance under which our shipping interest labours. Were it not for them, ships might be built cheaper in England than in any other country. Such, however, is the vast importance to a maritime nation like this of being able to build ships at the lowest possible rate, that we think they ought to be allowed to be built in bond, or, if that would be inconvenient, that a draw. ack should be allowed of the duty on every article used in their construction. A measure of this sort would give to the shipping of England the same superiority, in point of cheapness, that is now enjoyed by our cottons; and would do more than any thing else to consolidate and strengthen the foundations of our maritime ascendency. It is entirely owing to the operation of the duties that so many ships are now built in the colonies. They are very inferior to those built in England; and were the latter built in bond, or were the duties on the articles used in their construction drawn back, they would also be the cheapest of the two. It may be worin mentioning, as illustrative of the singular anomalies that have been allowed to insinuate themselves into our commercial system, that timber may be imported into the Isle of Man, or into any other British possession, without regard to its origin, on payment of an ad valorem duty of 10 per cent. It is remarkable that advantage was not earlier taken of this anomaly, to build ships in the Isle of Man. Latterly, however, several vessels have been built in it; and it is clear that, unless it be placed on the same footing as the other parts of the empire, it will become the grand seat of the ship building business. We hope, however, that the equalisation will be made, not by extending our timber laws to the Isle of Man, but by giving to Britain and Ireland the same advantages as it enjoys. There cannot be a doubt that the equalisation of the timber duties would be one of the greatest improvements which it is possible to make in our commercial system. Mercantile Navy of France. We have elsewhere given (see vol. i. pp. 752, 753.) very full details with respect to the navigation and shipping of France; but the subjoined classified account of the shipping belonging to that kingdom on the 1st of January, 1830, 1831, and 1832, may not be unacceptable to our readers. Account of the Mercantile Marine of France on the 1st of January of each of the Three Years ending (SHIPS (CLASSIFICATION, QUALIFICATIONS OF MASTERS OF, &c.).—There is in the Art. WRECK, an account of the annual average number of shipwrecks from 1793 to 1829, with a classified account of those in the last year. Since then, the number of these calamities has in no degree diminished. The following account, compiled from Lloyd's books, shows the amount of shipwreck, in so far as it can be ascertained, from the 1st of January, 1832, to the 30th of June, 1836. Statement of the Number of the Vessels lost, abandoned, broken up, &c. 345 432 594 In 1832, actual losses, &c. from Lloyd's books 32,390 752 50,268 115 20,355 399 70,623 This account must not, however, be taken as fairly representing the total loss from shipwreck. The return as to foreign losses is too defective to be of the least value; and even as respects British shipping, such losses only are taken into account as are entered upon Lloyd's books, whereas it is well known that very many vessels are annually lost that are not entered in these books, and of which, consequently, no account is kept. But, such as it is, the above account shows, estimating the value of the wrecked ships and cargoes at the moderate rate of 187. a ton, that the pecuniary loss arising from the shipwreck of British vessels, in 1835, amounted to the immense sum of 2,191,860%. (121,770 × 18.) But the loss of property is less afflicting than the loss of life. In 1833, the crews of 38 ships were entirely drowned, while those of very many more partially shared the same fate. But, owing to the extent to which emigration has of late years been carried, and especially to the numbers of poor emigrants ready to embark in any ship, provided they get a cheap passage, the loss of crews is no criterion of the loss of life occasioned by shipwreck. Thus, in 1834, no fewer than 731 emigrants, bound for Canada, lost their lives by shipwreck, principally in the gulph and river of St. Lawrence (see vol. i., art. EMIGRANTS); and within the last few years there has been a still more lamentable waste of life, in consequence of the loss of convict ships bound for Australia. The frequency and amount of shipwreck is, indeed, quite appalling; and has at length begun forcibly to attract the public attention. It may be thought, perhaps, that these disasters are wholly ascribable to the perils incident to navigation, and that they are not really greater than might be expected to occur to a mercantile navy so extensive as that of England, whose flag is displayed on every sea, however remote or dangerous, but such is not really the case. If we suppose that a third part of the |