Page:History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce (Volume 3).djvu/173

 purpose of showing that the difference in every case was in favour of foreign shipowners, but more especially in the case of those of the United States, Holland, the Hanse Towns, Sweden, and Prussia.

By the various reciprocity treaties Mr. Young considered the Navigation Laws were virtually repealed with regard to those countries with whom we had concluded such conventions: but, while maintaining that these treaties had proved highly prejudicial to Great Britain, he did not recommend a retrograde policy; and we gladly admit that, whatever opinions might be entertained of the ardent Protectionist principles he propounded, his political adversaries bore

the items of wages, insurance, interest on capital, calculated at 5 per cent., and depreciation of the property, which experience warrants at 10 per cent. per annum, the total amount of those items, on a ship of 500 tons built in England, and costing 8750l., would be 2623l. 10s. on such a voyage; on a ship of the United States, costing, as estimated, 7250l., it would be 2191l. 10s.; that on a Dutch ship, costing 7000l., it would be 2110l.; that on a Bremen ship, costing 5500l., it would be 1626l.; that on a Swedish ship, costing the same amount, it would be 1550l.; and that on a Prussian ship, costing 4720l., it would be 1329l.; making a difference in favour of an American ship of 432l.; of a Dutch ship of 513l. 10s.; of a Bremen ship of 997l. 10s.; of a Swedish ship of 1073l. 10s.; and of a Prussian ship of 1294l. 10s. These gross disbursements resolved into their elements, as regards wages, stood thus. The wages on a British ship were calculated at 786l.; the wages of an American ship of the same size, viz., 500 tons, 669l.; in a Dutch ship, 640l.; in a Bremen ship, 471l.; in a Swedish ship, 395l.; and in a Prussian ship, 331l. 10s. The items of these wages, as regards British ships, were, an English captain, 10l. a month [that is the amount of wages, but the emoluments of a British captain would be very much more than that]; chief mate, 6l. per month; second mate, 4l. per month; boatswain, 3l. 10s. per month; carpenter, 5l. per month; cook, 2l. 10s.; nine able seamen, at 45s. each, 20l. 5s.; eight ordinary seamen, at 30s. each, 12l.; and three apprentices, at 15s. each, 2l. 5s.; making a monthly amount of 65l. 10s., which multiplied by 12, gives the amount stated, 786l.]
 * [Footnote: of equal tonnage of the above-mentioned nations respectively, and taking