Page:History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce (Volume 3).djvu/179

 ships, as it appears that sales were effected at the prices therein named.

The price per ton declined 1l. per ton, according to the years for which the vessel was classed; and according to the North Country Club Rules, 3l. 10s. per ton may be added to these prices for a Baltic outfit—that is, for a ship when ready for a Baltic voyage. As a corollary to these prices, which were, indeed, much lower than the London rates (bad as well as good ships being built in Sunderland), a list was given of the shipbuilders who had failed in Sunderland within the short period from 1841 down to 1847. The list comprised no less than 40 names—a melancholy catalogue—many of them were men whose fathers and grandfathers had moved in good circles: yet these men had all failed owing to the depression of business then prevalent.

On the question of Reciprocity, about which there was, subsequently, so much discussion, Mr. Richmond declared, that there could be no prosperity in England till the Reciprocity Treaties, as well as all the Orders in Council enforcing them, were totally repealed. He looked with extreme jealousy at the beautiful and well-appointed ships frequenting Newcastle from Russian and Swedish Finland: but, he saw that no fairer class of merchant ships came to