Page:History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce (Volume 3).djvu/658

 United Kingdom is under the survey of the Society's surveyors for classification in the Register Book. On the 31st of March, 1874, there were building, under special survey in various parts of the world, 655 vessels of a total tonnage of 543,918 tons to class at Lloyd's. On the 30th of June, 1874, the number of vessels building under special survey was 660, of a tonnage of 516,109 tons.

The vast amount of shipping, now being built to class in Lloyd's Register, is doubtless due chiefly to the confidence which the British shipping community repose in the Society's present rules for the building of vessels, and the manner in which they are administered.

In Italy, France, and the Netherlands there appears to be a manifest tendency towards classification in Lloyd's Register, and foreign Shipowners, and even large companies—such as the General Transatlantic Company—are submitting their vessels to this Society's survey for classification, thus placing them on an equality with ships belonging to this country.

During the recent agitation with respect to shipping in Canada, the Canadian Government communicated with the Committee of 'Lloyd's Register' on the project of instituting a Canadian registry, and the following extract from the letter of the Canadian Ministry dated 11th July, 1873, is of interest as showing the high repute in which the Institution of which we are now writing is held in our North American Colonies:—

"The Minister of Marine is not unmindful of the great benefits conferred on the shipping of this country by the establishment of Lloyd's surveyors at Quebec, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island some years previous to the establishment of surveyors for 'Bureau Veritas' in this country, and in making his arrangements for the establishment of a Canadian registry, and the framing of rules and regulations for inspection and classification under it, he feels desirous to assimilate the system under which it will be worked to that of your institution, which is controlled by British sentiment, and has the confidence of such a large portion of the shipowners of the world, and the officers of which possess such great experience in all these matters."

In judging of the value of 'Lloyd's Register of Shipping,' it is important to observe that it is, essentially, a public body,