The shipowner and politician William Schaw Lindsay (1816–77) combined a wealth of personal experience with a meticulous approach to research. Originally published in 1874–6, this is his authoritative four-volume history of the world of ships and maritime trade. Its coverage ranges from the legend of Noah's Ark, through ancient commerce and the colonising expeditions of the middle ages, to the progress brought about by the introduction of steam to the shipping of Lindsay's own day. Details on construction and performance sit alongside explanations of the customs and superstitions of seamen, complemented by full accounts of many important nautical events. Volume 3 describes the extraordinary progress made by the United States of America in the first half of the nineteenth century, discusses Cromwell's Navigation Acts and the causes and effects of their abolition, and concludes with a warning against excessive legislation. Lindsay's practical knowledge and enthusiasm for his subject are evident throughout the work.
Contents
1. Progress of the United States of America; 2. Necessity of proper education for merchant seamen; 3. High estimate abroad of English Navigation Laws; 4. Lord John Russell's first steps as Prime Minister: the equalization of the Sugar Duties; 5. Progress of the changes in the Navigation Laws; 6. Witnesses examined by Mr Ricardo's committee; 7. New Parliament, November 18, 1847; 8. Motion of Mr Herries, 1848; 9. The debate, March 1849; 10. Debate in the Lords, May 7, 1849, on second reading; 11. Despondency of many shipowners after the repeal of the Navigation Laws; 12. Parliamentary inquiry, 1854–5, on passenger ships; 13. Scarcity of shipping at the commencement of the Crimean War; 14. Further returns of the Board of Trade, and address of the Shipowners' Society to the electors, 13th April, 1859; 15. First Navigation Law in France, AD 1560; 16. Recent legislation relating to the loss of life and property at sea in British vessels; 17. Loose statements with regard to the loss of life at sea; Appendices; Index.
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