the artist who is now
at the head of his profession, caring no more for French rivalry than
for that of a tavern sign painter. The appositeness of this
illustration will be evident when it is applied to the subject under
consideration.

Almost immediately after the repeal of the British Navigation Laws
the revolution in shipbuilding to which I have referred had its
commencement, and we have seen how British shipowners availed
themselves of it. Nor were they alone in adopting the change from sail
to steam and from wood to iron. We can remember what a large trade we
had with Germany twenty-five years ago, although it was small compared
with that of the present. At that time it was chiefly conducted in
American vessels. But when iron steamships came into vogue, wooden
vessels, both American and German, were abandoned. If we had been
permitted to do so, we should have still kept the greater part of that
important carrying trade in our hands. But we were shackled by our
navigation laws, while the Germans were unconstrained by any such
impediment.

The _personnel_ of our mercantile marine was, in every respect,
superior to theirs, but it was consigned to annihilation by our
protective government; while Hamburg and Bremen took their old galliot
skippers in hand and educated them to the responsible places they
now fill in command of the splendid lines of iron steamships, making
their semi-weekly trips across the Atlantic, having absolutely
monopolized the whole American trade!

Thus our government protected the Germans as well as the English.
By citing other examples, we might show how the "fostering" hand of
protection has been extended by our government to every nation
choosing to trade upon the necessities of prohibited Americans.

Now, if the United States persist in maintaining a policy long since
abandoned by Europeans, South American and Asiatic nations, even by
Japan, leaving us only China as a companion, there must surely be some
arguments to support it, and to account in some other way than has
been pointed out for the decadence of our carrying trade. It was
the theory of Mr. Lynch's committee that we were going on very
successfully until the civil war supervened, and then the Confederate
cruisers destroyed our "commerce," as they termed the industry we have
lost. If this is not disposed of by what I have already said, permit
me to quote from my scrap-book an extract from a letter addressed by
me to the New York