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ENGLISH AND AMERICAN SHIPs.--pend,r~ the debate ia the British TIcsse C.f Commo.ss on the 2d irst.. upon the bill to suspeud x later date. the navigation laws. LarJ Benunek made speech against the proposed extension of the tune fixed, tn which he nm, forth some very strange, If not startling s,a,s. meu,s, concerning the merchant marine os Great Britain and the United States.

 There were tn England, in 1916, 33O shin. from the United States measuring 435.O(o tons, and manned by l3,900 men--bein0 trifle more than three men to every i'm tons. million of tons of English shipping was manned by 54,000 men, or five men ,o every 100 tons. How, with this difference he asked, could English compete with Amer. can vesselss French vessels, on an ayerave he said, carried eight men to every lOs, ton.

 The difference in the safety of the Amer. can and English vessels he illustrated by the following table:

 ''EIe, Lord G. Bentinck,) however, upon comparison of the disasters that had DC. cured to the grain laden ships of both coun. tries at sea, found the following results: the number of British ships being 29I, and ina, of the ships Of the United States i50.

 British American. Foundered at sea, Fl Unable to make good they voyage,

 and put back to port, 3 f7 Stranded, 4 I9 Threw their eargoes over

 board, 0 0fn

 The accuracy of this table is very much doubted. Where Lord George Rentiuck obtained his tables is-not stated, nor would be easy to ascertain; but, says the Baltimore .fmsrican, '.tiae foilowiug facts co" anirm with all confidence, and they certainly are utterly inconsistent with the accuracy of the noble Lords statements. Ais between British and American vessels loading with flou, and grain in the ports of the United States, preference is given to the American ships at a freight of g per cent. higher than in British ships--which American Insurance Compauies charge on an average 25 per cent more prem. ium, on Breadstutfs shipped in British than in American bottoms-and we are we'll as- sured that the underwriters m Liverpool m like manner, give a decided preference to risks in American vessels."

 The New York Journal of Commeres sustains the facts given by the American, IS it recently stated, that in New York Ameri- can vessels are seized greedily in preference to those of England. The Journal, how eyer, gave as a principal reason for this, that the American officers are usually men of sobriety and superior intelligence.