The Clerk read, as follows: TREASURY DBPABTXENT, January 18. 1866. Srn: By a resolution adoptedin thq HoRep I am directed to communicate at the presentsessionfacts and information concerning the decreaseofonr mercantilemarine and topuggestsuehremediallegislation as I may deem orpedicnt. apeoded to the resolution is ncommunication from Mr. Boston. U.S. consul at Cork. presenting an outline of a plan to encourage and stimulate the building of ships. in which he mi lumes the lossto our commercial merine in the past 5 years to be 4 million tons. the total American tonnage being stated in round numbers at 5 millions beforethe lutewar. It is, however. as certained by diligent inquiry that shipping to the amount of but 91. 466tonshas actually appeared from our lists from all causes. 303 transferred to form n owners and 110. 163destroybedypirates. being less t anone filth. instead of 4/5ths. u addition to the resolution above mentioned. I have likewise receivedacopy of another. instructing the ComCommerce of the House to inquire into the expediencyof so amending the registry we of the U.S. as to admit of theregistry ofany vessel actually owned by Mr. citizen of the U.S. without referenceto the placeof construction. I havethe honor, therefore. to submit an expression of my views upon the whole alibject. The existing laws exclude from the privileges of the American flog all foreignfbuilt vessels. on those veeaclsof dummio build which. after having been once documented under our laws. are transferred to foreign ownership. This policy of exclusion has been uniformly adhered to since the 1st establishment of our commercial s stcm and no general law has at any time revnile at variance whth it. except the act of 23d ecember. 1862 which permits. undercertain conditions. the re try of for lluiltvessels. wrecked in the waters of the U.S. The prohibition. asfar as it relates to vesselsof foreign build. rest: upon the 2nd section of the navigation act of December31. 179? and il caculated to o crish and encourage domestic shipbuilting. which has beenregarded Vital to our commerciii interests and whatever opinion may be entertainer as to the proricty of our eventual relaxntion of the stringency of the laws, I donot regard the presentasanauspicious momentin which to make the experiment, involying. as it would. so radical a change in the established policy of the Government. The act of June 27. 1737, forbidding the registry of a vessel built and registered in the U.S. but subsequently transferredto a foreigner. restsupon a iljllferen but quite as cogent reason. namely. the fuel it) that a privilege of unrestrained transfer would afford for the perpetrntion of frauds and the evasion of the nnvigntionlaws. During tolate war the transfer (in many casesit is believed fictitious or fraudulent) of American bot toms to a foreign flag has beena favorite expedient by which to escape the payment of war ratesofinsnr once and to avoid the risk of capture. Upward of 800,000 tons of 5 iping have thus disappeared from our records. for a urgeportion of which the owners are now claiming readmission when thflhoerraisokfsaonf w American norleognig sterryimarme aingeanint and ptrheecyiantved. of the e? transferred their vesscls with a full kllilwlcilg: sacrifice they incurred. regarding. it must. !I1Piioscll. the temporary security from losses an equivalent to it and should be unwilling to advise in thPlTfRYOIan relaxation of the rigor of the laws. Neither do on the other hand recommend any additional encourage entofahi – biiilllng by allowance of drawback or ot ervnso. njoying u the do an caobnscoeluivtee protection from foreign competition, cannot that our domestic shipyards require any further stimulus or more extended privileges. I am. sir. very respectfully, H. McCULLOCH. SecyTreasury. Hon. Scuovnsn COLPAX. Speaker of the HoRep.