The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-10-16 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES.-LIVERPOOL, THURSDAY.

E CURRENCY QUESTION

working in connection with their present line of steam-ships
--. to Aspinwall, would be capable of performing the voyage
e, To Tete.
ea., T„.,_ ---. EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES. between Southampton and the Australian colonies in a
poshlietli;o ren8:11
?lisdoes the export of a few millions of gold, satisfactory manner, as respects the speed, regularity,
.andt
comfort of the passage, and at the same time earn sufficient
sat' a profit to the exporter, jeopardise the
411110 '3, the Bank of England, depreciate, the value of 'o support the new undertaking. Proposals have also been
rendersionai
made to Government for an extended postal service between
securities, and creat a feeling of panic which
Ilean. __ the operations of the most legitimate trader Panama, Australia, and New Zealand; and, it seems, there
NO Perilous as those of the most reckless speculator ? is reason to believe that very favourable arrangements may
teX,peitro'fsibaenefit which an individual. derives from the be made with the United States Government for the
erg 0 golduetrimental to the prosperity of the nation ? conveyance of letters between New York and Australia,
pogeop I,nee:dmits that " all partial evil may be universal. by way of Panama, and between San Francisco and
sal, can understand how the reverse of this pro-
Ina•vhin can be tr - Australia by the same route. The contract which
be oir--nal teem the
le eductiveue—how the good
.w.hich arises to an has recently been entered into by government with the
pursuit of a leg.ate trade should .
Australian and European Company, is for the conveyance of
eleeerth , •of evil only to the community at large.
ire eiirreneAle_ss,such is the fact. Bat why ? Simply, because the mails to Australia by. way of Suez ; but, granting that
ma-ghat `r of the country rests ono metallic founda- this route is the moot suitable for communication with Aus-
Now is to say, is based on gold. tralia, the present contract is for a monthly communication
ar, are as the sinews of trade, as well as the sinews of only, which before long wil/ not be considered sufficient.
l_reiecie,rePresented by that one' word MONEY ;and and as a There is consequently a reasonable ground for the belief
!.f 01. gold, by the act of 1844, is made to imply rcity that the establishment of a monthly line of communication
itegi7 ; it follows, as a natural consequence, that with Australia by the Isthmus of Panama, departing between
tiee ',!older other circumstances, the profitable ex oat the times of the Suez line, and thus securing a fortnightly
out. Weal i the coca .
119,0 . modity gold would necessarily increase communication with those colonies, would confer on them a
fe. wader' Ye(paradoxical as such an assertion really great benefit, and would be productive of a large amount of
ititietition_ existingo_ circumstances, it actually saps the
traffic. Should these undertakings came into active opera-
,,,ilth3 t our prosperity. It results in poverty—not
lion, of which we see no reason to doubt whatever, we shall
la th °Main
then have no
withless than four organised lines of steam coin-
la. e lite.h, Proceeding is more plain than: this."—Money
eiu'Raieh 'c'o'doi our commerce. Without money it must municaaon Australia. These will be the European
oezNerefor and die. Gold is our only legal money. If, and Australian Steam Shipping Company, from Southamp-
iavnegueei,zvtiess:elili our gold, it matters not what we get in ton, via the Isthmus of Su, z ; the Royal Mail Steam Packet
the life-blood of our commerce. Company, from the same port, via the Isthmus of Panama;
he r deeeri _Li, what we have a right to demand—some the Austrailian Auxiliary Seam Clipper Company, fr9m,
otthe as ePted or Pu" an °f money. Give us money that cannot London ; and last, but not least, the line of Messrs. Gibbs,
artcle of commerce then the trde
the export ti 7 e ' and
Bright and Co., from Liverpool.—Australian Gazette.
b of
can noi longer be drained of its life-blooda
by
eliotietary gold.
eity„, .Panics will no longer be possible. Commer-
ee ar,:isloos will seldom occur. Certainly, they will
tlrsa
eh '''e frm a
se an,.,0 " legitimate and profitable trade in the
, gce sale of gold, or any other commodity
. Jo FI N WILL

COTTON FROM NORTHERN

USTRALIA

A gentleman, writing from Manchester, throws out the
following suggestions with respect to the capabilities of the
Australian continent for growing cotton :—" The rate at
which the manufacture of cotton has for some years increased
is obviously so much greater than the present cotton-
growing countries can meet, that it is desirable to look for
other likely sources of supply ; and to this point my atten-
tion was directed by a communication from Captain J.
Lort Stokes, R.N., on the subject of a convict settlement on
the Plains of Promise, discovered by him at the head of
the Gulf of Carpentaria, in North Australia. From what
was then said of the range of temperature, 50 degrees to 90
degrees, this being what is req aired for the growth of
cotton, and the facility with which labour of a sort suited
to the climate could be obt dried from China, Canton being
little over 2,000 miles from the Plains, I was induced to
write to Capt sin Stokes for further information as to soil
and climate, with which he has kindly furnished me. To
enter into details would occupy too much space, but it may
be stated that the region referred to is free from the
extremes of heat and cold of Southern Australia, and has the
further advantage of more rain. The soil is a light-coloured
mould of great depth, and, in the opinion of those qualified
to judge, who have examined some that was brought to
England, is of a rich quality. As to climate, the range of
temperature throughout the year is from 50 deg. to 90 deg. ;
there is, therefore, no interruption to vegetation ; and from
the report of Captain Flinders, R.N., who was in the gulf
from 4th November, 1802, to 6th March, 1803, rain was
frequent during the prevalence of the north west monsoon
from December to February, after which the weather
became settled. Both captain Stokes and Dr. Leichhardt,
in different years, visited the plains in July and August
(the close of the dry season), and found them covered with
long grass ; there must, therefore, be moisture to sustain
vegetation for six or seven months, a period sufficient to
mature cotton. It therefore appears as if both the climate
and soil of the Plains of Carpentaria will be better suited
to the growth of cotton than any country we are now
acquainted with, except the southern districts of the United
States of America ; but as this must remain a theory with-
out it is tested by experience, I would suggest that the
matter be brought under the notice of government, and that
measures be taken to send a small force of Chinese labourers,
under parties acquainted with the culture of cotton, to a
point on the Albert River, where they could be maintained
for two or three years at little expense, which time would
be sufficient to test the capability of the country for the
growth of cotton, and, if succes,ful, individual entrprise,
aided by the facility with which labour could be got from
China, would soon extend its culture."

To THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES.
tO te I'4 got
e what „ pan hour before my usual time this morning
'.lll •.d • W." would say to the castigation he received
fitmentri,Ll,ll American Bullionist," Judge of my disap •
hen, after carefully examining the four pages of the
ft: rr.el,,,y.ttli TIMES, I could find no letter on the subject,, of the
t sling
of It may be all very well for "J. W. to affect a
licet t c,°lltempt for his opponents, but a writer who under-
"itiej,lo"alighten the public, ought, surely, to reply to a fair
ItZte!eeph,64What we want at present is cheap money, not
11,`" fortr, trash.J. W. show us how we are to
tdett, er; we have enough of the latter in his own letters.
thtke eoe44 gullible John Bull, let me give thee a word of
thee, of of
tiles r:11.11g these currency reformers. They would rob
With right sovereigns under the pretence of supplying
'rnty of money.
And give thee a garland woven fair,
Take care.
'Tis a fool's cap for thee to wear,
Beware.
;406.3, Trust them not, they are fooling thee."
tow,j,"„;ent ervant, GUINEA GOLD.
"I; Oct. 15, 1856.

aheir Tlit Roma OF THE NORTHERN TIMES.
4tri:enllit me to call your attention to some trifling
44ne1fOr 7 tty letters No. 2 and 3. In No. 2, paragraph
.sr
paragraph eleven, for
4, etell4„,s, ot?uses" read "premises;"
%le, read " exchanges ;9, paragraph. thirteen,, for
Sal e
of =staking," read "avoid mistaklng.
liot I; it" t?! this opPortunity to thank " A British American
has given to my first
,etter for the extra publicity he
4°4111' republishing so large a portion of itthe
gh TIMES of to-day.
ii4l4;ft 4.,."veeleer;nrabhlacve not yet written a syllable in favour
currency," I do not exactly sea
Int• ;911,1(1 be catechised as to my experience of its worof
lta reference to the curiously original definition
NI Da. earrenc..,
r„ that it is made up partly of real value,
1.1%4 s oe, Credit value, I shall not trifle with the com-
:2,llr Your readers by dwelling upon its absurdity.
;:uers°,,cB,_Pondent says, ihat I propose to enlighten your
t
14. Bate
currency estion, and begs that I will do Fie must alio% me to follow my own
tt;'°re f'„44Y a foundation as wide and deep as I pleae,
401 he
irspro,e!
d ato. raise the superstructure, whose coin pie -
kral of: impatient to witness. Moreover, if the with-
et " gold, under existing laws, does not in any
.way
with-
Bull' our kateri 1 't and ,4A British American
ioolliest” prosperity,
A. F.„ it is nonsensey to suppose that it does, why
tv7 anxious to make more haste than good speed
'I
4.111e.154° hurry, my opponent must excuse me if I take
Lrei,
J. W
Pool, 14th October, 1856.
TR

&DVERTISEM ENT. 1

TO SHIP OWNERS' WHO ARECAPITALISTS, AND
WISH TO KEEP THEIR MONEY TOGETHER,
AND NOT PAY HIGH PREMIUMS FOR INSUR•

IRON SHIPS

CLARE'S PRINCIPLE THE ONLY MODE THAT WILL ENSURE

SECURITY TO LIFE AND PROPERTY

WILL LAST A I AT LLOYDS FOR EVER,

John Clare, Junior's commercial experience developing
where the def2cts lie in what are called iron vessels, con-
structed by people who are not mechanics in either
intellect or skill, but upon the "tin-pot" principle, he will
leave that proportion of tho tract, to porgono of that
class who have turned out sinking coffins to consign to
watery graves her Britannic Majesty's subjects who are
marine travellers in such things as the Orion, Ida,
Tayleur, Faith, Forerunner, H.M.S. frigate Birkenhead,
and many others, including a number of colliers that
foundered with their crews, all of which were inefficiently
and unmechanically constructed, in accordance with the
" tin-pot" principle. The public are ignorant of what
they travel by when on board the present description of
iron vessels, as they are unsafe and unseaworthy from
their bad construction and the light material of which they
are composed upon the " tin-pot" principle.
If security to life and property be the desideratum the
marine department of the Board of Trade have in view,
they ought to put their authority (i.e. if that board is
sincere in its intentions towards the public,) into effect
forthwith, and cause a scale and mode to be laid down upon
which iron vessels will only be allowed to be built. Until
that is done, there will be no end to vessels foundering,
&c., and sinking from collisions, such as the Imogene—
sacrificing some £60,000, but, providentially, no life. As
my attention has been directed to the art of iron ship-
building, to attain the climax whereby safety to life and
property is practicable upon scientific and mechanical
principles, the development of which appears to have
given Mr. Charles Bean (the editor of the Liverpool
Albion.) great offence, as it will naturally prevent
him puffing his friend, Mr. John Laird. of Birkenhead, in
the way he has done; as the said person told me last
Wednesday, that he put that scurrilous document in his
publication, on the Bth inst., because I had been running
his friend (Mr. John Laird) down, which false accusation
I flatly denied. He qualified it, and said, no—but you
have his ships. Mr. Charles Bean said, if you give a tit,
you must take a tat. I said, if Mr. John Laird, or
any other person, calling himself an iron shipbuilder,
made coffins to drown people, I, as a man, would do my
best to protect my fellow-men from a watery grave. As
I was a man, and always treated every person as one,
that was a man in principle, and as I always as a rule
spoke of people as I found them, I only wanted the same
courtesy extended to me. I will take care Ido not commit
myself by an unmanly action. I told Mr. Charles Bean that
any person who might be annoyed at my ideas, and
provided I was right, might write as much as they chose
about me, if they attached their names and address to it,
then he could not be blamed; but he was much to blame
for lowering the dignity of the Albion if he were not the
concoctor of that document, as he stated that the poetry
at foot had given him and his friend, Mr. John Laird,
such great offence, which appeared in the Albion a short
time ago. For the good of the public, I again cause
it to be printed. The French floating batteries that
repelled the 64 lb, shot in the Crimea, and built from the
designs furnished by myself to his Imperial Majesty the
Emperor, also, the same plans being carried out by the
British Government at the close of the war, by building
at Messrs. Robert Napier and Sons, Govan, on the Clyde ;
Messrs. Palmer Brothers, at Jarrow, on the Tyne; and
Messrs. Samuda Brothers, at Blackwall, on the Thames.
Floating batteries from the same plans and designs as were
furnished by me at the request of the Admiralty on the
9th and 16th of July, 1855, but originally brought before
the Hon. Sir M. F. H. Berkeley and Sir Baldwin Wake
Walker, the Surveyor of the Navy, at Somerset House, on
the 11th of June, 1854.

This admission by the British Government building
Iron Floating Batteries, as thus described, is a convincing
proof that my ideas are sound and efficient in naval archi-
tecture, whereby ships may be constructed on scientific
and mechanical principles.

J ohn Clare, thou hast a good old name,
O ! shall it not be known to fame ?
•
H aply the sailor far at sea
N e'er shall forget to honour thee.
C an skill so well brought out as thine
L ong fail as it deserves to shine ?
A h i Jack, as his pure draught he'll drink,
R eally full oft of Clare shall think.
E ach novice o'er his glass shall ask
Who was it made this water cask?
And men the proud truth shall declare
The inventor of this cask was Clare ;
Nor casks alone, but o'er the sea
Clare's ships shall float from damage free ;
So sailors now shall drink pure water.
Nor fear the cannon-ball's dread slaughter.
Few are the dangers which environ
Ships made, as Clare's are made, of iron ;
Masts, spars, and ribs may well defy
Dangers from foes, from wave, or sky,
And when, far o'er the Atlantic sea,
Another home belongs to thee,
Your house of iron, all complete,
So strong, so beautiful, and neat,
Will make wife's, daughter's, son's fond prayer
A blessing on the name of Clare.

SHIPOWNERS,
TO SIIIPO
YTS CUM LEVJT4TE.
PERSONS desirous of havinfr, VESSELS
bnitt•that can neither Leak nor Sink may obtain
efficient Ships through the medium of the undersigned's
patents, who is now prepared to execute all orders
confided to him. JOHN CLARE, Jun ,
Sole Inventor and Patentee of Improvements
in Shipbuilding, Metallic Masts, Spars, &C.,
upon scientific and mechanical principles only.
Exchange-buildings,
by the Underwriters' Rooms, Liverpool.

" NOT ASHAMED TO BE A BRITISH-
AMERICAN BULLIONIST."

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES.
was much amused by a letter which appeared in
your columns of this morning, signed "A British American
Bullionist.'' Having been for some years resident in
Canada and the United States, you must allow me to say a
few words, of rather a personal nature, about your corres-
pondent. Certainly, he need not be ashamed of his country;
on the contrary, his country or his countrymen may well
blush for him. But, surely, he makes a mistake when he
imagines himself to be a " British American Bullionist."
One would rather take him for a Yankey gentleman of that
vulgar kind who are distinguished by a free and easy kind
of gait, blue swallow tail coat with brass buttons, peculiar
shirt collars, and boots long and loose; whose physiognomy
is generally rather elongated, and whose skin is a little too
like parchment, who are never without an odd quid of tobacco,
and whose style abounds with such elegant pasages
as the following :—" In the name of fortune, Mr Editor,
let him do it soon—let him tell us whether his reading on
the subject has been in books less than fifty years old or
not. Let him tell us whether he has ever witnessed the
working of an irredeemable paper currency abroad or not.
If he has, let him tell us in how many places." Why did
he not add, " Let him tell us whether he has ever been in
New York—let him tell us whether he has ever witnessed
an indignation meeting—let him tell us whether he has
ever eaten a pumpkin pie—let him tell us whether he has
ever tasted a mint julep. If he has, let him tell us in how
many places ?" Such an addition, with a few notes of
admiration, would, no doubt, have "shut up" "J. W." at
once, and knocked all his darned ideas into one 'tatnal
heap, and buried them
for ever and for ever. I

correspondent is no

cocked hat
ty tt
irer of the Tiwes

leading jourr

eau mtelligenee from your
ear it will make it " feel bad." But to be
•- ,litEcult, what does it signify to any of your

TRANSATLANTIC STEAM NAVIGATION,

(From the New York Journal of Commerce)

It is our purpose in this article to take notice of the
growth and development of transatlantic steam naviga-
tion, and to show what has been accomplished by citizens
' of the United States in this department of naval art since
they took the field in 1847, in competition with their riva's
of the British Isies, who, for nine years previous, dating
i with the pioneer voyages of the Sirius and Great Western

in April, 11338, had retained the monopoly of the trade
by steam-ships between the two continents. Allusion will
be made to our progress in naval architecture, the diffi-
culties that have been encountered from inexperience and
disaster, and to the measure of pecuniary success which
has thus far attended our efforts. The prospective corn-
- pletion of the leviathan steamship Great Eastern on the
one side of the Atlantic, and the Adriatic on the other—
both of which will far out-distatice anything of the kind
before attempted, and inaugurate a new era in (wan
navigation—seem to point out the present as a suitable
time for a glance at the past. The powerful incentive

arising from the urgent prosecution of rival interests,
backed by the skill, wealth, and scientific knowledge of
two enlightened nations, has doubtless contributed to the
mutual advancement of England and the United States in
this matter. An interval of but 18 years has elapsed since
the first vessel wholly propelled by steam crossed the
Atlantic (though we claim the honour of despatching, in
1819, the steamer Savana, the arrival of which was duly
chronicled at Lloyd's), and now there are fourteen lines
of steamers, comprising 48 vessels, plying' between
Europe and the United States. Recently not less than
fifteen arrivals of foreign steamers have taken place in a
single month, narrowing the Atlantic to a ferry. The
preponderance of foreign enterprise, as shown by the
Shipping List, is not remarkably flattering to Americans,
considering the achievements of our own Fulton.
,just fifty years ago, and the liberal encouragement to