The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-08 00:00:00

STEAM v. SAILS.

Steam-power has achieved a resplendent triumph since
its first application to vessels navigating the ocean ; and,
judging by the wonderful results which the past 15 years
have witnessed in this respect, we are entitled to look for-
ward to the future prepared not to be astonished at any-
thing which capital and enterprise, allied to science and
art, may in that particular perform. One of the most
important consequences of the rapid multiplicity of steam
ships on the great highways of our foreign and domestic
commerce, as might have been foreseen, has been to limit
the sphere of usefulness and profit of that portion of the
world's mercantile which relies on wind and canvas
for its powers of propulsion. Not that the multi-
plicity of steam ships has diminished, or is diminish-
ing materially, the number of sail vessels annually turned
out from our ship yards, nor that there is any real reason
to apprehend that steam in this or the next generation
is destined to drive sails from the realms of Neptune—
not that the progress and prosperity of the steam interest
is going to do all this; but it is idle to deny that it is
working silently, but surely. a revelation in the en-
tire carrying trade of the world. Speed is an indi pens-
able adjunct to commerce, and the sons of commerce
in these modern days are schooled in a too shrewd,
matter-of-fact school, to patronise vessels propelled to day
as they were propelled in the days of the Phoenicians, the
Scandinavians, and the Carthagenians. when the steam-
engine is waiting to do their bidding with a swiftness that
is sometimes said to rival the wings of the wind. It is
the manifest destiny of the sails to give way at some
future period, in a good degree, to the engine ; for the
commerce of the world is now so great and so rapidly
increasing beyond any of the old landmarks of history,
that .2E plus is no longer able to meet its wants or to do is
bidding. But the sails, nevertheless, will always have a
place on the ocean We know of no agency yet discovered
that is to drive them, as some fanciful speculatists are so
fond of asserting, wholly -from the seas. The sail vessel will
always be needed to do its share of the constantly-increasing
carrying trade of the world ; and as in the nature of
things it will always be enabled to carry cheaper than its
competitor that has 'a steam-engine to feed and watch,
to that extent it will have an advantage which will
be sure to secure for it, if not large, at least fair profits,
during ordinarily prosperous times. We have, indeed,
some foreshadowings of the future condition of things in
the comparative state of the carrying trade as between
sail vessels and steamers at this moment. The bulk of
the light goods from Great Britain and the Continent is
now nearly all transported by the steamers, for the rea-
son that these vessels come quicker, while the rates of
freight are nearly as low as the sailing vessels charge.
The latter, in consequence, are obliged to accept such low
rates coming this way that they not unfrequently lose
money on the trip. On the Atlantic the competition
between the two interests is more conflicting than in other
directions, and in view of these facts we may anticipate a
disposition on the part of shipowners to seek, in more
distant fields, the profits which seem to be transferring to
their rivals trade nearer home. Long voyages for large
sail vessels, we opine,will soon be the order of the day. But
few persons not immediately interested have any adequate
conception of the ocean steamship interest—the capital
invested in it, and the number of vessels enrolled—nor to
the extent which European enterprise is identified with
it.—New York Shipping List.

DIFFICULTIES OF ESTABLISHING A
DAILY NEWSPAPER.

From the New York Sunday Times.
Much has been said and written upon the facilities of
establishing cheap newspapers, and the practice of the
United States is quoted as affording proof upon the sub-
ject. Our readers will think otherwise, when they peruse
the following, taken from a New York paper of a late
date :—We supposed, from the vigorous manner in which
the Dar!, Dispatch was commenced, and the positive
assurance of the publishers that it would be continued,
whether or not, that it was to twcome one of our perma-
nent institutions. Bu', yesterday, its dissolution was
announced, and it will be heard of no more among the
dailies. The Dispatch has been dispatched in less time
tha- any other enterprise in journalism that has been
coteenenced in New York. The publishers had abundant
energy, talent, and ability; but starting a new daily
requires, besides all these essentials, an immense capital.
Less than half a million ought not to be dreamed of. But
the Dispatch depended upon two extremely slight aids for
support, viz.—the success of the American Party, and
" magnificent promises " from friends. Both failed, of
course. The Americans had never a possibility of suc-
cess, and the magnificent promises of friends always
tarn out magnificent humbugs. The Dispatch made
one very serious mistake in relying upon party
support for its existence. There is no party in
existence sufficiently powerful to support a daily paper.
The great Democratic Party, with all its official patronage
and the liberal contributions of its members, has never
been able to support a daily newspaper in New York. Any
paper which hopes to exist by such means, must and
ought to fall. The attempt. to support a party paper in
England has been just as disastrous there as here A.
paper can only live by the support which it derives from
the great public, who buy because it affords them the
information and the amusement which they seek. It
would be just as sensible to expect to support a corner
grocery by party patronage as a Daily Newspaper.
The expenses of daily journalism in New York are
enormous ; the public have but a faint idea of
what it costs to furnish the two cents worth of
reading served up to it every morning by the small
Papers ; only those who are engaged in the business,
have any conception of the immense outlays of
money which are daily expended in obtaining the
mere ephemeral news items, which form so import-
ant a part of the attractions of a morning paper ;
the public has no conception of the amount and variety
of talent which must be employed to give that variety
in the topics treated of editorially in the columns of a daily
paper, neither do they know how difficult it is to procure
the necessary talent, even when the ability to pay amply
exists. The editorial staff of a daily paper is new becom.
lug a matter of great importance, and the difficulty of
procuring the requisite ability to constitute such a body
increases with the constantly expanding scope of the
daily journal, the rivalry of opposing establishments, and
the exactions of the public. There must first be the
editor-in-chief, and he must be a man not only born, but
educated for the post. It would be easier to procure an
able commander-in-chief of an army, or a man suitable to
fill the office of President of the Union, than to find one
qualified to act as the editor of a daily paper. But, the
editor found, then follows the difficulty of procuring the
subordinates on his staff, each of whom must be
endowed with his special qualification. There must be
three or four writers of leading articles, well educated,
variously informed, gentlemanly and honourable persons.
Let what may be said of " gentlemen of the Press," their
vocation requires a higher order of intellect and morals
than any other of the so-called learned professions. A
physician, a clergyman, or a lawyer, may succeed by mere
assumption of airs, and by the various arts of charlatanry
peculiar to all professions. But the newspaper writer can
avail himself of no trickery; nothing bnt the real talent,
cleverness, industry, and learning can avail him. After
the writers of leaders comes the paragraphist, who does
not make a very large figure, but who is indispensable, and
the most difficult of all newspaper help to obtain. Then
comes the theatrical critic, the musical critic, the agri-
cultural critic, the money editor, the literary editor, and
the city editor. Thesa must be all men of ability, and spe-
cials, qualified for their station. Then there are two or three
men employed to look over the papers, and pick out
little :scraps of news and intelligence from all parts of
the world; and then there is a host of reporters, short-
hand writers, correspondents, and regularily-salaried
letter-writers from all the great cities both in the Old
World and the new. Added to these permanent and
regular attaches are the telegraphic expenses, which are
enormous, To maintain this large body of able-minded
and able-bodied men requires an enormous income, and
the difficulty of getting them together, organizing them,
and betting them to work harmoniously, must be so great
that no man who has a proper understanding of the
.business will ever think of establishing a daily paper by
dependiug upon any party, or the magnificent promises of
any friends for support. The difficulties of journalism
in New Fork are much greater than they are in London,
owing to the greater number of papers. In London there
is, in fact, but one paper ; the Tires is the only journal,
the rest are all make believe ; it absorbs all the best
talent ; I.:st here, there are three papers of eqUal preten-
sions, of nearly equal circulation, and of very nearly equal
ability. Each has a speciality of its own, but, in general
ability they are about alike. The three great papers,
corr,nonly called the Wall-street papers, are not much
mm than advertising sheets, intended for the counting-
room ; but they absorb a certain amount of ability, though
nothing to be compared with the is o cent papers. Seeing
then how difficult and costly it must be to establish a daily
paper in New York, an I to raise it up to the paying point,
it will not be wondered at, for a moment, that the Dispatch,
after making so fair a show should soon come to the con-
clusion that the game was not worth the candle, and
promptly put out its light. We trust the publishers will
have better luck next time. They have deserved success
if they have not obtained it.

PRUDENCE.--How much regret, pain, and evil may be
avoid.ed by timely forethought ! If it be desirable to
economise time and money, is it pot still of greater impor-
tance to look to your health During this inclement
season we strongly advise the use of the Aromatic Spice
Plasters on the chest. Coughs, colds, asthmas, shortness
of breath. pain or tightness of the chest, affections of the
lungs. &c., are effectually relieved, and in many cases
entirely prevented, by the timely application of these
invaluable plasters to the chest, which are far superior to the
common warm plasters, and in many cases entirely supersede
the use of internal remedies. No person during the winter
ought to be without one ; persons about to travel by rail-
road, &c., in Particular. .6.1, ls, and is 6:1 each. To be had
only from F. G. Jones, Chemist, 5, Paradise street, and 94,
London road, one door from Seymour street ; where also
may be bad the Horehound and Squills, so celebrated for
coughs, &c., in bottles, is lid, 21 9il, and 4s 6d• Mr.
Jones can show any party interested a number of testiml-
vials of the great benefit derived from the Aromatic S,)iC3
Plasters and the Horehound and Squills, in affectons of the
hest.—Advt.

• • • • .0
,4
~