Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-19 00:00:00

our ports, has been, in many cases, in a situation

of decided advancement

Take for instance

our own Docks, the account just rendered of the

dues on the tonnage of which, during the past

year, shows an increase of nearly £6oo,—notwith-
standing the general commercial depression that
has prevailed. The past year, in fact, has been the
most productive year to the. Docks, we find, that
Liverpool has ever known. Or take again—which
also happens to be at hand whilst we write--the
report of the Commercial Dock Company of the
port of London, presented to a General Court of
Proprietors a few days since, in which we find it
stated —" The directors have the pleasure to report
that the docks have received a larger amount of
tonnage of shipping during the past year than in
any former year." And then the report proceeds
to show, that the ships and tonnage of the year
was 1,222 ships and 401,470 tons —being an in-
crease of 161 ships, and 37,452 tons, over the num-
ber in 1857. Surely this is very palpable evidence
that the Shipping Interest, so far from declining,
has actually been improving, notwithstanding the
unfavourable state of our general commerce.

Such being the case, it is really surprising to
witness the outcry which portions of the great
Interest persist in raising, as to its alleged ruinous
condition, in order to effect a retrogression in the
commercial policy which is now in operation,—
with less satisfactory results, perhaps, to British

Shipping, as yet, than there ought to be, but still
with no such consequences as it is endeavoured to
persuade the country have arisen from it.

The General Shipowners' Society of London, for
instance, we observe, have just adopted a Petition
to Parliament, praying for the prompt removal
from British Shipping of all burdens, vexatious
restrictions, and liabilities. Now, in the first
place, British Shipping must, like everything else
by which there is profit desired, as a matter of
justice and fairness, bear its rightful share of those
burthens which have tole imposed for providing the
means and appliances by which it is accommodated
in our several ports, and protected, and otherwise
advantaged. What the " vexatious restrictions "
are we do not know. Everything is "vexatious,"
with certain minds, which in anywise interferes
with men's desire to do as they like, and to make
what profit they like, looking only to their own
interest. All taxation is " vexatious " when one
would rather not pay it, but prefer keeping the
money demanded in one's own pocket. These
burthens press heavily sometimes, yet they must
be borne: every Interest in the country is called
upon to bear its due proportion of them, be its
state for the time beilig what it may. The General
Shipowners' Society, in their Petition, declare
that " from this cause, among others, the progres-
sive advancement of British navigation to meet the
requirements of a continually increasing commerce
has been checked ; and at this moment the British
Shipping Interest is plunged into the deepest and
most ruinous state of depression and difficulty—a

vast amount of capital being annihilated ; freights
in all parts of the world reduced to a point render-
ing any adequate return to investments in Shipping
impossible ; and a very large amount of British
tonnage, both at home and in foreign ports, being
absolutely without employment." Now this is a
tissue of the grossest fallacies ; and the end of the
statement completely contradicts the beginning.
How is it possible that, at one and the same time,
British Shipping is unable " to meet the require-
ments of a continually increasing commerce," and
" a very large amount of British tonnage, both at
home and in foreign ports be absolutely without
employment ?" Why, we are here told in the
same breath, substantially, that there is employ-
ment for more Shipping than can be had—and
that the Shipping Interest is at present unable to
" meet the requirements of a continually increasing

commerce !"

The very prayer of the Petition in question
shows a perverse and unreasonable state of mind.
It is that Parliament will " institute a rigorous
investigation into the facts herein alleged, with
the view "—to what, does the reader suppose ?
To ascertain whether or not they really are facts ;
and if they are, then to find out how they came to
pass—if it is the liberal commercial policy in
operation that is producing them ; and, if so,
whether that policy cannot with advantage be
modified ? No—for none of this, so fair and
reasonable as it would be, do they ask that the
investigation be instituted, but only with the view
"to the prompt removal from British Shipping of
every burden, restriction, and liability, general and
local, now pressing upon the British Shipping
Interest, by which it is incapacitated from main-
taining the foreign competition to which it is
exposed !" Such is the modest request to
Parliame
London. Why

ant of the General Shipowner's Society of

a more arrant begging of the
whole question could scarcely be imagined. It is
more than doubted, it is denied, that the British
Shipping Interest is incapacitated from maintain-
ing the foreign competition to which it is exposed.
The error or the correctness of it might be
ascertained by the " rigorous investigation "

proposed. But this is not the point with the
General Shipowners' Society. They evidently do
not want to ascertain anything but the ruin of

their Interest, arising from its being " incapacitated
from maintaining the foreign competition to which
it is subjected !" If they really think that
Parliament is likely' to be imposed upon in this
way, all we can say is, that they are infinitely

more credulous than one could have had any

idea of

TILE art of colonising has received a most
wondrous advancement in these latter days.
What the Continent of America might have been,
and the " isles of the sea" adjacent thereto, by
this time, had colonial progress been understood
in former times as it is now, it were impossible to
say. But certainly it would have been something
different from what it now is, notwithstanding the
rapid strides which the United States have made
since they were formed into a federal union, having
cast off the Colonial trammels which, with such
short-sighted policy, had been imposed by the
mother country.

Look at South Australia. ° See what she has
been enabled to do as a British colony, under a
system of rule and governance which not only left
her free to develop her rich resources, but gave
her every encouragement to do so. Why, the

colony of South Australia has accomplished in less
than a quarter of a century, that which there are
other colonies have not been able to do in several
entire centuries. She is one of the most prosperous
of all our colonial possessions, and promises to go
on in her successful career at the same rapid
rate, until she probably becomes one of the
wealthiest and greatest of the nations of the earth.
And all this proceeding from a settlement there,
which at present dates back no longer than twenty-
-a brief space, indeed, in the history of
a country.

one years

Yes,—South Australia has but attained• her
majority. Only a year ago was her twenty-first
anniversary celebrated—an event which could not
fail to be highly interesting to all who had watched
her progress, or taken part in her early struggles
and difficulties. And a mode of commemoration
was determined upon that is highly honourable to
the colony, in this her youthful life, and which
is not yet, it seems, wholly completed. Many who
had been sharers in those struggles and difficulties
have returned with the fruits of their labours to
the countries of their birth ; but it was felt that,
although no longer resident in South Australia,
these absent friends were as warmly as ever
interested in its welfare, and would be as

willing to mark this commemoration with
some permanent record of their sentiments.
It was resolved, therefore, that all who still took
an interest in the welfare of the colony, be their
residence now where it may, should be invited to
subscribe to a commemoration fund; and that
the amount thus raised should be devoted to
the promotion of some object of general and last-
ing benefit to the colony. The object decided
upon is one that does infinite credit to its
promoters,--one that is highly commendable on its
merits, and calculated moreover to increase and
strengthen the ties which bind the colony to the
mother country. It is proposed to establish three
exhibitions of £lOO a-year, tenable for three years
each, so that one will fall vacant every year. The
exhibition will be open to every school in the
colony, and the object is to enable the holder to
complete his education at some European or
Colonial University. It would be difficult to
devise a means more likely, whilst advancing the
interests of South Australia, to perpetuate, and to
do so under the happiest circumstances, the
mutual benefits of British connection. Many,
doubtless,•will contribute to the fund who have

returned home prosperous gentlemen, through
their successful industry and enterprise in the
colony ; and these cannot but feel a glow of
satisfaction, and have a deeper interest in the
colony, when thus made parties to a means
of promoting intellectual improvement there, the
constant accounts of the good effects of which
cannot fail to reach their ears ; while the youth of
the colony, who may be so fortunate as to obtain
the exhibitions, coming, as in all probability they
will, to our own Universities, will get more and
more imbued with good old English feeling,
and have, as Colonists, *their loyalty and love
towards the mother country increased and invi-
gorated accordingly.
It certainly indicates a spirit on the part of our
South Australian brethren that is most honourable
to their hearts and minds, that they should thus
prefer a means of commemorating the " coming of
age " of their youthful colony which has too
generally so little immediate attraction for the
world. With them it is evident that, in the words
of one of the wisest of men, " wisdom is the prin-
cipal thing," and, therefore, it is that they are
careful their youth should " get wisdom, and with
all their getting should get understanding,"—and
thereby to " give to the young man knowledge and
discretion," since " a wise man will hear and will
increase learning." It speaks highly, we say, for
the intelligence of South Australia, that there is
so warm an appreciation as this of the benefits to
be derived by society from such an education as
our own and other Universities impart ; and we
have no doubt that, before another quarter of a
century of its colonial life has passed away, there
will be most satisfactory proofs of its happy effects