The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-05-30 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES —LIVERPOOL SATURDAY, MAY ao, 1857.

that in the administration of the Liver-
pool Dock Estate, Manchester, Bolton,
Preston, Blackburn, Chorley, Rochdale,
Stockport, Huddersfield, Halifax, Leeds, &c. &c.,
have been positively benefitted. The fa ilities
which we give to the merchants and manufac-
turers of all those places for importing and
exporting the raw material or manufactured
produce, are evidences that we are not only
mindful of their interests, but of the supremacy
of British trade and commerce. Liverpool hails
with delight any and every thing which can add
to the importance or magnificence of its com-
mercial marine. The docks themselves, the
regularity and precision with which they are
worked and arranged, as well as the approaches
to each and all, belie the aspersions of
the promoters of the Mersey Conservancy
Bill. They are unequalled in any quarters of the
globe, and every year adds increased facilities to
the shipping frequenting them. Sergeant
WRANGHAM, although well primed for the
occasion, failed to prove to the Committee that
there had been any actual mismanagement of
the Dock Trust. He dwelt in wholesale asser-

tions as to to the desirability of altering the
present system of management, hut his brief
failed to show that the interests of trade and
commerce has sustained even the slightest injury
by the Corporation retaining and exercising a
controlling influence over the Dock Estate. We
look upon the Bill in question as nothing less
than an attempt to wrest out of the hands of
the people of Liverpool their just rights, and to
rob them of the pecuniary advantages arising
therefrom. We shall have occasion to refer to
the matter again, and to sift the arguments by
which the Bill is sought to be sustained, as well
as the evidence produced to support the allega-
tions of the preamble.

THERE seems abundance of' kind feeling and
good intention in the world, but the wisdom to
carry this into effect seems not equally

abundant. Of course we all mean well, we

are all aiming at the improvement of society iz
our different ways ; the object and justification
of all legislation is public good ; no law is enacted
with the express and avowed purpose of prod uc-

in; evil—and yet how often do we see people
with the best intentions in the world doing the

very opposite of the good they had purposed.
We are always reminded that to kindness we

must join discretion, to benevolence we must
unite wisdom. If the world were only as wise
as it is benevolent we should be a good deal
nearer the Millenium. It is nearly half a
century since Great Britain abolished the Slave
Trade—yet that nefarious traffic is still carried
on. It is a quarter of a century since the
people of this country gave to the world the
unparallelled example of a nation voluntarily
taxing itself to the amount of twenty millions,
to wipe out the plague spot of slavery
from their own colonies.

No good and wise effort is ever without
result, and we trust this great national

act has not been without its effect
upon other nations. But this slavery is extin-

guished in the British dominions, and a slave
cannot stand on British soil ; yet is this enormity
not yet finally put down. CLARKSON and
WILBERFORCE are dead, but the slave trade

is living still. We were lately shocked and
scandalised by some details of a slave-ship taken
by a British cruizer. Nearly 200 poor creatures
had died in the horrors of the middle passage,
and yet the miscreant captain took the matter
lightly, acknowledged that if he had been
successful in landing the remainder even, he
would have realised over 20,0001., and exulted
in the many successful trips which he had
already accomplished.
It is horrible to think that such things
are still transacted in presence of civilised
nations. The wonder is that a shout
of universal execration from all nations does
nut rise to heaven, followed by effectual means
to sweep the traffic and the traffickers from the
face of the earth. Spain is the chief offender
in this infamous trade. It is said that the
annual import of African slaves into the island
of Cuba is not less than five thousand. And
this is done in spite of solemn treaties to put
down the trade—frequent infractions on the

part of Spain—followed by remonstrances from

country, and fair promises from the faithless
delinquent—and in spite, too, of a British war
squadron to watch the African coast, and
costing this nation half a million a year. Spain
has ever been pre-eminent in barbarity from
CORTEZ and his companions till now. But
surely France and England are strong enough
to prevent Spain from marring the general
concert of civilised nations.
The case of the southern states of North
America is nearly as bad, but with a
difference, inasmuch as it has become
what they call a " domestic institution."
The great and growing empire of Brazil in
South America is a noble and honourable
exception, and within the last two years we have
oftener than once been assured by our own Govern.
ment that Brazil was faithfully and honourable
co-operating with us according to a stipultion• to
extinguish the slave trade, and more recently we
have learned that the trade has entirely ceased
within that vast territory. All honour to the
Brazilians, who, we hear it reported, are about
to send into the Chinese waters a war vessel or
two to represent them at that great naval
Congress.

We cannot understand why every now. and