Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-02-24 00:00:00

BELGIUM AND THE UNITED STATES

ONE cannot be surprised that the mercantile
community of Belgium should be seeking to ex-
tend their commercial intercourse with the United
States of America. It appears from our last
American advices, that in the Secretary of State's
Commercial Report to Congress, just communi-
cated, a movement has been set on foot at Brussels
for " the development of a direct, reciprocal, and
independent trade between the Tobacco and Cotton
States of America and the Continent of Europe ;"
and such a trade is declared to be one that " would

benefit the general interest of the Southern
States, and incidentally the Western and North-
western States also." There can be no rational
doubt about this whatever, providod only that
there were the requisite capital for carrying it on
to any great extent ; but respecting this we must
confess that we are more than dubious. The

project, however, is one that is to extend far
beyond the confines of Belgium in its contem-
plated operations on the European side. It is set
forth, that " with the concurrence of the friends
of the movement, Belgium has been selected as

the base of European operations ;" and, with the
concurrence of the leading commercial and
financial influences of the kingdom, the projectors,
it is stated, are authorised to give an assurance on
the part of the Belgian Government, that " the
long expresse4l wishes of the Southern States will
soon receive such aid as to result in the realisation
of the practical and successful carrying on of
direct trade with continental Europe." And the
process is described as now ready to be put in
operation. " There has been formed in Brussels,"
we are told, " to negociate the details of this
commerce, and to represent the planting interest
of America, a continental and direct trade asso-
ciation. Steps are now being taken to receive the
Cotton direct from the plantations of America, to
be sold on the Continent, under the auspices and
guarantee of ample and well-known capital, in
the most expeditious and economical manner,
direct to the consumer in Belgium, in Switzerland,
in the Zollverein, and in Germany." This is
certainly all very grand—upon paper. But where
is the money for it all to come from ? The " ample
and well-known capital" that is to guarantee it
does all very well to talk about, in connection
with such a scheme. But where is
_it ? Why,
the authors of the project themselves would seem
to be conscious of this difficulty ; for they proceed,
it seems to develope a plan of making the trade
one of barter, so as to enable them to carry it on,
as much as possible, without that " ample and
well-known capital," of which they nave yet
deemed it expedient to make a boast. "To meet
this Cotton import," they very plausibly intimate,
" and impart the character of reciprocity to the
trade, and supply the important feature of a return

trade, with cheap freights, the manufacturing
interest in Belgium is about to be organised, and
through a means at once simple, practicable,
and attractive, a committee has been formed,
under the administration of which will
be held exhibitions of Continental in-
dustry, taste, and manufacturing skill, through-
out the Southern States of America, in the
principal towns. These industrial exhibitions will
partake of the character of the German fairs and
trade sales. The goods of the continent of Europe
will then, in a most attractive manner, be brought
as it were to the very doors of the Southern