Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-21 00:00:00

SPOKEN.

Lat. .
May 29.. Marian Moore, Calcutta to Liverpool...... ln
24 5..53L00 E
July 2.. Fulwood, Calcutta to Liverpool .. .• • • .... 19 S.. 2 W
July 3.. J. P. Morse, hence to Calcutta.......
July 9..Hesper, hence to Hav .....• • • 45 N.. 18 W
July 26.. Idas, hence to New Orleans.
July 28 .. Rienzle, Co'llo to Cork
July 29.. Lady Octavio, Bombay to Liverpool . 33 N.. 42 W
July 31.. Marsala, home to Malta ...... .....• 45 N.. 10 IT
Aug. 8.. inkerman, Taganrog to Cork, off Cape de Galt.
Aug. 12.. Brig, showing 3rd district pendant, No. 1,678,
bound South
Aug.l4.. John Briltht ..... ........• .•••• • . 48 N.. 10 W
Isabella, bound North.... ..... ..... • .... 41 N.. 9 W
FOREIGN PORTi.
S. R. Mallory, listor, hence and Key West at New Orleans.
Vanguard, Morton, hence at New York.
Abbots' Reading, and Pacific, both ut Iquique.
E'ise Hanson, hence at Helvoet.
Charlotte, Wood, hence at Vlie.
Eugenie, sailed from Antwerp for Liverpool, Aug. 17.
The Lanchester, from London at Mounts Bay, for Liverpool.

THE SHIPPING INTERES P.

New York, Aug. I.—Shipping continues in a languishing
condition, and we see no prospect of an early improve-
ment, unless there shall be a revival of an export demand
for our breadstuffs during the ensuing fall and winter.
Experience seems to have demonstrated—firstly, that too
many vessels have been built since the development of
the California and Australia gold mines ; and secondly,
that propellers are rapidly superseding sailing vessels on
all but very long voyages. At present the bulk of freight
between Great Britain and France and New York is
carried by steam-vessels, mostly British, and the fact is
not to be denied that the supremacy of the ocean is
rapidly concentrating in the hands of Great Britain. The
balances in the postal service are also largely against us,
and are constantly increasing. Recently the Bremen line
has been abandoned as a mail route, because the Pest-
master-General withdrew the annual allowance, and
conceded the postage collected as the only compensation
for carrying the mail. It is understood that there are
now building on the Clyde and in other ports of Great
Britain no less than 300 iron propellers, ranging from
1,000 to 1,500 tons, all intended to meet the wants of that
revolution in the ocean which is soon destined, at this
rate of progress, to overtake that which is rapidly
annihilating time and space on land. The iron
works of Scotland and England are represented to be
crowded with business, and Napier, :the celebrated steam-
engine builder, is taking contracts to be fulfilled three
years hence; and while this is the state of things on the
other side of the Atlantic. our ship-yards are comparatively
deserted, and there is scarcely a steamer of any consider-
able size being built. Britain now outnumbers us in
steamers four to one, and next year, it is expected, that
difference will be widened to the relation of ten to one,
and the year after, perhaps, to that of 25 to one; and this
disparity must continue to increase in proportion to the
effort and attending success on one side, and the neglect and
failure on the other. The Philadelphia North American
reiterates what we have repeatedly said on this subject, viz.
—that sailing ships have had their day, as the great means
of transportation for Commerce, and must now yield, ex-
cept in the bulkier and heavier merchandise, to the superior
facilities offered by steam propellers. They must submit to
that great law of necessity which operates upon other
departments of Commerce, and the other transactions of
life. Viewing this, then, as a practical proposition, em.
barrassed by no fanciful theories or speculative sugges-
tions, it becomes us to consider whether our nation will
be governed by the plainest dictates of reason and self
defence, in providing for an admitted exigency, or whether
we shall wait for " something to turn up" until, by her
rapid exertions, England shall have virtually possessed
herself of the ocean, and assigned to us an inferior
position as a maritime nation. The strides made by
the United States during the last five years in
Commerce and shipbuilding have attracted not only the
jealous interest of one great rival, and nerved her
towards that effort, the fruits of which are becoming
visible. It is the boast of England that she maintains
more than 90 regular lines of steamers, reaching to every
part of tho world. These are mostly mail steamers,
established and sustained by the liberal countenance of
the Government, which is content to p. ofit by the re-
salting increase of commerce and influence as compensa-
Hoc for an outlay of subsidy. Under these circumstances,
it is sLecerely to be hoped that Conk ess will at the next
session al once consider what defective legislation may be
necessary to ;Evert the threatened evil to our commercial
marines, and p,rovide some remedy by which a fair com-
petition can be ins:_,red. We may rest assured that the
ocean traffic of the world is soon to be carried off by
steam-power, and the ID-I;:itea States should at once make
a bold stroke for its share.--Aw York Shipping List.