The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-08-13 00:00:00

LVIVARDS.

EIR I 41V E POQI. STA N {

NET RECEIPTS. 18.30.
E.
Great Britain 17,97 i .500
Ireland .
Totals for the U. Kingdom 19,527,101
Liverpool 3,421.551

Foreign Parts .. 2,517 , 625,021

Irelaud

Coastwise - • 4,856 349,693

Total 10,662 1,361,412

Total Amounts in three Years-30,774 4,071,651

Average per Annum. 10,258 1,357,217

The tables thus given are c.Anpil3d from official docu-
ments; but they by no means comprise the whole of the
arrivals in the port; as there are numerous vessels con-
stantly coming from Ireland and coastwise in ballast, or
with articles which require no Custom-house papers, and
of which no official account is kept in that department.

The deficiency of information on this head is well sup-
plied by the municipal accounts relating to the Docks,
which are annually published by the Trustees. These
accounts being made up to the 24th of June in each year,
the particular items will not correspond with the official
accounts above given, even if the latter exhibited the
hole number of vessels arriving; as they are brought
down to the close of each year, or, according to official
practice, and the old style, to the sth January. Never-
theless, the aggregates in each case will be sufficiently in
accordance to spew the general results. We shall, there-
fore, give the actual whole number of vessels, with their
tonnage, which have entered the port for the three years
ending the 24th of June of the present year, extracted
from the accounts of the Trustees of the Docks :
TEAR ENDING AT MIDSUMMER, VESSELS. TONS.

1831 12,537 1,592,436
1832 12,928 1,510,057
1833 12,964 1,590,161

Total Amount in three Year5...38,429 4,722,954

Average per Annum. 12,810 1,571318

It will be seen by this statement, that, (without regard-
ing the difference in the periods of the year at which the
Dock and Custom-house accounts are respectively made
up,) the numbers of vessels which arrive from Ireland and
coastwise, either in ballast or ,with cargoes exempt from
the control of the Custom-house, and of which, therefore,
that department takes no cognizance, have amounted, in
the last three years, to

VESSELS.
7,655

TONS.
651,303

Being an Average per Ann. 0f...2,552 217,101

Before we discuss the subject of the revenue derived
from this accumulated mass of navigation, and point to
the inferences to which a view of the whole question na-
turally leads, we will so far extend this branch of it as to
give the numbers of vessels, with their tonnage, which
have entered the port from all parts every third year from
1800 down to the 24th June last; in which will be re-
marked an invariable progression, with the solitary ex-
ception of 1812, one of the years of the American war.
It is a progression, in fact, that haS only one parallel in
the history of the world ; and that is the city of New
York ; which, in all the essentials of commercial enter-
prise, most assimilates with Liverpool. This position
we will take an early opportunity of establishing, by a
condensed view of the commerce of the United States, in
the manner of the present statement. _ .

We find, then, by the accounts of the trustees, that the
dock dues were paid on the following amounts of tonnage
in the several years specified :
Years endniy at essels.
Midsummer.
1800 4
1803 4,791 , 494,521
1806 4.676. - 507,825
1809 6
1812 4
1815 6
1818 6
1821
1821
~
1827
18.1) . 11,214 . - 1,411.961
18:33

Tonnage.

Thus exhibiting the extraordinary fact that, in the short
space of thirty-three years, the trade of the port has
nearly quadrupled ; being in the ratio of more than seven
to two in 1833 as compared with 1800.
Let us next look at the general amount of the duties of
Customs derived from the commerce of the united king-
dom for the last three years, and how much of it was

yielded by the port of Liverpool within each year. It
stands thus, taking, throughout, the net receipts, after
deducting repayments, drawbacks,

16,810,174
1,456,900

18,267,074

3,473,279

16,960,632
1,507,2-19

18,467,881

3,8.32,033

In treating this part of the question it must not be lost
sight of, that reductions and changes of various kinds
have taken place in the duties of customs; and that, in
despite of the increased consumption calculated upon in
such cases, the net revenue of the united kingdom, de-
rived from this branch, has fallen off to the extent of
£1,059,220 within the three years. But this isolated
fact does not bear upon the discussion otherwise than as
corroborative of our views, since the diminution of duties
applies to all places equally ; and it will be seen that, whilst
the general revenue of the united kingdom has fallen off
to the extent last mentioned, the port of Liverpool, in-
stead ofexhibiting its share ofsuch defalcation, shows an in-
crease of no less than £410,482 within the three years;
or, it may rather be said, within the two years from the
sth January 1831 to the sth January 1833 ; and if the
account were taken back to the sth January 1830, the
excess in Liverpool, from that period to the same day
in the present year, would be nearly £600,000.

It will be seen, by these accounts, that this port,
which, dire... years ago, paid customs duties to the extent
of about one-sixth of the aggregate amount paid by the
three kingdoms, contributed, during the last year, one-
fourth of the amount paid by England, and considerably
more than one-fifth of the whole of those duties raised in
the united kingdom ; showing that, whilst the customs
duties,of the united kingdom have• fallen off nearlj, six
'per cent., those of Liverpool have increased twelve per
cent. Their amount exceeds, as has already been stated,
the whole revenue of Scotland and Ireland from the same
ou rces by above a million sterling per annum ; and its.
aggregate reaches the spin derived from the nine principal
ports of the three kingdoms—(London, of course, ex-
cepted)—namelv, Bristol, Hull, Newcastle, Leith, Glas-
gow, Greenock, Dublin, Belfast, and Cork.

If we revert to the statements relative to vessels and
tonnage entering this port, we shall discover equal mat-
ter for congratulation. Looking at this branch, we find
that more than one-third of all the foreign tonnage, anti
above one fifth of all the British and foreign tonnage
united, of every description, which enters the ports of
the United Kingdom from foreign parts, arrives at Liver-
pool. In Irish shipping, the proportion destined here
is still larger. Of the whole number of vessels entered
in the custom-houses of Ireland for every part of Great
Britain, Liverpool receives nearly two-fifths; and if al-
loWance be made for the great numbers which, for the
reasons before stated, are not entered at our custom-
house, there is little doubt that one-half of the entire
tonnage of Ireland destined for Great Britain, enters
this port. We have no means of ascertaining, in the
same manner, the proportion of coasting, trade enjoyed
by Liverpool; but we have shewn that five or six thou-
sand coasting vessels annually enter the river Mersey.
Thus, the whole number of vessels and amount of ton-
nage, annually seen in Liverpool, exceeds considerably
one-half of the whole registered shipping of the British
empire, European and Colonial.
There is one, and only one point in which the port of
Liverpool does not keep up its preponderance in matters
relating to shipping. It does not build ships at all in
numbers proportioned to the immense'extent of its corn-,
mercial operations. • The registers of shipping belong-
ing to the port of Liverpool. fall f4r.shOrt. of 1000 ves-
sels,. and 200,000 tons, which is but a small part. of its.
entire navigation. It, however, compensates the other
ports of the country, especially those engaggdin ship-
building, for its almost monopoly in many 'branches Of

trade, by giving constant employment to great numbers
of their vessels: Liverpool stands only third in the .re-
gistry of ships. London and Newcastle being both be-
fore it in that respect.

The evidence we have thus adduced—so incontroverti-
ble in itself, and presenting, apart from extraneous con-
siderations, so fair a prospect for the future—borne out,
as it is, by that single, but most important fact, that, (with
the exception of 1812 before referred to), no period of our
commercial history exhibits any retrogression; but that,
on the contrary, each succeeding year presents to view a
progressive increase in commercial transactions, and in
the private benefits and public revenue derived from
them ;—such an evidence, we say, is naturally calculated
to draw forth, in a spirit of great sincerity, our warmest
congratulations to our fellow-townsmen upon the growing
consequence of this port. In all sincerity we •do offer
those congratulations. And if, by the blessing of that
Providence which has hitherto guarded this favoured
island, the injurious consequences which have threatened
our commercial prosperity, through recent public mea•
sures, should be averted, we.may fairly expect to see this,
the second commercial port of the world, not only main-
tain its position, but make the same advances in succeed-
ing years which have marked those gone by ; especially
favoured, as it is, in all its localities, both for internal and
external communication. •

Let us hope, then, that the Government of the country
will, at all times henceforward, do for the port of Liver-
pool what its increasing consequence entitles it to expect.
It may reasonably demand every facility, as regards the
transaction of its commercial business, that is consistent
with the security of the revenue. Whether it has, of
late, experienced all those facilities—or whether, on the
contrary, many new and vexatious regulations have not
been introduced and enforced in the revenue depart-
ments, which are alike unknown in other places—partial
in their operation—prejudicial in themselves to the
commercial interests=-and unnecessary, ,as measures of
precaution, for the protection of the revenue—we leave
to the consideration of some of those exercising authority
in that department. We have certainly had many and
not unimportant representations made to us on that head.
It would be with much unwillingness that we should go
into details on points of that nature. We should greatly
prefer being justified in avoiding such a course. But, if
the causes of complaint to which we now refer, and which
will thus be rendered intelligible to the proper authorities,
be not speedily abated, our duty as journalists, watching
especially over the commercial interests of the town, will
induce us to speak out distinctly, and without reserve,
upon the measures which have been brought immediate-
ly, and most intelligibly, under our notice.

Another evil, also, will be matter for the future serious
consideration of the higher authorities; and our attention
is drawn, at the moment, to this particular fact, through
the very sensitive medium of our pockets. In drawing
up the tables which are given in the course of the present
article, being deficient in documents upon one or two
points, and desirous of placing our accuracy beyond ques-
tion, we applied to certain authorities for some trifling
information. For the required information (which it may
probably have cost a clerk half an hour to prepare) three
guineas were demanded by the parties in question and
paid by us. This was done under the authority of what
is called a "patent right," granted in "years long past,"
by and to certain parties, and for considerations to
which we will not here more particularly refer. The
fact, however, proves the 'existence of an imperium in
imperio, which, in these times of the correction of abuses,
it would be well to see removed. We will, at our lei-
sure, make a little more inquiry into this subject.