The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-10-10 00:00:00

AUSTRALIAN PASSENGER SHIPS.

THE entertainment which was given on Wed-
nesday, on board the magnificent ship the James
Baines, perhaps the largest merchant-ship in the
world, and deserving of all that can be said in her
praise, is not so interesting in itself as it is illus-
trative of a great fact, of the highest importance
to the commercial prosperity of the port of Liver-
pool. It is little more than two years since the
Marco Polo left the Mersey with emigrants for
Australia, contracted for by the Government. As
a colonial-built ship but little was said as to her
capabilities, excepting that she was evidently
superior to most of her class, and she went away
with her freight to their far-distant home. No
more was heard of the Marco Polo until just before
Christmas, within six months of her departure,
when she again appeared in the Mersey, bringing
the first intelligence of her own arrival out. Such
a circumstance was unprecedented in the annals of
commercial enterprise, and by most persons was
attributed to a fortunate coincidence of favourable
winds. A second time she went out, and again
returned within a few days of the time occupied in
her first voyage; and a third trip was performed
with similar rapidity. The effect was almost ;
marvellous, and full advantage was taken of it by
the managing owners, Messrs. JAMES BAINES and
Co. Every exertion was made to eclipse the per-
formances of their own vessel by the construction of
still larger ones, by the most celebrated naval
architects, until the Black Ball line of Australian
packets comprises a list of merchant-ships which,
for size and speed, surpass all that was imagined
would have been possible only two years ago. They
have not, however, been permitted to have their
pretensions to pre-eminence unchallenged, and
rivals have appeared which leave the palm of supe-
riority still to be won. Messrs. PILKINGTON and
WILSON, in their line, distinguished by the White
Star, have spared no exertions ; and the recent
advices of the Red Jacket having arrived out in
71 days, and the Mermaid under 74 days, show the
closeness of the competition.
The chief value of these facts is, however, in the
stimulus which has thus been given to the emigra-
tion trade from Liverpool, in preference to that
from London, which for a long time enjoyed the
preference. For every quality which renders an
emigration ship desirable, Liverpool has now a vast
preponderance over the Metropolis ; and we can
point to many ships sailing from this port,
which far surpass any vessel belonging to London.
The trade to Australia, notwithstanding its rapid
rise, is still increasing ; and it cannot be too gene-
rally known to intending emigrants, that, whether
they regard most highly speed, safety, comfort, or
economy, each quality is to be met with in greater
perfection in the Liverpool ships than in those of
any other port.

There is, however, another feature in this ques-
tion, which was very ably brought by Mr. JAMES
BAINES before the numerous company assembled
on Wednesday. He stated that the ships of the
Black Ball line were intended for the importation
of Australian wool direct to Liverpool, and he gave
some interesting details with reference to this
important branch of trade. Owing to the few ships
from Liverpool which had returned direct to this
port, the greater part of the supply of Australian
wool was shipped to London, although that market
was twice the distance of Liverpool from Yorkshire,
where it was manufactured, and thereby involved
additional charges to the extent of sixty per cent.
The annual value amounted to about £3,000,000 ;
and in order to show what was lost to Liverpool by
the trade being diverted to London, he stated that
there was about £105,000 to the merchants and
brokers in commissions, £B,OOO to the bankers,
above £20,000 to the Lancashire and Yorkshire
Railway, about £4,000 in dock and town dues,
£15,000 in labour and warehouse-room, and
£150,000 in freight; being a total of above £300,000
a-year, all of which was lost to the trade of Liver-
pool by the wool being sent to London, where it
also involved a much heavier charge upon the
consumers. He stated that their instructions were
to obtain wool as return freight on any terms, or
even for nothing, in order to bring it to Liverpool ;

and as other ship-owners are now pursuing the
same course, we may reasonably anticipate that
ere long the shippers will also find it to be their

interest to make consignments to this port.
While upon the subject of the trade with Austra-