New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-06-29

LIVERPOOL AND HER DOCKS Perhaps the trade
of the United States with Liverpool is greater than
that with half the world beside, and whatever az.
fects her Shipping and Port regulations is keenly
felt by the Commerce of our City. very deep
dissatisfaction now exists among the better class
of shipmasters, especially those of our regular
New.York Packets, with regulation eniorced by
law of the Liverpool Docks, which forbids, under
heavy penalty the kinding of any FIRE or strik.
ing of light on board any vessel lying at these
Docks.
The moral consequences Of this regulation
should alone eonstfan its repeal. For fall third
of each year the nights there are long, dark
chilly and often rainy The sailors employed in
loading or unloading during the day cannot be ex-
pected to stumble in their wet clothes to their damp
bertbs at dark, when that comes at five to seven
O'Clock, and lie there fourteen to eighteen hours.
But even if they did, nothing can be cooked on
board, since no FIRE ia allowed and they must 20
off TO boarding houses three times per day for
food. This brings them into constant frequent
contact with all that is debasing and ruinous in
Liverpool. The gin-shop, the brothel and the
sailor clearinghouse which is generally both
together and sometimes worse, have al their loca.
tons convenient, and their scouts and decoys in
every street. To drive the crew OF packet away
from their vessel to boarding house for food and
lodging while in port is to deprive their officers Of
oil control or watch over their leisure hours-is to
compel them to spend their evenings abroad and
10 tell the sailor in port to spend his time
as be best may from five in the evening to seven
in the morning is to send three out Of four to the
way that leadeth down to death. Here are a
crew who have finished their days work and
taken their supper the night is just drawing on;
and they have this choice before them-to stumble
aboard their ship and down to their cold damp
forecastle and there remain for the next ten to
sixteen hours or look about where the fiddle is
going the liquor is flowing, the dance striking up
where, in short, they may see life.' Only those
Of stern principle can usually be expected to
choose the better part, where the narrow wayis
is so tborny and forbidding. The result is general
Observation-Disclosures A veteran captain as
cures Us that while most Of the captains in the
London, the Canton and other trades have grown
up therein there is scarcely one in the Liverpool
trade who has risen frcm the forecastle in it.
The csptains-at east the American captains
trading to Liverpool, demand repeal of this Up
pressive Dock regulation, which virtually consgns
their seamen to dissipation, restitution, disease
and ruin. They demand the same liberties there
which are freely accorded to them everywhere
else. But the Municipal authorities stand so much
IN fear Of tie boarding house and grog shop inAu-
cree that they dare not, or at least do not, act
on the side Of reason, liberty and morality The
vamTyre classes are naturally furious at the sug
gestion Of any change which viii weaken their hold
on the doomed class whose hard earnings now
mainly tend to their Golfers They are great con-
servatives like nearly everybody else) where their
own pockets are threatened by Reform. There
seems, then, but this open to our shippers
to clear their vessels for Birkenhead Just across
the river from Liverpool, where the noblest docks
have been constructed, and where no such restric
ton to fires and lights board vessels il known
flour packet owners and shippers would bu. unite
in saying to Liverpool, We must be permitted to
use our own fires and lights at your wharves. or
we will load and unload scross at Birkenhead'-
they could hardly fail Of success If they did fail,
they should do as they bad threatened.