The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-02-03
From the Philadelphia North Ameican.
The Empire OF the Sens.


From the Philadelphia North Anerican.
The Empire OF the Seas.
| The rapid growth Of the American steam ma
| rine-the indications furnished by at least the
| summer passages of the New York steamships
across the Atantic-in conucxion with the proof,
from Hong Kong to London, Of the superiority of
American over British sailing vessels, have pro-
duced no little alarm among the patriots of the
fast anchored isle, who dread the transference of
the empire of theseas, 30 long maintained by Eng
land against the world to the hands Of their enter
| prsing cousins of the world 1t is. very GER
tain that a struggle for commercial supremacy is
| going, and has long been going, between The
two countries and II is, perhaps, also certain that
the victory would be speedily acquired by Ameri-
can energies over British pride and British ca pitaI,
were those energies properly lostered by Govern
ment, and not exposed To- suffer, they do, from
| the continual discouragemcnts Of unfriendly
and unnatural revenue system.
The contest ia not fair one; and, 30 far the
steamships concerned, the rivalry is conducted
On the side of the British on such principles and
with resort to such cxpedients to secure the ad-
vantage, show the Importance attached by
them to the struggle and their determination to be
victors at every hazard, and at any cost. In
mercial aspect, the rivalry has been pursued by
them in pitiful, hucksterng spirit, which has in
fected the press, the public, the very government,
well as those directly interested in the British
ships. great many sly means have been used to
prejudice the character of the American ships by
the circulation Of unfounded rumors OF defective
machinery, accidents, &c.; the post Office suthori
ties threw, as long as they decently could, the
weight Of their official influence againt tie Ameri-
ships; and the immediate managers Of the Eng
lish lines have always been ready with the small
device Of reduced freighs to drive away shippers.
The following extract from speech by MIR. Butler
King. of Georgia, delivered In the House of Repre-
sentatives far back July l9, lS4S. will be re-
membered as showing that this latter game
sorted to, at that early period, against the first
American steamer which visited Liverpool
"In the discussions which have been occasioned
by the appropriations to meet the contracts for this
mail service il has been argued that it is quite
necessary for the Government TO contribute any
degree to sustain it; that private enterprise, il left
untrammeed by Government schemes and legal
enactments,' would sustain itself against all for
eign competition. To show the fallacy Of this
soning, it is only necessary to state few facts
nected with the recent voyage of the steamer
United States to Liverpool. The price of freight
from Liverpool TO New York. established by the
Cunard line. is E7 sterling per ton, and the price
of passage ESQ per head. While the United States
in the dock ut Liverpool, the agents OF the Gu
nard line to prevent freight and passengers going
in her, reduced the price of freight TO "a per ton,
by the sHiberna, aud to E2 ls. by the Mia
CARA, and they offered to take passengers as low
El2 per head.
SIT was announced nj the same time in Harnden's
Liverpool circular, that the old rates would be
sumcd Immediately after the departure of the
American ship. The British line, sustained by the
government, was enabled to adopt this course with
mpunity in competition with ship sustained by
individual enterprise alone; and it must, suppose,
be admitted that our citizens, If not aided in under
akngs of this sort by their own government,
would be quite incapable of competing for any
length OF time with SO powerful an opposition.
This being the case, it must be apparent TO any
who will investigate the subject that, in very
short time, the most valuable portion of our carry
ing trade would pass into the bottoms of these
British mail packets
The more recent case Of the Franklin will not be
forgotten, where the similar artifce attempt
cd--to the honor of the French shippers, without
any offering TO take freight from Havre
New York at ten dollars ton, against the thirty
dollars upwards, the regular rates, asked by the
owners Of the Franklin.
| In our efforts TO place American steam naviga-
ton a safe footing shall, doubtless, have TO
contend with this sort of policy, and with all the
interested prejudices Of our English rivals-who
have the merit of sticking by each other in every
contest, when justice is notaltogether their
sde--until we have overcome both, shall ul-
tiInatcly do In the bile, the moral that lies
at the bottom of the controversy should not be
looked. In the British view, national safely is in
terwoven with the idea of marine supremacy.
Every steam packet now built i'll England j. u
steam frigate added to the British navy. Every
American steam-p packet sh ,uld be regarded
similar addition to the American navy. Every
thing should be done by us to stimulate the in
of American steamships, and to direct their
construction TO render them capable of being
employed. whenever necessary, as arms Of the ma
tional defence.