Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1852-03-09
RICHM0KD ENQUIRER.
SATURDAY MORNING, MARCFt ., iS"~'
Bow THE SOUTH LOST THE DIRECT TRADE

~--~~>--~-~-~-~~~-~-~
SATURDAY MORNING. MARCH 6, 1852.
HOW THE SOUTH LOST THE DIRECT IkaDE-
HOW SHE SHALL REGAIN II. -,
These arc very interesting and important eng
ought to claim large apacn in the PUBIC Jul" home &c
large sna.e Of the public attention 4hes rt Tho sub
Virginia with espccaIorce and we oe=0 ., an ,,;s srb
lee, nj oly and fully her Legislature n.: X,
-, o ,,rh more Than theory md aos''"s' ',
w. a. ~ nrcsent series OIL po"eriG' 'acIs
w. :. " ~, ,,o highest authority upon maritime sh0ec"
H. rri,, We shal, t,!c'ore. quote al ehe'h o''' "''
.s,, ryoJucon Of Lieutenant Maury entitled "p'EAe'
.,os TrADE OF THE Souri," published in ihe L!e'd'5
ans,srper anc De BOWS REVIEW only as the most III
cid exposition we have yet OF the causes WING" w.
stoned Tie .ss OF the direct foreign trade 10 lie ""u'
"a the best auonement make for SO long NC I
10 notice production alike ertdi'asc 10 oou war.
md Southern intellect, Once Charleston anu N'i'.'A'
| ~. 49,, ,, of me foreign trade OF the American
s,,,rs Wb, mad. ,bcm go and why arc 'hey No' '
o,o;,rs NJ ,hu, trade The following passages ''o 49,
article mentioned explains the sioJec' 80, country
TIM coprss of navigation from EUROPE 10 IN rroion Of
rsrd "a he down acug the cohs OF aea, in,. f1r get
hoN f trade winds These WINGS are aii ,'h ,h,m ram
lo -, , res,wnrd Ships took them, anu WIN MN. ;
n, fiinr In with the southern coast mrs.; ;,as or Of
useI, Is .h,rlrston or the caPes OF inc Calo' Tu
The iano 81 J ,hcn take fresh departure 10, Ne"
VIZ. RIn5 or their port of destinations Wherever
among the New England ota'ss er so,t of relay STA
| This ,rad, of Charleston ahu Noto,"i a,,,ar,;,
,; I'D Nod item the way side OF me co'''''
hnhhwav eadns from Old TO New England. .,. ;, s,i
"'T I, I'm, yr sscs found IN thosc Gays W 80"
- , @ ,r five knots under the most iav"raole CIV,
, ,am About Two miles The hour was me aSr'aSe
rate OF speed for merchantmen, IN 'muss , Guy
az ,st as the gulf stream v ouid carry ios; -. l.;
srnoul 10 New York. the winds are n%'ese, anu r ' 49,
80, has =, be stcmIaed nearly oil the way. Tue 'e.
NO. ~ p las, century were Incapable Of beating up
against the yrind and tide both; consequently u,e ~" -,
wos closed 10 ~ m and the usual on'e WAS ~
| ,.f
Sen catch Ire y. E. trades, and getting on INC t, ~
some southern port in America, to steer cue "e'' UNI" '
made tho land ,.,. ,,,ti,, her
land ful-usccainng her position and Keeping ava! u
her port, n ". gale or sno" snr. aS mar
she was very apt TO do oil New oTk or Eos'o hef Guu
vas 10 RIM hnk south and lay in Charleston until inc
next spring waiting for good weather. ana io'r oPpo'"n
rhon sh III. existence Of the gus,Team was known more
Than two centuries ago. the fact that lis waters were warm
er than Of the sea along side OF H. ana .hs Sa
This difference Of temperature cond be made hVa'mhe
for longitude se1, promulgated to navgaoiS IN
til 1867. o.,,o,oos
In the of trade, beween the old world ana INC
new. ,,,,. , o,
In those days. il the mariner could lag his out-sptead
hand down upon his chart and that certainly coTe'd
The place of !a ship he callrd ucky deg and en-
titled TO he considered navigator 80 -.
Such the course Of navigation such inc onhc"s
in ,a way of trade across Atlantic pro! 10 lI9o That
Charleston and Norfolk Of necessity became Inc halfway
houses g-ea! cntrepos Of traffic. the points ol coha
From l76 in The political allars Of 'hls
counlry--aud from 796-:wehr gears a!tef-ana 80 OF al
intervals OF twenty years dates regularly nc" era 10 'e
affairs Of commerce and navigat.on
Then-in 9U-il made Known 10 naNsaIofs NV, W
dipping thermometer into the water as tncY appfoacAta ouf
shores they nigh, tell whether they were IN or out oil me
gulf sreal-whe;her they on this OF hat siGe OF H.
and consequently know their longitude This disco
very 1t Ea..ed such BY the whole sea.iang com,
munity Works were written on Thermal .,as'Ih hn ~,
and the sircabs Of and cold water In and rear Inc eo
:sanl llsrned 10 blue and req fooons ~hci t'o'I-
dence had stretched upon the greca ooson' oi o A"e'
to warn The navigator OF his approach our shores, Sal TO
tell him his longitude Here removed one great opsta'
| Gle to tho NoIhcrn Passage.
Again, great improvements in naval architecture TOOK
place about that ,ie The kces OF the fastest SHIPS the'
have in navy at this Cay were ald then. Inns le'
| moved the other difficulty.
These discoveries and improvements enabled snps pound
Europe approach the coast OF the United Sa'es VII"
the gulf FOR 5cacon and !Aey moreover enaoe
merchantmen by being srW Of foot! TO turn 10 otndrara
BETTER and qacntiy TO beat over IRON Europe ashs'
The gull stream and the prevailing westerly "Eds OF The
direct roGic.
Thus traders began direct to our northern ports,
instead Of first touching ut the southern Tor anua anu
good weather
Thus Charleston ceased TO be halfway house, and was
made outside station. The Soui quietly ana IA feAce
looked while this IL. oluon was making its changes
After another period Of twenty years W. IN $40 aho-
ttcr era commercial alirs, and the business OF The sea-
was commenced In that year, jeremiah Thompson Isaac
Wright and uteIs-in huuor Of whom The city OF Me-"
York should mnnuincn-commenced the system @!
SHIPS departing al stated periods throughout III"
year. ,
They nut three vessels Of 500 or 100 EACH the line
Liverpool rail stated days regularly once lnonih
or ,hereaway The croakers all thought and many $40
that these ships would 10 no go"tha they were entirely
large, ma hs often the day OF sailing woGia arG
hec would be neither freight passengers to take
Gut the said old Quaker who was In me concern Rne"
what about He sailed the regular day. and gave
his captains postage upon all the letters conveyed 10 ana
iro for quick plssuc I've promised them new gown
s,r their wives sometimes new for themselves.
The Liners" the packet ships Of New ork came 10
DC called Went increasing In numbers ana SIC nf III
white with their sails and New York the focus from WHICH
acy erged 10 al parts Of the world and 10 which they
Oppusi,nn lines were go, up to liverpool, and indencn
denonss established 10 London and Havre Besides ieee
lines Of packet ships packet brgs aud PACKET schooner,
were established between New York and every seaport
in the United States They all had their regular gay
Of sailing ana daily fleets Of them 10 be seen going
out and coming into The haiboT uf New York.
Having thui! regular days Of sailing for New oTk c!
would bring anything nj rate "s freight mat would pay
for putting in and ukng out rather than return empty
Virginia. naval from North Carolina, stones from New
England from Cuba &c. which last were again taken
without freight England because Cuba ores served ur
ballast.
Tnus the packet system built up New York and made her
the great central market for all the surplus produce OF all
sorts from all parts of the sesboard Whatever the country
produced for sampea Of brought by the packets
The wharves OF New York; and thus the warehouses OF
the, city became immense variety store in which Is to
be found whatever Is to be bought or sold IN Inc Cneo
States.
The plcke, shins carried the mails across the Atlantic
They made New York The point of communication with The
Old World aud they controlled the business Of dispatch Tor
the whole country. They the "Adams Express OF
the day. The merchants of c North and the SCUM All
sen, by them for their spring and fall flsions-her hight
goods small pGceS- all special orders were executed IN
tina, way So completely had they nonopollzcd everything
fr New York, in The way Of foreign business, Narcl ana
correspondence in tho year 1851 when they had served
out their twenty years, there not sngc 'eSsc ma
cleared from Boston Tor Liverpool But sy had run hc
twenty years and unoter era In the business Oh coec'
about IL arise.
In 1887 conulr rced;fc era OF Ocean Steam Navigation
though years before that the South had sent out an
aruni courier from Georgia but the South rested coneu
with the honor Of being the first 10 stride across the Al
lanc under This the time-'37-when the de'
thrown that Virginia should offer 10 Cooperate
with the French and invite Them send their steamers Int
Norfolk.
The contrary 10 nil expectations gave an I'm
puso the packet ships the packet chips reacted upon In
steamers and both grenty increased in numbers and en-
Hrged the business Vi the country. Boston got s line
steamers a ships 10 Liverpool and recovered all m
trade and more too, tia; il had lost when steumeIs frs
began 10 ply.
TIE steamers, It found, far from interfering vii;
| the regular Liners" created business OF their own
New York locked quietly for years. before she under
stood this matter, or began in it. But New ok