Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1853-09-23
From the Washington Union H.
IUKtx tHO W tkszIItt ' -IH01@'
What Liverpool Was.


The comnetce by which the world is now
tanned had its origin within the past few centuries.
In this time the paths of travel and the depos OF
merchandise have all been changed Our own COM
merce, on which Europe, and we doubt not ASIA IS
destined largely to depend is all modern and yet has
advanced so rapidly as TO go beyond all preceding
example. No example has in fact been followed
The prospects INDUCED in as to the future exten.
sion and relative importance of our chief ports will
appear still less chmerical if revert to but the
history of the port of Liverpool to which our steam
ers now ply daily. In November 1000, or some
what less than three centuries ago, there were IN
Liverpool only 1873 householders and cottagers and
about the same time rate was levied on the nhab-
itants, by which it appears that only about seven
streets were inhabited. In that year there were In
that port only twelve small vessels, manned by sew
enty-six men, From this time till about the end of
the next century Liverpool made but slow and in
considerable progress, either in the number OF It's
inhabitants extent of its trade. The era OF Its
chief increase appears to have been lO9J at "hlch
period the inhabitants obtained an act OF Parma
ment for building new church, and for making
the town parish of itself. From table contain
ing the number Of inhabitants at intervals OF ten
years. from 100 to ITO, it appears that the town
had doubled its inhabitants in about twenty -hve
years. and had at the close of that period upwards
of six times the number it had at the beginning of
the century. We gather from list Of the ships be-
longing to this place. continued down from 10Y to
1772, that in the year I'LL the number OF ships
was no less than 323, the whole amounto which
was 1886 tons. The increase of trade may be OBJ
served Likewise in the vast increase of the dock du-
ties From midsummer, 1851, to midsummer. 1852
these produced only Gl,776 whereas from III to
1772 they amounted to "a, 554.
In the year 1873 it had but three spacious "
docks. and the history has preserved also the
fact that it had three large churches In the
beginning of that year the state of population was
Investigated by actual survey, from which it re-
suited that the number of families was found to be
| 8, OO2. and of inhabitants 34,407. The number OF
inhabited houses was 1928. The subioined list
with which we leave Liverpool for the present, ex.
hibits the comparative number of the inhabitants oil
that city with other large cities in l73, or eighty
years ago:
Liverpool, 34407 London, 65l, $50; Birming
ham, 3O.S04 Manchester. 1926 Norwich "a,
5oo Leeds, 1880; Paris 100000; Berlin
$4,000.
1t thus appears that in one instance-that of Biz
mingham-the population of a manufacturing city
of England exceeded in number that of its now
greatest commercial port. Twenty years previous
TO the date above given the population of Liverpool
was but 90 900, the number of houses 300, thu
exhibiting progression of considerably moro thar
one third in that time.
M1ss1ss1pPI.-The fever appears to have abated a
| VicksbuIg The sexton reported only one death o
yellow fever for the three days ending al noon Mon
day last.