Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1855-09-28
The Shipping of the world.

States have monopoliZed the carrying trade, and
how nearly our own country has approached Great
Britain in the commercial supremacy OF the seas and
how very certain the fact that in few years we
shall have completely outstripped her The total
floating tonnage of the whole civilized world excu-
sve OF China and the East consists of about 1876 900
vessels of l4,50O, 900 tons. Of this tonnage some
9,768,172 belongs TO Great Britain and the United
States so that, excluding these two great maritime
nations, the total commercial tonnage of the remain
der of the civilized world is but $500, 900, or less
than that which either Great Britain the United
States individually possess. France comes next in
the SCALE and is insignificant in comparison. its total
tonnage being 10000 tons against 5,O43 ,270 for
Great Britain and T. ,902 for the United States.
Italy and Sardinia next to France, next stands
Holland, Prussia, SPAIN Norway and Sweden.
The entrances and clearances of Great Britain for
the year 1854, amounted to 32,573,362 tons, AMI
the United States for the period, 40, 100000
tons.
Though the mercantile marine of Great Britain
seems the largest in the world, the same paper ad-
mits that it will be surpassed by that OF the United
States, which has augmented fully one-third since
1850. The accurate tonnage of the entrances and
cIearances of American vessels cannot be given as
auihortatveiy as in the with regard to British
vessels, because the returns are not kept with the
same official exactness. Hence the above total set
down on the American side is to some extent sup
POSITION bat there is good to believe it is not
oVerstaled, and rather that the additional despatch
with which American vessels are frelghted and the
accelerated speed with which they perform their
voyages, has not been fully allowed for in the est-
mate. The tonnage of the ships is officially stated,
and shows the aggregate of American TO be but one
sixteenth less than the British This fact, when
taken in connection with the infancy of marine,
and its present rapid increase shows how short will
be the time required to overbalance the advantages
which Great Britain now possesses, and to place the
United States foremost in the rank of Commercial
nations.
The British colonies in the Pacific have several
vessels, and the Eastern possessions, SIAM China,
and Islands in the Indian ocean, have large fleets for
trade piracy, which must not be omitted in es
innate of the shipping of the world. The number of
seamen engaged in this service is supposed 10 be
about 0O0 and if we include the Eastern States
and China, of the marine population of which we
have not any account, there must be fully million
of persons engaged at and generally on the
This rapidly increasing floating population is one of
the curiosities of modern civilization. The pa
per very pontedly alludes to them:
Latterly this population has not been considered
part and has separately borne no share except as
subsidiary to political power in the changes Of So
ciety But the time is coming when its numbers and
its rapid extension in the United States--the ship
ping has been quadrupled, while the population has
been only doubled must force it on the attention of
historians and philosophers Of late art has added
much TO its power. Steam has given it feet feeter
than wings. The attention of scientific is now
being drawn TO it, and chiefly by the abors of Lieut..
Maury: of the United States, large army of observ
ers of natural phenomena, scattered every part
of the ocean, have been suddenly caIle into exist
ence. Every ship captain has been taught how TO
profit by his opportunities, and to become registrar
of facts. As it has become numerous and influential,
the profession has become ennobed, and ming lis
old place in civilization, the maritime population is
destined again TO take lead and as they at first
helped to scatter, they cement the various ma
tons of the world into one society
A comparatively short time has elapsed since Ho-
land (now possessing less than fftieh part of the
seamen and tonnage of the world) was the greatest
naval power in existence, and match nearly for all
other maritime nations. Holland has not declined
since then, but other maritime nations have risen,
and the impulse she strengthened is continued and
increasing throug hout the world. Trade, as an es-
sential part of society, and shipping to- carry on
comparatively in their infancy. That every part
of the may yet be crowded the British chan
nell is not improbable. America is fast filling with
people growing in intelligence. Every part of her
is likely, at distant day, TO be all we'll pro-
vided with vessels the shores of the Hudson That
the waters OF the ocean are to become peopled like
the land, cannot be supposed but within a period,
Judging from the apidlty of the progress in the last
hundred years. likely to be extremely short in rela-
ton to the historical period of the worlds existence,
they may be all crowded with vessels as the chan
nell
The same paper asserts that collisions between
vessels at sea very much on the increase, but it
does not say that they are more than the rapid in
of the number of vessels navigating the ocean
might be supposed to occasion. The increase of the
speed of the ships, and the increase of their sze are
also elements which ought to be taken into the cal.
culaton. 1t is to be hoped that there is an increase
of knowledge and carefuness the part ofcaptains
and crews, so that perhaps there is not, generally
speaking, any very great increase Of danger from col
ision. An Admiralty return has just been published
which shows that the wrecks on the COASTS and in
the seas of the United Kingdom during 1854, were
987; being l53 more than those in 1858 while the
loss of life increased from $50 to 1,549. This re-
turn shows collisions at to be greatly on ne in.
crease The Cotton Plant
From the Philadelphia Argus.