The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-08-01
steamship Convention at Old Point,
-
SEC0N ID DAY.
faEpoRrgD FOR TEE HIcHMoyp prsrArcH.l

Mr.. Dudley, chairman Of the committee on reso-
buttons, reported the following
lst. Resolved That In the opinion of this Conven.
tion. the citizens Of the saveholding States should
make every honorable exertion, and especially To
science. 10 release the South from the commercial
bondage by which she h bound. hand and foot, by
idle to talk Of the full development of her vast
sources unless she do her Exporting and import
ing and deliver from the maelstrom ofthe North the
hundred millions of dollars which are drawn from
the people to build up and support that portion OF
ID Resolved That the projected ocean ferry of
iron steamships between Chesapeake Bay and Nil
ford Haven. originated in the letter of Hon. A.
Dudley Mann To- the citizens Of the .avehoiiing
States, dated London August ~, is6. is Prartira-
bie and can, In our opinion. accomplish the object
40 much desired, and not only am"lorato our com
mrrce, but strengthen the political condition.
al. kesolved, That in the opinion Of this Conven-
ton, this grand American enterprise is peculiarly
South and that immediate and active measures should
he taken in every city town and comfy in the South
ern states TO IA the requisite means for its speedy
and permanent establishment.
nth Resolved. That this Convention recommend
th, plan for establishing direct trade to the fayor-
BILE consideration and support of the southern Com
mercal Convention, tn be held in Knoxville, Ten
nessee.
9Th Resolved That each Of the counties cities aud
towns of this State, and ofsuch other States may
feel interest in the of the object of this
Convention, be- and are hereby, requested a. early
as practicable. To meet in primary assembly, and
adopt such measures may I've deemed proper to
compli-h said objects and also to appoint cores
Mann in regard to the object of the Convention.
9Th Resolved, That the Hon. A. Dudley Mann be
requested to convey the sentiments of this COnven-
ton to the Southern Commercial Convention, toa
semble in Knoxville, on the 10th proxino.
18th Resolved, That the Hon. A. Dudley Mann be
requested to take charge of all correspondence
nectei with the proposed steam ferry line and that
persons interested in the proposed line correspond
with him at Washington, DC.
sth Resolved, That each subscriber lie requested
toPay the sum OF in part Of hi- subscription, in
The resolutions being before the Convention for
adoption
Hon. A. Dudley Mann, in answer to numerous
calls rose and addressed those present He said he
did not consider himself ut liberty TO neglect th.
discharge of public duty, such he conceived
an explanation of the scheme before the Convention
to be. The occasion rendered more interesting
by the fact that at Old Point Comfort that
hallowei spot which proved beacon of hope to
that band of weary travellers at a time long past
and he hoped that the action taken here to-day
might prove a beacon of hope to those anxiously
striving for the commercial improvement of the
South. The enterprise was a Southern one, and
not Nirginian inasmuch as the position of
the venerable mother Of States might emile her to
share in it. It is highly necessary to generaze
the undertaking, and widely diffuse it through the
South; and i'll order to accomplish this, no person
will be permitted to take more than share
The prOprety of this is Obvious, inasmuch "a the
failure to paw early dividends if the stock were in
the hands Of capitalists. would induce them to
change the steamers to other and more profitable
routes, before having given the enterprise q fair
frlai. lie wished these shares to be held heir
looms in Southern families, to be transmitted TO
posterty, not simply a money Welding invest
ment but the evidence of the patriotism of their
fathers. By the plan named no freak of CONNER
cal exchange affect the prospects OF the com
pany. The enterprise means to work faithfully for
erery Southern city and its citizens; and had il
been otherwise-had its ambition been confined to
bcneftting any mere locality, it had never found
origin in his poor brain.
1t has been assaed at the North as q Union-de-
strOying movement, and some at the South had
been frightened at this view of the question These
assaults were the Results of unblushing mendaCity,
much as the fears the offspring of crouch
ing timidity. On the contrary, it is intended to
strengthen the Union by equaliZing the strength
of the two sections composing it. If it be Union
destroying to make the South the peer Of the
North, then was Washington al MON destroyed, for
years of his life spent in the study of the
great problem and efforts to solve it. That great
man recognized the availability of the Chesapeake
for becoming the outlet of the trade of the West
and Northwest and in 1854, after the declaration
of peace, no proceeded to examine the route be-
tween the james and Potomac rivers, with view
to confirming his opinions The result of this ex-
pl0raton WIS, that the 10th Of October 11Si he
wrote to Gov. Harris of Virginia saying that the
shortest and cheapest route of transportation from
the country back Of the Apalache range of noun
tans to the Atlantic was over the Chesapeake, and
showing that the bay was 100 miles nearer to De
trUit than the St. Lawrence river. In the same
letter he advocated the improvement of the James
and Kanawha rivers, as the nearest route from the
Atlantic to the Lakes lie wrote to the Earl Of
RuChau in the same year, calling his attention to
the fact, that "Nashingtun, new city near the
centre of the Union and Designed to bc its capitol,
had been founded, and expressing the opinion that
in ton years it would be connected with the Lakes
He showed in one of his letters that Alexandria
Virginia, nearer Detroit by $40 miles than
New York.
The speaker alluded to New York City her
position and power, some of which was de-
rived from trade drawn thither through I'M
natural channels The f,hpSanaaEn Row ,an
tural channel, for much of this traffic and the
Great Eastern is destined to be the Interpretation
of the depth of its waters and eXpHnsiyencss of it,
bosom. 1t is by commanding the traffic that natu-
rally belongs to Us, that We to become strong
ana independents and il is after VIZ have accom-
pshed this, that the entertainments on the consti.
tuition will cease. lie begged his hearers to bear
this view. AMI be united for the sake of the con-
sttution and the South. 1t was not surprising
that this project had been met with incredulity.-
There are few who do not know of the sad fate of
Galilce ttalileo the priest who into prison.
where he suffered away his life. for asserting that
the earth moved around the sun, and not the sun
around the earth. The holy brotherhood, who by
intolerance slew the dscnverer of this great truth
do not lack in our day, for prototypes The har-
Dor of New York may admit the Great Eastern I'M
loaded but she to that port lighted;
any vessel OF her size There are ports in the
South TO which she and other craft of her tonnage
can come and as the speed of steam vessel must de-
pend much on its size, the time between New York
and Liverpool will be much greater than that be-
tween Norfolk and Liverpool. This is all impor-
tant and must divert the trade from New York
lie spoke Of the great network of railroads with
which the United States is covered, Il 900 miles of
which are closer to the Chesapeake than n Yorkand
only 700 OF which closer to New York than
| the Chesapeake. Among them is the great route
to the basin OF Mississippi and Alabama, composed
of the Norfolk and Petersburg. Southside Virginia
and Tennessee and East Tennessee and Virginia
Railroads. The requirements of trade demand
vessels the size of the Great Eastern. Four such
ala 8
and 300 sailing vessels cannot do it. Four such
vessels would only need loo hands for their ma
nagement, while the sailing vessels would require
10000 sailors. The gross receipts for freight, al
one voyage would be S2OO,0UO, while from their
imperyousncss to and fire, the rates of insu-
rance would be materially reduced. The cost of
running four such vessels per annum, would be.
S7,000,000. An agent for an English company had
offered him four screw steamers of $500 tons each
on advantageous terms, hut they burnt a ton of
coal to each ton of freight they carried while the
Great Eastern burns only ton of coal to every
ten tons of freight.
In $780, the cotton crop of the United States will
be 1,00o,O90 bales. Who will enjoy the Dement'S
arising from the transportation of that immense
freight Will it not be our foes, north of the Hud-
son river, lie did not consider himself AN extre-
mist, but he was willing that every Southern mer-
chant should resolve. after December 3lst. 1857,
to receive foreign goods, except of Southern i'm
portation. He said letters were pouring in upon
him from all quarters in the South. to take stock
in the enterprise
The speaker concluded with an eloquent tribute
to the ladies, acknowledging the invincibility of
the project, If supported by them-which was re-
ceived, as the whole speech had been, with loud
applause.
Hon. D. NJ. Barringer, of North Carolina, being
called for, rose and addressed the Convention He
claimed TO be national man, but was also a whole
sOuled Southern man. He thought the time had
come when effort should he made for the com
mercial independence of the South. We have be-
come accustomed to look with jealous eye upon
the growing prosperity of the North, and particu.
larly one point. There has been, for wears nast
springng up ut New York Capitalization which
is dangerous to the South OF $4,000 900 of i'm
ports, more than twothirds come In through that
city Under the operation Of the sul-treasury law
all the checks on banks made payable in New
York Everything coDverges to that point and