New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-08-08
FROM WASHINGTON.
Csrvspondenss Of The N. Y. Tribans.

CeHvspOnQcnee ot Auo I've H Ahonhv'
WASHINGTON, August 5, 1857
The letters of the Southern members Of ~
Cabinet to Dudley Mann's Steam Ferry Convention
are interesting and significant papers. Postmaster.
General Browns message to that body contains facts
and arguments which will be incorporated in bic
report to Congress. The Postmaster. General re-
veals the important fact that this Administration
has formally abandoned the system Of subsidizng
steamship lines by enormous mail contracts 70
enable them to keep up competition with the British
Government lines, and has resOrted to the other
mode of paying them only the amount of the post
ages on the mail matter conveyed by them. This
declaration would not have been made without con-
sultatiOn with the President, and may be regarded
tfficia 1t shows that the Administration will
not advise the renewal Of Mr.. COllnss contract and
will not patrOnize new lines to Africa, Valparaiso,
the Amazon, or China. In fact, the system of run.
ming mail steamers at Government cost is obviously
finished
Now, the question Of what is to be done is q very
grave one. The cheaply built British iron pro.
peers are steadily abstracting from our beautiful
and famous American clippers immigrants, Passen-
gers and freghts. 1t is conceded that for the gen.
eral carrying trade side wheel steamers are too
expensive. They can be made to run fast enough,
but they can do nothing else. They can CARY little
beside their engines and their fuel. II we do not
get iron propellers, We must give up the ocean to
the British. We. must, therefore, build iron pro.
pelers. Why we have not heretofore done 90 10
quite plain. Tbei destructive free.trade policy Of
the Democratic party has broken down the iron
manufacture. We cannot from our own mines snd
furnaces procure the plates aud beams cheaply
eIough. Thus it is that hostility to manufactures
at length reaches and destroys commerce. We
have now to begin again. The iron manufacture
must be encouraged. We must cease to import the
article No uafr hpcOmp "a salf. suUnIviuD
respect to these materials. Had not the tariff Of
1928 and then the tariff Of 1872 been broken
down, We shOuId.nOw be exporting American built
iron steamers to oil parts of the world.
Secretary Thompson writes that theS5oath Is On
the border of the Millennium The Southern system
Of labor, dainty circumOcutiOn for Slaveryl has,
he says indicated ITSELF and Is feeding ana
cothiLg the world. Jake Thompson is . great
mminsry ON labor, production, political econ
omy. and so forth, but here he almost driyeh. Lot
him take sugar, coffee, indigo, and tobacco and no
will find that the free colonies OF France, England
and Holland in the East and West. indies on one
fifth the soil produce five times the amount which
slavery extracts from the bountn soil Of the South,
and that were the cotton fields Of the South sown
with salt tomorrow, the wool, anx and silk grown
by the hands would clOthe mankind with scarclya
perceptible diminutiOn Of comfort. This argument
of course ignores the probable fact that tho cottos
lands tiled by free hands wosld produce more abun
dainty If their staple than now.
Bst Jake makes one egegious mistake. He
says that England is patrsDiziDg revival Of the
slave trade. The exact contrary is true. The
French Government appears willing to revive u;
bat the English Government rspudiates the scheme
and will give il no encouragement, and it will, no
doubt, fall to the ground in consequence.
know Dudley Mann. He is an amiable, well.
| meaning gentleman. But he is mOon-struck about
direct trade, Strawberries and other fnmmeries;
His plan Of huge steamers AIS feet 70 cSs'
o million or two each, is "bosh." 1t VIII nov 10
| The Great Eastern herself is great lu'nooI.S,
useless plsythiDg-a mighty maelst,on into wnlen 1
ninnes with their dimes are sucked IN. que VII
to pieces in the frst storm. But if the tempesssa
don't sink her. s' expenses will Whatever her speed
.Ls narar can orsrtake tho interest on her cost.
And 20 With Dudley Mann. leviathsn. What 4; sss
mississippi Tor cotton, and where are tho genera