Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-03-31
MARCH 81, 1S5
SOUTHERN EUROPEAN LINE.

SUI lHEhN EUhOPEAN LINE.
The highly important project for the establishment
f line Of steamers between the City OF Norfolk
md Europe. cannot be too often brought before the
people. The day is near at hand for tine convention
IT Bristol and the public mind, in a few more weeks,
sill be snxously awaripg the result Of the efforts
Vt the committee to Europe. 1t is to be
huped that such gentlemen will bs selected as are
best calculated to obtain favor with the English
,wners of the Grea, Eastern not less from intell
Sence and address, than energy and acquaintance |
with tho varied resources of the Southern States. |
In connection With this mnmentous question, We
commend TO The careful consideration Of our readers
'he following lucid letter Of Jos. segar E-q Elis.
sbeth City. in answer to large number Of ctz sna
of Norfolk, irrespective Of party, who solicited
him to attend the Commercial Convention a,
Savannah lsst Winter. 1t Is an able expedition of
the Necessities OF communion between internal and
external commerce. and an eloquent appeal to the
people Of the State to be patient under taxation for
tho sake Of the great cause Of internal Improvement,
The letter was OF courae written previous to the
Savannah Convention. Il did not, however, appear
in print until Friday, 10 the Norfolk american,
from which we transient IL:
SOUTHERN COMMERCIAL INDEPENDENCE.
RosILASp, Deo. 5. 1856.
Gentlemen On my arrival At home last evening,
8ttsr weeks absence and mors. found cummu.
ncatlon OF date the st Instant signed BY sunis hun
dr6ds OF the citizrns Of Norfolk ard doing me the
honor to reque-t that would mike one Of the dels-
CATION 10 represent their city In the Commercial
Convention 10 assemble, on the 9th instant in Sa.
vannah.
The receipt OF your letter found me in the midst
of business engagements admitting of no postpone
ment, or | would most willingly have opeysd the
! summone Of my fellow citizens Of Norfolk to add my
ieebie aid 10 the cause Of Southern commercial iade
psnd-nce Tho subject OF stesm communication
with Europe will OF course engage the deliberations
Of the convention, and should have bsen proud to
as.st in vndicatng the claims of Norfolk City, to
become the American terminus Of any lima o.
stea,ners to bA established between tho Southern
section Of the United States, and the ports of Europe
However, there will DO many :ons Of the Old Do.
minon there quite ready, and far ADLER than to
make demonstration for our State and her interests.
! In general, have great faith In conventions.
because, usually their sction s seldom practical,
and rarely protracied beyond the period of ADJOURN
rneii." But il ever there was suspicious season
| for making q movement for tho commercial dseu-
thralment Of the Sourh, this ia it. Now 10 the
| cspted time" add, if the convention will stee.
csar Of party politics and sectional divisions on ac.
count Of fermnus II may accomplish much for the
cause which convOked il. II trust it will Do able 10
DEVISE and to mature some feasible plan of s,sam
communication with foreign countries on both sides
|
the most available ins:rumsnalities Of modern com
merce-one indeed so marked and edsotive iha, the
nation not employing it is alwaye behind in lnf,rms.
ton OF the state Of tbs a:kets, always at d-advan
tege, OF course, and consequently always 10 the
msrcia rear. OF the necessity for the revival of
direct trsds in the South, need assurance,
| who has watched the statistics of our CO
| When had the honor, at the session Of our own
Legislature in 1882, to advocate q Slate appropri
alton in aid uf line of steamers from Hampton
Roads TO Europe-ths Antwerp line It was styled
! recollect | made the statement, derived from o@
csl sources that the whole foreign import trade "t
Virginia for the year preceding. was ouly 1875 200.
So .hst Virginia, who, in colonial and Rpts colonial
timss. almost monopolized the foreign commerce Of
North America. 10 1851 Cid but sboa: Gre sigh; huo.
dredh part of the direct importation Of the country.
II il little. il any, better now and If this humdiatug
fact doe, the prids Of Vlrl;nisns. nothing
will. and the chains that snvassal must continue
TO olank.
Aud by The late report Of the Secretary of the
Treasury, il appears thar the imports for theas
.urv wear amounted TO S3l i0U 000 and the export.
10 S32G DD0 Uu0. Now iia commercial Pr 6t OF thia
vast amount uf ous.ness inureg almost excluaiv-y 10
the North The Sol,h has scarc-y say in tho mat
ter She not only surrsnders nearly all the profit
! the import rsde, bu. Dur producvns-the basis OF
! our e.pors-aremoetly shipped 10 the Sortharn ci.
-s and thence rs-shipp1d p Northern bottoms 10 the
foreign market, that su actually loose3 The fscfor
rye hsr own productious. sIcn state Of things
annual loss to ner Of numerous millions and her
| bitter reproiCh.
! But Is TO be hoped that neither Convention, no-
anything elss. will be allowed 10 Withdraw tho
ton Of Virginia from the important; subject of her
commercial independence, or blind her people to the
matche,s capacities Of their own State for that
summationi
! We havs, in pre.eminent degree, sll tine elements
of colnTnsg goia thrift and power. We have exhaust
s3s stores Of slmost every product OF tbs earth that
enters info universal consumption, and 10 bring those
elements into active reqGlslton we have out &, oU
pe,e gu. grest lines Of cUnnr1on with The wesf con
meet our .raboard with the amps Interior behind it
finish the Norfolk and Petersburg Rsilroad and. by
| this means, unite our seaport with The broad South
| west and the Mississippi then tho Coving
ton and Ohio Railroad, bringing the Ohio valley
| the great west-nearer to the ocean Than any other
line of trausi. in the land and yon nan no more forbid
| TO Virginia magnificent commerce ample CONNER
ciai independence Than you can prevent the rays OF
| the sun from enlightsning aud warming the South
| There will be then, vast concentration OF assorted
products az some point other within our S!ate and
! that concentration is the basis Of commercials but
| another name for commsrce-!s commerce itself -
Wherever that concentration takes place, there CAPT
tai will gather-t there the ship will be built and load
and unl0sd-:here oomm1ros sprink up in all i've rami
tied and erriching countI'ons The same merchan'man
that besrs away from the accumulated pile outward,
brings back tho point, the return import
cargo. for distribution through the various channels
~ transt to the and rsmota interior, and thus IL
effected, al the inur pois', union of tho export and
| import trsde wh' unun ia the perfection OF com
4
&c ,rt valuable sense; for In whatepss city this union
occurs. the commercial profit s nor divided, but the
| rhcls VI it realised by its merchants, and all the
saving dervable from direct, AZ against an indrect
trade secured to all consumers within reach Of its
| warehouses and wharves. Whenever this union shall
take place at any point in Virginia. we shall have
commencement the petty notwithstanding, costly,
| re:ai trade now have-bu: commerce in its dig
urf.d sense aud forn-a direct exchange with the
NATIONS of the earth in own bottoms and the con.
s-auent saving TO Virginia merchants of the large
trtute they now baud 10 the northern importer.
and the further saving to Virginia con.umers, it the
| e1orbitant lax now levied on them by buying al
third and fourth hand, and paying, consequently.
! double and often treble and quadrupis profits,
| charges and expenses.
| What tha. poin; will be no one can mistake! 1t
must be the best shipping point on deep water-ior,
! in an extensive aud active commsfre, no avoidsble
DELAY 10 trans to the ocesn outlet is toleraied-and
| that point, the school boys know, 10 Norfolk. Lei
her have further connection With ths productive 10
| ternr of North Carolina, by the Chesapeake and Al
| b.lnarle Canal, nnw 10 course of construcfion-an
| Improvement of the great value of which your City
will acknowledge in thirty days from its completion
Cunsumnare her South Western oonnexiIns oy
through railway to Memphis, result which twelve
months lapse vii! witness: aireher then Inc sraght
shoot" by railroad 10 the Oaio river las proposed
last winter by your sagecioas representative, Or:
Mallory. and then another shor; cut" by railroad
| aud cSaal combined, and no human power can bin.
der her from becoming toe depot Of great eI'erns
enc lntSsnsl conUstSoi S's"s e~T"'l eu1 iuAPo''
! trade.
But are the great lines Of improvement, on which
elcne We can certainly rely for the commercial re-
dsmption Of Virginia, to be completed That j, the
question which should os raised by every one wno
desires TO ses knocked od Inc chains Of commercial
bondage which have 30 long bound 10 the North.
! II is most stimporsnt inquiry solemn one, mixht
.ay-snd but that il hs. been forced upon lne-made
To Stare ns in tho Iaoei om sure should not have
presuued 10 address you this heightened response to
! your communication.
Cn,ii recently, | have been under rhe belief that
the fat of the popular WILL had decr-ed ths certain
and speedy completion OF our public works. But
late conference with many we'll informed geuilsmec
from various parts OF this Ststs consrains me 10 op-
prehsnd that the last dollar for many years come,
has been appropriated for Internal improvements in
! Virginia and that oven the Covagton and Ohio
; Rsi;tosa-,hat promises to be- both for travel auc