Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-05-25
THE SOUTHERN COMMERCIAL CoNyEN
TION


Southern Commercial Convention assembled in Au
gu'a. and from that time to the present. at stated pc
rods, these Conventions have absorbed the attention
OF the country. The subjects discussed as well as th;
men who discussed them, have always been of sut
oent Importance to merit the attention and iutsres
they have always received. These assembages, in
their incep,ionwere really what they purpored to be
Commercial Conventions aud the questions then agi
tated were purely Commercial Then the extension snc
enlargement ofthe Commercial capital and credit o
the South and Southwestern Staes the engagement
Of foreign capital and credit, in aid of the resources
our own country cooperation between our merchants
and those of foreign countries for the purposes of di.
rect trade Commercial education and Southern ltera
ture, were the subjects agtsted. These questions
were discussed in speeches by men OF the most emf
nent talents aud their reports presented practical sub
ects for thought and elaboration. But the subjects
lately discussed at Montgomery have changed az
much as the times and men who formerly struggled
for Southern interest aDa sighed for brighter DAYS OF
Southern enterprise.
In Montgomery, "direct trade" was forgotten
credit never meatioaed Commercial education and
Southern Literature" never thought Of The "slave
trade ABSORBED the entire time Of the Convention to
the distracionof the councils Of the South and the
division Of beunityi elimination and recriminaton
were indugedin by one Southern State against all
other Southern State, until as Mr. Scott said, "the
Convention hd been turned into political debating
club"
When the fidelity of Virginia to Southern institu.
A.. -, Ill
body, and tlat body Southern Commercial Conven
tion il is tine then to holding these politico
Commercial ~ Conventions. From Conventions
purely Commercial these assembages have degeners.
ted into c,ncaves, not seeking the interest and ad
vancemeIt Of Southern enterprise, but looking, We
fear, to Ultimate dissolution OF the Union.
What good could possibly result from the discussion
OF the African slave trade Suppose the South
united, to a man, i, It possible, without dsunon, ever
to accomplish the repeal of those laws that forbid the
slave trade land do the advocates Of the slave trade
imagine that the South would be guilty of the folly
of dissolution, to accomplish measure that would
destroy the value Of her now largest interest Then
why continue the discussion of question that can
never be accomplished in the Union, and for the &C.
compshment Of whichths South would be unwilling
to dissolve the Union Why continue TO agitste q
ton of her people from subjects OF more practical
importancef
We can see no good, whatever, to be accomplished
by the continued discussion of this question. If the
cotton States are determined torevve the slave trade
and thus to destroy the value Of slavery every non
cotton growing State, will demonstrate selfshness
OF which We have behaved Southern States incspa.
BILE. If dissolution # the Union is to be followed
by the revival of the isve trade Virginia had better
consider whether the south of the Northern confede
racy would not be fs more preferable for her than
the North of Soutllsn cOnfederaey. In the North
ern confederacy Virginia would derive large amount
rom the aae of heI slaves to the South, and gain
the increased value her lands from Northern emi.
grston-while in the Southern confederscy, with the
African slave trade rvived, she would lose two thirds
of the value of her save property, and derive no ad
donal increase to he value of her lands.
Had the Montgomery Convention devised some
plan by which th, farmers and planters of the South
could have been Induced to have appropriated GER
tain Der canlsge o ;hsir net profits, towards invest
ment in chips, "direc. trade would no longer nave
been problemstical. Eaege;c and determined action
at Montgomery might rave induced the planters Of
the South to have invested, say one per cent upon
the net profits Of the cCton rice and tobacco crops
which amount upon lie crops Of 1856, would have
raised the sum Of two millions Of donrs-snd this
amount, in few years would have built fine mer.
chant navy owned eclusively at the South, and
eventually have lbersed the South from dependence
upon the North. Linied co.partnerships would
have enabled the plsntento have made these invest
ments without the risk of losing more than the
amount so invested. A Inc of packets might have
been started at once be~een Charleston and Liver
pool, and Southern diret trade have been insugura
ted almost immediatef. But, 30 far as the Mont
gomery Convention is oncerned, we are farther from
direct trade than We when r. Y. Hayne made his
report in l839-for the dontgomery Convention, by
agitating the revival the slave trade, have sown
the seeds Of distrust htween the slave producing
and the slave buying Sttes-s dstrust, which, if per-
petuated, may eventuas in worse consequences to
the entire South. Their let us abandon the discus
sion of question whichs not only void good, but
pregnant with evil to tb' whole South.
OCEAN MAIL STEAMERS BETWEEN NOR
FOLK, BRAZIL AYL THE ARGENTINE RE-
PUBLICS.
The very lucid mem,tis! addressed to Congress on
the subject of this proposed line OF mail steamers,
prepared by Mr.. John Gardner, for long time com
mission merchant at Io de Janeiro, embodies facts
and considerations wich We deem it important to
place before our reader in condemned form.
"This route would sart from New York, touch at
% n tba J;,k,;h ;hutip
point of the Eugsh ad West Iuds mss,l thence
to Barbados, tthe mot windward of those Islands.l
thence TO Pernsmbucc Bahia, and Rio de Jsneiro." !"
At Rio small steanr would connect with Monte.
video and Buenos Ayr.
Such an srrangemeniwe think, would be more de-
sirable than to make Nefolk the final terminus. As
an intermediate point ,etween New York and the
Southern markets, Nor,lk will receive the full bene
fit of postal communication which is all that can
probably be, secured r her at present, and New
York will furnish the Crater part OF the passengers
and freghts required fothe support OF the line, and
which, under existing croumstances, Norfolk alone
could not sufficiently provide. 1t would furnish the
opening for trade rom Norfolk, which would, in
deed soon demand more 'Itensive arrangements for
commercial Transportation, and perhaps, for mail
conveyauceIbu it prosble that this seaport could
not Immediately furnish dequats encouragement to
continue line of stesmes, unless assisted by con.
nectiou with New York.
The distance of the rous ia estimated at 5,O29 nsu-
tical miles, Counting tn tmel required to make the
trip, at 300 miles per day including stoppages, this
would give an average tip of 25 days. And it is es
timaed that to keep up anonthy line, would require
four frst class steamers each of about 500 tons
burhen.
The memorial also refs to the great disproporton
between our exports and nports by the West Indian
and South American trad the latter being valued at
nearly double the price ofthe former. This sprnci.
palIy attributed to the STAN communication which
all the ports with which wtrade, have established with
dff.ren, ports of Europe,nd especially Of England.
large quantity Of Manufactured goods are sent by
these steamers with suchdespatch, and at such de
crease OF risks and losses waste and damage that
our articles, transportu in sailing vessels, cannot
l.