Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-09-03

SfEECd VI Oh. NEWIONh BE-
FORE THE NORFOLK BOARD
OF TRADE ON TBie SUBJECT
OF A LINE ;.E Iaa STEAMSHIPS
TO PLY BETWEEN NORFOLK
AND SOUTHERN EUROPE
THROUGH THE SUEZ CANAL
DIR. Il. s. Newton, the Agent of the
Mediterranean and Oriental Steam Nav.
igation Company, addressed the mem.
bers of the Board OF Trade and the citi-
zens of this city yesterday, according to
announcement. Great interest was
manifested in the Doctors remarks
from which we are enabled to give only
a more synopsis, principally of sta
tistics. s~gE&g sv.
1t appears the design Of the company
to build their ships in Virginia, using
Virginia mechanics and Virginia mate.
rial in all cases, thereby encouraging
the building up of Virginia cities and
commerce. Proper steamships will be
chartered to inaugurate the line, and
the construction of others commenced
Immediately, as the line makes Roadway
They believe that the construction Of
their steamers can be effected on more
economical basis in the South than else
where, as the South abounds with the
best iron and ship-timber in the world
and wages are quite as cheap here. 1t
is the design of the company to make
the South feel her deep interest in this
scheme, by a practical, tangible evil
dence that cannot be gainsaid; and while
the company can furnish every cent Of
capital from the North that is wanted
without cent from the South unless
her people desire it, still the WILL and
the INTEREST of the people is sought tc
be fully and heartily enlisted in its be-
half, in order to forward the work to
a sure and speedy success.
By The establishment of the Mediter-
ranean and Oriental Steam Navigation
Companys' proposed line of steamships
we open up direct communication with
one hundred and twenty-five million OF
people, with whom, heretofore, we have
carried on our trade by indirect routes
via England or North of Europe, or by
the tardy means of sailing vessels.
Norfolk can export with direct COM
rnunication to those Southern European
countries many articles of commerce not
now shipped from her port, or if SO, only
in limited quantities for noe only will
Spain, France, Italy, Austria and coun-
tries bordering on the great Mediterra-
mean Sea, take increased quantities of
cotton, tobacco and naval stores, as soon
as.you establish regular weekly steam
ship communication, but oak and yell
low pine lumber, for ship building and
other purposes, will be shipped largely
slaves, spars, grain, -four, timber, ship
knees, tree-nails, moss, white clay,
phosphates of lime, and, as the South de-
velops her resources and productions,
other articles Of commerce. All the
Mediterranean countries build wooden
ships, and will continue to do SO yet for
years-Italy alone having one hundred
ship-yards in active operation, and
owning over fifteen thousand sailing
vessels and one hundred steamships.
Railroads connect by shorter routes
than any of the ports of Northern Eu-
rope, Genoa with Austria, Switzerland,
and Southern Germany; so that by the
way of the Mediterranean, as soon as
regular steam communication can be re-
lied on, these countries will draw their
supplies of American products via &C.
noa, in the place of as now, at enlarged
cost of freight, via Havre, ports of Eng
land, Bremen, and Hamburg.
Instead of Norfolk, and through her,
the Southern States, relying upon Eng
fish markets or orders from English
merchants for cotton, &C., g., her cotton
and naval stores will be purchased for
direct shipment to Spain and the other
countries we name, and with other pro-
ducts that have no markets in England
and are not shipped there. p,
With the Mediterranean ports yos
have no competition to fear fropn tbe
Eng fish line of steamers, wh,,c carry
freight below paying rst,as for Amer
eau sIeame y, Ut, there are no for.
eigneio ~ 'D ~ business whose steamship:
mn' ~ .lpete with yours, and starting
wv, you have the chances of getting
the trade we'll established and turned
into American channels from the entire
East. If you do this, Norfolk and thu
South will have the credit of the only
American steamship line plying to Eu
ropean ports; for New York, with al
her advantages, with her great capital
lists and her numerous shipyards ant
machine shops, cannot to-day, point tt
one American steamship that plies reg
ularly to any European port; or can W
now successfully establish the line w
propose, to the Mediterranean and thu
East, without the co cooperation of Nor
folk and the entire South; while New
York will with you reap largely from
the commercial benefits flowing from
such steam line as we propose. "@ .
In 1868, two hundred and sixteer
thousand emigrants from England ant
Northern Europe landed in New York
OF this number there were three thou
sand six hundred only whose destina'
ton were the Southern States of thi
Union, excluding Missouri-that Stat.
receivino six Thousand five hundred