The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-05-10

Chambers JOurnal.)

Chambers Journal.)
There is no question, however that |
the other branch of LiverpooIs enter
prise, the slave trade, was a paying in
dustry, especially in its later years. |
For period of seventy-seven years.
says Mr.. Williams, the Liverpool |
carried on the trade with |
vigor and ability that |
every competitor, and
won for Liverpool the unenviable dis
tinction of being the chief shaving town |
of the Old World" The chief cause of
this predominance was that the Liver
pool merchants, by what might be
called a cheeseparing policy in the fit
ting out of their slavers, in the wages Of
their seamen, and in various other di-
rectiOns, were enabled to dispose of
their prime negroes" at from GA to
& per head less than the merchants
of Bristol and London. In 1852 Liver
pool possessed eighty-seven slavers,
with a carrying capacity of $4,000
negroes; but 'tthe number shipped, if
not actually delivered, in good order
and condition. was probably much
higher, as it was then customary to
overload, with the most frightful re-
Suits
| But the traffic was not confined to
the colonies and foreign parts. Slaves
were imported into and sold in Eng
10, h. 8 L,
period We're many advertisements OF
sales Of negroes by auction. a Liver
pool paper in 1866 announced: ITO be
sold at the Exchange Coffee-House in
Water Street. this day, the 18th instant
September, at l o'clock precisely, elev
en- negroes, imported per the Angola"
Slavery in England was abolished in
1872 by the famous dictum of Lord
Mansfield in the case of the negro
Somerset, who had deserted from his
masters service: LAS soon as a slave
sets foot on the soil of the British
Islands he becomes free
The slave trade itself died hard. The
movement for abolition began to take
form about 1770, and in 1888 the AbO-
lition Society had its foot in Liverpool.
Naturally those interested in the traffic
were up in arms, and the contest grew
lists grew, the resentment against them
became more bitter, until their lives
were not safe in the streets of Liver
pool. None was more active in resist
ing the movement than the corpora
ton, who considered the vital interests
of their city at stake. They granted
annuities, presented the freedom of the
city, and did other hOnOrS to the
champions of their cause. In October,
1899, the Recorder, with a committee of
the Council, attended at st. James Pal
ace. and presented H. r. H. the Duke
| of Clarence afterwards William IV)
with the freedom of the borough, Gin
grateful sense of his active and able
eXertions in Parliament" on behalf of
| the slave trade.
| The slave trade was declared illegal
| in 1907 and it was thought that Liver
pool was ruined. THE whole COM
munity we're terror-stricken. The docks
were to become fish-ponds, the ware
| houses to moulder into ruins, grass
was TO grow on the local Rialto, the
| streets were to be ploughed up, and
| Liverpool's glorious merchant navy .
l. was to dwindle into fishing
vessel or two"
| As has already been limited, the
emoluments of the traffic were large.
| Mr.. Williams calculates that during
the eleven years, 1898 the net
amount RENTED from the West Indies
to the Liverpool merchants for 305, 737
slaves was So ,294,116, or an average
of 81, ,647 per year. To give an in
stance of individual profit, one firm,
| importing $3.50 slaves, received net
profit in one year of s26,S49. The
former net sum does not take account
<Of -I,n rN,Di,1 Of ~ -lo h
African coast. In the later years of the
traffic a slave sold for about-after de-
Quoting factors commission @ per
cent? and other expenses 40 los;
! the prime cost was e27 5s; freight and
maintenance So 15s-making s31
which left profit of 6 9 los. Certain
! ly profit of about 80 per cent was a
handsome one.
| A bill of lading for slaves was cur
| iosity in its way. The following eX-
| tract is from one dated 1st February,
1866: shipped, by the Grace Of God,
in good order and we'll conditioned, by
James -, in and upon the good
ship called the Mary Borough, where
of it's master, under God, for this
present voyage, Capt. David Morton,
and now riding at anchor at the Barr
of Senegal, and by Gods grace bound
for Georgey, in South Carolina, to
say, twenty-four prime slaves, six
prime women slaves" etc. 1t ends
with the pious wish that God send the
good ship to her desired port in safe
ty. Amen" However impious 1t may
appear to us to associate the name of
God with the Ubiquitous traffic, still it
was looked upon by many as divine
institution. directly sanctioned by the
Bible. The famous slave-trading cap
tain. John Newton, afterwards to be
the Rev. John Newton, of Olney, hymn
writer and friend of Cowper, did by no
means see it to be his duty to change
his profession Immediately after his
cnnversinn though he ultimately be-