SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY 



except in the matter of cotton. The brokers would not give long credits to 

 the cotton speculators,'" or guarantee cotton debts.'" 



The cotton trade brought a train of kindred or affiliated industries in its 

 wake, and Liverpool at the opening of the nineteenth century became noted 

 for the manufacture of steam engines, chemicals for distilleries, for the 

 manufacture of soap and of cables, and for the shipbuilding trade. It was 

 not, however, profitable to build ships there, great as was the desire of the 

 shipbuilders to do so, owing to the heavy timber duties, which the shippers 

 and builders desired to see removed.'" The best ships were thought to be 

 those built at Whitehaven or Liverpool, owing to their frames being of 

 English oak in preference to the soft foreign woods largely used at New- 

 castle.'" Owing to the dearness of timber in England most of the cotton 

 was brought over in American ships, which were faster and cheaper than ours. 



At the opening of the nineteenth century the increase of dock accommo- 

 dation at Liverpool was enormous. In 1 8 1 8 the dues were ^^60,000 per 

 annum, and in 1833 over ^180,000. And though the dues were higher 

 the dispatch of vessels was equal to that of London.'*" The trade between 

 Liverpool and the Brazils was done in English vessels apparently,'" and another 

 very important service was rendered by a fleet of twelve packets plying daily 

 between Liverpool and Dublin. This company was established as early as 1 824, 

 and in four years possessed a dozen vessels whose gross tonnage was 2,400 tons. 

 Owing to the shortness of the voyage by steamboat and the certainty of its 

 punctual arrival, this fleet had entirely displaced the use of sailing vessels 

 for the carrying of live cattle to the Liverpool market, and was quickly 

 absorbing the anciently-established corn and dried-provision trade also."^ The 

 importance of this trade between Ireland and Lancashire can be estimated 

 more nearly by its volume. In the years 1832—3 the amount of agricultural 

 produce annually imported into Liverpool both by sail and steamboat was of 

 the value of 4J millions sterling.'" 



The rapid rise of Liverpool seems to have attracted general comment at 

 this time. Even the Chairman of the Committee on Manufactures and 

 Commerce questioned a witness as to whether ' the trade of the country had 

 not taken a determination to the port of Liverpool more than formerly,' and 

 as to whether it had not, in particular, drawn the trade from Bristol."* 

 Judging from the tables of wool imports it might appear that it had. In 

 1830 Liverpool imported 2,042 bales from Spain and 649 from Australia 

 against Bristol's 2,235 from Spain and 39 from Australia. Next year Liver- 

 pool was only 25 bales below Bristol in the Spanish import, while exceeding 

 the Bristol import from Australia by 1,392 bales. In 1832 Liverpool had 

 passed Bristol in respect of imports of both Spanish and Australian wool, 

 importing 2,161 bales of Spanish to the former's 1,681 bales, and 1,990 bales 

 of Australian wool, of which Bristol imported none. 



Among the causes to which the prosperity of Liverpool was assigned by 

 various witnesses before the committee of 1833 were its proximity to the 



"* Rep. of Select Committee on Manuf. etc. (1833), 247, par. 4000. '" Ibid. 



"' Ibid. Evidence of J. Ailcen, shipowner, 419 et seq. °" Ibid. 423, par. 7088. 



'"' Ibid. 247. A West Indian vessel would be discharged and refitted in six days. 



'" Rep. of Select Committee, 248, par. 4037. 



^'' See above as to mediaeval imports from Ireland of victuals and corn for Furness Abbey, &c. 



"' Rep. of Select Committee, 535, par. 8839-40. ^ Ibid. 250, par. 4082-3. 



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