We might appeal to the national pride. but that in some quarters is deemed sentiment and not business. that the nationality of the vessel on which one takes passage is a matter of utter indifference. still we confess to a feelingof sadness at the thought of our flag disappearing from threefourths of the surface of the globe. and it seems to us that the ingullingseawould seem less cruel if as our ship went down our eyes should behold the flag of our country still floating above us. We will briefly state. not the theoretical. but the real and known causes of our rapid gain in the ocean tonnage from 1848 to about 1860. and its rapid and almost continuous decline since. The causes for increase were: In 1846 the Mexican war. calling for a considerable transport fleet. 184647. famine in Ireland. large demand for our cereals and enormous increase of emigration from Europe. causing high freight rates. 1848 discovery of gold in California. and 1851 discovery of gold in Australiaboth points remote from England and our Atlantic coast--large numbers emigrating to the mines. requiring shelter. food. raiment. and all necessities of life having to be carried thousands of miles by sea. 1834 Crimean war. requiring an immense fleet of transports. These were the stimulating causes. and the wooden ship then being the best. we. having the wood in greater abundance and cheaper than other maritime nations. built most tonnage. selling some to ourrivals. About 1860. the ship constructed of iron was gaining in favor. and rates of freight had so greatly declined. that the cost of sailing and victualing ships was beginning to excite much attention.
Keywords matched
emigrating emigration