We have, ere this, noted many a merchant (not of Venice) to whom we have mentally applied Salarino’s words to Antonio; and few will grudge the space we here occupy, by a quotation so apt and beautiful:—
“Salorino. Your mind is tossing on the ocean;
There, where your argosies with portly sail,
Like seigniors and rich burghers of the flood,
Or, as it were, the pageants of the sea,—
Do overpeer the petty traffickers,
That curtsey to them, do them reverence,
As they fly by them with their woven wings.
—My wind, cooling my broth,
Would blow me to an ague, when I thought
What harm a wind too great might do at sea.
I should not see the sandy hour-glass run,
But I should think of shallows and of flats,
And see my wealthy Andrew docked in sand,
Vailing her high-top lower than her ribs,
To kiss her burial. Should I go to church,
And see the holy edifice of stone,
And not bethink me straight of dangerous rocks?
Which touching but my gentle vessel’s side,
Would scatter all her spices on the stream,
Enrobe the rolling waters with my silks,
And, in a word, but even now worth this,
And now worth nothing. Shall I have the thought
To think on this; and shall I lack the thought
That such a thing be-chanced, would make me sad?
But, tell not me; I know, Antonio
Is sad to think upon his merchandise.
Antonio. Believe me, No; I thank my fortune for it,
My ventures are not in one bottom trusted,
Nor to one place: nor is my whole estate
Upon the fortune of this present year:
Therefore my merchandise makes me not sad.”Shakspeare.
The commerce of the port may be divided into three branches: first, the trade with Ireland, whence a variety of produce, chiefly grain, cattle, &c., is imported, the gross value of which has amounted annually to £4,497,708, exclusive of linen and manufactured wares. Liverpool enjoys about two-fifths of the Irish trade. The chief exports are British manufactured goods, salt, coal, and general merchandise. The second principal branch of trade is that with the United States of America, of which it engrosses more than three-fourths of the whole commerce of the kingdom. The chief import is cotton wool, and from this port Manchester and the manufacturing districts are supplied with the raw material. Tobacco is also imported to an alarming extent. The average quantity annually introduced for the contamination of our atmosphere, being 7,623 hogsheads—what a fearful store of materials for smoking the brains, and dusting the nostrils of our fellow-creatures! A great quantity of American flour is also imported. The third branch of the trade is that with the West Indies, which commenced about the middle of the seventeenth century, and which was previously engrossed by London and Bristol. Sugar, rum, and coffee, are the chief luxuries we receive thence through the other ports. The trade with the East Indies is smaller; the imports are cotton, indigo, hides, ginger, pepper, and sugar. With the ports of the Mediterranean and Levant seas, Liverpool has considerable traffic, importing wine, fruits, lemon and lime juice, olive and other oils, barilla, and brimstone. From Egypt is brought cotton; and from the Baltic sea-ports, timber, tallow, &c. The gross receipts of the customs at this port alone, exceed the sum derived from the nine other principal ports of the three kingdoms (London excepted), viz., Bristol, Hull, Newcastle, Leith, Glasgow, Greenock, Dublin, Belfast, and Cork. Vessels from, and bound to, all parts of the globe, are congregated here; and there is scarcely a place in the world accessible to the British flag, to which a ready conveyance is not afforded from this enterprising port.
The harbour is capacious and secure: at the entrance of the river is the Black Rock Lighthouse, erected on a point of rock on the western coast. A floating light is also placed eleven miles seaward from the mouth of the river.
For the security of the shipping in the port, and for the greater facility of loading and unloading merchandise, immense ranges of docks and warehouses, extending upwards of two miles along the eastern bank of the river, have been constructed, on a scale of unparalleled magnificence; and forming one of those characteristics of commercial greatness in which this town is unrivalled. The docks are of three kinds:—the wet docks, which are chiefly for ships of great burden, employed in the foreign trade, and which float in them at all states of the tide, the water being retained by gates; the dry docks, so called because they are left dry when the tide is out, are chiefly appropriated to coasting vessels; and the graving docks, which admit or exclude the water at pleasure, are adapted to the repair of ships, during which they are kept dry, and when completed are floated out by admitting the tide. The Canning Dock is chiefly occupied by sloops from the north coast, which import corn, provisions, and slate, and convey back the produce of the Mediterranean, the West Indies, Portugal, and the Baltic: it has a quay 500 yards in length. The Salthouse Dock is for vessels in the Levant, Irish, and coasting trades: the quay is 759 yards in extent. George’s Dock has a quay 1001 yards in length. The King’s Dock is appropriated to vessels from Virginia and other parts, laden with tobacco; which article is exclusively landed here, and occupies a range of warehouses 575 feet in length, and 239 in depth. The Queen’s Dock, 470 yards long, with a spacious quay, is chiefly occupied by vessels freighted with timber, and by those employed in the Dutch and Baltic trades. The Brunswick Dock is larger than any of the preceding, and receives vessels laden with timber. Prince’s Dock is 500 yards in length, with spacious quays, and along the west side is a beautiful marine parade, 750 yards long, and eleven wide, defended by a stone parapet wall, from which is a delightful view of the river and the shipping: it is much frequented as a promenade. To the westward of these are the Clarence Dock and Basin, appropriated solely to the use of the steam vessels trading to and from the port: there are several smaller docks, and considerable additions are contemplated. When these are completed, the whole range of docks will be two miles and 820 yards in length, exclusively of the openings to the several docks: the total area of water space contained in them is upwards of ninety statute acres, and the extent of the quays in lineal measure is 12,511 yards, or upwards of seven miles; yet spacious as they are, they are still considered inadequate to the increasing commerce of the port. Several ranges of commodious baths are situated in the vicinity of the docks; there are hot, cold, floating, and medicated vapour baths.
The new Custom-house is a superb and beautiful edifice, in the Grecian style of architecture, 454 feet in length, 224 in depth, with three principal fronts of great magnificence. The Exchange buildings, erected by the late Mr. John Forster, form sides of a quadrangular area, in the centre of which is a monument to the memory of Lord Nelson. The north front of the Hall forms the fourth side of this square. This is a stately and magnificent structure in the Grecian style, with four elegant fronts, and contains on the ground floor a council-room, and apartments for the mayor, town clerk, pensioners, and corporation. The grand staircase leads into a spacious saloon, splendidly decorated with royal portraits by Lawrence, Hopner, Phillips, &c. Two spacious ball-rooms, and two richly furnished drawing rooms, decorated with marble pillars, chandeliers, &c., are entered from the saloon. A grand banquet-room, refectory, &c., &c., fitted up with great taste and splendour, are also comprised in this grand suite of apartments. The Public Subscription Libraries are numerous and well selected. The Athenæum contains a news-room and an extensive library. The Lyceum is a handsome edifice of the Ionic order; contains a library, coffee-room, lecture, and committee-rooms. The Union News-room, Exchange News-room, Medical and Law Libraries, are all well supported. The Royal Institution is a spacious and handsome edifice, containing on the ground floor, lecture, reading, and school-rooms; on the first floor, a large room for the Literary and Philosophical Society, a library, museum, spacious exhibition rooms for the Liverpool Academy of painting, &c. On the roof is an observatory, and behind are a laboratory and a theatre for chemical and philosophical experiments. This institution was formed in 1814, for the advancement of literature, science, and the arts; and the members were incorporated by royal charter, in 1822. Professors, lecturers, and masters are appointed by the society. The Botanic Gardens near Edge Hill, and the Zoological Gardens, are valuable additions to the rational and profitable amusements of the inhabitants. There is a Theatre, Amphitheatre, and Circus, the former for the drama, the two latter for equestrian performances and pantomimes. The Wellington Rooms, for balls, are admirably adapted for such gay scenes. The summer races in July continue four days, the course lies five miles to the N.E. of the town. The grand stand is capable of accommodating 2,000 persons. The chartered market days are Wednesday and Saturday, and for corn, Tuesday and Friday. The Market-houses are numerous, handsome, and commodious.
The corporation of Liverpool have an income of above £100,000 per annum, a great portion of which is expended in the improvement of the port and embellishment of the town. The Churches of the Establishment are about twenty-four in number, some of them of great architectural beauty. In addition to the Churchyards, there are two extensive Cemeteries, one near Edge-hill; the other occupying a large tract of ground, excavated as a quarry for stone used in the building of the docks, and converted into a depository for the dead, at an expense of £21,000; it is tastefully laid out, and has a suitable chapel for the performance of the funeral service. The buildings dedicated to religious purposes by the several sects of Dissenters, are about forty in number, some of them of considerable beauty. The Public Schools are very numerous, and so well supported as to render them valuably and most extensively useful. That for the indigent blind, was established in 1791; 120 pupils now receive instruction in various branches, and are taught spinning, basket-making, the weaving of linen, sacking, carpeting, the making of list shoes, twine, worsted rugs, and other trades, by which they may earn a livelihood; they are also instructed in music. Asylums and Institutions, too numerous to be here enumerated; Hospitals, Infirmaries; Societies for the assistance and relief of aged seamen, and other humane and admirable purposes, are, by the munificence of the inhabitants, all enabled to administer in no small degree to the wants and misfortunes of suffering fellow-beings.
Among the distinguished natives of the town may be noticed Jeremiah Horrox, the astronomer, born 1619, at Toxteth Park, near Liverpool. He is supposed to have been the first person who ever predicted or observed the transit of Venus over the sun’s disk. He died on the 3rd of January, 1641, a few days after completing his treatise on the transit which took place in the November preceding. George Stubbs, the animal painter, born 1724. William Sadler, who invented the application of copper-plate prints to the embellishment of earthenware. William Roscoe, author of the lives of Lorenzo de Medici, and of Leo X. He died in 1831, aged seventy-nine, equally beloved and regretted for his excellence as a man, and for his ability as an author. The Rev. William Shepherd, author of the life of Poggio Brachiolini, &c., an elegant writer, and earnest reformer. Dr. Currie, the intelligent biographer of Burns, was also a native of Liverpool, as was the gentle-minded and truly feminine poet, Felicia Hemans.
The manufactures of Liverpool, are chiefly such as are connected with the port and the shipping, the promotion of its commerce, and the supply of its inhabitants. There are several very large sugar refineries, extensive potteries, glass-houses, breweries, tanneries, salt and copperas works, iron and brass foundries, foundries for cannon, anchors, chain-cables, and steam engine machinery, manufactories for steam-boilers, engines, also guns, small arms, sails, cordage, watches, tobacco, snuff, and soap. There are numerous mills for grinding corn, mustard, colours, and dye-woods: the manufacture of soap exceeds that of any place in England. The average number of watches made annually, is 11,500, a number greater than any town, except London. Ship-building is carried on to a great extent; several men-of-war have been launched from the dock-yards; and in the building of steam vessels, Liverpool takes the lead of all other ports. The trade of the town is greatly facilitated by the extensive inland navigation in every direction, by which it is connected with the manufacturing districts and chief towns in the kingdom. No less than five water conveyances fall into the Mersey, viz., the Mersey and Irwell Navigation, Duke of Bridgewater’s Canal, Sankey Canal, Chester and Ellesmere Canal, and Weaver Navigation, opening communication with Manchester, Bolton, Hull, South Lancashire, Birmingham, Worcestershire, South of England, and Wales.
The information required by the traveller respecting inns, coach-offices, &c., will be found in the Appendix; together with a list of places of amusement and interest, worthy the attention of a stranger in this great and truly splendid sea-port.