The American Sailor; Being the Complete and Connected Story of the Development and Deeds of the American Sailor on Merchant Vessel and Man-Of-War from the Discovery of America to 1900 baixar o livro de graça

This historic book may have numerous typos or missing text. Not indexed. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1899. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IX. ON THE HIGH SEAS. NE would imagine that the growth of the ocean commerce, and therefore of the commercial marine of the United States would have been instant and rapid when once the American sailor had established his right to the seas. But this seems not to have been the case. Statistics show that during the years succeeding the close of the last war with Great Britain (notably between the years 1818 and 1825) there was not only no increase in what is known by merchants as "the registered tonnajre " of the United States but a real decrease. In the year 1807 this "registered tonnage" was, as has been already stated, 848,307 tons; in the year 1837 it was but 810,000 tons--a falling off of over 38,000 tons, instead of the increase that one would suppose should have resulted from thirty years of American progress. One explanation of this absolute decline in commercial energy is to be found in the fact that the almost ceaseless warfare between France and England, during the years that succeeded the formation of the United States of America, had thrown the carrying trade of the world almost exclusively into American control. The conclusion of this long-standing hostility enabled both Powers to take to themselves once again the transportation of their respective commerical ventures, while the blow dealt to American commerce by the dangers of war and the restrictions of embargo and non-intercourse was one from which recovery was slow. The development of so new and so vast a country as was the United States offered to the enterprising youth of America an even more promising field for successful labor than the uncertain ocean could assure. Those who had heretofore looked longingly toward a sea-life found a stronger influence in the gleam of the axe and ...