The following newspaper excerpts from the antebellum period clearly refute the idea that any legislation forced Southern business interests to use Northern shipping. The newspapers of the era are filled with notices of ships arriving from around the globe bringing goods and leaving with cotton and other crops heading back to their home ports.
Simply put, that old canard is a boldfaced lie.
“Business has continued on a limited scale the last three days, and the only new engagements we have to report are two ships for Havre at 1 3/8 cent and one for Trieste at 1 1/2 cent. Some shipments of Cotton have been made in vessels on the berth for Liverpool at 21-32 @ 11-16d, and we hear of a few hundred bales shipped in a second class British ship at 3/4d, but this figure is generally refused.”
New Orleans Price-Current
Commercial Intelligencer and Merchant’s Transcript
March 22, 1856
“Freights- An American ship taken for Liverpool for 3s for flour and 3/8d for Cotton. In British ships Cotton is freely taken at 5-16d.”
“Port of New Orleans Exports
Liverpool- Per ship Merlin: 2817 bales cotton, 5000 staves.
Liverpool- Per ship Africa: 4330 bales cotton.”
RMS Merlin was a British ship.
SS Africa was a side wheel steamship built by Messrs. Robert Steele and Co. of Glasgow and operated by Cunard Line of Southhampton.
New Orleans Crescent
March 8, 1852
“British ships took Cotton freely on Saturday at 11-16 for Liverpool, but within the last two days there has not been much offering.”
Charleston Mercury
March 24, 1856
“Ship-Ships
For Liverpool- The new A1 British ship (name obscured). Capt Bernie wants 300 bales cotton to fill up. For freight contact J.H. Ashridge & Co. 53 St Charles st
For Liverpool- The first classified fast sailing ship British Arab, Graham, Master. For freight contact Hoghton, Rank & Co. 125 Common St.
For Glascow- The A1fast sailing ship British bark California, Flower, master is now loading and will receive immediate dispatch. For 100 tons heavy freight or 300 bales cotton apply to J.P. Whitney &Co., 61 Camp St.”
New Orleans Times-Picayune
May 8, 1855
“We have only a limited business to report since our last issue, most of the engagements for Liverpool and havre fort Cotton being to fill up vessel on the berth, at 1/2d for Liverpool and 2/3 cent for Havre. We notice three ships taken for Corn to Liverpool at 12 1/2d per bushel, and a British ship for Cotton at 1/2d. Also a small bark taken for Hamburg at 1 3/8 cent, and a Bremen ship put on there berth for Bremen at 1 1/4 cent.”
New Orleans Price-Current
Commercial Intelligencer and Merchant’s Transcript
January 23, 1856
“Freights- A larger quantity of Cotton is offering for Liverpool than we have noticed before this season; and freights to that port have advanced to 3/4d in American and 11-32 d in British ships.”
The Daily Constituionalist and Republic
Augusta, Georgia
February 27, 1858
“The British cotton ships Amenia and Belmont were not greatly injured by fire at New Orleans, and the cotton being pressed, would not be damaged more than 20 percent.”
The Morning Post
London, England
April 1, 1853
“The Royal Mail steam-ship Arabia, Capt. Stone, has arrived in Liverpool with news from New York to the 18th instant. She brings 183,000 dollars in specie.”
Daily News, London England
January 30, 1860
“We notice two American ships taken for Liverpool at 19-32 d and several b British ships laid on and taken at 17-31 @ 9-16d.”
New Orleans Price-Current
Commercial Intelligencer and Merchant’s Transcript
January 7, 1860
All this citations are transcribed from scanned copies of the original newspaper notices at Newspapers.com. I had many, many more to choose from, and could find probably hundreds by using different search terms.
To be compelling you have to keep your information simple and easy to grasp.