“The figures on imports and exports would show that for the most part ships arrived at southern ports empty and loaded up for the voyage home. That would be true regardless of whether they are U.S. or foreign flagged vessels. For the foreign ships the only explanation is that for the most part they unloaded in the north and then went south to load up for the voyage home.”
Multiple examples are found, mostly from Charleston as newspapers there seem to list more detail, at least in the online archive I am searching, of foreign ships unloading their cargo, many again with specific cargo manifests and even names of those ordering the goods. As some of the stiffer provisions of earlier navigation acts had been repealed in 1830, I’m not sure why foreign ships would have to head west with empty cargo holds.
I have only listed ships identified as foreign or which can be so identified.
“IMPORTS-NOVEMBER 28
LIVERPOOL- Br. ship Aeolus-3,293 sacks Salt, to C.T. Mitchell & Co.”
Charleston Daily Courier
November 26, 1850
“Charleston Imports-February 28.
MARCH 1
LIVERPOOL-Ship Lady Sale-3063 sacks Salt, to order.”
Charleston Daily Courier
March 2, 1858
“Savannah Imports-November 19
Liverpool— Ship Highland Chief-1010 bars iron, 21 bundles iron, 6 casks hardware, 3 casks earthenware, 22 bags nails, 27 anvils, 37 casks and boxes mdze., 3995 sacks salt.”
Charleston Daily Courier
November 22, 1858
“Charleston Imports-February 22
Rotterdam-Dutch brig America-99 casks Madder, 375 bales Chicorey Roots, 60 pipes and 40 three-quarter pipes Gin, to order”
Charleston Daily Courier
February 23, 1859
“Charleston Imports- December 12
LIVERPOOL-British ship Sunderland-32 cases Segars (sic), to J. Bancroft, Jr., I bale Mdze. and 1 case Saddlery, to A. McKenzie & Co.; 100 bbls. Bottled Beer, to Ravenel & Co., 657 tons Coal, to J. Schneirle.”
Charleston Daily Courier
December 13, 1860
Nobody is saying that no imports were landed in southern ports. As you point out some where. But let's look at total value of imports and exports by port which would put it in perspective. All figures come from "Lifeline of the Confederacy: Blockade Running During the Civil War" by Stephen Wise. He sources congressional documents for 1860.
We'll start with Charleston, where your information comes from. In the year prior to the rebellion the value of exports leaving Charleston was $21,179,350. Total value of all imports entering Charleston was $1,569,570. Total tariff receipts were $299,339.43. For Mobile the figures were $38,670,183 in exports, $782,061 in imports, tariff revenue of $118,027. For New Orleans the figures are $107,559,594 in exports, $20,636,316 in imports, $2,120,058 in tariffs. For Savannah it's $18,351,554 in exports, $782,061 in imports, $89,157 in tariff revenue. So it's clear that the volume of imports was a minute fraction of the volume of exports. Which must mean that the majority of ships arrived in southern ports for the sole purpose of loading up and leaving.
By comparison, the tariff figures for New York was $35,155,453, for Boston it was $5,133,415, and for Philadelphia it was $2,262,350. So if we agree that ships would not head west from Europe empty then the only explanation is that they sailed to a northern port to offload imports and then headed south to load up, thus minimizing the time spent sailing in ballast.
Because even if duties were reduced or removed, they still were not permitted to carry cargo between US ports. So long as they had to abide by that requirement, they were at a serious disadvantage compared to American ships.
You know this is true, else the Government would not have instituted this protectionist scheme.
Independence would have made European ships and crews equal economically to Northern ships and crews, which had an advantage at that time. This would have dramatically affected the Northern shipping industry and trade.