Liverpool from the Fort

This print shows people trying to salvage cargo from a brig that has caught fire, near the Princes Dock. By the late 18th century, Liverpool was seeking new trade routes to South America, India and the Far East. Sugar, rum, and tobacco were the main imports at the time. Cotton first arrived in Liverpool from the Caribbean in 1790, and a series of secure warehouses were built near the docks to store the high-value cargo.