Full text of The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review : December 1855, Vol. XXXIII, No. VI

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HUNT’S

MERCHANTS’ MAGAZINE.
E s ta b lis h e d J u l y , 1839*

BY FREEMAN HUNT, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.

VO LU M E X X X I I I .

DECEMBER,

C O N T E N T S OF N O .

VI.,

1855.

VOL.

N U M BE R VI.

XXXIII.

ARTICLES.
A

r t

.

n o i.

I. PROGRESS OF COMMERCE AND SCIENCE. Thoughts on Navigation—War—Hunt- 659
ing and Fishing—Agriculture—Mining—Manufactures. By A. H. R y d e r , Esq., o f New
Jersey............................................................................................................................................
II. THE HARTSTE1N ARCTIC RELIEF EXPEDITION. By E. M e r r ia m , Esq., o f Brook­
lyn* L. 1........................................................................................................................................ 666
III.

COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL CITIES OF EUROPE.—No. xiv. The City o f Glas­
gow, Scotland. By D. O. K e l l o g g , Esq., late U. S. Consul at Glasgow............................ 673

IV.

UNIFORMITY IN WEIGHTS, MEASURES, AND COINS, AMONG COMMERCIAL
NATIONS.................................................................................................................................... 682

V.

V I.

COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES.—No. xx. Stamp Duty— Favoritism toward
Jamaica—Other Injurious Acts— Measures to Advantage the Colonies. By E noch H a l e ,
Jr., Esq., o f New York.............................................................................................................. 692
THE LAW MERCHANT.—No. n . The Application o f Voluntary Payments. By
A b bo tt B r o t h e r s , Counselors at Law, o f New Y o r k . . . . . .............................................. 698

J O U R N A L OF M E R C A N T I L E L A W .
Sweating Case—Contract o f Affreightment..........................................................*.............................. 703
Shippers— Unseaworthiness-The American Ship Ashland before the French Tribunal o f Com­
merce.................................................................................................................................................... 707
Loss by F i r e - “ Dangers o f Rivers only Excepted ” ............................................................................ 708

COMMERCIAL CHRONICLE AND R E V I E W :
EMBRACING A FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL REVIEW OF THE UNITED STATES, ETC., ILLUSTRA­
TED W ITH TABLES, ETC., AS FOLLOWS I

Returning Confidence in the Stock and Money Market—Further Particulars o f the late Depres­
sion— Hoardiugof Specie—Fluctuations in Stocks and Exchange— Revenue o f the Country
—Comparative Statements of the Commerce and Navigation o f the United States for the
Fiscal Year ending June 3 ), 1853—The Bank Movement in Boston, New York, and Phila­
delphia—The Gold Product and Deposits at the Assay Office— Foreign Imports at New York
for October, and since January 1st—Imports o f Dry Goods— Exports from New York to
Foreign Ports for October, and from January 1st—Exports o f Domestic Produce, e t c . . . . 708-717
New York Cotton Market. By U l h o r n & F r e d e r ic k s o n , Brokers, New York........................ . 717
V O L. X X X I I I .-----NO. V I.
42




658

CO N TE N TS

JOURNAL

O F N O . V I ., V O L . X X X I I I .

OF B A N K I N G ,

CURRENCY,

AND

FINANCE.
PAGB.

City Taxation in the United States........................................................................................................ • 719
Banking in the United States—its Effects.............................................................................................. 720
The Mystery of Exchange on England.................................................................................... ..............721
Exchange in New Orleans— Rates of Sight Exchange on New York and the Eastern Cities, and
New Orleans, daring the Year.—The Banks of San Francisco.................................................... 722
Real and Personal Property in Philadelphia.................................................................. •......................723
Act Relating to Bank Charters in New Jersey.—San Francisco Shipments o f Gold for 0 Months. 724
Project o f an Iron Currency in China..................................................................................................... 725

COMMERCIAL

REGULATIONS.

Customs Regulations o f the United States............................................................................................
Bonded Goods Passing Through Canada..............................................................................................
Act of Louisiana Relative to Notaries in New Orleans........................................................................
Of Executions and Sale of Property in Louisiana.—Of Keeping Gunpowder in New York— An
Abstract of the Act of the Legislature of New York Respecting the Keeping o f Gunpowder
in the City o f New York...................................................................................... ..........................
Duties upon Grain Imported into France.—O f Liens and Chattels Mortgaged in Vermont...........
Rates of Wharfage at the Port o f New York.—The Standard Weight o f Liverpool Salt at New
Orleans.—Receipt and Delivery of Sample Packages....................................................................

JOURNAL

730
731
732

OF I N S U R A N C E .

Marine Insurance—Perils of the Sea—Master’s Negligence—Insurer’s Liability

COMMERCIAL

733

STATISTICS.

The Report on Commerce and Navigation...............................................................
Profits of Slave Labor.—Statistics of the Commerce o f the United Stales......... .
Trade and Commerce of Cincinnati........................................................................ .

NAUTICAL

725
728
729

735
736
740

INTELLIGENCE.

Notice to Mariners.—Rocks on Cortez Bank, Coast o f California....................................................... 743
Answer to a Problem in Navigation....................................................................................................... 744
Petit Menan Light-House, Maine.—Change in the Light o f Greifswald Island, Coast o f Prussia,
B altic.................................................................................................................................................... 745

RAILROAD, CANAL, AND S T E A M B O A T S T A T I S T I C S .
Rules and Regulations for Management and Passage of Vessels through the Ship Canal at St.
Mary’s Falls, Established by the State Board of Control, June, 1855......................................... 746
Steam Dictionary, by Zerah Coiburn, Editor of the Railroad Advocate........................................... 748
Oliver Evans and the Steam Engine......................................................................................................749
Devlan’s Railroad Chair and Rail.—Railroads in the State o f Connecticut....................................... 750
Merchant Ships and Steamers—Proportion of Vessels—Large Ships for Long Voyages................ 751
Steamboat Trade o f St. Louis................................................................................................................. 751

J O U R N A L OF M I N I N G AND M A N U F A C T U R E S .
Iron Industry o f the United States.........................................................................................................
Improvements in Machinery—The Steam Hamm er............................................................................
Greatest Depths of Mines in the W o r ld ................................................................................................
Manufacture o f Currant Wine —Some Account o f the Zinc o f Commerce.......................................
Early Manufactures in New England........................................ .............................................................
The inventor o f Gas Lights.—Progress o f Public Works in India.....................................................
Boot and Shoe Trade of Boston................................................................................................................

STATISTICS

752
754
755
756
757
758
759

OF A G R I C U L T U R E , &c.

The Tea Culture......................................................................................................................................... 759
Cinnamon Fields in Ceylon...................................................................................................................... 760
Agricultural Statistics o f the United Kingdom ......... ............................................................................ 761
Corn Statistics in France.—The Guano Trade of Philadelphia........................................................... 762
The Imperial Rice o f China.—The Cultivation of the Strawberry...................................................... 763
The Plaintain Tree.—Improvement in the Live Stock o f Ohio.— History o f an Acre o f L a n d .... 764

MERCANTILE

MISCELLANIES.

Philosophy o f Advertising.—Emerson on Trade..................................................................................
Ladies as Clerks—New Mercantile Movement in Boston....................................................................
Spurious Indigo in Market.— The Rivers o f Maine the Source o f her Wealth.................................
Copy o f an Old Bill of Lading.— A bottle o f Champagne..................................................................
Recommendation of a Cabin Boy.—Parsimony and Economy in T r a d e ...,...................................
Measures of Different Countries...............................................................................................................

THE

BOOK

765
766
767
768
769
770

TRADE.

Notices o f 30 new Books or new Editions .....................................................................................771-776




ii U N T ’ S

MERCHANTS’ MAGAZINE
AND

COMMERCIAL REVIEW.
D E C E M B E R ,

1855.

Art. I.— PROGRESS OF COMMERCE AND SCIENCE.
THOUGHTS ON N AVIGATION---- W A R ---- HUNTING

AND FISH IN G---- AGRICULTURE

---- MINING----- MANUFACTURES.

I n the present age mercantile interests are closely connected with al­
most every pursuit. Very few vocations may be found that do not exhibit
a visible tie connecting them with Commerce. Some, o f course, are more
intimately bound to it than others; and these links are larger or smaller,
clearer or more obscure, according to the circumstances of the case.
Empire has been rare without command o f the sea. To have the Medi­
terranean, in ancient days, was to govern the world. The policy o f the
priest nobles of Egypt and India was to divert popular attention from
marine vocations. The same has been the case generally with Asia and
Africa. Continental Europe has allowed Britannia to rule the waves. In
1208 Magna Charta, by its regulations, gave protection to foreign mer­
chants, prohibited delays in the administration o f justice, and gave new
encouragements to Commerce. International treaties follow ed; and a
mercantile spirit was poured forth, copiously refreshing to the country’s
prosperity. Navigation acts were framed, marine facilities progressed,
and improved ships sailed from port to port in many directions.
W ith China, that ancient country, how different a policy has been pur­
sued ! The Chinese may be said to he anything but economists o f time
on the water. The speed o f their traveling boats bears no resemblance to
that of our steamers. Though they have given practical simplicity and
effect to many mechanical powers, yet of the motor strength in the giant
arm of steam, they are altogether ignorant. “ However ancient their
knowledge of the compass, the art of navigation among them,” says




660

Progress o f Commerce and Science.

Davis,* “ has rather retrograded than advanced in later times. It is clear
that they once navigated as far as India, and their most distant voyages
at present extend no further than Java and the Malay Islands to the
south.”
W e may, perhaps, attribute this apathy to the unconquerable prejudice
— forbidding alteration in their clumsy, unsafe junks ; or to the other fact
that within her own territory she produces everything deemed requisite
for the wants of her population.
At the present day among commercial nations, profits o f enterprise de­
mand brevity o f voyage.
Authentic records assure us that a proportion
o f wrecks and disasters annually occurring, results from errors of the
compass. These errors are attributed to the iron used in the construction
of vessels, to the presence o f tanks and funnels; or to defects in the com­
passes themselves as supplied in ordinary trade. In vessels o f war par­
ticularly, the attractive power o f the guns is great. As these deviations
differ in vessels, there is no remedy for ascertaining the true amount but
by direct experiment. Each ship o f the Royal Navy has its compass ad­
justed previous to setting sail on a long voyage. Hence, the establishment
o f the “ Compass Observatory ” in England. It remains to be fully devel­
oped whether similar precautions are soon to be taken in the mercantile
marine, so that future hazards and losses maybe independent of these pre­
cautions.
The value o f cargoes depends upon the nature of the voyage in many
instances ; favorable currents and fair winds facilitate progress. “ It has
been shown that Lieut. Maury’s Charts and Sailing Directions,” says Dr.
Breist, “ have shortened the voyages of American ships by about onethird.” The Kew Committee had lately intrusted to them for verification
and adjustment 1,000 thermometers and 50 barometers for the navy o f
the United States, as well as 500 thermometers and CO barometers for the
English service.
Hereafter, observations and surveys by scientific officers of the navy and
mercantile marine are to be rendered more available to science and man­
kind. The British government has established a department in the Board
of Trade to carry out valuable recommendations for improving navigation
and accumulating meteorological data. Meanwhile, the National Obser­
vatory at Washington has not been idle; and a large number of ships,
chiefly American, are now engaged in observations, stimulated by the ad­
vice and aided by documents liberally furnished by the United States.
The two countries of Anglo-Saxon origin are broadly proclaiming the ad­
vantages of the sea. Neither the chivalrous knight nor the warlike cru­
sader, but the courteous merchant, is a prominent character o f the age.
His main aid is the sailor. Good-will goes forth with the sailor, and in
him you find your citizen of the world. The mission o f the soldier is ag­
gressive ; that o f the sailor is pacific.
The one marches to conflict and
carries with him terror and ruin ; the other bears tidings o f peace and is
hailed with pleasure and profit.
Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Russia, and France, exhibit large commer­
cial tonnage, with considerable naval force; but the great bulk of commer­
cial tonnage is found with America and England. Acquirements of Com­
merce and its advances, accompanying increased facilities for navigation,




D im ’s History o f China, yo 1. i i , 320.

Progress o f Commerce and Science.

661

suggest corresponding improvements in naval power. In a retrospective
view recur to Carthage, who, as she became wealthy and influential, at­
tained the most commanding position in the world ; but her avenues o f
power were mainly, if not entirely maritime and mercantile— and in this
point her conqueror soon gained over her a vast advantage. The country
having resources and means of a merely commercial character, may soon
fall an easy prey to the eagerness o f mercenary foes, whose power is supe­
rior or whose main policy points to valor and battle. Mr. Wheaton, in
writing to our Secretary o f State, 20th o f November, 1827, from Copen­
hagen, says:—
“ You can hardly have an adequate notion how this country (Denmark)
was impoverished by the war brought upon it.
*
*
*
When we
consider that they lost at a single blow their navigation and all their cap­
ital engaged in Commerce, we cannot wonder at their reluctance to enter
into new engagements.”
A navy not only adds vastly to geographical discovery, but affords its
contributions to civilizing efforts and to science. It also hovers around
the paths of the merchants’ ships; and by the very exhibition o f its force,
deters all attempts to disturb “ their mission o f peace and brotherhood
across the seas.”
Our official documents exhibit prodigious growth in
trade and navigation ; and every sea bears the evidences o f our increasing
maritime powers.
WA R .
In rapid succession, after the invention and use of gunpowder, various
war facilities appeared. Among these were cannon, mortars, muskets,
bullets, bombshells, and other materials and implements. A t the siege of
Algiers in 1304, the use o f gunpowder first appeared.
The crusades,
which were outlets for a Roman spirit, martial if not barbarous in its ten­
dencies, were attended by their peculiar influences. Provisions for outfits,
with such conveyances and other needfuls as the red cross warriors re­
quired to reach the field of action, were supplied by the merchants. The
palmers, or pilgrims, on their return, scattered knowledge of far-off cus­
toms, broke shackles of superstition ; and, while turning attention to the
religion of Christendom, gave vitality to its literature and trade.
The use of gunpowder, invented by a mind turned to Roman tenets, ex­
hibited that a warlike spirit had almost overdone itself. Taste for torture,
as well as conflict, had reached its climax. Combat was carried to ex­
cess. The most heroic warriors fell before a trembling touch given to the
destroying engine. The veriest coward often conquered with ease. In­
genuity overreached genuine bravery. Chivalry, which had its flourishing
period, had been designed to infuse humanity in war, to foster truth and
justice, modify martial taste, and cherish that attention toward the female
6ex for which the Gothic race is so distinguished. Its influence operating
with the humanizing teachings o f Christianity, it diffused a spirit of com­
ity which inspired Commerce and spread through our modern jurispru­
dence, making it so widely distinguished from ancient systems. But
chivalry had also its evils; and among these were its fantastic notions o f
honor, and its neglect o f mental culture for mere accomplishments of gal­
lantry.
This ihilitary system was gradually modified by time. As matured and
presented by our own patriotic heroes, it has won world-wide renown.




662

Progress o f Commerce and Science.

Our immortal general, a son o f the “ chivalrous South,” was not less gal­
lant than brave. Discountenancing any but defensive action, these sturdy
patriots blended science with bravery ; and wrought out victory in a man­
ner as honorable to their humanity as to their fortitude and heroism.
Late statistics of the military force and resources of the several nations
of Europe present a formidable warlike aggregate. But for all purposes
of offensive and defensive warfare, they exhibit nothing surpassing the in­
ternal military strength of the United States. Many volunteer companies,
scattered over the Union, subject to military rules and regulations, are
duly equipped and almost fully disciplined. A fair proportion of artillery
force and dragoons will also be observed. Military and naval schools, ad­
mirably established and conducted, are sustained by Congress in a liberal
manner. The actual organized military force of the Federal Government,
though not large, is adequate in efficiency. And, considering the total
militia force o f the Union, added to the fact of an inherent military
spirit in the American, with an accustomed use of arms in field sports and
target practice, a potent array of war facilities may be readily seen in our
republic.
Prevailing philosophy in America wisely teaches doctrines averse to
w ar; and the ruling policy encourages every pacific vocation. Human
nature is, nevertheless, in all ages the same ; and nations known to pos­
sess wealth are not permitted to enjoy prolonged repose. In time of
peace prepare for w ar; as wars are, in the nature of things, inevitable.
They are often in themselves purifying tempests to governments, and not
unfrequently, when sanguinary and protracted, emaciating and radically
destructive. Either luxury, more oppressive than the sword, assails a peo­
ple, stirring up desires for conquest or internal commotions; or they be­
come a prey to the race having cultivated courage and the art o f war to a
greater extent than themselves. Consideration and discipline for war are
all-important.
A s a power in war, navies become indispensable at an early period. Vast
variations have come over these aspects within a few centuries. The flatbottomed vessels of the Saxons, with wicker upper works and hide sails,
have long been superseded by efficient ships and other craft. Radical
changes have been wrought by science within the present century in the
structure of sea vessels, and in modes of sea warfare. In the session of
Parliament, 1841, the Duke o f Wellington remarked, in the House of
Lords, that he did not remember in all his experience, except the then re­
cent instance on the coast of Syria, (siege o f Acre,) of any fort being taken
by ships, excepting two or three years before, when the fort of St. Jean
d’Ulloa was captured by the French fleet. That was the single instance
he recollected, though he believed that something o f the sort had occurred
at the siege o f Havana in 1763. The proceeding under consideration had
been altogether most skillful. Not less than 500 pieces o f ordnance were
directed against the walls, and the precision o f firing so well kept up, the
wise position of the vessels, and the explosion o f the magazine, all aided
in the speedy achievement of victory. It was one o f the greatest deeds
of modern times. The invention o f ordnance and the application of steam
to ships o f war as a motive power, render it difficult to anticipate the
verge to which naval military power may in the future extend.
The present warlike attitude in Europe gives scope to military science.
England, France, Turkey, Russia, Austria, and Prussia, present us with




Progress o f Commerce and Science.

663

fields for varied operations. The policy of Russia is traditionary. Eng­
land, with possessions requiring watchfulness, finds herself allied with
France, to whom a war is but vent for military ambition. Our own ex­
tensive intercourse facilitates edification in the art of w ar; and America
derives benefits from remote experience. Already our Secretary of W ar
has announced that important results among the remarkable incidents of
battle indicate that material modifications will be made in the future ar­
mament of troops.
Naval experiments with new artillery have recently been made in Eng­
land, in the presence of military and naval commanders, which practice
has been described as good. During the past year the United States W ar
Department ordered a substitute to take the place of the percussion lock
on all muskets hereafter to be made at the public armories, and we thus
see that the metallic cap, which was o f itself an advance, is superseded by
a still greater improvement.
HUNTING AND FISHING.

W e read of nothing o f hunting as a pursuit till the days of Nimrod,
after the flood. Nomadic modes of life, with their wild and excited sports,
were introduced subsequently to the pastoral; probably by men wearied
with the daily and nightly watchings o f the plain, or the monotonous labor
of the field. In certain periods o f history hunting has been in certain lo­
calities a common pursuit. The goddess o f the chase,* reared by My­
thology, was represented as a healthful-looking huntress o f the woods,
bearing a quiver of arrows and a bow. Joys of the chase are renowned
in story and song. The dart added to security and comfort. The Saxon
bow, with its toil o f utility, was often taken in the path of pleasure.
Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, born 2d July, 1489, in his
boyhood, “ was put to learn his grammar o f a rude parish clerk,” and was
permitted by his father to follow “ the civil and gentlemanlike exercises ”
o f the day, which consisted o f diversions of hunting and hawking, and
skill in the use of the bow. The hunt in Europe, though less common
than formerly, may often be found and enjoyed. A letter before us speaks
o f the hunting lodge of the Duke o f Nassau, located in a gorge o f the
mountain which overshadows the town o f Wiesbaden, near the Rhine.
Here the duke enjoys the pleasures of the chase amid extensive forests, in
which deer abound. Similar facilities are possessed by others.
The bow, spear, club, and trap, together with the more modern inven­
tions, have been called by traders into the channels of traffic. American
hunters and Western riflemen (renowned for sharp-shooting in Mexico)
find a charm about their pursuits which creates an attachment not easily
relinquished. Inventions and contrivances have afforded facilities to this
vocation, and it is connected with the wealth of large estates. Legislative
enactments have regulated, and large companies engaged in it. It has
been not only a road to opulence, but to enlarged geographical and scien­
tific observation. “ In surveying the widely-extended trade of the North­
west Company,” says Haskel, August 2, 1820, “ we perceive evidence of
an energy and perseverance highly creditable to its members as men of
business. They have explored the western wilds, and planted their estab­
lishments over a tract o f country some thousands o f miles in extent.




* Diana.

664

Progress o f Commerce and Science.

They have made the savages o f the wilderness tributary to the comforts
of civilized society.” Science has facilitated the pursuits o f hunting and
fishing; and they, in their turn, have added to the light o f science.
The fish of the Nile, the Mediterranean, with those of the Indian Ocean
and the inland seas of Asia, are read of in history. An American writer,
speaking of pleasure, says “ There is fishing—-the contemplative man’s re­
creation. Read Walton and fish. Ye who are seeking for a cheap, quiet
pleasure, betake yourself to a shady, retired nook, and pass a day in si­
lence and reflection. It is an occupation full of wisdom.” But fishing is
susceptible o f several views. The term fisherman awakens recollections of
familiar history. Fishing is extensively resorted to as a recreation ; con­
siderable numbers pursue it in some one or other of its branches as a busi­
ness. Regulating enactments apply to our river and bay fish; while cer­
tain international treaties pertain to the herring, mackerel, and cod fisheries.
The latter came near involving the country, a short time ago, in conflict.
W hale catching with Americans has long been a popular pursuit. Science
has acquired many a trophy from our enterprising whalemen. Their
broadly extended skill and intrepidity in this branch of labor are attended
by encomium and profitable rewards.
AGRICULTURE.

The narrative with which we are favored of the early history and set­
tlement of the family of Adam, represents them as living together in one
place, or diverging to separate localities in companies, and attending in
general to agricultural and pastoral vocations.
Culture of the soil is of perpetual importance. The doctrine that agri­
culture constituted the best basis of the prosperity and happiness of a
nation, was a valued principle of the Mosaic constitution. It was held in
high esteem by many ancient nations. China, Egypt, Rome, are countries
who valued most highly the plow. Before astronomical observations
reached any great degree of accuracy, the ancient Greeks had to watch
the rising o f Arcturus, the Pleiades, and Orion, to mark their seasons, and
to determine the proper time for their rural labors. At the rising o f the
star Sirius along with the sun, the Egyptians expected the overflowing of
the Nile, at which event they were to sow their grain, or as sacred writ
has it, “ cast their bread upon the waters.” They also then cut their ca­
nals and reservoirs, and prepared the way for their expected harvest.
Pressure of agricultural produce finds scope in trade. Calls o f Com­
merce stimulate tilth. The farmer ceases to be isolated and exclusive ; he
tills his fields not for himself alone, but for others. Refuse lands are re­
claimed. Swamps and forests are superseded by farms and gardens; and
prolific produce seeks its way to manufactory and mart. Contributions
from the soil become commodities of trade.
Invention and ingenuity
open avenues of traffic, and society arises as an arena of mutual ex­
change.
Agriculture, at the time of the conquest, was in an extremely low con­
dition in England. A gradual improvement continued with the advance
o f Commerce. Tillage became less imperfect; implements o f husbandry
less rude. The roots that now smoke on our tables, cabbages, carrots, po­
tatoes, were then unknown. Wheaten bread was rarely used— the com­
mon kinds being made o f rye, barley, or peas. Subsequently, continents
were brought under contribution, and agricultural science has advanced at




Progress o f Commerce and Science.

665

a rapid rate. Professed chemists, such as Liebeg, Johnston, Draper, Chil­
ton, and others, have analyzed soils and plants. Entomologists have dis­
covered the nature of destructive insects; and ornithologists the auxiliaries
in their destruction. It is becoming well understood that agriculture is a
science as well as an art. “ Its successful cultivation is intimately allied
with the most profound investigations o f philosophy and the most elabor­
ate exertions of the human mind.” The broad expanse of our own coun­
try, with its practical farmers, its agricultural societies and institutions,
exhibits an active prosecution o f the theory and practice of this leading
pursuit.
MINING.

This branch o f labor arose in the rude search for gems and golden
grains. The amethyst of India and the turquoise of Turkey have been of
interest to trade; the same may also be said of many other gems, as the
opal of Hungary and the emerald of Sweden. Diamonds o f I ’astael,
twenty miles from Golconda, at the foot of the Gate Mountains, have been
in great request. The valuable gold mines o f California brought that re­
gion into immediate notice.
Of more or less consequence to Commerce have been the flints of
France and the copper o f Siberia; the pumice o f Lipari; the emery of
Naxos, and the gypsum of Nova Scotia. In the department of Aude, in
France, twelve hundred persons were at one time employed in fabricating
the jet found there into buttons, ear-rings, bracelets, etc. The amber pits
o f Prussia, the explorations o f which, exceed one hundred feet in depth,
are said to have afforded a revenue of twenty-six hundred dollars annually
to the head of the government. The salt mines near Cracow have been
wrought since 1251. A t the bottom of these mines, in some places one
thousand feet, a commonwealth of families reside, having their convenient
dwellings, carriages, and avenues, their peculiar manners, amusements,
and polity.
In 130V, coals were first used in England. Great Britain is probably
more indebted for her national aggrandizement to her mineral wealth than
to many other causes combined. Without her coal, her metallic ores
could never have been drawn from the depths of the earth where they
were concealed; or if near the surface they could never have been profit­
ably refined. Without her coal, her Birmingham, her Sheffield, her Man­
chester, and other manufacturing towns would never have existed. W ith­
out her manufactures her Commerce would be prostrated. A t the present
time (1855) the coal areas in the British Islands cover 12,000 square miles,
with an annual produce o f 3 V,000,000 tons; France, 2,000 miles, annual
produce, 4,150,000 tons; United States, 113,000 miles, annual produce,
6,000,000 tons.
Improvements in tools, the use of hydraulic machines, and the steam-en­
gine, have aided vastly in distributing mineral treasures among the nations.
The connective sciences of geology and mineralogy have been industriously
pursued. A grand source of individual and general prosperity is the de­
velopment of the natural resources of the country.
MANUFACTURES.

The raw material o f the earth, whether it be vegetation o f the earth or
the ore of the mine, passes through processes of change. Fabrics appear
to suit the calls of need and of fancy. Implements are brought forth at




666

The Hartstein A rctic B elief Expedition.

the demands o f emergency and necessity. Manufacturing attendants upon
trade add vastly to home comforts, fireside and social conveniences.
Intercourse is o f vast benefit to manufactures. Roger Guiscard, in 1146,
brought home from Greece certain captives, who taught at Palermo the
art of rearing the silk-worm and weaving silk. In 1331, the art of weav­
ing cloth was introduced in England, and in 1386 linen weavers appear.
In 1530, the spinning-wheel was invented; in 1590, the art of weaving
hose: all followed by a variety of valuable inventions and discoveries in
the manufacturing domains of labor. By aid o f machinery, first used in
England within a century, that country has largely pursued manufacturing
branches, and, not deterred by local differences in the value o f labor, their
cotton and woolen goods float upon almost every sea of the world.
The advances o f science are due neither to associations o f ingenious
men, nor to philosophical societies, though these have their uses, but to
the labors of individuals working by themselves. “ W hat a man earns by
thought,-study, and care, is as much his own,” says Webster, “ as what he
obtains by his hands.” Hence, Congress is authorized to secure to each
inventor the enjoyment o f his invention as his own property. He has an
original, inherent right in it as a personal earning— an acquisition it is by
the paramount right of nature. So far as the people of our Republic pre­
sent their abilities at invention, (as at the exhibitions o f England and
France,) they display, in preponderating phase, a practical tendency of
mind. They do not tarry to embellish and adorn, nor seek to sacrifice
utility to elegance. In the machinery and inventive departments they ex­
hibit most genius and capacity. Without seeking to excite artificial de­
sires, they present their object, having for its aim creation and usefulness.

Art. II .— THE HARTSTEIN ARCTIC R E LIE F EXPEDITION.
T h is expedition was fitted out by the government of the United States
for the search and rescue o f Doctor Kane and his brave little company of
seventeen young men, who sailed in the Grinnell brig Advance, o f 144
tons, from New York, on the 31st o f May, 1853, for the Polar seas, in
search of Sir John Franklin. The long absence of Dr. Kane, with the
knowledge of the sad fate of Sir John Franklin, created so painful a sen­
sation in the public mind, that Congress made an appropriation o f one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars at their last session to cover the cost
o f sending two vessels for the search and rescue of the ice-bound expedi­
tion.
The bark Release, of 330 tons, Lieut. H. J. Hartstein commanding, and
propeller Arctic, o f 250 tons, Lieut. C. C. Simms, with a company of 49
volunteers, all told, sailed from Sandy Hook on the 4th day of June last.
On the 5th July the expedition reached Leivelly, in latitude about 69° N.,
longitude 54° 45' W ., where they remained until the 9th. From thence
they proceeded to Haroe Island, where they obtained bituminous coal from
the mines. On the 16th they were olf Upper Navick, the most northern
Danish settlement on the coast o f Greenland, latitude about 73° N., longi­
tude about 56° W . On the 29th ice made half an inch thick, tempera­
ture on board the vessel, 31°. On the 9th of August Cape Melville, in




The Hartstein A rctic R elief Expedition.

667

latitude about 76°, longitude about 64°, was distant about 30 miles. On
tbe 16th they were off Cape Alexander; and on the 17th reached latitude
78° 21' 34" N., longitude 72° 37' W ., the highest northing made, and
were then within a few miles of Dr. Kane’s vessel, the Advance, which was
frozen in on the 10th o f September, 1853, in latitude 78° 45' N.
In my appeal to the public in behalf of Dr. Kane and his companions,
published in the New York papers o f the 6th o f December, 1854, I said:
“ He has doubtless proceeded from Cape Alexander north, without going
south and w e s t a n d so it has proved. Lieut. Hartstein on the 17th
landed on Littleton Island, and from thence on the same day proceeded to
Erene Bay, where he landed and found a settlement of Esquimaux, num­
bering about thirty, who were living in tents made of the sails of Dr.
Kane’s vessel.
From them he learned that Dr. Kane and his party had been there
about two months previous, and had gone south in boats. From here
Lieut. Hartstein proceeded south and west, and on the 29th landed on the
shores of Possession Bay, the west shore of Baffin’s, in latitude about 73°
30' N., longitude about 77° W .
After going south a little way, they
crossed Baffin’s Bay, and on the 12th of September were in sight of the
western coast of Greenland, and on the 13th, in re-entering the harbor of
Leivelly, discovered a Danish brig, which, immediately on seeing them,
hoisted the American flag, which Lieut. Hartstein supposed was done as
a compliment to the expedition; but in a few moments after, two whale
boats put off from Leivelly with the Pot Kock flag hoisted, having the
cherished name o f Henry Grinnell upon it, and shortly after Dr. Kane
came on board.
He and his party had made the tour from Erene Bay, over the ice and
through the water, to Upper Navick, and there found the Danish brig, in
which they had taken passage for Europe, and on their way stopped at
Leivelly, where they providentially met Lieut. Hartstein. On the 18th of
September the expedition left Leivelly, the Arctic having the bark Belease
and Danish brig in tow ; and on the 11th of October— twenty-three days
— reached Sandy Hook, having been absent only four months and eleven
days, and most successfully and most fully accomplished the object of the
expedition.
The government of the United States has done itself high honor in
sending forth tbe relief expedition, and Lieut. Hartstein has won for him­
self an imperishable fame in so promptly volunteering in this humane
service, and conducting it with such great skill and good seamanship as to
make it eminently successful.
I have been kindly furnished with a journal of the entire cruise of the
Hartstein expedition— embracing observations upon the temperature of
the atmosphere, temperature of the water, markings o f the barometer,
course and force o f the wind, state o f the weather, condition of the ice,
latitudes and longitudes, variations o f the needle, bearings of the land, Ac.,
made and recorded every four hours, night and day.
As I record the temperature o f the atmosphere every sixty minutes,
night and day, at my place o f observation on Brooklyn Heights, and have
continued these observations for a series of years, I have the accurate
means o f comparison with the records of observation by the Hartstein
expedition simultaneously made. I have likewise the original records of
observations made hourly for me by Lieut. De Haven during his cruise in




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The Hurtstein A rctic R elief Expedition.

the Arctic seas in 1850 and 1851, also for comparison. In addition to
these, I keep a record o f the drift o f Arctic ice reported by vessels crossing
the Atlantic, and this record covers fifteen consecutive years, viz., from
1841 to 1855, inclusive.
These records, together with those recently obtained from Sir Edward
Belcher, commander o f the British Arctic Expedition, who was in the
Arctic zone nearly three years, ending with the autumn of 1854, illustrate
the extraordinary, and until now undiscovered fact, that the more intense
the Arctic cold, the greater the flow o f the Arctic ice. They also illus­
trate and show that in summer, heated terms here are cold terms in the
Arctic, and vice versa.
The same holds good in comparing the winter
temperatures of both places of observation.
This comparison has also been extended to the observations made by
Lieut. Parry during near a year’s sojourn at Melville Island, north of lati­
tude 75° and west of the line of no variation, in 1819 and 1820, and those
o f Capt. Franklin and Dr. Richardson, on the continent bordering the
Polar Sea east of Copper Mine River, longitude 117° W ., in 1821 and
1822, and near the mouth of McKenzie’s, in longitude about 137° W ., in
1824 and 1825, all with the same results.
Neither Lieut. Hartstein nor Lieut. De Haven observed any lightning,
or heard thunder, while in the Arctic zone ; nor do I find any mention of
that phenomenon by any Arctic navigator within that limit. Earthquakes
have not been observed there; I have never found that phenomenon no­
ticed in any account which has been published by Arctic navigators. If
they occur at all, the occurrence must therefore be very rare. High winds
and storms, however, prevail within the Arctic zone.
The lowest temperature recorded by Lieut. Hartstein during his cruise,
was 26° on the 9th of August, in latitude about 76°. This was the tem­
perature on board the A rctic; on the ice beyond the heat of the vessel, it
was doubtless several degrees lower. Lieut. De Haven in 1850, in the
same vicinity, observed the same degree o f temperature on the 13th of
August, and the lowest in that month.
When Lieut. Hartstein was entering the harbor o f Leivelly on the 5th
of July, a snow storm o f several hours prevailed ; and next day, at four
P. M., the temperature rose to 7 6°, and at four o’clock next morning had
fallen to 28°— a change of forty-eight degrees in twelve hours. Seventysix degrees is a very high temperature for that latitude, and we think it
is probable that the sun’s rays may have fallen on the bulb o f the ther­
mometer. There is, however, one fact to be stated in connection with this
high temperature— and that is, that it occurred within two hours o f the
termination o f the heated term here, which commenced on the 25th of
June and lasted till the 6th o f July— duration twelve days— during which
the temperature here rose to 98°. The heat passed like the shadow of an
eclipse, from the temperate to the frigid zone.
The aurora borealis was seen but twice during the cruise, viz., on the
11th o f September, in latitude about 69° 30' N., longitude about 61° W .,
and again on the 4th o f October, in latitude 42° 34' N., longitude 62°
46' W . ; and on the evening o f the 4th, sheet lightning was seen to the
south simultaneously with that aurora.
A t my place of observation there was a heavy dew on the morning of
the 11th of September. A t midnight the temperature was in equilibria,
and continued in that state for seven consecutive hours, after which the




The Hartstein A rctic R elief Expedition.

609

temperature rose to 90° in the shade and 120° in the sun, and remained
at that for upwards of three hours. The evening o f the 10th and of tho
12th there was much lightning. A large meteor was seen from Valley
Forge, Pennsylvania, on the evening of the 11th. A most terrific thunder
storm visited Norfolk, Virginia, that evening, and the next day the yellow
fever was greatly increased. A great thunder storm also visited Turk’s
Island. The ship Cowper the same day, in latitude 38° N., longitude
55° W ., was struck by lightning. In the evening o f the 12th there was
a thunder storm at Manchester, New Hampshire, and also at the Island of
St. Lucia, West Indies. Thus much for the connection o f the aurora of
the 11 th September.
On the 4th of October, when the second aurora was noticed from on
board the vessels of the expedition, the aurora was also seen here, and was
very brilliant. Two American ships in two different docks in Liverpool,
England, on that day were struck by lightning and injured. A snow
storm prevailed for nearly an hour at Nebraska City and the surrounding
country. The morning of the day previous there was lightning at my
place of observation, and the day following a severe snow storm visited
St. Louis, Missouri; Milwaukie, W isconsin; and also Fort Laramie. Thus
much for the connection of the aurora borealis of the 4th o f October.
Aurora Borealis was visible here on the 8th and 15th o f August, and
in the vicinity of the Gulf of the St. Lawrence on the 11th o f that month,
and meteors were abundant from 9th to 14th, inclusive. The great vol­
cano of Mauna Loa, Sandwich Islands, was convulsed on nights of 8th,
U th, and 15th o f that month, but neither the light of the volcano nor tho
aurora were seen by the Arctic Expedition, which was then north o f lati­
tude 75°, for the reason that at that time the sun shone there throughout
the twenty-four hours, but they encountered a snow storm on the 9tb, and
fogs on the 9th, 10th, and 11th.
The extraordinary aurora borealis o f 19th and 20th o f February, 1852,
which was visible during the entire night both in the United States and
England, and seen in many parts o f Europe, was simultaneous with a great
thunder storm in France, and with a most extraordinary eruption of the
volcano Mauna Loa. Sir Edward Belcher was at that time north o f the
Arctic magnetic p ole; in one o f his letters to me he says the aurora was
not observed there.
These facts are interesting, and unite with our other records in bearing
testimony to the fact that the great changes in our atmosphere are from
the earth itself, in its action upon that atmosphere.
It would swell this communication to a great length were I to treat in
detail of the atmospheric changes in the Arctic as compared with the
changes here. I will therefore pass over them, and come directly to an
interesting matter mentioned in Dr. Kane’s brief account o f his expedition
within the Arctic zone, after his vessel had been frozen up. Ilis vessel
was frozen up in latitude 78° 45', longitude about 72° west. He proceeded
north from that to the parallel o f 82° 30', where he discovered an open
sea, that was free from ice as far as the eye could reach. The tempera­
tures he recorded give no evidence that there exists a milder climate far­
ther north. This open water, therefore, must, it seems to me, owe its
fluidity to its great depth, or its holding so much salt in solution as to en­
able it to resist frost. The Cayuga and Seneca Lakes in this State were
free from ice during the intense cold o f February, 1855, which was as low




670

The Hartstein A rctic R elief Expedition.

as 30° or more below zero in that vicinity. This exemption from frost is
owing to the great depth of the water of these lakes.
The Dead Sea would remain fluid in the lowest temperatures of the
Arctic atmosphere, and the same exemption from frost pertains to the
great American Salt Lake in Utah.
The cold atmosphere of the Arctic
forces the salt held by the sea water in solution to density in fluidity that
will resist frost; hence, pools of salt water are found on the ice within the
Arctic zone during the most intense cold, but as soon as the weather be­
comes mild, that dense salt water seizes upon the ice it has been driven
from by the cold, and melts it as rapidly as that operation could be per­
formed by red-hot iron.
In our ordinary winter atmosphere in this latitude, salt is advantageous­
ly used to dissolve ice in pumps that have been frozen up, and for clearing
sidewalks of ice.
It is difficult to form an opinion o f the extreme north from what comes
under our observation here. W hen Lieut. Parry was at Melville Island in
1819-20, he says that during their walks on shore a mass o f rock, appa­
rently half a mile distant, could be taken up in one minute’s walk, and the
frequency of the deception did not lessen its effects. Sound, during a
still, cold atmosphere, was so powerful that common conversation could
be heard at the distance of a mile. Thus it is seen, that neither sight nor
hearing, in the cold Arctic atmosphere, performs the same services in its
results as here.
Sir Edward Belcher, in surveying Prince Alfred’s Bay, found, when he
came to lay down his angles, he was obliged to diminish the Bay so im­
mensely as showed the delusion.
This occurred in latitude 75° to 77° north; beyond that, and on the
very verge o f northemess, who can tell what greater differences may
exist ?
In reference to differences o f temperatures, our own records of observa­
tion are full of instruction.
For example: On the 7th day of February
of the present year, the temperature at our place o f observation, Brooklyn
Heights, fell to 6° below zero ; at Randolph, Vermont, to 44° below that
line. The difference in latitude between the two places is about two de­
grees, and the difference in temperature thirty-eight degrees. Both are in
about the same longitude. Between Randolph, Vermont, and Clarkesville,
Tennessee, the difference ■was 99 degrees o f temperature. Clarkesville is
in latitude about 36° 30' N., and Randolph about 44° ST. The tempera­
ture at Clarkesville was 55 degrees above zero. The difference between
Clarkesville and Randolph is about the same in degrees o f latitude as be­
tween Dr. Kane’s extreme northing and the parallel where theory fixes the
verge of northemess.
There are high mountains north of 75° north latitude; but I find no
accounts of volcanoes north of 70°, east of Behring’s Straits.
From what is here stated, we need not be surprised at anything that
may be found in the far, far North.
Lieut. De Haven, on the 22d of September, 1850, in latitude about 76°
north, longitude about 94° west, saw open water, or a water sky, which he
supposed to be an open sea to the west of the position in which his vessels
then were.
The unseen cannot be judged o f from what is seen. A person approach­
ing the mouth of the Niagara River from the placid waters o f Lake On­




671

The Ila rlstein A rctic R e lie f E xpedition.

tario, would not, from anything there visible, suppose he was within 18
miles of the greatest cataract known on our earth; and so with respect to
the channel of Hurl Gate, a person approaching that great ocean gorge
from New York would never, coming within half a mile o f it, suppose,
from anything there visible, that he was thus near such a dangerous pass.
The expedition has furnished me with a variety o f geological specimens.
The first in order is bituminous coal from Haroe Island, latitude 70° 25'
north, longitude 54° 45' west. This coal is o f an excellent quality, and
contains a great number o f small pieces o f crystalized naptha. It crops
out in the edge of a hill a few feet from the shore in a stratum of from four
to five feet in thickness. It is a few feet above the level of the sea, and is
very accessible. Disco Island, near by Haroe, ha» also an abundance o f
the same kind of coal. Captain Inglefield visited these coal mines in
1852, and states in his public report that a thousand tons could be mined
there in a short time. The following is the English analysis of the co a l:
Specific gravity.......................................................................
V olatile...................................................................................
Coke, common.........................................................................
Fixed carbon ..........................................................................

1.3848
50.06
9.84
39.56

A vessel can reach the coal mines from here in a run o f from 20 to 30
days.
Captain M'Clure found bituminous coal in latitude 75° and 76° north,
and longitude about 120° to 122° west. Lieut. Parry, in 1819 and 1820,
found pieces o f bituminous coal on Melville Island, latitude 75° north,
longitude 111° west, and the captain o f a whaler, who entered Behring’s
Straits with Captain Collinson in 1851, informs me that there is both bi­
tuminous and anthracite coal on the western shores o f the polar seas.
Captain M'Clure found smoking hillocks on his way from Behring’s
Straits to the Bay o f Mercy, and Sir Edward Belcher, in 1853, ascended
a mountain that overlooks Wellington Channel, which he named Pitch
Mount, from its stones giving out the odor of naptha, and when the tem­
perature in the month of May rose to 35° in the shade, such portions of
the mountain as the sun shone upon became soft and sticky, and he re­
marked that he left it because it seemed to be in a semi-fluid state. This
mount must be as far north as 76° or 77°. In one o f Sir Edward’s letters
to me, he remarks that there is no petroleum found there. That fluid, on
coming near the surface, would crystalize in the Arctic atmosphere.
It has been supposed by some that the Arctic coal was newly formed,
and they imagine they could see the grains of the wood in it. They
should bear in mind that the Arctic regions have probably been bare of
wood since the deluge, about 4,000 years ago, hence there was no wood
to produce this “ recent formation,” as it is termed. Coal is there, as is the
case everywhere, a mineral crystalization, and has no more connection
than water has in cases where wood becomes imbedded in ice.
A t Erene Bay a rounded metallic nodule o f great hardness and of great
specific gravity was obtained from the Esquimaux.
They use it as a sub­
stitute for steel in striking fire with quartz rock. It breaks with a bright
fracture, and is a compound of sulphur and iron. The natives value it
very highly. It is said to be plenty on the shores of W hale Sound.
From Cape Alexander they obtained sandstone o f a very delicate white,
and from Ilaykhuy t Island conglomerate or pudding stone, in which quartz
pebbles predominate. From the shores of Possession Bay, agates and




2

The Hartstein A rctic R elief Expedition.

jasper were obtained; also quartz and other pebbles. I have also other
specimens from further north, which I have not yet had time to examine.
Among the botanical specimens are grasses, moss, and a dwarf willow.
Perhaps I may succeed in obtaining some good seed from the grass, and
the willow is still alive, and I think it is in a condition to grow in this
climate.
The Arctic Zone once had a climate different from that which now ex­
ists there, but that time was probably anterior to the deluge.
The public mind sets in a strong and broad current against any more
Arctic Expeditions, but the time will come when other expeditions will be
undertaken, and I have no doubt the Arctic zone will be found to be rich
in its mineral wealth. The great hardships that have been endured in the
polar regions is the cause of this feeling or panic, but the suffering has
been owing to a want o f suitable accommodations. Such buildings as are
in use in our climate, with plenty o f fuel and a good stock of provisions,
there is no difficulty in living in the Arctic climate, but when a great
number of persons are huddled together in the cabin of a small vessel, it
is impossible to be comfortable or healthy. Then, again, persons who live
in cold climates should wear warm loose clothing. Sir Edward Belcher,
in a letter I recently received from him, says :— “ Your observation on the
clothing in cold climates are very correct, and acting on the same princi­
ple, or simply to have light air-proof externals, with loose woolen material
between it and the skin, I found the same clothing I donned at the Ork­
neys in M ay served me even in the severest cold, 63° 5' below zero, and
until my return to this country, excepting only when traveling, when it
was merely changed for a still more air as well as water proof material­
s ' skin.”
In another letter he says:— “ It is the confined atmosphere o f winter
between decks which is so much to be dreaded. This may be avoided if
Arctic vessels are so fitted as to afford adequate height for the escape of
the breath before it becomes so suddenly condensed as to constitute a warm
internal infection of mixed breath and cold air, which attacks the lungs
in the last stages o f scurvy as dropsical. I succeeded in the winter of
1853-54 in proving how much remains to be done in order to perfect such
fittings.”
Arctic dwellings should have deep cellars. A cellar as deep as some of
the sub-cellars in New York would be but little affected by Arctic cold.
Nothing further is at present looked for from the Arctic except accounts
from Hudson Bay o f the search ordered for the discovery of the remains
o f Sir John Franklin, or the party of near forty persons who were seen in
the spring of 1850, coming south over the ice dragging a boat after them,
by some Esquimaux sealing on the north side o f King William's Land,
and who, it is said, subsequently perished by starvation. These accounts
may now be expected daily.
e. m.
B rooklyn H




eig h ts ,

November 6, 1855.

673

The City o f Glasgow, Scotland.

A rt. III.— COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL CITIES OF EUROPE.
NUMBER XIV.

THE CITY OF GLASGOW , SCO TLAN D :
IT S

COM M ERCE

W IT H

THE

U N IT E D

STATES,

ETC.

T he intimate and advancing commercial relations existing between tbe
port and city of Glasgow and the United States, it is hoped may serve to
render a brief glance at some items o f the history o f that city, its geo­
graphical position, manufacturing interests, and American trade, not unin­
teresting to the readers of an American commercial magazine. Several
years’ residence there in an official capacity, connecting him with the
Commerce of this country, has given the writer some facilities for such a
review, and enlisted his sympathies in that trade and for the people of
that city. Circumstances have delayed this publication so long, that the
statistics that follow may want that freshness and pertinency they would
heretofore have had. The hope, however, that this beginning may stimu­
late some other and abler hand to bring up the record for the intervening
time, and that thus it may prove useful to his countrymen engaged in the
Scotch trade, animates him to proceed.
Glasgow is one of the most ancient cities o f Scotland. History informs
us that its site once formed part of a Roman province, though it does not
appear then to have been a distinguished station. A bishopric and church
was established there as early as .-.CO o f the Christian era. It is pleasantly
situated near the western coast o f Scotland, on both banks of the River
Clyde, which divides it unequally about forty-five miles above the firth, or
bay, o f the same name, in 55 degrees 52 minutes o f north latitude, and
4 degrees 10 minutes west longitude. The river flows to the west about
fifteen miles, where it expands into the firth, which, running northwesterly
in its general course, empties into the Irish Channel. Originally it was,
like most other British cities of early times, walled and fortified for de­
fense against invasion, and protection from semi-barbarous neighbors. The
people were crowded together in lofty houses, having very little open
space, and with confined and narrow streets. The buildings o f both the
old and modern parts of the city, with very few exceptions, are formed of
a soft freestone— quarried in the immediate neighborhood— o f a light and
handsome color, but the dampness o f the climate, acting with the smoky
atmosphere caused by the universal use of bituminous coal, soon darkens
the external walls and gives them a somber and dingy hue. The peculiar
Scotch style of building— that of making each story a separate tenement
— formerly encouraged the multiplication o f fa ts , as the separate stories
are called Security having been a greater object than comfort, the pre­
vailing policy was to huddle the population into as small compass as pos­
sible. That policy has been very much modified and improved in the new
portions of the town.
In 1165 the city was erected into a royal borough, and in 1451 the
Pope, then head of all the western churches, authorized the establishment
of a college, which was the foundation of the present celebrated University
of Glasgow.
The repeated invasions of Scotland by the English in early times, exV O L . X X X I I I .— N O . V I .




43

674

Commercial and Industrial Cities o f Europe.

tending nearly to the union o f the two countries under one government
by the succession of James VI. to the English crown; the frequent col­
lisions of rival clans, and the contests o f the Reformation, rendered for
ages almost the whole country a battle-field; and the Commerce and
growth of Glasgow was insignificant until within the last two centuries.
Among the armed conflicts in that city, the battle o f Glasgow, five centu­
ries ago, by which the invading forces o f Edward I. of England were
driven out and subdued by the brave Sir William Wallace and his clans­
men, is one that Scottish bards and historians have sung and recorded
with the highest rapture.
The discovery and colonization of the W est India islands and the con­
tinent of America opened a new field to Commerce. The situation of
Glasgow, its contiguity to the Atlantic, and the enterprise of its citizens,
gave it the lead, and it has always been the principal mart o f that trade
in Scotland. But in the prosecution o f a maritime trade she had obstacles
to overcome that would have been insurmountable to a people whose
energies had been less persevering and indomitable. The river proper
was narrow and shoal quite to the firth, and the head of that for several
miles more or less obstructed. Although the high tides of the British
seas swell the volume of the river to the rapids above the city, yet before
its enlargement by modern -improvements, only the smallest coasting ves­
sels could ascend to it, and such only on flood-tides. Indeed so shoal was
the river until within half a century, that at ebb-tides schoolboys forded it
at pleasure where now is a harbor capable o f floating ships drawing twenty
feet. Persons now living in no very advanced age have assured the writer
of having done so in their youth.
Greenock, some twenty miles below, on the firth, was then considered
the head of navigation for sea-going ships. That is also an ancient town,
and from early times has been engaged in foreign trade; but with all its
natural advantages numbers now but about 50,000 inhabitants— less than
one-seventh that o f Glasgow. Merchants of the latter place, then engaging
in foreign trade were compelled to lade and unlade their cargoes at Green­
ock, subject to transhipment and transit to their own warehouses at home.
Desiring to have their Commerce more fully under their own control, the
citizens of Glasgow, through their municipal authorities, set about estab­
lishing a harbor that should be accessible to heavy ships, and governed by
themselves.
In the selection o f a point for the location o f the new harbor, the choice
first fell on the small but ancient borough of Dumbarton, five miles above
Greenock, on the opposite shore, at the estuary of the Leven Water, the
outlet of Loch Lomond. This town, lying directly at the base of the
craig whose summit is crowned by the castle of the same name, so famous
in ancient warfare, being one of the few places in Scotland that by a pro­
vision in the union with England is forever to remain a fortified post, has
a good natural harbor, with a sufficient depth of water. The good people
of this borough, after gravely considering the proposition of their neigh­
bors, sagely declined the offer o f improving their harbor and using it for
the Glasgow trade, because it would be apt to induce a large increase of
population, and thus raise the prices of provisions, already— as they argued
— sufficiently high. Thus baffled, the Glasgowians chose the seat o f an
old titled family nearly opposite, improved and regulated its harbor,
erected wharves, dry docks, and other conveniences, and gave it the name




The City o f Glasgow, Scotland.

675

o f Port Glasgow. The occupation o f this port for their trade commenced
in 1662. For nearly 150 years it remained the harbor and port of the
Glasgow marine.
As Commerce increased, the inconveniences of a distant harbor were
more and more felt and appreciated. A t length, measures were matured
and plans adopted for clearing out and improving the whole bed o f the
river from Glasgow to the firth, for removing obstructions in the channel
o f the latter, and erecting barriers, buoys, lighthouses, and all the neces­
sary requirements of navigation. To carry out the-e objects efficiently,
proper acts o f Parliament were obtained. The municipal government was
invested with authority to make the contemplated improvements, on ac­
count and at the expense of the city ; to levy taxes and borrow money to
provide for the expenditures; and to collect transit duties on all vessels
ascending the river, to supply the means for paying interest, continuing
the improvements, and reimbursing the loans. This important work, de­
nominated the “ Clyde Navigation Trust,” is managed by a board o f trus­
tees from the City Council, whose decisions are subjected to the approval
o f that body.
One of the city magistrates is especially assigned to the duty of trying
and adjudging all causes arising on the waters under the jurisdiction of
this board. The w’ork has been prosecuted now for many years by dredg­
ing machines to deepen, and excavations to straighten the channel, and
give it broader width. Year by year it has progressed, until the river has
become an immense canal, free from locks and obstructions, capable in
flood-tides of floating vessels o f twenty feet draught, quite to the Broomielaw, or lower bridge, in the city o f Glasgow.
Above that bridge the
river remains in its original condition, shoal, and navigable only for boats.
The work of improvement is still progressing, and every year the capacity
o f the river is more or less enlarged by increasing its depth, cutting off
projecting points, and enlarging its width.
In addition to improving the navigation, the trust embraces the erection
of wharves, of sheds for protection in loading and discharging cargoes,
and all the modern labor-savins fixtures for facilitating such business.
The wharves are chiefly o f stone, substantially and permanently built. For
the use of these improvements a tariff o f charges is established on all ves­
sels arriving and on all articles laden and unladen. The wharfage on
merchandise is small in detail, but produces a large sum on the whole
trade of the port.
These charges vary from one to two pennies on each package, and on
each ton of heavy goods. From a small beginning, the income of the
trust has bem annually advancing, until, from all sources, in 1852 it ex­
ceeded £600,000 sterling. It is estimated that ultimately it well provide
for paying off the debt o f the trust, and become a source of revenue for
general purposes.
The removal, by these improvements, of business from Port Glasgow
has left that place dull and declining, with a stationary population of about
10,000. The colonial timber trade o f Glasgow is nearly all that remains
to it. A large proportion of its present inhabitants are hand weavers. It
has a few pleasant residences for gentlemen doing business in the city.
The regular increase of population being one of the highest evidences
of prosperity and advancement, the following table, collated from the na­




676

Commercial and Industrial Cities o f E urope:

tional census for the several years referred to, is given to exhibit the pop­
ular growth o f the city :—

1801.

1811.

1821.

1831.

1841.

83,769

110,460

147,043

202,426

282,134

1851.
358,951

The chief elements o f the Commerce which Glasgow gathers and dis­
tributes are the manufactures of Scotland. For these she is the great and
principal depot. The iron trade almost all centers in it. The iron of the
country, in its different forms, is principally shipped from this port direct
to foreign countries, or sent coastwise to Liverpool and other ports for
transhipment or a market.
A few small ports, Ardrossan, Troon, and Irvine, on the west coast, and
Leith and Grangemouth, on the east, ship comparatively small quantities.
Next to the landed, the iron manufacture is the most important interest in
Great Britain. No part o f the realm enjoys better facilities for producing
this staple, cheap and in abundance, than Scotland.
Her ores, her coal,
her lime, and all other materials for smelting it, are usually found in the
same fields. The supply o f these materials is probably inexhaustible, at
least for generations to come. The contiguity of navigable waters, and
the general extension of railways, cheapen transport charges to the most
moderate rates.
Manufactures of cotton, flax, and wool, being so much lighter of move­
ment, find their way in greater proportion, direct from the workshops, by
railway to Liverpool and other English ports, for export.
Notwithstand­
ing, the direct shipments o f these fabrications from Glasgow is very large
and highly valuable.
Ship-building has grown to be a leading interest on the Clyde. More
iron ships are annually built, equipped, and launched, from Glasgow to
Greenock, inclusive, than from any other place in the commercial world.
The number on the stocks in progress generally exceeds twenty, and many
o f these, steamers and ships o f the first class. At the same time a large
number of wooden vessels— some of these, also, o f first class— are con­
stantly produced. Here all the fine and powerful steamers of the Cunard
line, so triumphantly successful, and here many o f the best ships and
steamers in the British merchant marine, have been built and equipped.
Chemicals, for use in the manufacturing arts, constitute an important
department in the manufactures o f the city and its vicinity. These pro­
ductions being generally heavy, are, like iron, chiefly shipped from home.
Coal raised in the immediate neighborhood, and in other portions of the
western part o f Scotland, where it abounds, is exported from this port in
large quantities.
The number of mills and factories in operation in the city, for different
kinds of manufacture, exceeds one hundred— all, or nearly all, operated by
6team. The only fuel in use is the bituminous coal of the country already
mentioned. The dense smoke discharged from this agent is justly deemed
a great nuisance, and many experiments have been made to discover a
means to consume it, as yet with very little success. All these erections
have lofty chimneys for raising it to a great height, but its density causes
it to settle and unite with the smoke of the less towering structures o f the
city, and the atmosphere is constantly surcharged more or less with its
impurities, but is not believed to be rendered unhealthy.
It may not be uninteresting, in passing, to remark briefly on the exten­




611

The City o f Glasgow, Scotland.

sive chemical works of the Messrs. Tennent, covering one o f the heights of
the city, doubtless the largest of the kind in the world. They occupy
some fifty acres of ground, and turn out a variety of articles in large quan­
tities. Among the multitude o f erections composing the works, the great
chimney, believed to be the highest ever built, is a curious and conspicu­
ous land-mark— the first seen in approaching Glasgow from any quarter.
Before its erection, certain gases discharged from the works were found to
he noxious to surrounding vegetation, and a nuisance to the people residing
near. The municipal authorities were appealed to for redress. They or­
dered the offensive works to be removed, or a chimney raised so high as
t<* carry the obnoxious vapors beyond the city. The latter alternative
was chosen and the chimney erected. It is circular, 50 feet diameter at
the base, rises conically 460 feet high to a diameter o f 6 feet at the top.
Three millions of bricks, and about thirty tons o f iron for bands and sup­
ports, were employed in its construction, and a cost of £10,000 sterling
incurred.
But to return to the subject of iron. The many furnaces and iron works
in the vicinity of the city and in the adjacent neighborhood roll up their
constant columns o f smoke and flame, like the pillar o f cloud and of fire
o f old, obscuring the heavens by day, but lighting up the horizon by a
resplendent and far-reaching illumination by night, significantly indicating
a path to individual and national prosperity. It is well known that the
crude metal, in pigs, is the staple of that manufacture in Scotland. Glas­
gow being, as already stated, the great depot for the country, the general
statistics that follow, it is hoped, may not be thought irrelevant to the
purpose in hand:—
THE FOLLOWING TABLE EXHIBITS THE PROGRESSIVE INCREASE OF THE MANUFACTURE, AS
INDICATED BY THE NUMBER OF FURNACES IN OPERATION IN SCOTLAND, AT DIFFERENT
PERIODS FROM

1788

TO

1845.

Number o f furnaces..................................

1788.

1896.

1823.

1S30.

8

17

22

27

1815.
95

Large as the increase apparently was during the fifty-seven years here
represented, the actual results will be found to have been much greater,
when we consider the well-established fact, that by the lights of expe­
rience and the developments o f skill, the average quantity produced by a
single furnace per annum, rose, from 1796 to 1840, to more than three­
fold. The following will illustrate this:—
ESTIMATED ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF PIG-IRON PER FURNACE AT

Tons...........................................................

THE PERIODS STATED.

1796.

1827.

1810.

1,083

2,429

3,473

The authority from which these estimates are drawn asserts that the
yearly production had risen in 1849 to 6,100 tons for each furnace, being
an advance o f nearly 100 per cent in nine years, and of about 500 per
cent since 1796. Statistics hereafter given corroborate the fact that this
is now only an ordinary yield.
This progressive and enormous increase should no doubt, in some meas­
ure, be referred to the introduction of the hot blast in smelting, and to a
general enlargement of capacity in the construction of furnaces. Yet,




Commercial and Industrial Cities o f E urope:

678

after every possible allowance of this nature, it will be found that the ratio
of production from the raw material, during little over half a century, has
been wonderfully augmented, and the cost o f production vastly reduced.
But to proceed; the following table exhibits the number of furnaces in
Scotland, erected and in blast, for the eight years ending December 31st,
1852:—
Furnaces.
Erected. In blast.

December,
“
“
“

1845...........
1846..........
1847..........
1848..........

109
125
130
140

94
97
89
103

Furnaces.
Erected. In blast.

I December, 1849...........
|
“
1850.........
“
1851.........
|
“
1852.......

143
143
143
144

113
105
114
113

The following table exhibits the total production o f pig-iron in tons for
the same years, together with the direct and coastwise shipments, and the
market prices in December o f each year:—
December,
“
“
“
“
“
“
“

1845.........................................
1846..........................................
1847..........................................
1848..........................................
1849..........................................
1850..........................................
1851..........................................
1852..........................................

Production.

Shipments.

500,000
580,000
640,000
690,000
692,000
630,000
775,000
780,000

...........
376,000
370,000
395,000
374.000
325,000
450.000
424,000

Price.

£3
3
2
2
2
2
1
3

16
15
6
3
7
5
17
12

0
0
6
0
6
0
6
6

Competent merchants estimated that in the latter year 210,000 tons
shipped was exported, and 214,000 tons sent coastwise, and that o f the
exports 100,000 tons were shipped to the United States.
The production of malleable iron in Scotland is comparatively much
less than in several districts of England and Wales, and bears no corre­
sponding proportion to the pig-iron produced. In 1852, the number of
malleable iron works had risen to 11, which employed 120,000 tons pigiron, and produced 90,000 tons o f rails, bars, ship and boiler plates, sheets,
&c. The increase o f production o f these descriptions o f iron will be found
to have been rapid during the last few years, as the following statistics will
show :—
TABLE OK ESTIMATES OF MALLEABLE IKON PRODUCED DURING THE TEARS STATED.

1845 ..................................... tons
1847.............................................

35,000 11849.....................................tons
60,000 I 1852...........................................

80,000
90,000

A much larger proportion of these irons find their way into the mar­
kets of the United States than o f pigs, but in the absence of authentic
data the quantity cannot be conclusively stated. Considering, however,
that our improvements absorb the greater part o f the Scotch railway iron,
the estimate is ventured that one-third at least of the production, or 30,000
tons, was shipped to our markets.
In the same year there were in operation in Scotland 157 foundries,
melting 170,000 tons of pig-iron. A much smaller proportion of the
manufactures of these works enter into the American trade, yet no incon­
siderable amount o f castings will be found to have been consumed in this
country.
Estimates from the data already presented, adopting the probable aver­
age prices of the year, will present the value of Scotch iron imported into
this country during 1852, as follows:—




The City o f Glasgow, Scotland.

679

Pig-iron................................................
M alleable.....................................................................

$1,500,000
1,000,000

Total, exclusive of foundry productions.......

$2,500,000

It might be instructive to present similar reviews and statistics of the
other manufactures of that country, and of their relations to the Commerce
of this, if materials equally authentic for careful estimates were available,
but they are nowhere distinctly and fully collected and preserved ; besides,
it would lengthen the present article beyond the purposes in view.
In considering more directly the Commerce o f Glasgow with the Uni­
ted States, we are indebted to the records o f the American Consulate at
that port and its dependencies, for the* statistics illustrating it, hereafter
presented. These embrace a period of two-and-a-half years, during which
the writer was charged with the duties of that office.
The following table exhibits the number o f vessels arrived from the
United States at Glasgow, American and foreign, for the periods named:

other U. S. From
From
New York.
ports. for. p’ ts.

Vessels.

Tonnage.

45
38
26

23,487
21,656
13,760

32
20
11

12
17
11

i
i
4

109

58,903

63

40

6

1851................................................
1852................................................
1853, 6 months ending July 1st..
Total..................................

FOREIGN.

1851................................................
1852................................................
1853, 6 months ending July 1st..

41
34
33

19,477
19,577
17,350

24
12
15

17
22
18

•

Total.................................

108

56,404

61

57

.

.

The following table exhibits the number o f American vessels departed
from Glasgow, chiefly for home ports, and o f foreign, or British and co­
lonial vessels, for United States ports, with their tonnage, and the ports
for which they cleared, during the same tim e:—
AMERICAN.
F or
N ew Y ork .
38

V e sse ls.
46

Ton nage.

1 8 5 1 ........................
1 8 5 2 ........................

30

1 7 ,3 5 8

25

1 8 5 3 * ....................

35

1 9 ,3 4 0
—---------

23

—

Total.

. . .

Ill

2 3 ,9 0 4

6 0 ,6 0 2

O th er
For
F or
F o r e ig n
B o s t o n . P h ila d e l’ a. U . S . p ’ ts, p o rts.
3
2
2
1
.
1
2
2

1

—

86

11

1

—

—

3

16

8

63

—.

.
•—

5

FOREIGN.

40

1 8 5 1 ........................

113

6 9 ,4 1 4

34

39

1 8 5 2 ........................

137

7 2 ,7 1 2

44

40

s

1 8 5 3 * ....................

77

3 6 ,0 5 0

34

28

•

8

•

T ota l. . . .

327

1 6 8 ,1 7 6

112

107

,

101

.

•

Her Majesty’s custom-house records at Glasgow do not present, in a
complete and aggregate form, the articles nor value of the cargoes arriv­
ing. An accurate statement o f deliveries by American vessels could, there-




* Six months ending July 1st.

680

Commercial and Industrial Cities o f E u rop e:

fore, only be obtained by reference to the United States custom-houses,
whence the clearances were made. No efficient effort had, consequently,
been made by the United States Consulate to gather and record the statis­
tics of inward cargoes from the United States, until the year 1852. Since
that time such returns only as could be collected there have been registered.
These, though imperfect, may not be without interest as an approximation
towards true results in investigating the Commerce o f our country with
that port.
The following table exhibits such statistics o f cargoes arrived from the
United States as could be collected from the records o f deliveries in the
Consulate:—
BT AMERICAN VESSELS.

1852 .....................
1 8 5 3 * ...................

Quarters
wheat.

Bbls.
flour.

16,569
10,469

20,609
21,515

Tierces
provisions,

540
1,021

Bbls.
naval
stores.

Bales
cotton:

Packages
apples,
cheese, &c.

2,823
2,329

24,341
21,881

-----------

BT FOREIGN VESSELS.

1852 .......................................................................................................................................
1 8 5 3 * ...................
1,108
44,814
11,111
8,577
13,883
2,711

The British customs returns for exports are more full and explicit, and
the uniform courtesy o f Her Majesty’s officers in that service enables the
Consulate to obtain statistics of outward cargoes much more comprehen­
sive and satisfactory.
The following table exhibits the value of cargoes departed from Glas­
gow for the United States, together with the number of passengers, and
the quantities of pig and malleable iron shipped for the same period:—

Value.

1851.........................................
1852.........................................
1853,6 months ending July 1.
Total................................

Passengers.

Tons rails
and oiher
Tons
pig-iron. malleable iron.

$1,037,361
674,057
710,792

4,691
3,689
2,376

19,562
14,269
14,265

700
1,849
725

$2,422,210

10,756

48,086

3,274

IN FOREIGN VESSEL8.

1851.........................................
1852.........................................
1853,6months ending July 1.
Total...............................

$1,278,294
3,753,202
1,949,711

5,118
5,136
2,455

23,059
28,513
21,669

4,644
6,411
1,157

$6,981,207

12,709

73,241

12,212

The revenue laws o f the United States require that the owner o f mer­
chandise imported should make oath before a collector of customs or other
competent officer o f his ownership, the correctness of the invoice, and the
identity of the goods. Wherever, therefore, the owner resides or sojourns
here, that verification is made here, usually at the custom-house where the
goods are entered. If the owner is in a foreign country he then verifies
his invoices before an American Consul, previous to forwarding them to
his agent, to whom the goods are consigned. Consequently, all invoices
bearing such consular verification, represent only merchandise shipped for
account of foreign owners, and consigned to agents or commission houses




Six months ending July let.

The City o f Glasgow, Scotland.

681

here, and a record of them gives no light on importations for American
account, or on the relative proportion o f goods entered for foreign ac­
count. It is believed, notwithstanding, that the following statement may
not be without its interest.
The aggregate value of merchandise, invoices of which were verified at
the Glasgow Consulate for export to the United States by British owners,
for the period already referred to, a moiety of which, probably, was
shipped from Liverpool, with an occasional shipment from London, Hull,
and other ports, was as follows :—
1851 .....................................................................................
1852 .....................................................................................
1853,six months to July 1..................................................

$2,988,547
3,118,329
1,890,813

Total...........................................................................

$7,997,689

It would be a useful investigation to inquire into the proportions exist­
ing between the imports of merchandise for foreign account and those on
account of our own merchants, and of their relation to the aggregate of
importations into the United States, not only in reference to this trade,
but to the general Commerce of the country, were not available statistics
so entirely insufficient as to forbid it. The records of the customs, pub­
lished annually by the government, give the imports in detail and their
whole value. Explicit and faithful returns from all the American Consu­
lates, carefully arranged and consolidated, can alone enable us to arrive at
the amount and value of merchandise received for account of foreign own­
ers. If such returns were required, let their results be deducted from the
aggregate exhibited by the customs reports, and the balance would repre­
sent the amount of imports for American account. Returns provided for
from Consuls, however, do not furnish the necessary data for such an ex­
hibit. Again, were their returns copious enough for this object, only gen­
eral aggregates would be obtained, without a more comprehensive system
of reports. The value of imports from any given port, though deducting
the amount of invoices verified before the Consul at the same port, and
comparing their sum with the difference, would not give the true relations
of home and foreign ownership, in the trade of that place, for in many,
perhaps most Consular districts, these verifications embrace merchandise
shipped from other, often several different ports. W ere it required that
such returns should distinguish and consolidate the values of the invoices
verified for each shipping port, then customs reports, and Consular records
together, would furnish materials for the comparisons and results in ques­
tion. Such comparisons would be highly important to the intelligent
merchant, in governing his foreign orders, by showing to some reliable
extent, from the facts collected through a series o f years, the competition
to be expected from foreign adventures. But until government shall di­
rect the collecting o f suitable statistics, through these channels, we must
be content with the imperfect estimates, in this regard, now in our power.




682

Uniform ity in Weights, Measures, and Coins,

A rt. IV.— UNIFORMITY IN W EIGH TS, MEASURES, AND COINS AMONG
COMMERCIAL NATIONS.
U n if o r m it y in the instrumentalities o f exchanges, like the formation o f
roads, is both the cause and the effect of advancing civilization. As there
cannot he weights, measures, and money where there are no exchanges, so
there can be no exchanges where these are wanting, and where they are
imperfect exchanges must be imperfect. There is a necessity that they
should advance with an equal step; if the instrumentalities o f exchanges
are wanting, Commerce must languish till they are supplied and made
equal to its requirements, and where Commerce is absent or extremely
limited, it will be found that its weights, measures, and coins are o f the
rudest character—-imperfect and inexact.
In barbarous ages, when a river or a mountain formed an almost insur­
mountable barrier to intercourse among the scattered populations, every
tribe had its peculiar language or dialect, its peculiar customs and laws,
and its petty traffic required only such measures as enabled the members
o f the community to make among themselves a few simple exchanges. If
an individual, more adventurous or curious than the rest, undertook the
hardships and dangers of travel beyond the natural boundaries o f his tribe,
he soon found himself, if not among enemies, at least among those with
whom intercourse o f any kind was almost impossible, and was glad to get
back among his own people— by the history of his adventures, confirming
rather than lessening their hostility towards all who lived remote. Non­
intercourse produced diversity in language and custom, and diversity in
these tended to promote non-intercourse, mutual hatred, and savage wars.
Incalculable waste of the earth’s products was the consequence o f non-in­
tercourse. Abundance and famine existed at the same time in contiguous
States. Agriculture and Commerce remained undeveloped, and man him­
self remained, century after century, ignorant, superstitious, and savage,
at once the instrument and the victim of priestcraft and misrule.
The use o f Commerce being to transport commodities from parts o f the
earth where they are in abundance to those parts where they are wanted,
whatever hinders this transportation, or renders the interchange difficult
or dangerous, is detrimental to the service o f humanity, whether the ob­
stacles arise in the form of vast mountain chains, or spread themselves out
in the shape of tempestuous oceans, or whether they appear in the form
of diverse languages or customs, or confused and irregular measures of
quantity and value. So long as any of these obstructions remain to be
overcome, so long will Commerce imperfectly accomplish its beneficent
work— that of taking from every man his superfluities, and giving him in
exchange those things which he needs but cannot produce with advan­
tage.
So long as traffic was petty and internal only, comparatively little in­
convenience was felt from the diversity in weights and measures, but the
rapidly extending Commerce o f the present day, bringing nations into a
relationship as close as was that of tribes or clans in the earlier ages, ren­
ders imperative the demand for a universally uniform system— a system
that shall be at once so excellent that its superiority over all others shall
be freely admitted, and so simple that it can be easily acquired.
In the United States a decimal currency needs no advocate, experience




Among Commercial Nations.

683

having sufficiently shown to all its efficacy and simplicity, notwithstanding
its anomalous connection with a system o f weights and measures, in which
all the articles of Commerce are sold in other than decimal proportions.
W hile our currency is in tenths and hundredths, everything bought or
sold is divided into halves, quarters, or thirds, or into the arbitrary and in­
extricably confused proportions given in Troy weight, avoirdupois weight,
long measure, dry measure, liquid measure, &c.— a complicated system
which has come down to us from the “ good old times ” when feudal princes
tinkered with weights and measures as well as with the currency; from
the rude ages when the length of the inch was determined by the dimen­
sions of “ three barley c o r n s a n d when king Henry III. enacted that
“ An English penny, called a sterling, round and without clipping, was to
weigh thirty-two wheat corns taken out o f the midst of the ear, and
twenty pennies were to make an ounce, twelve ounces one pound, and
eight pounds a gallon of wine, and eight gallons of wine a London bushel,
which is the eighth part o f a quarter.” From such a standard, it is ob­
vious, that absolute accuracy was unattainable, even if the exigencies of
those times had required more than an approximation to definite propor­
tions. The accuracy and permanence attainable by means o f the metricaldecimal system of France is seen in striking contrast with the above in
the history of the establishment o f its base, the metre, a forty-millionth of
the earth’s circumference.
Having adopted a decimal currency, and at the same time retained a
system of weights and measures which, from the constant occurrence in it
of the divisions o f twelve— halves, thirds, and fourths— may perhaps pro­
perly be called duodecimal, reform in this particular is worthy o f attention
here more than in those countries in which the reform has not commenced.
The fact that in retail trade the sixteenth, eighth, fourth, and half o f a
dollar are constantly required, while the occasion for the use of any deci­
mal portion is comparatively rare, may show the tendency of our “ duo­
decimal ” system of weights and measures to bring the currency into agree­
ment with i t ; that is, to make the parts o f a dollar, like the parts of
commodities they are used to purchase, to be sixteenths, eighths, fourths,
and halves— an inconvenience not experienced in those countries where
the currency and the measures are alike irregular, or “ duodecimal."
Another reason for its special claim upon our attention is the consider­
ation that its adoption by a country whose Commerce is growing so rap­
idly as ours, would, even if the expressed intention o f doing so did not in­
duce other leading nations to adopt it simultaneously with ourselves, finally
insure, nay, even necessitate its adoption throughout the world.
It is thus evident that reform in our measures of quantity and value will
be only half complete till we adopt a decimal system of weights and
mea-ures. Fortunately, its adoption alone is necessary; we are spared
the labor o f its formation. There exists ready to our hands the French
system, simple, beautiful, and complete, at once adapted to the wants o f
science and of Commerce, and to which it can no longer be objected that
it has not been tested by experience, or that its general adoption is attended
with insuperable difficulties from the attachment o f the mass of the peo­
ple to old customs. For more than half a century the scientifically formed
metrical-decimal system o f France has been in advantageous use not only
in that country, but in several of the minor States which, in the course o f
the last half-century, have come under the influence o f France.
France was not always homogeneous as now. Consisting for many ages




684

Uniform ity in Weights, Measures, and Coins,

o f several grand divisions, worthy o f being considered as so many petty
kingdoms— as did England in the days of the Heptarchy— it has only been
by a slow and gradual series of changes and developments that the various
elements of the nation have become thoroughly united. Down to 1789,
the year of the first French Revolution, France was still divided by local
customs, dialects, and natural boundaries, into a number of half-cemented
provinces. Though now, for a considerable length of time, making in
some sort integral parts o f one great nation, Brittany, Picardy, Normandy,
Champagne, Guienne, Burgundy, Provence, Languedoc, Anjou, and some
other districts, retained peculiar systems of weights and measures, which,
when at last the old landmarks were broken up by the Revolution, and
internal traffic throughout France sought new channels and became more
extensive, were found to be sources o f endless confusion. A conflict o f
systems among the various provinces would doubtless have finally resulted
in the establishment o f one to the exclusion of the others, but not before
the lapse of considerable time, or before much inconvenience had been
felt. The Constituent Assembly saw this and resolved to apply a remedy
at once prompt and radical, and upon the motion of Talleyrand, charged
the Academy o f Sciences with the task of devising a system o f weights
and measures which should not only meet the exigencies o f France, but o f
which the simplicity and excellence should lead to its adoption by all
other nations.
The result o f their labors was the present metrical-decimal system of
France, a description of which follows, the substance of which, together
with some suggestions for its farther simplification, and better adaptation
to the wants of this country and the world, are derived from a memoir by
W il l ia m W . M a n n , Esq., prepared at the request o f A l e x a n d e r V atte m a r e , and by him transmitted to the lion . H a n n ib a l H am bl in , Chairman
o f the Committee on Commerce in the United States Senate, in connec­
tion with the Reports of MM. Silbermann and Durand on the “ Standard
weights, measures, and coins exchanged between the governments of France
and the United States.”
The system is called the metrical-decimal system, metrical because it is
based upon the metre, the unit o f measures o f length, decimal because in
all the multiples and divisions of the metre and o f the other units of the
system, the process is by decimals; that is, by tens, hundreds, thousands,
tens of thousands; and in the descending series, by tenths, hundredths,
thousandths, and so on. The metre itself, the base o f the whole system,
was obtained as follows:— The Academy of Sciences, resolving that the
unit of lineal measure should be the basis of the new system, determined
that it should be the ten-millionth part o f the distance from the equator
to the pole, or a forty-millionth part of a line drawn round the earth
through the poles. Adopting temporarily a metre, the length of which
was deduced from he measurement of the meridian made forty years be­
fore in Peru by the French geometrician Lacaille, for greater certainty the
Academy ordered anew trigonometrical measurementof the meridian, which
was made. From this measurement was deduced the metre now in use.
The meridian selected passed through France from Barcelona to Dunkirk,
thence northwardly through England and Scotland, and towards the south
through Spain to Formentura, one o f the Balearic Islands. The govern­
ment of France invited foreign nations to unite in this great scientfiic
work, by sending deputies to a congress of the most learned men of all
countries. From this body a commission was formed which, having care­




Among Commercial Nations.

685

fully examined, tested, and verified what had been already accomplished
by the Academy, finally sanctioned the system as now established.
The provisional metre derived from the measurement o f Lacaille was
found to be for all practical purposes as correct as that derived from the
great trigonometrical measurement of the meridian ordered by the Acad­
emy of Sciences. For all purposes no(^ purely scientific it is the same.
The length of the metre as now established is very nearly thirty-nine
inches and a third, or exactly 39.370091 inches o f the British imperial
yard.
The word metre is derived from a Greek word signifying measure, and
the names of its multiples and divisions are also adopted from the Greek
and Latin languages, being thus neither French nor English, but belong­
ing equally to all nations. Notwithstanding the learned nomenclature of
the system, it is at once simple, ingenious, and convenient. It is easily
learned and retained in the memory. The name instantly suggests the
amount and the nature o f the measure. It is only necessary to fix in the
memory twelve short words with their meaning, and the difficulty is mas­
tered. Probably no nomenclature could be devised more simple or more
universally applicable. O f these twelve words four, from the Greek, of
the ascending series, are the multiples or augmentations of the units.
They are—
Aeca, signifying ten ; hecto, a hundred; kilo, a thousand; and myria, ten thousand.

Next we have three words, from the Latin, o f the descending series,
which express the divisions or diminutions of the units. These are—
Deer, signifying a tenth ; centi, a hundredth ; and milli, a thousandth.

These seven words prefixed to the term metre give us the complete
nomenclature o f the long measure under the French metrical system.
Thus—
Myriametre signifies.
Kilometre.................
H ectom etre.............
Decametre...............
M etre.......................
Decimetre................
Centimetre................
Millimetre................

Ten thousand metres.
One thousand metres.
One hundred metres.
■Ten metres.
One metre.
One-tenth of a metre.
.One-hundredth of a metre.
.One-thousandth of a metre.

The instruments of long measure are— a double decametre, a decametre,
a semi-decametre, a double metre, a metre, (used in Commerce as our yard­
stick,) a demi-metre, a double decimetre, and a decimetre. The kilometre
is the term generally used in speaking o f long distances, as we use the
term mile. The kilometre is equal to 1,093j yards. Our mile is equal to
1,609 metres, or l -609 kilometre.
SUPERFICIAL OR LAND MEASURE.

In superficial measure the unit is the are, from the Latin area. The are
is a superficial extent o f which each side is ten metres in length, contain­
ing consequently a hundred square metres. W e have, therefore, by the
combination of words above described—
The hectare containing..................................Ten thousand square metres.
The are............................................................One hundred square metres.
The centiare...................................................One square metre.

The hectare is used in measuring land, as the acre is with us.
equal to nearly two-and-a-half acres, or exactly 2 471143 acres.




It is
The

686

Uniformity in Weights, Measures, and Coins,

chain used in measuring land is a decametre, (equal to 32 feet and 9-700910
inches,) of -which each link is two decimetres in length.
SOLID MEASURE.

In solid measure the unit is called a stere, from a Greek word signifying
solid. The stere is the cube of » metre. By combination with deca, ten,
and deci, a tenth, we have its nomenclature as follows:—
The decastere containing........................... ..T en cubic metres.
The stere...........................................................One cubic metre.
The decistere..................................................... One tenth of a cubic metre.

.

The stere is equal to 35-31658 English cubic feet. The instruments of
measurement are the demi-decastere, the double stere, and the stere. These
instruments are used chiefly for measuring firewood. The demi-decastere
is a little less than 1J of our cord.
LIQUID AND DRY MEASURE.

The unit of liquid and dry measure is called litre, from a Greek word
for a measure of liquids. The litre is a vessel containing the cube o f the
tenth part of the metre. It is a square vessel a decimetre in depth, of
which each side measures a decimetre. Its multiples and divisions are
formed and named as above explained. They are—
The
The
The
The
The
The

kilolitre containing....................................... One thousand litres.
hectolitre....................................................... One hundred litres.
decalitre........................................................ Ten litres.
litre................................................................ One litre.
decilitre..........................................................One-tenth of a litre.
centilitre........................................................ One hundredth of a litrg.

The litre, which is used as the quart is with us, is rather less than a
quart, being -220097 parts of the British imperial gallon, or a little more
than a pint and three-fourths. The hectolitre, used in measuring large
quantities, is equal to 22-009663 imperial gallons. The legal measures in
use are the hectolitre, demi-hectolitre, double hectolitre, decalitre, demidecalitre, double litre, litre, demi-litre, double decilitre, decilitre, demi-decilitre, double centilitre, and centilitre.
These measures have various
forms, according to convenience, but their capacity is certain and gradu­
ated upon that o f the square litre.
WEIGHTS.

In weights the unit is the gramme, a term adopted from a Greek word
Signifying a small weight. 'Ike gramme also is based upon the metre.
Its weight is the thousandth part of a cubic decimetre of distilled water
taken at its greatest density, which occurs at a temperature o f four degrees
above zero of the centigrade thermometer, (39° 2' Fahrenheit,) weighed
in a vacuum. The nomenclature of weights is as follows:—
Myriagramme is............................................Ten thousand grammes.
Kilogramme................................................... One thousand grammes.
Hectogramme............................................... One hundred grammes.
Decagramme................................................. Ten grammes.
Gramm e........................................................ One gramme.
Decigramme.................................................. One-tenth of a gramme.
Centigramme................................................ One-hundredth of a gramme.
Milligramme.................................................One thousandth o f a gramme.

The weight of one cubic metre of distilled water, 1,000 kilogrammes,
is the French ton, used in stating the burden of ships. It is equal to nine­




687

Among Commercial Nations.

teen hundred and seventy pounds avoirdupois. A hundred kilogrammes
is the metrical quintal, and equal to l -97 cwts., 220-5500 pounds avoirdu­
pois, or 268-0300 pounds Troy.
There are in use weights of fifty, o f twenty, of ten, and of five kilo­
grammes, the double kilogramme, the kilogramme, demi-kilogramme,
double hectogramme, hectogramme, demi-hectogramme, double deca­
gramme, decagramme, demi-decagramme, double gramme, gramme,
weights of five and o f two decigrammes, the decigramme, weights of five
and of two centigrammes, the centigramme, weights of five milligrammes,
of two milligrammes, and of one milligramme.
The kilogramme is used in Commerce as our pound avoirdupois. It is
exactly equal to 2 2055 pounds of that weight. The gramme and its di­
visions are used by apothecaries and jewelers. It is used also in philo­
sophical experiments. It is exactly equal to 15-434 grains Troy weight.
Thus it is seen that the nomenclature of the whole system is composed
of twelve words. Seven o f these are the numerals of multiplication and
division, as before stated; the other five are—
The metre, the unit of long measure.
The are, the unit o f superficial or land measure.
The stere, the unit of solid measure.
The litre, the unit o f liquid and dry measure, or capacity.
The gramme, the unit o f weight.
The combination of these, as has been seen, supplies all the names re­
quired in the system, the termination expressing the kind o f measure, and
the prefix its amount.
Standards of the metre and o f the kilogramme, made of platinum, as
the metal least liable to alteration, have been most carefully constructed,
and are deposited among the archives of the State. The standard metre,
at the temperature of freezing water, indicates the true length of the metre.
The standard kilogramme, weighed in a vaccum, gives the true weight of
the kilogramme.
THE COINS OF FRANCE.

W ith characteristic ingenuity the French have connected the coinage
with the metrical-decimal system. The franc, the monetary unit, is equal
in value to eighteen cents and seven mills of our money. It is divided
into decimcs and centimes, (tenths and hundredths.) Accounts are kept in
francs and centimes. The franc is a coin o f which nine parts are silver to
one of copper, and weighs five grammes. Gold coins are nine parts pure
gold and one part copper. The centime and all the copper coins are made
of an alloy, of which ninety-five parts are copper, four tip, and one zinc.
The centime weighs one gramme. The proportional weight and dimen­
sion of the coins o f France are exhibited in the following table:—
t-------------- ----- GOLD.----D enom i nation.
I* rancs.
20
10
5

W e ig h t .
G ra m m e s.
6 .4 5 1 6 1
3

-------- X
Diam eter.
M ill!m etres.
21

22580

17

1 .6 1 2 9 0

14

t— --------- SILVER. ■ ■■ --- -\
D ia m D enom eter.
in a tio n . W e ig h t .
M iiliF ra n cs. G ra m m e s. m e tre s .
25
37
5

f-------- ----- — C O P P E R ------- ---- — >
D ia m D en om eter.
in a tio n .
W eigh t.
M illiC en tim es. G ra m m es. m etres.
10
10
30

2

10

27

5

5

23

2

5
2

25

1
C en tim es.
50

n

18

1

i

15

i

15

20

20

No other coins than the above are now struck, and all old coins are be-




688

Uniformity in W eights Measures and Coins,

ing gradually withdrawn from circulation. Of the three metals used for
the coinage, 3,100 francs in gold, or 200 francs in silver, or 10 francs in
copper weigh one kilogramme, so that the coins may be used for ordinary
purposes as weights, instead o f the regular weights of brass and iron.
Thus, by decimal division, by weight and by diameter, is the coinage of
France intimately connected with its weights and measures. This connec­
tion is so complete that the length of the metre may be obtained with
correctness enough for all practical purposes, by placing a number of coins
together in a line, of which the various diameters, as may be seen by the
preceding table, are regular proportions of the metre. The absolute ac­
curacy, however, o f this method of measurement is destroyed by the let­
ters in relief on the edges of some of the coins, which is to be regretted,
as impairing, though to an unimportant degree, the beautiful harmony and
close connection of parts for which the system is so remarkable.
The above description, imperfect as it is, may serve to show that the
system is immeasurably superior to every other that has been in use in
ancient or modern times. Connected with an unchangeable base, the
forty-millionth part of the earth’s diameter, it has at the same time the
recommendation of introducing into all calculations o f weights and meas­
ures, the facility and rapidity which already characterize our calculations
in dollars and cents.
In the adoption of this system, however, by the United States and Eng­
land, and almost necessarily afterwards, by all commercial nations, it
might be desirable to modify it in a few particulars, though radically it is
perhaps not susceptible of improvement.
The modifications of which it
is designed here to speak relate'only to such a trifling change in the
nomenclature of the system as would secure a similar pronunciation in
all countries, and by adapting it more fully to the uses of actual Com­
merce.
The change suggested in the nomenclature relates not to its etymology,
but to its orthography. The names of the units as they now stand are
liable to be differently pronounced even in the same country. It is pro­
posed to apply to all of them a rule o f modification, which, without
changing their derivation, will make monosyllables of them all, and estab­
lish their orthography in such a manner that the same sounds must be
necessary in all the languages o f Europe, and make variation in the same
country unknown. Thus, if the spelling o f metre were changed into metl,
are into arr, stere into sterr, gramme into gramm, and litre into bit, every
Frenchman would at once pronounce these words exactly as we do. He
could not, by the rules o f his language, do otherwise. In Great flritain
and this country there would be no variation ; neither is it possible to
conceive how any other pronunciation could arise in Germany, or in any
part of Europe, if the final consonants were always doubled. The names
of the units thus modified should be without change, or even the addition
o f the sign of the plural, which the numeral prefixed would indeed render
unnecessary.
The denominations of the multiples and divisions o f the units, and of
the weights and measures o f the system, are unnecessarily and inconve­
niently various; fur instance, the kilolitre. W hy not say one thousand
litres— or ten hectolitres? Instead o f the terms double decalitre, decalitre,
demi-deoalitre, double decilitre, decilitre, demi-deciiitre, would it not be
more convenient in practice to say twenty litres, ten litres, five litres,




Among Commercial Nations,

689

twenty centilitres, ten centilitres, and five centilitres ? As the franc is di­
vided into centimes, so should the litre be divided into centilitres. In
monetary divisions there is no use for the terms decimes and demi-decimes
— neither is there any more necessity for the terms decilitre and demidecilitre. The same remarks are applicable to the multiples and divisions
of units throughout the series composing the system. What is intended
not for scientific and learned men exclusively, but for constant popular
use, should be reduced to the simplest form consistent with perfection in
practice. All technicalities not necessary should be carefully avoided. To
the existence of these learned technicalities is to be ascribed the difficulty
experienced in some parts of France in making the system take root. In
this respect the system bears evidence o f its paternity. Devised by purely
scientific men, it needs to be perfected by practice and experience. It is,
therefore, suggested that when other nations adopt this system they will
fix the denominations o f the various measures, and of the multiples and
divisions of the several units, as follows :—
LONG MEASURE.

The
The
The
The
The

miriametre............................................... Ten thousand metres.
kilom etre................................................. One thousand metres.
m etre........................................................ One metre.
centimetre................................................ One-hundredth of a metre.
millimetre.................................................. One thousandth of a metre.

The myriumetre is for the statement o f astronomical spaces ; the kilo­
metre for geographical and itinerary distances; and the millimetre for
scientific and other purposes. The measures of Commerce would he the
same as now— being, however, simply called measures of twenty, ten, five,
and two metres; of one metre, o f a demi-metre or fifty centimetres, and
of twenty and of ten centimetres.
S u p e r f ic ia l M easu re not being probably capable o f further simplifica­
tion, need not be here again given.
In S olid M easu re , the following denominations would b e found more
convenient in practice than those now used:—
The hectostere......................................... Oue hundred cubic metres.
The utere................................................... One cubic metre.
The centistere.......................................... One-hundredth of a cubic metro.

The measures in use now would remain, only being called measures of
five steres, of two steres, and o f one stere.
In W eig hts the following denominations would be found sufficient:—
The kilogramme...................................... One thousand grammes.
The gram m e.......................................
One gramme.
The milligramme......................................One-thousandth of a gramme.

The ton, of one thousand kilogrammes, for stating the burden o f ships,
would be retained, as would also the metrical quintal, o f one hundred
kilogrammes, to be used in measuring large quantifies. The weights o f
Commerce would be the same as at present, but called' simply weights of
fifty, of twenty, of ten, o f five, and of two kilogrammes; of one kilo­
gramme, of a demi-kilogramme, or five hundred grammes, and of two
hundred, one hundred, fifty, twenty, ten, five, and two grammes; of one
gramme, of a demi-gramme, or five hundred milligrammes, and of two
hundred, one hundred, fifty, twenty, ten, five, and two milligrammes, and
of one milligramme.
44
VOL. X X X III.— NO. V I.




690

Uniform ity in Weights, Measures, and Coins,

In L iquid and D ry Measure the denominations would be—
The hectolitre.................................................One hundred litres.
The litre....................................................... One litre.
The centilitre................................................ One-hundredth of a litre.
The measures now in use would remain, but would be denominated the
hectolitre; the demi-hectolitre, or fifty litres; measures o f twenty, ten,
five, and two litres; of the litre, the demi-litre, or fifty centilitres; of
twenty, ten, five, and two centilitres; and of one centilitre.
A short comparison of the above denominations and numbers must
satisfy any one, that while they belong as rigorously to the metrical sys­
tem as those actually in use, they are at the same time more convenient
and simple, and therefore better fitted for universal adoption.
It is suggested that a rule may be found for the establishment of the
five units of the system, that shall have the advantage o f greater sim­
plicity, and at the same time be more rigorously systematic. Instead of
the present expression o f the units:—
Metre, a certain portion of the earth’s meridian.. One metre.
Are, surface o f ................................................. One hundred square metres.
Stere, a mass o f ................................................One cubic metre.
Gramme, a weight of distilled water................ One cubic centimetre.
Litre, a vessel containing................................. One cubic decimitre.

it would be better to say the units are:—
Metre, a certain portion of the earth’s meridian.. One metre.
A re, a surface of............................................... One metre square.
Stere, a mass of.................................................One metre cube.
Gramme, a weight of distilled water............... One metre cube.
Litre, a vessel containing...................................One metre cube.

The length of the metre, however, as actually fixed, renders this mode
of determining the value o f the other units impossible in practice. This
difficulty may be removed by reducing the metre to the length of the
present decimetre, making it, not a ten-millionth part o f a fourth of the
earth’s meridian, but a hundred-millionth. The nomenclature and princi­
ple of construction of the system would n o f be affected in the slightest
degree. It would only necessitate a partial shifting o f names. Thus—
The myriametre would become...............................the deca-myriametre.
The kilometre.......................................................... the myriametre.
the decametre.
The metre.....................
The decimetre......................................................... the metre.
The centimetre......................................................... the decimetre.
The millimetre........................................................ the centimetre.
The same yard-stick would be used, only being called decametre instead
o f metre. Itinerary measure would remain as it is, only the kilometre
would be called myriametre. The land-measurer’s chain would be called
a hectometre, instead o f a decametre.
The hectare would become............................................................. thehecto-myriare.
The are.................................................................... the myriare.
The centiare............................................................ the hectare.
In Solid Measure:—
The decastere would become..................
the myristere.
The stere................................................................. the kilostere.
The decistere.......................................................... the hectostere.




Among Commercial Nations.

691

In W eights:—
The kilogramme would become................................... the gramme.
The gramme.................................................................... the milligramme.
The milligramme............................................................the mille-milligramme.

In liquid and dry measure there would occur no change whatever, ex­
cept that we should say of the litre, it is a vessel o f which the capacity is
one cubic metre, instead as now of one cubic decimetre; for, under the
new arrangement, the decimetre would have become the metre.
W ith regard to the coinage of France, so intimately connected with the
metrical-decimal system of weights and measures, it is desirable that there
should be an important modification o f the monetary unit before its uni­
versal adoption. The actual unit o f French money, the franc, is too small.
Let the five-franc piece, nearly of the same value as the dollar, be divided
decimally into cents and mills, and be made the unit of the universal cur­
rency. It would be necessary to give it a new name, which should not
be either franc or dollar, as these names would be liable to create confu­
sion in the ideas of those who had been in the habit of attaching them to
a different value, besides having a national character might on that ground
excite prejudice, and cause delay in the adoption o f the system. A name
might be taken for this as for the other units from one of the dead lan­
guages, which, being equally the property of all mankind, would be free
from all these objections. The name of the old Greek silver coin stater
might be adopted without change, or it might become statre, conforming
with metre and litre, or in accordance with the modified nomenclature
suggested above, it might become statt. The three denominations of mo­
ney then being statre, centistatre, and millistatre, might be annexed to the
five series of weights and measures, each series being composed o f three
denominations only, except that of long measure, in which, for scientific
purposes, two supernumerary terms, myriametre and millimetre, are re­
tained. It might be convenient for the stating of very large values to add
the term decastatre.
Though few persons could be found to deny the advantages of a uniform
system of weights and measures throughout the world, there may arise
with many a doubt as to whether the universal system to be adopted
should be a decimal system. It may be objected, that as the various
weights and measures now existing are the natural growth through a
series of ages of the necessities o f traffic, and being thus founded on expe­
rience, are therefore likely to be better adapted to practical purposes than
any artificial system, the work of merely scientific men.
It may be said
that it is not from accident or arbitrary arrangements that in all the va­
rious proportions of the old English weights and measures, ten or a tenth
never occurs, while twelve and its divisions and multiples are constantly
occurring, from which it may be argued that there is a natural fitness in
the number twelve to be used as the numeral base of measurements. But
to this there is the satisfactory answer, that in France the decimal system
has been found, after an experience o f more than fifty years, to work well,
and that if any inconvenience has been felt from parts of the system, it
has been much more than compensated by its general superiority.
As for any difficulty that might be experienced in causing its adoption
in this country from the attachment of the masses of the people to old
customs, it is likely that much less opposition would be made to it here
than in other countries, partly from the experience already had in a deci­




692

Commerce o f the United States.

mal currency, and partly from our being much more accustomed to the
adoption o f new improvements and inventions than any other people.
There will, therefore, when this subject shall be taken up for action by the
great commercial nations, be found in this country but a united voice in
its favor. The merchant as well as the philanthropist will welcome this
as one of those measures whose tendency is to bring the nations of the
world into a universal brotherhood.

Art. V.— COMMERCE

OF T H E

UNITED

STATES.

NUM BER X X .

S T A M P D U T Y — F A V O R IT IS M

T O W A R D J A M A IC A — O T H E R I N J U R I O U S
TH E

A C T S— M E A S U R E S T O ADVANTAGE

C O L O N IE S .

A f t e r exhausting their eloquence in petitions and remonstrances, the
colonists resorted to their first practical measure with reference to the
acts lately adopted and impending. In July, about two months before
the new Sugar acts went into effect, about fifty o f the leading Boston
merchants signed an agreement, in the shape o f a formal resolution, to
curtail largely the use o f those superfluities of dress obtained from abroad.
Laces and ruffles were to be laid aside; no English cloths were to be pur­
chased but at a fixed price; and most of the articles used in mourning
habits were to be laid aside. They further agreed to encourage every
species of home manufacture. This spirit spread widely in Massachusetts
and some other colonies; a very considerable retrenchment was made in
the amount o f foreign purchases, and the manufactures, especially of the
coarser kinds of clothing, took such a start that the colonists were em­
boldened to the belief that, in case o f necessity, they could manage to live
comfortably without depending on outward trade for any of the neces­
saries, or even the real conveniences o f life.
This measure was, partly, what it appears on its face— retaliative— and
was also partly the dictate of necessity. By the powerful adverse influence
it would exercise upon British Commerce, it was hoped the ministry might
be compelled to retrace their steps. But if ineffective to that end, it was
still necessary, when the means of purchasing from England were so
largely cut off, to limit their business with her in a corresponding degree.
Even in the ordinary course o f things, a considerable retrenchment in their
foreign purchases was imperatively demanded. The great fault of the
colonial merchants had always been a disposition to buy beyond their abil­
ities— an evil which was much facilitated by the easy credits they were
allowed by the merchants of England. To the latter a great part of the
provincial traders were already so much indebted, that they could obtain no
farther credit, and must therefore, perforce, alter their style of business
and of living, or go into bankruptcy.
The two revenue acts went into operation at the appointed time, and
the most vigorous efforts were made to secure their full enforcement. The
naval officers, being also customs officials under them, exerted the same
vigilance and energy they had lately employed in capturing prizes from




Commerce o f the United States.

693

the enemy. In this new employment, their services were advantageous to
the interests of neither party. Being, o f course, mainly unacquainted with
the rules and customs pertaining to the service, which considerable atten­
tion and experience were required to understand, and still less aware of
the particular irregularities which it was for the advantage o f all to over­
look, as it had been the authorized custom, they eagerly and indiscrimi­
nately pounced upon every vessel found infringing in the slightest degree
upon the strict letter of the law, o f which they were necessarily, in a great
degree, the rude interpreters.
The proper customs officers were also sufficiently decided in their sup­
port of the new acts. Perpetual collision occurred between them and the
New England merchants, especially in the ports of Boston, Salem, Glouces­
ter, Newport, and Falmouth (now Portland.) The excitement rose to a
high pitch. But the officials, under the strict injunctions given them and
the new and efficient authority brought to their aid, were indomitable. It
was in vain to complain of even the palpable illegality of many of the
seizures. The only redress for such improper violence was in an appeal
to the boards of admiralty or the treasury in England; but this was a re­
sort so distant, the delay and expanse of action were so great, these arbi­
ters were, besides, so mutually prejudiced against the cause of the colonists,
and the latter were so utterly repugnant to the transfer to England o f the
jurisdiction of cases which should have been, as always before, at least
primarily settled in the colonial courts, that the privilege was of little
avail to them.
Macgregor finds one instance o f a case tried before the Superiorr Court
of New York in 1766, but it originated from a seizure made in 1763— the
year before the acts in question were enacted. The suit was for illegal
seizure of ship and cargo by a captain in the royal navy, and a verdict
was rendered, in favor of the owner, of 4,046l. with costs.
Under these proceedings, the important trade o f the Northern colonies
to the foreign West Indies was soon almost entirely annihilated, and all
branches of their Commerce and o f internal trade and industry suffered
severely in sympathy. The drain o f silver in the payment o f the duties,
so far as the trade was still continued, soon exhausted the colonies of the
little specie existing in their circulation. To add yet more to their em­
barrassment, Parliament had also, but with less questionable propriety,
perhaps, than in the other cases, interfered in reference to their paper is­
sues. A few days only after the passage o f the new duties, a bill was
adopted, inhibiting any farther emissions o f the colonial credits, their in
being made legal tender for debt, and enjoining the prompt redemption,
hard money alone, of all those in circulation at the time their payment
became due.
But the North Americans were not the only sufferers by the new tariffs.
Jamaica, the favored W est India colony, which was principally to derive
the benefit of these acts, felt their evil results most severely.*
In the impartial and indiscriminate exercise of their duties, the naval
officers cut off as well the trade between this island and the foreign West
Indies, as between New England and the latter. The colonists of Spain
* The population o f Jamaica was estimated in 1764 at 15,000 whites, exclusive o f the military and
naval establishment and the sea-faring people; and 4,000 free people o f color. The slaves, by cen­
sus in 176-2, numbered 146,464. The total would about equal the population o f Connecticut, New
York, or Maryland, and was exceeded among the contineutal colonies only by Massachusetts, Penn­
sylvania, and Virginia.




694

Commerce o f the United States.

in the West Indies and on the continent, had long been accustomed to
resort clandestinely to the English islands for the purchase of European
merchandise, which Spain, attempting the monopoly of their market, fur­
nished them at most exorbitant prices. Jamaica had always been the
great center o f this intercourse, and had profited extremely by it. The
Spaniards came thither in small coasting vessels, bringing mules, cattle,
cochineal, indigo, some medicinal drugs, and great quantities of gold and
silver. They entered under pretence o f stress of weather, accident, or for
refreshments— the only admissible causes— disposed o f their cargoes, and
took back, at the risk o f confiscation and corporal punishment from the
Spanish authorities, almost all species of British manufacture. The Eng­
lish government had connived at this trade, though under its own inter­
diction, on account of the great advantage to the islands, to the British
manufacturers, and to British Commerce.
The naval officers, with uncalculating impartiality, fell upon these Span­
ish contrabandists, and the Governor of Jamaica, being also compelled by
the letter of his instructions to assist these zealous administrators o f the
law, this most advantageous trade was speedily extinguished, and the sup­
ply of the Spanish colonies passed into the hands of the French, the
Dutch, and the Danes, all eager to accept the fortunate opportunity; and
the latter, endeavoring to make most o f the advantage by throwing open
their little islands for the importation, free in effect, o f all European
goods. *
Thus the British navy, becoming in effect guarda costas for the king of
Spain, effected in his behalf what the utmost efforts o f his own fleet had
been unable to accomplish. The effect upon the prosperity of Jamaica
was seen in a diminution o f 168,0007. in its exports, and o f a still larger
reduction in its imports, being fully proportional with the loss o f the
Northern colonies from the tariff acts.
Another occasion o f injury to a portion o f the British W est India colo­
nies was an attempt of the king, by letters-patent issued in July of this
year, (1764,) to impose upon the ceded islands; namely, those captured
from France during the war and confirmed to England at the peace, the
four-and-a-half per cent duty. This tax upon export had been originally
granted by the Assembly of Barbadoes, and had afterwards been extended
to the other British islands. The plea for enforcing it upon the ceded
islands against the will o f their inhabitants, was the principle that the
crown possessed absolute dominion over them as conquered territories.
The planters opposed the claim, on the ground that such dominion, if it
ever existed, was relinquished by the proclamation inviting British set­
tlers, and assuring them o f the enjoyment of all the rights and immunities
secured by the British constitution. The contest lasted until 1774, when
it was decided by the judiciary o f England against the pretensions o f the
sovereign.
* By decree of July 7, the king of Denmark opened his islands o f St. Thomas and St. John for the
admission o f European merchandise in Danish vessels, paying two per cent ad valorem ; and of
American produce in vessels of any nation, paying five per cent, such vessels being allowed to ex­
port any foreign goods f r e e o f d u ty ; but exports to Europe to be made only in Danish vessels,and
to go direct to Denmark. These islands were occupied mostly by British planters and merchants,
the latter mostly engaged in contraband trade, and their newspapers were printed both in Danish
and English. The opening of these islands was o f much benefit afterward to the North Americans,
who profited also somewhat by a decree of the king of France in 17C4, allowing all vessels to sail
freely along the shores o f the French islands, and even to enter them in case o f necessity, English
vessels, by treaty, not being before permitted to sail within a leagne o f those islands-the same
restrictions applying to French vessels regarding the English islands.




Commerce o f the United States.

695

Nor was England without her full share of the evils of her late impoli­
tic measures. Without materially improving her revenue, these acts,
through their disastrous influence upon the colonies, inflicted serious inju­
ry upon her own interests. To the surprise o f the ministers, the exports
o f the kingdom to both the North American and W est Indian possessions
experienced an alarming diminution, and while expecting the complete
triumph of their policy, the cabinet was stunned with a cry of reprobation,
no less boisterous and general from the distressed merchants and manu­
facturers of Britain than from the habitual grumblers of the colonies.*
But, worthy o f all attention, and admonitive o f high danger as was the
former voice, it was not yet the design o f the government to make that
speedy and inglorious retreat from their ruinous error which they were
called upon to perform. Nor had they even abated their intention to push
farther onward in their infatuated policy. They were not disinclined, in­
deed, to relieve, as far as possible, their favorite Jamaica, and to partially
obviate thereby the embarrassments o f England, but they would suffer all
rather than mitigate the atrocity o f their measures toward the turbulent
plantations o f North America. Instructions were accordingly sent to the
governors, collectors, admirals, and other officers o f the land and water,
within the latter, to maintain all that rigidity and vigor in the execution
of the recent laws which they had before displayed, while to the same
officials at Jamaica and the other W est India islands orders were simulta­
neously dispatched, that Spanish vessels entering therein by reason o f dis­
tress, or f o r supplies, a s f o r m e r l y , should receive all the assistance they
had formerly received, provided— as a seeming regard to law made it ne­
cessary to except— “ they did not attempt to bring in foreign merchan­
dise.”
But it was too late to retrieve the blunders o f the naval zealots, or at
least to restore matters entirely to their former condition. The Spanish
smugglers were disgusted with the conduct of men who had first encour­
aged them to violate the laws o f both countries, and had then so shabbily
turned upon them. The Dutch, Danes, and French had quietly seated
themselves in the lost position of England, and were determined to main­
tain their acquisition by every effort in their power. W hile the trade had
been in the possession of England, it had owed its success mainly to the
quiet and unobserved method in which it had been conducted. When the
evils of its strangulation were discovered, the matter o f reviving it was
publicly discussed; the jealous government o f Spain took cognizance of
the designs of England, and to defeat the scheme o f the intended restora­
tion, the trade of all the Spanish W est Indies was, for the first time, opened
to all Spanish subjects, on the European or American continents, on the
payment of moderate duties on importation into the islands. Hitherto,
all the trade of the Spanish colonies had been a close monopoly o f the
crown, or of associations formed under the royal charter. The Spaniards,
indeed, in both hemispheres, lacked the spirit and the ability to profit
greatly by this indulgence, in competition with English traders; but the
increased advantages for contrabandism thus opened were equally avail­
able by other nations as well as the English, and though the demand for
British fabrics still maintained the ascendant in the Spanish colonies, the
lost ground was but partially recovered.
In 1764, there were 301 bankruptcies in Great Britain, a number unequaled in any previous
year o f British history.




696

Commerce o f the United States.

O th er C om m ercial L e g is l a t io n . Another measure of Parliament in
176+, calculated to injure the trade of America, was a statute for the en­
couragement of the hat manufacture in Great Britain. By this act, the
drawback before allowed on the re-exportation of beaver skins from the
kingdom was repealed, and in its stead a duty of 7d. on each skin and Is.
6d. for every pound o f beaver wool was imposed on such export, the skins
on their original importation paying a duty of only Id. each. The design
o f this act was to cut off the European market, which the colonies had
hitherto indirectly enjoyed, for this species o f fur, to cheapen the price o f
the raw material to the English hatters, and to suppress the manufacture
elsewhere in Europe. The effect of this act was more unfavorable toward
America from the increase that had taken place in the value o f furs through­
out Europe. After the conquest of Canada, large orders for furs and skins
were forwarded to England from Flanders and other parts, and even from
Russia, which, though largely producing them, was unable to supply the
wants of its own inhabitants.
Another measure, about this time, not calculated to advantage the col­
onies, or to lessen the occasions of difficulty with the royal officers, was
an order from the king to the Surveyor-General o f W oods in America, to
set off at places near the sea or navigable rivers in New England and Can­
ada 300,000 acres of the best woodlands for the uses of the British navy,
and to be preserved, under heavy penalty, as provided in former laws, from
the intrusion of the inhabitants. The attempt to guard similar reserva­
tions had long before been occasion of difficulty between the officers and
the frontier people; and the prospects of collision increased as the popu­
lation o f the wooded localities augmented, and as the multiplication of
towns, and the extension o f the ship-building interest in New England,
began sensibly to exhaust the more available forests.
But the legislation and the other imperial influences o f the year were
not entirely vicious in regard to what affected colonial interests. There
were, indeed, several measures adopted during this and the two or three
preceding years that deserve favorable mention, as intended, in at least an
incidental manner, to confer positive benefit upon the colonies. In 1761
and succeeding years, large grants of money were made as compensation
to the North Americans for their expenses in the war. These amounts
were paid in specie, and were a most important relief, especially to the
New Englanders in the disordered condition of their finance, and the mis­
erable state of their currency. The annual grant for the support of Geor­
gia in 1761 was £4,057, of which sum £1,000 was appropriated for pur­
chasing the cocoons of the silk-worms, and for the farther encouragement
of that branch of industry, Mr. Ottolengi, an Italian, was sent out under
salary to instruct the Georgians in the management of the culture. The
same year, also, the society instituted under royal auspices in London for
the encouragement of arts, manufactures, and Commerce, offered large
premiums to those who should import the largest quantity o f Pot and Pearl
Ashes from the colonies. Treatises were also distributed among the colo­
nists, giving instructions relative to the best method of manufacturing those
articles.
In 1763, the act granting a bounty on the production of Indigo in the
colonies was continued for seven years from that time, although the pre­
mium was reduced to 4d. the pound. The newly acquired regions were
opened to settlers from the older colonies or elsewhere on the most liberal




Commerce o f the United States.

697

terms, and with assurance of the utmost political privileges. Extensive
donations of land were made to officers and soldiers serving in the late
war, and free grants, also, were made in the Floridas and other parts to
such persons as would undertake the culture of silk, cotton, wine, oil, co­
chineal, indigo, madder, &c., regarding all which there were existing en­
couragements in the shape of bounty or otherwise.
The offensive measures of 1764 were accompanied by several acts o f
protection and encouragement. To stimulate the cultivation of Hemp and
Flax in America, Parliament granted a bounty o f £8 on every ton o f clean
merchantable hemp or rough flax imported from the colonies into Great
Britain from June 24, 1764, to June 24, 1771, descending to £6 for the
years 1771-8, and £4 for the third seven years, 1778-85. The act en­
couraging the import o f Timber and Lumber from the colonies, being
about expiring, was renewed for seven years more. Another act permitted
Rice to be carried from South Carolina or Georgia, in British or colonial
vessels, to any part of America lying to the southward of Gedrgia, on
paying one-half subsidy, equivalent to the duty remaining in the treasury
if the rice were carried to England and thence reshipped with drawback.
The grant o f this privilege, however, involved again the principle of tax­
ation. For the encouragement of the colonial Whale Fishery, already
rapidly increasing, another act made a great reduction in the duties.on oil
and whale-fins imported into Great Britain from the colonies. This act
had a most beneficial influence on that branch o f American business. To
increase and secure the safety o f the Cod Fishery, yearly grants, averaging
about £10,000, were made to the young colony of Nova Scotia, to relieve
its population of the expense of government; and the import of Salt into
Canada was now permitted for one year from any part of Europe, as al­
ready allowed in New England and Newfoundland. These latter measures
were positively beneficial to the colonies chiefly concerned in the pursuit,
in so far as they tended to secure the fisheries against capture or competi­
tion by the French, but were, in another view, regarded as adverse, as suc­
coring a new and important rival. Another measure, calculated to be
positively beneficial, was a resolve for a complete survey of all the coasts,
harbors, bays, and rivers of the grand colonial empire in North America,
under the authority o f which two Surveyors-General, Messrs. Samuel H ol­
land and William De Brahm, were appointed, the former for the region
from the St. Lawrence southward to the Potom ac; the latter for that lying
between the Potomac and the extremity o f Florida. The act regarding
paper-money, though apparently adding to the present embarrassments of
the colonies, must on the whole be regarded as not only a legitimate use
of power, if England could at all properly legislate for America, but as a
judicious restraint upon a very dangerous system in which the Americans
were too much inclined to adventure.
Such were the beneficial or least objectionable measures recently adopted
bearing on colonial interests. If some were o f indifferent or questionable
policy, the intent of all was good, and there were some among them cal­
culated to be productive of positive advantage. But whatever beneficent
results might accrue from this embodiment of good intentions, they were
engulfed in the gigantic mischief o f the last-named year’s legislation.




698

The Law M erchant:

Art. VI.— T H E L A W M E R C H A N T .
N UM BER II.

THE APPLICATION OF VOLUNTARY PAYMENTS.

H a v in g in the last number explained the debtor’s right to apply a vol­
untary payment, we proceed to the second division o f the subject:—
I I . THE

c r e d it o r ’ s

RIGHT TO A PPLY THE PAYMENT.

If a payment is unaccompanied by any directions as to its application,
it is called a general or open payment; and the rule o f law in respect to
payments of this kind is, that the party who receives them has a right to
apply them. That is to say, whenever a debtor has made a payment with­
out communicating to the creditor his wishes respecting its application,
the right to apply it passes to the creditor.
In exercising this right the creditor may follow his own interest; he is
not bound to follow that of the debtor. He may select that one of his
claims which it is most for his interest to have paid first, and apply the
general payment upon that. Yet he must not make a harsh, unreasonable
application, or one which the debtor, if he had thought about it, could
not reasonably have expected that he would make. The case of Ayer vs.
Hawkins illustrates these principles.
Ayer brought this suit against Hawkins to recover the amounts o f three
promissory notes made by Hawkins. The defense was that the notes were
“ outlawed.”
It was evident upon the trial that the notes of Hawkins had been due
more than six years before the commencement of the suit. To meet this
difficulty Ayer undertook to show that Hawkins had made a part-payment
upon each of the notes within six years. To do this he called a witness
who was present at a conversation between Ayer and Hawkins, in the
course o f which Hawkins admitted that in 1841, which was about five
years before the trial, he had paid Ayer twenty dollars.
“ W ell,” said Ayer, continuing the conversation, “ I indorsed the money
upon the notes; was that right ?”
“ I don’t know anything about any notes,” replied Hawkins.
Ayer then showed, after this witness had finished his account o f the
conversation, that he had divided the twenty dollars between the three
notes— indorsing a part of it upon each o f them. Thus, as his counsel
contended, there had been a part-payment upon each of the notes within
six years, and so they were all taken out o f the Statute of Limitations.
Hawkins then offered some evidence tending to prove that he had lent
the twenty dollars to Ayer instead of paying it to him. He was not very
successful, however, in his endeavor to make this out.
After the evidence was all given, Judge Redfield charged the jury. He
told them that if they were satisfied that Hawkins paid Ayer twenty dol­
lars to apply towards debts which he owed him, and gave no directions at
the time of payment upon what debt it should be applied, it thereby be­
came the right of the plaintiff to make the application upon such claims
as he had against the defendant in any o f the ordinary modes of making
such applications, but not in an extraordinary and unreasonable manner.




The Application o f Voluntary Payments.

699

As there was no evidence that Ayer had any other demands against Haw­
kins, to which this payment could apply, except the notes in suit, they
might infer that it was intended to apply on the notes, or one of them ;
and if so, it would remove the bar of the Statute of Limitations as to such
note or notes. But the plaintiff, Ayer, could not apply a part of the pay­
ment upon each note, and thus take all out of the statute. The most he
could do, would be to apply it to that one o f his demands which would
he most favorable to himself; and as all the notes were barred by the
statute, Ayer would be justified in making the application upon the largest
note, though that was the most recent, if there was nothing from which it
could be ascertained upon which particular note the defendant, Hawkins,
intended the application to be made.
The jury found a verdict for the plaintiff, Ayer, for the amount of the
largest note. Both parties were dissatisfied with this decision, and they
both appealed.
Ayer contended that he ought to be allowed to'recover upon all three of
the notes; Hawkins that he ought not to be compelled to pay either of
them.
The Supreme Court decided that the instructions which Judge Redfield
gave to the jury were correct. After concisely stating the rules of law,
which we have already considered, Judge Royce, who delivered the opin­
ion of the Supreme Court, concluded it as follows:—
“ But although it is usually said that the creditor may apply a general
payment as he pleases, there are many cases where he is not indulged to
this extent, even in the absence of any express direction from the debtor.
The right to direct the application being universally conceded to the debtor
in the first instance, regard is still had to his intention in the matter where
the facts and circumstances render that intention sufficiently clear and
certain. And if the debtor silently waives the right in favor of the cred­
itor, it should be intended that he does so relying upon a mode of appli­
cation to which he could not justly or reasonably object. But the course
which the plaintiff pursued in this instance, by distributing the payment
among all his demands, and thus seeming to preclude all defense under
the statute as to either, was such as he doubtless knew was not anticipated,
and would not be approved or sanctioned by the defendant. It is entirely
without precedent, as far as I have discovered, among the numerous cases
reported on this subject, and we are fully convinced that it has not pro­
duced the effect desired. The plaintiff was at liberty to select any one,
even the largest o f the notes, and apply the payment upon it, for so much
had been yielded to him by the defendant. And the defendant must be
taken to have understood that his legal liability upon such a note would
be thereby revived, but beyond this his presumed intention cannot justly
be extended. As the charge of the judge was in accordance with these
views, and the plaintiff was enabled to recover to the extent of his legal
right, there is no apparent error to be corrected, and the judgment below
is affirmed.”
It is not easy to define the limits of the creditor’s right much more dis­
tinctly than is done in the above decision. He can make no application
which is harsh, unreasonable, or unjust toward the debtor; but whether
any application violates the rule, is only to be determined upon a review
of the circumstances of the particular case.
One or two principles have, however, been laid down which will guide
creditors to avoid manifestly objectionable applications.




7oo

The Law M erchant:

One is that the creditor, as'a general rule, can only apply the payment
to legal, valid claims, capable to be enforced against the debtor. He can­
not employ a general payment in satisfaction of a claim which the law
will not enforce.
The case of Ayer vs. Hawkins is perhaps an apparent exception to this
rule, for, though it is not distinctly stated, it appears from the report to
have been the case that at the time when the general payment was made
all three of the notes were outlawed. If so, then in that case the creditor
was allowed to apply his payment to a claim which could not at that time
have been enforced at law. But we must remember that Ayer had no
other claim capable to be enforced against Hawkins upon which he might
have applied the payment. He had only the three outlawed notes; at
least there was no evidence of any others, and it is very probable that if
it had been proved that at the time when Hawkins paid the twenty dollars
he owed Ayer a debt which was then legally collectable, it would have
been decided that the payment ought to have been applied to the valid,
collectable debt, instead o f to either o f the outlawed notes.
Another limitation upon the creditor’s right o f application's this: that
he can never hold a payment in suspense until a new debt accrues and
apply it to that, leaving a prior indebtedness, which was subsiding at the
time of the payment, unsatisfied. The creditor need not, as will be more
fully pointed out, make his application immediately upon receiving the
money, but whenever he does make it he must choose among the various
debts existing at the time when the money was paid. This principle is
explained in an English case, (Hammersley vs. Knowleys, 2 Espinasse’s
Rep., 665,) which was tried between fifty and sixty years ago.
The facts of that case were these:— All readers of English history know
that George IV., when Prince of Wales, was a very extravagant and dis­
sipated young man, and although the income allowed him was fifty thou­
sand pounds, he ran very heavily in debt; so much so, that the king, his
father, finally refused to assist him, and application had to be made on his
behalf to Parliament for relief. After some temporary aid, which was in­
sufficient, an arrangement was made for the payment o f the Prince’s debts
and the increase of his allowance, it being made a condition that he should
marry the Princess Caroline of Brunswick. This he accordingly did.
A jeweler named Nathaniel Jeffreys, who had a high reputation for
skill in his trade, was engaged to provide the jewelry for the marriage be­
tween the Prince o f Wales and the Princess Caroline. The expense of
such jewelry as was considered suitable was fifty-five thousand pounds, or
about two hundred and sixty thousand dollars. Of course, to prepare
these jewels required the expenditure o f a large sum in advance by Jeff­
reys, and either because he had not sufficient capital for the enterprise, or
was not sufficiently cautious in the employment o f it, or more probably
because payment was not made to him for the jewels so soon as he had
reason to expect, he became very much embarrassed. He was indebted
to his bankers, the Hammersleys among others.
Anxious to protect the Hammersleys from loss, Jeffreys procured from
his brother-in-law, Knowleys, a promissory note for eight hundred pounds,
which note he indorsed to the Hammersleys, and paid it, together with
two others, into their hands. This was early in February, 179V. On the
27th of February the notes fell due. Before that day, Jeffreys explained
to one of the Hammersleys that the note of his brother-in-law was only




The Application o f Voluntary Payments.

701

what is called an “ accommodation ” note, that is, a note made as a favor
to the payee and without his paying value for it, and asked him if he
would not hold it over after it fell due, until he, Jeffreys, should receive
payment for the royal jewels. To this Hammersley consented.
On the 27th of February Jeffreys paid to the Hammersleys two thou­
sand pounds, and said that as soon as he received his money he would
pay the balance that he owed them, and would also leave a deposit in
their hands for use, sufficient to repay them for their favors to him. The
two thousand pounds was paid in generally, and the Ilammersleys carried
it generally to Jeffreys’ account. There was then remaining due about
three hundred and two pounds.
After this, Jeffreys incurred new debts to the Hammersleys by borrow­
ing or drawing money, until finally he became entirely insolvent. It then
occurred to the Ilammersleys that by employing the two thousand pounds
to pay off the debts incurred by Jeffreys after the 27th of February, and
then collecting the notes from the persons w'ho made them, they should
be paid ; whereas if they allowed the two thousand pounds to go towards
the payment of the notes, they would have no means of collecting the
subsequent debts. Accordingly, they brought a suit against Knowleys,
the brother-in-law o f Jeffreys, upon his note for eight hundred pounds.
Erskine, the distinguished English lawyer, was counsel for Knowleys.
He maintained that the Hammersleys could only apply the two thousand
pounds to the debts subsisting at the time when it was paid; and that
therefore they could not recover from Knowleys at most only three hun­
dred and two pounds, the balance which remained due from Jeffreys after
the payment of the two thousand pounds.
Lord Kenyon, the judge before whom the case was tried, sustained this
view.
“ The grounds of the law as to payments,” said he, in his charge to the
jury, “ are very clear. W hen a person pays money on one account, it
must be so applied, and cannot be changed; but the rule is not so strict
as to say that the application must be made at the time the payment is
made— it may be done at a future time in pursuance of a foregone trans­
action. But when there is a subsisting demand between two parties, and
the debtor makes a payment generally, it would be too much to say that
it was not a payment but a deposit. It does not appear to me that it can
be so taken, unless the parties agree that it should be so. That this was
not so taken by the plaintiffs themselves, (the Hammersleys,) appears. I
therefore think that as the subsisting debt on the 27th o f February, when
Jeffreys paid in the two thousand pounds on account, arose on the note in
question, and the two others mentioned in the case, the plaintiffs were
bound to ascribe it to that account.”
And, according to these instructions, the jury found a verdict for the
plaintiff's for three hundred and two pounds only.
It has already been explained that the debtor must make his applica­
tion, if at all, at the time when the payment is made. The rule is differ­
ent with respect to the creditor. He is not required to make his applica­
tion immediately on receiving the money. The reason for this difference
is twofold— first, the' debtor lias full opportunity to consider and decide
upon the application which will best advance his interests during days and
weeks before he makes the payment. The creditor has no such previous
opportunity. In many cases the payment may take him, as it were, by




10 2

The Law Merchant.

surprise. And it is but reasonable that he should have leisure after the
time of payment to reflect upon and determine his course. Second. The
right of the debtor must be terminated whenever the right of the creditor
attaches; else there would be continual conflict between the two. There­
fore, if the right o f the creditor is to attach immediately after the payment,
the right of the debtor must then cease; but no such reason applies in the
creditor’s case.
But how long a time is allowed a creditor ? Different Courts have an­
nounced different rules upon this subject.
He may make his application at any time after payment, say some.
At any time before the commencement of suit, say others.
At any time before a controversy respecting the application arises, say
the Supreme Court of Vermont.
A t any time before a settlement o f account between the parties, says an
early English case.
lie may make it within a reasonable time, say a majority of the cases.
Probably the true rule is, that the creditor may exercise his right at
any time before a controversy arises between the parties respecting the
proper application; but cannot claim it after that time.
W e have said that an application on the part of the debtor may be im­
plied from circumstances. The same remark applies in the case o f the
creditor. It is not necessary that his intention respecting the payment
should be expressed in distinct w ords; and as he does not lie under so
strong a necessity to notify the other party o f his determination, as does
the debtor, it is not so strongly to be urged upon him to define his inten­
tion with distinctness, though this is usually to be recommended. Any
facts which show clearly that the creditor did in fact decide upon a partic­
ular appropriation o f the fund— as a credit given for it upon an account,
an indorsement of it upon a note, and the like— will suffice. And by
crediting it upon an account he is understood to apply it to the items in
the order of time in which they accrued. There is, moreover, an import­
ant difference between the effect of the charge of a sum paid by the debtor
in his account-books and the credit given by the creditor. The entry
made by the debtor is not, if standing by itself, a circumstance from which
his application can be implied, as has been already explained. But the
entries made by the creditor in his books o f account, if shown to have
been made at their dates, and before the controversy sprung up, are evi­
dence to show his application. Even the commencing a suit upon one of
two demands, has been held to be a proper act on the part o f the creditor
to evince that he has applied a previous payment to the other.
Although the creditor has liberty to defer his application for some time
after the payment, yet he is bound by any application which he has once
made. He cannot change his mind as his interest changes, and because
no controversy has as yet arisen, release his first application and deter­
mine upon a new one.
On the contrary, when a legal and valid appro­
priation of a payment has once been made, it can only be changed by
assent of both parties. Neither one can make any alteration in it.




Journal o f Mercantile Law.

103

JOURNAL OF M ERCANTILE LAW.

SWEATING CASE— CONTRACT OF AFFREIGHTMENT.

We give below the opinion of Judge Hoffman, of the United States District
Court, (California,) in the case of the ship “ Live Yankee.” The case is one of
especial importance to shippers to California, and will he read with interest not
only by those engaged in the North Pacific hut the India and China trade:—
Adrian & Story vs. the “ Live Yankee.”
This was a libel on a contract of affreightment. The goods were shipped
under the usual bill of lading, but on delivery were found to be saturated with
moisture, and much damaged.
It was proved that the goods were stowed in the usual and proper manner,
but on the top of the between-decks cargo, and immediately under the upper
deck, and that the damage was caused by moisture in the hold of the vessel, or
what is usually called sweat. On the general principle by which this cause must
be determined this Court has already expressed its opinion.
In the case of Levy vs. the “ Caroline,” it was considered that the carrier is
not liable for damage arising from sweat, unless he is proved to have been guilty
of negligence. That so far as relates to damage from this cause, all goods
transported on voyages like that from the Eastern States to this port must be
considered perishable, or liable to injury, and the genera! rules with regard to
perishable goods must be applied to them. That where damage is attributable
to the intrinsic perishability of goods, the carrier is not liable, unless it appear
that he has neglected to take proper care of them. These principles must, I
think, govern this case.
In the case o f Conroys vs. Scarr, 19 Carr, and P. R., 383, which was an ac­
tion against a carrier for damage to goods arising from their bad stowage, it was
held that, if on the whole it be left in doubt what the cause o f the injury was,
or if it may as well be attributable to “ perils o f the s e a ” as to negligence, the
plaintiff cannot recover. Lord Denman said, in summing up, that “ tbe jury were
to see clearly that the defendants were guilty o f negligence, before they could
find a verdict aeainst them.” (Angell on Car., sec. 212.)
In Cariss vs. Johnson, in the New York Superior Court, 1848, Judge Oakley

said :—
“ I do not consider that common carriers are in all cases responsible for not
delivering property in a sound state. They are not warrantors that the property
shall remain safe and sound. They are only warrantors for its safe delivery, and
their further responsibility depends upon whether they use due care and dilligence in carrying the property, or that negligence can be proved against them by
any omission to do what prudent men should do under such circumstances.”
Undoubtedly, when goods are given to a carrier in a sound state, and are dam­
aged when delivered, the presumption of law is that it was by his negligence.
But if he can show a peril of the sea sufficient to account for the injury, or a
natural cause, such as the leakage, evaporation, or fermentation of liquids, or the
rotting or decay of fruits, &e., the burden of proof will then be on the plaintiff
to show actual negligence or defective means. If, in such a case, the proof leaves
it doubtful what the cause of the injury was, or “ unless the jury,” in the words
of Lord Denman,“ see clearly that the defendants have been guilty of negligence,”
the plaintiff cannot recover.
The degree of diligence to which, in respect of perishable goods, carriers are
bound, is stated by Judge Oakley in the case already cited. Their responsibility
depends upon whether they use due care and diligence in carrying the property;




704

Journal o f M ercantile Law.

or that negligence can be proved against them by any omission to do what pru­
dent men should do under such circumstances.
In the case at bar, the injury is shown to have arisen from sweat or moisture
collected in the hold during the voyage. It appears that sweat is incidental to
all voyages around the Horn; that, in a greater or less degree, it almost invari­
ably occurs; that it is a cause of damage well known to both shippers and ship
owners, and that as yet no certain means have been devised to prevent it; that
it is caused by the great variations in temperature necessarily occurring on such
voyages; that it depends, in a great degree, upon the nature of the cargo, and
is affected by other circumstances, the nature and operation of which are not
clearly explained.
It appears, therefore, that damage by sweat arises from natural causes inde­
pendent of the agency o f man, and that it is to be likened to the damage by
fermentation, evaporation, spontaneous combustion, &c., which are all more or
less owing to the heat or other conditions under which cargo is carried in ships,
but for losses by which the carrier is not liable, unless negligence can be proved.
The negligence attributed to the carrier in this case is alleged to consist in his
not having provided sufficient ventilation for his ship. So far as his means ex­
tended, the master is shown to have used all diligence in ventilating the cargo.
The hatches were frequently taken of!', and everything was done which during a
voyage could be done to preserve it. The ship was provided with one large
ventilator, going down to the hold, and communicating with the between-decks
by air-holes. She seems, in the opinion of some of the witnesses at least, to
have been as well ventilated as ships ordinarily are; but her tm ans of ventila­
tion were inferior to those usually provided in clipper ships—the latter being
generally furnished with one or two pairs of ventilators o f Emerson’s construc­
tion.
It is contended that the carrier was negligent in not having had more ventila­
tors, or a system o f ventilation such as that recently adopted in most clipper
ships.
The carrier in this case undoubtedly supposed that the ventilation provided
by him was sufficient to secure all the good effects which may attend ventilation.
The question is, has he been guilty of negligence in not having adopted a more
thorough system?
On the part of the claimants it is contended that the only preventive of sweat
which has been suggested, is of extremely uncertain efficacy. That sweat fre­
quently occurs in well ventilated ships, and that sometimes no traces o f it are
observed in the least ventilated vessels; that it depends more upon the nature of
the cargo than upon any other circumstance; but that it is affected by causes
the nature and mode of preventing the operation of which are not ascertained.
In support of these allegations they have called many witnesses of the highest
respectability, and possessed o f the largest opportunities for observation. Some
of them have not hesitated to declare that they consider the ventilation of ships,
as commonly practiced, o f no use whatever, or positively injurious.
On the other hand, the libelants have attempted to show by the testimony of
an equal number o f witnesses, that the sweating of ships can be, and is, pre­
vented by the use of a thorough system of ventilation; that such a system has
been generally adopted in the clipper ships of recent construction, and that its
efficacy has been proved by the condition o f the cargoes of several ships now or
recently in port. They further showed that ventilation is required by Lloyd’s
agents in China, in ships taking cargoes of tea and silks, to prevent the effects
of steam. It was suggested, however, that the steam thus intended to bo pre­
vented was a dry andjioxious exhalation, impairing the flavor of teas and injur­
ing the fabric of silks, but was wholly distinct from sweat, which is condensed
moisture collected on the lower side of the deck. This point, however, was not
clearly established.
Had the libelant in this case clearly established the general recognition of the
fact, that a particular system of ventilation will prevent damage by sweat; that
that system is universally adopted and is usually effectual, he might claim that




Journal o f M ercantile Law.

705

the master in omitting to adopt it had shown a want of ordinary diligence and
care. But although he has shown that the clipper ships which frequent this
port are usually ventilated in some way more or less thorough, he is met by the
fact that cargoes are frequently damaged in the best ventilated ships, and by the
testimony of numerous witnesses, who express their disbelief in the efficacy o f
any system of ventilation whatever.
Before the Court can say that the omission o f any particular means of pre­
venting this damage is negligence in the master, it must be satisfied that those
means are generally recognized as effectual.
Does, then, the testimony establish this fact?
Whether or not ventilation is of any service, seems to be a mere matter of
opinion, nor is it possible for the Court, on the evidence, to come to any certain
conclusion, whether the advocates or opponents of ventilation are in the right.
The whole subject seems involved in doubt and obscurity, and the systems o f
ventilation that have been resorted to appear to have been adopted as experiments
or attempts to remove the evil, rather than as a certain and ascertained means of
preventing it.
It has been urged with great force by the advocate of the libelants that it is
the duty of the Court to exact from the carrier the employment of the latest in­
ventions, and to demand that he keep pace with the last improvements in me­
chanical art; that by so doing the Court will cherish, promote, and stimulate the
application of science to the useful arts, and contribute to their growth and im­
provement. But the difficulty in this ease is that it does not clearly appear that
ventilation is an improvement.
On tlie contrary, several witnesses, whose great experience entitles their opin­
ions to much credit, affirm that in their own ships, and for their own cargoes,
they would not adopt any system of ventilation whatever.
Emerson’s ventilators, the employment of which was most strongly insisted
on by the advocate of the libelants, have been in use tor the last five or six
years. If they had been found so effectual a remedy as to justify the Court in
pronouncing the carrier who fails to adopt them guilty of negligence, is it cred­
ible that so many and so respectable persons connected with shipping would
he found to disbelieve in that and all other systems of ventilation?
The testimony brought to show a prevailing usage in this port, that the ship­
per bears a loss by sweat, though it failed to establish a usage in the legal sense
of the term, proved this at least: that the general opinion of persons connected
with Commerce, shippers and ship owners, is that the ship is not liable. Surely
such an opinion would not prevail if there were any well-known, usually-adopted,
and generally-recognized means of fireventing sweat. And yet the Court must
find such to be the fact before it can declare this vessel to be liable.
If it should be determined in this case that every vessel which is not provided
with a ventilating apparatus is liable, the principle would include many ships
which have avoided injuring their cargoes, though wholly unprovided with ven­
tilation.
In the case o f the “ Thomas Watson,” for example, the rule would operate
with peculiar hardship. That vessel, it appears, has made five voyages to this
port, and has never damaged a single package, and vet she is not ventilated at
all. Surely her owners are justified in assuming that ventilation in her case
would be no improvement. If then, on her next voyage, some o f her cargo is
injured by swear, her master would he held liable for negligence, under the prin­
ciple the Court is asked to adopt.
With wliat propriety can the Court call upon her owners to adopt a system
which experience of their own ship lias proved to be unnecessary, if not injuri­
ous; and how can it make a similar exaction of any of the numerous witnesses
of intelligence and experience who profess their disbelief in the efficacy of all
systems of ventilation ?
it may be said that ventilation may not be requisite in vessels of the size of
the ‘•Thomas Watson,” while in clipper ships to omit it would be improper.
But this, after all, is but an opinion opposed by many of the most experienced
VOL. X X X III.---- NO. V I.




„

45

706

Journal o f M ercantile Law.

witnesses, and affording no solid basis for the judgment of a Court. Besides,
in the uncertainty and obscurity in which this subject is involved, how can
the Court discriminate between vessels of various sizes? When is a vessel
large enough to require ventilation ? When is she small enough to dispense
with it?
Even the witnesses for the libelants, who are the strongest advocates for ven­
tilation, confess that damage by sweat is o f constant and daily occurrence; that
few ships arrive whose cargoes are not more or less injured by it, and that a still
more thorough system of ventilation is required. Could this be so if there did
exist, as claimed by the libelants, any generally-known and usually-adopted
remedy? If the ship owner is guilty of negligence in this case, for having
failed to adopt a generally-recognized remedy for sweat, it should appear that
cargoes can be, and usually are, protected by it— and yet the reverse is the fact.
How can this remedy be said to be generally recognized as such when it fails so
often as to leave the question as yet undetermined whether it is of any use
whatever.
It is urged that the ship owners in this case have themselves recognized the
expediency of ventilation by introducing it into their own ships, but that the
means adopted by them were incomplete and insufficient. But the fact that they
have tried what they no doubt considered a sufficient system o f ventilation, at
least shows that they were not reckless or indifferent on the subject, and the
question still recurs—Are there any well-known and generally-recognized means
of preventing this kind of damage which they have been guilty of negligence
in omitting to use ? If there had been any such, it is but fair to suppose they
would have been adopted in a ship which the libelants in their letter to the
master pronounce “ a noble specimen of the merchant marine.”
It is to be observed that in the very letter in which the libelants announce
their intention to test the question of the ship’s liability for damage by sweat,
they make no complaint o f insufficient ventilation, or suggest the use o f more
efficient means to that end. But they propose “ the idea of experimenting upon
the prevention of sweat by ceiling the between-decks overhead.” They thus
seem themselves to admit that no certain or established means of preventing
this damage exist, and the remedy is suggested merely as an experiment.
On the whole, I consider that under the evidence in this case it does not ap­
pear that the damage has occurred from causes originating in the agency of man;
nor that it could, like damage by rats, injuries by worms, etc., have been pre­
vented by proper care; that the injury has arisen from natural causes, the effect
of which the Court cannot affirm the carrier could or ought to have guarded
against; that it is not to be likened to the case o f some unknown and internal
defect in the particular vehicle of conveyance, for which the carrier is liable,
but it is a risk to which every shipper knows his goods are liable, and which he
also knows there are no ascertained and established means of preventing; that
he is as competent as the carrier to determine which of the various modes of
preventing it are most likely to insure the desired result; and that in shipping
in this vessel he assumed the risk of her system of ventilation, as he would have
assumed the risk of damage without any ventilation whatever had he shipped
his goods in the “ Thomas Watson ” —and that, inasmuch as he knew the dan­
gers to which his goods would be exposed, he might, had he chosen, have pro­
tected them by packing them in a different manner.
But while I feel called upon so to determine in this case and with the present
imperfect knowledge of this subject, it is not to be inferred that the same decis­
ion will always hereafter be made. On the contrary, if it should hereafter ap­
pear that science has suggested, or experience has shown, a remedy or preventive
of damage from this source, which shall be generally recognized and adopted, it
will be negligence in the carrier to omit its use.
But as at present it cannot be said with any certainty that such a remedy has
been discovered, I cannot find the carrier guilty o f negligence in having failed to
resort to one that has been suggested and used to some extent, but the utility
or efficacy of which is still a matter of discussion and dispute.




Journal o f M ercantile Law.

707

SHIPPERS— UNSEAWORTHINESS— THE AMERICAN SHIP ASHLAND BEFORE THE
FRENCH TRIBUNAL OF COMMERCE.

The Tribunal of Commerce, of Havre, has recently had before it for adjudica­
tion, a suit instituted by the captain of the American ship Ashland, against a
commercial house in that port, under the following circumstances:—
The Ashland, Capt. Robert B. Benson, sailed from New Orleans for Havre on
the 3d of February, 1854, with a cargo of flour, cotton, and staves. On crossing
the bar of the Mississippi the vessel heeled twice, and each time was injured by
the towboat. The Ashland, however, continued her voyage till, after some days,
it was discovered that she leaked more than usual, when she put back to New
Orleans. She remained there for five months undergoing repairs, and left on
the 15th of August, under the command o f Capt. Moore, with her original cargo,
saving that 4,000 barrels o f flour were replaced by 3,360 bags of maize and to
her merchandise.
In her voyage the Ashland received fresh damages— had her rudder head bro­
ken, and had in hold two feet eight inches o f water, which reached the maize
and burst the bags containing it; and the captain, in order to get at the pumps,
had to elevate them six inches. The Ashland again put back and returned to
Norfolk, where an examination of the ship and cargo was made by experts, re­
pairs directed, and the maize and 127 bales o f cotton, which were damaged,
ordered to be unshipped.
She left Norfolk on the 7th of December, and arrived at Havre on the 27th,
when Capt. Moore made a demand on the consignees of the cargo for their
quota of the repairs of the vessel; and a commissioner was named to estimate
the merchandise and the value of the vessel at the time of her two returns. In
the meantime Edward Barlow & Co., the consignees of the maize sold at Nor­
folk, sued the four insurance companies in which it had been insured. The in­
surers intervened in the suit, and, conjointly with the consignees of the cotton,
contended that in the first place it was the raising of the pumps which had
damaged the maize and cotton; and in the second place, that the raising of the
pumps having been voluntary, it either had taken place for the common safety,
in which case the damages sustained by these goods should be classed as gross
damages, or that it was not necessary to do it at all, in which case it was a fault
for which the captain was responsible.
The consignees, on their side, contended that the vessel on its first setting out
was unseaworthy, and that consequently they were not liable for the repairs at
New Orleans. Capt. Moore, in accepting the intervention of the insurers,
formed against them an incidental demand for payment o f the freight which re­
mained due on the maize, contending that they were responsible for the obliga­
tions of the shippers, and that the sale of the maize not having produced enough
to pay its freight for the whole voyage, they should be compelled to pay the de­
ficit. To this the insurers replied that the freight could only be charged to Nor­
folk, where the maize was sold, and that even if the demand'was entertained, the
shippers, whom they had reimbursed for its value, were responsible.
The Court held:—
That there were no reasonable presumptions to suppose the vessel unseawortliy when she first left New Orleans; that the elevating o f the pumps was an
ordinary operation, and did not constitute either a sacrifice made for the common
safety, or a fault on the part of the captain; that the shippers, not the consignees
or insurers, are responsible for the balance o f the freight on the maize for the
whole voyage; that they are liable for the repairs done in Norfolk, but not for
the expenses of the return to New Orleans; that the captain is entitled to the
whole of the freight on the cotton and maize sold in the course of the voyage on
account of damage; that the private damages to the vessel, recognized and
proved at Norfolk, were 77,820 francs, and the general damages, 26,887 francs :
and that towards the latter sum the vessel and freight should contribute 6,237
francs, and the cargo 20,650 francs.




Commercial Chronicle and Review.

708

LOSS BY FIRE— “ BANGERS OF RIVERS ONLY EXCEPTED.”

An important legal decision was made at St. Louis in October, 1855, touching
the rights of steamboat owners and merchants The parties were—Memphis
Insurance Company vs. Oliver Garrison and Daniel R. Garrison. The case is
thus stated:—
In the year 1849 a large amount of cotton, valued at 816,290, was shipped at
Memphis and other points in Tennessee, for New Orleans, on the steamboat
Convoy, of which boat the defendants were owners.
A bill of lading was given by the boat, under which the cotton was to be car­
ried and delivered, “ dangers of rivers only excepted.”
The boat and cargo were destroyed by tire, which, it was admitted, did not
arise from any fault or negligence of the master, crew, agent, or owners.
The Memphis Insurance Company had insured the cotton against “ loss by
fire.” They paid the loss, and brought this suit against the owners of the boa*
to recover the value of the cotton, claiming to be equitably subrogated, or en­
titled to all the rights of the original owners of such cotton.
The Court held:—
1st. That the complainants were entitled to sue in equity, to recover, if the
defendants were liable.
2d. That the exception in the bill of lading of “ dangers of the river only,”
did not include fire—fire was not a danger of the river within the meaning of the
bill of lading, though it did not proceed from any fault or negligence of those
managing the boat.
A decree was accordingly rendered against the defendants for the value of the
cotton.
The St. Louis Democrat says of it:—
“ This decision is highly important to our commercial people generally, and
will occasion much comment among steamboat owners and others, North and
South. The case hangs upon a very nice point, and perhaps a majority will not
be willing to admit the distinction made between dangers of the river and dan­
gers on the river. The question will, doubtless, be carried to the Supreme
Court.”

COMMERCIAL CHRONICLE AND REVIEW .

R E T U R N I N G C O N F ID E N C E I N T H E S T O C K A N D M O N E Y M A R K E T — F U R T H E R
D E P R E S S I O N — H O A R D IN G
THE

OF

S P E C IE — F L U C T U A T IO N S

C O U N T R Y — C O M P A R A T IV E

STATES

FOR TH E

F IS C A L

S T A T E M E N T S OF T H E

YEAR

Y O R K , AND P H IL A D E L P H IA — T H E
— F O R E IG N

IM P O R T S A T

GO O D S— E X P O R T S
EXPORTS

FROM

NEW
NEW

E N D IN G JU N E

30,

IN

STO C K S

COM M ERCE

1855— TH E

P A R T IC U L A R S

AND

OF T H E L A T E

EXCH ANGE— REVENUE

A N D N A V IG A T IO N O F T H E

B A N K M O V E M E N T IN

OF

U N IT E D

BO STO N , NEW

G O L D P R O D U C T A N D D E P O S I T S A T T H E N E W Y O R K A S S A Y O FFICE

YORK
YORK

FO R O C T O B E R , AND
T O F O R E IG N P O R T S

S IN C E J A N U A R Y

1 S T — IM P O R T S

OF D R Y

F O R O C T O B E R , A N D F R O M J A N U A R Y 1S T —

OF D O M E S T IC P R O D U C E , E T C .

T h e general distrust, almost amounting to a panic, which ushered in the first
days of November, has given place to a more cheerful feeling, and the fore­
bodings then heard on every side from the timid, have none of them been real­
ized. There has been no real scarcity o f money, and the only suffering was
from “ looking for evil,” proving the truth of the adage that “ ills which never
happen chiefly make us wretched.” The advance of interest to 6 per cent by
the Banks of England and France, with the brief excitement it occasioned in the
foreign market, led at once to the prediction of a suspension of specie payments




Commercial Chronicle and Review.

109

in both countries; and the bear party in onr leading commercial markets, for
their own purposes, rang the changes upon this alarming theme, until the public
mind became feverish and excited, and securities of all descriptions rapidly de­
clined. In New York there seemed at first to be no bottom to the depression—
stocks daily declining, and all holders who owed borrowed money pressing their
sales. There came with this decline a general distrust of foreign commercial
bills, and a wide difference was made for specie remittances. Many bankers also
preferred to ship specie with the chances of an increased premium for it in Eu­
rope.
The alarm first originated in London, owing to the constant current of specie
to France, even when exchanges were against it, as noticed at the close of
last month’s review. This drain continued, and many have accounted for it
by supposing that it was the result o f a gigantic movement on the part o f
Russia, either to obtain a supply of specie for her own uses, or to cripple the
Allies by drawing off their resources. It appears to us, however, far more prob­
able that the disappearance of the precious metals is owing to the hoarding by
the people—a process accelerated by the excitement it occasioned. The fall in
the prices o f stocks in this country was, as we have said, very rapid, some of the
leading railroad shares foiling $12 to $13 per share in about two weeks; but the
recovery has been nearly as rapid, although the former price has not yet been
reached.
The drain o f gold from hence is now checked, the increased demand for pro­
visions and the shipments of cotton having furnished an ample supply of foreign
exchange. The bullion now arriving from California will be turned into coin,
and go to swell the accumulation in our banks and the amount in circulation
among the people. Whether the price of exchange will fell so low as to war­
rant the importation o f specie, is not yet clear. This would undoubtedly be the
case, but for the dread o f losing specie in London, which will affect the demand
for our produce, and especially our cotton, the moment the current sets in this
direction.
The government have large payments to make from the Treasury this fall,
but the revenue of the country is ample, and is now-increasing. The cash du­
ties received at this port for the month of October are largely in excess of the
corresponding total for the same month in either o f the preceding years. The
aggregate since January 1st, however, is $5,609,285 65 less than for the first
ten months of 1854, and $8,255,470 71 less than for the corresponding period
of 1853:—
CASH DUTIES RECEIVED AT N E W YORK.

First quarter..........
Second quarter___
Third quarter..........
In O ctober.............

1851.
$7,617,887
6,632,425
10,281,190
2,392,109

1851.
1854.
72 $11,125,600 47 $10,873,699 31
16 10,041,829 03
8,864,261 45
03 13,613,105 14
12,699,868 05
57
2,705,694 3 3
2,402,115 10

1855.
$7,588,288
6,711,657
11,601,517
3,329,194

21
50
60
95

Total from Jan. 1st. $26,923,612 48 $37,486,128 97 $34,839,943 91 $29,230,658 26

The foreign imports at all the ports of the United States, (including, of
course, California and Oregon,) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1855, were
$261,382,960, against $305,780,253 for the preceding year, showing a decline




no

Commercial Chronicle and Review.

of $44,397,293. The total exports from the United States to foreign ports for
the fiscal year ending June 30, 1855, were $275,156,846, against $278,241,064
for the preceding year, showing a decline of only $3,084,218. It will be seen
from this, that while for the year 1854 the imports exceeded the exports
$27,539,189, for the last year the exports exceeded the imports $13,773,886.
IMPORTS INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM FOREIGN PORTS :—
Y e a r e n d in g J u n e 30.

1845
...................
1846
....................
1847
...................
1848
....................
1849
....................
1850
....................
1851
....................
1852
....................
1853
....................
1854
....................
1865..............................

D u tia b le.

F ree good s.

S p e c ie & b u llio n .

T o t a l.

$95,106,724
96,924,058
104,773,002
132,282,325
125,479,774
155,427,936
191,118,345
183,252,508
236,595,113
272,546,431
221,292,624

$ 1 8 ,0 7 7 ,5 9 8

$ 4 ,0 7 0 ,2 4 2

$ 1 1 7 ,2 5 4 ,5 6 4

2 0 ,9 9 0 ,0 0 7

3 ,7 7 7 ,7 3 2

1 2 1 ,6 9 1 ,7 9 7

1 7 ,6 5 1 ,3 4 7

2 4 ,1 2 1 ,2 8 9

1 4 6 ,5 4 5 ,6 3 8

1 6 ,3 6 6 ,3 7 9

6 ,3 6 0 ,2 2 4

1 5 4 ,9 9 8 ,9 2 8

1 5 ,7 2 6 ,4 2 5

6 ,6 5 1 ,2 4 0

1 8 ,0 8 1 ,5 9 0

4 ,6 2 8 ,7 9 2

1 7 8 ,1 3 8 ,3 1 8

1 9 ,6 5 2 ,9 9 5

5 ,4 5 3 ,5 9 2

2 1 6 ,2 2 4 ,9 3 2

1 4 7 ,8 5 7 ,4 8 9

2 4 ,1 8 7 ,8 9 0

5 ,5 0 5 ,0 4 4

2 1 2 ,9 4 5 ,4 4 2

2 7 ,1 8 2 ,1 5 2

4 ,2 0 1 ,3 8 2

2 6 7 ,9 7 8 ,6 4 7

2 6 ,3 2 7 ,6 6 0

6 ,9 0 6 ,1 6 2

3 0 5 ,7 8 0 ,2 5 3

3 6 ,4 3 0 ,5 2 4

3 ,6 5 9 ,8 1 2

2 6 1 ,3 8 2 ,9 6 0

The above shows an increase during the last year of $10,102,864 in the im.
ports of free goods, but a falling off of $51,253,807 in dutiable merchandise,
and $3,246,350 in specie. The course of the import trade for the last three
years is worthy of especial notice. The year ending June 30, 1853, shows an
increase over the previous year of $55,033,305 ; and the year 1854 showed an
increase over 1853 o f $37,801,606—making a gain of $92,834,911 in two years.
For the last year the decline, as already stated, is $44,397,293, which brings the
imports below the total for the year 1852-3. We annex also a comparative
table of export &—
EXPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATES TO FOREIGN PORTS.
D o m e s t ic
p rod u ce.

F o r e ig n
produ ce.

S p e c ie a n d
b u llio n .

T o ta l.

$ 9 8 ,4 5 5 ,3 3 0

$ 7 ,5 8 4 ,7 8 1

$ 8 ,6 0 6 ,4 9 5

$ 1 1 4 ,6 4 6 ,6 0 6

1 8 4 6 ..........................................

1 0 1 ,7 1 8 ,0 4 2

7 ,8 6 5 ,2 0 6

3 ,9 0 5 ,2 6 8

1 1 3 ,4 8 8 ,5 1 6

1 8 4 7 ..........................................

1 5 0 ,5 7 4 ,8 4 4

6 ,1 6 6 ,7 5 4

1 ,9 0 7 ,0 2 4

1 5 8 ,6 4 8 ,6 2 2

1 8 4 8 ..........................................

1 3 0 ,2 0 3 ,7 0 9

7 ,9 8 6 ,8 0 6

1 5 ,8 4 1 ,6 1 6

1 5 4 ,0 3 2 ,1 3 1

1 8 4 9 ..........................................

1 3 1 ,7 1 0 , 0 8 1

8 ,6 4 1 ,0 9 1

5 ,4 0 4 ,6 4 8

1 4 5 ,7 5 5 , 8 2 0

1 8 5 0 ..........................................

1 3 4 ,9 0 0 ,2 3 3

9 ,4 7 5 ,4 9 3

7 ,5 2 2 ,9 9 4

1 5 1 ,8 9 8 , 7 2 0

1 8 5 1 ..........................................

1 7 3 ,6 2 0 , 1 3 8

1 0 ,2 9 5 , 1 2 1

2 9 ,4 7 2 ,7 5 2

2 1 8 ,3 8 8 , 0 1 1

1 8 5 2 ..........................................

1 5 4 ,9 3 1 ,1 4 7

1 2 ,0 3 7 ,0 4 3

4 2 ,6 7 4 ,1 3 5

2 0 9 ,6 5 8 , 3 6 6

1 8 5 3 ..........................................

1 8 9 ,8 6 9 ,1 6 2

1 3 ,0 9 6 ,2 1 3

2 7 ,4 8 6 ,8 7 5

2 3 0 ,9 7 6 ,1 5 7

1 8 5 4 ..........................................

2 1 5 ,1 5 7 ,6 0 4

2 1 ,6 6 1 ,1 3 7

4 1 ,4 2 2 ,4 2 3

2 7 8 ,2 4 1 ,0 6 4

1 8 5 5 ..........................................

1 9 2 ,7 5 1 ,1 3 5

2 6 ,1 5 8 ,3 6 8

5 6 ,2 4 7 ,3 4 3

2 7 5 ,1 5 6 , 8 4 6

Y e a r e n d in g J u n e 30.
1 8 4 5 ..........................................

While the imports o f the last year have fallen below even the total for 1852-3,
the exports are nearly forty-five millions greater than for that year. O f the total
exports of specie for the last year, $53,957,418 were of domestic production, and
$2,289,925 of foreign. The shipments of domestic produce, exclusive of specie,
were $22,406,369 less than for the preceding year, while there is an increase of
$4,497,231 in the exports of foreign produce, and $14,824,920 in the exports of
specie.
We have also prepared from the same official source full statements of the
tonnage statistics, showing the Commerce with foreign ports at all of the ports
of the United States:—




Commercial Chronicle and Review.
NUMBER OF VESSELS, WITH

THEIR

TONNAGE

PORTS OF THE UNITED STATES FROM
30th, 1855.

AND

FOREIGN

CREWS, WHICH

PORTS, FOR

THE

711
ENTERED
TEAR

INTO

ENDING

THE
JUNE

,------- CREW.- -------\
Tons.

Men.

Boys.

American vessels.. .
Foreign vessels........

3 ,8 6 1 ,3 9 1

1 3 7 ,2 6 1

557

2 , 0 8 3 ,9 4 8

9 9 ,8 9 1

916

Total entered___

5 ,9 4 5 , 3 3 9

2 3 7 ,1 4 2

1 ,4 7 3

Number.

SIMILAR STATEMENT FOE YEAR ENDING JUNE 3 0 , 1 8 5 4 .

American vessels.. .
Foreign vessels........

3 ,7 6 2 ,1 1 5

1 3 5 ,9 2 7

726

2 ,1 3 2 ,2 2 4

1 0 0 ,2 4 3

1 ,2 1 2

Total entered . . . ,

5 , 8 8 4 ,3 3 9

2 3 6 ,1 7 0

1 ,9 3 8

NUMBER OF VESSELS, WITH THEIR TONNAGE AND CREWS, WHICH CLEARED FROM ALL THE
PORTS OF THE UNITED STATES FOR FOREIGN PORTS, DURING
3 0 th, 1 8 55 .

THE YEAR ENDING JUNE

,------- CREW.

Total cleared . . . ,

----\

Boys.

4 ,0 6 8 ,9 7 9

Men.
1 4 2 ,9 3 8

2 ,1 1 0 ,3 2 2

1 0 1 ,9 7 8

900

6 , 1 7 9 ,3 0 1

2 4 4 ,7 1 6

1 ,6 3 9

Number.

American vessels ..
Foreign vessels........

Tons.

739

SIMILAR STATEMENT FOR YEAR ENDING JUNE 30T H , 1 8 5 4 .

American vessels. . ,
Foreign vessels. . . .
Total cleared___

3 , 9 1 1 ,3 9 2

1 4 1 ,0 2 8

797

2 ,1 0 7 , 8 0 2

9 8 ,6 1 7

1 ,1 9 6

6 ,0 1 9 , 1 9 4

2 3 9 ,6 4 5

1 ,9 9 3

W e also annex a statement showing in what class o f vessels the imports and
exports were carried during the year ending June 30, 1855 :—
Imports..................................................
Exports......................... ........................
Total...................................................

In Amer. vessels.

In for. vessels.

Total.

$202,234,900
203,250,562

$59,233,620
71,906,284

$261,468,520
276,156,846

$ 4 0 5 ,4 8 5 ,4 6 2

$ 1 3 1 ,1 3 9 , 9 0 4

$ 5 3 6 ,6 2 5 , 3 6 6

This shows that out o f $536,625,366 in value transported between American
and foreign ports during the last year, over three-fourths were carried in Ameri­
can bottoms, the freight on which is to the credit o f this country, whether col­
lected here or abroad.
The loans and discounts o f the banks have generally decreased, and the specie
basis is almost uniformly lower.

The N ew Y ork city banks have nearly one

million o f dollars more specie than on the last o f September, and yet their
discount lines are five millions lower. T he deposits have run down also, ow ing
in part to the drawing dow n o f country bank balances. W e continue our state­
ment o f the weekly averages from the opening o f the yea r:—
W EEKLY AVERAGES NEW YORK CITY BANKS.

Date.

Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Feb.
Feb.
Feb.

Capital.

6, 1855 $48,000,000
13........ 48,000,000
20......... 48,000,000
27......... 48,000,000
3 ......... 48,000,000
10......... 48,000,000
17......... 48,000,000




Loans and
Discounts.

$82,244,706
83,976,081
85,447,998
86,654,657
88,145,697
89,862,170
90,850,031

Specie.

$13,596,963
15,488,525
16,372,127
16,697,260
17,439,196
17,124,391
17,339,086

Circulation.

Deposits.

$7,049,982
6,686,461
6,681,855
6,739,823
7,000,766
6,969,111
6,941,606

$64,982,158
67,303,398
69,647,618
20,136,618
72,923,317
73,794,342
75,193,636

712
Date.
Feb. 2 4 .. .. . .
March 3 .. . .
March 10 . . .
March 17 . . .
March 24 . . .
March 31 . . .
April 7 . .
April 14 . . .
April 21 . . .
April 28.. . .
May 5 .. . .
May 12 . . . .
May 1 9 . . . .
May 26 . . . .
June 2 ... . .
June 9 ... . .
J une 16... . .
June 23...
June 30...
July 7 . . . .
July 14 . . . .
July 21 . . . .
July 28 . . . .
Aug. 4 ... . .
Aug. 11... . .
Aug. 18... . .
Aug. 25... . .
Sept. 1 .. . .
Sept. S. . . .
Sept. 15.. . .
Sept. 2 2 .. . .
Sept. 29. . . .
Oct.
6 .. ..
Oct. 1 3 .. . .
Oct. 2 0 .. . .
Oct. 2 7 ..
Nov. 3 . . . ..
Nov. 1 0 .....

Commercial Chronicle and Review.
Capital.
48,000,000
48.000,000
48,000,1 >00
48,000,000
48,000,000
47,683.415
47,855,665
47,855,665
47,855,665
47,855,665
47,855,665
47.855,665
47,855,665
48,684,730
48,684,730
48,684,730
48,633,380
48.633,380
48,833,380
48,833.380
48,833,380
48.833,880
48,833,380
48.833,380
48,833,380
48,833,380
48,833,380
4 8,833,380
48,833,380
48,833,380
48,833,380
48,833,380
48,833,380
48,833,380
48,833,380
48,833,380

Doans
and discounts.
91.690504
92,386,125
92,831,789
92,447,345
93,050,773
93,634,041
94,499,394
94,140.399
93,632,893
92,505,951
93,093.243
91,642,498
91,675,500
91,160,518
91,197,653
92,109,097
93,100,385
94.029,425
95.573,212
97,852,491
98,621,002
99.029,147
99,083,799
100,118,569
100,774,209
101.154,060
100,601,604
100,436.970
100,273,733
99,397,009
98,581,734
97,385,225
95,515,021
95,059,420
95,103,376
94.216,372
93,369,079
92,454,290

Specie.
16,370,875
16,531,279
16,870,669
16,933,932
16,602,729
16,018,105
14,968.004
14,890,979
14,355,041
14,282,424
14,325,050
14.585.626
15.225,056
15,314,532
15.397,674
15,005,155
14,978,558
14,705,629
15,641,970
15,381,093
16,576,506
15,918,999
15,920,976
15,298,358
15.280.669
14.649,245
13,326,378
12,852.823
12,006,625
12.213,240
11,655,391
9,919,124
11,110,687
11,138,878
12.461,723
11,163,521
11.106,298
10,855,526

Circulation.
6,963,562
7,106,710
7,131,998
7,061,018
7,452,231
7,337,633
7,771.534
7,523,528
7,510,124
7,610,985
8,087,609
7,804,977
7,638 630
7,489,637
7,555,609
7,502,568
7,452,161 .
7,335,653
7,394,964
7,743,069
7,515,724
7,407,086
7,409,49S
7,642,903
7,714,401
7,610,106
7,582,095
7,C20,178
7,861,143
7,721,825
7,716,492
7,724,970
7,853.217
7,840,114
7,888,164
7,828,489
8,071,508
8,088,608

Deposits.
74.544,721
75,958,344
76,259,484
76,524,227
76.289,923
75,600,186
77.313,908
77,282.242
75,744.921
76,219.951
78,214.169
75.850.592
77,351,218
*75,7 65,7 40
76,343,236
77,128.789
77,894.454
79,113.135
81.903,965
85,647.249
85.664,186
82,079,590
81,625.788
83,279,990
83 141,320
81.948,671
81.278.558
81,057,210
80,442,478
80,510,306
80,105.147
76,818,109
77,582.626
76.615 807
77,852,551
76.974,856
77,787,670
76,762,403

N e w Y ork S t ate B anks . The following summary shows the aggregate re­
sources and liabilities of the banks in this State, as exhibited by their reports to
the Superintendent of the Banking Department, of their condition on the morn­
ing of the 29th September last. At that date there were 284 banks, including
one branch, and the Camden and Farmers’ Bank of Mina, which reported, al­
though closing up and doing no business :—
RESOURCES.

Loans and discounts.......................................................................................
Overdrafts.......................................................................................................
Due from banks..............................................................................................
Due from directors, including absolute and contingent liabilities*.........
Due from brokers*........................................ ................................................
Real estate......................................................................................................
Specie................................................................................................................
Cash ite m s......................................................................................................
Stocks and promissory notes..........................................................................
Bonds and m ortgages....................................................................................
Bills of solvent banks .....................................
Bills of suspended banks..............................................................................
Loss and expense account..............................................................................




$165,946,989
450,116
12,666,517
13,744,143
4,583,6.') 1
6,857,537
10,910,330
18,090,545
20,690,150
7,886,328
2,958,038
517
1,154,466

CommercialChronicle and Review.

713

LIABILITIES.

Capital.............................................................................................................
Circulation.............................................................; .......................................
Profits.................................................................................................. ...........
Due to hanks..................................................................................................
Due individuals and corporations, other than banks and depositors.. . .
Due Treasurer of the State of New Y ork....................................................
Due depositors on dem and.... ...................................................................
Due to others, not included in either of the above heads.......................

$85,589,590
SI ,340,003
11,013.987
26,045.439
1,091,744
3.241.469
85.610,926
2,617,758

The Boston bauks show a very moderate change in the same direction:—
W EEKLY AVERAGES AT BOSTON.

October22.

October29. N ovem bers. November 12. November 19*

Capital...................... $32,710,000 $32,710,000 $32,710,000 $32,710,000 $32,710,000
Loans and discounts..
54,289,500 53,645,465 53,118,989 52,257,900 61,340 000
Specie.........................
2,645,000
2.574,999
2,426,147
2,121,500 2,128,000
Due from other banks
8,411,853 8,638,264
8,754,318
8,314,000 8,554,000
Due to other banks. .
5,373,400 5,575,753
5,122,830
4,948,000 4,685,700
D eposits.................... 15,970.000 15,489,090 15,347,107 13,980,600 13,694,600
Circulation................
8,607,000
8,614,839
8,590,980
8,651,900 8,448,000
The Philadelphia banks, with the exception o f the Bank o f Pennsylvania!
and North America, (w hose regular period is later,) h;ive declared their usual
semi-annual dividends, which we annex in comparison vt■ith the last two :—
Nov., ’54. May, 55. Nov., ’55.
Total.
Capital.
Per cent. Per cent. Per cent.
6 2 ,5 0 0
Farmers’ and Mechanics’ ................. $ 1 , 2 5 0 , 0 0 0
5
5
6
G irard.................................................
3 7 ,5 0 0
3
3
1 ,2 5 0 ,0 0 0
3
5 7 ,5 0 0
5
Philadelphia.....................................
1 ,1 5 0 .0 0 0
5
7
5 0 ,0 0 0
Commercial........................................
5
1 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
5
5
4 8 ,0 0 0
Mechanics’ ..........................................
6
8 0 0 ,0 0 0
5
6
W estern ............................................
3 5 ,0 0 0
6
7
6 0 0 ,0 0 0
10
2 1 ,0 0 0
Northern Liberties...........................
6
6
3 5 0 ,0 0 0
6
1 5 ,0 0 0
5
Manufacturers’ and Mechanics’ __ _
3 0 0 ,0 0 0
5
4
1 2 .0 0 0
Southwark........................................
5
5
2 5 0 ,0 0 0
5
2 2 .5 0 0
Kensington.........................................
6
6
9
2 5 0 ,0 0 0
1 2 ,5 0 0
Bank of Com m erce.........................
6
5
2 5 0 ,0 0 0
5
1 1 ,2 5 0
Penn Township.................................
5
5
2 2 5 ,0 0 0
5
7 ,5 0 0
Tradesmen’s ......................................
5
5
5
1 5 0 ,0 0 0
$ 7 ,7 2 5 ,0 0 0

70

69

71

3 9 2 ,2 5 0

Tiie W estern Bank, in the year-and-a-half that our table covers, has divided
23 per cen t; the Kensington B; nk, 21 per cen t; the Norther > liberties, 18; the
Mechanics’ , 18; the Philadelphia, 17; the Farmers’ and Mechanics’ , 1 5 ; Com ­
mercial, 1 5 ; Southwark, 15; Bank o f Com merce, 1 5 ; Penn. Township, 1 5 ;
Tradesmen’s, 15 ; Manufacturers’ and M edia

cs’ , 14; and Girar Bank, 9.

The gold product o f California is undiminished, but the mint at San Francisco
is in condition to coin several millions per month, and large shipments are made
direct to Europe, so that the receipts at our ports are not quite as large as for
last year.

T he Philadelphia m m has been closed for repairs.

The follow ing

will show the receipts at the Assay Office in N ew Y ork for O ctober ;—
DEPOSITS AT THE ASSAY OFFICE, NEW YORK, FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.

Gold.

Foreign coins.....................................
Foreign b ullion ...............................
Domestic bullion...............................
Total deposits...............
Total deposits payable in barn.
Total deposits payable in coins




$3,000 00
21,000 00
8,626,000 00
$3,650,000 00

Silver.

Total.

$10,400 00
9,300 00
26,094 00

$13,400 00
30,300 00
3,652,094 00

$45,794 00

$3,695,794 00
$2,960,000 00
735,794 00

714

Commercial Chronicle and Review.

Included in the deposits were $230,000 California mint gold bars, and $94 in
native Lake Superior silver.
The foreign Commerce o f the country is increasing, as-already noticed in our
general remarks. The imports at New York from foreign ports for the month
of October are $4,573,993 larger than for October of last year, $3,422,106 larger
than for the same period of 1853, and $6,957,158 larger than for the same time
in 1852. This is in accordance with the intimation given in our last month’s
report, and with public expectation. The imports toward the close of last year,
following as they did the extreme activity of the previous twelvemonth, were un­
usually small. The increase for the month is about two-thirds of it in dry
goods, and the remainder in general merchandise.
FOREIGN IMPORTS AT N E W YORK FOR OCTOBER.

Entered for consumption...............
Entered for warehousing...............
Free goods........................................
Specie and bullion.........................

1852.
$7,775,614
594,426
215,143
62,690

1851.
$9,637,601
1,866,866
422,156
256,302

1854.
1855.
$7,645,071 $12,088,621
2,210,646
2,379,886
1,086,467
1,082,125
88,854
54,399

Total entered at the p o r t..............
"Withdrawn from warehouse.........

$8,647,873 $12,182,925 $11,031,038 $15,605,031
1,256,570
1,188,983
2,070,644
1,697,437

Notwithstanding the increase during the last month, the total foreign imports
since January 1st are $33,034,253 less than for the corresponding ten months of
last year, and $37,194,902 less than for the same period of 1853, and $19,574,867
less than for the same period o f 1852, as will appear from the following:—
FOREIGN IMPORTS AT

N E W YORK FOR TEN MONTHS FROM

1852.

1853.

JANUARY 1ST.

1854.

1855.

Entered for consumption ........... $91,080,891 134,775,790 120,408,905 96,753,676
Entered for warehousing..............
7,134,316 19,258,112 26,780,359 21,567,338
Free goods ..................................... 10,384,813 11,886,972 14,204,525 11,335,119
Specie and bullion ........................
2,214,644
2,163,559
2,029,995
733,398
Total entered at the port.. . $110,814,664 167,584,433 163,423,784 130,389,531
Withdrawn from warehouse. 13,463,496 12,871,001 19,607,761 21,068,896
There has been a steady filling olf in the receipts of specie and bullion, but
this is a very small item. The entries for warehousing have also decreased, but
the withdrawals for consumption have increased.
More than half the increase in the imports for the last month is in dry goods.
One record of the latter item is kept in even weeks, and the total is given for
the four weeks ending October 31st. This shows an increase for the month of
$3,118,330, as compared with the same period of last year; $1,016,894, as com­
pared with the corresponding period in 1853; and $2,218,709, as compared with
October, 1852. This increase extends to all descriptions of goods, as will appear
from the following comparative summary:—
IMPORTS OF FOREIGN DRY GOODS AT NEW YORK IN OCTOBER.
ENTERED FOR CONSUMPTION.

1852.
Manufactures of w o o l .......................... $1,077,608
Manufactures of co tton .....................
387,454
Manufactures of s i l k .......................... 1,317,305
Manufactures of f l a x .........................
413,464
Miscellaneous dry goods...................
168,379
Total entered for consumption . $3,364,210




1851.
$1,270,014
605,323
1,397,424
436,059
292,485
$3,901,305

1854.
1855.
$578,508 $1,738,240
256,956
770,574
631,959 1,666,267
342,655
718,110
245,993
426,027
$2,056,071 $5,319,218

715

Commercial Chronicle and Review,
W ITHDR AW N FROM WAREHOUSE.

1852.

1855.

1853.

1854.

Manufactures of w ool....................
Manufactures of cotton.................
Manufactures of silk......................
Manufactures of flax..................
Miscellaneous dry goods...............

$49,936
28,798
141,266
30,519
32,556

$114,578
49,881
53,824
22,597
17,964

$336,435
62,319
166,019
45,483
18,863

Total......................................
Add entered for consumption.........

$283,075
3,364,210

$258,844
3,901,305

$629,119 $329,482
2,056,071 5,319,218

$59,112
57,360
136,651
43,912
32,447

Total thrown on the market... $3,647,285 $4,160,149 $2,685,190 $5,648,700
ENTERED FOR "WAREHOUSING.

1851

1853.

1854.

1855.

Manufactures of wool.....................
Manufactures of cotton..................
Manufactures of silk.......................
Manufactures of flax........................
Miscellaneous dry goods................

$86,195
57,130
19,718
27,984
53,776

$208,609
244,155
278,991
155,144
22,624

$193,851
70,586
111,091
179,705
98,088

$120,575
188,752
69,525
108,412
21,240

Total......................................
Add entered for consumption.........

$244,803
3,364,210

$909,523
3,901,305

$653,321
2,056,071

$508,504
5,319,218

Total entered at the port........... $3,609,013 $4,810,828 $2,709,392 $5,827,722
Notwithstanding this increase during the last month, the total receipts o f dry
goods at this port since January 1st are $19,362,600 less than for the same time
last year, $25,793,260 less than for the same time o f 1853, and $3,505,171 less
than for the same period o f 1852:—
IMPORTS OF FOREIGN DRY GOODS AT THE PORT OF NEW YORK FOR TEN MONTHS, FROM
JANUARY 1ST.
ENTERED FOR CONSUMPTION.

1851

1851

1854.

1855.

Manufactures of w ool.............. .. $13,156,688 $22,989,636 $17,209,293 $14,762,483
Manufactures of cotton...............
8,294,133 12,722,383 12,559,194 7,284,754
Manufactures of silk................. , . 18,337,561 28,922,551 23,398,759 18,878,589
Manufactures of flax.................
5,194,736 6,835,193 5,921,826 4,893,680
Miscellaneous dry goods............
4,750,538 4,932,265 4,503,056
Total.................................... . $48,627,317 $76,220,301 $64,021,337 $50,322,562
WITHDRAWN FROM WAREHOUSE.

1852.

1851

1854.

1855.

Manufactures of wool............... .
Manufactures of cotton........... .
Manufactures of silk................
Manufactures of flax..................
Miscellaneous dry goods.......... .

$1,517,239 $1,912,709 $3,879,052 $2,271,944
2,041,920
931,970 2,451,505
1,319,801
1,217,435 2,780,003 2,485,211
1,779,733
1,107,080
230,754
771,476
740,646
350,425
299,697

Total withdrawn.................. ,.
Add entered for consumption ..,.

$5,691,007 $4,592,565 $10,232,461 $8,646,801
48,627,317 76,220,301 64,021,337 50,322,562

Total thrown upon the market. $54,318,321 $80,812,866 $74,253,798 $58,969,363




4

710

Commercial Chronicle and Review.
ENTERED FOR WAREHOUSING.

Manufactures o f w o o l ...................
Manufactures o f co tto n ...........
Manufactures of s ilk ......................
Manufactures of flax........................
Miscellaneous dry g o o d s ...............

1852.
$1,185,012
802,609
1,832.565
328.368
366,575

Total........................................

$4,515,189

Add entered for consumption___

1851.
1854.
1855.
$2,410,688 $4,599,887 $1,569,684
1,404,349 2,424,134
1,440,562
1,614,669 3,358,043
1,815,763
453,823 1,076.589
880,309
337,157
530,287
618,797
$6,220,636 $11,988,940

48,627,317 76,220,301

64,021,337

$6,325,115

50,322,562

Total entered at the port . . . $53,142,506 $82,440,937 $76,010,277 $56,647,677
Turning to the export statistics, we find the statement far more favorable than
expected. The shipments of specie and bullion during the month have fallen
off two-thirds; that is, over $2,000,000, while the exports of domestic produce
have increased nearly $2,000,000. The total exports for the month to foreign
ports, exclusive of specie, are $1,730,781 more than for the same month of last
year, $604,968 more than for October, 1853, and $2,782,039 more than for Oc­
tober, 1852:—
EXPORTS FROM NEW YORK TO FOREIGN PORTS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.

Domestic produce...........................
Foreign merchandise (free)...........
Foreign merchandise (dutiable)...
S p e cie ...............................................
Total e x p o rts..............................
Total, exclusive o f s p e c ie .........

1852.
$3,497,814
82,886
484,801
2,452,301

$5,459,401
63,687
119,534
4,757,972

1851

1854.
$4,672,017
128,780
316,012
3,369,398

1855.
$6,614,146
31,505
201,939
1,188,109

$6,517,862 $11,000,594
4,065,561
6,242,622

$8,476,207
5,116,809

$8,035,699
6,847,590

For the first time during the current year he total exports to foreign ports,

exclusive of specie, have overtaken the shipments for the preceding year, the ag­
gregate since January 1st being $636,503 in excess of the corresponding ten
months of 1854, $2,681,203 more than for the same period of 1853, and
$25,087,126 more than for the same period o f 1852. The exports of specie
since January 1st a e $7,935,836 1 ss tha i for the first ten months o f last year:
EXPORTS FROM N E W YORK TO FOREIGN PORTS FOR TEN MONTHS FROM JANUARY

1853.

1853.

1854.

1ST.

1855.

Domestic produce............................ $34,239,486 $45,884,119 $47,897,861 $46,422,445
Foreign merchandise (free)...........
799,512
1.217,683
1,445,079
3,489,470
Foreign merchandise (dutiable)..
3,768.974
4,112,093
3,915,655
3,983,183
Specie................................................ 23,106,137
19,765,130 33,563,141 25,627,305
Total exp orts..............................$61,914,109 $70,979,625 $86,821,736 $79,522,403
Total, exclusive of s p e c ie ......... 38,807,972 51,213,895 63,258,595 63,895,098

The exports are now rapi ly increasing, but will probabl be partia ly checked
by the closing o f canal navigation There are already indications ti.a‘ the ship­
pers are growing weary, and a number who have ventured have s'nce repented,
and sold out their invoices on shipboard without any profit. With a slight re­
duction in price, our breadstuff’s must still be largely wanted, and our farmers
can afford to make a concession and still reap enor ous profits. The wheat
which has been shipped has averaged more than $2 per bushel at our seaports,
and that with the freight i3 a higher rate than the middle and lower classes of




Commercial Chronicle and Review.

717

Europe can afford to pay. We annex a table showing the shipments of certain
leading articles of domestic production from New York to foreign ports from
January 1st to November 20th:—
EXPORTS OF CERTAIN ARTICLES OF DOMESTIC PRODUCE FROM NEW

YORK

TO

FOREIGN

PORTS FROM JANUARY 1ST TO NOVEMBER 2 0 t H :—

1854.

1855.

1854.

1855.

11,977 Naval stores___ bbls. 578,973 578.892
2,158 Oils— w h a le.. . .galls. 280,187 257,150
147,081
sperm ........... 604,574 703,845
la r d .................
28,060
95,908
Breadstuff's—
lin seed ............
11,000
7,038
Wheat flo u r..b b ls. 822,392 711.319
Bye flo u r ...............
10,354
19,631 Provisions—
Corn meal...............
64,553
67,377
96,119 139.827
Pork............... bbls.
W h e a t.bush. 1,581,810
2,118,456
5‘2,‘25ti
Beef.........................
59,343
R y e ......................... 315,158 342,365
Cut m eats,lbs.. ..16,196.048 15,315,193
Oats ........................
40,554
30,082
B u tte r.................... 1,925,968 897,781
Cheese...................... 2,837,759 5.S95.116
C orn ........................ 3,863,274 3,493.894
Candles— mold-boxes
47,420
50,847
Lard........................13,015,020 7,891.997
sperm.........
9,409
9,781 R i c e .....................trcs
21,545
19,581
C oal........................tons
21,606
13,124 Tallow..................lbs. 5,095,620 1,191,308
Cotton.................. bales 282,159 260,04 5 Tobacco, crude, .pkgs
33,758
29,173
H a y ..............................
3,476
5,222 Do., manufactured.lbs. 3,204,471 4,550,590
W
halebone................
1,532,944
1,920,032
H o p s ............................
5,855
8,786
Ashes— p o ts. . . .bbls.
8,827
p ea rls...........
1,819
Beeswax..................lbs. 234,889

It will be seen from this that the shipments of flour are nearly as large as for
the same time last year, while the exports of wheat have considerably increased.
The clearances of Indian corn are large, but not quite equal to the correspond­
ing total for last year. There is still an active demand for wheat and flour for
export, and a fair shipping demand also for corn. A good many have been look­
ing for a sudden collapse in the prices of breadstuff’s, anticipating that we should
overload the markets of Europe, and the reaction be disastrous. Up to the date
we write, however, there has been no indication of such a change, and prices
have been very high. The supplies from the West continue to pour in toward
the seaboard, and if we might have a month more of navigation, all the surplus
crop might be ready for shipment. Meantime the prospects fur our own country
are daily growing more favorable. The high prices of food may pinch in some
quarters, but when they are based on large sales fur export, they are borne more
cheerfully, as they yield us a-golden return. The whole course of trade since
the commencement o f the war has tended to draw the attention of the world to
American markets, and we shall ever after this occupy a more prominent position
among those who feed the world.
HEW YORK COTTON MARKET FOR THE MOATII ENDING NOVEMBER 23.
PREPARED

FOR T H E

M E R C H A N T S 1 M A G A Z IN E

BY U H L H O R N & . F R E D K R I C K 3 0 N , B R O K E R S , N E W Y O R K .

Our last report closed on the 26th o f October, since which prices have varied
in favor o f holders to the extent o f ic. to £c. per pound.
The total sales for
the four weeks previous to date being 25,000 bales, o f which our own manufac­
turers— who are quite bare o f stock— have taken fully one-half; the balance lias
been principally fur export, there being but little done on speculation. The for­
eign accounts received towards the close o f the month being o f a favorable char­
acter, and the wants o f our ow n spinners being urgent, holders have been




718

Commercial Chronicle and Review.

enabled, in connection with an exceedingly small stock, to obtain the above ad­
vance on rather an indifferent grade.
The Southern accounts received during the past month represent a favorable
aspect as to the probable extent o f the crop, and a result materially exceeding
that of any former period is by many well-informed parties confidently expected.
The receipts to present time, although not indicative as to the result by any
means, show an increase over last year of 245,000 bales. The total foreign ex­
port shows a gain o f 171,000 bales—the increase to Great Britain being 134,000
bales; to France, 12,000 bales; other foreign ports, 25,000 bales. This shows
a fair commencement for rather a late opening season at the South, with low
rivers and yellow fever. Prices paid have also been remunerative for the pro­
ducer, notwithstanding the high rates of freight. Operations in cotton in tran­
situ have thus far this year been quite limited, but as the system was found last
year to work favorably, it is quite probable that an extensive business will be
transacted in this branch of the trade as the season progresses.
For the week ending November 2d, owing to reports of a killing frost at the
South, our market showed a slight gain on the quotations of the previous week.
The home demand also gave some activity, but at the close of the week, there
being no improvement at the South in consequence of the above report, our
market closed quiet at the following, with sales for the week of 6,000 bales:—
PRICES ADOPTED NOVEMBER 2D FOR THE FOLLOWING QUALITIES:---U p la n d .

Ordinary......................................
Middling......................................
Middling fair...............................
Fair.............................................

8
9
9£
10

F l o r id a .

8
9*
9f
10*

M o b ile . N . O . & T e x a s .

8*
9*
10
10*

8*
9-f
10J11

The business for the week ending November 9th amounted to 6,500 bales,
and under foreign advices of id. decline, our market advanced fully ic. per
pound. This upward movement is to be ascribed solely to our small stock
and very light imports. The market closed firm, with small offerings, at the fol­
lowing:—
PRICES ADOPTED NOVEMBER 9 t H FOR THE FOLLOWING QUALITIES:---U p la n d .

Ordinary.......................................
Middling.....................................
Middling fair...............................
Fair.................................................

8*
9*
9f
10*

F lo r id a .

8*
9i
9-f
10i

M o b i le .

N . O . & T exas.

8i
9$
10*
10*

Si
9i
10J
lli

The sales for the week ensuing were 7,500 bales, at an advance of ic. to |c.
per pound, owing to the demand for the home trade and for the continent. Witli
a decreasing stock and light imports, holders were indifferent sellers, and the
market closed with much firmness at the following quotations:—
PRICES ADOPTED NOVEMBER

1 6 t H FOR THE FOLLOWING QU ALITIES:—

Ordinary.....................................
Middling......................................
Middling fair...............................
Fair.............................................

U p la n d .

F l o r id a .

8*
9i
10
10i

8i
9i
10*
10*

M o b i le .

8f
9*
10*
11

N . O . & T exas.

8f
9*
10f
11*

For the week closing at date, the stringency of holders retarded operations,
and the transactions were limited to forced purchasers. The foreign advices per
Canada reporting *d. advance, added to the firmness o f sellers without imparting




Journal o f Banicing, Currency, and Finance.

719

increased activity to the trade. T he sales for the closing week were estimated
at 5,000 bales, market closing firmly at the follow in g :—
PRICES ADOPTED NOVEMBER 2 3 d FOR THE FOLLOWING QUALITIES:----

Upland.

Ordinary............................................
Middling............................................
Middling f a ir ....................... ............
F a ir ...................................................

Florida.

8|
9}
10}
10}

8£
9}
lO f
10}

M obile. N. O. &. Texas.

9
9f
10}
11}

9
10}
11
Ilf

JOURNAL OF BANKING, CURRENCY, AND FINANCE.
CITY TAXATION IN UNITED STATES.
In the course of a speech delivered in the Philadelphia City Council by Mr. Welsh
on the subject of city taxation, he introduced the following comparative table showing
in the different cities named the proportion of tax which is derived from real and per­
sonal property, viz.:—
Philadelphia, real estate pays..p. ct.
personal.....................
New York, real esta te.....................
personal............................
Cincinnati, real estate.........................

98}
1}
69}
80}
67

Cincinnati, personal.................... p. ct.
Baltimore, real esta te........................
personal.............................
Boston, real estate..............................
personal...................................

33
62
38
56
44

The annual cost of taxation to each individual is thus stated, the population in each
city being stated at the figures fixed by the last census:—
Boston......................................................
Last year it was...................................
Cincinnati..................................................
New Y ork................................................
Baltimore................
Philadelphia............................................

Population.

Taxes levied.

136,881
...........
115,436
515,547
169,054
408,762

$2,866,000
...............
1,458,000
5,466,000
1,422,697
2,472,000

Cost to each
inhabitant.

$13
15
12
10
8
6

63
25
63
60
41
05

It will be seen by this table that the rate paid by Philadelphia is lowest, whilst
Baltimore is next. But in Philadelphia there are certain other taxes, not, we think,
included in the above. They are levied not on property, but on the persons o f voters,
who, whether holding property or not, are liable for their payment. Such, for instance,
is the poll-tax of twenty-five cents a year, which has to be paid as a condition prece­
dent to voting. The addition of these taxes would, perhaps, go far towards equaliz­
ing the taxation of Baltimore and Philadelphia. From other portions of Mr. Welsh’s
statement, which appears to have been made up with a good deal of research, we
condense the following statement of the rate o f taxation on property in the several
cities named in the year 1855 :—
Taxable basis.

New York.............................................................
Boston...................................................................
Philadelphia........................................................
Baltimore..............................................................
Cincinnati..............................................................

$487,000,000
242,349,200
150,000,000
106,770,000
89,485,000

Rate o f taxation.

$1 20 on
0 77
1 80
1 33}
1 63

$100
100
100
100
100

Mr. Welsh argues that in Philadelphia the taxable basis is under-estimated to a
greater degree than in the other cities, and to this and to the almost total exemption
there of personal property, he attributes the heavy rate of taxation which property
in Philadelphia has to pay. The State tax in Philadelphia almost amounts to thirty
cents on the dollar, whilst in Baltimore it is but fifteen cents. What is the rate paid
by the other cities we do not know.




720

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.
BANKING IN THE UNITED STATES—ITS EFFECTS.

The Cincinnati Price Current gives utterance in a leading editorial to some welltimed remarks on this subject. The Price Current says that credit, when kept within
proper bounds, is a necessary auxiliary to Commerce in all civilized nations; in fact,
indispensably so; but when the use of credit is abused, it becomes a curse to the
mercantile community in the State or nation so abusing it. We do not intend now
going into details in regard to the manner in which commercial credit is abused, or
how it may be abused, but will simply state that it has been greatly abused, as is
well known in this country during the last few years, and hence the source of all the
commercial disaster which has alternately astonished and alarmed the country within
the last twenty months.
Nothing affords greater facility, or holds out so much inducement to abuse credit, as
banking. The power to make and circulate bank paper as money, is a more import­
ant and dangerous power to be conferred upon any individual or corporation than is
generally supposed; and why is it so? We will answer this question by asking an­
other; namely, what is the great power which now controls the affairs of the great
European naii ms? Simply the money power. The Rothschilds are, in fact, the most
powerful men in Europe. So, then, a fearful power is placed in the hands of the man
or corporation authorized by the State to make and circulate paper money, or any­
thing for money which is not of an intrinsic value commensurate with the value it
assumes as a circulating medium. It may be asked, has banking privileges been the
cause, directly or indirectly, in producing in this country the disasters which her Com­
merce has just passed through?
Our reply is as follows:— During the last three years the banking capital of the
United States has increased out of all proportion to the growth of the wealth and
population of the country. In 1851, there were just eight hundred and fifty nine
banks aud branches of banks in the entire Union, whilst at the end of the year 1854,
the number had increased to twelve hundred and eighty ; thus, in those three years,
the number of banks went up 40 per cent, while in the same period the inhabitants
did not increase over 12 per cent. It is likely that the wealth of the country during
these years increased something more than the increase of the population, but nothing
like the increase of the banks.
A t the close of the year 1851, the bank discounts were about four hundred million
dollars, and at the close of 1854 they had increased to six hundred millions. At the
former period the specie held by the banks was about forty-eight millions, and at the
close of the latter year it was not quite sixty millions. The only safe and legitimate
basis f-»r banking is specie money; any other is illegitimate and dangerous. In the
above can be identified the lever which upheaved the commercial and financial super­
structures of the Union, and brought bankruptcy and ruin upon the country. It may
be said that it was overtrading. This is true; but this was only the effect, the other
the cause. Merchants could not overtrade without capital, real or fictitious. The
banks furnished the fictitious capital, and men went into business extensively, who
should not have done s o ; goods were imported which ought not to have been im­
ported ; railway projects were undertaken which ought not to have been even at­
tempted; and speculation in everything was the order of the day. The farmer left
his plow and his ax to speculate; the weaver laid by his shuttle to speculate; the
clerk left his counter or his desk and figured at the stock board, becoming more fa­
miliar and entirely more absorbed in the stock bulletin than in his employer’s busi­
ness. Adi rushed on wildly and insanely to be rich— but the race was short, and the
competitors found themselves wallowing in the mire of disappointment—the chase




72l

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

over, the phantom fled, and “ rascal,” “ swindler,” “ thief,” “ fugitive,” “ bankrupt,” and
similar devices stamped upon the brows of the vast majority.
It must not be inferred from the above that we are opposed to banking, because we
are n ot; but, on the contrary, do believe that sound and legitimate banking is as ne­
cessary to a commercial nation as is credit. It is the magnitude of the power con­
ferred upon corporations in giving them banking privileges, and the disastrous conse­
quences consequent upon the abuse of the power, which we have attempted to
illustrate, and there can be no doubt whatever that the right to issue paper money is
conferred with far too little discrimination, and with too much recklessness by our law
makers; and hence originates a large amount of the financial and commercial revul­
sions which retard the prosperity of the country.
THE MYSTERY OF EXCHANGE ON ENGLAND.
A. Pittsburgh paper comes to the rescue of such o f its readers as are bothered in
calculating the rates of exchange, and the terms made use of by money brokers, when
buying or selling drafts, bills of exchange on England, or Bank of England notes, when
the decimal method is substituted for the £ s. d . in England. It will be an easy mat.
ter, it says, to know when exchange is at par or against the country. We will not
fatigue our readers with the dry details of the apparent mystery why a £ (pound)
sterling is rated at $4 80 in America and $4 44 in England, both being identically
the value of the same piece of gold, called a Victoria or Sovereign, but we will furnish
them with a method to calculate by, when it is said exchange on London is at a pre­
mium. I f $4 80 is par, it is called in this country 8 per cent premium.
$4
4
4
4

81 is represented as......................................................
82
“
.......................................................
83
“
.......................................................
84
“
.......................................................

per cent;
8i
8J

“

9

“

When a party sells a sovereign in this country for $4 84, (the present price, and
which in reality is a premium of one per cent,) then look out for a close, tight money
market, as gold will then fly out of the market, if it be coin, as sovereigns, or any
other denomination of an equivalent standard ; if not, dust or ingots go. It would be
the same as selling a silver dollar for one hundred and one cents. The demand for
sending away the gold is the only cause for the premium.
In addition to the above, we will append a table that will be found very useful to
some of the readers of the Merchants' Magazine : —
TABLE SHOWING THE VALUE OF STERLING MONEY IN

FEDERAL CURRENCY, FROM ONE

PENNY TO ONE POUND.
0

s.
0

d.
1

$
0

Cents.
02

0

0

2

0

04

0

0

3

0

06

1 -2 0

0

0

4

0

08

1 -2 0

0

0

5

0

10

1 -2 0

£

s.
6

d.
0

0

7

0

1

Cents.
45 4 -2 0
69 1 -4

0

8

0

1

93

3 -8

0

9

0

2

17

3 -4

0

10

0

42

£
0

s
1

0

0

6

0

12

2 -2 0

0

11

0

2
2

0

0

7

0

14

2 -2 0

0

12

0

2

90

1 -5

0

0

8

0

16

2 -2 0

0

13

0

3

14

9 -2 0
1 -2

66

5 -2 0

0

0

9

0

18

3 -2 0

0

14

0

3

38

0

0

10

0

20

3 -2 0

0

15

0

3

62

1 -2

0

0

11

0

22

3 -2 0

0

16

0

3

87

2 -2 0

0

1

0

0

24

4 -2 0

0

17

0

4

12

0

2

0

0

48

8 -2 0

0

18

0

4

36

0

3

0

0

72

1 -2

0

19

0

4

60

3 -4

0

20

0

4

84

0

4

0

0

96

0

5

0

1

21

V O L . X X X I I I . ----- N O .




V I.

46

1 -4
4 -2 0

722

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.
EXCHANGE IN N EW ORLEANS.

BATES OF SIGHT EXCHANGE ON NEW YORK AND THE EASTERN CITIES, AND NEW ORLEANS,
DURING THE TEAR :---i------------- NEW

W e e k e n d in g —
S ep tem b er
7 .....................
1 4 ..................... ............
2 1 .....................

1 8 5 1 -4 .
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YORK.------------- N
1 8 5 4 -5 .
P’ m .
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14

,--------- NEW 01 {.LEANS.--------- \
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31.....................

par

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TH E BANKS OF SAN FRANCISCO.

The banks o f San Francisco are naturally important, as being the depositories of
the wealth that thousands are hourly accumulating on the rich “ placer ” fields. These




Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

723

buildings are o f brick, and have fire-proof cellars; and although at the time they
were erected the outlay was enormous, both for material and labor, it was a mere
trifle in comparison with the profits of their owners. The banks line one side of
Montgomery-street, the principal thoroughfare of the city ; and as the space on all
sides has been entirely cleared for some distance by the fire, this row of buildings
•stands alone just now and solitary, like the speculative “ terrace,” with “ extensive
marine view,” that fronts an unpopular watering-place in England. At the corner of
a street is Burgoyne’s Bank; you enter and find it very orowded and full of tobaccosmoke ; instead of the chinking of money, you hear a succession of thumps on the
counter, as the large leathen bags of gold-dust come down on it. Some o f the clerks
are weighing gold-dust, some are extracting the black sand with a magnet, and others
are packing it in bags and boxes. The depositors are, generally speaking, miners,
who have come down from the digging's, fellows with long beards and jack-boots, and
of an unwashed appearance for the most part. However, many o f these are not by
any means what they seem; they have just arrived, perhaps,from a toilsome, dusty
journey, and deposit their gold as a first precaution ; and before the evening they will
have been metamorphosed into very respectable-looking members of society, and will
remain so until they return again to the diggings. Large blocks o f quartz lie about
the room, in all of which are rich veins of gold. These have been sent down from
the mountains to be assayed ; and the rich yield that these solitary specimens afforded
led some time afterwards to a great deal of very ruinous speculation, for it had been
represented that these specimens were average samples of great veins, and it was
only when money had been expended in large sums that it was discovered that these
rich morsels were merely accidental deposits of gold, and by no means indicated the
value o f the veins.
REAL AMD PERSONAL PROPERTY IN PHILADELPHIA.
The following is given as the official assessment of the value o f the property in the
city o f Philadelphia, as assessed for city and State purposes:—
Real estate............................................................................
Number o f personals...........................................................
Value o f furniture...............................................................
Money at interest, mortgages, stocks, Ac..........................
Number of horses and cows................................................
Emoluments o f office...........................................................
Number o f gold lev ers.......................................................
Plain gold and silver lev ers...........................................
Plain silver watches............................................................

$142,136,202
94,566
$2,166,450
17,609.898
501,929
$133,334
3,880
1,121
121

The real estate as assessed in the various wards, the money at interest, Ac., will be
seen by the following table:—
W a rd s.

R e a l estate.

M o n e y at
interest, & c .

W a rd s .

R e a l estate.

M o n e y at
in terest, & c

$ 3 ,5 0 2 ,1 8 0

$ 2 ,0 0 0

1 4 ....................

9.
..
3 .................... . ,

4 ,6 1 2 ,9 5 7
2 ,5 2 2 ,0 5 8

1 7 ,6 5 0

1 5 .................... . .
1 6 . . ............ . .

5 ,7 7 1 ,8 3 1

1 1 6 ,3 1 0

2 ,6 0 7 * 1 9 5

7 ,1 0 0

4 ....................

2 ,5 7 0 ,6 4 0

1 7 ....................

L840^321

i .....................

1 ,2 2 0
5 ,6 1 5 ,1 9 8 ,1

$ 1 2 ,4 0 0

1 8 ....................

5 ....................

1 3 ,2 6 4 ,6 0 0

6 ....................

2 0 ,7 5 3 ,7 8 2

7 9 6 ,4 2 2

1 9 ....................

5 ,0 5 2 ,7 3 0

5 ,5 0 0

7 ....................

6 ,2 5 0 ,3 0 0

1 ,0 0 8 ,3 5 5

2 0 ....................

4 ,9 5 1 ,0 4 8

4 3 ,7 8 0

8 ....................

1 2 ,0 2 4 ,8 7 2

3 ,5 4 3 ,5 3 1

2 1 ....................

9 ....................

2 ,3 0 0 ,9 2 4

2 2 ....................

3 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0

2 5 9 ,6 9 7
9 6 0 ,0 0 0

1 0 ....................

1 ,3 9 4 ,8 9 9

2 3 ....................

4 ,2 4 8 ,8 0 0

1 4 2 ,0 9 0

2 4 ....................

1 1 ....................
12

4 ,3 0 6 ,5 4 4
3 773 265

1 3 ....................




2 ,3 0 0 ,2 9 7

1 1 ,6 1 2

5 4 9 ,2 4 0
2 5 9 ,9 8 7

4 1 1 ,7 7 5
2 2 9 ,6 0 8

T o t a l.. .

..

$ 1 4 2 ,1 3 6 ,2 0 2

$ 1 7 ,6 0 9 ,8 9 8

724

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.
ACT RELATING TO BANK CHARTERS IN NEW JERSEY.

The Legislature of New Jersey at its last session passed the subjoined act, intro­
ducing some new provisions, with a view to the greater security of the circulating
notes o f the incorporated banks of that State:—
A nd be it enacted, That if the said corporation shall at any time hereafter become
insolvent, the whole assets of the said corporation, at the time of its becoming insol­
vent, shall be first liable for the redemption of its bills or notes then in circulation,
and shall be first applied’ to the payment thereof; and in case o f a distribution of the
assets of said corporation among the creditors thereof, under an order of decree of
the Court of Chancery, or other court, the holders of such bills or notes shall be equal
in priority, and shall have a preference over all other creditors.
A nd be it enacted, That all the directors of said corporation shall be residents of
this State, and shall be jointly and severally liable for the payment of all the bills or
notes of said corporation, which may be in circulation at the time of its becoming in­
solvent, and may be jointly and severally prosecuted, at law or in equity, by any re­
ceiver or receivers that shall or may be appointed, for the payment of any such bills
or notes, as if the same were their joint and several bills or notes, executed by them
in their individual capacity; and it shall not be lawful for any director of said corpo­
ration to resign his office to avoid such liability ; and if any director shall so attempt
to resign his office, he shall be and continue liable the same as if no such resignation
had been attempted; and such liability' of directors shall continue after they cease to
be directors, either by resignation or otherwise, if the said corporation was insolvent
when they ceased to be directors ; and it shall not be lawful for any director to assign
or transfer his stock or other property to avoid such liability; and in case of the pay­
ment of any such bills or notes by any of said directors, the other who may be liable
shall account in the same way as other joint debtors are accountable to each other;
provided, that no property that shall or may be levied on, or taken in execution under
or by virtue o f any judgment or decree in favor of any receiver or receivers, under
the provisions of this act, shall be sold until after the expiration of four months from
the date of said judgment or decree.
A nd be it enacted, That if the assets of said corporation and the property of said
directors shall prove insufficient to redeem the whole of the said bills and notes, then
the amount that shall or may be realized from said assets and property, shall be dis­
tributed rateably among the holders of the said bills and notes.
A nd be it enacted, That the stockholders of said corporation, at the time of its be­
coming insolvent, other than said directors, 6hall be jointly and severally liable to any
receiver or receivers that shall or may be appointed as aforesaid, to an amount suffi­
cient to redeem the said bills and notes, after the assets of said corporation and the
property of said directors shall have been distributed as aforesaid; provided, that no
stockholder other than said directors shall be made liable to an amount exceeding the
par value o f the stock held by him at the time said corporation becomes insolvent,
and if that amount shall not be required for the full redemption o f said bills and
notes, then the said stockholders shall be liable in the ratio of the said stock so held
by them, and it shall not be lawful for any such stockholder to assign or otherwise
transfer his stock or other property to avoid such liability.
SAN FRANCISCO SHIPMENTS OF GOLD FOR NINE MONTHS.
The San Francisco P rice Current furnishes a statement of the value of gold, the
produce o f California, manifested and shipped from that port during the quarter end­
ing September 30th, 1865, from which we have condensed the following statement:—
SHIPMENTS FOE THE QUAETEE ENDING SEPTEMBEE

30, 1855.

To New York.

To London.

To Panama.

To Hong Kong.

$11,426,232 84

$1,413,565 45

$44,793 39

$53,600

Showing a total for the quarter of $12,938,191 63. The shipments during the previ­
ous six months amounted to $18,999,290 32; being a total for the first nine months
of 1855 of $31,937,482. Shipped during the same period last year, $37,216,831 18
exhibiting a difference in favor of 1 8 5 4 of $5,279,349 18.




Commercial Regulations.

V25

PROJECT OF AW IRON CURRENCY IN CHINA.
In his contributions to the History of the Insurrection in China, published in the
North China Herald, May 6, 1854, at the conclusion of an account of the new experi­
ment of a paper currency recently adopted by the Chinese government, Dr. Macgowan
thus refers to the project of an iron currency in China :—
“ Among the plans submitted to the Board of Revenue for meeting the present
emergency, that of the governor of Shansi, which contemplates the issue of an iron
coin, is the most singular. It doe3 not appear that auy report was made in relation
to it, because, doubtless, the members of the Board were better read in history than
the memorialist, and knew that previous attempts of the kind had signally failed.
Chinese writers on numismatics bring evidence from history showing that, from eleven
to fourteen centuries before our era, coins both of iron and lead were sometimes in use.
The experiment of iron coinage by the founder of the Liang dynasty, in A. D. 523, is
best known.
“ In 650, coins o f iron and lead were common, ten of the former being equivalent to
one of the latter. About that period a prince of Fuhkien issued an iron coin, bearing
his name— Tienteh. In general, it may be stated, that from A. D. 523 to 960, many
attempts were made to employ the Spartan metal for money, during which period
fruitless efforts were made to preserve a fixed relation between it and copper; but
the law of supply and demand was stronger than imperial edicts, and rendered nuga­
tory these unnatural restraints of government. It is singular that no Chinese govern­
ment has hitherto undertaken coinage of silver, although attempts have been made by
local officers and private persons to imitate the Spanish dollar; for some reasons, not
obvious, these experiments have failed. E n passant, we may remark, that a full his­
tory of circulating media of China would form a curious monograph, which, besides
throwing much light on the mode of civilization, would be found replete with facts of
no small interest to the political economist; tortoise shells and the shells of molluscs,
silk, cloth^uskin, paper, baked earth, tin, tutenague, lead, iron, copper, silver, and
gold— sometimes separately, sometimes one or more in combination—have all been
used a3 money; and also, to eke out the list, brick-tea, at present circulating among
the northern nomads.”

COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS.
CUSTOMS REGULATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES.
The Secretary of the Treasury, under date of the Department, November 1, 1855,
prescribes for the government of collectors and other officers of the customs, the sub­
joined regulations, which are published in the Merchants’ Magazine for the informa­
tion of ship-owners, and commercial interests generally. It will be seen that they
relate to— 1st. The abatement of duties for damages during the voyage of importa­
tion. 2d. To foreign-built vessels wholly owned by citizens of the United States, as
follows:—
ABATEMENT OF DUTIES FOR DAMAGES DURING THE VOYAGE

OF IMPORTATION.

1. In pursuance of the 52d section o f the General Collection Act of the 2d March,
1799, no abatement of duties on merchandise on account of damage occurring during
the voyage of importation can be allowed, unless proof to ascertain such damage shall
be lodged in the custom-house within ten working days after the landing of such
merchandise.
2. The term “ during the voyage,” means after the vessel has started from the for­
eign port of exportation, and during the voyage to, and before her arrival at her port
of destination in the United States.
3. The proof of damage required to be lodged with the collector within ten days
after landing, will consist of the claim of the owner or importer for allowance, in wri­
ting, subscribed and sworn to by him, specifying by marks and numbers the particular




^26

Commercial Regulations.

articles or packages which are alleged to be damaged, verified by some competent and
disinterested person, under oath, -q-ho has examined the same; and the official exami­
nation and appraisement must be confined to the articles and packages so specified,
and proved to have received damage during the voyage, except in the case of the dis­
covery o f damage in the appraisers’ department, as hereinafter prescribed.
The forms o f application, oath of applicant, and sworn statement of witness shall be
as follows, viz.:—
[These are omitted.]
4. Upon the production of the proof before indicated, the collector shall issue an ap­
praisement order, and cause the same to be conveyed by a clerk or messenger, without
delay, to the appraisers of the port, who will forthwith personally attend to the
examination, or designate one or more examiners, or an assistant appraiser, for such
duty.
5. When the articles are damaged not exceeding 30 per cent, the examination must
be made by an assistant appraiser and at least two examiners; and by a principal or
general appraiser and two examiners, if the damage exceed 30 per cent.
[A t ports where there are no appraisers, the collector and naval officer, if there be
one, and the collector alone, if there be no naval officer, will examine and appraise
damage.]
6. The collector is authorized in any case to require the general appraiser, if there
be one in the district, to superintend and assist in the ascertaining of any damage on
the voyage of importation, and who will certify the return in addition to that of the
other examining officers.
I. A ll dry goods, fancy articles, hardware, cutlery, tobacco, cigars, and manufac­
tured articles generally, contained in packages, and all other articles, whenever prac­
ticable in the discretion of appraisers, must, for the purpose of ascertaining the damage
sustained on the voyage of importation, be sent to the appraisers’ stores at the expense
o f the importer, and reasonable charges made by the collector for labor and storage ;
and in all cases where examination for damage is made at any other place, it shall be
the duty of the importer or claimant for the abatement of duties by reason of damage
on the voyage, to have the packages or goods properly arranged, assorted, opened,
and exhibited, so that the appraisers may, with as little delay as possible, and in the
clearest manner, inspect and ascertain the actual damage incurred.
8. In no ease shall any damage be allowed beyond 50 per cent, nor exceeding the
sum of §2,000, except perishable articles, unless the merchandise shall have been per­
sonally examined by at least one principal appraiser, or an appraiser at large, if there
be one at the port, nor until such proposed allowance shall be reported to the Secre­
tary o f the Treasury, and his sanction obtained thereto.
9 Ho damage is to be allowed in any case except on merchandise on which damage
is duly claimed, proved, and found by the examining officers, on actual inspection, to
be a substantial and actual damage, and incurred during the voyage of importation;
and if the articles be contained in a package, the package must be opened, and a
strict examination made, in order that the extent of actual damage may be ascer­
tained, and fictitious or pretended damage detected.
10.
No average allowance for damage is to be made ; and damage on the voyage
o f importation is to be ascertained by reference to the value of the merchandise in
the principal markets of the country whence imported, and not according to the home
valuation. Auction or forced sales are not regarded as a fair criterion of damage.
II. When the damage in any case can be removed, and the article restored to a
sound state, the expense of that process will be the proper measure of damage, and
the allowance should not exceed that amount.
12.
The discharging officer shall keep a strict account and record of such articles as
appear, on unlading the vessel, to be damaged, and shall make return of the same
to the collector.
18. Whenever any merchandise undergoing examination in the appraisers’ depart­
ment is discovered to be in a damaged condition, it shall be the duty of the officers so
discovering the same to notify the appraisers thereof, who will at once personally in­
spect the merchandise, and will report to the collector in regard to the damage having
occurred during the voyage; and if the collector shall concur with them in the opin­
ion that the damage did so occur, he will issue an order for the ascertainment and es­




Commercial Regulations.

121

timate thereof, as in other cases, without requiring the proof from the importer, here­
tofore prescribed. It must be understood, however, that no such appraisement of
damage, or allowance therefor, can be made unless the damage was so discovered by
the appraisers within ten working days after the landing of the merchandise.
14. The estimate of damage must, in all Gases, be certified by one of the principal
appraisers.
15. The officers appointed to make examination of damage shall, when such exam­
ination is completed, return the appraisement order, with the per centage allowed in­
dicated thereon, and verified by signature, to the general appraiser, if there be one at
the port, whose duty it shall be carefully to examine the same, a*d if he finds any ob­
jection thereto, he will report the same to the local appraisers, returning to them the
appraisement order, and they shall make such further examination as they may think
proper. The appraisement order, after the damage shall have been duly estimated
and certified, will be returned without delay by a clerk or messenger to the collector
of the port.
16. Damage on the voyage of importation must be ascertained at the port where
the vessel originally entered, and cannot be certified from any other port; and no re­
appraisement is authorized by law in case of allowance for damage.
17. The law authorizes an allowance to be made in the assessment of duties for
actual damage occurring during the voyage of importation, properly proved and esti­
mated; and any instructions heretofore issued confining the allowance to particular ar­
ticles, or particular modes o f damage, are hereby annulled; the damage in every case
being a matter of fact, to be proved and estimated in the manner prescribed.
18. Collectors of the customs and appraisers will each keep a record of damages,
which shall exhibit the following particulars, and monthly returns, according to the
following form, shall be made by collectors to the Secretary of the Treasury.
FOREIGN BUILT VESSELS WHOLLY OWNED BY CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES.

Inquiry is frequently made of this Department as to what documents can be issued,
under the laws of the United States, to foreign built vessels purchased and wholly
owned by citizens of the United States, whether purchased of belligerents or neu­
trals during a war to which the United States are not a party, or in peace, of foreign
owners, the purchase in either case being in entire good faith.
Vessels so purchased and owned are entitled to the protection of the authorities
and flag of the United States, as the property of American citizens, although no reg­
istry, enrolment, license, or other marine document, prescribed by the laws o f the
United States, can be lawfully issued to such vessels.
To enable, however, the owners of a vessel so circumstanced to protect their rights
if molested or questioned, the collector of the customs, though forbidden by law to
grant any marine document or certificate of ownership, may lawfully make record of
the bill of sale in his office, authenticate its validity in form and substance, and de­
liver to the owner a certificate to that effect; certifying, also, that the owner is a citi­
zen of the United States.
These facts, thus authenticated, if the transfer was in good faith, entitle the vessel
to protection as the lawful property of a citizen of the United States ; and the au­
thentication o f the bill of sale and of citizenship will be prima facie proof o f sucji
good faith.
In all cases, therefore, where the evidences of the purchase of a foreign vessel by
a citizen of the United States, with proof of citizenship and of the bona fide character
o f the purchase, shall be furnished to a collector of the customs, he will, if the proof
be satisfactory, and purchase deemed fair, record the bill of sale in his office, and de­
liver to the party the original, with a certificate indorsed thereon.
Before granting such certificate, the collector of the customs will require the ton­
nage o f the vessel to be duly ascertained in pursuance of law, and insert the same in
the description of the vessel in his certificate.
It will be distinctly understood, however, that vessels not registered, enrolled, or
licensed, under the laws of the United States, wholly owned by citizens thereof, can­
not legally import goods, wares, or merchandise from foreign ports, and are subjected,
in the coasting trade, to disabilities and exactions, from which documented vessels of
the United States are exempted.
On arrival from a foreign port, such undocumented vessel, if ladeu with goods,
wares, or merchandise, will, with their cargoes, be subjected to forfeiture. If in bal­




728

Commercial Regulations.

last only, or with passengers without cargo, they will be subject to a tonnage duty of
one dollar per ton.
In the coastwise trade, such undocumented vessels, if laden with goods, wares, and
merchandise o f the growth or manufacture of the Uuited States only, (distilled spirits
only excepted,) taken in within one district of the United States, to be discharged in
another district within the same, or in ballast, will be subjected at every port of the
United States at which they may arrive, to payment of the fees prescribed by law in
the case o f vessels not belonging to citizens o f the United States, and to a tonnage
duty of one dollar per ton. But if they have on board any articles of foreign growth
or manufacture, or djatilled spirits, other than sea stores, such vessels, with their tackle,
apparel, furniture, and the lading found on board, will be forfeited. And the master
or commander of any such vessel bound from one district in the United States to an­
other district within the same, must in all cases comply with the provisions of the
22d and 24th sections of the Coasting A ct of the 18th February, 1793, in regard to
reports, manifests, permits, entries, and other requirements therein contained ; and on
neglect or refusal to comply with any of them, he will incur the penalties therein
prescribed.
The provisions of that section apply to undocumented vessels passing from one col­
lection district to another collection district within the United States ; such vessels
not being embraced within the provisions of the act of 2d March, 1819, and the 11th
section o f the act of 7th May, 1822, dividing the coast of the United States into cer­
tain great districts, for the better regulation of the coasting trade.
A separate record will be kept of these vessels, and in the tonnage returns to the
Department they will be reported in a separate column, under the head of “ Foreign
built vessels owned by citizens of the United States.”
DATE OF EXPORTATION FROM FOREIGN PORTS.

Collectors o f the customs will enforce the following regulations at their several
ports on the entry of vessels from foreign ports, to w it:—
The master or commander of each and every vessel, arriving from a foreign port,
should be requested to state, on entry of the same at the custom-house, at what date
the vessel sailed from the foreign port of departure.
,

dAMES GUTHRIE, Secretary o f the Treasury.

BONDED GOODS PASSING THROUGH CANADA,
The Secretary of the Treasury has written a letter to the Collector of the port of
Buffalo, o f which the following is an extract, wherein he decides, as will be seen, that
the “ Collingwood Route,” so called, is admitted to the same privileges, and declared
Bubject to the same regulations in regard to bonded goods, the growth and product o f
the United States, passing through Canada, as that of the Great Western Railway;
and that such goods must be accompanied by manifests, embracing the articles of
American as well as foreign origin. The particulars are in the following extract from
a letter of the Secretary of the Treasury to the Collector at Buffalo, dated October
22d, 1855 :—
S ir :— On due compliance with the conditions prescribed by the regulations in Treas­
ury Circular No. 54, of date 2d July, 1855, routes from the Atlantic ports by way of
Ogdensburg, Oswego, and Buffalo, and the Collingwood Railway between Toronto and
Collingwood, in Canada, to warehousing ports in the United States, on Lakes Huron
and Michigan, are designated as routes over which bonded merchandise can be trans­
ported from one port in the United States to another, through that part of Canada
traversed by that road, under the same regulations as those prescribed in that circular
for bonded merchandise passing through portions of Canada over the Great Western
Railway.
In regard to foreign merchandise duly entered and free o f duty, or duty paid, and
merchandise of domestic origin, whenever such merchandise is to be transported over
these routes into Canada, and thence into the United States, to prevent detention of
the goods, and frauds on the public revenue, the merchant, owner, or shipper, before
the goods are laden or shipped for transportation, must present manifests to triplicate
to the collector at the port of departure, which manifest shall specify the kinds and
quantities of the articles, and the marks and numbers of the packages shipped by




129

Commercial Regulations.

him, the port o f destination, to whom consigned, and the route over which the trans­
portation is to be m ade; specifying the articles that are of American production or
manufacture, and such as are of foreign production or manufacture, and free of duty,
or duty paid; to the truth of which he will make declaration, and sign his name
thereto.
The collector will indorse on the manifest his certificate of the facts.
One of the manifests will be retained by the collector, one will be forwarded by the
shipper to the consignee at the port of destination, and the other accompany the
goods.
On the arrival of the merchandise at the port of destination in the United States,
and presentation of the manifests and certificate to the collector, if he finds the pack­
ages conform to the manifest and certificate, he will issue a permit for the delivery of
the goods, if of domestic origin, or foreign origin, if free of duty, or duty paid.
Goods, in respect to which the prescribed manifests and certificate are not produced,
or discrepancies exciting a just suspicion of fraud, will be treated as of foreign pro­
duction, and subjected to tire duties imposed by law.
•*

*

»

#

*

*

*

*

*

JAMES GUTHRIE, Secretary o f the Treasury.

ACT OF LOUISIANA RELATIVE TO NOTARIES IN NEW ORLEANS,
The following act, regulating notaries in New Orleans, was approved March 14,1855,
and is now in force:—
AN ACT RELATIVE TO NOTARIES IN NEW ORLEANS.

1. That it shall be the duty of the notaries in New Orleans to cause every
deed of sale, donation, or any other sort of conveyance of real estate or slaves, passed
before them respectively, even when the parties shall agree to dispense therewith, to
be registered at the office of the Register o f Conveyances for New Orleans, within
forty-eight hours after the passage of said acts, and this under the penalty of five hun­
dred dollars fine, to be recovered before any court of competent jurisdiction, for the
use and profit of the Charity Hospital, and also under the penalty of being liable for
all damages which the parties may suffer through the neglect of said notary to register
the said acts.
S e c . 2. That the Governor shall not appoint or commission any notary public in
and for the parish and city of New Orleans who shall fail to furnish him with a cer­
tificate from the judges of the Supreme Court, certifying to the qualifications requisite
to perform the duties of said office; that all notaries public in the parish of New
Orleans shall give bond, with security, in the sum of ten thousand dollars for the faith­
ful discharge of the duties of his office.
S e c . 3 . T h a t it s h a l l b e t h e d u t y o f s a i d r e g i s t e r o f c o n v e y a n c e t o a f f i x t o t h e act
S

e c t io n

t o b e e n r e g is te r e d , a c e r tific a t e t h a t h e h a s e n r e g is t e r e d th e s a m e .

S ec. 4, That hereafter neither the sheriff nor the notaries of the parish of Orleans
shall pass or execute any act for the sale, transfer, or exchange of any real estate
situated within said parish, unless the State, parish, and municipal taxes due on the
same, be first paid, to be shown by the tax collector’s receipt, or certificate to that
purpose.
S e c . 5. That the sheriff or notary public violating the provisions of the preceding
section, shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined in a sum of not less than fifty, nor more
than two hundred dollars, for each violation, to be recovered by the district attorney
for the use of the Free Schools for the parish of Orleans, before any competent
tribunal.
S e c . 6. That it shall be lawful for each and every notary public in New Orleans to
appoint one or more deputies to assist him in the making of protests, and delivery of
notices of protests of bills of exchange and promissory notes: provided that each
notary shall be personally responsible for the acts of each deputy employed by him.
Each deputy shall take an oath faithfully to perform his duties as such. The certifi­
cate of notice of protest shall state by whom made or served.
S e c . 7.^ That all laws contrary to the provisions of this act, and all laws on the
same subject-matter, except what is contained in the Civil Code and Code of Practice,
be repealed.




730

Commercial Regulations.

OF EXECUTIONS AND SALE OF PROPERTY IN LOUISIANA.
W e give below a correct copy of an act regulating the issuance and returns of exe­
cutions, and the sale of property thereon, passed at the last session of the Louisiana
Legislature, and approved March 16, 1855 :—
AN ACT REGULATING THE ISSUANCE AND RETURNS OF EXECUTIONS, AND THE SALE OF
PROPERTY THEREON.

1. That from and after the passage of this act it shall be the duty of sher­
iffs, coroners when acting as sheriffs, and constables, to return all writs of fieri facias,
to them or any of them directed, on the return days named in said writs, and if any
sheriff, coroner, or constable, shall fail to make due return of such writ on the return
day thereof, such officer and his official sureties shall be held liable to pay to any
party the damages sustained in consequence of sucii failure.
S e c . 2. That in all cases where a seizure of property shall have been made under
a writ of fieri facias, and the officer making such seizure shall not be able to sell such
property before the return day of the writ, such officer shall nevertheless make due
return of such writ on the return day thereof, as hereinbefore provided.
S e c . 3 . That the officer aforesaid, at the time of making return as required in the
preceding section of this act, shall make and retain a copy of the writ, duly certified
by himself, and it shall be his duty to proceed under such certified copy in the same
manner as though the original writ was in his bands, and to make a return thereon.
S e c . 4. That hereafter the return of any writ of fieri facias, on the return day
thereof, shall in no case operate as a release of the seizure of property made under
such writ, or as a discharge of any lien acquired'by a service of such writ, unless the
property so seized shall have been duly sold, or unless such seizure shall have been
released by order of the party in whose favor it was made, or by order of a court of
competent jurisdiction.
S e c . 5 . That hereafter it shall be lawful for any judgment creditor entitled to exe­
cution, to issue several writs of fieri facias to different parishes at the same tim e;
provided that when the property of any defendant in execution shall be under seizure
in different parishes at the same time, such defendant shall have the right to have a
reduction of the seizures which shall have been so made upon showing that the
amount of property so seized is more than sufficient to satisfy his creditor’s judg­
ment ; and provided also that such seizing creditors shall be liable to pay the defend­
ant in execution such damages as the latter may have sustained in consequence of any
excessive seizures made at his instance.
S e c t io n

OF KEEPING GUNPOWDER IN NEW YORK.
AN ABSTRACT OF THE ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE OF NEW YORK RESPECTING THE KEEPING
OF GUNPOWDER IN THE CITY OF NEW Y’ ORK.

An act, passed May 13, 1846, in relation to the keeping of gunpowder, saltpeter
and certain other substances in the city o f New York, provides:—
S e c t io n 1. That gunpowder shall not be kept by any person in New York, south of
42d-street, without licenses.
S e c . 2 . The Mayor may graDt licenses to sell powder at retail, and persons licensed
may keep on their premises a quantity of gunpowder not exceeding in all twelve
pounds, to be put up in light tin or copper canisters, capable of containing only one
pound each. Such persons, in order to be protected from the penalties of this act,
must place, on a conspicuous part of the front of their houses, in large and legible
characters, the words “ licensed to sell gunpowder."
S e c . 3 . Persons actually dealing in gunpowder may have five quarter-casks, and no
more, at one time on the walk in front of their stores, for the purpose of packing it,
or sending it out of the district specified in section 1.
S

ec.

1 3 . S u lp h u r , in

g rea ter

q u a n t it ie s

th a n

o n e -h a lf ton , a n d

o t h e r c o m b u s t ib le

m a t e r ia ls , a r e p r o h ib it e d to b e k e p t s o u t h o f 1 4 t b -s t r e e t.
S

ec.

1 6 . N o p e r s o n s h a ll k e e p m o r e th a n fiv e

b u ild in g s o u th o f 4 2 d -s tr e e t.
S e c . 17. Saltpeter may, however,

h u n d r e d p o u n d s o f s a l t p e t e r in o n e

be kept in any quantity in any fire-proof building
in New York, provided it be the only merchandise kept or stored in the building.
S e o . 18. Any violation of the provisions of this act, except where otherwise ex­
pressly provided, shall subject the offender to a fine of £500 for each offense, and such
offenders may, on conviction, be imprisoned for one year.




I
Commercial Regulations.

Y31

S ec. 19. I f any persons are injured at any fire in Hew York, in the district specified
in section 1, by means of any explosion resulting from the violation of the provisions
of this act, relating to saltpeter or gunpowder, the persons guilty of violating the law
shall be punished by an imprisonment of two years in the State prison. If such vio­
lation occasions the death of any person, the offender shall, on conviction, be deemed
guilty of manslaughter in the third degree, and punished as now provided by law for
that crime.
DUTIES UPON GEAIJV IMPORTED INTO FRANCE.
The following decree has been officially communicated to the Department o f State
at Washington, and a translation of the same is published in the Merchants' Magazine
for the information of commercial men in our exporting ports:—
A ROYAL DECREE OF THE 12T H OF SEPTEMBER RELATIVE TO THE IMPORTATION OF
G R A IN :—

1. The duties upon the importation of the following articles are diminished
to the amount indicated for each article.
A

r t ic l e

C ents.

Potatoes ....................................................................................... ............. the 10 hec.
5
M illet........................................................................................................... the 100 kil.
1
R ic e ...............................................
3
P a d i..................................................................................................................................
2
Wheat and skinned s p e lt................................................................................ the last.
10
Rye, c o r n ............................................................................................................................
10
Barley, m a lt........................................................................................................................
10
Indian corn...........................................................................................................................
10
Oats and unskinned s p e lt..................................................................................................
10
Beans, fitches, peas andlentils, oatmeal and skinned b a rle y .....................................
10
Bread biscuit and flour from all kinds of grain and cereals, f. 4 the 100 kil.
A r t . 2. The foregoing provisions take effect from the 1st of October, 1855, aDd re­
main in force until the 31st December, 1855, or until a law legislates differently on
this subject.
D epa r tm en t

of

S t a t e , W a s h i n g t o n , October 19.

Information has been received at this Department from the United States consul
at Havre, that the decree of the 9th October, 1854, relieving all vessels wholly laden
with breadstuffs, grain, <fcc., from tonnage dues, and those partially loaded, from a cor­
responding portion o f the dues, till the 31st July, 1855, and which, by another decree
of the 2d June, was extended to the 31st December, 1855, has, by a decree of the
8th September last, been further prolonged to the 31st December, 1856.
OF LIENS AND CHATTELS MORTGAGED IN VERMONT.
The following act in relation to liens and chattel mortgages, was passed at the last
session of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, and approved November
10,1854:—
A X ACT IN RELATION TO LIENS AND CHATTELS MORTGAGED.

1. In all cases of sales of personal property where payment o f the pur­
chase money is, by the contract of sale, made a condition precedent to the transfer of
the title, and where the property has, in pursuance of the contract, passed into the
possession of the vendee, and where the purchase money shall have been in part
paid, any creditor of the vendee may attach or levy his execution upon said property,
and, upon payment or tender to the vendor, his agent, or attorney, within ten days
after such attachment or levy, o f the residue of such purchase money remaining
unpaid, may hold the said property discharged from the claim of such vendor
thereon.
S e c . 2. The officer making such attachment or levy shall hold and dispose of the
said property in the manner now required by law in respect to personal property at­
tached or levied upon, and if the same shall be sold under any of the statutes of this
State, the officer making such sale shall first pay and satisfy to the said creditor the
amount bv him paid or tendered to the said vendor, as provided in section one of this
S e c t io n




732

Commercial Regulations.

a c t, a n d th e r e s id u e o n l y s h a ll b e

h o ld e n

to

r e s p o n d to th e d e b t d u e t o s u c h c r e d it o r

fo r t h e s a t is fa c t io n o f w h ic h t h e s a id p r o p e r t y w a s a t t a c h e d o r l e v ie d u p o n .
S

ec.

3.

I f th e

sa id v e n d o r s h a ll

r e fu s e

to r e c e iv e

th e a m o u n t te n d e r e d

to h im , as

p r o v i d e d in s e c t i o n o n e o f t h is a c t , a n d s h a l l c o m m e n c e a n d p r o s e c u t e a n y s u i t o n
co u n t o f su ch a tta ch m e n t o r le v y , th e

d e fe n d a n t m a y , o n

u n d e r t h e g e n e r a l i s s u e , g i v e s u c h t e n d e r in

e v id e n c e

p r o o f th e re o f and

t e n d e r e d in to

c o s t s , u n le s s

it

paym ent

sh a ll

be

of

m ade

th e

m oney

to a p p e a r

in

t h e t r ia l
bar

of

of

su ch

cou rt, h e

su ch

a c t io n , a n d

s h a ll

ac­

s u it , a n d
on

r e c o v e r h is

th a t th e a m o u n t s o t e n d e r e d w a s le s s th a n

th e su m a c t u a lly d u e t o s u c h v e n d o r , a s th e r e s id u e o f s u c h p u r c h a s e m o n e y .
S e c . 4. This act shall not apply to, or in any way affect any conditional sale made
prior to the first day o f January, in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and fiftyfive.

RATES OF WHARFAGE AT THE PORT OF NEW YORE.
The following table, derived from the last annual Report of the Controller, shows
the rates o f wharfage as established by the Legislature of New York, April 9th,
1813:—
For every vessel under 50 tons, at the rate o f....................................per day.
$0 50
For every ship or vessel over 50 and under 100 tons, at the rate o f..........
0 62-J
For every ship or vessel over 100 and under 150 tons, at the rate o f..........
0 75
For every ship or vessel over 150 and under 200 tons, at the rate o f..........
0 87J
For every ship or vessel over 200 and under 260 tons, at the rate o f..........
1 00
For every ship or vessel over 250 and under 300 tons, at the rate o f..........
1 12J
For every ship or vessel over 300 and under 350 tons, at the rate of..........
1 25
For every ship or vessel over 350 and under 400 tons, at the rate o f..........
1 37£
For every ship or vessel over 400 and under 450 tons, at the rate o f..........
1 50 '
For every ship or vessel over 450 and under 600 tons, at the rate o f..........
1 62^
For every ship or vessel over 500 and under 560 tons, at the rate o f..........
1 76
For every ship or vessel over 550 and under 600 tons, at the rate o f..........
1 87 J
For every ship or vessel of 600 tons and upward, 12| cents in addition for every
60 tons, in addition to the rate last mentioned, ($1 871,) for every day such ship or
vessel Bhall use or be made fast to any of the wharves in the city of New York.
“ Every ship or other vessel which shall make fast to any other ship or vessel that
shall be fastened to any wharf, and being so fastened shall load, unload, or careen,
6hall pay the one-half of the rate of wharfage such ship or vessel would have been
liable to pay, if fastened to such wharf, and there loaded, unloaded, or careened.”
THE STANDARD WEIGHT OF LIVERPOOL SALT AT NEW ORLEANS.
A t a recent meeting of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, the following
resolution, fixing the standard weight of Liverpool salt in sacks, was unanimously
adopted:—
“ Resolved, That the fixed weight in this market for Liverpool salt, as declared and
adopted at the last meeting of the Chamber, has reference to the weight of salt when
landed from the ship, and that in sacks of salt from store, or the levee, after having
landed from the ship, a fair depreciation from the original weight on landing should be
taken into consideration by buyer and seller.”
RECEIPT AND DELIVERY OF SAMPLE PACKAGES.
A daily register is required to be kept by the collectors of the customs at the sev­
eral ports, in which is to be entered the receipt and delivery o f all articles of no value
imported merely as samples and not for sale. This register is to be kept at the ap­
praiser’s store, where the samples are sent and examined. This register is also to be
examined daily by the appraisers, and all packages reported by them as “ samples of
no mercantile value,” are to be delivered to the importer by the inspector or other
officer in charge, on a general permit, to be signed by the collector and naval officer,
and issued for each vessel in the same manner as a baggage permit.




Journal o f Insurance.

JOURNAL

OF

13S

INSURANCE.

MARINE INSURANCE,
PERILS OF THE SEA— MASTER’S NEGLIGENCE— INSURER’S LIABILITY.

In the case o f Nelson vs. the Suffolk Insurance Company, in 8 Cushing’s Massachu­
setts Reports, 477, the principles decided may be briefly stated as follows:—
Underwriters insuring a vessel against perils of the sea are bound to pay the as­
sured the amount paid by him to the owners of another vessel for damages suffered
in a collision with the vessel insured, although it was occasioned by the negligence of
the master and crew of the latter.
The facts in the case are as follows:— Mr Nelson effected an insurance on the Isaac
Allerton in the Suffolk Insurance Company for $10,000 against perils of the sea and
other customary perils for ODe year. Before the policy of insurance had expired, the
ship, through the negligence of the master and crew, came in collision with a British
steamer, by which collision both the ship and the steamer were damaged. A suit
was subsequently commenced by the owners of the steamer against the Isaac Allerter to recover damages for the collision, and a judgment was rendered against her for
the sum of nearly $2,500, which Mr. Nelson paid.
This amount he then demanded of the insurance company upon the ground that it
was a loss occasioned by the perils of the sea, for which the company was liable. The
company paid him for the damages to his own ship, but refused to reimburse him for
the damages he had been obliged to pay for the injury to the steamer, and this suit
was instituted by Mr. Nelson to recover the latter sum. There was no dispute about
the facts. The only question in the case was whether the company, upon an insurance
against all loss by perils of the sea, were under obligation to pay the owner of the
insured vessel the amount which he had been obliged to pay the owner of the steamer
as damages for a collision, which occurred through the negligence of the master and
crew of the vessel insured. The opinion of the Court upon this question was ren­
dered by—
F l e t c h e r , J u s t ic e .
Every stipulation in a policy o f insurance is to be construed
favorably to the party entitled to its benefit, as it must be presumed that he under­
stood it in its most favorable sense, and that the other party intended he should so
understand it. As the contract of insurance is a contract of indemnity to the assured,
it is to be liberally construed in his favor. There can be no doubt that the assured
intends to obtain the fullest and most ample indemnity, and that the insurer means
that he shall understand that his policy affords him that indemnity. The policy, there­
fore, should be so construed as to fulfill these intentions. It is only by such construc­
tion that the contract of insurance can accomplish its useful and important purpose,
and the Commerce of the world be carried on. When the plaintiffs in this case ob ­
tained insurance against losses by the perils of the sea, these terms were, no doubt,
understood by them in their largest sense, as covering all losses justly attributable to
those perils; and, no doubt, the defendants intended that they should thus understand
and interpret their policy. To carry into effect these intentions, the policy must be
construed favorably for the insured to g;ive them that security which they believed,
and had a right to believe, they had obtained. There should be no subtle reasoning,
no shadowy distinctions, no straining of rules to narrow and restrict the operation of
the contract, so as to defeat the intention of the parties. The parties, no doubt, took
a practical view of the matter, and had reference to all possible losses known and un­
known, which might be justly attributable to the perils of the sea in the broadest im­
port of the words. They acted on no nice distinctions or subtle reasoning. They
could not, o f course, foresee and specify the losses, but could only use general terms.
“ The policy sweeps within its inclosure every peril incident to the voyage, however
strange or unexpected, unless there be a special exception. The perils enumerated in
the common policy are sufficiently comprehensive to embrace every species o f risk to
which ships and goods are exposed from the perils of the sea and all other causes in­
cident to maritime adventure.” (Kent Com., 6th ed., 291.)
The parties, no doubt, very well knew that there were many losses by perils o f the
sea, other than direct damage to the ship insured. To hold the defendants liable only




734

Journal o f Insurance.

for that, would leave the plaintiffs exposed to ruin in various ways, without the pro­
tection they intended to obtain, and supposed they had obtained, under their policy.
To give effect to the meaning and intention of the parties, therefore, the defendants
must be held responsible for all losses justly attributable to the perils of the sea, as
well as for the direct damage to the ship itself. This principle is clearly illustrated
by the liability of underwriters for a general average loss. A ship is insured against
the perils o f the sea, a part of the cargo is thrown overboard by reason of a peril of
the sea, and the ship and owner become at once chargeable for a proportion of this
loss of the cargo, and the underwriter is held bound by the policy to indemnify the
owner of the ship for the sum he has to pay to make up the loss of the cargo. Here
is no damage to the ship insured, but the sum thus charged upon the owner and ship
for the cargo, is held to be a loss by the perils of the sea, for which the underwriter
is responsible.
So in case o f insurance against capture, the underwriter is liable not only for any
damage the ship may have actually sustained by a capture, but also for all necessary
expenses, such as salvage, dtc., which the assured has been put to for the recovery of
his property. Thus it has been determined that the underwriter is liable for a sum of
money paid by the neutral assured to the belligerent captors as a compromise made
bona fide to prevent the ship being condemned as a prize. So the liability of under­
writers for salvage expenses depends not upon their having engaged to indemnify
against them by any express words in the policy, for which the underwriter is liable,
but they all depend upon the general principle that where the thing insured becomes
by law directly chargeable with any expense, contribution, or loss, in consequence of
a particular peril, the law treats such peril for all practical purposes as the proximate
cause of such expense, contribution, or loss. Upon any other principle policies of in­
surance, instead o f being a protection, would serve but to allure men to their ruin.
Upon this principle the liability of the defendants for the sum claimed in this suit
would seem to be too clear for controversy. To hold that the defendants are not lia­
ble in this case, would conflict directly with the doctrine held in the analogous case
which has been referred to, and thus introduce inconsistency into the law where con­
sistency and uniformity are most essential.
The main ground o f defense, however, relied on in the argument, is that there was
negligence in the navigation of the plaintiffs’ ship; that without this negligence the
plaintiffs would not have been obliged to pay for the damage done to the steamer;
and therefore that so far as respects the payment for damage to the steamer, the neg­
ligence was the proximate cause of the loss, and not the collision. Properly to estitimate the force and value of this argument, it is necessary to inquire who, in case of
a loss arising from one of the perils insured against, is responsible for the conduct of
the master or mariner in the practical navigation of the vessel!
It seems to have been formerly held that underwriters were not responsible for
losses which happened in consequence of the negligence of the master or crew in the
navigation of the ship. This doctrine would go far to deprive the assured of the ben­
efit and protection of his policy without any fault of his own, and would greatly lessen
if it did not destroy, the usefulness of insurance. Some fault or negligence on the
part of the master or mariners enters into almost every case of a loss or damage of
a vessel at Bea. The danger from such fault or negligence is one of the dangers which
the assured has most reason to apprehend, and against which he most needs and may
reasonably expect protection.
Besides, such a doctrine would be sure to involve the assured in perpetual contro­
versies and litigation, in regard to the fact o f negligence, whether there was or was
not negligence, and what was the degree of the negligence, if any, and whether the
loss was or was not in consequence of such negligence. These would be difficult and
perplexing questions of fact, the decision o f which would depend on many contingen­
cies, thus involving the rights of the assured in ruinous doubts and uncertainties. To
avoid such evils, and to give effect to the true meaning and intention of the parties,
the modern decisions have established a different rule, and one much more in consonance
with the principles and purposes of the contract of insurance.
The great principle now well established is that if the vessel, master, officers, crew,
and equipments are competent and sufficient at the commencement of the voyage,
the assured has done all that he contracted to d o ; he did not guaranty the faithfulness
and vigilance of the master and mariners after the commencement o f the voyage. The
nsurers are responsible, provided the actual loss arise from one o f the perils insured
against, though such peril may have occurred in consequence of the negligence or
carelessness of the master and crew.




735

Commercial Statistics.

COMMERCIAL STATISTICS.

THE REPORT OS COMMERCE A M NAVIGATION.
Prior to 1850, it was customary to lay this report before Congress in manuscript
For several years we urged the importance of its being prepared and printed before
the meeting of Congress. W e wrote to members o f Congress on the subject, and
finally, through the late J ohn D a v is , United States Senator from Massachusetts, suc­
ceeded in effecting that object. The following copies of documents accompanying the
Report on Commerce and Navigation, will show the promptness and dispatch which
characterize the Treasury Department under its present able and efficient manage­
ment :—
T r easu r y D epar tm ent,

October 12, 1855.

S i r :— In compliance with the provisions of the first section of the act of the 16th

September, 1850, entitled “ An act to provide for printing the annual report on Com­
merce and navigation,” which makes it the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to
cause the said report to be completed at as early a day before the first Monday in
January in each year as is practicable, I have the honor to state that the report for
the year ending 30th June, 1855, has now been completed, being nearly three months in
advance of the time designated in the said act.
The work will be forthwith placed in the hands of the public printer for the print­
ing, binding, and distribution of the number of copies therein directed; all which it is
expected will be accomplished, and the usual number of copies prepared for the use
of the members of the two houses of Congress and their officers by the day of their
approaching meeting, and consequently five weeks in advance of the time limited in
the act for that purpose.
I shall cause this letter to be printed in the said volume, together with the letter o f
the Register of the Treasury, in whose office the statement has been compiled, the
act above mentioned, and a table showing the periods when the reports have been
heretofore successively completed for publication.
I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,
JAMES GUTHRIE, Secretary o f the Treasury.

To the President of the Senate and Speaker
of the House o f Representatives.
The statements of Commerce and navigation since the passage of the act o f
February 10th, 1820, have been completed for publication at the following dates,
to w it:—
F or—
1 8 2 1 ..................

F or—
1 8 3 8 _________

18,

1839

1 8 2 2 ..................

1 8 3 9 ..................

25,

1840

1 8 2 3 ...................

1 8 4 0 ..................

1 8 2 4 ..................

1 8 4 1 ..................
1 8 4 2 ..................

1, 1 8 4 1
20, 1 84 2
19, 1843

1 8 4 3 ..................

25,

1844

1 8 4 4 . ...............

20,

1846

1 8 2 8 ..................

1 8 4 5 ..................

21,

1845

1 8 2 9 ..................

1 8 4 6 ..................

5, 1 8 4 6
13, 1847
20, 1849

1 8 2 5 ..................

20,

1826

16,

1828

1 8 2 6 ..................
1 8 2 7 ..................

1 8 4 7 ..................

1 8 3 0 ..................

2 6 , 1831

1 8 3 1 ..................

2, 1832

1 8 4 8 ..................

13, 1833

1 8 4 9 ..................

1834

1 8 5 0 ..................

7,
20,

1849

21,

1 8 3 4 ..................

2, 1835

1 8 5 1 ..................

12,

1851

1 8 3 5 ..................

18, 1836

1 8 5 2 ..................

15,

1853

3, 1837

1 8 5 3 ..................

22,

1853

18^ 1 8 3 8

1 8 5 4 ..................

id ,

1854

1 8 8 2 ..................

.................. F e b r u a r y

1 8 3 3 ..................

1 8 3 6 ................
1 8 3 7 ...................




1850

136

Commercial Statistics.
PROFITS OF SLAVE LABOR,

W e cut the following from the Liverpool A Ibion. It purports to be taken from a work
entitled “ Slavery Described by an Eye-witness.” W e have never seen the work:—
One evening, as I was returning to the house of my friend, I met a colored man. I
asked him whether he was a slave. He said yes; and, in answer to a number of
questions, he told me that his owner received $130 a year for his services as a black­
smith, and that the man to whom he wrought fed and clothed him, and gave this
money over and above to his master, and that he had eight children. Now, sup­
posing the average length of a mao’s working days to be thirty years, this owner will
receive $3,900 for the labor of this one slave. Then his eight children, at twenty-one
years of age, and after they have more than doubly paid by their labor for their
maintenance during infancy, will bring, at the least, $800 apiece, $6,400. This, with
the above, makes $10,600.
One morning I went to the mill with my friend. While he was engaged in some
business, one of the millers and I fell into a conversation, and, while we were standing
at the door, a slave girl, of fourteen or fifteen years of age, went past us. Said I to
him, “ Is that your slave ?”
“ No,” said he, “ I have been trying to buy her from her owner, from whom I hire
her, but he will sell her for no less than $600. I have offered him $500.”
In answer to a great many questions he told me that the girl was honest, faithful,
and industrious, and that such a slave was very valuable property; that his father
once had a slave woman who wrought as a blacksmith, and had eleven children. Now
let us estimate this woman’s labor at $100 a year. Thirty years would bring $3,000;
her eleven children, at $800 each, would bring $8,800; the two items, $11,800. Was
not this woman a valuable article to this miller’s father?
STATISTICS OF THE COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES.
W e have received from the compiler, M i c h a e l N o u r s e , Esq., late of the Treasury
Department at Washington, (in manuscript,) “ A General Statement of the Annual
and Aggregate Foreign Commerce and Navigation of the United States from the 1st
o f October, 1820, to the 30th of June, 1854; together with Statements of the Com­
merce and Navigation with the several Foreign Countries during the same Period;
also o f each State and Territory, and showing the Registered and Enrolled Tonnage
o f each State in 1821, 1831,1844, and 1851,” compiled, as above stated, by Mr. Nourse.
These statements cover some ninety pages. It is, we understand, the intention of
the compiler to offer them to our government; and as they present a clear and com­
prehensive statistical view of the commercial progress of the nation for the last thirtyfour years, we earnestly hope that Mr. G u t h r i e , the present efficient Secretary of the
Treasury, will adopt them as an appendix to his next financial report. Mr. Nourse,
or some competent clerk in the Department, could readily add the present year, and
thus bring the statements down to the latest period.
Sixty-one pages, or tables, are devoted to the foreign Commerce of the United
States with the different foreign ports or countries with which we have commercial
intercourse. These are followed by tabular statements of the foreign Commerce of
each State and Territory, showing at a glance the value of our domestic and foreign
exports, imports, registered and enrolled tonnage, and American and foreign tonnage
cleared in each of the years from October 1 , 1 8 2 0 , to June 3 0 , 1 8 5 4 .
The value of these statements will be apparent to all who will take the trouble to
examine the specimens which, with his permission, we here annex.
W e have selected the first general table, and a table of our Commerce with Eng­
land, and one of the States of the Union, which will sufficiently illustrate the charac­
ter of the entire series:—
The ending o f the fiscal year was changed in 1 8 4 3 from September 3 0 to June 3 0
so that 1 8 4 3 (marked thus *) represents but nine months; 1 8 4 4 , (marked thus f,)
year ending June 3 0 .




V O L . X X X I I I . ----- N O . V I,
^

°

Y e a rs e n d in g
S e p t e m b e r 30.
1 8 2 1 ...........

M 1 8 2 2 ...........
R 1 8 2 8 ...........

G 1 8 2 4 ...........

STATEMENT OF THE ANNUAL FOREIGN COMMERCE AND NAVIGATION OF THE UNITED STATES FROM OCTOBER 1, 1820, TO JUNE
-------- E x p o r ts .-------W h e r e o l in b u llio n a n d s p e c ie .
T o n n a g e en tered .
D om estic.
F o re ig n .
T o ta l.
Im p o r ts .
E x p o rte d .
I m p o r te d .
A m e r ic a n .
F o r e ig n .
$ 4 3 ,6 7 1 ,8 9 4
$ 2 1 ,3 0 2 ,4 8 8
$ 6 4 ,9 7 4 ,3 8 2
$ 8 ,0 6 4 ,8 9 0
7 6 5 ,0 9 8
$ 6 2 ,5 8 5 ,7 2 4
$ 1 0 ,4 7 8 ,0 5 9
8 1 ,5 2 6
7 2 ,1 6 0 ,2 8 1
2 2 ,2 8 6 ,2 0 2
8 3 ,2 4 1 ,5 4 1
7 8 7 ,9 6 1
4 9 ,8 7 4 ,0 7 9
1 0 ,8 1 0 ,1 8 0
3 ,3 6 9 ,8 4 6
1 0 0 ,5 4 1
4 7 ,1 5 6 ,4 0 8
2 7 ,5 4 3 ,6 2 2
7 7 ,5 7 9 ,2 6 7
5 ,0 9 7 ,8 9 6
1 1 9 ,4 6 9
7 4 ,6 9 9 ,0 3 0
6 ,3 7 2 ,9 8 7 '
7 7 5 ,2 7 1
5 0 ,6 4 9 ,5 0 0

2 5 ,3 3 7 ,1 5 7

7 5 ,9 8 6 ,6 5 7

8 0 ,5 4 9 ,0 0 7

1 8 2 5 ...........

6 6 ,9 4 4 ,7 4 5

3 2 ,5 9 0 ,6 4 3

9 9 ,5 3 5 ,3 8 8

9 6 ,3 4 0 ,0 7 5

| 1 8 2 6 ............

5 3 ,0 5 5 ,7 1 0

2 4 ,5 3 9 ,6 1 2

7 7 ,5 9 5 .3 2 2

8 4 ,9 7 4 ,4 7 7

8 2 ,3 2 4 ,8 2 7
7 2 ,2 6 4 ,6 8 6

7 9 ,4 8 4 ,0 6 8
8 8 ,5 0 9 ,8 2 4

7 2 ,3 5 8 ,6 7 1

7 4 ,4 9 2 ,5 2 4

r

g

1 8 2 7 ............

5 8 ,9 2 1 ,6 9 1

2 3 ,4 0 3 ,1 3 6

°

1 8 2 8 ...........

6 0 ,6 6 9 ,6 6 9

2 1 ,5 9 5 , 0 1 7

<

1 8 2 9 ............

'

1 8 3 0 ............

1 6 ,6 5 8 ,4 7 8

T o n n a g e clea red .
A m e r ic a n .
F oreig n .
8 0 4 ,9 4 7
8 3 ,0 7 3
8 1 3 ,7 4 8
9 7 ,4 9 0
8 1 0 ,7 6 1

1 1 9 ,7 4 0

1 0 2 ,3 6 7

9 1 9 ,2 7 8

1 0 2 ,5 5 2

8 8 0 ,7 5 4

9 2 ,9 2 7

9 6 0 ,3 6 6

9 5 ,0 8 0

9 4 2 ,2 0 6

1 0 5 ,6 5 4

9 5 3 ,0 1 2

9 9 ,4 1 7

8 ,1 5 1 ,1 3 0

9 1 8 ,3 6 1

1 3 7 ,5 8 9

9 8 0 ,5 4 2

1 3 1 ,2 5 0

7 ,4 8 9 ,7 4 1

8 6 8 ,3 8 1

1 5 0 ,3 2 3

8 9 7 ,4 0 4

1 5 1 ,0 3 0

7 ,4 0 3 ,6 1 2

8 7 2 ,9 4 9

1 3 0 ,7 4 3

9 4 4 ,7 9 9

1 3 3 ,0 0 6

2 ,1 7 8 ,7 7 3

8 ,1 5 5 ,9 6 4

9 6 7 ,2 2 7

1 3 1 ,9 0 0

9 7 1 ,7 6 0

1 3 3 ,4 3 6

9 ,0 1 4 ,9 3 1

7 ,3 0 5 ,9 4 5

9 2 2 ,9 5 2

2 8 1 ,9 4 8

9 7 2 ,5 0 4

2 7 1 ,9 9 4

9 4 9 ,6 2 2

3 9 3 ,0 3 8

9 7 4 ,8 6 5

3 8 7 ,5 0 5

1 ,1 1 1 ,4 4 1

4 9 6 ,7 0 5

1 ,1 4 2 ,1 6 0

4 9 7 ,0 3 9

8 ,3 7 9 ,8 3 5

8 5 0 ,0 3 3

8 ,9 3 2 ,0 3 4

6 ,1 5 0 ,7 6 5

4 ,7 0 4 ,5 3 3

6 ,8 8 0 ,9 6 6

8 ,0 1 4 ,8 8 0
8 ,2 4 3 ,4 7 6
4 ,9 2 4 ,0 2 0

7 ,0 1 4 ,5 5 2

6 9 ,4 6 2 ,0 2 9

1 4 ,3 8 7 , 4 7 9

7 3 ,8 4 9 ,5 0 8

7 0 ,8 7 6 ,9 2 0

8 1 ,3 1 0 ,5 8 3

1 0 8 ,1 9 1 ,1 2 4

8 7 ,1 7 6 ,9 4 3

1 0 1 ,0 2 9 ,2 6 6

5 ,6 5 6 ,3 4 0

5 ,9 0 7 ,5 0 4

2 ,6 1 1 ,7 0 1

7 ,0 7 0 ,3 6 8

6 1 ,2 7 7 ,0 5 7

2 0 ,0 3 3 ,5 2 6

1 8 3 2 ............

6 3 ,1 3 7 ,4 7 0

2 4 ,0 3 9 ,4 7 3

1 8 8 3 ............

7 0 ,3 1 7 ,6 9 8

1 9 ,8 2 2 ,7 3 5

9 0 ,1 4 0 ,4 3 3

1 0 8 .1 1 8 ,3 1 1

1 8 3 4 ............

8 1 ,0 2 4 ,1 6 2

2 3 ,3 1 2 ,8 1 1

1 0 4 ,3 3 6 , 9 7 3

1 2 6 ,5 2 1 , 3 3 2

2 ,0 7 6 ,7 5 8

1 7 ,9 1 1 ,6 3 2

1 ,0 7 4 ,6 7 0

5 6 8 ,0 5 2

1 ,1 3 4 ,0 2 0

5 7 7 ,7 0 0

1 8 3 5 ............

1 0 1 ,1 8 9 ,0 8 2

2 0 ,5 0 4 ,4 9 5

1 2 1 ,6 9 3 , 5 7 7

1 4 9 ,8 9 5 , 7 4 2

6 ,4 7 7 ,7 7 5

1 ,3 5 2 ,6 5 3

6 4 1 ,3 1 0

1 ,4 0 0 ,5 1 7

6 3 0 ,8 2 4

* . 1 8 3 7 ...........

1 0 6 ,9 1 6 ,6 8 0

2 1 ,7 4 6 ,3 6 0

1 2 S ,6 6 3 ,0 4 0

1 8 9 ,9 S 0 ,0 3 5

4 ,3 2 4 ,3 3 6

1 3 ,1 3 1 ,4 4 7
1 3 ,4 0 0 ,8 8 1

1 ,2 5 5 ,3 8 4

6 8 0 ,2 1 3

1 ,3 1 5 ,5 2 3

6 7 4 ,7 2 1

“^ 1 8 3 6 ...........

9 5 ,5 6 4 ,4 1 4

2 1 ,8 5 4 ,9 6 2

1 1 7 ,4 1 9 ,3 7 6

1 4 0 ,9 8 9 ,2 1 7

5 ,9 7 6 ,2 4 9

1 0 ,5 1 6 ,4 1 4

1 ,2 9 9 ,7 2 0

7 6 5 ,7 0 3

1 ,2 6 6 ,6 2 2

7 5 6 ,2 0 2

1 8 3 8 ...........

9 6 ,0 3 3 ,8 2 1

1 2 ,4 5 2 ,7 9 5

1 0 8 ,4 8 6 ,6 1 6

1 1 3 ,7 1 7 ,4 0 6

8 ,5 0 8 ,0 4 6

1 7 ,7 4 7 ,1 1 6

1 ,3 0 2 ,9 7 4

5 9 2 ,1 1 0

1 ,4 0 8 ,7 6 1

6 0 4 ,1 6 6

1 8 3 9 ...........

1 0 3 ,6 3 3 ,8 9 1

1 7 ,4 9 4 ,5 2 5

1 2 1 ,0 2 8 ,4 1 6

1 6 2 ,0 9 2 ,1 3 2

8 ,7 7 6 ,7 4 3

5 ,5 9 5 ,1 7 6

1 ,4 9 1 ,2 7 9

6 2 4 ,8 1 4

1 ,4 7 7 ,9 2 8

6 1 1 ,8 3 9

1 8 4 0 ............

1 1 3 ,8 9 5 ,6 3 4

1 8 ,1 9 0 ,3 1 2

1 3 2 ,0 8 5 ,9 4 6

1 0 7 ,1 4 1 ,5 1 9

8 ,4 1 7 ,0 1 4

8 ,8 8 2 ,8 1 3

1 ,5 7 6 ,9 4 6

7 1 2 ,3 6 3

1 ,6 4 7 ,0 0 9

7 0 6 ,4 8 6

1 8 4 1 ...........

1 0 6 ,3 8 2 ,7 2 2

1 5 ,4 6 9 ,0 8 1

1 2 1 ,8 5 1 , 8 0 3

1 2 7 ,9 4 6 , 1 7 7

1 0 ,0 3 4 ,3 3 2

4 ,9 8 8 ,6 3 3

1 ,6 3 1 ,9 0 9

7 3 6 ,4 4 4

1 ,6 3 4 ,1 5 6

7 3 6 ,8 4 9

1 8 4 2 ............

9 2 ,9 6 9 .9 9 6

1 1 ,7 2 1 , 5 3 8

1 0 4 ,6 9 1 ,5 3 4

1 0 0 ,1 6 2 ,0 8 7

4 ,8 1 3 ,5 3 9

4 ,0 8 7 ,0 1 6

1 ,5 1 0 ,1 1 1

7 3 2 ,7 5 5

1 ,5 3 6 ,4 5 1

7 4 0 ,4 9 7
5 2 3 ,9 4 9

1 8 4 3 * ....

7 7 ,7 9 3 ,7 8 3

6 ,5 5 2 ,6 9 7

8 4 ,3 4 6 ,4 8 0

6 4 ,7 5 3 ,7 9 9

1 ,5 2 0 ,7 9 1

2 2 ,3 9 0 ,5 5 9

1 ,1 4 3 ,5 2 3

5 3 4 ,7 5 2

1 ,2 6 8 ,0 8 3

1 8 4 4 f.. ..

9 9 ,7 1 5 ,1 7 9

1 1 ,4 8 4 ,8 6 7

1 1 1 ,2 0 0 , 0 4 6

1 0 8 ,4 3 5 ,0 3 5

5 ,4 5 4 ,2 1 4

5 ,8 3 0 ,4 2 9

1 ,9 7 7 ,4 3 8

9 1 6 ,9 9 2

2 ,0 1 0 ,9 2 4

9 0 6 ,8 1 4

1 8 4 5 ............

9 9 ,2 9 9 ,7 7 6

1 5 ,3 4 6 ,8 3 0

1 1 4 ,6 4 6 ,6 0 6

1 1 7 ,2 5 4 ,5 6 4

8 ,6 0 6 ,4 9 5

4 ,0 7 0 ,2 4 2

2 ,0 3 5 ,4 8 6

9 1 0 ,5 6 3

2 ,0 5 3 ,9 7 7

9 3 0 ,2 7 5

1 8 4 6 ............

1 0 2 ,1 4 1 , 8 9 3

1 1 ,3 4 6 ,6 2 3

1 1 3 ,4 8 8 , 5 1 6

1 2 1 ,6 9 1 , 7 9 7

3 ,9 0 5 ,2 6 8

3 ,7 7 7 ,7 3 2

2 ,1 5 1 ,1 1 4

9 5 9 ,7 3 9

2 ,2 2 1 ,0 2 8

9 6 8 ,1 7 8

1 8 4 7 ...........

1 5 0 ,6 3 7 ,4 6 4

8 ,0 1 1 ,1 5 8

1 5 8 ,6 4 8 ,6 2 2

1 4 6 ,5 4 5 , 6 3 8

1 ,9 0 7 ,0 2 4

2 4 ,1 2 1 ,2 8 9

2 ,1 0 1 ,3 5 9

1 ,2 2 0 ,3 4 6

2 ,2 0 2 ,3 9 3

1 ,1 7 6 ,6 0 5

1 8 4 8 ....

1 3 2 ,9 0 4 ,1 2 1

2 1 ,1 3 2 ,3 1 5

1 5 4 ,0 3 6 , 4 3 6

1 5 4 ,9 9 8 ,9 2 8

1 5 ,8 4 1 ,6 1 6

6 ,3 6 0 ,2 2 4

2 ,3 9 3 ,4 8 2

1 ,4 0 5 ,1 9 1

2 ,4 6 1 ,2 8 0

1 ,4 0 4 ,1 5 7

1 8 4 9 ............

1 3 2 ,6 6 6 ,9 5 5

1 3 ,0 8 8 ,8 6 5

1 4 5 ,7 5 5 , 8 2 0

1 4 7 ,8 5 7 ,4 3 9

5 ,4 0 4 ,6 4 8

6 ,6 5 1 ,2 4 0

2 ,6 5 8 ,3 2 1

1 ,7 1 0 ,5 1 5

2 ,7 5 3 ,7 2 4

1 ,6 7 5 ,7 0 9

1 8 6 0 ...........

1 3 6 ,9 4 6 ,9 1 2

1 4 ,9 5 1 , 8 0 8

1 5 1 ,8 9 8 ,7 2 0

1 7 8 ,1 3 8 , 3 1 8

7 ,5 2 2 ,9 9 4

4 ,6 2 8 ,7 9 2

2 ,5 7 3 .0 1 6

1 ,7 7 5 ,6 2 3

2 ,6 3 2 ,7 8 8

1 ,7 2 8 ,2 1 4

1 8 5 1 ............

1 9 6 .6 8 9 , 7 1 8

2 1 ,6 9 8 ,2 9 3

2 1 8 ,3 8 8 ,0 1 1

2 1 6 ,2 2 4 ,9 3 2

2 9 ,4 7 2 ,7 5 2

5 ,4 5 3 .5 9 2

3 ,0 5 4 ,3 4 9

1 ,9 3 9 ,0 9 1

3 ,2 0 0 ,5 1 9

1 ,9 2 9 ,5 3 5
2 ,0 4 7 ,5 7 5

1 8 5 2 ...........

1 9 2 ,3 6 8 , 9 8 4

1 7 ,2 8 9 , 3 8 2

2 0 9 ,6 5 8 ,3 6 6

2 1 2 ,9 4 5 ,4 4 2

4 2 ,6 7 4 ,1 3 5

5 ,5 0 5 ,0 1 4

3 ,2 3 5 ,5 2 2

2 ,0 5 7 , 3 4 S

3 ,2 3 0 .5 9 0

1 8 5 3 ............

2 1 8 ,4 1 7 . 6 9 7

1 7 ,5 5 8 ,4 6 0

2 3 0 ,9 7 6 ,1 5 7

2 6 7 ,9 7 8 , 6 4 7

2 7 ,4 8 6 ,8 7 5

4 ,2 0 1 ,3 8 2

4 ,0 0 4 ,0 1 3

2 ,2 7 7 ,9 3 0

3 ,7 6 6 ,7 8 9

2 ,2 9 8 ,7 9 0

1 8 5 4 ............

2 5 3 ,3 9 0 ,8 7 0

2 4 ,8 5 0 ,1 9 4

2 7 8 ,2 4 1 ,0 6 4

3 0 4 ,5 6 2 ,8 8 1

4 1 ,2 8 1 ,5 0 4

6 ,7 5 8 ,5 8 7

3 ,7 5 2 ,1 1 5

2 ,1 3 2 ,2 2 4

3 ,9 1 1 ,3 9 2

2 ,1 0 7 ,8 0 2




Commercial Statistics.

1 8 3 1 ...........

6 5 ,7 0 0 ,1 9 3

80, 1854.

f o r e ig n

com m erce

Y e a r s e n d in g
S e p t e m b e r 30.
1 8 2 1 .....................................................

of

th e

s t a t e s w i t h E n g l a n d f r o m O c t o b e r 1st, 1820, t o j u l y 1st, 1854.
W ]h e r e o f th e re w a s in b u llio n &, s p e c ie .
----- E x p o r ts .------- -------------------------- %
T o n n a g e c le a re d .
E x p o r te d .
F o re ig n .
Im p o rts
I m p o r te d .
A m e r ic a n .
T olu l.
F o r e ig n .
$ 2 ,1 2 6 ,5 9 4
$ 2 3 ,1 8 0 ,8 6 2
$ 1 ,9 3 3 ,6 6 5
$ 6 4 5 ,5 2 9
1 2 8 ,7 2 9
$ 1 8 ,4 6 4 ,7 0 3
1 9 ,5 4 6

u n it e d

D o m e s tic .

1 8 2 2 ......................................................

1 ,0 2 9 ,2 2 4

2 2 .1 0 1 .6 1 9

3 2 ,1 0 8 ,9 4 7

7 9 6 ,2 1 8

9 9 .9 2 0

1 5 1 ,0 3 0

1 8 2 3 .....................................................

9 7 8 ,4 7 4

1 9 ,9 4 6 ,6 5 9

2 6 ,3 0 1 ,2 7 0

3 6 5 ,6 3 2

2 8 2 ,8 2 2

1 3 2 ,0 4 2

5 0 ,7 8 4

1 8 2 4 .....................................................

1 ,2 6 8 ,2 8 2

1 9 ,4 8 7 ,1 2 3

2 6 ,6 4 7 ,9 2 2

3 1 2 ,1 1 2

1 4 9 ,1 6 4

1 4 0 ,1 2 5

4 2 ,3 1 0

1 8 2 5 .....................................................

2 ,0 3 1 ,1 8 6

3 4 ,1 2 7 , 5 7 6

3 4 ,2 7 1 ,5 1 0

3 0 3 ,2 6 6

8 2 ,8 8 8

1 7 2 ,4 0 9

3 9 ,2 4 2

1 8 2 6 .....................................................

1 ,5 6 9 ,0 2 3

2 0 ,6 3 4 ,2 0 8

2 4 ,3 6 2 ,2 0 3

5 7 2 .5 3 3

1 2 2 ,2 1 6

1 4 7 ,4 5 5

4 1 ,8 0 1

1 8 2 7 .....................................................

9 0 4 ,5 9 6

1 9 0 ,1 0 1

3 4 ,1 1 1

2 0 2 ,9 7 6

6 3 ,7 0 6

2 ,9 6 0 ,2 6 1

2 4 ,4 1 9 ,0 1 7
2 1 ,6 9 7 ,1 2 2

2 8 ,6 5 3 ,8 8 3

1 8 2 8 .....................................................

3 0 ,4 7 6 ,1 3 9

2 ,3 0 9 ,7 7 5

2 0 ,9 7 2

1 3 3 ,3 5 3

7 5 ,5 8 3

1 8 2 9 .....................................................

1 ,7 6 7 ,4 5 7

2 3 ,0 4 8 ,7 9 1

2 3 ,8 9 2 ,7 6 3

6 1 3 ,8 3 3

3 9 ,8 2 6

1 7 9 ,8 4 3

6 0 ,7 2 2

1 8 3 0 .....................................................

8 2 6 ,9 4 6

2 4 ,6 9 9 ,9 6 6

2 2 ,7 5 5 ,0 4 0

1 1 2 .2 2 9

1 4 4 ,2 3 1

1 9 2 .7 1 4

5 8 ,5 8 9

3 0 ,2 3 8

1 8 3 1 .....................................................

2 ,3 6 7 ,4 3 9

3 1 ,2 0 8 ,8 6 9

4 1 ,8 5 4 ,3 2 3

1 ,6 1 5 ,6 4 3

1 S U .8 3 0

2 3 5 .3 4 5

8 3 ,4 6 1

1 S 3 2 ......................................................

2 ,8 7 5 ,1 3 7
1 ,4 5 2 ,7 6 8

2 9 ,5 1 0 ,9 0 5

3 4 ,8 4 9 ,0 9 6

1 ,1 1 2 ,2 9 3

8 3 ,6 3 9

1 8 7 ,5 7 9

9 6 ,6 1 5

3 1 .0 3 5 ,4 4 1

3 6 ,6 6 8 .3 1 5

244

3 1 ,9 0 3

1 8 3 ,9 2 8

8 7 ,6 0 2

2 ,9 7 4 .7 2 6

4 1 ,6 4 8 ,4 2 0

4 5 ,5 6 6 , C 6 5

270

5 ,8 0 5 ,6 1 3

2 1 6 ,2 5 6

8 9 ,8 3 6

4 7 ,9 9 0 ,5 3 2

9 4 5 ,8 0 9

4 8 ,9 3 6 ,3 4 1

5 9 .0 6 6 ,9 8 9

3 9 ,0 3 7

1 .3 0 3 ,4 3 8

2 1 5 ,8 1 0

6 9 ,5 8 2

5 3 ,3 0 2 ,4 8 3

1 ,8 7 4 ,7 3 7

5 5 ,1 7 7 ,2 2 0

7 5 ,7 6 1 ,7 1 3

2 ,5 0 9

2 ,3 2 2 ,9 2 0

2 3 3 ,8 1 7

7 8 ,4 5 0

4 .8 8 4 ,7 6 8

5 1 ,1 1 9 ,8 7 0

1 1 6 .2 9 9

2 6 8 ,0 6 8

6 7 ,1 2 5

5 0 ,4 4 5 ,0 7 6

4 3 ,5 4 6 ,7 5 7
4 4 ,1 9 1 ,8 5 1

1 ,8 3 3 ,0 7 0

1 ,5 4 5 ,1 8 8

1 0 ,1 8 5

9 ,0 0 9 , 3 4 6

3 4 4 ,6 1 6

7 6 ,6 6 8

1 8 3 3 .....................................................
1 8 3 4 ..................................................... ..............................
1 8 3 5 ..................................................... ..............................
1 8 3 6 ..................................................... ..............................
1 8 3 7 .....................................................

3 8 ,6 7 3 ,6 9 4

1 8 3 8 .....................................................
1 8 3 9 .....................................................

3 ,9 5 3 ,1 0 8

5 8 .5 6 8 ,4 3 5

6 4 ,8 6 3 ,7 1 6

3 ,1 6 3 .4 9 0

1 ,4 2 0 ,0 9 2

2 6 9 ,4 6 6

9 2 ,6 8 5

1 8 4 0 .....................................................

5 ,0 9 6 ,8 8 2

5 7 ,0 4 8 ,6 6 0

3 3 ,1 1 4 .1 3 3

4 ,3 8 3 ,7 8 6

8 0 3 ,3 0 6

3 8 8 ,5 1 2

1 2 9 ,2 1 3

1 8 4 1 .....................................................

3 ,3 7 1 ,2 2 0

4 7 ,5 5 5 ,5 7 7

4 5 ,7 3 0 ,0 0 7

2 7 2 ,6 3 1

1 3 0 ,7 6 8

2 ,9 3 2 ,1 4 0

3 9 ,6 1 3 ,9 4 8

3 3 ,4 4 6 ,4 9 9

3 ,0 1 8 ,1 3 7
1 ,7 0 2 ,7 4 8

5 8 0 ,5 8 0

1 8 4 2 ......................................................

2 0 5 ,9 1 9

2 8 5 ,4 7 9

1 3 9 .0 5 4

1 8 4 3 * .................................................

1 ,1 0 6 ,0 6 4

3 8 ,2 5 5 ,1 5 9

2 6 ,1 4 1 ,1 1 8

400

1 4 ,3 0 5 ,7 1 4

3 2 9 ,9 3 5

1 6 3 ,1 7 4

1 8 4 4 f ..................................................

1 ,1 2 5 ,2 1 4

4 6 ,9 4 0 ,1 5 6

4 1 ,4 7 6 ,0 8 1

8 5 ,7 0 6

1 ,1 3 1 ,9 5 9

3 1 1 ,7 4 1

1 9 2 ,5 8 3
1 9 8 ,9 2 1

1 8 4 5 ..................................................... ..............................

4 1 ,5 1 8 ,9 3 4

4 ,7 6 7 ,2 4 4

4 6 ,2 8 6 ,1 7 8

4 4 ,6 8 7 ,8 5 9

3 ,6 7 3 ,1 3 7

1 8 0 ,8 2 8

3 7 4 ,8 4 6

1 8 4 6 ..................................................... ................................

4 2 ,7 8 1 ,6 1 9

1 ,7 5 8 ,4 8 9

4 4 ,5 4 0 ,1 0 8

4 3 ,8 4 4 ,1 6 0

9 7 3 ,1 1 0

4 8 2 ,7 1 1

3 6 4 ,1 4 9

1 8 3 ,9 4 2

8 3 4 ,9 2 1

7 1 ,0 5 8 ,6 9 8

6 5 ,1 7 0 ,3 7 4

8 ,0 5 5

1 9 ,3 1 2 ,9 3 0

4 5 7 ,5 9 8

3 0 0 ,5 5 5

1 8 4 8 ........................................................

8 ,9 2 4 ,2 9 1

7 1 ,8 5 2 ,3 1 5

5 9 ,7 6 3 .5 0 2

9 ,3 1 8 ,6 3 3

1 ,9 1 6 ,9 5 2

1 8 4 9 .......................................................
1 8 5 0 .....................................................

1 ,8 8 0 ,8 7 8

7 1 ,0 4 2 ,8 7 0

5 8 ,8 1 8 ,4 2 5

7 6 4 ,0 9 7

2 ,7 6 1 ,7 9 2

5 7 6 ,0 1 8

3 4 9 ,9 0 0

5 2 7 ,2 6 6

4 4 0 ,5 S 2

2 6 9 ,0 7 8
2 7 4 ,3 S 3

1 8 4 7 .....................................................

4 ,2 1 0 .2 7 1

6 8 .7 9 7 .2 3 0

1 8 5 1 .....................................................

8 ,1 5 1 ,2 6 6

1 8 5 2 .......................................................

4 ,3 3 6 ,1 8 5

1 1 3 ,2 7 3 , 1 8 7
1 1 2 ,3 2 4 ,8 4 2

1 8 5 3 .....................................................

3 ,8 0 9 ,2 6 4

1 1 5 ,9 8 7 ,6 2 3

1 8 5 4 .....................................................

6 ,5 6 3 ,6 3 1

1 4 0 ,6 7 5 ,3 3 9




7 2 ,1 1 8 .9 7 1

2 ,5 3 4 ,1 8 5

4 7 6 ,5 4 8

2 5 8 .2 1 1

9 0 ,6 1 2 ,2 3 8

1 7 ,0 9 9 , 0 8 1

1 ,0 9 8 .6 6 7

6 2 1 ,5 6 6

8 8 ,1 1 9 ,8 5 9

3 4 ,3 0 2 .2 8 4

1 ,4 7 8 .4 8 4

6 7 2 ,4 8 8

3 0 6 .0 1 7

1 2 5 ,7 7 4 ,2 3 2

1 8 ,6 3 1 ,9 0 0

2 8 4 ,7 9 9

6 6 4 ,8 9 2

4 2 9 ,1 7 4

1 4 0 ,3 8 8 ,7 3 3

2 9 ,2 2 8 ,9 7 5

8 5 ,1 5 6

8 5 8 ,9 7 0

4 3 8 ,2 4 6

Y e a rs e n d in g
S e p te m b e r 3J.
1 8 2 1 .................................................. ...........................
1 8 2 ? ...................................................

/------------------------ ---------E x p o r ts .-------D o m e s tic.
F o re ig n .
8 5 ,2 6 4 ,3 1 3
8 7 ,8 9 6 ,6 0 5

1 8 2 3 .................................................. ..
1 8 2 4 .................................................. ..
1 8 2 5 .....................................................
1 8 2 6 ................................................................................

1 1 ,4 9 6 ,7 1 9

T o n n a g e cle a re d .
A m e r ic a n .
F o r e ig n .
1 0 ,7 2 0
1 5 8 ,1 7 4

T o ta l.
8 1 3 ,1 6 0 ,9 1 8

I m p o rts.
$ 2 3 ,6 2 9 ,2 4 6

6 ,1 1 3 ,3 1 5

1 7 ,1 0 0 ,4 8 2

3 5 ,4 4 5 ,6 2 8

1 8 5 ,6 6 6

1 7 ,7 8 4

7 ,6 7 5 ,9 9 5

1 9 ,0 3 8 ,9 9 0

2 9 ,4 2 1 ,3 4 9

1 9 2 ,5 2 1

2 3 ,5 5 3

9 ,3 6 8 ,4 8 0

2 2 ,8 9 7 ,1 3 4

3 6 ,1 1 3 ,7 2 3

2 2 2 ,2 7 1

1 8 ,1 4 2

1 4 ,6 0 7 ,7 0 3

3 5 ,2 5 9 ,2 6 1

4 9 ,6 3 9 ,1 7 4

2 5 5 ,8 7 8

1 9 ,8 5 1

1 0 ,4 5 1 ,0 7 2

2 1 ,9 4 7 ,7 9 1

3 S , 1 1 5 ,6 3 0

2 1 4 ,6 6 4

2 1 ,3 6 5

1 3 ,9 2 0 ,6 2 7

9 ,9 1 3 ,5 1 0

2 3 ,8 3 4 ,1 3 7

8 8 ,7 1 9 ,6 4 4

2 3 9 ,9 6 8

3 3 ,3 7 5

1 2 ,3 6 2 ,0 1 5

1 0 ,4 1 6 ,6 3 4

2 2 ,7 7 7 ,6 4 9

4 1 ,9 2 7 ,7 9 2

2 1 7 ,1 1 3

4 2 ,3 7 3

1 8 2 9 ..................................................... ...........................
1 8 3 0 ................................................................................

1 2 ,0 3 6 ,5 6 1

8 ,0 8 2 ,4 5 0

2 0 ,1 1 9 ,0 1 1

3 4 ,7 4 3 ,3 0 7

2 1 9 ,6 7 4

3 2 ,5 8 5

1 3 ,6 1 8 ,2 7 8

6 ,0 7 9 ,7 0 5

1 9 ,6 9 7 ,9 8 3

3 5 ,6 2 4 ,0 7 0

2 2 9 ,3 4 1

3 6 ,5 7 4

1 8 3 1 ..................................................... ...........................

1 5 ,7 2 6 .1 1 8

9 ,8 0 9 ,0 2 6

2 5 ,5 3 5 .1 4 4

5 7 ,0 7 7 ,4 1 7

2 5 4 ,3 3 1

7 2 ,4 4 4

1 8 3 2 ..................................................... ...........................

1 5 ,0 5 7 ,2 5 0

1 0 .9 4 3 ,6 9 5

2 6 ,0 0 0 ,9 4 5

5 3 ,2 1 4 ,4 0 2

2 4 2 ,7 4 9

1 0 1 ,9 6 7

1 8 3 3 ..................................................... ...........................

1 5 ,4 1 1 .2 9 6

9 ,9 8 3 ,8 2 1

2 5 ,3 9 5 ,1 1 7

6 5 ,9 1 8 ,4 4 9

3 8 4 ,1 7 5

1 5 3 ,5 6 6

...........................

1 1 ,6 6 2 ,5 4 5

2 5 ,5 1 2 ,0 1 4

7 3 ,1 8 8 ,5 9 4

3 6 1 ,6 0 6

2 3 8 ,6 5 0

8 ,6 3 7 ,3 9 1

8 0 ,3 4 5 ,2 6 4

8 8 .1 9 1 ,3 0 5

5 8 9 ,8 5 5

3 4 3 ,0 7 8

9 ,1 0 4 ,1 1 8
1 1 ,2 5 4 ,4 5 0

2 8 ,9 2 0 ,6 3 8

1 1 8 ,2 5 3 ,4 1 6

4 7 7 ,4 2 4

3 5 5 .5 9 1

1837......................................

2 7 ,3 3 8 ,4 1 9

7 9 ,3 0 1 ,7 2 2

4 3 3 ,0 0 8

4 0 4 ,7 8 4

1 8 3 8 .....................................................

6 ,5 7 6 ,0 3 8

2 3 ,0 0 8 ,4 7 1

6 8 ,4 5 3 ,2 0 6

5 1 5 ,7 8 9

3 2 8 ,7 6 3

1 8 3 5 ..........................................*.

. . ........................
1 8 3 6 .....................................................

2 1 ,7 0 7 ,8 6 7

1 8 3 9 .....................................................

9 ,9 7 1 ,1 0 4

3 3 ,2 6 8 ,0 9 9

9 9 ,8 8 2 ,4 3 8

5 6 9 ,7 3 6

3 3 0 ,6 6 6

1 8 4 0 .....................................................

1 1 .5 8 7 ,4 7 1

3 4 ,2 6 4 ,0 8 0

6 0 ,4 4 0 ,7 5 0

5 1 8 ,2 0 2

3 4 3 ,1 1 4

1 8 4 1 ......................................................

8 ,8 6 0 ,2 2 5

3 3 ,1 3 9 ,8 3 3

7 5 ,7 1 3 ,4 2 6

6 0 0 ,3 0 7

3 6 5 ,2 4 1

1 8 4 2 ......................................................

6 ,8 3 7 ,4 9 2

2 7 ,5 7 6 ,7 7 8

5 7 ,8 7 5 ,6 0 4

5 5 6 ,9 8 9

3 4 0 ,6 2 0

1 8 4 3 * ..................................................

3 ,3 1 9 ,4 3 0

1 6 ,7 6 2 ,6 6 4

3 1 ,3 5 6 ,5 4 0

3 8 1 ,2 8 1

1 7 4 ,3 7 4

1 8 4 4 f ..................................................

6 ,8 5 2 ,3 6 3

3 2 ,8 6 1 ,5 4 0

6 5 ,0 7 9 ,5 1 0

9 7 8 ,8 1 3

4 1 4 ,6 2 5

1 8 4 5 ......................................................

1 0 ,2 4 5 ,3 9 4

3 6 ,1 7 5 ,2 9 8

7 0 ,9 0 9 ,0 8 5

9 2 6 ,2 8 0

4 1 4 ,6 8 8

1 8 4 6 ......................................................

7 ,3 4 9 ,5 4 7

3 6 ,9 3 5 ,4 1 3

7 4 ,2 5 4 ,2 8 3

1 ,1 2 0 .9 4 4

4 2 5 ,9 4 2

1 8 4 7 ......................................................

5 .0 2 7 ,8 8 3

4 9 ,8 4 4 ,3 6 3

4 8 8 ,7 5 5

1 4 ,5 7 9 .9 4 8

6 3 ,3 5 1 ,1 5 7

8 4 ,1 6 7 ,3 5 2
9 4 ,5 2 5 .1 4 1

1 ,0 4 0 .3 4 0

1 8 4 8 ......................................................

1 ,0 0 4 ,3 1 6

7 0 5 ,3 7 3
7 8 4 ,5 1 4

9 ,2 2 4 ,8 8 5

4 5 .9 6 3 ,1 0 0

9 2 ,5 6 7 ,3 6 9

1 ,3 5 8 .6 4 3

1 1 ,2 0 9 .9 8 9

5 2 .7 1 2 ,7 8 9

1 1 1 ,1 2 3 ,6 2 4

1 ,4 1 1 ,5 5 7

7 3 7 ,6 3 9

1 8 5 1 .....................................................

1 7 ,9 0 2 ,4 7 7

8 6 ,0 0 7 ,0 1 9

1 4 1 ,5 4 6 , 5 3 8

1 ,5 8 8 ,3 1 3

8 7 8 ,8 1 9

1 8 5 2 ......................................................

1 3 ,4 4 1 , 8 7 5

8 7 ,4 8 4 ,4 5 6

1 3 2 ,3 2 9 ,3 0 6

1 ,5 7 0 ,9 2 7

9 0 6 ,7 9 3

1 8 4 9 ......................................................
1 8 5 0 ..................................................... ........................

4 1 ,5 0 2 ,8 0 0

1 8 5 3 ......................................................

1 2 ,1 7 5 ,9 3 5

7 8 ,2 0 6 ,2 9 0

1 7 8 ,2 7 0 ,9 9 9

1 ,9 5 9 ,9 0 2

1 ,0 8 4 ,7 4 2

1 8 5 4 ......................................................

1 6 ,9 8 2 ,9 0 6

1 2 2 ,5 3 4 , 6 4 6

1 9 5 ,4 2 7 ,9 3 3

1 , 9 1 8 ,3 1 9

1 ,0 3 5 ,1 5 4




1 3 0 ,9 3 2

1 6 9 ,9 0 6

2 3 7 ,9 5 7

2 4 8 ,6 9 6

5 1 8 ,5 7 5

5 2 2 ,4 3 9

Commercial Statistics.

1 8 2 7 ................................................................................
1 8 2 8 .................................................. .............................

1 8 3 4 ......................

D istrict to n n a g e .
R e g is te r e d . E n r & Iic’ d .
1 1 8 ,7 5 0
1 3 0 ,4 1 0

.

740

Commercial Statistics.
TRADE AND COMMERCE OF CINCINNATI.

W e gave in the November number of the Merchants' Magazine tabular statements
o f the Commerce of New Orleans. W e now publish similar statistics o f the Trade
and Commerce o f Cincinnati:—
IMPORTS INTO CINCINNATI FOR

FIVE

Articles.

Apples, green ........................... bbls.
B eef................
B eef..............
Bagging...........
Barley.............
Beans...............
Butter............
Butter.............
Bloom s...........
Bran, die.........
Candles. . . . . .
Corn................
Corn-meal........
Cider.................
Cheese.............
C heese...........
Cotton..............
C offee.............
Codfish ........
Cooperage........
E g g s ...............
Flour.................
Feathers.........
Fish, sundries .
Fish...................
Fruit, dried... .
G rease.............
Glass................
Glassware . . . .
Hemp................
Hides, loo se .. . ........................... No.
Hides, green . .
Hay..................
Herring.............
Hogs . .............
Hops..................
Iron and steel..,
Iron and ste e l..
Iron and ste e l..
Lead.................
Lard.................
Lard..................
Leather.............
Lemons............
Lim e................ .
Liquors............. .hogsheads & pipes
Merchandise and sundries.packages
Merchandise and sundries.........tons
Molasses............
Malt...................
Nails...................




YEARS, COMMENCING SEPTEMBER 1ST AND ENDING

EACH YEAR, DERIVED FROM THE CINCINNATI PRICE CURRENT.

1850-1.

1851-2.

1852-3.

16,934
1,101
18
....
111,257
31,037
8,259
11,043
2,727
50,976
696
489,195
5,508
1,047
74
205,444
7,168
91,177
448
146,691
5,956
482,772
2,858
19,826
2,694
41,824
876
37,099
28,619
13,254
28,132
25,424
12,691
3,832
111,484
756
225,039
66,839
2,570
59,413
36,889
31,087
10,399
3,37 7
57,537
1,465
175,938
3,370
61,490
21,356
83,761

71,882
1,609
1,145
74
89,994
14,137
10,203
13,720
4,036
131,014
653
653,788
8,640
874
46
241,753
12,776
95,732
431
135,188
10,544
511,042
6,716
20,076
1,075
24,847
1,986
44,004
36,602
18,334
64,647
54,905
9,270
5,149
160,684
1,591
194,107
54,078
10,111
54,733
36,047
32,283
11,384
4,434
64,817
3,162
458,703
1,958
93,132
33,220
64,189

19,845
1,118
295
119
225,844
26,439
16,484
11,331
3,928
62,629
2,882
723,334
17,357
1,238
103
212,337
16,550
109,138
1,140
194,655
14,833
449,089
10,539
22,219
3,935
44,515
3,152
42,963
34,646
20,079
48,808
35,178
6,432
11,486
420,594
2,581
294,001
66,131
14,124
57,089
51,744
26,159
19,689
7,138
75,745
4,379
538,056
1,102
115,112
43,759
104,159

oo
en
CisfS

AUGUST 31ST

31,479
1,841
58
174
286,536
21,332
16,842
11,692
4,836
65,045
815
745,455
31,388
1,634
52
216,892
22,513
91,425
1,389
197,083
15,608
427,464
8,631
18,247
6,448
73,150
6,623
36,767
51,806
11,759
38,875
42,720
19,424
11,093
525,273
3,581
380,405
72,780
14,256
65,359
76,094
19,752
18,561
6,695
87,037
3,840
846,190
5,014
86,430
42,646
101,546

1854-5.
15,971
1,766
4,608
85
204,224
17,173
10,185
7,132
4,699
71,416
1,145
845,579
42,190
829
78
183,379
15,107
114,113
1,274
126,539
12,104
342,772
7,202
13,060
5,266
58,047
5,236
41,635
26,090
8,672
31,505
101,535
37,914
10,624
496,860
4,014
505.S92
62,725
3,690
57,769
53,654
14,831
17,753
7,855
62,913
2,295
833,915
2,323
56,237
44,498
94,689

Commercial Statistics.

741

1850-1.

1851-2.

1852-3.

6,764
9,302
1,739
164,238
194,000
6,277
1,183
31,695
[ 14,631
Pork in bulk.. . . .
j
330
Potatoes...............
19,649
Pig-metal............
16,110
Pimento and pepper................ bags
2,027
Rye......................
44,308
Resin, <fec..............
12,511
Raisins.................
15,648
Rope, twine, & c . ,
2,077
R ice....................
4,780
Sugar .................
29,808
Sugar...................
18,584
Sugar....................
3,612
Seed, flax.............
20,319
Seed, grass.........
4,104
Seed, hemp . . . .
68
Salt......................
50,474
Salt.......................
79,358
S h o t.....................
1,567
Tea........................
7,821
Tobacco ...............
3,701
Tobacco...............
1,697
Tobacco...............
19,945
Tallow..................
3,682
3,401
Wines.......... barrels & quarter-casks
W ines.................. .. .baskets & boxes
5,060
388,660
W h eat.................
W o o l...................
1,866
W h isk y...............
244,049
Cotton-yarn........
5,577
Cotton ya rn .........
124,594

8,305
4,557
1,843
197,868
247,400
10,333
1,987
22,501
16,532
885
20,739
22,605
1,425
58,318
14.484
28,417
3,203
3,782
39,324
15,237
2,259
48,074
10,819
304
91,312
58,020
1,688
12,810
11,460
1,996
23,060
5,930
4,482
8,322
377,037
4,562
272,788
10,836
167,002

10,507
8,934
2,965
283,251
14,000
15,251
3,550
39,517
26,868
341
15,585
30,179
5,590
33,670
19,983
25,433
4,173
5,346
49,229
24,004
2,115
51,762
14,946
1,040
71,626
78,086
1,145
22,379
7,881
2,478
48,201
3,463
9,563
9,440
343,649
6,748
280,317
7,362
115,841

A rticle s.

O il........................
Oranges................
Oakum................
Oats.....................
Oilcake................
Pork and bacon..
Pork and bacon..
Pork and b a con ..

1851-4.
11,228
5,779
4,071
437,423
135,000
12,164
2,736
39,387
27,059
927
35,244
41,807
7,174
29,592
16,161
22,540
4,483
3,242
64,461
25,441
2,349
40,860
19,894
984
66,372
90,832
2,889
14,199
8,744
3,118
30,235
4,230
7,544
8,379
408,084
4,953
285,343
6,879
114,767

1854-5.
8,345
13,239
3,463
480,178
134,447
6,947
6,770
38,365
18,551
646
29,982
26,613
2,325
53,164
13,664
24,765
2,510
3,899
46,953
19,465
2,697
24,189
14,605
539
72,105
74 362
2.583
20,724
5,209
2,312
24,802
8,288
3,384
4,815
437,412
5,999
272,165
7,052
65,741

In the above table, the figures for the years prior to 1852-3 embrace only the num­
ber of hogs received by public conveyance. Since that time the number driven to
market during the packing season have been added.
VALUE OF PRINCIPAL EXPORTS FROM THE PORT OF CINCINNATI FOR THE YEARS ENDING AU­
GUST 3 1 s t , 1 8 5 4

A r t ic le s .

Apples, green.............
A lc o h o l.....................
Beef............................
Beef.............................
Beans...........................
Broom s.......................
Butter.........................
Butter.........................
Bran, & c .....................
Bagging...................... .
Corn.............................




and

1855.

T o ta l.

3,427
19,956
17,584
13,977
1,297
18,275
1,300
24,196
11,456
2,485
64,344

Average

T ota l

T o ta l

p r ic e .

v a lu e .

last y e a r.

$8,567
528,838
202,216
237,609
9,079
41,119
42,380
266,156
9,164
6,958
90,081

$14,417
311,047
251,594
122,336
10,169
32,342
108,090
415,950
10,071
16,799
39,426

$2
26
11
17
7
2
32
11

50
40
60
00
00
25
60
00
80
2 80
1 40

742

Commercial Statistics.

Articles.
Corn-meal...................................... barrels
Cheese...................................................casks
C heese................................................. boxes
Candles........................................................
Cattle.....................................................bead
Cotton.................................................... bales
C offee...................................................sacks
Cooperage........................................... pieces
Eggs....................................................barrels
F lo u r.............................................................
Feathers.............................................. sacks
Fruit, dried........................................bushels
G rease...............................................barrels
Grass-seed....................................................
H orses...................................................head
H ay........................................................bales
H em p............................................................
H ides.................................................pounds
H id es....................................................... No.
Iro n .....................................................pieces
Iron....................................................bundles
Iron.......................................................... tons
Lard....................................................barrels
L a rd ....................................................... kegs
L ard -oil.........................
barrels
Linseed-oil....................................................
Molasses.........................................................
O ilcak e.......................................
ton9
Oats.......................................................sacks
Potatoes, A c ..................................... barrels
Pork and bacon...........................hogsheads
Pork and b acon ................................ tierces
Pork and bacon................................ barrels
Pork and bacon.................................. boxes
Pork, in bulk.................................... pounds
Rope, twine, A c............................ packages
Soap...................................................... boxes
Sheep..................................................... head
S u gar...........................................hogsheads
Salt..................................................... barrels
Salt........................................................ sacks
Seed, flax...........................................barrels
Sundry, merchandise....................packages
Sundry, merchandise............................ tons
Sundry, liquors..................................barrels
Sundry, manufactures......................pieces
Sundry, produce ........................ packages
Starch...................................................boxes
Tallow................................................ barrels
Tobacco..................................kegs & boxes
Tobacco........................................ hogsheads
Tobacco................................................. bales
V inegar.............................................barrels
W h isk y.........................................................
W ool.......................................................bales
W o o l.................................................. pounds
White-lead..............................................kegs
Castings...............................................pieces
Castings................................................. tons
Total




T ota l.

A v era ge

T ota l

T ota l

p r ic e .

v a lu e .

last y e a r.

2 ,7 7 2

$2

90

$ 8 ,0 3 8

4

20

00

80

454

1 0 2 ,3 5 2

3

30

3 3 7 ,7 6 1

4 5 4 ,1 1 6

$ 1 ,0 5 7

1 3 9 ,1 9 1

7

60

1 ,0 5 7 ,8 5 1

1 ,0 6 4 4 7 6

1 0 ,2 8 5

70

00

7 1 9 ,9 5 0

5 0 2 ,1 0 0

1 0 ,0 2 1

44

00

4 4 0 ,9 2 4

6 6 4 ,1 3 5

4 2 ,2 8 3

18

50

7 8 2 ,2 3 5

7 7 8 ,1 4 4
1 7 2 ,8 4 9

1 0 8 ,1 0 5

1 20

1 2 9 ,7 2 6

5 ,0 1 4

8

00

4 0 ,1 1 2

4 8 ,1 5 7

1 9 9 ,2 7 6

8

15

1 ,6 2 4 ,0 9 9

2 ,0 9 6 ,5 0 1
2 3 0 ,3 5 6

7 ,3 1 9

26

00

1 9 0 ,2 9 4

1 3 ,0 2 9

2

00

2 6 ,0 5 8

3 5 ,2 0 3

9 ,4 1 3

17

00

1 6 0 ,0 2 1

2 5 1 ,1 0 4

7 ,3 3 0

16

00

1 1 7 ,2 8 0

2 1 5 ,6 2 5

1 ,6 3 0

155

00

2 5 2 ,6 5 0

2 5 9 ,7 5 0

5 ,7 0 6

2

70

1 5 ,4 0 6

1 ,9 5 0

2 ,9 1 8

35

00

1 0 2 ,1 3 0

1 1 7 ,6 5 0

12

5 ,2 8 4

681

3

50

8 5 ,4 9 4

1 0 8 ,9 6 1

1 50
3 75

9 0 7 ,2 9 1

5 4 3 ,8 1 7

2 3 8 ,9 3 5

2 4 9 ,4 9 2

4 4 ,0 3 5
2 4 ,4 2 7
6 0 4 ,8 6 1
6 3 ,7 1 6
1 1 ,9 7 8

75

00

8 9 8 ,3 5 0

1 ,4 6 6 ,5 6 0

4 3 ,7 9 9

20

00

8 7 5 ,9 8 0

1 .0 8 4 ,6 1 6

6 2 ,8 0 6

4

50

2 8 2 ,6 2 7

3 7 3 ,3 8 4

4 3 ,5 9 5

30

00

1 ,3 0 7 ,8 5 0

1 ,2 2 3 ,7 2 8

3 ,4 5 4

37

00

1 2 7 ,7 9 8

2 0 5 ,0 3 8

4 5 ,1 5 0

12

00

6 4 1 ,8 0 0

5 0 7 ,0 4 8

778

25

00

1 9 ,4 5 0

2 5 ,6 2 0

4 2 ,2 8 2

1 25

5 2 ,8 5 2

3 ,7 7 3

1 0 ,3 9 9

3

25

3 3 ,7 9 7

9 ,1 1 9
2 ,3 6 3 ,0 4 0

4 2 ,4 6 9

60

00

2 ,5 4 8 ,1 4 0

4 0 ,5 1 5

20

00

8 1 0 ,3 0 0

9 3 1 ,9 8 4

1 0 4 ,2 7 5

14

50

1 ,5 1 1 ,9 8 7

1 ,6 1 9 ,5 0 0

22 574

21

3 6 7 ,3 1 4

00

4 7 2 ,8 5 1

8 7 3 ,0 5 4

6

5 2 ,3 8 3

9 6 ,9 7 7

3 ,9 0 9

7 00

2 7 ,3 6 3

7 2 ,3 8 0

3 4 ,2 4 7

8 30
o 20

1 1 3 ,0 1 5

1 2 8 ,8 4 4

3 .6 3 0

2 ,0 2 8

62

on

2 ,0 1 0 ,7 8 4

1 ,9 8 5 ,3 5 5

3

1 ,6 5 0
3 2 ,4 3 2
3 6 ,3 3 3

10

1 1 2 ,6 3 2

1 1 1 ,7 3 5

9 ,6 0 6

1 40

1 3 ,4 4 8

3 9 ,6 0 5

1 ,1 2 1

4

50

5 ,0 4 4

1 3 ,4 5 2

8 1 1 ,6 2 5

6

00

4 ,8 6 9 ,7 5 0

7 ,2 0 1 ,1 8 0

8 ,4 6 6

600

00

5 ,0 7 9 ,6 0 0

7 ,4 6 6 ,4 0 0

2 5 .7 1 4

45

00

1 ,1 5 7 ,1 3 0

1 ,9 4 0 ,6 0 0

3 4 7 ,5 6 4

4

00

1 ,3 9 0 ,2 5 6

1 ,5 2 7 ,8 8 8

1 4 1 ,9 2 5

3

50

4 9 6 ,7 3 7

3 2 5 ,5 7 6

2 4 ,5 2 0

3

60

8 8 ,2 7 2

1 0 3 ,0 2 5

6 ,8 9 3

35

00

2 4 1 ,2 5 5

2 3 6 ,6 9 8

2 6 ,0 7 7

23

00

5 9 9 ,7 7 1

6 7 6 ,3 0 2

4 ,9 6 8

90

00

4 4 7 ,1 2 0

7 8 5 ,6 5 2
2 3 ,5 9 0

3 ,3 0 7

8

50

2 8 ,1 0 9

8 ,6 4 3

2

50

2 1 ,6 0 7

1 6 ,2 6 0

2 4 3 ,5 5 1

12

00

2 ,9 2 2 ,6 1 2

1 ,9 9 6 ,8 9 6

6 ,4 3 5

34

00

2 1 8 ,7 9 0

2 2 5 ,3 6 5

28

1 ,2 5 4

4 2 5 ,7 9 0

4 ,4 8 2
5 5 ,2 1 8

2

20

1 2 1 ,4 7 9

1 4 8 ,5 6 2

8 0 ,2 6 3

5

00

4 0 1 ,3 1 5

9 5 4 ,4 8 0

2 ,0 7 3

90

00

1 8 6 ,5 7 0

2 7 9 ,4 0 0

$ 3 8 ,7 7 7 ,3 9 4 $ 4 5 ,4 3 2 ,1 8 0

N autical Intelligence.

743

NAUTICAL INTELLIGENCE.
NOTICE TO MARINERS.
The following highly important intelligence to mariners has been received from the
Hydrographic Office, Admiralty, London, bearing date August 80th, 1855 :—
The colonial government at Mauritius has given notice that the light-towers lately
in course o f construction in that island being now completed, the following lights will
be exhibited on and after the first day of December next, (1855:)—
1. R e v o l v i n g L i g h t o n F l a t I s l a n d .
The light tower on Flat Island (at the north
end of Mauritius) stands on the highest part of the island, and at its south west angle,
in latitude 19° 53' 26" S., longitude 57° 41' 12" E. of Greenwich. The illuminating
apparatus is catadioptric or reflecting, and o f the first order.

The light is revolving, its period of revolution being one minute, showing a bright
light for twenty seconds, followed by an interval of darkness of forty seconds. It is
placed at an elevation of 365 feet above the level of the sea, and will be visible from
the deck of a ship at a distance of 25 miles in clear weather.
2 . F i x e d L i g h t o n C a n o n x i e r P o in t .
The light-tower on Canonnier Point, at the
north-west angle of the island of Mauritius, stands at the extremity of the point, inlatitude 20° 0' 35" S., longitude 57° 35' 24" E. of Greenwich, and bears S. W. i W
distant nine miles nearly lrom the light house on Flat Island.

The light is fix ed ; it is of the natural color to seaward, and o f the first order. It
is placed at a height of 38 feet above the level of the sea, and will be visible at a dis­
tance of 10 miles in clear weather.
The object of this light is to indicate the position of a dangerous reef which extends
off shore I f miles from Canonnier Point, and to warn vessels from approaching too
near the coral reefs which lie to the north-east and south-west o f that point.
When seen from the southward on any bearing to the northward of N. E. 4 E., the
light will appear red, thereby warning the mariner (when within Bix miles of the light)
that he is too near the land.
3. H a r b o r L i g h t s f o r P o r t L o u i s . A green light will be exhibited on a mast at
the outer angle of Fort George, on the western point o f Tonnelier or Cooper’s Island,
on the left or eastern side of the entrance of Port Louis harbor.
4. A red light will be exhibited on a mast in the Slartello Tower, which stands at
the entrance of Grand River, on its western bank, at 1^- miles S. W. by W. of Fort
George.
The object of these two harbor lights is to lead up to and mark the best anchorage
off Port Louis. A vessel closing the red light on a S. S. W. bearing should drop her
anchor directly the green light on Fort George bears S. E. | S.
These bearings are all magnetic. Variation 11° 47' west.
This notice affects the following Admiralty Charts:— Madagascar, east coast, No677 ; Mauritius, No. 711; Port Louis, No. 713 ; and East India Light-house List, Nos.
10 and 11.
ROCKS ON CORTEZ BANK, COAST OF CALIFORNIA.
The following is a letter from the Superintendent to the Secretary of the Treasury,
communicating the position of a dangerous rock on Cortez Bank, coast of California,
determined by Lieut, commanding Archibald McRae, United States Navy, assistant in
the Coast Survey:—




?44

Nautical Intelligence.
C o a s t S u r v e y S t a t i o n , D i x m o n t , M e ., O c t o b e r 10, 1855.

:— I have the honor to report that, under the instructions of Lieut. Commanding
James Alden, United States Navy, assistant in the Coast Survey, a dangerous rock on
Cortez Bank, off the extreme southern coast of California, xvas sought for by Lieut.
Commanding Archibald McRae, United States Navy, assistant in the Coast Survey,
and determined to be in latitude 32° 29' N., and longitude 119° 04V W., (both ap­
proximate.) The shoalest water on the rock is reported by Lieut. McRae to be threeand-ahalf fathoms, subject to a possible tidal reduction of six feet, which might reduce
it to tw oand-abalf fathoms, or fifteen feet.
Lieut. McRae placed a buoy composed of two casks, with a flag-staff between, upon
the shoalest part of the ledge to which this rock belongs, and which he represents as
quite extensive. The buoy could be seen in clear weather about three miles.
I would respectfully request that a copy o f this letter may be sent to the Light­
house Board, that their attention may be directed to the placing of a beacon on this
ledge.
I inc’ ose herewith a Coast Survey sketch of Cortez Bank, from a reconnoissance by
Lieut. Commanding Alden in 1853. In that examination the rock referred to was
not found.
I propose to direct a minute survey o f this dangerous locality.
I would respectfully request authority to publish the information contained in this
letter.
Very respectfully yours,
S

ir

A . D . B A C H E , S u p e rin te n d e n t.
H on . J

am es

G u t h r i e , S e creta ry o f th e T re a su ry .

ANSW ER TO A PRO BLEM IN NAVIGATION.

In the Humboldt Times of the 27th of January, 1855, the following question was
propounded:—
“ When a ship is steering north by compass, with an easterly variation of eighteen
degrees, what is the true course she is making ?
In answer to which the Times received notes from several sea captains, all of whom
give the same answer, from which we publish the following, which we think will set­
tle a question that has arisen on this coast. The correction of the variation o f the
compass appears to be very simple, and it appears singular there should be so great
a discrepancy among sea-faring men as exists. For instance, some contend that when
there is an easterly variation the true course is to the west o f the course steered by
compass, while the books and experienced navigators say the true course is to the east
o f that steered. Many attribute the loss of the steamer Arispe to that cause; that
while making actually “ easting,” the captain calculated she was making “ westing.”
I f two vessels were to sale from the same port a distance of twenty-five thousand
miles, with opposite ideas of the variation— if the compass varies eighteen degrees—
they would be twenty-five hundred and two miles apart from each other in reckoning.
A captain writes, “ When steering north by compass she is making north by east half
east, 1° V 30" easterly, or north by east half east a little easterly.” He also sends
us “ A Guide to Navigators,” which settles the question.
TO CORRECT THE COURSES STEERED BY COMPASS.

The variation of the compass, which is usually found by observation, as already ex­
plained, must be applied to all courses steered, and on all bearings taken by the com­
pass, in the following manner:— Suppose yourself placed at the center o f the com­
pass, and looking directly forward to the point you are to allow the variation from ;
then, if the variation be easterly, allow it to the right hand of the course steered, or
bearing taken by compass ; but if westerly, to the left hand; by which you will ob­
tain the true course.




Nautical Intelligence.

745

For example, suppose the course steered by compass is N. E. by N., and the varia­
tion is one point westerly ; now, one point to the left hand o f N. E. by N. is IT. N. E.,
which is the true course required. Again ; suppose I set a cape, and find it bear from
me S. W. by compass, the variation being 1^- points easterly; here
points allowed
to the right hand of S. W. will give S. W . by W . $ W., the true bearing of the
land.
Another says, “ the above is correct.” If you wish to make a due north course,
where there is an easterly variation of eighteen degrees, your compass course should
be to a point eighteen degrees west of north.
P E T IT MEJYA1V LIGHT-HOGSE, M AINE.

A new light-house and keeper’s dwelling have been erected on Petit Menan Island,
Maine:—
The tower is built of cut granite, and is the natural color of the stone. The dwell­
ings are painted brown, and the iron work o f the lantern is black.
The center of the light is 100 feet above the ground, and 125 feet above the level
of ordinary high water.
The light will be visible in good weather at a distance of 17 nautical miles.
The illuminating apparatus is a lens of the second order of the system of Fresnel,
and the light will be a fixed light until the 1st of January, 1856, when a fixed light,
varied by flashes, will be shown, and will be continued during every night thereafter.
The following magnetic bearings have been taken from the light-house:—
To Narragaugus Light-house, N. E. f N., distant 5| miles.
To Nashe’s Island Light-house, N. E. by E., distant 8 miles.
To Jackson’s Ledge, E., distant 4 miles.
To South-east Rock, S. E. by S., distant 4 miles.
To Simms’ Rock, S. $ E., distant 3 miles.
To buoy on Petit Menan Bar, N. f W., distant 1^ miles.
To Baker’s Island Light-house, W. by S., distant 18 miles.
By order of the Light-house Board,
W . B . F R A N K L I N , L ig h t -h o u s e In s p e c to r , 1st D istrict.

CHANGE IN TH E LIGHT OF GREIFSWALD ISLAND.
COAST OF PRUSSIA, BALTIC.

The Prussian government has given notice that on and after the 1st of October
next, 1855, a Revolving Light will be exhibited at the new tower, recently com­
pleted on the northeastern end of the Island of Greifswald, on the coast of Prussia,
at which time the two vertical Fixed Lights hitherto in use on that island will be
discontinued.
In order to distinguish it from the adjacent Fixed Lights o f Cape Arcona to the
north, and Stettin to the south, as well as the Revolving Lights of Dars Point to the
west, and Jershoft to the east—
The Greifswald Light is now a Revolving Light, presenting alternately a light of
the natural color and a red light, these two lights being separated from each other by
equal intervals of darkness.
The duration of each of these lights, that is, o f the natural-colored light and the red
light, and also that of the darkness between each of them, is 45 seconds, or threefourths of a minute.
The tower is constructed of brick, the mortar being scarcely visible, and the light,
which is 164 feet above the level of the sea, may be seen in all directions at the dis­
tance of 17 miles from the deck of a vessel.
It is in latitude 54° 14' 45" north, and longitude 13° 55' 27" east from Green­
wich.
JO H N W A S H IN G T O N , H yd rogra p h er.
H y d r o g r a p h i c O f f i c e , A d m i r a l t y , L o n d o n , S e p t. 28, 1855.

This notice affects the following Admiralty Charts:— Baltic, No. 2,262; Coast from
Bornholm to Rixhoft, No. 2,198 ; Baltic Pilot, p. 134; Lighthouse List, No. 138.




746

Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

RAILROAD, CANAL, AND STEAMBOAT STATISTICS.
REGULATIONS FOR PASSAGE OF V ESSELS THROUGH T H E

SH IP CANAL AT ST .

M ARY’S FALLS,
RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR
THE ST. M a r y ’ s
J u n e , 1855.

falls

s h ip

THE

MANAGEMENT

AND

c a n a l , e s t a b l is h e d

by

PASSAGE
the

OF VESSELS

state

board

of

THROUGH
control,

1. The master of every vessel arriving at either end of the canal for the purpose of
passing through the same, shall communicate his desire to do so to the superintendent,
but shall not enter the canal or approach within 100 feet of the locks at the east end,
or within 50 feet of the stone wharf at the west end of the canal, until the superin­
tendent has giveu his directions so to do, under a penalty of not less than twenty-five,
nor more than one hundred dollars.
2. Before the superintendent shall authorize the passage of any vessel into or
through the canal, the master thereof will be required to furnish a duly certified state­
ment o f the enrolled tonnage or measurement of such vessel, and the place o f enrol­
m ent; name and description, or character; the names of her owner or owners and
master; the port of her departure and destination; the number of her passengers;
and the amount, general character, and destination o f her cargo. The said master
will also be first required to pay over to the superintendent in gold or silver money,
or its equivalent, the tolls chargeable for the passage of said vessel through the canal,
as the same shall be determined by the superintendent.
3. The master o f every vessel which shall be brought to at either end of the canal,
within the distances from the locks and stone wharf before mentioned, and of every
vessel which shall enter any portion of said canal, shall be subject to the directions of
the superintendent thereof, and shall place and moor his vessel at such place, and
shall move the same or fall back, as the superintendent shall direct, under a penalty
o f not less than ten, nor more than twenty-five dollars.
4. Upw'ard bound vessels will pass those bound down, by taking the towpath or
south aide; but no downward bound vessel must attempt to pass another vessel in
any portion of the canal between the upper Caisson Cate recess and the locks, except
at the basin; and when the basin is occupied by a vessel, no other vessel must enter
the canal for the purpose of passing if there be one already in the canal bound in the
opposite direction, under a penalty of twenty dollars for each and every offense.
5 All sail vessels shall have their yards and booms topped or braced up, and bow­
sprits and anchors secured, so as not to interfere with the locks or gates, under a pen­
alty of ten dollars, besides cost of repairs.
6. Every vessel while passing the locks shall have out at least two good hawsers or
check ropes— one at the bow and one at the quarter— which shall be attended by the
boat’s crew, to prevent collision with the gates and keep the vessel in place, under a
penalty of twenty-five dollars.
7. It shall be the duty of every person having the charge of a vessel to ascertain
for himself whether the locks are prepared to receive such vessel before entering, and
upon entering, to stop the speed of his vessel in sufficient time to avoid collision with
the locks or gates, under the penalty o f such fine as the superintendent may impose,
not exceeding five hundred dollars, besides cost of repairs.
8. When required by the superintendent, the master and crew of a vessel passing
shall assist in opening and closing the gates, and operating the other fixtures of the
canal, under a penalty of not less than ten, nor more than twenty-five dollars.
9. Every vessel navigating the canal, or lyiug to at either end of the same, in the
night, shall exhibit the lights which are required by the act of Congress for vessels
at sea, under a penalty of not less than twenty-five, nor more than one hundred dol­
lars.
10. No vessel shall be propelled through the canal at a greater speed than four
miles per hour, under a penalty of fifty dollars.
11. Several vessels lying to, or waitiDg to enter the canal, shall lie in single file, and
advance in the same order in which they lie.
\




Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

747

12. Any person who shall obstruct the navigation o f the canal, by bringing into it
a vessel of too great draft of water, or by sinking in it any vessel, timber, stone, earth,
or other thing, or by placing upon the banks thereof any obstruction, shall be subject
to a fine of not less than fifty or more than five hundred dollars.
13. No person in charge o f a vessel shall cast anchor within the canal, or any chan­
nel leading thereto, or receive or discharge cargo or wood while in the same, without
written permission of the Superintendent, under a penalty of ten dollars.
14. Lumber or timber must be so loaded upon the vessel so as not to project over
the gunwale or side, under a penalty of twenty dollars.
15. Any steamer, propeller, sail vessel, scow, or other vessel not enrolled, wishing
to pass the canal, may do so, subject to all the rules, regulations, and penalties pre­
scribed for enrolled vessels, by the payment to the Superintendent of the tolls pre­
scribed herein for enrolled vessels of the like tonnage; but in no case shall the tolls
paid by such vessel be less than the sum o f five dollars.
16. The canal and locks will not be opened for public use on the Sabbath, except
for the passage of “ vessels of the United States engaged in the public service, or in
the transportation of property or troops of the United States.”
17. The owners of all vessels entering or using said canal, locks, <fec., shall do so
with the express condition that it is at his own risk and peril, and that the State will
not in any case become responsible for any damage or injury which any vessel may
receive in consequence of any imperfections of the canal, locks, or their appurtenances,
or from any cause whatever.
18. Tlie owner of every vessel which shall enter or use said canal or locks shall be
liable for all damage which may be done to the same by the vessel, her officers or
crew, whether intentional or accidental, and shall also be liable for the full payment
of such damage, and also of any and all fines and penalties which may have been
imposed at any time on said vessel, her officers or crew, for such damage; and the
said vessel shall also be liable to be seized by proper legal process for the payment
of any such damage or penalties incurred.
19. No person shall occupy or use any portion of the banks, land, or appurtenances
o f the canal for any purpose whatever ; nor shall any timber, stone, or freight be left
upon the banks or piers of the canal without the permission, in writing, of the Super­
intendent, under a penalty of not less than ten nor more than twenty-five dollars.
20. No person shall build or repair, or heat or boil pitch, tar, or grease, for the pur­
pose of repairing any boat, vessel, or other craft, within the canal or locks, or upon
grounds belonging thereto, without the written permission of the Superintendent, and
at such place as he may direct, under a penalty of not less than ten nor more than
five hundred dollars.
21. No person shall throw into the canal, or any lock, basin, or channel thereof, or
within two hundred yards o f its entrance, any dead animal, or nuisance of any kind,
or stones, timbers, bushes, or other rubbish, under a penalty o f not less than ten nor
more than fifty dollars; and any scow, boat, raft of timber or boards, found floating
therein, shall be dtemed forfeited, and may be taken up and sold by the Superintend­
ent to pay costs and damages.
22. It is understood that the towage or moving of all vessels,while in the canal,
except when actually in the locks, or passing into or out o f the same, shall be at tho
expense of the master or owners of the same.
There will be at all times ready, under the control of the Superintendent, careful
and trusty men prepared to do towing for such as may require their services.
23. No person, other than those employed by the Superintendent for that purpose,
shall open, shut, or handle any lock, gate, valve, or other part of the machinery or
appurtenances of the canal, under a penalty of not less than five nor more than ten
dollars.
24. All penalties hereby established for violations of the above regulations, shall
be exclusive of, and in addition to, costs and payments for injuries done to the works
of the caual.
25. All process for the collection of any of the fines and penalties and damages
above fixed, shall be issued in the name of the “ St. Mary’s Falls Ship Canal,” out of
any court of competent jurisdiction, under the direction of the Superintendent of said
canal.




,

,

Railroad Canal and Steamboat Statistics.

748

26.
No pike, pole, or other instrument, shod or pointed with iron, or other metal
shall be used in or about the locks or canal, under a penally o f not less than five nor
more than ten dollars for each otfense.
21. The Assistant Superiutendent, and any other person duly authorized by the
Superintendent, shall have all the power and authority herein given to the Superin­
tendent.
STEAM DICTIONARY.
BY ZEKAH COLBORX, EDITOR OP THE RAILROAD ADVOCATE.

Footboard. A plate iron board, behind the boiler, for the engineman and fireman
to stand upon.
Frame. Made to attach to the boiler, cylinders, axles, and all cross-shafts, and binds
the whole fabric together.
Frost Cocks. Cocks to admit steam to the feed-pipes, leading from the tender to
the pumps used when the water becomes frozen.
Gaseous. Aeriform, or having the form of gas.
Gauge. A s applied to railroads, means the width between the insides of the railsThe common width of gauge of the roads in the Eastern and Middle States, and in
Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois, is 4 feet 8| inches between the insides of the heads of
the rails, or 4 feet lO f inches between centers. The New Jersey and Ohio gauge is
4 feet 10 inches, inside to inside. The gauge of most of the new roads of Virginia
and of all the roads south of that State, and south o f the Ohio River, is 5 feet, inside
to inside. The Sciota and Hocking Valley Road, in Ohio, is o f the gauge o f 5 feet 4
inches. The Atlantic and St. Lawrence Road of Maine, the Canada roads, and those
west o f the Mississippi, (except in Iowa,) are 5 feet 6 inches, inside to inside. The
Erie Road and principal tributaries, the Illinois and Wisconsin Road in Illinois, and
the Ohio and Mississippi Road, are all 6 feet gauge. In England, the Great Western
Road is 1 feet gauge. There has been much controversy as to the relative merits of
the broad and narrow gauges. It appears, however, in practice, that more power is
required to operate the wide than the narrow gauge. This word (gauge) is often im­
properly spelled guage.
Gauge Cocks. Cocks at different levels on the side of the fire-box, and to ascertain
the height of water in the boiler. When opened, water or steam will escape, accord­
ing as the level o f the water is above or below them.
Generate. ITsed in its general sense, it is often introduced in mechanical writings
to express the production of steam, heat, &c. A boiler is sometimes called a gen­
erator.
Gland. A bushing to hold the packing in a stuffing-box
The loose collar, as dis­
tinguished from the recess in which the packing is compressed, and which is in itself
the stuffing-box. The term gland is not commonly used, that of “ stuffing-box” being
applied indiscriminately to the recess in which the packing is placed and the bushing
employed to hold it.
Grade. The degree or rate o f inclination of a road— its ascent or descent. Grades
are expressed in feet per m ile; a grade of 40 feet per mile, means a regular ascent at
the rate o f 40 feet perpendicular, in going one mile, or 5,280 feet. Every sloping
grade is of course an inclined plane; but the latter term is applied particularly to
grades where the trains are drawn up by ropes, worked by stationary eDgines. The
highest or steepest grade upon which a locomotive has ever been known to ascend
was 528 feet per mile, or one foot rise in ten feet forward. This was on the Balti­
more and Ohio Road, a heavy engine taking itself and a loaded car weighing 12 tons




,

Railroad Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

149

up without difficulty. Grades of 300 feet per mile are now worked on a temporary
track of the Virginia Central Road. Grades of from 80 to 125 feet per mile are not
unfrequent in the Middle States. To find the gravity of one ton of 2,000 pounds, on
any grade, multiply the rise of the grade in feet per mile, by 3,781. Point off four
figures for decimals, and the product will express the gravity in pounds. For tons of
2,240 pounds, multiply by 4,242 instead o f 3,787.
Granular. As applied to iron, meaning a disposition of the particles of the metal
in the form of small grains, as in the appearance of broken sugar.
Grate. The parallel bars which support the fuel in the fire-box. Always of castiron. The grates are sometimes made to be detached or dropped in the fire-box, so
as to drop the fuel, particularly where coke is burnt. This is done to clear the grate
o f clinkers. In coal engines, the grate bars are sometimes made so as to receive an
occasional rocking motion, intended to loosen the cinders. This rocking is effected by
a hand lever, inserted in a hole in the projecting end of each pair of bars.
Gravity. The weight of bodies—the tendency which bodies, heavier than air, have
to fall, or to seek the lowest level. On an inclined plane or grade, the load has a
gravity which must be overcome before the load can be carried along or upward. The
rule for finding the gravity on grades is given above, under the head of Grade, which
see.
Guides. Rods or bars, often called “ slides,” lying in the direction of the axis of the
cylinder, and guiding the cross-head, to insure a perfectly parallel motion of the
piston-rod.
OLIVER EVANS AND T H E STEAM ENGINE.

The editor of the Pennsylvania Inquirer has seen the original proposition, as made
by Mr. Oliver Evans, to the “ Lancaster Turnpike Road Company,” for the construc­
tion of steam-engines and carriages, to transport merchandise and produce from Phila­
delphia to Columbia. It is dated “ Philadelphia, September 6th, 1804,” and the fol­
lowing estimate is made : An engine, $1,500 ; a carriage, $500 ; unforseen expenses,
$500. Total, $2,500. Mr. Evans thought that this carriage would be able to trans­
port one hundred barrels of flour at the rate of three miles per hour on level roads,
and one mile per hour up and down hill. In other words, at about two miles per
hour on an average. And thus he believed that the trip could be made from Phila­
delphia to Columbia in two days. A t that time it required five wagons with five
horses each, to transport one hundred barrels o f flour the same distance in three days,
and at an aggregate expense of $3,304. The gain, therefore, by the new plan, would
be upwards of $800. This, be it remembered, a little more than half a century ago.
Mr. Evans also stated that he had invented the only steam-engine calculated for the
purpose. The following extract from his memorial will be read with interest:—
“ I might as well have made this improvement about twenty years ago, when I first
conceived the means by which it is to be effected. But prudence has compelled me
to suspend my natural inclination and capacity for invention, and confine my improve­
ments to such things as I was immediately interested in. During the revolution I
made wire, wool, and cotton cards. My improvements in these arts exceeded all
known here at that time. I have no doubt but that my engines will propel boats
against the current o f the Mississippi, and wagons on our turnpike roads with great
profit.”
We have also, adds the Inquirer, been shown a manuscript endorsed by Oliver E v ­
ans, and probably written by one of his family,in which is given a detailed account of
the invention of steamboats. H e states that in 1775 or 1776, he conceived the idea of




750

,

Railroad Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

propel'ing boats with his engines, by means of wheels at the sides, and communicated
bis discovery to othei'3—namely, to George Latimer, in 1777, and to Evan and Joseph
Evans, both of whom were then living to testify. In 17S4 he matured in idea, and
by experiments, a steam engine applicable to the purpose of propelling carriages and
boats so far, that he petitioned the Legislature in 17S6, to secure to him the right of
propelling land-carriages, and obtained acts of the Legislatures of Maryland and New
Hampshire. He did not include steamboats, having been informed that Col. James
Ramsey and John Fitch had been engaged in constructing steamboats, and were con­
tending for priority of invention. He yielded to them, and he states that Fitch pre­
vailed. The document from which the above extract is taken, is quite voluminous,
but deeply interesting, and we hope to be able to give it at length at some future
time.
DEVLAN’S RAILROAD CHAIR AND RAIL.

A new railroad chair and rail, the invention of a Pennsylvanian named Devlan, is
mentioned in the Polttsville Register. The rail is a hollow tube of wrought iron, made
as gas pipes are, by drawing the metal through dies.
The average wear of railroad iron is seven years—that is, they are constantly laying
down new rails along roads, and the calculation is, that in seven years they have done
sufficient to relay the whole road. In this work of relaying the track, the danger to
life and property is very great. By the use of the Devlan rail, when one side wears,
a man goes along the road and simply turns it with a wrench, and so on as often as
they like. The rail being a tube, as all mechanics know, with the same weight of iron
is at least three times as strong; the wheel treads on it as well, and is not so liable to
run off the track, as it is a perfect inclined plane, and no sharp corners to catch the
flange of the wheel.
Aside from the fact that this new rail will last five times longer than the kind in
use, it should be remembered that the cost of its production is very low. The manu­
facture of railroad iron is at present a monopoly, and not very profitable at that, be­
cause it requires an enormous amount o f capital to carry it on. The new process of
manufacture, on the contrary, places it within the power of every iron master in the
Union to make railway rails at a trifling expense. In view of the magnitude of the
railway interest in this country, the invention of an improvement such as that of Gen­
eral Devlan, becomes of the greatest importance.
The chair is o f cast iron, with a socket at each side, into which the rail slips, making
a perfect joint, and allowing it to remove, when it is desired to turn it.

RAILROADS IN TH E STATE OF CONNECTICUT.

The Railroad Commissioners of Connecticut have made their report. The first rail
rood charter in the State was granted in 1832, and the first train was run in 1839Since that time fourteen railroads have been constructed in whole, or in part, embra'
cing 644 miles of rail within the State, aud about 100 miles in process of construction
not including 111 miles of double track upon the New York and New Hampshire and
Spring roads. The railroad capital in the State is $23,657,558, without including the
Air Line road, which will add $1,000,000 to thi3 amount. Of this capital $18,500,000
has been actually paid in, and this last sum has earned a dividend of only $459,709
during the year. The cost of the roads has been $28,884,483 ; the gross earnings
$3,527,225; expense of working $2,354,291; net earnings $1,018,583; dividends
$459,709; debts $10,785,156 ; surplus (nominal) $266,536. The casualties have been




Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

1 51

very small. Out of 2,958,698 passengers carried in the cars, but two have been in­
jured ; of persons not passengers 19 have beeD killed and 8 injured, most of them by
being on the track when they had no business there. The death of the two passen­
gers was caused by their carelessness in jumping from the cars at improper times.

MERCHANT SH IPS AND STEAM ERS.
PROPORTIONS OF VESSELS— LARGE SHIPS FOR LONG VOYAGES.

In a late number of the London Mechanics’ Magazine there is some very interest­
ing information respecting large steamships and the proportions of their length and
breadth. This was elicited in a discussion at a meeting of the London Institution of
Civil Engineers, on a paper which had appeared in the Edinburgh Journal on “ Ocean
Steamers.”
L ength and B r ead th .
One steamer in England, named the Wave Queen, had been
built of proportions thirteen times longer than her breadth; it sailed very fast, and
was found to be a good sea boat.
L a r g e S h ip s .
The President o f the Institution alluding to the large steamship of
10,000 tons which is proposed for construction, said “ the advantages of employing a
smaller number of large ships rather than a greater number of small ships, for given
trades, especially for long voyages, was beginning to be generally admitted by ship­
owners. A paper was published in the Liverpool Albion, of November 21st, 1863,
which presented the results of that experience in a remarkable form. The ships now
employed in the American and British trade had been greatly augmented in size, and
with the best results; but these would be too small for the Australian trade. Every
particular steady trade, no doubt, demanded peculiar vessels for that trade, and their
size must be proportioned to the length o f the voyage.” The conclusion of the dis­
cussion resulted in a general acquiescence o f this principle.
STEAMBOAT TRADE OF ST, LOUIS.

The local steamboat inspectors of St. Louis have made their third annual report,
from which it appears that the tonnage of St. Louis figures up nearly 33,000 tons, and
the number of boats inspected duriDg the year is 91.
The number of passengers carried for the year ending September 30, was greatly in
excess of any previous year— the difference over the year ending September 30,1854,
reaching the enormous aggregate of 544,844. The total for the year was upwards of
one million and forty-six thousand ; and of all these, by accidents to be imputed to the
craft— sinking and burning of boats, escape of steam, and spar-breaking while aground
— the deaths were only twenty-eight. This is an unusually small per centage. That
not a single death occurred from explosion during the year is a remarkable and most
gratifying fact, and shows that either by better machinery or mure carefulness of en­
gineers and officers, or doubtless both combined, a great change for the better, in this
respect, is taking place. The lives lost by the boats burning were thirteen, being
forty-two less than in the previous year. The total loss o f life shows a reduction of
sixty-one, although upwards of half a million of people were carried more than in the
previous year. The number of boilers repaired was fifty-two. The loss of property,
however, by snagging and sinking, was so great during the year as to be entitled to
serious attention. The inspectors estimate it at over two millions. This great sacri­
fice was owing to causes against which no care, experience, and prudence, can at all
times guard ; and the Board very properly reason from it to some practicable plan of
improving the rivers.




752

Journal o f Mining and Manufactures.

JOURNAL OF M IN IN G AND MANUFACTURES.
IRON INDUSTRY OF TH E UNITED STA TES.

From an abridged copy of Professor Wilson’s special Report on the New York In­
dustrial Exhibition, lately published, we extract the following, relating to iron ores and
the manufactures:—
The very general distribution of iron ores throughout the Union, and the abundance
of fuel which the natural forests everywhere readily supplied, gave facilities for the
manufacture of iron, which in the early days of the industry was carried on in various
parts of the States, and in many formed the only source from which the inhabitants
could obtain their scanty supplies. Possessing in common with the other States both
o f the raw materials— the ores and the fuel— the New England States, owing to the
advanced education and general commercial energy of her people, led the way in
identifying themselves with the new industry, by forming establishments where it was
carried out on a more extensive scale. Gradually, however, the existence of mineral
fuel in Pennsylvania gave an advantage to that State which soon showed itself by the
rapid growth of her iron industry. This continued annually to increase, while the
scarcity o f fuel in the New England States rendered them less able to meet the in­
creasing demands of the market which they themselves had principally created. In
18S0, anthracite coal was successfully used in smelting ores, and when, some few
years later, it was shown that the hot blast could be as advantageously applied to an­
thracite as to other furnaces, this State became at once the great center of the indus­
try, and speedily assumed the control of the home market. This position she has held
up to the present time, and must hold it for some years to come, until the iron making
resources of the States west of the Alleghanies are sufficiently developed to enable
them to compete in production with their more advanced neighbors.
These great resources are as yet but very imperfectly known; geological investiga­
tions have long ago made known the existence o f beds of fuel to a boundless extent,
and so disposed as to offer natural facilities for working which cannot be without their
results on the industrial uses to which they are applied. With these beds are associ­
ated, probably throughout the greater part of their area, beds of ironstone similar to
that which we find in the coal measures of our own country. These give to this re­
gion a material advantage over that east of the mountain range, where the coal for­
mation is entirely destitute of the ore beds which seem to be so bountifully distributed
throughout the great bituminous coal field on the western side. Thus, while the
smelting furnace in the one district finds a ready supply o f both ore and fuel immedi­
ately at hand, the location of the other has to be determined by calculations based
upon the comparative cost, and other circumstances attendant upon the transport to
the furnace of the two necessary materials—the fuel and the ores.
The manufacture of iron has hitherto distributed itself on the line of the great riv­
ers, which are the natural feeders to the canals by whose medium the produce has
been conveyed to the consuming districts. Thus we find the chief seat of the iron
manufacture to b e :—
1. On the Housatonic River, traversing the State o f Connecticut. The production
o f this district is limited to charcoal iron, of the best quality, obtained from haematite
scattered along the shores of the river. Spathic iron ore has recently been discovered
at Roxburg and Munro. The make of this division is consumed chiefly in the imme­
diate district.
2. On the Hudson River, traversing the State o f New York, in a line nearly parallel
to the former river. On this line a large production of iron by anthracite coal, which
is delivered at au average rate of $3 50 per ton, is rapidly springing up. The rich
magnetic iron ores (iron 71.79, oxygen 28.21,) which are traced for miles along the
western side of Lake Champlain, yielding from 60 to 65 per cent of metal on the fur­
nace, can be mined and delivered to the coal on the Hudson at an average cost of $3
per ton. On the Hudson there are six large anthracite furnaces, and on Lake Cham­
plain three more; but in the latter district the chief production is with charcoal, the
ore being made in a kind of Catalan forge or bloomery.
3. On the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers, the former of which separates the State of




Journal o f M ining and Manufactures.

153

New Jersey from Pennsylvania, and empties itself into the Atlantic at Cape M ay;
and the latter joins the Delaware at Easton, about 270 miles up. The Lehigh leads
straight up the north-east extremity o f the first great anthracite basin, known as the
“ Schuylkill.” Easton is about equi-dist-ant from the anthracite coal field o f Pennsyl­
vania and the primitive ore range of New Jersey, while all around there are extensive
beds of haematite, yielding about 50 per cent of metal. The Trenton Iron Company
at this place have three large furnaces in operation— two with a diameter of 20 feet,
and one o f 22 feet—giving an average production of 500 to 600 tons per week. On
looking over the returns, which were liberally shown, some extraordinary runs were
observable, amounting to upwards of 210 tons per week from the 20 feet furnace, and
continuing at that rate for several weeks together. Higher up the river are the works
of the Glendon Iron Company, containing four large blast furnaces. Here, in order to
economize space in the engine-house, the blowing cylinders are placed immediately
over the steam cylinders of the engine, so that the same piston-rods, by a reciprocat­
ing movement, work the two cylinders at the same time. A t Catasauqua the first
furnaces in the States for the use of anthracite iron were erected, and Mr. Crane, in
the year 1837, here first successfully applied hot blast to anthracite in iron smelting.
In all the works visited, economy of production was strictly adhered to. The air was
heated by the waste gases of the furnaces, and in most cases the whole steam-power,
whether for driving the blast or for other purposes, was generated in boilers set in
the upper part of the furnace, and arranged so that the heated gases played around
them.
4. On the Schuylkill River, which runs into the Delaware a short distance below
the city of Philadelphia, there are found, throughout the whole length of the valley,
large deposits of hasmatite ores; these, however, are not so rich as those of the Le­
high ; while the supply of the primitive oxides and carbonaceous ores is very scanty.
Upon this river there are eighteen blast furnaces using anthracite coal. Besides these
there are several small charcoal furnaces, whose fires are gradually waning away,
though they still support the character of the American iron by the very excellent ar­
ticle produced.
5. The Susquehanna, another of the great parallel rivers running from the highlands
o f the interior down to the ocean, and which debouches, ju3t below Havre de Grace,
on the upper extremity of Chesapeake Bay, lias along its banks large deposits of iron
ore. As it traverses the three large coal fields— the Shamukin, the Schuylkill, and
the Wyoming— and is well supplied with artificial modes of transport, it offers very
great advantages in the manufacture of iron.
6. The Potomac, taking its course some 60 or 100 miles south o f the Susquehanna,
and running into Chesapeake Bay about midway from the ocean, is abundantly sup­
plied with ores, chiefly hmmatites of good quality. Charcoal is the fuel chiefly used,
although the increasing means of communication with the Cumberland coal field, and
also with the anthracite basins of the Susquehanna, have given great advantages in
the way o f fuel to those furnaces placed within reach of the lines of transport.
7. The Ohio, the Cumberland, and the Tennessee, are still only partially developed,
charcoal as fuel, and the hmmatite ores, which are found on the outskirts of the great
Appalachian coal field, being the sources from which the principal portion of the iron
is now produced. In the upper part o f the Ohio, in the Pittsburg district, more pro­
gress has been made; the furnaces are being worked with raw bituminous coal, and
with the clay carbonates mixed with haematites. Limestone is also found in the im­
mediate vicinity. Besides the production of these eight principal iron districts, a large
quantity is made in widely dispersed localities, with charcoal as fuel, in small blast
furnaces, or in the primitive forges or bloomeries.
The gross amount of iron produced in the several States of the Union for the year
1850, as given in the census returns, is 510,755 tons. The number of hands employed
is given at 20,298, and the market value of the produce is estimated at $12,489,077.
Taking the present production of pig-iron at 800,000 tons, about one-half of it is con­
sumed for castings, and the remaining portion is left to be converted into wrought iron,
at a loss in waste, (fee., of about one-third. This, for practical purposes, reduces the
total or available production about 130,000 tons, and leaves in round numbers 700,000
tons to meet a consumption of not less than 1,200,00.0 tons. This deficiency must be
supplied by the produce of other countries.
The number of establishments for the conversion of pig into wrought iron in the
United States is given in the Treasury returns at 422. These establishments have an
invested capital of between fourteen and fifteen million dollars, and give direct emVOL. X X X III.-----NO. V I .




48

754

Journal o f M ining and Manufactures.

ployment to upwards of 13,000 workmen. The total amount manufactured in the
States may be taken at 500,000 tons per annum. In general, the wrought iron works
are carried on as a distinct business from the manufacture of pig-iron. The following
establishments, however, combine the whole process of smelting and puddling:—the
Trenton Iron Company, at Easton and Trenton, New Jersey; Fuller & Lord, at, Boonton, New Jersey; Reeves, Buck & Co., Phosnixville, Penusylvania; Reeves, Abbott &
Co., at Safe Harbor, Pennsylvania; the Montour Iron Company, Danville, Pa.; and the
Mount Savage Iron Co., Maryland. The principal cause of the separation of the two
branches is probably due to inadequacy of capital to carry on both.
Rolling mills for plate and bar iron are met with throughout the States in which
iron is produced. In Pennsylvania the establishments for the conversion of cast into
wrought-iron are numerous. A t one o f the country rolling mills charcoal blooms were
being used, which were first worked up in a puddling furnace, and then tilted; after
which they were again heated, and rolled out into plates of the required dimensions.
Charcoal boiler-plate fetches a higher price, and is always guarantied by the maker,
as, owing sometimes to an imperfect process of reduction in the forge, a small portion
o f the fuel is left mixed up with the metal, and remains even after it has passed the
puddling furnace and the tilt-hammer. To detect the flaw in the iron when rolled out
requires great care on the part of the foreman, who carefully notices, after it has left
the rollers, whether the surface cools equally all over*; if any black spots appear, they
show that the plate is imperfect and contains cavities in which carbonaceous matter
is usually found. The spots are then marked, and the plate laid aside. In the hands
o f the engineer they again undergo an examination; the practice of the boiler makers
being to rule them off in one inch squares, and then test each square with the ham­
mer, the expenses attending any unsoundness falling upon the maker.

IMPROVEMENTS

IN M A C H I N E R Y .

THE STEAM HAMMER.

The London Mining Journal furnishes the subjoined description of Morrison’s im­
proved “ Steam H a m m e r —
Mr. Robert Morrison, of Newcastle on-Tyne, has made some improvements in the
steam hammer, his object being to prevent the great wear and tear, and liability to
that derangement or breakage which, he states, has been experienced in the ordinary
steam hammers, forming a serious drawback to the use and efficiency of this valuable
tool. In Nasmyth’s hammer, the head is attached to the piston rod, and is guided by
side cheeks in the frame, a shallow rib entering a groove on each side o f the hammer­
head. Considerable play is necessarily left for the fall of the hammer, causing a vio­
lent shake and jar at each blow ; while the blow, being seldom in the center of the
face, a side jar is the result; the constant repetition of these shocks indents and wears
away ihe hammer-face and guides, increases the display to an injurious extent, dis­
places the packing, and often breaks the piston-rod. In Condie’s hammer the motion
is reversed, the piston and rod are fixed, the cylinder forms the hammer, having the
bead fixed below, and is guided by rubbing against the side cheeks of the frame at
the top and bottom ; the steam is admitted through the piston-rod, which is hollow.
By this arrangement the jar is not communicated to the piston, but the rubbing sur­
faces of the hammer-guides are exposed to a similar injurious action, and the blow of
the hammer is liable to break the cylinder.
In Morrison’s hammer the cylinder remains fixed; the piston-rod itself forms the
shaft of the hammer, being enlarged in diameter, and prolonged through the top of
the cylinder, above which the upper end is steadied by sliding between guides. The
hammer is guided by two large stuffing-boxes at the top and bottom of the cylinder,
works with steadiness and freedom from friction, the rubbing surface being a turned
cylindrical piston-rod, fitting closely in stuffing-boxes, instead of sliding loosely be­
tween the cheeks of the frame. The hammer-head of the machine, which the patentee




Journal o f M ining and Manufactures.

155

has had in operation at the Ouseburn Engine Works, Newcastle, weighs 2 tons, with
a clear fall of 3J feet; it has been tried with 35,40, and 50 pounds pressure o f steam,
but has been found to work best at 40 pounds per square inch. The hammer-bar and
piston-rod are o f wrought-iron, 10 inches in diameter, the piston forged solid upon it
in the middle o f its length, a groove being turned upon its circumference to receive a
single brass packing ring, one-quarter inch thick, packed behind with hemp. The
upper cross-head is also forged in one piece with the bar. The hammer at the Ouse­
burn Works has been working day and night, double shift, for five months, during
which period there has not been half-an-hour lost by any derangement in the hammer,
the packing remains as good as when put on, and the cover has not been taken off
since the hammer started. The large stuffing-box was packed with hemp, had not
been unpacked for nine weeks, and no enlargement perceptible in the gland.
AVith the working piston-rod and hammer in one solid piece, the liability to fracture
and derangement is much diminished, whilst the hammering blows are of superior
solidity and effect; and the boltiDg of the steam cylinder between the frame standard,
immediately above the anvil, provides a most powerful stay for tying the frames well
together, and preventing all lateral springing. The hammer-face is thus most accu­
rately directed down upon its work, by which shoulders, collars, and other projections,
can be forged down with certainty to their proper size and form by the side of the
hammer without any oblique thrust. The height of the arch in this machiue is im­
portant, and the position of the steam cylinder in front of the standards realizes a
great advantage, as, when the hammer is actually between the frame pieces, the mass
of iron must be angled before it can be hammered; or, if it cannot be angled, the
man must stand in a dangerous position beneath the arch; but, in the patentee’s ar­
rangement, the hammer is quite clear o f the framing, so that the forgeman can swage,
shape, or cut, any work he may have in hand, without the necessity of standing be­
neath the arch.
GREATEST DEPTHS OF MINES IN THE WORLD.
According to the London Mining Journal, Wheal Abraham attained (rather more
than twenty years ago) a depth of about 242 fathoms, or 1,452 feet, (a fathom being
six feet;) Dolcoath Mine bad reached 235 fathoms; Tresavean Copper Mine is grad­
ually becoming extraordinarily deep, and it is last reported as being 2,112 feet under
the surface, and about 1,700 feet below the level of the sea. The Consolidated Mines
are 300 fathoms (1,800 feet) deep, and the United Mines 280 fathoms below the adit
level. Let the reader realize these depths by imaginary pilings of the highest build­
ings, as St. Paul’s and the Monument, on themselves, a sufficient number o f times to
attain the respective amounts! Speaking o f mines generally, the Eselscliact Mine,
at Kuttenberg, in Bohemia, now inaccessible, was deeper than any other mine, being
no less than 3,778 feet below the surface. Its depth is only 150 feet less than the
height of Vesuvius, and it is eight time3 greater than the height of the pyramid of
Cheops, or the cathedral of Strasburg.
The bore of the salt works of Minden, in
Prussia, is 2,231 feet deep, and 1,993 feet below the level of the sea. Mines on high
ground may be very deep without extending to the sea level. That of Valenciana,
near Guanaxuato, in Mexico, is 1,686 feet deep ; yet it is 5,960 feet above the level of
the sea, and the mines in the Andes must be much more. For the same reason the
rich mine of Joachimsthal, in Bohemia, though 2,120 feet deep, has not yet reached
the sea level. The fire-springs at Tseu-lieu-tsing, in China, are 3,197 feet deep, but
their relative depth to the sea level is unknown. How insignificant are the works of
man compared with nature! A line, 27,600 feet long, did not reach the bottom of the
Atlantic Ocean.




156

Journal o f M ining and Manufactures.
MANUFACTURE OF CURRANT WINE,

This article, as usually manufactured, is rather a cordial than a wine, and is entirely
inferior to the commonest imported wine, but when properly made, it will be found a
very superior healthful beverage, particularly for summer drink, when fully diluted
with water.
W e have experimented carefully on the making of currant wine, and the following
will be found to give a result which we have found no difficulty in selling in large
quantities at $1 per gallon.
Before pressing the juice from the currants pass them between a pair of rollers to
crush them, after which they may be placed in a strong bag, and they will part with
the juice readily by light pressure, such as a common screw, heavy weights, etc. To
each quart of juice add three pounds o f double-refined loaf-sugar— single-refined sugar
is not sufficiently pure—then add as much water as will make one gallon. Or in
other words, suppose the cask intended to be used, 30 quarts of currant-juice, 90
pounds of double-refined sugar, and fill the cask to the bung with w ater; roll it over
until the sugar is all dissolved. This will be told by its ceasing to rattle in the barrel.
Next day roll it again, and place it in a cellar where the temperature will be sure to
be even. Leave the bung loose for the free admission of air. In the course of one,
two, or three days fermentation will commence; by placing the ear to the bung-hole
a slight noise will be heard, such as may be observed when carbonic acid is escaping
from champagne or soda water. Fermentation will continue a few weeks, converting
the sugar in alcohol. As soon as this ceases, drive the bung in tightly, and leave the
cask for six months, at the end of which time the wine may be drawn off perfectly
clear, without any excess of sweetness.
The reason why double-refined sugar should be used may be thus understood:— Or­
dinary sugar contains a half of one per cent of gum, which, when dissolved in water,
becomes fetid. Suppose, then, four or five ounces of gum dissolved in a barrel of
water, we can readily understand that at the end of a few months this water will be
very foul in flavor, and most of the currant wine offered for sale, made from loaf-sugar
o f common quality, and often from sugar very inferior to this, such as white Havana,
etc., contains gum in this fetid condition, and its foul flavor is an amalgamation of su­
gar, currant-juice, and fetid gum. When double-refined sugar is used all these diffi­
culties are avoided.
No alcohol should be added. The practice of putting in small quantities of brandy
and other liquors, makes a cordial, and not a wine. A ll the sugar used may be so
much fermented as at least to change its character chemically, and this change will
produce all the alcohol required.

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE ZINC OF COMMERCE.
By the analysis of the most ancient coins, and of metallic vessels taken from- the
excavations at Herculaneum, it is found that they contain a portion of zinc; yet, to
the moderns, zinc is a new metal. Less then a century ago, zinc was not considered
as a metal at all— Homberg, a philosopher, who wrote about that period, says :— “ Zinc
is a compound of iron and tin thus implying that it had no individual existence, but
that it was a compound. Such, however, is not found to be the case by modern chem­
ists. Indifferent as we are to a “ bit of zinc,” there are few substances that have ren­
dered more service, or been more instrumental to the cause of science and the pro­
gress of knowledge, than this metal. Considered in relation to its own qualities, it
possesses rare interest. Certain combinations o f this metal with copper, under the




Journal o f M ining and Manufactures.

*15*1

euphonious names of tombac, brass, pinchbeck, have been used in the arts, especially
in China, from time immemorial. In the Celestial Empire, zinc in great purity is used
for current coin. This money has frequently Tartar characters on one side, and Chi­
nese characters on the reverse. Certain combinations of zinc, and called white vitriol,
(i. e., sulphate of zinc,) and another, flowers of zinc, (oxyde of zinc,) are of great im­
portance in medicine. The mechanical uses of metallic zinc are very numerous, giv­
ing rise to regular trades for the fabrication of zinc ware. The white oxyde of zinc
is coming daily into use as a harmless substitute for the poisonous white-lead in paint­
ing. Iron chains and wire exposed to the air or water, are all now dipped into melted
zinc before they are put to use. This operation, which is called galvanizing, entirely
prevents the iron from rusting. There are many other uses of zinc, but which we
cannot detail here. The great service, however, which zinc has rendered to man is in
the galvanic battery. Without electricity many arts would cease to exist, yet, for
practical and commercial purposes, we could not generate electricity without zinc.
What steam owes to coal, electricity owes to zinc. Whenever steam is used, coal is
consumed ; whenever electricity is used, zinc is consumed. Thus we find that electro­
plating and the wonders of telegraphic communication are indirectly indebted to zinc,
and by the use of the telegraph we are enabled to answer Job (xxxviii., 35,) in the
affirmative, who, 2,000 years ago, asked, “ Canst thon send lightnings, that they may
go and say unto thee ‘ Here we are V ”
EARLY MANUFACTURES IN NEW ENGLAND,
Fire-arms were manufactured in large quantities in colony times. Hon. Hugh Orr,
o f Bridgewater, about 1148, made 500 stands of arms for the province of Massachu­
setts Bay, which were deposited in Castle W illiam; nearly all, however, were carried
off by the British when they evacuated the town of Boston. Mr. Orr was a pioneer
in many articles of manufacture in the Old Colony, particularly of iron. He erected
the first trip-hammer known in this part of the country. By his exertions and experi­
ments, sythes and axes were first introduced, and for several years he was the only
edge-tool maker in Hew England.
Powder was an article of much anxiety in regard to its manufacture. W e find,
even as early as 1639, a record that Edward Rawson, who represented Newbury in
the General Court that year, was granted by the colony “ 600 acres of land at Pecoit,
so as he go on with the business of powder, if the saltpeter come.” But he did not
succeed, as in 1648 he is granted the 500 acres to idemnify him for his losses. “ In
1643, the General Court made an order about preparing houses of saltpeter, that there
might be powder made in the colony, but as yet it hath not gone on.”
In 1775, Gov. Richard Penn, who was in England charged with a petition for redress
from the Continental Congress, stated “ that the Pennsylvanians perfectly understood
the making of gunpowder, and also the manufacture of small arms.” Probably the
first powder-mill erected in this part of the country was at Andover. It was built by
Hon. Samuel Phillips, Jr., in 1779, and some remains of it are still to be seen. The
colony supplied him with saltpeter and sulphur, and he was to receive eight pence
per pound for manufacturing. The resolve under which the contract was made is
dated June 8, 1776, and requires him to give bonds for the faithful performance of
the contract; also, he was to cause to be published all the discoveries he might make
relative to the construction o f the mill and the manufacturing of powder.
During the year 1776 that mill turned out about 30,000 pounds of powder. In
1778, the mill was blown up, and after that time the manufacture was given up, and
that of paper substituted by the same gentleman. Subsequently, about 1794, a




758

Journal o f Mining and Manufactures.

smaller powder-mill was erected, which was also blown up or burnt down in 1796.
This ended the manufacture in Andover.
Although but little had been done in manufacturing woolen and cotton articles pre­
vious to the Revolution, yet each family in the country supplied, in a great measure,
their own wants. A woolen factory was erected at Ipswich in 1762, and some blan­
kets made, but it being a losing business, was continued only a few years; and a cot­
ton factory at Beverly exhibited similar results.
THE INVENTOR OF GAS LIGHTS,
The inventor of gas lights was a Frenchman, Philippe Le Bon, an engineer of roads
and bridges, who in 1785 adopted the idea of using, for the purpose o f illumination,
the gases distilled during the combustion of wood. He labored for a long time in the
attempt to perfect his crude invention, and it was not until 1799 that he confided his
discovery to the Institute. In September, 1800, he took out a patent, and in 1801 he
published a memoir containing the result of his researches. Le Bon commenced by
distilling wood, in order to obtain from it gas, oil, pitch, and pyroligneous acid, but
his work indicated the possibility of obtaining gas by distillation from fatty or oily
substances. From 1799 to 1802, Le Bon made numerous experiments. He estab­
lished at Havre his first thermo-lamps, but the gas which he obtained being a mixture
of carburetted hydrogen and oxide of carbon, and but imperfectly freed from its im purities, gave only a feeble light and evolved an insupportable odor, and the result
was that but little favor was shown to the new discovery; the inventor eventually
died, ruined by his experiments. The English soon put in practice the crude ideas
of Le Bon. In 1804 Windsor patented and claimed the credit of inventing the pro­
cess of lighting by gas ; in 1805 several shops in Birmingham were illuminated by
gas manufactured by the process of Windsor and Murdock; among those who used
this new light, was Watt, the inventor of the steam-engine. In 1816 the first use was
made of gas in London, and it was not until 1818 that this invention, really of French
origin, was applied in France.

PROGRESS OF PUBLIC WORKS IN INDIA,
Lord Harris, says the Bombay Times, is about to visit the Godavery and its mag­
nificent delta, and to inspect the works in course o f construction there. These works
are intended to provide the delta of the river with sufficient irrigation to protect it
from floods, and to provide drainage. Already a weir has been built across the river
at the head o f the delta, and various regular channels and aqueducts have been con­
structed. The delta is said to contain 1,200,000 acres of “ rich alluvial land, fit for
sugar, cotton, hemp, tobacco, oilseeds, rice, cocoa-nuts, plantains, chillies, &c., all of
which are now cultivated to a great extent;” so that it is expected these works will
be of great use. The works are intended to be very extensive. There will be 2,000
miles of channels of various kinds, most of them navigable; 1,000 bridges and tunnels
near the channels; ultimately, 7,000 works of masonry in all. The great aqueduct is
800 yards long, 20 feet broad, and 6 feet deep, and has 49 arches of 40 feet each;
and it will convey water to 60,000 acres o f ground. This large aqueduct has been
already constructed, and in the short space of four months. More than 10,000 men
are employed upon these works, and it was calculated some time ago that about
seven lacs of rupees, or £70,000, would be required to complete them. The conse­
quence of the completion of a portion o f the works is, that the revenue of the district
is increasing at the rate o f £10,000 a year.




Statistics o f Agriculture, etc.

759

BOOT AND SHOE TRADE OF BOSTON.
The Mail furnishes the following summary of the modus operandi of the boot and
shoe trade of Boston. The statistics of this important branch of industry have been
published in former numbers of the Merchants' Magazine :—
“ In 1845 there were 2,768,160 pairs of boots, and 17,138,152 pairs of shoes manu­
factured in Massachusetts, with an aggregate value of $14,798,140, and giving em­
ployment to 27,199 males, aud 18,678 females. In 1840 the number of males
employed, according to the census, was 31,954— more than double the number of
cordwainers in any other State except New York, which has but about 24,000. It
is probable that at the present time all the figures of 1854 are more than doubled.
Besides this, there are a great number of persons in the adjoining States, particu­
larly New Hampshire, who work for Massachusetts manufacturers. At the principal
shop the leather is only ‘ clicked,’ or cut out, mostly by the aid of light machinery,
into soles, heels, uppers, counters, tfcc., the linings, counters, and straps are ‘ skived ’
and pasted in, and the work is then given out to the workmen, in lots of 12, 20, or
100 pairs, as the case may be, and of different sizes. The shoemaker— the real manu­
facturer— then takes his work home, where his wife and daughters stitch, close, and
bind the uppers, and himself and boys do the ‘ bottoming.’ If his family is large, or
he employs a number of hauds in a ‘ team,’ a still further division of labor takes place.
One hand tacks the sole to the last and trims i t ; another draws the upper smoothly
over the last; a third lays the ‘ welts’ and ‘ runs,’ and puts in the ‘ shanking’ and
‘ filling a fourth tacks on and trini3 the out-sole ; a fifth drives the p e g ; a sixth puts
on and shapes the heel; a seventh pares off and makes the edges; and an eighth
workman puts a final polish on the edge with the heel ball and stone. The work is
then returned to the manufactory, and the workman immediately receives his cash.
The bottoms are then buffed smooth, and after the uppers have received an extra
polish, the goods are packed into boxes ready for a market at home, at the West, the
South, California, Australia, South America, or any other part of the globe. Our boot
and shoe trade has doubled within a few years. We have not at haud the means of
making an accurate statement, but have no doubt that in Boston alone, where it nearly
all concentrates, this business amounts to from $30,000,000 to $40,000,000 annually.
The Boston Almanac gives a list of 160 wholesale boot, shoe, and leather dealers, be­
sides those who deal exclusively in leather.”

STATISTICS OF AGRICULTURE. &c.
THE TEA CULTURE,'
The introduction of the tea-plant into the United States would create quite a revo­
lution among the drinkers of this, to some, exquisite beverage. About six years ago
some discussion was had on this subject, since which time we have heard nothing about
it. A Mr. Bonsall, of Philadelphia, has been for a long time extensively engaged in
the cultivation of the plant in Assam, which is situated in the north-easternmost part
of British India, and is watered by the Brahmapootra. It grows there to the height
of thirty or forty feet. The trimming to six feet, however, is necessary to be readily
gathered. Green and black teas are made from the same tree.
The wood of the tea bush is light-colored and close grained, and it smells, when
peeled, like the black currant. The flowers are white and fragrant. The green leaf
is bitter, pungent, and unsavory, and its decoction would be anything but palatable.
The seed consists of from two to five hazel-like nuts, inclosed in a smooth, broad cap­
sule. The kernel is white, oily, and nauseous.
The tea-plant is remarkably hardy, and it flourishes on the high slopes of the moun­
tains, where frost and snow prevail three months in the year. Its favorite soil in
China, and also in Assam, is the poorest yellow sandy loam, with carbonate of iron




760

Statistics o f Agriculture, etc.

in analysis. Silex, 76; clay, 10; carbonate o f iron, 10; w a te r,ic.,4— 100. No lime.
Cuttings do well for planting. It is grown in nurseries and transplanted, and grows
about a foot every year. In the third year they begin to gather the leaves. Hill-side
ground should be selected, where the sun shines half the day.
A good tree is expected to yield at three years, 1J ounces tea, or 187 pounds per
acre; at four years,
ounces tea, or 812 pounds per acre; at five years, 3 ounces
tea, or 500 pounds per acre; at six years, when it is in full bearing, 6 ounces tea, or
750 pounds per acre. Two thousand trees are allowed to the acre. The trees live to
fifty years o f age.
Mr. Bonsall describes the method o f curing, which is generally familiar to all. He
has contrived a machine which dispenses with a great deal of labor, and has substi­
tuted metal plates for the hot hearth process; and he thinks it can be procured in
this latitude for one shilling the pound. Not your common sort, but the very best,
such as the mandarins drink, and which never goes out o f China.
There is not a single box of tea, after all the pains taken by the country makers,
that is not opened and extensively be-rubbished by the Canton dealers before it is al­
lowed to get into the hands of the Christian barbarians. In our cities it undergoes
also a liberal be-Yankeefication before it reaches our tea-rooms; so that what is real
tea is the exception, and what is not tea is the rule.
Almost every farmer in China raises his own family tea, and thus escapes the adul­
teration.
This is indeed a very important subject for consideration among our agriculturists,
in every point of view. If it can be done, we get our teas pure and unadulterated, at
a very low price. The seed can be easily procured, and of its successful cultivation
there can be no doubt.
CINNAMON FIELDS IN CEYLON,
The following beautiful description of the cinnamon fields of “ Ceylon’s spicy isle,”
although written many years ago by the celebrated Bishop Heber, is equally correct
at this time, as but little change has taken place in the production:—
“ One morniDg was, as usual on our first arrival, taken up by visits. In the after­
noon we drove through the far-famed cinnamon gardens, which cover upwards of
17,000 acres of land on the coast, the largest o f which are near Colombo. The plant
thrives best in a poor, sandy soil, in a damp atmosphere. It grows wild in the woods
to the size of an apple-tree ; but when cultivated, is never allowed to grow more than
ten or twelve feet in height, each plant standing separate. The leaf is something
like the laurel in shape, but of a lighter color. When it first shoots out, it is red, and
changes gradually to green. It is now out of blossom, but I am told the blossom is
white, and spreads when in full blossom to cover the garden. After hearing so much
of the spicy gales from this island, I was much disappointed at not being able to dis
cover any scent, at least from the plants. In passing through the gardens, there is a
very fragrant smelling flower growing under them, which at first led us into the be­
lief that we smelt the cinnamon, but we were soon undeceived. On pulling off a
leaf or twig, you perceived the spicy odor very strongly, but I was surprised to hear
that the flower had little or none. As the cinnamon forms the only considerable ex­
port of Ceylon, it is of course preserved with care. By the old Dutch law, the penalty
for cutting a branch was no less than the loss o f a hand; at present, a fine expiates
the offense. The neighborhood of Colombo is particularly favorable to its growth, be­
ing well sheltered, with a high, equable temperature, and as showers fall frequently,
the ground is never parched.”




761

Statistics o f Agriculture, etc.
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM.

The folio-wing table, which we compile from the Belfast (Ireland) Mercantile Jour­
nal and Statistical Register, is an estimate t f the extent of land in the United King­
dom under the principal description of crops in 1850-54. It exhibits the acres in
crop, total produce, produce under deduction o f seed,and total value of crops:—
ENGLAND.

Crop.

Hops...................... ..
Gardens.........................

Acres
in crop.
3,000,000
1,000,000
2,000,000
500,000
2,500,000
1,300,000
800,000
50,000
250,000

Total......................

11,400,000

Wheat.............................
Barley.............................
Oats and Rye................
Beans and peas.............
Potatoes, turnips, rape.

Total
produce.
Quarters.
11,250,000
5,400,000
9,000,000
1,875,000

Produce
under deduction
of seed.
Quarters.
Total value.
£20,696,428 5
9,642,857
6,248,572 4
4,628,572
7,714,286 0
7,714,286
1,607,143
2,250,000 4
26,000,000 0
780,000
3,750,000

27,525,000

0
0

23,592,858

£67,439,826 13

947,917
1,500,000
5,000,000
125,000

£2,038,021 11
1,950,000 0
5,000,000 0
175,000 0

SCOTLAND.

Wheat.............................
Barley.............................
Oats................................
Beans and peas.............

Flax...............................
Gardens.........................

350,000
450,000
1,200,000
50,000
100,000
200,000
450,000
450*000
5*000
35',000

T o ta l.....................

3,290,000

1,137,500
1,800,000
6,000,000
150,000

9,087,500

7,700,000

0

76,000
625,000

0
0

7,572,917

£17,463,021 11

1,000,000
933,334
9,165.667

£2,000,000 0
1,119,999 12
9,166,667 0
11,200,000 9

IRELAND.

Wheat...................... ......
Barley.............................
O ats................................
Potatoes.........................
Fallow...........................
Flax...............................
Gardens........................

400,000
320,000
2,200,000
1,400,000
300,000
140*000

Total.......................

4,785,000

13,320,000

11,100,001

£25,886,666 12

Grand total...........

19,475,000

49,932,500

42,265,776

£110,788,974 16

1,200,000
1, 120,000
11 ,000,000

2,100,000
300,000

25',000

0
0

1. C onsumed b y M an . Wheat, 15,500,000 quarters ; oats, rye, and maslin, (a mix­
ture of rye and w h ea t,) 10,650,000 quarters; b a rle y for maltiDg, food, Ac., 6,000,000
quarters; beans and peas as meal, 700,000 quarters; total quarters, 32,850,000.
2. C onsumed by the L ower A ntmals. Corn, principally oats, used in the feeding
o f horses and other animals, in distillation, manufactories, Ac., 16,320,000 quarters;
total consumed by man and the lower animals, Ac., 49,200,000 quarters.
It is seen from the former estimate that the corn produced in the United Kingdom,
applicable to consumption, amounts to only 42,265,770 quarters. But to this has to
be added foreign corn annually entered for consumption at an average of the seven
ytars ending with 1852, v iz.:— wheat and wheat flour, 4,231,185 quarters; barley,
870,786 quarters; oats and oat meal, 1,162,546 quarters ; rye, 99,510 quarters; peas
and beans, 665,769 quarters; total quarters, 6,929,786; total consumption, 49,196,556
quarters.




762

Statistics o f Agriculture, etc.
CORN STATISTICS IN FRANCE,

Tlie Siecle says:— According to the latest statistical returns, the crop of every kind
of corn in an average year in France now amounts to about 180,000,000 hectolitres.
In wheat, our country produces 60,000,000 hectolitres; rye, 26,000,000; barley,
19.000. 000; metiel, (a mixture of wheat and rye,) 1,500,000 ; oats, 40,000,000; buck­
wheat, 8,000,000; maize and millet, 7,000,000; small grain, pulse, &c., 2,500,000. The
crop of wheat is therefore in the proportion of 60 to 180; that of oats, 50 to 180;
and that of rye, 23 to ISO; that is to say, these three descriptions of corn compared
with all the others, are in the proportion o f 103 to 77 only. This quantity of 180,000,000
hectolitres of corn is not all consumed; deducting 25,700,600 for seed, there remains
154,300,000 for the general consumption. As, however, oats, the net production of
which is 39,250,000 hectolitres, cannot be reckoned as human food, we find that the
quantity remaining for the food of the people is 115,050,000 hectolitres. If we now
take the different crops by weight, which is the best manner of estimating the nutri­
tive value of each, it may be said that the average of wheat is 75 kilogrammes per
hectolitre; that of rye, 65 kilogrammes; barley, 60 kilogrammes; metiel, 70 kilo­
grammes; buckwheat, 60 kilogrammes; maize, 78 kilogrammes; and dry pulse, 80
kilogrammes. It follows, therefore, from these bases, that with 51,500,000 hectolitres
of wheat, weighing 3,000,000,000 kilogrammes, and other quantities of corn in pro­
portion, we have a total weight o f 8,046,800,000 kilogrammes of corn fit for consump­
tion of man. It has beep calculated that on an average, including women, children,
and old people, it requires 220 kilogrammes of corn per year for the food of one per­
son. This would, therefore, be for France, where the population is reckoned at
36.000. 000, a total of 7,920,000,000 kilogrammes. If, therefore, from 8,046,800,000
kilogrammes calculated, as above stated, for human consumption, there be deducted
the 7,920,000,000, which suffice for the consumption of France, the following result,
which must be satisfactory to every one, is come to ; namely, that France, in an aver­
age year, has a crop of 127,000,000 kilogrammes of corn beyond the wants of the
people, and that she could feed 600,000 inhabitants more than the present number of
her population.
THE GUANO TRADE OF PHILADELPHIA.
The consumption of guano in the United States, although but recently introduced
as an article of Commerce, has already become quite large. The Philadelphia Com­
mercial List is informed by Mr. S amuel J. C hristian , the agent of the Peruvian gov­
ernment for this market, that he has received in Philadelphia and sold, since the
commencement of the trade, 31,724 tons, which, at §45 per ton, makes the aggregate
o f one million four hundred and twenty-seven thousand five hundred and eighty dol­
lars. Besides this, there has been a large quantity of Mexican, North Pacific, and
Columbian guano consumed, which will increase the amount paid for the article to
upwards of two millions of dollars.
When the first cargo of guano was introduced into this country, it met with the
same prejudices anthracite coal had to contend with. No one knew anything in regard
to its intrinsic value, and consequently every person set it down as a humbug. The
farmer that purchased the first lot, and had the courage to use it, distributed it upon
several acres of grass in such quantities as entirely to kill the crop. He immediately
waited upon the unfortunate seller, and threatened to prosecute him for obtaining
money under false pretenses. The enterprising importer, however, convinced of the
real merit of the article, and its importance to the agriculturist, was persevering in
his efforts to introduce it into general u se; and by the figures above given, it will be
seen that he has been eminently successful in his undertaking.




Statistics o f Agriculture, etc.

763

THE IMPERIAL RICE OF CHINA.
Hoc, in his “ Sequel to the Chinese Empire,” says the Chinese owe their numerous
discoveries in agriculture principally to their eminently observant character, which has
enabled them to turn to use an immense number of plants neglected in Europe. They
are very fond of the study of nature, and their greatest men, and even their emperors
do not disdain to attend to the smallest circumstances connected with it, and to collect
with care whatever promises to be of public utility. The celebrated Emperor KhaDghi has thus rendered an important service to his country. W e find in the curious me­
moirs writt n by that prince the following passage:— “ I was walking,” says the Em­
peror Khang-hi, “ on the first day of the sixth moon, in some fields where rice was
sown, which was not expected to yield its harvest till the ninth, I happened to notice
a rice plant that had already come into ear; it rose above all the rest, and was already
ripe. I had it gathered and brought to me', the grain was very fine and full, and I
was induced to keep it for an experiment, and see whether it would on the following
year retain this precocity; and in fact it did. A ll the plants that proceeded from it
came into ear before the ordinary time, and yielded their harvest in the sixth moon.
Every year has multiplied the produce of the preceding, and now for thirty years it
has been the rice served on my table. The grain is long, and of a rather reddish color,
but o f a sweet perfume, and very pleasant flavor. It has been named yam i, or 1Im­
perial rice,’ because it was in my gardens that it was first cultivated. It is the only
kind that can ripen north of the Great Wall, where the cold begins very early and
ends very late; but in the provinces of the South, where the climate is milder, and
the soil more fertile, it is easy to obtain two harvests a year from it, and it is a sweet
consolation to me to have procured this advantage for my people.”
The Emperor IChang-hi did render in fact an immense service to the populations of
Mantchuria, by encouraging the culture of this new kind of rice, which succeeds ad­
mirably in dry countries, and has no need, like the common rice, of perpetual irriga­
tion. It would certainly prosper in France, and it is not the fault o f the missionaries
if it has not long since been acclimated there.

THE CULTIVATION OF THE STRAWBERRV.
I f the saying is true that “ the man who can make two spears of grass grow where
only one grew before,” is a public benefactor, it must be conceded that Mr. Hovey,
the producer of the strawberry known as “ Hovev’s Seedlings,” is richly entitled to
that appellation. To give a few statistics on the cultivation of the strawberry, we
copy the following from the August number o f the Horticulturist, from an article
written by William Stoms, of Cincinnati. Speaking of the crop of John C. Youtcy,
of Campbell county, Kentucky, eight miles from Cincinnati, Mr. Stoms says:—
“ He has raised and sold about one-tentb of all the strawberries vended in our mar­
kets the past season. His varieties, &c., being the three following: Two acres o f
Washingtons, which produced sixty bushels, and sold for four hundred and twenty
dollars; five acres o f Hovey’s Seedlings, which produced one hundred and seventyeight bushels, and sold for twelve hundred and sixty dollars; three acres o f Hudson,
which produced one hundred and two bushels, and sold for five hundred and thirty
dollars. Gross receipts from ten acres, two thousand two hundred and ten dollars.
The expense of picking, including the boarding of hands, was two hundred and twentyfive dollars. Expense of marketing, seventy-five dollars. The probable cost of cul­
tivation per annum is fifteen dollars per acre. Mr. Youtcy cultivates all his straw­
berries on new, but very hilly ground. In each variety, he has the past season




764

Statistics o f Agriculture, etc.

excelled and defied competition. In Hovey’s Seedlings, permit me to assure you,
without the fear of contradiction, that he never was beat in this country—twice taking
the first premiums at our horticultural exhibitions, against amateurs, market garden­
ers, and everything else.”

THE PLANTAIN TREE.
A correspondent of the United States Commissioner of Patents, writing from New
Orleans, gives some interesting information in regard to the cultivation of the muchprized plantain tree. The quantity of the fruit of that tree imported into New York
is annually very considerable. W e make the following extract from the letter referred
to above:—
“ The plantain tree (musa sapientium) is superior to the potato or wheat as a staple
article o f food. This is proved by eminent English chemists who have analyzed it.
It is easy of cultivation— one band attending to one hundred acres—and is of contin­
uous or spontaneous growth after the first year. In its green state it is used for food ;
when ripe, for fruit, and makes an acid and cheap vinegar, an intoxicating drink, and
flour or gruel. The green leaves are used for fodder, and the dry ones for bedding in
all the public hospitals, being cheap and healthy. The tree itself, after yielding its
fruit, is cut down, and is now manufactured into writing paper in England. An in­
delible ink is also produced from the shells of the green plantain. I believe no known
plant contributes so much to the wants of man.
“ It is cultivated in gardens in Louisiana, but its great value to man and beast is
neither known nor appreciated. Any number of plants could be procured from Brit­
ish Guiana at 2£ cents each.”
IMPR0VEA1ENT IN THE LIVE STOCK OF OHIO.
A correspondent of the Louisville Courier, who has been traversing Ohio, gives a
very interesting account of the progress made in that State in the improvement of
live stock, especially the breeds of cattle. Some parts of the State, Buch as the coun­
ties of Pickaway, Madison, Highland, Licking, die., have long been celebrated in this
respect -, but it is within a comparatively few years only that all sections have gone
to work industriously and energetically to improve the breeds of their cattle and es­
tablish herds o f commanding reputation. The writer attributes this result in a great
measure, if not chiefly, to legislation favoring the establishment of agricultural socie­
ties in all the counties. Men of landed estates and pecuniary resources are at the
present time embarking energetically in the business of cattle raising, and farmers
generally throughout the State are catching the infection from them.
HISTORY OF AN ACRE OF LAND,
In the early days of South Australia, the land put up for sale was sold at 12s. the
acre; and by the then rules the purchaser of a town acre was entitled to an acre in
some suburban allotment. One of the purchasers of such a brace of acres held his
land for a year or two, when he sold it for £400. A t the end of a few years this pur­
chaser sold his country section for £500, and within a few years more the town acre
for £2,000. This last was re-sold, after a lapse of three or four years, for £8,000
Not long since three-fourths of this acre were disposed of for £18,000, and the remain­
ing one-fourth is now about to change hands at the rate of £32,000 the acre. This
land, though in the best situation in Adelaide, has not yet been built on.




M ercantile Miscellanies.

765

MERCANTILE MISCELLANIES.
PHILOSOPHY OF ADVERTISING.
A merchant must not be satisfied with advertising, says the Philadelphia Merchant,
but must be wise in choosing the mediums for his advertisements. Some people use
only the papers connected with their own political party, which is wise only on the
supposition that they want the patronage of no others but those with whom they
agree in politics. They will agree, sometimes, to help a political press, by giving to
it all their advertising, when it would be better to give a donation and secure the
privilege o f advertising elsewhere. Some go for an “ independent ” or a “ neutral ”
journal, and forget that all the customers they wish do not belong to the independents
or the neutrals, and while they are gratifying a passion for reform, or an indifference
to parties, they are doing violence to the best interests of business. Others imagine
that a “ daily ” is the only fit medium for advertising, when in many instances that is
the poorest avenue to the public, as after telegraphic news is devoured and the local
items looked over, and part of the leading editorial is read, the paper is thrown aside
to be looked at no more ; while a “ weekly ” paper is taken home to be looked over
leisurely, and the world of trade comes more fully before the reader as exhibited in
the advertisements. The “ weekly ” is read by more persons— is more preserved— is
more sent away to friends as best exhibiting what the city is, and begets a wider in­
terest in behalf of city trade than the “ daily.” Many persons are betrayed by the
greatness of the circulation of some papers, whereas a paper whose circulation is only
fifteen or twenty thousand, is sometimes more valuable as an advertising medium than
one that can boast of its forty or fifty thousand; because the former may go among
more readers, and the right kind of readers, than the latter. Fifty thousand papers
circulated among the lower classes is worth less to the advertiser than five thousand
which go among the middle and upper classes; and the fact of advertising being
offered at “ very cheap” rates is enough to settle the case with the knowing ones that
the paper is a poor medium. And then, too, if a man wants the trade of a vast re­
gion, he must not be contented with advertising in small country papers, but must
seek out the paper which is most diffusive in its circulation, embracing many States
in its extension, and commanding the notice of the merchants, traders, manufacturers,
and chief artisans in all departments o f business life. To advertise is a settled prin­
ciple o f suscessful business.
EMERSON ON TRADE.
R alph W

aldo

E m erson says: “ We rail at Trade, and the philosopher and lover

o f man will have much harm to say of it; but the historian of the world will see that
Trade was the principle o f Liberty; that Trade planted America and destroyed Feu­
dalism ; that it makes peace, and it keeps peace, and it will abolish slavery. W e
complain of the grievous oppression o f the poor, and of its building up a new aristoc­
racy on the ruins of the aristocracy it destroyed. But there is this immense differ­
ence, that the aristocracy o f trade has no permanence, is not entailed, was the result
o f toil and talent, the result of merit of some kind, and is continually falling, like the
waves of the sea, before new claims of the same sort. Trade is an instrument in the
hands of that friendly Power which works for us in our despite. We design it thus
and thus; but it turns out otherwise and far better. This beneficent tendency, om ­
nipotent without violence, exists and works.”




766

Mercantile Miscellanies.
LADIES AS CLERKS.

The employment of ladies as clerks in stores, especially in retail dry goods stores,
is becoming ve> y general throughout the country. The New York Times has recently
published several articles upon this subject, and from the Pittsburg Post we extract
the following remarks:—
“ The New York Times is earnestly advocating the employment of females as clerks
in stores— particularly in all retail dry goods stores. It is an employment for which
they are well fitted, and would properly enlarge their sphere o f action and occupa­
tion. And it is a business that they can do better than men. They are more active
and expert at handling dry goods, more tasteful in folding and arranging them, more
polite and conciliatory to customers, and have better judgment in all matters of taste
in relation to dress. On the other hand, young men should be employed in more ac­
tive and manly labor. Measuring off calicos and tape is too light a task for their
physical strength, and is usurping a place and occupation that properly belongs to
women.
“ We are decidedly in favor of this branch of women’s rights being conceded to
them. It would give employment at good wages to a great many young ladies, and
would be degrading to no one willing to earn a living. If the ladies generally prefer
those stores where females are employed to sell goods, a change would soon be effected,
and women employed in all the stores.
“ The employments of females are becoming more numerous and remunerative every
year, and it is right that it should be so. In the New England States and in New
York nearly all the public schools are taught by ladies both in summer and winter.
This enlargement of the sphere of woman’s activity and usefulness is a matter of pub­
lic economy. It gives them work that they can do as well as men, and it diverts the
labor of men into other channels, and to more athletic and useful employments. In
this active age and country there is no difficulty in men finding useful and lucrative
employment— work, too, better suited to their physical natures than measuring off
tape and calico.”
NEW MERCANTILE MOVEMENT IN BOSTON.
The Boston Post gives some interesting facts in relation to what it calls a “ new
commercial movement,”— the attempted combination o f consumers to defeat the spec­
ulators. The Post speaks in commendation of the plan which has been so ably urged
by Mr. A. B. Keith, of that city, and adds:—
“ He has as yet failed of forming a combination for the proposed purpose, but he
has succeeded in awakening the attention of philanthropic capitalists thereto, and a
gratifying end has been gained, as the money has been furnished, and a store is to be
immediately opened in Boston where .flour per single barrel can be bought at the
western price for a thousand barrels, with the addition of 6 per cent only for incidental
expenses. The plan is to send an agent out West, with the money in his hand, to buy
the flour and ship it to the East, the expense attending which, the freight to Boston,
cartage, and storage, will be fully covered by the 5 per cent above named. Profit is
out of the question. It is a beneficial movement, and not a speculative, and the profit
that would, under the old system, accrue to the speculator, goes into benefit for the
purchaser. This would peculiarly be the result of combination, it is held, and it is
also held that it needs but to commence to be successful.
“ The store to be opened on Monday next will test the feasibility of the project,
and we are promised, for 810, flour that cannot be bought in our stores for less than
811 25. Like the inch on the man’s nose, the extra 81 25 saved here to a poor man
is considerable. Potatoes are likewise to be bought in the State o f New York, and
after paying 15 cents per bushel for freight, will be sold at the new store for thirty
cents per bushel less than they are bought for in our market. The same principle, of
course, will apply to other articles of consumption, and western pork, now bringing
fourteen cents per pound at retail, may be bought at some easier rate, and so with all
articles o f western produce.
“ A barter system of traffic, on an equitable basis, is thought of, likewise, by which
the productions and imports of the East may be exchanged at cost with those of the
West, with the mere added expense of transhipment and other incidentals. The
Western people are laboring under the same general evils. For the luxury of poor




M ercantile Miscellanies.

767

tea they have to pay about seventy-five cents per pound, and for spices and other ar­
ticles proportionably high.
“ That the plan is a feasible one there can be, -we think, no doubt, as the ready mo­
ney of the combiners— generally poor people, who are eminently, from necessity,
ready-money men— can compete with the long credits of the flour speculator with the
Western millers, and buy flour at the lowest rates for cash.”
SPURIOUS INDIGO US MARKET.
A correspondent of the Baltimore American says that much spurious indigo has of
late found its way into onr commercial cities; the writer has thought a line or so in
reference thereto may not prove altogether unacceptable to a portion of our readers.
It is not his purpose, however, to attempt a disquisition giving the manner or process
of the manufacture of indigo, either genuine or spurious, but would add what many
know, that the former is o f vegetable production, and though the plant from which
it is made may thrive in latitudes a few degrees either north or south of the tropical
boundaries, yet it certainly does not grow in latitude 40J° north, longitude 3° east
from Washington ; and any indigo manufactured in such latitude and longitude, how­
ever fine in texture or appearance, may justly be looked upon with a suspicious eye,
whether it be repacked in ceroons, chests, or cases. It is hardly necessary to remind
those who deal in indigo of a test so generally known and practiced, and which at the
same time (so far as the knowledge of the writer extends) may safely be relied upon
as a test of genuineness; that is, when its surface is rubbed with the finger-nail or
any hard substance, a genuine article will show a coppery or bronze color, varying in
brightness according to quality o f the article ; the spurious article is devoid of this.
It also has been noticed that the latter, when fresh broken and applied to the tongue,
is quite adhesive, though this property may belong to some indigo, if so it is but slight;
and if to a tumbler of water, having dissolved in it a small lump of such spurious ar­
ticle as refered to, there be added a little caustic potash, the color disappears, and a
brown color with substance is precipitated; besides these, chemists have several tests
whereby they can detect an article with a metallic basis.
Indigo is an important article of trade, and Baltimore has not suffered in reputation
as some other markets, by engaging in the manufacture of and selling a spurious ar­
ticle of such value; and as this spurious article closely resembles in appearance a
genuine article of fine quality, I have thought it proper to request that these tests
may be brought to the remembrance of such of the Western and Southern merchants
as look to the Eastern markets for supplies.
THE RIVERS OF MAIIVE THE SOURCE OF HER WEALTH.
The greatest and most permanent wealth o f Maine consists in her rivers. Ho other
State in the Union has such magnificent water-power. Look at the Kennebec and
the Penobscot— sweeping majestically with their valuable freights to and from the
sea, fertilizing their banks, and supporting thousands of towns and villages on either
hand. Look at the Androscoggin. Are not these better than mines of copper and
gold ? The Penobscot and Kennebec are navigable for vessels of considerable burden
a long way from the sea, and many towns and people upon their banks obtain a living,
in some cases great wealth, by ship-building. Thus, the trade of the ocean is of direct
profit to the population o f the interior—a rare thing— and many families in the heart
of the country, as it were, enjoy advantages which, in most of the States, can be had
only on the coast. This is a superiority which Maine will always possess, and which
railroads, though they may do something to offset, can never overcome. They enable
the poor economical people of the interior to go, almost literally, “ down east on a




768

M ercantile Miscellanies.

shingle,” as the saying is. But indispensable as they have been heretofore to the peo­
ple of Maine for bringing down their logs, propelling their saw-mills, and bearing their
lumber to a market, their whole power of usefulness does not begin to be appreciated
and we have little or no idea o f its immensity. W e see no l-easoa why, with a judi­
cious use of her timber, and proper care to raise young forests on the ruins of those
which from year to year are cut down, Maine cannot always remain a great producer
o f lumber. If she does so, her rivers will be of as much service for the transportation
o f this description of wealth as railroads and canals; it would be much cheaper, and
the cost of keeping in repair is nothing.
COPY OF AN OLD BILL OF LADING.
W e cut from one o f our exchanges the copy of a “ Bill of Lading,” dated Philadel­
phia, 24th September, 1741, more than one hundred and thirteen years ago. It is a
singular paper, and some of its phrases will, doubtless, cause the reader to smile. The
following is a copy, as nearly as we can give it, in print:—
by the Grace of GOD, in good Order and well Conditioned, b y .................
..................................in and upon the good.................................................... called, The
........................................................................................Whereof is Mafter under GOD for
this prefent V oyage..................................................................................... and now Riding
at Anchor in the.............................................................................................. and by GOD’s
Grace bound for................................................ ........................................................ To fa y,
h ip p e d

S

Being Marked and Numbered as in the Margent, and are to be delivered in the like
good Order and well Conditioned, at the aforefaid Port o f................................................
............................................................................. (the Danger of the Seas only excepted)
unto.............................................................................................................................................
or to......................................................................... Affigns, he or they paying Freight for
the faid Goods...........................................................................................................................
with Primage and Average accuftomed. In Witnefs whereof the Mafter or Purfer of
the faid ......................................hath affirmed to ................................ Bills o f Lading, all
of this Tenor and Date, One of which...............................................................Bills being
Accomplifhed, the other............................................................................. to ftand Void.—
And fo GOD fend the good............................................................................. to her defired
Port in Safety, AMEN. Dated in ........................................................................................
A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE.
A late number of Household Words contains a lengthy but interesting article upon
Champagne wine, in which a description is given of the country where it is produced.
The writer says:— Champagne is not fit to be thus delivered up before the May of
the second year; so that a bottle of frothy wine cannot be drank till from eighteen to
twenty months after it has vintaged, at the very soonest. It is better even at the
thirtieth month after it has quitted the parent vine. This, with trouble, the loss, and
the cellar-rent, make it impossible that genuine, properly-prepared Champagne should
be otherwise than costly. The maker, merely to pay his outlay, must dispose of it
at a heavy price. Champagne, therefore, is the wine of the wealthy. A t a secondrate inn in Epernay, the Siren, which is not without his own particular fascinations, I
paid four francs for a bottle of Ai. Wine merchants on the spot cannot let you have
passable Sillery for less than two francs and a half per bottle. But let not those who
cannot afford to drink Champagne envy too bitterly those who can. The loss is by no
means so great as they fancy. “ Which shall we have, Champagne or Bordeaux ?”
said I to a Frenchman whom I wanted to reward for talking, as well as to set him
talking a little more. “ Champagne is the more noble,” he answered, after deep con­
sideration, “ but it is five francs the bottle. The Bordeaux here is good, and costs




M ercantile Miscellanies.

1 69

only thirty sous. One bottle o f Bordeaux will fortify our stomachs better than two
bottles of Champagne; and for one bottle of Champagne he can have three of Bor­
deaux, with ten sous to spare for something else. Let us drink Bordeaux, Monsieur,
if you please.” And Bordeaux we did drink.
RECOMMENDATION OF A CABIN-BOY.

“ Please, sir, don’t you want a cabin-boy ?”
“ I do want a cabin-boy, my lad, but what’s that to you? A little chap like you
ain’t fit for the berth.”
“ Oh ! sir, I’m real strong. I can do a great deal of work, if I ain’ t so very old.”
“ But what are you here for! You don’ t look like a city boy. Run away from
home, hey ?”
“ O h! no, indeed, sir; my father died, and my mother is very poor, and I want to
do something to help her. She let me come.”
“ Well, sonny, where are your letters o f recommendation? Can’t take any boy
without those.”
Here was a damper. Willie had never thought of its being necessary to have let­
ters from his minister, or his teacher, or from some proper person to prove to strangers
that he was an honest and good boy. Now, what should he do. He stood in deep
thought, the captain meanwhile curiously watching the workings o f his expressive
face. A t length he put his hand into his bosom and drew out his little Bible, and
without one word put it into the captain’s hand. The captain opened to the blankpage and read:—
“ Willie Graham, presented ns a reward for regular and punctual attendance at
Sabbath School, and for his blameless conduct there and elsewhere. From his Sun­
day School Teacher.”
Captain McLeod was not a pious man, but he could not consider the case before
him with a heart unmoved. The little fatherless child, standing humbly before him,
referring him to the testimony of his Sunday School teacher, as it was given in his
little Bible, touched a tender spot in the breast of the noble seaman, and clapping
Willie heartily on the shoulder, he said :— “ You are the boy for me; you shall sail
with me ; and, if you are as good a lad as I think you are, your pockets shan’t be
empty when you go back to your good mother.”
PARSIMONY AND ECONOMY IN TRADE.
One might suppose, says our cotemporary of the Philadelphia Merchant, that it
would require but a few words to make this appear to the apprehension of the reader
To some, the bare announcement is sufficient to indicate the difference, but to others
the clearest reasoning will not avail. This may be owing to the fact that they have
been accustomed to confound the one with the other in all the affairs of life— in the
family and in business, in pleasure and in profit.
A person of this stamp wishes to go into business; he has some little capital, but
not much experience. He chooses the profession of a grocer or a merchant, and, sup­
posing that parsimony i9 economy, in order to save rent, he commences business in
the outskirts o f the city, or in some obscure alley or unfrequented street, and fails to
succeed, and wonders why it is, with all his industry and economy, he cannot make
both ends meet, much less thrive! His parsimony is the chief cause of his failure
But you can’t convince him of it, and he will live and die in the little nest which his
own hands created, and grieve to think that fortune has not been more gracious in the
bestowment of her favors upon him.
VOL.

X X X I I I . ----- N O .




V I.

49

770

Mercantile Miscellanies.

Another person opens an establishment on Chestnut-street; he has but recently
come to the city, having been a successful merchant in one of the towns in the interior
o f the State, where he was known by every one, as he was born and raised in the
county. Neither he, nor his father before him, had ever availed themselves of the
facilities of advertising in the county papers, and yet they got along, and in process
of time amassed what in that region was considered to be quite a fortune. He now
opens a fine stock of goods in a commodious house on Chestnut-street, and thinks that
everybody knows him, and of course will trade with him. Was he not known in
Buncome ? Did he not come from Lancaster \ He has fallen into the delusion that,
because he was known in the town and county that gave him birth, that certainly he
must be known here.
On the score of economy, as he deems it, he refuses to advertise. It costs too much,
he never did it before, why do it now ? He has a good house, he has goo— stock, he
has competent clerks ; he himself is a pleasant and accommodating merchant— why
does he not succeed ? Nobody knows him or cares to know him. The competition
in the market does not permit Mr. Fogy to become a necessity. Chestnut-street can
do without him, and the city would not miss him any more than she would a fly, if he
was to move to parts unknown. Now, what does economy of rent require ? What
of clerk’s hire ? What of interest on capital ? What o f time ? They all require that
he should invest something in advertising, and that, too, on a liberal scale. Not in
one paper only, but in many ; not occasionally, but constantly. And he will soon
find the benefit of so doing. Parsimony may say no— it will be too expensive ; you
can’t stand it. But Economy replies, You are mistaken; I must advertise to be
known, to be felt, to be appreciated. If I feel interested in my own success, my
neighbors will sympathize with me, and if they see me helping myself, they will cheer­
fully and promptly come to my aid.
Take the following illustration o f the difference between parsimony and economy
Sir Walter Scott tells of a near kinsman, who, having been informed that a family
vault of his was decaying and like to fall in, and that ten pounds would make the re­
pairs, proffered only five pounds. It would not do. Two years after he proffered the
full sum. He was assured that twenty pounds would scarce serve. He hesitated(
hemmed and hawed for three years more, then offered twenty pounds. The wind and
rain had not waited for his decision, and not less than fifty pounds would now sufficeA year afterwards he sent a check for fifty pounds, which was returned by post, with
the intelligence that the aisle had fallen the preceding week. The reader will make
the application.
MEASURES OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
The Newburyport Herald, in the course of an article on Weights and Measures, re­
marks that no two nations have the same— though the same name to designate them
may be used in many countries. Take the mile measure, for instance: In England
and the United States, a mile means 1,760 yards; in the Netherlands, it is 1,093
yards; while in Germany, it is 10,120 yards, or nearly six English miles; in France,
it is 3,025 yards. The Scotch mile is 1,984 yards, and the Irish 2,038 yards. The
Spanish mile is 2,472 yards, and the Swedish mile 11,700 yards. These are com
puted in English yards; but the yard itself, of three feet in length, has divers signifi
cations in different places. The English yard is 86 inches ; the French, 39.13 inches |
the Geneva yard, 57.60 ; the Austrian, 37.36 ; the Spanish yard, 33.04 ; the Prussian
3 6 . 5 7 ; the Russian, 39.51.
For measures of capacity, the dissimilarity is wider, and
more perplexing.




The Book Trade.

771

THE BOOK TRADE.
1. — The British Poets. 18mo. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. New York: James
S. Dickerson.
W e are gratified to learn that the success of the publishers in the enterprise of fur­
nishing our countrymen with a complete collection of the British poets, from Chaucer
down to the present century, has been eminently successful. The taste for works of
art, science, and genius in this country is gradually but surely advancing. The evi­
dence is in the greatly increased demand for works of standard and sterling value.
Twenty years ago, an edition of 1,000 copies of the most popular work was consid­
ered large ; now, editions of that number of copies are sold in a day or week, and ten
times that number scarcely begins to reach the demand. The taste, too, is improving,
and the yellow-cover literature giving way for something more substantial. The edi­
tion of the Poetical Works of Edmund Spenser, in continuation of Little, Brown <Sr
Co’s. British Poets, now before us in five handsome volumes, would, within our own
memory, have been regarded as a hazardous undertaking. These volumes were in­
tended to be little more than a reprint of an edition of Spenser published in 1839,
under the superintendence o f Mr. George S. Hillard. But the necessity of reducing
the annotations to a more compact form, and the hope of making some improvements,
led to alterations, and these becoming more extensive as the work progressed, under
the editorial supervision of that accomplished American scholar, Mr. Francis J. Child,
o f Harvard University, constitute it in reality a new edition, and beyond all question,
the most complete that has yet been issued from the press, either in the United King­
dom or the United States. Mr. Child has wisely retained a very large portion of Mr.
Hillard’s carefully prepared notes; and he has, moreover, used old copies of nearly
all the poems, and made a scrupulous revision of the text, which, though originally
printed with ordinary care, and on the whole faithfully reproduced by Todd, required
correction. The life of the poet, prefixed to the first volume of this edition, is un­
doubtedly more complete and more correct than any former biography.
2. — Curtis's Decisions o f the Supreme Court o f the United States. Vols. 1 to 9 in­
clusive. To be completed in 20 volumes. Boston : Little, Brown <fc Co.
There are about thirty thousand lawyers in the United States. A great many of
them will doubtless be glad to know that the United States Supreme Court Reports
no longer are to cost from $200 to $260, as heretofore. This edition contains all the
decisions of the Court down to December last. The reports are compressed by con­
densing the statements of facts and omitting long arguments of counsel, which it has
been the courteous custom of the reporters to print in full. No decisions, however,
seem to be omitted, nor are the opinions of the Court abridged. The compression re­
duces the bulk of the series from fifty-seven to twenty volumes, and the cost to sub­
scribers to $3 a volume. The seventeenth volume of Howard’s Reports, just issued
by the same publishers, takes up the decisions of the Court at the point where this
series ends.
— The Law o f Real Estate in the State o f New York. By T. M. L a lo e . 1 v o l.,
pp. 837. J. J. Diossy.
This book will form a very convenient assistant to all those who are concerned to
know our laws upon this subject. It consists of the statutes relating to real property
— descent, proof, and record of conveyances, and wills, excepted— illustrated by all
the reported decisions in the courts of our State. The system of our law in respect
of this branch is so much followed in other States, particularly some of the Western
States, that the usefulness o f this digest will not be limited to New York alone.*

3.

*t■
— Elements o f International Law.

By H en ey W heaton , LL. D. Sixth Edition.
Boston: Little, Brown <k Co.
This well-known treatise is here presented in an enlarged form, and brought up to
the most recent date. The histories of the various questions, particularly those of
commercial interest, which arise out of international relations and are complicated by
wars and treaties, are here fully traced; and, upon the whole, we know of no treatise
so convenient and so satisfactory as a hand-book of international law in 1855, as
this is.




772

The Book Trade.

6.— Memoir o f Rev. Edward Mott Woolley. By his daughter, Mrs. F id e l ia W oolley
G illet t , assisted b y Rev. A. B. G rosh . With an Appendix, containing selections

from his Sermons. 12mo„. pp. 360. Boston: Abel Tompkins.
The biographies of great and good men—men who have left their “ footprints on
the sands of time ”— will ever be read with interest by all who would profit by their
example. The subject of this memoir was a devoted minister o f that form of Chris­
tian faith denominated Universalism. The distinguishing article of the creed of the
sect, and that from which it derives its name, is the final purification, salvation, and
happiness of the whole human race. Mrs. Gillet, in this memoir, has paid a fitting
tribute to the memory of her father, and without professing to give a perfect expres­
sion to her conception of his nature, she has sketched the history of his life with much
apparent fidelity ; but, as far as possible, she has allowed her father to tell his own
story, and draws her illustrations of his character from incidents and letters recorded
by himself. Free from the trammels of sectarianism, we can find much in the lives
o f all true men, of whatever name or faith, worthy of “ all acceptation.”
— The Christian Life, Social and Industrial. By P e te e B ayn e , M. A . 12mo.,
pp. 528. Boston: Gould & Lincoln.
The original design of the author of this work was to give a statement of the Chris­
tian view of the individual character, together with a fair representation of the practical
embodiment and working o f that character in this age. With this idea others became
gradually allied, and it seemed to the author that the position and worth of Christian­
ity should, as a social and reforming agency, be defined. The biographic illustrations
o f the writer’s subject are somewhat after the manner of Carlyle, whom he views as
the greatest biographic writer that ever lived. The highest success at which he aims,
in a literary point o f view, is the introduction into Christian life certain of Carlyle’s
methods. Dissenting from his opinions thoroughly and totally, he at the same time
acknowledges “ that the influence exerted by Carlyle upon his style and modes o f
thought is as powerful as his mind was capable of receiving.”
6.

7. — The Adventures o f Hnjji Baba in Turkey, Persia, and Russia. Edited by J a m e s
M o r ie e . 12mo., pp. 405. Philadelphia: Lippencott, Grambo & Co.
The birth, adventures, and various fortunes of Hajji Baba, including his travels in
his owu country, Persia, and Russia, are all described in a manner to interest the
general reader. Most of the incidents in this book appear to be grounded upon fact,
which, although not adhered to with the same regard for truth which we might ex­
pect from the European or American writer of character, are sufficient to give an in­
sight into the manners and customs o f the East. Many of them will no doubt appear
improbable to those who have never visited the scenes upon which they were acted,
and it is natural that it should be so, because, from the nature of the circumstances,
such events could only occur in eastern countries. We anticipate much pleasure from
a more thorough perusal of the volume than we have yet been able to give it.
8. — The Christ o f H istory; an Argument grounded in the Facts of His Life and
Death. By J ohn Y oung , M. A. 12mo., pp. 260. New Y ork: Robert Carter <k
Brothers.
The London Morning Advertiser regards this work as belonging to the highest
class of the productions of modern disciplined genius. The author appeals in his in­
troduction to those who are prepared to treat with dispassionate criticism one of the
gravest Eubjects of human inquiry. His argument in its idea, certainly in its con­
struction. differs materially from those by which the truth it would establish has
usually been supported.
The writer possesses more than ordinary power of
analysis, and more originality of argument, than is usually brought to the discussion
o f topics connected with theology. The work is written in a perspicuous and vigor­
ous style.
9. — The Martyrs, Heroes, and Bards o f the Scottish Covenant. By G eorge G il f il l a n .
18mo., pp. 264. Robert Carter & Brothers.
Mr. Gilfillan’s delineations of literary and scientific men generally evince consider­
able powers of analysis, and are written in a lively and pleasant style. This work is
very much in the same vein, presenting:, however, a succinct and apparently impartial
history o f the Scottish Covenant, as well as an unbiased estimate of the character of
its principal actors. He also draws some general deductions applicable to the great
questions o f the day.




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10. — The Hose o f Sharon: a Religious Souvenir for 1856. Edited by Mr9. C. M.
S a w y e r . 18mo., pp. 304. Boston: Abel Tompkins.
This literary rose has long been a cherished favorite of ours. We have marked its
growth for the last seventeen or eighteen years. It made Us first annual appearance
in 1837, if we mistake not; and we have in our library some sixteen volumes—ail
but two of the series. One of its editors, and a charming writer, has passed aw ay;
but the Rose still blooms under the fostering culture of another fair countrywoman
and our worthy and esteemed friend the original publisher, now in the full vigor of a
fresh manhood. The many and steady friends of the Rose o f Sharon, we can assure
Mr. Tompkins, “ recognize no tokens of decay in the present bloom.” They will find
it, like its predecessors, worthy of their notice and approbation. It is illustrated with
some pretty and appropriate engravings on steel, and with articles in prose and verse,
o f varied length anii merit, from some of the earliest contributors to its pages, and
some o f the best names in our American literature.
11. — The Japan Expedition. Japan and Around the World : an Account of Three
Yisits to the Japanese Empire. With Sketches of Madeira, St. Helena. Cape o f
Good Hope, Mauritius, Ceylon, Singapore, China, and Loo Choo. By J. W.
S pau ldin g , of the United States Steam Frigate Mississippi, Flag Ship o f the Ex­
pedition. With Eight Illustrations. 12mo, pp. 377. New York : J. S. Redfield
A Co.
Although written in a modest and unassuming manner, this book possesses a fresh­
ness quite attractive. Mr. Spaulding does not profess to give a history of Japan, of
which there are already a number extant, one by Hildreth, the historian, published a
few months since. He has, however, embodied his own observations of what came
under notice in a cruise of nearly two-and a-half years. The writer makes no preten­
sion to entire accuracy, having kept no journal and having had to depend on scattered
memoranda, jottings down to friends, and to memory. He has told the plain, unvar­
nished story of his travels, as his eyes told it to him; and for this reason, if for no
other, it will be read with interest.
12. — A Presbyterian Clergyman Looking f o r the Church. By One of Three Hundred.
12mo, pp 580. New York: Pudney <fe Russell.
The writer of this book was born and nurtured in the lessons o f Presbyterianism!
and, as he informs us, “ came in due time to see the errors o f that system, and to look
earnestly for the Church built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus
Christ being the corner-stone.” After an elaborate search, he finds what he considers
the “ Church,” that is, he becomes a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
Those who, like the writer of this work, are looking for some other Church than that
in which they have been educated, will no doubt be interested in the labors of “ a
Presbyterian Clergyman Looking for the Church.”
13. — Clouds and Sunshine, and A rt. A Dramatic Tale. By C h ar les R e a d , author
of “ Peg Woffington” and “ Christie Johnston.” 12mo., pp. 22S. Boston: Ticknor
& Fields.
The two classically beautiful tales contained in this volume bear the impress of a
pure and elevated mind, and are written in an elegant and attractive style. The
names of the American publishers of this reprint have become synonymous with all
that is elegant, refined, and pure in the liteiature of England and America. Their
publications, whether selected from the productions of the English or American mind,
are not only unexceptionable in tone, but such as command the admiration of all who
know how to appreciate the genuine and the durable in literature and art.
14. — My Father’s House ; or the Heaven o f the Bible. By J ames M. M acdonald , D. D.
12mo., pp. 376. New York: Charles Scribner.
A religious book, designed, as we infer from its table o f contents, to afford the con­
solations of Christianity to those who have been called to part with near and dear
friends. The author has not, as he informs us, sought to invade the “ reserve with
which the word of God surrounds ” the future residence of the race. He thinks, how­
ever, that all we are able to learn has been revealed, and that any attempt to attain
to greater “ definiteness” in respect to the locality, the particular scenery, and the
employments o f heaven, cannot promote reverence or true devotional feeling. He re­
gards the “ sublime writings ” of the Bible as the only authorized messages from the
spiritual world. Its tone is antagonistic to modern “ spiritualism.” The volume is
dedicated to Rev. Dr. Spring.




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15. — The Great Harmonia: Concerning Physiological Vices and Virtues, and the
Seven Phases of Marriage. By. A n d k e w J ackson D a v is , author of the “ Principles
of Nature, her Divine Revelations, and a Voice to Mankind,” “ The Approaching
Crisis,” etc. 12mo. Boston Sanborn, Carter &, Bazin.
The fourth volume of Mr. Davis’ Great Harmonia, the one before us, is entitled
“ The Reformer.” It consists o f a series of discourses written during the past year.
They treat, as will be seen by the titles appended, of a class of subjects which, above
all others, are .most intimately connected with the organization, development, and
destiny of individual and social man. By “ physiological vices and virtues,” we under­
stand Mr. Davis to mean “ those cases o f the conjugal principfe which tend directly
either to demolish or to upbuild man’s moral and physical nature.” The volume con­
tains seventeen lectures, the titles of which we subjoin for the purpose of giving the
reader an idea of .the contents, rather than any opinion of the character of the pub­
lication : 1, Philosophy of Reform ; 2, Views concerning the Human Mind ; 3, Physi­
ological Vices and Virtues; 4, Classification of the Loves, and the World’s View of
Marriage; 6, Characteristics and Vices of Extremists; 6, Characteristics and Vices of
Inversionists; 7, Secondary Causes of Conjugal Misdirection; 8, Origin and Depen­
dencies of Love; 9, Woman’s Rights and Wrongs; 10, Philosophy of Marriage ; 11,
Laws o f Attraction and Marriage; 12, Transient and Permanent Marriage; 13, Dif­
ferent Attractions and Temperaments; 14, Internal Evidences of True Marriage; 15,
Parentage; 16, Social Responsibilities of the Marriage Relation, or the Rights and
Wrongs of Divorce ; 11, Character of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
16. — The L ily o f the Valley f o r 1856. With Illustrations. 12mo., pp. 256. Boston'James M. Usher.
This, as its title imports, is an annual, and o f several years’ standing. The engrav­
ings, (mezzotint,) six in number— the Flower Girl, Vignette Title, the Old Fort, the
Family Mansion, Summerville, and Tuft’s College— are pretty. The last-mentioned is
from an original drawing by F. T. Stuart, and gives a very good view o f the new col­
lege recently erected for the benefit of the denomination of Christians known as Universalists. Among the contributors to the literary department, we notice the names
of Mrs. L. H. Sigourney, Mrs. Mary A. Livermore, Caroline M. Sawyer, Julia A.
Fletcher, the Rev. E. H. Chapin, Rev. B. T. Thayer, Rev. Charles Brooks, Rev. J. G.
Adams, Rev. M. Goodrick, and others of less note. The “ I W ill” of Mr. Adams
should be “ read, marked, learned, and inwardly digested ” by every young man who
would attain any desirable object in the “ battle of life.”
IV.— Short Patent Sermons. By Dow, Ja. 3 vols. 12mo., pp. 288, 336, and 288.
New York : Long <fc Brother.
Sermons are very generally regarded as rather dull reading. Not so the “ ministra­
tions” of Dow, Jr.; and his texts are not all taken from the “ book of books,” but from
the whole range o f authors, inspired or uninspired, from Moses to M oore; and some­
times for want o f an appropriate text, the preacher manufactures one for the occasion.
They are “ short,” occupying from one to two in three pages; the illustrations are
spicy and grotesque; and whether in prose or verse— and both forms are adopted—•
the reader will find a vein of wit and humor, with words of worth and wisdom, per­
meating every page and paragraph.
18. — The New Odeon : a Collection of Secular Melodies, arranged for Young Voices
Designed for Singing Schools and Social Music Parties. By G eo b g e J am es W ebb
and L o w e l l M ason . New York: Mason <fe Brothers.
This book, originally compiled for the purpose of furnishing suitable secular music
for families and social musical parties, was first published in 1837. The New Odeon
has been enlarged and improved, and contains a larger variety “ than any other work
of favorite songs, duets, and concerted pieces, so harmonized as to be within the
capabilities of many singing schools and most choirs of the land.”
— The Aimwell Stories. E lla; or Turning Over a New Leaf. By W a l t e e A im author of “ Oscar,” “ Clinton,” etc. With Illustrations. 18mo., pp. 281. Bos­
ton : Gould Js Lincoln.
One of a most excellent series of stories. Ella, like the other stories, is intended for
both boys and girls, and is commended by the author to all children— whether good
or bad— but particularly to those who are willing to consider the subject of turning
over a new leaf.
19.

w ell,




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20. — Teverino : a Romance. By G eorge S and . Translated by a Lady. Preceded
by a Biographical Sketch of the Distinguished Authoress, by Oliver S. Leland.
12mo., pp. 280. New Y ork : William P. Feteridge & Co.
George Sand has sometimes been accused of portraying dangerous, sometimes un­
natural characters; in both cases she has probably relied on the good sense and judg­
ment of her readers. She says, in the preface to this book, that reading any romances
whatever is pernicious, nay, almost fatal to weak and ill regulated minds. With great
genius, whatever her errors, she has faith in the dignity and progress of the race, and
believes that a man never falls so low as to be unable t o . rise again, if he does not
lack courage and a true heart. Such is her firm faith for all humanity in all its errors,
for all its misfortunes, and in all conditions of life. This doctriue appears to be aimed
at in “ Teverino.”
21. — The Slakes and Flanagans: a Tale Illustrative of Irish Life in the United
States. By Mrs. J. S a d l ie r , author of “ New Lights; or Life in Galway,” “ Willy
Burke,” etc. 12mo., pp. 389. New Y ork : D. & J. Sadlier.
Mrs. Sadlier is doubtless an honest and conscientious Catholic, and all her writings
are dedicated to one grand object— the illustration of her faith by means of tales or
stories. The drama of the present story is taken from every-day life. I f is cleverly
written, and will be read with interest by her numerous Catholic admirers. W e don’t
suppose our Protestant friends would take the trouble to read it, were we to recom­
mend it evertfjo highly., We.shajl, however, find room: for*»it,*in our library of religious
and secular rp.dejs.i
t;
'• \ ‘
V
22. — Stray Leaves freb i ihe Book o f Nature. By M. S ch ele D e V e r e , of the Univer­
sity of Virginia, 12mo., p jl 291. £?ew Y crk: G. P. Putnam & Co.
We believe most of the papersjqqnt^iiied in this book originally appeared in the
pages of Putnam’s incomparable Monthly. The author appears to be endowed with
the love o f nature in all its varied tpJjaSea, and describes with graphic porfer its noblest
and its most minute forms of beaptyj-hijising from the smallest pebble on the shore to
the mighty ocean, and its sublime life.
23. — Twice Married: a Story of Connecticut Life. 12mo., pp. 254. New York: Dix
& Edwards.
This romance originally appeared in parts in Putnam’ s Monthly, and in that form
met with a generous reception by the best critical authorities of the press and romance
reading public. Every novel is, or should be written with an earnest purpose of some
sort or other. The author of this, declares his highest aim in writing this book to have
been a very ardent desire to amuse the readers of Putnam’s Monthly; and although
his story “ pretends to be nothing more than a plain and homely sketch of rustic life,”
it is, in our judgment, a cleverly drawn picture of New England customs and char­
acters.
24. — Beechcroft. By the author of the “ Heir o f Redcliffe,” “ Heartsease,” etc. 12 mo.,
pp. 304. New York: D. Appleton cfc Co.
The author of this book says of those who visit Beechcroft, there are some, who,
honestly acknowledging that amusement is their object, will be content to feel with
Lilias, conjecture with Jane, and get into scrapes with Phylis— all characters of the
story— without troubling themselves to extract any moral from their proceedings.
Those unreasonable readers who expect entertainment for themselves, as well as
instruction for those who had rather it was out of sight, are turned over to the Mohun family, who hope their example may not be altogether devoid of indirect instruc­
tion. Those who have read and admired the Redcliffe or Heartsease of this gifted
author, will, we venture to predict, pronounce the present equal to either of the au­
thor’s previous productions.
25. — Lake Shore ; or the Slave, the Serf, and the Apprentice. By E m ile S ouvestre ,
author of the “ Attic Philosopher in Paris,” “ Leaves from a Family Journal,” etc.
Translated from the French. 12mo., pp. 239. Boston : Crosby, Nichols & Co.
The author of this work has chosen children for the heroes of his stories, because he
sees in them the vices or the virtues of a period more clearly. The Slave, the Serf,
and the Apprentice are the types of three states of society, which have immediately
succeeded each other. In considering what the Past has been, we are more indulgent
towards the Present, and look forward with more confidence to the Future.




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26.

— The Parabolical Teaching o f Christ; or the Engravings of the New Testament.
By the Rev. D. T. K. Drummond, B. A., Oxon, Incumbent of St. Thomas’s English
Episcopal Chapel, Edinburgh.
8vo., pp. 440. New 'York: Robert Carter A
Brothers.
No part of the New Testament is perhaps more instructive, or more capable of
expansive teaching, than the parables of Jesus Christ. The lessons inculcated m most
o f them are plain and practical. What, for instance, is more beautiful or more in
keeping with the character of the Teacher who uttered it, than that of the “ Good
Samaritan ?” The author of these essays has grouped the parables of Christ under
six distinct heads, and endeavored to elucidate and enforce the lessons they are de­
signed to convey, in a simple but forcible and scholarly manner. The book will be
highly prized by many “ who profess and call themselves Christians,” and few can
peruse it without extracting from its pages some useful suggestions.
27. — Pictures in Europe Framed in Ideas. By C. A. B a r t o l . 12mo., pp. 407. Bos­
ton : Crosby, Nichols ifc Co.
With a somewhat affected title, this is nevertheless an excellent book. It does not
abound so in incidents as in the philosophy of travel. We should call it the essays
of a traveler in Europe. It is divided into parts, with distinct titles, commencing with
a poetical introduction, “ The Two Journeys,” and followed with captions to each suc­
ceeding part, as follows : Abroad and at H om e; Beauty and the W orld, The Mount­
ains ; T he Rivers; The Lakes ( The Seal; Superiority.oj Art to Nature; Testimony
o f Art to Religion; The, Enduring Kingdom.; The Church, Society;' History; Coun­
try ; Mankind ; Destiny, etc. The thoughtful* HadeVitill fin’d '■math to- admire in the
sober vein that marks almost every page and .paragraph of the unique pictures which
the author has succeeded in “ framing into ideas.” ; Mr.-Bartol is a clergyman of the
Unitarian faith in its most conservaiivfc ftirm.’ ’ ' :
- •
28. — The Curse o f the Village; and the Eappiitejs o f being Rich. Two Tales. By
H en drick C onscience .
Translated from, thevQriginal Flemish. 18mo., pp. 125.
Baltimore : Murphy <Ss Co.
Mr. Conscience enjoys a European reputation, resting mainly on those large histori­
cal romances in which he has illustrated, with equal power and beauty, the critical
periods o f Flemish national life. The charming tales contained in this volume, we
have no doubt, will enjoy a popularity among our young friends equal to any former
production of the. gifted author. The daily life and habits of the author’s countrymen
are portrayed with maiked minuteness and apparent fidelity of detail. The present
volume is to be followed by another o f similar character, containing a further selection
of the tales o f Flemish life, hitherto unpublished in England. They are written in a
simple and attractive style, combining the most touching pathos and the broadest
humor.
29. — Table Traits with Something on Them.

By Dr. D oran , author of “ Habits and
Men,” and the “ Queens of England of the House of Hanover.” 12mo., pp. 488.
New York : J. S. Redfield.
This is an extremely clever boob, overflowing with wit and wisdom, intermingled
with anecdotes and historical sketches of “ table traits ” in early and late times. The
ancient cock and hi3 art, and the modern cook and his science, are cooked up by the
hands of a master. If Dr. Doran talks as well as he writes, he would make a capital
table companion; and those who “ read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” his unique
book, will find words and things 'ough to impart a zest to any meal, especially the
materials for an intellectual fea • —“ the feast of reason and flow of soul.”
80.— My Mother; or Recollections of Maternal Influence. 12mo., pp. 254. Boston:
Gould
Lincoln.
In regard to the aim and character o f this work, the author says, in a recent letter
' rs, that however much o f a biographical nature may be found in it, it
Las a biography, as some conceive it to have been, but educational.
\gnted in the narrative form, and will be found attractive and useful
families. The author, who, we r-re told, has already distinguished
3 of literature, chooses for the present to conceal his name. “ It is
ares,” writes one who is himself an author of celebrity, “ painted
luisite skill of one of the old masters.”