Full text of The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review : January 1853, Vol. XXVIII, No. I

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HUNT’S

MEEOHANTS’ MAGAZINE.
Established July? IS39*

BY FREEMAN HUNT, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.

VOLUME X X V I I I .

J A N U A R Y , 1853.

NUMBER I.

C O N T E N T S OF NO. L, V O L . X X V I I I .
ARTICLES.
Ar t.

paoe.

I. CONSCIENCE IN THE COUNTING-ROOM; o r , THE TRUE INTERESTS OF THE
MERCHANT. By T. W. H i q g i n s o n , o f Massachusetts..........................................................

II. THE COTTON TRADE.

By C .F. M c C a y , of the University o f Georgia.............................

19
40

Til. COMMERCIAL CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE UNITED STATES.—No. xx xm .—
THE CITY OF NEW YORK.— P a r t v .................................................................................... 48
IV. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF GENERAL II. A. S. D EARBORN ...................................

60

V. CODIFICATION AND LAW REFORM IN ALABAMA. By Hon. B e n ja m in F. P o r t e r ,
o f Porterville, Alabama.............................................................................................................. 67

J O U R N A L OF M E R C A N T I L E L A W .
Bill in equity to settle conflicting claims arising under a will............................................................

71

C O M M E R C I A L C H R O N I C L E AND R E V I E W :
8M B R A C IN G A FIN AN CIAL AND COMM ERCIAL R E V IE W OF THE UNITED ST A T E S, ETC., ILL U STR A *
T E D W IT H T A B L E S, ETC., AS F O L L O W S :

General review of the course o f commercial affairs for the year—Prices o f cotton, breadstuffs,
and manufactured goods—Reflections upon the general prosperity, with the danger incident
thereto—Increase of banks, in its effect upon monetary affairs—Increase in the number o f
mercantile houses, with the corresponding evils—Rapid extension o f well-projected railroads
less an evil than generally apprehended—Basis of the present corrmercial expansion—Com­
merce o f the United States, with a comparison of the total imports and exports o f the whole
country for a series of years—Balance of trade—Revenue and expenses o f the United Slates
—Foreign relations o f the country in their effect upon Commerce—Review o f the estimated
increase o f our foreign indebtedness—State of the money-market—Deposits and coinage at
the Philadelphia and New Orleans Mints for November—Ditto at all the mints from January
1st—Imports of foreign merchandise at New York for November, and from January 1 s t-No­
tice of some items of free goods—Imports o f dry goods, with full particulars o f the descrip­
tion of fabrics— Increase in the per coinage o f revenue, showing a comparative excess in the
receipts of articles of luxury—Cash duties received at New York fur November, and from
January 1st—Exports to foreign ports for November, and from January 1st—Shipments o f
produce compared for two years—Rumors of imperial speculations in breadstuffs................ 73-80
VOL. X X V III.---- NO. I .
2




18

CONTENTS OF NO. I., VOL. XXVIII,

COMMERCIAL STATISTICS.
PAQE.

Commerce o f the Danube, embracing exports, imports, navigation, etc., etc., for the year 1851..

COMMERCIAL

81

REGULATIONS.

Treaty of friendship, Commerce, and navigation, between the United States and the Republic
o f P eru .................................................................................................................................................. 86

J O U R N A L OF B A N K I N G ,

CURRENCY,

AND FI N A N C E .

Population, Finances, etc., o f the European States............................................................................
Property, taxes, etc., in each county o f North Carolina................................................. .................
Specie in New York city banks and sub-treasury..............................................................................
United States Treasurer’s statement, November 22, 1852...................................................................
United States Treasury notes outstanding, December 1, 1852............................................................
Debt o f California...................................................................................................................................
Debt, Finance, and Property of Arkansas...........................................................................................
Bank capital, circulation, etc., in the United States for ten years......................................................
Banks o f the United States........................................................................................................'. .........
Revenue of Virginia in 1851-52.............................................................................................................
Real and personal property in the United States................................................................................
Banks of Savannah, Georgia..................................................................................................................
Banks organized under free banking law of Connecticut...................................................................
Expiration of bank charters in New York........................................................................................
The English Exchequer..........................................................................................................................
New York city taxes for 1853.................................................................................................................
Finances of Alabama.................................
New banks chartered in South Carolina................................................................................................
Capital and dividends of banks in Philadelphia..................................................................................
Production of gold in Australia.............................................................................................................
Debt o f the city of St. Louis, Missouri.......... .......................................................................................
Bank of Galena...........................................................................................

RAILROAD,

CANAL,

AND S T E A M B O A T

94
97
98
99
100
100
100
101
102
102
103
103
104
104
104
105
105
105
106
106
106
106

STATISTICS.

Statement of railroads in the United States, showing the time when opened, number of miles
in operation, number of miles in course o f construction, and cost, e t c ......................................
Cincinnati. Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad..........................................................................................
Canal Commerce at Rochester, New York...........................................................................................
Railroad freights between Albany and Buffalo....................................................................................

107
115
116
117

J O U R N A L OF M I N I N G A N D M A N U F A C T U R E S .
The first mining operation in North America. No. n ........................................................................
The manufacture of glass—No. v. By D b m in g J a r v i s , Esq., o f Massachusetts..........................
The Australian gold mines......................................................................................................................
Industrial progress of Michigan.............................................................................................................
Production o f wine in Missouri.............................................................................................................
Statistics of Anthracite and Cumberland Coal.....................................................................................
Buffum’s perfected gold separator.................................................
French manufactures.....................
Manufacture of Scythes in New Hampshire.........................................................................................
Wasteful method o f procuring Gutta-Percha......................................................................................

NAUTICAL

INTELLIGENCE.

Beacons, buoys, and light-houses, Scotland.........................................................................................
Stornoway light-house and beacon........................................................................................................
New light at the military port in the Gulf of Naples...........................................................................
The channel o f the Bay o f Smyrna........................................................................................................

MERCANTILE

117
119
122
123
123
124
124
125
125
125

126
127
127
128

MISCELLANIES.

Boston merchants and m en............................. .......................................................................................
Mackerel fishing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.....................................................................................
An accomplished Irish merchant...........................................................................................................
The Consular System o f the United States.........................................................................................
The black and green teas of Commerce..............................................................................................
Market for young women in Hungary..................................................................................................
A lecture for rich merchants..................................................................................................................
Consumption o f cotton in Great Britain..............................................................................................
The career o f a British merchant ship-owner......................................................................................
Singular discovery of old bank notes....................................................................................................

129
130
131
132
133
134
135
135
136
136

T H E BOOK T R A D E .
Notices o f new books, or new editions......................................................................................... 137-144




HUNT’S

MERCHANTS’ MAGAZINE
AND

COMMERCIAL REVIEW.
JANUARY,

1858.

Art. I.— CONSCIENCE IN THE COUNTING ROOM: OR THE TRUE INTERESTS
OF THE MERCHANT.
“ My brethren, this is never to be forgotten, that our New England is originally a plantation o f
Religion, and not a plantation of Trade. Let merchants and such as are making cent per cent remem­
ber this. Let others who have come over since at several times, remember this, that worldly gain
was not the end and design of the people of New England, but Religion. And if any man among
us make Religion as twelve, and the world as thirteen, let such an one know he hath neither the
spirit o f a true New England man, nor yet of a sincere Christian.” —John Higginson at Salem. 1663.

I t is claimed in our title tlia t“ the true interests” o f the M e r c h a n t
forms the subject of this article; but to define what those true interests are,
must be left to the essayist. H e must vindicate the claim o f the interests he
urges. The interests o f the merchant are commonly supposed to lie in his
m on ey; but every merchant was a Man before he was a Merchant, and the
interests o f the Man must rank first. The changes o f life or death may at
any moment remove his riches from the merchant or the merchant from his
riches; but the union between the man and his virtue is one which God
hath joined, and none may put asunder.
There are practical interests of the merchant on which I have no advice to
offer; instruction in these must be sought elsewhere. But inside o f every
Merchant there is a M an, and to that Man, modified as he may be by the
education, habits, and pursuits o f his avocation— to him and his interests I
write. The ancient philosopher thanked God for his wealth; and when his
property was destroyed by fire and shipwreck, he thanked God (it is record­
ed) yet more, because he had been taught the wisdom which left him as well
off as he was before. It is this wisdom alone o f which I can attempt to
treat; nor can you wisely disregard this. For the end o f life, as even you




20

Conscience in the Counting R o o m :

must allow, is not money, but happiness and usefulness: and if I could
teach you to extract as much o f these from fifty dollars as you otherwise
could from five hundred, I should plainly rival the most brilliant California
investment, and offer to your interests a solid advantage. “ The only book a
business man needs,” said one o f this class once to me, in a public library,
“ is a book to transform a poor man into a rich one.” “ That is the office of
all good books, I replied, and many there are which have done it. I do not
now mean that by books you may learn new maxims o f finance or new facts
in C om m erce: though that is true. For who knows how long ago the
mines o f California might have become a familiar fact in the world’s traffic,
had men been more attentive to the hints and surmises which are now
found to have passed unnoticed in old geographies and voyages ? But it is
not this I mean. For what will be the end o f your California speculations ?
Perhaps, when all is done, a hundred dollars’ balance— perhaps for you,
perhaps against you— so closely are the scales adjusted in the end. But
what are a hundred dollars to a new thought, a new aspiration, a new
aspect o f life and society, a new principle o f faith and peace in the soul ?
And yet you, who devote hours and days and weeks to the hundred dollars,
would grudge an hour to the book whose suggestions and thoughts might
make you a rich man for ever ; richer at least for ever, in your garret, than
the wretched millionaire whose palace towers above, and has hitherto kept
off1every ray o f sunlight from your dwelling and your heart.
“ W e cannot give all this populace bread,” said Guizot, in his better days
in the French Assembly, “ and if we could, it might only make them thrift­
less and dependent, and so prove their ruin. Let us give them Truth, for
this alone they cannot waste or abuse.”
I shall seek to write for the Interests of the Business Man by writing for
him the Truth.
I wish to consider the affairs o f the Business Man,— I. In regard to his
P osition ; II. In regard to his D angers; III. In regard to his Opportu­
nities.
I.
The I N sition o f the Business M an ; comprising his Object, which is
W ealth ; aiivl his Means, which is Commerce.
1. The professed object o f the Business Man, as such, is W ealth. “ The
American people,” says a French satirist, “ educate their children in the
fear o f God and the love o f Money.” The sarcasm seems at first severe as
was ever uttered. But let us look at it more closely.
W h a t is Money ? From the time when the accumulation o f wealth first
became a desire o f man, there has been no such thing as the love o f gold
and silver for their own sakes. Selkirk spurned the lump o f silver from
beneath his feet; king Midas found the “ golden tou ch ” a curse and not a
blessing. It is only representative value. A s bank-notes only represent
gold, so gold again but represents wealth; wealth means only the conveni­
ences o f bfe.
It means first the physical conveniences o f life. H ow little do the needs
o f man require : meat, fire, and clothes. W h a t more ? Meat, clothes, and
fire. But to be supplied with these is to possess substantial wealth: and
who shall fix the limit o f adequate supply ? Ih e Irishman in his bogs has
potatoes, turf, and a dreadnaught ja ck e t; are these to be the acme o f
human demand ? N o philosopher has ever reduced himself to a minimum
o f physical convenience. Diogenes invested capital in a tub, which might




O r the T ru e Interests o f the M erchant.

21

have been “ sold for many pence, and given to the poor.” N o one who
has ever eaten Shaker bread and butter will regard that ascetic race as
types o f self-mortification. Dirt and rags are economical, but who adheres
to dirt and rags on principle? A large emigrant family will thrive on a
shilling a d a y ; but what philanthropist conforms his household to that o f
Barney O’Brien ? Y et beyond this minimum all is debateable land, and the
repudiation o f wealth, as not a legitimate object, evidently repudiates it all.
Again, wealth means the higher conveniences o f life; schools, books, art,
travel, social intercourse. The more o f these any one has, the more o f life.
To those who never dreamed o f them they appear superfluities, but to those
who have them their sacrifice is a sacrifice of so much o f existence. The
remark attributed to a Boston fop, “ that he could spare the necessaries of
life, but could not do without the luxuries,” becomes altogether rational and
discreet, if these be luxuries. I can better afford to be cold and hungry
than never to have read Shakspeare or seen Niagara. I know a young
man in a great city who, when reduced to his last dollar for the support of
himself and his widowed mother, spent that dollar in the purchase o f Spen­
ser’s Faerie Q ueene;— and both lived to declare that they did not repent o f
their bargain.
Wealth is the effort o f a man to enlarge his means and appliances; to
obtain new instruments o f labor and culture. As such it is desirable ; it is
a new set of limbs and muscles, and new fibers to the brain. But the new
muscles and brain, like the old, must be trained to exist not only without
interference with those o f others, but for direct co-operation with them.
Doubtless there are circumstances in which the simplest pursuit o f the
humblest wealth becomes bitter competition and selfishness; and so the
simple effort to breathe became selfishness and competition in the Black
Hole o f Calcutta; yet the ficulty o f respiration carries in it no essential
sin, and neither does the faculty o f accumulation. W ealth is admirable or
base, like all other acquired faculties, according to the mode in which it is
gained and used. Let a man’s whole life be selfish and exclusive, and his
wealth, as a part o f it, becomes so likewise; let a man’s life be given to uni­
versal ends, and this and all his faculties are beneficent and excellent.
A modern social philosopher has said, and said (in a sense) truly, that
“ wealth is as necessary to the maturity o f human faculties as sunshine to
the ripening o f a p e a c h b u t God sends shower to the fruit as well as sun­
shine, and blesses the sweet uses o f adversity. Experience shows that
warm houses and soft clothing may give delicacy and grace and symm etry;
but the lumberer’s hut and the icy toil o f the fisherman educate a certain
gnarled and uugraceful vigor, notwithstanding,— and for these also there is
something to be said.
I have talked with a man owning one half a railroad, but I did not find
him appearing stronger or wiser or happier than I ; no more “ well off;”
perhaps less s o ; he at least was chiefly anxious to get richer, while I was
not. There he stood beside his railroad; the iron lines stretched away over
the soil, but there was no iron in his moral purposes; the steam o f his
engines rose up to heaven, but guided no aspirations o f his thither; all his
locomotives had not availed to take him to the city o f God any faster; in
that direction the race was not to the swift nor the battle to the strong.
W ealth however is one thing; individual exclusive wealth quite another.
A community may be rich (as the Shakers) and yet lack individual— havo
no private possession. This does not affect the utilities of wealth, except in




22

Conscience in the Counting R o o m :

detail. But without wealth somewhere the whole community suffers. W ith ­
out wealth, the facilities o f existence are restricted. W ithout wealth there
is no science, nor art, nor literature. True, it is a dawning o f science when
the wandering Indian tracks his course by the North Star. Y et without
nourishing food the wanderer in time grows weak and his eye faint and
d im ; but food is wealth, and the bow or gun which obtains it is also
wealth.
True, it is literature when the roving Arab tells his legends
beneath the tent or by the camp-fire. But tent and camp-fire are also
wealth.
There needs to be wealth somewhere, then, for science, for literature, for
art. Beyond this it is a mere question o f distribution. Am ong the Greeks
the wealth o f art was unrivaled, yet among the Greeks there was almost no
private ownership o f art; the wonderful works were consecrated in the
temples, and as available to the humblest as to the richest. The same was
true o f the architectural wonders o f the Middle Ages. The utmost demand
o f any Socialist or Communist seems to be only for some plan o f extending
to other wealth a similar universality o f use. W h en Proudhon declares
property to be theft, he apparently only wishes to denounce the theory that
man liveth to himself, and that any faculty or possession is more than trust
— property to be held for the good o f all.
Y et wealth, however it be obtained or distributed, brings with it certain
influences and characteristics whose essential nature is invariable. A nd the
best o f all its definitions is perhaps that subtle one o f Lord Bacon, who de­
clares that “ riches are to virtue what baggage is to an army, (the Boman
word is better, impedimenta;) since it cannot be spared or left behind,
while it sorely hindereth the march.”
2.
Let us consider next the Means employed by the Business Man,
namely, Commerce.
The place of Commerce in the universe is to facilitate the production and
distribution o f wealth. These functions are both legitimate and important.
Commerce is indispensable to them, save in the infancy o f society, and the
institution of Trading as a vocation is an early step in the division o f labor.
The mercantile class can no better be spared by the community than the
farmer or the carpenter. True, every man might transact his own ex­
changes ; but so he might raise his own grain or build his own house, with
no more inconvenience to himself;— that is to say, with a great deal. To
deny the productiveness o f the mercantile class is a precision o f speech
which defeats itself. It is not true, as Cicero said, that the merchant “ can
only gain by some trick;” it is not true that the gain o f one merchant is
necessarily another’s loss ; this is not true in any legitimate traffic. For it
is plain that the discovery o f any new branch o f Commerce is a gain to one
or many, and no loss to any— a net gain, consequently, to the community.
The merchant does not literally and directly create any article, but he cre­
ates its value— which is much the same thing— by transposing it from a
place where it is superfluous or useless to a place where it is precious.
“ The good merchant,” said old Fuller, “ is truly a good gardener, for he
maketh England bear wine and oil and spices.” Guano was as much a
fact in the universe while it lay unknown on a desolate island in the South­
ern seas, as now while it fertilizes broad acres ; but it was created into value
by its importers. Commerce did not add it to existence, but it added it to
the utilities o f existence. Commerce, which brings Northward the con­
densed atmosphere o f the Tropics in their tempting and fragrant spices—




O r the T rue Interests o f the Merchant.

23

and bears New England to the farther Indies, crystalized in glittering ice ;
it is in vain to deny the claims o f this Commerce as a legitimate source o f
value.
Even competition, so far as it tends to reduce unjust profits, is obviously
useful; it ceases to be legitimate only when it stands in the way o f fair
deding and the higher principle o f co-operation. Remove all interference;
equalize the pressure on different employments, so that there shall be no
over trading, and the pursuit o f wealth by Commerce, large or small, ap­
pears as unexceptionable as by sowing and reaping.
It is true that property is sometimes obtained by what seems fraud or
trick in trade; but so it is without trade. It is true that it is sometimes
unequally distributed by Com merce; but so it is without Commerce.
Some of the greatest wealth in this country has been obtained by a simple
tenure o f property for a long period, without any trading, until it rose in
value— as with Western lands. And as to inequality it may perhaps be
asserted that the general tendency o f the progress of Society, in spite o f the
fears o f the Socialists, is rather to equalize property. It is said by some
merchants that the day for making great fortunes is gone b y ; and even
California has not yielded such magnificent profits to individuals as the fur
trade and the East India trade have yielded in times past. The greatest
estates o f this country have illustrated the remark of Lord Bacon, that “ the
fortune o f being first in an investment, or in a privilege, doth cause some­
times a wonderful overgrowth— as it was with the first sugar-man in the
Canaries.” But these facilities o f accumulation are given but rarely, and
though they continue to recur at intervals, it is on a smaller scale, relatively
to each individual.
Coleridge compared the institution o f property to the waves o f the sea,—
never level, but always seeking a level. The merchant is the vEolus who
keeps this ocean fluctuating. The surges rise high in the storm, and some
are drowned in the billows and some stranded in the shallows; but on the
whole the heaving is innocent. In a society organized as in England there
are restrictions and fixed points which interfere with the free circulation of
the waters; here these are absent and hence a more general and also more
equal motion.
Undoubtedly the natural^tendency o f capital is to accumulate; but the
check set on this by nature is the shortness o f human life and the distribu­
tion o f estates at death. In England this check is partially removed by the
institution of primogeniture; the benefits are summed up by Dr. Johnson’s
pithy comment, that “ it makes but oue fool in a family.” Hence much o f
the fearful inequality of conditions in that country— an inequality so great
that although the wealth o f England has quintupled in five hundred
years and its population only doubled,* we have the word o f Hallam for
asserting that “ the laborer is inferior, in ability to suppor a family, to his
ancestor ten centuries ago.” To attribute this result to the general constitu­
tion o f modern society, as our Socialists do, and not to the special condition
of England, appears an oversight. For in France, where an opposite extreme
of legislation has existed, we see an opposite extreme of result; the distri­
bution of property being enforced by law, the danger now apprehended is
of an excessive diminution of estates, especially o f landed property.! If
* Porter’s Progress o f the Nation, 1, 18; and Morgan’s Plan of a Christian Commonwealth, p. 75.
t M ill’ s Political Economy. I. Appendix.




24

Conscience in the Counting R oom :

these be the extremes resulting from restriction, there would seem reason to
hope for a happy medium, from the absence of restriction in our own coun­
try. “ In the United States,” remarks Mill, “ the ideas and practice in the
matter o f inheritance seem unusually rational and beneficial.” The laws of
distribution seem at least as active as those of accumulation. It needs to
watch but for a little while the history o f any wealthy family, to be satisfied
that in this community, at least, there is little danger that the progress of
accumulation will outlast the life o f the first founder o f a great estate.
And thus the fears o f a period of “ Commercial Feudalism,” as urged by
socialists, seem to have, to Americans, their natural corrective. The laws of
society which chiefly tend to make wealth fearfully unequal and Commerce
dangerous, do not come into action here. The first step toward Fourier’s
Utopia has been taken by the system of joint-stock companies, so observable
to foreigners who visit us ; the means to our greatest successes, and yet the
natural result o f a general equality o f condition. “ Wherever,” says De
Tocqueville, “ you would in France find the government acting and in Eng­
land a noble or a commercial baron, you in America find an association of
individuals of moderate property.”
Yet in a more modified form this theory o f “ Commercial Feudalism ” is
unquestionable. Before the time o f Carlyle the truth had been pointed out,
and since his time has been urged almost to cant, the transition from an
“ Unworking Aristocracy ” to a “ W orking Aristocracy,” from “ Force and
the Long Arm ” to “ Cunning and the Long Head.” The Chevalier has be­
come a Trader.
“ Lord Stafford mines for coal and salt;
The Duke of Norfolk deals in m alt;
The Douglas in red herrings ;
And noble name and cultured land,
Palace and park and vassal baud,
Are powerless to the notes of hand
Of Rothschild and the Barings.”

The influence o f the Feudal Lord has passed into the Merchant’s hands.
He has the same good traits— energy, forethought, sagacity, resources, pow­
er o f command— and the same bad ones. He is as selfish and unscrupulous,
perhaps more s o ; his stratagems and frauds may have more cool villainy
than the most desperate foray o f a half-barbarous medieval baron. As he
walks in broadcloth you think him a different creature from that rude free­
booter in armor. Not so— it is only the tiger grown sneaking.
Y et there are advantages in the substitution. However it m aybe in par­
ticular cases, it is the general truth that the watchword o f Feudalism was
Separation and Restriction ; while that o f the Money Power is Union and
Freedom. Feudalism built cities with castle and fortress, moat and wall, to keep
men asunder; the cities of the Money Power may be known by exchange
and market-place, railroad and steamship, to bring men together. Now as
the first step towards humanity and co-operation is to secure mutual inter­
course, it is evident that a point o f progress has been gained.
The simple fact is that the most important institution o f any period will
chiefly rule the affairs o f that peiiod. In the Middle Ages the history of
nations was determined by military leaders and chronicled in the battles and
truces. W hen nations cease to be feudal their very wars and treaties become
commercial, as those of Engiand, and political events are controlled by the
Money Power and chronicled in its negotiations. The fate o f nations is now




O r the T rue Interests o f the Merchant.

25

decided at the Bourse and Exchange, or at least registered in their fluctua­
tions. An instructive illustration of this change occurred in England, when
popular agitation was at is hight, just before the passage o f the Reform Bill.
“ The Duke of Wellington was quite prepared with Scotch Greys, with
rough-ground swords and the like, to bolster up the abuses o f Church and
State; he was prepared to make the bank bristle with bayonets and repel
any attack on it with armed bands; but men began to present checks in
undue abundance, and ask for gold in exchange for,notes. Frightened D i­
rectors told the Duke that the Bank could not stand the monetary siege
twenty-four hours longer; and the old soldier, finding that there were pow­
ers in society not dreamed of in his gunpowder philosophy, saw immediate­
ly that he must give way to more pacific counsels.”
Trade has its fixed place, then, among the providential laws of the uni­
verse. It is a part o f nature. Wealth, is to possess the utilities of exis­
tence ; Commerce, to collect, combine, and distribute them. To do this,
all the operations o f the business man must conform to the laws of nature,
and hence men use derivative language and speak of “ opening now chan­
nels o f Commerce ” and like phrases, recognizing the secret affinity.
The account-book is the symbol of universal principles— of the great,
stern, accurate economies o f earth and heaven. But all idolatry, it must be
remembered, .begins in symbol-worship, and history has hitherto furnished
no example of a people who could adore the image, and not forget, sooner
or later, that it was an image only.
And this leads us to the Temptations of the business man.
II. The Temptations o f the business man.
The business man finds temptations, first, to a dishonest pursuit of his
calling; and secondly, he finds temptations even in honestly pursuing it.
1. “ A man in much business,” says Cowley in one o f his brilliant essays,
“ must either make himself out a knave, or the world will make him out a
fo o l; and if the injury' went no farther than being laughed at, a wise man
would content himself with retaliation ; but the case is much worse, for
these civil cannibals, as well as the wild ones, not only dance round such a
taken stranger, but at last devour him.”
One might almost suppose that the satirical poet meant this last remark
literally, had he not written before the time of the absurd brutalities o f the Lon­
don Stock Exchange, the only excuse for which is, that they may serve to deter
innocent strangers from entering the perilous place where the rough reception
is the least part o f the danger. But at any rate, the suspicion here ex­
pressed ; the aversion to commercial pursuits found at almost all past pe­
riods, among landholders, civilians, professional and military m en ; the preju­
dice indicated within a century by the derisive remark of Dr. Johnson, that
“ an English merchant is a newly discovered species of gentlemen;” this
impression is in great part due to merchants themselves. Am ong aristocra­
cies there is always a certain standard o f h onor; among military men there
is military h onor; among professional men there is professional h onor; these
standards may be artificial, but they are actual; deviations from them are
not winked at nor laughed at, but rebuked and despised. But there is an
impression among these classes that merchants either have no such standard,
or habitually disregard it. Is this correct ? Or how far is it incorrect ?
I once knew a young man who told me that he should have become a
merchant without doubt, but for the conversation which ho used to hear
around the fire in a country store, where he used to spend the winter eve­




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Conscience in the Counting R o o m :

nings in boyhood. So utterly base was the tone prevalent th ere; such an
absence of any higher interest than in the success and profit o f mere
dishonest ju g glery ; such amused and satirical narratives o f A ’sbad bargain,
and B ’s fraudulent failure, and C’s false swearing, and D ’s false marks on his
packages o f goods when he sold ou t; and so on with the petty villainies o f
o f all the letters o f the alphabet. W h o can wonder if the thought seemed
insufferable o f a life made up o f a series of such trickery, and if every brave
young man in that company yielded to the impulse to spurn it all ? And
I much fear to change the scene from the country store to many a city in­
surance or broker’s office, would only change the story by as much as coun­
terfeit gold differs from counterfeit copper— “ a rogue in spirit from a rogue
in grain.”
A recent writer has observed that the inscription on the Chinese shops o f
u P a ii H on ” or “ N o cheating here," though it does not prove the honesty
o f any one dealer, seems to prove the dishonesty o f most o f his neighbors.
And even if the tone o f these little circles o f mercantile gossipers be stern
and contemptuous instead o f sympathizing, the fact still remains that if ev­
ery business man denounces one half his neighbors as sharpers, there cannot
be a prevailing high standard of business honor in the community.
Y et there is, doubtless, such a thing as business honor extant, however
great the deviations from it, and however little these be regarded. For it
is in fact the interest o f every one that it should exist. The most fraudulent
bankrupt would prefer that his own debtors should be honest. The most
trickish shopkeeper wishes the impracticable wish that his clerks would cheat
everybody else and yet not cheat him. In fact, the conscience o f such tra­
ders is precisely like the conscience of kings, as described by Frederick I I . :
“ Religion,” said he, “ is absolutely necessary to the well-being of States, and
he is not a wise king who allows his subjects to abuse i t ; nevertheless, he is
not a wise king who himself has any religion at all.” So reasons ou
trader.
And thus the first temptation which comes to the young man entering
business, is to the disregard of the most cl ear and unquestionable laws o f
d u ty ; and to become not only a liar and a swindler, but a hypocrite. The
stern necessity is upon him, to make a livin g; this has perhaps been im­
pressed on him by foolish parents as his first duty ; in this respect the imme­
diate results o f trickery look always more templing ; and so who can won­
der if the poor shortsighted boy tries the experiment?
Take a single instance in evidence o f the consequences o f this. In a recent
debate in the British House o f Commons on the adulteration o f coffee with
chicory, it was stated that there were 130,000 grocers in London who sold
the adulterated article as genuine 1 It was not denied by any that the
practice “ tended to demoralize those who practiced it,” but it was urged
that the scale o f the offence was too large to admit o f prohibition. Now, as
there is no reason to suppose tradesmen in London to be any worse than
elsewhere, or grocers worse than other tradesmen, or the coffee trade worse
than any other, we might easily draw some rather sweeping conclusions from
this single case.
It may, however, be termed an extreme case, and yet there are probably
few business men but would admit that the maxims adopted by them in
trade are not identical with those which they employ in their families, at
their country-houses and in their treatment o f personal friends. There may
be good reasons for this; but it is certainly a matter needing to be looked
into. W e need an Essay on the “ Geographical Distribution o f Right and




O r the T ru e Interests o f the M erchant.

27

W rong,” to understand bow it is that an act which would be baseness and
dishonor in a private residence in Pemberton Square, becomes a legitimate
business transaction by two minutes’ walk into State Street.
I do not now forget that the maxim “ honesty is the best policy ” passes
current in the street, and is sincerely believed by m an y; nor that there are
facts which seem to sustain it, at least with the modification suggested by a
late writer, that “ it is not always the best honesty which is the best policy.”
But I fear that this admission covers a large part o f the ground. The sepa­
ration between the man and his profession— between personal character and
business character,— is, perhaps, carried farther among merchants than among
any other men— unless it be politicians, who here, as in other ways, represent
merchants. W h a t Bacon says o f the eminent statesman is too often true of
the eminent merchant, that he arrives at success by “ an union of great and
mean qualities.” Alas ! it is too often in each case that the great principles
are confined to the private life o f the man, and when he goes to his place o f
business he puts them off for the day, and puts on his meanness as he does
his office coat.
But a simple summary of a few newspaper facts will go farther to show
the moral perils o f business than many reasonings.
“ It is asserted that but one eminent merchant (whose death is still recent
and lamented)’has ever continued in active business in the city o f New York
to the close o f a long life, without undergoing bankruptcy or a suspension of
payments in some one o f the various crises through which the country has
passed.”
“ It is also asserted on reliable authority, from records kept during periods
of from twenty to forty years, that o f every hundred persons who commenced
business in Boston, ninety-five at least die poor; that o f the same number
in New York, not two ultimately acquire wealth, after passing through the
intermediate process o f bankruptcy, while in Philadelphia the proportion is
still smaller.”
It is also stated that the shopkeepers of Paris, 80,000 in number, had in the
year 1845 no less than 46,000 law suits before the tribunal o f Commerce
alone, to speak o f no other tribunal.*
Now, it would seem to assert a natural moral superiority, almost incredible,
to suppose that merchants could so almost universally be exposed to such
terrible trials o f virtue as these simple statements imply, without ending with
consciences more scathed and shattered than those of any other class in the
community.
One would suppose that this consciousness o f peril, past or future, would
make business men more humble than all others; more tolerant, each re­
membering how he has been or may be tempted. It does not seem so.
There is a story o f the London satirist, Thackeray, that on passing by a
window in the Strand where lay oysters for sale, in two compartments,
ticketed respectively, “ 8d. p er dozen" “ 9d. per dozen," the keen observer
paused, and pointing them out, remarked “ H ow they must hate each other / ”
This bitter satire on the heart-burning jealousies between the different circles
m social life will bear a transfer to another sphere. For there meet daily in our
streets men who should justly bear the different labels, 'lSold f o r a million
dollars and a stone country seat," and “ Sold f o r a suspicious sixpence in
the pocket, and the contingent reversion o f a stone ja il / ” And certainly




•Mitchelet’a “ People,” Am. ed., p. 75.

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Conscience in the Counting Room .

the parallel is carried fully out, for none can deny the vehemence with which
they hate one another.
2. I pass to the temptations found in even an honest pursuit o f business
life.
Probably no life so much absorbs the mind in unimportant material de­
tails as that o f the trader in most cases does. N o honesty, no fidelity to
principle can easily alter this characteristic. The mechanic’s life, so far as
it is purely mechanical, leaves the mind somewhat free; so does the farmer’s ;
when in either case the employment exercises the mind, it is through the
processes o f invention and observation, from which, in all ca=es, something
is to be extracted. Setting aside literary and artistic pursuits, it may ba
said that the employments o f professional, political or military life, though
they have their trials, have far more o f intercourse with the moral and in­
tellectual side o f the human being. The mechanic, the farmer, deals with
the great forces o f Nature; the statesman, the lawyer, even the soldier, with
the great forces o f the soul, its ambitions and its passions. The drudgery o f
the merchant has points of inferiority to either o f these; the life o f the book­
keeper and the salesman (and the labor done in these two capacities consti­
tutes a large proportion o f the sum total o f commercial labor) is a concentration
o f the faculties o f the mind upon details neither highly instructive nor highly
enlarging ; whose chief advantage, in fact, is the material service o f providing
a subsistence. Doubtless, all steady occupations are, in some degree, nar­
rowing to the m ind; but the average influence o f mercantile pursuits more
than ordinarily so.
“ Surely,” said some one to the English Rothschild,
“ you would not wish your son to think and care for nothing but money­
making ?” “ I am sure I would wish that,” replied he with surprise, “ it
is the only way to success in business.”
W h at is the ordinary state o f commercial life in any thriving community ?
W h a t is it in the New England town that combines the most of industry
with the most o f honesty ? W h at, but a state o f absorbed and eager pur­
suit after the material results o f trade ? The motto o f the merchant’s ledger
in ancient times was uLaus Deo,” “ Glory to God
the motto o f the mer­
chant to-day is uP u sh along, keep moving," “ Quick sales and small p ro fits"
11Competition is the life o f trade," and so on. This state o f things may be
pardonable for the sake o f its results, as a necessary stage in the progress of
human society, but-nothing more.
“ I confess I am not charmed,” sa}rs one o f the soundest and strongest o f
modern writers,* “ with the ideal o f life held out by those who think that
the normal state o f human beings is that o f struggling to ‘ get on ;’ that
the trampling, crushing, elbowing and treading on each other’s heels, which
form the existing type o f social life, are the most desirable lot o f human
kind, or anything but the disagreeable symptoms o f one o f the phases o f in­
dustrial progress. The Northern and Middle States of America are a speci­
men o f this stage of civilization in very favorable circumstances; having
apparently got rid of all social injustice and inequalities that affect persons
of Caucasian race and of the male sex, while the proportion o f population to
capital and land is such as to insure abundance to every able-bodied man
who does not forfeit it by misconduct. They have the six points o f Chartism,
and they have no poverty ; and all that these advantages do for them is that
the life o f the whole o f one sex is devoted to dollar-hunting, and that o f the




Mill’s Political Economy, ii., 314.

O r the T ru e Interests o f the M erchant.

29

other to breeding dollar-hunters. This is not a kind o f social perfection
which philanthropists to come will feel any very eager desire to assist in
realizing.”
But it will be said, “ W e are placed on the earth and must live accordingly,
must eat and drink, for to-morrow we die !” Y et for what are we placed on
the earth, but to be its crown and head, and live by earthly means the life
o f heaven ? “ God hath placed you (says the Koran) to be hi3 vice-regents
on earth; he offered his trust to the mountains and the stars and they
humbly declined i t ; he hath appointed man, and now man hath become
selfish and unjust!” Let man sin if he will, but let him not dare throw the
responsibility o f the sin upon the fair home in which he lives.
Opposite the window o f my house there was till recently, a linden-tree,
the only ornament o f the barren street. And, as I sat one day, I looked
upon that tree and thought o f its history from Spring to Autumn, the
beauty, first, o f its soft greenish buds gradually dwelling on each of its in­
numerable twigs and slowly tilling up its clear outline against the blue sky ; its
glorious wealth o f shade later in the season and its equal wealth o f fragrant
blossoms, the summer home o f a thousand murmuring wings ; the joy it
gave to sight, scent, and sound for long months, and its still undiminished
beauty while the autumnal hues were putting on, and even when winter
covered it with white softness ; as I looked on this fair creation of the Deity
I said half unconsciously, Truly there is a lesson from God in thee also,—
and that restored blind man in Scripture who “ beheld men as trees walking,”
did surely great injustice to the trees. For compare this piece o f majestic beauty
with the men who pass beneath it from day to day— the so-called monarchs
of creation— how they crouch and creep along the earth as they plod by,
every few hours, to their food or their sleep, with their heads bent down
and all absorbed in contriving their little traps to catch dollars and bargains,
and custom, and food and clothing; compare this as it came fresh and pure
from God with these as they deform and be-little themselves, and you will
see that it is not the earth on which we live that makes us base, but we who
insult that fair earth by our baseness.
It is not the earth that wo should complain of, but the world. God made
the earth, but man made the world, and its sins and follies are o f his own
devising.
The most honest and punctilious o f business men may still be
overwhelmed by the influence o f worldliness; and by tw-o kinds o f worldliness.
The first worldliness is the vice commonly known by that name— of those
who believe in this world, and in nothing beyond it. “ It doth not yet ap­
pear what we shall be,” these cry ; “ but we know what we are.
Let us
live while we live.” So they plunge into the strifes and interests around
them'— they accept them as final. They claim knowledge when they have
learned something o f these— nay, “ knowing ” is what they chiefly profess
to b e ; that is, they know the “ tricks o f trade,” and the tricks o f politics,
and the tricks of dress and form in social life, perhaps, in these they have
their being. Life to them means the first few score years o f a boundless
existence, and the lowest and basest part o f those.
Doubtless these little things are important, doubtless (as was admitted
before) the same vast laws which rule the Eternities will hold good also in the
shop and the kitchen, but they who would understand them must begin with
the greater and not with the less. They who truly understand the realities
of Eternity will know the realities o f Time also, but they who seek those of
Time only will miss both. Oh, if there is any sight pitiable in the universe,
it is o f those who think they “ know Life,” when they only know all in it




30

Conscience in the Counting R oom .

that is base and petty, and forget the unknown filings o f the tremendous
Eternity beyond. Can they carry their tricks of trade into that ? Can they
carry their bank-stock and invested capital into that ? Can they carry their
social position, their fellowship in their church or party, their “ knowledge
o f the world ” there ? Oh, they decorate themselves with these things as
children deck their gardens with flowers picked off and stuck in the ground
— they bloom till night and to-morrow shall bring a new sun (farther than
they ever looked in their plans) and wither them hopelessly down, like the
short-sighted folly they resemble.
This is one worldliness, to live for things that men know cannot be carried
into another world.
There is a different form o f folly which is worse, o f
those who live equally for these things but seem to differ in the belief that
they can be carried into another sphere.
There is a sin which Coleridge
well described as not worldliness, but another-world-liness ; the folly o f those
who see in the eternal existence only a continuation of the folly o f this.
These plot and bargain like the others, only they are more far-sighted, so
they think, in their business. They reason down their dread o f so unknown
a future, catch joyfully at any creeds and forms which take from the Kingdom
o f Heaven the character they call vague and fanatical, and settle it to their
minds, as being, like all else, a thing to be bought on fair terms by any one who
thinks the investment will pay for itself. Religion turns out no such mysti­
cal thing after all; it is simply an enlightened selfishness, looking a step
farther forward. As by bidding high enough, anything here may be had
for money, so by bidding high enough in charities, ostentatious donations,
great bequests and the like, can salvation be bought. As by conforming to
certain rules o f etiquette and costume, one may gain access to the highest
social circles anywhere, so by the due observance o f church services and
sacred days is heaven accessible. W hat peoples many a church save this ?
H ow many a one has been organized on this utterly selfish manoeuvring
which only extends its worldliness to another world. But the stern severity
o f Milton has described this class better than I have skill to do.
“ A wealthy man (he says) addicted to his pleasure and his profits, finds
religion so entangled, and o f so many petty accounts, that o f all mysteries
he cannot skill to keep a stock going upon that trade. W h a t should he do ?
Fain would he have the name to be religious; fain he would bear up with
his neighbors in that. W hat does he, therefore, but resolve to give over toiling,
and to find himself out some factor to whose care and credit he may commit
the whole managing o f his business affairs ; some divine o f note and estima­
tion that must be. To him he adheres, resigns the whole warehouse o f his
religion, with all the locks and keys into his custody; and, indeed, makes
the very person of that man his religion, esteems his associating with him a
sufficient evidence o f his own piety. So that a man may say, his religiou is
now no more within himself, but is become a dividual moveable, and goes
and comes near him, according as that good man frequents the house. He
entertains him, gives him gifts, feasts him, lodges h i m ; his religion comes
home at night, prays, is liberally supped and sumptuously laid to sleep, rises,
is saluted, and (after the malmsey or some other well spiced beverage, and
better breakfasted than he whose morning appetite would have gladly feasted
on green figs between Bethany and Jerusalem,) his religion walks abroad at
eight, and leaves his kind entertainer in the shop, trading all day without his
religion.”
It is a melancholy fact that all novels and all dramas underrate the real
tragedies of life, while they misinterpret them. It is in such things as these




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31

that I find sadness.
The great dangers and distresses o f which we read,
occur to few ; the peril to all of us is not o f tragic agony, but o f utter bar­
renness and baseness and littleness o f life, broken only by sensuality or by
low ambition. Compared to this, the most agonizing sorrow, if noble, is a
blessing.
That may lift us above ourselves; these things drag us below
ourselves. Better that the days and nights should all be filled with one
long dirge over departed happiness, than that they should be dumb, and
with no voice o f melody for deaf and heedless ears. Better that the stream
of life should flow all in tears, than that it should dry away and leave only
barren sands, though those sands glitter with all the gold o f California. It
is not glitter that we want, but life and reality, and earnest days and earnest
dreams.
W e talk of the waste of life by accident and and disease ; we talk o f those
slain by war and famine. But what is this to the waste o f life and soul and
strength that is going on around us every day ? Think of the hundreds of
homes where the lives o f women are all eaten away by the details o f house­
hold cares, and scarce a moment left in the week .for a meditation or a
prayer, or where other women pine more sadly for want o f some nobler in­
terest than the weary motion o f a needle to and fro. Think o f the lives of
men who go and come and g o again, morning, noon and night, with no re­
freshment o f thought, no aspiration, no sphere o f interest larger than the
business machinery o f which they are a part. It is not for their toil that
any sympathy is to be g iven ; it is for the consequences o f their toil, not
necessary perhaps, but so common, and showing themselves, not only in the
moral coldness o f the community, but in the darker vices into which men
plunge, to obtain some excitement for their machine-like lives— in licentious­
ness, intemperance, and gambling.
The influences o f the world in which we live do not always assault us
openly, but they steal away our blood, unknown to us, and we grow weaker
and more torpid every moment, as if our veins had been opened in our sleep,
and yet we knew not that the current o f our lives was flowing away. From
time to time we summon up our strength, but we have no reserved power
to draw upon; voices call us, but more and more dimly heard; occasions
that arouse the world do not arouse u s; impulses that thrill the world leave
us unstirred. Society becomes low and empty under influences like these,
and we measure men by their wealth and not by their greatness, and we
think that we ourselves must grow rich first and then have high thoughts
and live for others— and we do not meet nobleness at the corners o f the
streets,— and life becomes selfishness and routine.
It is easy to com plain; you are all with me, every reader, while I com­
plain. I could not denounce the sins o f the world in tones so ardent but you
would agree with me and indorse it all.
But how is it when we consider
ourselves in relation to these things ? Have we no partnership in them ?
W e complain that the world is so low and so base. But who make up the
world? I s it not we and such as we ? W e complain o f the world, but it
is we who are the world, so low, so base. “ Let us begin, Mr. President,”
said the oft-quoted orator o f the French Revolution, “ I move we begin by
arresting all the knaves and the cowards 1” But it is we who are the knaves
and the cowrards, and until we begin by arresting our own progress in that
direction, it is all very cowardly, if not very knavish.
And yet, on the other hand, we all aspire, we all believe at times, we all
hope. And I sometimes think that the reason why we do not all die o f




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Conscience in the Counting R o o m :

despair amid the general sin and folly, is because we all have in ourselves
more glorious aspirations than any man knows how to communicate to
another, and so each is kept alive by a knowledge which is accessible to
himself offy.
In the emptiest hearts there are moments when noble affections and aspir­
ations burst their way forth and g o up like rockets, flaming and resounding
into the sky— and then, alas, they scatter and fall, and men forget the
brightness in the darkness, but they from whose hearts they came do not
forget them, and the recollection o f that former burst o f generous impulse
keeps the soul from dying through dull and vacant years.
And it is the faith in this which enables us to turn from the temptations
o f Business Men to their opportunities.
III. — O pportun ities of the Business Man.
In spite o f all the dangers which I have described, it still remains true,
that if the facts of Wealth and Commerce possess the importance which I
began by conceding to them, there must be great Intellectual and Moral
Opportunities in the life of the Business Man.
1. H is Intellectual Opportunities.— If Trade possess the legitimate and
important place in the universe which I have claimed for it, there must be
in it some exercise for the high faculties o f the intellect. It cannot be true,
as Dr. Johnson dogmatically said, that “ there are no qualities in trade that
can entitle a man to superiority. A merchant may be a man of enlarged
mind, but there is nothing in trade connected with an enlarged mind.” For,
as the same writer has elsewhere said ; “ a man’s mind is enlarged by only
knowing that there is such a place as the O r k n e y s a n d the first element
in the cultivation o f the merchant is the familiarity he acquires with distant
regions. “ Every merchant, it has been said, is a traveller, in person or by
deputy.” This man who has drawn within the magical circle of his figures
Greenland and Bombay, Singapore, Pernambuco and the Sandwich Islands,
he has not gone uninstructed, even if his longest voyage did not go outside
Boston L ight; he has not set foot in those places, but that long head of his
has reached thither; and, more than Midas, he can transform to gold things
beyond the touch of his fingers.
Every man must get his culture either through his occupation or in its
intervals. In the intervals o f commercial business there is, of course, the
same opportunity as elsewhere; aided in the country by gardens and the
woods, in the city by libraries, pictures, lectures and companions. In every
occupation, however, there are its special opportunities o f culture.
The
farmer obtains his by the observation o f seed-time and harvest, seasons,
weather and animals ; the sailor by the knowledge of clouds, currents and
crews; the mechanic by his tools and materials, and soon. The merchant’s
must come first by the articles he buys and sells ; their history and qualities
— then through the men he deals with, employers, agents, clerks, corre­
spondents, competitors, customers— then through the journeys to which his
traffic leads and the distant places with which he thus becomes acquainted.
Surely there may be food found in these things for the most craving intellect.
I know that there are limitations in all this. I readily admit that these
experiences, when richest, are apt to tend rather to the amusement o f the
individual than to his enlightenment; it is so, alas, with all our advantages.
I know also, and have already admitted, that the ordinary routine o f business
hours is mainly drudgery, not eventful and not exciting. Perhaps the youths
who leave college for a mercantile career (as more and more now do) never come




Or the T ru e Interests o f the M erchant.

33

back to dreams so fine as when they paced to and fro upon the Mount Auburn
road at Cambridge, and debated higher matters than their occupation will
ever bring them opportunity to handle. But so the best part o f every man’s
life is the ideal, past or present. The most valuable thing in the happiest
merchant’s life, as in every man’s, lies in thoughts and feelings which are
never mentioned on ’Change,— and which yet, if they could be sold at the
Broker’s Board, would bring prices to make the days o f Eastern Land specu­
lations appear a common-place and prosaic business period.
But the practical side o f the character, so momentous in its influence on
any one’s total usefulness, those traits of energy, thrift, resources— the neces­
sary basis to manhood— which every man o f the ideal begins by despising,
and ends by overrating; those all find admirable training in commercial
life: and he who fairly improves all its chances, and really seeks to educate
the faculties o f the man through the opportunities o f the merchant, will find
on this side at least fair room. The habits o f accurate perception, careful
investigation, keen analysis, wise preparation and prompt decision, may as
easily become sublime in the great merchant as in the great lawyer or general;
while the subalterns, in either case, may need, for what they term success,
no higher faculties than audacity, tact and good luck.
A nd for all the alleged materialism o f this commercial nation there is this
saving grace among us— that however great the deference paid to wealth in
society, there is a yet greater deference conceded to these and all other high
qualities, for their own sakes, and in general, a precedence given to scientific,
literary, artistic, professional or political distinction which is, perhaps, nowhere
equalled. “ One would think our reception o f foreigners alone sufficient to
convince them o f this; what Rothschild, or Baring, could evoke from an
hundred men in Boston or New Y ork the enthusiasm aroused in thousands
on thousands to greet Dickens, or Jenny Lind, or Kossuth ?
2d. I pass to the M oral opportunities o f Business Men.
“ I feel, when I stand at m y desk,” said one o f this class to me, “ that I
am worshiping God with every stroke o f m y pen.”
This was not, perhaps,
from any exaggeration o f the peculiar merits o f business pursuits, but from
a simple and manly appreciation of the dignity o f labor. O f course, let a
man do his duty in any sphere— any legitimate sphere— and he is doing the
work o f a man.
Let any man accept the opportunity that is given him,
make himself useful in his place, and he may be sure that he is worshiping
God in it. There are the means o f moral culture in any work well done.
But there are peculiar means o f moral culture in the life o f the Business
Man. As the courage o f the soldier is more tested than that o f the civilian,
precisely because he is at each moment in danger o f being shot down, so is
it with the conscience o f the merchant. It is perpetually handling the most
dangerous edge-tools in the community, viz., dollars and cents. It is in such
a condition o f peculiar peril that ordinary rates o f insurance do not cover it.
Now this constitutes a great moral discipline.
It is the furnace in which
the gold is tried.
Other men may be honest and honorable from circum­
stances ; but the business man’s honor and honesty are o f firmer growth.
H e has “ seen to the end o f all temptations.”
H e has seen estates built
up like mushrooms by dishonesty, and other estates sacrificed to a point o f
conscience.
H e knows that he has made sacrifices himself for principle.
H e expects to make more.
But he thinks with Timoleon o f old, “ I had
rather regret my ill fortune than blush at my victory.” He has been com ­
pelled, perhaps, to lose credit with the commercial community, when he
VOL. X X V III.—

no




. i.

3

34

Conscience in the Counting R o o m ,:

might have saved it by bold subterfuges, like his neighbor on the one side,
or by sacrificing the property of others, like his neighbor on the other side.
In fact, the difference between right and wrong in commercial affairs turns,
in the majority o f cases, on some delicate point of conscience or refined dis­
tinction, which most persons would not see at any time, and only the chosen
few regard in the hour of trial. To lay down the rule of right in the clergy­
man’s study is an easy th in g; to disentangle that same rule from the confused
details o f a complicated business transaction, which seems to have been
created to baffle all reasonings on general principles, and where no one
thing is clear, save that bankruptcy lies on this side and credit on that; this
is no such easy matter, and there may be cases, where to avoid being a
swindler may prove a man a hero and a martyr— no less !
There is no ordinary opportunity o f moral discipline in a post like this ;
and there are other disciplines. There is a stern discipline of Independence
involved in the position o f a trader; to no other class, save politicians and
clergymen, is the temptation to subserviency so alluring, and the opportunity
for resistance so fine. A recent and able writer gives us one reason why
the Chinese is the most successful o f traders, that he has no character of his
own ; “ has no scruples in matters o f opinion. H e never meddles with poli­
tics, for they are dangerous and not profitable ; but he will adopt any creed
and follow any observances, if by so doing he can improve his position.” It
is the temptation o f merchants everywhere to do this, and the opportunity
o f merchants everywhere to scorn this. But how many young men in any
commercial community are prepared for this— to think for themselves and
take the consequences ? How many are men in this respect 1 The evil
taints all sects and all parties. The base young man aims to be “ all things
to all men,” in a sense quite different from St. Paul’s. W ith the same readi­
ness he becomes a W h ig in Boston, a Democrat at Lynn, or a Free-Soiler at
W orcester ; here an Unitarian, at New York an Episcopalian, at Philadelphia
a Quaker, if need be, or in Baltimore a Catholic. Nav, his creed and party
vary with the last customer in his shop, and he is a Legitimist at one end
o f his counter, and at the other a Bed Bepublican. The voice of an angel
from heaven would not weigh with him against that o f three rich men and
a commercial newspaper.
In youth our Cassius had a lean and hungry
look ; in age, upon what meat doth this our Caisar feed, that he hath grown
so large ? A manly conservative is estimable, and a manly reformer is
estimable ; and they both prove that they are so by despising beings like
this. Y et every young man entering business knows what moral stamina
it may require to avoid becoming such. And he should know also, that
“ as the South Sea Islander believes that the vigor o f every slain enemy
passes into his own right arm, so we gain the strength o f every temptation we
resist.”
There are other opportunities o f the Business Man not growing so directly
out o f his temptations. His position in society gives him opportunities.
W ith us, he is near the head o f social influence. And even in England,
where he is socially subordinate, he is politically becoming highest. True,
at Winchester College, “ no tradesman’s son is admitted. The lowest social
grade recognized is that o f professional men.” But, nevertheless, the policy
which now rules England is the policy o f business men, and alas, the wars
o f England are now wars for business purposes. W ith us, the mercantile
influence is confessedly paramount, in State and Church.
“ N ations” (it
has been said) understand but two languages— W a r and Commerce.” A




O r the T rue Interests o f the M erchant.

35

third was, perhaps, discovered when America sent food to starving Ireland ;
but this, also, was the work, in great part, o f her merchants, and so o f all
three dialects they hold the key. The merchant among us has a correspond­
ing influence in the Church, since he ordinarily builds the house o f worship
and pays the minister.
But, undoubtedly, the chief opportunity given to the Business Man, is
through his character as the Financier and Treasurer of the community, the
agent and factor o f its wealth. From one end o f society to the other, is felt
the vibration, healthy or unhealthy, o f that great vital fluid whose pulse is
termed the money-market. In the Middle Ages the blow struck by some
rough freebooter along the Rhine might echo in sounds o f terror far over
principality and palatinate ; yet even then arose the proverb, “ Nuremberg’s
hand goes through the land,” to designate the grasp upon society which
began to belong to commercial cities. Now the rude baron has passed away,
and left instead the Barons of the Stock Exchange, and their hand, more
than ever, goes through the land. The honesty or dishonesty, the solvency
or insolvency (quite a different classification) o f one man in New York or
Boston, may affect every village in New England ; and so in every country
town, the character o f the “ storekeeper ” is an important element in the
community. H e may sell no rum, and yet exert an influence o f a slow de­
moralization over half the families in the town, besides picking their pockets.
On the other hand, I believe that there is an amount of good done, to the
poor especially, at their own counters, and in the way o f trade, by the retail
tradesmen o f our towns and cities, which would, if counted up, exceed the
operation o f all the benevolent societies.
And it is needless to say in what numberless ways the merchant who acts
from high principles can serve mankind, first through these financial oppor­
tunities and then through the example he sets to friends and customers,
debtors, employers and employed. Every act o f his business life may serve
as a pointed moral o f the baseness o f trickish selfishness and the nobleness
of upright virtue.
The one only drawback to the usefulness o f the merchant as an agent of
charity, arises from the temptation to over-estimate the very wealth o f which
lie is the agent, as supposing that to be the only instrument o f usefulness.
He acquires the habit o f supposing that all philanthropic debts, like all
others, can be adequately discharged with money. His ideal o f virtue is
Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, the Parsee merchant, who has given away so many
million rupees. But this test may often prove more fallacious than any other.
In a city like Boston, where the current sets that way, it may at times really
require less sacrifice, for a rich business man to give money than to refuse it.
Money alone never established a charity, corrected an abuse or carried a
reform.
The real work o f Boston philanthropy is in the hands o f John
Augustus, John Spear, and the ministers at large, and the many private
agents who work with these; the rich man who subscribes funds will readily
confess that he holds an easy secondary position. His subscription may be,
and often is, a noble kindness ; but it may also be a mere deference to public
expectation, a mere compromise with conscience, or a poor shrinking from
some more direct and difficult duty. “ Let a man deny himself and take up
his cross,” said Jesus, and would it have satisfied him had they replied, “ Oh,
we subscribe annually to a society which takes up the cross for us, and em­
ploys numerous agents to deny themselves ?” *




Social Systems, by J. S. Smith.

36

Conscience in the Counting R o o m :

Besides it has been truly written that
“ He who feeds men serveth few,
He serves all who dares be true
and as there are services to the community for which money forms no ratio
o f measurement; so there are times, when to sustain an unpopular cause or
to resist the sweeping current o f a popular one may be a moral effort, to
which the sacrifice o f a man’s last dollar would be a little thing. And, above
all, the higher soarings o f art and literature are products whose chief blessing
it is that they cause all other wealth to be forgotten ; and which leave results
that will still be tending toward their zenith, when the utmost efforts o f the
chronicler cannot ascertain whether Shakspeare was worth a mill or a million.
Fortunately, however, it needs not these high faculties ; it needs not even
a large share of the lower wealth which is the business man’s special means
o f action, to become an instrument o f good, and wonderful good. It takes
wonderfully little money to be stewards and almoners of God.
I observe
that the agents and treasurers o f our corporations, o f all sorts, are generally
selected from men o f some capital, as if it were best not to intrust poorer
men with the temptation. But God is not so suspicious; he intrusts something
to everybody. Half-a-dollar and half-an-hour to spare are quite enough to
set up for his stewards upon.
Stewards o f G od ; ought not that to be the recognized basis upon which
all property is held and used by u s; ought not each individual to make
that his habitual mode o f viewing what his fate or faculties have given him ?
Let us a consider this a moment.
Think how much it has been your lot to receive ! First, how much you
have received from men.
Society has put means o f untold value into your
hands ; it has given you freely its machinery, its accumulated wisdom, its
organizations, the protection o f its laws, the use, on fair terms, of its moneycapital ; the ways by which you have obtained one half your property, or
business, or skill, or experience, have come directly or indirectly through
others. Y ou are incurring, at every moment, a debt far beyond what your
annual tax-bills cover.
Society has decreed to you a control over your
own earnings, nay, over your father’s earnings: and, for ages before you
were born, the wise and good thought and acted for you. Now, what are
you going to do about all this ? D o business on this borrowed capital and
pay nothing for i t ! Such would seem to be a common theory. “ W hat
should I do for posterity,” said the celebrated speech, “ W h a t has posterity
ever done for me ?” But to whom is all that accumulated debt o f the Past
payable, except to the Future ? A n d the Present is constantly imposing a
debt which you should pay to the Present.
But you say, I have received comparatively little from men, after all.
Others have received as much and done nothing with it, nay, ask my help
constantly, as if they had a perpetual lien upon me. There are natural dif­
ferences among men, (you add ;) some are born to get on faster than others ;
G od meant there should be differences among men !
Yes, but did he mean that those who have this natural superiority should
employ it only for exclusive and personal purposes ? is the the question.
Inequalities 1 yes, there are inequalities everywhere in nature— on the sur­
face o f the earth there are inequalities— the hills are nearest the clouds, but
do they take more than their share o f the rain ? N o, they pour it down to
enrich the valleys— should it be otherwise with men ?




O r the T ru e Interests o f the Merchant.

37

In nature nothing exists for itself o n ly ; each particle o f matter is needed
for the whole likewise. The tree grows, yet not for itself only, but for shade
to the flow er; the flower grows, yet not for itself only, but for honey to the
b e e ; men vary in gifts, graces, capacities, positions; yet the office of each
one is to stand in his place and help all. Granted that God bestows special
powers and opportunities on select individuals, he gives them not for exclu­
sive but for universal purposes.
Do you say that this is hardly fair to the individual, that he ought to have
some personal recompense for being great, skillful, powerful, rich, and the
like ? But is not the fact o f being so, o f having these opportunities, a suf­
ficient reward? W h o has not sometimes envied the gifted, the influential,
the popular, the wealthy; not for the personal vanity of the position, but
for the opportunity it brings ? W ealth is not (as I have said,) the only or
the highest mode o f beneficence ; but spend a day a visiting poor Irish
families, and I defy you not to wish for wealth. Jenny Lind in London,
wishing to help a benevolent society, resolved to give a concert for them,
and when after singing one evening she had a thousand pounds for them,
she is reported to have said for the first time in her life, “ After all it is a
beautiful thing to have such a power ! ” This seems plainly the true view
o f all such special gifts, not of singing only but of trading and financiering
and all others. A s an agent is paid by a commission, and not expected to
monopolize the funds in his hands a lso; so, as stewards o f God we have
our commission on our office in the privilege o f discharging it. The fee
of the statesman is the delight of governing well, “ to read his history in a
nation’s eyes ; ” the reward of a writer or speaker is in the effect of his speech
or writing ; the commission of the holder of wealth is in the delight of ser­
ving others by it; the payment o f great actions is in the privilege of doing
them. A nd for those thus rewarded to ask in addition for a personal exclu­
sive compensation, over and above other men ; for them to expect in addi­
tion to all this, to have cake and wine and velvet and carriages, and after
death biographies and monuments. This seems to me as contrary to the
laws o f nature, as if the swamp oak tree in the spring-time, after spreading
all its glad young leaves and guarding the white anenome from the sun
through all the days o f May, should think it proper on the first o f Jnne to
send in a bill for its shade, to the poor little flower.
Nothing shall convince me that the opportunity o f a good action is not
its own exceeding great reward. Nay, I have seen persons who have taken
such extreme delight in such opportunities, that I have almost doubted
whether we, any o f us, deserved such happiness. And if it be so with the
facilities common to all, how much more with the extraordinary ones o f tal­
ent and wealth. It would seem that instead o f asking what luxury is great
enough to pay persons for being rich and powerful and gifted, we should
rather ask what sacrifice, what penance on their part is great enough to
atone for this inexpressible privilege.
W ill it be said that I attack the institution of property? Far otherwise ;
I .assume that as the basis o f all. I complain only o f the selfish use o f
property, and that must be cured by individuals. The trustee has as firm
a legal control over trust property as if it were his own, only he cannot spend
it for personal ends. I would have all property so regarded; and I would
have the holder distinctly acknowledge that he is doing in this nothing par­
ticularly noble, but only a simple duty. W hen the steward pays out his
employer’s money on his employer’s account, I am not aware that it is thought




38

Conscience in the Counting R o o m :

a remarkably generous a c t ; is it otherwise with the moral stewards of
G od?
The ideal o f human relations is the ideaof a simple happy family, where
all are secured from want, and those more favored by fortune employ their
powers, as a matter o f course, for the enjoyment and blessing o f all. It is
not in our power at once to make such a relation universal, but it should be
our privilege to do it as far as we can. “ H e is the divine man,” says the
H indoo proverb, “ to whom the whole world is as one household; but the
words I and mine constitute narrowness.”
It is thought by some, and ably maintained among others by De Tocqueville, that the use o f wealth in aristocratic countries will ordinarily be nobler
than in communities where each individual has by hard personal labor ob­
tained it. But the history o f commercial communities, from Florence to
Boston, (aye, earlier, and we will hope later than either,) has not shown this
theory to be correct, and it should be the proudest aim o f every business
man to prove it to be utterly baseless.
D o you sigh at this, and say sadly “ Ah ! but were the opportunity only
given to me o f this high undertaking. But stern poverty stares me in the
face, and a life o f fruitless effort for the means o f doing good may be all that
is before me ! ”
Is it so, indeed ; then another opportunity opens before you, hardly less
sacred— an opportunity of the most difficult duty which a business man can
perform-— the opportunity o f being poor ; patiently, manfully, nobly poor!
“ Be and continue poor, young man,” says a noble German writer, “ while
others around you grow rich by fraud and dishonor; be without place or pow­
er, while others beg their way upward; bear the pain o f disappointed hopes,
while others accomplish theirs by flattery; forego that for which others creep
and cringe. W rap yourself in your own virtue, and seek a friend and your
daily bread. If you have, in such a course, grown gray with unstained
honor, bless God, and die ! ”
C onclusio n . But it is time to draw these thoughts and counsels to a
close. Young man, just entering upon a business life, you stand in the
presence o f great dangers and great opportunities; but the greatest oppor­
tunities and the greatest dangers are those you carry within your own
character. Your occupation will neither destroy nor save you, except as
you choose either destiny. I believe that the merchant may stay in his
profession. I know that many have left it, as incompatible with a manly
life; but I know that some o f the most sensitive have gone back again.
Difficult it is indeed to unite it with a manly life; but this is difficult for
any occupation. The temptation to falsehood and baseness runs through
them all. Lawyer, physician, clergyman, statesman, all sin, or are saved
by the struggle. Dwell among farmers, and you think that the mean­
est o f men are to bo found in that avocation; read the reports o f trials in
the newspapers, and you pardon Jack Cade for his .proposition to hang all
the lawyers; read the homeopathic journals, and you think the regular
practitioner o f medicine should fare little better; attend a “ Com e-outer”
meeting and you hear all the ills which flesh is heir to laid upon the weak
shoulders o f the clergy. It is all one-sided severity. I have known young
men g o out o f Commerce in disgust and go into other pursuits, and so I
have known young men go out o f other pursuits in disgust and go into
Commerce. The temptations o f the merchant are, after all, those o f hu­
manity— selfishness, deception, the world, the flesh, and the devil; and if




O r the T rue Interests o f the M erchant.

39

they are greater than those o f other men, it makes his opportunities so
much greater also.
The difficulty, after all, is in the individual character; the rarity of great
plans of life and high desires at starting. It is easy to find talent; every
town has its young men to whom bright sayings and resolute actions are
cheap and easy things; its young maidens, who can make uselessness fasci­
nating by taste and grace ; but where is earnestness ?— where a spirit ot
self-consecration ?— where the restless craving o f an eagle eye that looks to
the sun, and will take no less illumination 2— where the vigor of a will that
dates its force back to a motive power firmer than impulse and stronger than
ambition ?
If I have inspired in any reader one solitary thrill o f this, I have not
written in vain. I began by saying that every wise business man would
thank any one who could teach him to make §50 equivalent to §50() in
value. But I believe, I know, that there are thoughts and feelings which
will make §50 equivalent, not to §100, not to §500, but to thousands and tens
o f thousands in the power o f giving peace and enjoyment and usefulness ;
thoughts and feelings which make Rothschilds and Barings poor and piti­
able beggars compared with humble men who may perhaps labor only that
their overgrown wealth may become larger. A nd I write to say that he is
the practical teacher who thus teaches, and he the practical man who im­
proves such teachings; and that o f all follies there is not one so great as to
g o on toiling for money only, and forgetting those realities o f life for which
money, age, reputation, and power, and all else, are only valuable as helping
to attain.
Reader, especially if you are younger than myself, and if there is to you
any meaning in what I am saying, I warn you, be wise t o -d a y . D o you
feel one vision of larger duty, one impulse to a higher life than you have
commonly led— let it not pass away now. It may never come so favorably
again. Y ou may think it will come, and that it is safe to let it go, and that
you may expect it again; but the influences o f the society in which you
live are against it— most o f the voices around you will not speak it. To­
morrow you will not be so ready for it— the next dajq when you feel some
returning impulse, and are ready for it, there may be no one to speak it—
and the next day when some one speaks it you may not be any longer open
to it— and weeks and months may glide aw ay;— and this time next year it
may come back to you in some moment of sanity, that though your bank
stock is doubled, and all your schemes have prospered, and you own an
additional ship, and the freights o f several more— though you are gaining all
you most longed for, and have houses and horses, and a fair wife and a rich
father-in-law— yet this one thought, which alone seemed really to make life
worth the having, has passed away, and will not come for any prayers or
any tears. And there seems nothing for it but to bid that fair dream adieu
forever, and go back wearily to the aimless existence of those around you,
and make your whole life henceforward only one more neat and skillful
machine, built all of pure gold and silver, working away from morning to
night among .the rest, with the same dull metallic rattle, clicking for ever the
same melancholy burden, “ Vanity, vanity, vanity, and vexation of spirit for­
ever and ever.” Oh, may God preserve you, if you are not past preserving 1
There are noble opportunities opening before you. None can say what
new ones the progress of society may yet bring to Merchants. “ The mer­
cantile profession,” says the enthusiastic Mr. M'Culloch, “ is an essential
element in that division o f labor” by which “ civilized man becomes equal




40

The Cotton Trade.

to tho most gigantic efforts, and appears endowed with almost omnipotent
power.” Let that magnificent power be nobly used ! Let your share o f it
become a blessing to the whole race o f man ! So use it that when, as is
inevitable, tho advancing spirit o f Humanity shall have educated men, step
by step, into a co-operation o f which the schemes o f Owen, o f St. Simon, o f
Fourier, are only fantastic hints and guesses,— the records o f your business
life may then be cited to point a moral, not o f the hopeless degradation o f
this intermediate stage o f progress, but o f the possibilities which even this
laid open, o f wisdom and o f virtue.

Art. 11.— THE COTTON TRADE.
T iie course o f tho cotton trade during the past year has been steady and
uniform. The season opened in September and October at rates a trifle
higher than were realized in December, but from January forwards the
market slowly advanced, until it is now a little higher than it was a year
ago. The price at Liverpool o f fair cotton, on the 1st o f September,
1851, was 5-jd., in October it was S^d., in January 5d., in March 5|d.,
in May 5yd., in July 5 f d., and 6d. in September, 1852. The increased
estimates o f the crop depressed the price early in the season, but the
immense consumption in every part o f the world— in the United States,
in England, and on the continent— encouraged the sellers to demand higher
rates; and these have been maintained, in spite o f the promise o f another
large crop for the ensuing year. The rates now current are not high, but
they are above the average. For the thirteen years from 1840 to 1852,
tho whole American exports, (see Table I., at the end o f this article,)
amounting to nearly ten thousand millions o f pounds, have been sold at an
average price of eight-and-a-half cents. The price o f good middling at
Charleston is now, October 29th, 9 i cents. Instead o f declining below the
the usual rates, the market has advanced, after receiving the largest crop
ever produced, and with the prospect o f another fully as large. W hat has
maintained these prices? Are the causes temporary or permanent? W ill
they continue for the present year ? or is their effect already past ?
In attempting an answer to these questions, it may be remarked :—
1st. That the advance is not due to the fact that lower rates are not re­
munerative. From 1840 to 1844, when the average (see Table I.) was
only eight cents, the stocks were constantly increasing. The production
outran the consumption. This led to lower prices, which discouraged plant­
ing, and at the same time increased the demand o f the manufacturers.
From 1845 to 1849 the average price (see Table I.) was only *l\ cents.
The surplus stocks then became small and prices advanced. Thus it ap­
peared that an average o f eight cents from year to year stimulated produc­
tion, so that the supply exceeded the dem and; while
cents produced an
opposite effect. The present rates, therefore, are more than sufficient to
pay the planter a proper profit on his investment. A n d the general ad­
vance on land and negroes, throughout the Southern States, confirms the
conclusion thus indicated by the rise and the decline o f the stocks lying
over from year to year. The present prices will not only pay the cost o f
production, but allow a handsome profit to the producer. But—
2d. The price has been kept up during the past year in part by a high




The Cotton Trade.

41

rate o f exchange. A rise o f one per cent in exchange is nearly equal to
one-eighth o f a cent in the price o f cotton. The advance in exchange has
been about two per cent over the rates which were current before the dis­
covery o f California gold. W e were then both exporters and importers of
the precious metals. W h en we were sending them abroad, the price o f
exchange was the real par, pin s the freight, insurance, and other ex­
penses o f exportation. W h en we were receiving them, the price was the
real par, less these expenses. The highest rates were 111 or 1 1 2; the
lowest 104 or 105. The average was about 108 for sixty-day bills. For
the past two or three years we have always been exporters o f gold, and the
range o f exchange has been from 108 to 112 at New Y ork ; seldom going
down to 108 or rising to 112, the average being about 110. This rise in
exchange on account o f our owning the gold mines o f California is a
permanent cause. Exchange will be hereafter the real par, p h is the cost o f
exporting specie, and not the real par sometimes increased and sometimes
decreased by the cost o f exportation. This is equivalent to an advance o f
one-fourth o f a cent in every pound o f cotton, and for the year past it pro­
duced to the South not less than three millions o f dollars. This, though a
true cause for an advance in the price o f cotton, is not sufficient to account
for the whole rise. Another cause may probably be—
3d. The increased supply o f the precious metals, which by expanding the
currency tends to raise the money price o f all other articles o f merchandise.
The large additions o f gold to the currency o f the world must, by inevitable
necessity produce an effect o f this kind. N o arithmetic can calculate its
exact amount in a short period o f tim e: but that it is producing and must
produce hereafter a slow, continued rise in all kinds o f property no one can
possibly doubt. Its first effect is to raise the price o f silver; but it is im­
possible, while the present laws regulating the comparative value o f silver
and gold at the mints o f the world continue unchanged, to raise the pre­
mium on silver beyond a very small amount. The effect o f a slight advance
is to push aside the silver and to introduce gold in its stead. Thus in our
own domestic currency, silver is passing out o f general circulation, and the
vaults o f the banks are filling with gold in its place. In France the coinage
o f gold has o f late increased very largely. A nd so in other countries where
both metals are a legal tender. This expansion o f the metallic currency
gives the hanks an opportunity to increase their circulation, and thus the
whole monetary medium, by which all the exchanges o f Commerce are
made, becoming enlarged, the price o f all other articles cannot fail to ad­
vance. It is impossible to say how large an influence this may have had in
the recent high prices o f cotton. It is not probably large, but that it is
real no one can doubt.
4th. Another cause which has helped to sustain prices, and probably this
is more potent than all the others together, is the successful despotism o f
Louis Napoleon in France, and o f the crowned heads on the continent o f
Europe. The order that has reigned in Paris and throughout France, has
given confidence to the merchant and the manufacturer, encouraged labor
and industry, given security to property, and stimulated production and con­
sumption in every department o f business. Similar causes have been ope­
rating in the German and Italian States. The triumph o f law and order
over the revolutionists o f 1848 was not complete until the present year.
The iron heel o f arbitrary power had crushed the external manifestations o f
resistance, hut the murmurs o f discontent were still audible, and the hopes




42

The Cotton Trade.

o f liberty were not yet extinguished. The present year has witnessed the
end o f all these things. Lombardy and Hungary kiss the rod o f the op­
pressor. French soldiers preserve quiet at Rome. The patriots of Naples
and Sicily are in prison or in exile. An Austrian army has quelled the
disturbances in Baden, Hamburg, and Schleswig-Holstein. Revolution, an­
archy, socialism, red-republicanism exist no more. Men have turned their
attention to trade, to labor, to the pursuits o f peace. Instead of political
agitation, the people are employing themselves in new enterprises o f industry,
o f Commerce, and manufactures. The consumption o f cotton in France has
in consequence outrun any former year. Though stationary for many years
past, the demand has suddenly awaked to new life. A nd so, also, in all the
disturbed parts o f Europe.
5th. The low price o f grain in England, the successful working o f free
trade, and the prosperity in every department o f manufactures, have stimu­
lated the home demand in Great Britain to an extraordinary extent. The
exports o f cotton fabrics have been encouraged by the peace and prosperity
o f every part o f the w’orld. The overthrow o f Rosas has opened the La
Plata and its tributaries to British Commerce. The outbreak in Caffraria
is unimportant. The war in Burmah being out o f India proper has no in­
fluence on trade. The rebellion in China does not disturb the exchanges at
the free ports. So that universal peace may be said to prevail.
6th. In the United States the onward march o f the cotton manufacture
has again been resumed. The tariff o f 1846, and the high price of the
raw material, had checked the demand for the past three years, but the pro­
gress o f our country in population, wealth, and enterprise, has surmounted
these obstacles, and our course has again been forward.
O f these several causes, now enumerated to explain the fair price o f cot­
ton for the past year in the face o f the abundant supply, there is not one
which is not likely to operate for the coming year. W e may, therefore, in
considering the supply and demand for 1853, anticipate full average prices.
They cannot be high, for the supply will bo too large to permit any check
in consumption. They cannot fall even to the average, for the stocks are
low, and any further decline would stimulate the demand even beyond its
present extraordinary amount.
The supply from the United States will probably exceed the large crop o f
1852. The increased number o f hands, the large breadth o f land planted
in cotton under the stimulus o f good prices, the favorable character o f the
season, the fine weather for gathering the crop after the 1st o f October, and
the lateness o f the frost, will tell strongly in favor o f a large production.
W e have indeed had two severe storms, and with one o f them a flood, but
their injury has not been serious. The rot also has prevailed to an uncom­
mon extent. The boll-worm has been very general, and in some places se­
vere. The caterpillar has done some harm, but beyond eating the leaves
from the stalk, its ravages have been local and unimportant. These causes
have not produced as much injury as was suffered last year.
This is especially true in the Atlantic States. The excessive drought in­
flicted then more damage than all the opposing causes o f the present sea­
son. The receipts at Charleston and Savannah will therefore exceed those
o f last year. They will also be increased by the extension o f the Georgia
Railroad'farther to the W est. Instead o f 800,000 bales received last year,
900,000 may confidently be anticipated for 1853. In Florida,.the storm
o f October 9th did such serious injury that we may expect a falling off in




The Cotton Trade.

43

the receipts at Apalachicola and St. Mark’s. More of this cotton will go to
Savannah than usual; and the loss from the caterpillar and boll-worm has
been considerable. But the increased planting will go far to balance these
deficiencies, and only a slight decline may be looked for. From Alabama,
the receipts will be larger than last year. There was then too little rain,
now there has been too much. The river lands produced finely last season,
now it is the sandy uplands that are white with abundance. Only a small
increase, however, may be anticipated. From the various districts that send
their cotton to New Orleans, the reports are contradictory. The Red River
lands are doing very w ell; the parishes o f Louisiana have been injured by
the worm, the bottoms o f the Mississippi have been too w et; the frost has
kept off to a very late period in Tennessee; the planting has been large ;
the season for gathering long, and nearly the same amount will probably be
received as for the past year. From Texas, the reports have been very fa­
vorable, and an increase o f 25 per cent may be looked for with confidence.
The whole crop o f American cotton for 1853 may be estimated (see Table
II.) at 3,100,000 bales.
The imports from the East Indies have fallen off largely the last year on
account o f the moderate prices. This has been the uniform effect o f a de­
clining market, and we may look with confidence for the same result here­
after. There is in India an immense production o f cotton for domestic use.
It has been stated to be as large as the crop in the United States, but no
satisfactory statistics have ever been collected to show its actual amount. It
is, however, very large, and a high price in Europe attracts a larger portion
for foreign export. It may then be brought further from the interior, and
pay a larger charge for freight. On the contrary, when the European rates
decline, the inferior character o f the cotton, the heavy expense for freight
and insurance for the long voyage, leave but a small balance for the first cost
o f production, and the carriage from the interior to the seaport. The circle
around the marts o f export is thus narrowed, and the amount sent off de­
creases. Thus the high prices o f 1850 and 1851 raised the English im­
ports to 308,000 and 320,000 bales, against 182,000 in 1849.
The m od­
erate prices o f the present year have caused the imports at Liverpool to fall
off near 100,000 bales. (See Table III.) The low rates current in Decem­
ber and January last, diverted much o f the East India cotton intended for
export to China, and the European receipts have been small. N o increase
in these can be expected for 1853, since prices promise to be moderate, as
they have been for the last season.
The imports into England from Egypt have increased largely for the past
year. The largest amount ever before received was 82,000 bales in 1845.
The average for the last three years has been 13,000. But for 1852 the re­
ceipts at Liverpool alone on the 8th o f October had reached 112,000 bales.
Less than usual has been carried to France, and so large an amount for
England cannot be anticipated for the coming year, especially as the stocks
in Liverpool o f Egyptian cotton have advanced 50,000 bales. From Brazil
and other places, the Liverpool receipts have increased slightly over last
year; namely, from 90,000 to 108,000 bales; they are, however, less than
for the two preceding years. The average from Egypt and Brazil for the
last four years has been about 250,000 bales, (Table IV .,) and this amount
may be looked for in 1853.
The total supply from all these places for 1853 may be estimated (Table
V.) at 3,550,000, or about the same as last year. This is 685,000 bales




44

T he Cotton Trade.

larger than for 1851, and 500,000 larger than for 1849. But, as the in­
creased demand has taken off the whole o f the larger production o f 1852
at moderate prices, leaving the stocks now smaller than they have been for
many years past, (Table V I.,) there is nothing in this large supply calcula­
ted to depress prices.
In considering the consumption, we notice everywhere a large increase,
not only over last year, but over every former year. The amount consumed
in Great Britain in 1851 was 1,663,000 bales, while the largest figures for
any previous year were 1,590,000 bales. The deliveries to the trade this
year at Liverpool, (see Table V II.,) where 95 per cent o f all the English sales
are made, exceed those o f last year more than 8,000 bags per week. As
the factories are now well supplied, this excess will scarcely continue until
the 31st o f December. But the great regularity in the deliveries forbids
any material decline. I f the future purchases o f the trade should not ex­
ceed those o f the same period for last year, the consumption o f Great Brit­
ain would reach 1,992,000 bales for 1852. Nor can we anticipate any less
for 1853. The abundance o f money, the favorable harvest, the great de­
mand for labor, the high wages in all branches o f manufactures, the advance
in iron, the prosperity o f the shipping interest, the large influx o f Austra­
lian gold, the universal prevalence o f peace in every part o f the civilized
world, the new machinery erected during the last year, the moderate rates
which the raw material promises to bear, the low stocks o f goods in the
hands o f the manufacturers, the large decline in the import of wool, and its
consequent advance in price, and the general prosperity, both in the domes­
tic and the export trade, authorize the expectation o f a still larger consump­
tion for 1853. There is not a single drawback to this anticipation except
the chapter o f accidents ; but it may be safest, as the increase for the last
year has been so unprecedented, to look forward to a demand only as large
as for the present year.
The consumption in France lias increased as rapidly as in England. Our
exports thither have been 120,000 bales larger than last year, and they
have caused no accumulation o f stocks either at Havre or at Marseilles. The
deliveries at Havre alone have increased (see Table V III.) more than 80,000
bales, and the amount o f American cotton for the whole o f France will
probably exceed 400,000 bales, against 310,000 for 1851. A s large a de­
mand for 1853 may be confidently anticipated.
On the continent o f Europe the consumption has been steadily increasing.
Its progress is occasionally checked by high prices, but these are only tem­
porary disturbances in its onward march. In Russia, the imports for the
three years from 1841 to 1843 were 337,000 cw ts.; from 1844 to 1846
they were 5 8 4,00 0; and from 1847 to 1849 they were 1,065,000. In the
German Zollverein, the protective duties they have imposed have given am­
ple encouragement to the home manufacture o f cotton goods. The English
and American exports o f raw cotton to these and other continental States
have averaged (see Table IX .) 417,000 bales in 1847 and 1848 ; 522,000
in 1849 and 18 50 ; and 582,000 in 1851 and 1852. For the incoming
year they will almost certainly reach 600,000 bales, which is a trifle less
than the amount for the present season.
The consumption o f the United States has made a most sudden and rapid
advance during the past year. For the three preceding years we had gone
backwards. The high price o f the raw material, and the imports o f cotton
goods at low duties from abroad, had given a check to our increasing de­




45

The Cotton Trade.

mand, such as we never before had experienced. Hitherto our progress had
been uniformly onward. The rapid increase in our population and wealth
forbids any retrograde movement in the regular operations o f business. Just
as our railroads, our shipping, our crop o f cotton, or o f wheat, or o f corn,
make steady and invariable progress from year to year, so must our cotton
manufactures. There will be at times a backward step in this movement,
but it is temporary and brief. It is like the oscillation o f a pendulum on a
moving surface; the weight swings backwards and forwards, but the onward
motion o f the point o f support makes it certain that the forward oscillations
will more than compensate for the backward movements. The present pros­
perity o f the country authorizes us to expect an advance even on the large
consumption o f the past season. The amount for 1852 has reached (see
Table X .) 603,000 bales, and 625,000 may be anticipated for the coming
year.
The whole demand for 1853 will then be estimated at 3,625,000 bales,
(Table X I.,) which is 75,000 more than the anticipated supply. (Table V .)
Xow, as the stocks on hand (Table V I.) are at present very low, lower than
they have been for years past, especially if the time for which they would
supply the demand be considered, it would seem that prices must keep above
their usual average.
This has been 8J cents (Table I.) at the seaports for
the last thirteen years, and if the influence o f a high rate of exchange and
the abundance o f gold are to be regarded as real causes elevating the money
value o f cotton in our markets, it would seem probable that the present prices
(91 cents at Charleston, October 29th, for good middling,) will be fully
maintained, and that an advance rather than a decline may be ex pected.

TABLE I.
AMERICAN EXPORTS, VALUE, AND TRICE.

Total exports
in pounds.

From 1840 to
From 1845 to
From 1850 to
Estimated for
From 1840 to

184+..................
1849..................
1851..................
1852................... ...........
1852..................

1,000,000,000

Total value.

[Price.

8267,200,000
284,400,000
184,300,000
90,000,000
825,900,000

8 cents.
7 .5 “
11.8 “
9
8 .6 “

TABLE II.
CROT OF THE UNITED STATES.

oo
w-i
&9

Estimate.

Receipts.
T e x a s ...................
New Orleans........
Mobile..................
Florida.................
Georgia.................
South Carolina.. .
Other places........

1849.
39,000
1,094,000
519,000
200,000
391,000
458,000
28,000

1851.
46,000
933,000
452,000
181,000
322,000
387,000
34,000

185!.
64,000
1,373,000
549,000
189,000
326,000
477,000
37,000

80,000
1,350,000
560,000
175,000
400,000
500,000
35,000

Total..........

2,729,000

2,355,000

3,015,000

3,100,000




46

The Cotton Trade.
TABLE III.
IMPORTS FROM THE EAST INDIES.

Bales.
81,000
144,000
232,000
177,000
69,000
171,000
75,000
182,000
329,000
200,000
200,000

Years.
1830 to 1834, average for 5 years.
1835 to 1839,
“
1840 to 1844,
“
“
1844 to 1849,
“
“
1849, October 5, Liverpool only.
1851,
“ 10,
1852,
“
8,
1849, whole year, Great Britain.
1851,
1852,
“
Estimate. . .
___
1853,
“
“

Remarks.
Low prices.
High prices.
Chinese War.
Peace and low prices.
Low prices.
High prices.
Moderate prices.
Low prices.
High prices.
Moderate prices.
Moderate prices.

TABLE IV.
ENGLISH IMPORTS FROM EGYPT, BRAZIL, ETC.

Liverpool,
about 1st
October.

Years.

1 846..
1847 . .
1848 . . ...............
1849 . .

G. Britain,
whole
year.

94,000

153,000
136,000
137,000
245’000

1850 ...........bales
1 8 5 1 ...................
1852 ...................
1853, estimated..

TABLE
SUPPLY OF

1851

Liverpool,
about 1st
October.

Years.

205,000
138,000
245,000

G. Britain,
whole
year.

257,000
181,000
250,000

V.

AND ESTIMATE FOR

1852

AND

1853.

18§1.

1852.

1853.

329,000
181,000

3,016,000
£00,000
300,000

3,100,000
200,000
250,000

2,865,000

3,515,000

3,550,000

Crop of the United States...........
English imports from East Indies
English imports from other places.............
Total from these sources. . . .
TABLE V I.

STOCKS AT RECENT DATES, CORRESPONDING TO THE CLOSE OF OUR TEAR.

United States, September 1
Liverpool, October 8............
Havre, October 6 .................
T otal.............................

1819.

1850.

1851.

185!.

155,000
582,000
45,000

168,000
545,000
32,000

128,000
550,000
33,000

91,000
507,000
34,000

782,000

745,000

711,000

632,000

TABLE V II.
DELIVERIES TO THE TRADE AT LIVERPOOL.

1819.
May 1................ bales
June 4.........................
July 2 .......................
August 1....................
September 3..............
October 1 .................
October 8 .................
Whole year...............
Do. Great Britain.. .




532,000
688,000
835,000
993,000
1,141,000
1,220,000
1,2S7,000
1,467,000
1,590,000

1851.
427,000
619,000
744,000
887,000
1,058,000
1,167,000
1.191,000
1,576,000
1,663,000

W eekly

consumption.
25,100
28,100
28,600
29,600
30,200
29,900
29,800
30,315
32,000 est.

185!.
630,000
870,000
1,001.000
1,156,000
1,340,000
1,475,000
1,520,000

Weekly

consump.
37,100
39,600
38,500
38,500
38,300
37,800
38,000

2,000,000 est. 39,000

I

47

The Cotton Trade.
TABLE V III.
DELIVERIES TO THE TRADE AT HAVRE.

1850.
All kinds.

September 1 ...........bales
October 1 .........................
Whole year.......................

1851.

1851

U. States.

All kinds. U. States.

All kinds. U. States.

232,000 220,000
250,000 238,000
306,000 294,000

224,000 211,000
246,000 234,000
312,000 302,000

300,000 290,000
327,000 316,000
...............................

TABLE IX .
CONSUMPTION OUT OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, AND UNITED STATES.

Years.

American exports.

1847..
1848..
1849..
1850..
1851..
1852..

............................. bales
............. .....................
......................................
......................................

169,000
255,000
322,000
194,000
269,000
354,000

English exports.

215,000
192,000
254,000
272,000
269,000
Oct 8, 203,000

Total.

384.000
447.000
577.000
466.000
538.000
about 625,000

TABLE x .
AMERICAN CONSUMPTION.

North of
Richmond.

Years.

1847 .............
1848..............
1849..............
1850..............
1851..............
1852..............

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

532.000

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

487,000
404,000
603,000

Average for Increase
three years, p. ct.

413,000
461,000
493,000
512,000
470,000
498,000

TABLE

11 +
1+
4+
8—
6+

South o f
Richmond.

Total.

80,000
90,000
100,000
100,000
100,000
100,000

508,000
622,000
618,000
587,000
504,600
703,000

X I.

CONSUMPTION OF THE W ORLD.
R e s u lt fo r

Great Britain.................. bales
United States.........................
France, o f United States . . .
Exports f r o m Great Britain &
United States.....................
Total...............................




E stim a te for

1850.

1851.

1852.

1,514,000
487,000
300,000

1,663,000
404,000
310,000

2,000,000
603,000
400,000

2,000,000
625,000
400,000

562,000

638,000

625,000

600,000

2,863,000

2,915,000

3,628,000

3,625,000

1853.

48

Commercial Cities and Tow ns o f the United S ta te s :

Art. III.— COMMERCIAL CITIES AND TOWNS OF TEE UNITED STATES.
NUMBER XXXIII.

THE CITY OF NEW YORK.— P a r t Y.
TONNAGE.

T iie following statement, which we have carefully compiled from the an­
nual reports o f the Secretary o f the Treasury, exhibits the registered, the
enrolled and licensed, and the total tonnage belonging to the district o f New
York, from the year 1826 to the present time. The year ends with Decem­
ber 31 up to 1835, thence with September 30 to 1843, and from that time
it ends with June 30 :—
TONNAGE OF N E W Y O RK CITY.

Registered.
Tons. 95ths.

Years.

1826.......................
1827.......................
1828.......................
1829.......................
1830.......................
1831.......................
1832.......................
1833.......................
1834.......................
1885.......................
1836.......................
1837.......................
1838.......................
1839.......................
1840 .....................
1841.......................
1842.......................
1843.......................
1844.......................
1845 .....................
1846.......................
1847.......................
1848.......................
1849.......................
1850.......................
1851.......................

___
___
___

165,014 87
158,237 70
110,993 21

___

122,457 92

___
___

151,915 33
178,022 40

___
___

192,964 79
191,322 11

___

183,566 55

___

226,072 61

___
___
___

253,888 23
248,917 00
260,896 36

Enrolled and licensed.
Tons. 95ths.

157,837
181,341
181,167
150,711
154,710
168,980
169,524
171,818
181,199
185,071
211,849
219,549
231,049
246,734
211,281
212,840
233,401
259,725
271,273
301,642
311,626
348,527
396,272
417,504
894,230
436,884

58
90
09
12
93
62
92
53
79
29
30
64
47
33
36
02
02
27
75
48
34
26
90
85
80
47

Total.
Tons. 95ths.

316,289
346,356
339,404
261,704
256,558
286,438
298,832
323,733
359,222
376,697
404,814
410,871
400,971
430,300
414,818
438,014
459,473
496,965
525,162
550,359
572,522
646,043
733,077
796,491
835,867
931,193

01
82
79
33
02
69
59
86
24
72
14
75
79
88
04
38
63
56
03
48
70
30
35
79
61
74

W ithin this period o f 26 years the tonnage o f this port, it will be seen,
has just about trebled. The lowest figure within this period was in 1830,
the highest in 18 5 1 : —
COMPARISON OF THE TONNAGE OF N E W YO RK W IT H THAT OF BOSTON AND THE UNITED
STATES AT DIFFERENT PERIODS.

New York.
Tons. 95ths.

Years.

1826
1830
1835
1840
1845
1850
1851

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




316,28901
256,55802
376,69772
414,81804
550,35948
835,86761
931,19374

Boston.
Tons. 95ths.

171,976
135,009
226,041
220,243
225,103
313,192
342,936

12
17
74
34
21
00
09

United States.
Tons. 95ths.

1,634,189
1,191,776
1,824,940
2,180,764
2,417,002
3,535,454
3,772,449

83
43
40
16
06
23
43

49

N ew Y ork.

T h e tonnage o f several other o f the leading ports was, in 1851, as fol­
lows ;—
New Orleans.....................
Philadelphia......................
Baltim ore.........................
New Bedford........j ..........
Bath, Maine.......................

Tons. 95ths.
261,900 14
222,428 90
160,511 64
181,409 46
103,795 91

Waldoboro’, Maine............
Portland,
“ .............
Barnstable, Massachusetts.
San Francisco...................
Charleston, South Carolina

Tons. 95ths.
103,593 61
97,571 70
72,997 44
68,063 64
81,910 27

In 1826, the tonnage o f New York, according to the above, was 184 per
cent o f that of Boston, and 20.6 per cent o f that o f the United States; in
1835, it was 107 per cent o f that o f Boston, and 20.0 per cent o f the Uni­
ted States; in 1845, it was 250 per cent o f the tonnage o f Boston, and
22.8 per cent o f that o f the United States; in 1850, it was 267 per cent
of the Boston tonnage, and 23.7 o f the tonnage o f the United States; and
in 1851, the tonnage o f New Y ork was 272 per cent o f that belonging to
Boston, and 24.7 per cent o f the total o f the United States. The tonnage
o f New York in 1851 also exceeded, by about 10,000 tons, the united ton­
nage o f Boston, New Orleans, and Philadelphia, the cities next in order in
the importance o f their shipping, with that o f Bath, the seventh in the list,
added to theirs.
HOW EMPLOYED.

The proportion o f this commercial navy o f New York employed in the
several departments o f the coast trade, in steam navigation, and in the
whaling business, since 1829, is seen in the tablo annexed:—
Years.
1829
1830
1831
1832
1833
1834
1S35
1836
1837
1838
1839
1840

Coast trade. Steam navigat’n. Whaling.
Tons. 95ths Tons. 93ths. Tons. 95’s.
173,130 84
1,048 64
...........
142.829 38 12,103 30
...........
.........
146,788 33 12,756 56
...........
156,049 45 13,488 52
...........
161,415 19 13,112 91
...........
163,477 80 14,678 94
172,663 84 15,903 28 2,436 57
934 63
202,677 65 19,681 57
714 31
210,346 38 24,118 53
221,601 89 25,419 36
863 71
237,024 72 30,654 41 2,460 49
201,559 67 34,754 36
...........

Years.
1841
1842
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851

Coast trade. Steam navigat’n. Whaling.
Tons* 93ths. Tons. 9jths. Tons 95’s.
203,052 19 31,727 21 1,761 83
223,456 87 35,260 81 1,451 77
249,677 27 35,317 53
370 23
261,134 75 36,305 30
473 27
291,209 66 42,270 01
370 23
309,894 23 46,557 93
379 57
337,663 54 52,420 88
385,020 49 64,229 19
406,156 48 71,818 73
382,886 71 95,115 26
465 00
426,747 19 121,541 52

In 1849, there were 148 42-95ths tons belonging to New York engaged
in the cod fishery, which is, we believe, about the extreme upper limit o f
New York enterprise in that direction. In 1851, there were 137 28-95ths
toDs employed in pursuing codfish.
The Steam Tonnage o f New Y ork compares as follows with that o f sev­
eral other cities— of the several coasts, inland divisions, &c.— and o f the
United States in 1851 :—
New Orleans..................... tons
New Y ork...............................
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania........
St. L ou is..................................
Detroit.....................................
Philadelphia...........................
Baltimore...............................

156,654
121,541
47,911
29,568
21,944
20,717
19,983
14,285

Northern frontier........
Ohio Basin..................
Mississippi V a lle y .. .
Atlantic coa st...........
Gulf of Mexico.........
Pacific co a s t.............
Total U. S. steam marine. .

69,165
67,601
67,957
154,270
23,244
37,986
683,607

The Steam Marino o f New York is nearly equal to that o f the empire of
VOL.

x x v ii i — n o .




i.

4

50

Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United S ta te s :

Great Britain with all its dependencies, which amounts to 1,184 boats, of
142,080 tons.
The number o f passengers carried by the steamboats to and fro on Long
Island Sound during the year was 302,397 ; on the Hudson River the num­
ber o f passengers was 995,100 ; and between New York and Philadelphia,
the human movement by steamboat reached 840,000.
ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES.

Annexed is a tabular statement o f the amount o f tonnage entered and
cleared the port o f New York, from foreign ports, in each year from 1821
to 1851, a period o f thirty-one years, distinguishing the foreign from the
American. The years end with September to 1843, thence with June ;—
AMOUNT OF TONNAGE ENTERED THE CITY OF NEW YO RK FROM, AND THE AMOUNT CLEARED
THE TORT OF NEW YORK FOR, FOREIGN PORTS.

American.
Years.
Tons.
1821 ..
155,723
1822 . .
203,082
1823 ..
204,308
1824 ..
206,080
259,524
1825 ..
1826 . .
246,174
1827 . .
255,276
236,308
1828 . .
1829 ..
255,691
280,918
1830 . .
1831 . .
274,237
295,293
1832 . .
1833 . .
320,083
352,225
1834 . .
1835 ..
373,465
1836 ..
407,095
368,011
1837-y .1838 .. • * v\ 377,568
\422,349
1839 . .
184,0;, i -r .
1409,458
1841 . . J . S y 1 423,952
406,623
1842 V.
1?43\£.
247,950
434,690
439,676
1845 . .
493,995
1846 ..
543,065
1S47 . .
1848 . .
639,305
1849 . .
711,720
734,431
1850 ..
956,879
1851 ..

<

-twc.

— ENTERED.Foreign.
Total.
Tons.
Tons.
16,240
171,963
23,707
226,790
22,481
226,789
16,689
253,769
20,655
280,179
28,832
274,997
37,956
292,872
39,368
275,677
25,820
281,512
33,797
314,715
62,772
337,009
106,425
401,718
110,835
430,918
92,679
444,904
90,999
464,464
149,634
556,730
171,360
539,372
91,326
468,890
142,9S5
565,335
118,136
527,594
125,073
549,045
148,691
555,315
64,264
312,214
141,520
576,480
139,542
579,218
161,882
655,877
310,603
853,668
293,188
932,493
406,080
1,117,800
419,900
1,145,331
491,889
1,448,768

American.
Tons.
143,741
158,970
196,189
218,480
245,512
213,234
223,224
207,124
200,768
209,599
234,469
221,687
239,415
235,768
289,552
271,746
248,786
268,887
331,590
275,393
296,843
300,738
221,733
371,968
341,094
396,498
495,509
491,219
569,711
596,812
793,229

-CLEARED.Foreign.
Total.
Tons.
Tons..
10,731
154,472
21,258
180,223
21,013
217,202
15,451
233,931
17,919
263,431
19,232
232,466
33,339
256,563
41,143
248,267
25,433
226,201
33,686
243,285
59,706
294,235
94,433
316,120
102,112
841,527
90,108
325,876
80,038
369,690
133,211
404,957
157,173
405,959
87,767
366,654
132,757
464,347
117,204
392,597
110,482
407,325
151,151
451,889
63,748
285,481
126,286
498,254
142,431
483,525
157,218
553,716
263,236
785,745
297,116
788,335
361,798
931,609
385,666
982,478
436,853
1,230,082

The entrances and clearances at New York, at different periods, compare
as follows with those of Boston and the United States for the same years :
VESSELS ENTERED N E W YORK, BOSTON, AND UNITED STATES.

New York.
Tons.

1821___
1825___
1826___
1830 . . .
1835___

171,963
280,179
274,997
314,715
464,464




Boston.
Tons.

U. States.
Tons.

139,609
113,328
194,420

1,570,024
973,681
1,047,860
1,099,027
1,993,903

New York.

Tons.
Years.
1840.. .
527,594
1845..
592,218
1850.. . 1,145,331
1 8 5 1 ... . 1,448,768

Boston.
Tons.

IT. Stfctes.
Tons.

245,333
308,943

2,289,809
2,946,049
4,348,639
4,993,440

512,217

51

N ew Y ork.
VESSELS CLEARED FROM NEW YORK, BOSTON, AND UNITED STATES.

Years.
1 8 2 1 ...
1 8 2 5 ...
1 8 2 6 ...
1 8 3 0 ...
1 8 3 5 ...

New York. Boston.
Tons.
Tons.
.
154,472
.
263,431
.
232,466
94,282
.
243,285
93,408
.
369,590 181,293

U. States. ]
Tons.
Years.
888,020 1 8 4 0 ...
1,055,446 1 8 4 5 ...
1,052,429 1 8 5 0 ...
1,105,196 ' 1 8 5 1 ...
2,031,341

.
.
.
.

New York. Boston.
Tons.
Tons.
392,597 181,593
483,525 249,514
982,478
1,230,082 494,063

U. States.
Tons.
2,353,495
2,984,252
4,361,002
5,130,054

The proportion o f arrivals at New York in 1821 was only about oneninth of those in the United States, and has ranged since from one-fifth to
one-third, near which latter it remains at present. In 1835, 1840, and
1845, the clearances at New York were about one-sixth those o f the whole
Union, but are now near one-fourth.
The nationality and description o f the vessels arriving at New York in
the year ending December 31, 1851, were as stated below :—
U1

675
414
16
33
30
2
19
4
3
15
1
8
6
9
1
3
10
23
6
4
6
4
3
1
1
2
3
1

316
242

126
37
1

1,303

688

COUNTRIES.

American...........
British................
French................
Brem en.............
Swedish.............
Austrian............
Norwegian.........
Sicilian...............
Hamburg...........
Danish................
Russian.............
Dutch.................
Belgian...............
Prussian.............
Colombian.........
Neapolitan........
Portuguese........
Italian...............
Spanish.............
Brazilian...........
Oldenberg..........
Sardinian...........
Yenezuelian......
Oriental..............
Lubec................
Mechlenburg.. . .
Hanoverian........
Rostock..............
Genoese .............
Peruvian...........
Guatemalian... .

752
108
6
34
4
5
3

T o t a l ...............

941

16
3
2
. .

4
3

510
164
7
65
12
2
27
O
25
2
8
12
8
16
1
1
. .

4
3
3
1
1

1
1
2
2
i
. .

CD
P

w
O
o
ct>
CO

CQ
O
O

o
p

CO

§■

CO

1
o

2
l

. .

. .

5
1
4
1
4

4

1
. ,
. .

4
1

2

2
3
1

i
i

1




883

Total

Barks

Ships

O
P*
o
p
3

to

166

2

l

4

2,381
966
30
133
48
9
54
7
44
24
12
28
18
29
2
4
14
27
12
7
9
8
5
2
3
4
4
1
1
1
1
3,888

52

Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United S t a te s :
VESSELS BUILT.

TABLE SHOTTING THE NUMBER OF VESSELS OF ALL KINDS BUILT IN THE DISTRICT OF NEW YORK,
W ITH THEIR MEASUREMENT, FROM

1834 TO 1851, COMPILED FROM THE TREASURY REPORTS.
31 TO 1834, TIIENCE W ITH SEPTEMBER 30 UP TO

THE YEARS ENDING W ITH

DECEMBER

1843,

30.

THENCE W IT H JUNE

Years.
1834............
1835............
1836............
1837............
1838...........
1839............
1840............
1841............
1842............
1843............
1844............
1845.............
1846............
1847.............
1848.............
1849............
1850.............
1851............

Sloops and
Brigs. Schooners.canal b’ts. Steamb’ts.
36
39
7
5
33
51
2
7
23
47
16
3
5
25
62
16
8
28
55
7
44
16
7
17
24
13
17
8
8
21
5
5
12
132
18
3
102
8
5
2
89
6
16
14
130
2
25
17
160
3
37
23
117
2
43
15
59
200
19
3
44
145
17
7
2
42
104
28
1
56
81
47

Ships.
26
16
14
10
7
10
6
13
6
5
11
18
11
16
26
15
26
23

Total.
113
109
103
118
105
94
68
52
171
122
136
192
234
193
307
228
202
208

Tons.
23,188 34
17,367 86
16,689 71
20,302 59
14,228 76
16,688 32
13,357 06
16,120 88
18,835 29
13,179 36
18,025 77
26,620 76
29.465 11
37,590 90
57,976 80
37,933 04
55,525 26
71,214 41

W h ich compare, in different years, with the ship-building o f the whole
United States, as follow s:—
New York.
Vessels.
Tons.

Years.

1834......................................
1836......................................
1841 ....................................
1845......................................
1851......................................

113
102
52
192
208

23,188
16,689
16,120
26,620
71,214

United States.
Vessels.
Tons.

34
77
88
76
41

1,188
501
872
1,038
1,357

161,626 36
46,238 52
118,309 23
146,018 02
298,203 60

The proportion o f tonnage built in new York city to the whole built in
the United States, was about one-seventh in 1 8 3 4 ; it has now, notwith­
standing the great progress made in ship-building in Maine and elsewhere,
risen to one-fourth.
COMPARISON OF SHIP-BUILDING OF NEW YO RK IN

1851

W IT H THAT OF THE OTHER LEADING

SHIP-BUILDING DISTRICTS AND STATES.

States.

Maine.....................
Massachusetts.. . .
New Y o rk ............
Pennsylvania........
Maryland...............

No.

254
133
229
200
130

Tons.

77,398
41,323
76,805
28,623
18,027

49
93
02
10
04

Cities and towns.

No.

New Y ork.............
Boston....................
.Philadelphia.........
Bath, M aine.........
Waldoboro’, Maine.
Baltimore...............
Portland, Maine ..

208
50
118
40
44
72
27

Tons.

71,214
28,140
20,056
18,782
17,793
15,094
12,309

41
74
11
05
94
18
38

COMMERCIAL RESUME.

O f the total imports o f the colonies in 1769, New York city had 62.85
per cent. O f the total exports of the United States in 1792, Now York
city had 9.71 percent, and 35.83 per cent o f all the customs was collected
at this port. In 1800, she had 14.85 percent o f the exports, and furnished
39.77 per cent o f the customs; in 1810, ‘2 8.12 percent o f the exports,and
6 0 .8 6 per cent o f the customs; and in 1821, 54.92 per cent o f the imports,
16.89 per cent o f the exports, and 36.57 per cent o f the customs. The




53

N ew Y ork.

proportion of the two cities, New York and Boston, respectively, o f the
total Imports, Exports, Customs, and Tonnage o f the United States, in every
fifth year from 1825, are as stated in the table below :—
SUMMARY V IE W OF THE PROPORTION OF NEW YO RK AND BOSTON IN TIIE W HOLE IMPORTS,
EXPORTS, CUSTOMS REVENUE, AND TONNAGE OF THE UNITED STATES.

Years.
1825.
1830.
1835.
1840.
1845.
1850.

Imports.
Exports.
Duties.
Tonnage.
New York. Boston. New York. Boston. New York. Boston. New York. Boston.
Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent
41.92
15.81
44.80
11.48
25.11
78.37
20.62
10.74
64.54
9.76
68.48
16.70
11.97
23.93
21.53
11.33
69.58
12.70
23.86
8.25
74.61
18.69
20.64
12.33
53.05
13.18
22.85
55.84
18.20
7.71
19.02
10.09
58.78
18.41
29.83
9.02
64.18
19.07
22.77
9.35
57.96
25.44
61.73
. . . .
. . . .
23.64
. . . .
X. . . .
SEAMEN.

The statement following shows the number o f men and boys composing
the crews of the vessels o f all kinds, arriving at and clearing from New
York, from 1835 to 1851.
It is a matter o f some interest to know how
many people are engaged in navigating the vessels employed in the mari­
time interest o f the city.
Years.
1835 ...........
1836 .............
1837 .............
1838 ...........
1839 .............
1840 .............
1 8 4 1 ...........
1842 .............
1843 .............

Entered.
22,352
23^863
18,658
15'792
23,560
21,616
21,785
23,681
13,374

Cleared.
17,589
18,782
25,392
19,172
19,932
18,419
18,104
19,534
12,296

Years.
1844 ...........
1845 .............
1846 .............
1847 .............
1848 .............
1849 ...........
1850 .............
1 8 5 1 .............

Entered.
24,166
23'818
26,344
33,521
36,906
43,916
44,166
52,032

Cleared*
20,693
19,659
26,614
30,247
35,212
37,620
38,060
46,499

As a great proportion o f these seamen arrived at New York and sailed
thence more than one time in each year, some o f them several times, the
actual number arrived or sailing in any one year were not probably much
above half the number given. According to the census o f 1840, the num­
ber o f seamen in the United States, employed in navigating the ocean, was
56,021, o f which there belonged to—
Massachusetts........................
Maine.....................................
New York State..........................
Connecticut....................................

27,153 IPennsylvania............................
10,091 |Rhode Island............................
5,511
I
Louisiana.
2,700
|
New J ersey.

1,815
1,717
1,322
1,143

A t the same time, the number o f seamen navigating the ocean belonging
to the city o f New York is stated at 2,780 only, while there were in Bos­
ton 10,921— which figures are more useful as showing the imperfections o f
the census, than as records o f facts.
Dr. Shattuck, by sundry corrections, brings down the number o f Boston
sailors in 1840 to 3,312, and the census o f 1845 gave 2,593. A statement
of the Treasury Department in 1829, gave 11,720 seamen to New York
State, as many within 4,000 as the whole number stated both in ocean and
internal navigation in 1840. The census o f Great Britain in 1841, as cor­
rect as it could be made, gave 184,081 as the whole number of seamen in
that empire, (only 45,915 o f them being set down as residents o f particular
places,) o f which London claimed 3,841, and Liverpool 4,288.




54

Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United S ta te s :

In the American vessels clearing from Now York in 1851. there were
28,288 men, and allowing for those who sailed from the port more than
once the same year, the actual number o f the crews o f these vessels was
not far, probably, from 18,000.
About the same number entered and
cleared again in the foreign vessels. Taking the whole trade o f the city, by
water transportation, there cannot be employed therein less than 50,000 salt
and “ fresh-water sailors;” and though sailors, least o f all classes, have the
comfort o f a settled home, yet the numbers dependent on these 50,000 can­
not be less than as many more, so that 100,000, apart from ship-owners,
builders, riggers, &c., derive their subsistence, wholly or in part, from the
navigating interest established by the Commerce of New York.
MARINE LOSSES.

The total amount paid in the United States for insurance on vessels lost
or damaged at sea, in 1851, was $6,227,000, o f which above one-half was
paid in New York— the amount paid in each o f the three great cities being,
in—
Philadelphia.
$906,616

New York.
$3,250,161

Boston.
$504,865

MANUFACTURES.

According to the returns furnished by the United States census o f 1850,
the manufacturing statistics o f the city, showing the number of productive
establishments, the amount of capital invested therein, the number o f ope­
ratives, male and female, employed, and the annual product, are as given in
the statement subjoined :—
PRODUCTIVE ESTABLISHMENTS OF NEW YORK CITY.

Wards.
i ..................
9
3 ................
4 ...................
5 ....................
6 ....................
7 ....................
8 ....................
9 ....................
1 0 ....................
1 1 ...................
1 2 ....................
13....................
1 4 ....................
1 5 ....................
1 6 ....................
17....................
18....................
19 ....................
Total........




No. Of
productive
or manufac­
turing establishments.
851
9
156
233
189
96
149
19
172
72
93
129
145
199
44

Capital invested.
$1,018,500
12,672,995
607,000
1,688,800
1,227,562
9,125,880
3,493,275
861,890
793,300
309,700
2,051,850
341,550
299,110
965,700
1,045,550
3,280,380
892,400
1,227,780
334,600
$34,232,822

Hands employed.
Male.
Female.
3,620
6,087
19,648
16,056
633
27
1,952
943
1,788
358
2,968
1,072
4,098
1,849
2,230
555
2,095
359
809
226
4,197
237
350
70
993
288
1,029
531
1,036
140
2,207
556
1,216
119
2,266
352
668
102
53,703

29,917

Annual
product or
val. of articles
manufactur’d.
$3,906,337
31,310,642
1,801,700
4,885,211
4,473,214
3,822,191
9,641,038
4,080.484
2,883,180
1,678,422
20,056,409
520,500
2,073,428
1,546,627
1,376,818
4,368,175
2,579,312
2,920,760
1,293,860
$105,218,308

55

N e w Y ork .

Comparing in total with similar statistics for the city o f Philadelphia, as
follows
Capital invested in manufactures
Number of hands employed........
Value of annual products...........

New York.

Philadelphia.

$34,232,822
83,620
105,218,380

$33,737,911
59,106
64,114,112

The operatives in the manufacturing establishments of New York, it will
be observed, form about one-sixth o f the whole population of the c it y ; in
Philadelphia they are about one-seventh o f the population. The proportion
o f the annual products to the capital invested is 307 per cent in New York,
and 190 per cent in Philadelphia, according to these statements.
Avera­
ging the product to the hands employed, it gives $1,258 per head in New
York, and $1,085 per head in Philadelphia—b y which it appears that New
York is the first manufacturing as well as commercial city in the Union,
having the largest capital engaged, and the greatest number o f hands em­
ployed, and certainly carrying on the business with much greater profit than
any other city.
TREASURY OPERATIONS.

Prom the statement o f the United States Treasurer, made September 27,
1852, we gather the following exhibit o f the condition and operations o f
the Branch Treasury o f New York, as compared with similar statements for
several other cities. The statement shows the amount remaining at that
time in each Sub-Treasury, the amount for which drafts had been issued,
but which remained unpaid, and the amount remaining subject to draft:—

New York...........
B oston.................
Philadelphia___
New Orleans.. . ,
San Francisco . . ,
St. L o u is ............
Norfolk, Virginia
Baltimore............

Amount on deposit.
$6,718,689 29
1,785,592 01
1,268,375 31
1,105,099 66
886,100 07
518,683 99
65,812 79
44,701 33

Drafts heretofore drawn
but unpaid.

$862,883
23,078
78,034
1,056,184
376,852
429,410
62,144
5,171

89
83
96
42
52
75
36
38

Amount subject
to draft.

$5,855,805
1,762,513
1,190,340
48,915
669,241
89,273
3,668
39,529

40
18
35
24
55
24
43
95

BANKS.

The following is a list o f banks in the city o f New York, including sever­
al which have but lately gone into operation, with the amount o f capital of
each, the number o f shares, and par value of the stock:—
Banks.

American Exchange Bank.........................
Bank of America.........................................
Bank of Com m erce....................................
Bank of New Y o r k ...................................
Bank of North America.............................
Bank of the R e p u b lic...............................
Bank o f the State of New Y o r k .............
Bowery B a n k ..............................................
Broadway Bank...........................................
Butchers and Drovers’ Bank.....................
Chatham B a n k ............................................
Chemical Bank.............................................
Citizens’ Bank.............................................




Capital stock.

$1,500,000
2,001,200
5," 00,000
1,000,000
1,000,000
2,000,000
500,000
500,000
300,000

No. of shares. Par val.
15,000
$100
20,012
100
50,000
100
2,000
500
10,000
100
10,000
100
20,000
100
14,266
25
20,000
25
20,000
25
12,000
25
3,000
100
12,000
25

56

Commercial Cities and Tow ns in the United S ta tes :

Banks.
City Bank.....................................
Fulton B ank...............................
Greenwich Bank.........................
Grocers’ Bank.............................
Hanover Bank.............................
Irving Bank.................................
Knickerbocker Bank...................
Leather Manufacturers’ Bank...
Manhattan Bank.........................
Mechanics’ Bank.........................
Mechanics’ Banking Association.
Mechanics and Traders’ Bank. .
Mercantile Bank.........................
Merchants’ Bank.........................
Merchants’ Exchange B ank.. . .
Metropolitan Bank.....................
National Bank.............................
New York Dry Dock Company.
New York Exchange B ank.. . .
North ltiver B a n k .....................
Ocean Bank.................................
Pacific Bank.................................
Peoples’ Bank.............................
Phenix Bank.................................
Seventh Ward B a n k .................
Tradesmen’s B a n k .....................
Union Bank.................................

No. o f shares. Par val.

Capital stock.

720,000
600,000
200,000
300,000
500,000
300,000
200,000
600,000
2,050,000
1,440,000
632,000
200,000
600,000
1,490,000
1,235,000
2,000,000
750,000
420,000
250,000 .
655,000
1,000,000
422,600
412,500
1,200,000
500,000
400,000
1,000,000

Total capital...........................................

16,000
20,000
8,000
6,000
5,000
6,000
8,000
12,000
41,000
80.000
25,280
8,000
8,000
29,800
24,700
20,000
15,000
14,000
2,500
13,100
20,000
8,462
16,500
60,000
10,000
10,000
20,000

45
30
25
50
100
50
25
50
50
18
25
25
100
50
50
100
50
30
100
50
50
50
25
20
50
40
60

$35,834,950

The bank capital o f New York, in 1S30, was $15,280,000, and that of
Boston $1*2,350,000. In 1835, the bank capital o f Boston was $18,150,000,
and that o f New York in 183G was $20,361,200. The following is a state­
ment of the capital and rate o f dividends o f the banks in the two cities, in
each year from 1845 :—
Years.
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851

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

New York.
Capital.
Div. p. ct.
$23,084,100
6.21
23,084,100
7.09
23,084,100
7.25
23,084,100
8.09
24,457,890
8.28
27,440,270
8.69
28,057,450
8.93.

Boston.
Capital.
Div. p.ct.
$17,4S0,U00
6.36
18,180,000
6.57
18,180,000
7.00
18,920,000
7.55
19,280,000
7.66
20,710,000
7.68
23,660,000
7.68

The capital o f the Boston banks, thirty-two in number, was, in October of
the present year, §24,660,000. The capital o f the banks o f Philadelphia
in 1851 was §7,725,000, the banks being 13 in number, and the dividends
averaged 9.67 per cent. The total capital of all the banks in the United
States was, on the 1st January, 1850, §217,317,211, there being 824 banks
and branches.
The condition o f the banks o f New Y ork and o f the other principal
cities, is so often and regularly presented in the Banking and Finance D e­
partment o f the Magazine, that it is unnecessary to enter into further par­
ticulars here. Those who are desirous o f pursuing these comparisons, will
find valuable tables in the Magazine, vol. xxiii., p. 5 5 2 ; vol. xxv., p. 7 4 2 ;
vol. xxvi., p. 7 3 6 ; vol. xxvii., p. 215 ; and, in fact, in almost every number
o f the Magazine.




51

N ew Y ork.
FIRE AND MARINE INSURANCE COMPANIES.

LIST OF F IR E AND MARINE INSCRANOE COMPANIES IN NEW YORK, W ITH THE AMOUNT OF
CAPITAL, NUMBER OF SHARES, AND P A R VALUE.

Names.
Astor Fire Insurance Company.............................
Astor Mutual Insurance Com pany.......................
Atlantic Insurance Com pany.................................
Broadway Insurance Company...............................
Citizens’ Fire Insurance Company.........................
City Insurance Company.........................................
Clinton Fire Insurance Com pany.........................
Commercial Fire Insurance C om pany.................
Eagle Fire Insurance Com pany...........................
East River Insurance C om pany............................
Empire City Fire Insurance Company..................
Etna Insurance Company........................................
Firemen’s Insurance Company................................
General Mutual Insurance Com pany...................
Greenwich Insurance Company.............................
Grocers’ Fire Insurance Company.........................
Howard Insurance Company..................................
Jefferson Insurance Com pany................................
Knickerbocker Insurance Company.......................
Manhattan Fire Insurance C om pany...................
Mercantile Mutual Insurance Company................
Merchants’ Insurance Company.............................
National Fire Insurance Company........................
New York Mutual Insurance Company................
New York Bowery Insurance Company...............
New York Equitable Insurance Company...........
New York Fire and Marine Insurance Company.
Niagara Fire Insurance Company.........................
North American Fire Insurance Company...........
North River Insurance Company...........................
Pacific Fire Insurance Com pany...........................
Peoples’ Fire Insurance Company........ ...............
Stuyvesrnt Insurance Com pany............................
Sun Mutual Insurance Company...........................
Union Mutual Insurance Company.........................
United States Fire Insurance Company...............
Washington Insurance Company...........................

Capital.
$150,000
assets.
assets.
200,000
150,000
210,000
250,000
200,000
300,000
150,000
200,000
200,000
204,000
assets.
200,000
200,000
250,000
200,010
280,000
250,000
assets.
200,000
150,000
assets.
300,000
210,000
200,000
200,000
250,000
350,000
200,000
150,000
200,000
assets.
200,000
250,000
200,000

No. shares. Par val.
$25
6,000

....
....

..
..

8,000
1,500
3,000
5,000
4,000
1,800
10,000
2,000
4,000
12,000

25
20
10
50
50
40
15
100
50
17

8,000
4,000
5,000
6,667
7,000
5,000

25
50
50
30
40
50

4,000
4,000

50
37J

12,000
6,000
2,000
4,000
5,000
14,000
8,000
3,000
8,000

25
35
100
50
50
25
25
50
25

2,000
10,000
4,000

100
25
50

Shares.
40,000
2,000

Par val.
$50
50

10,000
2,000

100
50

....

....

..

..

$6,654,010

Total capital

LIFE INSURANCE AND TRUST COMPANIES.

Names.
Farmers’ Loan and Trust Com pany.....................
Manhattan Life Insurance Company.....................
Mutual Life Insurance Company...........................
New York Life Insurance Company.....................
New York Life Insurance and Trust Com pany..
United States Life Insurance Company...............
Total capital

Capital.

$2,000,000
100,000
1,500,000
360,000
1,000,000
100,000

....
....

$5,060,000
RAILROADS.

The following is a tabular statement o f the railroads terminating in New
York and the vicinity, with their length, including branches, and cost:—




58

Commercial Cities and Towns in the United S ta te s :

Camden and A m b oy......................................................... miles
Central Railroad of New Jersey..............................................
Housatonic...................................................................................
Hudson River......................................... ■...................................
Long Isla n d.................................................................................
Morris and Essex.........................................................................
Hew Jersey..................................................................................
Hew York and E r ie ...................................................................
Hew York and Harlem..............................................................
Hew York and Hew Haven......................................................
Ramapo and Paterson.................................................................
Total.................................................................................

Length.
90
50
110
144
95
44
SI
464
1S1
61
33
1,186

Cost.
$3,200,000
1,200,000
2,500,000
9,305,551
2,339,939
400,000
680,000
24,028,858
4,813,318
4,233,909
910,000
$53,131,115

B y means o f these railroads, N ew York is directly connected with every
section o f the country. The various lines with which these are interwoven,
form a great net-work o f several thousand miles o f iron pathway.
HOTELS.

W ithin a few years a great revolution has been made in the hotel-system
in all the large cities o f the Union, but the change has been nowhere so
great as here. The leading houses for public lodging and board, are far
more ahead o f the “ elegant hotels ” o f twenty-five or even fifteen years since,
than those were in advance o f the places of “ accommodation for man and
beast,” which went under the name o f inns or taverns in the last century.
The great “ houses,” as they are now simply called, are most magnificent
palaces, o f immense area, with the utmost abundance o f provision for every
comfort. This .word comfort, which referred formerly to a few wants, which
the best host could not have imagined to reach beyond a half-dozen, now
comprises a vast list o f real necessities, (some o f them the luxuries o f the
former time,) conveniences, and elegancies. The populations o f these houses
form almost towns by themselves; certainly there are many incorporated
villages in the United States at present with a less number o f inhabitants
than may be found at any time within several o f these establishments—
while their internal arrangements are so complete and masterly, as to quite
exceed the order o f some very respectable national governments, that find it
very difficult to make things go smooth. The first adventure in this class
o f houses was the Tremont, in Boston, which succeeded so well as to en­
courage the establishment o f others, superior to the pattern. The Astor
was the pioneer in New York, and stood for a number o f years entirely un­
approached, we may say without any effort at rivalry, either in regard to its
size, splendor, or character. The Astor is built of granite, extending the
whole space between Barclay and Vesey streets, on Broadway, (just below
the City Park,) and is five stories in hight. It was calculated to accommo­
date 400 guests, without there being anything like crowding. The House
is under the excellent management o f Messrs. Coleman and Stetson, and is
so universally known, by fame at least, even in the remotest parts o f the
country, that more need not be said here respecting this establishment.
But it is o f the Metropolitan that we wish now particularly to speak.
This new hotel, on the corner of Broadway and Prince-street, is considered
by many the largest and most magnificent establishment of the kind in the
world. It is built o f brown stone, six stories in hight, and the building alone
cost above half a million of dollars. Everything about it is in a style of




N ew Y ork.

59

princely magnificence. The halls, parlors, ordinaries, dressing-rooms, bath­
ing-rooms, bod-rooms, &e., are all furnished with a sumptuous elegance,
that it would require pages to describe, and of which description could give
but an imperfect idea— it must be seen to be realized.
W e will, however, briefly notice one room, from which some notion may
be derived o f the whole building, as nearly an equal degree o f elegance,
though varying widely in style, pervades the whole. This is one o f the
dining-rooms, called the “ Five o’clock Ordinary,” situated on the second
floor, and fronting on Prince street. This room is 120 feet long and 36 feet
wide. The ceiling is beautifully frescoed, and it is well lighted and venti­
lated by windows on both sides. It is decorated at the ends with immense
mirrors, and has 24 brackets and 4 chandeliers, making in all 64 gas-lights.
The ornamental work alone, in the room, cost $8,000. W h en lighted up,
the appearance is o f the most imposing kind.
The building is warmed by steam, furnished by large boilers, and is pro­
vided with the most thorough ventilation.
It will be delightfully cool in
the hottest weather. There is also a steam-engine which furnishes power
for a number o f domestic purposes, and for forcing water to any part o f the
house, in case the Croton should fail.
There are upward o f two miles o f halls in this establishment, and twelve
miles o f gas and water pipes. There are more than 13,000 yards o f car­
peting laid down, which cost, with the superb drapery, $40,000. The cab­
inet furniture cost $50,000 ; the mirrors (some o f them the largest ever im­
ported) about $ 1 8 ,0 0 0 ; the silverware, $14,000. The cost o f the whole
establishment, including the value o f the ground ($300,000) was $950,000.
To strangers in the city, the Metropolitan will certainly be one o f the great­
est curiosities which the city has to offer.
The other principal hotels o f the city are the Irving, Howard’s, the New
York, Rathburn’s, Delmonico’s, the American, Atlantic, City, Globe, Judson’s, and the Carleton House, all on Broadw ay; Lovejoy’s, Park R o w ;
French’s and Tammany, Chatham-street; Merchants’, National, and D un­
ning’s, Cortlandt-street; United States, Fulton and W ater streets; Pearlstreet House ; Pacific, Greenwich-street; and Battery Hotel, Battery Place.
There are others, equalling these in rank, which we have not time to enu­
merate.
Thus we have finished an exhibit o f New Y ork in some o f her most
material interests, and in partial comparison with other cities o f the United
States, and with some o f Europe. W e have prepared other interesting sta­
tistics o f our city, which will be, perhaps, better deferred to another time,
or will be better adapted to the pages o f some other publication than those
o f the Merchants' Magazine. In what we have given, we have endeavored,
both from the unassisted facts relating to New York, and from the compar­
ative view o f corresponding statements for the other cities, to point out some
peculiar results, movements, and tendencies— but this only in a limited de­
gree. The “ facts and figures ” here embodied, furnish material for much
more o f study and discovery. To those who are disposed to see what fur­
ther can be drawn from them, and who have more time to pursue the in­
vestigation, we leave them. The statements presented, however, are o f
themselves, without comment, sufficient to answer the chief intent of their
compilation, viz.:— to show W h at New York Is— W hither she is going—
and, imperfectly, W h at she is To Be.




60

H . A , S . Dearborn.

Art. IV.— II. A. S. DEARBORN.*
T he late General Dearborn lias often enriched the pages of this magazine
by his contributions, and it is tit that here also should be recorded some no­
tice o f his life. The good that men do lives after them, but lest they them­
selves should be forgotten while their works remain, it is proper to remember
their services as a part o f their personal history, and whenever we erect a
monument to their usefulness, we should inscribe the marble with their
names.
The ancestors o f Gen. Dearborn were among the early settlers o f New
Hampshire. His father commanded one o f the first companies which were
raised in that State by the creative news o f the Lexington figh t; and he
was a conspicuous actor in all the subsequent period o f the Revolution. lie
was with Stark at Dunker Hill, with Arnold in his perilous expedition through
the wilderness to Quebec, with Gates at the taking o f Burgoyne, a Lieut.
Colonel under Cilley at the Battle o f Monmouth, with Washington in V ir­
ginia as Deputy Quarter-Master General, at the siege o f Yorktown and cap­
ture o f Cornwallis, and, at the close o f the war, he succeeded Col. Scammell in
command o f the 1st N. II. Regiment. In June, 1784, he removed to Ken­
nebec County in Maine ; and he subsequently represented that district for
two terms in Congress. President Jefferson honored him with a place in his
cabinet, as Secretary at W ar, and when he resigned this office in 1 809, ho
was appointed Collector o f Boston.
During the W ar o f 1812 he was
again conspicuous in the service o f hiscountrj'. H e was then a Major Gen­
eral in the army, and it was under his auspices, that the capture o f York
and Fort George was accomplished in 1813. A t the close of that year he
was ordered to the command o f New Y o r k ; and, subsequent to the war,
in 1822, he was minister o f the United States in Portugal. H e died in
1829, at the age of 78 years.
General Dearborn was, thus, born to an inheritance o f patriotism, and,
through a long life, he proved himself worthy o f it. Although an ardent
politician for many years, and warmly attached to his political opinions, his
love o f country knew no restraint o f party, but sometimes separated him
from those with whom, upon public affairs, he was accustomed to act. He
supported warmly the war o f 1812, and, when the late struggle with Mexico
had commenced, he was in favor o f the largest grants o f men and money
for its vigorous prosecution ; while no one rejoiced more proudly than he
did, at its triumphant course and the brilliant reputation which it gave our
arms. The good o f the nation was with him a personal concern, and, since
he believed that our national greatness must depend upon the perpetuity of
our Union, he was always alarmed by any agitations which seemed to
threaten seriously the harmony of the States. He was against, therefore,
the abolition excitements o f the North, and was cordial and unhesitating in
his approval o f the Compromise measures o f the last Congress. If in 1841
he erred in adopting the opinions o f the Native Americans, his very error
arose unquestionaby from his earnest patriotism: for he measured the respon­
sibility o f American citizenship by the high standard o f its dignity and its
privileges, and feared to commit our institutions to the care o f those who
* H k n r y A l e x a n d e r S c a m m e l l D e a r b o r n , late of Roxbury, Massachusetts.
He bore the
Christian name of his father, prefixed to that of Col. Scammell, who commanded, at the beginning of
the Revolution, the N. 11. Regiment in which Gen. Dearborn, the elder, served as Captain.




H . A . S . Dearborn.

61

had never been trained beneath their influence. This fear may have been
unreal, but it was honestly entertained ; and he never hesitated, upon all
public questions, to be as trank in expressing his opinions, as he was sincere
in holding them. No one ever suspected him of sacrificing his convictions
o f right to the desire o f office, or o f infidelity to its duties when office came
to him. “ It has been m y fortune,” said the chairman o f the selectmen at
W est Roxbury, upon hearing o f his death, “ through almost the whole o f
m y life, to be ranked among the political antagonists o f General Dearborn,
but I have never heard his integrity in any quarter questioned or impeached,
or anything advanced in derogation of his claim to high personal regard.”
y « t his integrity and his diligence were well tried through a long career o f
/p u b lic life.
»
H e was Jjorn March 3d, 1783, in Exeter, New Hampshire, and, in the folJflow in g yeat, removed with his father to the County of Kennebec in Maine,
i .-He spent M o years at William’s College in Massachusetts, but was gradui ateij at the ancient institution o f William and Mary, in Virginia. He was
\ intended,fot the profession o f law, and commenced its study in the office o f
\6eneral .Alison, at Georgetown, in the District o f Columbia. His legal
studies were completed, however, with the late Judge Story, who then resided'M Salem, and at their conclusion he applied for a diplomatic station
abroad. Mr. Jefferson said he should have one and a good one, but advised
him against it, saying that no man ought to go to reside for any time abroad
under the age o f 40, for he would lose' his "America^ tastes and ideas, be­
come wedded to foreign manners and instifrutions’, And grow incapable o f be­
coming a Ic'yal, useful, 'arid contented citizen at home.
Under this advice
the young applicant wvthdfsw Bfa ’'etjtfesfc, a'ftd soon after commenced the
practice o f the law in Salem. Jr *1806-lie ■opened an office at Portland,
(Me.,) but lie disliked the profession and very soon relinquished it. About
this period he was appointed to superintend the erection o f the forts in Port­
land harbor. This was his first Appointment from government, but was soon
followed by a more important one. H e held office for a short time in the
Boston Custom-House, while his father was collector, and in 1812, when his
father was placed in command o f the Northern Army, ho succeeded him as
collector o f the port. In 1821, ho was a member o f the State Convention
which revised the Constitution o f Massachusetts, and even in that body his
eloquence and ability attracted marked attention. In 1829, he was removed
from the office o f collector by General Jackson.
The same year he was
chosen representative from Roxbury in the Legislature o f Massachusetts, and
was immediately transferred to the Executive Council. In 1830 he represen­
ted Norfolk County in the State Senate, and the next year he was elected to
Congress from that district. The records o f the time show that he was not
a negligent member o f the national legislature. The bank and tariff ques­
tions were then prominent before the country, and he argued them repeat­
edly in the House, with fidelity, doubtless, to the wishes o f his constituents,
and certainly with ability and skill. But these were not the only subjects
which engaged his attention during his service at the capitol. There were
other matters— without the range o f party— matters o f science and art and
general public improvement— which were better calculated to attract his in­
terest. H e spoke, for example, in favor o f the order to Greenough for a
statue o f Washington, contended there for that principle o f low postage
which has since been adopted, advocated an appropriation for diplomatic in­
tercourse with Turkey, whose condition and policy he was familiar with, ap-




62

I I . A . S . Dearborn.

pealed eloquently to the House on the subject o f revolutionary pensions, and
gave many interesting statistics and novel views concerning the cultivation
o f silk in the United States. A t the close o f his term his constituents ac­
knowledged his usefulness by a public dinner which he attended at R oxbu ry;
but he was not re-elected. Soon afterwards he became Adjutant General
o f Massachusetts, in which office he continued antil 1843. In 1847 he
was elected Mayor o f Roxbury, and was re-elected every subsequent year
until his death.
This was his political career; but, honorable although it was, yet his true
sphere o f usefulness was not in politics. H e was not formed to serve a
party, but delighted in all enterprises which promised to promote the public
good. H e was emphatically a friend o f Internal Improvements, and on this
subject his sagacity was almost prophetic, and his zeal amounted to enthusi­
asm. H e followed Washington in the general idea which that great, man
announced as early as 1784, o f connecting the Atlantic with the Lakes, by
multiplied means o f communication; and he was early and indefatigable in
his endeavors to induce the people o f Massachusetts to act upon this idea
by constructing a railroad from Boston to the Hudson. The Great Western
Railroad owes to him a debt of gratitude, which cannot well be overestima­
ted ; for he was one o f its first and best and most efficient friends. He delighted
in its progress and loved always to depict its inevitable results. “ It is the
most remarkable commercial avenue,” he wrote in 1838, “ which was ever
opened by man. i .There .is no.'parallel in the proudest days o f antiquity;
and instead o f the possibility. r6t its beingjever rivalled in any country, it will
itself be triplicated in extent, for the true and ultimate‘terminus is to be on
the shores o f the Pacific Ocean^ jandthe splendid.Alexandria o f the Colum­
bia River will become the e'nirepdt
the,products o f this vast continent, o f
China and India, and o f Europe and Africa.” Thus ardent and glowing
were the movements o f his mind upaq this and kindred works o f public
improvement; so that men o f cooler temperament, who were less familiar
than he with the history and triumphs o f similar enterprises, not only hes­
itated often to follow him, but sometimes were ready to denounce him as
visionary and Quixotic. In a beautiful oration which he pronounced at
Portland, (Me.,) in August 1850, before a convention o f delegates from the
British Provinces and New England, who had met to take measures in aid
o f the European and North American Railroad, General Dearborn alluded
to this feature in his personal history. “ It is but twenty-five years,” he
said, “ since I proposed that a railroad should be constructed from Boston
to the Hudson, and that a tunnel be made through the Hoosac Mountain.
For this I was termed an id iot! An idiot I may be, but the road is made,
and the tunnel through the Hoosac Mountain is in course o f construction.”
The General’s information on this subject was very accurate and extensive,
H e had traveled through the W est, and in 1839, he published a series of
letters on its “ Internal Improvements and Commerce,” which are still val­
uable, for their bold thoughts and their graphic descriptions, their minute
statistics and their striking prophecies. His ideas of improvement were not
confined to his own State, but he exerted himself zealously, by pen and tongue,
to awaken and increase the interest in railroads and canals, of every State
with which he was brought in contact. H e had great faith in these enter­
prises, and if his zeal was sometimes excessive, it was sure to be sufficiently
chastened by the moderation of those with whom he had to deal. Un­
doubtedly he accomplished much good for New England, by the informa-




3 . A . S . Dearborn.

63

tion and energy which he diffused upon this subject; and he had a vivid
confidence in this result, which always cheered him in his public labors. H e
knew that whatever contributed efficiently to any valuable work o f internal
improvement, would be as surely benefiting the people within its reach, as
Clinton, on a loftier scale, earned the deep and respectful gratitude o f the
State which owes to him its Erie Canal. O f this gratitude, General Dear­
born’s standard was very high. In one o f his letters from the W est, he
recommended the construction o f a breakwater to improve the harbor o f
Buffalo. “ A t its upper end,” he adds, “ should be formed a massive granite
pedestal, and surmounted by a colossal bronze statue o f the illustrious D o
W itt Clinton, a hundred feet high, holding aloft in one hand, a flambeau as a
beacon light, to designate, in the night, the entrance, and pointing with the
other in the direction o f the route of the Erie Canal.
New York owes
such a monument to its greatest benefactor, in grateful remembrance o f the
pre-eminent services he rendered the State; ay, the whole Kepublic; for the
direct and glorious influence o f his patriotic labors have been felt in every
city, town, village, and dwelling, throughout the W est and the East, from
the St. Croix to the extremity of Florida.” The man who could thus ap­
preciate the beneficence o f Clinton, needed no other incentive to pursuits
like his, and no other reward for them than the incentive and the reward
which he found within him, in his consciousness o f doing good.
But to his services o f this nature General Dearborn added* others which,
if they were less extensive in their influence, were equally generous and
kiudly in their origin, and hardly less praiseworthy in their results. He
was eminently a lover o f the beautiful, in nature and in art, and it gave him
real pleasure to awaken and to gratify a similar taste in those around him.
This feature runs, like a silver thread, through all the texture o f his life, and
could not be withdrawn without sadly marring the whole of its grace and
harmony. H e loved to pause, in his walks or rides, to gather happiness
from some attractive prospect, and he would study a new plant with all the
interest o f science, and all the pleasure which belongs to a refined taste.
Scarcely any subject was harsh enough wholly to materialize the products
o f his pen, and he could not trace the route o f a railroad without finding
some forest-walk or sparkling stream to excite his imagination, and give
grace to his pursuit. “ On the margins o f the rivers,” he writes in one o f his
western letters, “ and from some three to ten miles therefrom, oak-openings,
and prairies o f from fifty acres to many miles in area, constitute the most
interesting and beautiful scenery I ever beheld; and at this season o f the
year, the w'hole country is spangled with innumerable wild flowers o f ex­
quisite elegance.
The most highly cultivated and ornamental parks and
domains of the nobles and affluentgentlemen in England cannot be rendered,
by art, so picturesque and surpassingly lovely.” Thus did the spirit of the
beautiful bear him company, not less through his practical explorings o f a
new region, than when he made Mount Auburn a monument to his industry
and taste, and embalmed his memory amidst the lights and shadows of
“ Forest Hills.” To these cemeteries, and to others o f less magnitude which
were suggested by them, he gave freely o f his time and skill, for works of
this description were with him emphatically labors o f love. Mount Auburn
was the first and chief o f rural Muneteries in this country, and in natural
beauty it can hardly b3 exceeded in the old world.
Its erection is con­
fessedly due, in a very great measure, to General Dearborn. H e took up the
project as President o f the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, was Chair­




64

H . A . S . Dearborn.

man o f tlie committee which planned the grounds, and he directed the work
in person through three successive summers.
The Roxbury Cemetery was,
also, the fruit o f his pious labor. “ Fitly, and beautifully, the laborers there
replenish daily the marble vase o f flowers which they have promptly placed
at the foot o f his grave, not only the token o f their affectionate remembrance
o f him, but a memorial, also, o f his tender and disinterested thoughtfulness
for all the dead who should be borne there, and all the living who should
resort there to mourn, to meditate, or to worship.” * Some years ago, in a
centennial address which ho delivered at Roxbury, General Dearborn paid a
worthy tribute to the worth and services of John Elliot, “ the Apostle to tho
Indians,” and more recently he manifested an ardent desire to see some
monument erected in “ Forest Hills ” to the memory o f this distinguished
man, who presided over the Roxbury Church for nearly sixty years, and who
was held in such respect that Mather remarks o f him, “ there was a tradition
among us, that the country could never perish as long as Elliot was alive.”
The memorial to Elliot has not yet been completed, while another monument
is now demanded to the memory o f him who was among the most earnest to
perpetuate in marble the name and virtues o f the Indian Missionary.
In 1840, General Dearborn delivered an address to the Berkshire A gri­
cultural Society, and his zeal in the cause o f agricultural improvements was
alike intelligent and earnest. But horticulture was more peculiarly his own
department, and attracted more closely his affectionate interest. Few have
done more than he did to elevate and adorn this beautiful branch of industry
and art. “ Blessed is the man,” he exclaims, in one of his discourses, “ who
participates in these enjoyments!”
For him the book o f nature seemed
always to open upon some illuminated page ; and while he seldom failed to
find a glory in tho grass and a splendor in the forest, ho felt, among the
flowers, the very poetry o f worship. N o one could respond more truthfully
than he to those touching sentiments which have been embalmed in the
beautiful flower-hymn o f Horace Smith.
“ ’ Neath cloistered boughs each floral bell that swingeth,
And tolls its perfume on the passing air,
Maires Sabbath in the fields, it ever ringeth
A call to prayer.
*

*

*

*

“ Your voiceless lips, oh, flowers, arc living preachers,
Each cup a pulpit, every leaf a book,
Supplying to my fancy, numerous teachers
From loneliest nook.
*

*

*

*

“ W ere I, oh G od ! in churchless lands remaining,
Far from all voice o f teachers and divines,
M v soul would find in flowers o f thy ordaining,
Priests, sermons, shrines.”

In 1829, General Dearborn delivered an address before the Massachusetts
Horticultural Society, o f which he had been one o f the originators and was
the first President.
His other efforts in this direction it would require too




* Dr. Putnam’s Eulogy.

\

H . A . S . Dearborn.

65

much space to enumerate, but their record remains behind h im ; and deserves
to be long and gratefully remembered as one who has enlarged the sympa­
thies, and refined the tastes, and cultivated a love o f the beautiful among
those who came within the sphere o f his influence. And is this nothing ?
“ Surely,” says Mr. Putnam, in his noble eulogy, “ surely, this man has
done a great work. Surely, he has made a broad mark upon the face o f
the earth, and upon the hearts o f men. Surely, he deserves that grateful
afld honoring thoughts should gather round his grave, and that his name
should be held in lively and kind remembrance. Every lover o f the beauti­
ful owes him something.
Every mortal man, who ever sends forward a
thought to the spot where he is to be laid, and finds soothing in its verdure
and peacefulness, owes him something.
Every bereaved one, who follows
his beloved dead along those green and winding aisles o f nature, and lays
down his remains, and revisits them with oft-returning footsteps, to weep and
to pray by them, lying there as in the very bosom o f the loving God of nature,
owes him something— some tribute of tender and grateful recollection.”
From the sketch which has already been given, it will be seen that Gen.
Dearborn was by no means an idle man. But this is not enough to say of
him in this particular. li e was eminently an industrious .man. Besides the
attention which he gave to his official duties, and his disinterested labors to
promote social progress and public improvements, he worked hard at home.
He filled his leisure hours with study, and his information was remarkable
both for its variety and extent.
This is shown, as well as his facility of
writing, by a bare examination o f the works, published and unpublished,
which he has left behind him.
Am ong those which have been given to the public are the follow ing:—
Dearborn’s Memoir on the Black Sea, Turkey and Egypt, with charts, 3
vols., royal 8 v o .; History o f Navigation and Naval Architecture, with an
Account o f the Coast Survey o f the U. S., 2 vols., royal 8 v o .; Monography
of the Genus Camelia, from the French o f the A bbe Beiiese, 1 vol., royal
8vo. ; Treatise on Pastel or W oad, from the French, 1 vol., royal 8vo.
His manuscript volumes are far more numerous. They embrace the folfollowing :—
Journal from 1816 to 1851, 39 vols., 4 to .; Life of Major-General Dear­
born, 11 vols., 4 t o .; Mission to the Seneca and Tuscarora Indians, 4 vols.,
4 t o .; Tours to Illinois in 1839 and '40, 1 vol., 4 to .; An Account o f the
Eeconnoissances and Surveys o f Routes o f Canals between Boston Harbor
and Hudson River, 4 vols., 4 t o .; Sketch of the Life o f Major-General Dear­
born, with his account of the Battle o f Bunker Hill, and a volume o f maps, 2
vols., 4 to .; Life of Commodore Bainbridge, 1 vol., 4 to .; W ork on Entomology,
1 vol., 4 t o .; on Grecian Architecture, with drawings, 2 vols., folio; Writings
on Horticulture, 3 vols., royal 8 v o .; Massachusetts Horticultural Society and
Mount Auburn, 1 vol., royal 8 v o .; Account o f Forest Hill Cemetery, 1 vol.,
royal 8 v o .; Letters to his Father while in Lisbon, 6 vols., 4to. : Writings on
various subjects, 1 vols., 3 4to. and 4 royal 8 v o .; Addresses, Reports, &c., 1
vol., royal 8 v o .; Life o f Jesus Christ, 2 vols., royal 8 v o.; Life of Col. W m .
Raymond Lee, 2 vols., royal 8 v o .; Journal while in Congress, 1 vol., 4 to .:
Account o f Ancient Paintings and LJainters, translated from Pliny, 1 vol., 4to.
This catalogue might be increased ; but it furnishes, as it is, ample evi­
dence o f the learning, and taste and industry o f General Dearborn.
It
shows, too, how much labor he performed, in the love o f it, and from an
honest desire to acquire and impart knowledge. A large portion, indeed,
v o l . x x v m .— n o .
i.
5




66

H . A . S . Dearborn.

o f his public services was a voluntary offering to the public weal. H e was,
in the fullest sense o f the term, an unselfish man. Though not ostentatious,
he was always hospitable, and his benevolence was only bounded by his
means. H e valued money for nothing else than its uses, and he could not
hoard it for the future, when he was pressed to bestow it upon a worthy ob­
ject in the present.
“ W hen some public structure or improvement was
suggested,” he used to write, “ the question asked by such men as Themistocles, Adrian, Hannibal, Tully, Colbert, Peter and Napoleon, was not, what
will be the cost ? but others, more grave and pertinent,— I s it necessary, and
can it be accom plished ?" This was his mode o f thinking about money, in
public matters, and upon a similar estimate he guided the expenditure of
his private means. Thus, he never became rich, and he has left to his family
no large inheritance o f fortune. But he has left them a better legacy than
that— the legacy of a good name, and the inheritance o f a memory which
they will never willingly let die.
General Dearborn died in Portland, (Me.,) at the residence o f his only
daughter, the wife t f Hon. A . W . TI. Clapp, on the 29th o f July, 1851.
Ilis funeral services were performed at Portland, and his remains were after­
wards conveyed, under charge o f his sons, to their final resting place in
“ Forest Hills.” The city council o f Roxbury were called together, as soon
as his death, was known, and immediate measures were taken to testify their
respect to his memory. The chambers o f the city government were draped
in mourning for three months, and, besides adopting appropriate resolutions
commemorative o f the worth o f the deceased and o f the loss which the city
had sustained by his death, the council voted that a public address should
be delivered, at a future day, upon his life, ’ character and public services.
This duty was most eloquently discharged by Dr. George Putnam, in the
following September; and we cannot better conclude this sketch than by
quoting from his touching eulogy a portion o f its concluding words. “ And
now his diligent and useful life on earth is closed. He, whose name has
been associated with that o f our city for so many years, has departed from
amongst us.
H e will be missed very much. W e shall miss his earnest
spirit and speech, his full mind, his ready and kindly sympathies. W e have
lost a man— a veritable full-grown man— a goodly type o f our Anglo-Saxon
manhood : one who, in not a few points o f excellence and greatness, was the
foremost man o f us all. * * His stately and venerable form will be seen
no more in our streets or high places. It has gone to its selected home—
the spot which his care fitted up and his genius embellished for so many.
Lie lightly upon his bosom, ye clods o f the valley, for he trod softly on you,
in loving regard for every green thing that ye bore 1 Bend benignantly over
him, ye towering trees of the forest, and soothe his slumbers with the whis­
perings o f your sweetest requiem, for he loved you as his very brothers o f
G od’s garden, and nursed you, and knew almost every leaf on your boughs.
Guard sacredly his ashes, ye steep, strong cliffs that gird his grave, for ye
were the altars at which he worshiped the Alm ighty One who planted you
there in your strength.”




Codification and L a w R eform in Alabam a.

67

Art. V.— CODIFICATION AND LAW REFORM IN ALABAM A*
O s the 17th January, 1853, a New Code of Laws, in some respects
widely differing from previous enactments, will be in force in Alabama.
The Legislature of that State, at a formal session had appointed a Com­
mission to Codify the Laws, under a Constitutional provision, which autho­
rizes a Digest every ten years. The present code is the result of the joint
labors o f Messrs. Goklthwaite, Ormond and Bagby, and has been ratified by
the General Assembly.
W e congratulate the people o f Alabama upon the adoption o f a system
which, at once, simplifies, and preserves the learning of the Law. Every
Legislator assumes the station o f a Lycurgus, and nine out o f ten, in the
business o f codifying the laws, establish characters for utter incapacity.
W hen the popular voice cries out, “ Give us more simplicity,” “ Give us
reform,” the response is, “ Tear down all the learning o f the law,” and
“ make statutes, as a carpenter makes a mortice, by square and gage.”
Y ou might as well undertake to reform the English language, by adopting
the Chinese mode o f teaching its d aleet, or to improve printing, by advo­
cating the abolition o f moveable types. The only way of properly reforming
Law is, to adapt them to the varying phases of society, o f enacting them in
as few and simple words as possible, and as seldom as possible; and o f pro­
moting their publicity as far as possible. The idea o f every man-mushroom,
generated in a hot steamy state of society, as he raises his head, becoming a
Reformer, and overthrowing the wisdom and experience o f such men as Lord
H o lt ; Parker, Earl Macclesfield ; Philip York, Lord Hardwick ; Pratt, Lord
Camden; and Sir W m . Blackstone, and substituting his own crude, undi­
gested notions o f reason and justice, tinctured, as they may be, with preju­
dices and ignorance ; is not merely a disgusting and ridiculous spectacle,
but a positive wrong to mankind 1 O f all those agencies on which the good
order, the peace, the stability of civilized institutions depend, Law, in its
certain enforcement, is the greatest. It is one o f the elements o f Society
which grows strong with age. It becomes wise by time. It is not a piece
o f machinery, which every day may be improved, by adding or taking off a
w h eel; but it is a Principle; and, where found not to work well, the defect
arises either from a misapplication o f it, or from the difficulty o f bringing
every individual up to it.
The more we simplify the law, the nearer we
bring it back to principle, the more certainly we apply it to the existing re­
lations o f man, the more just it becomes.
The exception is never in the
Law, but in the case— the failure to afford relief on reason and right is in
the proof, not in the rule. The Code before us is an excellent illustration o f
these reflections. It has never yet been our fortune to see a Digest which
so fully comes up to the necessity o f the times, and so entirely conformable
to the Constitutional provision.
The business was to Digest without Re­
pealing the L a w ; to Reform without abolishing i t ; to cut off the redun­
dancies, the off-shoots, the weaker limbs, and still leave the main trunk
standing in all its original strength and vigor.
Some modifications and
additions were necessary; and the wisest act the Legislature did was to
adopt it as a whole. One of those self-important gentlemen, whose only
capacity consists in the facility with which he can, with pen and scissors,
* The Code of Alabama, Brittain & De Wolff, Montgomery, 1852.




68

Codification and L a w R eform in Alabam a.

upon first view, destroy the long-labored work of others, did not, we are
pleased to see, cut up and abrogate the unity o f this Code, as prepared by
its collators. Some, we understand, did not support it, because they did not
know what it was. It is a happy thing for society, that the making o f Codes
does not depend upon the slow process o f such understandings.
W hile the Legislature was in the step of adopting this Code, we heard
o f some objections. They rested on the fact, that a petition was substituted
for a Declaration. This was the same thing as asserting, that the learning
o f the Profession lies altogether in its pleading. The pleading of the Law­
yer, as treated by Mr. Chitt.y, is truly a most scientific and elegant study ;
hut he has only applied the principles o f reason to Declarations, Pleas, and
Demurrers ; and surely, in modifying the form of these, the learned Codi­
fiers have not abolished the common sense of the altercations between
plaintiff and defendant. The most learned system was framed, the Roman
Civil Law, adopted the petition for the first step of the actor. This Code
has, therefore, the authority o f a code much older, and every day more
venerated.
W e know of, and fear but one difficulty as to this Code o f Laws. It is,
that the Legislature, under local influences, and demagogical power and
authority, will modify it, by grafting upon it provisions, from time to time,
o f every incongruous nature. This man will want an exemption, and that a
repeal— this an alteration, and that a proviso; till it will become as ringed
and striped as the Israelite’s rods, wherewith he generated piebald sheep.
It remains to inform the various and interested readers of your very valu­
able Magazine, of its more important Commercial enactments.
The Code is divided into four parts, each part into chapters, articles, and
sections. These last are numbered throughout the volume, consecutively.
The First Part relates to general provisions, applicable to the whole C o d e :
To the State organization, Commercial, Sanatary, and Police regulations.
The Second Part refers to Real and Personal Property, its acquisition,
enjoyment, disposition, and other private rights.
Part Third has relation to Proceedings in Civil cases: and
Part Fourth, to Crimes, their Punishm ent; Proceedings in Criminal cases,
and Jails and the Penitentiary.
One of the most wholesome o f the political provisions is that which takes,
from the Legislature that very troublesome and time-spending machinery,
necessary to create artificial persons.
B a n k in g .— These corporations are formed by the Deposit, with the State
Controller, o f money sufficient to engrave Bank-notes; and United States’
Stock, not less than One Hundred Thousand, and not more than Five Hun­
dred Thousand Dollars.
The association then receives from the Controller
an amount of notes equal to the par, or market value o f the Stock. On this
they may carry on all banking business. I f the property o f the association
does not pay its debts, judgment on scire facias may be rendered against
the shareholders. If not so organized that proceedings can be had against
the association, they may be carried on against the members individually.
R a il w a y , P l a n k R o ad , M an u factu rin g , R eligious

and

E ducatio nal

Bodies are incorporated, by filing an agreement in the office o f the Secretary
o f State, in some instances; and in others, in that o f the Probate Judge.
L imited C opartn ersh ips are also authorized, under liberal and prudent
regulations.
I nterest is fixed at 8 per cent. Usury is deducted or cannot be collected.




Codification and L a w R eform in Alabam a.

69

Bills o f exchange and promissory notes, payable at a bank or private
banking place, are governed by commercial law, except in some particulars
hereafter n oted : and all other instruments for payment o f money, so pay­
able, are governed by commercial law, as to days o f grace, protest, and notice.
All contracts and writings, except bills of exchange, promissory notes,
payable in money, at a bank or private banking-house, and paper issued to
circulate as money, are subject to sets-off, discounts, and payments, before
not'ce o f transfer.
N o one can be charged as acceptor, unless by written acceptance, or pro­
mise to accept in writing— except that
Retaining a bill over twenty-four hours, amounts to acceptance.
Damages, which are in place of all charge, except protest, interest, and
rate o f exchange, are ten percent upon inland, and fifteen upon foreign bills.
To charge an indorser, upon the indorsement of notes and bills, not pay­
able in bank, or private banking-house, suit must be brought to the first
Court, if over fifty dollars, or within thirty days, if under that sum, after the
indorsement.
Inland bills are those drawn and payable in the State. Foreign, those
drawn here, and payable elsewhere.
F raudulent C o n veyan ces and C ontracts .— A ll conveyances are void,
as to existing, or subsequent creditors, made in trust for the benefit o f the
party.
Contracts are void, if not in writing, expressing the consideration, if—
1. Not to be performed within one year.
2. B y an Executor or Administrator, to answer out o f his own estate.
3. To answer for the default, debt, or miscarriage o f another.
4. Promises upon consideration o f marriage ; except mutual promises to
marry.
5. Contracts for the sale o f goods o f the price exceeding two hundred dol­
lars— no part accepted.
6. For the Sale of Lands and interests, except leases not over one y e a r no possession and no money paid.
A memorandum by an auctioneer, his clerk, or agent, takes the case out of
the statute.
Conveyances to delay or hinder creditors void, and so, assignments reserv­
ing any advantage to the grantors.
Every general assignment, preferring a creditor, inures to the benefit o f all
creditors.
Contracts not to bid at sale of public lands, void : so o f gambling and
wagering contracts, and contracts on the Sabbath.
The real estate o f a deceased person goes to the children o f the intestate,
and their descendants, or to the brothers and sisters of intestate, or to the
father or the mother,— in equal parts.
A widow is endowable o f all lands o f which the husband was seized in fee,
during the coverture; o f all lands o f which another was seized in fee, to his
use, and o f all lands in which, at the time o f his death, he had a perfect
equity. If the husband died insolvent, leaving no lineal descendant, she
takes one-third— if solvent, no lineal descendant, one-half— if leaving lineal
descendants, if insolvent or solvent, one-third.
W ills, to' be valid, must be in writing, signed and attested by two wit­
nesses. Unwritten wills are valid, if for a sum not over five hundred dollars,
in property value.




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Codification and L a w R eform in Alabam a.

Conveyance o f lands is by writing, or print, signed by the party, and by one
witness. If the party cannot write, by two witnesses who can.
An acknowledgement before any Judge or Clerk o f a Federal court;
Judges o f any court o f record, Notaries, and Commissioners, out of the
State; and Judges o f the Supreme and Circuit courts, and their clerks,
Judges o f Probate, Justices o f the Peace, and Notaries, is valid, as to record,
and obviates the necessity o f witnesses.
So also, out of the State, by the Chief Magistrate o f any city, town, borough,
or county, Mayor, Notary, Diplomatic, Consular or Commercial agent of the
United States.
The mode of Commencing Suit is by Summons, accompanying a petition.
I f served twenty days before court, the case stands for trial the first term.
All prolixity is to be avoided, and the most enlarged and generous amend­
ments are allowed.
If real estate is sold under execution, it may be redeemed within two
years, under certain conditions.
Separate estates o f women are recognized, and justly and liberally pro­
tected. I f a husband or father is, by reason o f intemperance, unfit for the
management o f his estate, or squanders it, the wife or child may tile a bill,
and have a Trustee appointed by Chancery. I f a husband has abandoned
his wife, or has no estate but what the law excepts, his wife, by petition to
the Court o f Chancery, may have his earnings set apart from liability for his
debts.
Household and kitchen furniture, of the value o f one hundred and fifty
dollars, all books, family portraits, one gun, one loom, two spinning-wheels,
one man’s and one woman’s saddle, forty acres of land, not worth more than
five hundred dollars; three cows and calves, twenty head o f sheep, five hun­
dred pounds o f meat, one thousand pounds o f fodder, twenty-five bushels o f
wheat, all meal on hand, one hundred bushels o f corn, one work horse or
pair o f oxen, cart, and all tools o f trade, not exceeding two hundred dollars
in value; are exempt from execution or attachment, or sale by the executor
or administrator.
Attachments may issue— '
1. For a debt, due or not.
2. For a moneyed demand, the amount o f which is not ascertained.
S. For breach o f contract, when the damages are not fixed.
4. W hen the action served, in damages.
And in the following cases—
1st, W h en defendant resides out o f the State; 2d, Or absconds; 3d, Or
secretes himself, so that process cannot be served ; 4th, W hen defendant is
about to remove out o f the State; 5th, Or remove his property; 6th, Or
has, or is about fraudulently to convey his property; or 7th, Retains money
or property liable to his debts.
W rits of Execution against the body, or Bad Writs, may issue, upon affi,davit, that defendant is about to abscond, or has, or is about fraudulently to
dispose o f his estate; or has money, fraudulently withheld, which he with­
holds.
If the defendant takes a counter oath he is released, unless an issue of
fraud, vel non, is made up and tried by a jury.
The Statutes o f Limitation are as follow— on contracts under seal, oral
actions, and against officers, ten years.
Trespass to property, detenue, written promises, not under seal, stated ac­
count, rent by parol, against sureties, six years.




71

J ournal o f M ercantile L a w .

Equities o f redemption by party, not connected with the transaction, five
years.
*
Sureties on official and replevin bonds, four years.
Open accounts, three years.
Assault and battery, false imprisonment, seduction, crim. con., slander,
libel, attachment to steam-boat, one year.
In actions o f slander, we notice the just and liberal plea o f disavowal.
This plea, or exception, existed among the Romans. It allowed the defend­
ant to plead an apology in very quaint terms.* It has also been adopted in
England, under Victoria.
W e repeat our congratulations to the Public and the Bar, at this excellent
Code o f Laws.
b. f. p.

JOURNAL OF M E R C A N T IL E L A W .
BILL IN EQUITY TO SETTLE CONFLICTING- CLAIMS ARISING UNDER A WILL.

In the Supreme Judicial Court o f Massachusetts.
ert Hooper, Executor, vs. Henry Hooper, et al.

March Term, 1852.

Rob­

This was a bill in equity, in the nature o f a bill o f interpleader, to settle con­
flicting claims arising under the will o f Robert Hooper, Esq., which contained the
follow ing clauses:—
1st. I give to my beloved wife Mary, during her life, the use and occupancy o f
my dwelling-house, with all the buildings and land attached to the same, together
with all the plate and furniture, and all other materials in and about the house,
out-buildings, yards, and garden, o f every name and nature.

2d. I give to my said wife an annual income during her life, o f $2,000, and
my executor, to be hereafter named, is hereby enjoined to invest in some certain
and productive stock or stocks, from my personal estate, a sum sufficient for that
purpose, the amount so invested to be not less than $40,000, the whole income o f
which to be paid her, should it exceed the said annual income o f $2,000.
3d. I give to my two grandsons, children o f my late son William, deceased,
each $1,000, to be paid them by my executor, when they shall be of the age o f
twenty-one years, should they live to that age, or either o f them, but if they or
either o f them should not live so long, the said bequest or bequests shall belong
to my children.
4th. I give to my sons, Robert, John, and Henry, each one-ninth part o f
o f my estate, real and personal, after providing for the bequest to my wife, and
to my tw o grandsons before named, the children o f my late son William, de­
ceased.

5th. I give to my three daughters. &c., (naming them,) each one-ninth part o f
my estate, both real and personal, after providing for the bequest to my said wife
and two grandsons, before named, &c. This bequest to each o f my three daugh­
ters, to be held in trust by my executor and his successor or successors in office,
and the amount o f their one-ninth part each to be invested in the Massachusetts
General Hospital Life Insurance Company, in Boston, the income o f which to be
paid to them, my said daughters, severally on their order during their lifetime,
and to their heirs after their decease.
6th. I give to my sons, N., S., and B. F., each one-ninth part o f my estate,
both real and personal, after providing for the bequest to my wife, and two grand­
sons, &c. This bequest to my said three sons, N., S., and B. F., to be held in
trust by my executor, &c., and the amount o f their one-ninth part each, to be
placed by him, my executor, in the Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Com­
pany, in Boston, during the life o f each o f them, the income o f which to be paid

*Vide Heiiieccius Elements Juris Civilis, and Mecson and Welsby’s Reports, vol. xv. Index,

Slander.




12

Jou rn a l o f M erca n tile L a w .

to them on their order, provided, however, if their said ninth part shall exceed
$10,000 each, the amount over that sum «may be paid to them in money, if re­
quested.
7th. After the decease o f my said wife, M., the said sum, before mentioned, o f
not less than $40,000, or whatever amount may be invested by my executor in
trust to produce the annual income o f $2,000, for the support o f my said wife,
the said sum so invested shall remain during thirty years from her decease, the
income o f which shall be equally divided by my executor, &e., on receipt thereof,
among my before named nine children, or their heirs.
8th. M y executor is hereby authorized to sell all my real estate, including the
dwelling-house given my wife, after her decease, when he may think best to do
so, giving the preference in the sale thereof, to either o f my children, should they
incline to purchase the same.
The testator died on or about June 2, 1843 ; leaving his w idow and five sons,
R ., J., S., H., and N., and three daughters, M., S., H., and tw o grandsons, F. H.,
and W . R., the sons o f the testator’ s son William, deceased; and said sons and
daughters o f the testator, with said W . R. and F. H., where his only heirs at
law. Said F. H., afterwards deceased, intestate, and April 14, 18S0, the window,
also, deceased; B. F., one o f the sons, died during the testator’s life time; S.,
another son, died after the testator’s decease, both intestate, and without issue.
After the decease o f the widow, the executor sold the dwelling-house with the
appurtenances given to her, and the plate and furniture o f the testator.
It was contended that the limitation in the 7th clause was v o id ; that, and the
property given for the annuity to the testator’s wife, being no longer needed for
that purpose, ought to be distributed among the heirs at law o f the testator, as
undevised estate ; or to and among his said legatees, and their representatives,
under the several bequests in his will. And W illiam R. claimed a full and equal
share o f the whole o f said property, as the sole representative o f his father.
The bill was taken p r o co n fesso as to all but W m . R ., but no controvery was
made as to the facts.
C. P. Curtis, for the plaintiffs; R . Choate and J. M. Bell, for the defendants.
The opinion o f the Court was delivered by Shaw, C. J. H e said:— The will
was to be read as if the provision in the seventh clause, controlling the disposi­
tion o f the property there mentioned for thirty years, was struck out, since that
was void, as tending to create a perpetuity. T he mansion house, &c., being
given, with power to sell, the proceeds, when sold, were held by the executor on
the same trusts as the real estate would have been under the will, if the rever­
sion passed by it; if not, then it or the proceeds vested in the heirs at law o f the
testator, his sons and daughters, and the two grandsons, who were entitled, as
representing their father, to one-ninth o f the intestate estate.
The principal question in contest is with regard to the disposition o f the sum
invested for the widow’ s annuity after her decease.
After giving the house, &c., the legacies to his grandsons, and this annuity, the
testator bequeaths one-ninth part o f his real and personal estate to each o f his
three sons, R., J., and II., one-ninth to each o f his three daughters, then one-ninth
to each o f his three sons, N., S., and B. F . ; in each case “ after providing for the
bequest ” to his wife and grandsons.
It appears the three sons first named are still living, also the three daughters.
O f the three sons whose property was given in trust, B. F. died in the lifetime
o f his father. N ow “ after ” means often subject to, after taking out, &c. Then
the gift o f his estate, after the bequest to his wife for her life, includes a gift o f
the reversion o f the house, & c., and o f the principal invested for the annuity. A
reversion passes under the name and title o f estate. Taking the 4th, oth, and
6th clauses together, we think they constitute a gift o f nine-ninths o f the whole
o f his real and personal estate remaining after the previous bequests and devises.
Giving it, subject to the prior gift, is giving the whole, subject to that deduction.
T he reversion constitutes part of, and passes as his estate. One son died intes­
tate, and without issue, that is B. F., and his legacy therefore lapsed and fell
into the estate; as then only eight-ninths was disposed of, one-ninth must be
distributed as intestate estate, and in making this distribution, the two grandsons




Commercial Chronicle and R eview .

13

are entitled to one-nintli thereof, o f which William will take one-half in his own
right, and the other half as the heir of F. H., subject to legal charges thereon.
Taking the whole will together, it seems to us the executors’ duty to distribute
the whole fund in dispute as follows : one-ninth each to R., J., and H .; one-ninth
to be held in trust for each o f the three daughters ; one-ninth for N .; one-ninth
to the personal representatives o f S., who survived his father, and is now dead;
one-ninth as intestate estate of R. H., the testator, to his heirs at law. Decree
accordingly.

COMM ERCIAL CHRONICLE AND R E V IE W .
GENERAL REVIEW

OF T H E

COUR SE

OF C O M M E R C I A L AFFA IR S

FO R T H E

Y E A R — P R I C E S OF C O T T O N ,

B R E A D S T U F F S , A ND M A N U F A C T U R E D G O O D S — R E F L E C T I O N S U PON T H E G E N E R A L P R O S P E R I T V , W ITH
T H E D A N G E R I N C I D E N T T H E R E T O — I N C R E A S E OF B A N K S , IN I T S E F F E C T UPON M O N E T A R Y A F F A I R S
— I N C R E A S E IN T H E N U M B E R O F M E R C A N T I L E H O U S E S , W I T H T H E C O R R E S P O N D I N G E V I L S — R A P I D
E X T E N S IO N OF W E L L PR O J E C T E D R A IL R O A D S
LESS AN E V IL T H A N G E N E R A L L Y A P P R E H E N D E D —
B A S I S O F T H E P R E S E N T C O M M E R C I A L E X P A N S I O N — C O M M E R C E OF T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S , W ITH A
C O M P A R I S O N OF T H E T O T A L I M P O R T S A N D E X P O R T S OF T H E W H O L E C O U N T R Y F O R A S E R I E S OF
Y E A R S — B A L A N C E O F T R A D E — R E V E N U E A N D E X P E N S E S OF T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S — F O R E I G N R E L A ­
T I O N S OF T H E C O U N T R Y I N T H E I R E F F E C T U P O N C O M M E R C E — R E V I E W O F T H E E S T I M A T E D IN­
C R E A S E OF O U R F O R E I G N I N D E B T E D N E S S — S T A T E O F T H E M O N E Y M A R K E T — D E P O S I T S A N D C OI N ­
A G E A T T H E PH IL A D E L P H IA AND N E W O R LE A N S MINTS FOR N O V E M B E R — D ITT O A T A L L T H E MINT S
F R O M J A N . 1 S T — I M P O R T S O F F O R E I G N M E R C H A N D I S E A T N E W Y O R K F O R N O V E M B E R A ND F R O M
J A N . 1 S T — N O T I C E OF S O M E I T E M S OF F R E E G O O D S — I M P O R T S OF D R Y G O O D S W I T H F U L L P A R ­
T I C U L A R S OF T H E D E S C R I P T I O N O F F A B R I C S — I N C R E A S E IN T H E P E R - C E N T A G E OF R E V E N U E , S H O W ­
I N G A C O M P A R A T I V E E X C E S S I N T H E R E C E I P T S OF A R T I C L E S O F L U X U R Y — C A S H D U T I E S R E C E I V E D
A T N E W Y O R K FOR N O V E M B E R AND FROM J A N . 1 S T — E X P O R T S T O FO RE IGN PO R T S FOR N O V E M B E R
A N D F R O M J A N . I s T — S H I P M E N T S O F P R O D U C E C O M P A R E D F O R T W O Y E A R S — R U M O R S OF I M P E R I A L
SP E CU L A TION S IN B R E A D S T U F F S .

T he year now drawing to a close, and which will be reckoned with the past
when this reaches the eyes o f our readers, has been one o f signal commercial
prosperity throughout the whole o f the American Union. W e have formerly
had seasons o f expansion, when nominal fortunes have been reckoned in a mul­
titude o f hands; but never before since the first colony was planted on our
shores, has the country made such rapid strides in wealth, upon a substantial
basis. W e know that this has not been unattended with dangers, nor unaccom­
panied with great and sore evils. Genuine prosperity in its influence on the
human heart is ever dangerous, and the stimulus which has produced such a sud­
den growth o f wealth, like a rich compost upon a generous soil, must have
given rankness also to the tares growing with the wheat. Nearly every State
o f the Union has at last felt the excitement. The great staple o f the South,
notwithstanding the large crop of the current year, is still in demand and at a
comparatively high rate. Breadstuffs have reached a price which will liberally
reward the labors o f the husbandman. Manufactured articles are also realizing
a profit to the producer. In cottons, this has been long enough continued to
enable the proprietors o f the best managed mills to declare handsome dividends.
W oolens have been less favored owing to our dependence in part upon foreign
raw material, which pays a high rate o f duty, by which the manufacturers have
been shorn o f a portion o f their profits. But these goods are now improving,
and promising a surer reward to the producer. Our merchants have never en­
joyed such uninterrupted prosperity. Breaches of mercantile faith, or failure to
meet commercial engagements, have been almost unknown, and thus the profitand-loss account exhibits a range o f entries all upon the credit side. “ What
n ext?” is the question asked, or anxiously considered on every side. Have we
reached this hight o f prosperity only to make our fall the more disastrous? Is
the course o f commercial affairs always like the segment o f a circle described
by a child’s swing, and can there bo no progress without a corresponding reac­




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Commercial Chronicle and R eview .

tion ? Has the world grown no wiser with age than thus to toil up the hill,
with the certainty that the ground will all he lost again? These are thoughts
which will come to many during the long evenings that close in upon the first
days o f the new year.
There are, it is true, some signs o f evil portent. W e regard as the most
dangerous, the rapid increase o f new banks. The principal danger, from this
source, is not in the fact that the expenses o f legitimate hanking will be greatly
increased, while the profits will only he divided. Nor is it so much in the un­
healthy expansion which will be created by the increased issue o f paper money,
although this is an evil o f great magnitude. The great danger lies in the fact,
that the control o f the currency and the direction o f monetary affairs will pass,
in a great measure, from the hands o f the judicious and experienced, into the
hands o f a new set o f men, too little accustomed to such a charge. The new
banks are managed in a great degree by new hands, undisciplined by former re­
verses, and unaccustomed to the dangers which are sure to be encountered. Like
inexperienced mariners, they will carry too much sail in fair weather, and give
way to too sudden a panic when the storm overtakes them. A large class o f the
new banks, too, are originated by borrowers instead o f capitalists, and this will
add neither to their caution or stability.
Another indication o f evil, is the rapid formation o f new houses by young
and inexperienced clerks, who ought to be kept under the control o f wiser heads
until they are more fit to be trusted to their own strength. The requisites for
the successful management o f mercantile business are greatly underrated by a
majority o f the young men in this country; and the melancholy disasters with
which our commercial history in the past is so thickly strewed, seem to have no
influence in deterring the young and adventurous from embarking in the same
desperate enterprise. And many even of those who have some reason in setting
up for themselves, show but little judgment at the very outset o f their career.
They have no patience for the small beginnings, the slow but sure earnings,
which have laid the foundation o f all legitimate success in mercantile pursuits.
They lay out their scheme on a scale o f magnificence truly dazzling, and their
expenses are generally in a ratio inverse to their profits. This multiplication o f
mercantile houses will be one o f the most trying o f all the assaults upon our
prosperity for the coming year.
Many regard the unparalleled increase o f railroads as another element o f dan­
ger ; and such it will no doubt be to a certain extent. But so far as these roads
have been well projected, though they may proven total loss to the original pro­
prietors, they will steadily and surely add more than their cost to the public
wealth, by developing new sources o f prosperity. W e do believe that if the
present great channels o f communication between the East and the W est were
to be doubled by new works to be immediately commenced, that there would be
a link too many by the time they were completed.
W e now stand on a far different basis from any we have ever before occupied.
Very nearly one hundred millions of dollars in specie have been added to
our stock o f the precious metals, within the last three years. .This is a fact not
sufficiently considered in the general estimate o f commercial causes, but it has
been demonstrated by our statistics and cannot be disputed.
Since our last issue, the President’ s message, and several important public




15

Commercial Chronicle and R eview .

documents, comprising the annual statements o f the Commerce o f the country,
have been submitted to Congress, and will be found noticed at length under the
appropriate heading in the present number. W e recapitulate here some o f the
principal items, with a comparison for the previous two years:—
IMPORTS INTO THE UNITED STATES— FISCAL T E A R ENDING JUNE

Foreign merchandise...........................
Foreign specie and bullion................
Total imports..........................

30.

1849-50.

1850-1.

1851-2.

$173,509,521
4,628,792

$210,771,429
5,453,503

$207,240,101
5,262,643

$178,138,313

$216,224,932

$212,502,744

EXPORTS FROM UNITED STATES TO FOREIGN PORTS.

Domestic produce...............................
Specie and bullion.............................
Foreign merchandise..........................

$134,900,233
7,523,004
9,475,483

Total exports..........................

$151,S98,720

$178,620,138
29,465,752
10,302,121
$218,388,011

$149,861,911
42,507,285
17,204,026
$209,573,222

This shows, for the year ending with last June, a total o f imports amounting
to $212,502,744, against a total o f exports amounting to $209,573,222, the two
items thus very nearly balancing. The specie exported was, a great portion of
it, just as truly an article o f domestic produce, as the items already classed under
that head, and its retention hero would have had the same effect upon the
relative value o f the precious metals in the market, as the retention o f an equal
value o f the grain or flour which has been exported, would have upon the value
o f those commodities. A much larger proportion o f the imports than usual has
consisted o f free g o o d s; o f the dutiable, those articles o f luxury are in excess
which pay the highest rate of duty. The following is a comparison o f the to­
tal revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30th, to which we have also append­
ed a comparison o f the expenses for the same time :—
REVENUE AND EXPENSES OF THE UNITED STATES.

Total revenue from all sources...........................

1850-1.
$52,312,979 87

1851-2.
$49,728,386 89

Total expenses.........................................................

$4S,008,878 69

$46,007,896 20

Balance in United States Treasury, July 1 .........

$10,911,645 69

$14,632,136 39

Many are still turning their eyes toward the unsettled state o f our foreign
relations, looking for some threatening evil from that quarter; hut we cannot be­
lieve that any thing, from the policy o f the outgoing and incoming administra­
tion, will result in a breach o f commercial intercourse in any direction.
There has been much speculation in regard to the amount of American stocks
and bonds, which have been sent abroad during the current year, and the total
of new indebtedness thus created has been estimated in some quarters at more
than $30,000,000. That no such amount o f foreign capital has been added to
our cash means during the year, is evident from the state o f the exchange mar­
ket, which could not have remained against the country, when the exports and
imports were nearly equally divided, if the above amount had been received in
cash from abroad. W e have watched the investments made from time to time,
as they were offered, and been satisfied that a groat deal of the cry about the
amount taken on foreign account, was like the story about foreign capital used
in the election, manufactured for the sake o f effect. Take the amount o f cap­
ita], which has been thus credited to foreigners by popular rumor during the




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Commercial Chronicle and Review .

last few years, and add it to the total o f exports, then deduct the imports and
we shall find it difficult to account for the balance.
As usual toward the close o f the year, money has been more in demand, but it
is still freely supplied at rates inside of. the average of legal interest in the sev­
eral States.
W e annex a statement o f the deposits and coinage at the Philadelphia and
New Orleans mints for the month o f November:—
DEPOSITS FOR NOVEMBER.
N E W ORLEANS.

From California.

Gold............................. ...............
Silver.............................................
T o ta l.................................

PHILADELPHIA.

Total.

$327,968
1,953

$336,430
10,018

$329,921

$346,448

From California.

$7,188,600
...............

Total.

$7,260,000
24,300

$7,188,500

$7,284,300

GOLD COINAGE.

Pieces.

Value.

Pieces.

Double eagles................................
10,000
$200,000
Eagles.......................................................................................
Half e a g le s.............................................................................
Quarter eagles.............................
62,000
155,Q00
Gold dollars...................................................................................
Total gold coinage...........

72,000

Value.

207,431 $4,148,620
19,717
197,170
76,974
379,870
34,540
86,350
178,533
178,533

$355,000

516,195

$4,990,543

21,940
70,400
80,000
67,000
2,002,800

$10,970
17,600
8,000
3,350
60,084

SILVER COINAGE.

H alf dollars.............................................................................
Quarter dollars.............................
D im es............................................
Half dimes...............................................................................
Three-cent pieces..........................
...........

Total silver coinage.........

...........

2,242,140

$100,004

242,232

$2,422

3,000,567

$5,092,969

COPPER COINAGE.

Cents.........................................................................................
Total coinage....................

72,000

W e also annex a statement o f the

$355,000

total deposits o f gold, and coinage at all

o f the mints from Jan. 1st to Nov. 30th, 1852.
STATEMENT OF THE

COINAGE OF

THE

MINT

Mints.

A ll the mints.
COMPARATIVE

NOV.

30, 1852.

$45,734,933
4,180,000
356,849
423,981

$693,608
$42,753
144,000
........
..............................
...........
.........

Total.
$46,471,299
4,324,000
356,849
413,981

$50,685,763

$837,608

$51,566,129

Gold.

Philadelphia.................................
New Orleans...............................
Charlotte, N. C............................
Dahlonega, Ga.............................

PHILADELPHIA,

OF THE UNITED STATES AT

AND ITS BRANCHES, FROM JAN. l , T O

STATEMENTS OF DEPOSITS

THE UNITED STATES, FROM JAN.

OF

1,

Silver.

Copper.

S42,753

GOLD AT THE MINT AND BRANCH MINTS OF
TO NOV.

PHILADELPHIA.

30,

IN THE YEARS
1851.

1851-2.
1852.

United States gold......................................
Other gold....................................................

$41,506,411
669,598

$46,543,119
1,008,583

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

$42,176,009

§47,551,701

$7,656,909
140,352

$3,444,638
141,564

$7,797,261

$3,585,032

NEW ORLEANS.

United States gold.....................................
Other gold.................................................
Total.




Commercial Chronicle and Review.

11

CHARLOTTE, N. C.

United States gold.......................................

$391,402

$383,906

$313,981

$391,472

United States gold.....................................
Other gold....................................................

$49,778,703
809,950

$30,768,845
1,150,152

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

$59,588,653

$51,919,017

DAHLONEGA, GA.

United States gold.......................................
AT ALL THE MINTS.

In a former part o f this article we have published a statement o f the imports
and exports from the United States, for the fiscal year ending Juno 30, 1852.
In previous numbers o f this magazine we have brought the statement as far as
relates to the port o f New York, down to the close o f October; we now annex
comparative tables for November:—
FOREIGN IMPORTS ENTERED AT NEW YORK FOR NOVEMBER.
1850.

1851.

1851

Entered for consumption...........................
Entered for warehousing............. ...........
Free goods ..................................................
S p ecie..........................................................

$5,375,652
19S,147

$4,399,0S5
938,056
415,838
21S,413

$7,167,851
596,068
891,382
80,766

Total entered at the port..................
Withdrawn from warehouse............

$6,603,570

$5,971,452
1,377,100

$8,736,067
1,047,972

It will be seen that the imports for November, 1852, are $2,764,615 greater
than for the corresponding month o f 1851, and $2,132,497 greater than for the
same period o f 1850. O f this increase, half a million o f dollars has been in
free goods, the imports o f which include $384,000 in tea, and $360,000 in coffee.
The amount entered for warehousing has fallen off, showing that the receipts
have been in active demand. The total withdrawn from warehouse is also less,
the stock having been previously much reduced. The imports o f dry goods
have increased $1,013,988, or nearly 60 per cent over the corresponding period
of last year. The following is a division o f the imports, exclusive o f specie:—
IMPORTS OF FOREIGN MERCHANDISE AT N E W YO RK FOE NOVEMBER.
1S50.

1881.

1851

D rygoods........................................................
General merchandise......................................

$2,217,122
4,372,268

$1,867,221
3,885,758

$2,881,209
5,774,092

Total merchandise.............................

$6,589,990

$5,752,979

$8,655,301

If the imports continue to increase at this rate, the falling off in the early part
of the year 1852 will be more than recovered before the spring months have
closed. Up to the first o f December the total foreign imports at New York
from January first were $5,086,523, less than the amount for the corresponding
eleven months o f 1851.
FOREIGN IMPOETS ENTERED AT NEW YORK FOE ELEVEN MONTHS.
1850.

1851.

1851

Entered for consumption.......................
Entered for warehousing.......................
Free g o o d s ..............................................
Specie.......................................................

$92,606,150
14,339,596
8,260,538
16,109,965

$100,615,950
12,852,967
9,144,170
2,024,167

$98,248,742
7,730,384
11,276,195
2,295,410

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

$131,316,249
10,231,496

$124,637,254 $119,650,731
12,781,010
14,511,468

The specie in 1850 up to the close o f October, included a portion o f the re-




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Commercial Chronicle and Review.

ccipts o f California gold, which will account for the apparent falling o ff 5n that
item.

Exclusive o f specie, the imports for the first eleven months o f 1852 show

a decline o f $5,357,766 as compared with 1851, and an increase o f 2,049,037
as compared with 1850. These imports have been divided between dry goods
and general merchandise as follow s :—
IMPORTS OK FOREIGN MERCHANDISE AT NEW

YORK FOR ELEVEN MONTHS.

1850,

1851.

1852.

Dry goods..................................................
General merchandise...............................

$58,373,456
56,832,828

$59,100,621
63,512,466

$56,023,715
61,231,606

Total merchandise........................

$115,206,284

$122,613,087

$117,255,321

It will be seen that the receipts o f dry goods, although they have increased
60 per cent for the month o f November as previously shown, are less for the
eleven months o f 1852 than for the corresponding period o f either o f the two
preceding years, the decline being $3,076,906 as compared with 1851, and
$2,349,741 as compared with 1850. W e annex a full comparison both for the
month and for eleven months, giving the amount o f each description o f fabric :
IMPORTS OF FOREIGN D R Y GOODS AT THE PORT OF NEW YO RK F OR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER.
ENTERED FOR CONSUMPTION.
1850.

1851.

1851

Manufactures of w ool.................................
Manufactures o f cotton .............................
Manufactures of silk....................................
Manufactures of f la x .................................
Miscellaneous dry g o o d s ...........................

$379,399
267,516
673,438
323,704
240,445

$285,308
264,439
347,862
321,715
138,685

$633,451
370,677
969,417
549,8S2
203,849

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

$1,884,502

$1,358,009

$2,637,276

W ITHDRAW N FROM WAREHOUSE.

Manufactures o f w ool.................................
Manufactures of cotton .............................
Manufactures of s ilk .................................
Manufactures of fla x .................................
Miscellaneous dry g o o d s ...........................

$54,997
49,675
57,088
32,396
18,176

$52,948
34,911
184,560
25,160
56,083

$43,836
13,960
64,497
20,179
24,391

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

$212,332
1,884,502

$353,662
1,35S,009

$166,863
2,637,276

Total thrown upon the m arket.. .

$2,096,834

$1,711,671

$2,804,139

ENTERED FOR WAREHOUSING.

Manufactures of w ool.................................
Manufactures of cotton .............................
Manufactures of silk....................................
Manufactures of fla x .................................
Miscellaneous dry good s...........................

$79,641
101,690
57,224
49,068
45,597

$87,820
81,037
172,607
101,206
66,542

$58,778
58,056
76,603
9,373
41,123

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

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

$333,220
1,884,502

$509,212
1,358,009

$243,933
2,637,276

Total entered at the port...............

$2,217,722

$1,867,221

$2,881,209

IMPORTS OF FOREIGN DRY GOODS AT THE PORT OF NEW YO RK FOR ELEVEN MONTHS
FROM JANUARY 1ST.
ENTERED FOR CONSUMPTION.

Manufactures o f w o o l.............................
Manufactures o f cotton............................
Manufactures of silk.................................
Manufactures of flax.................................
Miscellaneous dry goods..........................

$14,483,062
9,601,966
18,546.459
7,045,810
2,555,614

$12,668,004
8,941,972
20,863,773
5,756,705
3,421,639

$13,790,139
8,664,810
19,306,978
5,654,618
3,848,048

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

$52,232,911

$51,652,093

$51,264,693




Com m ercial Chronicle and R eview .

79

■WITHDRAWN FROM WAREHOUSE.

1850.

1851.

1852.

Manufactures o f wool..........................
Manufactures of cotton .......................
Manufactures of silk.............................
Manufactures of flax.............................
Miscellaneous dry g o o d s .....................

$1,744,877
1,171,289
1,085,084
427,014
145,290

$1,819,885
1,320,439
1,554,921
586,304
436,268

$1,561,075
1,333,761
1,844,230
765,305
353,499

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

$4,573,554
52,232,911

$5,717,817
51,652,093

$5,857,870
51,264,593

Total thrown on the m arket..

$56,806,465

$57,869,910

$57,122,463
$1,243,850
860,665
1,909,168
337,741
407,698

ENTERED FOR WAREHOUSING.

Manufactures of wool...........................
Manufactures of cotton .......................
Manufactures of silk.............................
Manufactures of flax.............................
Miscellaneous dry good s.....................

$2,079,980
1,850,928
1,329,806
166,919

$2,155,437
1,513,372
2,461,450
819,971
498,298

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

$6,140,545
52,232,911

$7,448,528
51,652,093

$4,759,122
51,204,593

Total entered at the port . . . .

$58,373,456

$59,100,621

$56,023,715

Up to the last week in December, at which date the heavy imports for the pre­
ceding year commenced, the imports for December 1852 will continue to in­
crease, after that there will be less difference in the comparison, although we
look for very large imports throughout the whole o f the year 1853.
enue has not fallen o ff in proportion to the imports.

The rev­

The total o f cash duties

for the eleven months ending Decem ber 1st, shows an average on the dutiable
imports o f 28J- per cent, while for the same time o f the preceding year the average
was only 26 per cent, showing a large increase in the receipts o f those articles
o f luxury which pay a high rate o f duty.
years:—

W e annex a comparison, for three

CASH DUTIES RECEIVED AT THE PORT OF NEW YORK.

1850.
First quarter.............................
Second quarter.........................
Third quarter............................
In O ctober................................
In N ovem b er...........................
Total, 11 months.............

86,996,656
6,033,253
10,190,324
2,112,906
1,642,125

1851.
48
57
37
29
27

$26,975,265 98

$9,295,257
7,357,408
9,402,997
1,958,516
1,488,740

1852.
80
30
30
17
09

$29,502,919 16

$7,617,887
6,632,425
10,281,190
2,392,109
2,051,476

72
16
03
57
35

$28,975,088 83

Our readers will remember our prediction in the last number o f this magazine,
that the exports o f November would show an increase quite as marked as the
im ports; this has been fully verified, the total, exclusive o f specie, being about
40 per cent greater than in November 1851.
EXPORTS FROM NEW YO RK TO FOREIGN PORTS FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER.

1850.

1851.

1852.

Domestic produce....................................
Foreign merchandise, (free)...................
Foreign merchandise, (dutiable)............
Specie.......................................................

$2,451,511
62,368
397,597
5,033,996

$3,529,447
27,634
541,296
809,813

T o t a l................................................
Total, exclusive o f sp ecie.............

$7,945,472
2,911,476

$4,908,190
4,098,377




80

Commercial Chronicle and R eview .

There has been quite a falling off in the shipments o f specie, both for the
month and throughout the year. W e annex a similar comparison for eleven
months
EXPORTS FROM N E W YO R K TO FOREIGN PORTS FOR ELEVEN MONTHS.

Domestic produce.......................
Foreign merchandise, (free) . . .
Foreign merchandise, (dutiable)
Specie...........................................
Total..................................................
Total, exclusive of specie...............

1850.

1 85 1.

1851

840,512,499
633,037
4,937,933
8,774,188

836,652,339
699,895
3,672,624
38,074,974

$37,768,933
827,146
4,310,270
23,915,950

854,757,657
45,983,469

879,099,832
41,024,858

866,822,299
42,9(6,349

The total for eleven months shows that the exports, exclusive o f specie, have
increased $1,881,491 over the corresponding m on th sof 1851, and is $3,077,120
less than the amount for the similar period o f 1850.
W e also annex a comparative statement o f the shipments o f some o f the
leading articles o f produce from N ew York to foreign ports from January 1st
to December 2 0 th :
1 85 1.

1851

1851.

1852.

16,632 Naval stores.. . .bbls. 359,965 511,926
Ashes— p o ts .. . .bbls.
24,387
1,088 Oils, whale.........galls. 1,106,278
pearls..........
58,185
1,637
sperm................. 543,397 791,829
Beeswax.................lbs. 278,416 408,901
lard.................... 209,094
26,899
Breadstuff's —
linseed...............
7,250
11,962
Wheat flour . .bbls. 1,245,251 1,311,495
Rye flour................
7,890
8,289 P ro v is io n s —
Corn meal...............
37,330
44,819
45,146
38,747
Pork................. bbls.
W h e a t.bush. 1,439,088 3,012,718
Beef.........................
37,622
47,031
Cut meats.........lbs. 3,140,202 1,497,599
Rye..........................
13,162 236,460
Oats........................
5,282
10,212
Butter..................... 2,110,487 631,130
Barley.....................
C heese................... 7,476,847 1,063,939
,...
367
C o rn ....................... 1,598,803 753,928
L a r d ....................... 5,607,891 4,440,521
Candles, mold, .boxes
36,665
57,490 R ic e ..................... trcs.
27,392
25,206
sperm...........
4,097
3,805 Tallow...................cwt. 2,211,993 408,096
18,642
24,245
C o a l.......................tons
11,198 37,135 Tobacco, crude.. .pkgs.
C otton................. bales 281,667 331,574 Do., manufactured.lbs. 3,721,049 4,515,207
H a y .............................
6,600
7,326 Whalebone................. 1,800,130 1,029,148
Hops............................
404
744
It will be seen that the exports o f wheat have been more than doubled, while
the shipments o f flour, which showed a falling o ff early in the year, now present
an increase. The only cereal the exports o f which have declined, is corn, for
which the foreign demand has been less active. T he shipments o f b e e f have
increased, but in all other provisions the amount for the current year exhibits a
decline.
Some excitement has been created here by the statement, copied from British
journals, to the effect that the head o f the French government, by a master
stroke o f policy, equal to the c o u p d'etat by which he paved the way to his crown,
had been speculating in breadstuff's, not with a view to an advance in price, but
in order to prevent an apprehended rise to the great discontent o f the masses o f
his people. It was asserted that purchases o f grain had been effected at the
same time in St. Petersburg, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Hamburg, and o f
flour at New York, which were shipped to British markets, and sold below their
cost, in order to prevent a demand from France. This inference probably grew
out o f the fact that the British markets were at the same moment below those
in which the breadstuff's were purchased, while the business was briskly carried
on as if it paid a profit. The explanation is sim ple; most o f the shipments un­
doubtedly did pay a profit. Prices have been steadily advancing ; the produce
sold to day in Liverpool at a price below the present cost here, was shipped per­
haps six weeks ago at a much lower rate, and thus exports on a rising market,
continue to pay, although the relative prices at the same moment throughout
any part o f the season may be highest at the port o f clearance.




4
Commercial Statistics.

81

COM M ERCIAL STATISTICS.

COMMERCE OF THE DANUBE IN 1851.

In the M erchants' M a g a zin e a n d C om m ercial R eview for September, 1852, (vol.
xxvii., pages 289-310,) we published an elaborate account of the Commerce of the
Danube, with full statistics of the exports, imports, navigation, <tc., for each year from
1837 to 1850, carefully prepared for our Journal by J ohn P. B r o w n , Esq., Dragoman to
the Legation of the United States at Constantinople. We are now indebted to the same
authoritative source for a similar statement for the year 1851. W e should be glad if
all our Consuls and Commercial Agents abroad would follow the example of Mr.
Brown, by furnishing us from time to time with the “ facts and figures” which per­
tain to the trade, Commerce, and navigation (and whatever else may interest the mer­
chant and statesman) of their several localities. Many of them, if not all, make such
returns to the Department of State at Washington, where they are placed on file, and
entirely lost to the commercial world. Mr. Brown, we believe, not only makes these
returns to our government, but at the same time furnishes duplicates for our use:__
NOTE OF IMPORTATION INTO IBKAILA UP THE DANUBE IN 1 8 5 1 , IN ENGLISH WEIGHTS AND
MEASURES, AND VALUE OF THE SAME IN STERLING.

Merchandise.
Manufactures and cotton-twist.. . . .packages
Manufactures, Turkish.............
Cotton-yarn, Turkish...............
Sugar, refined and crushed___
Sugar, candied..........................
T ea.............................................
Coffee......................................... bags &, casks
Pepper.......................................
Cloves and other spices...........
Bum...........................................
Tin, in bars...............................
Tin plates.................................
Iron, iu bars, rods, and sheets
Zinc............................................
Iron safes and machines..........
Tar and p itch ......................... .
Rosin........................................
Alum .........................................
Coals..........................................
Saltpeter...................................
Sulphur......................................
Vitriol and copperas...............
Logwood............................... ...
Soap ........................................
Oil...............................................
Oil.............................................
Olives......................................skins & barrels
W in e .........................................
P orter.......................................
Champagne and other w ines.., bbls. & cases
Raisins.....................................
Raisins......................................
Figa..........................................
VOL. X X V III.---- NO, I.




6

Quantity.
4,206
89
623
2,434
36
121
1,393
987
223
837
208
2,435
2,991
459
20
88
998
10
410
185
10
10
239
976
734
8,807
26
1,767
271
10
56
1,744
1,800
910

Value.
£55 0
30 0
16 0
18 0
3 0
10 0
4 0
0 30
7 0
7 0
5 0
2 0
7 0
0 30
20 0
10 0
0 10
0 30
2 0
0 25
4 0
0 30
0 50
0 2
0 35
2 0
0 10
0 15
4 0
2 0
5 0
2 0
0 8
1 0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Total value.
£231,330
2,670
9,345
43,812
108
1.210
5,572
1,480
1,561
5,859
1,040
4,870
20,937
688
400
880
499
15
820
231
40
15
598
98
1.284
17,614
13
1,325
1,084
20
280
3,488
720
910

%
82

Commercial Statistics.

Merchandise.
fig s ......................................
Lemons and oranges..........., .barrels & cases
Almonds .............................
Dates...................................
Filberts................................
Locusts, or carubs..............
Halva...................................
Chick peas...........................
Rice.......................................
T ob a cco.............................
Caviar, black......................
Caviar, red...........................
Tunny fis h .........................
Scombri, (salt fish).............
Sardines.............................
P olip es...............................
Aniseed...............................
Incense.................................
Chairs....................................
Earthenware.......................
Paste...................................
Paper....................................
Window-glass......................
P a in t..................................
Mastic...................................
Bottles, empty................... .
Dressed leather..................
Medicine..............................
Marble slabs.......................
Malta stones and zambils .
Furniture...........................
Empty jars.........................
Broom s...............................

Quantity.
400
1,379
207
23
639
4,018
397
54
1,205
2,401
25
246
250
4
303
22
109
47
640
488
264
10
2,868
495
21
2,360
398
1
100
3,024
9
131
3,840

£0
1
O
4
0
0
0
3
1
5
60
1
4
0
0
10
5
5
3
5
0
5
0
0
2
2
10
10
2
0
5
0
0

Value.
8 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
15 0
5 0
10 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
25 0
30 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
18 0
0 0
15 0
15 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 6
0 0
5 0
0 4

Total value.
£160
1,379
414
92
479
1,005
198
162
1,205
12,005
1,500
246
1,000
5
454
220
645
235
1,920
2,440
238
50
2,151
371
42
2,360
3,980
10
200
76
45
33
56

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

£396,092

NOTE OF VESSELS DEPARTING LOADED FROM IBRAILA, AND CARGOES OF THE SAME IN

Nation.
G reek*..................
Turkish.................
Wallachianj*.........
Moldavian:):...........
Russian.................
Austrian................
Sardinian§.............
Italian...................
Ionian...................
English |...............
French .................
Belgian................
Germ an...............
Swedish, &c * [ . . .
Total............. .

No. of Wheat, ind. corn,
qrs.
qrs.
vessels.
395 110,000 301,637
55,780
262
48,646
50
11,203
23,496
2
1,224
6,035
29
21,826
59
15,581
49,282
31,646
47
15,897
2
2,690
30
9,956
14,978
126
34,385 119,547
10
1,278
8,046
1
1,510
32,818
27
5,197
9
821
6,294
1,049

283,106

646,617

1851.

Barley, Rapeseed, Tallow, Staves,
qrs.
qrs.
cwt.
pieces.
3,048
927 17,616 423,791
92,067
2,985
5,926
6,473
. . . .
393
3,375
1,459
1,181
752
78.24C
48,OOC
585

105,597

2,264

1,112

.........

30,038

550,031

* 62 cwt. pastroma; 56 cwt. tobacco ; 403 cwt. butter; 241 cwt. potash; 43 qrs. kidney beans
and 825 cwt. cheese.
+ 187 cwt. cheese; 26 cwt. tobacco ; 525 cwt. potash, and 18 qrs. kidney beaus,
j 25 cwt. butter; 152 cwt. cheese.
§ 129,896 lbs. wool.

J 37 qrs. linseed, and 705 tons bone-ash.
^

I‘32 }>iec<,w ' i




83

Commercia l S ta tis tics.

NOTE OF EXPORTS FROM IBRAILA BY SEA IN

1851,

IN ENGLISH WEIGHTS AND MEASURES,

AND VALUE OF THE SAME IN STERLING FREE ON BOARD.

Merchandise.

Quantity.

Wheat......................................
Indian corn..............................
Barley......................................
Kidney beans..........................
Linseed....................................
Bapeseed................................
W o o l .......................................
Tallow and Chervice.............
Butter, or mantecca...............
Cheese, or caskaval................
Pastroma, or jerk beef..........
Tobacco...................................
Potash.....................................
Ox-hides . . . . .......................
Staves.......................................
Bone-ash.................................

Value.

283,106
646,617
105,597
61
37
2,264
129,896
30,038
428
1,164
62
82
766
132
550,039
705

£0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

18
12
10
30
32
26
0
30
40
13
10
40
16
10
0
65

Total value.

0
6
0
0
0
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0

Total.......................
NOTE OF EXPORTS FROM GALATZ BY SEA IN

£254,796
404,136
52,799
92
59
2,943
4,330
45,057
S56
768
31
164
613
66
9,167
2,291
£778,157

18ol,

IN ENGLISH WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, AND

VALUE OF THE SAME IN STERLING FREE ON BOARD.

Merchandise.

Wheat................................................quarters
Indian corn.......................................................
Rye......................................................... . . . .
Barley...............................................................
Linseed.............................................................
W o o l...........................................................lbs.
Tallow and chervice................................. cwt.
Ox-hides.................................................pieces
W in e .................................................... gallons
Walnuts......................................................cwt.
Prunes..............................................................
Salt........................................................... ..
Planks and deals..................................pieces
Masts and spars...................................... rafts
Bones, calcined........................................ tons
Mill-stones...............................................pairs
Sundries..........................................................

Quantity.
134,474
350,682
71,024
1,364
503
12,240
4,349
1,547
86,400
420
1,490
760
429,515
5
160
6
. . .

Value.
£0 21 0
0 16 0
0 14 0
0 10 0
0 27 0
0 0 10
0 34 0
0 10 0
0 0 8
0 5 0
0 5 0
0 2 6
0 0 4
700 0 0
0 65 0
7 0 0
0 0 0

Total value.
£141,198
280,545
49,716
682
679
510
7,393
773
2,880
105
372
95
7,158
3,500
520
42
200

Total

£496,368

DESTINATION OF VESSELS DEPARTING LOADED FROM IBRAILA, AND CARGOES OF THE SAME,
IN

Destination.
Constantinople*..........................
Trieste and Venicef....................
Ionian Islands..............................
Leghorn, Genoa, and Marseilles^;
England §.......................................
Total......................................*§

1851.
No. of
vessels.
490
188
16
35
320

Wheat,
qrs.
108,144
34,103
13.273
26,993
100,593

Indian corn,
qrs.
181,330
172,105
1,397
4,903
286,882

Barley.
qrs.
104,569
1,028

1,049

283,106

646,617

105,597

* 30,038 cwt. tallow ; 62 cwt. pastroma; 82 cwt. tobacco; 428 cwt. butter; 766 cwt. potash;
61 qrs. kidney beans ; 1,164 cwt. cheese, and 132 hides,
t 1,668 qrs. rapeseed.
X 550,039 slaves ; 120,896 lbs. wool.
§ 37 qrs. linseed : 506 qrs. rapeseed, and 705 tons bone ash.




84

Com m ercial Statistics,

NUMBER OF ALL VESSELS DEPARTING FROM GALATZ AND IBRAILA, W IT H REGISTER TONNAGE
AND NUMBER OF CREW IN

Nation.
Vessels.
Greek............. . 139
Turkish...........
90
Sam ian..........
6
Jerusalem . . . .
1
YVallachian... .
14
Moldavian.......
6
Russian...........
31
Austrian........
42
Sardinian........
40
.Neapolitan . . .
3
Tuscan.............
3
Roman............
2
Ion ian ............ .
11
English............ 178
French.............
3
Belgian............
Prussian...........
6
Bremen...........
7
Oldenburg.......
6
Hanoverian___
4
Lubec...............
1
Mechlenburg...
3
Swedish...........
9
Danish ..........
2
Dutch...............
1
.Norwegian.......
4
1
Buenos Ayres.
Total...........

619

Galatz.

1851.

Ibraila.

Crew. Tonnage. Vessels. Crew. Tonnage. Vessels .
1,704 23,823 395 3,684 88,615 534
1,313 11,090 256 2,846 39,144 352
71
638
5
52
568
11
1
2
7
90
8
127
142
1,831
50
64
7,386
437
75
925
2
8
294
17
348
4,760
29
295
60
5,753
470
9,792
59
557 12,546 101
483
485
8,316
6,717
47
87
32
534
1
172
4
10
29
1
576
13
4
292
2
23
503
103
30
41
1,633
263
4,843
1,398 31,965 126
906 23,660 304
32
488
10
86
13
1,587
8
224
1
1
55
1,131
25
19
2,973
177
67
1,173
7
37
498
12
321
8
2
31
272
1
6
150
5
10
180
1
25
660
5
43
1,086
8
69
1,139
6
38
821
15
14
216
. . .
2
8
140
1
6
161
2
34
628
2
13
214
6
9
190
1

6,589 101,592 1,049

Total.

Crew.
5,388
4,159
123
15
579
92
643
1,027
968
42
42
23
366
2,304
118
8
2S2
67
49
37
10
68
107
14
14
47
9

Tonnage.
112,438
50,234
1,206
217
9,217
1,219
10,513
22,338
15,033
706
86S
503
6,476
55.625
2,075
224
4,104
1,173
819
422
180
1,746
1,960
216
301
842
190

9,962 199,253 1,668 16,551

300,845

NOTE OF VESSELS DEPARTING LOADED FROM GALATZ, AND CARGOES OF THE SAME IN

Nation.
G re e k * ........................................
Turkishf.......................................
Wallachianj;................................
Moldavian....................................
Russi<tn§......................................
Austrian.......................................
Sardinian....................................
Italian..........................................
Ionian ||........................................
English^.....................................
French.........................................
German......................
Dutch and Swedish**...............
Buenos Ayres.............................
Total....................................

No. Of

vessels.
139
103
14
6
31
42
40
S
11
178
3
27
16
1
619*§

Wheat,
qrs.
62,963
15,454
3,867
3,514
7,061
2,033
19,162
850
1,856
25,378
2,335
134,474

Indian com,
qrs.
56,492
11,198
1,244
2.468
11,623
36,057
22,304
5,936
6,612
175,737
3 408
10,092
7,511
350,682

J851.

Rye,
qrs.
27.189
2,184

Tallow,

2 ,2 2 8

742

cwt.

1,682

« . . .

4,301
7,726
905
1,415
2,094
1,728
17,842
2,542
870

1,925

71,682

4,349

. . . .

* 45 casks wine ; 203 bbls. prunes ; 59 baps walnuts.
+ 1,304 qrs. barley ; 202 casks w ine; 442 bbls. prunes; 178 bags walnuts; 380,000 planks and
deals; 5 ralts, and 1«5 cwt. salt,
t 11,600 planks and deals.
§ 167 casks wine; 348 bbjs. prunes; 183 bags walnuts; 37,915 planks and deals; 575 cwt. salt,
and 6 pairs mill-stones.
| 18 c a sk s w in e .

% 160 tons calcined bones; 503 qrs. linseed: 102 bales wool.
** 1,547 ox-hides.




Commercial Statistics.
NOTE OF IMPORTATIONS INTO GALATZ UP TIIE DANUBE IN

1851,

85
IN ENGLISH WEIGHTS AND

MEASURES, AND VALUE OF THE SAME IN STERLING.

Merchandise.

Manufactures and twist..
Cotton yarn, Turkish... .
Sugar, refined <5; crushed ..casks and barrels
Coffee................................
Tea...................................
Pepper.............................
Cloves aud other spices..
Rum.................................
Tin, in bars.......................
Tin pla tes.......................
Z in c.................................
Iron, in bars, rods, and sheets...............tons
S teel...............................
N ailg...............................
Lead.................................. ........................ P'gs
Lead-shot.........................
Tar and p itch .................
A lu m ............................
Brimstone....................... .
Coals.................................
Saltpeter...........................
Salamoniac.......................
Gunpowder......................
Vitriol and copperas . . .
Sulphuric acid.................
Logwood . . . . . .............
Cotton-wool, Levant........
Soap..................................
Oil, olive..........................
O lives............................. .
W in e ...............................
Champagne and other wines................ cases
Porter...............................
Raisins and figs................
Lemons and oranges. . . .
Alm onds........................
Filberts............................
Dates................................
Chick pea9......................
Locusts, or carubs............
Halva,............................... barrels and drums
R ice...................................
Tobacco........................... .
Caviar, black....................
Caviar, red.......................
Sardines and tunny fish .,
Polipes...............................
Aniseed...........................
Incense .............................
Mastic..............................
Furniture..........................
Chairs..............................
Paint ...............................
Linseed oil.......................
Earthenware...................
Glassware.........................
Paper............................... .
Books............................... .
Dressed leather................
Cigars...............................




Quantity.

4,488
45
3,190
3,806
52
832
133
1,949
55
6,223
15
2,794
60
910
484
189
1,218
10
18
14,540
258
11
70
171
40
210
1,404
1,855
9,177
4,533
217
387
326
18,437
5,884
178
4,763
45
70
6,013
889
4,103
1,396
22
293
793
610
25
202
10
25
479
502
8
476
371
109
1
247
3

Value,

£15
18
0
15
0
7
4
5
2
5
8
3
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
4
4
6
0
0
0
5
0
2
0
3
5
3
1
0
5
0
4
3
0
0
1
5
60
8
4
0
5
5
2
10
4
0
0
5
0
5
10
10
3

0
0
45
0
30
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
30
16
50
5
0
0
25
0
0
0
50
50
8
0
35
0
12
0
0
0
0
12
0
15
0
0
5
10
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
10
30
0
15
0
0
0
0

Total value.

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

£240,690
675
57,420
8,564
780
1,248
931
7,796
275
12,446
75
22,352
180
1,365
387
472
304
20
36
16,721
1,032
44
420
427
100
84
7,020
3,246
18,354
2,720
651
1,935
978
18,437
3,530
890
3,572
180
210
1,503
444
4,103
6,980
1,320
2,344
3,172
122
125
1,010
20
250
1,916
251
12
2,380
278
545
10
2,470
9

86

Commercial Regulations.

Merchandise.
Sail-cloth................................................ bales
Drugs and dye-stuffs........................packages
W ool.........................................................bales
Tallow....................................................barrels
Macaroni.................................................. cases
Ox-hides.................................................. pieces
Calfskins.................................................bales
Sundries............................................................

uantity.
25
1,436
885
1,557
772
2,745
23

Value.
£20 0 0
0 80 0
20 0 0
8 0 0
0 10 0
0 7 0
5 0 0

. . . .

Total value.
£500
2,144
17,700
12,456
386
961
115
700
£500,803

T o tal

DESTINATION OF VESSELS DEPARTING LOADED FROM GALATZ. AND CARGOES OF SAME IN

Destination.
Constantinople*.............................
Trieste and V en ice.......................
Ionian Islands...............................
Leghorn, Genoa, and Marseilles..
Englandf.........................................
North of E urope...........................
Odessa:);..........................................
Total........................................

No. of
vessels.
176
87
5
35
296
14
6

Wheat,
qrs.
44,984
23,281
14
30.427
35,868

619

134,074

Indian corn,
qrs.
20,407
26,077
4,332
3,316
295,200
1,850

Eye,
qrs.
6,205
37,682
840
15,664
10,633

1851.

Tallow,
cwt.
2,424

. . . .

1,925
—

350,682

71,024

4,349

COMM ERCIAL REGULATIONS.

TREATY OF COMMERCE, NAVIGATION, ETC,, BETW EEN U, STATES AND PERU ,
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Whereas, a Treaty of Friendship. Commerce, and Navigation between the United
States of America and the Republic of Peru was concluded and signed at Lima, on
the twenty-sixth day of July, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, which treaty,
being in the English and Spanish languages, is word for word as follows:—
The United States of America and the Republic of Peru being equally animated
with the desire to render firm and permanent the peace and friendship which have al­
ways so happily subsisted between them, and to place their commercial relations upon
the most liberal basis, have resolved to fix clear and precise rules which shall in future
be religiously observed between the two nations, by means of a Treaty of Friendship,
Commerce, and Navigation.
To attain this desirable object the President of the United States of America has
conferred full powers on John Randolph Clay, the accredited Charge d’Affaires of the
said States to the government of Peru, and the President of the Republic of Peru
has conferred like full powers on Brigadier-general Don Juan Crisostoma Torrico, Min­
ister of War and the Marine Minister of Foreign Affairs, ad in terim , (fee., who, after
exchanging their respective full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed
upon and concluded the following articles:—
A r t i c l e 1. There shall be perfect and perpetual peace and friendship between the
United States of America and the Republic of Peru, and between their respective
teiritories, people, and citizens, without distinction of persons or places.
A r t . 2. The United States of America aud the Republic of Peru mutually agree
that there shall be reciprocal liberty of Commerce and navigation between their re­
spective territories and citizens; the citizens of either republic may frequent with
* 1,364 qrs. barley ; 429,515 planks and deals; 760 cwt. salt; IS casks w ine; 5 rafts, and 6 pairs
mill-stones.
f 503 qrs. linseed ; 160 tons calcined bones; 102 bales w ool; 1,547 ox-hidcs.
X 414 casks w ine; 993 barrels prunes, and 420 bags walnuts.




Commercial Regulations.

87

their vessels all tlie coasts, ports, and places of the other, whatever foreign Commerce
is permitted, and reside in all parts of the territory of either, and occupy dwellings
and warehouses, and everything belonging thereto shall be respected, and shall not
be subjected to any arbitrary visits or search. The said citizens shall have full liber­
ty to trade in all parts of the territories of either, according to the rules established
by the respective regulations of Commerce, in all kinds of goods, merchandise, manu­
factures, and produce not prohibited to all, and to open retail stores and shops, under
the same municipal and police regulations as native citizens ; and they shall not in
this respect be liable to any other or higher taxes or imposts than those which are or
may be paid by native citizens. No examination or inspection of their books, papers,
or accounts, shall be made without the legal order of a competent tribunal or judge.
The citizens of either country shall also have the unrestrained right to travel in
any part of the possessions of the other, and shall in all cases enjoy the same security
and protection as the natives of the country wherein they reside, on condition of their
submitting to the laws and ordinances there prevailing; they shall not be called upon
for any forced loan or occasional contribution, nor shall they be liable to any embargo,
or to be detained with their vessels, cargoes, merchandise, goods, or effects, for any
military expedition, or for any public purpose whatsoever, without being allowed
therefor a full and sufficient indemnification, which shall in all cases be agreed upon
and paid in advance.
A rt. 3. The two high contracting parties hereby bind and engage themselves not
to grant any favor, privilege, or immunity whatever, in matters of Commerce and
navigation, to other nations, which shall not be also immediately extended to the citi­
zens of the other contracting party, who shall enjoy the same gratuitously, if the con­
cession shall have been gratuitous, or on giving a compensation as nearly as possible
of proportionate value and effect, to be adjusted by mutual agreement, if the conces­
sion shall have been conditional.
A r t . 4. No higher or other duties or charges on account of tonnage, light houses,
or harbor dues, pilotage, quarantine, salvage in case of damage or shipwreck, or any
other local charges, shall be imposed in any ports of Peru on vessels of the United
States of the burden of two hundred tons and upwards, than those payable in the
same ports by Peruvian vessels of the same burden, nor in any of the ports of the
United States by Peruvian vessels of the burden of two hundred tons and upwards,
than shall be payable in the same ports by vessels of the United States of the same
burden.
A rt. 5. A ll kinds of merchandise and articles of Commerce which may be lawfully
imported into the ports and territories of either of the high contracting parties in na­
tional vessels, may also be so imported in vessels of the other party, without paying
other or higher duties and charges of any kind or denomination whatever than if the
same merchandise and articles of Commerce were imported in national vessels; nor
shall any distinction be made in the manner of making payment of the said duties or
charges.
It is expressly understood that the stipulations in this and the preceding article are
to their full extent applicable to the vessels and their cargoes belonging to either of
the high contracting parties arriving in the ports and territories of the other, whether
the said vessels have cleared directly from the ports of the country to which they ap­
pertain or from the ports of any other nation.
A rt. G. N o higher or other duties or charges shall be imposed or levied upon the
importation into the ports and territories o f either o f the high contracting parties o f
any article the produce, growth, or manufacture o f the other party, than are or shall
be payable on the like article, being the produce, growth, or manufacture o f any other
coun try; nor shall any prohibition be imposed upon the importation o f any article
the produce, growth, or manufacture o f either party into the ports or territories o f the
other, which shall not equally extend to all other nations.
A rt . 7. Ail kinds of merchandise and articles of Commerce which may be law­
fully exported from the ports and territories of either of the high contracting parties
in national vessels, may also be exported in vessels of the other party ; and they shall
be subject to the same duties only, and be entitled to the same drawbacks, bounties,
and allowances, whether the same merchandise and articles of Commerce be exported
in vessels of the one party or in vessels of the other party.
A rt . 8. No changes or alterations in the tariffs of either of the high contracting
parties, a ugm en ting the duties payable upon merchandise or articles of Commerce of
any sort or kind imported into, or exported from, their respective ports, shall be held




88

Commercial Regulations.

to apply to the Commerce or navigation of either party, until the expiration of eight
calendar months after the said changes or alterations shall have been promulgated
and become a law, unless the law or decree by which such changes or alterations shall
be made to contain a prospective provision to the same or similar effect.
A rt. 9. It is hereby declared that the stipulations of the present treaty are not to
be understood as applying to the navigation and coasting trade between one port and
another situated in the territories of either contracting party— the regulation of such
navigation and trade being reserved, respectively, by the parties, according to their
own separate laws.
Vessels of either country shall, however, be permitted to discharge part of their
cargoes at one port open to foreign Commerce in the territories of either of the high
contracting parties, and to proceed with the remainder of their cargo to any other
port or ports of the same territories open to foreign Commerce, without paying other
or higher tonnage dues or port charges in sucli cases than would be paid by national
vessels in like circumstances; and they shall be permitted to load in like manner at
different ports in the same voyage outwards.
A rt. 10. The Republic of Peru, desiring to increase the intercourse along its coasts,
by means of steam navigation, hereby engages to accord to any citizen or citizens of
the United States, who may establish a line of steam vessels to navigate regularly
between the different ports of entry within the Peruvian territories, the same privi­
leges of taking in and landing freight, entering the by-ports for the purpose of receiv­
ing and landing passengers and their baggage, specie and bullion, carrying the public
mails, establishing depots for coal, erecting the necessary machine and work shops, for
repairing and refitting the steam vessels, and all other favors enjoyed by any other
association or company whatsoever. It is furthermore understood between the two
high contracting parties, that the steam vessels of either shall not be subject in the
ports of the other party to any duties of tonnnge, harbor, or other similar duties what­
soever, than those that are or may be paid by any other association or company.
A rt. 11. For the better understanding of the preceding articles, and taking into
consideration the actual state of the commercial marine of Peru, it is stipulated and
agreed that every vessel belonging exclusively to a citizen or citizens of the said re­
public, and of which the captain is also a citizen of the same, though the construction
of the crew is or may be foreign, shall be considered, for all the objects of this treaty,
as a Peruvian vessel.
A rt. 12. The whale ships of the United States shall have access to the port of
Tumbez, as well as to the ports of entry in Peru, and may sail from one port to an­
other, for the purposes of refreshment and refitting; and they shall be permitted to
sell or barter their supplies or goods, including oil, to the amount of two hundred dol­
lars, ad va lorem , for each vessel, without paying any tonnage or harbor dues, or any
duties or imposts upon the articles so sold or bartered. They shall be also permitted,
with like exemption from tonnage and harbor dues, further to sell or barter their sup­
plies or goods, including oil, to the additional amount of one thousand dollars, ad va l­
orem , for each vessel, upon paying for the said additional articles the same duties as
are payable upon like supplies, or goods, and oil, when imported in the vessels and
by the citizens or subjects of the most favored nation.
A rt. 13. The merchants, commanders, or masters of vessels, and other citizens of
either contracting party, shall be wholly free to manage their own business and affairs,
in all the ports and places within the jurisdiction o f the other, or to commit their busi­
ness and affairs to the management of any person whom they may choose to appoint,
as agent, factor, consignee, or interpreter. They shall not be restrained in the choice
of persons to act in such capacities, or be compelled to pay any salary or remunera­
tion to any one whom they do not wish to employ. Absolute freedom shall be given,
as well with respect to the consignment and sale of their merchandise and articles of
Commerce, as to the purchase of their returns, unloading, loading, and sending off
their vessels. The buyer and seller shall have full liberty to bargain together and fix
the price of any merchandise or article of Commerce imported into, or to be exported
from, the territories of either contracting party, the regulations of Commerce estab­
lished in the respective countries being in every case duly observed.
A rt. 14. Peruvian citizens shall enjoy the same privileges, in frequenting the mines,
and in digging or working for gold upon the public lands situated in the State of Cal­
ifornia, as are or may be hereafter accorded by the United States of America to the
citizens or subjects of the most favored nation.
A rt. 15. The citizens of either of the high contracting parties shall have the full




Commercial Regulations,

89

power and liberty to dispose of their personal property and effects of every kind and
description within the jurisdiction of the other, by sale, donation, testament, or other­
wise, and their heirs or representatives, being citizens of the other party, shall succeed
to their said personal property and effects, whether by testament or ab in tcstato , and
may take possession of the same themselves, or by others acting for them, and dispose
of the same at their pleasure, paying such dues only as the inhabitants of the coun­
try wherein said effects may be shall be subject to pay in like cases. Should the
property consist of real estate, and the heirs, on account of their character as aliens,
be prevented from entering into possession of the inheritance, they shall'be allowed
the term of three years to dispose of the same and withdraw and export the proceeds,
which they may do without any hindrance, and without paying any other dues or
charges than those which are established by the laws of the country.
A rt. 16. If any vessel belonging to the citizens of either of the high contracting
parties should be wrecked, suffer damage, or be left derelict, on or near the coasts,
within the territories of the other, all assistance and protection shall be given to such
vessel and her crew ; and the vessel, or any part thereof, and all furniture and appur­
tenances belonging thereto, together with all the merchandise which shall be saved
therefrom, or the produce thereof, if sold, shall be faithfully restored to the owners or
their agents, they paying only the expenses incurred in the preservation o f the prop­
erty, together with the rate of salvage which would have been payable, in the like
case, by national vessels; and it shall be permitted for them to unload the merchan­
dise and effects on board, with the proper precautions to prevent their illicit introduc­
tion, without exacting in such case any duty, impost, or contribution whatever, pro­
vided the same be exported.
A rt. 17. When, through stress of weather, want of water or provisions, pursuit of
enemies or pirates, the vessels of one of the high contracting parties, whether of war
(public or private) or of trade, or employed in fishing, shall be forced to seek shelter
in the ports, rivers, bays, and dominions of the other, they shall be received and treat­
ed with humanity; sufficient time shall be allowed for the completion of repairs;
and while any vessel may be undergoing them, its cargo shall not unnecessarily be re­
quired to be landed, either in whole or in part; all assistance and protection shall be
given to enable the vessels to procure supplies, and to place them in a condition to
pursue their voyage without obstacle or hindrance.
A rt. 18. A ll vessels, merchandise, and effects, belonging to the citizens of either of
the high contracting parties, which may be captured by pirates, either on the high
seas or within the limits of its jurisdiction, and may be carried into or found in the
rivers, roads, bays, or ports, or dominions of the other, shall be delivered up to the
owners or their agents, they proving, in due and proper form, their rights before the
competent tiibunals; it beincr understood that the claim thereto shall be made within
two years, by the owners fnemseives, their agents, or the agents of the respective
governments.
A rt. 19. The high contracting parties promise and engage to give full and perfect
protection to the persons and property of the citizens of each other, of all classes and
occupations, who may be dwelling or transient in the territories subject to their re­
spective jurisdiction ; they shall have free and open access to the tribunals of justice
for their judicial recourse, on the same terms as are usual and customary with the
natives or citizens of the country in which th^y may b e ; and they shall be at liberty
to employ, in all causes, the advocates, attorneys, notaries, or agents, of whatever de­
scription, whom they may think proper. The said citizens shall not be liable to im­
prisonment without formal commitment under a warrant signed by a legal authority,
except in cases fla g r a n tis d e lic ti ; and they shall, in all cases, be brought before a
magistrate, or other legal authority, for examination, within twenty-four hours after
arrest; and if not so examined, the accused shall forthwith be discharged from custody.
Said citizens, when detained in piison, shall be treated during their imprisonment with
humanity, and no unnecessary severity shall be exercised towards them.
A rt. 20. It is likewise agreed that perfect and entire liberty of conscience shall*be
enjoyed by the citizens of both the contracting parties in the countries subject to the
jurisdiction of the one or the other, without their being liable to be disturbed or molested
on account of their religious belief, so long as they respect the laws and established
usages of the country. Moreover, the bodies of the citizens o f one of the contracting
parties, who may die in the territories of the other, shall be buried in the usual buryinggrounds, or in other decent and suitable places, and shall be protected from violation or
disturbance.




90

Commercial Regulations.

A r t . 21. The citizens of the United States of America and of the Republic of Peru
may sail with their vessels, with entire freedom and security, from any port to the
ports or places of those who now are, or hereafter shall be, enemies of either of the
contracting parties, whoever may be the owners of the merchandise laden in the said
vessels. The same citizens shall also be allowed to sail with their vessels, and to carry
and traffic with their merchandise, from the ports and places of the enemies of both
parties, or of one of them, without any hindrance, not only to neutral ports and places,
but also from one port belonging to an enemy to another enemy’s port, whether they
be under the jurisdiction of one power or under several. And it is agreed that free
ships shall give freedom to goods, and that every thing shall be deemed free which
shall be found on board the vessels belonging to the citizens of either of the contracting
parties, although the whole lading, or a part thereof, should belong to the enemies of
either, articles contraband of war being always excepted. The same liberty shall be
extended to persons who may be on board free ships, so that said persons cannot be
taken out of them, even if they may be enemies of both parties, or of one of them,
unless they aie officers or soldiers in the actual service of the enemy. It is agreed
that the stipulations in this article declaring that the flag shall cover the property shall
be understood as applying to those nations only who recognize this principle; but if
cither of the contracting parties shall be at war with a third, and the other shall remain
neutral, the flag of the neutral shall cover the property of enemies whose governments
acknowledge this principle, and not that of others.
A r t . 22. When the neutral flag of one of the contracting parties shall protect the
property of the enemies of the other, in virtue of the preceding arrangement, neutral pro­
perty found on board enemies’ vessels shall likewise be considered as enemies’ property,
and shall be subject to detention and confiscation, unless it shall have been put on board
before the declaration of war, or even afterwards, if it were done without knowledge
of such declaration ; but the contracting parties agree that ignorance cannot be alleged
after the lapse of six months from thfe declaration of war. On the contrary, in those
cases where the flag of the neutral does not protect enemies’ property which may be
found on board, the goods or merchandise of the neutral embarked in enemies’ vessels
shall be free.
A rt. 23. The liberty of commerce and navigation stipulated for in the preceding
articles shall extend to all kinds of merchandise except the articles called contraband
o f war, under which name shall be comprehended :—
1. Cannons, mortars, howitzers, swivels, blunderbuses, muskets, rifles, fusees, carbines,
pistols, pikes, swords, sabers, lances, spears, halberds, grenades, bombs, powder,.matches,
balls, and every thing belonging to the use of these arms.
2. Bucklers, helmets, breastplates, coats of mail, accoutrements, and clothes made up
in military form, and for military use.
3. Cavalry belts and horses, with their harness.
4. And, generally, all offensive or defensive arms made of iron, steel, brass, copper,
or o f any other material, prepared and formed to make war by land or sea.

A rt. 24. A ll other merchandise and things not comprehended in the articles o f con­
traband explicitly enumerated and classified as above, shall be held and considered as
free, and subjects o f free and lawful commerce, so that they m ay be carried and trans­
ported in the freest manner by both the contracting parties, even to places belonging
to an enemy, excepting only those places which are at that time besieged or block­
aded ; and to avoid all doubt in this particular, it is declared that those places only
shall be considered as besieged or blockaded which are actually invested or attacked
by a force capable o f preventing the entry o f the neutral.
A rt . 25. The articles of contraband, or those before enumerated and classified,

which may be found in a vessel bound for an enemy’s port, shall be subject to deten­
tion and confiscation; but the rest of the cargo and the ship shall be left free, that the
owners may dispose of them as they see proper, ^ o vessel of either of the contract­
ing parties shall be detained on the high seas on account of having on board articles of
contraband, whenever the master, captain, or supercargo of said vessel will deliver up
the articles of contraband to the captor, unless, indeed, the quantity of such articles
be so great, or o f so large bulk, that they cannot be received on board the capturing
vessel "without great inconvenience ; but in this and all other cases of just detention,
the vessel detained shall be sent to the nearest convenient and safe port, for trial and
judgment according to law.
A rt . 26. And whereas it frequently happens that vessels sail for a port or place be­
longing to an enemy without knowing that the same is besieged, blockaded, or invested,




Commercial Regulations.

91

it is agreed that every vessel so circumstanced may be turned away from such port
or place, but shall not be detained, nor shall any part of her cargo, if not contraband,
be confiscated, unless after having been warned of such blockade or investment, by a
commanding officer of a vessel forming part of the blockading forces, she again at­
tempt to enter; but she shall be permitted to go to any other port or place the mas­
ter or supercargo may think proper. Nor shall any vessel of either party that may
have entered into such port or place before the same was actually besieged, blockaded,
or invested by the other, be restrained from leaving it with her cargo; nor, if found
therein before or after the reduction and surrender, shall such vessel or her cargo be
liable to seizure, confiscation, or any demand on the score of redemption or restitution,
but the owners thereof shall remain in the undisturbed possession of their property.
And if any vessel having thus entered the port before the blockade took place shall
take ou board a cargo after the blockade be established, and attempt to depart, she
may be warned by the blockading forces to return to the blockaded port, and discharge
the said cargo; and if, after receiving such warning, the vessel shall persist in going
out with the cargo, she shall be liable to the same consequences as in the case of a
vessel attempting to enter a blockaded port after having been warned off by the
blockading forces.
A rt. 27. To prevent disorder and irregularity in visiting and examining the vessels
and cargoes of both the contracting parties on the high seas, they have 'agreed,
mutually, that whenever a vessel of war. public or private, shall meet with a neutral
of the other party, the former shall remain at the greatest distance compatible with
the possibility and safety of making the visit, under the circumstances of wind and
sea, and the degree of suspicion attending the vessel to be visited, and shall send one
o f her small boats, with no more men than may be necessary to execute the said ex­
amination o f the papers concerning the ownership and cargo of the vessel, without
causing the least extortion, violence, or ill treatment, in respect of which the comman­
ders of said armed vessels shall be responsible with their persons and property ; for
which purpose the commanders of said private armed vessels shall, before receiving
their commissions, give sufficient security for all the injuries and damages they may
commit. And it is expressly agreed that the neutral party shall in no case be required
to go on beard of the examining vessel for the purpose of exhibiting the ship’s papers,
nor for any other purpose whatever.
A r t . 28. Both contracting parties likewise agree that when one of them shall be
engaged in war, the vessels of the other must be furnished with sea-letters, patents, or
passports, in which shall be expressed the name, burden of the vessel, and the name
and place of residence of the owner, and master or captain thereof, in order that it may
appear that the vessel really and truly belongs to citizens of said other party. It is
also agreed that such vessel, being laden, besides the said sea letters, patents, or pass­
ports, shall be provided with manifests or certificates, containing the particulars of the
cargo and the place where it was taken on board, so that it may be known whether
any part of the same consists of contraband or prohibited articles; which certificate
shall be made out in the accustomed form by the authorities of the port whence the
vessel sailed ; without which requisites the vessel may be detained, to be adjudged by
the competent tribunals, and may be declared good and legal prize, unless it shall be
proved that the said defect or omission was owing to accident, or unless it shall be
satisfied or supplied by testimony equivalent iu the opinion of the said tribunals, for
which purpose there shall be allowed a reasonable length of time to procure and pre­
sent it.
A rt. 29. The preceding stipulations relative to the visit and examination of vessels
shall apply only to those which sail without convoy; for when said vessels shall be
under couvoy, the verbal declaration of the commander of the convoy, on his word of
honor, that the vessels under his protection belong to the nation whose flag they carry,
and, when they are bound to an enemy’s port, that they have no contraband goods on
board, shall be sufficient.
A rt. 30. It is further agreed that in all prize cases, the courts specially established
for such causes in the country to which the prizes may be conducted shall alone take
cognizance o f them. A nd whenever such courts o f either party shall pronounce ju d g­
ment against any vessel, merchandise or property claimed by the citizens o f the other
party, the sentence or decree shall set forth the reasons or motives on which the same
shall have been founded; and an authenticated copy o f the sentence or decree, and o f
all the proceedings connected with the case, shall, if demanded, be delivered to the
commander or agent o f the said vessel, merchandise, or property, without any excuse
or delay, upon payment o f the established legal fees for the same.




92

Commercial Regulations.

A rt. 31 Whenever one of the contracting parties shall be engaged in war with
another nation, no citizen of the other contracting party shall accept a commission or
letter of marque, for the purpose of assisting, or co operating hostilely with the said
enemy against the said party so at war, under pain of being treated as a pirate.
A rt. 32. If, which is not to be expected, a rupture should at any time take place
between the two contracting nations, and they should engage in a war with each
other, they have agreed now for then, that the merchants, traders, and other citizens
o f all occupations of either of the two parties, residing in the cities, ports and do­
minions of the other, shall have the privilege of remaining and continuing their trade
and business therein, and shall be respected and maintained in the full and undisturbed
enjoyment of their personal liberty and property, so long as they conduct themselves
peaceably and properly, and commit no offence against the laws. And in case their
acts should render them justly suspected, and, having thus forfeited this privilege, the
respective governments should think proper to order them to leave the country, the
term of twelve months from the publication or intimation of the order therefor shall be
allowed them in which to arrange and settle their affairs and remove with their fami­
lies, effects, and property; to which end the necessary safe conduct shall be given to
them, which shall serve as a sufficient protection, until they arrive at the designated
port and there embark; but this favor shall not be extended to those who shall act
contrary to the established laws. It is, nevertheless, understood, that the respective
governments may order the persons so suspected to remove, forthwith, to such places
in the interior as may be designated.
A rt. 33. In the event of a war, or of any interruption of friendly intercourse be­
tween the high contracting parties, the money, private debts, shares in the public
funds, or in the public or private banks, or any other property whatever, belonging to
the citizens of the one party in the territories of the other, shall in no case be seques­
trated or confiscated.
Art. 34. The high contracting parties, desiring to avoid all inequality in tlreir public
communications and official intercourse, agree to grant to their envoys, ministers,
charges d’affaires, and other diplomatic agents, the same favors, privileges, immunities,
and exemptions, that those of the most favored nations do or shall enjoy; it being
understood that the favors, privileges, immunities, and exemptions, granted by the
one party to the envoys, ministers, charges d’affaires, or other diplomatic agents, of
the other party, or to those o f any other nation, shall be reciprocally granted and ex­
tended to those of both the high contracting parties respectively.
A rt. 35. To protect more effectually the Commerce and navigation of their respec­
tive citizens, the United States of America and the Republic of Peru agree to admit
and receive, mutually, consuls and vice-consuls in all their ports open to foreign Com­
merce, who shall enjoy, within their respective consular districts, all the rights, perogatives, and immunities of the consuls and vice-consuls of the most favored nations ;
but to enjoy the rights, perogatives, and immunities which belong to them in virtue of
their public character, the consuls and vice-consuls shall, before exercising their official
functions, exhibit to the government to which they are accredited their commissions or
patents in due form, in order to receive their e x e q u a tu r ; after receiving which they
shall be acknowledged, in their official characters, by the authorities, magistrates, and
inhabitants of the district in which they reside. The high contracting parties, never­
theless, remain at liberty to except those ports and places where the admission and
residence of consuls and vice-consuls may not seem convenient, provided that the re­
fusal to admit them shall likewise extend to those of all nations.
A rt. 36. The consuls, vice-consuls, their officers, and persons employed in their con­
sulate, shall be exempt from all public services and from all kinds of taxes, imposts,
and contributions, except those which they shall lawfully be held to pay on account of
their property or Commerce, and to which the citizens and other inhabitants of the
country in which they reside are subject, they being in other respects subject to the
laws of the respective countries. The archives and papers of the consulates shall be
inviolably respected, and no person, magistrate, or other public authority shall, under
any pretext, interfere with, or seize them.
A rt. 37. The consuls and vice-consuls shall have power to require the assistance of
the public authorities of the country in which they reside, for the arrest, detention, and
custody of deserters from the vessels of war or merchant vessels of their nation ; and
where the deserters claimed shall belong to a merchant vessel, the consuls or vice-con­
suls must address themselves to the competent authority, and demand the deserters in
writing; proving, by the ship’s roll or other public document, that the individuals




Commercial Regulations.

93

claimed are a part of the crew of the vessel from which it is alleged that they have
deserted; but should the individuals claimed form a part of the crew of a vessel of
war, the word of honor of a commissioned officer attached to the said vessel shall be
sufficient to identify the deserters; and when the demand of the consuls or vice-con­
suls shall, in either case, be so proved, the delivery of the deserters shall not be re­
fused. The said deserters, when arrested, shall be delivered to the consuls or vice-con­
suls, or at the request of these, shall be put in the public prisons and maintained at
the expense of those who reclaim them, to be delivered to the vessels to which they
belong, or sent to others of the same nation ; but if the said deserters should not be so
delivered or sent within the term of two months, to be counted from the day of their
arrest, they shall be set at liberty, and shall not again be apprehended for the same
cause/ The high contracting parties agree that it shall not be lawful for any public
authority, or other person within their respective dominions, to harbor or protect such
deserters.
A rt. 38. For the purpose of more effectually protecting their Commerce and nav­
igation, the two contracting parties do hereby agree to form, as soon hereafter as may
be mutually convenient, a consular convention, which shall declare specially the pow­
ers and immunities of the consuls and vice-consuls of the respective parties.
A r t . 39. Until the conclusion of the consular convention, the high contracting par­
ties agree thar, in the absence of the legal heirs or representatives, the consuls or viceconsuls o f either party shall be ex officio the executors or administrators of the citi­
zens of their nation who may die within their consular jurisdictions, and of their
countrymen dying at sea, whose property may be brought within their district. The
said consuls or vice-consuls shall call in a justice of the peace, or other local authority,
to assist in taking an inventory of the effects and property left by the deceased; after
which, the said effects shall remain in the hands of the said consuls or vice-consuls,
who shall be authorized to sell immediately such of the effects or property as may be
of a perishable nature, and to dispose of the remainder according to the instructions
o f their respective governments. And where the deceased has been engaged in Com­
merce or other business, the consuls or vice-consuls shall hold the effects and property
so remaining until the expiration of twelve calendar months; during which time the
creditors, if any, of the deceased, shall have the right to present their claims or de­
mands against the said effects and property, and all questions arising out of such claims
or demands shall be decided by the laws of the country wherein the said citizen may
have died. It is understood, nevertheless, that if no claim or demand shall have been
made against the effects and property of an individual so deceased, the consuls or viceconsuls, at the expiration of the twelve calendar months, may close the estate and dis­
pose of the effects and property, in accordance with the instructioris from their own
government.
A rt. 40. The United States of America and the Republic of Peru, desiring to make
as durable as circumstances will permit, the relations established between the two
parties in virtue of this treaty of friendship, Commerce, and navigation, declare solemly and agree as follows:—
1. The present treaty shall remain in force for the term of ten years from the day
of the exchange of the ratifications thereof; and, further, until the end of one year
after either of the high contracting parties shall have given notice to the other of its
intention to terminate the same— each of them reserving to itself the right of giving
such notice to the other at the end of the said term of ten years. And it is hereby
agreed between the parties that, on the expiration of one year after such notice shall
have been received by either of them from the other party, as above mentioned, this
treaty shall altogether cease and determine.
2. If any citizen or citizens of either party shall infringe any of the articles of the
treaty,such citizen or citizens shall be held personally responsible therefor; and the
harmony and good understanding between the two nations shall not be interrupted
thereby— each party engaging in no way to protect the offender or offenders, or to sanc­
tion such violation, under pain of rendering itself liable for the consequences there­
of.
3. Should, unfortunately, any of the provisions contained in the present treaty be
violated or infringed in any other manner whatever, it is expressly stipulated and
agreed that neither of the contracting parties shall order or authorize any act of repri­
sals, nor declare nor make war against the other, on complaint of injuries or damages
resulting therefrom, until the party considering itself aggrieved shall first have pre­
sented to the other a statement or representation of such injuries or damages, verified




94

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

by competent proofs, and demanded redress and satisfaction, and the same shall have
been either refused or unreasonably delayed.
4.
Nothing contained in this treaty shall, however, be construed to operate contrary
to former and existing public treaties with other nations or sovereigns.
The present treaty of friendship, Commerce, and navigation, shall be approved and
ratified by the President of the United States of America, by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate thereof, and by the President of the Republic of Peru, with
the authorization of the Congress thereof; and the ratifications shall be exchanged at
Washington within eighteen months from the date of the signature hereof, or sooner
i f possible.
In faith whereof, we, the plenipotentaries o f the United States o f America, and o f
the Republic of Peru, have signed and sealed these presents.
Done at the City of Lima, on the 26th day of July, in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
J. RANDOLPH CLAY,
J. CMO. TORRICO,
[ l . s .]

[ l . s.]
[ l. s.]

Done at the City of Washington, this nineteenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, and
of the independence of the United States the seventy-seventh.
MILLARD FILLMORE.

By the President, W m . Hunter , Acting Secretary of State.

JOURNAL OF B A N KIN G, CU RRENCY, AND FIN A N C E .

POPULATION, FINANCES, ETC,, OF T IIE EUROPEAN STATES.

The countries of Europe are burdened at this time with an aggregate national debt
of £1,735,056,000 sterling, of which Great Britain owes nearly one-half; there is also
in circulation in Europe no less than £189,214,278 in paper-money, taken and held
upon the credit of the property in the countries in which it is issued. Europe is,
therefore, mortgaged to the amount of £1,924,270,278, constituting a debt of very
nearly £7 2s. due from every man, woman, or child which it contains, or, reckoning
five to a family, of £35 10s. upon each head of a family. Every child comes into
the world liable to that incumbrance; every person goes out of it with that liability
undischarged. This is a curious state of things; but we think the following tables,
drawn from authentic sources, will substantiate it. How has it been brought about ?
Since every country in Europe has, and has had for centuries, a government of some
kind or other, it is very clear that the present position is the work of those govern­
ments. Plow has the amount of debt been incurred ? In great measure, nay, almost
entirely, through the wars entered into and waged by those governments against each
other, either to resent alleged national wrongs, or to gratify national pride, or promote
national aggrandizement; or, in some countries, to inJulge the ambition of emperors
and kings, and the schemes of cabinets and prime-ministers. Again, a considerable
portion of this debt has been created by the maintenance of large armies in time of
peace. A t the present moment there are no less than 2,773,833 men under arms in
Europe, all of whom are consumers of the produce of others, without adding to the
general stock in any way whatever. To pay the interest of this aggregated national
debt, to support the large standing armies, to fit out and man, and maintain 2,763
vessels of war, to support the dignity of courts, to meet the expenditures of princes,
to provide for the dispensation of the laws, and the administration of justice, and for
all the other purposes for which governments are or should be instituted, a revenue of
£232,000,000 is annually raised in Europe, constituting a tax for the support of gov­
ernment of 17s. 2d. upon every person living there. This amount may appear small
when thus divided among the entire population of Europe; but, when the annexed
table is looked at, it will be found that it bears very hard upon some of the principal
countries. Can this amount of national debt be much increased? We think not.
There is a point at which the capability of a nation to bear additional burdens must
cease. Communities are subject to the same laws as individuals in this respect. This
lesson, we think, has been learned by some of those who sway the destinies of nations,
and we *V»;k -•t'-er-' ar,‘ f•>-f learning it. Besides the inability of the nation, there is




95

Journal o f Banicing, Currency, and Finance.

also the enlightenment of the people to contend against, and both combined will, we
think, prolong the present state of European peace. But to the tables we have spoken
of. The first is compiled from one given in the K o in e r Z e itu n g :—
Debt
in Prussian
Men Vessels
dollars.
State or nation.
in army, in fleet. Guns.
Great Britain and Ireland . . . . .
5,000,000,000 129,000 678 18,000
Spain......................................... .
1,300,000,000 160,000
721
50
Austria...................................... .
1,100,000,000 500,000 «156
600
Russia................ ........................
733,000,000 700,000 6615
7,000
Holland.....................................
731,000,000
50,000 125
2,500
Prussia.....................................
180,000,000 c5121,000
114
47
France........................................ .
1,330,000,000 265,463 328
8,000
Belgium.....................................
165,000,000
90,000
5
36
Portugal...................................
160,000,000
38,000
700
36
Papal States.............................
120,000,000
19,000
24
5
Sardinia....................................
120,000,000
38,000
60
900
Naples.....................................
100,000,000
484
48,000
15
..
Bavaria...................................
82,000,000
57,000
....
80,000,000
Denmark.................................
20,000
1,120
33
Saxony ................................... . .
43,500,000
25,000
T u rk ey...................................
40,000,000 220,000
66
800
Hamburg................................
34,000,000
1,800
....
Baden .....................................
33,000,000
18,000
H anover.................................
30,368,000
21,000
..
W iirtem burg.........................
28,000,000
19,000
Greece.....................................
25,000,000
8,900
34
131
Mechlenburg...........................
10,000,000
4,700
Tuscanv...................................
10,000
10
15
Frankfort...............................
7,000,000
1,300
Brunswick...............................
6,800,000
3,000
.,
Duchy of Hesse.....................
42,000
....
Electoral H esse.....................
6,000,000
11,000
L u b e c......................................
490
Saxe Weimer..........................
2,000
Schleswick, &c........................
4,000,000
..
...
Anhalt.....................................
700
Bremen.....................................
600
.,
Saxe Cobourg.........................
1,200
....
Saxe Meiningen......................
2,400
Nassau.....................................
3,500
Parma......................................
1,800,000
5,000
Anhalt......................................
1,500,000
300
..
Saxe Altenburg......................
.1,000
Norway....................................
23,000 160
560
Oldenburg...............................
600
....
..
Hesse Homburg.....................
1,200,000
350
Schwarzburg..........................
540
....
Sweden...................................
34,000 340
2,400
M odena...................................
3,500
Lippe Detmold.......................
820
....
,,
lteuss......................................
750
W aldeck..................................
520
Switzerland............................
69,500
San Marino.............................
....
..
The totals of the preceding columns sum up thus:—
D e b t................................................................................
Men in a rm y ..................................................................
Vessels in fleet..............................................................
Guns.................................................................................
Population.......................................................................
a

Infliitliinr ffi'ii hon'w-




/, 175 voxels. 44?>

rs.

r

w»

Population.
27,500,000
13,000.000
36,000,000
70,000,000
3,500,000
17,000,000
36,000,000
5,000,000
3,500,000
3,200,000
4,250,000
8,500,000
5,000,000
2,750,000
2,000,000
12,500,000
170,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
540,000
1,700,000
65,000
300,000
900,000
800,000
50,000
75,000
650,000
d 150,000
80,000
160,000
260,000
425,000
500,000
50,000
150,000
1,200,000
80,000
25,000
60,000
3,500,000
525,000
110,000
130,000
60,000
2,500,000
8,000

111,567,044,000
2,773,833
2,763
44,105
271,403,000
•Mh\nt).

./ i c>n«lc9

90

Journal o f B an k in g, C urrency, and Finance.

In addition to these, the Danubian Principalities, with a population of 1,750,000,
maintain an army of 6,800 men, and pay an annual tribute of 3,000,000 piastres to
Turkey. Servia, with a population of 1.000,000, maintains an army of 3,000, and
pays an annual tribute of 2,000,000 piastres to Turkey. The debts of the various
nations are expressed in Prussian dollars, whose current value is 3s. English. Accord­
ing to the above table, the national debt of Europe, divided among the inhabitants
makes each person indebted $42.5, or £6 7s. 6d., or each head of a family about £30
in debt; while the standing armies of Europe make one out of every twenty of the
adult and able male population a soldier. There are, besides, the seamen requisite to
man 2,763 vessels o f war.
There is another very important view to be taken of this subject, and that is the
amount which the labor and industry of the people, and the resources of the countries
of Europe, are taxed, in consequence of the system which has been carried on, either
through the ambition or the tyranny of their rulers, or the turbulence and irregulari­
ties of the people. The following brief table, comprehending some of the principal
countries in Europe, will, in some degree, present this view :—
Countries.
Great Britain............................
Austria......................................
H olland....................................

Papal States............................

San Marino...............................

Revenue.

Proportion
Propor’n paid
raised per head, by each family.
£1 16 4
£8 1 8
9 8 6
1 17 6
0 8 4
2 1 8
0 10 7
2 12 11
0 4 8
1 3 4
1 14 3
7 113
0 18 7
4 12 11
0 18 5
4 12 1
0 15 5
3 17 1
0 13 7
3 7 11
0 6 8
1 13 4
0 14 1
3 10 5
0 10 11
2 12 7
1 11 9
7 18 9
0 15 6
3 17 6
0 4 1
1 0 5
0 0 5f
0 2 4f
0 3 4
0 16 8

W e have no means of calculating what proportion of the revenue raised in each
country is expended in paying the interest of the national debt, or how much is em­
ployed in paying the expenses of the government, how much for domestic purposes,
or in improvement of the country ; but when we are furnished with, as the tables
given do furnish, the amount of national debt, that of annual revenue, the number of
the people, and that of the standing army, with the en tire amount of revenue raised
from each person, and each head of a family, we may lorm a pretty good idea of the
state of a country, particularly when we add to these materials the knowledge we
possess of the internal resources, and the Commerce, manufactures, and position of
the various countries, as constituting their ability to bear taxation. Thus, for instance,
we are told by our political economists that the total annual income of Great Britain,
arising from property and employment anil industry of every kind, is £550,000,000;
the amount of taxation is, in round numbers, about £50,000,000, or one-eleventh part
of the income; therefore, the average amount of taxation in Great Britain is one-elev­
enth of a person’s income.
Again : in France the annual amount arising from incomes and employments of all
kinds is estimated as being £320,000,000. The annual amount of taxation or of rev­
enue raised for the purposes of government we have taken at £67,000,000, but it is
estimated as being £70,000,000. At the lesser amount, however, it is more than onefifth of the entire income of the country. The Frenchman, therefore, pays one-fifth
of his income and earnings to support the government, the Englishman only one-elev­
enth. I f we knew the entire annual income of all the countries in one table, we
could make a similar comparison, and we should find in some of them a much higher
proportion paid for the support of government than is in France. The subject is
highly suggestive, but we will not pursue it further at present.




97

Journal o f B anking, Currency, and Finance.
PRO PER TY , TA XE S, ETC., OF NORTH CAROLINA.
C o n t r o l l e r ’ s O f f ic e ,

N. C ., July 9th, 1852.

F re e m a n H unt, E d ito r o f the M erch a n ts' M a g a zin e , etc.
S i r :— I send to you for publication the annexed statement, which, in reply to nu­
merous inquiries, I have prepared with great care from the reports of the clerks of
the county courts, and the statement of the Literary Board, filed in this office, and
the only table of the census of the State, which I have been able to procure.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
WM. J. CLARKE, Controller.
TABLE SHOWING T n E NUMBER OF ACRES OF LAND, THEIR VALUATION, VALUATION OF TOWN
PRO PERTY, NUMBER OF TAXABLE

POLLS, ETC., DISTRIBUTION OF COMMON SCHOOL FUND,

ETC., OF TIIE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.

55
?

55
?

228,888
144,488
315,822
330,91)0
41)6,806
300,314
508 91)2
201,000
349.920
201,392
215,905
172,439
80,479
130,338
200,005
24,472
493 229
16,591
94,790
204,180
377,300
500,434
815,338
135,215
349,745
150,103
437,01G
427,494
220,779
288,349
190,479
102,187
447.500
157,237
392,793
417,383
207,206
318,740
198.189
190,245
340,249
452,398
205,403
227,840
179,123
188,070
100,901
102,339
229,190
289,522
---- NO.




$913,751
253.231
1,139,948
515,294
085.753
1,319,943
041.682
438,875
709.990
578,044
818.801
449,135
530,820
200.939
1.112,897
782.407
1,180,773
21,409
723,337
503.974
295,597
532,981
1.074,525
511,807
1,101,220
541,735
855.118
1,874.190
074,171
805.092
051,031
541,327
1,384,285
551,212
1,424,005
1,509,090
341,497
594,481
627,282
091,758
889.541
822,5 >0
520,715
603,495
591.392
377,085
251,749
178,324
010,938
1,059,908
I.

2,522
727
3,737
1,133
3,402
4,151
2,527
1,955
1,402
1,414
2,248
1,023
1,318
1.057
4.340
1.507
4,299
729
2,009
1,732
1,105
3,498
4,498
1,508
2,910
1,724
3,341
5,450
1,GG7
3,101
1,487
2,240
5,847
1,997
3,264
5,028
835
1,003
2,148
1,671
2,985
3.051
1,633
2,409
1,045
990
799
481
2,181
3,775

96,139
41,780
18,850
347,951
40,005
10,725
31,225
93,000
63,445
37,992
24,327
49,022
101,897
55,700
11,286
119,237
30,878
8,705
532,025
520,937
44,042
43,799
14,020
81,001
155,146
53,005
7,842
14,908
91,051
17,902
177,070
49.936
10,550
24,96a
75,128
31,959
26,640
74,170
35,242
89,381
13,853
18,090
43,109
124,345
1

1,017
477
077
858
929
059
572
410
741
497
951
488
412
408
858
830
1,410
585
325
911
400
780
1,269
509
1,543
723
714
1,091
1,031
018
045
494
1,283
425
1,759
808
624
002
404
502
1,081
1,115
284
377
684
458
542
390
590
1,056

i,4sr,
250
3,053
275
2,394
3,470
1,928
1,511
659
917
1,291
535
876
619
3,-164
737
2.877
143
1,684
819
088
2,005
3,101
1,047
1,300
989
2,612
4,316
630
2.507
839
1,715
4,480
1,562
1.471
4,160
208
337
1,596
1,159
1,903
1,922
1.343
2,032
956
510
244
91
1,581
2,713

[|
19
7
79
22
29
28
2
6

ia
i2
i

2
17
53
08
12
13
12
15
43
36
3
31
84
10
34
3
4
88
10
1
14
0
5

10
13
io

0

$1,953
448
2,450
809
2,782
3,194
1,314
1,028
1,235
1,381
2,150
773
1,329
728
3,023
1.225
2,668
273
2,199
1,052
057
4,739
4,955
1,109
2,048
1,223
2,009
5,275
2.181
2,698
1,072
1,533
4.529
1.409
3,325
4,181
691
898
2,107
1,241
1,955
2,205
1,044
1,785
1,407
710
535
254
1,944
3,004

o f Com­
al during

Alamance . . . .
Alexander......
Anson.............
A sh e..............
Beaufort.........
Bertie.............
Bladen.............
Brunswick.. . .
Buncombe-. . .
Burke.............
Cabarrus........
C aldw ell.......
Camden...........
Carteret...........
Caswell...........
Catawba..........
Chatham.........
Cherokee .......
Chowan .........
Cleveland.......
Columbus___
Craven ...........
Cumberland...
Currituck.......
Davidson.......
D avie.............
Duplin............
Edgecombe...
Forsyth..........
Franklin........
Caston.............
Gates...............
Granville.......
Greene...........
Guilford.........
Hatitax...........
11a> w ood.......
Henderson . . .
Hertford.........
H )de...............
Iredell...........
Johnston........
J ones.............
L en oir...........
Lincoln .........
McDowell.......
M acon...........
Madison.........
M artin...........
Mecnlenbarg..
VOL. XXVII

paid in

property

s

$1,728
850
1,823
1,451
1,991
1,095
1,304
1,011
2,165
1,170
1,474
992
879
1,055
2,057
1.399
2,729
1,139
892
1,618
902
2.095
3,012
1,003
2.400
1,189
1-883
2,340
L806
1,016
1,228
1.109
2,94 L
904
3.141
2,211
1,174
1.102
1,131
1,119
2,220
2,016
60S
1,050
1.177
975
1,948
1,183
1,993

98

J ou rn a l o f B a n k in g , C urrency, and Finance.

T A B L E S H O W IN G T H E N U M B E R O F A C R E S O F L A N D , T I IE I R V A L U A T IO N , E T C .,— CO N TIN U ED .

Montgomery..
Moore.............
Nash...............
New Hanover.
Northampton..
Onslow...........
Orange...........
Pasquotank...
Perquimons ..
P ers on ...........
p m .................
Randolph.......
Richm ond---R obeson.........
Rockingham..
Rowan............
Rutherford . . .
Sam pson.......

$397,738
495,88 L
570,817
771,458
1,279,401
538,902
1,113,270
842,402
584,109
089,759
1,045,197
1,140,246
099,429
085,127
917,678
1,020,700
900,450
878,903
332,766
347,232
930,310
327,223
003,829
1,611,526
1.070,375
428,052
222.012
1,255,942
499,238
188,529

$6,087
14,003
12,299
1,562,047
27,850
20,180
150,230
115,935
41,845
0,750
54,925

13,556
414,568
87,597
72,110
1,330
49,477
19,800
3,568

1,336
1,027
2,609
4,833
4,030
1,940
3,529
2,127
2,100
2,965
3,879
2,274
2,748
2,700
3,509
3,245
2,409
3,470
1,234
1,408
2,451
1,137
1,810
5,880
4,813
1,414
428
3,205
1,310
550

Total........ 23,709,100 58,408,385

6,418,713

194,920

Stokes.............
S u rry.............
Tyrrell...........
W ake..............
Warren...........
Washington ..
W atauga.......
W ilk e s ...........
Yancy.............

241,908
419,058
340,104
550,233
322,800
281,589
350,230
90,482
13 L.900
234,340
354,534
454,572
393,269
000,585
279,705
312,597
428,743
490,582
223,729
257,351
507,009
132,214
398,187
509,257
309,227
179,057
240,586
373,215
301,793
321,865

0,258
8,390
39.376
152,225
03,300
17,202
13,000
22,181

i

$1,047
1,453
1,535
2,420
1,824
1,196
2.542
1,310
1,025
1,500
1,826
2,579
1,349
1,883
2,101
2,095
2.105
2,092
1,079
1,443
2,999
756
1,573
3,590
1,702
812
569
1,951
1,979
1,371

GO,984 132,355 1,581

156,923 128,102

537
729
711
789
784
535
1,191
573
508
005
779
1,408
537
729
1,012
.1.322
1,013
847
005
079
1,539
377
827
1,599
577
382
364
88D
803
430

795
887 ,
1,850
3,908
3,107
1,303
2,328
1,461
1,014
2,279
3,100
748
2,200
1,021
2,475
1,923
1,384
2,599
789
904
753
989
4,198
4,191
1,009
04
2,323
447
113

4
11
48
40
79
12
10
93
38
21

$885
978
1,999
5,920
2,641
1,306
2,720
2,343
1,751
2,040
2,648
1,995
1,704
1,524
2,497
2,080
1,925
2,287
737
1,070
1,620
700
1,119
6,280
3,885
1,453
323
2,870
845

28
11
59
22
Y2
30
1
8
7
83
45
23
57

The cents in the above table are omitted for the sake of convenience, which will
make a slight difference.
The population of North Carolina, according to the census of 1850, is as follows:—
Whites.................................
Slaves.................................

553,775 I Free colored.........................
289,448 |

27,567

SPECIE IN NEW YORK CITY BANES AND SUB-TREASURY,

The amount of specie held by the banks was counted on the 13 th of December,
1852, and found to $9,800,000, which is exclusive of the $2,500,000 received by the
Illinois.
■5rear.
Dec. 13, 1852..................
Sept. 9, 1852...................
June 26, 1852..................
May 26, 1852..................
Mar. 27, 1852..................
Dec. 20, 1851..................
Sept. 25, 1851..................
Sept. 8, 1851 a................
July 23, 1851...................
May 13, 1851...................
May 15, 1850...................
Sept. 11, 1849...................
May 19, 1849...................
Sept. 29, 1848...................
May 13, 1848...................

In Bank.
$9,809,000
9,493,000
11,152,000
13,090,000
9,716,000
7,3G4,000
5,865,000
7,113,000
7,843,000
7,967,000
8,828,000
8,117,000
8,238,000
4,808,000
6,413,000

Sub-Treasury.

$4,512,000
6,735,000
4,340,000
3,876,000
2,533,000
2,660,000
4,067,000
3,430,000
2,061.000
4,400,000
4,711,000
3,600,000
2,139,000
2,401,000
468,000

Total.
$14,312,000
16,228,000
16,492,000
16,966,000
12,249,000
10,024,000
9,932,000
10,543,000
9,894,000
12,367,000
13,539,000
11,717,000
10,377,000
7,009,000
6,881,000

There have been some large payments by the banks for California drafts, which will
be returned to them out of the mint deposits ; but these do not alter the position of
the banks, or limit their disposition to grant such facilities to borrowers as they other­
wise feel authorized to do, as mint certificates are always considered and counted as
specie.




99

Journal o f B an k in g, Currency, and Finance.
UNITED STATES TREA SU RER’S STATEM ENT, NOVEMBER 2 2 , 1852.
t r e a s u r e r ’s s t a t e m e n t

, s h o w in g

th e

am ount

at

h is

c r e d it

in

th e

treasu ry

, w it h

A SSIST A N T TR E A -S U R E R S A N D D E S IG N A T E D D E P O S IT A R IE S , A N D IN T H E M IN T A N D B R A N C H E S ,
B Y R E T U R N S R E C E IV E D T O M O N D A Y , N O V E M B E R

22, 1S52 ;

T IIE AM O U N T F O R W H IC H D R A F T S

H A V E B E E N ISS U E D , BUT W E R E T H E N U N P A ID , A N D T IIE AM OUN T T H E N R E M A IN IN G
TO DRAFT.

S H O W IN G , A L S O , T IIE AM O U N T O F FU T U R E T R A N S F E R S TO A N D F R O M

SUBJECT

D E P O S IT A ­

R IE S , A S O R D E R E D B Y T H E S E C R E T A R Y OF T H E T R E A S U R Y .

Amount on
deposit.

Treasury of United States, Washington . .
Assistant Treasurer, Boston, Mass..............
Assistant Treasurer, New York, N. Y ........
Assistant Treasurer, Philadelphia, Pa.........
Assistant Treasurer, Charleston, S. C ........
Assistant Treasurer, New Orleans, La........
Assistant Treasurer, St. Louis, Mo..............
Depositary at Buffalo, New Y ork...............
Depositary at Baltimore, M d.......................
Depositary at Richmond, V a .....................
Depositary at Norfolk, Va...........................
Depositary at Wilmington, N. C .................
Depositary at Savannah, Georgia...............
Depositary at Mobile, Alabama.................
Depositary at Nashville, Tennessee............
Depositary at Cincinnati, Ohio....................
Depositary at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania___
Depositary at Cincinnati, (la te)..................
Depositary at San Francisco.......................
Depositary at Dubuque, Iowa.....................
Depositary at Little Rock, Arkansas..........
Depositary at Jeffersonville, Indiana.........
Depositary at Chicago, Illinois.....................
Depositary at Detroit, Michigan.................
Depositary at Tallahassee, Florida............
Suspense account......................... §2,386 66
Mint of the U. S., Philadelphia, P a.............
Branch Mint of U. S., Charlotte, N. C . . . .
Branch Mint of U. S., Dahlonega, Ga.........
Branch Mint of U. S., New Orleans, L a ...

Drafts
heretofore drawn
but not yet paid,
Amount
though payable, subj. to draft.

$197,462
1,849,888
5,361,777
1,139,141
89,820
116,378
319,099
23,201
29,171
24,649
71,184
404
42,864
10,570
9,582
89,763
2,211
3,301
800,681
1,020
7,406
22,333
23,588
53,474
1,077

53
$4,901 30
66
72,841 07
47 443,410 80
08
66,121 23
53
16,918 88
60
86,263 70
71 169,944 17
11
5,058 35
62
5,082 12
01
316 16
40
13,015 81
62
138 24
87
17 45
04
6,554 29
08
669 38
09
1,315 16
66
40 00
37
41 241,750 00
48
895 58
12
2,494 62
52
12,678 33
30
1,821 00
35
4,484 48
02
775 00
2,3S6 66
00
32,000 00
26,850 00
600,000 00

$102,561
1,717,047
4.918,366
1,073,019
72,901
30,109
149,155
18,142
24,089
24,332
58,168
266
42,847
4,015
8,912
88,447
2,171
3,301
558,931
124
4,911
9,655
21,767
48,989
302

23
59
67
85
65
90
54
76
50
85
59
38
42
75
70
93
66
37
41
90
50
19
30
87
02

5,629,170
32,000
26,850
600,000

00
00
00
00

T otal....................................................... 16,578,073 65 1,159,898 78 15,420,561 53
Deduct suspense account........................................................................
2,386 66
Add difference in transfers.................................................................

§15,418,174 87
1,617,500 00

Net amount subject to d ra ft........................

§17,035,674 87

Transfers
Transfers
Transfers
Transfers

ordered to
ordered to
ordered to
ordered to

treasury o f the U. S., Washington, D. C___
Assistant Treasurer, New York, N. Y ..........
Assistant Treasurer, New Orleans, L a .......
Depositary at Norfolk, V irginia..................

$700,000
300,000
600,000
180,000

00
00
00
00

T ota l....................................................................................................

$1,680,000 00

Transfers ordered from Assistant Treasurer, NewYork, N. Y . . . .
Transfers ordered from Mint of the U. S., Philadelphia, Pa...........

$60,000 00
2,500 00

Total




$62,500 00

100

Jou rn a l o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

UNITED STATES TREASURY.NOTES OUTSTANDING, DECEMBER 1, 1852,
Amount outstanding of the several issues prior to 22d July, 1846, as
per records at this office........................................................................ .
Amount outstanding of the issue of 22d of July, 1846, as per records
of this office...............................................................................................
Amount outstanding of the issue of 28th January, 1847, a- per records
of this office..............................................................................................

$107,111 64
11,600 00
2,750 00
$121,461 64

Deduct canceled notes in the hands of accounting officers, all under
acts prior to 22d July, 1846 ..................................................................
--

/ . i-ifF -r -

P(
'

.,311 64
$ 121,3

.............................................................................
„ ------------- 1 6 V

\ V i.

J fo it-

150 00

retry /
J y

J

------------------------------DEBT OF CALIFORNIA,

/vNuile r iii'lhij Satr'Urancisco H era ld makes the indebtedness of that State to be
as follows:—
Civil indebtedness......................................................................................
War loan according to limitation............................................................
Total civil and war indebtedness.

$2,192,506 66
800,000 00
$2,992,506 66

DEBT, FINANCE, AND PROPERTY OF ARKANSAS.
The debt of the State of Arkansas in October, 1S52, was as follows:—
Owed to

Bonds outstanding.

Paynble.

Interest arrears.

Total.

Bank of S ta te ...................
$953,000
Jan., 1S6S-8Y
$605,620
Ileal Estate Bank...............
1,423,000
. . . . ............
958,750
“
“
due James Holford on 500 bonds pledged.....................

$1,558,620
2,381,750
211,000

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

$4,151,370

In regard to the prospects of the State creditors, the Auditor remarks:—
“ The State is not now prepared to meet either the principal or the interest on these
bonds; but from an intimate acquaintance with the citizens, aud some knowledge of
the resources of the State, the Auditor hazards nothing in saying that both the prin­
cipal and interest of these bonds will be eventually paid.”
The receipts and expenditures of the State for the last two years have been as fol­
lows :—
R E C E IP T S .

Ordinary revenue, 1851.......................................................................................
*•
“
1852.......................................................................................
Miscellaneous revenue for two years..................................................................

$69,000
80.000
13,658

Total receipts...........................................................................................

$162,658

E X P E N D IT U R E S .

General Assembly...................................................
Salaries of Slate officers..................................................................
Penitentiary.......................................................................................
Government contingent....................................................................
Bank officers.......................................................................................
A ll other expenses.............................................................................

$30,000
4S,440
20,000
10,000
14,600
12,0u0
--------

Balance.......................................................................................................




\

142,568
$24,000

101

Journal o f B an kin '/, Currency, and Finance.

The progressive resources of the State are exhibited in the subjoined table of the
taxable property iu several years, since 1838: —
TAXABLE

PROPERTY

OF AR K A N SA S.

7,274,625
1,370
601,903

IS 18.
25,286
3,503,444
13,328,762
8,213
1,171,964

1852.
28.238
4,108.272
17,129,513
11,828
1,735,512

5,717

27,164

36,482

2,851,150
49
87,860
19
10,250
23
2,575

35,781
399,032

10,632 179
121
83,370
74
21.230
4G
4,123
39,035
235
29,575
43,068
1,481,761
5,259
233,390
276
21,368
122,913
804,716

16,712,357
198
147,006
82
20,208
42
3,945
54,679
498
63.237
44,070
1,978,250
9,410
560,360
491
57,028
144,409
1,166,526

401,932

790,426

964,670

722,936

284,431

29,648

19,463

52,173
8,280
200
100

89,541
13,835
25

1818.
Number of persons liable to pay poll tax...........
Number of acres of land taxed.............................
Value of lands and improvements taxed............
Number of town lots taxed...................................
Value of town lots taxed.......................................
Number of slaves over 5 and under 60 years of
age ta x e d ............................................................
Value of slaves over 5 and under 60 years of age
taxable..................................................................
Number of saw-mills taxed...................................
Value of saw-mills taxed.......................................
Number of tan-yards taxed...................................
Value of tan-yards taxed.......................................
Number of distilleries taxed.................................
Value of distilleries ta x ed ...................................
Household furniture over 8*200 ta x e d .................
Number of pleasure carriages taxed...................
Value o f pleasure carriages taxed.......................
Number of horses over 2 years old taxed...........
Value of horses over 2 years old ta xed..............
Number of mules over 2 years old taxed...........
Value of mules over 2 years old taxed...............
Number of jackasses over 2 years old taxed___
Value of jackasses over 2 years old taxed. . . .
Number of neat cattle over 2 years old ta x ed ..
Value of neat cattle over 2 years old taxed.. . .
Value o f all goods, wares, and merchandise, <!ic.,
taxed....................................................................
Money loaned at interest beyond amount on which
interest is paid taxed..........................................
Capital in steamboats, ferries, and toll-bridges
taxes......................................................................
Value of gold watches and jewelry of every
kind taxed............................................................
Capital employed in manufactories taxed...........
Pedlars of merchandise licenses...........................

26
5,415
13,779
768,112
........

Keepers of billiard tables and ten-pin alleys, licenses....................................................................
Total amount o f taxable property............... If),5 6 1 ,284
Total amount of State tax.............................
21,159

75
28,904,596
75,174

41,000,556
88,906

BANK CAPITAL, CIRCULATI01V E T C ., IiV T H E U N ITED S T A T E S FO R T E N Y E A R S ,

The following table exhibits the amount of capital, specie, loans, and
the Banks in the United States, for the ten years succeeding 1841:—•
Year.
Capital.
Loans & Dis’ts.
Specie.
1842..........
$260,171,179
§223,957,000
$28,440,000
1843...........
228,861,000
254,544,000
33,515,000
1844 ........
210,S72,000
264,905.000
49.S98.000
1845...........
206,045,000
288,617,000
44,341,000
1846..........
196,894,000
312,114,000
42,032,000
1847..........
203,070,000
310,282,000
35,122,000
1848..........
204,838,600
344,476,000
46,369,000
1849..........
207,309,000
332,323,000
43,619,000
1850...........
.217,317,000
364,204,000
45,379,000
1851...........
229,084,000
412,710,000
51,907,000




circulation of
Circulation.
$83,734,000
58,563,000
75,167,000
89,608,000
105,55*2,000
105,519,000
128,506,000
114,743,000
131,866,000
153,968,000

102

J o u rn a l o f B a n k in g , C u rrency, and F in a n ce.
BANKS OF THE UNITED STATES,

The C ourier and E n q u ir e r gives an abstract of the annual statement of the condi­
tion of the banks of the United States, as communicated to Congress by the Secretary
of the Treasury in August, 1852, at the close of the session. From this table it ap­
pears that there were in January, 1851, 737 banks and 128 branches, making 865
banking institutions, of which returns were received at the Treasury Department:—
Capital..................................................................
Loans and discounts............................................
Stocks..................................................................
Real estate...........................................................
Other investments ............................................
Due by other banks............................................
Notes of other banks..........................................
Specie funds........................................................
S p ecie..................................................................
Circulation..........................................................
D eposits..............................................................
Due other banks..................................................
Other liabilities..................................................

$229,084,496
412,719,315
23,306,847
19,860,396
12,398,898
58,451,212
17,474,843
15,839,025
51,907,591
153,958,388
129,076,082
50,659,090
11,760,905

The annexed table exhibits the leading items in the comparative statistics of the
banks in different sections of the Union which have made returns nearest to January
1st, in the years 1850 and 1851:—
No. of banks.

1850. 1851.
Eastern States___
Middle States.........
Southern States.. .
South-West’n States
"Western States___
Total................

Capital.

1850.

1850.

1851.

297
293
87
73
74

313 $61,882,154 $65,927,783
317 75,933,881 82,852,370
85 38,873,251 39,920,614
73 31,023,258 30,246,191
77
9,604,607 10,137,621

824

864 217,317,211 229,084,496 $364,204,078 $412,710,315

No. o f banks.

1851). 1851.
Eastern States___
297
Middle States........
293
Southern States. . .
87
South-West’n States
73
Western States . . .
74
Total..............

Loans and discounts.

1851.

824

$98,310,700 $108,958,839
149,789,265 169,735,610
50,886,610
60,204,356
44,680,421 49,950,958
20,587,699
23,800,557

Specie.

1850.

313 $4,216,022
317 15,131,603
85 7,378,837
73 14,017,442
77 4,635,441

Circulation.

1851.
$4,660,581
22,770,689
8,940,735
11,314,306
4,255,280

1850.

1851.

$29,090,701 $32,414,891
41,862,315
47,329,993
25,220,724
36,099,024
20,829,540
21,973,160
14,373,246
16,151,320

864 $45,379,345 $51,907,501 $131,366,526 $153,968,383

REVENUE OF VIRGINIA IN 1851-52.
The statement annexed shows the contributions, under the various items, to the rev­
enue of the State of Virginia, for the fiscal year, 1851-2 :—
Taxes on lands, slaves, horses, etc................................................................
Licenses and taxes on collateral inheritances..............................................
Taxes on law processes, seals, wills, etc......................................................
Fees of the State Register............................................................................
Militia fines, commutation fines....................................................................
Storage of tobacco in public warehouses....................................................
Dividends on bank shares owned by the State.........................................
Tax on bank dividends (£ per cent on stock).............................................
Sales of condemned slaves............................................................................
Sales of Penitentiary manufactures..............................................................
Capitation tax on free Negroes....................................................................
Miscellaneous receipts....................................................................................

$621,691
176,130
35,014
6,312
12,023
5,841
191,804
12,295
15,106
6,500
12,153
34,657

Revenue proper...................................................................................

1,129,526




103

J ou rn a l o f B a n k in g , Currency, and F in ance.
REAL AND PERSONAL PRO PERTY IN THE UNITED STATES,

The following table, from the report of the Superintendent of the Census, exhibits
the value of the property assessed in every State and Territory of the Union in 1850:
V A L U A T IO N O F H E A L A N D

P E R S O N A L E S T A T E OF T H E IN H A B IT A N T S
FOR THE

TEAR

States.
Alabama..................................................
Arkansas................................................
California*...................... .....................
Connecticut.............................................
Delaware................................................
Florida.......................
Georgia....................................................
Illin ois.....................................
Indiana.....................................................
Io w a .....................................
Kentucky.....................................
Louisiana................................................
M aine.......................................
Maryland...........................................
Massachusetts........................................
Michigan..................................................
Mississippi...............................................
Missouri..................................................
New Hampshire.................................
New J e rs e y f.........................................
New Y o r k ...............................
North Carolina...........................
O h io.........................................
Pennsylvania.........................................
Rhode Island.............................
South Carolina...........................
Tennessee...................................
Texas ...........................................
Y ermont..................................................
Virginia.......................................
Wisconsin..............................................
Total...........................................

O F T H E U N IT E D STA TE S

1ST, 1850.
Real and personal estate.
True or
Assessed value.
estimated value.
$228,204,332
$219,476,150
39,841,025
36,428,675
22,161,872
22,123,173
155,707,980
119,088,672
18,652,053
17,442,640
22,862,270
22,784,837
835,425,714
335,110,225
156,265.006
114,782,645
202,650,264
152,870,399
23,714,638
21,690,042
301,628,456
291,387,554
233,998,764
220,165,172
96,765,868
122,777.671
219,217,364
208,563,566
573,342,286
546,003,057
69,787,255
30,877,223
228,951,130
208,422,167
98,595,463
137,247,707
103,652,835
92,177.959
200,000,000
190,000,000
1,OSO,309,216
715,369,02S
212,171,413
228,800,472
504,726,120
433,872,632
497,039,649
722,486,120
80,508,794
77,758,974
288,257,694
283,867,709
201,246,686
189,437,623
52,740,473
51,027,456
92,205,049
71,671,651
430,701,082
881,376,660
42,056,595
20,715,525

E N D IN G JU N E

$5,984,964,407

$7,508,126,823

Minnesota, (not returned in full)..........
New Mexico...................
O regon...........................................
Utah............................................

5,174,471
5,063,474
986,083
14,018,874

5,174,471
5,063,474
986,083
14,018,874

District of Columbia.............................

$6,010,207,309

$7,133,369,725

Territories.

BANKS OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.

Three of the Savannah banks have published their semi-annual reports, from which
we learn that their capital, circulation, specie, and loans, are as follows:—
Capital.................................................
Circulation..........................................
Specie...................................................
Loans....................................................
Deposits................................................

Planters’ Bank.

Mechanics’.

Central.

$535,400
1,100,000
222,000
1,425,000
327,000

$500,000
828,000
158,000
1,568,000
411,000

$3,500,000
251,000
105,000
493,000
102,000

* Only thirteen counties in California are returned.
t In New Jersey as the real estate only was returned, the above is partly estimated.




104

Journal o f B anking, Currency, and Finance.
BANKS ORGANIZED UNDER F R E E BANKING LAW OF CONNECTICUT.

Under tbe Free Banking Law of Connecticut, passed June, 1852, it appears that
three new banks have been organized :—
The Uncas Bank of Norwich, with a capital of §100,000; the Bank of Hartford
County, with a capital of §200,000; the Bank of Commerce, New London, with a
capital of §50,000. All of these banks have a provision for a further increase of
capital at some future period. There is in contemplation a bank at Westport, another
in New Milford, and one in Litchfield or Winsted. By the recent bank law in Connec­
ticut, the stocks of the cities of Hartford, New London, Norwich, and Boston, as well
as of the States of Virginia and Kentucky, are receivable by the treasurer as collaterals
for bank issues.
The Bunk of Hartford County has adopted the Atwater patent in its bills, by which
the denomination is ascertained in addition to the usual figures, <fcc., adopted by the
engraver. Mr. Atwater’s plan is to manufacture the bank-note paper in such a way
that no alteration can be made from a low to a higher denomination. He introduces
borders on the ends of the notes, in addition to the figures which indicate its value, a
single border for a one-dollar b ill; two borders for two dollars, and five borders for
five dollars. These are inserted on the left hand of the note. For the ten-dollar notes,
a single border is introduced on the right hand ; two borders for a twenty-dollar bill.
These various borders change the positions of the names of the president and cashier,
and al.-o of other portions of the bank note, so that the general appearance of each
denomination is entirely different from any other.
EXPIRATION OF BANK CHARTERS IN NEW YORK.

The charters of the following banks in the State of New York will expire on the
1st January next, and it is supposed that they will all resume business, under the gen­
eral banking law. Those marked with a star have already given notice to this effect.
Banks.
Bank of Geneva*.....................
Bank of Troy...........................
Farmers’ Bank, Troy...............
Mechanics & Farmers’, Alb’y*.
Catskill Bank*.........................
Mohawk Bank, Schenectady*..
Butchers <£; DrovV Bk., N. Y *.
Bank of America, N. Y * ........
Bank of New Y ork*...............
Union Bank, N. Y * .................
Total.............................

Date of
Charter.
April. 1829
(«
«
H
«
“
Feb.
Jan.
Feb.

U
<•'
«
U
1830
1831
“

Capital
Circulation
Authoi ized. Sept. 1H52.
$422,000
$312,000
440,000
174,000
278,010
181,000
442,000
194,000
113,000
125,000
165,000
72,000
500,000
282,000
2,001,200
250,000
1,000,000
457,000
1,000,000
403,000

Loans.
Sept. J852.
$550,000
896,000
645,000
1,108,000
173 000
210,000
1,554,000
4,900 000
2,870,000
2,872,000

$6,373,200 $2,438,000

$15,778,000

THE ENGLISH EXCHEQUER,

The Chancellor of the British Exchequer frequently receives anonymous communi­
cations, accompanied by small sums of money. These are made generally by parties
who have defrauded the revenue, and whose consciences prompted a remuneration for
the loss, or else by simple-minded people, who hope thereby to lessen the burden of
the public debt. Among the last acknowledgements of this nature, is the following,
in October last, which we find in the L on d on T im es :—
“ The Chancellor of the Exchequer begs to inform ‘ X. Z.’ that the half of a Bank
of England note for £50, no. 16,207, has been received. ‘ A. B. S.’ is informed that
£ 5 8s. has been received. The halves of two Bank of England notes for £5 have
been received from ‘ I ate, but not too Late.’ The Chancellor of the Exchequer also
acknowledges the receipt of a Bank of England note for £5, and £ i 13s., on account
of income tax not applied for, from ‘ H. D. R.’ The Chancellor of the Exchequer ac­
knowledges the receipt of a Bank of England note for £5, no. 83,061, from ‘ Z.’ The
first half of £17 has been received from ‘ M B.’ ”




105

J ou rn a l o f B an k in g, Currency, and Finance.
NEW YORK CITY TAX FOR 1S53.

The corrected estimate of the tax levy for the city of New York, as reported by
the Finance Committee to the Board of Aldermen, proposes for the year 1853, for the
expenditures of the city government, exclusive of “ police ” and “ lamps and gas,"
§2,814,938, an increase over the estimate of 1852, of §15,650 60.
The amount required for “ police” is $615,000, which is an excess over the estimate
of 1852, of §75,000. The amount required for “ lamps and g'as” is §300,000, which
is an increase of §100,000 over 1852.
Tile whole amount for city and county purposes, for which application must be
made to the Legislature for authority to levy, is §3,229,938, and the whole amount of
tax levy for 1853 for city, county, and State is §4,921,802 79, which is an increase of
§1,541,291 74 over the fax levy o f 1852.
The sum of §794,706 88 is included in the estimate of the tax levy of 1853, for
educational purposes— §569,036 08 for the city and §225,670 80 for the State at
large. These amounts are required by laws over which the Common Council have no
control.
In the above amount of excess of the tax levy for 1853 over 1852 is included the
sum of §742,157 91 for deficiency of taxation of 1852, and the amount required to
meet the expenditures for “ docks and slips” and “ Croton water pipes,” which were
not included in the tax levy o f 1S51 and 1S52, being provided for by the issue of
stock.
Among the items composing the excess of tax levy of 1852, are the following
Cleaning streets.....................
Lamps and gas........................
Police.......................................

§109,000
69,700
75,000

Real estate*...........................
Rus3 pavem ent...................
Docks and slips.....................

§142,000
115,000
120,000

FINANCES OF ALABAMA.

The following statement shows the receipts and expenditures of the State of Ala­
bama, for tlie fiscal year ending November 1, 1852 :—
E XPE N SE S.

T a x ................
Miscellaneous..

§513,711 25 Bank trustees....................
§387,107
85,876 60 Railroad.............................
22,290
Slaves executed.................
5,724
Total........
598 587 85 Other items.......................
250,094
823,741 05
On hand, 1851..
§665,215
Total..
§1,423,328 90
On hand November, 1852....................
§743,557 74

00
00
00
00
00

NEW BANKS CHARTERED IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

Eight banks have been incorporated by the Legislature of South Carolina, as fol­
lows :—
The People’s Bank of Charleston............................................
The Farmers and Mechanics’ Bank o f Charleston.................
The Exchange Bank of Columbia............................................
The Bank of Sumpter................................................................
The Bank of Andt-rson...............................................................
The Bank of. N ew berry................................................
The Bank o f Winsboro’ ............................................................
The Bank of Chester..................................................................

§1,000,000
1,000,000
500,000
300,000
200,000
200,000
200,000
200,000

* 103,450 of this amount was expended for the purchase of land on Ward’s Island for a City
Cemetery.




106

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.
CAPITAL AND DIVIDENDS OF BANKS IN PHILADELPHIA.

The Philadelphia banks made in November, 1852, the following semi-annual divi­
dends. The list includes all except the Banks of Pennsylvania and North America,
which declare in January and July, instead of May and November:—
Amount.
Price.
Div.
Banks.
Capital.
Par.
$69,000
6
Philadelphia...........................
$1,150,000
$100 00 $148 00
62,500
5
Farmers and Mechanics’ ........
1,250,000
73 00
50 00
37,500
3
13 75
G irard.....................................
1,250,000
12 50
50,000
5
65 00
Commercial.............................
1,000,000
60 00
48,000
6
32 25
Mechanics’ ................................
800,000
20 00
40,000
8
Western...................................
600,000
72 50
50 00
17,500
5
Northern Liberties..................
350,000
80 00
35 00
12,000
4
Manufacturers & Mechanics’..
300,000
30 00
25 00
12,500
5
Southwark...............................
250,000
75 00
60 00
17,500
7
Kensington.............................
250,000
69 00
50 00
12,500
5
Bank o f Com merce...............
250,000
50 00
71 00
11,250
5
33 00
Penn Township.......................
225,000
22 50
6,000
4
68 00
Tradesmen's............................
150,000
50 00
Total...........................

$396,250

$7,175,000

PRODUCTION OF GOLD IN AUSTRALIA.

The actual production of the precious metal of this new and wonderful gold field
has thus far proved fully up to the wildest calculations entered into last spring. The
ascertained yield of the Melbourne Mines to the 31st July, amounted to fifty-three
tons weight, or in exact Federal value, to $25,312,800! And at the Sydney Mines to
$12,500,000. A further sum of $5,000,000 is set down to Adelaide, South Australia,
though thence taken, for the most part, by miners from the Melbourne District, The
aggregate, therefore, stands thus:—
53
$25,312,800
A t Melbourne................................... tons
A t S ydney...............................................
26
12,500,000
A t Adelaide..............................................
11
6,000,000
Grand total...................................

90

$42,812,800

DEBT OF THE CITY OF ST , LOUIS, MISSOURI.

The debt of the city of St. Louis is $2,15S,09G, payable as specified in the following
table. Tire yearly interest is $128,000, or a little more than an average of six per
cent per annum:—
1852.............
1853.............
1S54.............
1S55.............
1856.............
1857.............
1858.............
1859.............
1860.............
1861.............

$29,000
43.SOO
6,200
43,700
38,400
28,000
33,200
34,896
22,200
20J

1862...........
1863...........
1864...........
1S65...........
1866...........
1867...........
1868...........
1870...........
1871...........
1872...........

$90,000
4,000
75,000
95,500
70,000
70,000
100,000
200,000
467,000
403,000

1873..........
1874..........
1876..........
1877..........
1990..........
1895..........

$40,000
54,000
70,000
66,000
25,000
50,000

Total........ . . . $2,158,096

BANK OF GALENA.

W e learn from the N o r th -W e s ter n Gazette, published at Galena, (Illinois,) that Henry
Corwilh and Nathan Corwith, of Galena, have associated themselves together for the
purpose of forming a banking company under the provisions of the general banking
law, and have given their institution the name of “ B a n k of G ale n a ,” Capital stock




10 7

R ailroad, Canal, anr? Steamboat Statistics.

five hundred thousand dollars, divided into shares of $100 each. The company was
formed on the 11th day of December, 1852, and is to continue until the 10th day of
December, 1877. This step is one which has been frequently called for by the public.
The well known character which these gentlemen possess, for integrity, responsibility,
and correct business qualities, will be sure guaranty, even if there were no other,
that the bills of the bank will be as good as specie.

R A ILR O A D , CANAL, AND STEAMBOAT STATISTICS.
THE RAILROADS OF THE UNITED STATES.
P R E P A R E D E X P R E S S L Y F O R T IIE M E R C H A N T S ’ M A G A Z IN E B Y D A V ID M . B A L F O U R , ESQ.

The number of miles o f railway now in operation upon the surface of the globe is
29,606; of which 15,436 miles are situated in the Eastern Hemisphere, and 14,170
are in the Western, and which arc distributed as follows:—
In the United States.. . .miles
In the British Provinces..........
In the Island of Cuba..............
In Panama.................................
In South America....................
In Great Britain........................
In Germany...............................

13,586
173
359
22
30
6,976
5,340

In France...................................
In Belgium ...............................
In Russia....................................
In Sweden........ .....................
In Ita ly ......................................
In S p ain ....................................
In India......................

1,831
532
422
75
170
60
30

The longest railway in the world is the New York and Erie, which is 467 miles in
length.
The total number of railways in the United States, in operation and in course of
construction, is 372, constructed at a cost of $400,713,907. For their names, locality,
length, and cost, we refer to the annexed list:—
M A IN E .

No. o f
No. o f
miles in miles in
operation, course o f

When opened throughout. including construe
Cost.
branches. tion.
15,
1852.
36
Androscoggin..............................
$1,000,000
1,1850.
55
Androscoggin and Kennebec . .
1,621,878
30,
1852.
149
4,242,823
Atlantic and St. Lawrence........
12
10,1836.
350,000
Bangor and Piscataqua.............
..
5,1848.
10
370,000
Buckfield Branch.......................
20,1852.
6
100,000
Calais and B arin g.....................
9
25, 1851.
Franklin.....................................
270,000
69
Portland and Kennebec............ ..November 1, 1852.
1,000,000
52
Portland, Saco, & Portsmouth...
22, 1842.
1,301,883
York and Cumberland...............
19
34
449,425
56
Name.

..September
..December
..November
..December
“
“

NEW

H A M P S H IR E .

Ashuelot...................................... .December
Boston, Concord & M ontreal...
Cheshire..................................... . .November
Cochecho..................................... ..October
Concord............................... . . . ..November
Concord and Claremont............
Contocook Valley....................... ..December
Great Falls................................. ..October
Great Falls and Conway.......... ..November
Manchester and Lawrence . . . . .December
New Hampshire Central........... ..October




31, 1850.
20, 1849.
15,1849.
10,1846.
5,1850.
1,1843.
30, 1849.
19, 1849.
14,1851.

24
76
54
18
35
26
14
3
13
26
26

iv

24

496,985
1,567,073
2,584,143
600,000
1,385.788
618,407
219,450
60,000
300,000
717,543
600,000

108

R a ilroa d , Canal, and S team boat S tatistics.

Name.

No. of
No. of
miles in miles in
operation, course of
Cost.
When opened throughout. including construc­
branches. tion.
82
$3,016,634
.November 9,1849.
.August
23, 1852.
40
1,400,000
.December 4, 1850.
25
673,500
.September 29, 1851.
600,000
18
VERM ONT.

Benington Branch.................
Connecticut and Passumpsic.
Rutland and Burlington . . . .
Rutland and Washington . . .
Vermont and Canada...........

.November
.October
. December
.November
. December
■June

30;1851.
31, 1851.
15, 1850.
1,1849.
20, 1851.
25, 1852.

61
119
12
38
115
24
53

6
53

1,500,000
3,430,599
250,000
1,200,000
5.735.596
1,000,000
2,000,000

M A S SA C H U SE T T S .

.December
.June
■July
■June
••!uly
■January
. December
.November
■May
.November
. March
Fall River........ .
Fitchburg........
Fitchburg and V
Grand Junction
Lowell and Lawrence.

Providence and Worcester..
Salem and L ow ell...............
Saugus Branch.................
South Reading Branch
South Shore..........................
Stockbridge and Pittslield .

.March
. February

1, 1842.
24,1835.
24, 1843.
11, 1835.
3,1835.
31, 1848.
15, 1852.
1, 1847
1, 1847.
9, 1840.
1, 1S49.
9, 1845.
5,1845.
11, 1850.

. December
September
•July
.October
■July
■May
. April
■November
. February
. October
.
“
. August

31, 1849.
1,1846.
1, 1848.
8, 1838.
2, 1840.
23, 1850.
23, 1849.
10, 1845.
5, 1848.
8, 1846.
20, 1847.
5, 1850.

■September 1, 1850.
.January
1, 1849.
.
“
1, 1850.
■July
1, 1818.
. April
7, 1845.
■August
8, 1834.

Troy and Greenfield ,
.February
.December
.November
. December

20,
21,
30,
15,

1849.
1841.
1848.
1848.

R H O D E IS L A N D .

Providence and Stonington.




21
28
83
53
68
29
12
52
3
75
21
42
69
14
7
1
7
12
15
21
15
26
45
14
18
43
17
9
8
11
22
13
4
12
31
77
156
3
46

36

600,000
1,945,647
4.090,452
3,469,599
4,862,748
633,677
400,000
1,801,592
129,390
3,632,340
602,136
1,050,000
3,612.487
305,410
919,397
25,701
240,368
343,467
651,215
510,263
200,000
1,213,452
2,293,535
204,115
443,678
1,820,065
343,221
175,000
293,760
427,689
448,700
265,762
93,433
307,136
700,000
3,450,005
9,953,759
41,516
1,309,564

'

■November 10, 1837

50

..

2,614,484

109

R a ilro a d , Canal, and Steam boat Statistics.
CONN ECTICU T.

No. of
No. of
miles in miles in
operation, course <f
Name.
When opened throughout. including construebrunches. tion.
Collinsville Branch..................... . December 81, 1851.
ii
Danbury.......................................
28, 1852.
22
Hartford, Providence &. Fishkill .October
81, 1S50.
51
Housatonic................................
12, 1840.
110
Housatonic Branch.....................
31, 1850.
11
Middletown Branch...................
30, 1861.
10
Naugatuck...................................
31, 1840.
62
New Haven and Hartford . . . .
30. 1841.
62
New Haven and New London.. .June
20, 1852.
55
New Haven and New Y o r k ....
81, 1840.
76
New Haven and Northampton. .November 30, 1830.
45
New London, Willimantic, and
Palm er..................................... .September 1, 1850.
66
10
Norwich and Worcester............. .February 29, 1840.
66

Cost.
$275,000
500,000
1.313,819
2,500,000
275,000
250,000
1,368.152
1,650,000
1,700,000
3,700 085
1,500,000
1,450,411
2,598,514

NEW YORK.

Albany and Schenectady............ •September 24, 1831.

17

Buffalo and Black R o c k ...........
81, 1836.
Buffalo and Conhocton Valiev..
Buffalo and Niagara Falls........
81, 1837.
Buffalo and Rochester................. .December 20, 1842.
Buffalo and State Line................ . February 23, 1852.
Canandaigua and Jefferson........ .September 15, 1851.

3
45
22

1,740,450
153
88

76

69
47

25.000
1,400,000
440,219
2.268,976
2,000,000
883,364

92
Cay uga and Susquehanna........
Chemung.....................................

15, 1844.
25, 1848.

35
17

617,313
4.90,000
49
50

IJornellsville and Attica............. .January
28, 1852.
Hudson and Berkshire................. .December 10, 1841.'
Hudson River...............................
1, 1851.

60
32
144

2,000.000
823.331
10,345,805
80
50

Lewiston..................................... .November 10, 1840.
5, 1844.
Long Island................................. . August

10
95

120,000
2,339,989
78

Newburg Branch.......................... . December
New York and Erie...................
New York and Harlem.............. •January
Northern, (Albany)......................
Northern, (Ogdeusburg)...........
Oswego and Syracuse.................. . December

31, 1848.
15, 1851.
19, 1852.

19
464
131

1, 1850.
31, 1835.

118
35

Rensselaer and Saratoga............. .November 25, 1886.
Rochester and Buffalo................. . December 81, 1852.
Rochester, Lockport, and Niagara
Falls ....................................... •July
1, 1852.

25
35

It

21

500,000
23,580,000
4,873.319
330,000
5,250,000
588,678

83
723.565
1,000,000

76

1,375,000
7

Rochester and Syracuse............. .June
Rome, Watertown & St. Vincent. August
Sackett’s Harbor and Ellisburg.. . December
Saratoga and Schenectady.......... . November
Saratoga and Washington........ . October
Schenectady and T r o y ............... . December
Skaneafeles and Jordan .............
Syracuse aud Bingamton...........




1,
19,
31,
30,
24,
20,
24,

1839.
1S51.
1852.
1832.
1845.
1842^
1846;

104
96
17
22
52
20
5
..

4.861,362
2,0O«\000
500,000
462.131.
1,889,800
681,047
28,361
34
80

HO

R a ilr o a d , Canal , and Steam boat S tatistics.
No. o f

Name.
Syracuse and Utica.............
Troy and Bennington..........
Troy and Green bush...........
Troy and Rutland................
Utica and Binghamton........
Utica and Schenectady.. . .

N o .o f

miles in miles in
operation, course of
When opened throughout. including construcCost.
brauches. tion.
3,1839.
53
$2,570,982
16, 1852.
35
700,000
6
294,731
13. 1845.
......... “
55
28, 1852.
1,200,000
60
78
3,*9*71,156
1, 1836.
P E N N S Y L V A N IA .
9

Alleghany P ortage......................November SO, 1833.
Beaver Meadow............................ October
31, 1837.
Beaver Meadow and Branches.. .December 20, 1837.
Blairsville Branch........................November 25, 1851.
Carbonsdale and Honesdale.........October
24, 1837.
Chesnut Hill and D oylestow n.........................................
Chester Valley ..................................................................
Columbia......................................... December 31,1846.
Corning and Blossburg.................November 15,1840.
Cumberland Valley, (including
14, 1840.
York and Cumberland..............October
Danville and Pottsville.................December 16, 1S32.
Danville and Sliamokin.....................................................
Erie and Ashtabula...................... November 30, 1852.
Franklin.........................................October
10, 1840.
Germantown Branch....................December
5, 1840.
Harrisburg and Lancaster............November 30, 1846.
Hazelton and Lehigh....................December
6, 1840.
Hempfield.............................................................................
Holidaysburg Branch..........................................................
j roD.................................................. December 81, 1852.
Lackawanna and W estern.......... October
13, 1851.
Lebanon Valley...................................................................
Lehigh and Susquehanna............December
1, 1840.
Little Schuylkill............................ November
2, 1831.
Little Schuylkill & Susquehanna.....................................
Lykens V alley................................December 81, 1837.
Mahonoy and Wisconisco............. November 30, 1850.
Maunch Chaunk and Branches.. .June
17, 1827.
81, 1832.
Mill C reek ..................................... October
Mine H ill.......................................December 26, 1836.
Mount Carbon...............................November 24, 1830.
Nesquehoning.................................December 19, 1840.
Norristown, Doylestown and New
H ope.................................................................................
North East.....................................January
1, 1852.
Pennsylvania................................... November 13, 1852.
Philadelphia City...............................
“ 21,1840.
Philadelphia and Columbia........... September 20, 1832.
Philadelphia and Reading............December 31, 1840.
Philadelphia, Germantown, and
Norristown..................................November 30,1832.
Philadelphia and Trenton............October
81, 1833.
Philadelphia and West Chester. .December 26, 1850.
Philadelphia, Wilmington, & Bal­
timore.......................................... July
19,1837.
Pine Grove......................................November 16, 1832.
Pittsburg and E rie.............................................................
Pittsburg and Steubenville..
..................................
Room Rum..................................... October
31,1836.
Schuylkill....................................... December 31,1832.




28
26
12
3
21
15
10
38
40

13

700.000
150.000
100.000
50,000
600,000
300.000
1,500,000
800.000
600,000
1,205,822
800,000

77
44
20
40
22
6
25
10

1,200,000
500.000
200.000
1,000,000
80,000
82
6

25
68

500,000
1, 000,000
56

20
20
28
16
17
25
9
12
7
5

86

1,250,000
326,500
600,000
170.000
180.000
300.000
180.000
896,117
70.000
50.000

28
23
228
6
82
92

500.000
7,978,090
300.000
4,204,969
16,649,515

17
30
21

550.000
500.000
600.000

98
4

6,421,229
40,000
141
35

6
13

40,000
260,000

Ill

Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

No. of
No. of
miles in miles in
operation, course of
Name.
When opened throughout. including construebranches. tion.
Schuylkill Valley & Branches.. ..Novem ber 80,1832.
23
Strasburg .................................
7
Sunbury and E r ie .....................
35
Sunbury and Pottsville.............
40
Sunbury and Shamokin............
20
Susquehanna .............................
52
Trenton Branch ......................... . .December 24, 1840.
6
Trevorton and Mahonoy............
15
Valley...........................
20
West Chester..............................
9
Williamsport and Elmira.........
25
35
York and Wrightsville............
13
••

Cost.
$300,000
150,000

180,000
160,000
250,000
700,000
400,000

NEW JERSEY.
Belvidere and Delaware........
Burlington and Mount Holly..

34
6

Camden and Amboy................ ...J u ly
0,1831.
Camden and Amboy Branch . ...N ovem ber 30, 1840.
Camden and W oodbury........
Morris and Essex.....................
New J e rs e y .............................
New Jersey Central.................
Paterson.....................................
Ilamapo.....................................

90
26
9
44
31
75
17
16

29

700,000
75,000

60
3,200,000
520,000
100,000
400,000
680,000
• 2,744,540
500,000
470,000

DELAWARE.
43
New Castle and Frenchtown . . . .September 20, 1832.

16

600,000

21
421
85

400,000
18,071,900
3,370,282

M ARYLAND.

Annapolis and Elkridge.........
Baltimore ami Ohio.................
Baltimore and Susquehanna..
V I R G IN IA .

Alexandria and Orange...........
Appomatox..............................

50

48

9

Central......................................
Chesterfield...............................
Clover Hill..... ..........................
Greenfield and Roanoke........

105

1,000,000
200,000

17
90

12
11

1,600,000
150,000

220,000

21

284,438
100

Petersburg and W eldon ......... ...O ctob er
Richmond and D anville........
Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac.....................................
Richmond and Petersburg . . .
“
Seaboard and Roanoke...........
South Side R ailw ay...............
Tuckahoe and James River ..
Winchester and Potomac . . . .

31,1833.

60
46

20,1810.

101

76
22
80
39

10
83

5
32

946,721
1,009,000
1,509,271
875,405
1,454,171
800,000
100,000
400,415

N O R T H C A R O L IN A .

Gaston and Raleigh.............. .
North Carolina....................... .
"Wilmington and Weldon.......




87

1,606,000
223

162

2,500,000

11 2

Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.
SOUTH CAROLINA.

No. of
No. of
miles in miles in
operation, course of
Name.
When opened throughout. including construcbranches. tion.
Charlotte and South Carolina.. ..J u ly
112
15,1852.
Greenville and Columbia...........
103
61
King’s Mountain......................... ..October
31,1851.
25
8
23
241
South Carolina............................
2, 1S33.
66
Wilmington and Winchester.. .
76
86

Cost.
$983,415
2,000,000
500.000
160.000
5,943,678
1,500,000

G E O R G IA .

Atalanta and West Point..........
Athens Branch...........................

31, 1S40.

30
39

Central.......................................

30, 1843.

15
190

Georgia........................................
Macon and Western...................
Miiledgevillc...............................

13, 1843.
26, 1844.
24, 1851.

Rome............................................
South-Western...........................
Western and Atlantic...............

23, 1S50.
20, 1851.
19, 1850.

57

500,000
800,000

130
38

300,000
4,000’000

22
175
103
18
25
18
51
140

3,100,000
1,279,000
350,000
500,000
200,000
1,000,000
3,000,000

..
..
46
..
18

F L O R ID A .

St. Joseph’s.................................
Tallahassee and St. Mark’s ___

31, 1S47.
30, 1846.

28
26

##

130,000
120,000

ALABAM A.

90
200
220
185
Montgomery and West Poin t.. .December 31,1851.

89

1,286,208
250

Tuscumbia and D ecatur.............

SO, 1832.

46

650,000

M I S S IS S IP P I.

Mobile and Ohio...........................
Ravim n d ...................................
31,1851.
Vicksburg, Jackson & Brandon .November 30, 1846.

33
7
60

30
461

.

..

700,000
120,000
950,000

••

60,000
200,000
60,01)0
175,000
468,000
168,000

L O U IS IA N A .

Carrol ton.......................................
Clinton and Port H udson..........
Lake Ponchartrain.......................
Mexican Gulf.................. ...........
St. Francisvilie and Woodville.
West Feliciana.............................

.December
.November
.April
.October
. April
.December

31,
30,
16,
81,
15,
26,

1851.
1850.
1881.
1850.
1831.
1848.

6
24
6
27
28
26

TEXAS.

Harrisburg and B razos...............

*72
T E N N E SS E E .

Alabama and Tennessee.............
Atalanta and Lagrange............... .December 31, 1S52.




55
40

112
...

1,200,000
800,000

R a ilroa d , Canal, and Steam boat S tatistics.

Name.

When opened throughout.

Chatanooga ami Nashville................................................
Cleveland and Chatanooga.................................................
East Tennessee and Georgia..............................................
East Tennessee and Virginia............................................
Memphis and Lagrange....................................................
Nashville and Mississippi...................................................
Raeburn G a p .......................................................................
Winchester and Hunterville.............................................

113

No. of
No. ot
miles in miles in
operation,, course of
including construelion.
branches.

53
81
50

.,

..

109
30
29
159
50
150
170
60

Cost.

1,000,000
1,800,000
1,000,000

KENTUCKY.

Chatanooga and Louisville................................................
Covington and Lexington.......... ........................................
Lexington and Frankfort...............December 31, 1810.
Louisville and Danville......................................................
Louisville and Frankfort...............November 80, 1851.
Louisville and Jeffersonville..............................................
Maysville and Big Sandy...................................................
Maysville and Danville......................................................

ISO
90
28

551,226
66

1, 200,000

65

..

90
110

omo.
Belfontaine and Indiana.....................................................
Central...............................................................................
Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton.. .September 80, 1851.
Cincinnati and Hillsboro’ ...............October
15, 1852.
Cincinnati and M arietta....................................................
Cincinnati, Wilmington and Zanes­
ville....................................................................................
Cincinnati, Columbus & Cleveland.April
1, 1851.
Cleveland and Erie........................ November 10, 1852.
Cleveland and Mahoning....................................................
Cleveland, Norwalk & Toledo . . .December 81, 1852.
Cleveland and Pittsburg....................................................
81, 1852.
Columbus and Newark..................October
Columbus and Piqua..........................................................
Columbus and Springfield.......... December 80, 1852.
Columbus and Xenia.................... February 28, 1850.
Dayton and Michigan........................................................
Dayton and Richm ond.................November 30, 1852.
Dayton and Springfield............... December 26, 1851.
Dayton and Xenia..............................................................
Findlay........................................... November 24, 1851.
Greenfield and Miami................... October
20, 1852.
Hamilton, Eaton & Richmond . . .December 15, 1852.
Ironton.......................................... November 16, 1S52.
Junction...............................................................................
15,1847.
Little Miami.................................. October
Mad River and Lake Erie........... December 10, 1847.
Newark and Mansfield................November 11, 1851.
9, 1852.
Newark and Zanesville.................. October
Ohio and Indiana................................................................
Ohio and Pennsylvania.......................................................
Sandusky and Mansfield..............September 17,1851.
Scioto and Hocking Valley................................................
Springfield and Mansfield..................................................
Springfield, Mount Vernon, and
Pittsburg..........................................................................
Springfield and Xenia................. November 19, 1852.
Steubenville and Indiana
W estern...........................
VOL. XXVIII.— NO. I.
8




35
28
60
37
33

91
109
112

700.000
560.000
2,145,595
740.000
351,482

125
135
71

..

3,025,888
1,500,000

100
87
88
36

,.

32

1,800,000
1,800,000
720,000

78
65
54
5
50
24

1,300,000
1,194,074
100,000
1,000,000
500,000
15

16
37
44
20
12
84
134
60
30
132
66
12

,.
..
54

132
53
38
72

200,000
740.000
713,103
400.000
240.000
1,508,402
1,754,260
1, 200,000
600.000
2.700.000
1.600.000
240,000

115
20

,.

400,000
149
37

114

R a ilroa d , Canal , and Steam boat S tatistics.
M IC H IG A N .

No. of
No. of
miles in miles in
operation, course of
Cost.
Name.
When opened throughout. including construebranches. tion.
8,553,547
228
Central........................................... December 31, 1851.
.,
300,000
Detroit and Pontiac.......................November 30, 1840.
25
350,000
Erie and Kalamazoo.....................October
31, 1840.
33
2,378,082
Southern......................................... September 30, 1851.
' 188
IN D IA N A .

Central................................................................................ „
Evansville and Terre Haute..............................................
Fort Wayne and Munsie....................... *..........................
Indianapolis and Belfontain..............................................
Indianapolis and Lafayette...........November 30, 1852.
Indianapolis and Lawrenceburg........................................
Indianapolis and Madison............. December 31, 1848.
Indianapolis and Peru........................................................
Indianapolis and Terre Haute... .February 16, 1852.
Jeffersonville and Columbus . . . .October
9, 1852.
Junction.................................................................. ............
Martinsville and Franklin............ December 24, 1852.
New Albany aud Salem.....................................................
Northern.......................................... November 26, 1851.
Ohio and Mississippi...........................................................
Richmond and Logansport.................................................
Shelbyville and Odinburg............ October
24, 1850.
Shelbyville and Kniglitstown.. . .December 20, 1851.
Shelbyville and Rushville........... November 19, 1851.

27
55
62
63
86
30
72
66

72
84
60
28
28
43

..

540,000
1,269,562
1,000,000
1,200,000
2,000,000
500,000
1,500,000
1,300,000

38
25
83
58

202

500,000
1,700,000
1,200,000

336
96
16
27
20

..

320,000
540,000
400,000

IL L IN O IS .

Alton and Jacksonville.......................................................
Alton and New A lb a n y ....................................................
Alton and Springfield...................September 9, 1852.
Alton and Terre Haute......................................................
Aurora Branch....................................................................
Belleville and Illinoistown.................................................
Central.................................................................................
Galena and Chicago Union...............................................
Illinois and Wisconsin........................................................
Northern Cross— Eastern Exten­
sion....................................................................................
Northern Cross— Western Exten­
sion ...................................................................................
O’Fallon and Coal Bluff................ December 31,1840.
Peoria and O cquaka..................................... ....................
Peoria and Warsaw............................................................
Rock Island and Chicago ..................................................
St. Charles Branch......................... November 26, 1850.
Sangamon and Morgan.................. October
20, 1851.
Springfield and Bloomington............................................

65
175
1,600,000

78

..
20

..
..
87

192
35
14
699
188
55

400,000
2,000,000

30
15
7
84
8
56

21
90
120
26

..

300,000
140,000
1,700,000
160,000
1,000,000

60

M IS S O U R I.

Hannibal and St. Joseph....................................................
Pacific....................................................................................

210
39

IO W A .

Dubuque and Keokuck

180
W IS C O N S IN .

Jamesville and Fond du Lac .
Milwaukee and Mississippi.. .
Rock River and Valley Union




20

150
86

400,000

...........

115

R a ilro a d , Canal , and Steam boat S tatistics.
R E C A P IT U L A T IO N .

No. of

No. of

railways., No. of miles in
including miles in course of
branches, opera’n., construc’n.

States.

M aine...........................
New Hampshire..........
Vermont.......................
Massachusetts...............
Rhode Island...............
Connecticut..................
New Y o r k ...................
New Jersey.................
Pennsylvania................
Delaware.....................
Maryland.....................
Virginia.....................
North Carolina.............
South Carolina.............
Georgia.........................
Florida.........................
Alabama.......................
Mississippi....................
Louisiana......................
Tennessee.....................
Kentucky................ ...
O h io .............................
Michigan.......................
Indiana.........................
Illinois..........................

...........

8

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

1
14

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

59
2
3
16

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

7
14

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

7
4

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

1
10

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

8

...........

4

...........

18
9
1

...........
Wisconsin....................

417
4S0
422
1,203
50
647
2,129
348
1,379
16
527
568
249
565
804
54
135
100
117
279
93
1,465
474
690
355
20

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

90
41
59
36
..
10
925
89
669
43
449
223
236
311
945
491
72
8G9
536
1,312

5,800,000
1,751,226
27,732,804
11,581,629
13,969,562
7,300,000

...

9S7
1,770
249
180
236

13,586 10,828

Cost.

$10,706,009
14,739,523
15,116,195
53,870,279
2,614,484
19,080,981
82,874,529
9,389,540
55,492,242
600,000
21,855,182
10,540,421
4,106,000
11,087,093
15,029,000
250,000
1,936,208
1,770,000
1,131,000

400,000
$400,713,907

CINCINNATI, HAMILTON, AND DAYTON RAILROAD.

The following statement of the monthly earnings of the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and
Dayton Kailroad, for the first year of its operations, has been obtained from the Se­
cretary o f the company. It will be seen that nearly all the business of this road so
far is lo ca l; and that has nearly doubled within the year.
The earnings of October, 1852, were over thirty thousand dollars. The travel du­
ring the past two weeks, however, has somewhat fallen off, owing, doubtless, in a great
measure to unpleasant weather. The earnings of the month will probably not vary
much from the last.
E A R N IN G S OF C IN C IN N A T I, H A M IL T O N , A N D D A T T O N R A I L R O A D C O M P A N Y F O R T W E L V E M O N TH S

30, 1852.
No. of
Passenger
passengers. earnings.
18,186
$16,306
13,716
11,832
14,493
11,445
11,401
8,736
12,311
9,893
16,265
13,557
17,088
14,314
18,096
15,386
19,389
16,316
22,581
17,768
19,733
15,458
20,981
16,943

E N D IN G S E P T E M B E R

October, 1851.
November___
December___
January, 1852
February........
March..............
April .............
M ay................
J u n e...............
J u ly................
August............
September.. . .
Total




204,198

$167,950

Freight
earnings. Total.
$532
$16,838
608
12,441
4,888
16,334
6,008
14,745
4,377
14,270
5,509
19,067
6,166
20,481
7,314
22,781
7,781
24,096
8,532
26,301
9,552
26,011
12,194
29,138
$73,467

$241,427

116

R a ilroa d , Canal , an d Steam boat S tatistics.
CANAL COMMERCE AT ROCHESTER, NEW YORK,

The Rochester A m erican gives the annexed statement of property left and first
cleared from Rochester on the Erie and Genesee Valley Canals, during the season of
1852, showing the quantity and estimate of value of each article:—
. ,------------------L E F T . - - ------------ ,

Quantity.
Ashes......................... bbls.
33
P o r k .................................
1,413
Beef...................................
908
Plour..................................
15,285
1,065
Corn meal.........................
Lumber........................ feet
19,110,838
Shingles.........................M.
6,066
332.091
T im ber.............cubic feet
AYood.........................cords
14,814
Staves............................lbs.
3,355,329
Bacon.................................
54,624
Cheese .............................
139,330
Butter.................................
86,115
Lard, tallow, ifee...............
95,944
W ool................................
252,241
H ides................................. ,
59,896
Bran and ship-stuffe.........
311,348
Dried fru it.......................
12,814
Unmanufactured tobacco.
254,618
H e m p ...................
30,000
Clover and grass seed... .
84,939
Flaxseed................
202,200
H o p s .....................
20,909
31,185
Leather.................
Oil meal and cake............
.............
Furniture.................
334,359
L e a d .....................
68,644
Pig-iron..................
1,116,315
Bloom and bar iron...........
65S,481
Castings and ironware.. .
843,190
1,866
Fur and peltry.....
Domestic cotton...............
2,190
4,033,116
Domestic salt...................
Foreign s a lt .........
11,516
Sugar.....................
4,693,991
Molasses...............
2,099,686
C offee....................
428,S98
Hails and spikes...
1,146,429
Iron and steel...................
2,283,618
Railroad ir o n ...................
1,309,851
Crockery, & c .........•...........
681,020
A ll other merchandise...
12,151,651
Stone and lime.................
6,406,661
G ypsu m ...............
1,139,145
26,111,990
Mineral coal..........
Sundries...............
3,002,189
W heat...................... bush.
1,428,301
Rye.....................................
3,595
Corn....................................
10,961
Barley................
12,668
Oats....................................
22,836
Peasandbeans.................
3,968
Potatoes...........................
3,160
Domestic spirits___ galls.
205,881
T o ta l value




,---------------C L E A R E D .--------------- ,

Value.

Quantity.

Value.

$836
25,434
9,008
64,961
2,130
191,108
15,165
39,852
52,052
41,117
4,116
9,188
5,188
9,594
93,331
2,995
2,491
641
85,641
i sno
5,946
4,044
4.189
1,431

1,143
466
2,212
588,680

$38,346
8,388
22,120
2,289,300
20
58,165
1,290
261
140
41,188
2,916
6,863
14,044
1,614
182,112
1,165
120,654
3,100
10,426
______
6,696
8,061
...........
1,313
2,632
25,105
...........
35,526
16
18,595
2,191
...... ..
3,460

23,405
2.34 fl
25,145
26,339
33,128
3,933
219
16,135
88

32S,519
83,981
42,890
51,321
131,021
292,894
68,102

1,823,648
12,813
2,219
18,518
90,066
1,352,003
2,013
39,141
1,094
8,618
3,988
1,218
41,116
$5,236,994

10

5,316,462
516
2,226
40
8,231,696
32,403
98,040
81,114
16,140
492,194
35,808
15,081,688
13,993
14,469
____ __
95,659
153,049
.............
36,866
263,221
358,638
.............
2,368,392
400
1,964,815
5,581
.............
864,926
2,150
2,815
.............
810
9,250
390,120
1,184,940
39,148
6,095,638
1,668,126
39,532
2,901,118
3,945,0Sl
86,028
284
64,142
30,050
13,615
5,516
21,211
336,982

11
201

81
463
23,443
41,398
3,915
914,346
3,336
19
8,123
118,353
80,866
159
36,251
16,828
5,891
5,116
1,212

61,396
$4,304,162

J ourna l o f M in in g and M anu factu res.

11 7

RAILROAD FREIGHTS BETW EEN ALBANY AND BUFFALO.

The central line of railroads between Albany and Buffalo, have adopted the follow­
ing schedule of rates of transportation of property between Albany and the several
cities on the route :—
Buffalo.

Flour per b a rre l...................................
Fresh beef, pork, mutton, and venison..
Cattle and hogs, per car, large.............
“
“
small.............
Sheep per car, large.............................
“
small.............................

$0 65
70
70 00
60 00
60 00
50 00

Rochester.

Syracuse.

-SO 50
54
54 00
46 00
46 00
38 00

$0 33
33
32 00
27 00
27 00
23 00

Utica.

$0 25
24
24 00
20 00
20 00
18 00

JOURNAL OF M IN IN G AND MANUFACTURES.
T H E F IR S T MINING OPERATION IN NORTH AMERICA.
N U M B ER II.

To F re em an H unt, E d ito r o f the M erch a n ts’ M a g a z in e :—
My article, published in the December number of the M erch a n ts’ M aga zin e, con­
tained the leading historical facts connected with the Southampton and Easthampton
Lead Mines, and referred to the Spathic Iron, or silver-steel mine, at Roxbury, Litch­
field County, Connecticut, and also to a lead mine now worked by Dr. Frankfort, at
Middleton, (instead of Norwich,) Connecticut, stating that it was early worked by
Sampson Simson, Col. James, and. others. These particulars I propose to make the
basis o f further remarks at some future period.
I now propose to give you a short statement, embodying all the geographical, geo­
logical, and mineralogical facts, relating to the Hampton mines, with an analysis of
thirteen specimens of ore and rock taken from various places in the old shaft, which
we have recently emptied of water.
The South and East Hampton mines are located in Hampshire County, in the State
of Massachusetts, 155 miles from New York by railroad, eight miles south-west of
Northampton village, and about three miles north of the proposed depot on the canal,
or air line railroad, now in course of construction. The proprietors o f the mines have
purchased the lands on both sides of the Manhan River, along the course of the vein.
There are about 520 acres, consisting of farming and wood land; upon these it is es­
timated there are more than 20,000 cords of wood, and an abundance o f timber for
building purposes. The vein, where it crosses the Manhan River, has thrown up a
dyke to the hight of twenty feet, forming a portion of a substantial dam. From this
point the proprietors propose to conduct a portion of the water along the west bank
of the river to the mouth of the 1,240 feet adit, and use it by means o f an overshot
or breast wheel, having obtained a fall of 35 feet. To this wheel they propose to at­
tach flat rods, extending along and through the adit to the engine shaft, sunk on the
course of the vein, for the purpose of raising the ore and delivering it at the ore-house
at the mouth of the adit, in which the stamps, separator, and elevators are erected.
Near this they propose to erect smelting and cupelling furnaces, thereby saving
the expense and time in erecting the engine, the cost of fuel, repairs, and engineers to
run it.
The first geological survey of this mine was made by Colonel James, Royal Engin­
eer, and Solomon Simpson, Esq., the father of the Hon. Sampson Simpson, of 42 War­
ren-street, in the city of New York. They were gentlemen whose scientific attain­
ments are unsurpassed at the present day, as their papers give abundant testimony.
This survey was made in the spring of 1765. Although I do not find their report it­
self, yet I find abundant proof that they were highly gratified with their prospects
and the geological evidences there discovered by them.
The next examination, I am inclined to believe, was made by Professors Mead and
Eaton. The latter gentleman has left a record of the curious geological changes
passed through by the miners during the thirteen years they were engaged in driving
the adit level, with a description of the various rocks, stratification, etc.
In the year 1810, Professor Benjamin Sllliman made an examination of these mines




11 8

J ou rn a l o f M in in g and M a n u fa ctu res .

and gave an elaborate report, replete with interest to the student of geology and to
the miner, which was subsequently published in “ The Geological Transactions,” edited
by “ Archibald Bruce.”
These mines have also been examined by all, or nearly all, of the professors of ge°l°gy and gentlemen of science. Among the most prominent and distinguished are
Professors Dana, Hitchcock, Head, Shephard, and Clark. They all concur in the opin­
ion that this property furnishes evidences of mineral wealth o f no ordinary character.
During the present season, Professors Hitchcock and Clark have made a survey and
report, in which they confirm all that had been previously written by themselves and
their predecessors. But it is not to be supposed that an examination of a day or two,
by gentlemen however competent, would disclose to them the undeveloped resources
of this great store house of nature, where the embelishments of “ The Creative Pow­
e r ” have been deposited for the benefit and gratification of man.
In the notices and reports of my predecessors they have described the vein as being
seven or eight feet wide. In this they were evidently mistaken, as recent develop­
ments clearly indicate the vein to be sixty-six feet wide at Southampton, and caused
undoubtedly by all the veins uniting and forming a cross section. In Easthampton it
is about forty-five feet wide, in consequence of five veins uniting at that point. Much of
this vein is made up of vein stone. In the recent workings about ten feet of what
was formerly considered granite was removed and found to be smoky and radiated
quartz, with large quantities of galena intermixed. Much of the gangue resembles
lioney-comb, and is composed exclusively o f quartz crystals. On the outside of this
there is a beautiful snuff-like gossin of about two feet .in thickness, which wa3 sup­
posed to be thejnatrix, but on working through this, lead was again found. From this
point we measured east across the vein sixty-six feet, most of which is vein-stone. In
our examinations we find the following minerals:—
Sulphate of barytes in veins of galena; agate, on which are quartz crystals ; rhombspar, in veins of galena traversing granite, fluate of lime, in sulphate of barytes and
granite, associated with galena, quartz, Ac.
Large quantities of radiated quartz often constitute the gangue of the lode, or ma­
trix.
Cavities formed of quartz crystals exist in the matrix or gangue of the lode. These
are extremely beautiful, surpassing anything heretofore discovered in America.
Adularia, in the same granite which contains galena, white, with a slight tinge of
yellow, green, or blue.
Talc, with sulphate of barytes, green, compact and soft steatile.
Pyritous, carbonate, and malichite of copper, in small quantities, discriminated or in
lodes in the veins.
Sulphurate o f lead, portions of which are highly argentiferous, with quartz crystalized, containing little silver, and traversing primitive rocks 66 feet wide at Southampton,
and extending several miles, opening and contracting at Viirious points, biit they offer
no inducement to practical miners, except in the towns of South, North, and East
Hampton. This vein is made up of quartz, with ore disseminated through it, and
forming regular lodes or veins of metal. W e also found sulphate of lead, and olybdiate
of lead.
Carbonated muriate of lead, in groups of green crystals on galena; also
Phosphate of lead and sulphate of zinc, both massive and finely crystalized.
The ore of this mine is all more or less argentiferous. On analysis it produced to
the ton of ore, as follows:—
Oz.

Oz.

Oz.

Oz.

Oz.

Oz.

Oz.

Oz.

Oz.

Oz.

Oz.

3£

8

12

15

# 28

85

84

96

134

208

560

silver. In addition, the gangue on which there was no lead perceptible to the eye
produced 35 oz. of silver per ton. Other specimens produced only a small trace of
silver, if an y; and I am of the opinion that it will be necessary to work the ore on a
large scale before it can be ascertained what the yield will be. The yield of lead is
very uniform, varying from 67 to 77 per cent from pure ore.
This is, according to Prof. Silliman, the best locality of argentine in the United States.
Foetid Quartz is found in small masses in it, and upon it.
From the foregoing statement it will readily be perceived that these mines must
continue to be a place of resort to the student, and one in which the man of science
will feel a deep interest, increasing as knowledge becomes diffused, and the power of
science shall be opened up to the masses, especially when our sons and our grandsons




J ou rn a l o f M in in g and M anu factu res.

11 9

and our posterity shall become learned in the sciences of geology, mineralogy, metalurgy
and chemistry, when the education o f our sons shall receive the fostering care of the State
and general government, when every town, county, and State shall have their poly­
technic schools, where all the branches of useful knowledge pertaining to mining shall
be taught, when men with clear heads and strong hands shall lecture to the rising
generation, and give ocular demonstration of what they seek to inculcate, when pro­
gressive intelligence shall enable the chemist, in times of drought and famine, to go
forth with his chemical apparatus, and extract from the earth the chemical principles
to sustain animal life. Even then the beautiful productions of nature at the Southampton
mines will offer an inducement for further research into this great undeveloped store­
house of nature, and afford ample grounds for reflection, such as animated the poet
Cowper, in the following beautiful lines:—
“ Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his gracious will.”
You may charge me with making overdrafts upon fancy, but we are admonished to
hope, and believe in many things that would have been deemed a heresy in our
ancestors..
Since my last notice of these mines, they have been purchased by gentlemen of
wealth and of acknowledged business capacity. Large appropriations of money have
been made to prosecute the work in them. The mine is managed by an experienced
and energetic Captain, Samuel Pinch, formerly of the Cornish mines. He is instructed
by the proprietors to work the mines with efficient men, and as great a force as can
be judiciously employed until Spring. Three shifts every twenty-four hours, work­
ing night and day.
I remain, dear sir, your obedient servant,
CHARLES STEARNS, Prof, o f Geology, be.

THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS.
NUM BER

M A N U FA C TU R E

V.

O F G L A S S IN T IIE U N IT E D S T A T E S, ETC.

The last number of our series of articles upon this highly interesting subject— in­
teresting both as concerns the various features of the manufacture, and as indicative of
the progress of the art in the successive ages of the world’s history— closed the sketch
of the rise and progress of the manufacture of flint glass. Our sketch has covered the
ground so far as time would allow, from the introduction of the art into Egypt, through
its trasnfer to Tyre and Sidon, and from thence in its order to Rome, Venice, France,
and finally into England.
The reader will notice that this progress,'like that of many others, is almost identi­
cal, for a time at least, with the gradual extension of conquest, and especially with this,
as connected with the extension of the Roman sway.
We now reach the period of its introduction into the western continent, and propose
giving an outline of its gradual extension, and characteristics in our own land.
It was shortly after the close of the revolutionary struggle, we think about the year
1790, that the late Robert Hewes, a well-known citizen of Boston, made, probably,
the first attempt to establish a glass manufactory on this continent. This manufactory
was modeled upon the German system. Mr. Hewes carried his works to the fuel,
and erected his factory in the then forest of Yew Hampshire. The writer well remem­
bers when a boy hearing Mr. Hewes relate, that when building his glass works, the
tracks of bears were frequently seen in the morning, in and around his works.
From the best information in our possession, we think that to Mr. Robert Hewes
must be conceded the first attempt to establish glass making in the United States, or
in the western world. The aim of Mr. Hewes, was doubtless to supply the most im­
portant and necessary article made of glass, and called for by the immediate wants of
the people, viz : window glass. It ended however in disappointment to the projector




120

J ou rn a l o f M in in g and M anu factu res.

probably from the frequent error of carrying such works into the interior, to the vicin­
ity of fuel, or from lack of skill on the part of the workmen.
This attempt was followed about the year 1800, by Messrs. Whalley, Hunnewell,
and their associates, and by the workmen Plumback and Cooper, who erected a large
factory in Essex-st., Boston, for the purpose of making the Crown Window Glass. This
was without success, until a German, of the name of Lint, arrived in the year 1803,
and from this period there was great success in the manufacture, for the State of Mas­
sachusetts, to encourage the manufacture of window glass, paid the proprietors a bounty
on every table of glass made by them. This was done to. counteract the effect of the
bounty paid by England on the exportation of glass from that kingdom. The State
bounty had the effect to encourage the proprietors and sustain their efforts, so .that by
perseverance many difficulties were overcome, and a well earned reputation supported
for the strength and clearness of their glass— a glass supeiior to the imported, and
well known throughout the United States as “ Boston Window Glass.” This reputa­
tion they steadily sustained, until they made glass in their new works at South Boston,
in the year 1822.
From the founding of this establishment may be dated the founding of all the
Crown and Cylinder, Window and Flint Glass Works in the Atlantic States. Indeed,
this may be considered the fruitful parent tree, bf the many branches now so widely
spread abroad.
The wonderful mystery attached to the art of glass making, seems to have followed
its introduction into this country. The glass blower was considered a magician, and
myriads visited the newly erected works, and coming away with a somewhat improved
idea of an unmentionable place and its occupants; and the man who could compound
the materials to make glass, was looked upon as an alchemist who could transmute
base metal into pure gold.
The fame of the works spread into a neighboring State, and in 1810 or 1811, a
company was formed in Utica, to establish glass works in that place, and quite a num­
ber of workmen in the Essex-st. Works were induced to leave their employ and break
their indentures from the offer of increased wages—while, however, on their way and
just before they reached the State line, they, with the agent, were arrested,
brought back, and expensive law suits incurred. The Utica Works were abandoned
and, we believe, never revived.
Subsequently another company was formed in New York, being influenced by a
fallacious view of the silicious sand. This company erected their works at Sandy
Lake a locality abounding both in silex and fuel. A few years trial convinced the
proprietors that the place was ill chosen, and after the experience of heavy losses, it
was abandoned.
A Doctor Adams, of Richmond, Virginia, made large offers of increased wages to
the workmen of the Essex-st. Works, who were thus induced to abandon their place
of work and violate their indentures. They succeeded in reaching Richmond to try
their fortune under the auspices of the Doctor. A few years experience convinced
them of the fallacy of increased pay, for after very heavy losses, the works were
abandoned and the workmen thrown out of employ. The proprietors of the Essex-st.
Works had engaged workmen in the meantime at a very heavy expense from England
— a most difficult task— for the English government made it a penal offense to entice
workmen to leave the kingdom at that period.
In 1811, the proprietors of the Essex-st. Works erected large and improved works
on the shore at South Boston, to supply the workmen enticed away, and also to meet
the wants of their factory, an agent was sent to England to procure a set of glass
workers. By the time they reached this couutry the war with England broke out, and
the enterprise -was thus defeated ; for it became difficult to procure fuel and the various
means for carrying on the Essex-st. Works.
The making of window glass in Boston led to the introduction of the manufacture
of flint glass, arising from the excess of "window glass blowers brought into the coun­
try by the enterprise of the Boston Window Glass Company, many among the num­
ber from Europe had worked more or less in flint glass works, (no unusual thing in
England,) for a good flint glass blower, with manual strength, can fill the part of a
window glass blower, and exceedingly well.
Amoug the number was a Mr. Thomas Caines, now living at South Boston, having
retired from the business with an independent property, the honest fruit of his skill
and industry, he may truly be considered as the father of the flint glass business in the
Atlantic States.
•
Mr. Caines proved competent to the task, not only as a first rate workmen, but pos­




J ou rn a l o f M in in g and M anu factu res.

121

sessed the art of mixing the materials and being able to sustain all the other depart­
ments appertaining to th3 business, he prevailed upon the proprietors to erect a small
six-pot flint furnace in part of their large unoccupied manufactory in South Boston.
At that time the articles of flint glass imported by the earthenware trade, were
con Sued to a very few articles, such as German straw tumblers, cruets, salts, and plain
decanters of cheap fabric, of the finer articles, to cut finger tumblers, sham diamond
cut dishes, and Rodney decanters ; a quality of glass and cutting that would not at the
present day command one fifth of their then cost.
War having interrupted the importation of glass, the manufactory supplied the then
limited demand and gave full employ for their factory.
Contemporaneous with the South Boston enterprise, a company was formed and in­
corporated under the title of the Porcelain and Glass Manufacturing Compauy. Their
factory was located at East Cambridge, then called Cragie’s Point. Their china depart­
ment was directed by a Mr. Braitan, but for want of proper materials it proved an
entire failure. Their glass works were under the direction of a Mr. Thompson, who
built a small six-pot furnace, similar in size to the one at South Boston. Thompson
brought out a set of bauds at a heavy expense, to work the furnace, but the result
proved he was in no way qualified for the task, nor possessed the least practical skill
or knowledge of the business, and of course proving an entire failure ; the attempt to
make porcelain and glass was abandoned by the company.
In 1815, some of the workmen left the South Boston Factory and hired of the Por­
celain Company their six-pot furnace, and commenced the making of flint glass under
the firm of Emmet, Fisher & Flowers. They succeeded for a time very well, and
turned out glass suitable for the trade; but want of concert of action prevented a
successful result, and they dissolved without loss. The Porcelain Company discour­
aged by so may failures, agreed to wind up their concern, and in November, 1817, they
disposed of their entire property at public auction.
As one manufactory dies out only to give place to another, so the present New Eng­
land Glass Company was formed, and became the purchasers of the Porcelain works.
That Company, from 1817 to the present time, have pursued the business with signal
success, beginning with the small capital of forty thousand dollars, they have from
time to time increased it, until it amounts at the present time to half a million of dol­
lars. They commenced business with a small six pot furnace holding 700 lbs. to each
pot— employed, all told, about forty hands, and the yearly product did not exceed
forty thousand dollars. They now run five furnaces, averaging ten pots to each ca
pacity of 2,000 lbs. to each pot. They employ over 500 men and boys, and the yearly
product is not less than -$500,000.
In 1820, some of their workmen left them, built a factory in New York City, and
conducted their business under the firm of Fisher & Gilierland. In 1S23, Gillerland
dissolved the connection and built on his own account a manufactory in Brooklyn, N.
Y., which lie conducts at this period with great skill and success, and is considered the
best metal mixer in the United States.
In 1825, a Flint Glass Manufactory was established by individual enterprise in Sand­
wich, Mass. Ground was broke in April, dwellings fur the workmen built, and man­
ufactory completed; and on the 4th day of July, 1825, they commenced blowing glass,
three months from first breaking ground. In the following year it was purchased of
the proprietor, a company formed, and incorporated under the title of Boston and Sanwicli Glass Company. Like their predecessors, they commenced in a small w a y; be­
ginning with an eight-pot furnace, each holding 800 lbs. The weekly melts at that
period did not exceed 7,000 lbs., and yearly product $75,000, giving employment to from
60 to 70 hands. From time to time, as their business warranted, they increased their
capital until it reached the present sum of three hundred thousand dollars. Their
weekly melts have increased from 7,000 lbs. to much over 100,000 lbs; their hands
employed from 70 to over 400 ; their one furnace of 8 pots to 4 furnaces of 10 pots ;
and yearly product from $75,000 to $500,000.
In 1820, another secession of workmen from the New England Glass Company took
place, to embark on their own account their savings of many )ears, in the doubtful
enterprise 9 f establishing flint glass works in Kensington, Philadelphia, under the title
of* the Union Flint Glass Company. The proprietors being all workmen, were enthu­
siastic in the project, happy in the belief that they could carry it on successfully, work
when convenient, and enjoy much leisure. All was then to them sunshine. Ere long
they realized the many inherent evils attendant on flint glass works ; the demon of
discord appeared among them, and they discovered, when too late, that they had left
a place of comfort and ease for a doubtful enterprise. Death thinned their ranks, and




122

J ou rn a l o f M in in g and M a n u fa ctu res .

the works after passing into other hands, for a short trial, have years since ceased to
exist.
From 1820 to 1S40, very many attempts were made by corporations and firms, to
establish the manufacture of flint glass iu the Atlantic States, but almost with entire
failure. The parent tree, the old South Boston concern failed— the works were revived
from time to time, by at least five different concerns, and all ended in failure; and for
years the works remained closed, till the present occupant, Mr. Patrick Slane, hired
the premises, and by his enterprise and great industry has greatly enlarged the works,
and is now carrying on a large and active business. In his factory we learn the old
system among the operatives he does not allow to have a foothold, and the individual
industry of his hands is not cramped or limited, by the oppressive system of the old
school operative.
As a record of the past and a reference for the future, we find in reviewing the
various attempts to establish flint glass works in the Atlantic States, that it would not
be just to place the names of those identified with them before the reader, for many
were deluded by the proprietors with promises of the most flattering success, but rea­
lized only disappointment and loss.
In enumerating all the concerns, companies, and corporations, that have been en­
gaged in the manufacture of flint glass in the Atlantic States, we find the number
was forty-two; of which number, two concerns have retired, and ten are now in op­
eration, viz.: two at East Cambridge, three at South Boston, one at Sandwich, three
near New York City, one at Philadelphia, leaving two concerns who retired with prop­
erty, and twenty-eight out of the forty-two concerns entire failures, involving the par­
ties interested in heavy loss, the fate of the existing ten to be determined by future
events.
Before closing, we may allude to the repeated failure of permanently establishing
window and bottle glass works in this vicinity; the primary cause has been in the
construction of the furnace, no improvement for centuries having taken place, but the
old defective plan being adhered to by workmen from Europe ; a casual observer must
see they are defective, and consume double the quantity of fuel really required for the
weekly melts. The rate of wages for experienced workmen, about two-fold over the
German rates, has heretofore checked success, but at the present time is more than.
compensated by machinery and materials.
The manufacture of plate glass offers a profitable and inviting field that should be
improved, the consumption in this country is large and increasing yearly. Materials
are cheaper than in Europe, and as the most essential part is performed-by machinery
and motive power, this more than equalized the extra wages that may be taxed upon
a new undertaking.
d . j.
THE AUSTRALIAN GOLD MINES.

The discovery of gold in Australia was made three years ago, by a Mr. Smith, who
was engaged in collecting iron ore. It is said that he proceeded to the government
house at Sydney, on making the discovery, with a lump of gold in his hand, and offer­
ed to point out where the precious metal could be found, if the government would
handsomely reward him. The authorities thought this a trick and paid no attention
to his statements. In April of last year, Mr. Hargraves, who had been in California,
again made the discovery of gold, and reported it to the colonial authorities, pointing
out certain localities, which have since become famous for the richness of the golden
deposit. The government surveyor was ordered to accompany Mr. Hargraves in
his explorations, and after a few hours’ examination, he reported that he “ had seen
enough—gold was everywhere plentiful.” A proclamation was at once issued, for­
bidding any person to dig or search for gold without a goverment license. These
licenses were readily sold, and then commenced the excitement and scramble for gold
— a repetition of such scenes as were witnessed in our own country when California
first opened its golden gates.
The acquisition of the precious metals in Australia, has been, if we may credit ac­
counts from thence, much easier and surer than in California. It has been found in
lumps and quantities almost exceeding belief. It is well authenticated that a Dr.
Kerr found a lump weighing, with dross, three hundred pounds, and which yielded
one hundred and six pounds of pure gold ! It was purchased by Messrs. Thacker &
Co., of Sydney, for $16,000, and was sent to an eminent firm in London. The London
Illu stra ted N ew s contains a picture and description of the “ king of the nuggets,” a
lump of pure gold, from Australia, which weighs twenty-seven-and-a-half pounds. It




12 3

Jou rn a l o f M in in g and M anu factures.

is eleven inches long and four to five broad, and represented to be twenty carets fine.
If tliis statement is correct, the “ king of the nuggets” is the finest and purest speci­
men of pure gold that has yet been found in Australia or California.
The Australian gold fields are many miles in extent, and are found in various parts
of the island. A t last accounts the prospects were as bright as ever, and the govern­
ment authorities estimated that the amount of gold collected each day was equivalent
to a pound sterling to each digger. Says the Australian and New Zealand Gazette,
“ To find quartz is to find gold. It is found thirty-two feet from the surface in plenty.
Gold is actually oozing from the earth.”
Up to December last, eight months after the discovery, there had been shipped from
Australia gold valued at two millions of dollars. Since then a million dollars’ worth a
week, for three successive weeks, has arrived in London, from the same quarter.
The reception of the news attending these wonderful facts, has caused full as much
excitement in England, Ireland, and Scotland, as similar intelligence from California
excited in the United States. The result is an enormous emigration to the land of the
glittering dust. The emigrants from London and Liverpool alone number 2,000 week­
ly. The amount of shipping thus engaged from the latter port is more than 100,000
tons, independent of steam vessels. Among the last are the gigantic propeller “ Great
Britain ” aud the Sarah Sands,” formerly running to this country. The packet lines,
of which there are eight, number over fifty ships.
The political and commercial consequences of this sudden peopling of Australia, and
its conversion from a thinly-settled pastoral and poor colony into a populous and
wealthy one, are of incalculable magnitude. No event of the present century is likely
to have so great an influence on the welfare of Great Britain as this discovery of gold
in Australia.
INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS OF MICHIGAN.
The following table of the production of the State of Michigan in the year 1837,
immediately after that State was admitted into the Union, aud the year 1850, shows
the rapid growth of the State :—
1817.

1817.

1850.

W heat................bush. 1,014,698 4,393,141
B ye.............................
21,944 102,200
C orn ........................... 791,427 5,704,172
Oats............................. 1,113,910 1,343,134
Buckwheat..................
64,022 477,811
Flax.................... lbs.
43,826
...........

39,610
Horned cattle. ...........
14,059
Horses............ ...........
22,684
Sheep ............. ..........
109,096
Hogs................ ..........
Barley.............. .bush.................

1850.

271,303
57,842
750,282
202,588
70,801

In 1840, the population of Michigan was 212,267 ; in 1850, 400,000. The differ­
ence o f the rates of increase of the various articles is singular— while the population
has more than doubled in this period, the amount of wheat is over four times greater;
rye, five times ; corn, eight times; oats show but a small increase ; buckwheat, over
seven times; cattle, three times; horses, four times; hogs have scarcely doubled;
aud sheep nearly 34 times. We should thence judge, that while the soil of Michigan
has been found ill-fitted for oats, it is peculiarly adapted for corn and buckwheat, and
that sheep are the favorite stock. In 1850, 2,007,598 pounds of wool were clipped;
and 7,056,478 pounds of butter, 1,112,646 pounds of cheese were made, being not
quite eighteen pounds of butter and three pounds o f cheese to each individual.
In the year 1830, Michigan Territory, including what is now Wisconsin, contained
30,818 whites and 280 persons of color, of whom 27 were slaves. In 1810, the pop­
ulation -was 4,762, and in 1820, 8,896.
PRODUCTION OF WINE IN MISSOURI.
The wine harvest of the present year, at Hermann, Missouri, has turned out favor­
able. The yield is 6,000 gallons; and, if the crop is as good next year, it will be
15,000 to 20,000 gallons. In the town, which is mostly inhabited by Germans, there
are already two hundred acres planted with 200,000 vines, all of which will be in
bearing in two years, yielding 25,000 gallons in common seasons, and 50,000 in good
ones. An acre of land in vines is reckoned to be worth $1,000.




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Journal o f M in in g and M an u fa ctu res.

STATISTICS OF ANTHRACITE AND CUMBERLAND COAL,
The statistics of the anthracite trade may well awaken surprise. This trade is only
about thirty years old. In 1820 the entire shipment was 365 tons. Think of it.
In 1830................................................................................ tons
In 1840 ......................................................................................
In 1850, it reached the enormous quantity o f .......................

142,734
876,048
3,332,314

And still further, to show at what a rapid ratio the demand is increasing, in 1851
the amount was 4,383,736 tons, an increase over the proceeding year o f more than a
million of tons. Since 1820, more than thirty-three millions of tons have been sup­
plied. It has been confidently predicted, upon calculations based on the past rate of
increase, that the demand for anthracite in 1860, will reach ten millions of tons per
annum. What will it be in 1870 ? What in 1880? For the encroachments of coal
upon the uses to which wood has heretofore been applied, and the new uses it has
discovered, are now accruing more rapidly than before. The statistics of the Cumber­
land coal trade, are more astonishing, and hold out yet a brighter promise. This trade
is but nine years old.
In 1843 the sales w e re ......................................................tons
In 1851 they were.....................................................................
And for the current year they may be safely estimated at..

4,964
162,500
450,000

By the report of the Cumberland company, it appears that they send to market
(which was over the railroad alone,) 400 tons per diem—an amount which, by the res­
toration of the canal, has been increased, since the date of that report, to six and
eight hundred tons; and the directors announce that they expect to transport during the
ensuing season, fifteen hundred tons per day or more.

BUFFUM’ S PERFECTED GOLD SEPARATOR.
To F reeman H

unt,

E d ito r M erch a n ts’ M a g a z in e :—

Natural Philosophy has been a prominent study of learned men from the earliest
ages to the present time; they have given much attention to investigation of the
scientific principles which produce and regulate the m ovem ents of matter in all its
forms and under all circumstances, until they have professed to understand aud explain
the laws of motion in all material substances.
But in this age of invention, discoveries are occasionally made, which demonstrate
the fallacy of some o f their theoretical conclusions, and open new fields to inventive
genius, for the application to useful purposes of principles never before understood.
In relation to the action of fluids in a whirlpool, where the motion is given to the
fluid by the application of mechanical power, the theory laid down by professional
scientific writers has been, that the circular motion exerts a centrifugal force, tending
to throw from the centre, everything that is moveable by the action of the fluid ; and
that the centrifugal movement of the fluid goes on, piling up a column at the periphery
and forming a vertical gulf at the centre, till the weight of the pile balances the centri­
fugal force, after which, the entire movement is restricted to a regular circular motion.
This view of the action of a whirlpool is regarded as a well known law long since
universally conceded ; so conclusive has been the idea of the soundness of this theory,
that an application for a patent for a Gold Separator, based on a centripetal action in
a whirlpool, was rejected on the ground that the principles set forth in the specification
conflicted with this “ well known law ;” the applicant, however, succeeded in furnish­
ing the Commissioner with such conclusive evidence, that this supposed “ well known
law ” has no existence in fact, that the patent was issued, securing to Arnold Buffura
for the term of fourteen years, the exclusive right to the specified application of the
centripetal motive power in a whirlpool,
Mr. BufFurn has given undisputable demonstrations, that in a whirlpool of water in
a stationary cistern, produced by a horizontally revolving water mover suspended at
an elevation from the bottom, there is a contin ued centrifugal movement in the oblique
surface of the vortical gulf, which necessarily produces a constant downward move­
ment at the periphery, and a centripetal movement at the base, carrying substances
like crushed ore spirally from the periphery to the centre.
In Mr. Buff urn’s application of this principle, in a cistern but two feet in diameter,
he passes gold bearing sand or pulverized quartz on the surface of quicksilver, over a




Journal o f M in in g and M anufactures.

125

spiral distance of more than twenty feet, which insures the amalgamation and saving
of all the gold, while the crushed rock or iron pyrites, and all other sands, are washed
away at a discharge aperture at the centre of the cistern bottom.
This machine has won for itself the appellation of “ B uffum ’ s P erfected G old
S eparator ,” having received the unqualified approval of all who have seen its opera­
tion. It is exhibited washing golden sands every day, at the Gold Mining Depot, No
8, Battery Place, New York.

FRENCH MANUFACTURES,
The R evue de deux m ondcs contains an instructive and copious article on the silk
manufactures and operatives of Lyons ; the political delusions and clubs, and the in­
surrections, by which that city was so injuriously disturbed. In France, there are
130,000 looms for silk, pure or mixed, of which the products amount, in value, to three
hundred millions per annum. The fabrics of Lyons yield about or nearly two-thirds
of that sum—a moiety of the whole is exported— three-fifths of the exports from
Lyons. The United States consume the greater part. Competition is formidable
abroad, especially in Great Britain and Germany; but it was acknowledged at the
Great Exhibition that Lyons retained pre eminence in designs and tissues. The sev­
enty looms at Lyons occupy 175,000 individuals; one half of these are dispersed over
a radius of from twenty to twenty-five leagues; the other are in the bosom of the city.
There are three hundred manufacturing firms, embracing from four hundred and fifty
to five hundred names. The average earning of the operative is thirty sous per day.
The manufacture is much injured by the mutability of fashion. Irreligion, dissipation,
improvidence, revolutionary politics, have prevailed with the worst effects among the
operatives, but amendment is already visible by reason of the overpowering force and
energy of the new rule, and the popularity of the name of Napoleon. The whole
population of Lyons is returned at two hundred and fifty thousand. Paupers swarm
in all the manufacturing centers. Extreme indigence begets supineness, debauchery,
indifference as to health and comfort. The most squalid and necessitous existence be­
comes inveterate habit, and one of predilection. A t the recent inauguration of the
grand statue o f Napoleon at Lyons, enthusiasm seemed nearly universal. The artist
has represented the emperor in his surtout and little cocked hat, so lamiliar to the
memory and affections of the troops. The division of the army excels the corps of
twenty thousand garrisoned at Lyons.

MANUFACTURE OF SCATHES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Near Wilrnot, N. II., is the New London scythe factory village, where an extensive
business in the manufacture of scythes is carried on by Messrs. Phillips, Messer, Colby
& Co. Their works are located on the Blackwater River, just below the outlet of
Pleasant Pond. They are furnished with six trip-hammers, and other machinery suit­
able for turning off a large amount of work with despatch.
The works, when in full operation, turn out from twelve to fourteen dozen of scythes
per day, and produce annually about three thousand dozen, most of which are con­
sumed in the New England States. In their manufacture, from thirty to forty tons of
iron, one hundred and fifty tons of hard coal, five or six thousand bushels of charcoal
and twenty or thirty tons of grindstones are consumed.

WASTEFUL METHOD OF PROCURING GUTTA-PERCHA.
It is stated in an English Journal that in 1S45 Great Britain imported only 20,000
lbs., but in 1848 the quantity brought in amounted to 3,000,000 lbs., since which time
it has been constantly increasing, and, if it can be had, will continue to increase. The
mode of obtaining gutta percha is most wasteful; instead of tapping the tree at inter­
vals to obtain the sap, the trees are cut down, so that, unless their artificial cultivation
be taken up by civilized people, the supply will be shortened. Dr. Oxley, who wrote
in Singapore, whence all we get at present comes, says, that for the quantity which
was exported between January 1st, 1S45, and July, 1847, nearly 70,000 trees must
have been destroyed.




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N au tical Intelligence.

NAUTICAL

IN TE LLIG E N C E .

BEACONS, BUOYS, AND LIGHT-HOUSES— SCOTLAND.
NOTICE TO MARINERS— OFFICIAL.
D epartm en t

of

Sta te ,

December 20, 1852.

The annexed notices to mariners, respecting beacons, buoys, and light-houses, trans­
mitted to this Department by the United States Consul at London, are published for
general information:—
The Commissioners o f Northern Lights hereby give notice that they have moored
buoys and erected beacons, of the position and appearance of which a specification is
given in the following tabular form by the Engineer to the Board.
OBAN DISTRICT.

S tation . Bonoe Rook, off Easdale Sound.
D e s c r i p t i o n o f M a r k . Ten feet buoy—black.
D epth at Low W ate r S pr in g T id es . Nine fathoms.
B earings of M ar ks and of L ines of I ntersection M eeting
N am e

of

at th e S tation .
Ex­
tremity of Ross of Mull in line with north end of Toiay Island—bearing N. W. § W.
South end o f Scarba Island in line with south end of Blada Island—bearing
S. S. W . f W.
West end of Inish Island—-bearing N. E. 1 N.
N am e of S tation . Ferry Rocks, Kerrera Sound.
D e s c r i p t i o n o f M ar k .
Seven feet buoy—black.
D epth at L o w W a te r S p r in g T id es . Five fathom s.
B earings of M ar ks and of L ines of I ntersection M eeting at th e S tation . Mid­
dle Chimney, Mr. Marcus’ House, in line with Sonnachan Point— bearing E. § N.
Easdale Point, north-western side of island in line with south end of Kerrera Island
— bearing W. S. W.
Dunoliy Castle, clear of west brow Fruachin Island—bearing N. E. by E, i E.

FRITH OF FORTH DISTRICT.

N ame of S tation . Sand End.
D esbription o f M a r k . Seven feet buoy—black.
D epth at L o w W ater SraiNG T id e s . Five fathom s.
B earings of M ar ks and of L ines of I ntersection M eeting

at the S tation .
Inchkeith Light-house—bearing S. E. f S.
North-west extremity of eastmost clump of trees near Pettycur in line with center
of Road Metal Pit—bearing N. E. by E. $•' E.
>
Dod- Head Cottage in line with high-water mark, eastern extremity of the Black
Rock Burntisland—-bearing N. N. E.
Center of Lousdale Farmhouse in line with spire of Parish Church, Burntisland—
bearing N. W. |- N.
Light at end o f Burntisland Pier— bearing N. W. -}■ W.

ORKNEY DISTRICT.

N ame o f S tation . Barrel of Butter.
D escription o f M a r k . Beacon.
B earings of M ar ks and of L ines of I ntersection M eeting

at th e

S tation .

A

beacon of stone, 15 feet high, surmounted by an iron cage, 61 feet high, has been erect­
ed on the Barrel of Butter Rock, situated near the western side of entrance to Scapa
Flow, and about
miles E. from Cava Island.
N am e of S tation . Bar Rock, off Grasmsay Island.
D e s c r i p t i o n o f M a r k . Seven feet buoy— black.
D epth a t L o w W ate r S prin g T id es . Four-and-a-half fathom s.
B earings of M arks and of L ines of I ntersection M eeting at th e S tation . High
Light house Tower on Grasmsay— bearing S. by E. -J- E.
Windybrack Farmhouse in line with Sandside Farmhouse— bearing South.




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N au tica l Intelligence.

Fillit’s Farmhouse, south end, in line with north end of d a te Farmhouse— bear­
ing W. S. W. | W .
Low Light-house Tower on Grmmsay— bearing W . by N. J N.
SOUND OF SKYE DISTRICT.

Calliach Stone.
D e s c r ip t io n o f M a r k .
Beacon.
D e s c r ip t io n o f B e a c o n .
A beacon o f iron, 15 feet high, surmounted by a ball,
has been erected on the Calliach Stone Rock, in Loch Alsh, at the entrance to the
Sound of Skye.
By order o f the Board,
N

ame

O f f ic e

of

of

S

t a t io n .

(Signed)
ALEX. CUNNING A AM, Secretary.
November 17, 1852.

L i g h t -h o u s e B o a r d , E d i n b u r g ,

STORNOWAY LIGHT-HOUSE AND BEACON.
NOTICE TO M ARINERS.
O f f ic e

of

L i g i i t - iio u s e B o a r d ,

E dinburgh , November^ 25, 1852.

The commissioners of northern light houses hereby give notice that a light house
has been built upon Arnish Point, at the entrance to the harbor of Stornoway, in the
Island of Lewis, in the county of Ross ; the light of which will be exhibited on the
night of Saturday, 1st January, 1853, and every night thereafter, from the going away
of daylight in the evening till the return of daylight in the morning.
The following is a specification of the light house, and the appearance o f the light,
by the engineer to the commissioners :—
The light-house is in N. L. 58° 11' 28", and W . Lon. 6° 22' 10". By compass, the
light-house bears from Chicken Head N. W., distance about 3 nautical miles.
The Stornoway Light will be known to mariners as a r e v o l v i n g l i g h t which shews
a b r i g h t w h i t e l i g h t once every half minute. The light is elevated 56 feet above
the level of high water of ordinary spring tides, and may be seen at the distance of
about 10 miles, and at lesser distances according to the state of the atmosphere ; to a
near observer, in favorable circumstances, the light will not wholly disappear between
the intervals of greatest brightness. It illuminates an arc from about N. N. E. to
about N. W. by N. \ N. facing the entrance to Stornoway, and an arc from about S.
W . f S. to about E. S. Effacing up the harbor, the intervening arcs being masked.
The commissioners further give notice that a b e a c o n has been erected on a reef
running out from Arnish Point, placed about 200 yards from the light house, on which
a light will be thrown from the light house tow er; and from the top of the beacon an
a pp a ren t or r e f l e c t e d l i g h t of low power will, in favorable states of the weather, be
visible to vessels entering the bay.
The commissioners hereby further give notice, that by virtue of a warrant from the
Queen in council, dated 11th February, 1851, the following toll or duty to be levied
in respect o f that light shall be as follows:—
“ For every vessel belonging to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
(the same not belonging to her majesty, her heirs and successors, nor being navigated
wholly in ballast, and for every foreign vessel which, by any act of parliament, order
in council, convention or treaty, shall be privileged to enter the ports of the said Uni­
ted Kingdom, upon paying the same duties of tonnage as are paid by vessels belong­
ing to the United Kingdom (the same not being navigated wholly in ballast,) which
shall pass or derive benefit from the said light at Stornoway, o n e f a r th i n g per ton of
the burthen of every such vessel for each time of passing or deriving benefit from said
light, if on a coasting voyage, ami double the said toll for each time of passing or de­
riving benefit from the said light, on an oversea voyage, and for every foreign vessel
navigated as aforesaid not privileged in manner hereinbefore mentioned, double the
amount of the respective tolls hereinbefore specified.”
By order of the Board,
ALEX. CUNNINGHAM, Secretary.

NEW LIGHT AT THE MILITARY PORT IN THE GULF OF NAPLES.
From the 1st of November, 1852, a new light of the fourth order was exhibited at
the entrance of the Military Port in the Gulf of Naples, of a small model, on the revolv­
ing principle, rising 33.7 French feet (metres 10.915) from the medium level of the sea,




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N au tica l Intelligence.

and visible, in ordinary weather, to an observer at the height of seven feet above the
horizon, at the distance of ten geographical miles.
The position of this light is, South 2G°, 30' East, and distant 458 metres from the
large lighthouse of the third order, situated on the angle of the two moles which form
the mercantile port, and has been visible since 1844, the position of which (already in­
dicated) is latitude 40° 55' 13" North, and longitude 11° 55' 18" East of Paris.
The elbow of the military port, on the end of which the light is placed, looks towards
the N. N. E., and the entrance to it stands between these two lighthouses, with a free
open passage of 401-£ metres.
Vessels entering the military port at night will keep the new light above-mentioned
on their left, at a distance of not less than thirty-nine metres, in order to avoid the
breakwater of rocks that extends towards the E. N. E. to a short distance from the
point on which it is placed ; and when the light bears W. S. W. by compass, the helm
to be immediately put to starboard.
Finally, this new revolving light is situated South of the small fixed light of the fifth
order, existing for some years past at the extremity of the mercantile port, and is
distant from it 540.86 metres, and which small fixed light of the fifth order bears
from the large lighthouse of the third order already mentioned, in the direction of
N. E. \ E. by compass.
Consequently, in order to enter the mercantile port, after having from a considerable
distance sighted the large lighthouse of the third order, there will be seen subsequently
projecting further out than it, the new light in question of the fourth order already
passed ; and after leaving the last-mentioned light on the left or port side, the vessel
to be steered to the N. E., towards the small fixed light of the fifth order, keeping it
on the port side until abreast of it, when the helm should be put to starboard, and the
anchor let go at once, in consequence of the narrowness of the entrance or mouth of
this port.
THE CHANNEL OF THE BAY OF SMYRNA.
T. P ra tt , Commander of Her Majesty’s steam vessel Spitfire, has addressed the
subjoined letter to Her Majesty’s Consul at Smyrna:—
ALTERATION IN THE MARKS FOR ENTERING THE CHANNEL OF THE BAY OF SMYRNA.

S i r ,— Having, since my arrival at this port on August 13, been enabled to examine

the Spit off the mouth of the Hermes, upon which a beacon was placed in 1842, and
having ascertained that it has considerably grown out by the depositions from that
river since that time, I therefore felt it my duty, as early as possible, to inform you
of the fact, for the benefit of merchants and captains interested in the navigation of
this Gulf, and to point out to them that the marks given in a copy of a chart of the
“ Channel of the Bay of Smyrna,” by Captain Graves and the Officers of H. M. S.
Beacon, which was then published at this port, viz., “ that the North end of the Old
Castle on Mount Pagus on with the South end of Sanjac Castle, clears the Hermes
Spit ” is no longer true, the Spit having grown out beyond these marks.
It is now necessary to substitute the following for the former marks :— A large and
conspicuous tree, with a house under it, which appears to the South of Sanjac Castle,
on with the North end of the Old Castle on Mount Pagus. This latter object will, in
consequence, be more than twice its breadth open to the South of Sanjac Castle, in­
stead of touching it as by the old marks. N . B .— This spit is the only one of such
rapid increase as to sensibly affect the navigation of the Channel in a few years. But
it is one of least danger where a proper look-out is kept, since the reeds growing on
the lips of the river are within a cable’s length of the spit, and the shallow bar is gene­
rally been to break, or with trunks of trees aground upon it.
As the other spits extend some distance from dry land, they are not so easily indi­
cated ; the marks for them being very distant and indistinct. It is, therefore, the
more to be regretted, that the buoys formerly placed upon these spits, by the sub­
scription of some few merchants, have been entirely removed, through the apparent
want of interest or care about their preservation by the local authority. The conse­
quence is, that many vessels now ground upon these spits, much loss of time and
expense follows, which is often far more than would be the cost of replacing and main
taining such necessary guides to a great commercial port. Finding that notice of their
.entire removal is not generally known, strangers arriving at the port of Smyrna are
thus often placed in a difficulty.
Her Majesty’s Consul, Smyrna.
(Signed)
T. P r a t t , Commander.




M ercantile Miscellanies.

129

M E R C A N TILE M ISCELLAN IES.

BOSTON MERCHANTS AND MEN.
a correspondent of the T ra n scrip t, furnishes the subjoined sketch o f
“ the noble men o f Boston ”— principally merchants of that city, who have distin­
guished themselves by their deeds of benevolence and patriotism. The sketches o f
character, though brief, so far as our knowledge extends, are in the main just, and we
therefore transfer to the pages of the M erch a n ts’ M a g a zin e the entire article, in order
to give it a more enduring record than the columns of a newspaper afford, and in the
hope that it may stimulate the merchants of every city in the Union to “ g o a n d do
“ D

e m o c r i t u s ,”

l i k e w i s e .”

,

The city of Boston contains many men, of whom any city or country might justly
be proud. Men who have created a character for themselves which properly entitles
them to the name of noblemen. They have laid the foundations and erected the su­
perstructures of their own eminence ; and are not indebted to others for the merit o f
their position and reputation. Not like the noblemen of Europe, obtaining a factitious
title and wealth by inheritance from ancestors more worthy than themselves ; and
whose titles and wealth serve as a thin veil to cover the moral and intellectual bar­
renness that exists beneath; but nature’s noblemen, who have obtained the title which
deservedly belongs to them. They have hewn out their own fortunes by industry
and labor. They have accumulated wealth sufficient to satisfy the utmost dreams o f
avarice; and being blessed with the means, are likewise blessed with the disposition
to use them for the benefit of the present and future generations. They are honor­
able men, not from the circumstance of being, or having been, members of Congress,
or of legislative bodies, among whom many dishonorable men could be mentioned;
but honorable men from the acts of their lives, from the good they have done, and
continue to do; they are not weary in well-doing. The present generation enjoys the
fruits of their beneficence, and ages yet unborn will rise up and call them blessed.
Among the first of these noble men o f Boston, who has claim to a distinguished
rank for his donations, both public and private, stands conspicuously the Hon. Thomas
II. Perkins. The objects of his munificence need not be mentioned; they are known
to the whole country. To the literary world his name will ever be held in remem­
brance as the founder of that noble institution, the Boston Athenteum; and posterity
for ages to come will revere his memory for the bounteous means he has afforded to
furnish intellectual and moral light to the blind. Without the aid he ha3 freely given,
how many of that unfortunate class would now be groping in mental darkness ; in ig­
norance of the light of science, or of literature, or of the arts, or o f religion, which
now illuminates their minds, and renders their existence pleasant to themselves and
useful to others. He enjoys his reward in beholding the fruits of his good works ;
and from Him, who has given to him the means and the disposition to benefit his fel­
low-creatures, he will receive a still greater reward.
The Hon. Amos Lawrence is entitled to a high place among the noble men of Bos­
ton. His bounties are scattered broad-cast throughout the State. He has given, and
is constantly giving, of the abundance of his wealth. No worthy object of charity
ever applies to him in vain. A ll benevolent and literary institutions find in him a
never-failing source to establish them, and sustain them in the time of their necessities.
He is a liberal and a cheerful donor.
And who stands more pre-eminently liberal, who in this country has done more ia
the way of donations for the promotion of science and literature, than the Hon. Abbott
Lawrence ? The objects of his bounty, numerous though they be, are too well known
to be mentioned. The present generation are reaping the benefits of his munificence,
and countless ages will hereafter have abundant reason to bless his name. His coun­
try, too, has reason to thank him for his distinguished services in his official capacity,
and he will be welcomed to his native land, upon his return from his foreign mission,
in a manner that will reflect liODor upon the citizens of Boston.
The lamented William Lawrence, whose death was so sincerely mourned, was likeVOL. XXVIII.----NO. I.
9




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wise distinguished for his private charities. This Lawrence family may well be called
Nature’s Noblemen.
The Hon. William Appleton has long been known as a liberal public benefactor
His charities, like himself, are quiet and unostentatious, but not the less productive of
good to the recipients. He has built churches and founded academies, and in the dis­
tribution of his charities has been as judicious as he has been liberal. He has done a
great amount of good, and is willing, in an official capacity, to sacrifice his ease and
comfort for the good o f his country.
Another of the same name, who is thrice honored, is the Hon. Samuel Appleton.
No one of the noble men of Boston deserves a higher niche in the temple of fame
than this venerable man. It is impossible to measure the hight or the depth, the
length or the breadth, of his munificent gifts. Academies and schools, churches and
societies, attest to the liberality of his disposition. He never, while life lasts, will
rest satisfied with the good he has done, but will continue to bestow as long as he can
find objects deserving of his bounty. He has been a faithful steward in the service of
his Master, and from Him he will receive the reward of the “ good and faithful ser­
vant.”
The Hon. R. G. Shaw stands high in the ranks of the noble men of Boston, espe­
cially in his private charities. This gentleman’s manner of bestowing his alms carries
the appearance of considering it as a favor to himself in having an opportunity to re­
lieve an individual. Accessible to all, no one who calls upon him ever departs with­
out a strong impression of his kindness of heart, as well as of his liberal disposition.
One there was, who is not now among the noble men of earth; he is gone to his
high reward for all his good deeds here; he is in the company of the spirits of the
“ just men made perfect.” As the principal founder of the “ State Reform School,”
his name will be remembered by the living and by those yet to come. Charities,
such as were bestowed by the Hon. Theodore Lyman, do not cease to produce their
beneficial influence during the existence of one or two generations, but are extended
through a long vista of time. Not only the youth, who are now receiving the benefit
of that institution, will have cause to repeat his name in grateful remembrance, but
countless numbers will yet appear to bless him as the means whom God has raised
for their salvation. His courteous manners and polite bearing to every one who had
intercourse with him, endeared him to all, and associations the most pleasant, will
ever be connected with his name. It may be truly said of him that he was a perfect
gentleman.
Wealth alone does not make men noble. There have been men in Boston, now
numbered with the dead, of whom all that can be said is, that they died rich. “ Even
half a million gets them no other praise.” “ And when the earth was shoveled on
them, if that 'which served them for a soul were still within its husk, it would still be
dirt to dirt.”
There are many now living, who are as rich as any of the noble men of Boston, but
they have lived to accumulate— to add house to house—field to field— dollar to dol­
lar— to leave to heirs who will quarrel about its division, and then squander their
father’s (I will not say ill-got) ill-kept earnings; or, inheriting their father’s penurious
disposition, will keep all they have received, and continue to increase their bloated
fortunes.
Y et such cumberers of the ground are ever ready to exclaim that the generous and
the liberal give from motives of ostentation— to get a name among their fellow-men.
What right have such men to judge of motives ? Do they ever give from any motive ?
Their alms are done in a corner— they make no show of them— they suffer not their
left hand to know what their right hand does, not they— their charities are of no con­
cern to any one— what they give is n oth in g to nobody. Of such poor rich men, it is
proper to say, “ By their fruits ye shall know them.”
MACKEREL FISHING IN THE GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE.
Reports from the Gulf of St. Lawrence state that the mackerel fishing has been un­
usually unsuccessful this season. This is attributed not to a want of fish, but to
the prevalence o f high winds, which by agitating the water, rendered it muddy and
prevented the fish from biting. On the Bay Quinte considerable quantities of white
fish are caught. This year about 1,500 bbls. have been taken. The exertions of the
fishermen are receiving a new stimulus in the increased price of their wares. Before
this season the price has seldom exceeded $3 a b b l, but owing to an American de­
mand it has now risen to $4 50 and $5. White fish are also caught on some parts of
the Georgia Bay, but the enterprise has not been carried on to any great extent.




M ercantile Miscellanies.

131

AN ACCOMPLISHED IRISH MERCHANT.
We find the subjoined biographical sketch of D a n ie l C a lla gh a n , a successful and ac­
complished merchant of Cork, in a late number of the D u b lin U n iversity M a g a z in e :
Daniel Callaghan, the elder, was one of the ablest and most accomplished merchants
that Ireland has produced. He was a man far beyond the average even of clever men,
in his enterprise and quickness of perception. He was a man emphatically of stren­
uous ability, and even in his boyhood showed the germs of his character. When Dr.
Gibbings (father of Lady Cobermere) was visiting young Callaghan’s father, the gouty
patient cried out “ A h ! doctor, there’s something troubling me worse than the gout;
I can get no good of my son there ; the fellow will never be of any good at any business
— he’s always poring over those d------d books of his.” Dr. Gibbings noticed the young
lad (who had left school, but was studying still of his own accord,) and found him even
then of remarkable intelligence. In a few short years the Doctor saw this stripling shoot
ahead of all the merchants in Ireland, by his native abilities. He set up in the butter
trade, but was refused credit for £400 at Tonson & Warren’s bank. We have heard
more than once a partner in that eminent bank recount the circumstances of young
Callaghan’s rise. Though in narrow circumstances, his appearance and manners were
very gentlemanly, courteous to all persons, unbending only to his enemies. Sir Riggs
Falkiner was interested by Callaghan, and induced, with some difficulty, the bank to
.advance him a sum of £500 on a bond of Callaghan’s, and on the security of his
father-in-law, Mr. Barry, of Lyra. Callaghan had in the meantime been carefully
studying the trade of Cork, as it never before or since was studied. He mastered it
even to its minutest details. A great London merchant took the whole provision con­
tract, and the Cork merchants combined to engross the market. Now was the moment
for Callaghan to reap the reward of his patient study. Alarmed at their position,
one of the Londoners came over, and was still more dismayed when he reached Cork.
Young Callaghan introduced himself, and what was then thought a most presuming
thing on his part, he gave a dinner to the Londoner, to which he had some difficulty
in getting guests, as one of them confessed to ourselves. He soon showed the London
firm the game it should play, and expounded all the resources in their power with
masterly perspicuity and close accuracy of detail. A share of the contract was im­
mediately given him, and before the year expired— we use the relator’s words:—“ I
gave Callaghan £10,000 on his own word, after having hesitated, nine months before,
to take his bond with security for $500.” He then bounded over the heads of all his
competitors. He cared naught for politics or public life, his ambition being to cope
as a merchant with the men he met on ’Change at Liverpool and London. He had a
system of his own which required a rapid perception and retentive memory, with
both of which he was endowed. His system was carried upon—first, pumping for in­
formation, Second, rapid action on information obtained. Third, secrecy of intention
and means. Fourth, munificence in rewarding his em ployes. In the first of these he
greatly excelled. He read men intuitively and used his information with great skill,
concentrating his intellect in mercantile knowledge and trade in all its branches. He
was very bold in his decisions, and with a frank manner could keep a secret project
in his head in a most statesmanlike style. He was lavish in the use of his money to
obtain early information. The merchants of Liverpool and London used often to be
astonished how “ D. Callaghan, Cork,” used to contrive to cram in his ventures of pro­
visions before they were well advertised of the ports being open. It was supposed
he had got hold of some high official persons, and the late C ol.------ got into some
scrapes upon this point, and thought proper to leave England. Mr. Callaghan never
knew exactly what he was worth, as he always had so many speculations going on.
The late Mr. Beamish, of Beaumont, used to relate, as characteristic of Callaghan’s
love of speculation, how they both chanced to be in Liverpool and walked into a great
bankruptcy sale. An enormous quantity of cotton was offered for auction, and Mr.
Beamish was surprised by Mr. Callaghan bidding for it. It was knocked down to
him in the middle of the day, and before diuner time the Corkonian had got £1,000
profit for his storeful of cotton. Mr. Callaghan made the fortunes of several persons
connected with him. He died in the prime of life, but was prematurely broken down
in health.
There have been several Irishmen who have realized greater fortunes than Mr. Cal­
laghan, who, at his culminating point, was not rated at more than £250,000 ; but it
was the splendid style in which he transacted his affairs, his offhand dealing, his lib­
erality and contempt for peddling, and his complete mercantile accomplishment that
placed him at the head of the Irish mercantile world. He must not be confounded




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Mercantile Miscellanies.

with haphazard speculators; all his movements were carefully reasoned out on facts
acquired by his own apprehensive and retentive mind. Unlike the Tonsons and Hares,
he did not gain a peerage, but the sway o f the name o f “ Dan Callaghan ” on ’Change
at London, was far brighter in the eyes of true manly ambition, than the luster of
coronets, like those of Listowel or lliversdale.
THE CONSULAR SYSTEM OF THE UNITED STATES.
The defects of our present consular system have been pointed out in former vol­
umes of the M erchants' M a g a zin e , and we have frequently urged upou Congress the
necessity of remodeling it. The subject has also repeatedly been brought to the no­
tice of Congress by various Presidents, and reform earnestly urged. But thus far,
Congress has done nothing in reference to it. It is to be hoped, that if the present
body does any business at all, which is doubtful, a thorough revisal of the consular
system, and a correction of its errors may be among the useful work transacted. A
writer, an old Consul, who signs himself “ Observer,” comments upon it in a late num­
ber of the P ro v id en ce J ou rn a l , as follows:—
I f there is anything connected with the machinery of our government more imper­
fect than another, and actually disgraceful to the country, it is certainly our consular
system, and its operation.
Many of our Consulates are now, from necessity, filled by foreigners— subjects of
the governments which acknowledge them in the capacity of American Consuls - who
often discredit our Hag by their ignorance, improper official and private conduct, and
actual dishonesty— who have no interest in our trade or Commerce any further than
subserves their own direct individual advantage— and cannot properly represent the
interests of our government, or its citizens; they, the said foreign subjects, who are
American Consuls, owing no allegiance to the laws of the LTnited States, in any man­
ner, cannot be punished for violating them, inasmuch as the laws for the punishment
of Consuls could not be iufiicted on a foreign subject holding an American Consulate,
no matter how great his official misdemeanor. Removal from office, therefore, would
be his only punishment, while an American citizen would not escape so easily.
Again: our Consuls, at three-fourths of our one hundred and eighty stations, have
not sufficient support from fees of office to buy them bread and meat, to tell the plain
humiliating truth—and have not as much protection from arrest and imprisonment for
trifling breaches of the law or peace, in a foreign land, (at their stations,) as the mean
est servants of our foreign Ministers 1 What inducement, therefore, is there for a
gentleman of genuine public spirit, and of good standing at home, to accept of any
Consulate under our government, unless it be one of the twenty-two or twenty-three
only of our very lucrative Consulates ? Unless one hundred and fifty of the rest go
into business, or have abundant private resources, they cannot remain in office with­
out becoming bankrupt.
Each of these lesser one hundred and fifty Consuls pay dearly for the honor of re­
presenting hi3 country in such capacity. In the first place, the Consul is compelled to
purchase his outfit, and bear all the expenses of the passage to his port of destina­
tion; pay his own office rent, and for the stationery he uses in performing duty even
for the government, besides being compelled by the government to become a merchant,
that he may be on a par with that class of individuals with whom he has much to do.
And then, at the end of four years, (unless very fortunate in business,) in consequence
o f his efforts to respectably represent his country as its public agent, charged with
national affairs, he finds himself out o f pocket, after all, to the amount of $1,500 or
$2,000; and returns home disgusted and poor, with the consciousness of so much
valuable time being thrown away, at best, and with no hope of a reasonable reward
in future. How much does our present consular establishment cause us to be respect­
ed abroad ? and of how much advantage is it to our trade and Commerce ?
Further, the unequal, mean, and vexatious fee of $4, paid by all our vessels, either
large or small, to their Consuls, upon entering a foreign port, is odious, and ought to
be abolished The present Congress would do much for the credit and advantage of
the country, by passing a law abolishing such fe e ; to pay our Consuls at the small
stations, in lieu thereof, $1,000 salary; and to prohibit the Consuls from making any
charge to shipmasters but for notarial services. But to argue that the dignity of one




M ercantile Miscellanies.

13 3

Consulate is greater than that of another, would be absurd; for if there be any diference, it is in favor of those Consuls whose district comprises a whole colony, and who
have several consular agents under them, (no matter how small the receipts of fees.)
For instance, the Consul at Kingston, Ja., has five or six consular agents; the Consul
at Nassau, N. P., has three or four; the Consul at Turk’s Island has two or three ;
and the Consul at Demerara has also two or three consular agents under him. And
yet, according to the returns at the Department of State, the consular fees at Jamai­
ca do not exceed $1,200, at an average; at Nassau, $850; at Turk’s Island, $950;
and at Demerara, $1,100; while the smallest salary of any public officer at either
place, (except their constables,) is $1,000. All of which, the foregoing, is known, and
some of which has been the experience of an old Consul, who is an observer.

THE BLACK AND GREEN TEAS OF COMMERCE.
The subjoined abstract of a lecture before a meeting of the British Association, at
Belfast, (Ireland,) is derived from the report of the “ M erca n tile J o u rn a l a n d S ta tis­
tica l R e g is t e r ” published at Belfast, Ireland, “ under the control of a committee of
m erchan ts—
Dr. Royle set out by stating, that the thca or tea was one of the most important
articles of consumption, and, consequently, of Commerce. There were different tea
plants, which had different names assigned them, such as thea bohea, and thea viridis,
supposed to yield the different kinds of tea; though some might dispute whether
they were only adulterated varieties or distinct species, slight as the characters were
upon which species were now frequently established. It was a remarkable fact, that
the subject of the difference between the black and green teas has been, until recently,
a matter o f great uncertainty. The Jesuits, who had penetrated into China, and Mr.
Pigou, were of opinion that both the black and green teas were produced from the
same plant; while Mr. Reeve believed that they were manufactured from two dis­
tinct plants. Now, as regarded himself, he (Dr. Royle) had adopted the view that the
best kinds of black and green tea were made from different plants, and examinations
of tea samples seemed to confirm that view ; but a repetition of the experiment had
not done so. It having been inferred from various reasons that tea could be cultivated
in the Himalaya Mountains, Mr. Fortune, subsequent to the China War, was sent out
to China, by the Horticultural Society of England, in order to make inquries on the
subject. He, therefore, found the thea bohea in the southern parts of China employed
for making black tea ; and in proceeding as far north as Shanghae, he found the thea
virid is used in making green tea, was near the districts where the best green tea was
made. So far, therefore, the information obtained seemed to confirm the viewr of two
different species « f thea being employed to make the two different kinds of tea; but
Mr. Fortune, in visiting the district of Fokien, was surprised to find what he conceived
to be the true thea v irid is employed in making black tea in districts near where the
best black tea was made. He took plants with him from Fokien to Shanghae, and
could find no difference between them. It was still, however, desirable to get speci­
mens from the districts where the black and green teas of Commerce were actually
made, and this has latterly been effected. Mr. Fortune procured seeds and plants in
great numbers, and sent them to the Himalayas, where they have been since culti­
vated. In consequence of the great success which had attended the experimental
culture of tea in the nurseries established in the Himalayas, Mr. Fortune was again
sent to China by the East India Company. He proceeded to the northern parts of
the country, in order to obtain tea seeds and plants of the best description, as the
most likely to stand the Himalaya climate. When he had reached Calcutta, the tea
manufacturers whom he had brought with him, made from plants in the Botanic Gar­
dens, their black and green tea from the same specimens; iO that it was evident it
was the process of manufacture, and not the plant itself, that produced the green tea.
All now w ho wrere acquainted with the difference between black and green teas, knew
that they could be prepared from the same plant, without the assistance of any ex­
traneous materials, though it was a common thing for manufacturers to use copper,
indigo, Prussian blue, turmeric, Ac., in coloring the tea.




13 4

M ercantile M iscellanies.

MARKET FOR YOUNG WOMEN IN HUNGARY.
In Europe “ matrimonial matches ” are, especially among the wealthy classes, more
or less a matter of trade ; and it seems in honest Hungary that the peasantry visit
the fairs, not only for the purchase of household utensils, but for husbands and wives.
Without committing the M ercha nts' M aga zin e to the propriety or impropriety of such
a custom, we venture to transfer from the C on greya tion a list to our “ Mercantile
Miscellanies,” the subjoined account of a market in Hungary where young men and
young women enter into matrimonial speculations :—
Every year, at the feast of St. Peter, which comes on the latter days of June, the
peasantry of this district (Bihar) meet together at a certain place, for the purpose of
a general fair. This fair has a very peculiar interest for the young men and the young
maidens, for it is there that, whilst purchasing household utensils and family necessa­
ries, they choose for themselves partners, and conclude marriages. The parents bring
their marriageable daughters, with each one her little dower accompanying her, loaded
up in a small cart. This dower is, of course, proportionate to the lowly condition of
these mountaineers, some sheep, sometimes a few hogs, or even chickens. These girls
are attired in their best, or what pieces of gold or silver they may possess, are strung
upon a string, and neatly attached to the braids of their hair.
Thus fitted out, every girl who desires to find a husband betakes herself to the fair.
She quits the house of her father, perhaps forever, and bids her mother adieu, quite
ignorant of what roof is to shelter, or what fate awaits her journey’s end. As to her
fortune, it is in the little car that attends her. The object of her journey is never mis­
taken ; nobody wonders at it; nor is there occasion for a public officer to make a
record of the deed. On the other hand, the youths who wish to procure themselves
wives hasten to the fair, arrayed in the very best skin garments their chests contain.
These savage looking chaps, who would be quite enough to make our young ladies
run and Hide themselves, proceed with a good deal of interest and zest to inspect the
fair mountain lasses that are brought thither by their fathers and their uncles, casting
many side glances and wistful looks towards the captivating merchandise.
He gives his fancy a free rein, and when he finds one that seems to claim his prefer­
ence, he at once addresses the parents, asks what they have given her, and asks what
price they have set upon the “ lot ” so exposed for sale—at the same time stating his
own property and standing. If the parents ask too much, these gallant “ boys” make
their own offer, which, if it does not suit the other to agree to, the fond lover passes to
seek some one else.
W e may suppose that the proud young men always keep a “ top eye ” open to the
correspondence of loveliness upon the one hand, and the size of the dower upon the
other. At last he finds one for whom he is willing to give the price, and a loud clap­
ping of the hands together announces to the bystanders that the bargaiu is completed.
What a heavy blow this must be for some lazy rival who has not decided quick
enough, who is halting and considering whether she will suit him, and whether she is
as lovely and accomplished in household matters as some of the others. However,
the deed is done, and the bargain is completed, and forthwith the young girl— poor
thing— proceeds also to clasp the hand of her future husband. What a moment of
interest and anxiety to her. The destiny of her life is sealed by this rude clasp of
the hand. In this act she as much as said, “ Yes, I will be yours for life, and I consent
to partake of your joys and your troubles, to follow you through weal and through
wo.”
The families of the betrothed pair then surround them, offering their congratulations,
and at once, without delay, the priest who is on the ground for the occasion, pronoun­
ces the nuptial benediction. The young woman presses the parting hand of that family
who have reared her, but of which she is no longer a part— mounts the car of her
new husband, whom but a few hours before she never so much as knew, and escorted
by her dc wer is conducted to the house henceforward to be her home.
The Hui garian government have long tried, but in vain, to suppress these fairs for
young girls. Positive orders have been given that they should no longer take place,
but such is the force of long established custom, united to the necessities of this pas­
toral race, that all such orders have been disregarded. The fair still continues, and
every year such cavalcades as we have described may be seen descending into the
plains of Kalinasa, there to barter off these precious jewels of the household, as
though they were senseless beeves or mere produce of the soil.




Mercantile Miscellanies.

135

A LECTURE FOR RICH MERCHANTS.
Col. C ummtngs, o f the E v en in g B u lletin reads the following brief discourse touching
the indebtedness of rich men; which it may not be amiss to repeat in our “ pulpit,” for
the benefit of our parish.
“ I can pay my way, and am obliged to nobody,” is a frequent expression of the
selfish rich man. We fancy we can see him, while he utters it. with his purse proud,
defiant look, buttoning up his pocket as if he thought you a thief.
You can pay your way, can you? You are obliged to nobody? Good sir, we dont
believe you know what you say. That you can pay your pecuniary debts we have
no doubt, but those, it seems to us, are the least part of your obligations. You owe
duties to society as a man, a citizen, and a millionaire, of which, perhaps, you have
never thought; certainly not as debts to be paid, in your own person, and by an ex­
penditure of your own time, and thought, and money. My dear sir, consider this well.
Do not live and die in the false belief that because you owe this debt to society in the
abstract, heaven will never require its payment at your hands. Do not imagine either
that you can delegate its liquidation to others. No well-salaried minister.no sleek
visitor of the poor can become your middleman in this matter, doing your work for
you. Monopolize your time in mere money-making, and suffer your heart to grow
hard as steel, as all hearts will that never come into contact with humau misery.
“ lean pay my way,” you say, “ I am obliged to nobody.” Perhaps, as you utter
these words, you look rebukingly at some poor debtor who has failed to meet his en­
gagements. Beware, oh! rich man: “judge not, lest ye be judged.” You know not
what defects of early training, what cruel disasters of fortune, what treachery on the
part of others, may have led to his bankruptcy. With all his errors, and even faults,
for probably he has not been entirely free from either, he may yet be a better man,
taken all in all, than you, with your bank stock, your mortgages, your ships, and your
real estate. He may not neglect his children, as you, absorbed in your speculations,
probably do, leaving their moral training to others, instead of superintending it your­
self. He may be a truer husband, not acting as you perhaps do, as if a wife was either
a slave or a plaything, and not a companion. He may be a kinder friend, a more con­
scientious citizen, a man better imbued with the thousand sympathies of humanity.
Believe us, there are more crimes than being in debt, though, where debt comes from
imprudence or a reckless spirit of speculation, it is, heaven knows, bad enough.
“ lean pay my way,” you say, “ I am obliged to nobody.” You are obliged, on the
contrary, to every fellow-creature with whom you are thrown into contact, either in
social life or in business. Without their courtesy, their attention, their kindness, their
society, you would be the most miserable creature alive. Every hour you live you are
indebted to some fellow-being for some attention or other, and it is only because
they are so freely and commonly given, like the air of heaven, that you do not
realize their value. The time will come, if it has not come already, when some great
family affliction shall teach you that, with all your riches, you are but a frail, helpless,
human creature; and in that hour of grief and heart-wrung agony, you will recognize
at last, even if but for a moment, the precious boon of common sympathy; you will
feel how much you owe, after all, to your fellows.
Thank heaven! all rich men are not like you. There have been many, in every
generation, who acknowledge that they owe other debts than pecuniary ones, and who
strive faithfully to liquidate them. Their number is increasing, moreover, with each
successive generation. When the day arrives, as we believe most firmly, it will, when
all rich men shall recognize the obligations they owe to society, the millennium, in one
sense, at least, will have come. Then may the rich man truly say, “ I can pay my
way, I am obliged to nobody.”
CONSUMPTION OF COTTON IN GREAT BRITAIN.
Great Britain now consumes upward of 31,500 bales o f cotton weekly, or more than
1,600,000 bales annually, with a progress of consumption from year to year much
larger than the p r o rata increase of population. According to late and authentic state­
ments of the English manufactures, it seems that there are in Great Britain 21,000,000
spindles in constant motion, spinning upward of 105,000,000 hanks (or 50,000 miles)
of yarn per day— in length sufficient to circumscribe the globe 2,000 times. Out of
this immense production, in one country only, about 130,000,000 yards of yarn are ex­
ported to foreign countries, the remainder being converted into cloth, lace, and other
fabrics. There are also in operation in Great Britain, at thi3 time, 220,000 powerlooms, each of which will- produce, on an average, five or six pieces of cloth per week,
each piece about 28 yards long, or a daily product of 6,256,000 yards, (or 3,550 miles.)




13 6

M ercantile Miscellanies.

THE CAREER OF A BRITISH MERCHANT SHIP-OWNER.
It affords us pleasure to record iu the pages of the M ercha nts' M a g a zin e sketches
of the lives of men who have risen from obscurity to fame and fortune by their own
untiring efforts, especially when fame and fortune have been acquired by intelligence,
industry, and integrity, as in the case o f Mr. L in d sa y , who recently met the electors
of Dartmouth (England) borough, and in replying to an attack upon him by a Tory
elector, gave the following interesting auto-biographical account of his fortunes:—
He should be the last to mention a word about himself had he not been taunted
with falsehood. He was told he was a mere commonplace ship-broker— God knew
he was commonplace enough once; he was the architect of his own fame, and he
hoped no one would despise him on that account. He was but a young man now, and
at the age of 14 he was left an orphan boy to push his way in the world. He left
Glasgow to find his way to Liverpool with 4s. 6d. only in his pocket, and so poor was
he that the captain of a steamer had pity on him and told him that he would give
him his passage, if he would trim the coals in the coalhole of the steamer. He did
so, and thus worked his passage. He remembered that the fireman gave him a part
o f his homely dinner, and never had he ate a dinner with such a relish, for he felt that
he had wrought for it and earned i t ; and he wished the young to listen to this state­
ment, he had derived a lesson from that voyage which he had never forgot. A t Liv­
erpool he remained seven weeks before he could get employment; he abode in sheds,
and 4s. 6d. maintained him, until at last he found shelter in a West Indiaman; he en­
tered as a boy, and before he was 19 he had risen to the command of an Indiaman.
A t 23 he retired from the sea, his friends, who, when he wanted assistance had given
him none, having left him that which they could no longer keep. He settled on shore
— his career had been rapid, he had acquired prosperity by close industry, by constant
work, and by keeping ever in view that great principle of doing to others as you
would be done by. And now, instead of being a commonplace ship-broker, he would
tell them that at 35— for he was no older— what was the amount of business which
the firm which he had established, and was the head of and the acting partner in
transacted. During the last year alone their charters executed amounted to upward
of 700, and this year it bade fair to be larger. The amount of their insurances was
£3,000,000 sterling: they had shipped, as contractors, upward of 100,000 tons of coal,
and upward of 150,000 tons of iron. They had imported in the famine year, as bro­
kers, 1,500,000 quarters of corn. Then, as to the next charge, that he was no ship­
owner, and did not own a ton of shipping. In consequence of this statement he had
been induced to copy out a list of the ships in which he owned a proportionate rate,
and was managing owner of all, a large and high class of British built ships. He
then read a list of 18 vessels, beside steamers and others, ranging from S60 to 310
tons burden, the total tonnage being 21,002— the largest portion of which he owned
himself, aud was manager for the whole.
SINGULAR DISCOVERY OF OLD BANK NOTES.
A large quantity of old papers which had accumulated in the storerooms of the late
Dr. Wing, for many years, says the Albany E v en in g J ou rn a l , were put aside to be
taken to the paper-mill, a few days since. On overhauling them, a small parcel was
found inclosed in a piece of “ Oran’s New York Price Current of August, 1804/’ When
opened, it was found to contain §14, as follows:— A §10 bill of the “ Farmers’ Bank
of Troy,” No. 1766, dated Feb. 22, 1802 ; John D. Dickinson, President, and Hugh
Peebles, Cashier. On the back of the bill was written the name of “ John Potter.”
Also, a §2 bill on the “ Bank of Albany,” No. 342, dated Aug 24, 1804; Jcr. V. Rens­
selaer. President, and G. W. Van Schaick, Cashier. Also, a §2 bill on the “ New York
State Bank,” No. 917, dated June 20, 1804; John Taylor, President, and John M.
Yates, Cashier. These notes appear, from a memorandum on the wrapper, to have
been set aside to pay a bill, but they never performed their intended functions, and
have been lying idle—-judging from the date of the paper in which they were inclosed
— at least forty-seven years. They were probably wrapped up by the late Matthew
Gregory, father-in-law of Dr. Wing. It so happens that the three banks which issued
these bills fifty years ago, are still in existence, ready to redeem these venerable relics
of their youth. They are curiosities in point of engraving— presenting a striking con­
trast to the finished work found upon the bank-notes of the present day.




13 7

T h e B o o k T ra d e.

THE BOOK TRADE.
1. — A ddresses and Speeches on V ariou s Occasions.
pp. 773. Boston: Little & Brown.

By R obert C. W in th r op . 8vo.,

In this volume we have some forty speeches, addresses, lectures, die., made at dif­
ferent periods in Congress and before various other public bodies and literary societies.
One of them, the address before the Boston Mercantile Library Association, has, in
part, already appeared in the M erchants' M agazin e. It was an elegant production on
“ The influence of Commerce,” and our readers doubtless remember it. In casting our
eyes over these extensive pages and reading passage after passage, one is astonished
to find such a vast amount in which there is so little to correct, and so little which
could have been better uttered, yet the author tells us the speeches and addresses are
printed almost word for word as they were delivered. We have no doubt of this.
For the country has few more accurate and accomplished scholars than Mr. Winthrop.
The elegance of his diction and the elevation of his sentiments are stamped upou every
page, while the chasteness of his imagination and the high culture of his powers adorn
everything he touches. The political speeches and iiddresses are valuable for the
clear and discriminating view3 which they present of the important questions then un­
der discussion, as well as for models of polished and forcible oratory. The addresses
before societies are replete with learning and rich in those passages of eloquence
which gratify and instruct the accomplished mind.
2. — The In d u stria l R esou rces, etc., o f the S outhern and W estern S tates ; E m b ra cin g
a View o f th eir C om m erce, A g r ic u ltu r e , M a n u fa ctu res , In tern a l Im provem ents,
Slave and F ree L a b o r, S la very In stitu tion s, P ro d u cts , A c., o f the S outh. Together
W ith H isto rica l a nd S ta tistica l S ketch es o f the D iffe re n t S tates a nd C ities o f the
U nion. S ta tistics o f the U nited S tates , Comm erce and M an ufa ctures, f r o m the
E a rliest P eriod s, C om pared with O ther L ea ding P ow ers, the R esu lts o f the D ifferen t
Census R etu rn s since 1790, a n d R etu rn s o f the Census o f 1850, on P o p u la tio n , A g ­
ricu ltu re, a nd G en era l Ind u stry.
W ith an A p p e n d ix . By J. D. B. D e B ow. 3

vols.

8vo., pp. 463, 557, and 545.

New Orleans: De Bow's Review.

This is altogether the most important book on the industrial interests of the coun­
try which has been issued from the American press; important not only to the people
of the Southern and Western States, respecting which it is so rich in details, but
equally important to whatever citizen in other sections desires to become acquainted
with the incalculable riches of this portion of our common country. The work is pre­
pared with great labor and research, not only on the part of the compiler, but many in­
telligent co-operators in various parts of the South, and its contents have been pre­
pared originally, or compiled or collected, or extracted from every source where in­
dustry and discrimination could obtain materials of value for such an important publi
cation. But although so varied, so extensive, aud so important may be the contents
of these volumes, respecting the industrial resources of a portiou of our country, yet
they are entitled to high commendation on another ground. They furnish the first
systematic attempt which has been made to gather and systematize within the com­
pass of two or three volumes, the commercial resources of half of the United States.
The manner in which the work has been prepared and issued from the press, reflects
high credit upon the diligence, discernment, and accomplishments of its author,
while it can scarcely fail to meet with a very general and complimentary commenda tion for its fullness, accuracy, and completeness, upon all the subjects of which it treats.
By reference to its title its comprehensiveness of detail will be apparent, and some
conception can be obtained by the reader, of the assiduous labor and length of time
required in the production of these volumes.
3. — L ig h t in a D a r k A lle y . By H en ry A. R ow land . 18mo., pp. 178. New York:
M. W. Dodd.
A discussion of the “ false principles which lead many to live in neglect of the
Go'pe1,” is the aim of th:s little volume, “ which is recommended to those who are con­
scious of living in this neglect, as a suitable antidote to the many dangerous errors
which are constantly instilling poison into the mind.”




138

T h e B oo k Trade.

4. — Select B ritish E loq u en ce ; em bracing the best Speeches en tire o f the M ost E m in en t
O rators o f G reat B rita in , f o r the L a s t Two C enturies ; with S ketches o f th eir L iv es ,
an E stim a te o f th eir G en iu s , a n d N o tes C ritica l and E x p la n a to ry . By C hauncey
A. G oodrich , D. D., 8 vo., pp. 947. New York: Harper and Brothers.
The author, who was for many years a Professor of Oratory in Yale College, is per­
haps as well fitted, by familiarity with the speeches of British orators and his own
taste and pursuits, to make this compilation, as any man. British writers and orators
have ever been the theme of his admiration. A brief biographical sketch precedes
the orations of each speaker, which are followed by a few historical and explanatory
notes. The selections are those which, by the general suffrage of the English public,
are. regarded as masterpieces of their respective authors. A ll Chatham’s speeches are
inserted, including eight never before published ; all of Burke’s prepared for the press
by himself, excepting one, with the most striking passages in his works on the French
Revolution; six of Fox’s great speeches; three of Pitt’s ; nine of Erskine’s able argu­
ments; with many speeches from orators of the second class, such as Mansfield, Grat­
tan, Sheridan, Curran, Macintosh, Canning, and Brougham. In addition, the volume
contains some of the letters of Junius, and in the introductory portion nearly all the
celebrated speeches before the days of Lord Chatham. Every aid is furnished in the
details for the study of these speeches which the student can desire.
5. — W om an's R e c o rd s ; or. Sketches o f a ll the D istin gu ish ed W om en f r o m 8*11 the
begin n in g" till A . D . 1850.
Arranged in Four Eras, with Selections from Female
Writers of every Age. By. S arah J. H ale . Illustrated by two hundred and thirty
portraits, engraved on wood, by L ossing and B a r r it t . Large 8vo., pp. 904. New
York : Harper & Brothers.
An encyclopedia of notable women who have appeared at various times since the
world began. In some instances the biographical sketches are quite brief, furnishing,
however, all that is known or important of the individual; in other instances they are
accompanied with selections from their writings, thus presenting some of the choicest
gems of thought, fancy, and feeling, in female literature. The work may be regarded
as by far the most complete and perfect exponent of Woman which has yet appeared.
In a word, it is a picture of Woman’s Life as it has been developed to the world from
the Creation to the present period. The “ Record ” comprises about two thousand
five hundred names, of which number, less than two hundred are from heathen na­
tions. The list is divided into four eras or periods, which are introduced by a very
satisfactory preface from the author. Indeed, when we look over this vast and exten­
sive work, and consider the high aims for which it was prepared, we must acknowl­
edge that the authoress herself is one of the most noble and meritorious women on the
list.
6. — R o d o lp h iis: a F ra n co n ia S torg.
By the author of the Rollo Books.
pp. 225. New York: Harper <fc Brothers.

16mo.,

One o f Abbott’s charming stories for young people, forming the first of a series en­
titled “ Franconia Stories.”
7. — Illu striou s P erson a g es o f the N in eteen th C entury. With an Introduction, by
H en ry P. T a ppa n , D. D. Imperial 8vo., pp. 320. New York : Stringer and Town­
send.
A series o f striking portraits of some twenty individuals of distinction, with bio­
graphical sketches, prepared with considerable care, compose this attractive volume.
But, in truth, this is an imperfect idea of its contents. There are fine portraits of
Chalmers, Peel, Tennyson, Jeffrey, Campbell, the Emperor Nicholas, Lamartine, Words­
worth, Joanna Baillie, <kc., such as every one would desire to possess. The paper, and
the letter-press, and binding, are very elegant, and worthy to be ranked among the
finest specimens of the kind before the public.
8.

— H a ydock's F a m ily B ib le and Com m entary. Parts 5, 6, and 7.
According to
the Douay and Rheims Version, with Haydock’s Notes complete. 4to. New
York: Dunigan & Brother.
These parts bring d >wn the text of the original to the middle of the B^ok of Ruth.
Each is embellished with a very finely executed plate or engraving. This edition is
brought out in a very elegant style, and is enriched with such valuable notes as to
render it desirable to all persons of whatever religious persuasion.




13 9

The B oo k Trade.

9. — The Scots W o r th ie s : con ta in in g a b r ie f h istorica l account o f the m ost em inent
N oblem en , G entlem en , M in isters a nd others , Wio testified o r s u ffer e d f o r the cause o f
R efo rm a tio n in S cotlan d , f r o m the b egin n in g o f the S ixteen th cen tu ry to thh y ea r
1688. By J oiix H o w ie . With twelve engravings. Svo., pp. 632. New York:
Robert Carter Brothers.
The reader is introduced, in these pages, to' some seventy of those Scotchmen who
were most conspicuous and eminent at the time of the Reformation, in their devotion
to its principles. The information respecting each is quite minute and personal, even
so much so, that the sketches have become striking portraitures of the private life and
internal history of the various individuals. When we add to these features, the hearty,
earnest, deeply moving style of a vigorous Scotch pen, we are not surprised to learn
that, “ like the Pilgrim's Progress, this work has secured to itself, in Scotland, a posi­
tion from which it will never be dislodged— that it has become a family piece in town
and country; especially among the peasantry, and that the attention of youth is
riveted to it as if by fascination.” Thus it will be seen that it is a work calculated to
interest all those who sympathize with the champions o f humanity, and also all those
who can admire the heroism and energy displayed in every age, by mankind when
encountering the sorest trials.
10.— T h e M y stery S o lv e d : o r , Irela n d 's M is e r ie s ; the G ra n d Cause a n d Cure. By
Rev. E. M. D ill, A. M., M. D. 12mo., pp. 347. New York : Robert Carter Bros.
The author of this work acted as Missionary Agent to the Irish Presbyterian Church.
He has divided his subject into four parts:— “ Ireland’s Miseries—The Alleged Causes
—The Grand Cause— The Cure.” His views are intelligent and sensible ; and the in­
formation he imparts is instructive on all the points save one; that one is “ the Grand
Cause.” Here the author sees nothing but Rome, from beginning to end. Of course,
if a Romish priest was handling the same subject, he might see nothing but Protes­
tantism as the Grand Cause of Ireland’s miseries. Hence each reader must take this
part of the book for what it is worth in his own estimation. There are, in addition,
many general views advanced in these pages which will be acceptable to all intelligent
readers.
11. — T h e In d ia n T ribes o f G u ian a.
York: Robert Carter & Brothers.

By Rev. W. H.

B

rett.

12mo., pp. 352.

New

A narrative of the Missions among the various tribes of Guiana, conducted by the
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, is contained in these pages.
The narrative commences with the origin of the mission and continues it to the present
time. The subject is one of considerable interest, which is heightened by the sketches
of Indian character presented to the reader.
12. — N ea r H o m e : o r the C ountries o f E u r o p e described, w ith A n ecd o tes a n d num erous
Illustrations. By the Author of “ Peep of Day,” &c. 12mo., pp. 322. New Y ork :
Robert Carter & Brothers.
'I his is a pleasant colloquial volume upon the geography of various countries in
Europe, and intended to enlist the attention and instruct youthful readers. The plan
is a good one, and it i3 carried out with considerable success, although the author at
times falls into the same dullngss and dryness to which he objects in other books.
13. — E le g y w ritten in a C ou n try C hurchyard, a n d other P o em s.
8vo., pp. 186. New Y ork: Robert Carter Brothers.

By T homas G r a y .

This is a handsome edition of Gray’s Poems. Each verse of the Elegy is accom­
panied with a tasteful and well executed illustration, expressive of the sense of the
text. It is printed in fine style, on superb paper, aud makes an elegant book.
14. — M eyer's U niversum .

Parts 9, 10,and 11.

New York: Hermann Meyer.

This finely illustrated serial is issued in half-monthly parts, with engravings from
drawings by the first artists, and letter-press descriptions by some of the first writers
the day. The embellishments in these numbers consist of “ The Bosphorus, from the
Euxine;” “ Desert Rock Light-House,” coast of Maine; “ The Giralda in Seville;”
“ Teheran;” “ The Tomb of Washington,” with the text by Clias. A. Dana; “ Mount
Etna;” “ Birmingham, England;” “ Liege and Seraing;” “ Lake George ;” “ Algazar in
Segovia.”




140

T he B o o k Trade.

15.

— A H isto ry o f the D iv is io n o f the P res b y te ria n Church in the U n ited S tates o f
A m e r ic a . B y a Com m ittee o f the S y n o d o f N ew Y o r k a n d N ew Jersey. 12mo., pp.

2tf8. New York : M. W. Dcxld.
Here is a history of an irreconcileable division among brethren, who are distin­
guished for carefulness and caution in forming opinions, which are afterwards adhered
to with inflexible tenacity. There are only two ways by which a large number of
talented, energetic, aspiring, and educated minds can be preserved in fraternal co­
operation in human affairs : one is, by a series or gradation of monks or orders, which
will gratify the ambitious and quell the turbulent, such as has been maintained in
every institution of any permanency which the world has ever seen; the other is, by
the possession of the genuine, child-like humility of which Christ speaks. The former
harmonizes with the logical order of the mind; the latter is an element of the divine
nature. With regard to this volume, its origin and object of publication may be found
in a resolution of the Synod, expressing their belief that “ their interests, and the cause
of truth and righteousness, will be promoted by the careful preparation, and wide dif­
fusion of the history of the causes which produced a division in the Presbyterian
Church in this country.” The members of the Committee consisted of some of the
most eminent men in the Synod, belonging to what is technically called the “ New
School.”
— T h e W o r ld s L a c o n ic s ; o r the B est T hou ghts o f the B est A u th o rs. B y E v e r a r d
B e r k e l e y . In prose and poetry. W ith an introduction by W m . B. S prague , D. D.

16.

12mo., pp. 432.

N ew Y ork : M. W . Dodd.

We can scarcely conceive how little there is of real value in many volumes which
are published, until we take up a book like this, made up of insolated thoughts selec­
ted from the best treatises and from their best parts. The real points of value in many
books thus appear within the compass of a few sentences. It is those parts of un­
usual splendor which were written in the author’s happy moments, which have been
collected in these pages. They comprise some bright conception, some exquisite sen­
timent, some pithy and striking saying on almost every subject within the range of
ordinary thought. Indeed, it is a work to be studied rather than curiously read, and
however the most superficial reader may be delighted by the many brilliant sentences
which it contains, none but the thoughtful and earnest, will ever fathom the depths of
wisdom and truth to which it introduces us.
— T he E a r ly D a y s o f E lish a . T ran slated f r o m the G erm a n o f E . W . K rum m ach er , w ith a n In trod u ction by G a r d in e r S p r in g , D. D. 12mo., pp. 381. New York:

17.

M. W. Dodd.
Krummacher is celebrated as a pulpit orator, and among the first discourses which
he has delivered are these on the earl}' days of Elisha. The translation is well ren­
dered, and the public will be indebted to the publisher for placing within their reach
this interesting volume.
18. — S a xton ’ s D u r a l H a n d -B ook s. F ir s t Series. C on ta in in g R ich a rd son o n the H orse —
on the H o g — the H on ey-B ee— the P es ts o f the F a rm — D o m estic F ow ls— a n d M ilburn
on the Law . 8vo., pp. 500. New York : C. M. Saxton.

In this compact volume the publisher places within the reach of agriculturists those
small and cheap works of acknowledged merit, on the great topics of farming economy
which are so much needed. The works comprised in these pages are quite popular in
England, and have, under various forms, been well received in this country, although
they have not before been represented here. They are intelligent, and exceedingly
practical treatises.
19. — A F a m ily T ext B o o k f o r the C o u n tr y ; or the F a r m er at H o m e : being a Cyclo­
p ed ia o f the M ore Im p orta n t Topics in M od ern A g r ic u ltu r e , a n d in N a tu ra l H isto ry ,
a n d D om estic E con om y. A d a p ted to R u r a l L ife . B y Rev. J ohn L . B lake , D. D.
8vo., pp. 475. New York : C. M. Saxton.
In this volume the reader will find a definition, or a copious explanation of every
term and subject which can excite the attention of the farmer in his pursuit. It is
emphatically a Hand-book of Knowledge respecting everything relating to agriculture.
The style of the author is clear, easily understood, and attractive. He mentions, on
every occasion, whatever occurs to him of advantage or use to the reader, and he dif­
fuses through his work an excellent moral influence.




141

T he B o o k Trade.

20. — Cap S heaf. A F resh B un dle.
York: J. S. Redfield.

By L ew is M y r t l e .

12 mo., pp. 313.

New

Something in the style of Ik Marvel, and in some parts not a whit behind him, are
the contents of these pleasant pages. It is truly commendable in the author, whoever
he may be, and the approbation o f the public will be such as to induce him to offer
us many more fresh bundles.
21. — Speeches on the L eg isla tiv e Ind epend en ce o f I r e la n d ; w ith In trod u ctory N o tes
T homas F. M e a g h e r . 12m o., p p . 317 . New York: Redfield.

by

Ireland’s struggle in 1848 and the parties who suffered banishment in consequence
are well known to our readers. The author of this volume, who was one of the active
spirits, has here collected and presented in a very convenient form to the lovers of
Irish eloquence, all the speeches of importance made at that time, and introduced
them with suitable notes.
22. — T h e C hevaliers o f F ra n ce, f r o m the Crusades to the M a rsh a ls o f L o u is X I V .
By H en ry W. H e r b e r t . 12mo., pp. 399. New York : Redfield.
The age of chivalry furnishes the leading facts for these legends; but, although they
are of such an ancient date, the cut o f the dress is sometimes modern. The author oc­
casionally loses the halo of hoary time, and writes and thinks like men of this day.
There are, however, in these pages, many sketches of the chivalrous period in France,
which are impressive, truthful, and vigorous. As a whole, the volume is interesting
and instructive, although hardly equal to some of the other works of Herbert.
23. — T he C h ild ren o f L i g h t : A Them e f o r the Tim e.
By C ar olin e C heksboro .
12mo., pp. 374. New York: Redfield.
“ To the Loving, and Patient, and True hearted, scattered everywhere throughout
the Dominion of the King of the Universe,” are these pages intrusted by their author.
In their perusal the reader will find much that is suggestive of thought, at the same
time that it has an immediate bearing upon themes of much interest at the present
day. The volume is written in a very felicitous style, and possesses more than ordinary
merit as a piece of composition.
— T h e D a u g h ters o f Z ion. By Rev. S. D. B urchard , D.D. Illustrated w ith Nu­
merous Engravings. 12mo., pp. 355. New York : John S. Taylor.
These are Scripture narratives drawn from the Old and New Testaments, and placed
in chronological order, with a design to furnish an outline of Biblical history, especially
as relating, remotely or directly, to the family, advent, and mission of Christ. It has
been the aim of the author to render these sketches especially attractive and useful
to the “ daughters of the church as well as to mothers in Israel,” exhibiting, as they
do, woman in her sublime and appropriate sphere, as she was in the primitive ages—
emerging from the shadow o f the older dispensation— sitting at the feet o f the Savior,
and suffering and bleeding in martyrdom among the bravest.
24.

25. — F u n a n d E a rn est. By the author of “ Musings of an Invalid,” <tc. 12mo., pp.
274. New York: John S. Taylor.
There are many goods things in this volume pertaining to subjects of life constantly
occurring to the public mind. Some of them are well handled, in others there is some­
what of the appearance of effort, which future care and some labor on the part of the
author will remove from his manner. It is, on the whole, a very readable volume.
26. — Gem s f r o m F a b le L a n d : A C ollection o f Fables. Illu stra ted by F a cts. By IV.
0. B ourne . 12mo., pp. 336. New York: C. Scribner.
Education is regarded by tki3 author as having for its grand purpose, the improve­
ment of the mind, the refinement of the feelings, and the cultivation and the develop­
ment of the highest and most exalted virtues of the heart. It is this high object which
the present work aims to promote, in a manner somewhat novel. That is, to illustrate
Fables by Facts— to present one or more anecdotes o f a fitting character as real life
witnesses to the truth of the moral contained in the text. The work is of a very
practical character— the dignity of Labor, the triumphs of Industry, self-reliance and
perseverance, the loveliness of truth aud honesty, are exhibited in a very clear and
forcible manner.




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27. — T h e L i f e o f B ern a rd P a lis sy , o f S aintes , h is L a b o rs a nd D isco veries in A r t and
Science , w ith a n O utline o f his P h ilo so p h ica l D o ctrin es , a nd a T ra n sla tion o f Illu s­
tra tive S election s fr o m his W orks. By H en ry M o r l e y . 2 vols., 22mo., pp. 303 and
347.
This is a work written witli much force and vigor, by an author who has already
obtained some distinction by a series of articles, eutitled “ How to Make Home Un­
healthy.” The hero of these articles was a noted French artist of the sixteenth cen­
tury, who devised and introduced into France the art of enameling pottery. This he
pursued through many years of suffering and poverty, until he mastered it, and reaped
a fortune from it. He became distinguished in France, and is remembered for many
relics in the Tuilleries. lie was an independent and bold thinker, and his character
as an artist, a man and a Christian, is delineated with much skill and effect at descrip­
tion. Interwoven with the incidents of his life are many historical scenes and events
connected with the Court of Francis I.
28. — R u ra l C h e m is tr y : A n E lem en ta ry In trodu ction to the S tu dy o f the S cience in
its R ela tio n to A gricu ltu re a nd the A r t s o f L ife .
By E d w a r d S o l l y , F. R. S.
From the Third English Edition. 12mo., pp. 391. Philadelphia: Henry C. Baird.
Although originally prepared as an elementary sketch, to enable those ignorant of
Rural Chemistry to understand the works of the various authors on this subject, this
work has now been enlarged and improved sufficiently, to be regarded as an independ­
ent treatise. In this edition several important practical matters have been introduced.
Brief descriptions of the more important domestic arts, together with some accounts
o f the scientific principles involved in them, have been added. Numerous recent an­
alyses of agricultural crops have likewise been given. Care has been taken to make
the work practical, and to avoid the statement of doubtful theories as otherwise than
hypothetical. Its success in England, where agriculture is so w'ell understood, lias
been very flattering to the author.
29. — K ossu th in N ew E n gla n d . A f u l l A cc o u n t o f the H u n g a ria n G overnor's V isit
to M assachusetts , w ith his Speeches , a n d the A d d resses that were m ade to h im , care­
f u l l y revised and corrected.
W ith a n A p p e n d ix . 8vo., pp. 343. Boston: John P.
Jewett <6; Co.
Kossuth’s tour in New England was, in some respects, the most interesting portion
of his visit to our country.
The manner of his reception, wherein, at every step, a
welcome was given to him, the addresses to him, and the subjects to which most fre­
quent allusions were made, were all calculated to bring out, in a high degree, the
brilliancy, the extent, and the force of the talents of this admirable man. In this
volume we have very careful and accurate reports of the addresses to him, the replies,
and the incidents of his reception. It is printed in large aud clear type, on firm and
white paper, and makes a very attractive appearance. The utmost pains appear to
have been taken to secure correctness and elegance in the reports.
30.

— L es A ventures de Tclem aque F i l s d 'U lysse , p a r F en elon .
W ith G ram m ati­
ca l a nd Id iom a tica l R eferen ces to F asqu elle's new F ren ch m ethod , and the E x p la n ­
a tion o f the m ost difficult words a n d passages. By Louis F asquelle . 12 mo., pp.
389. New York : Newman & Ivison.

This is an excellent edition of Telemachus, of which we had occasion to speak at
length in the July number of the M ercha nt's M agazine.
31. — A N ew M ethod o f L ea rn in g the F ren ch L a n g u a ge ; ew bracing both the A n a ly tic a l
a n d S yn th etic M odes o f I n s tr u c tio n ; being a P la in a n d P ra ctica l W a y o f A c ­
q u irin g the A r t o f R ea d in g , S p ea k in g , a nd C om posing F re n ch , o n the P l a n o f
W oodbury's M ethod with G erm an. By Louis F asquelle , LL. D. Fifth Edition.

12mo., pp. 499. New York : Newman
Ivison.
This is a very successful method o f acquiring the French language, and its adoption
has afforded extensive satisfaction. Its peculiar features are pointed out in a former
number of the M erchants' M agazine.
32. — The B r itis h Colonies.

By R. M. M a r tin .

New York: John Tallis

Co.

The colony of the Cape of Good Hope is the subject of the contents of this part,
which is also embellished by a finely executed map of the southern promontory of
Africa, or Cape Colony.




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143

83.— N a rra tive a n d M iscellan eou s P a p e rs . By T homas D e Q uincey, 2 vols. 16rno.,
pp. 280 and 302. Boston : Ticknor, Reed <fc Fields. New York : D. Appleton & Co.
The papers contained in these volumes are entitled, “ The Household Wreck— The
Spanish Nun, Flight o f a Tartar Tribe— Modern Superstition— Coleridge and Opium
Eating— Temperance Movement— On War— The Last Days of Immanuel Kant— and
The System of the Heavens revealed by Lord Rosse’s Telescope.” It surely is unne­
cessary to say auything in explanation of the merits of De Quincey, whose writings
have long secured for him such a prominent rank among modern English Essayists.
These volumes are presented in the same style as the other works of this author.
34. — L i f e and M em oria ls o f D a n ie l W ebster. F rom the N ew Y o r k D a ily T im es. 2
vols., 12mo., pp. 300 and 261. New York: D. Appleton & Co.
Nothing has yet appeared, containing a detail of this great man, which compares in
interest and value with the contents of these volumes. They are from the pen of a
personal and intimate friend of Mr. Webster, Mr. S. P. Lyman. Many portions have
been published at different periods in the C ou rier a n d E n q u ir e r , in the C om m ercial
A d vertiser , and T im es of this city. They are too valuable to be lost, and are now
published in the series of Appleton’ s favorite library.
35. — B a sil. A S to ry o f M odern L ife . By W . W ilk es C ollin s . 12mo., pp. 315.
New Y ork : D. Appleton & Co.
This is a work of uncommon power. It enters into scenes and events of the pres­
ent day, presents us with the character of aristocracy in England, with all its unyield­
ing pride of birth. The son of a noble lord falls in love at sight with the beautiful
daughter of a linen draper, who becomes married to him, and afterwards proves false
before the marriage is consummated. The working up of this outline, the treachery
of some friends, the love and distress of others, the invincible sternness of the lord,
the managing business manner of the father of the girl, are drawn with great force
and vigor. It forms one of the most striking tales of the day.
36. — T h e B o o k o f the H e a r t; or, L ove's E m blem s. Illu stra ted by th irty-th ree S teel
E ngravin gs. Imperial 8vo., pp. 168. New York: D. Appleton & Co.
Few of the elegant books of the holiday season display greater richness and splen­
dor than this volume. Its aim is to illustrate, by the combination of art and language,
the influence of the passion of love in its various moods upon woman’s heart. The
illustrations are very finely executed on steel, and the letter-press is selected from the
choicest writers in the English language, anti consists of some of the finest gems of
our literature.
87.— H om e Scenes a n d H ea rt Studies. By G race A g u ilar . 12mo., pp. 399. New
York : Appleton & Co.
This writer has proved to be one of the most acceptable popular writers of the day.
The high tone of her works; their genuine representation of pure morals and cultivated
feeling, with vigor and force of style, have found a very general response in the public
mind, and secured to her a rank among the most accomplished of female novelists.
The volume before us consists of a number of independent tales, which have been col­
lected by her mother, and are now printed to complete the series of her writings.
38.— The C onfessions o f F it z B ood le ; and Som e P a ssa ges in the L i f e o f M a jo r G ahagan. By W . M. T h ac ke ray . 12mo., pp. 276. New York : D. Appleton & Co.
Of all the tales by Thackeray which have appeared in the English Magazines, and
been republished in Appleton’9 admirable library, this is unquestionably the best. It
most truly represents the peculiar manner of the author.
89.— E ssa ys f r o m the L o n d on Tim es. Secon d S eries. 12mo., pp. 261. New York:
D. Appleton & Co.
These able essays are all taken from a late period of the issue of the Tim es. They
include, among other subjects, sketches of the prominent literary characters of the
day, in England, such as Tennyson, Dickens, Thackeray, Kingsley, <fec.
40.— P a tie n t W a itin g n o lo s s : o r the Two C hristm as D a y s. By A lice B. N e a l .
16mo., pp. 00. New Y ork: D. Appleton.
A charming book for young people, full of pathos and humor, and written in a clear
and lively style, which will indelibly impress upon the mind the truth of the sentiment
that “ in patient waiting there is no loss.”




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41. — E lem en ts o f E lectro-M eta llu rgy. B y A lfre d S n e ll . First American from the
Third London Edition. Revised, corrected, and considerably enlarged. Illustrated
■with Electrotypes and numerous Wood-cuts. 12mo., pp. 364. New Y ork : John
Wiley.
Electro-Metallurgy is comparatively a new subject. It has attracted attention
within a few years, and has subsequently made very rapid progress, so much so,
indeed, that each edition of this work has, to some extent, been re-written, to keep
pace witli the improvements. In this last one, the reader will find all the results of
importance which have been developed to the present time. The methods of operat­
in g are described with much fullness and completeness, and the illustrations furnish
all the information necessary to a satisfactory understanding of the various processes
of this valuable art.
42. — F ootsteps o f ou r F orefa th ers : W h a t th ey S uffered a n d what th ey S ought. D e ­
scrib in g L o ca lities and P o r tr a y in g P erso n a g es and E ven ts conspicu ous in the
S tru ggles f o r R elig iou s L ib e r ty .
By J ames G. M ia l l . With 36 Illustrations.
12mo., pp, 352. Boston: Gould & Lincoln.

Religious intolerance has been one of the most deadly scourges of the human race.
Its phenomena, especially as they have been displayed in a Protestant form, are ex­
hibited in these pages with as little repulsiveness as the nature of the subject will
admit of. The attempt is also made to indicate the mistaken principle in which these
melancholy results have had their origin. No distinctive form of polity is advocated,
but the manner in which any religious system may become vitiated by connection with
the State is shown. The author examines a wide field with great ability.
43. — K a th a y . A C ruise in the C hina S eas. By W. H. M ac aulay . 12mo., pp. 230
New York: G. P. Putnam.
The author of this volume, an officer in the navy, was for one or two years attached
to the squadron on the East India Station, engaged in much active service. During
this period the ship visited numerous ports in the China Seas and afforded to the officers
an opportunity to obtain a bird’s-eye view of the manners and customs of the people.
These first impressions are presented here with a dash of originality and piquancy
which will arrest the reader’s attention, and impart to his mind a life-like picture of
modern life in the extreme East.
44. — A B o o k f o r a C orner. By L eigh Hunt. Second Series. 12mo., pp. 227. New
York : G. P. Putnam.
Number twenty of Putnam’s Semi-Monthly Library consists o f tales and Selections
from several of the best English essayists, which are introduced, severally, by genial
remarks from Leigh Hunt. It makes a very agreeable volume, and will prove a
pleasant companion either by the way, or at the fireside of home.
45. — Cobb's S p e a k e r ; con ta in in g am ple E x ercises in E lo cu tio n in P r o s e a n d P o e t r y ,
and D ia log u es , f r o m m ost esteem ed N a tiv e a n d F o re ig n W riters. A ls o , an In tr o ­
du ction con ta in in g the P r in c ip le s o f E lo cu tio n v ery f v l l y exem plified by I llu s tr a ­
tions.
D esig n ed f o r the use o f A ca d em ies and the H ig h er Classes i n P u b lic a nd
S elect S chools , and also f o r P r iv a te Students. By L yman C obb, A. M. 12mo., pp.

676. New York : J. C. Ritter.
This work consists of very extensive selections from many of the best writers in the
English language. They are made with taste and judgment, and with a due regard
to the wants o f pupils in reading. The treatise on the principles of elocution is simple,
clear and practical. In a word, this work is entitled to the favorable consideration of
teachers everywhere.
46. — W a verly N ovels. Illustrated Library Edition. Yol. 15. Quentin Durward.
12mo., pp. 260. Vol. 16. St. Ronan’s Well. 12mo., pp. 260. Tales of the Cru­
saders. 12mo., pp. 367. Redgauntlet. pp. 257. Woodstock, pp. 800. Boston:
B. B. Mussey.
One of the most readable editions of the Waverly Novels. The type is large and
clear, and the paper plain and white.
47. — E ssa ys and Tales in P ro s e . By B a r r y C o r n w a l l . 2 vols., 12mo., pp. 263 and
245. Boston: Ticknor, Reed &. Fields.
These volumes are issued in the same uniform style with the other works of this stamp
by this publishing house. Their contents have not entirely been published before.
Some of the essays are lively; others quite serious; and several chiefly upon poetical
subjects.