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t H U N T ’S *^r MERCHANTS’ MAGAZINE. JUNE, 1847. Art. I .— COMMERCE OF FRANCE, IN 1845. A G E N E R A L R E V IE W O F T H E CO M M ERCE O F F R A N C E W IT H IT S C O L O N IE S , 1845.* T he Tableau Giniral du Commerce de la France, is a “ public docu m ent” published annually by the custom-house department of the French government, exhibiting, in tabular form, full and detailed statistics of the commerce of France during the previous year. The Report, for 1845, is a folio of some 700 pages, the contents of which are digested and exhib ited in brief form, in twenty tables, which, with some general observa tions prefixed, referring to each table, are placed at the beginning of the work, under the title of Analytical Summary. These general observations we now lay before the reader. The terms “ general commerce” and “ special commerce,” which frequently occur in the course of them, are explained in the Merchants’ Magazine for May, 1846, Vol. XVI., p. 476, where may be found, also, a translation of the like summary of French commerce for 1844. It is sufficient, at present, to state, that the term general commerce, as technically used in these reports, embraces every branch of commerce, as well the carrying trade through France, as im portation for home consumption, and exportation of home products and of A N D W IT H F O R E IG N P O W E R S , D U R IN G T H E YEAR * For similar reviews of the commerce of France, for the years 1843 and 1844, see Merchants’ Magazine for July, 1845, Vol. X III., No. 1, pp. 26 to 37, and Vol. XVI., No. 5, for May, 1847, pp. 476 to 486. For an elaborate article, on the trade and commerce of France, from 1827 to 1840, with foil and complete tabular statements, derived from the French official documents, we refer the reader to the Merchants’ Magazine for September, 1842, Vol. VII., No. 3, pp. 229 to 241. Also, to same work, for May, 1843, Vol. VIII., No. 5, pp. 435 to 439, bringing the commerce of France down to 1841, and the present paper to 1845. For the official documents, furnishing the materials for these papers, we are indebted to M. D. L. Rodet, a distinguished political economist, residing at Paris. [ E d. M ek ch a n ts’ M a g a zin e .] 548 Commerce o f France, in 1845. such foreign products as have paid import duties and are re-exported. The term special commerce, designates importation for home consumption and exportation of home products, and excludes the carrying trade. G eneral and S pecial Commerce. The general commerce of France with the colonies and with foreign powers, in 1845, again presents results more favorable, on the whole, than those of previous years. In value, it has risen to the considerable amount of 2,427,000,000* francs; of which, there were imports, 1,240,000,000 francs ; exports, 1,187,000,000 francs. Compared with the movement of 1844, and taking imports and exports together, there is an increase of 88,000,000 francs, or 4 per cent. Com pared with the average of the four years preceding 1845, there is an in crease of 257,000,000 francs, or 12 per cent. In imports, the advance is 4 per cent on those of 1844, 9 per cent on the average of the last five y ears; the advance in exports, is 4 and 15 per cent on those periods respectively. The special commerce of France, or that which, on the one hand, imports foreign products for home consumption, and on the other hand sends home products abroad, amounted, in value, to 1,704,000,000 francs, which is higher, by 47,000,000 francs, or 3 per cent, than the figure of 1844— by 167,000,000 francs, or 11 per cent, than that of the average of five years preceding. The value of foreign goods entering into consumption in France, was 11,000,000 francs, or 1 per cent less than that of the im ports of, but greater, by 34,000,000 francs, or 4 per cent, than the average figure of the last five years. On the other hand, the export of French products has, at the same time, increased 58,000,000 francs, or 7 per cent, on 1844, and 133,000,000 francs, or 19 per cent, on the average of five years. C ommerce by L and and by S ea . With reference to the two great * The following table exhibits the general course of the foreign commerce of France, during the last 15 years, in periods of 5 years. The excess of the 2d period over the 1st, is 34 per cen t; of the 3d over the 1st, 61 per cen t; and of the 3d over the 2d, 20 per cen t:— Imports. Exports. Years. Total. 513.000. 000 618,000,000 1.131.000. 000 f 1831........... 653.000. 000 696.000. 000 1.349.000. 000 1832 ................... 693.000. 000 766.000. 000 1.459.000. 000 ................... First Period.......... • 1833 720.000. 000 715.000. 000 1.435.000. 000 1834 ................... 761.000. 000 834.000. 000 1.595.000. 000 1835 ................... Total... ... 3,340,000,000 3,629,000,000 6,969,000,000 961,000,000 906,000,000 1.867.000. 000 (1836.......... 758.000. 000 1.566.000. 000 808,000,000 ................... 1837 937.000. 000 956.000. 000 1.893.000. 000 ................... Second Period....- 1838 947.000. 1.003.000. 000 000 1.950.000. 000 1839 ................... ... 1,052,000,000 1.011.000. 000 2.063.000. 000 1840 ................... Total... ... 4,650,000,000 4,689,000,000 9,339,000,000 [•1841........... ... 1842 . ... . ... Third Period......... - 1843 1844 . ... L1845........... ... 1,121,000,000 1,142,000,000 1,187,000,000 1,193,000,000 1,240,000,000 1,066,000,000 940.000. 000 992.000. 000 1.147.000. 000 1.187.000. 000 2.187.000. 000 2.082.000. 000 2.179.000. 000 2.340.000. 000 2.427.000. 000 Total... ... 5,883,000,000 5,332,000,000 11,215,600,000 Commerce o f France, in 1845. 549 branches of commerce—commerce by land and by sea— of the total value of imports and exports, say 2,427,000,000 francs, there were carried by water, 1,736,000,000 francs, and carried by land, 691,000,000 francs; maritime commerce thus forming 72 per cent of the whole. This relative proportion between land carriage and water carriage, has but little varied during the last five y ears; but both these distinct branches of the com merce of France have been on the increase. Maritime trade has advanced 5 and 11 per cent on the year preceding, and on the average of the five years past, respectively; the increase of land traffic is 1 and 13 per cent. This two-fold progress extends to both imports and exports. The im port maritime trade has gained 5 and 7 per cen t; import land traffic, 2 and 13 per cent; the export maritime trade, 5 and 16 per cent; the ex port land traffic, 1 and 13 per cent, as compared with the last year, and the average of the five years preceding. M aritime T rade . Of the amount of 1,736,000,000 francs, forming the sum total of merchandise imported and exported by sea, there were carried in French vessels, 808,000,000 francs, or 46 per c e n t; foreign vessels, 928,000,000 francs, or 531 per cfent. The relative proportion between French and foreign flags, in 1844, was 46 and 54 per cent. Of the 808,000,000 francs, forming the value of goods carried in French vessels, we have, under the head of privileged navigation, 284,000,000 francs, or 14 per cent more than in the previous y e a r; open commerce, 524,000,000 francs, or 2 per cent more than in 1844. Of the different branches of commerce exclusively confined to French bottoms, but one presents, in the value of goods transported, a sensible increase, amounting to 33 per c e n t; it is the French trade with Algeria. C o u n t r ie s t r a d e d w it h . The countries which have dealt most largely with France, in 1845, are the United States, England, Switzer land, Belgium, the Kingdom of Sardinia, the German Customs Union, Spain, Russia, and Turkey. The value of French commerce with these countries forms 72 per cent for the entire commercial movement of the y e a r; the proportion, in this respect, being the same as in 1844. The course of trade with each of these powers, in particular, was as follows:— There was an increase in the trade with Russia, of 4 per cen t; Switz erland, of 5 per c e n t; Belgium, of 14 per cen t; Turkey, of 2 per cent. There was a falling off in the trade with England, of 1 per cent; Sardinia, of 8 per c e n t; Spain, of 12 per cen t; Russia, of 1 per cent. The amount of trade with the Customs Union alone, of all the above States, remained the same both years. The trade of France with almost all the other powers, has improved; more particularly with the Two Sicilies, Sweden, Norway, the Papal States, Peru, Portugal, Greece, Egypt, Austria, Denmark, and the coun tries beyond the Sound. The French colonies have contributed to this advance, at the following rates of increase : Senegal, 60 per cen t; French possessions in India, 9 per cent; Algeria, 31 per c e n t; Bourbon, 9 per cent; Martinique, 5 per c e n t; Guadaloupe, 1 per cent. There has been a falling off, in 1845, in the French trade with the 550 Commerce o f France, in 1845. English possessions in India, Tuscany, the Hanseatic Towns, Mexico, Rio de la Plata, and Hayti. C ou n t ries im p o r t e d fr o m . The value of the imports from the Uni ted States, was 172,000,000 francs, or 14 per cent of the aggregate of importations. Of this amount, 141,000,000 francs are for merchandise imported for home consumption. Compared with the preceding year, and with the average of the five years preceding, the trade with the United States-exhibits an increase in general commerce, of 21 and 4 per c e n t; special commerce, of 5 and 8 per cent. The value of goods imported from England, was 139,000,000 francs ; of which 85,000,000 francs are for merchandise which remained in France. Since 1842, when the import trade with England reached the value of 154.000. 000 francs, it has gradually fallen off. The diminution was 4 per cent in general commerce, and 7 per cent in special commerce, as com pared with the year previous ; 1 per cent in general, and 9 per cent in special commerce, as compared with the average of five years previous. Belgium holds only the third place among nations in the general com merce of import into France, but ranks second among those from which France has imported for home consumption. The value of these exports to France, was 117,000,000 francs ; at no period has the special import trade with that power reached so high a figure ; it exceeds, by 13 and 30 per cent, that of the two periods adopted for comparison. Switzerland exported to France, to the amount of 104,000,000 francs ; of this, 27,000,000 francs are for special commerce. There has been an advance of 5 and 30 per cent in this, and of 10 and 14 per cent in gen eral commerce. Sardinia, the German Customs Union, and Russia, exported less to France than in 1844. In articles for home consumption, the falling off is, for the first, 21 per cen t; the second, 5 per c e n t; and the third, 20 per cent. There was scarcely any fluctuation in the imports from Spain and Tus cany. The exports from the Hanseatic Towns have fallen off 28 per c e n t; from Austria, 22 per c e n t; and from the Low Countries, 15 per cent. With most of the other powers, the import trade of France has been on the increase. This is particularly the case with Turkey, the Two Sicilies, Norway, Egypt, Sweden, the Western coast of Africa, China, Cochin-China and Oceanica, Portugal, the Papal States, and Greece. An increase is also remarked, in the imports into France, for its colo nies, of 70 per cent from Algeria; of 51 per cent from Senegal; of 14 per cent from Bourbon and Guadaloupe ; of 12 per cent from Martinique. C o u n t r ie s e x po r ted t o . The export trade to the United States was not so great as in 1844. It has fallen, in general commerce, from 161.000. 000 francs, to 143,000,000 francs; in special commerce, from 102.000. 000 francs, to 97,000,000 francs. Comparing with the average of the last five years, we have an increase of 8 and 15 per cent in favor of 1845. Exports to England have risen in value to 148,000,000 francs. This is 4,000,000 francs more than in 1844; 3,000,000 less than the average of the five years previous. Of this amount of 148,000,000 francs, the Commerce o f France, in 1845. 551 products of France comprise 110,000,000. This latter amount is greater, by 11,000,000 francs, than the value of French products exported to Eng land in 1844. Belgium received from France, of the products of different countries, 29 per cent, and of French products, 24 per cent more than during the year previous. The French export trade to Algeria, continued to increase in 1845. It reached the value of 99,000,000 francs ; of which, the products of the soil and industry of the mother country comprise 89,000,000 francs. The in crease is particularly noticeable since the beginning of 1844. Before then, the amount of French products sent to the African colonies, did not exceed 16,000,000 francs. Algeria is at present one of the best markets for French exports. In this respect, it ranks in the third place. There was an increased demand for French products in the Hanseatic Towns, Turkey, the Two Sicilies, the Papal States, Austria, Portugal, and Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Inconsiderable, hitherto, the export trade to countries beyond the Sound reached the amount of 1,500,000 francs in 1845. The export trade to the French colonies, Antilles and Bourbon, as well as to Tuscany, Mexico, Rio de la Plata, Hayti, and Egypt, has been less active since 1844. A rticles of I mport. Of the whole value of imports into France, raw materials necessary to manufactures comprise 678,000,000 francs ; of which, 612,000,000 francs’ worth were used in domestic consumption. The value of products imported for consumption in the natural state, was 264,000,000 francs; of manufactured products, 208,000,000 francs. The former, to the extent of 188,000,000 francs, entered into domestic consumption; the latter form an item of 57,000,000 francs in special commerce. Compared with 1844, and the average of five years, there is an in crease in the import of materials, necessary in manufactures whether for domestic use or otherwise, in general commerce, of 8 per cen t; in special commerce, only 2 and 6 per cent. There has been a falling off of 13 per cent in the consumption of ar ticles in the raw state. The special importation of manufactured goods exceeded that of the two periods adopted for comparison, by 5 per cent. Cotton and silk take the lead among raw materials imported. The value of raw cotton imported was, in general commerce, 129,000,000 francs ; in special commerce, 108,000,000 francs. The value of cotton imported in 1844, was but 111,000,000 francs; that of cotton consumed, but 105,000,000 francs. The increase is 17 per cent in general, and 3 per cent in special commerce. During the same year, the value of silk imported was but 103,000,000 francs; that of silk consumed, 61,000,000 francs. The increase in this article is 5 and 6 per cent. Of 71,000,000 francs’ worth of wool, imported into France, 50,000,000 francs’ worth were absorbed in domestic manufactures. This is 1,000,000 francs more than in 1844 ; 5,000,000 more than the amount of the aver age of the last five years. The value of hard coal imported for home consumption was 30,000,000 francs. This is an advance of 25 per cent on the preceding year. The value of sugars imported from the French colonies was 64,000,000 552 Commerce o f France, in 1845. francs; 57,000,000 francs were paid for in value. These figures were not reached at any period of the last five years. Oleaginous grains for home consumption, reached the value of 39,000,000 francs, in 1844, which has risen to 46,000,000 francs, in 1845. On the other hand, the value of cereal grains which have paid duties has fallen from 51,000,000 francs, in 1844, to 16,000,000, in 1845, say 69 per cent. The value of linen and hempen thread that entered into consumption was 28,000,000 francs, which is 4,000,000 francs, or 14 per cent less than in 1844. There was no sensible variation in the value of olive oil, coffee, lead, cast iron in the mass, bars, clock-works, exotic woods, silk goods, rice, horses, and cattle. A slight increase is perceived in the import of leaf-tobacco, foreign sugar, zinc and tin. There is a noticeable increase, also, in the importation of copper; the value that entered into consumption was 6,000,000 francs more than in 1844. There was a falling off comparatively slight in the import trade in indi go, cochineal, flax, hemp, tallow, and fat. A rticles of E xport. The value of exports was 1,187,000,000 francs, in general commerce ; of which 381,000,000 francs are for products in the natural state, and 806,000,000 for manufactures. Of this amount, the value of the products of the soil and industry of France is 848,000,000 francs ; of which 210,000,000 form the value of pro ducts in the natural state, and 638,000,000, that of manufacture. There was an increase in both the general and special commerce of France, in 1845, whether compared with the previous year, or the average of the last five years. This increase, which in general commerce, in the export of merchandise, is 6 and 10 per cent, in the export of products in the natural state, rises to 11 and 12 per cent, taking into view only the products of the French soil; 3 and 10 per cent in the export of manufac tured goods in general, and 6 and 21 per cent in the export of the national fabrics of France. Among natural products, the export trade in which has increased, that in wines has advanced 3,000,000 francs, or 6 per cen t; cereal grains, 6,000,000 francs ; madder, 3,000,000 francs, or 30 per cent. The export of brandies has not been so brisk ; however, it has come within 200,000 francs of the figure of 1844. The export of French manufactures continues to exhibit an advance. Cotton fabrics may be cited as an instance, the export of which has in creased 18,000,000 francs. The value of cotton and woollen threads ex ported, 7,000,000 francs, or 340 per cent greater than before. In previous years it never went beyond 2,000,000 francs. The value of refined sugars exported was 9,000,000 francs, or 110 per cent greater than in 1844. An increase less considerable is also noticed in the export of paper, glassware and crystals, metal works, machinery, and tools. There is a falling off of 3,000,000 or 4,000,000 francs, in the export of silk, linen, and hempen fabrics. T ransit T rade . The value of goods carried through France in the transit trade, was 212,000,000 francs; the weight, 432,940 metrical quin Commerce o f France, in 1845. 553 tals ; or 8 per cent more, both as to weight and value, than in 1844, a year yet unequalled in its results. As in preceding years, the transit trade in cotton and silk fabrics, silk, ■woollen fabrics, and cotton, has fallen off in value. Cotton, castings, iron and steel, coffee, refined sugar, cotton fabrics, and raw and clayed sugars, comprise in weight more than half of the transit trade. Of these articles, cotton and cotton fabrics alone exhibit an in crease ; the advance is 23 and 7 per cent on 1844; refined sugar has fall en off 46 per c e n t; metals and coffee, 21 and 8 per cent. Switzerland, the German Customs Union, Belgium, the United States, and Sardinia, have contributed the most to the transit trade of France, at the place of import. The marked falling off in the aggregate of the carrying trade chiefly affected imports from the German Customs Union, the Sardinian States, and Belgium, and the exports to Spain, the United States, the Sardinian States, and England. W arehousing. The weight of foreign goods warehoused was 9,927,622 metrical quintals; the value, 695,000,000 francs, an advance of 431,104 quintals, and 31,000,000 francs, on 1844. Thirty-four per cent of the whole value of goods warehoused were bonded at Marseilles, and 33 per cent at Havre. Marseilles has fallen off 3 per c e n t; Havre has gained 4 per cent. There has been an increase, also, at Bordeaux, Lyons, Nantes, Dunkirk, Rouen, Metz, Calais, and Boulogne. A falling off in value has taken place at Bayonne, Toulon, Cette, Strasburg, Toulouse, and Orleans. The value of goods warehoused at Paris, was nearly the same in both years. In weight, 40 per cent of the goods bonded were warehoused at Mar seilles, and 24 per cent at Havre ; the former losing 15, and the latter 24 per cent, on 1844. With something of a decrease in the quantity warehoused at Cette, Metz, Orleans, Toulouse, and Lyons, all the places of storage in France have shared in the upward tendency. B ounties. Bounties or drawbacks on importation, have been paid out to the amount of 21,054,477 francs, exclusive of the bounties to the cod and whale fisheries, the regulation of which belongs to the department of commerce. This amount is 6,256,547 francs more than in 1844, and 8,463,800 francs more than the average of the last five years. This in crease comes particularly from the exportation of refined sugars, on which the amount of bounties paid was 13,198,000 francs. Of this, 3,521,763 francs went to sugars from the French colonies, 2,607,626 francs to foreign sugars ; both together, more than 6,000,000. Hitherto, the export of cotton-thread, with benefit of bounty, attracted little attention. But in 1845, there is an advance on 1844, in the quantity of the article exported, from 785 to 7,519 metrical quintals; the bounties paid have increased from 19,625 to 187,976 francs. C od and W hale F ishery . The cod and whale fishery did not turn out so well as in 1844. The returns were 391,296 metrical quintals of codfish, oil, and whalebone ; 46,364 metrical quintals less than in 1844. Consequently, but 69,730 metrical quintals of cod were exported, instead of 100,281 quintals, the quantity exported in 1844. One-half of these exports were to the French colonies, Guadaloupe and Martinique, and 22 per cent of the surplus to Italy. D uties of every kind . The duties from every source received at 554 Commerce o f France, in 1845 . the custom-house, amounted to the sum total of 217,421,597 francs ; of which the duties on imports amounted to 151,850,533 francs, on exports and navigation, and incidental receipts, 7,478,779; tax on the consump tion of salt, 58,092,285. The duties on imports yielded 263,728 francs less than in 1844, when the receipts were higher than ever before realized. The decrease is chiefly in the receipts from the cereal grains, which yielded 5,500,000 francs less than in the previous y e a r; flax and hempen thread show a falling off in the receipts of 500,000 francs. This decrease has not been entirely made up by the aggregate increase of receipts from other articles, such as colonial sugars, cotton-wool, wool, foreign sugars, and coal. The duty on the consumption of salt yielded 1,401,132 francs more than in 1844. This increase is about the same in amount as the falling off in 1844, from the year previous. The aggregate receipts from duties are 1,595,893 francs more than in the previous year. The duties were collected at the principal custom houses in the following proportions :— M arseilles,.......................... 37,594,000 francs, or 17 per cent. H a v re ................................... 27,802,000 “ 13 “ P aris..................................... 23,325,000 “ 11 “ Bordeaux.............................. 14,811,000 “ 7 “ 6 “ Nantes.................................. 14,004,000 “ Dunkirk................................ 8,745,000 “ 4 “ Rouen................................... 6,222,000 “ 3 “ Other custom-houses........... 85,019,000 “ 39 “ The commercial marine of France, employed in its import and export trade with the colonies and foreign powers, comprised 30,245 vessels, ex clusive of vessels in ballast, measuring 3,572,000 tons. These results were never attained in preceding years. Of the whole shipping, 42 per cent of the ships employed, and 39 per cent of the tonnage, was under the French flag. This is the same pro portion as in 1844. O f the 12,659 ships, measuring 1,398,000 tons, belonging to the French flag, 3,647 ships and 540,000 tons were employed in privileged commerce, and 9,012 ships, of the tonnage of 858,000 tons, were employed in navi gation open to the competition of foreign powers. There was an addition of 209 sail, and 55,000 tons to the national shipping, and of 589 ships and 87,000 tons to foreign shipping. The precise amount of the increase of the national marine of France, since 1844, is 898 ships, and 142,000 tons; the increase of the foreign marine was 1,120 ships, measuring 142,000 tons. Of the aggregate shipping, 6,287 were steam-vessels, measuring 842,000 tons ; this is 10 ships less than in 1844, but the tonnage is 92,000 tons greater. The change in numbers is as follows :—There were 109 ships less, and 12,000 tons more employed under the French flag; 99 ships and 80,000 tons more under foreign flags. W e annex, from the French official report, tabular statements of the French export and import trade with the United States, Mexico, and Texas, in 1845, as follows :— Commerce o f France, in 1845, 555 EXPORTS FROM FRANCE TO THE UNITED STATES i n Articles. Silk goods....................... .kilog. Woollen goods............... Cotton goods................... W ines............................. . Manufactured skins....... .kilog. Cambric, lawn, and lace.value Crockery, glass, & crystal........ Hair for spinning & hats.kilog. Brandies and liquors....... Volatile and essential oils.kilog. Haberdashery & buttons Clock-works.................... Straw-braids.................... •kilog. Madder, ground and unground Silk, unbleached and dyed....... Pasteboard, paper,books, & c... General utensils.............. Perfumery...................... .kilog. Table fruits...................... Indigo............................. . Olive oil......................... Cream of tartar............... GENERAL COMMERCE. Quantity. 552,634 888,689 467,171 9,617,970 94,946 ............ Value. f.63,371,414 22,587,444 10,896,000 3,681,786 3,487,620 3,199,123 2^854^990 2,760^640 2,088,984 1,950,200 1,942,126 1,827,569 1,796,740 1,548,686 1,489,296 1,482,068 1,063,820 846,342 816,414 688,431 588,671 581,775 550,491 535,475 515,640 502,480 466,232 453,677 443,782 334,075 319,130 300,100 294,579 289,605 283,699 267,492 265,578 238,456 234,000 210,641 4,914,665 Total....................................................... 142,969,935 Cabinet furniture & toys.kilog. Manufactured cork......... Manufactures of India Rubber Flax and hemp goods... Prepared skins................ Pure gums........................ Ornamental feathers....... Prepared medicines....... Articles of Paris manufacture. Musical instruments...... W rought metals............. .kilog. Artificial flowers............ Jewelry............................ .kilog. Straw hats....................... Verdigris.......................... •kilog. Fish, in salt or oil........... ....... Furniture........................ .value Other articles.................. ...... 69,016 2,735,211 19,502 220,793 75,707 1,548,686 17,206 375,920 120,906 1,112,477 33,582 346,277 352,747 95,960 171,880 50,248 39,277 72,439 316,987 4,025 46,793 34,173 103,272 228 119,228 93,600 1845. SPECIAL C O M M E R C E . Quantity. 327,664 736,472 335,242 8,889,628 94,945 6 ,1 0 0 2,688,255 16,733 216,747 3,773 1,548,686 1,329 333,848 120,510 721,005 42 18,307 256,720 93,502 30,556 44,108 28,680 66,571 2,432 4,025 46,746 34,173 102,006 168 119,228 93,600 ............ Value. f.37,919,860 18,266,865 7,210,295 3,588,343 3,487,580 2,605,886 2,809,228 244.000 2,000,867 1,673,300 1,894,170 92,195 99,416 1,548,686 1,123,255 1,344,630 809,220 843,570 592,872 861 31,122 433,207 544.001 524,413 91,668 441,080 304,979 408,701 3,405 334,075 318,660 300,100 284,612 281,529 283,699 114,150 131,620 238,456 234,000 206,746 3,819,250 96,484,572 IMPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATES INTO FRANCE. G E N ERA L COM M ERCE. Articles. Q uantity. Value. Cotton-wool.......... .........kilog. 67,898,149 f.122,216,668 L eaf tobacco......... .................. 14,815,806 34,076,354 Potash..................... ................. . 4,331,379 2,598,828 Raw hides.............. .................. 2,210,033 1,872,580 Whalebone...,........ ....... ........ 423,879 1,483,576 R ice........................ ................... 3,523,732 1,182,042 Oak staves............. ............No. 3,508,764 1,095,154 Raw tallow............ .........kilog. 1,913,412 1,052,377 Gold dust.............. ................... 1,040,640 34,688 Pig lead................... ............I..., 747,784 1,661,743 Dye-woods............. .................. 2,192,438 438,987 Colfee..................... ................... 509,374 432,968 S P E C IA L C O M M E R C E . Q uantity. V alue. 56,642,326 f.101,956,025 11,054,449 25,425,233 3,319,628 1,991,777 1,688,651 1,978,309 931,647 266,185 3,579,986 1,204,544 3,811,037 1,203,645 1,310,663 2,383,024 1,040,640 34,688 949,136 2,109,192 858,437 171,687 215,150 253,118 Commerce o f France, in 1845. 556 IMPORTS FROM UNITED STATES INTO FRANCE— CONTINUED. G E N ERA L COM M ERCE. A rticles. Q u a n tity . Quercitron....................... Cochineal....................... 1,039,596 9,824 399,417 82,689 1,464,581 1,379 58,881 19,269 161,275 319,555 45,021 Pitch and resin............... Silk goods...................... Fined oils....................... T e a .................................. Salt meat........................ W heat flour................... Gum copal..................... Hops................................ Woollen goods.............. Vegetable filaments...... 81,030 3,737 84,693 3,070 57,773 4,352 69,831 32,270 Pimento........................... Ornamental feathers..... Broom grass................... Pure copper................... V a lu e . f.374,254 294,720 190,951 165,378 146,458 140,934 117,762 115,614 112,892 111,844 108,050 102,028 101,288 86,584 84,693 82,100 80,882 74,069 69,831 64,540 854,603 SP E C IA L C O M M E R C E , Q u a n tity . V alu e. 778,010 10,373 50,363 87,986 1,551,592 10 21,532 418 5,785 22,059 43,009 f.280,083 311,193 22,689 175,972 155,159 1,078 43.064 2,508 4,050 7,721 103,221 61,121 41 87,678 1,316 22,488 2,979 69,831 43,830 76,401 791 87,678 39,660 31,483 50,643 69,831 87,660 660,348 172,054,886 140,691,295 EXPORTS FROM FR i LNCE TO MEXICO. GENERAL COM M ERCE. Q u a n tity . A rticles. Silk goods...................... Cotton goods.................. Woollen goods.............. Paper, books, and engravings. Haberdashery and buttons....... Crockery, glass, & crystal.. val. W ioes.............................. Utensils and machinery.. kilog. Flax and hemp goods... Perfumery...................... Prepared and dressed skins__ General utensils............ . Brandies and liquors..... Parisian manufactures... .kilog. Other articles................. 31,731 91,567 47,498 272,125 83,042 309.210 76,511 11,849 29,923 16,931 65,345 10,552 V a lu e . S P E C IA L C O M M E R C E . Q u a n tity . V alu e. f.3,724,802 2,358,534 1,011,708 887,801 660,488 552,554 346,063 341,436 260,285 195,461 169,531 122,280 109,278 106,280 1,834,322 f.2,578,002 22,004 70,380 • 1,651,249 46,679 996,013 271,975 886,997 625,536 79,310 506,659 304,595 343,859 68,040 316,826 7,800 189,133 27,923 195,461 169,531 16,931 133,000 103,979 61,394 10,552 106,280 1,370,334 12,701,823 10,172,859 IMPORTS FROM MEXICO INTO FRANCE. G EN ERA L COM M ERCE, A rticles. Cochineal........................ Dye-woods..................... Vanilla............................. Raw hides...................... Jalap-root....................... Sarsaparilla..................... Cotton-wool................... Pure copper..................... Other articles................. Total..................... Q u a n tity . 124,444 10,259,676 5,821 125,783 45,705 31,399 19,240 5,100 V a lu e . f.3,733,320 2,051,935 1,462,750 202,311 146,250 94,197 34,632 10,200 53,302 7,788,903 S P E C IA L C O M M E R C E . Q u a n tity . 85,732 7,199,944 2,388 129,842 6,435 44,172 203 9,975 V a lu e . f.2,571,971 1,439,989 597,000 206,346 20,592 132,516 366 19,950 41,587 5,030,317 Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuff's. 557 EXPORTS FROM FRANCE TO TEXAS. G EN ERA L COM M ERCE. Articles. W ines.......................... Brandies and liquors... General utensils........... Glassware.................... Skins dressed and prepared.... Various French manufactures. Other articles............... S P E C IA L C O M M E R C E . Q uantity. V alue. Q uantity. V alue. 49,837 11,048 f.82,874 10,296 7,560 5,993 4,232 1,940 1,836 49,837 11,048 f.82,874 10,296 7,560 5,993 4,232 1,940 1,779 19,736 286 258 19,736 286 258 114,731 IMPORTS FROM TEXAS INTO FRANCE. GENERAL COMMERCE. Articles. Cotton-wool................. Oak staves.................. ....... No. Raw tallow................. Other articles............... Total.................. Q uantity. 58,338 3,021 215 Value. f.105,008 1,057 118 50 106,233 114,674 SPECIAL COMMERCE. Q u an tity . 21,200 3,021 215 V alue. f.38,160 1,057 118 50 39,385 Art. II.— COST OF PRODUCTION AND FOREIGN DEMAND FOR OUR BREADSTUFFS. A m o n g the many interesting subjects which are at this time exciting the attention of the commercial and agricultural classes, there is none more deeply interesting than that upon which we propose to say a few words— the probability of a permanent foreign demand for, and cost of producing our breadstuffs. There seems to be, at the present time, a strong ten dency among commercial nations, towards abandoning their old systems of restrictions and protections, and substituting instead a more free and equal system of commercial legislation ; and certain it is, that if this, the doctrine of free trade, advances with the same giant strides for the next ten years, that it has for the last five, we may expect to see it, ere long, firmly established on the ruins of its “ illustrious predecessor.” If we un derstand this doctrine rightly, the fundamental principle of it—the founda tion-stone upon which it is all built—is, that, in the universal competition among nations, produced by free trade, that nation which, by means of its greater natural advantages, cheaper labor, more abundant capital, or greater skill, industry, or energy, can produce a given article cheaper than others, will command the market of the world for that article. In view, therefore, of this result, it behooves us to look around and ascertain, if we can, what peculiar advantages we possess for producing certain articles, and what those articles are. It is evident that in the production of cotton, for instance, no nation could compete with us, and we should have then, as we do now, almost the entire monopoly of the article; so, also, in some articles of manufactures, and the fisheries. It is very doubtful, for instance, whether any nation could compete with us in foreign markets, for the sup ply of the coarser cotton fabrics ; and it is certain that, though the English and French can “ fit out” their whale-ships as cheaply, we could, by superior skill and management, drive them completely from the ocean. With regard to many other articles, however, there is a great diversity of opinion, and especially so with regard to our ability to supply foreign na tions with breadstuffs. One great reason of the difference of opinion on 558 Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuff’s . this subject seems to arise from the different views which seem to obtain as regards the “ cost of production.” It is utterly useless to talk about what we can supply, or what is likely to be the demand from abroad, until we have settled this point; as it is very evident that, however great may be the wants of other nations, or however great may be our ability to sup ply them, we cannot do so, unless we can afford to sell our produce cheaper than others. As with individuals, so with nations,—he who can purchase the cheapest, can sell the cheapest, and command the market. This, then, the “ cost of producing” our breadstuff’s, must be the basis of all sound reasoning upon the subject; upon this hang all the “ profits,” if not the law. Adam Smith tells us that all articles, whether manufactured or crude, which cost the labor of man to produce, and in the production of which there is a free competition, have what he calls a natural price ; that is, a price barely above the cost of production. Around this natural price, or cost of production, prices gravitate,— sometimes above, sometimes below it. It is obvious that prices cannot long remain above this “ natural ” point; for if, from any cause, they do, it becomes a profitable business to produce it,—competition comes to the rescue, more is produced than is needed, the supply outruns the demand, and down come prices. So, also, if it fall below this natural point, it ceases to be profitable to produce i t ; people will not make to sell at a loss,—the supply ceases to be equal to the demand, and prices advance. Now the great staples of our breadstuffs have this natural price, as well as all other articles. There is in them, to be sure, peculiar and powerful disturbing causes, which (espe cially wheat and flour) cause them to fluctuate above and below this na tural price, far more than other articles ; but they have it, nevertheless. But what is this natural price? “ that is the question.” W e can obtain an answer to it by applying to practical men. W e ask two intelligent farmers in Illinois what they can produce Indian corn for ; one says 15, the other 25 cents per bushel. The farmer in Michigan says he can pro duce wheat for 50 cents ; the farmer in Western New York says he must have 70 cents. Not long since, it was proven, by “ incontrovertible facts and figures,” before a most respectable body in the city of New York, the American Institute, that wheat could be raised on the western lake shores, for 15 cents per bushel. Now, how are all these conflicting state ments to be reconciled ? W e think the riddle can be solved. It is evi dent, in the first place, that the absolute cost of raising, added to the expense of transportation, is the “ cost of production” of the article de livered in New York. But in what section of the country is this first ex pense of raising, merely, to be estimated? In New York, Ohio, or W is consin ? It costs twice as much to produce it in the former as in the two latter States, and they raise perhaps forty times as much. Shall the States which raise the large quantities, or those which produce comparatively little, fix the value of the whole ? In this connection it may not be uninstmctive to take a glance at the history of the wheat and flour trade for the last thirty years. Up to the time of the opening of the Erie Canal, in 1825, the principal wheat-growing regions were Eastern New York and Pennsylvania. The quantity of good wheat land was limited, and during the latter part of this period, the demand began to outrun all the supplies which could be pro duced from this limited region; the prices rose, the farms became more valuable, and the farmers were getting rich. Prices were considerably Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuffs. 559 higher at this time, than they have been since. The opening of the Erie Canal, however, soon changed the aspect of things ; it was found that the expense of producing wheat on the then cheap and productive lands of W estern New York, was so much less than in the valley of the Mohawk, as to enable them to pay the additional expense of transportation, and still make it a more profitable business than their eastern neighbors. The result was as might have been expected. Western New York increased with amazing rapidity; the prices of wheat and flour began to fall, and the old Knickerbockers of the Mohawk had to abandon, to a certain extent, the business of wheat-growing. This part of the country for a while held the reins and governed prices, and a large city was built up by the mere business of milling. As the population became more dense, farms rose in value, and the land required more and better tillage to produce the cus tomary crops ; this of course raised the cost of producing them. Ohio had in the meantime come into the field, and with as good and cheaper lands, took possession of the market. Several of the largest and best agricultural counties in New York, have been losing population for several years past, and their yearly product of wheat has, since 1840, re mained stationary. Ohio now, in her turn, begins to feel the effect of com petition ; her population begins to emigrate “ W e s t a n d we are told in a letter, published in a recent report of the Commissioner of Patents, “ that the wheat crop of Ohio has been decreasing for a number of years past, especially in the amount of its acreable product.” Michigan, the northern parts of Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, now govern the price and -fix the cost of production. It remains to be seen whether some future States of Dacotah, Nebraska, or Minesota, beyond the Mississippi, will, in their turn, rule, and compel the population of these last-named States to emigrate to their own cheaper lands. W e think n o t; the next step will be across land, and not across water. The cost of transportation will be relatively much increased; probably more than sufficient to counterbalance any ad vantages they may possess by reason of cheaper lands. It seems, therefore, that the experience of the last twenty years teaches us, that the saving made in the cost of production, on cheap and good lands, more than counterbalances any additional cost of transportation. One striking fact in relation to this matter, will be observed in looking over the prices of flour in New York for the last thirty years. W e find that for ten years previous to the opening of the Erie Canal, they were from one to two dollars higher than they have been since. From 1825 to 1836, the average price was about $5 17 per bbl.; from 1836 to 1839, the great inflation of the currency caused prices to advance, and they ave raged $8 32; from 1839 to January, 1846, prices averaged $4 95; during the whole of this time, with the exception of the three years from 1836 to 1839, which we do not consider a fair criterion of anything, prices were very uniform, never going much above or much below the average rate of $5 06 per bbl. As wheat always bears the same relative price as flour, in New York, it could not have varied much at any given point, from the same average rate for twenty years, excepting the three named. The conclusion, therefore, is, that the eastern wheat-growers have been driven from its cultivation, not because the price has fallen, but because their own lands have risen in value, increasing the cost of raising it. The cheap lands of the interior seem to have acted as a kind of regulator, keeping prices on the seaboard down to the lowest point of production. 560 Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuff's. W e come now to a consideration of the question, what is the lowest point at which wheat can be raised in the West, under the most favorable circumstances? In considering this subject, it must be borne in mind that by far the greatest portion of wheat-growers in the West are so situated that they cannot find a market, but for the single crop of wheat. The expense of carting an article of so little value, compared with its weight, as com, prevents this grain from being a crop of any value. A farmer, therefore, who lives fifty miles from the banks of a navigable river, or port, is completely shut out from a market. It is not fair, therefore, to take as a test the case of a farmer, who lives on the immediate banks of a navigable river, and is so happily situated that he can sell both crops at his door; neither are these peculiar localities sufficiently numerous to affect the general result. It is still less fair to take the case of an indi vidual who can hire his labor done. W e have seen numerous estimates of this kind, and there is about them a certain degree of plausibility cal culated to mislead those not practically acquainted with the subject, and involving, moreover, the practical application of an important principle of political economy. “ I have,” says some one in the West, “ a piece of prairie land, which cost me, cleared and ready for a crop, $3 50 per acre ; the interest is so much ; and I can hire all the necessary labor for so much more. In all, it costs me 86 per acre, and I get from it 20 bushels of wheat, costing 30 cents per bushel. Admitting the truth of this estimate for the sake of the argument, it must be obvious that it is made by one who is not a farmer, but looks to some other means for his support, forgetting that what may be true as applicable to an individual, may be very far from true as appli cable to a class. Such a person, a professional man, for instance, living in the middle of a large agricultural community, may be able to hire labor, to a limited ex tent, to put in and take care of his crops ; but he is not a farmer, and whilst his crops are growing, has to derive his support from the practice of his profession. Now, who supports him ? The farmers, certainly; and does not this expense enter into the cost of raising wheat just as much as ploughing? But the farmer’s case is very different; he has nothing to look to whilst his crops are growing, and though he may in the meantime derive his principal support from his farm, in other crops, has to look to his wheat to pay for all those necessaries he cannot produce. The cottonplanter might, with the same propriety, not estimate the cost of keeping his negroes, whilst his crops are growing, as the farmer not estimate the cost of keeping the mechanics, merchants, millers, lawyers, &c., among them. W e would not be understood as recognizing the absurd distinction some times made between what are called the producing and non-producing classes. On the contrary, their services are obviously just as much needed, to produce and market a crop of wheat, as those of the farmer, or the far mer’s horse, and enter just as much into its cost. The true test, therefore, of the cost of production, is to take, not the case of an individual, but that of a large class, exclusively devoted to the pursuit of wheat-growing, in one of the most remote sections of the country. W e will take a single county in Michigan, with which the writer is fa miliar, (St. Joseph,) on the St. Joseph River, in the interior, and from which the cost of transportation to the seaboard is as great as from any Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand fo r our Breadstuff's. 561 part of the West. The price of wheat here is governed of course by the price of flour in New York, and its true average value has been 50 cents per bushel, equivalent to $5 per bbl., for flour, in New York. It has been occasionally considerably higher, but the result has shown that the purchaser, in such cases, has lost what the seller has gained. Whenever the price fell below this, the farmer would hold on as long as he could, sell reluctantly, and complain that it did not pay him the cost of producing it. At 50 cents, it was a fair living business for him ; and we are confident, that, should prices fall permanently below this, the production of wheat in that section of country would be very much diminished. But to try it by another test. According to the returns of the State Marshal, this county produced, in 1845, with a population of 10,000, 470,000 bushels wheat; in 1839, according to the United States census, it produced, with a population of 7,000, 131,450 bushels. The crop of 1845, was enormously large for so small a population ; double, probably, the average of crops in any other wheat-growing section of the country. If we take the average of these two years as a fair test of the average product of the county, we shall have, with a population of 10,000, 320,890 bushels, yearly. This is the only crop raised in the county for export, and its surplus has to pay for all the articles imported, and which it is impossi ble to make among themselves. Deduct from 320,890 bushels, one-tenth for seed, and four bushels for the consumption of each inhabitant, and we have a surplus of 256,000 bushels, worth, at 50 cents, $128,000, leaving $12 80 to each person, to pay for iron, part of their agricultural im plements, leather, groceries, clothing, and a thousand articles of indispen sable necessity, which they cannot make themselves. We submit to com mon sense, whether this is not about the lowest point of production. The relative value of wheat in New York, as compared with flour, at $5, is $1 02 per bushel; this was its average price, in that city, for the seven years ending December, 1845; and 52 cents, the difference be tween that and the Michigan price, is about the actual cost of its trans portation. We have come, therefore, to the conclusion that 50 cents, in the interior, and $ l 02 per bushel for wheat, and $5 per bbl. for flour, in New York, are the “ natural prices,” the actual cost of production, above which they could not permanently remain, without stimulating production, and below which they could not fall, for any length of time, without de creasing it. To suppose that these are not the “ natural prices,” would involve the absurdity of believing that the wheat-growers have been, for the last twenty years, selling their products for less than they cost; or, on the other hand, have been getting rich at the expense of other classes, both of which positions we know to be false. The agricultural wheat-growing interest has been, it is true, steadily prosperous, but not more so than any other interest. In the production of that other great article of our breadstuff’s, Indian corn, the whole matter is widely different; and the rule we have laid down as governing the price of wheat on the seaboard, will not hold true as regards this grain. Although the soil of every part of the Mississippi valley is admirably adapted to its growth, the additional cost of transporta tion, on a grain of so little value, compared with its weight, has not coun terbalanced the decreased cost of production on their far cheaper and more productive lands; we find, accordingly, but a trifling quantity coming to VOL. xvi.— no. vi. 36 « 562 Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuff's. our eastern market. According to the census returns of 1840, the entire com crop of the country, in 1839, was 494,618,000 bushels; of which 320.617.000 bushels were raised in the valley of the Mississippi. The custom-house returns from New Orleans, and the canal returns from Buf falo and Oswego, the three great outlets of this valley, give as the annual shipment from all these places united, for the six years ending 1845, only 853.000 bushels ; showing how small a quantity reaches a market in its crude state. Virginia, Maryland, and the States adjacent, have hereto, fore been able to keep out their western competitors, and monopolize the markets. In this great valley, almost every product finds its peculiar home. The soil and climate about the lakes seem best adapted to the growth of wheat, and we find, accordingly, that about four-fifths of all the wheat and flour which reaches tide-water, from the country west of the Alleghanies, comes by the northern route, via the New York Canals. Corn, on the other hand, is better adapted to the rich river bottoms of the numerous streams which empty into the Ohio and Mississippi; and in its more portable shape of beef, pork, lard, whiskey, &c., finds its natural outlet at New Orleans. There does not seem to be the same discrepancy of opinion about the cost of producing this grain as of wheat. Whilst the latter is at best but . a precarious crop, requiring a great deal of care in its cultivation, and yielding, on an average, but about fifteen bushels to the acre, the other is a safe, certain crop, and can be raised with as little trouble, in favorable localities, as is required in New England to produce a crop of hay, and will yield from fifty to one hundred and twenty-five bushels to the acre, depending altogether on the care t^iken in its cultivation. It is, in fact, the hay of some parts of the West, and an Illinois farmer can produce a ton of shelled corn for about one-half what it would cost a Massachusetts farmer to raise a ton of hay. Another great advantage it has over wheat, is in the harvesting; it can remain, if necessary, all winter in the fields, without injury, and be har vested at otherwise leisure moments. Wheat, on the contrary, must be harvested at a particular juncture, when time is valuable, and the farmer has to hire help to do it. Our personal experience is, that there are but few parts of the W est where a farmer would not prefer raising corn, at 10 or 15 cents, at his door, to wheat at 50 cts. The great difficulty about it is the expense of transportation. During the five years ending Decem ber, 1845, a period during which all kinds of agricultural produce were ex ceedingly low, the average price of corn at New Orleans was 40 cents, and in New York, 56 cents, per bushel; and this, notwithstanding it can be profitably raised, in many portions of the West, at 10 cents per bushel. It is certainly a fair inference to suppose that, with immense quantities con stantly seeking a market, it should have been kept down to as low a point as it could be afforded a t ; and we take, accordingly, 40 cents at New Orleans, and 56 cents at New York, as the “ natural prices,” the lowest rates at which any considerable quantity could be afforded for export. W e would here advert to one peculiarity in the laws which govern our supplies of breadstuff's from the interior, and which is always acting with great force to keep prices at a fixed rate. It is, that the cost of transpor tation being always the same, any change in prices comes with double force on the same article in the interior; thus, a rise of 20 per cent on flour in New York, when it is worth $5, increases the value of wheat in Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuff's. 563 Michigan, nearly 50 per cent. On the other hand, a fall of 20 per cent, decreases its value 50 per cent. It is the action of this law which we believe ever prevents flour going, 'permanently, much above five dollars. A permanent decline to $4 per barrel, in New York, would inevitably stop the growing of wheat, for export, in three or four of the largest wheat growing States of the Union. A permanent rise to $6, would stimulate its production to an extent that would outrun any demand we can conceive. On the subject of foreign demand for our breadstuffs, much has been said and written ; and it is exceedingly to be regretted that a subject so important should be so often made the foot-ball of party strife, rather than of calm discussion. That the time has come, when Great Britain must, whether from necessity or policy, it matters not, open her ports to the ad mission of breadstuffs, does not, we think, admit of a doubt. But other nations can produce them as well as ourselves; the question then is, who can sell the cheapest ? At Dantzic, the great grain mart of Northern Eu rope, and from whence Great Britain has heretofore drawn a large por tion of her supplies, the average price of wheat has been, according to McCulloch, and other good authorities, for twenty years past, about one dollar per bushel. We take Dantzic as the fairest criterion of European prices; for, though it is often quoted lower, at other ports, the difference is more apparent than real, the wheat being of an inferior quality. The Dantzic wheat is considered as good as the English, and Dantzic is con sidered by the English as their cheapest market on the continent. We have seen that, with the exception of the four years of insanity, from 1836 to 1839, the average value of wheat in New York has been, as compared with flour, $1 02 per bushel, for the last twenty years. We can, therefore, afford it about as low as they can ; and the only advantage they would have over us would be in freight, the fair average of which, according to McCulloch and the returns of the British consuls, is 11 cents per bushel. From New York to Liverpool, a fair rate of freight, in ordi nary times, is about 18 cents per bushel. They could undersell us, there fore, about 9 cents per bushel. This advantage would be obviated, to some extent, by our wheat being in the more portable shape of flour, and our more intimate commercial connections with Great Britain. We ought to possess great advantages over them by reason of our ports being open during the winter, whilst the ports of the Baltic and Black Seas are closed. We can derive little benefit from it, however, as our inland navigation is closed at the same time, preventing us from getting forward our supplies, when most needed. This great and growing evil to the trade of the West, will, we hope, ere long, be remedied by the completion of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which, pushing onward, as it ultimately must, to St. Louis, will keep the market open, during the whole year, to Chicago and Michigan, and prevent their being longer mere tributaries to the State of New York. It is true, we have not, heretofore, furnished Great Britain with more than one-twentieth part of her foreign supplies of grain, but this was owing, in a great degree, to the operation of the “ sliding scale,” which seemed to have been framed for the express purpose of giv ing the nations of Northern Europe an advantage over us. It would seem, therefore, that if Great Britain should permanently re peal her corn laws, we could furnish her with a portion at least of her supplies, at low rates. W e must not flatter ourselves, however, that this would result in a permanent rise in the value of wheat and flour. An ad 564 Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand- fo r our Breadstuff's. vance of half a dollar, above its average rate of five dollars, would, we feel confident, stimulate its production beyond any demand, however great, likely to exist. There could not, in fact, be a rise ; for as soon as that took place, we should have to abandon the market to our foreign com petitors. It has been assumed, in every discussion we have seen upon this sub ject, that our inability to contend with Northern Europe, in this matter, "arises from their cheap pauper and serf labor, and consequent lower cost of production. We think, however, that this is a mistake, and believe that facts will bear us out in the assertion that in no part of the world is the first cost of production so low as in our own western country; it is in the cost o f transportation, they possess such vast advantages over us. Let us trace a bushel of wheat from the interior of the West to Liverpool. It is first drawn to the banks of a river or canal; from thence shipped to a lake port, thence to Buffalo, thence to Albany, shipped again to New York, and then to Liverpool. It pays four warehouse and shipping charges, and five distinct freights. A farmer in Poland takes his wheat to the Vistula, it is floated in arks to Dantzic, thence direct to Liverpool. It pays one warehouse and shipping charge, and two freights. Liverpool stands in the same relation to the farmer in Poland, as Buffalo to the farmer in Michigan, and it costs the latter just as much to deliver his at Buffalo, as it does the former to deliver his at Dantzic. According to Mr. McCulloch, the expense of “ arking ” a bushel of wheat from the most remote provinces on the Vistula, 700 miles from Dantzic, is about 25 cents per bushel; from the provinces lower down, about 10 cents, and from those within 70 miles, but 2 cents per bushel. “ It is conveyed,” says he, “ in barges, (built like our arks,) which are several weeks in making the voyage; the wheat is left exposed to the in clemencies of the weather, and the rain falling upon it causes it to grow, forming a thick mat which prevents the rain from penetrating more than an inch or two, and presenting the appearance of a floating meadow. On its arrival, the barges are broken up and sold for two-thirds their original cost, the men returning on foot. The wheat, all but the grown part, is thrown on shore, exposed to the sun, frequently turned over, till any slight moisture it may have imbibed, is dissipated. Should it rain, in the mean time, the wheat is thrown up into heaps, and covered with a linen cloth. It is frequently a long time after the wheat arrives at Dantzic before it is tit to be placed in the warehouses.” If we deduct the highest freight on the Vistula, from the average price of wheat at Dantzic, it leaves the grower 75 cents per bushel. W e have seen that $1 02 in New York netts the farmer in Michigan 50 cents, showing pretty conclusively, that it is not in its first cost that they possess any natural advantages over us. In regard to the probable future foreign demand for Indian corn, all we can say must be mere speculation. It is not to be supposed that the pre sent remarkable state of things in Europe, which has raised its price to that of wheat, can remain perm anent; nor is it to be taken as the slight est criterion of the future. It is yet a matter of doubt whether the people of Great Britain will continue to consume it when not compelled to do so by necessity. It seems to have been generally admitted that in case Great Britain should require a regular supply of this grain, we should be able to under Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuff's. 565 sell all competitors. This, however, admits of doubt; for other nations cultivate it extensively, and we are told by high authority, “ that it has the widest geographical range of any of the cerealia; growing luxuriantly at the equator, and as far as the fiftieth degree of north, and the fortieth degree of south latitude ; it is grown extensively in all the southern parts of Europe and Asia.” Mr. McGregor, an eminent English statistician, and Secretary of the British Board of Trade, says that “ there was shipped from Galatz and Ibruila, two ports at the mouth of the Danube, during the four years from 1837 to 1840, inclusive, 5,537,896 bushels of Indian corn, at 24 cents per bushel, free on board.” There is nothing improbable about this, as it is a fair inference that if we can raise corn for one-third what we can wheat, other nations can do the same ; and it is probable that 24 cents, at the mouth of the Danube, will nett the producer, on its banks, as much as 40 cents, at New Orleans, will the producer in Illinois. Freights are, however, (owing to the shal lowness of the harbors,) very high; according to Mr. McCulloch, 25 per cent higher than from Odessa, and equivalent to 45 cents per bushel to Liverpool. Here, for once, we have the advantage in transportation. A fair freight from New Orleans to Liverpool would be about 30 cents. It is well known that corn can be carried from the vicinity of St. Louis in arks and steamboats, in a good stage of water, for 12i cents per bushel; and as it can be raised to any extent for 10 or 15 cents per bushel, there would seem to be a discrepancy between this statement and the one we have made heretofore, that corn could not be sold in New Orleans, on board vessels, for less than 40 cents. There is, in fact, none. The prin cipal part of the corn which finds its way to New Orleans, goes from the Wabash, Upper Illinois, and other places, from which the expense of “ arking,” owing to their inability to load heavily, is very much increased. It costs about as much to “ run an a r k ” from the Wabash to New Orleans, with say 2,000 bushels corn, as it does from St. Louis, with double the quantity ; and of course the freight per bushel is doubled. The New Or leans corn is put into sacks, (gunny-bags,) which cost from five to six cents per bushel. The warehouse charges, commissions, &c., are very heavy; it shrinks about 4 per cent in shipping to an eastern port, and the risk of its injuring is equal to about 10 per cent more. The domestic corn trade of the country, though small as compared with the trade in flour and wheat, is instructive, as showing from which quarter a permanent foreign demand would be likely to be supplied. The great bulk of the corn crop is consumed where it is raised ; the only portion of the country which seems not to have raised sufficient for their own con sumption is New England, and their demand has been confined in a great measure to the wants of their large manufacturing and seaport cities and towns. The average price of corn for the five years ending 1845, has been, as we have seen, at New Orleans, about 40 cents ; in New' York and Bos ton, 50 to 56 cents ; in Baltimore, about 50. The last named place has been the cheapest market for New England, and we find, accordingly, that she has drawn most of her supplies from that and other ports in the Chesapeake. By a statement in Hunt’s Merchants’ Magazine, it appears that Boston imported, during the year 1841, 2,045,000 bushels of Indian corn ; 36,700 of which was from New Orleans, the balance from the Chesapeake and Delaware. 566 Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuff's. Heretofore, the trade of New York in this grain, has been very sm all; not being able to draw any from west of Buffalo, and getting most of the supplies necessary for her own consumption, from her immediate vicinity. It is not probable, in case we should have a permanent foreign demand for this grain, that the Black Sea would be a very formidable competitor, especially as our ports, from whence this supply would come, would be open whilst theirs were closed. It is very evident that the rates quoted are the lowest at which any considerable quantity could be supplied, and that those States would supply this demand whose natural advantages are such as would enable them to ship almost immediately from their fields, without having it eaten up by inland transportation. These States are, the eastern part of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, and they would possess great and decided advantages over all others. Their corn would be worth at least five cents per bushel more than that via New Orleans, and freights to Europe, from their ports, would be at least ten cents per bushel cheaper than from New Orleans. The W est would not be likely to derive any benefit whatever from a for eign demand for corn, except in extraordinary cases like the present. A purchaser for a foreign market had better pay 50 cents for corn in Balti more, than take it as a gift in Illinois. This is not mere theory; large quantities of corn xvere sold in Boston, during the summer of 1846, from the valley of the Mississippi, which did not pay freight and expenses, and the shipper fell in debt to the consignee. It is a matter of great doubt whether a grain, the transportation of which is so great, compared with its original cost, can ever become an article of extensive commerce. No considerable quantities of it could be laid down in Liverpool for less than 80 or 90 cents. According to McCul loch, the average price of grain in Great Britain, for the six years ending 1838, was as follows :— Wheat, $1 54 per bushel; rye, $1 ; barley, 91 cents; oats, 65 cents; peas, $1 14; beans, $1 10; these were years of full average crops. Our corn would therefore have to compete with the cheaper grains at these prices, and the importation of them from the con tinent. The average price of wheat in Great Britain, for 80 years, from 1760 to 1839, was 59s. 8d. per quarter, $1 79 per bushel.* Indian corn has, however, a peculiar India-rubber-like character, which admirably suits it for a sudden and unexpected demand. Raised in the Western States, in large quantities, for distillation and the use of animals, of no moneyed value, except in a few localities, it is poured out in the most extravagant profusion. We have, seen that 56 cents per bushel, in New York, commands none from the valley of the Mississippi; raise it, how ever, to 80, and it begins to move ; raise it to a dollar, with a fair prospect of its keeping at that for any length of time, paying the producer 40 cents * In reducing foreign quotations to our own currency, an error very frequently made by those not practically acquainted with the subject, is in estimating the pound sterling (or sovereign) at its old valuation, $4.44.4. By an act of Congress, passed 1834, this was changed to $4.87, though, owing to light weight, not current with us for more than $4.84. They are led into this error by our absurd method of conducting foreign exchanges, in es timating the pound at $4.44.4, and adding a per eentage which is called premium of ex change, when it is, in fact, not so. Thus, when exchange on London is quoted at 9.7 pre mium, it is in fact just at par, and is above or below par, as it varies from this standard. Thus, the average price of wheat at Dantzic, for the thirteen years ending 1842, was 33s. 8d. per quarter, or $1 02J per bushel, not 92 cents, as we have sometimes seen it esti mated. I Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuffs. 567 for that he before considered almost valueless, and an article, of which the ordinary consumption is so easily curtailed, will come forward in immense quantities. At that price, three or four bushels will, in some parts of the West, pay for an acre of wild land; and to save it, the farmer instantly ceases to give it to his stock in any considerable quantities, uses less him self, and the demand for distillation is very much decreased. There is one form, however, in which corn may be shipped abroad to any extent, and in the exportation of which, no nation can compete with us—that is, in its more portable shape of beef, pork, lard, & c.; not being in this, its more concentrated form, so entirely destroyed by its own trans portation. It is yet a matter of doubt, whether the large prairies of the West can be successfully devoted to the cultivation of wheat. The winds, jn the winter, sweeping over them with irresistible fury, leave them alter nately covered with snow and exposed; the earth freezes and thaws, by turns ; the roots of the wheat get broken, and are apt to be “ winter-killed.” They are, however, admirably adapted to grazing, the expense of winter ing is very slight, the cattle will fatten themselves on grass, and beef can be afforded astonishingly low. The writer of this has seen fat cattle sold, in the streets of Chicago, for $5 a head. Pork, also, can be made very cheap ; and such is the abundance and cheapness of corn, that the farmers in many parts do not consider it worth harvesting, but turn their swinish multitude into the corn fields to gather the crop and fatten themselves. It is, we believe, in this shape, that any foreign demand for Indian corn will be most likely ultimately to resolve itself. That Great Britain will require henceforth a large annual importation of grain, will not, we presume, be denied by any. We annex the follow ing tables of grain and flour imported into Great Britain for the last seven years, drawn from official Parliamentary documents :— , Years. 1840, 1841, 1842, 1843, Grain. Q uarters. Flour. Cwts. 3,448,399 2,955,616 2,172,349 1,237,871 1,317,814 1,214,220 1,125,801 426,877 Equivalent. Bushels. Years. 30,881,727 1844, 26,670,478 1845, 20,193.294 1846, 10,970,160 Grain. Quarters. Flour. Cwts. Equivalent. Bushels. 2,532,619 1,105,342 4,130,240 712,968 582,527 3,377,186 22,043,372 10,299,053 41,484,885 The estimates of equivalents in bushels arc, of course, our own, allow, ing 21 bushels of wheat to every cwt. of flour, and 8 bushels to a quarter. We have not at hand any means of ascertaining what proportion of this grain was wheat. From 1841 to 1843, however, the annual imports of Great Britain in wheat, alone, averaged about 15,328,000 bushels. The Commissary’s Report of the Board of Public Works for Ireland, states the deficiency of the potato crop of 1846 to be 8,142,599 tons, which they estimate will take 1,438,344 tons Indian corn to supply, valued at £13,424,357 sterling. This is equal, at 40 bushels to a ton, to 57,333,760 bushels. It is not, however, to be supposed for a moment, that a country so exclusively agricultural as Ireland will remain uncultivated, and become permanently a corn-importing country. Such a thing would be, for very obvious reasons, utterly impossible. She has, however, heretofore, sup plied a very large proportion of the grain required for England. Accor ding to a statement in Hunt’s Merchants’ Magazine, Vol. VII., p. 173, it appears that the exports of grain from Ireland to England averaged, for the five years ending December, 1841, 345,715 quarters of wheat, and 2,440,541 quarters of other grains, or 22,290,048 bushels of all sorts of 568 Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuffs. grain per year. The failure of the potato will very much diminish, if not entirely destroy, her ability hereafter to furnish a surplus. It is estimated, that an acre of potatoes will support two to three times as many people as an acre of grain, and she will probably require hereafter all she can raise to feed her own population. It will be useless to make any estimates, from these facts, as to the probable wants of Great Britain hereafter, as they will be governed so entirely by causes we cannot now foresee; enough, however, may be gathered from them, to warrant us in assuming that they must be very large. Mr. Hudson, member of Congress from Massachusetts, estimated, in February, 1846, that the probable imports of wheat into Great Britain, for a series of years to come, would average about 15,000,000 bushels. This was before the failure of the potato was known to be so fatal as it has since proven. We must bear in mind that the potato has failed in England, as well as Ireland ; and, if we double or treble his estimate of the quantity they will need, in wheat and Indian corn, we shall not proba bly be far out of the way. Now, where is she to get this large supply ? Heretofore, she has imported about f a of her supplies of wheat from the United States, f a from the Baltic, (Russia, Prussia, and Denmark,) fa from Germany, fa from France, f a from Italy, fa from the North Ameri can colonies, and fa from various other countries. Several years since, the English government, in the prosecution of inquiries relative to the re peal of the corn laws, directed her consuls in all the great grain marts of Europe to report how much grain their respective countries could furnish, and whether it was capable of increase. The substance of their reports, presented in a report to Parliament, in 1841, was, that they could all joint ly furnish about 17,780,000 bushels of wheat, 7,298,000 bushels of rye, 6,820,000 bushels of barley, and 6,445,700 bushels of oats; that there were large bodies of land suitable to the cultivation of grain, in the North of Europe, in the interior, which, under the stimulus of a permanent large demand, would be brought under cultivation, and the supplies increased. These facilities, in the shape of railroads, projected and in process of com pletion, are fast being furnished ; but (and it is an all-important fact to us) they terminate on the Baltic, a sea frozen up in the winter. We gather, from these facts, that the quantity the continent could furnish is limited ; and if we take into consideration that the failure of the potato on the con tinent, as an article of diet, will diminish her capacity to furnish supplies, we may safely assume that continental Europe is at present incapable of furnishing what Great Britain must, for a series of years, inevitably re quire, and the question instantly arises, can we do it ? And if so, can we compete with the continent when prices are at their lowest point of pro duction ? We believe that, notwithstanding all that has been said about the “ cheap serf labor of Europe,” we can. There is a great fallacy, we think, about this cheap labor cry. We have shown already, that the first cost of raising grain with us is very much less than in the cheapest parts of Europe. The serfs employed in the cultivation of grain, in Europe, are a part and parcel of the estates where they belong, and are prevented by fundamental laws from leaving them. They have to be supported the year round on the proceeds of a single crop. They cannot, like the pau per labor of Great Britain, be turned off to go to the work-house when their labor is no longer profitable. Their situation is almost precisely Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuff's. 569 analogous to that of negroes on a Southern plantation, dressed in sheep skins, and winnowing their wheat by throwing it up in the air with shov els. Their whole method of cultivation is extravagant, wasteful, and slovenly in the extreme. We know that in this country slave labor is the dearest of all labor ; and that, whenever and wherever it comes in com petition with free labor, it has to yield the field. Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, cannot compete with Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Indiana, in rais ing wheat. In Virginia, it has almost passed into a proverb, that “ it takes all the corn the negroes raise to fatten the pork, and all the pork to feed the negroes.” No, we will not think so meanly of our countrymen, as to suppose that the productive powers of one freeman are not more than equal to that of half a dozen slaves, be they black or white. McCulloch says, “ Dantzic is the port whence we have always been accustomed to draw the largest supplies of our corn (w heat;) and it would seem fully established, by the data collected by Mr. Jacob, in his tours, that 28s. or 30s. per quarter, is the lowest price for which any considera ble quantity of wheat for exportation can be permanently raised in the corn-growing provinces in the vicinity of W arsaw.” This is from 84 to 90 cents per bushel—nearly double what it can be raised for in most parts of the West. He says, moreover, “ The greater cheapness of imports from other places (on the continent) is apparent only, and is uniformly countervailed by a corresponding inferiority of quality.” There is a great deal of truth and a great deal of poetry in what Mr. Secretary Walker says, in his famous report: “ We have more fertile land than any other nation ; can raise a greater variety of products ; and, it may be said, could feed and clothe the people of nearly all the world. The home market, itself, is wholly inadequate for such products. They must have a foreign market, or a large surplus, accompanied by great depression in price, must be the result. The States of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, if culti vated to their fullest extent, could, of themselves, raise more than sufficient to supply the entire home market.” Now the idea, that we must necessa rily have a large surplus and consequent depression of prices, because we have the power of producing it, is as absurd as to suppose that a manufac turer would make goods when he knew that he could not sell them except at a loss. In a country like ours, with the means of subsistence con stantly pressing upon population, prices of breadstuffs must necessarily be kept (on an average of years) down to their lowest cost of production ; but to suppose they can go lower, for any length of time, is to suppose our agricultural population devoid of common sense; and whilst it may be true, that the States named have the power attributed to them, of what value is it to us if we cannot avail ourselves of it, and other nations still be able to undersell us ? The same might be said of the country about Timbuctoo, or the interior of New Holland. The great difficulty under which we labor, and which, unless remedied, must ever prevent us from becoming permanently a large corn-exporting countiy, is the immense cost of our inland transportation, and our inability to get forward our supplies when most needed during the winter months. The average of freights from Chicago to Buffalo, is about the same as a fair freight from New York to Liverpool; and it costs from two to three times as much to trans port a barrel of flour from the great grain-growing regions of the’West to New York, as it does from thence to Liverpool. This is the difficulty— far more formidable to the wheat-growers of the West, than any system 570 Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuff's. of free trade, or high tariffs—the serf labor of Europe, or the ocean be tween us. The crops, coming in as they do the latter part of summer, leave but a short time to get much forward before the close of navigation. The mill-streams at this season are apt to be low, preventing the mills from doing full work ; and the farmers, busy in getting in a new crop, cannot, if they would, thresh and market it. The consequences are, that the great bulk has to come forward the succeeding summer. It arrives all at once, and the markets are glutted. It is apt to sour at this season, and holders, afraid to hold it, force it into market, and great and ruinous tem porary depressions are the consequence. Should we hear of crops abroad having failed, and our prices advance in consequence, early in the fall, everything is pressed forward beyond the capacity of the canals to trans port, freights rise enormously, and the farmer and miller, who has been obliged to sacrifice his flour the preceding summer, is deprived of the benefit of the advance which legitimately belongs to him. The foreign demand, which might have taken it off during the winter had it been in market, may, and generally does, cease in the summer, because their own crops are about coming in, and the Baltic and Black Seas, opening at the same time that our inland navigation does, pour in their supplies. We have had a striking example of this within the last year. Flour, last August, $4 per barrel—now, $ 8 ; sales constantly making to arrive, at $5 50 to $6 50 ; the seaboard completely bare of breadstuff's, whilst the interior is overflowing with them; and a large fleet of vessels waiting in New York for the canals to open. Such a state of things is lamentable in the extreme. But is there no remedy for it ? The Erie Canal is evi dently (even when it is open for half the year) inadequate to do the busi ness required of i t ; and even if it was, the enormous cost of transporta tion upon it, consequent upon the narrow and selfish policy of the State of New York, in refusing to enlarge it, and the shameful exposures made before their legislature during the last winter, make it imperative upon the people of the West not to be longer at the complete mercy of this con cern, kept for the mere purpose, it would seem, of fattening successive hordes of public plunderers. Mr. Childs, editor of the Philadelphia Price Current and Commercial List, says : “ If we make a natural line of the Mississippi to the confluence of the Ohio, and up this river to Pittsburgh, and thence draw an imaginary line North to Lake Erie, and continue it round the Northern and Eastern frontiers of the United States, it will be found that, at this time, the wheat raised in all this section of the United States is about equal to what is consumed in it.” This was said in 1842, and was undoubtedly true at that time ; but as the production of wheat in the Northwest has very much increased since that time, the probability is, that the Eastern section does not at present produce enough for its own consumption. It is from this region, then—the States North and W est of the Ohio, containing the largest quantity of fertile land in one body, adapted to grain-growing, in the world—that the supplies must come to fill a foreign demand. If our views and estimates are correct, it will be seen, that the natural prices of wheat in our country and in Europe are so nearly equal, that neither pos sesses any very decided advantages over the other. It is evident, there fore, that in years of abundance the successful competitor for the markets of Great Britain must possess some more decided advantage than does either at present. This, we should have, could we obtain that great desi Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuffs. 571 deratum—cheap facilities for getting our wheat and flour to market during the winter months. We should then possess, what no other grain-growing nation in the world possesses, free communication the whole year round between that part of the country which furnishes, and the country which needs our supplies. Ohio, the young giant of the West, has a system of internal improvements, which are, indeed, so literally “ internal,” that they remind one very much of those of Robinson Crusoe, or of a man, who, owning a farm some distance from a public thoroughfare, should set up a “ system of internal improvements ” by running roads through it in every direction, but neglect to open a road to the great highway to let him out. H er “ internal ” improvements, opening on one side into a lake unnavigable half the year, and on the other, into a river— once spitefully described by John Randolph, as being “ frozen up all winter, and dried up all summer,” —furnish but miserable poor facilities for getting her supplies to market. Every man, practically acquainted with the business of the West, knows how strong a tendency the whole supplies of this country have to seek a Northern rather than a Southern route to market, and in spite of much heavier transportation. During the winter months, produce can be sent with perfect safety via New Orleans ; but at this time the Ohio, and all the small streams and canals which empty into it, are frozen up. During the summer, it is impossible to send any kind of produce via New Orleans, without almost a certainty of its being injured by the climate. Notwithstanding these objections, however, immense quantities do find their way there in the spring and fall months, but more from necessity than from choice. The quotations in the prices current— “ Ohio flour, via New Orleans,” 50 cents per barrel cheaper than “ Ohio, via canal,” tell the story in a manner not to be misunderstood. On casting our eyes over a map of the United States, we are struck with the peculiar configuration of the country, between the Ohio River and the Atlantic, through Virginia and Maryland. The Chesapeake jut ting into the continent at this part of the coast, brings tide-water much nearer the Alleghany ridge than at any other place ; and from thence, to the fertile regions of the West, it is comparatively near. The sagacious eye of Washington early saw the advantages of this route, and the subse quent efforts on behalf of the Cumberland road shows it has not been for gotten. The traveller passing over this road, observes, by its side, near Wheeling, a statue, which, he is told, was erected by the inhabitants liv ing on the road, to the honor of its earliest advocate and defender, Henry Clay— a memento more honorable than a panel in the rotunda of the capitol—but the day of M’Adamized roads and canals has passed, and that greatest of modern improvements, railroads, has taken their place. Such a road, is what is needed between the seaboard and the West. The Bal timore and Ohio Railroad, is slowly pushing on to the Ohio; but to stop here, would be like stopping the Erie Canal at Lockport; to make it of any great value, it should be continued on as far at least as the Erie and Wabash Canal. Such a road would be of incalculable value, not only to the country through which it passed, but to the whole United States : to the manufacturing and mercantile interests of the North and East, by opening a constant channel with their best customers, and cheapening the price of breadstuffs ; to the commercial interests, by affording a steady supply of freights ; to the cotton-growing States, by lessening the cost of manufactured goods, whether made at home or abroad, and increasing the consumption of cotton; and to those States in the Northwest, not imme 572 Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuff's. diately benefited by the road, (Michigan. Wisconsin, and Illinois,) by al lowing their surplus to come forward, in regular succession, after the heavy supplies from other sections had reached the seaboard. Neither would such a road be impracticable. None, who have observed the astonishing progress and success of railroads within the last ten years, can doubt that such a line will, ere long, be completed. The common no tion, that transportation is necessarily expensive on railroads, is, we be lieve, grossly erroneous. The Western Railroad from Boston to Albany, a distance of 200 miles, transports flour between those two places, in the summer, for 30 cents per b a rre l; and such are the advantages of rail roads, that it is cheaper for the shipper to pay that rate than 22 cents per barrel per vessel, between the same places. It is, moreover, in propor tion to the distance carried, but about one-half as high as the average of freights on the Erie Canal, for the last two years. Suppose the Baltimore and Ohio Road extended to a point on the Erie and Wabash Canal, say at Terre Haute. The distance to this place, by the mail routes from Washington, is 700 miles ; and a shipper there would have the privilege of sending either by way of New Orleans, Buffalo, or to Baltimore. W e are not familiar with freights on the Erie and Wabash Canal, but presume a barrel of flour could not be delivered in New York, via Erie Canal, for less than $1 50, or by way of New Orleans, for less than $1 30. If we take the cost of transportation on the Western Road, as a standard, and double it, the expense of delivering a barrel of flour in Baltimore, would be, taking all things into consideration, less than by either of the other routes. If such are, therefore, the advantages of such a road to the most distant point, what must be the advantages of it to all the intermediate places between Wheeling and Terre Haute, especially when we consider that the freights on the Ohio Canals to New York, are very little less than from the Erie and Wabash? It is a matter of astonishment that the West has not, ere this, woke up to the importance of that road. It seems to have been totally lost sight of, whilst numerous meetings have been called for the purpose of helping forward a railroad to Oregon, to open, we presume, a trade with the “ 800,000,000 of people” Mr. W alker speaks of, and induce them, if pos sible, to use Indian com instead of rice ; and run an opposition with the South Sea islanders, for the supply of the Chinese markets with sausages and homony, instead of bech-la-mar and edible birds’ nests. A railroad, running through the States of Ohio and Indiana, and terminating at Balti more, would add 25 to 50 per cent to the value of every farm within fifty miles of it, and make the latter place, what nature intended it should be, the great corn mart of the continent—the Dantzic of North America. It is capable of demonstration, that the people of Ohio and Indiana lose every year, for the want of a winter market for their produce, enough to build fifty or seventy miles of such a road. They are throwing away all the natural advantages they possess, and putting themselves, voluntarily, on the same footing with the inhabitants of Wisconsin and Iowa, 500 miles further off. With such a road, we should hear no more of the peo ple of Ohio emigrating, and her wheat crop diminishing. Attempts have sometimes been made to connect the subject of foreign demand for our breadstuff's with those of tariffs, free trade, and protection. Any one, however, who will compare the prices of breadstuff's for the last twenty years with the different changes in our tariffs, will find that the fluctuations in prices have had no more to do with them than they have Cost o f Production and Foreign Demand f o r our Breadstuff's. 573 with the rise and fail of the Nile. Mr. Walker says : “ For the manufacturer, the markets of the world, containing a population of 800,000,000, are sacrificed— disabled from purchasing our products, by our high duties on all they would sell in exchange.” Now this sounds well, and would have some force if it could be proven that the free admission of foreign goods would cheapen the cost of producing breadstuffs, the greatest part of the value of which consists of transportation, and the labor of those who consume but a very small quantity of foreign goods whether they be high or low. The nations who want breadstuffs, will buy them where they can get them the cheapest, whether they have to pay for them in goods or specie. If Great Britain can buy her breadstuffs cheaper in the Baltic than of us, she will do so, and send her manufactures here to get the specie to pay for them. No one believes that any system of commer cial policy that we may adopt, will create a demand for a single bushel more or less of our grain in Great Britain, or, if it did, that we should be able to supply it, unless we can undersell all competitors. It is a matter of prices, far more than of tariffs. The question of free trade, or protec tion, between different parts of our own country, is of far more importance than between us and other nations. The cost of transportation is, to the people of the West, a tariff of the most formidable kind. Mr. Walker, in his defence of free trade, says : “ The farmer and planter have a home market without a tariff.” This may be true of the planter ; but what kind of free trade is that, to the farmer, which admits the goods of other nations free, but levies an export duty of 100 per cent on every bushel of wheat he exports, to pay for them ? This home tariff is, however, fast working out its legitimate results. Already, we see manufacturing cities, twice as large as Lowell, springing up as if by ma gic in the West, and nothing but the want of capital prevents their still more rapid extension. If it is important to the manufacturers of Great Britain, to break down our tariff to admit their goods, it is as equally im portant to the manufacturers of the Eastern and Middle States, to break down this tremendous tariff of high transportation, which is building up their rivals in the W est with a rapidity of which they have no conception. The agricultural and manufacturing interests of the West may, ere long, be able to say to the East— “ This is protection enough for us, and we will not, for the sake of protecting you, submit to be taxed on the few ar ticles we cannot produce.” With the South and West against them, wo be to the manufacturers of the Eastern and Middle States, if they cannot, without protection, compete with their rivals in Europe. The farmers of the West, however, should remember, that they are at present protected by a 20 per cent “ ad valorem” duty on wheat and flour, and that, if they would have the privilege of “ buying where they can buy the cheapest,” they must allow the people on the seaboard the same right; and that a failure of crops in our country, half as extensive as that which now af flicts Western Europe, would make it an object to do that which was done in 1837— import breadstuffs from Europe. Our foreign demand for breadstuff's, has heretofore been very insignifi cant, but not, therefore, unimportant. No principle is better understood among business men, than that a deficiency in the supplies of an article enhances the value of the whole, far more than the value of the deficiency ; and that, on the other hand, a small surplus decreases the value of the whole very much more than the value of that surplus. It was on this principle, that the Dutch E ast India Company once made a bonfire of a 574 The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. large quantity of spices, to increase the value of the balance of their stock ; and the foreign demand for our breadstuffs has, heretofore, by taking off a small surplus when prices reached a low mark, had a very beneficial effect upon our home markets. A paragraph in the English newspapers, received by recent arrivals, shows, in a very strong light, the importance of a winter communication with the interior. Speaking of the loan of £2,000,000 sterling, recently made by the Emperor of Russia to the Bank of France, it says : “ Russia does not want French manufactures in exchange for its cereal's, but the sale of its agricultural produce is a matter of vital importance, and its granaries are known to be full of grain. The policy of Nicholas evi dently is, that this surplus should find a market before the American sup plies reach Europe, and under any circumstances, that it should not remain unsold. Hence he has, most wisely, given France the means of trading with his own subjects.” This subject has, heretofore, been made a matter of mere vague gen eralities and “ ex parte ” statements, and has not attracted the attention which its importance demands. Involving, as it does, the question, whether we may or may not (without indulging in any extravagant expectations about “ feeding the world ” ) add permanently to the value of our other ex portable products, $15,000,000 or $20,000,000 worth of breadstuff’s, it is a matter of vital importance to the whole country. Our humble efforts have been directed by an earnest desire after the truth ; our individual in terests are stronger than our pride of opinion ; and if we are the means, either of making an old truth better understood, or of eliciting sounder views or more logical conclusions from others, we shall rest satisfied with the conviction that our efforts have not been entirely unavailing, and that we have at least “ done the State some service.” Art. III.— THE IRON TRADE OF EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES: W IT H S P E C IA L REFERENCE TO THE IR O N TRA D E OF P E N N S Y L V A N IA .* considering the advantage which Pennsylvania is to derive from her beds of iron ore, it would be pleasant, did our limits permit, to dwell on the wonderful application of this metal to the purposes of human life. Still more interesting would it be, to notice the rapidity with which the uses of iron multiply, in all parts of the civilized world, as human inge nuity extends its range, and increases the number of its devices. This increase in the use of iron, we suspect, is far beyond the conceptions of those who have not been led to pay particular attention to the subject. Among the important new applications, we may specify the iron vessels, —the trial of which has been highly satisfactory—the iron roofs, iron fronts, iron buildings, and fire-proof constructions in building, which are adopted to a wonderful extent in some portions of England, and will be very rapid, ly brought into use in this country ; and the iron bridges, railings, vehicles, engines, and utensils, which are everywhere taking the place of the wood en predecessors. Under this head, we may, indeed, place that greatest of all applications of iron— the railway—because railroads are a compara tive novelty iri our country. In * Entered according to Act of Congress, in 1847, by C. G. Childs, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. 575 In 1765, there were shipped by sea from Philadelphia, 822 tons of bar iron, price £26 per ton ; and 813 tons of pig iron, price £ 7 10s. Com pare this statement with that given by Mr. Ellet, President of the Schuyl kill Navigation Company, in his late able Report, of the 4th in st.: “ That the mere increase of the production of this metal, in the Valley of the Schuylkill, alone, during the last eighteen months, exceeds the entire pro duction of all the furnaces of Great Britain, ninety years ago !” In tracing the history of Pennsylvania iron works, the earliest official information which we find, is contained in “ A Statement of the Arts and Manufactures of the United States, prepared in execution of an instruc tion of Albert Gallatin, Esq., Secretary of the Treasury, given by him in obedience to a Resolution of Congress, of the 19th of March, 1812.” This document abounds' in just and striking views of the true elements of national prosperity—views, worthy of the able financier who was Secre tary of the Treasury under that enlightened and illustrious President, James Madison. This work was prepared by Tench Coxe, Esq. From this work, we learn the number of furnaces in Pennsylvania, in 1810, and the amount of their yearly products, as well as their location. Furnaces. Blast. Air. 1 1 2 4 44 6 26,8784 2 1 2 4 1 1 2 4 11 T otal............................. ........................... Product. Tons. 820 300 1,050 4,200 2,790 4,142 112 2,900 1,381* 4,212 3,130 701 390 350 400 Philadelphia County-.............. Northampton............................ ......................... Chester....................................... ........................... Lancaster...................... ........... ........................... Dauphin..................................... .......................... Berks.......................................... Mifflin....................................... Cumberland.............................. ........................... Franklin.................................... ......................... ........................... Fayette...................................... ........................... Westmoreland.......................... Beaver....................................... ......................... Butler......................................... ......................... Alleghany................................. .......................... Value. $71,000 10,500 42,000 135,400 139,500 165,760 3,660 125,000 45,785 112,318 178,120 78,200 36,900 17,500 40,000 $1,201,343 I n o rd e r to sh o w the n u m b e r o f fu rn ac e s in th e U n ited S ta te s , th e quantity of pig iron manufactured by the same, in 1810, we have made up the following table from the work above referred to :— NUMBER OF FURNACES AND YEARLY FRODUCT, IN Furnaces. Blast. Air. M aine .......................................... . Massachusetts...................... Vermont ............................. .................. Rhode Island ............................ Connecticut......................... New York........................... New Jersey......................... Pennsylvania....................... ............... Maryland............................. ............... Virginia............................... ............... Ohio.............................................. Kentucky............................. Tennessee........................... T otal....................... 8 2 2 2 9 io 9 8 21 12 50 10 13 3 8 10 44 9 16 Total. 6 1 2 ... Product*. Tons. Value. 6 3,359 5,859 26,8784 5,000 6.930J 1,187 4 587 uncertain. $154,700 122,000 3,970 46,180 362,020 361,952 1,301,343 249,653 171,312 109,090 1,000 98,077 154 53,9081 $2,981,277 ... 32 1810. 2,3404 1,246 17 576 The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. The character of Philadelphia, as a manufacturing city, had even then attracted attention. The document above mentioned, makes the following statement, which, taken in connection with its date, is well worthy of spe cial notice : “ The manufactures of the city of Philadelphia, (within the strict charter limits of less than two square miles,) containing, on about 1,100 acres of land, 53,722 persons, amount to $9,347,767.” So early, and before our anthracite coal was known, and when our iron trade was in its infancy, did Philadelphia assume the position (which she is destined yet to hold in most conspicuous and undeniable pre-eminence) of the great manufacturing city of the Union. By a most remarkable arrangement of Providence, Pennsylvania, in which such wonderful deposits of coal are found, is also bountifully sup plied with iron ore. It is said that there are very few, if any counties, which do not possess some of the ores of this m etal; but the proximity of beds of iron ore to the great coal fields, and the abundance of limestone in the same districts, are circumstances of great importance, and indicate clearly the great leading occupation of Pennsylvania. Already, one-half of the iron produced in the Union, is produced in this State. The dis covery, six years since, of the method of using anthracite coal, in the re duction of iron ore, was, of course, the event which completed the full ex hibition of our mineral wealth. In order to show the vast expenditures of the State, in furnishing facili ties for bringing the iron of our mountains, as well as the coal, to the sea board, and also the trade of the West to Philadelphia, we copy the follow ing official statement from a valuable document, exhibiting the financial affairs of Pennsylvania, by J. W. Hammond, late chief clerk of the Auditor-General’s office:— RAILROADS. Length. Miles. Columbia Railway. Alleghany Portage Railway............. 82 Total.......... 118 36 UNFINISHED IMPROVEMENTS. Cost. Cost. North Branch Extension. $4,204,969 96 W est Branch “ Erie “ 1,828,461 35 Wisconisco Feeder.......... Alleghany “ .......... $6,033,431 31 Gettysburgh Railroad.... CANALS. Length. Miles. Eastern Division.. . Juniata “ . Western “ Delaware “ Susq’han’h “ N ’rthBr’ch “ ... W estB r’ch*4 French C’k “ Beaver “ Total.......... Total..................... 43 130 105 60 39 73 72 45 25 Cost. $1,736,599 3,521,412 3,069,877 1,381,741 896,379 1,580,670 1,808,472 795,801 511,671 592 $15,302,526 39 42 21 38 96 52 87 10 74 19 $2,184,939 352,456 3,160,566 390,013 31,171 667,917 60 79 76 23 56 61 $7,087,065 60 RECAPITULATION. Length. Miles. Railroads finished. 118 Canals “ 592 Canals unfinished. unc. Locomotives and engines....... cost Explorat’y surveys. Appraisers and Canal Board.......... . . . . Total cost... Cost. $6,033,431 31 15,302,626 39 7,087,065 60 473,919 97 111,375 83 81,875 88 $29,090,294 98 After surveying this vast expenditure by the State of Pennsylvania, for the development of her own resources, let us call attention, by way of con trast, to the astonishing fact, that the sum of all the appropriations made by the United States government, for the construction and repair of roads, fortifications, and harbors, and for the improvement of rivers, from 1806 The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. 577 to 1845, is only $17,199,223! And then, when we come to add the cost of the improvements constructed in our State by private enterprise, and find the whole amounting up to $80,000,000, or more, how nobly does Pennsylvania appear in comparison with even the federal government itself! Great Britain is the country to which we must look for historical infor mation in regard to the manufacture of iron. The iron trade of Great Britain may be taken as, in some measure, a prospective representation of our own. For this reason, accurate information respecting the pro gress and present extent of that trade, is of great value in this country; and we are happy to be able to lay before our readers information of such a character, which we have prepared from late important Parliamentary documents, and other authentic sources. The earliest iron works in Britain, were in the forest of Dean, where, says a quaint historian, “ abundance of wood is yearly spent.” In the reign of Elizabeth, the effect of the iron works in producing a scarcity of timber for ship-building was felt; and in 1581, an act was passed, requiring that, inasmuch as “ the necessary provision of wood doth daily decay and become scant,” no new iron works should be erected within twentytwo miles of London, nor within fourteen miles of the River T ham es; and a subsequent act ordered, that “ no timber of the size of one foot at the stub, should be used as fuel at any iron work.” In the reigns of James I. and Charles I., attempts were made to smelt iron with pit coal, but without success ; and the iron works in many parts were stopped en tirely, and in others diminished their operations. About 1620, Edward Lord Dudley discovered a process for the use of pit coal, and obtained a patent. He erected a furnace, and succeeded in making seven tons of iron per w eek ; but the mob destroyed his works, and defeated his plans, and it was a century before his process came into general use. A historian writing in the reign of Charles II., say s: “ Very many measures of ironstone ore are placed together under the great ten yards’ thickness of coal, and upon another thickness of coal, two yards thick, not yet mentioned, called the bottom coal, or heathern coal, as if God had de creed the time when and how smiths should be supplied, and this island, also, with iron ; and most especially, that this coal and ironstone should give the first and last occasion for the invention of making iron with pit coal.” The same writer states, that in the twelfth year of James I., there were in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, 800 furnaces, forges, or iron-mills, making iron with charcoal. Of these, he reckons 300 to have been blast furnaces, each making 15 tons of pig iron per week, and some 20 tons, working 40 weeks in the year ; the forges making from 3 to 6 tons of bar iron per week. For want of a supply of fuel, the quantity of iron manufactured in Great Britain steadily decreased, although the demand increased. Recourse was therefore had to foreign countries. From 1710 to 1718, the quantity imported from foreign countries, annually, (being chiefly from Sweden and Spain,) averaged about 17,000 tons, and the duty upon it about £35,000. As late as 1769, there were imported from Russia alone, 34,000 tons. The following table shows the number of furnaces, and the make, in each county, in the year 1740 :— V O L . X V I.-----N O . V I. 37 578 The Iron T rade o f Europe and the United States. Counties, Furnaces. Tons. 2 2 1 2 2 3 600 400 100 550 900 1,700 1,350 2,850 200 400 Brecon......................... Glamorganshire........ Carmarthenshire....... Denbighshire.............. Monmouthshire........ Cheshire..................... Herefordshire............. Gloucestershire.......... Hampshire.................. K ent........................... 6 1 4 Counties. Furnaces. Tons. Sussex.............................. Y orkshire....................... Nottinghamshire............ Derbyshire....................... Warwickshire................ Worcestershire................ Salop................................ And Staffordshire, only.. 10 G 1 4 2 2 6 2 1.400 1.400 200 800 700 700 2,100 1,000 Total.................... 59 17,350 It appears, therefore, that the 300 furnaces before mentioned, had now dwindled to 59, making 17,350 tons annually, or not quite 300 tons to each furnace. In 1760, Mr. John Smeaton put in operation, at the Carron Iron Works, in Scotland, blowing cylinders; an invention which, by increasing the power of the blast, increased the product of the establishment using it. In 1775, commenced a new period in the history of the iron manufac ture. Mr. W att’s improved steam-engine then came into use, for pump ing water from the mines, and for blowing furnaces. In 1753, Mr. Cort obtained two patents, one for the process called puddling, and the other for rolling machines. These advantages led to a rapid increase in the manu facture of iron. In 1788, there were, in England, Wales, and Scotland, 26 charcoal fur naces, making 14,500 tons ; 59 coke furnaces, making 53,800 tons ; total furnaces, 85 ; total tons, 68,300. In 1796, there were, in all, 121 furnaces, making 125,079 tons. In 1806, an accurate return was made to Parliament, which showed the following result: 222 coke furnaces, making 250,406 tons; 11 charcoal furnaces, making 7,800 tons ; total furnaces, 233 ; total tons, 258,206. In 1823 and 1830, returns were made, which show a great increase as compared with 1806 :— 1821. Staffordshire...... Shropshire......... Rest of England Wales, (exclusive of North Wales,)............ Scotland.............. Total...... 1810.* Furnaces. Tons. Furnaces. T o n s. 84 38 43 72 22 133,590 57,923 43,728 182,325 24,500 123 48 49 113 27 212,604 73,418 52,252 277,642 37,500 259 442,066 360 653,416 Let us now bring these statistics of progress into one table :— Years. 1740................... 1788.................... 1796.................... 1806.................... Furnaces. Tons. 59 85 121 233 17,350 68,300 125,079 258,206 Years. 1823.......... 1830.......... 1839.......... 1841.......... Furnaces. 259 360 378 Tons. *442,066 *653,416 1,347,790 1,387,551 It is estimated that the annual manufacture of iron, in Great Britain, has now reached 2,000,000 tons. In Scotland, the manufacture was found to have trebled in six years, prior to 1845. At the beginning of June, 1846, there were in blast, in Scotland, 95 furnaces ; out of blast, 35; * Exclusive of North W ales, which, for 1823, is estimated at 10,000 tons, and, for 1830, at 25,000. 579 The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. making a total of 130. The furnaces in blast, at that time, produced an average of 110 tons per week, each, or at the rate of 543,400 tons a year for all. The quantity of iron imported into Great Britain, in 1839, was 24,360 tons, the most of which came from Sweden. The British duties on foreign bar iron have been as follows :— Years. 1782.......................................... 1797..................................... 1802........................................... ................................ 1805 1806 ................................ £ 2 3 3 5 5 Per ton. s. d. 16 2 4 7 15 5 1 0 7 5f Per ton. Years. £ 1809........................................... 1813.......................................... 1819.......................................... If imported in British ships ; and if in foreign ships......... 5 6 6 s. 9 10 9 10 10 0 d. 7 18 6 In 1825, the duty on foreign bar iron was reduced to £ 1 10s. It cannot be doubted that the high duties imposed for so long a period on foreign iron, had a great influence in promoting the iron manufacture in Great Britain. Exertion was called forth, and ingenuity was stimu lated, until this department of business acquired a strength which enabled it to stand against the world. When this position had been attained, and the iron manufacture had risen, under the fostering care of the government, to a point at which it could defy all competition, the restrictive duties were materially reduced. The hot blast, (one of the most important inventions m the history of the iron manufacture) was first suggested, in 1829, by Mr. Neilson, of Glasgow, who took out a patent. This discovery, being found of greater value in Scotland than in England, on account of some peculiarity of the Scotch coal, greatly increased the iron manufacture of that country. A Scotch manufacturer, in writing on the subject, pronounces the hot blast “ one of the greatest discoveries in metallurgy of the present age.” In 1838, Mr. Crane, an iron-master in South Wales, made known to the British Association that he had succeeded in applying the hot blast to the anthracite coal with complete success ! This step in the progress of discovery opened a new world in Pennsylvania. The news of it made known to us the great design of our vast anthracite coal deposits. W e are now, therefore, led, by a natural transition in this historical sketch, to give an account of the iron interest of Pennsylvania. In doing this, we shall, of course, give prominence to the anthracite iron manufac ture, because, in this department, our State enjoys unrivalled, and almost exclusive advantages. W e are so fortunate as to have obtained copious statistics, showing the wonderful progress and present extent of this branch of business in this State ; and the exhibition which we shall be enabled to make, will convince our readers that, if it were not insufferably vain in any State of our sisterhood to assume the title of Empire, such priority would clearly belong to Pennsylvania. We commence with a statement which we have prepared from the United States census of 1840. It is to be regretted that the statistics in that census are far from being of a satisfactory character, incompetent persons having been employed to obtain them. But as we have nothing more authentic for that date, we resort to the census, as affording informa tion which may be considered as at least a basis for a general estimate :— 580 The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States, C A S T IR O N . Name of county. B A R IR O N . Tons Bloom’ries, Tons No. of furnaces, produced, forges, produced. r o l l i n g - m ’s . Adams.................. Alleghany........... ... Armstrong........... Beaver.................. Bedford................ Berks................... ... Bradford.............. Butler.................. Centre................. Chester................. Clinton................. 98 3 4 9 11 2 3 7 2 50 6,584 1,031 260 7,765 8,220 45 625 7,500 1,619 1,692 12 28,100 ... 2 36 8,338 6,569 9 10 4 10,UO 2,031 663 FU EL. Tons con- No. of men,, Capitnl insumed. including vested. miners. 40 10 S io .o o o 74,187 1,305 931,000 1,052 141 48,000 201 30,000 28 14,497 821 253,000 42,245 1,185 655,644 20 8 1,800 1,175 25 16,500 20,400 603 98,000 8,677 245 198.000 10,598 905 360,000 1 Columbia............. Crawford............. Cumberland......... Dauphin.............. Delaware............. Erie...................... Fayette................. Franklin.............. Huntingdon.......... ... Indiana................. Lancaster............ ... Lebanon............... Lehigh.................. Luzerne................ Lycoming............ Mercer.................. Mifflin.................. Montgomery....... Northampton...... Perry................... Philadelphia........ Schuylkill............ Somerset.............. Union.................. Venango............... W arren................ York..................... Total........... ... 2 2 6 1 9 8 20 11 3 6 4 6 8 3 4 1,300 100 2,830 3,000 100 100 1,800 3,810 13,855 80 6,912 3,120 600 870 600 59 1,904 1,150 3,523 2,951 287 2,109 355 6,546 30 5,113 1 1 1 600 640 910 1,300 1,752 365 20 150 208 4 1,118 2,000 125 10,600 5,537 150 150 4,050 8,653 39,367 170 16,525 6,108 4,714 955 1,230 126 3,365 17,200 6,227 16,152 4,650 8,942 50 427 10,120 18 15,200 98,395 169 87,244 357,903 1 2 3 213 5 3 3 2,150 466 1 703 1,125 14,093 30 2,090 297 3,000 1 86 3 270 2 11 27 1 14 3 5 4 2 1 3 80 10 400 224 12 20 292 518 1,357 19 784 231 93 88 125 11 207 284 164 339 25 138 9 39 462 7 308 80,000 7,500 110,000 120,000 20,000 15,000 70,000 258,500 780,100 18,000 420,500 233,000 20,500 43,000 283,000 4,712 144,500 100,000 95,000 303,150 314,050 107,000 1,000 22,000 232,000 3,660 73,655 11,522 $7,781,471 In connection with the account of the British iron trade, we give the following statement (which those who are familiar with this subject will regard as a very important one) of the prices of merchant bar iron, in Liverpool, for a period of forty-one consecutive years. We invite special attention to this table. It reveals some facts, which the advocates of free trade must acknowledge to be remarkable, and for which they may find it difficult to account. It appears that, as the duties advanced, prices of iron declined, and that this sequence was invariable. ’ When the manufacture became extensive and independent, the duties were reduced ; and prices materially advanced, until they are now nearly double what they were when the duties were at the highest point:— The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. 581 AN ACCOUNT OF THE SELLING PRICE OF ENGLISH MERCHANT BAR IRON, IN LIVERPOOL, FROM THE YEAR 1806 TO 1846, BOTH INCLUSIVE, AS FURNISHED BY MESSRS. JEVONS, SONS Ji. CO. Year. Month. Price per ton. Price per ton. j Price per ton. £ s. d. £ s. d. Year. Month. £ s. tl. Year. Month. 10 15 0 1832—May.......... 5 15 0 17 10 0 Aug........... 5 10 0 17 0 0 Aug........... 10 0 0 5 15 0 16 0 0 Sept........... 11 10 0 Nov........... 17 0 0 6 50 Dec........... 12 10 0 Dec........... 16 10 0 1819—May.......... 11 10 0 1833—Feb............ 6 15 0 June.......... 11 0 0 A p ril........ 7 00 16 0 0 15 10 0 1820—March....... 10 10 0 Sept........... 7 50 June.......... 9 10 0 Oct............ 7 15 0 15 0 0 9 0 0 1834—April......... 7 12 6 14 10 0 1821—Jan............. 8 15 0 M ay.......... Feb............ 7 00 9 10 0 Aug........... 6 12 6 16 0 0 March....... 8 15 0 Sept.......... June.......... 6 10 0 15 0 0 8 10 0 1835 Feb............ 6 76 Aug........... 14 10 0 March....... 8 00 6 10 0 14 5 0 1822—Jan............. 8 10 0 June.......... June........... 6 76 14 10 0 Aug. 1st... 8 00 6 50 14 5 0 1823—July........... 8 10 0 Aug. 31st. Nov........... 6 100 8 15 0 Sept. 16th. 7 00 15 0 0 1824—Jan............ 9 15 0 Oct. 1st__ 7 10 0 July........... 14 10 0 Nov. 30th. Sept........... 10 0 0 14 0 0 8 00 Dec. 8th.... Oct. 4th..... 11 0 0 8 50 Oct. 18th... 11 10 0 1836—Jan............ 10 10 0 13 5 0 April 26th. 11 10 0 13 10 0 Oct. 23d.... 13 0 (f July........... 11 5 0 Nov. 24th. 12 10 0 13 5 0 Oct............ 11 0 0 12 15 0 Dec............ 13 0 0 Nov........... 10 15 0 13 0 0 1825—Jan............ 14 0 0 12 10 0 Dec............ 10 10 0 Feb............ 15 0 0 12 5 0 March....... 14 10 0 1837 Feb............ 10 5 0 14 0 0 12 0 0 April......... March....... 9 15 0 May.......... 13 0 0 Aug........... 13 0 0 9 00 June.......... 13 10 0 Aug........... 12 10 0 8 10 0 July........... 7 50 13 0 0 Sept........... 11 10 0 13 10 0 1826—Jan............ 11 0 0 Aug........... 6 15 0 14 0 0 April......... 10 10 0 Aug. 15th. 7 50 9 10 0 Aug. 19th. 8 00 13150 May........... Oct............ 10 0 0 Aug. 31st. 8 15 0 9 10 0 1827—March....... Sept........... 9 10 0 8 15 0 April......... 13 10 0 Dec............ 9 15 0 9 10 0 1838—Jan............ 13 0 0 July............ 9 10 0 9 5 0 Dec........... 12 10 0 Dec............ 9 15 0 9 0 0 1839—Jan............ 10 5 0 12 0 0 1828—Jan............. 8 15 0 M ay.......... 10 0 0 March....... 8 10 0 June.......... April......... 11 0 0 9 15 0 1110 0 8 50 Sept........... April 25th. 9 10 0 8 0 0 1840—Jan............ M ay........... 11 0 0 9 00 8 50 Oct............. Dec........... 10 15 0 8 00 7 15 0 1841—April......... 10 10 0 Dec........... 7 15 0 7 10 0 1842—Jan............ 10 0 0 1829—April......... 6 10 0 Dec__ .... June.......... 7 50 5 50 7 0 0 1843—April......... 9100 Aug........... 5 00 6 15 0 9 00 Oct............. June.......... 4 10 0 8150 6 12 6 1844—Jan............ Dec............ 5 00 8 10 0 1830— March....... 6 10 0 April 18th. 5 10 0 9 10 0 6 15 0 June.......... May 1st.... 6 60 6 10 0 10 10 0 Oct............ Oct. 3d...... 5 10 0 5 15 0 6 50 Dec. 3 d.... 12 0 0 Nov........... 13 0 0 1831—M ay.......... 6 2 6 6 00 Dec. 20th.. 12 15 C June.......... 6 0 0 1845—Jan. 2 d .... 6 10 0 5 17 6 Oct............ Feb. 3 d .... 7 10 0 6 50 11 5 C March 3d... 9 00 D ec.......... .. Ju ly ....... .. Nov........ .. 1807—Feb....... .. March.... .. July...... .. Aug...... .. Sept...... .. 1808—S e p t.... .. 1809—Jan ........ Feb....... .. March... ... Sept...... .. Oct......... ... 1810—Jan........ ... June..... .. Sept...... Oct........ .. 1811—Aug...... .. Sept...... .. 1812—May....... June..... .. July...... .. Oct. 1st. .. Oct. 22d. ... Dec....... .. 1813—Feb....... .. April.... .. June..... .. Dec....... .. 1814—Feb....... .. March... ... April.... .. May..... .. J une..... .. Aug...... Nov....... 1815—Feb....... .. May..... .. June..... .. June 30 ... July....... Aug....... ... Dec....... ... 1816—March.. ... April.... ... June..... ... July...... ... July...... Aug...... ... Oct....... ... Oct....... ... 1817—Feb....... ... March.. ... July..... ... A ug.... ... Oct....... .... 1818—Feb..... ... April... May.... ... 582 The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. Price per ton. Price per ton. Year. Month. £ s. d. Year. Month. £ s. d. Year. Month 1845—March 28th 10 0 0 1845—Sept. 18th. 8 5 0 1846—May.. May 3 d .... Sept. 26th. 9 10 0 June.. 8 15 0 May 19 th.. 9 00 N o v . 4 th .. 9 00 July... June 3 d.... 8 10 0 1846—Jan............. 9 00 Aug... Aug. 4th. . 7 15 0 Feb............ 9 50 Oct.... Sept. 3 d ... 8 00 April.......... 9 00 Dec... Price per ton. £ s. ii. .. 8 15 0 .. 8 10 0 .. 8 15 0 .. 9 00 .. 9 20 .. 9 50 The following duties were imposed upon foreign iron, imported into Great Britain, in— 1803 1804 1805 1806 1809 ........... .......................... ...................................... ...................................... to 1808....................... to 1812........................ £ s. d. 4 4 5 5 5 4 17 1 7 9 4J 1 0 5} 10 I £ s. to 1818........................ [1819 to 1825......................... If imported in British ships; if in foreign ships................. I 6 6 9 10 10 0 7 18 j 1813 d. 6 In 1825, Mr. Herries, Chancellor of the Exchequer, proposed a con siderable reduction on the duties on forge iron. Mr. Huskisson, President of the Board of Trade, offered the resolutions for these alterations, which were carried, and the following duties fixed, on the 5th January, 1825:— Iron—In bars or nnwrought, per ton, the produce of any British possession, and imported from thence,................... In bars or unwrought, the produce of any other country, p. ton. Old duty. £ s. d. 1 2 2 6 10 0 Present duty. £ s. d0 2 6 1 10 0 Before entering upon the Pennsylvania iron trade, we will give place to some miscellaneous information of an interesting, and, perhaps, curious description, respecting the iron trade of Russia, Sweden, Spain, &c., which must be new to most of our readers. The works of Scrivenor and other writers, from which we derive these notices, have been accessible to very few, even among our iron-masters; and we think that the infor mation thus furnished, will be highly acceptable in a community so deeply interested in everything connected with iron and its manufacture. In Russia, iron ores have been known from time immemorial, but we have no information respecting mining operations in early periods. In 1569, the English obtained, by treaty, the privilege of seeking for and smelting iron ore, on condition that they should teach the Russians the art of working this metal, and pay, on the exportation of every pound, one half-penny. Peter the Great, himself, wrought in the iron works, before he set out, in 1698, on his first journey into foreign countries. Remain ing some time in Saxony, he not only made himself acquainted with the arts of mining, but requested the King of Poland to give him some work men, and in the following year twelve were obtained. In 1719, Lieut. Col. Henning, by order of the Emperor, travelled through several coun tries of Europe to collect information respecting mines and foundries, and on his return, wire manufactories, forges for steel, &c., were set up. All iron works, erected with the assistance of the crown, pay a tax of about six cents on each pood of raw iron, and those without that assistance, about four cents. The pood is 36 English pounds. For every forge, the owner pays the crown 200 rubles yearly, or about $ 184. The number of people employed in some of the iron works, in Russia, is astonishing. At the crown mines of Barnaul 48,000 boors are em ployed. The iron works of the Stroganof family have about them, and on the district belonging to the family, 83,000 vassals of the male sex ! Many of the private works give rise to villages, which are, in size and popula tion, like our cities. The Barnaul mines afford some ore which yields from 50 to 60 per cent of iro n ; but 25 per cent is more common. The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United Stales . 583 The exports of iron from all the ports of Russia, except those of the Caspian, in 1793, were :— Poods. Bar iron......................................................... ..................... Sorted................................................................................... V alue in rubles. 2,593,757 491,575 4,258,888 901,454 The ruble is 3s. Id. sterling, and is divided into 100 copecs. In 1828, there were, in the Russian dominions, 19 foundries, forges, and mines, belonging to the crow n; and 148 establishments belonging to private families. The exports of bar iron from St. Petersburgh to America, were as fol lows, in the years specified Poods. .1783................ 1785................ Poods. 6,615 I 1792................ 38,618 | 1794................ Poods. 132,380 1 1797................ 256,635 | 1804................ 112,260 278,264 The exportation of iron from Russia, has been upon the decline since 1784. In 1832, there were exported to the United States, 803,508 poods of bar iro n ; and in— Bar. Poods. 1833........................ 1834 ....... ................ 504,750 345,080 Sheet. Poods. 64,234 I 1837......................... 13,186 | 1838......................... Bar. Poods. Sheet. Poods. 262,0QP 270,000 40,000 36,593 Sweden has long been celebrated for its iron. In 1740, there were 496 foundries for making bar iron and other iron manufactures, which produced 40,600 tons. In that year, the government established an office to pro mote the production of iron, by lending money on the ore, even at so low a rate as 4 per cent. In 1833, there were, in Sweden, from 330 to 340 smelting furnaces, producing about 90,000 tons of pig iron. The smelting furnaces are li censed for a particular quantity. These licenses are granted by the Col lege of Mines, which has a control over all the iron works and mining operations. The iron-masters make annual returns of their manufacture, which must not exceed their privilege, on pain of the overplus being con fiscated. The iron mine of Dannemora is the most celebrated in Sweden. It has been wrought for four centuries, and still yields abundance of the best iron in Europe. It was first wrought as a silver mine. The annual yield of this mine is about 4,000 tons, the whole of which is sent to the house of Messrs. Sykes, in Hull, England, where it is known by the name of the Oreground Iron, taking its name from the port at which it is shipped. The first, or best mark, is L., which sells at £ 40 per to n ; while the best Russian mark, the C. C. N. D., is seldom higher than £ 2 0 per ton. The cause of the superiority of the Dannemora iron has never been explained. Some chemists ascribe it to the presence of manganese. Ber zelius attributed it to the presence of the metal of Silicia; while others suppose it to arise from the nature of the process employed. The exports of iron from Sweden to the United States, from 1830 to 1838, were as follows :— Bars. 1830.................. 1831.................. 1832.................. 1833.................. ......... 1834.................. ......... 20,644 19,618 Bars. Other iron. 422 683 1,222 343 287 1835.................. 1836.................. 1837.................. 1838.................. iron. 476 560 151 585 Other 584 The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. The total exports in 1838, were 81,754 tons. Spain has iron of excellent quality. It is probably more ductile than any other. But Spain has never manufactured to any great extent. An ancient writer (Diodorus Siculus) says : “ The Celterberians make weapons and darts in an admirable manner ; for they bury plates of iron so long under ground, until the rust hath consumed the weaker part, and so the rest becomes more strong and firm. Of this, they make swords and other warlike weapons ; and, with these arms thus tempered, they so cut through everything in their way, that neither shield, helmet, nor bone, can withstand them.” The quantity of iron sent from Spain to Great Britain, from 1711 to 1718, averaged 1,560 tons annually. From 1729 to 1735, the average was 1,770 tons. After about 1750, the exportation declined, and in 1795 ceased entirely. No iron comes to the United States from Spain. I mprovement in S teel .— An eminent London cutler, Mr. Weiss, has remarked, that steel seemed to be much improved when it had become rusty in the earth, and provided the rust was not factitiously produced by the application of acids. He accordingly buried some razor blades, for nearly three years, and the result fully corresponded to his expectation. Analogy led to the conclusion that the same might hold good with respect to iron, under similar circumstances. So, with perfect confidence in the justness of his views, he purchased, as soon as opportunity offered, all the iron, amounting to fifteen tons, with which the piles of the London bridge had been shod. A part of this iron had become extremely and beautifully sonorous, and possessed a degree of toughness quite unapproached by common iron, and was, indeed, an imperfect carburet. It produced steel, of a quality infinitely superior to any with which, in the course of his business, Mr. Weiss had m et; insomuch that, while it was in general re quest among the workmen for tools, they demanded higher wages for working it. About eight tons of the iron was found to be of this quality. The remainder was inferior, in consequence, as was supposed, of its hav ing been less favorably subjected to the action of the agents producing the change. Having given a brief review of the iron trade in Europe, we return to the history of this trade in the United States, and more particularly to that of Pennsylvania. In Seybert’s Statistics, prepared from official documents, he states that the manufacture of iron in the United States, in 1810, was as follows :— 153 furnaces, making 53,908 tons iron ; 320 forges, making 24,541 tons of bar iron ; 316 trip-hammers and 34 rolling and slitting-rnills, which re quired 6,500 tons of iron, and 410 naileries, in which 15,727,914 pounds of nails had been made. The value of these manufactures was $14,364,526. In 1818, there were in Pennsylvania, 44 blast furnaces, 68 forges, and 175 naileries. In 1830, a convention of manufacturers of iron was held in Philadel phia, for the purpose of collecting information in answer to a call made upon the Secretary of the Treasury. They prepared the following state, ment, which is believed to be as precise and accurate as any statement in reference to this trade, ever laid before the public:— The committee on manufactures of iron, appointed by the convention assembled at Philadelphia, to examine the returns received, in answer to the circulars addressed to different individuals engaged in that branch of industry, report the following tabular statement as the result of their investigations:— 585 The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. 1828. Pennsylvania............. New Jersev.............. M aryland.................. Virginia..................... ............. Delaware.................. O hio.......................... T otal.................. ............. 1830. No. Tons Furnaces. Pig Iron. Tons Castings. 24,822 1,733 2,247 400 450 3,693 6,264 483 50 350 45 10 6 2 7 1 2 31,056 1,671 3,163 538 5,400 450 590 5,506 5,615 1,259 43 250 350 250 29,652 10,840 73 42,868 13,273 2 63 Tons No. Furnaces. Pig Iron. Tons Castings. One furnace erected in Pennsylvania in 1830, will, in 1831, make 1,100 tons of pig iron. In addition to the 73 furnaces mentioned in the preceding table, from which detailed returns had been received, the committee had information of 129 furnaces, in the States of Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Mas sachusetts, Connecticut, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Ohio, in actual operation ; but from them had then received no returns. . Taking the production of the 73 furnaces from which returns have been received, as the rate for estimating the whole, and the following would be the result:— Furnaces. 1828. 1830 192 202 Pig Iron. Castings. T o tal Tons. 90,368 118,620 33,036 36,728 123,404 155,348 But as the greater part of the furnaces, not included in the returns, are situated in districts where but few castings are made, the committee have not felt authorized to estimate the quantity of castings made at them at more than about 5 per cent of their entire production, which would give the following proportions and results :— 1828........................ 1830........................ Furnaces. Pig Iron. Castings. T otal Tons. 192 202 108,564 137,075 14,840 18,273 123,404 155,348 From the best information the committee have been able to collect on this subject, they estimate that of the pig iron made in these years, about 10,000 tons per annum have, upon an average, been converted, in the air furnaces and cupolas, into castings, leaving to be manufactured into bar iron— In 1828, of pig iron, 98,564 tons, making of bars, 70,403 tons. In 1830, “ 127,075 “ “ “ 90,768 “ And which quantities severally correspond, with remarkable propor tional accuracy, with the returns from 132 forges, which accompanied the returns from the 73 furnaces first mentioned. In East Jersey, in a part of Connecticut, in a large district of New York, and in Vermont, bar iron is extensively made by the process technically denominated “ blooming,” or by a single operation from the ore, without the intervention of the blast furnace. The returns already received, justify the committee in putting down this description of bar iron, for the year 1828, at 5,341 tons ; 1830, 5,853 tons, of which 2,197 tons were East Jersey, making a total of bar iron for 1828, of 75,744 tons ; 1830, 96,621 tons, and the entire quantity of iron, in its first stage, as shown in the following tab le:— 1828. 1830. Pig iron................................................................................... tons Castings from blast furnaces....................................................... Bloomed bar iron, for the years respectively, reduced to pig iron, at 28 cwts. to the ton of bar........................................... 108,564 14,840 137,075 18,273 7,477 8,194 Total iron, in pigs and castings............................ 130,881 163,542 586 The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. Total increase of all kinds of iron in two years, very nearly 25 per cent. For the purpose of determining the value of the above iron, the com mittee have taken the average at the principal sea-ports, and those of Pitts burgh and Cincinnati, and have estimated that two-thirds of the bar iron made in the United States, is sold in the Western markets. The propor tion may be greater, which would increase the entire value. In 1828, the average price of American hammered iron, in the principal cities east of the Susquehannah, was $105, and at Pittsburgh and Cincin nati, $125 ; the average, estimated as above, would be $118i. In 1830, the prices were $90 and $100, giving an average of $ 9 6 |. Castings from the blast furnaces are valued at $60, although many sell higher, and from the air furnace and cupola at 4^ cts. per lb., which is certainly not above the average rate. At these prices the aggregate value of the iron made in 1828, would be $10,861,440, and in 1830, $11,444,410. Increase in market value, in two years, less than 51 per cent. In November, 1831, the friends of domestic industry held a convention in the city of New York, and in making their report on the iron trade, availed themselves of the information furnished by the Philadelphia con vention of 1830, which they pronounced as “ precise and accurate as any that had been submitted to the public.” They added some new informa tion, of which we take several items. In 1828, an addition was made to the duty on hammered iron, of $4 40 per ton, and on rolled iron of $7. In the following year, the price fell to $114f, and in 1830, to $ 9 6 | per to n ; showing a decline, in two years, of $2 I f per ton, in consequence of competition here, for there was no corresponding decline abroad. The prices of iron at Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, at different periods, furnish data for important inferences. In the years 1818, ’19, ’20, bar iron in Pittsburgh was sold at from $100 to $200 per ton. In 1831, the price was $100 per ton. In 1820, axes were $24 per dozen ; in 1831, $12. At least 600 tons of iron, made in Pittsburgh, were manufactured, in 1831, into various articles, in that city. There were then eight rolling and slitting-mills in Pittsburgh. Thirty-eight new furnaces had been erected, since 1824, in the western parts of Pennsylvania, and that part of Ken tucky bordering on the Ohio river. The quantity of iron rolled in Pitts burgh, was, in 1828, 3,291 tons ; 1829, 6,217 ; 1830, 9,282, being an increase of nearly 200 per cent in two years. In Cincinnati, from 1814 to 1818, bar iron was from $200 to $220 per ton ; in 1826, bar iron assorted, $125 to $135; 1828, $115 to $125; 1831, $100 to $110. In 1842, when the great tariff question was occupying a large share of the public attention, a convention of iron-masters assembled at Harrisburgh. Committees from various parts of the State prepared with great labor a mass of valuable information relating to the iron manufacture; showing the number and product of the iron works in Pennsylvania, at that time, the number of hands employed, and the consumption of various articles of produce and merchandise, in consequence of these operations. The intention was to show the effect of the prosperity of our manufactures in creating a home market. These results are embodied in the following interesting tabular statement:— 587 N U M BER A ND PROD U CT O F T H E IR O N W O R K S IN P E N N S Y L V A N IA , IN 1842, W ith the number o f Hands employed, the Consumption o f various Articles, and Total Value o f the same. The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. 22 Rolling-Mills, producing, viz:— Bar Iron............................................... Boiler Iron.......................................... Sheet Iron........................................... Nail Iron............................................. Nail Plate Iro n .................................. 54 Forges, producing, viz:— Blooms................................... 17,725 Deduct manufac’d into boiler, sheet, nails, and nail plates, 14,960 Hammered B ar.................................. 79 Furnaces, producing, viz :— Castings................................................ Pig Iron................................. 80,305 Deduct 42,620 tons Bar and Blooms, manufactured from Pig, allowing 2,500 per ton, 53,287 7 Foundries, producing......... ................. Total, 172 W orks.......................... 131 Furnaces, estimated, Pigiron 109,695 Less, manuf. bars and blooms 33,262 84 Forges, Rolling-Mills, &c., bar, bloom, Tons. Value. Hands. Depen dencies. 3,389,600 2 765 4 )1 0 5 60 90 CO NSU M PTIO N . Grain. bush. $ $ 20,800 85 1,768,000 2,400 n o 264,000 1,200 130 156,000 8,960 n o 985,600 2,400 90 216,000 Beef & Pork. Tobacco lbs. $ Shoes. $ Groceries. Dry Goods. Hay, &c. $ $ $ T otal. $ 1,678 8 ,3 9 0 274,040 1,386,706 13,818 34,318 107,250 147,400 591,363 1,666 8,330 338,420 1,821,200 26,378 71,460 115,660 784,041 165 900 3 0 9 )4 5 0 535,350 4,580 65 297,700 8,717 27,018 30 810,540 1,108,240 27,000 5,063 25,315 •31 155 85,230 277,900 550 1,500 406,618 1,500 2 1 0 ,0 0 0 300 90 1,672,204 4,980 5,060,190 8,438 42,190 1,287,973 5,698,900 51,461 146,486 458,110 671,208 2 1 0 ,0 0 0 3,052,588 74,528 76,433 30 2,292,990 27,410 752,055,750 873 Works in Pennsylvania, producing 178,371 Price. PRODUCT. 6,856 34,280 1,370 6,850 674,013 2,488,200 28,836 2,800 90 1,500 911,848 3,366,296 39,079 115,386 377,080 250,710 1,315,200 9,233 25,865 73,212 650,194 275,000 2,254,531 481,868 108,230 9,408,930 16,6641 83,320 2,450,531 10,380,396 99,773 286,737 908,402 1,329,632 485,000 5,788,987 588 The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. The discovery of the anthracite process of smelting iron ore, was, as we have already remarked, an event of the highest importance to Penn sylvania. On the 18th of January, 1840, a dinner was given at Pottsville, by W. Lyman, Esq., on the occasion of his having successfully introduced this process. At that dinner, Nicholas Biddle, Esq., of Philadelphia, made the following forcible and appropriate remarks, which will be responded to by every true Pennsylvanian:— “ And this, after all, is the great mystery—the substitution of what is called the hot blast for the cold blast. Let us see the changes which this simple discovery is destined to make. As long as the iron ores and the coal of the anthracite region were incapable of fusion, the ores were en tirely useless, and the coal nearly unavailable for manufactures ; while, as the disappearance of the timber made charcoal very expensive, the iron of Eastern Pennsylvania was comparatively small in quantity, and high in price, and the defective communication with the interior made its trans portation very costly. The result was, that with all the materials for sup plying iron in our own hands, the country has been obliged to pay enor mous sums to Europeans for this necessary. In two years alone, 1836-7, the importations of iron and steel amounted to upwards of $24,000,000. The importations for the last five years have been about $49,000,000. It is especially mortifying to see that even in Pennsylvania, there have been introduced, within the last seven years, exclusive of hardware and cutlery, nearly 80,000 tons of iron, and that of these there were about 49,000 tons of railroad iron, costing, probably, $3,500,000. Nay, this very day, in visiting your mines, we saw, at the very farthest depths of these subter ranean passages, that the very coal and iron were brought to the mouth of the mines on rail-tracks of British iron, manufactured in Britain, and sent to us from a distance of 3,000 miles. This dependence is deplorable. It ought to cease forever ; and let us hope that with the new power, this day acquired, we shall rescue ourselves from such a costly humiliation. “ Wo owe it to ourselves not thus to throw away the bounties of Provi dence, which, in these very materials, has blessed us with a profusion wholly unknown elsewhere. The United States contain, according to the best estimates, not less than 80,000 square miles of coal, which is about sixteen times as much as the coal measures of all Europe. A single one of these gigantic masses, runs about 900 miles, from Pennsylvania to Ala bama, and must of itself embrace 50,000 square miles, equal to the whole surface of England proper. Confining ourselves to Pennsylvania alone— out of fifty-four counties of the State, no less than thirty have coal and iron in them. Of 44,000 square miles which form the area of Pennsyl vania, there are 10,000 miles of coal and iron, while all Great Britain and Ireland have only 2,000 ; so that Pennsylvania has five times as much coal and iron as the country to which we annually pay eight or ten mil lions of dollars for iron. “ Again, the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania, are six or eight times as large as those of South Wales. O f these great masses, it may be said, confidently, that the coal and iron are at least as rich in quality, and abundant in quantity as those of Great Britain, with this most mate ria] distinction in their favor, that they lie above the water level, and are easily accessible, while many of the mines of England are a thousand or fifteen hundred feet below the surface. With these resources you would have abundant employment, if you could only supply the present wants oi the country, for which we are now dependent on foreigners. But the The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. 589 sphere of demand is every day widening for the consumption of iron. The time h a s come, when nothing but iron roads will satisfy the impa tience of travellers, and the competition of trade.” * * “ Ifcoal and iron have made Great Britain what she is,—if this has given her the power of 400,000,000 of men, and impelled the manufac tures which have made us, like the rest of the world, her debtors, why should not we, with at least equal advantages, make them the instruments of our own independence ?” The following information is derived from the report of a committee appointed by the “ Iron and Coal Association of the State of Pennsylva nia,” at a convention held in Philadelphia, on the 9th of January, 1846. This information was obtained by a committee of the association, who, in 1845, addressed circulars to the manufacturers throughout the State, so liciting accurate information respecting the character and product of each establishment, the number of hands employed, &c. &c. The data thus obtained, was placed by the association in the hands of a committee, for the purpose of being arranged and embodied in a “ Report upon the Iron and Coal Trade of Pennsylvania, and their effect upon Agriculture,” in order to enlighten the public mind upon the great importance of these in dispensable branches of our national industry, without which a nation can never be entirely independent, either in peace or war. Iron and coal being the chief agents of civilization and happiness, exercise a boundless influence on the human race. We continue the tables showing the number of furnaces, forges, and rolling-mills in Pennsylvania, and their product in 1846 :— T H IR T i'-T W O ROLLING-MILLS AND NAIL-] Names of W orks. Location. Proprietors. Boiler Sheet B ar iron. plate. iron. 900 150 Pittsburgh....... H. S. Spang & Co....... «< Shoenberger & Co....... 3,000 it Lyon, Shorb & Co....... 2,000 250 it Bissel & Co................... 2,200 <t Miltenberger.................. 1,500 tt Laurentz &. Co............. 2,000 M Kings, Higbee & Co.... 500 u Smith, Royer & Co....... 500 . . . . W.Brandywine Chester county, 400 (t (i .... Cain................. (( It Triadelphia..... 400 It >1 H ibernia......... 400 M tt Brandywine.... 400 ti (( Rokeby............ 400 (( tc ...................................................... 300 Lowell............. Valentines & Thomas... 900 Bellefonte....... Centre “ <t tt Valentines, Harris & Co 900 Howard........... a James Irvin & Co......... 900 Milesburg........ ti <c R. Curtin & Sons......... 900 E agle............... tt O. A. H eister.................. 700 Fairview......... Cumber’d “ W . L. Fisher.................. 1,100 D uncannon.... Perry “ S. &. H. Hughes........... 500 Montalto......... Franklin “ J. Wood & Son............. 400 Conshohocken. Montg’ry “ • tt n Reeves &. W hittaker................. N orristow n.... Kcim, W hittaker & Co. 1,400 Reading........... Berks “ Coleman’s Estate........... 200 Varlic............... Lancaster “ Reeves & W hittaker................. Phcenixville*.. Chester “ <i (i R. W. Mason & Co................... Mason’s*......... (( U Lowell*........... it tt Brandywine*.. * Nail-factories. Nails. Hands. 800 100 150 250 500 150 ... . 1,000 210 80 100 ... . 1,000 80 1,000 80 ... . 11 200 12 ... . 12 ... . 10 11 11 200 60 12 12 ... • 12 12 ... . 12 ... . 300 35 1,000 180 100 25 200 30 1,000 50 90 200 200 600 40 1,300 52 42 1,000 .... 60 16 100 6 ... . 150 590 The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States, FRODUCT OF FIFTY-FOUR FORGES. Names. Location. Proprietors. Bedford.............. . Bedford........ . S. King & Co.................. Hopewell........... . D. Loy & Co................... <( Hopewell........... . Milliken & Benedict.... u Maria, 3 ............ . Shoenberger & C o......... a . Shoenberger & Co......... M artha.............. Dowell............... . Berks........... . .r. Sidel............................. it . George Regan................. U nion................ it Rockland........... . A. U. Snyder.................. tt . S. Seyfort........................ Gibraltar, 3....... tt . Joseph Seyfort................. North Kill.......... Coventry............ . Chester........ n a <i a Pleasant Garden. Bellefonte.......... . Centre.......... . Valentines & Thomas... a Howard............. . Valentines, Harris & Co. a . James Irvin & Co........... Milesburg.......... tt . R. Curtin & Sons............ E agle................. Washington....... . C linton........ . Irvin, Pyle & Co............. Catawissa.......... ., Columbia...... tt Liberty............... , Cumberland.. H. G. Moser & Co......... tt Valley................. . Franklin....... it tl Mount Pleasant.. , Dunn & B ark.................. if . S. & H. Hughes............. Montalto............. I t . S. D. Paxton & Co......... Caledonia........... Barree.................. Huntington... S. M. Green & C o......... tt ./Etna................... Antes................... it tl H. S. Spang..................... Graham & McCamant... if Speedwell........... , Lancaster...... J. Reynolds...................... a , J. Alexander.................... W hite Rock....... a , Coleman’s E state........... Vartic, 3 ............. U nion.................. Lebanon....... J. B. Weidman................ tl J. B. Seidell..................... Monroe................ Freedom.............. Mifflin........... Rawle & Hall................. it M. Criswell & Co............ Brookland........... Rogers &, Co................... Rebecca............... Fio....................... Perry............. B erw ick............. Schuylkill.... D. Focht.......................... a B. & M. Jones................ Hecla................... Castle Finn........ Y ork............. Coleman’s Estate............ J. Harmer........................ Spring.................. ft W oodstock......... t t H. Y. Slaymaker & Co. Bar iron. Boiler plates. Hands307 140 40 200 150 30 100 200 25 2,081 107 922 55 300 25 40 8 100 20 500 140 58 450 40 225 14 325 15 300 17 200 17 16 200 45 900 900 45 800 45 35 700 40 300 100 150 15 200 20 25 325 200 40 250 60 20 60 20 60 120 18 500 40 195 23 35 900 60 450 25 60 800 400 30 1,225 250 200 1,000 200 200 650 700 325 450 125 58 30 20 65 25 25 33 70 17 100 100 100 250 250 420 45 25 20 45 50 40 The report says, the account for 1846 will therefore stand thus :— Charcoal furnaces.............................................................. Anthracite furnaces.......................................................... 207 7 173,369 tons. tons. 173,369 16,487 Furnaces up to 1842.,..................................................... New Charcoal furnaces, since1842................................ New Anthracite furnaces, since1842........................... 213 67 36 189,856 75,200 103,000 Furnaces in 1846................................................. 316 368,056 Increase on old furnaces.................................................................... Increase on new furnaces.................................................................. 37,971 tons. 178,200 Total increase........................................................................... 216,171 The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. 591 More than 100 per cent since the bill of 1842. This prodigious increase has of course called for a large investment and employment of capital, which, after much reflection and experience, we estimate at $47 per ton, for every ton of charcoal pig metal manufactured. This would therefore give, on 75,200 tons, $3,534,400; and for every ton of anthracite pig metal, $25 per ton, $2,575,000— making the enormous sum of $6,109,400, invested in furnaces alone, since 1842. The aggregate capital, therefore, would be calculated upon the same estimate :— Tons. Capital. Charcoal fumaees, previous to 1842......................................... Anthracite furnaces, previous to 1842..................................... New Charcoal furnaces,since 1842......................................... New Anthracite furnaces, since 1842..................................... 173,369 16,487 37,971 178,200 $8,148,343 412,175 3,534,400 2,575,000 Total, 316 furnaces................................................. 368,056 $14,669,918 This quantity, 368,056 tons, at $30 per ton, would be worth $11,041,680 It is probable that one-half of this metal is converted into bar, hoop, sheet, boiler iron, and nails, at a cost of at least $50 per ton more......... .......................................................... 9,201,400 Capital for conversion, at $20 per ton..................................... 3,680,560 The other half into castings, at $20 per ton.......................... Capital for conversion, at $10 per ton..................................... 3,680,560 1,840,280 Total value of product, and capital invested................. $23,923,640 $20,190,758 And where does this enormous sum of money go, and how is it expended? All in labor and agricultural products ; for of what materials is iron com posed ? Coal, limestone, iron ores, sand, and fire-clay, almost worthless, unless converted into iron. The number of men employed in producing the above iron, would be, in the charcoal operations, one man to every twenty tons, and in the anthracite, one man to every twenty-four tons of pig metal. This includes all the miners of coal and limestone, woodchoppers, &c. Upon this estimate, there would be employed—charcoal, 12,428 ; anthracite, 4,978— 17,406. Allowing a wife and four children, as supported by this labor, we have a population of 87,030. To which, if we add the labor employed in its conversion into bars, hoops, sheets, boiler-plates, nails, castings, railway iron, &c., &c., which would more than double those directly dependent, we should have, upon this supposi tion, 174,060 men, women, and children. But when we look still further, at the labor created by this business, in railways, canals, &c., who can estimate it—both of man and horse 1” In 1839, the iron business in this country was in a sound, healthy, and prosperous condition, and from its importance and extent, it had attracted the attention of a number of capitalists. The long-sought discovery made at the close of that year, of using anthracite coal for smelting, in furnaces and rolling-mills, gave a new impetus to this branch of business; and it has since been prosecuted with great vigor and complete success, and is destined to place Pennsylvania in advance of all her sister States, anthra cite coal being almost exclusively confined to this State. This important discovery aroused the energy of the bituminous coal operators, and intro duced into the State the process of coke pig iron, which has so long and so successfully been practised in E ngland; and which has there produced so many extensive establishments. In 1841, under the Compromise Act, the duty on bar iron was reduced $3 per to n ; and on pig iron, 50 cents below the duties of 1839. Owing 592 The Iron Trade o f Europe and the United States. to the over-production of iron in England, in 184 1 , and the ruinously low prices obtained for it, an effort was made to induce Congress to prevent that act from going into effect, as the result of such a reduction of duties would paralyze the industry of this country, and ruin those engaged in this branch of business. This effort, as it is well known, proved unavailing, and the prices of iron declined from 25 to 40 per cent. The price of American bar iron, which, in 1839, was $100 per ton, declined, in 1842, to $75 ; blooms, from $75, to $38a40, and pig iron from $33, to $19a20 per ton. The consequence was, the stoppage of most of the furnaces, forges, foundries, rolling-mills, and work-shops; and dismay and ruin spread throughout the land, and labor sought employment in vain. So wide-spread and universal was the ruin, that Congress was induced to pass the tariff bill of 1842, which has since so materially aided in ex tending the iron trade. One of the tables embraced in the above report, contained a list of the anthracite furnaces. To this list we have added the new works erected during the past year, and present the following table as containing a com plete list of all these furnaces at the present time, with their annual pro duct. The increase in this State, of this branch of the iron trade, has no parallel in history :— PENNSYLVANIA ANTIIRACITE FURNACES, ERECTED SINCE 1839, AND IN BLAST IN 1847, WITH THEIR ANNUAL PRODUCT. Names of Works. Lebanon....................... Lightstreet................... Montour Iron Works. William PennRed Point........ Shamokin... Shaw nee.... Spring Mill. Proprietors. Bevan & Humphreys.................. E. & G. Brooks........................... Paxton, Fisher & Co................. Stephen Colwell........................... E. Haldeman............................... Eckert & Brother....................... J. Piatt......................................... J. & P. Groves............................ P. Haldeman................................ David R. Porter.......................... Scranton & Co............................ Crane Iron Company................. Coleman....................................... Montour Iron Company............. S. & W. L. Richards.................. J. McDowell................................ Reeves, Buck & Co................... G. G. Palmer............................... Livingston & Lyman................. Samuel R. W ood........................ S. R. Wood.................................. Shamokin Iron Company.......... Holmes, Myers & Co................. Kunzi & Farr.............................. Burd Patterson............................ Porter & Stewart.................... . Pomeroy & Harrison.................. Total.. No. produced. 7,000 2 1,750 1 2 8,5u0 1 3,000 1 2,500 1 4,500 1 1,750 2,000 1,500 1 3,500 2 3,500 3 13,000 7,000 1,500 15,000 1 1,000 1,500 12,000 1 1,800 3,250 3,750 2,000 1 2,500 1.750 2,500 2 3,500 2,000 1,750 121,800 OUT OF BLAST. iuoe«............................................... 4,000 The American A rt Union. 593 The discovery of the process of making anthracite iron, and the reduced price at which it can be manufactured, induced a number of capitalists to put up extensive rolling-mills. In 1845,* the first bar of railroad iron was manufactured in the United States. Since that period, various establishments have gone into opera tion, and about 60,000 tons can now be manufactured annually. The following rolling-mills have been erected and put into operation in this State, within the last four years. The annual product, and the kind of iron manufactured at each mill, is added :— ANTHRACITE ROLLING-MILLS. Names of Works. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Proprietors. Species made. Tons. J Iron Rails....... 10,000 Montour Ironw orks, Danville Murdock, Leavitt & Co. ■ j Plate R ails.... 1,000 Wilkesbarre............................... T. T. Payne................... Rail and Plate 6,000 Harrisburgh.............................. Burke.............................. Plate................ 1,500 Philadelphia.............................. Thomas Hunt................. Rails................ 2,000 IS 1,200 Robinson & Verree....... Plate................ IS Leibert & W ainwright. Rails................ 5,000 ll Thomas & Co................ Bar & Rod.... 2,000 Si James Rowland, 2 mills, Plate & Round 4,500 Manayunk................................ B. & C. B. Buckley........ Plate................ 500 Phcenixville.............................. Reeves, Buck & Co....... Rails....... ........ 12,000 Norristown................................ Moore & Hooven........... Merchant Bar. 2,000 Pottsgrove.................................. Potts................................ Merchant Bar. 2,000 Pine Grove................................ Joseph Baily................... Plate................ 850 Reading.................................... Sabata & Co................... Si A xle................ ) 1,000 is Jones &. C o ................... ( 1 Small Iron...... \ ti Seyfort &, McManus__ Bar & Nails.'.. 2,500 Little Schuylkill........................ Small Iron__ 500 Lackawanna............................. Scranton & Co................ Plate & R ails. 6,000 T otal tons producedf......... 60,550 Art. IV.— TIIE AMERICAN ART UNION. “ T he A merican A rt U n io n ” was incorporated by the Legislature of the State of New York, on the 29th day of January, 1844, for the pur pose of advancing the interests of the fine arts throughout the United States ; a former society, which had been organized under the name of “ The Apollo Association,” having been merged in this body. By the constitution, it is placed under the management of a committee who are * The author of this paper, Mr. Childs, is probably mistaken in regard to the manufac ture of the first railroad iron in the United States. According to Mr. J. F. Tanner, the secretary of the Tredegor Iron Company of Virginia, railroad iron was first manufactured at the works of that company, in 1837. For an article from a stockholder of the Trede gor company, on this subject, see Merchants’ Magazine for May, 1847, page 530.—E d. M e r c h a n t s ’ M a g a z in e . t The foregoing article on the Iron Trade was originally prepared by C. G . C h i l d s , Esq., the editor of the “ Commercial List,” published in Philadelphia. The Commercial List was established by its present editor and proprietor, in 1835. Mr. Childs has been indefatigable in his exertions to add to the value and interest of his journal, and has suc ceeded in furnishing more statistical information than perhaps any other similar publica tion in the Union. We would take this opportunity of acknowledging our indebtedness to Col. Childs, for the privilege of reproducing the present paper in our Magazine, which, it will be perceived by a note on a former page, has been copyrighted by the author.— Ed. M e r c h a n t s ’ M a g a z in e . VOL. XVI.---NO. VI. 38 594 The American A rt Union. not professional artists, yet who have in charge the general supervision and direction of its affairs. This committee are empowered to purchase such works of art, executed by the artists of our own country, at home or abroad, as they deem worthy of selection, and the resources of the society will w arran t; to appoint sub-committees and such honorary secretaries and other agents as may be required; to prescribe their duties and fix their salaries, and to adopt the most proper measures for the purpose of carry ing out the design of the association. They are, moreover, invested with the power of framing a code of laws for their own government, in accord ance with the constitution. The funds which are obtained by the individual subscription of the members are applied every year to the purchase of an engraving, and each member receives a copy of this engraving for every five dollars paid by him into the treasury. The surplus of the money, after defraying the necessary expenses of the society, is appropriated to the purchase of na tive works of painting and sculpture, which are annually distributed by lot— every member, for each sum of five dollars which is thus paid by him, holding a share in the distribution. Through the agency of the society thus organized, with a distinguished citizen of the commercial metropolis as its president, a picture gallery has been opened to the public, without charge, in the city of New York, con taining the paintings of domestic artists, which are open to public inspec tion. According to the report of December, 1846, the society had 4,457 members, 1,224 having been added during the last year. Besides, the income of the institution has grown to 22,285 dollars ; and 145 paint ings, varying in price from $15 to $600, have been purchased from 65 artists, residing in various parts of the country. The association has en rolled among its members some of the most prominent individuals in dif ferent quarters of the Union, and it appears to be commencing its career under favorable auspices. It will hardly be denied that the progress of the fine arts in our own country is an interesting subject of consideration, and we need only to observe the causes which have borne upon their history with us to under stand their present condition. In the first place, so far as those arts are concerned, we start upon a different basis from that of the monarchies of the old world, where the fine arts have achieved their most brilliant tri umphs. In those nations constituting the ancient seat of the arts, where they in feet first originated, and have been gradually perfected to their present state, splendid galleries of paintings and sculpture have sprung up under the auspices of their respective governments, or of individual wealth. Among these are the rich collections of Italy and France, Ger many and Great Britain, Prussia, Austria, Bavaria, and Spain, as well as other parts of Europe, besides the treasures of art which are accumulated in the numerous churches and cathedrals of that portion of the globe. The consolidation of political power in those governments which have been thus enabled to patronize the arts, in the establishment of galleries and in the decoration of palaces; the perpetuation of estates by which the best works of art. have been accumulating for ages in the hereditary seats of an ancient nobility; more of leisure on the part of the opulent, affording a systematic and studious cultivation of art itself for its own sake, have all tended doubtless to advance the progress of painting, as well as architecture and sculpture. With us, however, circumstances are differ The American A rt Union. 595 ent. Our own country is comparatively new, and it is but a little more than two centuries since the whole domain was a trackless wilderness. The population which compose it, have been placed in that condition in which they have been impelled, for the most part, to the necessity of exer tion for the purpose of gaining a subsistence, in the restless and active pur suits of trade and commerce, manufactures, or agricultural enterprise. The fine arts have been accordingly patronized by but a few, and have been obliged to appeal to the public, to refer to the arbitration of a body which its devotees might organize for themselves, or to seek in other coun tries a remuneration for its labors. The instability of private fortunes, with us, and the comparatively small amount of accumulated wealth, have moreover prevented the systematic patronage of those arts, and accord ingly it has happened that a genuine work of the more distinguished an cient masters has seldom strayed among us. In the larger cities of the Union, something has indeed been done for the purpose of evoking a taste for the fine arts. The gallery of the Athe naeum in Boston, the American Academy of Design, in New York, and the Philadelphia Academy, as well as a few private collections, have ex isted, in which some of the best pieces of sculpture and painting, of native production, have been displayed ; but these, we believe, have been estab lished for purposes of pecuniary enterprise, and the gratification of indi vidual taste, rather than for any public object. The national government has, moreover, encouraged to some extent those particular branches of art, by causing to be executed several paintings, illustrative of American history, for the purpose of decorating the walls of the capitol, as well as a statue of Washington, which is now at the seat of government. The local governments of some of the States have also afforded some encouragement to the same cause. This policy has, however, been exercised for tempo rary and specific objects, and not from motives inducing their systematic and uniform patronage. But notwithstanding the discouragements to which we have alluded, the progress of the arts with us has been as rapid as could reasonably have been expected ; and we have produced artists who, from an assiduous study of the master-pieces of the old world, have earned a solid and lasting repu tation. Among those we would allude first to the name of Washington Allston, who may be considered perhaps the first painter that our own country has produced, and who, in any age, would be deemed a great master. W e are not aware that he has ever been employed to execute any national piece for a public object; yet his works adorn some of the most distin guished private galleries of Europe. It may not, moreover, be gene rally known, that his “ Angel Uriel in the Sun,” now in the possession of the Marquis of Stafford, induced the directors of the British Gallery to present to the artist the sum of 150 guineas, as a token of their approba tion of that work. W e ought not, moreover, to forget that we have produced a W est and a Stuart, as well as other artists, not only in painting, but in sculpture also, who have embodied a lasting fame upon the glowing canvass, and in the ever-during marble. The benefits of the judicious and liberal encouragement of the fine arts are apparent. Through their aid the most important passages of history may be faithfully preserved upon the canvass, in a visible and almost in destructible form; the lineaments of illustrious men may be preserved ; the countenances of departed friends may be made our companions in all 596 Commereial Cities and Towns o f the United States. the colors of life and health, as they were wont daily to appear in our m idst; the most precious gems of natural scenery may be transferred to our parlor walls, there to glow in unfading beauty; while the cold marble, in its plastic grace, may be made to perpetuate for ages the most perfect models of the antique, the heroic achievements of virtue, and the features of the great and good. Accordingly, we think that the fine arts, linked with pure principle, should be encouraged under judicious auspices, as the medium through which the circumstances and sentiment of history may be embodied, and the countenances of eminent individuals, as well as the most perfect specimens of scenic beauty, may be preserved by the pencil, or in the form of sculpture. It appears that the principal governments of Europe systematically en courage high art, and it can hardly be doubted that our own should like wise do so, by the selection of the best and most deserving artists for the execution of national works. A series of such works from the pencil of such men as Allston or West, illustrating the national history, and decora ting the walls of our public edifices, would be of a value far exceeding their cost, and objects of perpetual interest and admiration in all coming ages. It is, however, not the promiscuous encouragement of the arts in general, but the selection of their best pieces, that will secure the greatest advantages. In every department of enterprise there are doubtless many aspirants, who, from a spirit of self-exaggeration, often receive less of at tention than they expect, and by consequence deem their efforts overlooked, and themselves the objects of neglect. Let a discriminating public taste and judgment act upon the labors of those aspirants, through the agency of such voluntary associations as the one to which we have alluded, or other appreciating sources, and justice will be done, and the greatest good be most effectually secured. It is the design of the committee of manage ment of the American Art Union to extend the benefits of the institution to every part of the nation. Art. V.— COMMERCIAL CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE UNITED STATES. NUMBER I .* W e have published in former volumes of the Merchants’ Magazine, a series of papers on the commercial and industrial resources of a majority of the States of the American Union, as well as occasional articles on the commerce of several of our principal cities and towns. With a view of continuing the plan as a permanent feature of the Magazine, we place at * For an elaborate article on the “ Commerce of Boston,” see Merchants’ Magazine, Vol. X., No. 5, May, 1S44, pp. 421 to 434. Also, for an elaborate article, entitled “ Pro gressive Wealth and Commerce of Boston, see Vol. XV., No. 1, July, 1846, pp. 34 to 50. For “ Trade and Commerce of St. Louis,” see Vol. XV., No. 2, August, 1846, pp. 162 to 171. For “ Commerce of the City of New York,” see Vol. XIII., No. 1, July, 1845, pp. 42 to 52. For “ Commerce of Philadelphia,” see Vol. XIV., No. 5, May, 1846, pp. 423 to 435. For “ The City of Troy: its Commerce, Manufactures, and Resources, by one of its Merchants,” see. Vol. XIV., No. 6, June, 1846, pp. 515 to 523. For “ Lowell and its Manufactures,” see Vol. XVI., No. 4, April, 1847, pp. 356 to 363. The above are all elaborate articles. A great variety of statistical and commercial information, concerning these and other cities of the United States, will be found spread over the different volumes of this work, from its commencement, in 1839, to the present period. The City o f Buffalo. 597 the head of this article a general title, under which we propose to exhibit in a series of numbers, from time to time, the progress of every city and town in any way distinguished as a mart of commercial or manufacturing enterprise and industry. In the performance of an object so desirable, we feel at liberty to solicit the aid of intelligent correspondents in every section of the country, either in furnishing articles or such materials as can be more readily and accurately gathered upon the spot by residents ; which we shall endeavor to group together, and exhibit in a full and com prehensive form. The Merchants’ Magazine will, in this respect, continue to maintain its national character; and it will afford us great pleasure to receive contributions from the most remote sections of the Union, present ing the prominent facts connected with their commercial and industrial pursuits. It is alike our interest and our inclination to avoid everything of a sectional bias. W e have no interest to subserve, aside from that of the Magazine, and the country in all its length and breadth. T H E C IT Y O F BUFFALO. The city of Buffalo, with which we commence a series of comprehen sive papers on the trade, commerce, resources, &c., of the principal cities and towns in the United States, possesses a very commanding position, and no place in the interior of the country may Se expected to surpass it in its future growth. It is situated at the northwest extremity of Lake Erie, near the commencement of Niagara River, its outlet, at the mouth of Buffalo Creek, which forms its harbor, 480 miles northwest from the city of New York, via the Hudson River, and the several railroads extend ing from Albany to Buffalo. Its progress in population has been singu larly rapid. In 1810, it contained only 1,508 inhabitants ; in 1820, 2,095; 1830, 8,653 ; 1840, 18,213, and in 1845, (by the last State census,) it had increased to 29,773. Of the population of 1840, 771 were employed in commerce; 1,851 in manufactures and trades; 71 in navigating the ocean; 347 employed on canals, lakes, and rivers ; 211 in learned professions and engineering. Buffalo was incorporated as a city, April 20th, 1832, is divided into five wards, and is governed by a mayor and common council, elected annually by the people. It was originally laid out by the Holland Land Company in 1801, and grew slowly from the time of its foundation until 1812. In that year it became a military post. In December, 1813, the place was burned by a combined force of British and Indians, with the exception of two buildings. It then contained 100 dwellings. This conflagration was ostensibly in retaliation for the burning of Newark, a small village in Canada, at the mouth of Niagara R iv er; and it is remarkable that this burning of Newark was afterwards made the excuse for the Vandal con flagration of the city of Washington, in which the capitol, the finest sen ate-house in the world, was left in smouldering ruins. At the close of the war, the inhabitants of Buffalo received from the United States the sum of $80,000, in compensation for their losses by the conflagration. In 1817 Buffalo contained over 100 dwellings, many of which were of brick, and some of them large and elegant, most of which were built in 1816. It was incorporated as a village in 1822. In 1829 it contained 400 dwell ings, and over 2,000 inhabitants. In April, 1833, a company was incor porated for the eredion of a marine hospital. In May, 1834, a company was incorporated for constructing a marine railway, with dry or wet docks, 598 Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States. for building and repairing vessels. In April, 1835, the Sailors’ and Boat mens’ Friend Society was incorporated, tor the purpose of improving the moral condition of the persons navigating inland waters. In 1841 the nett proceeds of the post-office at Buffalo, were $11,729. The commencement of the rapid growth, and great importance of Buffalo, dates from the com pletion of the Erie Canal, which was finished in 1825. It has an uninter rupted lake navigation of 1,500 miles, with a coast of 3,000 miles. The Ohio Canal has already added much to its business; and the Wabash and Erie Canal and the Illinois and Michigan Canal, will open to it the trade of a greatly enlarged extent of country. The public buildings of the city are a court-house, jail, county clerk’s office, two markets, in the upper story of one of which are the common council chamber and city offices, and seventeen churches, three Presbyte rian, two Episcopal, one Methodist, one Baptist, three German Protestant, one Unitarian, two Roman Catholic, one Universalist, one Bethel, and two African. It has two banking-houses, an insurance company, an orphan asylum, a theatre, and several spacious and elegant hotels, of which the American is one of the finest in the country. The Young Men’s Associa tion is a flourishing literary institution, with a library of over 3,000 vol umes of well-selected books, and it sustains an able course of literary and scientific lectures in the winter season, which are numerously attended. The situation of Buffalo as a place for business is very commanding. It constitutes the great gate between the East and West, being at the western extremity of the Erie Canal, and at the eastern termination of the navigation of the great lakes, Erie, Huron and Michigan. The ground on which it is built rises gradually from the creek, which runs through the south part, and at the distance of two miles, it becomes an extended and eleva ted plain, fifty feet above the level of the lake, furnishing a commanding view of the harbor, Lake Erie, Niagara River, the Canada shore, and the Erie Canal. The city is regularly laid out, with broad and straight streets, generally crossing each other at right angles. Main-street is over two miles long, and 120 feet broad ; and it is lined on both sides with splendid and lofty stores, shops, dwellings and hotels, presenting an imposing ap pearance, and scarcely surpassed by any street in any other city of the Union. The houses generally are. built with neatness and taste. Many of the streets are paved and lighted. Three public squares, neatly railed in, and planted with trees, are ornaments to the city, Buffalo contains over 150 streets, and more than 2,000 dwellings. The harbor of Buffalo is formed by the mouth of Buffalo Creek, which has twelve or fourteen feet of water for the distance of a mile from its en trance into the lake. Originally, a bar at its mouth prevented the access of most vessels from the lake. But a mole and pier, consisting of wood and stone, 1,500 feet long, has been constructed at the mouth of the creek, by the joint contributions of the United States government and of the citi zens ; which, by confining the channel of the creek, has so far removed the bar, that vessels requiring eight feet of water freely enter. At the end of the pier is a light-house, built of dressed limestone, twenty feet in dia meter and forty-six feet high, which is not only a necessary, but an orna mental structure. The harbor is protected from all winds, and so spacious that several hundred steamboats and other lake vessels could be well ac commodated in it. A ship canal 700 yards long, 80 feet wide, and 13 feet deep, has been constructed, extending from the creek, near its mouth, into 599 The C ity o f Buffalo. the place, where vessels can be secure from the descending ice in the spring floods, and have a better access to the city. At the breaking up of the ice in the lake in the spring, by means of the strong westerly winds which at that season prevail, the ice is generally accumulated at Buffalo harbor, and is not dissolved so as to make it accessible, until five or six weeks after the broad lake is navigable. To make the harbor more ac cessible in severe winds and storms, it has been proposed to construct a ship canal from the lake, across the isthmus, to Buffalo Creek, about a mile from its mouth, which would greatly improve the navigation. The har bor is generally open for navigation about the 15th of May. W e shall now proceed to lay before our readers several tabular state ments, derived from the report of H. W . Rogers, Esq., Collector of the port of Buffalo, and other equally authentic sources, commencing with a statement of the value of goods, wares, and merchandise brought into the port of Buffalo by steamers and sail vessels, during the year 1846, as fol lows :— IMPORTS OF BUFFALO, BY STEAMERS AND VESSELS, IN 1846. Articles. Flour............ ..bbls. Pork and Bacon.... Beef............ ......... W hiskey.... ......... W h eat....... bushels Corn............ Oats............. ......... Barley......... Rye.............. .......... Staves...........pieces Lum ber....... ...feet Shingles....... ....M . Tobacco..... •hhds. Lead............ Corn-meal.. ..bbls. O il.............. .......... Hemp.......... ...lbs. Feathers..... .sacks W a x ........... Grindstones. ...tons Iron.............. Quantity. V alue. Articles. Q uantity. Value. 1,374,529 $5,841,748 Coal............. 4,330 80,000 720,000 Leather....... 9,090 Ashes........... 28,428 170,568 .casks 24,612 94,050 15,000 Hides........... ..No. 50,535 4,744,184 4,032,556 Lard............. 6,099,171 654,866 Butter.......... 3,509,900 218,300 48,026 Cheese......... 3,083,000 23,765 Cotton.......... 633 28,250 15,537 W ool.......... 21,110 10,762,500 226,012 Furs & Pelts.pkgs. 2,550 34,536,829 345,368 B eans.......... 3,120 5,150 7,725 Sugar.......... 395 3,022 8,850 205,496 Potatoes....... 6,498 72,688 Fish.............. 4,381 7,000 T allow ....... 808,860 8,600 781 19,525 Broom-corn. .bales 26,021 2,143 390,315 Cranberries. ..bbls. 1,970 78,800 Brooms........ •dozen 9,665 170 1,850 Copper ore... 350 3,500 Merchandize. pkgs. 54,243 68,700 $16,873 225,000 492,240 75,000 426,942 350,990 184,980 22,768 1,021,482 571,342 7,000 19,750 3,275 27,000 56,620 43,000 6,429 19,330 17,000 1,800,000 $18,415,116 The imports into Buffalo from foreign places, amounted, in 1845, to $121,600, and the exports to $191,959 ; showing a total import and export foreign trade of $313,559. The arrivals and clearances, in 1846, were as follows :— ARRIVED. No. Tons. CLEARED. No. Tons. 6,012 American vessels........... 65 60 5,459 British vessels............... 90,429 427 90,429 427 Showing a total of 979 arrivals and clearances of American and British vessels, and 192,329 tons. The enrolled and licensed tonnage of vessels in the district of Buffalo Creek, is as follows :— Steam-vessels...... 11,578 Sailing vessels...... 12,826 Total tonnage...... 24,404 The arrival of vessels, foreign and coastwise, at the port of Buffalo, du ring the year 1846, was, of steamers, 1,310; propellers, 200; brigs and 600 Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States. schooners, 2,262 ; sloops and other small craft, 85; exhibiting a total of 3,857, with an aggregate of 912,957 tons. The following table exhibits the name, class, and tonnage of all vessels enrolled and licensed in the district of Buffalo Creek, subsequent to the 3d day of June, 1846, up to and including the 1st day of January, 1847:— Tonnage. Name. 873 78 316 07 258 09 226 07 116 24 260 20 236 63 207 61 206 32 Patrick H enry.......*.... Lucy A. Blossom........ Frances Mills.............. Outward Bound........... Denmark...................... W estchester................ Congress....................... Tonnage Name. Aurora Borealis...... E. Whittlesey......... ........................ 49 67 Oregon ..................... Seba........................... C uba........................ Motion...................... ........................ 50 93 T otal.........................................3,365 36 RECAPITULATION. One steamer.................................................................... Four brigs........................................................................ Seven schooners............................................................... Five canal-boats.............................................................. 873 916 1,253 321 78 47 49 52 3,365 36 Total. During the year ending 30th of June, 1846, there were built in the dis trict of Buffalo Creek, two steamers, with three propellers and two schoon ers, with an aggregate of 3,341 tons, as follows :— Name. N iagara........................steamer Louisiana...................................... California..................... propeller St. Joseph’s.................................. Tonnage. 1,084 00 777 53 420 26 460 16 Name. Tonnage. 4 2 6 64 167 04 5 68 Pocahontas............. G. T . Williams..... Lapwing................ 3,341 3 9 The goods, wares, and merchandise exported coastwise from Buffalo, during the year 1846, amounted to $30,574,000 ; but about $12,000,000 short of the entire exports of the United States to England, during the same year. The exports of Buffalo are thus classified in the official state, ment of the collector of that p o rt:— EXPORTS COASTWISE OF THE FORT OF BUFFALO, IN 1845. Merchandise received at this port, via the Erie Canal and other wise, and re-shipped for the W est....................................................$18,500,000 Barrels salt.............................................................................................. 100,000 Domestic spirits....................................................................................... 10,000 Manufactures of iron, tin, copper, &c................................................. 3,208,000 Leather and manufactures of................................. 1,106,000 Household furniture and goods............................................................ 2,450,000 Other manufactures................................................................................ 5,200,000 T otal................................................................................... $30,574,000 The collector of the port of Buffalo estimates the number of passengers arriving at and departing from Buffalo by the lakes, during the season of navigation, in 1846, at 250,000. The annexed table shows the entire movement of property through Buf falo, on the Erie Canal, for the years 1845 and 1846, exhibiting at a glance the quantity of products and merchandise shipped from and received at Buffalo on the Erie Canal, with the total aggregate valuation:— 601 The C ity o f Buffalo. SHIPPED. Products of the forest— Furs and pelt........................ lbs. Boards and scantling..........feet Shingles.................................M. Timber................. c.feet Staves....................................lbs. W ood................. cords Ashes...................................bbls. Products of agriculture— Pork.....................................bbls. Beef............................................ Bacon....................................lbs. Cheese. Butter. Lard... Wool.., Hides.. F lo u r. .bbls. W heat .bush. Rye.... C o rn .. Barley. Other grain................................ Bran and ship-stuffs.................. Peas and beans......................... Potatoes...................................... Dried fruit............................ lbs. Cotton......................................... Tobacco..................................... Clover and grass-seeds............. Flax-seed.................................. Hops........................... ............... Domestic manufactures— Domestic spirits.............. galls. Leather................................. lbs. Furniture.................................... Bar and pig-lead... Pig-iron.................. Iron-ware.............. Domestic woollens. Domestic cottons.. S alt.................................bushels Merchandise........................ lbs. Other articles— Stone, lime, and clay.........lbs. Gypsum...................................... Mineral coal.............................. Sundries..................................... RECEIVED. 1845. 1846. 1845. 1846. 545,097 19,932,069 554 11,445 89,174,110 980 38,417 571,342 19,027,530 401 10,714 73,135,932 729 24,639 14,862 3,140,959 30,527 3,119,009 15 58,186 16,000 16,655 28,235 34,084 1,218,811 2,759,928 3,397,690 2,852,441 3,441,317 769,861 721,891 1,354,996 903 33,094 43 20 7,258 7,565 9 2,177 3,142 10,254 608,349 2,487,336 184,563 4,436 61,492 28,503 2.220,673 4,973,165 4,658,427 5,950,541 4,085,929 788,956 1,291,233 3,613,569 1,895 1,119,689 3,683 185,896 2,550 6,265 771 290,492 252,983 2,511,380 1,069,423 971,796 2,118 272,336 1,090,548 1,254,764 345,387 161,518 33,779 23,143 1,213 323,923 1,137,356 1,177,273 516,264 35,594 87,802 5,052 11,198 9,040 3,266 1,587 3,445 7,837 295,125 11,804,950 1,594 1,954,850 6,844,395 13,025 4 200 14,913 319,272 3,310 271 3 4,991 360,409 7,222 376 4 434 6,253 11,013 10,564 45,354 367 1,706 807,599 50,914 120,364 11,558 8,588 41 3,206 268,395 123,456 152,090 50,473 190 143,713 35,085 5,800 17,840 2,081 9,491,372 9,649,943 110,886 2,765,040 2,813,046 566,572 582,694 176,777 100,893,428 116,148,045 3,973,966 6,410 3,274,162 10,705,597 37,134,457 493,179 5,222,991 6,576,203 Of the tonnage cleared, 1845. 1846. Of the tonnage left, The forest furnished.... .. 91,673 77,022 The forest furnished... ... Agriculture*.................... .. 138,733 310,848 Agriculture................... ... Domestic manufactures. . 2,817 3,107 Domestic manufactures... Merchandise.................. 88 Merchandise................. ... Other articles................. . 10,302 8,980 Other articles............... ... 243.673 400,045 Total tonnage, 1845, 348,086; 1846, 553,761. 28,314,886 260,805 6,086,606 2,932,004 1845. 1846. 43,466 2,008 23,779 50,447 24,713 53,021 1,691 22,109 58,074 18,821 144,413 153,761 1845. 1846. Valuation, property cleared Valuation, property left....... $9,502,306 16,888,382 $15,014,316 23,199,665 Total.............. $26,390,688 $38,214,025 602 Mercantile Law Cases. MERCANTILE LAW CASES. EQUITY— COSTS----JURISDICTION OF TH E UNITED STA TES COURTS----PRACTICE— FRAUD — AGENCY— CONTRACTS. I n the Circuit Court of the United States, Massachusetts District, April Term, 1847, at Boston; Samuel J. Foster et al., v. John H. Svvasey. This was a suit in equity. The bill stated that, on or about the fifth day of August, in the year 1842, the said John H. Swasey became possessed of a cer tain promissory note, dated Brighton, July 23d, 1842, for the sum of nine hundred and ten dollars, drawn by M. M. Rice, payable to Edmund Rice, or order, at the Suffolk Bank in Boston, in four months, and by the said Edmund endorsed in blank. That on or about the fifth day of August, in the year 1842, the said Swasey sent a copy of the said note to Bangor, to one Timothy George, accom panied by the following letter:—“ Timothy George, Esq. Dear S ir: I have the note in my pocket, the copy of which is above. I want you to purchase for me a cargo of boards of the best quality, and pay for them with the above note. You have a plenty of folks in Bangor who well know the old man Rice, and if they do, will be glad to sell boards and take his note. This note is young Rice’s promise, with his father’s endorsement. Old Veazie, I think, would be glad to sell boards for it. Bragg & St. Clair would be good references, I think, as he knows them well enough to sell boards, and I think the note good. Edward D. Peters has said, the note he thought good, and I well know he has trusted on the strength of the old man’s name very lately. Any way, I have got the note in the way of trade, and will sell it for boards, as I can get the money sooner than wait for the note to fall due. If it requires three or four hundred dollars to put with it, do so, and send me a bill of lading, and draw as long as you can, if it is not more than ten days. I want you to attend to this immediately, as I can sell the boards now better than late in the season. If you can buy the boards, buy them, and send for the note, and I will forward the same. You will please keep this to your self. Let no one know who wants the boards. If you do this business for me, I will pay you 5 per cent for buying. George, be on hand, and if you write, write yourself: don’t get any one to do it for you; although it is no particular matter. I shall expect to hear from you very soon. Write to me. Yours in haste, John H. Swasey. Boston, August 5th, 1842.” That immediately after the receipt of the said letter, the said George applied to the plaintiffs, (who were co-partners in the lumber business, in the said Ban gor,) for the purchase of a cargo of lumber: that he described the said note to the plaintiffs, and represented to them that the parties to it were good, and able to pay it, and proposed that the plaintiffs should take the note as so much towards the payment of the lumber; that the plaintiffs, fully believing, from the represen tations of George, that the note was good, and would be promptly paid by the parties to the said note, except what they obtained from George, agreed to sell to him a cargo of lumber, and accept the note as part payment thereof; and there upon they delivered to George a cargo of lumber, and George wrote to the said Swasey, and obtained the said note, and delivered it to them; that George then shipped the lumber to Swasey, and gave a draft on Swasey for the balance due for the lumber ; that Swasey received the said lumber, and sold it, and*appropria ted the proceeds to his own use ; that the said George did not exhibit the said let ter of the said Swasey to the plaintiffs, nor did he represent to them that he was buying the lumber for Swasey; nor did they then know that Swasey was in any way interested in the said purchase. That the said note, at its maturity, was regularly protested for non-payment, and due notice thereof given to the endorser, and is still unpaid ; that the note was drawn and endorsed without any considera tion being paid therefor, either by Swasey or any other person, and that Swasey paid no consideration for i t ; and that the drawer and endorser of the note were, at the time of its date, and ever since had been, totally worthless, and unable to pay the same; and that the said Swasey, at the time he sent a copy of the note to George, well knew the same to be worthless, and that neither the drawer nor en Mercantile Law Cases.' 603 dorser of the note was possessed of property wherewith to pay the same, and that it would not be paid. And the bill charged that Swasey, by thus selling the note to the plaintiffs, committed a gross fraud on them, and that he ought, in equity, to pay to the plaintiffs the whole amount of the said note, with interest and damages thereon. The bill prayed for discovery and relief. The answer denied the allegations of fraud. There was much conflicting evidence. W o o d b u r y , J., in delivering judgment in favor of the plaintiffs, decided the fol lowing points : 1. A complainant in chancery, residing in another State, but in the same circuit, cannot be required to furnish security for costs, except at the first term. 2. When redress is sought in chancery, it cannot be granted in the courts of the United States, however it may be in England or in the States, if the re dress is in every way as full and appropriate at law. 3. The objection may be taken on demurrer, when it appears on the face of the bill; but is not too late at the hearing, if, after an answer, no disclosure is obtained. 4. An averment of fraud in the sale of a promissory note, and a request for a discovery of facts ac companying the sale, furnish sufficient ground for jurisdiction in chancery. And the proceedings once properly begun, these will be continued, when important facts are thus disclosed, and the subject in controversy is one proper for chancery, as well as a court of law. 5. An expression of a belief by the vendor of the note, that the maker is responsible, is equivalent to an assertion that he is so, if meant to be so understood, and if made with the knowledge that he was not re sponsible. 6. When the vendor receives valuable property for such note, and no payment is made for part of the price except by the note, the owner of the prop erty is entitled to recover that part, or damages equal to it, if the signer of the note was worthless, and so known to be by the vendor of the note. 7. A special agent has no power to go beyond what is confided to him in making a trade, so as to bind his principal by any contract he thus makes, but is liable for it himself. 8. Yet a contract made by such an agent by means of false and fraudulent asser tions is void, and may be rescinded, or damages given, in a suit against the prin cipal, if the latter received the benefits and proceeds of it. 9. Qncere, if notes are sold which are worthless, and the purchaser does not specially agree to take the risk, whether he may not recover the consideration paid for them. A decree was accordingly entered, that the defendant should pay the complain ants the amount of the note and interest, and that, upon such payment, the note should be delivered up to the defendant.* COLLISION— STEAMBOAT NEPTUNE AND SCHOONER IOLA. In the United States District Court, March 3d, 1847,before Judge Betts. Zebulon A. Paine and others, vs. the steamboat Neptune. The schooner Iola was run into by the steamer Neptune, and immediately sunk, carrying down with her two persons. The schooner was nearly close-hauled upon the wind. The Neptune was leeward, and veered up with intent to pass the schooner to windward and across her bow, when distant a quarter to seveneighths of a mile. The combined speed of the vessels was sixteen or seventeen miles the hour. The night was not so dark but that the schooner could have been discovered, in time to avoid her, without the necessity of her showing a light, had a competent look-out been kept on board the steamer. The course of the schooner was not changed. It was not made to appear for the Neptune, that a look-out was stationed, or any kept, other than in the pilot-house, where the win dows were down and the glass intervened. If, as was set up for the Neptune, the atmosphere was so cloudy and thick that a vessel ahead would not be seen with out lights, then it was wrong to continue running the Neptune at her full speed. It was considered by the court, that the persons navigating the steamer were chargeable with neglect and want of due precaution, in attempting to cross the bows of the schooner and go to windward of her, and that such improper move ment of the steamer was the occasion of the collision and damage that ensued. Decree for the libellants. * Law Reporter for May, 1847. 604 Commercial Chronicle and Review. COMMERCIAL CHRONICLE AND REVIEW. BANK OF ENGLAND AND ITS OPERATIONS— BANK OF FRANCE— DRAIN OF BULLION TO THE U. S RUSSIAN GOLD MINES— PRICES OF GRAIN IN ENGLAND IN THREE YEARS----GRAIN SOLD IN THE UNITED KINGDOM IN FOURTEEN DAYS— PROGRESS OF FREIGHTS— COTTON CROP— VALUE OF BRITISH EXPORTS— MEANS AND LIABILITIES OF THE NEW YORK BANKS, ETC., ETC. T he financial affairs of the world are rapidly approaching a crisis ; but one in relation to which the United States stand in a position different from any that they have occupied at periods of former revulsions. In 1825, ’30, ’37, ’39, the United States had credits in London, which depended upon the health of the money-market there ; and which, on the occurrence of any considerable export of the precious metals from London, were always the first to be sacrificed to the safety of the Bank. Whenever that institution was disposed to make money plenty, either to suit its own views or those of the government, in procuring a loan, as in 1832, or in converting stocks from a higher to a lower denomination, paper connected with the American trade, and at long dates, was freely taken; pouring into that channel of trade facilities which did not fail to stimulate an animated business throughout the United States, hanging on the London market. At the first appearance of the revulsion which inevitably followed such a move ment, American interests were sacrificed, and it became the interest of most commercial classes that specie should not leave London, even to come here; be cause, by leaving the centre of credit, the fabric was endangered. The events of the last few years have, however, tended to build up a business here, independent of the favors of the English bank, and its prosperity or distress is now, com paratively speaking, really of but little importance to American interests; but the memory of former disasters, originating in London, hangs gloomily over the market. The decline in the bullion of the Bank of England has, for some months, continued very severe, and amounts to more than £5,000,000 in the present year, under singular circumstances. In continuation of a table in our April number, we insert the following leading features :— BANK OF ENGLAND. Securities. Periods. Public. Private. Dee’mber 5, £12,807,417 13,853,212 January 2, 12,826,362 15,071,820 “ 9, 12,757,326 14,464,948 <« 16, 12,757,326 14.450.711 “ 23, 12,757,326 14,489,657 March 6, 11,990.079 16,905,705 “ 13, 11,990,079 17,358,712 “ 20, 11,990,079 17,050,874 “ 27, 11,990,079 17,824,355 April 3, 11,990,079 18,647,166 “ 10, 13,574,444 18,136,377 “ 17, 11,677,819 17,111,011 « 24, 11,117,319 16,079,627 Deposits. Private. Public. 8,612,488 8,303,523 9,990,624 7,903,959 5,860,631 9,784,767 5,034,189 10,339,726 4,668,489 10,335,835 6,571,731 9,288,681 6,717,162 9,536,137 6,471,623 9,962,436 6,616,287 9,403,132 6,001,947 9,502,081 4,984,375 11,257,744 3,011,032 10,004,699 2,634,518 9,125,409 N ett circu lation. 19,866,805 20,031,185 20,836,845 20,679,370 20,608,090 19,279,145 19,232.200 19,069,465 19,444,426 19,828,678 20,404,431 20,262,785 19,830,145 Notes on B’nk rate hand. Bullion. o f int’rst. 8,402,300 15,002,873 3 pr. cent. 8,227,085 14,951,572 3 «< 6,715 255 14,308,022 3 «< 6,545,965 13,948,681 H «< 6,167,170 13,442,880 4 5,714,740 11,595,535 4 5,554,140 11,449.461 4 5,418,475 11,231,630 4 4,876,015 11,015,583 4 3,760,757 10,246.410 4 2,832,915 9,867,053 5 u 2,558,315 9,329,841 5 2,718,995 9,125,409 5 This table embraces a series of singular events. In the latter part of 1846, money in the interior of Germany was at a high rate of interest, while in Paris it was to be had at 4 per cent, and in London at 3 per cent—circumstances that tended to draw large sums from Paris, to be re-loaned in the German cities at a profit. In addition to this, large sums were required of France to pay for grain to feed her people, and the two causes operated powerfully upon the Bank of France —reducing its bullion from 220,000,000 francs to less than 70,000,000 francs, in Commercial Chronicle and Review. 605 the first week in January, constraining it to raise its rate of interest to 5 per cent, and to borrow £1,000,000 in silver of the Bank of England. The latter institution, finding its specie slipping away, under the large imports of produce from the United States, has gradually raised its rate of interest, with the view to check the drain, and it issued the following notice, dated April 8, 1847 :— “ The minimum rate of interest on bills discounted at the Bank of England, not having more than 95 days to run, is £ 5 per cent. This advance in the value of money in London necessitates a further advance in Paris ; but money in Germany and the North of Europe is reported cheaper— a circumstance which, to some extent, may turn the current of specie. The flow of the precious metals to the North, in payment of corn, and the large produce of the Russian mines, which have delivered $20,000,000 of gold in the last year, as will be seen by a table in another place, caused an unwonted accu mulation of the metals at the treasury in St. Petersburgh, and influenced the Em peror to purchase of the Bank of France, 50,000,000 francs of fresh government stock, which amount to some $8,000,000, at the market rate. The transfer of the stock from Paris to St. Petersburgh, placed at that city credits in favor of the Bank of France, and that institution, it would appear, authorized its agents, Ba ring, Brothers, to draw for it, and reimburse the Bank of England for the £800,000 borrowed of it in January, so that the operation is in fact a transfer of coin from St. Petersburgh to London. The heavy drain of bullion to the United States con tinued down to the latest dates, and reached $25,000,000 since December. The operation of the bank, under this state of affairs, is eccentric, and arises from the fact that the position of the institution in relation to the currency, is very differ ent, under the new charter, from what it was under the old one. This fact seems to be overlooked both here and in England. The functions of the bank as a “ cur rency furnisher ” have ceased ; and it stands in relation to the currency precisely as do the other banking firms. The amount of notes held by the banking depart ment, constitutes all its means to meet its liabilities. It cannot procure notes without specie, any more than any other concern, from the issue department. When its reserve runs low, the only means it has of replenishing its coffers, are,— 1st. To sell government securities in the open market; 2d. To cease discounting, and allow the payments on matured notes to accumulate ; 3d. Should it receive deposits of specie, to turn it over to the issue department, in exchange for notes; or 4th, to await the collection of the government taxes, which are paid into the bank in notes. It is very evident that in a restricted market and falling prices, the institution cannot sell securities to any extent, without creating panic and in curring loss. Nevertheless, it was asserted that the Commissioner of the Savings Bank had placed with the bank £2,000,000 of stock, to sell in aid of its advances to the government on deficiency bills. When exchanges are against England, it is not very likely to receive deposits of specie ; and the receipt of bills for gov ernment dues is a slow process. Hence, the only alternative is to stop discount ing, in which case the rapid maturity of its short and active loans speedily places it in funds. This process effectually and promptly diminishes the circulation. The actual amount of circulation has not materially varied, remaining at about £20,000,000 ; but the reserve of notes, partly under the payment of the April div idends, has sunk to a point lower than since the new charter came into effect; and it is not improbable that the amount will be exhausted before the April divi dends are completed. As compared with last year, the operation is as follows:— 606 Commercial Chronicle and Review. 1847. 1846. Public securities. A pril 3, 13,136,440 10, 14,437,065 18, 13,957,865 2 5, 13,528,065 31, 13,302,065 Deposits. Notes on hand. 7,047,026 7,316,415 4 ,210,976 6,728,120 3 ,197,029 6 ,515,990 2 ,698,253 6,4 8 8,14 0 2,578,451 6 ,408,470 Public securities. 11,990,079 1 3,574,444 11,677,819 1 1,1 17 ,3 1 9 Deposits. Notes on hand. 6,001,947 3,760,757 6,984,375 2 ,832,905 3,011,032 2,558,315 2,634,518 2,718,995 In the month of April, last year, the public deposits did not reach their lowest point until the 1st of May, when they were £2,500,000 less than they were this year, on the 10th April. Should they diminish to the same extent this year, the reserve will be exhausted before the collections of the government begin to re place the notes in the bank. In the first week of April, last year, the public de posits diminished £2,800,000, and this year but £1,100,000; the difference in cludes the payment into the bank of the second instalment of the £8,000,000 loan. It does not appear that the bank stinted its loans in consequence of the rise in interest, until the last week, when they were less than the previous one, but still higher than in the week ending March 27. Any material demand upon the bank for deposits, either public or private, would exhaust it of money, and leave it like any other concern, compelled to procure money and not make it, as formerly, to meet its engagements. To do this, it must stop discounting, and sell public securities, and gold will be procured by7the public only by returning notes on the issue department. In all this operation of refusing certain discounts, and raising the rate of money for others, in the vain attempt to stop the flow of specie to the United States, there appears to be a good deal of quackery. The occasion of this demand for specie is, that England has been compelled to buy food from the United States far above the usual quantity; and for this food specie must be paid. The food is not purchased on credit, nor because money is cheap, but because it must be had. When, as in former years, large quantities of goods were pur chased on long credits for United States account, the refusal of those credits stopped the export, but it cannot stop the import of food for cash sales. The only stop that will be put to the drain on United States account, will be by a fall in prices of grain in England, and it is not apparent that those prices are in any degree sustained by borrowed capital, or a holding of stock through bank facilities. On the other hand, the wants are becoming more urgent, notwithstanding a tem porary decline in rates. The following is a table of prices for the first four months of three years:— PRICES OF GRAIN IN ENGLAND. 1841 Jan’y 2 9 16 23 F eb ’ y 1 6 13 20 27 Mar. 6 13 20 27 A p ril 3 10 Wheat. a. d. 45 8 45 10 45 7 45 7 45 5 45 5 45 4 45 2 45 0 45 0 45 1 45 5 45 10 46 5 46 3 Barley. s. d. 34 2 34 5 34 7 34 2 33 10 33 0 33 3 32 4 32 3 32 2 32 2 32 4 32 4 32 5 32 5 Oats. s. d. 21 10 21 7 21 8 21 3 21 6 21 6 21 7 21 7 21 7 21 7 21 4 21 8 21 5 21 4 20 9 Wheat. 8. i . 56 4 56 3 56 2 55 7 54 8 54 3 54 9 55 0 54 6 5 4 10 54 3 55 1 55 5 55 1 55 1 1846. Barley. s. d. 31 31 10 31 11 31 8 31 3 30 1 30 6 29 11 29 7 29 3 29 4 29 10 30 2 30 1 30 0 11 Oats. s. d. 21 7 21 9 22 3 21 10 21 10 21 7 21 9 21 6 21 5 21 10 21 9 21 2 22 2 22 0 22 0 Wheat. s. d. 64 4 66 10 70 3 73 3 74 11 73 10 71 7 71 7 74 7 74 4 74 2 75 10 77 0 77 1 74 5 1847. Barley. s. d. 44 3 4 6 15 50 0 54 6 54 1 53 5 51 53 6 55 54 11 52 10 51 11 51 11 51 3 49 8 10 0 Oats. s. d. 27 2 27 10 29 6 31 2 32 5 33 0 32 8 31 11 32 4 32 3 31 2 31 3 31 6 31 8 32 7 607 Commercial Chronicle and Review. This range of prices is very high, and was, a few weeks since, supposed to be based, to some extent, on a withholding of stocks by the farmers for higher prices. The features of the market, however, do not sustain that view of the matter; on the other hand, they indicate that the stocks in farmers’ hands are nearly ex hausted. The quantities reported as sold, during the two weeks ending April 17th, by the corn inspectors, in the 250 towns which regulate the average, were as follows :— QUANTITIES OF GRAIN OFFICIALLY REPORTED AS SOLD IN THE UNITED KINGDOM IN FOURTEEN DAYS, ENDING APRIL 1 7 l H . W heat. Barley. Qrs. 224,908 140,797 55 75 Qr s . 139,851 51,248 Decrease. 84,111 Increase...................... ... 20 ........ 1846 1847. S. 88,603 S. 30 52 ... 22 Oats. Q rs. 103,081 32,760 71,321 ........ s. 22 32 ... 10 Rye. Qrs. 500 426 Beans. s. 34 56 Qrs. 23,421 10,084 35 52 74 ... ... 22 13,337 .......... ... 17 An advance of 40 to 60 per cent in prices, failed to elicit any considerable quantities; and as the spring planting was mostly over, and farmers at leisure to attend to sales, the small supplies may be taken as evidence that there remained but little to sell. Prices gave way, for a few weeks, under very large arrivals from the United States, and the prevalence of fine weather for spring planting”. Those advices, in addition to high freights, checked exports from the United States; and as the spring advanced, and numerous arrivals of British vessels from the Northern ports of Europe caused a fall in freights, the stocks of produce in the Atlantic cities became exhausted, and shipments could not be made even at the low freights. The Erie Canal was unfortunately some three weeks later in its operations than usual, by which means the export trade suffered severely. That England will want vast supplies, from this time up to the new harvest, is pretty evident. The stocks in the; United Kingdom were much lighter this year than last, and no doubt can be entertained but the wants will be as much for the first six months of 1847, as for the same period of 1846, when the quantity en tered for consumption was as follows :— W heat................................... qrs. Indian corn................................. All other grain........................... Total. 1,852,758 Flour............ ..................... cwts. 425,227 Corn-meal................................... 765,520 Oat-meal.................................... 2,810,202 93,985 1,053 Total. 2,905,240 3,043,505 This is a quantity equal to 1,500,000 barrels of flour, and 27,000,000 bushels of grain. Demands for an equal quantity this year, can be met only from the United States, even if Europe should require nothing from, the United States. In our article for December, we entered somewhat at length into the prospects of the trade, and subsequent events have confirmed the view then taken. It has so happened, that down to the close of March the supply of shipping was altogether inadequate to the transportation of grain, and exorbitant freights were obtained. These were heightened,’to some extent, by speculations in freights. In anticipa tion of the continued high rates, many vessels upon stocks were chartered as high as 6s. to 7s. per barrel for flour; as the spring progressed, vessels from Eu rope arrived in great numbers, and the stocks of produce fell very low, by which means freights declined to 2s. 9d., and even lower, for flour. Immense losses were thus incurred by speculators in freights. The canal being now in full operation, 608 Commercial Chronicle and Review. and produce coming forward freely, freights will improve, and exchanges prob ably fall. The position of the cotton crop is singular, and may be fraught with the gravest results to British commerce. It has hitherto been the case that England has taken the largest portion of the United States crop, which, for several years, including the present, down to April 17th, has been distributed as follows :— 1842. 1843. 1844. 267,850 935,631 529,618 325,129 1,469,711 540,426 346,744 1,202,498 426,992 1845. 1846. 1847. 8 months. U. States use... England........... Europe, & c .... Crop................. 1,683,574 2,378,875 2,030,409 389,006 422,597 1,439,306 1,102,369 644,450 564,423 2,394,503 2,100,537 301,933 590,376 308,067 1,640,550 England has taken always 60 per cent of the crop, and on the manufacture and re-export of that article hangs her export trade; that is to say, cotton, to her total exports, has held the following proportion:— VALUE OF BRITISH EXPORTS. Cotton goods. 1844 .................................... 1845 .................................... 1846 .................................... £25,805,348 26,119,327 25,600,693 A ll other manufactures. T o tal exports. £24,836,958 27,179,699 25,679,042 £50,642,306 53,298,026 51,279,735 Should England be deprived of the raw material by any means, her external trade would evidently be so diminished as to jeopardize her whole finances. Du ring the present year, she has received only half her supply, and there remains probably of the crop 700,000 bales to be distributed. To reach the consump tion of last year, the United States will want 120,000 bales, Europe 264,000 bales, leaving but about 300,000 bales for England, which she must buy at a very en hanced price; and, should working short time be adopted to any considerable ex tent, her export trade, or the means of paying for her large imports of breadstuffs, will be very considerably diminished. A decline of one-third in the raw material, involves a falling off of £8,000,000 in export; that is to say, if she gets $16,000,000 less cotton, she sells $40,000,000 less cloth, or she disposes of $24,000,000 less labor. It is probable that the prices will rise to some extent, in consequence of this diminished supply; but as the United States have not depended to any con siderable extent upon English cotton goods, the prices here may not be affected directly by the English short supply, and a little more competition here may not only effectually exclude English cottons from this market, but supplant them in third markets. This operation is gradually progressing, both here and on the continent of Europe, much hastened by the present circumstances of the crop. A short crop of cotton affects England more than any other country, because on her has fallen the burden of disposing of the surplus in prolific years, while the countries of Europe and the United States have annually approximated the point of full supply for their own wants and a surplus for export. Two short crop years would shake the English finances to their centre. Thus far, the spinners of the United States have taken less, by 42,000 bales, than in the same period of 1846. They have probably been holding off in consequence of the high prices. The progress of events is gradually increasing the direct communication between the United States and the continent of Europe. The new line of French steam ers connecting with New York must give an impulse to the trade with that coun try, more particularly that the wants of France in respect of breadstuffs are such 609 Commercial Chronicle and Review. as have compelled a more liberal line of commercial policy, and those articles will be free of duty, probably, until August, 1848. The ratification of a new treaty with Hanover, is also calculated to add greatly to the commercial inter course between the United States and the interior of Germany, as is also the beautiful new line of steamers of the Ocean Steam Navigation Company, the first of which, the Washington, built under the supervision of E. Mills, Esq., by J. Westervelt, Esq., of New York, and the machinery by Mr. Stillman, of the Novelty Works, sails, June 1st, for Bremen, under command of the well-known and popular Captain Hewitt. This is probably the finest steamer that ever crossed the Atlantic from our shores, and fully sustains the unrivalled reputation of Amer ican ship-builders, while the machinery is such as to win a like reputation for our skill in that branch of the arts. This noble steamer conveys the United States mail to Bremen, and will carry 500 tons of freight, besides numbers of passengers. The new treaty with Hanover, placing American vessels upon the same footing as those of that kingdom, is of great importance to the future trade with Ger many. By it, the restrictions which have been laid by Hanover, for centuries, on the commerce passing the Elbe and the Weser to the interior of Germany, have measurably been removed, and the commerce of the United States with the con tinent is made more direct. As the cotton manufacture of Germany becomes more extended, the export of the raw material will be made direct to Germany, instead of, as now, to England. The prosperous state of the external trade of the United States, has favorably affected the banking interest, notwithstanding the operation of the Sub-Treasury, with its specie provisions. The following is a comparative table of the immediate means and liabilities of the New York banks:— IMMEDIATE MEANS AND LIABILITIES OF THE NEW YOKE BANKS. Immediate Liabilities. 184i February. Dollars. 1846. May. Dollars. February. Dollars. 1847. May. Dollars. February. Dollars. May. Dollars. Deposits........... 25,976,246 28,425,967 29,654,401 30,868,337 31,830,595 35,799,954 Circulat’n, n’tt. 16,126,394 17,069,069 18,407,733 18,409,977 18,366,016 21,297,633 Due banks....... 3,816,252 5,131,519 4,662,073 2,973,658 3,995,411 6,945,466 Canal fund....... 1,607,572 1,257,358 896,843 646,328 911,680 534,822 United States.. 700,064 672,130 2,580,711 3,493,622 342,766 178,517 Total....... 48,226,528 52,556,043 56,201,761 56,391,962 55,446,468 64,756,392 Means. Dollars. Specie.............. Cashitems....... 6,893,236 4,839,886 Dollars. 8,118,324 6,180,852 Dollars. Dollars. Dollars. 8,361,383 6,370,302 8,171,624 5,839,700 9,191,254 11,312,171 7,552,068 8,793,286 Dollars. Total....... 11,733,122 14,299,176 14,731,685 14,011,324 16,743,322 20,105,457 Excess liability. 36,493,406 38,256,867 41,470,071 42,380,678 38,703,146 44,650,935 Loans.............. 66,883,098 74,616,060 71,897,580 72,591,431 69,806,358 76,688,553 These figures give a higher state of liabilities than ever before. The amount of specie has increased over $2,100,000, and the amount of individual deposits over $4,000,000, and the nett circulation is larger than ever before. It is to be remarked, that while the immediate liabilities are $8,500,000 higher than last year, at the same date, there is in the table $3,315,105 less, due the federal gov ernment. Consequently there is due the public, at least $11,000,000 more than V O L . X V I.-----N O . V I . 39 610 Commercial Chronicle and Review. in May, 1846; but many of the banks include the amount due the federal Treas ury, in the general deposit account. The amount actually due the federal gov ernment, May, 1846, was $6,068,545; so that the amount due the public, is $14,000,000 more than in May, 1846. This being the case, the banks have in creased their loans but $4,100,000; that is to say, they have borrowed of the public $14,000,000, and loaned it but $4,000,000. The specie is higher than at any time before, with the exception of August, 1843, after very large imports of specie; but, including the amount in the New York Treasury, the sum is greater than ever in the city. The advices which reached here by the Hibernia, to May 4, brought a contin uation of the alarm in England in relation to the drain of bullion. The railway “ calls” for January, February, March, April, and May, were £16,000,000; and the large expenditures going on for those works were undoubtedly the real cause of the existing difficulties. They had, during 1846, operated, not only to stimu late largely the consumption of foreign articles of food, but had, by taking people from their usual employments, diminished the production, to the usual extent, of articles of export; a necessary consequence of which would be adverse ex changes independently of the import of corn. The enhanced consumption was going on to increase, and it was evident that the wants of England up to harvest would be as large, at least, as last year, and those of Western Europe much greater. A pressure in the money market, so severe as painfully to affect prices, and by so doing make British goods cheap here, in the fall, was likely to take place. It appeared also, the Emperor of Russia, in addition to the loan made to the Bank of France, had announced his intention of investing £2,000,000 in British stocks, and this afforded some relief, but far from sufficient. The present revulsion, like all those which have taken place in the last twenty years, is likely to produce some great change, and the movement now points strongly to an es sential change in the Bank of England. The French Chambers have passed a law, authorizing the Bank of France to issue notes as low as 200 francs, or $40. The effect of this will be to displace a large amount of specie, and perhaps drive it over to England ; indeed, exchanges were already turning in favor of London, as respects Paris, £200,000 having arrived there in the week ending May 1st. There does not appear to be any probability of a cessation of the import of coin from England to the United States, until after harvest, at least. DUTY ON COPPER ORE IN ENGLAND. A deputation of merchants and others, connected with the trade in foreign cop per ores, had an interview, on the 22d ult., with Lord John Russell and the Chan cellor of the Exchequer, at the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury in Downing-street. The injury arising to the trade from the increase of smelting abroad, and the necessity for the immediate abolition of the duty, were strongly urged upon the ministers, and after a discussion of some duration, in which the Chancellor of the Exchequer took an active part, the deputation retired. Commercial Regulations. COMMERCIAL 611 REGULATIONS. COM MERCIAL T R E A T Y B E T W E E N T H E U. S T A T E S AND HANOVER. W e publish, below, an authentic copy of a Treaty of Commerce and Navigation be tween the United States of America and His Majesty the king of Hanover, which was concluded and signed at the city of Hanover, on the 10th day of June, 1846, and duly rat ified on both parts, the respective ratifications of the same being exchanged at the city of Hanover, on the fifth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, by A. Dudley Mann, special agent of the United States to His Majesty the king of Hanover, and the Baron George Frederick de Falcke, of His Majesty’s Privy Council, Knight GrandCross of the Royal Guelphick Order, on the part of their respective governments. The Treaty is made public by the President of the United States, “ to the end that the same, and every clause and article thereof, may be observed and fulfilled with good faith by the United States and the citizens thereof,” and was signed by James K. Polk, President, and James Buchanan, Secretary of State, on the 24th day of April, 1847. The United States of America, and His Majesty the king of Hanover, equally animated with a desire of placing the privileges of their navigation on a basis of the most extended liberality, and of affording otherwise every encouragement and facility for increasing the commercial intercourse between their respective States, have resolved to settle in a defini tive manner the rules which shall be observed between the one and the other, by means of a treaty of navigation and commerce ; for which purpose the President of the United States has conferred full powers on A. Dudley Mann, their special agent to His Majesty the king of Hanover, and His Majesty the king of Hanover has furnished, with the like full powers, the Baron George Frederick de Falcke, of his privy council, Knight GrandCross of the Royal Guelphick Order; who, after exchanging their full powers, found in good and due form, have concluded and signed, subject to ratification, the following ar ticles : Art. 1. The high contracting parties agree that whatever kind of produce, manufacture, or merchandise of any foreign country can be, from time to time, lawfully imported into the United States in their own vessels, may also be imported in vessels of the kingdom of Hanover ; and no higher or other duties upon the tonnage or cargo of the vessel shall be levied or collected, whether the importation be made in a vessel of tire United States or in a Hanoverian vessel. And in like manner, whatever kind of produce, manufacture, or merchandise of any foreign country can be, from time to time, lawfully imported into the kingdom of Hanover in its own vessels, may also be imported in vessels of the United States ; and no higher or other duties upon the tonnage or cargo of the vessel shall be lev ied or collected, whether the importation be made in vessels of one party or the other. W hatever may be lawfully exported or re-exported by one party in its own vessels to any foreign country may, in like manner, be exported or re-exported in the vessels of the other. And the same duties, bounties, and drawbacks shall be collected and allowed, whether such exportations or re-exportations be made in vessels of the one party or the other. Nor shall higher or other charges of any kind be imposed in the ports of the one partyon vessels of the other, than are or shall be payable in the same ports by national vessels. And further, it is agreed that no higher or other toll shall be levied or collected at Brunshausen or Stade, on the river Elbe, upon the tonnage or cargoes of vessels of the United States, than is levied and collected upon the tonnage and cargoes of vessels of the king dom of Hanover; and the vessels of the United States shall be subjected to no charges, detention, or other inconvenience by the Hanoverian authorities, in passing the above-men tioned place, from which vessels of the kingdom of Hanover are or shall be exempt. Art. 2. The preceding article is not applicable^ the coasting trade and navigation of the high contracting parties, which are respectively reserved by each exclusively to its own sub jects or citizens. Art. 3. No priority or preference shall be given by either of the contracting parties, nor by any company, corporation, or agent, acting on their behalf, or under their authority, in the purchase of any article of commerce, lawfully imported, on account of or in reference to the national character of the vessel, whether it be of the one party or of the other, in which such article was imported. 612 Commercial Regulations. Art. 4. The ancient and barbarous right to wrecks of the sea shall remain entirely abolished with respect to the property belonging to the subjects or citizens of the high contract ing parties. W hen any vessel of either party shall be wrecked, stranded, or otherwise damaged on the coasts, or within the dominions of the other, their respective citizens or subjects shall receive, as well for themselves as for their vessels and effects, the same assistance which would be due to the inhabitants of the country where the accident happens. They shall be liable to pay the same charges and dues of salvage as the said inhabitants would be liable to pay in a like case. If the operations of repair shall require that the whole or any part of the cargo be un loaded, they shall pay no duties of customs, charges, or fees, on the part which they shall reload and carry away, except such as are payable in the like case by national vessels. It is nevertheless understood that if, whilst the vessel is under repair, the cargo shall be unladen and kept in a place of deposit destined to receive goods, the duties on which have not been paid, the cargo shall be liable to the charges and fees lawfully due to the keepers of such warehouses. Art. 5. The privileges secured by the present treaty to the respective vessels of the high contracting parties shall only extend to such as are built within their respective territories, or lawfully condemned as prize of war, or adjudged to be forfeited for a breach of the mu nicipal laws of either of the high contracting parties, and belonging wholly to their sub jects or citizens. It is further stipulated that the vessels of the kingdom of Hanover may select their crews from any of the States of the Germanic Confederation, provided that the master of each be a subject of the kingdom of Hanover. Art. 6. No higher or other duties shall be imposed on the importation into the United States of any articles the growth, produce, or manufacture of the kingdom of Hanover, or of its fisheries; and no higher or other duties shall be imposed on the importation into the kingdom of Hanover of any articles the growth, produce, and manufacture of the United States, and of their fisheries, than are or shall be payable on the like articles, being the growth, produce, or manufacture of any foreign country, or of its fisheries. No higher or other duties and charges shall be imposed in the United States on the ex portation of any articles to the kingdom of Hanover, or in Hanover on the exportation of any articles to the United States, than such as are or shall be payable on the exportation of the like articles to any other foreign country. No prohibition shall be imposed on the importation or exportation of any articles the growth, produce, or manufacture of the kingdom of Hanover, or of its fisheries, or of the United States or their fisheries, from or to the ports of said kingdom, or of the said United States, which shall not equally extend to all other powers and States. Art. 7. The high contracting parties engage, mutually, not to grant any particular favor to other nations in respect of navigation and duties of customs, which shall not immediate ly become common to the other party; who shall enjoy the same freely, if the concession was freely made, or on allowing a compensation, as near as possible, if the concession was conditional. Art. 8. In order to augment, by all the means at its bestowal, the commercial relations between the United States and Germany, the kingdom of Hanover hereby agrees to abol ish the import duty on raw cotton, and also to abolish the existing transit duties upon leaves, stems, and strips of tobacco, in hogsheads or casks, raw cotton in bales or bags, whale.oil in casks or barrels, and rice in tierces or half tierces. And, further, the kingdom of Hanover obligates itself to levy no Weser tolls on the aforementioned articles which are destined for, or landed in, ports or other places within its territory on the W eser; and it, moreover, agrees that if the States bordering upon said river shall consent at any time, however soon, to abolish the duties which they levy and collect upon said articles destined for ports or other places within the Hanoverian territory, the kingdom of Hanover will readily abolish the Weser tolls upon the same articles des tined for ports and places in such States. It being understood, however, that the aforesaid stipulations shall not be deemed to pro hibit the levying, upon the said articles, a tax sufficient for defraying the expense of main taining the regulation respecting transit goods. But in no case shall such tax exceed eight pfennigs Hanoverian currency, (two cents United States currency,) for one hundred pounds Hanoverian weight, (one hundred and four pounds United States weight.) Art. 9. The high contracting parties grant to each other the. liberty of having, each in the ports of the other, consuls, vice-consuls, commercial agents, and vice-commercial agents of their own appointment, who shall enjoy the same privileges and powers as those of the most favored nations ; but if any of the said consuls shall carry on trade, they shall be sub Commercial Regulations . 613 jected to the same laws and usages to which private individuals of their nation are subject ed in the same place. The consuls, vice-consuls, commercial and vice-commercial agents, shall have the right, as such, to sit as judges and arbitrators in such differences as may arise between the mas ters and crews of the vessels belonging to the nation whose interests are committed to their charge, without the interference of the local authorities, unless the conduct of the crews or of the captain should disturb the order and tranquillity of the country, or the said consuls, vice-consuls, commercial agents, or vice-commercial agents should require their assistance to cause their decisions to be carried into effect or supported. It is, however, understood that this species of judgment or arbitration shall not deprive the contending parties of the right they have to resort, on their return, to the judicial au thority of their own country. The said consuls, vice-consuls, commercial agents, and vice-commercial agents, are au thorized to require the assistance of the local authorities for the search, arrest, and impris onment of the deserters from the ships-of-war and merchant vessels of their country. For this purpose they shall apply to the competent tribunals, judges, and officers, and shall, in writing, demand said deserters, proving by the exhibition of the registers of the vessels, the muster-rolls of the crews, or by any other official documents, that such indi viduals formed part of the crews; and on this claim being thu3 substantiated, the surrender shall not be refused. Such deserters, when arrested, shall be placed at the disposal of the said consuls, viceconsuls, commercial agents, or vice-commercial agents, and may be confined in the pub lic prisons, at the request and cost of those who shall claim them, in order to be sent to the vessels to which they belong, or to others of the same country. But if not sent back with in three months from the day of their arrest, they shall be set at liberty, and shall not be again arrested for the same cause. However, if the deserter shall be found to have com mitted any crime or offence, his surrender may be delayed until the tribunal before which his case shall be pending shall have pronounced its sentence, and such sentence shall have been carried into effect. Art. 10. The subjects and citizens of the high contracting parties shall be permitted to sojourn and reside in all parts whatsoever of the said territories in order to attend to their affairs, and also to hire and occupy houses and warehouses for the purposes of their com merce, provided they submit to the laws, as well general as special, relative to the right of residing and trading. Whilst they conform to the laws and regulations in force, they shall be at liberty to man age, themselves, their own business in all the territories subject to the jurisdiction of each party, as well in respect to the consignment and sale of their goods, by wholesale or retail, as with respect to the loading, unloading, and sending off their ships, or to employ such agents and brokers as they may deem proper, they being in all these cases to be treated as the citizens or subjects of the country in which they reside ; it being, nevertheless, under stood that they shall remain subject to the said laws and regulations; also, in respect to sales by wholesale and retail. They shall have free access to the tribunals of justice in their litigious affairs on the same terms which are granted by the law and usage of country to native citizens or subjects, for which purpose they may employ in defence of their rights such advocates, attorneys, and other agents, as they may judge proper. The citizens or subjects of each party shall have power to dispose of their personal prop erty within the jurisdiction of the other by sale, donation, testament, or otherwise. Their personal representatives, being citizens or subjects of the other contracting party, shall succeed to their said personal property, whether by testament or ab intestato. They may take possession thereof, either by themselves or by others acting for them, at their will, and dispose of the same, paying such duty only as the inhabitants of the coun try wherein the said personal property is situate shall be subject to pay in like cases. In case of the absence of the personal representatives, the same care shall be taken of the said property as would be taken of the property of a native in like case, until the law ful owner may take measures for receiving it. If any questions should arise among several claimants to which of them the said prop erty belongs, the same shall be finally decided by the laws and judges of the country wherein it is situated. W here, on the decease of any person holding real estate within the territories of one party, such real estate would, by the laws of the land, descend on a citizen or subject of the other, were he not disqualified by alienage, such citizen or subject shall be allowed a reasonable time to sell the same, and to withdraw the proceeds without molestation, and exempt from all duties of detraction on the part of the government of the respective States. 614 Commercial Regulations. The capitals and effects which the citizens or subjects of the respective parties, in chang ing their residence, shall be desirous of removing from the place of their domicil, shall likewise be exempt from all duties of detraction or emigration on the part of their respec tive governments. Art. 11. The present treaty shall continue in force for the term of twelve years from the date hereof, and further until the end of twelve months after the government of Hanover on the one part, or that of the United States on the other part, shall have given notice of its intention of terminating the sam e; but upon the condition hereby expressly stipulated and agreed, that if the kingdom of Hanover shall determine, during the said term of twelve years, to augment the existing import duty upon leaves, strips, or stems of tobacco, import ed in hogsheads or casks, a duty which at this time does not exceed one thaler and one gutengroschen per one hundred pounds Hanoverian currency and weight, (seventy cents per one hundred pounds United States currency and weight,) the government of Hanover shall give a notice of one year to the government of the United States before proceeding to do so ; and at the expiration of that year, or any time subsequently, the government of the United States shall have full power and right to abrogate the present treaty by giving a previous notice of six months to the government of Hanover, or to continue it (at its op tion) in full force until the operation thereof shall have been arrested in the manner first specified in the present article. Art. 12. The United States agree to extend all the advantages and privileges contained in the stipulations of the present treaty to one or more of the other States of the German ic confederation, which may wish to accede to them, by means of an official exchange'of declarations; provided that such State or States shall confer similar favors upon the said United States to those conferred by the kingdom of Hanover, and observe and be subject to the same conditions, stipulations, and obligations. Art. 13. The present treaty shall be approved and ratified by the President of the Uni ted States of America, by and with the advice and consent of their Senate, and by His Majesty the king of Hanover; and the ratifications thereof shall be exchanged at the city of Hanover, within the space of ten months from this date, or sooner, if possible, when the treaty of commerce and navigation concluded between the high contracting parties at Berlin, on the 20th day of May, 1840, shall become null and void to all intents and pur poses. In faith whereof, we, the plenipotentiaries of the high contracting parties, have signed the present treaty, and have thereto affixed our seals. Done in quadruplicate, at the city of Hanover, on the tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-six, and in the seventieth year of the inde pendence of the United States of America. [l . s.] A. D udley M ann, [l . s .] G eorge F rederick B aron de F alcke. DECLARATION OF ACCESSION OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE GRAND DUKE OF OLDENBURG, UNDER THE TW ELFTH ARTICLE OF THE FOREGOING TREATY. Whereas a treaty of navigation and commerce, between the United States of America and His Majesty the king of Hanover, was concluded at Hanover on the 10th day of June last, by the plenipotentiaries of the contracting parties, and was subsequently duly ratified on the part of both governments: And whereas, by the terms of the twelfth article of the same, the United States agree to extend all the advantages and privileges contained in the stipulation of the present treaty, to one or more of the other States of the Germanic confederation, which may wish to accede to them by means of an official exchange of declarations; provided that such State or States shall confer similar favors upon the said United States to those conferred by the kingdom of Hanover, and observe and be subject to the same conditions, stipula tions, and obligations. And whereas the government of his royal highness the Grand Duke of Oldenburg has signified its desire to accede to the said treaty, and to all the stipulations and provisions therein contained, so far as the same are or may be applicable to the two countries, and to become a party thereto ; that is to say, to all the said stipulations and provisions, excepting only those relating to the Stade and the Weser tolls, in which the government of Olden burg has no interest, and over which it has no control: Now, therefore, the undersigned, Baron W. E. de Beaulieu Marcounay, of the privy council of his royal highness, and at the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs on the part of Oldenburg, and A. D. Mann, special agent on the part of the United States, in vested with full powers to this effect, found in good and due form, have this day signed, in duplicate, and have exchanged, this declaration of the accession (hereby agreed to on the f Commercial Regulations. 615 part of the United States) of his royal highness the Grand Duke of Oldenburg, for the Duchy of Oldenburg, to the treaty aforesaid, the effect of which accession and agreement is hereby declared to be to establish the said treaty between the high parties to this decla ration, as fully and perfectly, to all intents and purposes, as if all the provisions therein con tained, excepting as above excepted, had been recited word for word in a separate treaty, concluded and ratified between them, in the ordinary form. In witness whereof, the above named plenipotentiaries have hereto affixed their names and seals. Done at Oldenburg, this 10th day of March, 1847. W. E . B eaulieu M arcounay, [l . s.] A. D udley M ann. [l . s.] CORRESPONDENCE OF THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE GRAND DUCHY OF MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN, RELATIVE TO THE ACCESSION OF MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN TO THE HANO VER TREATY. Schwerin, March 20, 1847. Sir—His royal highness, the Grand Duke, having returned from Berlin, I have laid before him the object of your mission. His royal highness begs to acknowledge the proposition of the President, regarding the accession to the treaty entered into with Hanover, for the purpose of securing the shipping interest of Mecklenburg for a lengthened period. All these privileges the navigation of Mecklenburg enjoyed since the year 1835, when both governments interchanged articles. His royal highness trusts the more, that no interruptions may take place in a state so prosperous to trade and navigation, the duties existing in Mecklenburg being in themselves very trifling. Propositions have been laid before the States of Mecklenburg to regulate these duties in a more appropriate and simple manner. The intention of government by this is, as I have already had the honor to explain, to secure the duties on home consump tion and trade in a manner favorable to the interests of American exports. Raw cotton is intended to enter duty free, raw tobacco will not be subject to a higher duty than is stipu lated at present in Hanover. The consumption duty on rice and train-oil will be a mere trifle. As soon as this system is established—nay, even before—his royal highness will most willingly grant the transit of the above-mentioned four articles, to pass free of toll through his country from his seaports, Rostock and Wismar. * * * * * * * * * * Enclosing you an answer to the Secretary of State, Mr. Buchanan, both in original and in copy, I return my best thanks for the candid and loyal manner in which you have treated me, and acknowledge myself to be, with unalterable esteem, sir, your most obedient servant. L. V on L utzow. To A. D udley M ann, Esq., &c., &c., &c. Letter to the Secretary o f State. S chwerin , 26th March, 1847. Sir—It is with real satisfaction I perceive from your excellency’s favor of the 9th of Jan uary, that the President of the United States, led by the wish to strengthen and extend the friendly relation subsisting between the two countries, has charged Mr. A. Dudley Mann, special agent of the United States, with a mission to the government of the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and this gentleman has laid before me the propositions your excellency thought most proper to adopt. It will scarcely need the assurance that the kind intentions of your government are gratefully acknowledged here, and that his royal highness, the Grand Duke, my gracious master, fully coincides in the above opinion. As, however, the intended treaty of commerce and navigation is to be analogous to the treaty lately entered into between the United States and the kingdom of Hanover, I regret to say, I was obliged to call the attention of your excellency’s agent to the circumstance which prevents our government, for the present, to adopt that treaty in all its propositions. I believe, however, I have convinced Mr. A. Dudley Mann, that the obstacle is by no means a tendency of the government of his royal highness, but solely results from the mode of levying duties, which, however varying from the Hanoverian system, does not, even at present, the less favor free trade with all foreign States; and trusting that the discussions already entered into with our States (diet) respecting our custom-laws, in rendering them similar to the Hanoverian, will soon set aside all obstacles, I take this opportunity of assur ing your excellency of my highest esteem,. L. Von L utzow. His Excellency J ames B uchanan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United States of America. * 616 Commercial Regulations. LETTER FROM BURGOMASTER SMIDT, RESPECTING THE ABOLITION OF THE BREMEN TRANSIT DUTIES. , Bremen March 9, 1847. Dear Sir—I have had the honor *to receive your favor of the 20th February from Hano ver, communicating to me that in a convention which you concluded on the 10th of June last, for the United States of America with the kingdom of Hanover, that* kingdom obli gated itself to abolish the transit duties upon leaves, stems, and strips of tobacco, in hogsheads or casks; raw cotton, in bales or bags; whale oil, in casks or barrels; and rice, in tierces or half tierces; subject, however, to the reservation of levying a sufficient tax to defray the expense of maintaining the regulations respecting transit goods—a tax which in no case is to exceed eight pfennigs per Hanoverian hundred pounds. Your object in communicating this fact, is to invite the Senate of this republic to follow the example of Hanover, by reducing the Bremen transit duties on the mentioned four articles, equally, to a mere tax for control. I have communicated the contents of your favor to the Senate, and am authorized to inform you that the republic of Bremen will, after the ratifications of said convention have been exchanged, and for the time of its duration, reduce the Bremen transit duties on the above-mentioned four articles to one groat (equal to about four pfennigs) for one hundred pounds Bremen weight, when passing from the United States through the territory of this republic, to be sent into the kingdom of Hanover, and the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, and that this republic is fully prepared to make the same reduction of its transit duties in favor of the States of the Zoll-Verein as soon and as long as the States of the Zoll-Verein will have reduced in a similar proportion their transit duties on the said four articles, when passing from this place to Switzerland. The Senate will with pleasure seize every opportunity to facilitate the intercourse of the United States with the States of the German confederation, and is happy to give by this a proof of its ardent desire for that purpose. I beg you will have the kindness to inform your government of the above-mentioned intentions; and avail myself of this opportunity to renew towards you the assurance of my high regard and esteem. S midt, The President of the Commission for Foreign Affairs, To A. D udley M ann, Esq., &c. PO ST -O FFIC E REGULATIONS ON L E T T E R S TO BREMEN, ETC. FOREIGN MAILS NO. I., FROM NEW YORK, BY COWES, ENGLAND, TO BREMEN, GERMANY. The arrangements for a regular conveyance of mails to and from Europe, by the above route, are so far completed, that the Washington, the first steamship of the line, will leave New York for Cowes and Bremen Haven, on Tuesday, the 1st day of June next; and also on the first day of each second month thereafter. It is expected that the second steamship will be ready to depart in the course of the sea son, on the first day of each intermediate m onth; thus furnishing a monthly mail in each direction. Of the commencement of the monthly arrangement, due notice will be given. P ostage.—The inland postage to the city of New York, as well as the postage by steamer from New York, is to be prepaid on all mailable matter to be conveyed by this line, excepting that addressed to Bremen, or to places to which said matter will pass through the Bremen post-office. Hamburgh is not included in this exception. To Bremen, and to the points supplied through that office, unpaid letters, &c., may be sen t; postage to be collected at Bremen. The rates of postage established by the act of March 3,1846, “ to provide for the trans portation of the mail between the United States and foreign countries,” are as follows:— Upon all letters and packages not exceeding one-half ounce in weight, 24 cents; over one-half ounce in weight, and not exceeding one ounce, 48 cents; and for every additional half-ounce, or fraction of an ounce, 15 cents. Upon each newspaper, pamphlet, and price-current, 3 cents. Inland postage in all cases to be added, whenever the matter is transported by mail within the United States. The following is the fourth section of the act above mentioned:— “ And be it further enacted, T hat it shall not be lawful for any person to carry or trans port any letter, package, newspaper, or printed circular, or price-current, (except newspa pers in use, and not intended for circulation in the country to which said vessel may be bound,) on board the vessels that may hereafter transport the United States mail, as provi ded for in this a c t; and for every violation of this provision, a penalty of $500 is hereby imposed, to be recovered by presentment, by information, or quitam action—one-half for the use of the informer, and the other half for the use of the Post-office Department.” Post-office Department, April 30, 1847. C. J ohnson, Postmaster-General. 617 Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics. RAILROAD, CANAL, AND STEAMBOAT STATISTICS. OCEAN STEA M ERS B E T W E E N HAVRE AND N E W YORK. T he following are the regulations, &c., of the contract between the Company and the French government, established between Havre and the port of New York, as translated from the Journal du Havre :— Article 1. Each vessel shall be folly equipped with everything necessary; shall have a sufficient number of boats for all the wants of the service ; shall carry two cannons, and have ^ crew the minimum number of which is fixed as follows, viz:— 2 Captain,.................................................. 1 Assistant Engineers,............................. Second do.,............................................ 1 Firem en,............................................... 12 L ieutenants,......................................... 2 Cooks,.................................................... 2 Surgeon,.............................. 1 Assistant do.,........................................ 1 Quartermasters,..................................... 2 Steward,................................................ 1 1 Assistant do.,....... ................................. Carpenter,.............................................. 2 Sailors,...... .............. 40 Apprentices,.......................................... 8 Total,.. 79 Master Engineer,.................................. 1 The servants and boys are not to he comprised in the crew. Art. 2. The vessels are to be delivered to the company by the marine department in perfect navigable condition, as well as their machinery and rigging. The company are to certify to the seaworthy condition of the steamers before each departure. Art. 3. The clothing of the officers and crew is to be uniform. This uniform is to be decided by the company itself, subject to the approval of the Min ister of Finance. The company, moreover, is authorized to make what rules it may judge to be necessary and useful for the service and the expedition of the service, subject always to the approba tion of the Minister of Finance. Art. 4. The engineers on board each vessel are to be men of known skill. SEC. n.--- OF THE ROYAL COMMISSARIAT. Art. 5. There shall be established in Havre a Royal Commissariat, the duties of which are— 1. To see that the various clauses of the present regulations be strictly fulfilled. 2. To inform the Minister of Finance of any infraction of them that may take place. 3. To point out any modification which it may be deemed advisable to make, either in the organizations of the services, or in the materiel of the vessels. Art. 6. The Royal Commissary is to be appointed by the Minister of Finance, and shall receive a salary of 5,000 francs, the which is to be paid by the company, who are to pay the said sum yearly in advance to the Central Treasury office. SEC. HI.----OF THE MAIL AGENT ON BOARD, AND THE SERVICE TO BE FULFILLED VESSELS. BY THE Art. 7. There shall be on board each vessel an agent, who is to be appointed by the Minister of Finance, and who shall have the mails confided to his charge. This agent is to be allowed a servant. Art. 8. The mail agent shall have an official character, which is to be recognized by all on board; likewise all that concerns the reception and transmission of the mails, is to be under his sole charge. . Art. 9. The mail agent is to be allowed the gratuitous use of a first class cabin. His board is to be at the expense of the company; he is to eat at the table of the first class passengers, and to be treated in every way as a passenger of that class. He is to have a boat of at least four oars placed at his disposition, for the wants of his service. Art. 10. The company are to prepare on board each packet, and in the immediate vicin ity of the cabin of the mail agent, some secure place, capable of being put under lock and key, for the reception of the mail bags. Art. 11. If the mail agent has a servant, said servant is to be gratuitously boarded and lodged by the company. He is to be comfortably lodged, and live like the other servants on board. 618 Railroad , Canal, and Steamboat Statistics . Art. 12. The arrangements expressed in articles 9 and 11, are also applicable in those cases where the royal commissary, or an inspector of finances, is charged with the inspec tion of the service of the packets, or any other mission relating to the service of the mail between France and America. In case such should happen, the said agents are to enjoy all the advantages mentioned in said articles. Art. 13. In case the mail agent shall, in consequence of sickness or any other unfore seen accident, find it impossible to undertake or continue a voyage, and no other agent shall have been sent on board to replace him, the captain of the vessel shall become respon sible for the performance of this part of the service, without being entitled to receive any remuneration; and he is to incur the same responsibility as the agent whose place he fills, as well in the despatch as in the reception of the mail. SEC. r v .— OF THE CONDITIONS FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF THE MAIL. Art. 14. The various mail bags are to be received on board. In France, these bags are to be delivered to the mail agent by the postmaster at Havre ; and in New York either by the French Consul-General or the post-office authorities of the country, or by a special agent, should one be appointed. Neither the captains, officers, crew or passengers, are to carry any letters, or are any to be conveyed save in the mail bags, unless diplomatic or consular documents. The infringement of this regulation will make the offender liable to the punishment for fraudulent transportation of letters. Art. 15. No merchandise is to be received on board after the day fixed for sailing, no matter what may be the reason for the delay. An infringement of this rule will render the company liable to a fine of 20,000 francs for each offence. Art. 16. The terms for the transportation of passengers shall be regulated under the supervision of the Minister of Finance, and are to be revised annually. Art. 17. Whenever they are required, the company shall receive on board independently of the mail agent, 1st. At the most, two officers of the navy, or two officers of the civil service, who shall be entitled to a first class position on board. 2dly. Two other military or civil agents, who shall be entitled to second class accom modations. 3dly. Ten sailors. The passage money for these officers, agents and sailors, shall be only two-thirds of the price fixed for ordinary passengers. Art. 18. The company shall be bound to receive on board of the packets, and transport free of charge, all small-sized parcels containing instruments of astronomy, or other scien tific apparatus, whenever such transportation shall be demanded of them by the govern ment. The company shall likewise be bound to transport such naval stores as the government may wish to send. These naval stores, the bulk of which shall not exceed five tons each voyage, are to pay the same rate of freight as ordinary merchandise, the company always to have two days’ notice of the intended shipment of such goods. Art. 19. Each steamer shall, at its departure, either from France or America, have on board enough coal for 18 days’ consumption, calculating the same at the rate of four kilo grammes per hour, and by the horse-power of the engine. It shall be in the power of the Minister of Finance to modify this last regulation ac cording as experience shall demonstrate the utility of increasing or diminishing the quanti ty of coal to be taken on board for every voyage. SEC. V.— SAILING OF THE PACKETS. Art. 20. The packets shall make their departure at the periods hereafter mentioned, viz : From Havre to New York twice during every month, from December to March, inclusive. The departures from New York shall take place according to the season, from ten to fifteen days after the arrival out of the vessel. Long passages, occasioned by unavoidable circumstances, may interfere with this regulation. Art. 21. Whenever it shall be rendered absolutely necessary by extraordinary circum stances, the departures may be delayed, at the requisition of the French Consul-General in New York, or of the Royal government in Havre. This delay, however, can never, under any circumstances, exceed two days after the time originally fixed for departure. Art. 22. The hour of departure shall be fixed by the captain, and entered on the log book. Art. 23. The packets are to go in a direct route from the port of departure to that of their destination without making any deviation therefrom, save in cases of absolute neces sity. The company binds itself to perform the passage from Havre to New York and Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics. 619 back, with all the despatch that it is possible to use in a regular service, and with their vessels and engines. Should any delays take place from fault on the part of the company, the Minister of Finance shall have the right of rescinding the contract with them. In case the vessels are forced to enter any port in distress, save those of Havre and New York, or in consequence of tempests, contrary winds or other legitimate causes, they are to produce (independent of the regular entry in the log-book) on their return, a certificate of the consul or authorities of such port, attesting the unavoidable nature of the case. SEC. VI.— OF THE PENALTIES. Art. 24. Save in cases of absolute necessity, such as are alluded to above, any infringe ment of the rules laid down regarding the days and hours of departure, shall render the company liable to a fine of 10,000 francs per day for the three first days. A t the expiration of these three days of unjustifiable delay, the fine may be increased to 60,000 francs. Should this infringement of the agreement be repeated three tunes during the course of one year, the Minister of Finance shall have the right to rescind the contract. For every deviation from the direct route unjustifiable by the strictest necessity, the fine shall be for the first time 10,000 francs, and for the second 20,000 francs. On the third infraction of this kind, in the course of one year, the Minister of Finance shall be entitled to rescind the contract. Art. 25. Whenever the contract may be rescinded, or in case it is not renewed, the company shall return the vessels to government in precisely similar order to that in which they receive them. SEC. VII.— DURATION OF THE CONTRACT. Art. 26. The contract shall last for ten consecutive years, counting from the time of the departure of the first boat that shall be despatched from Havre, until the return of the one despatched at the expiration of the tenth year. Art. 27. The present contract shall commence, and the first departure from Havre shall take place, one month after the vessels shall have been delivered to the company. Art. 28. In case the company shall not commence operations by the time mentioned in the previous article, they shall be liable to a fine of 1,000 francs per day for the delay. Art. 29. The present contract shall cease at the end of ten years, provided notice of such expiration has been given *by either party a year previous. Should such not be the case, the contract shall continue on the same terms, and by a tacit understanding, for the twelve succeeding months, at the end of which formal notice is to be given by each party. SEC. VIII.— PARTICULAR ARRANGEMENTS. Art. 30. W ith a view of facilitating the movements of the company, the Minister of Marine Affairs, and the same of the Finances, will give the necessary instructions to the maritime authorities of the various French ports, to grant every facility which can con tribute to the despatch of business. The Minister of Foreign Affairs also promises to do his utmost to obtain from foreign authorities the most favorable consideration for the com pany. The company, on its side, shall strictly conform to all the custom-house regulations of foreign countries, on pain of rescinding of the contract. Art. 31. The contract between the government and the company, cannot be in any man ner let out or ceded to third parties, either in part or whole, without the written consent of the Minister of Finance. Should it be known that the company have sub-let or ceded any part of their contract without this permission, the Minister of Finance shall have the right to rescind the contract, without the company being entitled to any indemnity whatever. Art. 32. The company shall be located in Paris, in the Rue d’Antin, No. 7. T R A FF IC OF T H E G ERM A N RAILROADS IN 1846. The Journal des Dcbats publishes a letter, dated Leipsic, 27th ult., mentioning that during the last year there were conveyed by the German railroads 16,412,229 travellers, and 31,833,939 quintals of merchandise, which produced a sum total of 54,646,232f., and represents an increase of I6,431,208f., that is, 43 per cent. 620 Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics. VESSELS BUILT AND LAUN CHED ON T H E LAKES, IN 1846. The Buffalo Commercial Advertiser furnishes the following tabular statement of the accession to the Marine of the W estern waters. The giant strides of the W est have called forth the capital and energy of its people, and the many vessels that have been con structed in addition to those previously in commission, found ample and profitable em ployment during the season. So important has the growing commerce of our lakes be come, that capital has been transferred from other branches of business, and every ship yard along the chain of lakes presents a scene of bustling activity with the extensive preparations making for the season of 1847. STEAMERS. N am es. A. D. Patchin, Baltic, Louisiana, Sultana, Canada, Hendrik Hudson, Albany, Saratoga, Tons. Place. Trugoa, Buffalo, 874 800 778 900 750 751 700 662 <( « Chippewa, Charleston, Detroit, Cleveland, Names. Ohio, S. Ward, Detroit, Islander, Niles, Dallas, (U. S. iron) Algomah, Mishawaka, Place. Cleveland, Newport, it Kerry's Island, Niles, Buffalo, Detroit, (4 Tons. 550 375 350 80 80 350 71 34 PROPELLERS. St. Joseph, Buffalo, w Pocahontas, 44 California, Oneida, Cleveland, Cleveland, « Lady of the Lake, 460 Delaware, 427 Globe, 420 Earl Cathcart, 346 Goliath, 342 Odd Fellow, 350 336 Charleston, 313 Maumee, Amherstburgh, 300 Palmer, 280 Grand River, Mich. 200 BARQUES AND BRIGS. Utica, C. I. Hutchinson, Ellen Parker, Patrick Henry, L. A. Blossom, Milwaukie, (I Chicago, Euclid, Conneaut, ! 334 341 332 317 258 Fashion, Cleveland, 44 John Hancock, 44 G. Mountain Boy, David Smart, Lexington, 282 260 260 203 SCHOONERS. Outward Bound, Gen. Davis, Philena Mills, Denmark, Lewis Cass, Col. Benton, Luther Wright, Vincennes, G. T. Williams, C. Y . Richmond, W atts Sherman, Puritan, Sea Gull, S.L . Noble, N. C. Walton, E. Porter, Ellen, Harwich, Cleveland, Milan, Geneva, Cleveland, Charleston, Racine, Huron, Charleston, Irving, Cleveland, Buffalo, Milan, « Fairport, Chicago, Milwaukie, Cleveland, Rialto, Cleveland, Bazma, Buffalo, Morning Star, Conneaut, Detroit, 44 260 238 • 228 237 191 190 195 186 167 229 199 223 125 104 127 75 61 78 Ireland, Westchester, Wolcott, Alvin Clark, New Hampshire, Forester, B. G. Allen, Mary A. Lownd, Pinta, M. A. Myers, Saranac, Meteor, Jno. Armstrong, Gallinipper, St. Clair, Clemantine, Julia, Sweet Home, SCOWS. 1 0 0 Liberator, SLOOPS. 1 0 Sun, 36 China, 38 Cleveland, Charleston, Maumee, Truago, Kalamazoo, Detroit, 44 44 Buffalo, 44 Detroit, 44 44 44 44 44 44 230 208 40 220 80 108 26 79 55 16 39 32 26 145 35 19 3 4 44 Cleveland, ' Detroit, 44 44 45 35 61 REBUILT. Schr. T. G. Colt, from 8chr.Mariam >Cleveland, 90 j Schr. La Salle, Cleveland, 160 ENLARGED. Schr.N.C. Baldwin, Conneaut, 46 | Brig O. Richmond, Chicago, 48 621 Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics, The subjoined shows the number, class and tonnage of vessels built on Lake Erie and the upper lakes during the past six seasons. Full $1,000,000 have been expended in the construction and repairs of the vessels put in commission during the season of 1846, which, added to the cost of construction, annual repairs, and money expended in en larging and remodelling vessels launched within the previous five years, will swell the aggregate to $3,500,000. This large increase to the lake marine, it must be borne in mind, has been made above the Falls, and the capital drawn from the many sources le gitimately pertaining to the lake business, and designed as a permanent investment. 1 8 4 6 ........................... ........ 1 8 4 5 ........................... ........ 1 84 4 ........................... 1 843........................... ........ 1 8 4 2 ........................... 1 84 1 ........................... ........ T otal.............. Steamers. 16 13 Propellers. ii 4 6 4 1 47 19 Tons. 18,999 10,207 9,145 4,830 3,090 3 ,5 3 0 Sail. 45 32 34 24 22 28 185 49,801 PEN N SY LV A N IA S T A T E TO LLS ON M ERCHANDISE. STATE CHARGES, ON THE MAIN LINE OF THE PENNSYLVANIA IMPROVEMENTS, FROM PHILADELPHIA TO PITTSBURGH. The following shows the aggregate amount of State Tolls, (including motive power, truckage, boat toll, &c., &c.,) on freight, agreeably to the rates established for the year 1847, by the Board of Canal Commissioners:— Articles, per 100 lbs. Hats, caps, boots, bonnets, looking-glasses,................................ Dry-goods,........................................................................................ Paper, red lead, litharge,................................................................ Brown muslins, sheetings, manufactured copper,....................... Groceries, drugs, foreign liquors, ropes and cordage, manufac tured marble, mahogany, leather, dry hides,........................... Paints, dye-stuffs, manufactured tobacco,..................................... Hardware, wool, oil, feathers,........................................................ Rags,.................................................................................................. Queensware, steel, white lead,........... . ........................................ Coffee, fish, tin in blocks or sheets, copper in sheets, seeds of all kinds, buffalo and deer-skins, pitch and rosin,.................. Leaf tobacco, earthenware, and whiskey,................................... Bacon, lard, lard oil, butter, cheese, tallow, anvils, Sp. whiting, Bagging, hemp, hempen yarns, oil-cake, bale-rope, copperas, barytes, potash,............................................................................. Block marble,................................................................................... Cotton, wheat,.................................................................................. Flour, barley, corn, rye, oats, beef, pork, burr blocks, pig lead, and shot,....................................................................................... Unenumerated articles, furs and peltry,....................................... Cars and b’ts. Portable b’ts. Cargo, 60,000 Cargo,50,000 pounds. pounds. 771. c. m. c. 53 6 57 0 46 0 49 4 42 2 45 6 38 3 41 7 37 34 32 30 29 3 5 3 3 8 40 37 35 33 33 7 9 7 7 2 27 24 23 3 8 3 30 28 26 7 2 7 22 20 19 3 3 8 25 23 23 7 7 2 17 47 3 0 20 50 7 4 N E W Y O RK AND LIVERPOOL STEAM ERS. The Glasgow Citizen gives us the following information relative to the new Atlantic steamers now building in the Clyde. The British and North American Mail Steam-Packet Company have ordered four immense timber steamships to be fitted out for plying between Liverpool and New York. Three of these are being built by Mr. R. Steel, of Greenock, and the fourth, by that veteran in the art of steamboat building, Mr. John Steel, of Port Glasgow, who, in 1811, launched from his building yard the first passenger steamer which ever ploughed the waters of the Clyde. The first of these leviathan steamships will be launched early in M arch; she is close upon 2 ,000 tons register, and will have engines of 750 horse-power. The other three are of the same size, and are constructed on the same model, being, over all, in length 385 feet, in breadth of beam 38 feet, and having a depth of 2 8 feet. These vessels are intended to ply fortnightly between Liverpool and New York, commencing on the 1st January, 1848. 622 Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance. JOURNAL OF BANKING, CURRENCY AND FINANCE. COINS AND CURRENCY OF T H E H A W A IIA N ISLANDS. W e are indebted to James Jackson Jarvis, Esq., the editor of the “ Polynesian,” pub lished at Honolulu, Oahu, for a copy of the first volume of the “ Statute Laws of His Majesty Kamehameha III., King of the Hawaiian Islands, passed by the Houses of Nobles and Representatives, during the 21st year of his reign, and the 3d and 4th years of his public recognition, A. D. 1845 and 1846: to which are appended the Acts of Public Re cognition, and the Treaties with Other Nations.” It forms a neatly printed octavo volume of 382 pages. From this work, we copy Chapter IV., relating to Coins, Currency, and Interest OF COINS AND CURRENCY. Sec. 1. The currency of the Hawaiian Islands shall consist of the dollar, valuing one hundred cents, American currency; the half dollar, valuing fifty cents; the quarter dollar, valuing twenty-five cents ; the eighth of a dollar, valuing twelve and a half cents; and the sixteenth of a dollar, valuing six and a quarter cents; and the cent, a copper coin, impressed with the head of His Majesty, surrounded by the words “ Kamehameha III., ka m o i o n the reverse, “ Aupuni Hawaii.” Gold and silver coins, wearing the legalized impress of any sovereign State, shall be receivable in payment of government dues, duties, and taxes, at the exchequer, and in tender or payment of debts contracted by private individuals in this kingdom, at their current or merchantable value, for the time being, at Honolulu, to oe established by evidence. In case any of the said coins be refused, the payer, having tendered, may "bring the same into court, and plead such tender and refusal in bar of costs as prescribed in the act to organize the judiciary. Sec. 2. The minister of finance shall cause to be minted, for circulation, a copper coin as described in the preceding section; and, with the advice of two-thirds of the privy council, and approbation of His Majesty, he may also cause to be minted any small silver coins of such descriptions and quantity as said council shall direct. Sec. 3. The better to regulate and conduct the financial operations of this government, the privy council shall form and is hereby created a board of finance. It shall be the duty of the minister of finance to devise and recommend measures to be laid before the said board, and the said minister shall succeed to all the rights in action and dues now pertain ing to the Hawaiian Treasury Board, created by an act of the legislative council passed at Lahaina, Maui, on the 10th day of May, A. D. 1842, whereby Doctor G. P. Judd, Timothy Haalilio, and John Ii, were especially empowered to conduct the financial ope rations of government. He shall be in like manner liable for all the lawful undertakings, promises and obligations of said board. Sec. 4. The minister of finance shall have power, two-thirds of the board concurring, to make loans at home or abroad, in favor of the government—to issue exchequer bills and bills of credit, bearing his signature, stipulating such rate of interest, and payable at such time as two-thirds of the board may, by vote, establish, and to be receivable at the exche quer in payment of government dues, duties and taxes, at any time before or after their maturity, for the amounts therein expressed. The government faith and revenues shall be, and are hereby pledged for the redemption of all loans so made by the minister of finance, and for the punctual payment, at maturity, of all exchequer bills or bills of credit so issued as aforesaid, with the interest stipulated thereon; and the government faith is further here by pledged for the receipt and acceptance at the exchequer of all such bills before maturity and without accrued interest, in payment of government dues, duties and taxes. Sec. 5. The seal of the department of finance shall be the corporate seal of said board, and be impressed as such upon all specialities issued thereby, importing the pecuniary faith and credit of His Majesty’s government, and in like manner upon all documents, attesta tions, certificates and copies issued as evidences of fiscal transactions by the minister of finance; which seal so impressed shall be admitted in evidence before any court of justice, that the signatures to the instrument impressed are genuine. OF INTEREST. Sec. 1. For all the purposes of this chapter, the better to regulate the Hawaiian curren cy and the home and the foreign commerce of this kingdom, 1 per centum per month, or 12 per centum per annum, shall be the lawful interest to accrue upon all interest-bearing contracts not otherwise stipulated in writing. Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance. 623 Sec. 2. It shall in no case be deemed unlawful to stipulate by written contract for a high er rate of interest than 12 per cent per annum, provided the contract to that effect be sign ed by the party to be charged therewith. Sec. 3. In all cases when contracts commence to draw ihterest, and no stipulation in writing exists to the contrary, they shall be deemed to draw 12 per cent, simple interest, per annum, not to be compounded from year to year. REV EN U E O F GREAT B R IT A IN , IN 1846-47. The following is an abstract of the nett produce of the revenue of Great Britain, in the years and quarters ended the 5th of April, 1846 and ’47, showing the increase or de crease thereof:— APRIL 5. QRS. EJSDEB APRIL 5. } 1846. 1847. Increase. Decrease. £ £ £ £ £ £ 17,664,618 18,796,620 1,132,092 3,961,918 4,447,673 661,572 1,626,458 1,652,865 11,886,085 12,547,657 32,693 1,685,868 1,817,282 7,095,521 7,062,828 33,119 146,142 4,224,039 4,257,158 130,892 379,840 1,963,882 2,033,072 5,084,741 5,464,581 820,000 52,000 768,000 215,000 219,000 Post-office,............ 112,000 130,000 18,000 45,000 37,000 Crown lands,.......... 129,273 318,161 188,888 91,522 Miscellaneous,__ 92,593 YEARS EKBED 1846. China money,........ Imprest and other moneys,.............. Repayments of ad- 1847. 47,041,892 49,379,005 2,387,806 667,644 750,859 170,846 193,497 1,516,887 778,506 50,693 9,735,790 10,430,377 83,215 22,651 738,381 52,909 53,859 456,473 164,568 49,480,484 51,018,652 2,410,457 872,289 10,245,172 10,648,804 Deduct decrease,............................ 872,289 Increase on the year..................... 1,533,168 The total income for the quarter is £10,661,417 ; the first instalment of the loan of eight millions is £960,000 ; giving a total of £11,621,417. The total charge, including £2,300,000 of advances to Ireland during the quarter, under the Act 9 and 10 Vic., c. 107, is £10,992,636, leaving a surplus of £628,781. This surplus, added to the £1,365,455 of surplus remaining at the close of the quarter ending 5th January, 1847, gives an available total of £1,994,236. The amount issued during the quarter just end ed, of the sums granted by Parliament out of the Consolidated Fund for supply services, is £5,461,196 ; so the probable amount of Exchequer Bills required to meet the charge on the Consolidated Fund during the quarter, does not exceed £3,466,960. There is a marked increase both in the customs, which indicate the condition of the general trade, and in the Post-office, which indicates the activity of commercial enterprise, and the suc cessful working of the penny postage system. CONDITION OF T H E BANK OF FRANCE. The statement of the accounts of the Bank of France for the first quarter of the year, made up to the 25th ultimo, shows the following results:—Actif. The bank had on that day, in cash, 79,535,819f. 87c. ; in discount and loans, 212,215,665f. 67c.; in branch banks’ accounts, 78,459,960f. 67c.; in rentes, public securities, and reserve funds, 64,261,8816 50c.; credits and various items, 594,895f. 98c.—Passif Amount of bank notes in circu lation, 249,404,694f. 94c.; accounts current, 98,442,4636 89c.; capital and reserve, 81,900,0006; different items, 5,351,3646 89c.; total, 435,068,6236 69c. The discounts, ad vances, and loans, made during the quarter, amounted to 201,587,9626 77c.; movement of the accounts current (private) 8,130,992,9006; (public) 274,849,0006; general movement of the caisses, 3,741,631,4006* * Exclusive of £960,000 received on a loan of £8,000,000. 624 Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance. E N T IR E COINAGE OF T H E U N ITE D ST A T E S. The following statement shows the coinage of the mint of the United States, in the several years from its establishment, in 1793, and including the coinage of the branch mints from the commencement of their operations, in 1838:— 1793 ;I 1794 • 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1 834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 Gold. Silver. Copper Total No. pieces $ 7 1 ,4 8 5 00 $ 3 7 0 ,6 8 3 80 $ 1 1 ,3 7 3 00 1,834,420 102,727 103,422 205,610 213,285 317,760 422 ,57 0 423 ,31 0 2 58,377 2 58,642 170,367 3 24 ,50 5 4 37 ,49 5 284 ,66 5 169,375 501,435 496 ,90 5 290 ,43 5 477,140 77,270 3,175 242 ,94 0 258 ,61 5 1,319,030 189,325 88,9 80 72,425 93,200 156,385 92,245 131,565 140,145 295,717 643,105 714,270 798,435 979,550 3 ,954,270 2,1 8 6,17 5 4,1 3 5,70 0 1,148,305 1,809,595 1,355,885 1,675,302 1,091,597 1,834,170 8 ,108,797 5,4 2 8,23 0 3,7 5 6,44 7 4 ,0 3 4,17 7 50 50 00 00 00 00 00 50 50 50 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 50 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 50 50 50 50 00 50 50 52,347,543 00 79,077 12,591 330,291 423,515 224,296 74,758 58,343 87,118 100,340 149,388 471,319 597,448 684,300 707,376 638,773 608,340 814,029 620,951 561,687 17,308 28,5 75 607,783 1,070,454 1,140,000 501,690 825,762 805 ,80 6 895 ,55 0 1 ,752,477 1 ,564,583 2,0 0 2,09 0 2,8 6 9,20 0 1,575,600 1,994,578 2,4 9 5,40 0 3,1 7 5,60 0 2,5 7 9,00 0 2,7 5 9,00 0 3 ,415,002 3 ,443,003 3,6 0 6,10 0 2,0 9 6,01 0 2 ,333,243 2,1 8 9,29 6 1,726,703 1,132,750 2,3 3 2,75 0 3,8 3 4,75 0 2,2 3 5,55 0 1,873,200 2,5 5 8,58 0 50 45 00 00 00 00 00 00 50 50 00 75 00 00 50 00 50 50 50 00 75 50 50 00 70 45 50 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 6 9,0 52 ,0 1 4 90 10,324 9,510 9 ,797 9,106 29,279 13,628 34,422 25,203 12,844 13,483 5,260 9,652 13,090 8,001 15,660 2,495 10,755 4,180 3,578 40 34 00 68 40 37 83 03 94 48 00 21 00 53 00 95 00 00 30 28,209 39,4 84 31,670 26,7 10 4 4 ,0 7 5 3,890 20,723 82 00 00 00 50 00 39 12,620 14,926 16,344 23,5 77 25,6 36 16,580 17,115 33,603 23,620 38,1 60 19,151 34,489 23,100 55,5 83 63,702 31,2 86 24,627 15,973 23,833 24,283 23,987 38,948 41,208 00 00 25 32 24 00 00 60 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 61 00 67 90 20 52 04 00 1,219,370 1,095,165 1,368,241 1,365,681 3,337,972 1,571,390 3,615,869 2,7 8 0,83 0 2 ,046,839 2,260,361 1,815,409 2,7 3 1,34 5 2,9 3 5,88 8 2 ,8 6 1,83 4 3,0 5 6,41 8 1,649,570 2,7 6 1,64 6 1,755,331 1,833,859 69,867 2 ,8 8 9,13 5 5,1 6 3,96 7 5,5 3 7,08 4 5 ,074,723 6,492,509 3,1 3 9,24 9 3 ,813,788 2,1 6 6,48 5 4 ,7 8 6,89 4 5*178,760 5,7 7 4,43 4 9 ,097,845 6,196,853 7,674,501 8,357,191 11,792,284 9,128,387 10,307,790 11,637,643 15,996,342 13,719,333 13,010,721 15,780,311 11,811,594 10,558,240 8,811,968 11,743,153 1 4,640,582 9,051,834 11,806,196 10,133,515 1,083,764 52 315,239,606 Total value. $ 4 5 3 ,5 4 1 80 192,129 125,524 545,698 645,906 571,335 510,956 516,075 370,698 371,827 333,239 801,084 1,044,595 982,055 884,752 1,155,868 1,108,740 1,115,219 1,102,271 642,535 20,483 56,785 647,267 1,345,064 1,425,325 1,864,786 1,018,977 915,509 967,975 1,858,297 1,735,894 2,110,679 3,024,342 1,741,381 2,306,875 3,155,620 3,9 2 3,47 3 3,4 0 1,05 5 3,7 6 5,71 0 7,388,423 5,668,667 7,764,900 3 ,299,898 4,2 0 6,54 0 3 ,576,467 3 ,426,632 2,240,321 4 ,1 9 0,75 4 11,967,830 7,687,767 5,668,595 6,633,965 40 29 00 68 40 37 83 53 94 43 00 96 00 53 50 95 50 50 80 00 57 50 50 00 20 45 89 00 00 00 25 32 24 50 00 60 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 61 50 17 40 70 52 54 50 122,480,322 42 Commercial Statistics. COMMERCIAL 625 STATISTICS. TABLE OF DOMESTIC EX PO RTS OF T H E U N ITE D ST A T E S, FOB THE FISCAI, YEAR ENDING JUNE 30tH, 1846. annual report on Commerce and Navigation, prepared at the United States Trea sury Department, and published by order of Congress each year, gives a summary table of the value of our domestic exports, but omits the quantity. T hat table we published in the last number of the Merchants’ Magazine. W e now compile from the general state ment of goods, wares, and merchandise of the growth, produce, and manufacture of the United States, exported to each foreign country, a more minute statement of the articles exported, which shows the quantity as well as the value of each article, when given in the general statement. The quantity of our exports is of more importance, as matter of information to the merchant, than the mere official value; and we would submit to the department at Washington, in making up the summary statement of domestic exports, hereafter, the importance of annexing the quantities as well as the values of the same. The statements which we have thus compressed in the following table, are spread over 40 pages of the official report:— T he Q uantity. V alue. 277,401 $699,559 Fish, dried. quintals 56,431 Fish, pickled...bbls. 230,495 1,258 F ish ................kegs 697,570 772,019 Oil, sperm...... gall3. 946,298 Oil, whale, &c....... 2,652,874 583,870 Whalebone........ lbs. 1,697,892 295,606 Spermaceti candles 1,083,839 Staves & head’g . M. 28,800") Shingles................. 42,093 j 2,319,443 Boards, plank, and scantling.M. feet 100,119 Hewn timber...tons 67,779 324,979 Other lumber............................... 21,682 Masts and spars......................... 61,382 Oak bark &. oth. dye ................ 957,790 All manuf’s of wood ................ Tar and pitch..bbls. 65,805 1,085,712 Rosin & turpentine 351,914 735,689 Ashes, pot & pl.tons 9,800 Skins and furs................. ......... 1,063,009 237,562 Ginseng............. lbs. 567,297 Beef..................bbls. 149,223') Tallow............... lbs. 10,435,697 [ 2,474,208 Hides................. No. 143,323 f H ornedcattle......... 3,101 J P ork................. bbls. 190,4221 Hams and baeon.lbs. 3,006,630 ( Lard....................lbs. 21,843,164 f 3,883,884 7,437 J H ogs..................No. B utter................. lbs. 3,436,660 J li063i087 Cheese............... lbs. 8,675,: 6,102 382,382 Horses & mules.No. 9,254 30,303 S heep...................... W heat......... bushels 1,613,795 1,681,975 Flour................bbls. 2,289,476 11,668,669 Indian corn .bushels 1,826,068 1,186,663 Indian meal....bbls. 298,799 945,081 98,530 138,110 Rye-meal................. 638,221 Rye, oats, & c.................. VOL. XVI.---NO. VI, Q uantity. Ship-bread.......bbls. 114,792 Biscuit............. kegs 25,505 Potatoes......... bush. 125,150 Apples............. bbls. 30,903 R ice ..............tierces 124,007 Indigo................ lbs. 90 Cotton, Sea Island. 9,388,533 Other cotton......... 538,169,522 W ool....................... 668,386 Tobacco......... hhds. 147,998 Flaxseed......... bush. 107,959 H o p s..................lbs. 287,754 W ax........................ 542,250 Household furniture ................ Coaches, &c............................... H ats............................................ Saddlery..................................... Beer, porter, ale,&c.................... Spiritsfr.grain.galls. 257,496 L eather............. lbs. 1,326,251 Boots................pairs 17,183 Leather shoes.......... 121,139 Tallow candles.lbs. 3,718,714 Soap........................ 3,161,910 Snuff........................ 52,458 Tobacco manufac’d 6,854,856 Linseed oil..... galls. 8,656 Spirits turpentine... 329,570 Sugar, brown....lbs. 109,295 Cables, & c....ew ts. 5,860 L e a d ................. lbs. 16,823,760 Iron, pig.......... tons 198 Iron, bar.................. 115 Iron, nails.........lbs. 2,439,336 Iron, castings............................. Manufac’s of iron...................... Spir. fr.molas.galls. 850,462 Sugar, refined...lbs. 4,128,512 Chocolate................ 19,162 40 ! $366,688 * 69,943 69,253 2,564,991 90 42,767,341 203,999 8,478,270 165,438 41,692 162,790 317,407 87,712 74,722 24,357 67,735 73,716 f 346,516 , \ 630,041 695.914 1 159.915 7,235 62,775 614,518 ' 122,225 107,905 921.652 268.652 392,312 2,177 626 Commercial Statistics. T A B L E ---- C O N T I N U E D . Q uantity. Value. Gunpowder........ . 1,436,256 Manuf. cop. & brass ................ Medicinal drugs-.... ................ Cot. goods, pr. &. cob................... “ white........................ “ nankeen.................... “ twist,&c. ................ “ all other.................... Flax manufactures..................... Wearing apparel..... ................ Combs and buttons, ................ Brushes............. Billiard tables............................. Umbrellas, &c............................ Leath. &. mor. skins ................ Fire-eng. apparatus. ................ Printing materials...................... Musical instruments .............. $140,879 62,088 200,505 380,549 1,978,331 848,989 81,813 255,799 12,129 45,140 35,945 3,100 1,583 2,477 26,667 9,802 43,792 25,325 Q uantity, V alue. Books and maps......................... Paper & stationery.................... Paints & varnish....................... Vinegar....................................... Earth. & stoneware ................ Glass manufactures ................ Tin manufactures...................... Pewter & lead man.................... Marble & stone “ Gold & silver “ Gold & silver coin..................... A rt flowers & jewel.................... Molasses..................................... Trunks........................................ Brick and lime............................ Domestic salt.bush. 117,627 Manufactures............................. $63,567 124,597 52,1821 17,489 6,521 90,869 8,902 10,278 14,234 3,660 423,851 24,420 1,581 10,613 12,578 30,520 2,869,869 PRO -FO R M A SALES OF FLOUR. We are indebted to a highly respectable merchant of Boston, for the accompanying “ bona fide” abstract from the books of a commission house:— ----, Pro-forma Account Sales 13,489 bbls. Superfine Flour, shipped b y St. Joseph County, Michigan, to Messrs. <jr Boston, during the season of Lake navigation, for the year 1846. ---- ---- , 1846_May 28, 29, Ju n e ,.... July,...... A ugust,. Sept. 11, 12, 14, 14, 15, 16, 22, 24, 29, Oct’r 10, 11, 14, 25, Nov’r l2 , 25, 30, Dec’r __ 1847.—January. February Bbls. 200 694 50 50 50 400 200 1,000 1,300 1,500 100 3,000 50 200 200 100 590 100 50 100 1,000 550 660 1,322 23 Sold, (first received)........................... tt- t* w tt (average sales for month)........ tt it tt tt tt u u u u (4 tt it . . . (“ bad,” sour)............................. . (“ bad,” sour)............................. tt a u tt tt (“ bad,” sour)....................... ..... « u tt tt . (average sales for m onth)....... a it tt tt . Price. $ 4 50 4 65 4 25 4 314 4 12J 4 62J 4 75 4 62J 4 75 4 874 4 25 4 874 4 624 5 124 5 50 5 624 4 814 6 25 6 18| 5 25 5 40 5 50 5 624 7 25 13,489 $69,657 21 CHARGES. April 28, Freight on S t Joseph River to St. Joseph, Bbls. by arks, keel-boats, and steamboats... 13,489 Freight from St. Joseph to East Albany, per contract with forwarders to Buffalo, per vessel................................................ 694 B ate. A m ount, 314 4,215 31 120 Proceeds. $900 00 3,227 10 212 50 209 37 206 25 1,850 00 950 00 4,625 00 6,175 00 7,312 50 425 00 14,625 00 231 25 1,025 00 1,100 00 562 50 2,839 37 625 00 309 37 525 00 5,400 00 3,025 00 3,712 50 9,584 50 832 80 627 Commercial Statistics. May 28, June 11, May 22, July 20, 21, Aug. 20, Sept. 20, Oct’r 6, Nov’r 3, 16, 19, 21, Freight per contract, do:, per steamboats and propellers......................................... 3,278 $1 15 $3,769 70 Freight from St. Joseph to Chicago, at 18} cts. per bbl.; thence to Buffalo, per steamer Oregon, at 30 cts.................... 2,000 48} 975 00 Freight per brig L.C. Blossom, to Buffalo, 131 40 94 31} Freight per contract from St. Joseph to East Albany............................ 3,704 1 10 4,074 40 121 37 81 Freight per propel. California to Buffalo, 31} 96 25 24 00 “ “ St. Joseph 500 25 125 00 “ “ Pocahontas 331 165 50 “ “ St. Joseph 50 1,000 00 1,000 1 00 “ “ “ 669 501 75 “ per steamer H. Hudson 75 410 87} 358 75 “ per propeller Phoenix 62} 346 87 555 “ per steamer A. D. Patchin $16,467 83 E.Alb’y, a 621 $81 87 June 12, Canal freight, 1311 (( per Oregon, a 55 550 00 July 10, “ 1,000 it a 53 53 0 00 10, “ 1,000 os. “ a 58 125 86 Aug. 20, “ 217 it per Pocahontas, 290 00 Oct. 14, “ 500 a 58 (( Nov’r 6, “ 331 per St. Joseph, a 88 291 28 26, “ 1,000 per St. Joseph, “ a l 25 1,250 00 1847. Jan’y & Feb’y, Railroad from Buffalo to East Albany, on lots per H. Hudson, Phoenix, and Patchin, arrived after clo1846. sing of canal, 1,634 bbls., a $1 15 per bbl................. May 20, Freight from Albany to Boston, per schooner Utica, 219 bbls., a 22 cts.................................................................. 48 18 16 42 Wharfage, 2 cts., drayage, 3 cts., marine ins., 2 J cts. p.bbl. 3,119 01 1,879 10 64 60 Railroad freight from E. Albany to Boston, from May to Oct. 31, on 10,552 bbls., a 30 cts. per bbl................ Freight per Railroad from E. Albany to Boston, during Nov. Dec. and Jan., 1,419 bbls., a 35 cts. per bbl...... Freight per do., in February, 1,299 bbls., a 40 cts......... Forwarding charges at St. Joseph, 6} cts. on 13,489 bbls. “ “ at Buffalo, 3 cts., on 5,813 bbls__ Lake and River insurance, per special agreement, for the season, on flour, valued at $3 75 p.bbl., at 2 p.ct Inspection, at 1 cent per bbl............................................. Cooperage and incidental expenses at St. Joseph, Buf falo, and East Albany.................................................... Cooperage, labor, truckage, storage, advertising, postage, fire-insurance, brokerage, interest on charges, See.... Commissions on sales, 2J per cent on $69,657 21........ Total charges. Gross proceeds.............. Charges........................ Nett proceeds......................................................... Boston, March 15, 1847. 3,165 60 496 519 843 174 65 60 06 39 1,011 66 134 89 140 92 1,308 43 1,741 42 $31,067 16 $69,657 21 31,067 16 $38,590 05 e . & o. e. The usual rate of flouring, in the remote West, is to turn out a barrel of superfine flour for every 5J bushels of wheat delivered at the mill. It takes 44 bushels to make a barrel, the extra bushel paying for the barrel and milling. These sales would therefore nett the farmer or purchaser of wheat, 52 cents per bushel. The State of New York charges canal tolls, 31J cents per bbl., on all flour transported over their railroads from Buffalo to Albany. The Western Railroad receives freight, advances charges, and collects in Boston, without any forwarding or other charge than their regular freight. 628 Commercial Statistics. IM PORTATIONS OF CORN IN T O ENGLAND. A return was issued on the 8th of April, 1847, pursuant to an order of the House of Commons, showing the number of ships laden with foreign com, entered inwards at the ports of the United Kingdom, between the 5th day of January, 1846, and the 5th day of January, 1847. The total number of ships laden with foreign corn entered inwards, in the year 1846, at the ports of the United Kingdom, was 4,697. Holland........ United Kingdom................. 179 Russian................................ ............ 20 France.......... 53 ............. 62 34 Danish................................. Austrian....... 73 United States Prussian................................ 434 German States................... The following were the quantities imported in British ships ..qrs. 47,118 W heat......................................qrs. 663,664 Maize and Buckwheat. .cwts. 815,275 Barley............................................. 70,865 Flour.............................. ........ 1,393 Oats™.............................................. 321,266 Oat-meal....................... Beans and Peas.............. 249,599 Indian Corn-meal......... ......... 170 There were imported in foreign ships:— 70 W heat......................................qrs. 726,220 I Rye................................. ..qrs. 73,765 Barley............................................. 287,579 | Maize and Buckwheat. ........ Oats................................................. 452,832 I Flour.............................. cwts. 1,936,783 2,165 Beans and Peas............................ 204,111 | Indian Corn and Meal. ....... COMMERCE OF RUSSIA. The Minister of Commerce of Russia published at St. Petersburgh, on 1st December, the returns of the trade of the empire in 1845, from which we extract the following:— “ The amount of foreign exports, including those of Poland and Finland, was 92,567,345 silver roubles (319,357,340f.) T hat of imports was 83,161,372 silver roubles (285,306,733f.) There was a diminution in a great number of the principal articles of export as compared with the returns of the two preceding years, owing, it was supposed, to the failure of the crops in several of the western provinces of the empire. The extensive exchange trade carried on at Kiachta between Russia and China was more considerable in 1845 than in 1844. The general amount of the commercial transactions on that point had risen to 13.622.000 silver roubles. Tea is the principal article supplied by China. No less than 100.000 bxs. (containing from 45 lbs. to 50 lbs. each) of the best quality were imported in 1846, besides 40,000 bxs. of tea in bricks, which is a sort of paste formed of the coarsest part of the plant, of which the Tartar population of Russia make a sort of soup, with the addition of salt, pepper and milk. The Russian goods imported by land into China con sist mostly of cloths and furs. The articles supplied by Russia to her transcaucasian provinces, are sugar, dye substances, and spirituous liquors. The export of raw hides was very great, particularly to Asia, from which the chief articles of import were wheat, cot ton goods, dye substances, tobacco and fruit. There entered in 1845, into the Russian harbors, 5,926 vessels, 5,940 cleared out. The customs produced 31,958,083 silver rou bles, or 1,186,395 less than in 1844. The result is attributed to the very considerable imports of 1844', which caused a diminution in the orders of the following year. EX PO RTS FROM ODESSA, RUSSIA. EXPORTS OF TALLOW, WOOL, WHEAT, RY E, BARLEY, OATS, INDIAN CORN, AND LINSEED, FROM ODESSA, IN EACH YEAR, FROM 1840 TO 1846. Years. 1 84 0 ..... 1 84 1 ...... 1 84 2 ,.... 1843...... 1 84 4 ,.... 1 84 5 ...... 1 8 4 6 ,.... Tallow . Poods. 391,957 373 ,30 3 582,735 314,444 345,923 189,322 322,631 W ool. Poods. 97,769 130,042 137,573 152,625 288,916 220,056 130,763 W heat. Chetw. 789,007 720,372 863,422 1,170,245 1,263,036 1,777,087 1,955,316 Rye. Chetw. 2,510 Barley. Chetw. 9,262 802 32,328 86,892 64,953 251,526 14 18,071 5,701 281 Oats. Indian corn. Linseed. Chetw. Chetw. Chetw. 39,861 173,577 10,894 8 4 ,1 7 2 66,522 4,019 109,081 13,680 171,254 3 28,7 48 135,943 300 36,147 114,201 629 Journal o f Mining and Manufactures. JOURNAL OF MINING AND MANUFACTURES. T H E GOLD M INES IN OREL AND SIBERIA. FROM OFFICIAL SOURCES IN THE JOURNAL OF ST. PETERSBURGH, OF FEBRUARY 6, 1847. Of the quantity of gold worked in 1846 in the Crown mines, and in the mines of Orel and Siberia, the mint has received to this date 1,397 poods, 15 liv, 13 zoll, to which must be added 325 poods, 14 liv, 74 zoll, expected during the w inter; thereby making the total production of gold in 1846 amount to 1,722 poods, 29 liv, 87 zoll. Formerly, gold was only worked in the district of the mines of Catharineburgh, belong ing to the Crown ; in the mines of Berezoff, and in the district of the mines of Kolyvano, Voskressensk, and of Nertchinsk, and was extracted from silver which was worked in those mines. The whole quantity extracted annually, amounted to but 34 to 40 poods. In 1819, some veins of golden sand were discovered in Orel. Since then, the produc tion of this precious metal has increased in the following proportions:— Poods. liv. zoll. Years. Poods. liv. zoll. Years. 54 257 12 55 1825,................. 1819,..... ......... 9 40 15 00 1826.................. 257 25 3 1820........ 95 85 1827,................. 307 30 1821,....... ......... 52 24 36 1828,................. 39 44 21 317 1822...... — — — 19 79 125 1823,..... ........ 21 38 0 13 Total,... 1824,....... ......... 228 1,711 It was in 1829 that some veins of golden sand were also discovered in Siberia. At first, the working of it was not very productive; but after a while, and more especially during the last six years, the results have been very brilliant, as the following figures will p r o v e :— Years. 1 8 2 9 ............... 1 83 0 ............... 1 83 1 ,.............. 1 8 3 2 ,.............. 1 833............... 1 8 3 4 ,.............. 1 83 5 ,.............. 1836,.............. 1837,.............. 1838............... Poods. 314 396 410 408 406 4 13 4 26 469 524 liv. 31 15 29 8 22 4 1 3 20 36 zoll. 1 79 37 61 71 64 8 74 75 69 Years. 1839.................. 1840,................. 1841,................. 1842,................. 1843,................. 1844................... 1845,................. 1846,................. T o ta l,....... Poods. 525 585 681 950 1,283 1,341 1,386 1,722 12,624 liv. 6 15 20 26 2 25 6 29 zoll. 38 60 34 68 60 60 41 87 — — 28 24 Thus, since the discovery of the golden sand—that is to say, since 1819, the working of the gold, both in Orel and Siberia, has produced 14,335 poods, 28 liv, 45 zoll, of this pre cious metal, of which the Crown mines in Orel have contributed 2,924 poods, 24 liv, 32 zoll; those in Siberia, 1,293 poods, 7 liv, 28 zoll; the private mines in Orel, 4,219 poods, 39 liv, 70 zoll; and those in Siberia 5,897 poods, 37 liv, 11 zoll. The produce of the year 1846, which, as before stated, amounts to 1,722 poods, 29 liv, 87 zoll, forms more than a tenth of the whole quantity of gold worked since 1819, and surpasses, by 336 poods, 23 liv, 46 zoll, the result of the working of this metal in 1845. COAL AND IRON TRA D E OF T H E OHIO VALLEY. In the Merchants’ Magazine for May, we published an article on this subject, prepared by Hon. Charles Whittlesey, of Cleveland, Ohio; we have since received from that gen tleman an additional note to that article, which we here subjoin:— There are now in operation in the Northeastern part of Mahoning Co., Ohio, four fur naces that use raw coal alone. 630 Journal o f Mining and Manufactures. That of Wilken8on Co., at Lowell, is not in blast, having stopped before navigation opened for want of coal. Their stack is 12 feet across the boshes; had 3 tuyeres, now preparing for 6 tuyeres; is hot blast, and reports an average of five (5) tons a day, soft metal, for a blast of four months. Ore yields about 30 per cent, requiring 3 to 3£ tons of coal per ton of iron. Warren Co.'s furnace, Youngstown, 12 feet at the boshes; cold blast, 3 tuyeres; makes soft iron, 4 tons of coal to 1 of iron; ore, 25 per c en t; weight of flux equal to ore ; runs 4 to 5 tons a day. Woods § Co., Youngstown, cold blast; 11 feet 8 inches bosh, 3 feet at the trunnelhead, in blast but a short time, and not yet (May 1st) regulated. Redman $ Co., Mill Creek, (an old charcoal furnace,) 10 feet bosh, 3 feet at trunnelhead, and small for 10 feet down; runs 3 to 3£ tons per day ; ore, 45 per cent; 4 tons coal per ton of iron, including the fuel for engine ; cold blast; metal soft; 2 tuyeres. There is a rolling-mill and nail machines at Youngstown, which works the pig of these furnaces. C H E M ISTR Y A PPLIED TO A RTS AND MANUFACTURES. METHOD OF DETECTING COTTON IN LINEN. The following paper on the Detection of Cotton in Linen, translated from Liebig’s A n nalen, of February, 1847, was communicated for that publication by G. C. Kindt, a distin guished German chemist, and will doubtless prove useful and interesting to the readers of the Merchants’ Magazine :— This subject has frequently engaged the attention of commercial and scientific men ; many experiments have been made in order to detect cotton thread in linen ; many pro cesses have been recommended, but none have hitherto proved satisfactory. I was there fore much surprised when a stranger, a few weeks ago, showed me a sample of linen from the one-half of which all the cotton filaments had been eaten away. He had obtained it in Hamburgh, and asked me whether I could give him a process for effecting this purpose. Now since, as far as I am aware, nothing has been published on this subject, and it is of very general interest, I consider it a duty to communicate the results of my experiments. I had already observed, in experimenting with explosive cotton, flax, &c., that these two substances behave somewhat differently towards concentrated acids; and although it has long been known that strong sulphuric acid converts all vegetable fibre into gum, and when the action is continued for a longer period, into sugar, I found that cotton was metamor phosed much more rapidly by the sulphuric acid than flax. It is, therefore, by means of concentrated sulphuric acid that cotton may be removed from linen when mixed with i t ; and this object may be obtained by the following process :— The sample to be examined must be freed as perfectly as possible from all dressing by repeated washing with hot rain or river-water, boiling for some length of time, and sub sequent rinsing in the same w ater; and I may expressly observe, that its entire removal is requisite for the experiment to succeed. When it has been well dried, the sample is dipped for about half its length into common oil of vitriol, and kept there for about half a minute to two minutes, according to the strength of the tissue. The immersed portion is seen to become transparent. It is now placed in water, which dissolves out the gummy mass pro duced from the cotton; this solution may be expedited by a gentle rubbing of the fingers; but since it is not easy to remove the whole of the acid by repeated washing in fresh water, it is advisable to immerse the sample for a few instants in spirits of hartshorn, (purified potash or soda have just the same effect,) and then to wash it again with water. After it has been freed from the greater portion of the moisture by gentle pressure between blottingpaper, it is dried. If it contained cotton, the cotton threads are found to be wanting in that portion which had been immersed in the acid ; and by counting the threads of the two portions of the sample, its quantity may be very readily estimated. If the sample has been allowed to remain too long in sulphuric acid, the linen threads likewise become brittle, or even eaten aw ay; if it were not left a sufficient time in it, only a portion of the cotton threads have been removed; to make this sample useful, it must be washed, dried, and the immersion in the acid repeated. When the tissue under examina tion consists of pure linen, the portion immersed in the acid likewise becomes transparent, but more slowly and in a uniform m anner; whereas, in the mixed textures, the cotton threads are already perfectly transparent, while the linen threads still continue white and opaque. The sulphuric acid acts upon the flax threads of pure linen, and the sample is Journal o f Mining and Manufactures. 631 •even somewhat transparent after drying as far as the acid acted upon it, but all the threads in the sample can be seen in their whole course. Cotton stuffs containing no linen dissolve quickly and entirely in the acid:; or if left but one instant in it, become so brittle and gummy that no one will fail to recognize it as cot ton when treated in the above manner. INFLUENCE OF M A NUFACTURES ON POPULATION. An interesting statistical work has just appeared from the Boston press. It is by Dr. Jesse Chickering, and is designed “ to exhibit the increase of the population of Massachu setts, and the changes which have taken place in the number and proportion of the in habitants in the several parts of the commonwealth, during the period of 75 years, from 1765 to 1840.” From a notice of the work, in the Boston Journal, we make the follow ing extract:— “ The population of the State, in 1796, was 378,787; in 1800, it was 422,845 ; an in crease of 11,631,33 per cent; in 1810, the population was 472,040, an increase of 11,684,28 p ercen t; in 1820, it was 523,287, an increase of 10,856,49 percent; in 1830, it was 610,408, an increase of 16,648,79 per cen t; in 1840, it was 737,700, an increase of 20,853,59 per cent. The increase of population during the first two periods of ten years each, was about equal; and the increase during the third was much less than during the two first. During the first periods, above mentioned, the increase may be attributed to the natural growth of a comparatively recently settled State. From 1810 to 1820, the best lands have been settled and improved by agriculturists; the increase!was much slower proportionably, and there was much emigration to other and wider fields of enterprise. “ About the commencement of the year 1820, the manufacturing interest began to open new branches of industry for the surplus population, and the increase of manufactures from 1820 to 1840, greatly checked the emigration to other States. T hat the great in crease in population is owing to the increase of manufactures, is abundantly shown by the table exhibiting the increase of population in each of the several towns. Those towns which are exclusively agricultural, have remained almost stationary, while the large in crease in the population of the State has been mainly in the manufacturing towns.” EXHIBITION OF CHINESE M A NUFACTURES IN FRANCE. W e copy from the " Overland Mail ” the following interesting account of the French commercial embassy to China:— F rench I ndustry.— Chinese E xhibition.—It will not be denied that, however restric tive and retrograde the commercial system of France, the government bestows the great est care and anxiety in availing itself of every occasion practically to improve and develop national industry. Thus, when an embassy to China was resolved upon, some two years ago, the chambers of commerce throughout France were invited to select persons compe tently versed in the special branches of industry of each locality, to accompany the mis sion, carrying with them specimens of every description of fabric or elaborated commodity produced in the districts they were to represent, so as, by trying the tastes of the Chinese markets, and those also of the coast and islands of the Indian Ocean, and placing their wares in competition with other similar foreign products offered in those parts, it might be ascertained what were the peculiar descriptions of French products for which an outlet could be most advantageously found. The instructions of the government also embraced the propriety of an investigation into the indigenous materials, natural or manufactured, of China and the other countries visited, which might be suitable for home consumption, and constitute a desirable basis for the creation or enlargement of interchanges. This diplomatic commercial expedition is now on its return from its lengthened voyage of in dustrial discovery. M. Itter, one of the commercial delegates, has, indeed, anticipated the arrival of his colleagues, bringing with him a vast variety of objects, classified and collected with the greatest diligence and discrimination; and the Minister of Commerce has opened a spacious room in his hotel, for the public exhibition of these productions of Chinese ingenuity and industry. It would be well that such an opportunity should not be lost by the manufacturers of this country, so many of whom are, indeed, in the habit pe riodically of visiting France and other parts of the continent, to consult tastes and changes, to watch improvements, and compare notes of progress. In the relation given in the Paris 632 Journal o f Mining and Manufactures. papers of this exhibition, it is noticed that there are yarns and fabrics of silk ; cotton of flax, above all, of a quality to render desperate our manufacture of fine goods. There is the lo-ma tsing ma, whose fineness and whiteness would defy our beautiful cambrics; by the side of the fabric there is the yam of which it is made, with the raw material which gives the thread ; for M. Itter has had the happy idea of bringing us the precious seed, which may be easily cultivated in our Provence, or in our Algeria, and thus endow us with a new source of wealth. Then there are specimens of Chinese pottery, porcelain, paper, parasols, razors, fishing-tackle, illuminated window-blinds, caps and h ats; coppers, enamelled, imitating porcelain; elegant bricks, hollowed and sculptured outside, which, it is observed, would make “ charming balustrades religious paintings, of a remarkable finish and velvet softness; lanterns, in sculptured wood, of exquisite design and ornament \ sleeping couch, in bamboo, of excellent workmanship and highly ornamented, the cheap price of which, (30 to 35 francs,) is said to be “ truly inexplicable.” It is evidently a col lection worthy the notice of our manufacturers. M ANUFACTURE OF BRISTLES A T CINCIN NATI. The Cincinnati Signal furnishes the following particulars of bristle-dressing in that city ; a branch of business by no means insignificant:— “ The business of bristle-dressing is carried on in Cincinnati at three different establish ments—Rutherford’s, Whitaker’s and Zuter’s—and gives (says Mr. Cist,) occupation to more than one hundred hands, whose labors it engages during a part of the year, affording higher wages, or rather netting to the laborer more profits, than almost any other journey man employment in Cincinnati. The bristles are sent to our eastern cities, where they are assorted for various uses. The market value there, of our season’s supply, is thirty-five thousand dollars. “ This appears a small business, but it becomes of interest for several reasons. It is, in the first place, a fair specimen of a variety of petty operations here, whose aggregate of value in export is more than a million of dollars, but whose importance is further enhanced by the fact, that nearly the entire value is conferred on it by labor. In this particular em ployment, as in the manufacture of hoofs, refuse bones, &c., of hogs, an advantage is af forded to this city which has built it up into the great hog-market of the West. The man ufacture for foreign consumption of bristles and prussiate of potash, and other articles made of hog-offal, enables the pork-packer to give 7 to 10 per cent more for hogs here, than is given elsewhere at points where the purchaser is not prepared to save or use up these ma terials. “ The business has more than doubled since 1840 ; the number of hands then employed being 12, and the product of their labor being $16,000.” ABO LITION OF T H E D U TY ON IRON FOR SHIP-BUILDING IN FRANCE. It is stated that the French government have resolved on recommending an abolition o f the duties on the importation of iron and other articles destined for ships built for mercan tile purposes. In the New Customs Bill, presented to the Chamber by the Minister of Fi nance, there is a clause which provides that iron, in bars, copper, zinc, flax, and hemp, destined for the fabrication of objects serving in the construction or fitting out of French vessels of commerce, shall be admitted free of duty, on the condition that the employment o f the said objects to the specified purposes shall be proved within one year. The same privilege to be accorded to sheet iron and works in iron destined for the construction o f iron vessels. Any infraction of such conditions to be punished by a fine, equal to four times the amount of the existing duty on such articles. This law does not touch either iron, steel, coal, or tools of any kind ; neither does it afford relief to railways, or the many other branches of industry now suffering under the monopoly of the iron and coal-masters o f France ; but it is, nevertheless, a measure of vast importance. M ANUFACTURE OF PA PE R IN T H E U N ITED STA TES. From statistical documents presented before Congress, it appears that the capital em ployed in the manufacture of paper in the United States, is $18,000,000. The number of mills, 700; the annual product, $17,000,000 ; and the number of operatives employed, 100, 000. Nautical Intelligence. NAUTICAL 633 INTELLIGENCE. LOCH RY A N LIGHT-HOUSE, SCOTLAND. T he following official notice has been published, by order of the Board of Commission ers of the Northern light-houses. It is dated Edinburgh, February 1st, 1847, and signed by Alexander Cunningham, Secretary of the Board, and is now transferred to the pages of the Merchants’ Magazine, for the information of navigators:— The Commissioners of the Northern light-houses hereby give notice, that the beacon, erected in the year 1843, upon Cairn Ryan Point, within Loch Ryan, in the county of Wigtown, has been converted into a light-house, the light of which will be exhibited on the night of the 3d of March, 1847, and every night thereafter, from sunset to sunrise. The light is chiefly intended to open up the anchorage of Loch Ryan. The following is a specification of the light-house, and the appearance of the light, by Mr. Alan Stevenson, engineer to the Commissioners:— Loch Ryan light-house is situated upon Cairn Ryan Point, on the Eastern shore of the loch, in N. lat. 54° 58' 28", and W. Ion. 5° 1' 47". The light will be known to mari ners as a fixed light of the natural appearance. The lantern, which is open from S. by W. | W ., round to N. | E., in a Westerly direction, is elevated thirty feet above the level of the sea ; and the light will be seen at die distance of ten miles, and at lesser distances, according to the state of the atmosphere. And the Commissioners hereby further give notice, that, by virtue of a warrant from the Queen in council, dated 19th December, 1846, the following tolls will be levied in re spect of this light, viz:— For every British vessel, the same not belonging to her majesty, or being navigated wholly in ballast, and for every foreign vessel privileged to enter the ports of the United Kingdom, on paying the same duties as British vessels, which shall pass, or derive benefit from the said light; that is, which shall arrive at, or depart from, any place or port within Loch R y an :— If the same shall not exceed fifty tons burden, 6d. And if the same exceed fifty tons, for each additional fifty tons, or part of fifty tons, a like toll of 6d. And double the said respective tolls, for every foreign vessel sailing as aforesaid, not privileged as aforesaid. N O TICE OF A ROCK OFF CAPE TEN EZ. This pointed and isolated rock is situated on the western extremity of Cape Tenez, a cable’s length distant (120 fathoms.) On the rock itself there is one fathom and a half of water, and it is eight fathoms outside, as well as towards the land. The first charts of Gautier indicated a rock, marked by a cross, in this direction, without designating the soundings, but neither the last edition of the same charts, nor the more recent of Berau, make any mention of it. The instructions on the lateral navigation on the coast of Al geria, published by Captain Berau, do not mention this rock either, which he would evi dently have marked if his soundings had indicated it. In all cases there is no danger to be feared for vessels that pass it more than a mile from Cape Tenez at any time. TUSCA NY E X E M PT S CORN-LADEN VESSELS FROM DUES. The following communication from the Tuscan Consul, has been addressed to W. Dob son, Esq., Secretary to Lloyd’s :— “ In sequel of my communication to you of the 8th January last, I have now the honor to acquaint you that I have just received from his excellency, the Governor of Leghorn, copies of two notifications issued on the 23d of last month, by the Tuscan government, exempting all vessels of whatever nation, laden with grain, pulse, or flour, and arriving in Leghorn, or any other Tuscan port, between the 1st of March and the 30th of June next, from the payment of any other than the anchorage dues, to be levied on and after the 1st March, by virtue of the former notification of the 27th October last. 634 Nautical Intelligence. SANDS OFF YARM OUTH AND LO W ESTO FT. It has been found necessary, in consequence of the shifting of the Sands, to alter the positions of the undermentioned Buoys in the vicinity of Lowestoft and Yarmouth Roads. Notice is hereby given that the same have been altered accordingly, and that the Buoys adverted to now lie with the marks and compass bearings hereunder specified, viz:— The West Inner Shoal Buoy (Lowestoft) has been moved to the Eastward, and now lies in 14 feet low water spring tides, with Lowestoft Chureh Spire just open of the East end of the New Chapel, N. N. W. £ W .; Pakefield Church, just open South of the town, S. W. by W. | W .; Stanford Light-Vessel, E. by S. The Cockle Spit Buoy has been moved to the Westward, and now lies in 9 fathoms water, with Winterton Light-house one-third the distance between Winterton Church and a white house on the cliff, N. W. $ N .; the Turret of Yarmouth Chapel and the Factory Chimney in line S. W . by S .; Cockle Light-Vessel, E. by S. £ S .; Northeast Buoy, N .; Southwest Buoy, S. S. W . h W . The Scroby Elbow Buoy has been moved a cable’s length to the Westward, and now lies in 11 fathoms water, with the Chimney of Lacon’s Brewery, midway over the South W ing of the Silk Factory, W . by N. £ N .; Caistor Church, over the North end of a white house with a slated roof, N. by W . £ W .; Southwest Scroby Buoy, S. £ W .; W est Scroby Buoy, N. N. E. £ E. The West Scroby Buoy has been moved 1£ cable’s length Eastward, and now lies in 10 fathoms water, with the Chancel end of Caistor Church touching the West end of a red-tiled boat-house on Caistor Beach, N. W . £ N .; Nelson’s Monument, its apparent length open Eastward of Gorlestone Church, S. W. £ W .; Elbow Buoy S. S. W .^ W .; Middle Buoy,N. N. E. £ E. BEACONS ON T H E W E S T E R N COAST OF SLESW ICK. The following information has been received at the Department of State, at Washing ton, from the legation of the United States, at Copenhagen, and is published in the Mer chants’ Magazine for the benefit of m ariners:— In consequence of the announcement of the Royal Chamber of Customs and Commerce, dated £$th February, 1846, it is hereby made known that, in disposing and locating the sea-marks, in the approaching Spring, in the inland waters on the Western Coast of Sleswick, the floating white beacons to the larboard of vessels bound inward, the upper part of which has hitherto been shaped in form of a cross, will now, in place thereof, be provided with wicker baskets painted white. Royal Chambers of Customs and Commerce for the Western Coast of the Duchies of Sleswick and Holstein. D onner. Glouckstadt, February 1, 1847. L IG H T ON CAPE FREHEL. Notice is hereby given that from the 1st of May, 1847, the revolving light on Cape Frehel, in lat. 48°' 417 5" N orth; Ion. 2° 19' 2" W est of Greenwich, is replaced by a new light, at a distance of 38 yards South, 60° East, (true,) from the Old Tower. The flashes of the new light succeed each other at intervals of 30 seconds, instead of 2£ min utes, but in ordinary weather the light does not disappear totally, within the distance of ten miles. The lantern is elevated 259 feet above the sea, at high-water, and is seen, in clear weather, 22 miles. COAST OF BRAZIL—FIX ED L IG H T OFF CEARA. Notice has been received by her majesty’s government, that on the 1st of February, 1847, a fixed light was to be established at Ceara, on the Northern coast of Brazil. The light-house stands on Mucuripe Point, on the Eastern side of the Bay of Ceara, in lat. 3° 41# 10" S., and Ion. 38° 35' 9" W. of Greenwich,* and being thirty-seven feet above the level of the sea, may be seen at the distance of ten miles. * In Baron Roussin’s “ Survey of the Coast of Brazil,” and in the English charts, this Point is placed in 3° 41' 50" S., and 38° 30' 15" W . Mercantile Miscellanies. MERCANTILE 635 MISCELLANIES, A N UN FORTUN ATE SUBSCRIBER TO OUR MAGAZINE. in the letter which we publish below, we received a draft on a house in New York for $25, for five years’ subscription to the Merchants’ Magazine. W e are not sur prised that our friend has come to the determination to discontinue the work, after such a series of misfortunes. Four times, it will be seen, the writer forwarded funds for the liquidation of our demand ; and four times, either from the neglect, failure, or the death of the parties entrusted with the matter, the funds were misapplied. Had the writer adopted the course of remitting a draft, as in this instance, all would have been right. W e hope the experience of the writer will be of service to others, and induce them to adopt the only sure course—that of remitting their subscriptions direct. E n c l o se d 44F r e e m a n H u n t , Esq. “ St. Louis, May 6, 1847. “ Herewith I hand you enclosed t check’ No. 20,340, L. A. Benoist & Co., on Messrs. Coming & Co., for twenty-five ($25) dollars, payable at sight. Please apply the amount in payment of my subscription to ‘ Hunt’s Merchants’ Magazine,’ from July 1st, 1842, to July 1st, 1847, and forward your receipt, and discontinue it at the expiration of the current volume, ending with the number for June next. “ I do not discontinue my subscription from any dissatisfaction with the work—the num bers are always welcome and interesting visiters; but I have been peculiarly unfortunate in the matter of my payments. Twice I sent to friends in New York $ 5 each—they omitted to attend to the matter, and afterwards fa ile d ; and thus that went. Subsequently I sent $10 by a friend, requesting him to call on the others to whom I had sent, and get their receipts from you, or the money back, and to pay you up in full. This gentleman was taken sick, and died on the way, and that was lost. “ Late in March, I sent drafts to New York to make sundry payments—among them, the amount due you. Owing to the non-payment of one of the drafts, as I learn by letter to-day, your account was not paid. I now take a sure course, by sending direct to you.” D IF FE R E N T IA L DUTIES. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF M. FREDERIC BASTIAT, MEMBER OF THE INSTITUTE OF FRANCE. A poor husbandman of the Gironde had raised a vine with great care. After much anxiety and labor he produced a cask of wine, and in the satisfaction which he felt, no longer remembered that he had earned it by the sweat of his brow. “ I will sell it,” he said to his wife, “ and with the proceeds will buy the yam with which you can make our daughter’s trousseau.” The good countryman went to the town, where he met a Belgian and an Englishman. The Belgian said to him, “ Give me your cask of wine, and in exchange I will give you fifteen packets of yarn.” The Englishman said, “ Give me your wine, and I will give you twenty packets of yam, for we English spin cheaper than the Belgians.” But a custom-house officer who was present, objected. “ My fine fellow,” said he, “ exchange with the Belgian, if you please; but it is my business to prevent your exchanging with the Englishman.” “ W hat,” said the countryman, “ you expect me to be satisfied with fifteen packets of thread from Brussels, when I can have twenty from Manchester?” “ Certainly; do you not see that France would lose, if you received twenty packets instead of fifteen?” “ It is hard for me to understand,” said the wine-grower—“ And for me to explain,” replied the custom-house officer, “ but the thing is certain, for all the deputies, ministers, and journalists, are agreed on this point—that the more a people receives irr exchange for a certain quantity of its produce, the more is it im poverished.” He was forced to exchange with the Belgian. The husbandman’s daughter had only three-quarters of her trousseau, and the good people cannot yet understand how ruin could ensue from receiving four instead of three, and how they can be richer with three dozen napkins than with four dozen. Mercantile Miscellanies. 636 T H E POSITION OF T H E AM ERICAN M ERCHANT. Our readers, like Oliver Twist, are asking for m ore; and therefore Mr. Parker will pardon us for taking from his excellent “ Sermon of Merchants”* another sample of its quality. The passage which we now present portrays, in a vein which characterises all the pulpit efforts of the author, the Position and Power of the Mercantile Class of Ame rica. Mr. Parker is an independent Congregationalist, who stands aloof from all sects— or rather, all sects stand aloof from him. He says some things which are not considered orthodox or evangelical by the theologians; nevertheless, his ethics find favor with many whose lives are less heretical than their creed. W e dare say, however, that there are some who will find fault with the views set forth in the annexed excerpta. “ In America the P osition of this (the mercantile) class is the most powerful and com manding in Society. They own most of the property of the nation. The wealthy men are of this class; in practical skill, administrative talent, they surpass all others. Now, Wealth is power, and Knowledge power—both to a degree unknown before. Knowledge and Wealth are more powerful with us than any other people, for there is no privileged caste—Priest, King or Noble—to balance against them. The Strong Hand has given way to the able and accomplished Head. Once head-armor was worn on the outside, and of brass; now it is internal, and of brains. “ To this class belongs the power both of Knowledge and of Wealth, and all the advan tages which they bring. It was never so before in the whole history of Man. It is more so in the United States than in any other place. I knoW the high position of the Mer chants in Venice, Pisa, Florence, Nuremberg, and Basel, in the middle ages, and since. Those cities were gardens in a wilderness, but a fringe of Soldiers hung round their walls. The Trader was dependent on the Fighter, and though their Merchants became Princes, they were yet indebted to the Sword, and not entirely to their calling, for defence. Their Palaces were half castles, and their ships full of armed men. Besides, those were little States. Here, the Merchant’s power is wholly in his Gold and Skill. Rome is the city of Priests ; Vienna for Nobles ; Berlin for Scholars; the American cities for Merchants. In Italy the roads are poor, the banking-houses humble; the cots of the laborer poor and bare, but churches and palaces are beautiful and rich. God is painted as a Pope. Gene rally, in Europe, the clergy, the soldiers, and the nobles, are the controlling class. The finest works of art belong to them, represent them, and have come from the corporation of Priests, or the corporation of Fighters. Here, a new era is getting symbolized in our works of art. They are Banks, Exchanges, Custom-Houses, Factories, Railroads. These come of the Corporation of Merchants. Trade is the great thing. Nobody tries to secure the favor of the Army or Navy—but Of the Merchants. “ Once, there was a permanent class of F ighters. Their influence was supreme. They had the power of strong arms, of disciplined valor, and carried all before them. They made the law and broke it. Men complained, grumbling in their beard, but got no redress. They it was that possessed the wealth of the land. The Producer, the Man ufacturer, the Distributor, could not get rich ; only the Soldier, the armed Thief, the Rob ber. W ith wealth, they got its power ; by practice gained knowledge, and so the power thereof; or, when that failed, bought it of the clergy, the only class possessing literary and scientific skill. They made their calling “ noble,” and founded the A ristocracy of S oldiers. Young men of talent took to arms. Trade was despised and Labor was me nial. Their science is at this day the science of Kings. When Graziers travel they look at cattle ; Weavers at Factories; Philanthropists at Hospitals; Dandies at their equals, and Kings at Armies. Those fighters made the world think that soldiers were our first men, and murder of their brothers the noblest craft in the world ; the only honorable and manly calling. The butcher of swine and oxen was counted vulgar—the butcher of men and women great and honorable. Foolish men of the Past think so now ; hence their terror at orations against war ; hence their admiration for a red coat; their zeal for some Sym bol of Blood in their family arm s; hence their ambition for military titles when abroad. Most foolish men are more proud of their ambiguous Norman ancestor who fought at the battle of Hastings—or fought not—than of all the honest mechanics and farmers who have since ripened on the family tree. The day of the soldiers is well nigh over. The calling brings low wages and no honor. It opens with us no field for ambition. A passage of arms is a passage that leads to nothing. T hat class did their duty at that time. They * This sermon covers forty-seven pages, and was published by Messrs. Jordan & Wiley, of Boston. Mercantile Miscellanies, 637 founded the Aristocracy of Soldiers—their symbol the S word. Mankind would not stop there. Then came a milder age and established the Aristocracy of Birth—its symbol the C radle, for the only merit of that sort of nobility, and so its only distinction, is to have been born. But Mankind who stopped not at the Sword delays but little longer at the Cradle ; leaping forward, it founds a third order of nobility—the Aristocracy of Gold, its Symbol the P u r s e . W e have got no further on. Shall we stop there? There comes a To-morrow after every To-day, and no child of Time is just like the last. The Aristocracy of Gold has faults enough, this feudalism of the nineteenth century, no doubt. But it is the best thing of its kind we have had y e t; the wisest, the most human. W e are going forward, and not back. God only knows when we shall stop, and where. Surely not now, nor here. “ Now the Merchants in America occupy the place which was once held by the Fighters, and next by the Nobles. In our country we have balanced into harmony the centripetal pow er of the Government, and the centrifugal power of the People: so have national Unity of Action, and individual Variety of Action—personal freedom. Therefore a vast amount of talent is active here which lies latent in other countries because that harmony is not estab lished th 're. Here the Army and Navy offer few inducements to able and aspiring young men. They are fled to as the last resort of the desperate, or else sought for their tradition al glory, not their present value. In Europe, the Army, the Navy, the Parliament or the Court, the Church and the Learned Professions, offer brilliant prizes to ambitious men. Thither flock the able and the daring. Here such men go into trade. It is better for a man to have set up a mill than to have won a battle. I deny not the exceptions. I speak only of the general rule. Commerce and manufactures offer the most brilliant rewards— wealth, and all it brings. Accordingly the ablest men go into the class of Merchants. The strongest men in Boston, taken as a body, are not Lawyers, Doctors, Clergymen, Bookwrights, but Merchants. I deny not the presence of distinguished ability in each of those professions; I am now again only speaking of the general rule. I deny not the presence of very weak men—exceedingly weak in this class. “ The Merchants then are the prominent class; the most respectable, the most powerful. They know their Power, but are not yet fully aware of their formidable and noble Posi tion at the Head of the Nation. Hence they are often ashamed of their calling ; while their calling is the source of their Wealth, their Knowledge, and their Power, and should be their boast and their glory. You see signs of this ignorance and this shame: there must not be shops under your Athenaeum, it would not be in good taste ; you may store tobacco, cider, rum, under the churches, out of sight, you must have no shop there ; it would be vulgar. It is not thought needful, perhaps not proper, for the Merchant’s wife and daughter to understand business—it would not be becoming. Many are ashamed of their calling, and becoming rich, paint on the doors of their coach, and engrave on their seal, some Lion, Griffin, or Unicom with partisans and maces to suit,—arms they have no right to, perhaps have stolen out of some book of Heraldry. No man paints thereon a Box of Sugar, or Figs, or Candles, an Axe, a Lap-stone, or a Shoe-Hammer. Yet these would be noble, and Christian withal. The Fighters gloried in their horrid craft, and so made it pass-for noble ; but with us a great many men would be thought ‘ the tenth trans mitter of a foolish face,’ rather than honest artists of their own fortune ; prouder of being bom than of having lived never so manfully. “ In virtue of its Strength and Position, this class is the controlling one in Politics. It mainly enacts the laws of this State and the N ation; makes them serve its turn. Acting consciously or without consciousness, it buys up Legislators when they are in the m arket; breeds them when the market is bare. It pays them money and honors; pays them for doing its work, not another’s. It is fairly and faithfully represented by them. They are made in its image; represent its wisdom, foresight, patriotism, and conscience. Your Congress is its mirror.” OFFICIAL SMUGGLER. Alexander Dumas, in his “ Impressions de Voyage, ” gives the following account of Beautte’s system of smuggling, who stands at the head of the fashionable jewellers in Geneva:— “ It is difficult to imagine a collection more rich in those thousand wonders which tempt a female heart; it is enough to drive a Parisian lady mad, or to make Cleopatra palpitate with longing in her grave. This jewellery is liable to a duty on entering France ; but for a premium of 5 per cent, M. Beautte undertakes to smuggle it. The bargain between the buyer and seller is publicly made upon this condition, as if there were no custom-house 638 Mercantile Miscellanies. officers in the world. It is true that M. Beautte possesses wonderful address in setting them at fault; one anecdote out of a thousand will show the truth of the compliment which we pay him. When the Count de Saint Cricq was director-general of the customs, he heard this skill, by which the vigilance of his officers was deceived, so frequently mention ed, that he resolved to assure himself whether all was true that was said of it. He conse quently went to Geneva, presented himself at M. Beautte’s shop, and purchased 30,000f. worth of jewellery, on condition that it should be delivered without paying the import duty at liis residence in Paris. M. Beautte agreed to the condition like a man accustomed to bargains of the kind, and merely presented to the purchaser a sort of promissory note by which he undertook to pay the usual 5 per cent, besides the 30,000f. purchase money. The latter smiled; took up a pen, signed ‘ De Saint Cricq, director-general of the French customs,” and handed back the paper to Beautte, who looked at the signature, and con tented himself with answering, with a bend of the head, ‘ M. le directeur, the article which you have done me the honor of buying, w?ill arrive at Paris as soon as yourself.’ M. de Saint Gricq, whose interest was excited, scarcely gave himself time to dine, sent to the post for horses, and set out in an hour after the bargain had been concluded. M. de Saint Cricq made himself known to the officers who came to examine his carriage, told the prin cipal one what had happened him, enjoined the most active surveillance on the whole line, and promised a reward of fifty louis to the officer who should succeed in seizing the pro hibited jewellery. Not a custom-house officer slept during three days. During this time, M. de Saint Cricq arrived at Paris, alighted at his residence, kissed his wife and children, and went to his room to take off his travelling dress. The first thing he perceived on the chimney-piece was an elegant box, with the shape of which he was unacquainted. He approached it, and read on the silver plate which ornamented it, ‘ The Count de Saint Cricq, director-general of the customs.’ He opened it, and found the jewellery which he had purchased at Geneva. Beautte had made an arrangement with one of the waiters at the inn, who, while assisting M. de Saint Cricq’s servants to pack their master’s luggage, had slipped the prohibited box among it. On his arriving at Paris, his valet, noticing the elegance of the case, and the inscription engraved upon it, had hastened to place it upon his master’s chimney-piece. Thus the director-general of the customs wras the first smug gler in the kingdom.” COMMERCE IN EGGS. W e copy from Skinner’s Monthly Journal of Agriculture, a periodical conducted with singular ability, and of great value to the intelligent farmer, the following statement in regard to the egg trade of France:— In the whole cycle of commercial statistics, we have not lately met with anything more remarkable than the account we find in the “ Journal d’Agriculture Pratique et de Jardinage,” on the E g g Trade of France. The editor says that it appears by official returns that in 1815, the number of eggs exported was not more than to the amount of 1,700,000 francs. In 1816, 8,800,000 francs; in 1822, 55,000,000 ; in 1824, to 99,500,000! The trade was then arrested, and experienced a retrograde movement. The exportation fell to 55,000,000 in 1830, but in 1834, it rose again to 76,800,000, and in 1844, it mounted up to 88,200,000. This mass of eggs weighed, at the rate of sixteen to a kilogramme, 5,213,000 kilogrammes; upon which the treasury realized 114,000 francs (about $25,000) export duty on eggs! England takes almost the whole of the eggs exported from France. Of the 88,000,000 above-mentioned, 82,500,000 have crossed the Channel. According to the official estimates, the consumption of eggs in Paris is 138 for each individual, which is very nearly 120,000,000 a year. W e may double this estimate for the rest of France, without exaggeration ; for, in the country, eggs and milk are aliments to be found on every table. We eat, instead of eggs and milk, vast quantities of solid f a t meat— Americans having, as was expressively said by the Abb6 Cornea, “ bacon-stomachs / ” The consumption, then, of eggs, in all France, may be safely put down at 9,300,000,000. If we add to this total that of the eggs exported, and one-hundredth in addition of these two numbers, for the eggs reserved for reproduction, we will find that France has produced nine billions and a half; and valuing each egg at the rate of a tenth of a cent, we have the enormous sum of 465,000,000 of francs, or nearly $100,000,000. Though this esti mate may overrun the production in some of the Departments, it is nevertheless certain that the value which represents the annual production of eggs, is to be counted by millions o f francs, and to most people must be a matter of surprise. Mercantile Miscellanies. 639 T H E LONDON DOCKS. In a work of Mr. J. J. Smith, of Philadelphia, published during the last year, entitled “ A Summer’s Jaunt Across the W ater,” we have some interesting commercial informa tion respecting the London Docks. He remarks: “ A visit to the London Docks is a fa tiguing operation. A kind friend who knows the ways of the place accompanied us, hav ing provided himself with that important document, an order to taste the wines. The dock we visited is not the largest, but probably contains as much in value as any other. There are 1,600 pipes of wine in the Crescent vaults alone, and 5,000 above. In the port of London, there are now in dock 100,000 casks of various sorts. A vat for mixing wines, in the Crescent, will contain 10,200 gallons; here, old and new are mingled. In matters of temperance, the British nation is far behind us. W e saw a number of the professional tasters hanging about; one, at least, I can vouch for it, has a peculiar discoloration of the nose. W ith lighted links, we traversed this underground world, and then emerged to the enormous warehouses above ; the construction of the whole is a triumph of ingenuity and strength. In the warehouses, great masses of ivory tusks are encountered; wax, tea, cork; sugars, in quantity beyond your previously conceived ideas—the very drippings from the hogsheads would be a snug fortune. This black liquid is carefully swabbed up from under foot and purified. It is calculated that £50,000,000 sterling worth of goods are now in dock, occupying no less than 160 acres; 1,200 houses were pulled down to construct the London Docks alone; there are three others, still larger. W e inspected rooms, full of silk in a raw state, having in them 3,150 bales, brought from Turkey, China, Persia, and Italy, and assorted into colors ready for the English manufacturer. One single room contained 1,500 large bales. The rooms containing Tuscan straws ready for plaiting were very at 'ractively neat. W e saw half an acre of cinnamon!” REDUCTION OF D U TY ON FREN CH W INES. A letter has been addressed, by the Free Trade Association of Bordeaux, to Lord John Russell, urging the British government to reduce the duties on French wines to £10 per tun, or about Is. per gallon. The advantages likely to be the result of the reduction now proposed, are thus set forth by the Bordeaux merchants:—1. To place an article, healthful, when used moderately, within the reach of all classes in England. 2. To check the ex cessive use of spirituous liquors, it being well known (as it has been observed, especially in France) that drunkenness is less general in those places where wine, being abundant and cheap, becomes an object of usual consumption. 3. To obtain a new means of selling abroad British produce and manufactures, which might be exchanged for our wines, either directly with France, or, indirectly, through the medium of other countries. 4. To give a freight to the English vessels that come to our ports loaded with coals, but have almost nothing to take back with them, and are thus prevented from coming in much greater numbers. B R IT ISH HOP TRADE. The number of acres of land in Great Britain tinder the cultivation of hops, in the year 1846, amounted to 51,948. The duty on hops, of the year 1846, amounted to £443,657. The quantity of British hops exported from Great Britain to various foreign countries, in 1846, was 448,497 lbs. The quantity of foreign hops exported was 577 cwt., and the quan tity imported 3,283 cwt., almost exclusively from the United States of America. The total number of pounds weight of hops charged with the duty in the several collections of the United Kingdom, in 1846, amounted to 50,704,025. A NAIVE TRADE CONFESSION. A highly respectable retail dealer, in one of the principal thoroughfares of London, jus tifying himself from the charge of ruinous dealings, said, very naively, “ This is the fourth time, within two years, that I have sold off my stock at considerable loss, with consider able profit!” 640 The Book Trade, THE 1. BOOK T R A D E . — E lem en ta ry A stro n o m y, A ccom panied by S ixteen Colored A stro n o m ic a l M a p s , each T h re e b y Three and a H a lf F e e t; f o r the Use o f Common Schools , A ca d em ies , H ig h e r S em in a ries , and the P r iv a te L e a rn e r. B y H. M a ttiso n . New York : Huntington Savage. It is in the highest degree gratifying to an American citizen, that our progress in science and the arts is beginning to correspond, in some measure, with the rapid development of the resources and wealth of the nation. Utility and accumulation have become the motto of almost every enterprise. Yet, however strongly this spirit may predominate, firing the mind in the one idea, with an enthusiasm which all but disregards effects or causes, it is not the less true, that our signal advancement in education, in our common and higher institutions, is both the strong lever and the granite fulcrum, by which Norman and Saxon en terprise is producing and adding to our yearly exports to every quarter of the globe. A better education is pregnant with new discoveries in science and new inventions in the mechanic arts, all of which are con tinually adding to our facilities as a producing people. Europe, though she has, heretofore, will not, here after, claim all the honor of discovery in the sublime science of astronomy, which has, more than any other, given protection to our commerce. Formerly, our ship-masters sailed chiefly by throwing the log ; and, to strike the coast within one hundred miles of the port of entrance, was a calculation of average accuracy. Now, by observing the eclipses of the moons of Jupiter, for longitude, and the sun, for latitude, the skilful navigator strikes within a mile of the channel which leads him to his harbor. Security from shipwreck lessens both freight and insurance, and while it adds to the price of our exports, diminishes the cost of what we import. To say nothing, then, of the high moral influence of this study in our common schools, its intrinsic and wonderful interest to the most common mind, every farmer, artisan, and merchant, is prac tically interested in it. We rejoice, therefore, in the indications that it will, ere long, have place in all our common schools. The beautiful and elaborate work, just issued by Messrs. Huntington &. Savage, illus trates to the eye, more clearly and fully than anything we have ever seen, the positions, courses, and phe nomena of all the heavenly bodies, explains their laws and classifies them so plainly, and comprises so much of recent discovery and other matter, as to make it a desideratum in every well-conducted school. In its use, the teacher may give his pupils a more thorough knowledge of astronomy in a brief period, than in many months in the use of other works. It is put up in two styles, at $15 and $20; a reasonable price for sixteen large colored maps and a treatise of 200 pages. 2. —Encyclopaedia o f E n g lis h L ite r a tu r e , a Selection o f the C hoicest P ro d u ctio n s o f E n g lis h A u th o rs , f r o m the E a r lie s t to the P re sen t T im e ; Connected by a C ritic a l and B io g ra p h ica l H is to r y , E le g a n tly I llu s tr a te d . Edited by R o b er t C ha m b er s , editor of the “ Edinburgh Journal,” “Information for the People,” etc., etc. In 2 vols., 8vo. Boston : Gould, Kendall & Lincoln. It is the object of the present work, to give, in a continuous series of numbers, the most select produc tions of the authors of Great Britain from the earliest period to the present time, “ set” in a critical history of the literature itself. It must be admitted that such an enterprise was to be desired, and its acomplishment tends to add greatly to the already accumulated stores of the literary treasury. The work before us, presents judicious selections from the English writers, both in poetry and prose, with comprehensive his torical notices of the circumstances bearing upon the intellectual spirit of the periods in which they flour ished. The illustrations, in wood cuts, with which the series is accompanied, are peculiarly appropriate, and throw light upon the character of those individuals, as well as the times in which they figured upon the stage. It affords, indeed, a panoramic view of English literature which is of great value, and we are gratified to learn that it is highly prized by the reading public. 3. —A H is to r ic a l Sketch o f T r in ity Church , M ew Y o rk . By the Rev. W illia m B e r r ia n , D. D., the Rector of the same. 8vo. New York: Stanford &. Swords. There is no enterprise connected with public improvement, for the last few years, which has been more decided than that associated with ecclesiastical architecture. Numerous edifices devoted to religious wor ship have been erected in various parts of the country, constructed of the most enduring materials, and in their design in all respects worthy of the object for which they have been dedicated. Nor is there any section of the Union in which this improvement has been more evident than in the cities of New York and Brooklyn. In the magnificence and cost of the structure, Trinity Church probably exceeds every other in the Union. The magnitude of its design, and the respectability of the congregation with which it is iden tified, as well as the ancient records connected with their existence, induced the publication of the present work. The author is well known as a devoted and able clergyman, who, from his long familiarity with its history, appears to have been most appropriately selected for the task of perpetuating its records, and he has certainly performed it with signal success. He remarks, that he had worshipped in youth upon the spot where the foundations of the edifice were laid; that he had there ministered in manhood ; and that, upon the day of its consecration, “ he appeared again before the congregation on the verge of old age.” Tn this volume, the author has presented, doubtless, a faithful history of this congregation from its earliest origin to the present time, compiled from the most authentic sources. The work is illustrated with several ele gant engravings of that and other church edifices in the city, which enhance its value. * The Book Trade . 4. 641 — The • W r itin g s o f G eorge W a sh in g to n ; being h is Correspondence, A d d resses, M essa g es, and other P apers, Official and P r iv a te . Selected and Published fro m the O rig in a l M a n u s c r ip ts ; w ith a L ife o f the A u thor, M otes , and I llu s tr a tio n s. By J ared S pa r k s . Vol. II. 8vo., pp. 534. New York : Harper &c Brothers. This second volume of the Writings of Washington, from the press of the publishers whose names are upon its title-page, we welcome as a valuable present to the public. Independently of the intrinsic value of this compilation as a model of clear and concise style, it exhibits a record of the experience and politi cal connections of one of the purest and greatest patriots that the world has produced, from which we may obtain a pretty accurate knowledge of his general character and the uniform principles by which he was governed. It is, moreover, fortunate, that this important work is now in the progress of publication under auspices so favorable for its wide circulation. The Writings of Washington must ever constitute a prom inent part of the political history of the country, for the life of this illustrious individual was identified with its interests during the most eventful crisis of its career. Mr. Sparks, the original compiler, has expended much labor and expense in making the work accurate and elegant. It is supplied with well-executed maps and engravings, which render it in every way worthy of the compiler and the subject. 5. — The C on stitu tion al H is to r y o f E n g la n d , f r o m the A ccession o f H en ry V II. to the D ea th o f George II. By H enry H allam, author of “ Europe during the Middle Ages,” “Literature of Europe during the Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.” From the Fifth London Edition. 8vo., pp. 737. New York: Harper & Brothers. The author of this work is welhknown, both at home and abroad, as a standard and authoritative writer upon the history of Europe. His works all bear the stamp of profound and philosophical investigation, clearness and accuracy, and the present volume appears to maintain his well-earned character as a histo rian. The present volume presents to us a satisfactory view of the constitutional history of England du ring the time of which it treats, based upon authentic records and solid historic evidence, which will doubt less remain a perpetual record of that portion of English history. It will doubtless be studied with much advantage by the jurist, the statesman, the scholar, the man of letters, and, indeed, by all that large class in every country which comprises the students of historic truth. 6. — The F iresid e F r ie n d ; or, Female S tu d e n t: b ein g A d vice to Young L a d ie s on the Im portant Subject o f E ducation. W ith an A ppendix on M o ra l and R e lig io u s E ducation, fro m the French o f M adame de L au san n e. By Mrs. Phelps, late Vice-Principal of Troy Female Seminary. 12mo., pp. 378. New York: Harper & Brothers. This, in many respects, excellent work, is intended as a reading-book for the domestic circle, or family fireside. It has passed through successive editions in this country, and been reprinted and extensively cir culated in England and Scotland. Its adoption as one of the volumes of the “Massachusetts School Library,” witli a Board of Education composed of such men as Everett, Mann, etc., without whose appro bation no volume was honored with a place in that collection, will be to many a sufficient recommendation of its merits. 7. —P alcy's N a tu r a l T h e o lo g y ; w ith Selections fro m the I llu s tr a tiv e N o te s and the Supplementary D is s e r ta tio n s o f S ir C h arles B e ll and L o r d B rougham . The whole newly arranged, and edited by E lisha Ba r t l e t t . With numerous wood cuts, and a Life and Portrait ot the Author. In 2 vols., 12mo., pp. 305-454. New York: Harper & Brothers. We have here presented to us the well-known and standard work of Paley, which has been long used as a text-book in our colleges and higher schools, in an improved form. It is hardly necessary to state that it is worthy of a place in the library of every intelligent individual; and it is here so well provided with en graved illustrations, as well as notes and comments from some of the leading foreign critics, that it is ren dered all that could be reasonably desired. The volumes are prefaced by a memoir of the author. 8. — O m oo : A N a r r a tiv e o f A d ven tu res in the South Seas. By H erman M elv ille , author o f “ Ty pee.” 12mo., pp. 196-389. New York : Harper & Brothers. London : John Murray. It is the object of the writer of this work to afford a description of the mode of life which prevails in the South Seas, among the navigators of those islands connected with the whale fishery. It is likewise his design to describe the present condition of the Polynesians. The author, as a roving sailor, spent three months upon the islands of Tahiti and Omoo, and we have the result of his experience conveyed in a characteristic style. 9. — Social E v e n in g s ; or, H isto ric a l Tales f o r Youth. By Miss Mary E. Lee. 18mo., pp. 260. New York: Harper & Brothers. A capital series of historical tales, well calculated to stimulate the juvenile reader to acquire a know ledge of the countries in which the scenes are laid, and of the history of the times and persons to which they refer. 10. — T h in g s by their R ig h t N a m es, and other Stories, Fables, and M o ra l Pieces, in P ro se and Verse. Selected and A rra n g e d fr o m the W r itin g s o f M rs. B arbauld, w ith a Sketch o f her L ife . By Mrs. S. J. H a l e . 18mo., pp. 263. New York: Harper & Brothers. A selection from the productions of Mrs. Barbauld, including those more especially designed for the young, by Mrs. Hale, need no commending to secure the attention of the reader, or the approbation of the public. VOL. XVI.--- NO. VI. 41 642 The Book Trade. 11. —T he P u r s u it o f K n ow ledge under D ifficulties. I llu stra te d b y A necdotes. W ith P o r tra its . R t v ise d E d itio n , w ith a P reface and N o tes. By F rancis W ayland , D. I)., President of Brown tJniver sity. In 2 vols. New York : Harper & Brothers. This work is devoted to a valuable object—the illustration of the pursuit of knowledge under obstacles, by anecdotes connected with the lives of some of the most distinguished men. The sketches of these emi nent individuals, although they do not aspire to full biographical narrations, are notwithstanding clear and concise, and successfully accomplish the design of the work. It is judiciously arranged, and the notes of the editor appear to be all that is required. The body of the volumes are a reprint of the English edition, which was published under the superintendence of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge ; and the volumes themselves contain engravings of Lord Bacon, Sir William Jones, Leibnitz, Brindley, Sir Wil liam Herschell, Peter the Great, Edmund Burke, and Sir Joseph Banks. Altogether, it embraces a mass of information relating to distinguished persons, which could scarcely elsewhere be found in so agreeable a form. 12. —D iv e s o f E m in en t In d ivid u a ls Celebrated in A m erican H is to r y . In 3 vols. 12mo., pp. 3G4, 380, 390. New York : Harper & Brothers. These volumes comprise a part of the series of American biography, which has been issued under the auspices of that accurate historian, Mr. Jared Sparks. They contain authentic and concise biographical sketches of some of the most eminent individuals of our own country, in various departments of pursuit, who have been distinguished for remarkable moral and intellectual traits or successful achievements, the sketches themselves having been prepared by able and practised writers. The first volume embraces the lives of John Stark, David Brainerd. Robert Fulton, and John Smith ; the second, those of Ethan Allen. Sebastian Cabot, Henry Hudson, Joseph Warren, Israel Putnam, and David Rittenhouse ; and the third, those of William Pinckney, Sir Henry Vane, Anthony Wayne, William Ellery, and Richard Montgomery. We need hardly add, that the public are indebted to Mr. Sparks for the original series, and to the New York publishers for introducing so valuable a portion in this new form. Each volume is prefaced by an engraved portrait, which makes the entire work more acceptable. 13. — H is to r y o f France, fro m the E a r lie s t P eriod to the P resen t Tim e. By M. M ic h e l e t , ProfesseurSuppleant a la Faculte des Lettres, Professeur a l’Ecole Normale, Chef de la Section Historiaue aux Ar chives du Royaume. Translated by G. H. S m i t h . F. G. S. In 2 vols.,8vo., pp. 478,401). New York D. Appleton <fcCo. Philadelphia: George S. Appleton. The well-known historical work of M. Michelet, has been presented to the public by these prominent publishers in a most appropriate form. We learn in the volumes, that, from the circumstances in which he was placed, he had free access to the documents preserved in the French national archives, being one of the curators of those ancient records, and that he has taken new and peculiarviews of the history of France. Without entering into a critical description of the volumes, it may be remarked that the author has exe cuted the task which he assumed with a deep interest in the subject, and doubtless consulted the most val uable sources of historic evidence in its preparation. In its scope, it is broad and liberal, and contains less of the spirit of mere narrative, than of wide views and philosophical induction. It will, however, doubt less be consulted with great advantage, as a valuable depository of collated facts, which have been gather ed from a large mass of scattered records, and which would hardly be accessible excepting in the condensed and methodical form of a labored historical work, like the present able contribution to French literature. 14. — A Summer in the W ild e r n e ss ; em bracing a Canoe V oyage up the M is s is s ip p i and around L ake Superior. By C harles L anman, author of “ Essays for Summer Hours,” etc. l2mo., pp. 208. New York : D. Appleton & Co. Philadelphia: G. S. Appleton. The author of this volume, long a resident of the West, enjoyed the opportunity of journeying through an interesting part of its wildest and most uncultivated region. There are various local circumstances con nected with the actual condition of that part of the country, which are of general interest, and that are not known to the public. He has collected many of those facts with much industry, and has presented them in an agreeable form. His book, accordingly, abounds with descriptions of the modes of life which there prevail, and views of natural scenery, together with an account of his own experience while traver sing the wilderness along the Mississippi, as well as that picturesque and barren territory bordering the shores of Lake Superior. 15. — A u n t K itty 's T alcs. By Marta J. McI ntosh , author of “ Two Lives; or, To Seem and To Be,” “ Conquest and Self-Conquest,” “ Praise and Principle,” etc., etc. 12mo., pp. 287. New York : D. Ap pleton & Co. Philadelphia : G. S. Appleton. The tales in the present volume, embracing Blind Alice, Jessie Graham, Florence Amott, Grace and Clara, and Ellen Leslie, have been prepared with the view of teaching to their readers lessons of benevo lence and truth, generosity, justice, and self-government. These are now issued, not for the first time, but in a new dress; and they constitute an appropriate, interesting, and instructive number of the series of “The Literary Miscellany,” in progress of publication by Messrs. Appleton &Co., of New York. 16. — The Juvenile B u d g et R e-O pened: being fu r th e r Selections fro m the W r itin g s o f D r . John A ik in . W ith Copious N o te s. By Mrs. S arah J. H ale . 18mo., pp. 250. New York: Harper & Brothers. This little volume consists of selections from the writings of Dr. Aikin, similar in character to a volume, “The Budget Opened,” which was noticed in a former number of this Magazine. The Boole Trade. 643 — T h e C h ristia n L itu r g y , and Book o f Common P r a y e r ; co ntaining the A d m in istra tio n o f the Sa cram ents and other R ite s and Ceremonies o f the A p o sto lic Catholic Church, or U n iversa l Church o f C h rist, w ith Collections and P ra y e rs, and E x tr a c ts fro m the P sa lm s o f D a v id ; also, a Collection o f P sa lm s and H y m n s f o r Public W orsh ip, l8mo., pp. 464. Boston: William D. Ticknor & Co. 17. This liturgy is drawn from various religious writings, and based on the Bible. It is professedly “ issued with no design, nor with any wish to interfere with the traditions, change the ceremonies, or touch the orders of the Roman, or the English, or any of the Church of Christ; but it claims the privilege of adopting and using whatever has been selected fromeither of them, as the common property of the Holy Catholic, or Universal Church.” While the plan of the Papist, Dr. Murphv, is, in part, introduced, and the principles of the Unitarian, Dr. Channing, used for the teaching of young children, the ritual of the Church of Eng land is closely followed throughout, and its forms and phraseology so adjusted as to embrace the largest circle of Christianity. It is, on the whole, the most instructive formula of devotion that has yet been pub lished. The volume is very handsomely printed and bound. 18. — H yperion ; A Romance. By H enry W ad sw orth L ongfellow . Fourth edition. l2m o., pp.3?0. Boston : William D. Ticknor & Co. Mr. Longfellow may be regarded as one of our most classical authors. A scholar, by profession and habit, his ordinary studies have qualified him to excel in the department of elegant literature, while his ge nius is of that peculiar cast which stamps his intellectual character with an identity that can hardly be mistaken, and which is itself purified and made more brilliant by his classical acquisitions. His poetical and prose compositions all bear the same mark of genius, partaking of the depth and freshness of the Ger man school, and have given him a well-merited reputation, both in cur own country and abroad. The present volume contains one of his best productions; and as it has reached a fourth edition, we have satis factory evidence that it is duly appreciated. ID.—T he Countess o f R u d o lsta d t. By G eorge S and. In 2 vcls. Translated by F rancis G. S ha w . 12mo., pp. 301, 302. Boston : William D. Ticknor & Co. A production of one of the most extraordinary women of our time. Great difference of opinion exists as to the moral and social tendency of her writings. She, however, has a class of intellectual admirers, of as pure morals as any in community. The present is considered less exceptionable than many of her earlier works. 20. — F am iliar L e sso n s on P h ysio lo g y, D e sig n e d f o r the Use o f Children and Youth , in Schools and F am ilies. I llu s tr a te d by N u m e ro u s E n g r a v in g s . Vol. I . , 1 2 m o . — F am iliar L e sso n s on Phrenology , D e s ig n e d f o r the Use o f C h ildren and Youth, in Schools and F am ilies. Illu s tr a te d by N u m e ro u s E n g r a v in g s . By Mrs. L. N. F o w l er . 12mo., pp. 210. New 21. York: Fowler &. Weils. The design of these volumes is, to teach children the laws which relate to their bodies, and to the func tions of their minds. Phrenology and physiology are here presented, in a clear and familiar manner, illus trated by cuts and examples such as occur in every-day life. The first-named volume is devoted to an ex planation of the general laws and principles of physiology; and the second, with the lights of phrenology, exhibits the functions of the mind in a clear, concise manner, singularly well adapted to the comprehension of the young student. We earnestly commend the series to parents and teachers, as eminently fitted to impart a kind of knowledge that cannot fail to promote the intellectual, moral, and physical well being, not only of the rising generation, but through it, of the race. 22. — S elf-C u ltu re and P erfectio n o f C h aracter , In clu d in g the M a nagem ent o f Youth. By O. S. F o w ler , editor of the “American Phrenological Journal.” 12mo., pp. 312. New York: Fowler & Wells. In this volume, the author shows how the character can be best improved by applying to its discipline the principles of phrenology—a subject, to which he appears to have devoted his life. Whatever may be the merits of the system, so far as its truth is concerned, it must be admitted that he has exercised signal ability and zeal, in his attempt to demonstrate its influence upon the human character and upon human happiness. The work is provided with plates, which tend to illustrate the doctrines advanced. 23. —N o r th A m erican Scenery F a ith fu lly D elin eated, in a S eries o f I llu s tr a tiv e V iew s, fro m O rig in a l D r a w in g s taken on the Spot. By E. W h it e f ie l d . The Literary Department under the Superinten dence of J ohn K e e s e , Esq. New York : H. Long & Brother. It will hardly be denied that our own country abounds in the most varied scenery, both beautiful and sublime. Although destitute of those ancient and time-worn architectural monuments connected with his torical associations, which have invested, almost with the interest of romance, the most remarkable points of European scenery, there is, notwithstanding, enough in our own landscapes worthy of employing the best powers of literature and the arts. The present work embraces engravings of some of the most interest ing landscapes of our natural scenery, both in the East and West, with brief descriptions of the circum stances by which these places are distinguished. The mechanical execution of the work, so far as the finest paper and type are concerned, is excellent. Indeed,the letter-press appears likejet stamped upon pure marble. 24— T h an kfu ln ess, and other E s s a y s . By J ames H amilton , author of “ Life in Earnest.” “ Harp of the W illo w s,” “ Mount of Olives,” &c. 18mo., pp. 176. New York: Robert Carter. This little volume forms one of Mr. Carter’s “ Cabinet Library,” so generally popular among orthodox Christians. It contains an essay on Christian Thankfulness, an address on “ behalf of the professed Evan gelical Alliance,” and other dissertations, which harmonize well with the title of the work. 644 The Booic Trade. 23.—A n O verlan d Journey Round the W o rld , d u r in g the Years 1341 and 1S42. By Sir G eorge S im p son , Governor in-Chief of the Hudson’s Bay Company's Territories. 8vo., pp. 230. Philadelphia : Lea 6c Blanchard. The record of a journey round the world, from an individual in the exact position of the author of this volume, is a most valuable, vet somewhat unusual contribution to literature. The author seemingly per formed his journey, less as an abstract and S|>eculative scholar, thnn a gentleman, engaged in active pursuits, desirous of informing himself respecting the precise condition of the territories through which he passed. Proceeding from London to Montreal, by the way of Boston, lie commenced his journey, nnd has present ed an interesting journal of his travels in thus circumscribing the globe. The volume itself abounds with descriptions of the experience of the author, duiing his journey, together with much valuable matter rein ting to the topography, commerce, and the existing state of the countries which he visited. It is also true, that the particular class of topics which attracted his notice, were such as would interest an individual of his own habits, and the objects which he describes are, accordingly, quite practical in their character. Ilis style is clear and vigorous, and his reflections are marked by a highly cultivated intellect. 2G.—T he Celebrated T re a tise o f Joach. F o rtu is R e n g clb erg iu s de R ation c S tu d ii. T ra n sla te d fro m the E d itio n o f V an E rp e . By G. B. Earp, Coll. Corp. XLI. Cant. With Preface and Appendix. By W. H. Oden h eim er , A. 51., Rector of St. Peter’s Church, Philadelphia. 12mo., pp. 103. Philadel phia: Carey 6c Hart. This is the production of a Flemish philosopher and mathematician of the sixteenth century. The de sign of this treatise, to use the words of the English translator, is “ to rouse the dormant energies of the young student during the period usually allotted to academical instructionand it supplies most excellent counsel to the ingenuous student, inciting to industry, perseverance, temperance, and all those virtues which are best adapted to develop the more exalted part of our nature. It also possesses an appendix, containing advice relating to college discipline, and embracing, besides other appropriate matter, a portion of an arti cle upon legal education, by Lord Brougham, which was originally published in the Law Review, of November, 1844. 2?.—L iv e s o f B r itis h D r a m a tis ts . By T homas C am prell , W illia m G iffo r d , L eig h H unt , G eorge P arley , etc., etc. In 2 vols., 12mo., pp. 232, 479. Philadelphia: Carey 6c Hart. These volumes comprise a part of the series of the “ Library for the People,” which is now in the pro gress of publication by the respectable house of Carey & Hart, of Philadelphia. They consist of brief biographical sketches of the more ancient dramatists, from the pens of some of the most distinguished wri ters of Europe. We have, indeed, o pledge of their accuracy, in the reputation of the authors themselves ; the critical remarks which are scattered through the work appear to be discriminating and judicious. The publication of such works, in so cheap and portable, and yet so handsome a form, is eminently calculated to render literature popular and diffdsive. 23.—*SIren Ics o f Squ atter L ife and F ar W est S c e n e s: a S eries o f H um orous Sketches, D e s c r ip tiv e o f In c id e n t* and C h aracter in the W ild W e st , to which are added other M iscellaneous Pieces. By S oli t a ir e . (John S. Robb, of St. Louis, Mo., author of “Swallowing Oysters Alive.”; 12mo., pp. 187. Philadelphia: Carey & Hart. The author has here attempted to depict some of the peculiar forms of character, which have grown up under the peculiar influences of Western frontier life. The work portrays many of the most amusing linea ments of this character, in a humorous form ; and the effect of the text appears to be successfully aided by several characteristic engravings. 23.—“ 1844 or the Power o f the “ S. F.'' A T a le , D e v e lo p in g the Secret A c tio n o f P a rtie s d u rin g the E lection C am paign o f 1844. By T homas D unn E n g lish . New York: Iliram Fuller. This work miginally appeared in the New York Mirror, nnd awakened a good deal of interest during its publication in the columns of that excellent and high-toned journal. It is written with great power, and is full of political interest. The style bears occasional evidence of careless nnd rapid composition ; yet the descriptions are graphic, and the sketches of some fifty of our lending politicians are drawn with the hand of a master. We predict for it an extensive sale. 30.—M em oirs o f M r s . E lizabeth F r y ; In clu d in g a H is to r y o f her L a b o rs in P ro m o tin g the R eform a tion o f Female P r iso n e r s , and the Im provem ent o f B r itis h Seamen. By the Rev. T homas T impson , Honorary Secretary to the British nnd Foreign Sailors’ Society, and author of the “ Companion to the Bible,” “ The Angels of God,” “ British Female Biography,” etc. 12mo., pp. 330. New York : Stan ford & Swords. The life of this eminent philanthropist i3 here satisfactorily portrayed by one, who had the happiness of being a fellow-inborer with her in providing libraries for the seamen composing the coast-guard of the Uni ted Kingdom. Her services, in various departments of benevolent enterprise, were most conspicuous ; and we here have a history of her connection with efforts made in behalf of prisoners, associated with other ladies of similar character, and of their success. The narrative ef such examples of benevolence is doubt less calculated to produce benefit, by awakening in others an appreciation of such efforts and the princi ples by which they are actuated. The Booh Trade. 645 31. —W ashin gton and h is G en era ls. By J. T. H e a d l e y , author of “ Napoleon and hi3 Marshals,” “ The Sacred Mountains,” etc. In 2 vols. Vol. I., 12mo., pp. 348. New York: Baker & Scribner. It is the design of the spirited writer and industrious author of the present volume, to exhibit, in a series of portraits, the character of Washington, together with those of the distinguished men who were grouped around him during the eventful period of our revolution. Ilis success in preparing another work of a simi lar character connected with the military history of France, is a pledge that the task will be satisfactorily executed. There is so much that is to be admired in the sublime moral character of him who, by his pa triotic services, has been entitled “ The Father of his Country,” and so much of patriotic self-devotion in most of those military officers by whom lie was surrounded—there were likewise so many vast interests in volved in the cause in which they were engaged, that the author possesses a fertile field of research, and he has thus far executed his task with signal success. The work itself, contains eight well-executed plates, embracing engravings, not only of Washington, hut Putnam, Montgomery, Arnold. Stark, Schuyler, Gates, and Wayne. 32. —In cen tives to the C u ltiv a tio n o f the Science o f G eology , D e sig n e d f o r the U se o f the Young. By S. S. R a n d a l l , Deputy Superintendent of Common Schools of the State of New York, editor of *‘Com mon School Journal,” etc. 12mo., pp. 189. New York : Greeley & McElrath. It is the design of this volume, as expressed upon its pages, to exhibit the motives which should lead to the study of geology, by presenting to the view some of its most interesting features. For this object, the author has given a general outline of the origin and progress of geological science, in a very simple and <atisfactory style ; also, a compendium of the general principles of geology, the scientific divisions of the subject, the geological features of the United 8'tates and of the State of New York, and the practical re sults of geological science. It is admirably adapted to that object, and it is provided with engravings which most appropriately tend to illustrate the subject. We would commend it to the examination of those who desire to create an interest in a science, which is beginning to attract to itself increased attention. It is here familiar’y and agreeably exhibited in its most attractive features. 33. —T he W onders o f N a tu r e and A r t ; or, T r u th S tra n g e r than F iction. A d a p ted to In tere st and In s tr u c t—to E n live n the Social, and B eg u ile the S o lita ry. Illu s tr a te d w ith S ix ty-O n e E n g ra v in g s . By the author of “ Pastoral Life and Manufactures of the Ancients.” 12mo., pp. 324. New York: Burgess & Stringer. The present volume furnishes a valuable compendium of some of the most interesting facts connected with the structure of the human system, and the application of the principles of chemistry to practical pur poses. One important and valuable part of the work, is, an attempt to demonstrate the harmony which exists between the statement of the physical facts contained in the Bible, and the discoveries of the modern sciences. It comprises also a view of various other subjects of general interest, and of a miscellaneous character. From the cheap and convenient form in which it is published, we doubt not that the little vol ume will be widely circulated. 34. —L iv e s o f D a n ie l Boone and B e n ja m in L in c o ln . 16mo., pp. 434. Boston : Charles C. Little & James Brown. The lives of Daniel Boone, the early Western pioneer, by John M. Peck, and of Benjamin Lincoln, by Francis Bowen, the able and scholarly writer who is understood to be the present editor of the North Amer ican Review, constitute the thirteenth volume of the new series of Sparks’ American Biography. From the career of the former, in his early Western explorations, we have depicted many of the incidents con nected with the experience of this adventurous backwoodsman in his connection with frontier life. The residence of the author in the West, and his personal acquaintance with the subject of his sketch, supplied peculiar advantages for his undertaking. From the pen of Mr. Bowen, we, moreover, have a concise and elegant biography of Benjamin Lincoln, whose patriotic principles and devotion to the public service, have rendered the permanent record of his life most proper and valuable. We are gratified that so many pre cious literary treasures, deposited in the archives of the past, are rescued from oblivion by the labors of Mr. Sparks and his coadjutors. 35. —Posthum ous and other Poem s. By C h a r l o t t e E l i z a b e t h . 18mo., pp. 263. New York: M. W. Dodd. This neat little volume includes a collection of the author’s poems, written at various periods of her life, between the years 1817 and 1845. A few of them have appeared in print, but the greater number are pos thumous, and appear before the American public in the present form, for the first time. The subjects are various, embracing the meditative, devotional, prophetic, moral, descriptive, and occasional poem, but all deeply imbued with those sentiments so prominent in the life und writings of the lamented author. The prose writings of Charlotte Elizabeth enjoy a wide-spread popularity with a large class of Protestant Christians, and we presume this collection of her poems will be acceptable to her numerous admirers. 36. —The G rea t Commandment, by the author of “ The Listener,” “ Christ our Example.” 18mo., pp. 250. New York : M. W. Dodd. The pious and benevolent author of this book enforces with her usual earnestness the love of God in all its bearings; describing what she conceives to be its nature and manifestations, and contrasting it with human love. Her views generally correspond with the “ Evangelical” portion of the Christian Church, which includes by far the largest part of Christendom. 646 The Book Trade. 3“-—C h r is tia n ity ; the D elivera n ce o f the Soul and i ts L ife . an Introduction, by Rev. J. D. H untington . 12mo., pp. By W illiam Mountford , A . M. W ith 118. Boston: Crosby & Nichols. New York : C. S. Francis & Co. Mr. Mountford, the minister of a congregation of dissenters in England, is known in this country as the author of “ Martyria,” noticed some time since in this Magazine. The discourses embraced in this volume “ present before us the Christian idea, in its simplicity and its power.” The earnestness of the writer, com bined with an elegant simplicity of style, will commend the volume to men of elevated minds, and large spiritual insight. 38. —Jkcques. By G eorge S and, author of “ Consnelo,” “ La Comtesse de Rndolstadt,” etc., etc Translated from the French, by A nna B lackw ell . 2 vols., 12mo., pp. 178 and 173. New York : J. S. Redfield. We have not found time to read this novel, but we are told by those who have, that it is among the most powerful productions of its singularly-gifted author. Of one thing, however, we can speak on our own account; and that is, its distinct and beautiful typography—a luxury which weak eyes well know how to appreciate. 39. —T h e C h ristia n R em em lranccr. By A mbrose S e r l e , Esq., author of “ Horae Solitari®, the Church of God.” 18mo., pp. 349. New York: Robert Carter. This little treatise relates “ chiefly to the word and work of God in the redemption of souls; to the in ward and practical experience of this redemption in the heart of the believer; and to his outward conver sion and conduct with others.” It was written in 178G, when, as the author says, “ it was printed for the pocket, that the serious Christian may find it a little Rem em brancer . with many short errands to his heart, which will neither encumber him to carry nor fatigue him to read.” 40.—A Concise System o f T heology , on the B a s is o f the Shorter Catechism. By A lexande P aterson . A. M., author of a "History of the Church.” With an Introductory Paper, by M acfarlan , D. D. From the Fourth Edinburgh Edition. 18mo., pp. 385. New York :R. C This is a very elaborate commentary on the Shorter Catechism of the church. It is, we are i in the advertisement to the Edinburgh edition, presented to the public “entirely on account of its intrinsic approbation. 41.—T he A r t o f C on versin g. W ritte n f o r the In stru c tio n o f Youth in the P o lite M a n n ers an<l\l!&j g u a g e o f the D ra w in g -R o o m . By a Society of Gentlemen. 32mo., pp. 94. Boston: James FrenttL.y The rules for appearing to advantage in the private circles, in public interviews, and in every situatioirhC. which an individual may be placed—the design of the manual—are concisely stated, and will commend themselves to the common sense of all who desire to conduct their social intercourse of life with gentleness. 42. — T h e M anual o f C h e s s ; C on tainin g the E le m e n ta ry P rin cip les o f the G am e . I llu stra te d w ith N u m erous D ia g r a m s , Recent G am es, and O rig in a l Problem s. By C ha rles K enny , lfimo., pp. 122 New York: D. Appleton & Co. Philadelphia: G. S. Appleton. The manual, of what the author terms “ the nice and abstruse game ” of chess, contains all the informa • tion necessary to be acquired in learning it. It is divided into parts, describing the different features of the game, and appears to be appropriate to the object for which it was designed. 43. — T h e Cooper's Son, o r the P rize o f V irtu e. A T alc o f the R evolution. By the author of “ OneEyed Dick.” 18mo., pp. 144. Boston: James French. The incidents of this well-told tale are connected with some of the early events of the American Revolu tion ; and the design of presenting a moral, in an agreeable form, by contrasting the results of virtue and vice, is, in our judgment, successfully accomplished. The fact, that a second edition has been called for, is satisfactory evidence of the popularity of the book. 44. —Scenes in N a t u r e ; or. C on versations f o r C h ildren on L a n d and W ater. 18mo., pp. 324. New York: Harper & Brothers. This little work, originally prepared for the juvenile series of the “ Massachusetts School Library,” is based upon a small volume composed by Mrs. Maucett, a lady who has done, and is still doing, much to enlighten childhood and youth, and indeed many of a still maturer age. The present volume consists of desultory conversations with a family of children from six to ten years of age, in which the writer has happily mingled information with amusement. It is well calculated to render the study of geography at tractive to the young. * Sim m onds's Colonial M aga zin e , for March, published in London, by Simmonds & Ward, and devoted to the interests of the colonial possessions of Great Britain in all parts of the globe, as usual, abounds with valuable information of a historical, geographical, statistical, and commercial character. This Magazine is conducted with distinguished ability; and its contributors, in all parts of the world, generally write on subjects which they understand, or with which they are intimately acquainted. Mr. Simmonds, its editor, possesses just the right kind of talent for the management of such a work. D e B ow 's “ Com m ercial R e v iew ,” for May, contains much valuable information of a commercial and miscellaneous character. It has reached its seventeenth number, which is, in our opinion, the best of the series. Success to our names;
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