Full text of The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review : November 1851, Vol. XXV, No. V

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H U N T ’S

MERCHANTS’ MAGAZINE.
E s t a b l i s h e d J u l y ( 1839,

BY FREEMAN HUNT, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.

VOLUME X X V .

N O V E M B E R , 18 5 1 .

CONTENTS

OF N O . V .,

NUMBER V.

VOL. X X V .

ARTICLES.
A r t.

pa g e

.

I.

PROTECTION vs. FREE TRADE.—THE L A W OF PROGRESS IN THE RELATIONS OF
CAPITAL AND LABOR. By E. P. S m i t h * Esq., o f New York........................................... 531
II. COMMERCIAL CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE UNITED STATES.—No. XXVII.—THE
TRADE AND COMMERCE OF NEW ORLEANS IN 1850-51........................................... 545
III. THE GROWTH OF TOWNS IN THE UNITED STATES. By J. W. S c o t t , Esq., o f
Ohio........................................................ ..................................................................................
559
£V. INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK— A SKETCH OF
THE RISE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT CONDITION OF INTERNAL IMPROVE­
MENTS IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK.—No. XL—RAILROADS, & c. By Hon.
A. C. F l a g g , late Controller o f the State of New Y o r k .......................................................... 565
V. THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN PENNSYLVANIA. By C h a r l e s E. S m it h , Esq.,
of Pennsylvania.............................................................................................................................. 574
VI. THE CULTURE AND COMMERCE OF COTTON IN IN D IA —No. IH.—NATURE
AND PRESENT CONDITION OF INDIAN COTTON, E t c . By J. F o r b e s R o y l e , M. D.,
F. R. S., late Superintendent of the East India Company’s Botanic Garden at Saharunp o r e ................................................................................................................................................. 582

J O U R N A L OF M E R C A N T I L E L A W .
Salvage on Merchant Vessels by British Men-cf-wnr............................................................................. 589
Liability of Railway Corporations for Animals killed upon the Track.............................................. 590
Libel—Supplying Ship with Stores, etc................................................................................................. 594

C O M M E R C I A L C H R O N I C L E AND R E V I E W :
EMBRACING A FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL R E V IE W OF THE UNITED STATES, ETC., ILLUSTRA­
TED W IT H TABLES, ETC., AS FOLLOWS :

The Prospects at the Opening o f the Month—Failure o f several Banks—Succeeding Panic and
Failures—Suspension o f Wealthy Houses to avoid Sacrifices—Principles involved in such Sus­
pensions fully Discussed—Sacredness o f Commercial Obligations Vindicated—Confidence in a
Measure Restored—Decline in the Shipment of Specie—Supply o f Foreign Exchange—Market
for our Bread stuffs—Crop of Wheat and Rye—Position of the Cotton Staple—Pressure o f Mo­
ney Matters still felt in the Interior—Contraction o f the Bank Accommodations not as Great
as Represented—Comparative Summary of the Condition of the New York City Banks, and of
the Banks of New Orleans—Total Coinage of Gold, Silver, and Copper at all the Mints, since
their Organization—Total Deposits of Domestic Gold at the Mints for the same time—Total
Production of California Gold since its Discovery—Imports at New York for September—In­
creased Receipts of Dutiable Goods—Imports for nine Months—imports of Dry Goods at New
York lor September—Imports of Dry Goods for nine Months— Imports entered Warehouse,
and total Receipts o f Cash Duties for nine Months—Exports at New York for September—Ex­
ports at New Y ork for nine Months............................................................................................. 595-601
VOL* X X V .— NO. V*




34

530

CONTENTS OF NO. V., VOL. X X V .
PAGK.

COMMERCIAL

STATISTICS.

Principle articles (quantity and price) received at New Orleans, from the interior, in 1850-51----Exports o f Cotton from New Orleans for years 1849-50, 1850-51.........................................................
Exports of Tobacco from New Orleans for 1849-50, and 1850-51.......................................................
Exports of Sugar and Molasses from New Orleans in 1849-50, and 1850-51......................................
Exports of Flour, Pork, Bacon, Lard, Beef, Lead, Whisky, and Corn, in 1850-51............................
Amount of Shipping at New Orleans in 1849-50, and 1850-51............................................................
Prices of Cotton at New Orleans in each month for last five years.....................................................
Prices of Sugar, Molasses, Flour, Corn, and Pork at New Orleans in each mouth o f 1850 .............
Arrivals, exports and stocks o f Cotton and Flour at New Orleans for last ten years..........................
Tonnage entered and cleared at New Orleans in each quarter o f 1850-51.........................................
Domestic and Foreign exports of New Orleans in 1850-51..................................................................
Commerce between Brazil and the United States in 1850-51..............................................................
Exports from United States to the Provinces o f Brazil in 1850-51.....................................................
Imports o f home staple articles into Mobile from 1848 to 1851...........................................................
New York Auctioneer’s returns for six months in 1851.—The Mercantile Navy o f Greece.............

JOURNAL

OF B A N K I N G ,

CURRENCY,

602
603
604
604
605
605
605
606
609
606
607
607
G03
610
610

AND FIN AN C E .

Letter from the Cashier of the City Bank of Columbus, Ohio, etc.......................................... .........
United States Treasurers Statement for September, 1851.....................................................................
Valparaiso Custom-House receipts from 1844 to 1850 ...........................................................................
Condition o f the Banks o f New Orleans on 30th August, 1851....................... ....................................
Revenue and Expenditure of Spain, first seven months o f 1851........................................................
Comparative Dividends of Boston Banks in 1851.................................................................................
Condition of the Banks of South Carolina on 31st o f August, 1851....................................................
Proposed Decimal Currency for Canada.................................................................................................
Letter from the author o f “ Financial Crises,” etc.—United States Treasury Notes Ourstanding..
Condition o f the Banks o f New Hampshire in 1851.............................................................................
New Coinage of Chili, compared with the United States coinage.......................................................
Rates o f Exchange at Mobile, and at New Orleans, from 1848 to 1851..............................................
Public Debts and Standing Armies of European States.................. ..................................................
Public Debt of Pennsylvania.—The Broker in the Chair of Satan.....................................................
Taxation and Finance in Virginia............................................................................................................
Certified Bank Checks.—The Currency of Hamburg.............................................................................
Progress of Taxation in Ohio from 1841 to 1850....................................................................................
A Financial Operation.—The Wall Street Note Brokers......................................................................

611 ■
612
612
613
613
614
615
615
616
616
617
617
618
619
620
621
621
622

COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS.
Of Moneys o f foreign countries in payment of public d e b t s a Treasury Circular........................
Imposition and Frauds in Foreign Markets:—a Treasury Circular......................................................
An Act o f Pennsylvania, enjoining secrecy on Telegraph Operators.................................................
Of Foreign Merchandise Imported into the United States..................................................................
Of Tonnage-Duty and Tariff o f Turks Island.—The British Mercantile Marine Amendment Act..

623
624
625
626
626

S T A T I S T I C S OF P O P U L A T I O N .
Population o f Delaware and Maiyland from 1790 to 1850 ..................................................................
Population of District o f Columbia in 1840, 1850.—Progress o f Boston in Wealth, Population, etc.
United Kingdom in 1800 and 1850..........................................................................................................
Census of Bahama Islands for 1851.—Population of Van Diemans Land in 1847 and 1851.............

627
628
628
629

NAUTICAL INTELLIGENCE.
New Light-house in the Straits o f Singapore.—New Light-house on the Island o f Lagosta...........
Water Ballasting for Ships.......................................................................................................................
Light at Spurn Point.—Light on Cape Pine, Newfoundland.—Novel Rudder o f the Ship Warren.
Revision o f the Meridian.........................................................................................................................

630
630
631
632

R A I L R O A D , C A N A L , A ND S T E A M B O A T S T A T I S T I C S .
Statistics of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from 1830 to 1850.......................................................
Notices o f the Condensed History o f Steam..........................................................................................
Receipts o f Vermont and Massachusetts Railroads from 1849 to 1851...............................................
Value o f Imports, and duties paid by Steamships arriving at port of New York from 1847 to ’51.
Comparative Duties paid by Cunard and Collin’s Steamers..................................................................
The Largest Steamship in the World.—Facts and Figures about Massachusetts Railroads.............
Progress of Railroads in United States from 1830 to!851.—Diusraores American Railway Guide..

632
634
635
635
638
639
640

J O U R N A L OF M I N I N G A N D M A N U F A C T U R E S .
Pin Manufacture in the United States......... ...........................................................................................
The Cost of Making Cotton Sheeting......................................................................................................
Coal Trade of Schuylkill, Pennsylvania.................................................................................................
Gold Quartz Mining in California.—Production and Consumption of Cotton.—Putnam’s Bedstead

641
642
644
640

MERCANTILE MISCELLANIES.
Note to our Commercial Review, etc.—The Cultivation of the Tea Plant..........................................
American Geographical and Statistical Society....................................................................................
University of the City of New York—Mercantile Study a Branch o f University Education.........
“ The Growth of Towns in the United Slates.” ....................................................................................
How to Make Money in Business.—The Presence of Arsenic in Bread............................................

647
648
649
650
650

THE BOOK T R A D E .
Notices o f 29 new Books, or new Editions.............................................................. ...................... 651-656




HUNT’S

MERCHANTS’ MAGAZINE
AND

COMMERCIAL REVIEW.
NOVEMBER,

1851.

Art. I.— “ PROTECTION vs. FREE TRADE."
THE LAW OE PROGRESS IN THE RELATIONS OP CAPITAL AND LABOR.
F re em an H unt, E sq .,

V

^

Editor of the Merchants' Magazine, etc. :—•

T he article which I contributed to the July number o f your Magazine
has drawn from R. S. a reply in the September number, to which I
find it hard to make a rejoinder. Two persons cannot profitably discuss
their differences o f opinion without first settling the points in which they
agree, and the authorities to which both are willing to appeal. W ith ­
out this preliminary, the controversy is necessarily interminable. W ith this
truth before me, I was careful in my comments on the article o f R. S. in
your June number, to cite no authorities except those which I deemed m y­
self warranted in sujiposing he would promptly recognize as entitled to the
utmost weight. In so far as I had to do with “ A Farmer,” it was simply
m y object to show, in the words o f the Agricultural Report from the Patent
Office, that there is “ a governmental policy which results in impoverishing
the natural fertility o f the land,” “ which encourages the removal o f all the
elements o f bread and meat from cultivated fields, and their speedy trans­
portation beyond the possibility o f restitution ” — that this is the policy which
looks mainly if not exclusively to foreign trade, and which, masking itself
under the name o f fr e e trade, compels the exportation in their rudest and
most cumbrous forms o f the products o f the earth, and with them o f all the
elements o f fertilization and reproduction. I showed that this policy was in
opposition to the teachings o f Adam Smith, but was the result, foreseen and
intended, o f the doctrines o f the modern English economists, who have ab­
jured the faith o f Smith, while they cling with persevering tenacity to the
popularity o f his name, and filch it for purposes hostile to his views.* I
* In August, 1803, Francis Horner, one of the first contributors lo the Edinburg Review, a thoroughpaced advocate o f,pseudo, free trade, wrote this to his friend Mr. Thomson, in reference to an ap­
plication to him to furnish a set of notes for a new edition of Smith’s Wealth o f Nations:—“ I should
be reluctant to expose Smith's errors before his work has operated its fu ll effect. We owe much, at
present, to the superstitious worship of Smith’s name, and we must not impair that feeling till the
victory is more complete. Until we can give a correct and precice theory o f the nature and origin
o f wealth, this popular, and feasible, and loose hypothesis is as good foi the vulgar as any other."




532

Protection vs. F ree Trade.

undertook further to show that, in addition to their apostacy from Adam
Smith on the subject o f the superior value o f the domestic above the foreign
trade, the theories o f Malthus and Ricardo in relation to population and rent,
necessarily led them to ‘ a schism with the disciples o f Smith and o f free
trade, and drove them to that “ policy which impoverishes the natural fertil­
ity o f the earth.” The drift o f “ A Farmer’s ” article, as I understood it,
was that these modern theories had nothing to do with the progress of agri­
culture, that they might be either true or false, without influencing the course
o f a country’s cultivation. I aimed to answer this by appeals to agricultural
authority, and had nothing further to say about Mr. Carey, who has overset
the theories of Ricardo and Malthus by showing the historical falsity o f the
imaginary facts on which they are founded, than to show that his system
was in harmony with that o f Smith, and gave beautiful consistency and
order to the observed facts in regard to agricultural progress, as shown either
by tracing the history o f a single nation, or by a comparison o f existing na­
tions in different stages o f advancement.
I had, indeed, in the first instance, written at sufficient length to give
a tolerably fair sketch o f Mr. Carey’s system, and an outline o f the course
o f reasoning and. observation through which he was led to it. I found this
too long for your pages, and before I had cut it down to suitable dimensions,
the article o f R. S. came to hand. This contained such egregious errors
about the order o f Carey’s discoveries— inventions, R. S. chooses to style
them— that I saw clearly E . S. could not have read him. H e now admits
the fact. I ought to have no further discussion with R. S. respecting Mr.
Carey’s views until the critic shall first inform himself what they are. Sid­
ney Smith is said to have objected to the practice o f reading a book before
reviewing it, on the score o f its giving a man a prejudice ; but this was
thought to be a mere witticism. I am inclined to think he would have had
the grace to blush if actually detected in the fact.
Dismissing Mr. Carey for the present, I have only to answer for myself—
I have to get out o f a difficulty into which I was betrayed by some miscon­
ception in regard to the economical writer whom R. S. holds in reverence.
I cited Smith, Malthus, Ricardo, McCulloch, and Mill, as concurring in a
particular proposition. R. S. cooly replies, “ it matters little what Smith,
Ricardo, McCulloch, and Mill conceded— that would not make a proposition
true if it were originally false.” Doubtless; bnt R. S. was writing in de­
fense of a school of which Ricardo and Malthus were the founders, and
McCulloch and Mill are the chief living expositors. A s against him they
are good evidence. It is the rule o f law that the party shall not be per­
mitted to impeach or discredit his own witnesses. I am, liow'ever, willing to
waive this rule, and R. S. may treat them as slightingly as he deems proper. In
his September article he says:— “ I am not willing to set aside all the great
men who have written on the subject o f Political Economy since Dr. Smith,
to make room for Mr. Carey.” W h o are these great men ? Give me their
names and I will go to them for m y citations. I had supposed that, b y such
phrases R. S. intended the English and Scotch critics. How— for m y sins
—-I have read them all pretty thoroughly. In referring to such a multitude
I selected the authors o f the faith maintained by R. S., and its greatest liv­
ing apostles; but I have no special affection for them. Let R. S. name
who, o f the host, he will be tried by. I think myself able to show him
that he cannot sit comfortably under the preaching o f any one o f them—
that there is not a single one of them who has not made fatal concessions,




The Law o f Progress in the Relations o f Capital and Labor.

533

and been betrayed by the necessities o f a false system into flagrant incon­
sistencies. I think myself justified in spending so many words on this head,
because the advocates of the Manchester system o f Political Economy are in
the habit o f assuming a supercilious tone of charity for the want o f instruction
on our side o f the question. They talk o f us, and to us, with an air o f
pity, as if it was unfortunate that we did not know our ideas had been ex­
ploded a long while ago by “ all the great men who have written on the
subject o f Political Economy since Adam Smith.” I believe the fact to be
that we are quite as conversant with the works o f those great men as they
are. For my own part, assuredly I take no pride in i t ; it is the fruit of
time mispent, spent in—

I

y

“ --------- the toil
Of dropping buckets into empty wells,
And growing old in drawing nothing up.”
For these reasons I want to get a bill o f particulars, to the end, that we
may show that we have fully considered what these great men had to say,
and prove that we can answer them out o f their own mouths.
The particular proposition which led R. S. to decline the testimony o f
Smith, Ricardo, McCulloch, Mill, and others was, “ that the cost o f trans­
portation falls entirely upon the producer.” It was put in relation to agri­
cultural products. R. S. puts the case o f a gentleman with a few thousand
dollars wishing to become a farmer, li e can buy land on Long Island for
$100 per acre, but on further inquiry finds he can buy the same quality o f
land, at a distance, for $25 an acre. “ H e calculates the cost o f the carriage
o f the produce to market, and other incidental expenses against the interest
o f capital saved, and if the interest o f capital saved be more than the cost
o f carriage and other expenses, he o f course buys the land at $25 an acre.
Is .the cost o f carriage, in this case, paid by the farmer or capitalist ? Cer­
tainly not. H e obtains the same rate o f profit upon capital invested as if
he had been at market.”
This is the way R. S. solves the question for the buyer, but how is it with
the seller? W h en he is obliged to take $25 an acre for a farm of the same
quality as another which sells for $100 per acre, because the latter is at less
cost for transportation, does he not lose $75 per acre in paying the expenses
o f transportation for his successor ? One o f the fundamental difficulties with
the writers in behalf o f foreign trade is, that they always contemplate only
the case o f the man who is to buy, and spend no reflection upon that o f the
man who is to sell. The London Times expressed the idea very ingeniously
a few weeks ago when discoursing o f the advantages o f low wages as “ con­
tributing vastly to the improvement and power o f the country, to the suc­
cess o f all mercantile pursuits, and the enjoyment o f those who have money
to spend."
But suppose our purchaser to have got his farm for $25 per acre, and
having, according to the supposition o f R. S., a few thousand dollars at
command, to invest them in the construction o f a railroad, which diminishes
the cost o f transporting his products to market one-half. It is clear that
R. S. has no doubt that by so doing he will add at once $371 per acre to
the value o f his farm, that being half the sum he reserved by reason o f the
extra cost of transportation before the construction o f the railroad. I
reckon that ho will calculate upon getting the ordinary rate of profit on his
railroad stock beside. If I am mistaken in thinking R. S. can have no




534

Protection vs. F ree Trade.

doubt o f the fact, it must be because be has not observed what is matter o f
every day’s experience. H e cannot look into the market article o f his news­
paper a single morning without being able to calculate the cost o f transpor­
tation on a bushel o f corn to the minutest fraction o f a cent, by comparing
its prices at different stages o f its progress ; at Toledo, for example, at B uf­
falo, at Albany, and at New York. I remember seeing within a single
month, in 1849, two instances in the same State, in which the completion
o f a canal, in the one case, o f the railroad from Springfield, Illinois, to the
Illinois Kiver, in the other, caused corn to jum p at once from 15 cents to
25 cents a bushel at their respective termini. W h o had previously paid
the difference o f ten cents, if not the producer ? The consumer, certainly
paid no more in consequence o f diminishing the cost o f carriage. But it is
useless to waste space on this point. R. S. rather intimates that this is a
matter o f ren t; but his great men, since Adam Smith, will all tell him
that rent has nothing to do with the price o f a commodity. The establish­
ment o f this proposition is one o f the very great things on which their ad­
mirers rest their claims to immortality.
The next proposition on which there is a serious difference o f opinion be­
tween us is in relation to the advance in the wages o f labor. A n d here R. S.
has referred me to a statement which explains the rationale o f that advance
so well that I feel under great obligations. It is an article in the M er­
chants' Magazine, for June, 1850, giving the statistics o f Lowell mills for
the preceding ten years. It is there stated that the wages o f the opera­
tives have decreased nearly 20 per cent relatively to the cloth produced,
although wages remain at the same rate per hand.
R. S. says n ea r ly :
but the prices for 1840 and those for 1850 are given at precisely the same
figure. “ In other words,” says R. S., “ the operatives o f Lowell produce
one-fifth more cloth for a les3 amount o f money than they did ten years
ago.” To be somewhat more particular, the article states, that the average
weekly product, per hand,-per week, was in 1840,131 yards, while in 1850
it was 175 yards— that the wages expended upon the fabrication o f 1,000
yards o f cloth, were, in 1840, $22 30, while in 1850 it was but $16 50.
These items furnish an accurate measure o f the pecuniary value o f the in­
creased efficiency in the quality o f their labor attained by the workmen.
The mode in which that efficiency has shown itself, is thus stated by R. S.
“ The number o f spindles and looms have increased, taking them together,
at the rate o f nearly one hundred per cent, while the hands employed have
increased forty, showing that although wages are stated at only twenty per
cent, relative reduction, it has required a much larger relative amount of
machinery to be worked to the number o f hands.” There is a difference in
the way the same facts may be stated and construed. According to m y no­
tion, this shows, that by dint o f increased skill and improved machinery,
one hundred and forty workmen have become able to tend a quantity o f
machinery represented by two hundred instead o f only one hundred and
forty, which would have exhausted their capacity, if they had continued no
more efficient than in 1840. The consequence is, that each hand produces
forty-four yards more o f cloth, per week, for the same amount o f wages.
“ Therefore,” says R. S., “ unless this machinery has been produced at less
cost, (which appears to be the case by reference to the statistics,) the rate
o f profit on capital must also have decreased.” M y inference is, therefore,
unless the cost o f this machinery has increased in the ratio o f 131 to 175,
or about thirty-four per cent, (33.59,) some portion o f these forty-four yards




The Law o f Progress in the Relations o f Capital and Labor.

535

go to swell the profits o f capital, or else the 175 yards must be sold in
1850 for what, in 1840, would have purchased but 131. A n y one who
will examine the prices o f the various descriptions o f cotton goods for the
several years from 1840 to 1850, will find that the latter supposition is the
one that accords with the facts. V ery copious information upon this point
may be found in the tables appended to Secretary Meredith’s Report, which
give the price o f the various products o f all the great establishments of
New England, but terminate with the year 1849.
The only light on the question o f the cost o f this machinery, furnished
by the statistics to which R. S. refers, is in the statement that the capital o f
the Lowell mills was §10,500,000 in 1840, and in 1850, 13,210,000, an
increase o f 25.81 per cent.
The results may be presented in this way. Capital to the amount o f
§100 sets in motion a certain amount o f labor, and gets back in return a
certain number o f yards o f cloth. B y an addition to that capital o f §25 81,
the same amount o f labor produces, at the same expenditure for wages,
133.59 yards o f cloth, instead o f 100. The prices o f cloth remaining the
same, the capitalist will get §133 59, where he formerly got §100, and where,
to maintain his former rate o f profit, he should get but §125 81, being a
gain o f §7 78. This is more than six per cent (accurately it is §01 84 on
§ 1,000) on the increased capital, over and above the old rate o f profit on the
original capital. I f formerly the rate o f profit was six per cent, under the
new state o f things it will have more than doubled, as no wages are payable
out o f the additional §33 59.
Now, no man requires to be informed that no such thing has happened.
A ll the economists tell us that it is impossible that the profits o f a particular
employment should double or make any considerable approximation towards
it, without such a rush into the business, and such an increase o f competition,
as to reduce them to the general level, or below it. The tendency o f things,
moreover, as Ricardo and his school tell us, is to a constant fall in the rate o f
profits.
Let us inquire what would naturally come to pass. The phenomenon is
that 12,004 men and women, working at Lowell in 1850, turned out, every
mother’s son and daughter o f them, forty-four yards o f cloth more each
week than in 1840. This is a clear gain to the human race o f 528,176
yards per week, or some 27,000,000 yards per annum. Suppose a consul­
tation were held upon the just and equitable division, between all parties, o f
the benefits o f this achievement.. In the first place, all would agree that,
as the mill owners had to furnish one-quarter additional capital, they should
take the same proportion out o f the increased p rodu ct; that is, out o f every
forty-four yards, they should take eleven, and thus just keep up their old
rate o f profits. If they should grumble, R. S. would be ready to tell them
that it was more than they were entitled to in strictness, and according to
the laws o f capital, as expounded by all the great men since Adam Smith.
“ The rule,” he would tell them, “ is that your profits ought to have de­
clined in ten years ; if you are exempted from the common lot, you ought
to be well satisfied.” W h ile they were searching their brains for an answer
to this suggestion, the workmen would be calculating the cost o f the work­
manship upon the thirty-three yards remaining out o f the forty-four; the
material o f which, o f course, belonged to the mill owners. According to
the tables cited by R . S., they would see that if the labor on a thousand
yards cost $16 50, consequently, that upon thirty-three would come to fifty-




536

Protection vs. Free Trade.

five cents. They would demand this much in addition to their weekly wa­
ges. “ For,” they would say to the mill owners, “ it is absurd that we
should get any less by reason o f our working by the week, than if we work­
ed by the piece. You, gentlemen, who have employed a multitude o f
hands, know that in the long run it comes to the same thing. Y ou get the
work that you pay for, and no more. There are ways o f skirking that we
do not care to do more than hint at in a distant way. Besides, machinery
always gets out o f order and costs a great deal in repairs, &c., &c., when we
are underpaid, as you have doubtless observed. A t all events, it is good
for nothing without our aid.” The mill owners, reflecting that their opera­
tives could g o when they pleased to Graniteville or Cannelton, would be
disposed to accede to the demand. But here R. S. would interpose, and
this time, on behalf o f the mill owners. “ Consider, m y friends,” he would
say, “ the law o f supply and demand. Reflect that you have been guilty o f
‘ over production,’ on a large scale— twenty-seven million yards extra, have
been brought to market, which you will have to sell at greatly reduced
prices. Y ou have increased the supply thirty-three per cent. Y ou will
have to reduce the price in some similar proportion— call it twenty-five per
cent. A nd you, working men and women, reflect that the fifty-five cents
extra wages that you count, exists not in money, by a long shot, but in
cotton cloth. I f you will not take the cloth itself, you ought at least to
submit to the same depreciation on the money that you would on the
cloth.” If the operatives hesitated long, he would be moved to reproach
them. Y ou rascals, he would think, if he did not say, it is clearly against
the rules o f Political Economy that your wages should rise— they ought to
he falling all the while— you should be coming nearer and nearer to the
starvation scale o f pay every day, and ten years, with such growth of popu­
lation and capital as this country has exhibited, ought to have made you
lean and meek. Mr. Malthus proved it to a demonstration, you ignorant
extortioners. It is very like that they would consent to have twenty-five
per cent docked from the fifty-five cents advance that they asked. Possibly
more, for if they have not read Malthus, they have had the advantage of
hearing his doctrine expounded at the lectures o f the Lowell Institute. I
am willing to believe that they would submit to a further reduction of
thirty per cent, as the effect o f those lectures, so that the girl who had $2 00
a week in 1840, should now get but $2 25, instead o f $2 40, which she
might otherwise have insisted upon. Fifteen cents a week is cheap for a
course in Malthus.
Now let us see how the case stands. The mill owner keeps up his rate
o f profit, and inasmuch as his operatives are better paid, they work more
faithfully, improve faster themselves, and invent more improvements in ma­
chinery, so that, when 1860 comes round, it will be found that the profits
have increased, and there will have to be a new adjustment o f prices.
The operative gets twenty-five cents additional wages per week, and when
she leaves the mill to be married, (they will do it in spite o f Malthus,) and
is collecting her outfit, she finds that her money will buy 25 per cent more
o f calicoes, and sheetings, and other cottons, than her sister, who left the
mill in 1840, could purchase for the same sum. Even if she gets but $2 a
week, the same money-wages as her sister got, it will g o as far as $2 50
would have done ten years before. Her real wages, the effective value o f
her labor, has increased, even if nominally, and estimated in coin, they have
been stationary.




The Law o f Progress in the Relations o f Capital and Labor.

537

Finally, every consumer o f cotton goods obtains them at a greatly re­
duced price, and, therefore, has the ability to purchase more, or if not de­
siring more, has so much more money applicable to the supply of other
wants, and to stimulate and reward labor in another department.
I have dwelt upon the facts referred to by R. 8. chiefly to show the ra­
tionale o f the progressive increase o f wages, and how such increase takes
place, not only without detriment to any other class, but to the common ad­
vantage o f all. It is not of importance that I should be accurate in stating
the respective proportions in which the advantages o f the increased efficiency
o f labor, arising from its being aided by an increased amount o f capital, are
distributed between the laborer, the capitalist, and the body o f consumers.
N or is it o f consequence that these proportions are adjusted by the silent
workings o f natural laws, instead o f being matter o f conventional arrange­
ment. I must dismiss the examination into the reason o f the things, and
the modus operandi, to look a little at the bare question o f fact— have the
wages at Lowell risen since 1840 ?
The statement to which R. S. referred, may be found in vol. xxii. o f the
Merchants' Magazine, at page 646. It is an editorial article. After the
tabular statement, in which it appears that the wages o f 1840 and 1850 are
precisely the same, the writer goes on to say:— “ During the past year there
has been a growing difficulty in procuring hands, and many looms have
been idle from the impossibility o f procuring them at such wages as would
leave any profit." In other words, the same wages paid in 1840 would no
longer command hands to keep the looms going.
This sho'ws that labor
was rising, and was commanding higher wages in other employments, which
took men from the looms. Moreover, it is stated that the mills are filling
more and more with immigrants; that Irish gills are taking the places of
Yankees, and the latter are leaving to give place to fresh importations from
the Green Isle. This shows that the wages stated in the table are paid to
an inferior class o f laborers— less skilled and instructed. It no more dis­
proves an advance o f wages than would the statement that a land surveyor,
in 1840, obtained the same wages that his chain-bearer did in 1850. More­
over, I have undertaken no such task as to show that wages advance so reg­
ularly as that the difference shall be perceptible in ten years at Lowell, or
anywhere else. The question respects a law which works slowly but con­
stantly, except for violent interruptions. The contrast is exhibited between
generations or centuries, not successive years. W h o can detect the growth
o f an oak in ten years ?
Nevertheless, the facts referred to by R. S. answer m y purpose well in ex­
hibiting the operation o f the law. W h at has happened at Lowell, has been
happening over the world from the beginning o f time, and what is true o f the
effect o f improvements in the spinning o f cotton, is true in every other de­
partment o f industry. Everywhere as population has grown, capital has
grown with it, but faster, and that capital has consisted o f more and better
tools. Each generation has the aid o f more capital in improved machinery
than its predecessor, and, as a consequence, accomplishes more by the same
amount o f labor.
That this has been the case in the mechanic arts will not be denied, nor
can it be that the effect has been a vast increase in the wages o f labor,
measured by the manufactured products which they can command. In an
article in this Magazine for January, 1850, it is stated that “ in 1814 and to
1818, a woman’s labor for one week would enable her to buy but one yard




538

Protection vs. Free Trade.

o f ticking. N ow it will buy twenty-three yards. Then she earned two
yards o f sheeting with a week’s w ork; now, thirty-five yards— then, two
and a half yards o f calico; now, thirty yards— then, two and a half yards
o f shirting; now, thirty-nine yards. W om en’s wages have risen nearly or
quite three-fold, and men’s have doubled.” I take this statement as illus­
trating, rather than proving, an advance o f wages, made up o f two constitu­
ents ; first, an increase in money paym ent; second, an increase in the amount
o f necessaries which the same money will command— the latter constituent
exceeding the former.
R . S. intimates a suspicion that the wages per hand have not been fairly
stated, in the table to which he himself referred me, “ or they would have
exhibited a f urther decline ; and further, the increased production has been
caused by an increased application o f labor per individual, and not by any
improvement in machinery.”
W hat he calls a decline in wages is, that “ the
operatives at Lowell produce one-fifth more cloth for a less amount of money
than they did ten years ago.” If, in this sense, the tables represent the rela­
tive decline o f wages, that is, the increased efficiency o f labor, inadequately,
so much the better for m y argument. I f he means by an increased applica­
tion o f labor, an increase in the hours o f labor, I should like to see the evi­
dence o f it. Elsewhere, the tendency has been to a reduction in the hours
o f labor. His suggestion gives me the opportunity to quote the following
statement from the Edinburg Review for last April— certainly unimpeach­
able free-trade authority— which also bears upon other points in our discus­
sion :—
“ Mr. Porter has ascertained, from the tables kept at the Greenwich Hospital,
that the wages o f carpenters had risen from 18s. a week, in 1800, to 29s. 3d., in
1836; o f bricklayers, from 18s. to 29s. 9 d .: o f plumbers, from 19s. to 30s. In
the same period the earnings o f London compositors in the book trade had risen
from 33s. to 36s. W e have ascertained that they remain the same. The earn­
ings o f compositors employed on the morning papers had risen from 40s. to 48s.
a week. They are now at the latter amount. From evidence published by a
Committee o f the House o f Commons in 1833, added to such information as we
have been enabled to obtain up to the present period, we give as fully reliable
the following table o f the earnings o f a spinner o f cotton yarn No. 200 at these
several dates:—
Weekly net
earnings.

In the year 1804 ..................
“
1833 ..................
“
1850 ..................

32s. 6d.
42 9
40 0

Pounds o f
Pounds o f
flour these flesh meat these
could purcould purHours
chase.
chase.
o f work.

117
267
320

62
85
85

74
69
60

“ I f the hours o f labor had been reduced between 1833 and 1850 only in the
same proportion as his wages, the spinner would work 64£ hours instead o f 60
per week. If he had been paid the same wages per hour in 1833 as in 1850, he
would have received 46s. per week instead o f 42s. 9d.”
Now, while such results can be more readily detected and specified in those
departments o f industry, in which complicated and expensive machinery has
been employed, because in regard to them we have more ample statistics,
yet they are equally certain in those employments which are aided only by
the more simple and cheap tools. In both cases the proportion retained by
the laborer, out o f the products o f his toil, increases, while that which goes
to remunerate the capitalists, for the use o f the tools and machinery he has
furnished, diminishes. Mr. Bigelow, in his very interesting book, “ Jamaica




The Law o f Progress in the Relations o f Capital and Labor.

539

in 1850,” describes the ax used by the negroes for cutting fire-wood, as “ in
shape, size, and appearance, more like the outer half o f the blade o f a
sythe, stuck into a wooden handle, than anything else I can compare it to.
W ith this long knife, for it is nothing else, I have seen negroes hacking at
branches o f palm for several minutes, to accomplish what a good woodchopper, with an American ax, would finish at a single stroke.”
The same writer quotes, approvingly, the statement made in a lecture de­
livered at Kingston, by Mr. W . W . Anderson, a resident o f the island, in
which he contrasts its mode o f cultivation by the hoe, with our implemental
husbandry, and says, “ a single man, with his little one-horse plow, is sent to
the field alone, and, in a day, he does the work o f fifteen o f ours.” W ages
for men on the coffee and sugar plantations, according to Mr. Bigelow,
range from eighteen to twenty-four cents a day, out o f which the laborers
have to board themselves, paying, at the largest market on the island, from
sixteen to eighteen dollars a barrel for flour, thirty-eight cents a pound for
butter, from three to five cents a piece for eggs, and twenty-five cents a
pound for hams. Furnish the negro wood-chopper with the American ax, and
it is even more evident that the proportion which his wages, while using it,
will bear to the total value o f his work will be much greater than at present,
than it is that the proportion o f the cloth earned by the Lowell spinners and
weavers has increased by the use o f improved machinery. It is more evi­
dent, because the labor o f a very few days will enable the negro to buy an
American ax, and earn the highest wages by working for himself, whereas,
it requires an extensive combination o f spinners and weavers to command
the ownership o f cotton machinery, and enable them to enter into competi­
tion with their old employers, if the latter do not consent to give them that
increased proportion o f the cloth spun and woven, to which their increased
efficiency has entitled them. The contrast between wages o f cotton spinners
in 1814 and 1850, measured, in both instances, in cloth, shows how largely
their proportion o f the product has increased. In the least favorable case,
according to the statement, a woman gets twelve times more calico for a week’s
work now than she did between 1814 and 1818 ; o f sheeting she gets seven­
teen times as much ; o f shirting, about sixteen times. Every body knows
that while labor produces much more o f these fabrics now than in 1814,
the increased productiveness is in no such ratio as the lowest o f these num­
bers. And if we divide them by two, or even by three, to compensate for
the decline in the cost o f the raw material, it will still appear that a much
larger proportion o f the cloth spun goes to the laborer, and consequently
a less proportion remains for the capitalist than in 1 8 1 4 -1 8 . I f this can
be effected by improvement in cotton mills, much more can it be, and has it
been, by improvements in axes, and plows, and hoes, and the other imple­
ments o f tillage, which have been going on since the world began.
I might specify a great variety o f improvements in the methods o f culti­
vation, in drainage, in manures, in the rotation of crops, in securing them
when gathered, and in transporting them to market, which, concurring with
improved tools, have increased from age to age, as population and capital have
grow n : the productiveness o f agricultural labor ; that is to say, have given so
much greater a return per head, to the persons employed, as after providing
each o f these with an increased share o f the crops, thus increasing their
wages and their comforts, to yet leave an enlarged quantity to the capitalist
or land owner. But I prefer to offer testimony upon this point which came
to my hands, after m y contribution to your July number, from an eminent




540

Protection vs. F ree Trade.

free-trade authority, who, perhaps, ranks as the ablest statistician in Europe.
The Annuaire de L'Economic Politique et de L a Statistique for 1851,
pages 368 to 385, contains a paper by A . Moreau de Jonnes, member of the
Institute, &c., on the condition and wages of the agricultural classes in
France. H e states, that for twenty-five years he has been laboring in the
collection o f the statistics o f the agriculture o f France, since the era o f
Louis X IV ., from historical, economical, and administrative documents, and
in the comparison o f them with those o f the present day. H e gives the
general result in the following tables, referring to a more elaborate work for
the circumstantial details.
The first table contains a statement o f the aggregate expenditure, at dif­
ferent epochs, for the cultivation of the soil o f France, (excluding the value
o f the seed,) in millions o f francs— of the proportion which the sum total o f
wages bore to the whole value o f the product o f the soil— and o f the
amount per head to the actual population o f the kingdom, at each epoch,
o f such expenditure, as follows :—
Co3t o f cultivation,
Francs.

Epoch.

1700, Louis X IV .......................
1760, Louis X V .........................
1788, Louis X V I.......................
1813, The Empire....................
1840, France of the present___

458,000,000
442,000,000
725,000,000
1,827,000,000
3,016,000,000

Proportion to the To each
entire product, inhabitant.
Per cent.
Francs.

35
37
43
60
60

24
21
30
61
90

The following statement gives the division o f wages among the agricultu­
ral families o f the kingdom, at the same period, upon the estimate that they
averaged four and half persons to a family, giving the annual wages o f each
family, and the amount per day for each family :—
Epoch.
1700........................
1769.......................
1788........................
1813........................
1840.............

Number o f agri­
cultural families. Annual wages.
Francs.

3,350,000
3,500,000
4,000,000
4,600,000
6,000,000

135
126
161
400
500

Daily wages of each.
0 franc 37 centimes, or 7-J- sous.
0
“ 35
“
7 “
0
“ 45
“
9 “
1
“ 10
“
22 “
1
“ 37
“
27 “

M. He Jonnes compares these prices o f labor with those o f wheat, for the
purpose o f seeing how far they would go in the respective periods towards
supplying the prime necessities o f life. H e reckons that thirteen and a half
hectolitres (the hectolitre is 2T8/^ bushels) o f wheat has been about the
quantity o f grain needed for the consumption o f a family— needed more
during the earlier than the latter periods, because its want is now, in a great
degree, obviated by a variety o f garden vegetables, formerly unknown or
very little cultivated. H e constructs a table giving the mean price o f wheat,
deduced from an average o f the market for long series o f years, under each
reign, as follows :—
Mean price per hectolitre.

Under Louis XIV., average of 72 years...............................
Louis XV.,
“ 60 “
Louis X V I,
« 16 “
Empire,
“ 10 “
Constitutional Mon’chy, 10 “ ...............................

18 francs 85 centimes.
13 “
05
16 “
00
“
21 “
00
“
19 “ 03
“

The result o f a comparison o f the annual earnings o f a family o f agricul­
tural laborers, with the cost o f thirteen and a h a 'f hectolitres of wheat, re­
quired for their annual consumption, is given in the following ta ble:—




The Law o f Progress in the Relations o f Capital and Labor.

1st period......................
2nd period......................
3d period........................
4th period.......................
5th period.......................

Wages. Cost of 13£ liect’s.
Francs.
Francs,
135
254

126
161
400
500

176
216
283
256

541

Francs

deficit.. . .
deficit.. . .
deficit.. . .
excess......
excess......

119
50
55
117
244

During the reign of the Grand Monarcque, the rural population o f Francs
wanted bread half o f the time. Under the sway o f Louis X V . it had bread
two days out o f three, but sufficient progress had been made under Louis
X V I . to give it bread three-fourths o f the year— while under the Empire and
the rule o f the Citizen King, wages were sufficient to supply the laborer with
bread through the year, and leave a surplus towards procuring other food
and clothing.
These tables show the great improvement which has been going on in the
condition o f the agricultural laborers o f France, from a rise in the absolute
amount o f their wages, and in the proportion which they bear to the entire
product, and to the share o f the capitalist. The proportion to the entire
product has almost doubled in one hundred and fifty years, having risen
from 35 per cent to sixty. As between the laborers and the capitalists it
was, in 1700, 35 per cent to the former, and sixty-five to the latter. It is now
60 per cent to the former, and forty to the latter, who, instead o f getting
two-thirds o f the product, twice as much as the laborers, now get but two-fifths,
leaving the laborers 50 per cent more than the capitalists. But, although
the latter get a diminished proportion, the increased efficiency of labor and
capital has made the crop so much greater, that this diminished proportion
yields an amount, not only absolutely greater, but greater relatively to the
increased population. This is readily shown by a few figures, deduced from
the tables o f M. Jonnes. Taking for comparison the two extremes, we find
the following results :—
Total
population.

1700
1840

19,500,000
36,000,000

Agricultural Paid to agriculpopulation, tural laborers.
Francs.

15,000,000
458,000,000
27,000,000 . 3,016,000,000

Leaving for tho re­
Total product, mainder of pop’n.
Francs.
Francs.

1,308,000,000
5,025,000,000

850,000,000
2,009,000,000

From this it appears that notwithstanding the laborers are so much better
paid— three and two-third times more than in 1700— (or rather because they
are so much better paid,) the remainder, left to be divided among the capi­
talists and non-agricultural classes, is larger than before, and they fare better
also.
The entire population o f France lacks three millions o f having
doubled, while the crop has nearly quadrupled; so, that on an equal distri­
bution, there is twice as much for each mouth now, as in 1700. But look­
ing to the actual distribution now, and then, we see, that while the nonagricultural population has increased 100 per cent, the surplus left, after
paying the agricultural laborers their increased wages, and enlarged propor­
tion, has increased 127 per cent. This is the state o f the case, the compari­
son being made in money. I f it is desired to estimate it in food, we have
the necessary elements o f calculation, when we know that the mean price o f
wheat, at the first epoch, was 18 francs 85 centime^ per hectolitre, while at
the latter it was 19 francs 3 centimes.
R. S. says, that if it be a delusion, that wages and profits decline, he has
been deceived in good company— that we cannot take up a newspaper in
which we do not find some allusion to the wretched condition o f the work­
ing classes.
Lest he should suspect me o f being ignorant o f their present




542

Protection vs. F ree Trade.

condition in France, I give the following translation from Blanqui’s Report
to the Academy o f Moral and Political Sciences, on the state o f the rural
p opulation.
“ Those alone who have seen it, can believe the degree in which the clothing,
furniture, and food o f the rural population are slender and sorry. There are
entire cantons it which particular articles o f clothing are transmitted from father
to son ; in which the domestic utensils are simply wooden spoons, and the fur­
niture a bench and a crazy table. You may count, by thousands, men who have
never known bed-sheets, others who have never worn shoes; and by millions,
those who drink only water, who never eat meat, or very rarely— nor even
white bread.”
I know that the condition o f the laboring classes in England is bad
enough, and that o f those in France still worse. But, bad as they are, I know
them to be vastly better than they have been. M. D e Jonnes shows, most
conclusively, how great has been the improvement in France, and his con­
clusions are corroborated by the most ample testimony from historians and
travelers.
Mr. Carey’s proposition, that wages rise in proportion, and in absolute
amount, with the growth o f population and wealth, was certainly advanced
and defended by him, in 1837, with no purpose o f favoring the protective
policy, to which he was then and for ten years afterwards, or down to the
publication o f the “ Past, Present, and Future,” in 1848, opposed. I have
not adverted to it, because o f its bearing upon that policy. Its relevancy,
however, in that point o f view is this : it explains how it comes that high
wages coexist with cheap products, and indicate cheap labor, instead o f being
a sign that labor is dear. “ Cheap food,” says R . S., “ must be bartered
for cheap labor,” and, in this, Mr. Carey and myself agree with him heartily.
American labor is the cheapest under the sun. It is the best paid, because
it is the cheapest, that is, the most effective, and produces the most. The
English economists, McCulloch and Mill, see, and rejoice in the fact, that
the labor o f their countrymen is cheaper than the labor o f Ireland, or the
continent, although paid at so much higher rates. It is plain, that as labor
and capital concur in bringing to market everything which reaches it, so the
remuneration o f both is derived from a division o f the price for which it
sells. I f both are found regularly receiving back higher wages, and higher
profits in one country than another, it is becanse they are more effective in
the form er; that is, a given quantity o f each makes a larger product for
sale, and is, therefore, cheaper to the purchaser. Instead, therefore, o f be­
ing deterred from competition with England, in manufactures, because both
wages and profits are high with us, and low with her, it is the very reason
why we may be assured o f success. They are mistaken, who ask for pro­
tection against the low wages o f Europe, we want protection against its la­
bor, because it is costly and dear, and we want it for American labor, be­
cause it is cheap. “ Cheap food must be bartered for cheap labor,” and that
it cannot be unless it is bartered at home.*
* “ The laborer there (in the United States) enjoys a greater abundance o f comfort than in any
other country in the world, except some of our newest colonies; but, owing to the cheap price at
which these comforts can be obtained, (combined with the great efficiency o f the laborer,) the cost o f
labor to the capitalist, is considerably lower than in Europe. It must be so, since the rate o f profit is
higher, as indicated by the rate o f interest, which is Gper cent in New York when it is 3£- per cent in
London.”
J. S. Mill’s Political Economy, vol. i, page 501. Boston edition.
Mr. Mill here talks as if American wages, estimated in money, were no higher than in Europe—
which we all know to be contrary to the fact—as if they were only greater because the same money




The Law o f P rogress in the R elations o f Capital and L abor.

v

543

I f the progress o f labor and capital, with advancing population, is
marked with a relative increase in the power o f labor, and diminution in
that o f capital, then the tendency must be towards an equalization of
wealth. I referred to the statistics presented by Mr. Porter, an eminent
free-trade authority, at the meeting o f the British Association for the A d ­
vancement of Science, in August 1850, as containing some evidence that
this tendency had been visible, and could be detected, even in England, for
the last fifty years. I was well aware that I was tempting a very unfavorable
test. The proposition related to the natural tendency o f things, but this
tendency has been sedulously counteracted by the policy o f the British
Government, inculcated by the economists o f the Malthus school. “ For a
whole generation,” said the London Times, a few weeks ago, “ man has been
a druge in this country, and population a nuisance.” Under the rule o f a
system, based upon such ideas, we should look for little evidence in support
o f a truth which is inseparably connected with the American axiom, that
population is wealth. I referred to Mr. Porter’s tables simply because they
were in jorint, and accessible, and because, by so doing, I could economize space
in your pages. A s R. S. does not chose to produce them I think it proper
to do so. I ought to say, further, that Mr. Porter seems to have no idea
whatever that he is supporting any theory, on the contrary, he presents facts
which have struck him as anomalous, and contrary to the popular belief, as
well as to the teachings of the received economists o f England.
His declared object was to ascertain the proportion in which the wealth o f
different classes has increased, so far as it can be gathered from the few
public sources o f information, whch were within his reach as the head o f the
statistical department o f the Board o f Trade, o f which he is also secretary.
His first examination was into the amount o f deposits in the savings banks.
These are a creation o f the present century—-the first having been instituted
at Tottenham, by Mrs. Priscella Wakefield, in 1804. In Scotland they are
o f so recent use (owing, in a great measure, to the more liberal manage­
ment o f the ordinary banks) that he excluded that country from the com ­
parison. In England, W ales, and Ireland the depositors, who numbered
412,217, in 1830, had increased to 970,825, in 1848 ; and the amount de­
posited had advanced from £13,507,568 to £27,034,026.
Comparing the
total amount deposited, with the population o f England, W ales, and Ire­
land, at the respective periods, and reducing sterling to federal currency, it
appears, that in 1831 the amount deposited was $3 06 per h ead; 1836,
$3 9 5 ; 1841, $4 8 0 ; 1848, $5 06.
In 1846, the amount was as high as $5 80. It fell off in consequence
o f the Irish famine, and inasmuch as it is only during the present year that
the great decrease in the population o f that island has come to light, in the
authentic returns o f the census, it is quite possible that Mr. Porter’s calcula­
tions require such a revision as would show that, relatively to the popula­
tion, the diminution in the amount per head deposited between 1846 and 1848
is much less than we believed a year ago. The deposits in the savings banks
are obviously to be regarded as an accumulation o f property by the humbler
classes. It ought to be stated that, in addition to the amount o f deposits
will buy more food. He cannot understand how it comes, that profits are higher, and wages higher
too, in this country than anywhere else on the globe. Neither he nor any body else o f the free
trade school can comprehend how the interest o f the capitalist and the laborer are in harmony with
those o f the consumer, who pays both well, because they furnish, and in order that they may fur nish,
commodities cheaply.




544

Protection vs. F ree Trade.

standing in the names o f individuals, the sum deposited in the savings banks,
and in the hands o f the National Commissioners, amounted, in 1849, to
£3,356,000. This, too, is the savings of the poorest class, who are selfsupported.
The next test is found in the accounts furnished to Parliament o f the
number o f persons receiving dividends upon portions o f the public debt.
These divide the fund holders into ten classes. The number in each are
thus contrasted, fund holders receiving at each payment—
1031
1818
Increase, Diminution,
10JI.
1010.
percent.
percent.
88,170
96,415
9.35
....
Wot exceeding £ 5 ................
“
10 ................
44,790
44,937
0.33
___
“
50
98,320
96,024
2.33
“
100
25,694
24,462
4.79
“
200.................
14,772
13,882
6.02
“
300.................
4,527
4,032
10.93
“
500
2,890
2,647
8.41
“
1,000
1,398
1,222
12.59
“
2,000
412
328
20.38
Exceeding 2,000 ................
172
177
2.90
........
Total..............................

281,145

284,127

The increase in the last item is stated to be caused by the insurance offices
investing largely in the funds.
The next branch of inquiry to which Mr. Porter directed his attention was
the sums assessed to the income tax, in respect to incomes derived from
trades and professions in 1812, compared with 1848. From the former pe­
riod he excludes the incomes below £1 50 , because these are not taxed by
the existing law. The total amount thus assessed, after deducting exemptions,
was, in 1812, £ 2 1 ,2 4 7 ,6 2 1 ; while in 1848 the amount was £56,990,224,
showing an increase o f 168.21 per cent, being at the rate o f 4.67 per cent
yearly— “ an increase,” he remarks, “ very nearly three fold greater than the
increase during the same period o f that portion o f the population o f the
United Kingdom which is subject to the income tax. The following table,
giving the number of persons assessed in different classes, shows the increase
in the number o f moderate, and a comparative diminution in the number of
colossal i n c o m e s —
Increase,

1812.
Incomes between £150 and £500..........
“
500
1,000..........
“
1,000
2,000..........
“
2,000
5,000..........
5,000 andupward....

30,732
5,334
2,116
1,180
409

Total inc’e

centof of incomes
1848. per
persons. assessed.

91,101
13,287
5,234
2,586
1,181

196
148
148
119
180

£13,724,946
5,100,540
4,078,095
4,059,743
779,276

In the highest class of all, the average income must have decreased; for
as there are 772 additional incomes, each o f which is £ 5 ,000 and upward,
they must have added at least £3 ,860,000 to the total sum assessed, if the
incomes o f the original members o f the class had remained stationary. But
as the total increase is but £779,275, the deficiency o f £3,080,725 must re­
sult from a diminished average.
Mr. Porter next examines the returns showing the sums upon which pro­
bate duty has been paid, in respect o f personal property left by persons de­
ceased. Between 1833 and 1848 the amount assessed on estates up to
£1 ,500 had increased 15.56 per cent; between £ 1 ,5 0 0 and £5,000, 9.21




Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States.

545

per c e n t: between £ 5 ,000 and £ l ’0,000, 16.38 p erce n t; between £10,000
and £15,000, 6.36 per cent; o f upward o f £15,000, 7.20 per cent; while
the amount o f duty received on estates o f £3 0,00 0 and upward, has been
slowly but steadily decreasing.
In order to give their proper weight to the facts collected by Mr. Porter,
we ought to take into account the population o f the British islands at the
periods to which they relate. Thus, between 1812 and 1848, the popula­
tion increased about 50 per cent: according to the theory o f Malthus and
R. S. the number o f persons having incomes between £ 1 5 0 and £ 5 0 0 ought
to have increased in a lower ratio, but in point o f fact it has increased
three fold. There ought to have been less than 46,000 o f them, while there
were 91,101, or twice as many as the law o f the English economists allows.
But it would require too much o f your space to dwell further upon this
point. Enough has been said to prove to every candid reader that it is at
least worthy of examination, whether Mr. Carey is not right. I should be
glad to point out the bearings o f the law o f distribution discovered and an­
nounced by him upon the philosophy o f history and politics— to show, for
example, how it explains the fact that the laboring class in England, as
everywhere else, originally slaves, a staple o f export to Ireland and Scotland,
until the Pope interposed to prevent the scandal o f sending Christians abroad
for sale, have passed from villains in gross to the better condition o f villains
regardant; that is, annexed to the land and only saleable with it-— from that
to the condition o f the freeman, capable o f possessing property and having
personal, but without political rights, and thus continually upward— how the
middle class, o f which historians talk so much, grows by accessions from b e­
low, by persons climbing up from the status o f laborers without capital to
that o f laborers with little capital, and then with more— how the power o f
a landed aristocracy is superceded by the millocracy in England, and the
noblesse by the bourgeoisie in France— things impossible and incomprehen­
sible according to the Malthus-Ricardo theory o f rent— how, in short, it is
the law o f Progress and ojfcDemocracy. But enough for the present.
There are other points in th ^ r tic le o f R. S., which will require notice in
another number.
e . p . s.

Art. II.— COMMERCIAL CITIES AND TOWNS OF TIIE UNITED STATES.
N U M B ER X X V II.

TRADE AND COMMERCE OF NEW ORLEANS IN 1850-51.
I N T R O D U C T O R Y R E M A R K S — A N N U A L R E V I E W — T H E C O T T O N M A R K E T — P R IC E S OF C O T T O N A N D R A T E O f
F R E I G H T S — P R O D U C T IO N O F C O T T O N — S T O C K S , E T C ., O F C O T T O N — M IX E D C O T T O N — S U G A R M A R K E T
— P R I C E S , A N D C R O P S OF S U G A R — M O L A S S E S — T O B A C C O — W E S T E R N P R O D U C E — P R IC E S OF F L O U R
^

AND C OR N — P O R K AND L A R D — P R IC E S
C H A N G E S — F R E IG H T S , E T C .

OF

PORK,

BEEF,

AND

LA R D — LEAD— H EM P— CO FFEE — E X ­

I n a former volume o f the Merchants’ Magazine,* we gave a sketch o f
the commercial and industrial history, together with full statistics o f the
trade, &c., of New Orleans for a series o f years. It will be recollected that
in a previous number (October, 1851) we published, under the above gen­
* See “ Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States,” in Merchants’ Magazine for November, 1848, (vol. xix., pp. 503-518.
VOL. X X V .---- NO. V.
35




546

Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States.

eral head, the Cincinnati P rice Currents annual report o f the trade and
Commerce o f that city (Cincinnati) in 18 50 -51 ; remarking, at the time,
that it was well known that several P rice Currents and mercantile journals
in the leading cities o f the United States, were in the habit of giving at the
close o f each commercial or calendar year, an annual report or resume o f
the Trade and Comtherce o f the year; and that these reports embraced a
comparative view o f the progress pf trade and Commerce, which imparted
to them not only a present but a prospective, and even historical value.
As the reports o f the N ew Orleans P rice Current, a model journal o f its
class, are uniformly made up with industry and ability, and generally pre­
sent a faithful record or review o f the commercial transactions o f the year,
we do not deem it necessary to make any apology for reproducing, in this
place, a report o f the Trade and Commerce of New Orleans, for the year
ending August 31, 1851, as we find it in the columns o f that print.
Our usual annual statement o f the Commerce o f New Orleans will be found
to contain a mass o f commercial statistics o f great value to all producing and
trading interests, and also a brief history o f the course o f the market during a
year o f extraordinary vicissitudes, at least so far as relates to our most promi­
nent export staples. Before entering, however, upon a review o f the operations
o f the season, we may be permitted to devote a brief space to the consideration
o f a subject to which we have frequently before alluded in a similar connection;
namely, the necessity o f railroads for the increase and prosperity o f our city.
This necessity has now become so manifest that we are happy to see an awaken­
ed spirit in our population, which we trust, ere long, will give evidence o f prac­
tical results. Already have conventions been held, and several important roads
projected, with favorable promise o f being carried forward, if persevered in. To
this end, an address has been issued by a committee o f the late convention, show­
ing the vast advantages likely to ensue from a proper system o f railroads, and
inviting the people o f the Southern and Western States to meet here in conven­
tion on the first Monday in January, “ to deliberate upon and concert suei^measures as will be likely speedily to influence the construction o f a system o f rail­
roads, connecting the Gulf States with those o f the W est and North-west, and
radiating throughout all the interior.” The a(h«ntagesof such a system are ably
set forth in the address, and we trust it will b^P-oductive of the results contem­
plated. Immediate progress is obstructed by legislative restrictions, but these
will doubtless be removed at the coming session o f the Legislature. It will be
a proud day for New Orleans when, in addition to her thousands of miles of
navigable rivers which, unfortunately, have too long been her exclusive depend­
ence, she can look out upon her hundreds o f miles o f railroads, connecting her
with all parts o f the interior, and drawing to her lap the varied products o f ex­
tensive and rich sections o f country, that are now dormant from the want of
ready and cheap avenues to a market. This day may be seen, with the exercise
o f proper enterprise and energy, aided by enlightened, just, and safe legislation,
and we trust its dawning time is not far distent. W e have no space to enter
into statistical statements on the subject; but would respectfully recommend a
general perusal o f the address above referred to, as it will be found to contain a
mass o f information, o f a character both interesting and valuable. Other sub­
jects o f general interest claim attention, but our space would barely admit an
enumeration o f them, and we pass on to a review o f the season’s operations in
our leading staples.
The value o f products received from the interior since 1st September, 1850, is
$106,924,083 against $96,897,873 last year. The value o f the exports of do­
mestic products for the year ended 30th June last, according to the Custom­
house records, was $81,216,925 against $71,049,556 last year. O f this amount,
$53,988,013 was to foreign ports, and $27,228,912 coastwise. The value o f
foreign merchandise exported during the same period was only $445,950. The
operations o f the Branch Mint have been greatly extended, the total deposits of




Trade and Commerce o f N ew Orleans in 1850- 51 .

547

gold and silver for the year ended on the 31st July, being $9,107,722 against
$4,038,341 last year. O f the gold, $8,152,878 was from California. The coin­
age in the same time has been, o f gold, $8,994,000, and o f silver, $1,050,500—
total, $10,044,500.
C otton. It is well known that in this leading branch o f our Commerce, the
season opened with high hopes on the part o f both producers and dealers. The
previous year had closed upon greatly enhauced prices, which has given large
profits to shippers, and this success, together with calculations o f another short
crop, stimulated speculation to an imprudent degree, and the result has been a
reaction more disastrous than any that has occurred in the cotton trade since
1825. A brief summary o f the season’s operations will show the course o f the
market.
The first bale o f the new crop (some 250 lbs.) was received here on the 11th
August, being four days later than the first receipt o f the previous year; and so
backwark was the crop that, up to the 1st September, only sixty-seven bales had
come to market, notwithstanding the prevalence o f comparatively high prices, a
few bales having been disposed o f at 13^ a 15 cents per lb. During the greater
part o f September the quotation for a strict class of middling was 13 cents, but
toward the close o f the month supplies began to arrive pretty freely, and the
price fell off to 12f. This slight decline was soon recovered, however, under an
active demand, and about the middle o f October our quotation for strictly mid­
dling was 13f cents, being the highest point o f the season. From the middle o f
October to the middle o f December, prices were quite steady, the range for mid­
dling being 13J a 13^ cents, but at the latter period unfavorable European ad­
vices produced a decline of f a -J- cent per pound. This reduction caused a re­
sumption o f business, and the advices from Europe becoming more favorable the
market recovered to 13-f cents by the early part o f January. About the middle
o f the same month, however, under the pressure o f heavy receipts and a strin­
gent money market, prices began to give way again, and being assisted in their
downward inclination by advices o f another o f those extraordinary discrepancies
in the Liverpool stock, to the extent o f 60,000 bales, the figures for middling
reached 12J cents by the 1st February. At this point there was a slight recovery,
but it was only momentary, as, by the middle o f February, the market was called
upon to encounter the combined disadvantages o f an unusually heavy stock, ad­
verse accounts from abroad, advancing freights, and declining exchanges. Under
the pressure o f this combination" o f adverse circumstances, prices rapidly gave
way, and by the early part o f March our outside quotation for strictly middling
was reduced to 10J cents. Here the market reached a firmer point, the circum­
stances which produced this last decline having been reversed, and by the latter
part o f the month prices had recovered to 11J cents for middling. For a month
succeeding, the rates fluctuated between 10f and 11 cents, when early in May
the market was again unfavorably affected by the character of the foreign advices,
and also by the large increase in the receipts at the ports, as compared with the
previous year; and, as nearly every circumstance that has arisen since has been
o f a nature to increase the depression,'there has been a constant yielding of prices,
until they reached 6 f cents for middling Louisianas and Mississippis, or a decline
on this description of nearly 7 cents per pound from the highest point—being
more than 50 per cent. In the lower grades, which have formed an unusually
large proportion o f the receipts o f the past season, the reaction has been still
more marked, there having been sales which would show a difference o f 60 to 70
per cent between the highest and lowest points. These descriptions o f cotton,
owing to their extraordinary abundance, have been comparatively depressed, and
exceedingly difficult o f sale, during most o f the season. Indeed, it has been the
common remark that no crop since that o f 1843-44, (known as the “ storm year,”)
has contained so large a proportion classing Inferior, and some planters have sent
to market “ bales o f cotton” which proved to be trash or “ motes,” not worth the
drayage from the levee. If the planting interest reaps any benefit from the
swelling o f the apparent receipts through the forwarding of such worthless stuff,
the past season has probably afforded a good opportunity for its demonstration.
The following tables will further illustrate the movements in our great staple:—




Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States.

548

TABLE SHOWING THE QUOTATIONS FOR LOW MIDDLING TO GOOD MIDDLING LOUISIANAS AND
M IS S IS S IP P I, W ITH THE RATES OF FREIGHT TO LIVERPOOL, AND OF STERLING BILLS, AT
THE SAME DATE.

September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August

14, 1850 ................
2..........................
2 ..........................
4 ..........................
1, 1851...............
1 ..........................
1 ..........................
2 ..........................
3 ..........................
7 ..........................
5 ..........................
2 ..........................

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

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

Low middling to Sterling,
good middling. p. c. prem.
9 a 10
12jal3i
8f a 9
7 a 8
13 a 134
74 a 8i
12f a18±
74 a 8
12 a 13
7 a 7f
74 a 8*
94 a 104
94 a 104
94 a 11
7 f a 9|
84 a lOJ
84 a 10

Freights,
per lb.
13-32 a 7-16
13-32 a 7-16
11-32 a f
___ a 7-18
f a 13-32
4 a 9-13
f a 13-16
fa ....
.... a 4
f a 7-16
5-16 a f
7-16 a ___

TABLE SHOWING THE PRODUCT OF LOW MIDDLING TO GOOD MIDDLING LOUISIANA AND M IS­
SISSIPPI COTTON, TAKING THE AVERAGE OF EACH ENTIRE YEAR FOR SIX YEARS, W IT H THE
RECEIPTS AT NEW ORLEANS, AND THE TOTAL CROP OF THE UNITED STATES.

Total crop.
Bales.

Years.

184518461847184818491850-

4 6 ...........................................
4 7 ...........................................
48...........................................
4 9 ...........................................
50............................................
51, estimated..........................

Average
Receipts at New price per
Orleans.
pound.
Bales.
Cents.

2,100,537 1,041,393
1,778,651 707,324
2,347,634 1,188,733
2,728,596 1,100,636
2,096,706 797,387
2,350,000 995,036

6f
10
6f
6f
11
11

The total receipts at this port since 1st September last, from all sources, are
995,036 bales. This amount includes 44,816 bales from Mobile and Florida, and
from Texas by sea; and this being deducted, our receipts proper are shown to
be 950,220 bales, in which are included 18,0'51 bales received direct from Mont­
gomery, &c., Alabama. This, then, would show an increase in our receipts
proper, as compared with last year upon the same basis, o f 152,833 bales. The
total exports since 1st September are 997,458 bales, o f which 582,373 bales were
shipped to Great Britain, 130,362 to France, 131,906 to the North and South of
Europe, Mexico, &c., and 152,817 to United States ports. On a comparison of
the exports with those o f last year, there would appear to be an increase of
185,628 bales to Great Britain, 12,949 to France, 21,760 to the North and South
o f Europe, Mexico, &c., while to United States ports there is a decrease of
61,026 bales. The total receipts at all the Atlantic and Gulf ports, up to the
latest dates received, as shown by our general cotton table, are 2,331,464 bales,
and the crop, when made up by the New York Shipping List, will probably not
vary much from 2,350,000 bales.
W e have thus rapidly sketched the course o f the market during a season of
extraordinary vicissitudes, and such an one as we hope never to witness again.
In glancing at the peculiarities o f the season it may be safely remarked that its
prominent feature, (and, as the sequel has proven, its prominent error,) has been
an under-estimate o f the production. This, as we have already intimated, led to
the opening of the market at unfortunately high prices, which, under speculative
action, were subsequently carried to a higher point than they have reached since
1839. These under estimates were to a greater or less extent general, and we
think it may safely be asserted that a large majority placed the crop at or under
2,200,000 bales, while the bulk o f the business during the first six or seven months
o f the season was done upon a basis o f 2,100,000 to 2,150,000 bales. The esti­
mates o f very few parties were beyond what the actual crop is likely to be, and
these were looked upon as so extravagant that their opinions provoked discussion
and animadversion to a degree that has given them wide-spread notoriety.
And thus is added another to the many examples o f the fallacy o f early esti-




Trade and Commerce o f N ew Orleans in 1850- 51.

549

mates o f a crop whose culture occupies so broad an extent o f country, em­
bracing nearly every variety o f soil and climate, and requiring many months to
determine definitely the result. The error has been followed by most disastrous
consequences, but that those who fell into it (and they embrace planters, factors,
and purchasers,) were honest in their opinions, their own losses should be taken
to demonstrate.
In viewing the causes o f this astounding reaction the leading ones, o f course,
are the under estimates o f the crop, and the consequent elevation o f prices to
what has proved to have been an extravagant point. But as a collateral one,
growing out o f these, we may mention that the entire or partial stoppage o f
many of our home mills, owing to the high prices o f the raw material, and excessive
stocks o f manufactured articles on hand, threw an undue proportion o f the sup­
ply upon the European markets. Thus Great Britain alone has not only taken
the whole excess o f our receipts over those o f last year, but nearly 100,000 bales
more, that, with moderate prices, would have been consumed in the United States.
To Great Britain, therefore, the crop has been equal to one o f about 2,450,000
bales, while at the same time there has been a material increase in her imports
from Brazil, Egypt, and the East Indies. And besides this ample present supply,
large estimates o f our coming crop are indulged, which have had a marked in­
fluence in the depression o f prices. Thus, once more the spinners gained the
ascendancy, and for weeks panic, which loses sight o f the laws o f supply and
demand, seemed to reign in the Liverpool market. It is gratifying, however, to
observe that, notwithstanding the prevalence o f comparatively high prices during
a great portion o f the first six months o f the current year, the amount taken for
consumption in Great Britain slightly exceeds the amount taken for the same
purpose during a similar period last year, and by the last accounts the weekly
average has reached 33,000 bales— the highest ratio o f consumption yet attained
in the history o f the cotton manufacture. The following table exhibits the im­
ports, delivery, stock, &c., in the whole o f Great Britain for the first six months
ended on the 30th June last, and a comparison with the same period in 1850.

1850.

1851.

Stock, 1st January..............
Imports, six mouths............

521,120
1,156,500

558,390
940,862

1,677,620
Export, six months...............___
Consumption.........................___

95,300
T76,120

Stock, June 30.....................
Weekly average taken for consumption.........

1,499,252
119,800
770,952

871,420

890,752

806,200
29,851

608,500
29,652

In France, also, and other European countries, the deliveries for consumption
exceed those o f last year, the United States being the only point where a de­
crease is shown.
In respect to the growing crop, which is now a matter o f marked interest, we
propose to sketch briefly its progress and present prospects, leaving to others the
indulgence in estimates, which the past season, among many that have preceded
it, has shown to be attended with very great uncertainty, and with very serious
consequences. It is understood there was considerable increase in the breadth
o f land planted, but an unusually cold and backward spring retarded the growth
of the plant, and it had made comparatively little progress up to the early part o f
May, when a favorable change in the character o f the weather gave an impulse
to vegetation. From this time up to the 1st July, the accounts from the country,
with some exceptions, were favorable, though from the Uplands there was some
complaint o f a lack o f sufficient rain. The plant generally, however, though
small, was said to look healthy, and to give good promise; beside which, the
crops were unusually “ clean,” the*very lack o f rain complained o f having favored
cultivation by preventing any excessive growth of grass and weeds. But now
very serious complaints began to reach us from the Uplands, o f the long contin-




550

Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States.

uance of the drought; and as week succeeded week without any rain, except an
occasional shower, in partial neighborhoods, these complaints were reiterated, and
became more general, accompanied by representations that the very fair prospects
which the crops presented up to about the 1st July, were blasted to an important
extent, and that no subsequent combination o f circumstances could fully recover
them. For some weeks past, however, showers have been frequent, particularly
in this immediate neighborhood, and in some parts o f the interior heavy rains are
reported, which, coming at so late a period, are said to have been rather prejudicial
to the crops. The bottom lands are generally admitted to give excellent promise,
but so many contingencies may yet arise, favorable or adverse, that calculation o f
the result would be mere conjecture. W e make no estimates, but we will record
it as our impression that, while the error of last year was an under-estimate o f
the crop, the error o f the coming one is likely to be in the opposite direction.
With regard to the market prospects for the coming crop, we think they may
be said to be fair for ready sales, at moderate prices. In Great Britain, particu­
larly, all the hading elements o f an active and prosperous trade would seem to
be in combination ; namely, low stocks o f goods and o f the raw material in the
hands o f the manufacturers, cheap food, abundance o f money, and the world at
peace. Already the ratio o f consumption is greater than ever before attained,
and even a further increase is not improbable. In our own country, too, there
will soon, doubtless, be renewed activity, as the stocks o f goods, which for a
long time have been excessive, are much reduced, and the manufacturers are un­
derstood to be without any considerable stocks o f the raw material. Altogether
the prospect would seem to be favorable for fair returns to the planter, even with
a large crop, and the chances are that the relation o f consumption to supply will
be such as to leave the leading markets without excessive stocks at the close of
the season.
The first bale o f new crop was received here on the 25th July, being seventeen
days earlier than the first receipt o f last year, and the total receipts o f new crop
up to this date are 3,155 bales, against 67 bales last year. O f this quantity there
have been sales reported to the extent o f about 2,509 bales, at a range o f 8 a 8£
cents for middling, and 8| a 9 cents for good middling to middling fair, and the
market closes with a total stock, including all on shipboard not cleared, of 14,890
bales, o f which about 11,000 bales are in factors’ hands, embracing some 10,000
bales o f old crop held under limits.
M ixed C otton. W e have, on former occasions, called the attention o f plant­
ers to the existence o f an evil whieh loudly calls for remedy. W e refer to the
culpable negligence o f many whose duty it is to attend to the packing o f cotton,
as shown by the frequent discovery ol' mixed bales; namely, bales that are found
to contain two, three, or more qualities and colors. This negligence often leads
to vexatious reclamations, and sometimes to expensive law suits, as it generally
happens that the discovery is not made until the cotton has reached the hands of
the manufacturer at a distant market. Then, if any portion o f the bale is found
to be inferior in quality to the sample by which it was purchased, the whole bale
is reduced to the value o f the lowest grade found, and the difference reclaimed.
Nor is this all, for reclamations are sometimes insisted on even when the purchase
has been made by a sample o f the lowest grade, on the ground that mixed bales are
unmerchantable. Thus the planter not only loses the difference in price between
the lower and higher qualities which care'ess packing has mingled in the same
bale, but is called upon to pay that difference again. And beside all this, when
the irregular packing is once discovered, as it must necessarily be, somewhere
and at sometime, it throws discredit upon the planter’s crop generally, and thus
operates to his disadvantage. It sometimes happens that the discovery is made
here, before sale, by drawing samples from different parts o f a bale. When this
is the case the factor can seldom obtain more than the market value o f the low­
est sample. The evil which we have here depicted, and which is not only attended
with direct loss to the planter, but is also productive of many vexatious contro­
versies, is venial in its character, and only reprehensible for the confusion it in­
troduces into a most important branch o f trade, and one that can only be eon-




<

^

4

Trade and Commerce o f N ew Orleans in 1850- 51.

551

ducted with facility and economy upon the basis o f good faith in the honesty and
integrity o f the planter. These virtues being accorded to him, he owes it to
himself, to his factor, and to his purchaser to exercise more care and vigilance
over those who have his interest in charge.
S ugar . At the date o f our last annual report the prospect was considered
fair for a full average yield, as the weather for some three months previous had
been o f a remarkably favorable character for promoting the growth o f the cane.
Subsequently, however, the character o f the season proved unpropitious, an ex­
traordinary period o f drought having ensued, which prevented the cane from
yielding juice freely, and also delayed the grinding, from the lack o f water for
working the steam engines. Thus, the frost o f the middle o f November found
an unusually large proportion of the crop exposed, and the two causes above
noted, combined with damage from overflows, led to a material reduction in the
expected product. According to the statement o f Mr. P. A. Champomier, the
crop o f 1850-51 amounted to 211,203 hogsheads, weighing 231,194,000 pounds.
O f this quantity, 184,372 hogsheads are stated to be brown sugar, made by the
old process, and 26,831 hogsheads refined, clarified, &c., including cistern bot­
toms; and the whole is the product o f 1,495 sugar-houses, o f which 907 have
steam, and 588 have horse-power. The falling off in the crop, as compared with
that o f the previous year, is 26,720 hogsheads, or 38,575,009 pounds.
The stock estimated to be on hand at the close o f last year was 2,000 hogs­
heads, and this quantity being added to the crop, as above stated, makes a supply,
in round numbers, o f 213,000 hogsheads. As nearly as can be ascertained the
distribution o f this supply has been as follows: shipments out of the State by
sea, (including an estimate o f 10,000 hogsheads for the exports from Attakapas,)
57,000 hogsheads; consumption o f the city and neighborhood, 15,000 hogsheads;
taken for refining in the city and State, including cistern bottoms, 15,000 hogs­
heads: stock now on hand in the State, estimated at 2,200 hogsheads; leaving
as the quantity taken for the West, 123,800 hogsheads. The quantity shipped
to Atlantic ports is about 45,000 hogsheads, against 90,000 last year.
The first receipt o f the new crop was two hogsheads on the 17th October; one
week later than the first receipt o f the previous year. The two hogsheads were
o f good grain, but o f course were not well drained, and they were sold at six
cents per pound. Subsequently, supplies came forward slowly, and it was not
until the latter part o f the month that the business assumed any considerable im­
portance. The course o f the market will be best indicated by the following table,
which shows the highest and lowest point in each month for fair sugar on the
levee:—
Highest.

October.................................... cents per lb.
November...................................................
December..................................................
January......................................................
February.....................................................
March...............................................................
A p ril................................................................
May.............................................................
June............................................................
July............................................................
August........................................................

6 al>l
5^ a 5 f
5 a
5 f a 5^
5 a 5f
4$a 5f
5§ a 5J
6f a
6f a 6
8f a 6
6f a 6^

Lowest.

6^ a
4J- a 5
4f a 5
4f a 5
4 f a 5^
4f a 5
4 f a 5f
5 f a 5f
5| a 5-J
5| a o f
6f a 6

It will thus be seen that the market has not been subjected to any violent
fluctuations throughout the season, but on the contrary that it has generally
been characterized by great steadiness, while the average o f prices has been
considerably above that o f last year. The transactions on plantation have to a
great extent been on private terms, though we obtained particulars o f the sales
o f quite a number o f crops, as they occurred, and we find by our records that
the ruling rates in January and February were 4|- a 5-J, in March 4 f a 5f, in
April 5 a 5^, in May 5i a 5f, and in June, when nearly all had passed out o f
planters’ hands, 5 7-16 a 5J cents per lb. The deficiency in the Louisiana crop




552

Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States.

has led to increased imports o f foreign sugars, and thus we have from Cuba
451 hhds. and 29,293 boxes, against 397 hhds. and 18,843 boxes last year. W e
have also an import from Brazil o f 1,354 boxes o f 1,800 pounds eaeh, the first
ever received at this port, but to be followed, we understand, by several other
cargoes. Besides the Louisiana crop there were produced last year in Texas
about 6,000 and in Florida about 1,500 hhds.
With respect to the growing crop, we have but a few remarks to offer, it be­
ing too early in the season to arrive at anything definite regarding its probable
extent. It is understood that the severe frosts o f November last cut short the
supply o f plant cane, and thus somewhat circumscribed the cultivation, while
the cold spring, and the subsequent long drought, were unfavorable to the pro­
gress o f the plant, particularly in the upper parishes. Within the past few
weeks, however, frequent showers o f rain have fallen, and the crops in most
sections are said to present a marked improvement. The result, however, can­
not be determined for many weeks to come, and we shall close these remarks
by referring to the annexed table, which gives the product o f each year since
1828.
Crop of
Crop of
Crop of
Crop of
Crop of
Crop of
Crop of
Crop of
Crop of
Crop of
Crop of

1850 ................hhds.
1849.........................
1848.........................
1847.........................
1846.........................
1845.........................
1844.........................
1843.........................
1842.........................
1841.........................
1840.........................

211,203 Crop of
247,923 Crop of
220,000 Crop of
240.000 Crop of
140.000 Crop of
186,650 Crop of
200.000 Crop of
100,000 Crop of
140,000 Crop of
90.000 Crop of
87.000

1839
1838
1837
1836
1835
1834
1833
1832
1829
1828

115.000
70.000
65.000
70.000
30.000

.hhds.

100.000

75.000
70.000
48.000
88.000

From the best available data it would appear that (estimating the product of
maple sugar at 50 millions pounds) the present consumption o f the United
States is about 550 millions o f pounds— equal to 25 pounds for each individual
o f our population. O f this quantity Louisiana and Texas, with their present
extent o f cultivation and an average product, can furnish fully 300 millions
pounds. Besides the sugar there were imported into the United States, in
1849-50, from foreign countries, 25 millions gallons molasses, and the product
o f Louisiana, for the same season, was 12 millions gallons.
M olasses. According to the statement of Mr. P. A. Champomier, the pro­
duct o f molasses from the last cane crop, estimating 50 gallons for every 1,000
pounds o f sugar, was 10,500,000 gallons, or 1.500,000 gallons less than the product
o f the previous year. This deficient supply has been productive o f a higher
average o f prices than has been attained for several years past, as will be seen
by the following table, which exhibits the highest and lowest point in each
month, for sales on the levee, in barrels:—
Highest.

October....................... cents per gallon
November..............................................
December.............................................
January.................................................
February...............................................
March....................................................
A pril....................................................
May.......................................................
June......................................................
Ju ly......................................................
August..................................................

33 a 25
27 a 28
24} a 24§
20 a 24£
23 a 27}
25 a 30
25 a 33
26 a 35
25 a 32
22 a 30
22 a 32

Lowest.

26}
24
23
18
18
23
22
25
25
20
22

a 27
a 24}
a 24
a 23}
a 24
a 27}
a 30}
a 32
a 30
a 28
a 30

About the middle o f December the market opened with a good demand for
crops on plantation, at 20 a 21 cents, and during the subsequent few weeks
large sales were effected at this range, though mostly at 20} cents per gallon.
The highest sales o f the season, according to our records, were in February and
March, when some few crops were disposed o f at 23 a 23} cents per gallon. It




Trade and Commerce o f N ew Orleans in 1850- 51.

553

being found about this time that the Louisiana crop was nearly exhausted, or­
ders for cargoes were sent to Cuba, and they began to arrive early in April. Up
to this date the imports are equal to about 1,200,000 gallons, most o f which has
been taken for refining purposes. O f the crop o f 10,500,000 gallons there have
been shipped to Atlantic ports (estimating the exports from Attakapas at 12,000
barrels) about 2,000,000 gallons, against 4,500,000 gallons last year; leaving
8,500,000 gallons as the quantity taken for the consumption o f the South and
West. The receipts on the levee, from the interior, have been 184,483 barrels,
against 189,813 barrels last year.
T obacco. The tobacco trade, during the past season, has been marked by
extraordinary vicissitudes, which have produced remarkable fluctuations in
prices ; and in tracing the course o f our own market, we shall find it necessary
to touch, from time to time, upon that o f others, by the movements in which
ours has been influenced in an unusual degree.
At the commencement o f the year the stock in this port, as shown by our
tables, was 14,842 hhds., o f which amount we estimated that factors held 6,500
hhds., and our quotations then were, for Factory Lugs 5 a 5 J ; Planters’ Lugs
b i a 6J-; Leaf, common, 6| a 7 £ ; Fair to Fine 7£ a 8J-; Choice 8£ a 9 cents
per lb. For several months prior to the close o f the previous season, we had
received from the West, as well as from Virginia and Maryland, very gloomy
accounts regarding the crop, which had induced holders to withdraw a large
portion o f their stocks from the market, and the quantity actually on sale prob­
ably did not exceed 2,000 to 2,500 hhds. In the month o f September the de­
mand was fair, resulting in sales o f about 2,000 hhds., and an advance o f i cent
in prices. On the 8th October a number o f telegraphic despatches were receiv­
ed, announcing frost in many parts of Kentucky and Tennessee, on the morning
o f the 5th o f that month, and stating that very great injury had been done to
the crops. These accounts at once produced a speculative feeling in the mar­
ket, and prices commenced to tend upward. Further intelligence from the
country having fully confirmed the frost news, and this being met by advices o f
an important improvement in the English markets, the excitement here during
the ensuing thirty days was very great, and the advance in so limited a period
almost unprecedented. The sales from the 8th October to the 12th November
exceeded 6,000 hhds., (being swelled to this amount by a number o f resales)
and at the latter date our quotations were, for Lugs 7 f a 8 ; Leaf, inferior to
common, 9 a 9J; Fair to Fine, 10 a 11; Choice and selections, 11) a 12J cents
per lb. This important advance, although caused in a great measure, no doubt,
by the accounts o f the damage done by the frost, and the consequently reduced
estimates made o f the crop, (the figures o f well-informed parties then ranging
from 40,000 to 50,000 hhds.,) was attributable in at least as great a degree to
the upward movement that had taken place in England, prior to the receipt o f the
frost news in that country, the sales in London and Liverpool, during September,
having exceeded 4,500 hhds., at an advance of Id. a 1|d. per lb. On the 6th o f
November the London quotations for Western Leaf, ranged from 3)d, to 9d.,
and for Western Strips, from 9d. to 15d. The bulk o f the limited stock re­
maining on sale here in the latter part o f November was in the hands o f specu­
lators, and a large portion of it having been purchased at high prices but a short
time previous, it was not offered freely, even at the very full rates then quoted.
The demand for some weeks following was by no means animated, but holders
were enabled to realize tolerably steady prices for old crop, until the close o f
February, at which time the stock o f old was reduced to a very low point. O f
the new crop the first receipt was on the 14th December, an unusually late pe­
riod, which tended to strengthen the impression that the extent o f the yield
would approximate to the lower estimates that had been made, and the small­
ness o f the arrivals for some months served to confirm this belief. The pro­
portion o f frosted, tobacco in the early receipts was large, and went to show that
the farmers had been induced, by the high prices current here and elsewhere, to
prepare and send to market an article that, at other times, they probably would
have left in the fields. The extent to which this has contributed in producing




554

Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States.

the great decline that has since taken place, it would he difficult to determine,
but that it was very great no one can doubt. And we may here remark with
regard to the quality o f the past crop that although a small portion of it, from
certain sections, has been equal, if not superior, to any that we have had here
for some years past, the bulk o f it has proved to be exceedingly deficient in
size, substance and color.
Early in March it became known that the contract for the supply o f the
French Government had not been adjudicated, the Regie having rejected the
lowest bids. During March the arrivals increased greatly, and before the end
o f that month we had become apprised that the manufacturers o f England were
making a determined stand, with every prospect o f succeeding, against the hold­
ers o f the very heavy stock then in the London and Liverpool markets, a large
portion o f which was known to be held on speculation by comparatively few
parties. At this juncture the New York market began to droop, the stock here
was rapidly accumulating, and the history o f our market for the subsequent
three months may be summed up in a few words: with a large and steadily in­
creasing stock, and with generally but one, and never more than two large buy­
ers operating, prices went down with almost as great rapidity as they had gone
up the previous fall. Indeed, for many weeks it may be said, (and we so re­
marked at the time,) that we had no market; for the value o f any description of
tobacco could not be fixed with any degree o f accuracy, and many sales were
forced at constantly reduced figures. This state o f things continued until about
the middle of July, at which period the receipts amounted to 56,206 hhds.,
against 53,957 the previous year, and the slock on sale was estimated at about
16,000 hhds.; our quotations were for frosted 2 a 3 ; Planters’ Lugs 3} a 4J;
Leaf, inferior to common, 5 a 5 f ; Fair to Fine 6£ a 7 ; Choice and Selections
7 i a 8J cents per lb. These low prices brought buyers out more generally, and
in the last twenty days o f July the sales amounted to nearly 7,000 hhds., prices
recovering during that period to the extent o f \ a f cent, and on some qualities
1 cent per pound. Since the beginning o f August the demand has been mod­
erate, but holders have shown no disposition to push off their stocks, and the
sales o f the month, which sum up about 4,000 hhds., have been at steady rates,
the quotations being as follows— Frosted 2) a 3 ) ; Lugs, planters, 3 f a 5 ;
Leaf, inferior to common, 5£ a 6 ; fair to fine 6-J a 7 ; choice and selections 7 i a
9 cents per lb. W e close our tables with receipts for the past twelve months
o f 64,030 hhds., and with a stock on hand, including all on shipboard not clear­
ed, o f 23,771 hhds., o f which 10,000 hhds. are held by factors.
With respect to the growing crop, we have to remark that the advices have
varied exceedingly from time to time. In the spring it was stated that the
planting was unusually large. In June and July there were great complaints of
drought, in nearly every section, and a large proportion o f the planting was said
to have been lost in consequence o f the lack of rain. Within the last two or
three weeks, however, we have received accounts o f refreshing showers, by
which it is stated the crop has been greatly improved; and although there is
no longer a probability o f so heavy a yield as was anticipated by many some
months ago, on the other hand there would seem to be little likelihood o f any
serious deficiency in the supply.
The defects in the quality o f the crop, to which we have already alluded, are
attributable to the unfavorable seasons for planting, growing and curing, which
the farmers have had to contend with; but we deem it proper to remark that
probably no tobacco crop has ever been sent forward, upon the preparation of
which for market so little care appeared to have been bestowed. W e aliude to
this solely with a view o f calling the attention o f the farmers to the fact that if
they wish to sustain the character o f this market, it will be incumbent upon
them to give at least a resonable share o f care and attention to the handling,
sorting and prizing o f their crops.
W estern P roduce. This heading, as connected with our trade, embraces a
great variety o f commodities, o f immense value, but our limited space will only
admit o f our noting the past season’s operations in some few o f the leading ar-




Trade and Commerce o f N ew Orleans in 1860- 51.

555

tides. In the supplies of Flour and Indian Corn, there has been a material in­
crease, as compared with last year, the receipts o f the former since September 1st,
being 941,106 barrels, against 591,986 barrels, and o f the latter equal to
3,300,000 bushels, against 2,750,000 bushels. O f Wheat, also, there has been
an increased supply, but little or none of it has been exported, and only a very
small proportion sold here, the bulk having been on account o f our city mills, or
for transmission to Alabama and Georgia. The receipts are equal to 180,000
bushels against 110,00 bushels last year, O f Corn Meal the receipts are 3,662
barrels, against 5,187 barrels last year. The total exports o f Flour since 1st Sep­
tember, amount to 583,418 barrels against 211,750 barrels last year. O f this
quantity 205,508 barrels, were shipped to Great Britain, 145,340 to W est Indies,
&e., and the remainder to coastwise ports. Of Indian Corn the total exports
have been equal to 1,300,000 bushels, against 1,060,000 bushels last year. O f
this quantity 135,000 bushels were shipped to Great Britain and Ireland, 265,000
to West Indies, &c., and the remainder to coastwise ports. The following tables
indicate the course o f the market, by presenting the highest and lowest prices in
each month, the range being according to quality.
PRICES OF FLOUR.

Highest.

September...................
October........................
November...................
December...................
January .....................
February.....................
March..........................
April...........................
May.............................
June...........................
July.............................
August........................

barrel

5>4 62* a 5
4 05 a 5
4 50 a 5
4 47 a 5
4 35 a 5
4 20 a 5
4 00 a 5
4 15 a 5
4 10 a 4
3 70 a 4
4 00 a 5
4 50 a 6

Lowest.

25
121
25
121
121
00
00
00
90
75
25
00

14 121 a 5
4 25 a 5
4 20 a 5
4 25 a 5
4 121 a 5
3 90 a 4
3 65 a 4
S 90 a 4
3 70 a 4
3 25 a 4
3 40 a 5
3 60 a 5

00
121
1*1
00
00
75
75
75
75
75
00
00

PRICES OF CORN IN SACKS

Cents.

Cents.

September, .per bush. .. a 68 50 a 60
October..,................... 60 a 75 50 a 60
November.................. 85 a 90 68 a 75
December.................. 65 a 70 50 a 58
January...................... 65 a 70 60 a 68
February.................... 60 a 68 54 a 67

Cents.

March.
April
May .
June.

July.
August..

Cents.

57 a 60 50 a 58
50 a 58 46 a 55
46 a 54 35 a 50
35 a 67 34 a 55
34 a 60 84 a 58
34 a 62 30 a 47

The annexed table exhibits the exports o f Breadstuff's from the United States
to Great Britian and Ireland since 1st September, compared with the same period
last year. By this it will be seen that there has been a very large increase in the
exports o f Flour and Wheat, while in those o f Indian Corn there is shown a fall­
ing off o f over fifty per cent. Nearly two-thirds o f the whole has been shipped
from the port o f New York.
Flour................................. barrels
Cora M eal.....................................
"Wheat................................bushels
Cora..............................................

1850-51.

1819-50.

1,379,643
5,553
1,286,630
2,197,253

392,742
6,086
432,939
4,813,373

It is understood that the grain crops o f the West are very fair, if not abundant;
and this is fortunate for the South, where the corn crops have failed, even to a
much greater extent than last year, when our planters were compelled to buy
largely of the produce o f the western farmers. At the same time, the fine prom­
ise o f the European crops, if realized, is likely to prevent a very high range of
prices, by lessening the demand for export. It was early asserted by westen dea­
lers that the “ hog crop ” would be materially short o f that o f the previous year,
and the correctness of this position would seem to be demonstrated by the very




556

Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States.

large falling off in the receipts o f Pork at this market, as shrfwn by our tables.
The supply o f Beef, also, has been diminished, and the average of prices for both
Pork and Beef has been much above that o f last year. The following tables ex­
hibit the highest and lowest points o f each month.
PRICES OF PORK---- P E R BARREL.
P R IM E .

M ESS.

Highest.

Lowest.

Highest.

September.. . . . . 810 25 a 10 50 $10 12)t a 10 25
October............ . . 11 124 a 11 50
10 25 a 10 37)
^November.. . .
20 a 22 00
11 25 a 11 62)
December.. .. . . . 12 00 a 12 60
11 50 a
January.......... . . 12 00 a 12 50
11 75 a 12 00
February........
50 a 14 25
12 50 a 13 00
March.............
75 a 13 50
12 50 a 13 00
April..............
00 a 14 75
13 25 a 13 75
May................
75 a 15 00
14 25 a 14 75
June............... . . 14 50 a 14 75
14 00 a 14 50
July...............
00 a 14 37) 13 87) a 14 37)
August.......... . . 16 50 a 17 00
15 00 a 15 26

Lowest.

$8 50 a 9 90 $8 50 a 9 00
9 00 a 9 25
8 25 a 8 75
8 25 a 8 75
8 124 a 8 40
8 50 a 9 00
8 12) a 8 40
10 00 a 11 00
9 00 a 9 50
12 00 a 13 00 10 60 a 11 00
10 00 a 11 50 10 50 a 11 00
11 75 a 12 25 10 75 a 11 25
12 50 a 13 00 12 00 a 12 50
12 00 a 12 50 12 00 a 12 50
12 00 a 12 50 12 00 a 12 50
15 50 a 16 00 12 50 a 13 00

PRICES OF BEEF— PER BARREL.
M ESS.

Highest.

September........
October............. ........
November..........
December......... ........
January.............. ........
Feburary . . . .
March.................
A p r il................
May....................
June...................
July....................
August......... .

P R IM E .

Lowest.

11 50 a 12 00
10 00 a 11 60
10 00 a 11 50

10
10
10
10
10
10
11
11
11
12
13

Highest.

75 a 11 50
00 a 11 00
00 a 11 00
00 a 11 25
00 a 11 50
00 a 12 00
00 a 12 00
50 a 12 50
50 a 12 50
00 a 13 00
50 a 14 00

Lowest.

$8 00 a 8 25 $7 50 a 8 00
7 50 a 8 00
7 00 a 8 00
7 00 a 7 50
6 00 a 6 50
6 00 a 9 00
6 00 a 9 00
8 00 a 9 00
8 00 a 9 00
8 50 a 9 50
8 50 a 9 50
8 50 a 9 00
8 00 a 9 00
9 00 a 9 50
8 00 a 9 00
9 50 a 10 50
9 00 a 10 00
10 00 a 10 50 10 00 a 10 50
10 00 a 10 50 10 00 a 10 50
10 60 a 11 00 10 50 a 11 00

The decrease in the supply o f Lard has been proportionate to that o f Pork,
and prices have been correspondingly enhanced. The total exports since 1st Sep­
tember, (all packages being reduced to kegs) are equal to 738,956 kegs, against
1,554,849 kegs last year. O f this quantity, 188,353 kegs were exported to for­
eign ports, against 696,259 kegs last year, Great Britian having taken 41,663 kegs
against 425,830 kegs last year. The following table, showing the highest and
lowest range o f prices, according to quality, in each month, will exhibit the course
o f the market.
PRICES OF LARD.

Highest.

September..................cents per pound
October..................................................
November.................................. ...........
December..............................................
January................................................
February...............................................
March.....................................................
April......................................................
May........................................................
June......................................................
July.......................................................
August...................................................

6f
5
6)
6)
7
1
7
8
8
8
8)
8)

a 7)
a 7)
a 7f
a 7)
a 9
a 9f
a 9
a 11)
a 11)
alli
a 11
a 12

Lowest.

5 a 1}
6 a 7i
5 a 7i
6) a 7f
6J a 7 }
7 a 9
6 ) a 8f
6-J a 8 )
8' a l l i
8 a 10f
8 ) a 10f
8 i a 11

L ead . The marked change in the course o f trade in this article, which has
taken place within the past few years, has divested it o f nearly all interest in this
market, as, in the almost total absence o f foreign demand, our port scarcely
more than retains the distinction o f a port for the transhipment to the Nothern




Trade and Commerce o f N ew Orleans in 1850- 51.

557

cities. The quantity received, too, has further materially fallen off, being only
325,505 pigs since 1st September, against 415,400 pigs during same period last
year, and 785,000 pigs in 1845-6. This last amount was the largest ever received
here during one year, and the foreign exports for the same period were 175,000
pigs, the greater part o f which went to Prance. During the past season the to­
tal foreign exports are only 1,461 pigs to Genoa, and 179 to Yucatan, and the en­
tire sales in this market barely reach 20,000 pigs, the extreme range of prices
being $4,00 a $4 62| per 100 lbs.; the highest in May and lowest in June. The
total exports since 1st September, are 320,608 pigs against 410,146 pigs last
year.
H emp. W e intimated in our last annual report there was likely to be a ma­
terial falling off in the supply o f Hemp, as compared with the year previous, and
the result shows the receipts here, since 1st September, to be 25,116 bales, against
34,792 bales last year, or a decrease o f 9,676 bales. Respecting the course of
trade in the article, we may say, as in the case o f Lead, that our city has almost
ceased to be a market o f sale, as there is no foreign demand, and the bulk o f the
supply is now sent here for transhipment to nothern ports. Thus the entire sales
o f the season have barely reached 1,000 bales at $90 00 a $103 00 per ton for
dew rotted, and the total exports are 22,220 bales, o f which 12 bales to Bremen
is the only one to a foreign port. The following table exhibits the comparative
receipts and average prices for a series o f years.
Bales.

Per ton.

Bales.

Per ton.

1842-43..................
14,873
$80
1847- 48................
21,584
115
184344..........
38,062
66,
19,856
132
1848- 49...............
1844- 45.................
46,274
60
1849- 50...............
34,792
109
1845- 46.................
30,980
60
1850- 51................
25,116
100
184647..........
60,238
90
W e have made some inquiries respecting the growing crop, and find that those
best informed on the subject, expect that the supply will be even less than that
o f last year.
C offee . This prominent article among our foreign products, has met with ex­
tensive demand during the past season, and as importers have generally met the
market pretty freely, and speculators have been more guarded in their operations,
prices have not taken so wide a range, nor been subject to such sudden and ex­
treme fluctuations, as was the case last year. Still, however, the difference be­
tween the highest and the lowest points is very material, amounting to 4^-cents
per pound, the highest being 13 cents in the early part o f October, before the
arrival o f any new crop, and the lowest 8£ cents, about the middle o f June. Last
year the highest rate was 14f cents, in February, and 7-J- in May. The first cargo
o f the season arrived on the 17th October, and the opening price for any consider­
able parcel was 12 cents per pound. The following table show the imports,
stocks &c.
Estimated stock out of grocers’ hands on 1st Sept., 1850, of all kinds, .bags
279,190
Imports direct from Rio Janeiro............................................
10,367
Cuba, Laguayra, dtc..................................................................
Received coastwise for sale

28,000
289,557
36,200

Making a supply of....... .......................................... ...........................
Total supply last year...........................................................................

353,757
802,840

Increase..............................................................................................

50,917

In the direct imports from Rio, there is an increase, as compared with last year,
o f 54,177 bags, while in those o f Cuba, &c., there is a decrease o f 10,260 bags,
and in the receipts coastwise for sale, a decrease o f 15,000 bags. The present
stock of all kinds, out o f grocers hands, is estimated at 4,000 bags, which would
leave 349,757 bags as the quantity taken for the consumption o f the West and
South, against 269,554 bags last year; or an increase o f 80,203 bags. From the
interesting circular of H. T. Lonsdale, Esq, Coffee Broker, we take the follow­
ing table, which shows the monthly sales and average prices for Rio Coffee for




558

Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States.

the year ending July 1st, 1851, which embraces the Coffee season. It will be
seen that the average price o f the entire year is 10 18-100 cents per pound.
Price.
Bags.
)—Ju ly.................................
|9 36
August.............................
9 20
September........................
10 40
October.............................
12 15
November.........................
10 64
December.........................
10 15
—January ...........................
10 78
February....................... .
10 79
March................................
10 22
April................................
9 87 +
May...................................
9 28
June.................................
9 10
$10 18

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

The total export from Rio de Janeiro during the last crop year, ended on the
30th June, was 1,880.685 bags, o f which 852,144 bags were shipped to the United
States, against 573,059 bags the year previous. The stock on hand at Rio was
estimated at 50,000 bags, chiefly o f the low qualities. With respect to the new
crop, circulars state that it was expected to arrive freely in August, and promised
to be of good quality. Its extent is estimated at not less than 1,500,000 bags,
besides which there are supposed to be 300,000 to 500,000 bags o f last year’s crop
remaining over. This would give a supply for the crop year to end on the 30th
June next o f 1,800,000 to 2,000,000 bags. The particulars o f the past year’s ex­
port toAhe United States are as follows: to New Orleans and Mobile, 276,658,
bags, Baltimore 256,032, New York 243,215, Philadelphia 33,688, Boston 11,218,
Charleston and Savanah 7,015, California 3,318; total 852,144 bags.
E xchange . The range for Sterling has not varied greatly from that o f last
year. The extreme rates are 6+ a 7 f per cent premium in January, and 10 a 11
in August. Francs, 5f. 30 a 5f. 35 per dollar in January, and 5f. 05 a 5f. 121 in
May. New York and Boston, sixty day’s sight, 3 a 31 per cent discount in Jan­
uary and I f a l i in July. Sight checks 2 a 21 per cent discount in January, and
1 per cent premium in August.
F reights .
W e have no space for extended remarks under this head, and
must content ourselves with stating that, while the fluctuations from time to time
have been very material, the general average o f rates has been considerably above
that o f last year. As the rate for cotton to Liverpool is the leading guide, we
give the extremes o f the year, the highest being f a 13-16d. in February, and the
lowest 5-16 a |d. in October, April, June and July. The total number of arrivals
from sea since September 1st, is 2,144, viz:— 615 ships, 190 steamships, 320
barks, 315 brigs, and704 schooners; and the entries at the Custom-House during
the year ended 30th June last wers as follow s:— whole number o f vessels 2,054;
tonnage 768,027. O f these 333 vessels, measuring 136,998 tons, were foreign,
from foreign ports. Last year the whole number o f entries was 2,141, and
the tonnage 763,634. The proportion o f foreign was 378 vessels, and 176,344
tons.
STOCK O F P O E K .

1851.
Clear.................................................... barrels
Prime Mess......................................................
Mess.................................................................
Mess Ordinary..................................................
Soft Mess.........................................................
Prime...............................................................
Rumps.............. ...........................................
Soft Prime.......................................................
Inferior, damaged, <fcc.....................................
Not inspected..................................................
Total....................................................




144
11,338
1,773
57
135
164
288
2,983
16,892

1850.
73
241
16,821
1,640
4,163
671
104
845
284
24,924

1819.
151
27
18,816
4,500
90
3,424
2,647
602
567
1,880
32,680

The Growth o f Towns in the United. States.

559

Art. III.— THE GROWTH OF TOWNS IN THE UNITED STATES.
I n vol. viii., page 321, o f the Merchants' Magazine, we undertook to de­
monstrate that, within one hundred years, the largest city o f our country
would be in the great valley embraced by the basins o f the St. Lawrence
and the Mississippi.
In the same volume, page 441, facts were adduced to show the tendency
o f the trade o f the great valley to the lake borders, indicating the concen­
tration, within one hundred years, o f the greatest Commerce and population
in one or more o f the lake cities.
In vol. ix., page 31, facts were submitted to prove the tendency o f modern
improvements and civilization to congregate men in towns and cities, and
the effect o f that tendency to building up great towns and cities in the
Western Valley, and especially on the lake borders.
In vol. xiv., page 163, is an article, on “ The Progress o f the W est con­
sidered with reference to the great Commercial Cities o f the United States
and, in vol. xix., page 383, “ Our Cities, Atlantic, and Interior,” are compared
in reference to their past and future growth.
The census o f 1850 having given us new facts, we now propose to de­
duce a law o f growth o f our leading cities and towns.
O f the cities and towns, o f note in 1790, New York has had the most
rapid growth, having had an average duplication o f a little less than 15
years. W ith its suburbs, properly depending on it, as a commercial mart,
such as Brooklyn, Williamsburg, &c.,;its population, in 1850, is set down at
650,000. The census o f 1790 made it 33,131. During the same sixty
years, Albany grew from a village o f 3,498 to a city of 51,000— doubling
its numbers on an average o f 16 years.
Baltimore comes next, having grown from 13,508, in 1790, to 170,000,
in 1850, making its average time o f duplication about 17 years.
Philadelphia has doubled once every 18 years, having, with its suburbs,
grown from 46,000, in 1790, to 450,000, in 1850.
Boston, and its business suburbs, is estimated, in round numbers, to have
had 30,000, in 1790, which increased to 212,000, in 1850, making its aver­
age period o f duplication aboqt 21 years.
Worcester had about the same proportionate growth as Boston, having
gone up from 2,095 to 15,864.
Charleston, South Carolina, had 16,359, in 1790, and 48,000, in 1850—
thus requiring about 45 years to double its numbers.
Salem increased from 8,000 to 19,000, thus doubling only once in 50
years.
The above cities and towns increased from 153,591, in 1790, to 1,611,000,
in 1850, making, in the aggregate, an average duplication in a little over 18
years. I f all the towns o f note, in 1790, were embraced, it would show a
slower growth, and, probably, raise the average period o f duplication to 20
years.
Calculating the growth o f the principle places, from 1800 to 1850, we
find some changes in the relative rapidity o f increase.




560

The Growth o f Towns in the United States.
Population in

Population in

Years.

1800.

1850.

141
15
12
13
21
20
23
23
24
18
40
45
50
50
61
9
91
17
20
8
151

63,000
5,349
8,000
3,210
26,614
73,000
38,000
7,614
5,537
2,411
4,292
18,712
9,457
4,196
750
1,565
2,000

650,000
61,000
125,000
40,000
170,000
450,000
212,000
41,500
27,500
16,000
12,500
43,000
19,000
8,800
*125,000
83,000
80,000

273,391
261,076
12,313
201,000

2.154.300
1.741.300
413,000
1,482,000

New York, with suburbs, had an average
duplication of less than 15 years, say.. . .
Albany doubled once in ...............................
New Orleans................................................
Washington..................................................
Baltimore......................................................
Philadelphia, and suburbs...........................
Boston, and suburbs.....................................
Providence....................................................
Richmond.....................................................
Worcester....................................................
fiancaster......................................................
Charleston....................................................
Salem................... .....................................
Alexandria..................................................
Cincinnati....................................................
Pittsburg......................................................
St. Louis......................................................
The above cities, together...........................
All but the four W estern.............................
The four Western.........................................
The four largest Eastern.............................

The above table gives a fair view o f the growth o f our cities and chief
towns for the last half century. It exhibits the growth of the western towns,
which had just come into the census table in 1800, in a striking light. The
law o f increase, in the old cities, for the 50 years, varies but little from that
o f sixty years, as previously given.
Let us see how it will stand for the 40 years, from 1810 to 1850. The
following are all the cities and towns o f which we have been able to obtain
the proportions for the two periods. The average period o f duplication will
be given with an approximation to accuracy sufficient for the comparison.
They take precedence in the table according to rapidity o f grow th :—
PERIOD OF DUPLICATION.

Years.

Cincinati.'..............
Louisville..............
Buffalo.................. .
Detroit................. .
St. Louis...............
Pittsburg..............
Bangor.................. .
Wheeling.............. .
U tica.................... .
Troy...................... .
New Oorleans.. . . .
New York............ .
Albany..................

8
81
81
9
91
10
101
12
14
141
15

Years.

W ashington............
Worcester..............
Wilmington, Del....
Newark, N. J ........
Philadelphia...........
Boston....................
Reading, Pa............
Hartford, Ct...........
Providence............
Baltimore..............
Savannah................
Portland................
New Haven........ ...

161
17
171
171
181
181
19
191
191
21
21
21
21

Years.

Harrisburg..............
Richmond..............
Schenectady...........
York, Pa................
Lancaster, Pa.........
Carlisle...................
Charleston, S. C.. . .
Norfolk, V a ...........
Salem, Mass............
Portsmouth, N. H. .
Newport, R. I ........
New bury port.........
Alexandria, V a___

22
29
30
32
35
45
50
50
85
106
150
160
200

The increase o f all these places, during the 40 years, exceeded two
millions, on a population o f less than half a million. In other words, they
more than quintupled their numbers in 40 years ; doubling on an average
period of from 18 to 19 years. The western towns (including New Orleans
and Utica) increased from 31,259 to 4 2 6 ,3 5 9 ,being about equal to an aver­
age duplication of 12-J- years.




# With suburbs.

Growth o f Towns in the United States.

561

During the 30 years, from 1820 to 1850, the law o f increase, as indicated
by the preceding table, is materially varied, only in few unimportant instan­
ces. A somewhat more rapid growth is manifest, as we approach the present
time. The following table gives the average period o f duplication, for the
last 30 years, in the order o f most rapid g row th :—
AVERAGE TIME OF DUPLICATION.]

Years.

Lowell................
Buffalo................ . . .
St. Louis............. . . .
Cincinnati..........
Louisville..........
Detroit...............
Columbus, O . . . .
Pittsburg............
Bangor................
Erie.....................
Wheeling............
Mobile...............
Newark..............
Worcester...........
New York..........
Troy....................
Utica.................

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

...
...

H
7
1
H
8
8

Si
Si
9
9
91

18
13

Years.

Jamesville.............. .
Springfield, Mass .. .
New Orleans.......... .
.
Albany.................... .
Philadelphia...........
Hartford, C t .......... .
Nashville................ .
Reading.................. .
Chilaeothe............... .
Providence.............. .
Agusta, M e............ .
Schenectady.......... .
New Haven............ .
New London.......... .
Washington............. .
Harrisburg..............
Bath, M e................

13
13
15
15
15*
16
17
17
17
18
18
19
19
25
20

Years.

Richmond..............
Baltimore................
Savannah................ .

25

.

25

Wilmington, D el... .
Lancaster, Pa......... .
Newburg................
Taunton..................
Hudson, N. Y ........
York, Pa................
Charleston, S. C.. . . .
Carlisle...................
Norfolk...................
Salem, Mass..........
Newport.................
Newbury port..........
Portsmouth............

25
25

40

The order o f growth, and the average period o f duplication, for the 20
years, from 1830 to 1850, is shown, with an approach to accuracy, in the
following ta ble:—
AVERAGE TIME OF DUPLICATION.

Years.
Cleveland........ .
Golumbus..........
St. Louis.......... .......
Sandusky City..____
Detroit............ .........
Indianapolis.. . , ........
Mobile.............. .......
Lowell.............. ........
Cincinnati . . . . , ........
Marietta....................
Dayton........... .........
Bangor.............. .......
Buffalo......................
Erie...................
Louisville.......... ..........
Pittsburg.........
New Albany.............
Madison..........
Rochester........ ........
Worcester.........
Newark, N . J ..........
Zanesville____

Years.
Syracuse.............. . . 13
Lockport...............
6* Springfield, Mass.. . . 14
6
Fall River............ . . 14
6
Nashville.............. . . 14
Lynn.................... . . 144
n
New York............
H
Troy...................... . . 154
8
84 Chilaeothe.............
8-J Wheeling.............. . . 16
84 Philadelphia......... . . 17
84 Providence... . . . . . . . 174
84 Hartford................ . . 174
W ashington.......... .. 18
18
94 New Orleans........ . .
New Haven..........
New London......... . . 184
10
Portland................ . . 184
104 Baltimore.............. . . 19
New Bedford........ .. 19
Bath, M e..............
12
Utica....................

Years.
Boston.....................
Albany...................
Wilmington, D el...
Schenectady..........
Richmond..............
Reading, Pa............
Lancaster................
Savannah................
Harrisburg..............
Natchez..................
Taunton..................
Poughkeepsie.........
York, P a ................
Salem, Mass............
Newburyport..........
Carlisle...................
Charleston, S. C......
Norfolk...................
Portsmouth, N . H ..
Hudson, N. Y ........
Newburg, N. Y .......
Newport, R. I ........

.

20

.
.
.
.

21
2 14

24
24

.

28

.
.
.

40
40
50

.
.

90
100
. 100

The following table exhibits the average period o f duplication on the in­
crease o f the 10 years, from 1810 to 1850.
V OL. X X V .---- NO. V .
36




56 2

Growth o f Towns in the United States.
AVERAGE TIM E OF DUPLICATION.

Years.
Milwauke..............
Chicago..................
...
Manchester, N. H . ,. . .
Sandusky City . . . , . . .
Columbus, 0 ........... . .
Cleveland............. . . .
Toledo....................
Cincinnati............
Marietta..................
Indianapolis............. . .
Pittsburg................ . . .
Newark, N. J......... . . .
, ..
Dayton................... . .
New Albany..........
Buffalo.................... . .
Nashville.-.............. . .
Detroit...................
Janesville.............. . .
Louisville................
Worcester............... . .
Madison.................. . .
Syracuse.................

Years*
Troy...................... . . 141
Wilmington Del... . . 16
10
.. 164
lli
i n Patterson.............. .. 16'
Bath, M e.............. . . 16
12
Albany................. . . 161
12
12
York, Pa..............
Utica..................... .. 24
12
New Bedford.......
12
1 2 1 Lockport..............
1 2 1 Schenectady.........
1 2 1 Newbury port........
1 2 1 Norfolk..................
12 |
. . 82
New Orleans........
Charleston, S. C.. . . 35
13
131 Portsmouth..........
Salem................... . . 42
Newport, R. 1 . . . . . . 65
Natchez................
Poughkeepsie....... .. 90
Hudson................ . . 100
141 Carlisle................ .. 180

Years.

Springfield............
Fall River.............. .
4
..
Reading................. . .
4
6* New York............. . .
Boston.................... . .
6
Washington........... . .
6
Rochester............... . .
Chilacothe........... . . .
Philadelphia......... . ..
n Savannah............... . .
Portland................ . .
8
Providence............ . .
8
8
...
New Haven..........
8
Columbia, S. C.. . . . .
81 Baltimore.............. . .
81 Wheeling.............
Lowell..................
Mobile...................
9
JNew London........
91 Bangor..................
91 Richmond............ . .

Having laid before our readers the facts in relation to the growth o f the
principal centers o f population o f the United States, they may now proceed
with us to deduce a law o f growth from their average time of duplication;
for a period of sixty years, as to those existing previous to 1*790, bringing
in the new places as they come forth from the wilderness, and take a place
on the census list, in successive decennial enumerations. The figures repre­
sent, with an approach to accuracy, the number o f years each place has re­
quired, on the average, to double the number o f its people.
AVERAG E FOR

New York.................
Philadelphia...............
Baltimore.................. .
Boston.......................
Albany .....................
Salem, Mass..............
Worcester..................
Charleston, S. C.........
Providence................
Washington................
Richmond, V a -..........
Lancaster, Pa.............
Alexandria, Va..........
Cincinnati...................
Pittsburg....................
St. Louis.....................
New Orleans..............
Louisville...................
Buffalo........................
Detroit........................
Bangor........................
Wheeling...................




60

§0

Years.

Years.

15
18
n

20
21

21

16
50
21

45

141
23
15
50
18
45
23
13
24
40
50
61
9
9i
•.
. .
..
•.
•.

••

40
Years.

15
181
21

181
16
85
17
50
191
161
29
35
200

7
91
9
141
8

§0

20

10

Years.

Years.

Y ears.

13
16
25
15
15}
60

15
17
19
20
20

37

12

11

40
18

50
17}
18

20

24
25
450
H
8

7
15

81
81

8
6}
8

10
10 1

9
9}

21

‘

24
440
8}
10

5}
18
9}
8}
6
8}

16

12
12 }

13}
12

16}
42
9}
36
12 }
12

14}
15}
400
6
8

4
34
9}
S!
9
14
13}

G row th o f Towns in the United States.

Utica............................
Wilmington, Del.........
Newark........................
Reading.......................
Hartford, Ct.................
Providence...................
Savannah ....................
Portland, Me................
New Haven..................
Harrisburg...................
Schenectady.................
Tork, Pa......................
Lancaster, Pa............
Carlisle.........................
Norfolk, Ya..................
Portsmouth..................
Newport, R. I ..............
Newburyport..............
Lowell.........................
Rochester....................
Columbus, 0 ................
Bangor..........................
Erie, Pa........................
Mobile..........................
Zanesville.....................
Springfield, Mass.........
Nashville......................
Chilacothe....................
Augusta, Me.................
Schenectady.................
Hudson.......................
New London................
Bath, Me.......................
Newburg, N. Y ............
Taunton, Mass..............
Syracuse.......................
Poughkeepsie..............
Lockport......................
Lynn............................
New Bedford..............
Fall River....................
New Albany, la ..........
Natchez.......................
Madison.......................
Indianapolis................
Cleveland....................
Columbus......................
Marietta........................
Sandusky C ity............
Dayton.........................
Chicago.......................
Manchester, N. H.........
Milwauke....................
Toledo..........................

60
Years.

§0

Years.

40
Years.
12

17+
17+
19
19+
19+
21
21
21
22

30
32
35
45
50
105
150
160

00

Years.
13
25
12

17
16
18
25
25
19
20

19
30
25
40
42
85
70
80
4
7
8+
9
9
10

13
13
17
17
18
19
27
25
20

26
26

563
20

Years.
19
20
12
2 1+

17+
17+
24
18+
1 S+
22
20

29
24
40
60
90
100

40
8
10

5
8+
9
7+
12

14
14
16
18
20
100

18+
19
100

26
13
28
14
14+
19
14
10

25
10

7+
5
5
8+
5
5
..

10

Years.
24
15
8
11+
11 +
12 +
12 +
12 +

13
27
28
20

15+
180
30
40
65
28
14
12
6

14
12

14
9
10
8+
12

15
28
100

14
16
decrease.
16
10

90
27
12 +
26
10

8
85
94
7+
6
6
7
5+
8
4
4
3
6

••
Lawrence, Mass,; Racine, Wis ; Kenosha, Wis., and several other places of
importance, came into existence within ten years.
N ote .

It will be observed that the growth o f our towns, during the last ten
years, has, in general, been decidedly greater than that o f any ten preceding
years. This goes to prove the great influence o f railroads, canals, and other
f acilities to commercial movement.




564

Growth o f Towns in the U nited States.

In respect to all those places which are favorably located for the concen­
tration of internal Commerce, the law o f growth may be fairly deduced from
the foregoing tables. Their progres, it will be seen, has, in the main, been
in proportion to the command of this internal Commerce. Salem, New­
port, and some others, which have exhibited the slowest growth, have but a
slight hold on the surrounding soil. On the other hand, Cincinnati, St.
Louis, New York, and Boston are in the midst o f a rich country, and have
extensive and easy channels o f intercourse with the interior.
The cities o f the Atlantic border, below the Chesapeake, and o f the Gulf
o f Mexico to New Orleans, have the disadvantage o f being far removed from
the country which yields their chief commercial aliment. The pine barriers
extend from the coast some 50 to 150 miles. This has to be passed, in con­
necting Charleston, Savannah, &c., with the country, on whose internal re­
sources they depend.
The institution o f slavery has, also, an unfavorable influence in the growth
o f towns situated in States where slaves are most numerous. W hether this
is inherent, or owing to the profits o f planting being greater than manufac­
turing, it is not for us to decide.
It has been said, that speculations on the future probable growth o f our
towns has no practical value. Can this be so ? Is it o f no practical value
to the man o f business, seeking a place for the exercise o f his talents, to
have the means provided o f judging o f the relative advantages for Com­
merce, and its future expansion, o f the places between which he has to chose
his future hom e? Is it o f no moment to the mechanic seeking a permanent
location o f his factory or shop ? Tens o f thousands are every day invested
in real estate, whose only value depends on the growth o f the places in
which and near which it is situated. Many o f these investments are made
with a view to their value many years in the future. Ought they to be
made with or without knowledge of all the circumstances that may be rea­
sonably expected to bear on their future value ? In this country, growth in
numbers generally represents increase o f capital and business. It may,
therefore, answer as a tolerable basis for a calculation o f the relative value
o f real estate.
In 1860, New York, with its suburbs, may be expected to contain half a
million more than her present numbers. W here will these be located, and
what will be the value o f the lots to be covered, with buildings for their ac­
commodation ? These inquiries will be resolved in the mind o f any man
about to invest in real estate there, and expecting to turn the investment
into money in nine or ten years. But perhaps he will first desire to ascertain
whether New York or some other commercial point offers the best prospect
o f a good profit on his investment. Our last table gives a scale o f growth.
In the cases embracing forty, fifty, and sixty years, the past may be consid­
ered a safe guide for the future. A nearly uniform high rate o f increase,
through so many decades, may be relied on with much confidence, in calcu­
lations for the future.
In relation to places o f recent origin, although their law o f growth may not
be deduced from an experience o f the past o f sufficient duration to warrant
a decision from that alone, yet there may be causes in operation, sufficiently
obvious, to force a conviction o f a future increase, corresponding to the past.
Such seems to be the case o f Chicago and other western cities. In less than
twenty years that place has grown from a mere station to contain thirty
thousand. Troy, N. Y., contains about the same number. W h o would say,




In ternal Im provem ents in the S tate o f H ew Y ork .

565

that the prospective value o f real estate surrounding each should be estimat­
ed equal ?
New Orleans and Cincinnati are now nearly equal in population. In ten
years the former will scarce gain forty thousand, while the latter will increase
not less than one hundred and fifty thousand. W h o would give the same
for vacant lots on the borders o f the former as on those o f the latter— other
things being equal ?
On account o f the permanency o f the record afforded by the Merchants'
Magazine, the opinion is here repeated, that within one century, the largest
cities o f America will be in the interior, and that Cincinnati, Chicago, St.
Louis, and Toledo will be the four largest.
j . w. s.

Art. IV.— INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE STATE OF N EW YORK.
A SKETCH OF THE RISE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT CONDITION OF INTERNAL
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
N U M BER X I.

R A I L R O A D S , & c.
T he railroad line from the Hudson River, at Albany, to Buffalo, on Labe
Erie, was constructed under seven distinct corporations. The portion from
Albany to Schenectady, 16 miles, was completed in 1831 ; the road from
Schenectady to Utica, 78 miles, was finished in 1836, and the conveyance by
railroad was not carried beyond Utica, for three years; and in the mean­
time a railroad from Rochester to Batavia, 33 miles, was put in operation
in 18 37 ; and extended 12 miles to Attica in 1842. The road from Utica
to Syracuse, 53 miles, was not put in operation until July, 1839. The road
from Syracuse to Auburn, 25T7„ miles was not in full operation until 1839,
although 22 miles were operated with horse power from January, 1838,-the
cars running upon wooden ribbons laid on the wooden rails. The Auburn
and Rochester Road, 7 8 i miles, was completed in November, 1841. The
Attica and Buffalo, 31 miles, was commenced September, 1841, and finished
December, 1842. The Troy and Schenectady Road was also finished in
1842.* A t the commencement o f 1848, therefore, a connected line o f rail­
road was in operation from Albany and Troy, to Buffalo, at an aggregate ex­
pense at that time o f about seven and a half millions o f dollars, a little
more than the original cost o f the Erie Canal. The aggregate cost o f these
eight roads, as given in the annual reports o f 1850, exceeds fifteen millions
and a quarter o f dollars.
The following table shows the length in miles, cost o f construction, debt,
and earnings and expenses in 1850, o f each railroad in the State o f New
Y ork :—
* The railroad from Albany to Boston, was opened in December, 1841. This being done, the enter­
prising spirit of Boston, furnished the necessary means to complete and put in operation the Attica
and Buffalo Road, which had been chartered in 1836, and extended in 1838.




56 6

The R ise , P rogress , and P resent Condition o f

Name.
Miles. Cost of road.
Albany and Schenectady..................
17 $1,711,412
Albany and West Stockbridge*...
S8J 1,930,895
906,915
31-}
Attica and Buffalo.........................
Auburn and Rochester )-...........................
428,241
Buffalo and Niagara Palls...............
22
35 580,310
Cayuga and Susquehanna.................
Chemung:):.....................................
17-£
450,000
45
Corning and Canandaigua.................
821,331
Hudson and Berkshire..................
31£
Hudson River ||................................. 144 6,666,681
98 2,461,341
Long Island§....................................
New York and Erie*|f.................... 464^ 20,323,581
New York and Harlem.....................
80 4,666,208
737,839
New York and New Haven**.. . .
13J
Northernff....................................... 118 2,979,937
671,774
Oswego and Syracuse.......................
35
687,324
Rensselaer and Saratoga..............
25£
Rochester and Syracuse.................. 104 4,200,000
396,379
Saratoga and Schenectady...............
22
Saratoga and Washington..............
39J 1,102,505
680,046
Schenectady and T roy ..................
20^
Syracuse and Utica..........................
53 2,490,083
Tonawanda............................
43£ 1,216,820
Troy and Greenbush..........................
6 282,527
Utica and Schenectady....................
78 4,143,918
Watertown and Rome):):..................
75
603,457

Earnings. Expenses.
Debt.
$700,000 $208,584 $91,171
930,895 335,730 186.770
70,909
42,676 229,710
515,810 163,465
17,218
73,296
34,165
30,810
434,849
48,225
25,500
75,000
41,040
372,149
3,697,901 267,660
537,000 173,600
12,332,433 1,063,950
578,278 482,567
203,242 102,195
18,158
1,627,882
78,371
210,463
189,879 112,726
916,000 201,436
28,935
64,550
89,449
369,500
42,345
61,398
48,000 472,775
166,848 344,398
59,418
8,650
102,500 923,425
2,132
200,000

27,349
167,383
129,694
518,412
246,719
50,687
12,317
38,942
47,688
60,876
15,794
44,476
60,267
202,728
109,622
43,054
308,173
262

Total...................................... 1,6574 61,039,524 23,904,258 5,941,435 2,645,186
The following statement shows the cost o f the several canals, in the
State, and the earnings and expenditures o f each, for the fiscal year ending
30 th September, 1 8 5 0 :— *§
* The Albany and West Stockbridge is rented by the Massachusetts u Western ” Railroad. The
two last columns of the table are filled by apportioning the earnings and expenses on the number o f
miles in the whole line. The rent of the road is believed to be 6 per cent on its cost.
+ The “ Rochester and Syracuse ” in the table, is a consolidation of the “ Auburn and Rochester,”
78 miles, and the “ Auburn and Syracuse,” 26 miles. The earnings and expenses in the line o f “ Au­
burn and Rochester” are for ten months; that o f the “ Rochester and Syracuse,” for two months.
X The Chemung Railroad is rented by the New York and Erie, at $25,500 per annum.
| The Hudson River Road reports on 75 miles in operation for nine months only. The whole
road, 144 miles, is now (October 1, 1851,) in operation. This will add materially to the cost o f the
road and the debt.
§ The Long Island Road, being in the hands of a receiver in 1850, made no report. The cost of
the road from Jamaica to Greenport is taken from former reports at $2,091,341. The Brooklyn and
Jamaica, 11 miles in length, which is rented by the Long fsland Road, cost about $370,000. The total
o f both is given in the table. The earnings and expenses for 11 months are for the two roads, while
in charge of the receiver. The roads are now going on under the management o f the same person
as President o f the Long Island Railroad Company.
^ The report of the New York and Erie is only for nine months. The road is now in operation
to Lake Erie. On the direct line from Dunkirk to Piermont, on the Hudson, 25 miles from the city
o f New York, the distance, as stated by the President of the company, is 445£ miles. The branch
from Chester to Newburg is 19 miles, making a total of 4G4£ miles, as stated in the table. The earn­
ings and expenses o f the road are only for nine months. The gross earnings since the road was
opened to the Lake, average more than a quarter of a million per month, which for a year would
exceed three millions. As the items of cost and debt are made up to the 30th o f September last, a
considerable increase must have taken place since the report was made.
** The New York and New Haven Road is 61 miles in length, cost $3,417,737, has a debt o f
$918,487, and its earnings for 1850 were $461,789, and its expenses $237,886, as shown by the annual
report. It ha3 only 13£ miles within the limits of New York, and the items in the table are appor­
tioned accordingly.
f t The Northern Road, from Ogdensburg to Lake Champlain, reports 44 miles in operation on
the 30th of September, but had 118 miles in operation in October, and the table is filled with the
latter number. The earnings were on 44 miles from the 1st of June to the 1st o f October.
This road was put in operation from Rome to Watertown, 75 miles, in September, 1851. The
earnings and expenses in the report are on 24 miles for a few weeks in 1850.




In tern al Im provem ents in the State o f N ew Y ork.

Erie Canal, original cost. . . .
Erie Canal Enlargement___
Champlain Canal..................
Oswego Canal.......................
Cayuga and Seneca Canal...
Chemung Canal...................
Chenango Canal...................
Black River Canal................
Genesee Valley Canal........
Oneida Lake Canal..............
Oneida River Improvements.
Seneca River Towing Path .
Cayuga Inlet.......................
Delaware and Huson Canal.
Total canals, 862 miles.

667

Cost.
$7,143,789
15,990,443
1,257,604
665,437
237,000
648,600
2,420,000
2,057,388
4,477,969
50,000
84,083
14,864
11,279
3,871,620

Tolls.
$2,926,316

$ 38 ,986,857

$3,254,051

Annual
expenses.
$ 439,796
...................

128,761
94,524
27,589
16,276
20,343
1,115
28,821
2,513
5,555
230
205

61,100
33,229
11,956
30,782
26,308
10,014
18,737
5 ,2 6 4
394
. . . .
. . . .
—

$ 637,580

SUMMARY OF THE TWO TABLES.

Total length of canal navigation within the limits of
the State of New York.............................................
Total length of railroads within the limits of the State
of New Y ork............................................................
Total cost of canals.......................................................
Total cost of railroads..................................................
Gross annual revenue from canal tolls.........................
Gross annual earnings of railroads...............................
Expenses for maintenance of canals.............................
Expenses for maintenance of railroads..........................

862
1 ,6 5 7 }
---------$38,986,857
61,039,524
-------------$3,254,051
5,941,435
---------------$63 7 ,5 8 0
2,645,186
----------------

2 ,6 1 9 }

$100,026,381

9,195,486

3,282,766

In order to make a just comparison between the annual receipts o f the rail­
roads, and those o f the canals, it is necessary to add to the tolls, the sums
paid to those engaged in the transportation o f products on the canals; the
tolls being merely an equivalent for the use o f the canal or way, constructed
by the State ; whereas the railroad companies furnish not only the road-way,
but the vehicles in which the commodities are laden, and the motive power.
Those engaged in the transportation business on the canals, have four or
five millions invested in boats, horses, &c., and the annual expenses for per­
sons employed in managing the boats and horses, and the maintenance of
the force necessary to attend to the transportation business, is very great.
The sums paid for transportation on all the canals in 1849, separate from
in the State tolls, was equal to $2 ,459 ,9 63 ; add to this the tolls o f the
same year, $3,208,226, and the total is $5,764,189. In 1847 the total sum
paid on account o f tolls and freight on the canals, was equal to $8,453,533.
This large sum was paid in 214 days o f 1847, merely for moving the prop­
erty which passed on the New York canals. Assuming that the transporta­
tion on the canals for 1850, was the same as in 1849, it makes with the tolls
o f 1850, a total o f $5,750,014.* This is the sum paid in the year 1850,
for the mere transportation o f persons and property, on the canals and rail­
* The total will then be as follows, for the year ending 30th September 1850:—
Received for tolls and transportation on all the State canals.............................................
Received on the railroads within the State................................................ ..........................
TotaL.,




$5,750,014
5,721,572
$11,471,586

568

The R ise, P rogress, aud P resen t Condition o f

roads within the limits o f New York, and not including the Delaware and
Hudson Canal, or the transportation on the Hudson River.
In comparing the relative cost o f canals and railroads, as given in the pre­
ceding tables, it is to be understood that many items enter into the “ con­
struction account ” o f railroads, which are excluded from the cost o f canals.
Some o f the railroads pay interest on stock before the road earns anything,
and this is added to the cost; in borrowing money they receive 85 or 95
cents from the lender, and issue bonds for 10 0; this difference, with interest
on the bonds issued, is added to the cost o f the road. In some cases the
old superstructure is removed and a new and more expensive one is substi­
tuted, and the entire cost o f the new one is added to “ construction account,”
and no deduction made for depreciation on account o f the old one.*
On the State canals, the law prescribes a rule which excludes all repairs
from the original cost o f construction; when the acting commissioner has
completed a new canal, or a section o f it, he reports the fact to the Canal
Board, and that board appoints a superintendent, with whom an account is
opened and all expenditures are thereafter charged to the account o f “ repairs."
I f money has been borrowed for the work, the interest does not come in to
swell the “ construction account,” the latter account being charged simply
with the sums advanced to the acting commissioner, and by him paid to the
contractor who constructs the canal, and the superintending engineer for his
salary. And thus, at the close of 1838, when thirty-one millions had been
expended on the Erie and Champlain Canals, including more than nine
millions for interest and repairs, the “ construction account” o f those canals
stood at $8,401,394 12, this account not having been increased from 1826,
when these works were completed. The wooden structures on the canals
are replaced once in about eight years, and new locks, aqueducts, &c., are
constructed and charged to the account o f repairs. Although the cost of
the State camds, in the preceding table, is given at $35,155,237, the whole
expenditure by the State on account o f all the State canals, from 1817 to
1850, exceeds ninety- three millions o f dollars.
T he N e w Y ork and H arlem R ail r o a d was chartered in 1831. In 1834,
only four miles were in operation, to Yorkviile. The capital was originally
$3 50 ,0 00 ; increased to $750,000 previous to 1839. In the latter year the
company had finished seven and a half miles, at a cost of $1,035,000, and
were authorized to increase the capital to $1,950,000. In 1840, power was
given to extend the road through the county of Westchester, to connect
with the Albany Railroad, and the sum o f $1,000,000 was added to the
capital o f the compauy. In 1845, an act was passed, authorizing this com­
pany to extend their road from W hite Plains to Albany. The road was
completed to Dover, in Duchess County, 80 miles from the city o f New
York, in 1 8 4 8 -9 . It is now under contract from Dover to Chatham, about
50 miles, where it will connect with the road from Boston to Albany. From
this point the Harlem Road will, in a short time, be connected with an ex­
tensive chain o f roads extending through Vermont, and will afford to a por­
tion o f the inhabitants o f that State, and o f Massachusetts, a m ore direct
route to the city o f New York than they have heretofore had.
T he N e w Y ork an d E rie R a il r o a d was opened to Dunkirk on the 15th
o f June, 1851. It was finished within the time specified in the law o f 1845,
* The engines, cars, and all expenses for the equipment of the roads are also embraced in the pre­
ceding table of cost. On the canals, the boats, horses, &c-, are the property o f individuals.




Internal Im provem ents in the S tate o f N ew Y ork.

56 9

to entitle the company to a release from the State lien o f $3,000,000, and
the claim has been canceled. This is a relief to the company o f $6,256,261 55,
being the amount o f principal and interest on the stock loaned to the com ­
pany from 1842 to the time o f payment. In revising the line o f the road,
it became necessary to pass for a short distance within the jurisdiction of
Pennsylvania. In granting the request o f the company, the Legislature o f
that State affixed a condition that, after the road is completed to Lake Erie,
the company shall annually thereafter pay $10,000 into the Treasury of
Pennsylvania. This is an illiberal provision, unless the money is received as
an equivalent for taxes and other exemptions.*
Previous to 1845, as stated by the President o f this company, about five
millions o f dollars had been expended, at which time the company had in
operation 46 miles o f road, the condition o f which was such as hardly to
permit a train o f cars to pass over it with safety; and two millions, which
bad been expended west o f Binghampton, was o f little value, owing to the
decay o f materials by the use of piles, and a change o f the line to improve
the grade.
The subscribers to the stock o f three millions o f dollars in 1845, were
assured by the directors, that interest at the rate o f 6 per cent per annum
should be paid to them semi-annually, “ from the date o f their respective pay­
ments, until a single track o f the road shall be completed and put in use
from the Hudson to Lake Erie, and also a branch to Newburg.” This prom­
ise was faithfully kept, and the last instalment o f interest has been paid since
the road was opened to Lake Erie. Hereafter the stockholders will be de­
pendent for dividends on the net earnings o f the road. The amount o f
capital stock paid in is $5,801,285 29.
Heavy expenses have been incurred in altering the line, reducing the
grade, and erecting permanent and durable structures. To produce a com­
paratively even surface, for a distance o f 445 miles, over the mountains and
across the rivers and ravines which interpose between Piermont, on the
Hudson River, and Dunkirk, on Lake Erie, so as to permit the passage of
trains o f cars at the rate o f twenty-live miles an hour, is a work of no or­
dinary character.
Three miles west o f Port Jervis, the Delaware River is crossed on a
bridge 800 feet in length, sustained on piers o f masonry and arches o f 150
feet span, the grade o f the road being 40 feet above the water in the river.
The Lackawaxen River is crossed by a bridge 450 feet long, and above this
point the road recrosses the Delaware, from Pennsylvania to New York, on
a bridge 580 feet in length. There is a third bridge across the Delaware at
* When Massachusetts desired to extend a railroad from Boston to the Hudson River, passing
nearly forty miles through the territory of New York, a law was passed by the latter State, to appoint
commissioners to facilitate the measure, and an appropriation was made to defray the expenses of a
survey o f the road to the State line ; and the law also contains the following provision:—“ If the
Slate of Massachusetts shall construct a railroad from Boston to the eastern boundary o f this State,
either directly, or through the medium of an incorporated company, the Legislature o f this State
will construct it from thence to the Hudson River, or grant to the State o f Massachusetts, or some
authorized company, the right o f so doing, and taking toll thereon under proper restrictions as to
jurisdiction.” Although the obvious tendency of the Massachusetts Road was to divert a portion o f
the trade o f the Erie Canal from the city of New York, yet the Legislature was willing to make a
free grant to those interested in the road of the same privileges as if they were citizens o f New York.
And in the management o f the public works o f New York, the State has uniformly resisted all at­
tempts to establish any discrimination, either in the rates of toll or otherwise, between our own
citizens and those of other States and Canada in the use o f the canals. If these works had been con­
structed by the General Government, as was contemplated at one time, the privilege o f using them
by citizens of all the States could not have been more impartially dispensed by the National Govern­
ment than it has been by the government o f New York. Instead of losing by this liberal policy the
interests o f this State have obviously been promoted by it.




570

The R ise, P rogress, and P resen t Condition o f

Deposit. Between the first bridge and the Lackawaxen River, the track is
laid on a shelf 100 feet above the river, having on one side a sustaining wall
o f 16,000 cubic yards o f stone work, and on the other a precipice. Three
miles o f the road, on this line, cost $300,000.
In passing west over the high lands between the Delaware and Susquehannah Rivers, there is an ascending grade o f 57 feet per mile, for seven
and a half miles, and from the gulf summit a descending grade o f 60 feet
for eight miles to Lanesboro; this is the maximum grade on the whole line.
The construction o f a section o f one mile, at the gulf summit, cost $200,000.
The “ Cascade bridge” is constructed over a chasm 180 feet in depth, with
one span 275 feet in length ; within a short distance o f this place the road
is carried over a creek and ravine on a massive stone structure, called the
“ Starucca Viaduct,” at an elevation o f 100 feet, requiring eighteen stone
piers and arches, containing 22,000 cubic yards o f masonry, at a cost of
$320,000. There is a bridge across the Susquehannah 800 feet long.
In referring to the improvements in the line o f the road since 1845, Mr.
Loder states that “ the line, as now constructed, will have between Dun­
kirk and the Hudson River, about 300 miles o f level or slightly ascending
grade, o f not exceeding five feet to the mile.”
The President, Mr. Loder, also alludes to the valuable services o f the
following engineers : Major Brown, and Horatio Allen, chief engineers;
Silas Seymour, L. J. Stancliff, and M’Cree Swift, the three latter having
charge o f the construction o f large divisions o f the line.*
The names o f the officers under whose management the road has been
constructed within the last five years, are as follows :— Benjamin Loder,
President, Thomas J. Townsend, Treasurer, Nathaniel Marsh, Secretary.
Directors, Henry Shelden, Daniel S. Miller, Henry Suydam, Jr., W illiam
E. Dodge, Shepherd Knapp, Samuel Marsh, Cornelius Smith, Homer
Ramsdeli, William B. Skidmore, Marshall O. Roberts, Thomas W . Gale,
Charles M. Leupp, Theodore Dehon, John J. Phelps, Norman W hite.
T he H udson R iv e r R a il r o a d was chartered in 1846, but the subscrip­
tion not being filled, the charter was amended in 1847, allowing the pay­
ment o f interest on subscriptions. The commissioners, to get subscriptions,
and directors, in 1847, were John B. Jervis, Saul Alley, Stephen Allen,
James Hooker, James Boorman, James N . W ells, Robert Kelly, W illiam
Chamberlain, Gardner G. Howland, Fortune C. W hite, Gouverneur K em ­
ble, Aaron W ard, and Thomas Sufl'ren. These persons made large sub­
scriptions themselves, and by their great personal efforts obtained the re­
quired capital o f three millions o f dollars. It was a condition o f the sub­
scription that interest, at the rate o f 7 per cent, should be paid from the
date o f the first instalment until the road was finished to Albany.
This road was completed from New York to Poughkeepsie, seventy-five
miles, at the close o f 1849. In this distance there is 3,376 feet in length
o f tunneling, including the brick arch o f 600 feet for passing under the
Sing Sing prison yard. The principal tunnels are one at New Hamburgh,
through compact lime stone, 800 feet long ; one through Breakneck Hill,
500 feet, and one through Anthony’s Nose, 350 fe e t; the two latter in the
granite o f the Highlands. The width o f the tunnels is twenty-four feet,
and the height eighteen. In the line from New York to Poughkeepsie,
For the early history of this road, see vol. xv., o f this Magazine, page 359.




In ternal Im provem ents in the State o f H ew Y ork .

571

forty-four miles are exposed to the river, and there is thirty-seven miles o f
protection wall on the river side.
The highest grade, on this road, is fifteen feet to the mile, at Poughkeep­
sie— there is another of thirteen feet, and others o f ten— but these are only
for short distances, and generally at stopping places, where the rise is of no
practical importance. For nearly the whole distance from New York to
Albany, the grade corresponds with the tide level.*
In addition to the cash capital o f three millions o f dollars, the company
was authorized to issue one million o f stock to pay interest on the sub­
scription. The interest was paid in cash until 1849, since which time it
has been paid in stock, at par. W h en the road is finished to Albany, the
interest is to cease, and the stockholders will depend for dividends on the
net earnings o f the road. Four millions o f dollars have been borrowed on
a first mortgage o f the road, and loans have been negotiated for two mill­
ions on a second mortgage. This makes a total o f four millions o f stock
and six millions of debt.
T he D e l a w a r e an d H udson C a n a l , extending from a point on the
Hudson River, ninety-four miles above the city o f New York, to Honesdale,
in Pennsylvania, 107 miles, with a railroad from the latter place to Carbondale, sixteen miles, is the work o f a private company, operating under char­
ters obtained from the. States o f New York and Pennsylvania. This work
was completed in 1829, at a cost of $2,305,599 50. As originally con­
structed, the locks were seventy-six by nine feet, the water is thirty-six feet
wide on the surface, and four feet deep. Between 1841 and 1844, such
improvements were made in enlarging the canal and doubling the track o f
the railroad, for ten miles, and otherwise improving the work, that in the
latter year, 255,000 tons o f coal were transported over the railroad, and
boats were able to navigate the canal with cargoes o f forty-five tons, being
an increase o f more than 50 per cent on the original canal cargo, and more
than 100 per cent on the original capacity of the railroad. Subsequently
the company added six inches more to the depth o f water in the canal, so
as to permit the passage o f boats, in 1846, o f fifty to fifty-five tons, the ca­
pacity o f the canal being adequate to the transportation, annually, o f
850,000 tons o f coal.
The company is now engaged (1851) in again enlarging the canal, so as
to give a depth o f six feet, and a width at bottom o f thirty-two feet o f wa­
ter, the surface width being generally forty-five feet, allowing the use o f
boats with a cargo o f 130 tons. The new locks are 100 feet long and 15
wide. It is estimated that this improvement will more than double the ca­
pacity o f the canal; aVl it has been made to allow the transit o f an in­
creased quantity of coal brought to the canal by the Pennsylvania Coal
Company, which has constructed a double track railroad from the canal, at
Hawley, a distance o f forty-five miles, to another section o f the northern
coal field. The extent o f the canal within the limits o f N ew York, is
eighty-four miles, and the expenditure, within the State, to August, 1851,
is $3,871,620.
This company, after its charter was obtained, in 1823, sent an engineer
to England to obtain information in regard to the construction o f railroads.
A nd Horatio Allen, Esq., chief engineer o f the Erie Railroad, stated in a
* A history o f the commencement and progress of this road to 1850, is given by the Engineer in
vol. xxii. o f this Magazine, page 278.




572

The R ise, P rogress, and P resen t Condition o f

speech at the opening o f that road, that the first trial o f a locomotive en­
gine on the Western Hemisphere, was made by himself on the Carbondale
Railroad, in the year 1828.
This company has constructed four “ wire suspension aqueducts'’ for carrying the caual across the Delaware and other rivers. These structures are
o f a novel and interesting character, and are in the highest degree creditable
to the skill o f the engineer, who constructed them, and the enterprise of the
company. The following description of these aqueducts has been obtained
from R. T. Lord, Esq., chief engineer of the Delaware and Hudson Canal.
The aqueduct over the Delaware River, connecting Pike county, in
Pennsylvania, with Sullivan county, in New York, was constructed in the
years 1847 and 1848. Another over the Lackawaxen, in Pennsylvania,
in 1849, and one over the Neversink, and another over the Rondout, in
New York, in 1850. These aqueducts are constructed on the plan of
the Pittsburg Suspension Aqueduct, a structure which has proved emi­
nently successful, and was the first o f its kind in the world, designed and
executed by J o h s A . R o e b l in o , Esq., civil engineer, of the city of Pitts­
burg. After an examination o f this work, by Mr. Lord, a contract was en­
tered into for the erection o f the superstructure o f those on the Delaware
and Hudson Canal.
“ The trunks are composed o f timber and plank, well joined and caulked,
and suspended to two wire cables, one on each side. The cables rest in
heavy cast iron saddles, which are placed on top of small stone towers of
about four by six feet base, rising four to five feet above the tow path. The
towers are each composed of three blocks o f white quartz pudding stone.
There is a tow path on each side of the trunk. The cables are made in one
length across the rivers, from abutment to abutment, and connected at their
ends with anchor chains, manufactured o f solid wrought iron, in bars of
from five feet to ten feet long, and five to six inches wide, by one and a half
inches thick. The lower end o f each chain is secured to a heavy cast iron
anchor plate o f six feet square, which supports the foundation o f a large
body o f masonry, the weight o f which resists the strain o f the chain and
cable. As the cables are protected against oxydation by a copious varnish
and paint, and closely encased by a tight wire wrapping, which gives them
the appearance o f solid cylinders, they may be considered as indestructible.”
The following table exhibits the principal dimensions and quantities o f the
Delaware aqueduct:—
Hydraulic cement masonry, in abutments, piers, and anchorage. cubic yards
7,688
Length of aqueduct, with extensions.........................................................feet
600
Number of spans (varying from 181 to 142 feet)..........................................
4
Width of trunk at water-line......................................................................feet
19
Depth of water in aqueduct...................................................................... feet
611,950
Weight of water between abutments...................................................... tons
Weight of water in one span.................................................................... tons
4871Diameter of wire cables........................................................................ inches
81
Length of wire weighing one pound...........................................
.feet
171Number of wires in each cable.......................................................................
2,150
Total weight of cables and anchor chains.................................................. lbs. 190,000
Ultimate strength of each cable...............................................................tons
1,900
The bottom of the aqueduct is elevated twenty-eight feet above the waters of the
river.
The Neversink aqueduct has one span o f 170 feet, the wires in each cable
are 2,880, the cables nine and a half inches in diameter, and the ultimate
strength o f the cables 5,200 tons ; tension of cables 998 tons. The aque­




-

<

In ternal Im provem ents in the State o f H ew Y ork.

513

duct at the Highfalls has one span o f 145 feet— weight o f water 538 tons—
tension o f cables resulting 790 tons— number o f wires in each cable 2,300—
ultimate strength o f cables 4,100 tons.
Mr. Lord states that from the most careful attention and inspection of
these aqueducts, in this State and in Pennsylvania, he is “ decidedly o f the
opinion that the plan, as designed and executed by John A . Roebling, Esq.,
secures the best combination o f wood and iron that has ever been effected
for works o f the kind, both in regard to economy and durability. W ith the
exception o f wooden trunk, (which may be economically made o f plate iron,)
all the important portion o f the work will last, it may be said, an indefinite
period.”
R a il r o a d G auges . On the New Y ork and Erie Railroad, the iron rails
on which the cars and engines run, are placed six feet apart, that company
having adopted what is called the “ wide gauge.” The branch roads from
Ithaca to Owego, from the head o f Seneca Lake to Elmira, from Corning to
Canandaigua, and from Chester to Newburg, are constructed o f the same
width. The rails on the Central Line from the Hudson River to Buffalo, are
four feet eight and a half inches apart, and most o f the other railroads in
the State are o f the same gauge, including the Hudson River, the Harlem,
the New Haven, and the Northern road, from Ogdensburg to Lake Cham­
plain.*
The following railroads are in process o f construction : from the Buffalo
to the Pennsylvania line, along the shore of Lake Erie, sixty-seven miles—
from Sacketts Harbor to Ellisburg, twenty-three miles— and one from Buf­
falo to Hornellsville, Steuben county, ninety miles. This road is to connect
with the New York and Erie Railroad. The road from Canandaigua to
Corning, in Steuben county, commenced operations in the latter part o f
September, and by this route passengers are carried from Buffalo to New
York in eighteen hours, for the sum o f $8 25. The fare on the Central
Line, to Albany, and by the Hudson River Railroad, to New York, at two
cents per mile, will exceed this, even when the distance is shortened by the
direct line from Syracuse to Rochester. The Central Line o f railroads has
235 miles o f double track, between Schenectady and Rochester. The
Hudson River Railroad has forty-two miles o f double track between New
Y ork and Peekskill. The other roads have single tracks, with the neces­
sary turn outs for passing trains. The Erie Railroad has established a Tele­
* At the late session o f the Legislature a bill was reported, declaring that all railroads hereafter con­
structed in the State o f New York, shall adopt either the narrow gauge o f four feet eight and a half
inches, or the wide gauge of six feet. There is a necessity for having connecting roads constructed
on the same gauge ; but the advantage of dividing an inch infixing the gauge originally, and the
peculiar charm in a width of exactly four feet ciff/it inches and a half, in accommodating bulky com­
modities, and in promoting the comfort o f passengers, and the power and speed o f the engine, has
never been satisfactorily explained. In a report respecting the “ first Russian railroad,” published
in London in the year 1837, there is an allusion to an alteration o f the gauge as then established.
The engineer who commenced the road from St. Petersburg to Moscow, Chevalier von Gerstner,
went to England in 1837, to contract for engines, rails, &c., for the Russian road. After alluding to
the difficulty of procuring them, in consequence of the demand in England and America, the report
says:—u Another difficulty arose from the Chevalier having altered the gauge o f the Russian railroad
from that established in England. On the old English railroads only goods o f small bulk and great
weight were transported, such as iron, coal, &c. In 18n2, when the railway between Stockton and
Darlington was begun, which was first intended for a general traffic o f passengers and goods, Mr.
George Stephenson, the engineer, established the breadth o f the track between the rails at four feet
eight and a half inches English, as being the width o f the track o f carriage wheels on high roads.
Experience has shown how inconvenient this arrangement is; for the locomotive engines, usually o f
thirty horse-power, by this narrow gauge are confined within about four feet, which is by far too
little for such an engine.” After giving many other cogent reasons in favor o f a broader gauge to
accommodate the traffic in Russia, the report says:—“ These and oilier reasons induced the Chevalier
von Gerstner to adopt a gauge of six feet English between the rails; but the consequence was, that
for the locomotive engines, turn plates, and machinery, new drawings and models had to be pre­
pared.




The M anufacture o f Iron in Pennsylvania.

574

graph line from Piermont to Lake Erie, at a cost o f $50,000, which greatly
aids their operations in managing their trains on a single track.
S tru ctures on th e S tate C a n a l s .
There are many structures on the
public works o f the State of great solidity and beauty. Between Albany
and the lower aqueduct, across the Mohawk, there are thirty-seven locks
which cost, on the average, $85,689 10 a pair, or, $42,844 55 for each
look. The old locks cost $10,000 each. The aqueduct across the Mo­
hawk, about 1,100 feet long, and constructed entirely of stone, cost
$346,856 ; the upper aqueduct cost about $200,000. The Rochester aque­
duct cost $458,961. The old aqueduct originally cost $81,127 61. It was
802 feet long, and sustained by ten arches o f fifty feet span. There are
five pairs of combined locks, at Lockport, which cost over half a million of
dollars. The old double locks cost $123,309, exclusive o f excavation.
On the Chenango Canal, six reservoirs were constructed, to supply the
summit level with water. The whole covered an area o f a thousand acres.
These reservoirs, besides aiding the Chenango Canal, have been useful in
furnishing water for the eastern end o f the long level o f the Erie Canal.
C ro to n A queduct.
Besides the improvements made by the State, and
by incorporated companies, the city o f New York, by a vote o f its citizens,
has undertaken and completed the Croton Aqueduct, one of the greatest
works o f the present age, at an expense to the city o f about twelve millions
o f dollars. The aqueduct extends about forty miles, and crosses the Har­
lem River on a bridge 1,400 feet long, o f massive stone masonry, sustained
by arches more than one hundred feet in height.
P l a n k R o id s . W ithin a few years more than two thousand miles in
extent o f plank roads have been constructed in this State, at a cost o f
$3,360,000, as stated in a work published by Mr. Kingsford.
T e l e g r a p h L in e s .
W ithin the last two years telegraph lines to the ex­
tent o f about one thousand miles have been constructed within the limits of
New York, under the arrangements o f Henry O ’Rielly.* The cost o f these
lines is about $300 per mile for a single wire, and $350 for two wires.
The extent o f Morse’s Line, within the State, is 1,004 miles.

Art. V.— TEE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN PENNSYLVANIA^
N o apology can be required for laying before the readers o f the Merchants’
Magazine, some statistics o f the Iron Manufacture in the United States.
W h ile to the student o f n; tional economy such materials are indispensable,
they cannot fail to be interesting to the general reader, who desires to ac­
quaint himself with the resources o f the country.
How far the facts stated should influence any conclusions upon the finan­
cial policy o f legislation, upon the mutual relations o f industrial classes at
home, or upon the interchange o f commodities with foreign producers, will
he left to the consideration o f each reader.
The design, at present, has reference mainly to a convenient classification
* The whole extent of the O’ Rielly lines in the United States exceeds seven thousand miles, con­
structed in about six years.
f For a series o f tabular statements, embracing full and complete statistics o f the manufacture o f
Iron in the State o f Pennsylvania in the year 1850, see tables appended to the present number o f the
Merchants' Magazine.




The M anufacture o f Iron in Pennsylvania.

57 5

o f details of information which have been obtained by personal inspection
and inquiry by the writer, at all o f the iron works in the State o f Pennsyl­
vania. These details are arranged in tabular form. They have been already
published in another connection ; but it is proposed to give to them a more
permanent record and a wider circulation through this Magazine.
It cannot fail to strike the mind o f an inquirer as a remarkable fact, that
o f the whole number o f counties in Pennsylvania (sixty-two) at the date o f
the investigation, forty-five actually contained iron works; and o f the re­
maining seventeen, nine abound in iron and coal, so that only eight o f the
counties can be regarded as not suited to the manufacture o f iron.
The following are the ten counties containing the largest number o f works
respectively:—
Works.
Works.
7 Yemango........... . . .
1 Berks................
2 Lancaster.........
8 Columbia.................. ..............
20
3 Clarion.............
9 Center......................
4 Huntington....
10 Armstrong................
—
5 Blair................
6 Chester............
Total........................
The following ten counties have the greatest amount o f fixed capital inves­
ted in the business;—
1
2
3
4

Alleghany___
Armstrong......
Lancaster.......
Chester...........

6 Clarioa...........

$1,837,000 7
1,388,000 8
1,273,000 9
1.248.000 10
1.231.000
1 .221.000

Columbia....................
Blair.........................
Huntingdon..............
Luzerne-....................

896,000

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

The above statements relate to the ten counties at present most largely
engaged in the business, but perhaps the greatest seat o f the manufacture
is destined to be in the north-western portion o f the State, and the head
waters o f the W est Branch o f the Susquehannah, the Sismemahoning, and
the Alleghany Rivers, a district embracing some o f the counties now con­
taining no iron-works.
This is probably the most elevated tract o f country in the State, conse­
quently the streams are all small and only navigable in one direction for
short distances, by rafts and arks, and that, only during a few weeks in the
spring o f the year ; and in part o f the district the streams are so small as
not to be navigable at any time. The roads are few and very bad. The
whole o f this tract o f country is covered with a dense growth o f very heavy
timber; and is underlaid by numerous seams o f bituminous coal, iron ore
and limestone, being in fact the north-eastern extremity o f the great Alle­
ghany coal fields.
The larger portion o f the minerals lie above the water level, and are so
nearly horizontal in their stratification as to require no steam power to bring
them to the surface nor to pump the water.
The population being very sparse, and there being no means o f transpor­
tation to a market, the demand for agricultural products is confined to the
immediate neighborhood o f the farmer; the consumers being chiefly found
among that portion of the inhabitants engaged in lumbering.
The inclination o f the hill sides is much less abrupt here, than is generally
the case in the mountainous parts o f the State where the streams are larger
and the valleys deeper; and in a large part o f the district they are suscep­
tible o f cultivation all the way to the top.




The M anufacture o f Iron in Pennsylvania.

57 6

The soil is peculiarly adapted to the cultivation o f the lighter grains and
root crops; but it would readily furnish enough wheat to supply any prob­
able population.
It will probably remain in its present wild state until it shall be furnished
with a cheap avenue to market, by the construction o f the Sanbury and
Erie Railroad, the southern experimental line o f which passes directly
through it.
A s an illustration o f the capabilities o f the region, I would refer to the
counties of Armstrong, Clarion, and Venango, in the western part o f it, on
the Alleghany River, which enables them to get their iron to market in arks
during the spring freshets.

ltheyear
Iron Works in each County.

1812.

Intheyear Increase in
1847.
fiveyears.

Armstrong.!.......................
Clarion...............................
V enango............................

5

8

18
30

9

21

22
12

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

22

69

47

4-

13

Showing an increase o f 47 works in five years, or 314 per cent. In 1848
there was a rolling-mill completed in Armstrong county, being the only iron­
works built in either o f the three counties since 1847.
PRODUCTION OF IRON FROM THE ORE.

The following table shows the number o f furnaces o f each sort and of
bloomeries in the State. The capital invested in land, buildings, and ma­
chinery— their present capacity— the actual make in 1847, 1849, and the
estimated make o f 1850, respectively.
Blast furnaces using

Anthracite Coal............
Bituminous Coal..........
Coke.............................
Charcoal hot blast........
Charcoal cold blast___
Bloomeries....................
T otal....................

No.

67
7
4
85
145
6

Investment in
Make, 1847. Make, 1849. Make, ’50#
real estate. Pres’t capacity.
Tons.
Tons.
Tons.

13,221,000
223,000
800,000
3,478,500
5,170,376
28,700

304 811,921,576

221,400
12,600
12,000
130.705
173,654
600
550,959

121,331
7,800
10,000
94,519
125,155
545
389,350

109,168 81,351
4,900
3,900
.........................
58,802 42,555
80,665 70,727
835
280
253,370

198,813

O f the 298 furnaces in the State, 144, or 48^ per cent were out o f blast on
the 1st o f May, 1850. In the autumn o f the same year, the Secretary o f the
Treasury, Mr. Corwin, being desirous o f knowing the then actual condition
o f the furnaces in the State preparatory to making his Annual Report to Con­
gress, requested to be put in possession of the latest information on the sub­
j o ­
in consequence o f this request, the State was again canvassed, and infor­
mation obtained from every furnace in it, from which it appeared that on
the 1st o f November, 1850, 167 furnaces, or 56 per cent were out o f blast,
showing a decrease of 23, in the number o f active furnaces, equal to 7| per
cent in six months.
The make of 1850, above set down, was obtained simply by deducting
from the known make o f 1849, the product o f such furnaces as were at work
in the former year and not in the latter. Nothing was allowed for any dim­
inution consequent on a further decline in price which took place in the
latter part o f the year, nor for stoppages and failures.
Fifteen furnaces were sold by the Sheriff in the first four months o f the




<

The M anufacture o f Iron in Pennsylvania.

57 7

year; and other sales under execution have since taken place, which will
probably reduce the make below the amount above stated.
A comparison of the make of 1850 with that o f 1847, shows a decrease
o f 190,537 tons, or 49 per cent in three years.
Assuming that Pennsylvania makes one-half o f all the iron produced in
the United States, which, from the imperfect data obtainable, is the best esti­
mate that can be formed. The above rate of decrease would give 381,074
tons for the whole Union, or about 1,000 tons more than the amount o f iron
and manufactures o f iron and steel imported for that year.
It is difficult to estimate the product o f the present year, without more
data than are now in my possession, but I believe it will not vary materially
from 150,000 tons.
The make o f anthracite iron has not decreased the past year, from the fact
that founders are obliged to mix a certain proportion o f it with Scotch pig,
which is not strong enough to be used alone. A nd the makers of cut nails
have substituted it, to a considerable extent, for the Baltimore charcoal iron
formerly used.
Nails cannot be made at present prices from a mixture o f scraps and Bal­
timore pig, as has been the practice heretofore.
The greatest decrease o f make this year will be found to be among the
charcoal furnaces on the Alleghany River, where the distress has been most
severe.
The hope so generally entertained at the commencement of the year, that
an advance itj the price o f iron would take place before its conclusion, has
not been realized; on the contrary, prices have receded.
On the 1st o f January, 1851, English merchant bars were quoted in Li­
verpool at £ 5 5 s .; September 6th, at £ 4 17s. 6 d .; decrease 7s. 6d., which
at an average cost o f importation, say $7 50 to the £ , would be equal to a
fall in New York of f>2 80 per ton.
But the depression o f price here has not been much greater than this,
owing to large shipments of iron to this market on foreign account, to be
sold for what it would bring.
In January, 1851, English merchant bars were worth in New York (six
months credit) $ 4 0 ; in September, 1851, do. do. $32 5 0 ; decrease, $7 50,
or nearly three times the fall o f price in Liverpool. In fact, at this time,
September, 1851, iron can be bought in New York from three to four dol­
lars per top cheaper than it can be imported.
CONVERSION OF CAST INTO WROUGHT IRON.

The following table shows the number o f Forges and Rolling Mills in the
State. The investment in lands, buildings and machinery. The total num­
ber of converting tires and their capacity per annum, and their make in 1847
and 1849.
Investment in No. forge No. pud- Capacity.
No. works, real estate,
fires, dlingfur. Tons.

Charcoal Forges..
Rolling Mills........

121 $2,026,300
79
5,554,200

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

200 $7,580,500

402 . . .
. . . 436
402

436

50,260*
174,400-f
224,650

Actual make,
1847. Tons. 1849. Tons.

39,997
163,760
203,727

28,495
108,358
138,853

The make o f 1849 shows a falling off from that o f 1847 o f 66,874 tons,
or 33 per cent.
' 402 fires at 125 tons per fire per annum.
VOL. X X V .---- NO. V.




+ 436 furnaces at 400 tons per furnace per annum.

37

The M anufacture o f Iron in Pennsylvania.

578

In Eastern Pennsylvania, the manufacture o f all descriptions o f iron that
come in competition with the English is extinct. A ll the markets accessible
from the sea or the lakes being entirely supplied with the foreign article.
A small amount o f Railroad Iron is still made for the interior, but this
branch o f manufacture shows the following decline :—
Present annual capacity of the State............................................
Make, 1847..................... : .............................................................
Make, 1849........ .........................................................................
Decrease in two years, 21,993 tons, or 54 per cent.

64,400 tons rails.
40,966
18,973

The other Rolling Mills now running are sustained almost entirely by the
manufacture o f boiler plates and cut nails, which are less seriously affected
by foreign competition, though the prices and the demand have been much
reduced by it. The English cannot make, at any price, boiler plates equal
to our best charcoal plates, but they now furnish all the inferior ones, as well
as all the flue and sheet iron now sold.
Cut nails are exclusively o f American invention and manufacture, and they
have never been imported.*
The total number o f N a il Machines in the State is 606. The an­
nual production o f each machine averages 1,000 kegs o f 100 lbs. each, mak­
ing 606,000 kegs, or 30,300 tons a year. O f the product o f the Forges
two-thirds are sold in the form of blooms to the Rolling Mills, and are ma­
nufactured into boiler plates, horse-shoe rods, and bars for the manufacture
o f scythes, axes, edge tools and cutlery, and other articles requiring a high
polish. The remaining one-third is sold in the form o f hammered bar iron
in competition with Swedish and Russian iron.
The following is a list o f all the W orks in the State in the year 1850 en­
gaged in the conversion o f Steel:—
Am’t ann’y
converted.
Situation of Works.
County
Owners.
Tons.
Eastern Pennsylvania—
Philadelphia..............
Kensington..........
Jas. Rowland & Co..........
600
Philadelphia..............
Kensington..........
J. Robbins.......................
Kensington..........
Philadelphia..............
Earp & Brink...................
Kensington..........
Robt. S. Johnson..............
Philadelphia..............
400
Oxford.................
W. & H. Rowland............
Philadelphia..............
400
Castlefin..............
Y ork.........................
R. W. & W. Coleman___
100
Western Pennsylvania—
Alleghany..................
Pittsburg..............
Singer, Hartman & Co__
700
Pittsburg.............
Alleghany.................
Coleman, Hailman & Co..
800
Pittsburg.............
Jones & Quigg.................. ..
Alleghany..................
1,200
Pittsburg..............
Spang & Co.....................
Alleghany..................
200
Pittsburg..............
Alleghany..................
G. & J. H. Schoenberger..
200
Pittsburg.............
Alleghany..................
S. McKelvyf...................
Total tons . . . .
The total number o f Iron W orks o f all kinds in the State is 5 0 4 ; the
* The price of Cut nails has steadily declined in consequence o f improvements in the method of
manufacture and of domestic competition, from 6 cents per lb, in 1839, to $2.80, the present rate. It
cannot be reasonably doubted that a similar result must follow the permanent establishment o f other
branches of the iron manufacture, and hence the fallaciousness o f those arguments against initial
protection, which are founded upon the assumption of a perpetual tax upon consumers.

f These works have only been in operation six months. Forty-four tons o f the above amount is
cast steel.




The M anufacture o f Iron in Pennsylvania.

579

capital invested in lands, buildings and machinery, $20,502,076 ; the number
o f men employed, 30,103; the number o f horses employed, 13,562.
The capital invested includes only such lands and buildings as belong to
the Iron Master, and such as are directly dependant on the Iron W orks for
their value.
Thus the value o f farms, grist and saw mills, and similar property, horses,
wagons, tools and the lik e; and the dwellings of workmen near large cities,
are excluded, because, though belonging to the works, they have an indepen­
dent value.
The value of all coal land has been also excluded, both for the reason just
given, and because it is the custom throughout the State, with very few ex­
ceptions, to purchase coal delivered at the works. The capital, and men,
and horses employed in mining and transporting this coal to the works, and
in transporting the finished iron to market, have also been excluded from the
above account, because sufficient data were not in my possession for more
than a conjectural estimate.
More than one-half o f the Anthracite Furnaces, and a portion o f the
Charcoal Furnaces purchase their ore o f the farmers in their vicinity, who
dig it on their farms and haul it to the furnaces in the winter, and at other
times when they are not more particularly occupied with their agricultural
labors. There are other large and valuable ore banks in the State which
belong to parties who work them and sell the ore to furnaces in their vicini­
ty. The value o f all these ore banks and the number of laborers employed
at them, are excluded from the above account, which comprises only such
real estate as belongs to persons in the iron business, and is indispensably
requisite to carry on such business— and the number o f men and horses
directly employed by them.
The number o f men thus engaged, over and above those reported to me
as in the pay o f the Iron Manufacturers, may b e'very nearly approximated,
by reference to the tables A and B, in the communication o f S. J. Reeves,
Esq., on the elementary cost o f making pig and bar iron. On the basis o f
these tables I have calculated the number o f laborers not in the pay of the
Iron Masters, but directly dependant on the Iron W orks for support, to be
7,081 for the Blast Furnaces, and 4,432 for the Rolling Mills, Forges, & c .;
making together 11,513 to be added to the number above stated, or a grand
total of 41,616 men dependant on the iron business in the State. Allowing
hve persons to each laborer, we have a population o f 208,080 persons, or
about one-tenth o f the entire population o f the State dependant on the
manufacture o f iron.
The consumption o f fu e l in all the Iron W orks o f the State in 1847 was
as follows:—
Anthracite coal, 483,000 tons, at an average value of $3 per ton............
Bituminous coal, 9,007,600 bushels, at 5 cents..........................................
Wood, 1,490,252 cords, at $ 2 * ...................................................................

$1,449,000
450,380
2,980,504

Total value.........................................................................................

$4,879,884

Both wood and coal are so abundant in the State that they have scarcely
any value beyond the cost o f the labor o f getting them to market, and the
amount sent to market is only limited by the demand. So that it cannot be
* This value is intended to include the cost of converting into charcoal, (the form in which it is
generally consumed,) and delivering at the furnace. It is equivalent to live cents a bushel, as the
average value of charcoal.




580

The M anufacture o f Iron in Pennsylvania .

said that to the owner o f the wood or coal, it is a mere question as between
buyers, for if the Iron W orks stop, the demand and consequent production
o f fuel is curtailed proportionably. The wood has no value at all except for
the Iron W orks, as it is too bulky to bear transportation to any market; and
in neighborhoods where there are no Iron W orks, from $10 to $15 per acre
is paid to clear and burn it off the land.
This feature gives a value to the Charcoal Iron interest in a Politico-Eco­
nomic point o f view, quite distinct from the mere production o f iron.
It clears annually 37,000 acres o f the timbered land in the State, without
the loss o f labor which is incurred by chopping and burning up the wood
on the spot where it grew. By converting it into iron it becomes a source
o f profit, whereas without this demand, the timber, requiring so heavy an
outlay in the commencement to clear it oHJ is an insuperable obstacle to the
settler with small means.
In this way the making o f Charcoal Iron benefits the State much more
than any other branch o f the iron manufacture; for in addition to the em­
ployment which it gives, in common with other branches o f the business, to
a large number o f people, it adds fifty-eight square miles annually to the
amount o f cleared and productive land, increasing in a corresponding ratio
the value o f taxable property and the ability o f the State to sustain popu­
lation.
A n y one not familiar with the topography o f the State would suppose
that the enormous consumption o f one and a half million o f cords o f wood
per annum would necessarily be o f short continuance owing to a failure o f
the supply. But it certainly does not exceed one-fourth the ability o f the
State to furnish annually, for ever. The Alleghany Mountains divided into
six or seven parallel ranges cross the State diagonally from north-east to
south-west. The higher portions o f which ranges are too stony and steep
for cultivation, but support a luxuriant growth o f timber, which if cut down
re-produces itself o f sufficient size for the purpose o f iron making, once in
twenty years. Much the larger portion o f these ranges has not yet been
cut over the first time.
In fact the greater portion o f the land heretofore cleared, has been put
under cultivation.
The following statement o f the Iron W orks now running, or in running
order, shows the number o f each kind built in each period o f 10 years pre­
vious to 1840, and in each year since that date. Also the number o f
failures in each o f the last 10 years:—
Blast Furnaces.
Bloomeries, forges, Total o f
Mineral coal.
Charcoal, and rolling mills, all kinds
Built. S. F.* Built. S. F.* Built. S. F.* Built. S. F.

Ten years ending January 1st, 1730
..
“
“ 1740
«
“
“ 1750
«
“
“ 1760
.<
“
“ 1770
..
«
“ 1780
..
“
“ 1790
«
«
« 1800
«
“
“ 1810
«
“
“ 1820
«
“
« 1830
«
“
“ 1840
During the year.................. 1840
“ .................. 1841




1
.
.

.
.

2

1
1

2

5

1

!

.

.
1

5
3
1

s
!!
i
.
9
11
.
14
.
18
.7 2
.
3
8
.
3
1

.

Sold by sheriff or failed since January, 1840.

..

2

3
7
5
5
25
30
30
49
123

2

4
16
19
16
30
46
6
2

1

3
1

12
6

!

The M anufacture o f Iron in Pennsylvania.
During the year.
it
it
«
K
it
«
«
((
it
U
it
tt
tt
(t
................
Four months in.
Now unfinished.
Total.. . .

5

..
4
14

1849

2
1
6

.

11
8

1
1

5
3
3
5

5
5

68

21

581

8

8

7

4

2

10
2

20

5
13
15
30

7

7

2
2

4

3

21

11

11
12

..

1

30
63
25
17
10

3
4
24
37
41

12
6
2

•
230

3
15

5

20

6

30
15
••

5
4

103

8
12
6

20

7

22

1

7
••

6

••

206

63

604

177

That portion o f the preceding table which relates to the period prior to
1840 is o f historical interest only. It shows a very regular increase in the
number o f works. The course o f affairs for the last ten years is very clearly
indicated by the table.
The great impetus given to the business about the year 1840, may be at­
tributed to the discovery two years before, of the value o f anthracite coal for
iron making purposes. The lower clauses of the compromise tariff act coming
into operation in 1842, and the passage o f a new tariff act in that year
together, produce the curious result of 20 new works built and 20 failures.
The number of new works then steadily increases, aud the number of failures
as steadily decreases, until they stand in 1846— fifty-three new works built
to four failures. But in that year the tariff of 1842 was repealed, and the
present ad valorem duty laid on the price o f foreign iron, which was then
excessively inflated by the railway fever in England, and in the next year,
(184V,) we have the number o f new works and the number o f failures again
even, (25 to 24,) as in 1842, but with this important difference, that in 1842
distress was decreasing, whereas the difficulties of 1847 were only the begin­
ning o f more serious troubles. This is shown by the regularly diminishing
number o f new works, and the as regularly increasing number o f failures,
until we have for 1849 the new works only ten to forty-one failures.
The result h;is,been asserted to be entirely the effect o f over-trading, and
to be in no respect attributable to the tariff o f 1846— but it will be seen by
reference to Mr. W alker’s report to Congress for this year, that at the very
time when we were making most iron, we were importing annually an
average o f 50,000 tons o f pig and bar iron alone, exclusive o f all chains,
wrought iron, hardware, cutlery and steel, &c., &c. A business cannot be
said to be overdone which is inadequate to the supply o f the home market.
It may be well to note one other fact shown by the preceding statement.
The year 1847 was that in which the largest amount o f iron was produced,
and also the first o f the present series o f disastrous years.
It is the custom with the manufacturers o f Chaicoal Iron to make their
contracts in the winter for all the materials required during the year. The
prices of these materials is governed by the selling price o f iron at that time,
but the gr.eater part o f a year elapses before the iron is made and brought
to market.
P ig Iron in Glasgow depreciated in price 34 per cent this year, which
produced a corresponding reduction here. Makers o f small capital having
contracted for their materials at the high prices ruling in the beginning o f
the year, and being obliged to sell at the low ones prevailing towards the
close o f it, were reduced to bankruptcy.
It will be seen by reference to the statement that two-thirds o f the failures
in the year were among the makers o f Charcoal P ig Iron.




The Culture and Commerce o f Cotton in In d ia.

58 2

A rt. VI.— THE CULTURE AND COMMERCE OF COTTON IN INDIA.
N U M BER III.

NATU RE

AND

PRESEN T

C O N D IT IO N

OF

IN D IA N

CO TT O N — IS

IN D IA N

COTTON

S U IT E D

TO

E N G L IS H

M A N U F A C T U R E S ? — Q U A L IT I E S OF— O P IN IO N S O F M R . B A ZI.IC Y , M R . J . A . T U R N E R , M R . R . W . C R A W ­
FO RD , AN D M R . CH APM AN — D IR T Y

S T A T E OF IN D IA N

COTTON — S Y S T E M A T IC

A D U L T E R A T IO N — C O T ­

TON OF G U Z E R A T — A D U L T E R A T IO N , A C C O U N T O F , B Y M R . V A U P E L L — C H A M B E R

OF C O M M E R C E .

I t is evident that, before proceeding with the question whether India is
capable o f supplying more cotton for the manufactures o f Europe, it is ne­
cessary to determine whether the manufacturers themselves do actually re­
quire, in large quantities, such cotton as the natives themselves use, and
which India could most easily sen d : or whether it is some other kind or
condition o f cotton which is to be grown, or prepared, in India. The ques­
tions, it is clear, are very different; one dependent upon causes which have
been, or may still be, in existence ; the other, probably, on the proper ap­
plication o f knowledge and principles derived from other sources. W e
shall first discuss the nature and present condition o f Indian cotton, and
then proceed to improvements in cleaning and in culture o f the different
kinds o f cotton, and ascertain o f what quality and at what prices these can
be produced in India.
W ith regard to the quality o f Indian cotton, it will readily be admitted
that some o f it at least must be fitted for the purposes o f cotton manufac­
ture, if we consider only the substantial appearance and well-known dura­
bility of the far-famed Indian calicoes, or the delicacy o f texture o f the still
more celebrated muslins o f Dacca, as it was and still is, or o f the Chunderee
o f the present day. These are described by Tavernier as “ so fine, that you
can hardly feel them in your hand
while they have been described more
poetically as “ webs o f woven air,” and were attempted to be depreciated by
an English writer o f the 17th century calling them “ only the shadow o f a
commodity.” It may happen, however, that cotton, well fitted for such
purposes when spun by the delicate fingers o f the Hindoo, may yet be unfit
for the iron handling o f machinery. As it is, the weaver of the southern
provinces depends for a part o f the success o f his manufacture upon the
softness o f his climate, while the stern Mahomedan o f north-west India im­
mures himself in underground workshops, o f which the air is artificially moist­
ened, in order to produce the beautiful fabrics which are prized by, and still
adorn, the wealthy o f his land.
It is probable however, that the cotton o f different provinces o f an exten­
sive country like India may differ so much, that what is produced in one
part may be fit for the purposes of the English spinner, while he may be
unwilling to employ another even though esteemed for many native manu­
factures. The extent and regularity o f the foreign demand for Indian cot­
ton will often depend, in a great measure, upon the proportion brought to
market of that which is of the best quality to that which is indifferent;
and it is very certain that the best commodity may he sent in so dirty
or adulterated a state to market, as geatly to depreciate its value, and in­
terfere with its regular employment.
, Indian cotton is well known to have certain good qualities o f its own.
B y the natives o f India it is esteemed for wearing w e ll; in this country it is
valued for its color. Mr. Bazley, in reply to a question by a member o f the




58 3

The Culture and Commerce o f Cotton in India.

Cotton Committee, stated that “ the Indian cotton is always o f a rich creamy
color, and for its color it is frequently used as a mixture to improve the
color o f the worst or low American cotton.” It is also thought well of for
taking some dyes better than American cotton, and for its thread swelling
in the process o f bleaching; so that cloth made with it becomes more sub­
stantial in appearance. This property has long been known to the weavers
o f India. Thus Mr. Bebb, who was Resident at Dacca and afterwards a
Director o f the East India Company, stated, in 1789, that “ the general dis­
tinction in quality the natives make, is, whether the thread made therefrom
swells or not in the bleaching. That which is in the neighborhood o f the
city (Dacca) to the eastward is reckoned not to swell, if it be not used in the
same season that it is gathered. The thread made of cotton produced in
the south-east swells in bleaching, but less than the Hindustan cotton. The
thread in the country west and north-west swells much in bleaching, more
especially if it be hard twisted.” These facts are interesting, as showing
the minute attention paid by the natives o f India to the cotton employed in
their calicoes and muslins. But they do not prove the fitness o f Indian
cotton for English machinery, because most o f it has one great defect, that
is shortness o f fibre, or o f staple as it is called, which though capable o f
being twisted between the fingers, may yet be blown away during the va ■
rious processes o f machine spinning.
In wishing to ascertain the fitness o f Indian cotton for English manu­
factures, it is useless to adduce the opinions o f any but o f those who have
seen its practical working. For brokers even, who have spent their lives in
the employment, are fallible, and spinners do not pronounce a final opinion
on a sample o f cotton, until they have seen by experiment the quantity of
yarn it produces in proportion to the waste. But on this point we have ex­
cellent evidence from the Presidents o f the two Commercial bodies o f Man­
chester, though we have to regret that it is not in favor o f Indian cotton ;
but the truth is at all times preferable to mystification. Mr. Bazley, Presi­
dent of the Chamber o f Commerce o f Manchester, examined by the Com­
mittee of the House o f Commons on the growth o f cotton in India, and who
uses only the finest kinds, as he stated, “ perhaps no spinner has bought as
largely as I have (cotton) at Is. 6d. per lb .:” and the author has been told
that “ Gardner and Bazley’s is o f the very highest class o f yarns.” W ith
respect to the quantity o f cotton imported from India, Mr. Bazley stated
that it was, upon an average, about 10 to 13 per cent o f the whole quan­
tity imported into the country, but that the Indian cotton is so inferior, that the
consumers have a table arranged to enable them to see, at a glance, what
price they ought to give for it relatively to the American Orleans, or to the
“ Boweds.” Thus, the spinner o f No. 20 yarn says, when the Surat cotton
is at 3d. a pound, it is his interest to give 3 id . a pound for American, for
that he obtains from Surat only 12 ounces o f yarn, whilst from American
he obtains 13J ounces.
SURAT AND

1 lb. Surat, y’ld’g 12 oz.y’n.

A M E R IC A N

3d

3\d

n

n

Si
3f
3i
3f
H




COTTON A T E Q U IV A L E N T P R IC E S .

1 lb. American, 13£.

3f
4
4i
4i
4*

1 lb. Surat, y’ ld’g 12 oz. y’n. 1 lb. American, 13J

4d
4i
4i
4*
4f
5

4fd
4f
4Jii
5|
6

584

The Culture and Commerce o f Cotton in In dia.

It does not, however, appear, from this table, whether this difference o f price
is owing to the intrinsic inferiority o f the Indian cotton, or to the dirty state
in which it is usually sent to market. Both causes have, no doubt, their
influence. For Mr. Bazley, in reply to questions, stated that it was found
by experience, that the waste in using Surat cotton is 25 per cent, whilst
from the American the loss is 12-j per cent; that is, that from every 100
lbs. o f Surat cotton which the spinner takes into his mill, he produces 75
lbs. o f yarn ; and that from every 100 lbs. o f American cotton, he produces
871 lb s.; also that the same machinery produces a larger quantity o f yarn
from the American cotton than from the Surat cotton, and when asked
whether that does not arise from the smaller number o f breakages, he
replied—
“ 635. Y e s ; and from the American cotton requiring fewer turns from
the spindle, and for the quantity o f yarn coming through the rollers, less
twist per inch.
“ 636. Are you aware whether the consumption o f the Surat cotton is
confined almost exclusively to the manufacture o f the weft, that which runs
across the piece, and not the warp, which is lengthways, in consequence o f
the Surat being so short in the staple ?— In very coarse numbers the Surat
is applied to warp purposes, but as the numbers increase, generally there is
a mixture o f the American with the Surat for weft.”
A portion o f the loss seems, however, to be made up, for Mr. Bazley fur­
ther says :—
“ 639. Is it always easy to distinguish one from the other by the color ?
Yes, it is. From Surat cotton, which cost 3Jd., the yarn No. 20 is worth
5-Jd.; and from American cotton, which cost 4Jd., the yarn is worth 6^d.
Y ou see that in using the American cotton, the spinner has actually a less
amount for working the cotton than he has in the case o f the Indian cotton ;
those are numbers 30 ; one is Surat, and the other American— [handing in
two other specimens]— the Surat cotton for 30 cost 3 id ., and the yarn is
worth 7 d .; the American cotton for 30 cost 4|d., and the yarn is worth 7| d.;
in that ca e the spinners have 3*-d. for making the Surat cotton into yarn,
but for making the American cotton into yarn only 3 id .”
“ 640. Chairman.] D o you suppose that the difference o f a farthing is
compensated or more than compensated by a smaller amount of loss in
working up the American cotton ?— Clearly by the greater turn off.”
Provided that greater care was taken in cleaning the Indian cotton, it was
stated that a speedy rise in price would take place in Liverpool. But mere
cleaning is not sufficient, for some cotton from the neighhoihood o f Agra,
which had been “ cleaned admirably,” was yet stated to be unsuited to the
English market, and, like the general produce o f India, inferior.
“ 734. W h at increase would be necessary o f such cotton as you could
buy and profitably work up, to affect the price o f the Amerhan cotton ?—
Probably from 10 to 25 percent o f increase.
“ 735. How great an improvement in the cotton would be necessary to
give you an article from India that you could buy and work up : you say
that you do not buy much now ?— An improvement o f from 10 to 25 per
cent would, I should say, vastly increase the consumption o f Indian cotton ;
I now speak o f the quality.”
“ 745. Mr. jBolling.] From your knowledge o f the state o f trade, do you
think that the import o f Indian cotton into this country is likely to increase
at all, as long as the native-grown cotton is adhered to ?— I have seen some
o f the native cotton that is very little inferior to the American— the Surats ;




The Culture and Commerce o f Cotton in India.

S85

but I am satisfied that the quality o f the cotton must be greatly improved
before we can use it to advantage.”
Mr. Aspinall Turner, President o f the Commercial Association o f Man­
chester, was next examined. He, on the contrary, has “ been a large con­
sumer o f Indian cotton for many years, and indeed was not aware o f any
one in Manchester consuming more Indian cotton than himself.” He, how­
ever does not give a more favorable character o f the Indian cotton, as fitted
for general purposes. In the first place, Mr. Turner stated that there is very
little refuse, technically called waste, in using American cotton, for the most
o f it could be disposed of, for “ the purposes o f inferior spinning ;” while, of
the Surat, a large portion comes which cannot be worked into inferior or
coarse articles. But some o f this, the author believes, can be used for wad­
ding, and for paper-making. It is unfortunate that the word “ Surat is fre­
quently used to signify Indian cotton generally, because the best kind o f In­
dian cotton, which is nearly equal in quality to middling Uplands, is pro­
duced in the neighborhood o f Surat, and brings a higher price than any
other Indian cotton from indigenous seed.
W e shall immediately adduce Mr. Turner’s opinion respecting the dirty
state o f Indian cotton. W ith regard to its quality, he said, “ I do not think
that there will be a very great increase in the importations o f Indian cotton,
if the quality remains o f an inferior description, as hitherto ;” but “ if you
can improve the quality o f the Indian cotton, so as to meet the American
cotton in the market, it will never fall off.” So Messrs. Hollinshed and
Tetly, the well-known brokers o f Liverpool, in their circular for 1847 inform
their constituents that, “ o f Surat cotton it is worthy o f remark, that the
consumption has been greater than in any former year, a sure indication of
a bad trade.” Maijor-Gen ral Briggs, well acquainted with the subject, and
warmly disposed towards India, at a General Court o f the East India Com­
pany, held on the 20th February o f the present year, remarked : “ As to
the complaint o f the Manchester gentlemen that they could not get cotton
from India, that was owing entirely to the fact, that the cotton which they
required was not such as the natives o f India used.”
Mr. R. W . Crawford, a Bombay merchant, took a contrary view to the
great spinners o f Manchester, for he stated, that “ it is a question more of
reduction in price at present than of improvement in quality ;” and on be­
ing asked whether the spinners in Lancashire would purchase cotton for
spinning in this country, such as is grown in India at present, and to the
exclusion o f American cotton, provided it was cheap enough, replied, “ Yes,
if they could buy it cheap enough for those purposes,” and also, “ if
the cotton were cheap enough, its quality is sufficiently good to afford
material for the spinning o f three-fourths o f all the cotton spun in this
country at the present time.”
“ Q. 2,759. For the great bulk o f the
trade they use the lower numbers ?— “ Yes ; the great bulk o f the
trade spinning under 20’s.”
So Mr. Chapman, Manager of the Great
India Peninsular Railway Company, in his “ Statement o f Cotton Facts,”
addressed to T. Bazley, Esq., as Chairman o f the Chamber o f Com­
merce, Manchester, states, “ that cotton o f good quality, for English use, is
always to be had in Berar (Central India, 300 to 400 miles from Bom bay)
at about l^d. per lb., ranging o f late years from l i d . to l f d . The quality
o f this cotton is such, that at a certain relative difference o f price (averaging
about 15 per cent less for Indian than American,) it can be used instead o f
American for more than 50 per cent o f our manufactures,” that is, it will
afford material for all yarns under N o. 20. This is a question that can be




58 6

The Culture and Commerce o f Cotton in India.

decided only by spinners and manufacturers ; the author regrets that he
has been unable, notwithstanding numerous inquiries, to obtain confirma­
tion o f the correctness o f this opinion, though he would rejoice to do so, as
the question would then be comparatively easy, especially as the cottons of
Broach and Surat, districts situate close to the sea-coast, produce cottons
which are considered superior in quality to those of the far distant territo­
ries o f the Nizam. The author, however, has no doubt, from facts which
will be afterwards adduced, that some o f the indigenous cotton o f India is
fitted for the purposes deseribed, and a portion o f it for even higher num­
bers ; but he believes that the great mass o f the cotton produced in India is
not so fitted from the shortness o f staple. But an important practical in­
ference may be deduced from the fact o f the indigenous cotton o f one part
o f India being longer in the staple than that of another, as they are both
produced by the same species o f plant. For if so, it becomes an important
point to determine the physical states in which such cotton is produced, and
to ascertain whether the same peculiarities of soil and o f climate, with suit­
able culture, cannot be found in other parts o f India.
W ith regard to the dirty state in which Indian cotton is sent to market,
we shall see, that in the unchangeable East, things still are as they long
have been. Thus, in 1803, we find it stated, “ The native sort was not well
cleared from seeds and extraneous matter.” (E . I . C.'s Cotton Papers, p.
28.) In 1810, when a large quantity o f cotton had been imported by the
East India Company, we find that the Court of Directors writing to Bom ­
bay, “ that no excuse will hereafter be admitted by us for the foulness, dirt,
and seeds, which are suffered to remain mixed with the cotton ; and it is
our positive order, that the commissions be not paid to any commercial resi­
dent whose provision o f cotton shall be faulty in this particular,” (1. c. p. 35
and 36.) That no improvement has taken place, even up to the present
time, with the great mass o f Indian cotton, is clear from the evidence o f Mr.
Turner, who stated, “ that in the spinning establishment o f which I am at
the head, we are in the habit o f throwing upon the waste land an amount o f
dirt, for which we have paid 7,000£. per annum, chiefly consisting of soil,
sand, dirt, and various extraneous matters which have been introduced, I
suppose, or have never heen cleaned out of the cotton. (Q. 789.)
The author, in a paper read before the Statistical Section o f the British
Association at Oxford, June 28, 1847, said : “ Thus, at other times we are
told, that the chief impediments to an increased consumption o f Indian cot­
ton, is the dirty state in which it reaches the manufacturer; this dirtiness
being dependant, in the first instance, on the careless manner in which it is
first collected, and then housed; or it is owing to the fraudulent additions
made to it by the bunyas or wakarias, who purchase it from the ryots.
Thus, it is sometimes adulterated with seed, cotton in seed, fine sand, or
finely powdered salt, scattered over it at intervals ; as the dews of night are
allowed to fall upon it when spread out in an open court or yard, and before
the sun is up it is packed into bales. Sometimes an inferior is mixed with
a superior kind o f cotton, by a process technically called ‘ flogging.’ Fur­
ther injury is sustained by the daily unloading when conveyed on bullocks.
These, moreover, are described as eating up the cotton ‘ by mouthfuls out
o f the b a l e s a l s o that ‘ the brinjaries and cartmen themselves steal largely
and finally that even the boatmen, in conveying the cotton from the tender
to the ships, steal a good deal o f cotton, as ‘ canoes and small boats come
alongside, under one pretence or another, and receive the bundles previ­




/

The Culture and Commerce o f Cotton in India.

587

ously prepared and secreted.’ The same thing takes place in the convey­
ance o f cotton from Broach to Bombay, as liquor boats come alongside those
conveying the cotton, and exchange some of their arrack for cotton, which
is abstracted from the bales, and its weight supplied with sand, mud, or
salt water.”
W e may now produce proofs o f the above statements, and see how all
this dirt gets admission into the cotton. W e shall take the evidence o f
those chiefly who are practically engaged in the subject, and shall see how
much the cultivator is in fault, and how little he is encouraged to take any
pains in improving the state o f this great staple. W e refer not to one, but
to the principal cotton districts o f India, some situated near the coast, others
far in the interior, but all laboring under the same reproach o f sending dirty
cotton to market.
The province o f Guzerat may first command our notice, as being one o f
the principal cotton districts o f India, and having within it both Surat and
Broach, the two places most celebrated for the goodness o f the indigenous
cotton. A ll parts o f the district are, moreover, within a short distance o f
the sea-coast o f the Gulf o f Cambay. The produce is, moreover, conveyed
only in carts and in the dry weather, it cannot, therefore, suffer from the
state o f the roads : while the freight from Broach to Bombay, as stated by
the Bombay Cotton Committee, is as low as from London to Hull. Mr.
Vaupell, who describes himself as having had several years’ occupation and
experience in the cotton trade, (from 1818 to 1826,) has published the re­
sult o f his observations in the “ Transactions o f the Agricultural Society of
Bom bay.” Mr. Vaupell says: “ The cleanliness o f the article depends
mainly upon the attention bestowed in the gathering; but the cotton, as it
comes from the gin, is beautifully clean, and if forthwith taken to the
screws and packed in bales, would be all that could be desired ; but it is
generally either put into burkees or dokras, (large gunny or cloth bags,) in
carts; and while so doing, is adulterated with seed, cotton in seed, fine
sand, or finely powdered salt, scattered over it at intervals. Another mode
o f adulteration is, by having the entire area of the yard, or court, daily fresh
cow-dunged about sunset in the evening ; and the cotton, as it comes from
the churkas, spread thereon before the ground is half dry. The dews o f the
night are then allowed to fall upon it, and early next morning, before the
sun is up, it is packed into bales. This process, besides tinging and soiling
the cotton with the wet cow-dung and earth, adds considerably to the weight
o f the article, while it materially injures it both in fibre and cleanliness.
“ The cultivator has, generally speaking, no immediate inducement to
render the produce o f his fields unfit for the market, for in most cases he
disposes o f the cotton in seed, in the state in which it is gathered; from that
moment his concern about it ceases, and it rests with the purchaser, or
middleman, to prepare it for the exporter.” These “ agents employed be­
tween the grower and the exporter are generally Bannians, who, to the east­
ward o f the G ulf o f Cambay, are termed Wakarias. It is these people who
find their interest in adulterating the cotton previous to disposing o f it to
the exporter.” “ O f late years the quality o f the produce has deteriorated
considerably, more particularly in respect o f cleanliness.”
This view is fully confirmed in the “ Letter o f the Bombay Chamber o f
Commerce to the Government o f that Presidency,” dated January 21,
1841, from which the author also quoted in the above paper.
“ The baneful influence o f these Wakarias or Middlemen, is considered by




588

The Culture and Commerce o f Cotton in In dia.

the Bom bay Chamber o f Commerce as the principal cause which impedes
the extension and improvement o f the culture and trade o f cotton in W est­
ern India, and which they characterize, ‘ as the state of hopeless pecuniary
bondage in which the ryots are kept from one generation to another to the
Wakarias and village Bunyans.’ These men made advances to the ryots to
enable them to sow their cotton, and to pay their assessment, purchasing the
produce always before it is gathered, more frequently before it is ripened,
often before it is even sown. It is the same class o f persons, the Wakarias,
to whom most o f the frauds enumerated above are to be attributed, and till
the baneful influence o f these men is supplanted, either by the gradual set­
tlement o f a superior class o f agents in the districts, or by bringing those
districts, by the aid o f steam, within the immediate and certain reach o f the
European merchants, all other measures, it is feared, will fail.” Again, par.
55, “ W ith the employment o f all other modes of encouragement, this the
committee consider to be after all the great, almost the only eventually ef­
fectual, remedy for the numerous causes, whether arising from poverty, from
ignorance, from negligence, or from fraud, which at present obstruct the im­
provement in cotton.”
Merwangee Hormusjee, who “ served for several years, and with distin­
guished credit, as native agent for the provision o f the Company’s China
and British Cotton investments,” under Mr. Pelly, and who has since done
much for the improvement o f cotton, ascribes, “ the principal cause o f the
cotton o f India not fetching prices equal to that o f America, Ac., “ to the
very careless manner in which it (the cotton) is gathered from the plant,
and immediately after thrown into deep pits (kullees) dug for the purpose,
and in which it becomes mixed up with clods o f earth, imbibes the nightdues (dews) whereby its color and quality become injured.” Dr. Gibson,
who is so well acquainted with the habits and modes o f thinking o f the Na­
tives, says (House o f Commons' Return) p. 60,) “ They prefer the tolerably
certain return received for the inferior article, to the trouble and expense re­
quired to produce cotton o f superior cleanness.” Dr. Johnston, Civil-Sur­
geon at Ahmedabad, attributes, (1. c.) among other causes, the little im ­
provement in the gathering o f cotton in Guzerat “ to the better return which
the merchant in Bombay finds for the uncleaned and cheaper cotton, than
he does for the cleanly-gathered and dearer article.” Mr. Vibart, the
Bevenue-Commissioner o f Bombay, (Return, p. 66, writes, that “ the culti­
vators find that as ready a sale is obtained for cotton in a dirty and adul­
terated state as when brought to the market in a clean and first-rate condi­
tion, while the difference o f price between the two articles does not repay
them for the additional time and labor.”

Large gains and great hazards must he more engrossing to the mind, and
more stimulating to the passions than small and secure profits. The great draw­
back upon Commerce with very remote countries is, or was its gambling
character, from the variety and seriousness o f the risks, and the largeness o f the
profits laid on to cover them. By means o f insurance against sea risks and
other dangers, the losses are spread over so large a number that they cease to
be losses, and become a mere tax, such as men may willingly pay for security.
When a man has so introduced moderation into his gains and his losses, as to
detach himself from the “ cares o f the world and the deceitfulness of riches,” he
may listen with a quiet pulse (as far as his own affairs are concerned) to the
wind roaring over the sea, and need not be “ afraid o f evil ridings.”




Journal o f M ercantile Law .

58 9

JOURNAL OF MERCANTILE LAW.
SALVAGE OF MERCHANT VESSELS BY BRITISH MEN-OF-WAR.

W e published in this department o f the Merchants’ Magazine for September,
1851, a decision o f Judge Grier, o f the United States Court, in Admiralty, on a
salvage claim by the officers and crew o f a national vessel, in the case o f
Charles Robison, et. al. vs. Brig Huntress. W e now subjoin a statement o f two
cases o f salvage in which the officers and crews o f British government vessels
appeared as claimants, and which had been argued in the British Court o f Ad­
miralty at Singapore, before T. Church, Esq., Resident Counsellor.
One o f these cases was that o f the Charles Forbes, a ship o f upwards o f 1,000
tons burden, which while on her passage from Bombay to China, with a cargo
•of 4',400 bales o f cotton, and 97 chests o f opium, struck on the pyramid shoal
in the Straits o f Malacca, on the night o f the 2nd o f May, soon becoming com­
pletely bilged. On the following day the Peninsular and Oriental Company’s
steamer Malta, with the outward mails, hove in sight, and a boat was sent to
her for assistance, but the commander o f the steamer declined incurring the de­
lay that might be caused by removing any o f the cargo. He was, however,
willing to take the crew, who were removed to the Malta, the commander, offi­
cers, and a few volunteers, all belonging to the Charles Forbes, returning to her
with two boats for the purpose o f saving some part o f the cargo. The boats
were loaded with 65 chests o f the opium and departed the same day for Singa^
pore, the ship having become a complete wreck. The Malta arrived at Singa­
pore the following morning, and found five steamers lying in the roads, a Span­
ish steamer from Manilla, three Dutch war steamers, and the Hon. East India
Company’s steamer Pluto, attached to the naval force in the Straits. The latter
was the only available vessel, the others having either come for mails, or to es­
cort the new Dutch governor-general to Batavia. The Amazon, 26 guns, Capt.
Barker, the senior British naval officer in the Straits, immediately got under
weigh to proceed to the wreck, and ordered the Pluto to attend for the purpose
o f towing when necessary. They arrived at the wreck on the afternoon o f the
second day, the 6th o f May, having met the boats o f the Charles Forbes on the
way, when the captain o f that vessel, Commander Duraagne, removed to the
Amazon for the purpose o f affording information in saving the remainder o f the
cargo, sending on the boats with the opium to Singapore. The boats o f the
Amazon were immediately sent to the wreck, and thirty-one o f the remaining
chests o f opium were removed. During the night bad weather set in, with a
heavy sea, and the wreck began to break up. At eight the following morning
nothing but the forepart o f the ship remained, the cargo having been washed
ou t; and the Pluto having lost two anchors, the vessels returned to Singapore,
meeting on the way two other vessels, the Surge and the Mangoosteen, which
were also proceeding to the wreck; $2,550, being one-fifth o f the value of
the property salved, had been tendered on the part o f the underwriters, and
refused.
It was argued on the part o f the claimants that the property saved was a per­
fect derelict, having been abandoned by the master on the 3d o f May, who had
signed a document to that effect before leaving the Amazon, which was put in
before the court, and that a moiety was the usual award on such occasions. It
was also argued that the case displayed all the ingredients o f salvage, viz., en­
terprise and risk, danger to the property, and promptitude in rendering assist­
ance ; and that the number o f men among whom the award would be distribu­
ted would be little short o f 400, a very large number.
On behalf o f the underwriters, it was contended that promptitude would have
been better displayed by despatching the Pluto at once, without retarding her




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Journal o f M ercantile Law.

progress by making her tow and attend on a ship o f so large a class as the Am­
azon ; that, to establish a derelict, it was necessary to show that the captain had
abandoned the ship without any intention of returning, which, it was contended,
could not be done in this case, especially as he had left all his private property
on board. It was also argued that it could not be said to be abandoned with­
out hope o f recovery, as the cotton was not calculated to sink, 1,400 bales hav­
ing been picked up by fishermen and others in the neighborhood o f Malacca, and
that nearly every ship that had passed through the Straits in the course o f the
month had recovered a portion. That even if it could be proved a derelict, it
was not necessary that an exorbitant proportion should be awarded as salvage,
since in the cases o f the Thetis and the Blendenhall, both derelicts, the award
was one-eighth in the former case, and one-tenth in the latter, both these being
cases in point, the services having been rendered by officers and crews o f her
Majesty’s ships. It was also argued that this case presented an entirely new
feature ; indeed, one that was unparalleled. Steamers on such occasions were
most valuable on account o f the speed with which they could proceed to the
scene o f disaster, but this speed would be much diminished if they were allowed
to take large ships in tow on such occasions. In this instance the senior offi­
cer’s ship was only 1,000 tons burden, but they were often double that size.
That, as the Amazon did not attend for the purpose o f saving the ship, which
was known to be a wreck, nor o f the cotton, as although 4,000 or 5,000 bales
were strewed about the ocean, not a bale was picked up by either the Amazon
or the Pluto, the object must have been the opium, and as more than double the
quantity remaining in the wreck had been carried away by the two boats, the
Pluto could have effected this without the aid o f the Amazon, and could also, as
in the case o f the Anne, have saved much valuable property, since she would
have arrived in time to load before the breaking up o f the ship. This new fea­
ture could only be met by the court so apportioning the award as to discourage
senior officers from affording personal assistance in cases where their presence
could only prove an impediment.
The court decided that the property salved was clearly a derelict, since the
master had abandoned the Charles Forbes without the intention o f returning, as
shown by the fact o f his having passed Malacca, where he might have obtained
assistance, and proceeded at once to Singapore. The sum o f $5,100, or twofifths, was awarded to be apportioned among the officers and crews o f the Ama­
zon and Pluto, according to the prize proclamation. The value o f the property
salved was $12,750.
The other case was that o f the Anne, Gamble, master, a barque o f 356 tons,
which, while on her passage from Singapore to China, laden chiefly with cotton,
and seventy-eight chests o f opium, struck on a reef at the eastern entrance to
the Straits o f Slalacca on the night o f the 25th o f February. The Hon. East
India Company’s steamer Semiramis, on her voyage to the coast o f Borneo,
passing near the wreck, took out the opium, 400 bales o f cotton, and the sails
and stores. The value, as agreed on, was 42,o00 Spanish dollars. The agents
for the vessel had tendered $2,000, which had been refused. The only ques­
tion in dispute was the amount o f compensation for the services rendered, and
the Court awarded the sum o f $5,280, or one-eighth, with costs.
LIABILITY OF RAILWAY CORPORATIONS FOR

ANIMALS KILLED UPON THE TRACK.

In the Supreme Court o f Michigan— January Term, 1851.
vs. Michigan Central Railroad Company.

Edward Williams

This is an action brought by the plaintiff against the defendants, in the Wayne
County Court, to recover the value o f certain horses killed by a locomotive and
train o f cars on the railroad.
The causes were submitted to the court below, on a written statement o f the
facts, by which it is admitted that the plaintiff resides about six miles south of
the village o f W ayne: that the horses in question were his property, and that




Journal o f M ercantile Law .

591

they strayed from his premises and were returning to Hamtramck,the place from
which they had been previously taken: that they were on the track o f the rail­
road near Dearbonville just before night on the 23d day o f June, 1849, and were
killed about one o’clock next morning, on the track o f the road, between Dear­
bonville and the river Rouge. It is further admitted that one o f the horses was
killed about ninety rods east o f Dearbonville; others at the first cattle guard,
where a public highway crosses the railroad, and about sixty rods west o f the
Rouge Ridge; and others about sixteen rods east of said highway, they having
jumped over the cattle guard. That the railroad was fenced on each side, from
Dearbonville to the crossing o f said highway, and that the horses came upon the
track from the common at the village o f Dearbonville, where there was no cattle
guard, and when on were confined within a narrow lane in which they were killed.
That said lane was the property of the defendants, and constituted the track of
the railroad, over which their passenger and freight cars were accustomed to pass
several times daily. That their passenger trains run with great speed twice each
way every day, between Detroit and New Buffalo: that the horses were killed by
the passenger train at the usual time of its passage over the road; and that the
morning was dark and rainy. It is also conceded by the case that no by-laws
restraining cattle from going at large, had been passed by the township o f Dearbon, and that they were free comers.
The case thus submitted was reserved by the County Judge for the opinion of
this Court.
Curia per P r a t t J. The main question to he determined in this cause, is,
whether upon the facts admitted by the case, the defendants are liable for the
value o f the horses killed. By no principle o f law can they he rendered liable
on such a state o f facts. The defendants are the legal owners o f the railroad,
having acquired it by purchase and grant from the State. Whether their charter
contains powers and privileges which were improvidently granted by the Legisla­
ture, is not a question to be considered here in deciding the case. But whether
under their chartered rights, and in view o f the facts submitted, they are liable to
the plaintiff for the loss he has sustained, resulting from their act, in running their
locomotive and cars, over their own railroad. Legally the defendants can be re­
quired to do no more in rendering the running o f their cars safe to persons and
property, than is required by the provisions o f their charter, and the principles o f
the common law. By neither are they required to fence in their road, for the
protection o f Other person’s domestic animals, or for any other purpose whatever.
By the charter, the defendants are required under heavy penalties “ to keep the
road open and in repair for use, from Detroit to Lake Michigan, and always have
and keep in use thereon a sufficient supply o f motive power and bars, both for
persons and property, for the expeditious and convenient transaction o f business,
and the transportation o f all persons and property offering for tranportation-”
(Sess. laws 1846, p. 56, sec. 21.) Under these penal requirements, the defendants
were engaged in running a passenger train o f cars, at the time the injury com­
plained of by the plaintiff occurred. The running of the train was a lawful act,
and within their chartered rights; it was upon their own railroad, o f which they
had, by the express terms o f their act o f incorporation, the entire and exclusive
right of possession and control. No third person had any right to interfere, or
to arrest the passage o f the train, or, by any means impede its progress. The
act, then, of running the cars being lawful, the defendants cannot be held liable
for any accidental injury which may have occurred, unless the lawful right o f
running the train was exercised without a proper degree o f care and precaution,
or in any unreasonable, or unlawful manner. This is a principal o f law well
settled, neither new or anomalous. It is as old as any other principal o f the com­
mon law, and alike applicable to every other kind of lawful business.
From the facts admitted by the case, it appears that the cars were running at
a usual time, and that it was a dark rainy night; but it does not appear that the
train was running at any greater speed than usual, or that the engineer conduc­
ting the train did not, in fact, exercise reasonable care and skill; nor can such an
nference be legally drawn from the facts in the case. But it is insisted on the




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Journal o f M ercantile Law.

part o f the plaintiff, that in the township o f Dearhon, horses were free common­
ers, and therefore rightfully on the railroad. This position cannot he sustained.
In legal contemplation, the railroad is neither a public common, nor a public high­
way. The voters o f the township o f Dearbon could not by any power vested in
them by the Legislature, confer upon the plaintiff the right of grazing his cattle
and horses on the lands granted to the defendants, exclusively for the construc­
tion and use for their railroad. The provisions o f the Statute relied on, confers
upon the inhabitants o f townships merely the right o f determining the time and
manner in which cattle, horses, and other animals, shall be restrained from going
at large in the public highways. (R. S. p. 83. sec. 4.) By no possible construc­
tion, can this provision o f the Statute include railroads ; nor can it be supposed
that the Legislature intended to have them included as highways, or to authorize
individuals, through the power thus vested in the townships, to trespass on ves­
ted private rights. Nor does the act of 1847 which is referred to, and relied on,
confer any such authority, or change the common law rule applicable to the case
under consideration. This act provides merely, “ that no person shall recover for
damages done upon lands by beasts, unles in cases where by the by-laws o f the
townships, such beasts are prohibited from running at large, except where such
lands are enclosed by a fence, &c.” (Sess Laws o f 1847, p. 181.) Thus far the
act goes, but no farther, and it cannot he enlarged by implication or intendment.
This suit is not brought under this act by the plaintiff to recover damage done on
his lands, by the defendants’ beasts; hence the act can have no legal bearing
whatever on the case under consideration. The act does not require men to fence
their lands, but merely precludes a recovery for damages done by beasts thereon,
unless they are fenced. Nor does it grant any right to one individual to tres­
pass on the private property o f another, or to depasture at will railroads any more
than other lands owned and possessed by individual citizens ; nor can the Leg­
islature, under the constitution, confer any such right. But there is another view
to he taken o f this point made in the case, and which must be regarded as conclu­
sive. In the case of the Tonawanda Railroad Company vs. Muguer, (5 Denio
R. 255,) the Supreme Court in giving a construction to the provision of their
Statute o f which our act of 1847 is a substantial copy, say, “ that it is in its
terms and spirit applicable to such lands only as are usually fenced, which cannot
be done with the track o f a railroad, and that no one ever supposed that such a
strip o f land, should he surrounded in its whole extent, by a fence, or that a
fence could be maintained across the track at every intersection o f a highway;
that it would be entirely defeating the great object for which railroads are allowed
to be constructed.” This is undoubtedly a correct view o f the subject; and the
construction given to their Statute, is the only construction which can be given
to our act o f 1847, and protect the defendants in the enjoyment of their legal
rights, and enable them to prosecute their business under their charter, without
daily incurring the heavy penalties imposed upon them by the grant.
i f the plaintiff, under the acts referred to, had no affirmative right to graze his
horses on the track o f the railroad, it follows, that they were there wrongfully;
inasmuch as the common law gave him no such right. By way o f illustration,
suppose that the plaintiff’s horses had gone into another man’s wheat field, through
a gate which had been left open by the owner, and killed themselves eating wheat;
could the plaintiff have recovered of the owner of the wheat, the value o f the
horses, under the provisions of the act o f 1847? Clearly he could not; the
horses would have been in the field without right; hence wrongfully there. Nor
could the owner o f the wheat, having left his gate open, recover under the act
the damage done by the horses.— Wheat fields are usually enclosed by fence, and
in such a case the act would apply and legally bar a recovery. Brainard vs. Bush,
(1 Cow. R. 78.) is a case in point. Bush made maple sugar in a piece o f unclosed
woodland, and left some syrup in his sugar works in an unclosed shed, to which
Brainard’s cow came in the night and drank, which caused her death. Chief Jus­
tice Savage in delivering the opinion o f the court says, “ although the defendant
was guilty of negligence in leaving his syrup where cattle running at large might
have access to it, yet the plaintiff having no right to permit his cattle to go there,




Journal o f M ercantile Law .

59 3

has no right, o f action.” This decision goes no farther than to carry out an ele­
mentary principle o f the common law. Horses in the town o f Dearbon being
free commoners, under some township rule or regulation, does not change the
effect o f this principle o f common law, or the vested, private rights o f the defen­
dants or other individual citizens. The idea that because horses and cattle are
free commoners, that therefore they have the lawful right o f trespassing on pri­
vate property, is absurd— preposterous in the extreme. What are free common­
ers ? Where may they run ? In Holladay vs. Marsh (3. Wend. R. 147,) the
Supreme Court says, “ suppose a case where a town has no common land, and
they pass a by-law permitting cattle and horses to run at large, where are they
to run ? Surely not on individual property. Where then 1— in the highway ?
The public have simply a right o f passage over the highway. The owner o f the
land through which the highway passes, is the owner of the soil, and the timber,
except what is necessary to make bridges, or otherwise aid in making the hignway passable: and if the owner o f the soil owns the timber, why not the grass?”
The doctrine established by this decision is in accordance with the fundamental
principle o f the common law, which has been recognized by elementary writers,
and judicial decisions, in England and this country for a great length o f time.
Though every highway is said to be the king’ s, yet the king has nothing except
the right o f passage for himself and his people; the freehold and all the profits,
as trees &c., belonging to the lord or owner o f the soil, who may have an action
o f trespass for digging up the ground o f the highway.” (Cunningham’s law
dictionary, and also 3 Tomlin’s law dictionary 788. 1 Burr 143, 3 Bacon 394.)
Such has ever been the legal doctrine held in most if not all the States in the
Union. (3 Kent Com. 433. 3 John. 363.. 8 Wend. 107, 12 ib. 98, 20 ib. 97.
6 Pet. 513, 10 ib. 25. 6 Pick. 57. 6 Mass. 454, 16 ib. 33. 5 Denio, 255. 4
Barbour S. C. R. 56.) The only decision found conflicting with this principle
o f law, which has been so long recognized and adhered to, is in Griffin vs. Mar­
tin, 7 Barbour’s Sup. C. R. 297; a case recently decided by the Supreme Court
o f the State o f New York, at a term held in Saratoga, by Justices Paign, Willard,
and Hand; J ustice Willard delivering the opinion, Justice Paign concurring, and
Justice Hand dissenting: so that it was not the unanimous opinion o f the court,
and it is to be hoped that it may be overruled by the Court o f Appeals, it being
neither sound law, or just in principle.
But there is still another view to be taken, and which is equally decisive o f
the case. It is a well settled principle o f law, that where an injury o f which a
plaintiff complains, has resulted from the fault or negligence o f himself, or where
it has resulted from the fault or negligence o f both parties, without any inten­
tional wrong on the part o f the defendant, an action cannot be maintained.
(John. 421; 1 Cow. 78; 19 Wend. 399 and the cases there cited; 21 ib. 615;
5 Hill 282 and the cases there cited in note (a,) 6 ib. 592; 5 Denio, 256; 4 Met.
49, 7 ib. 274.) The plaintiff resided in the vicinity of the railroad, and it is not
only presumed to have known the legal rights of the defendants touching their
exclusive use o f it, but the danger attending domestic animals that are permitted
by their owners to be theron; hence he was guilty o f at least some degree o f
negligence, as well as the want o f care and attention to the safety o f his own
property, in suffering his horses to stray away into a situation o f extreme danger.
But he was guilty o f a culpable degree o f negligence in permitting them, without
care or pursuit, to stray away from his possession and be strolling wrongfully
along on the track o f the railroad, where trains o f cars were almost constantly
running with great speed, day and night; and where they might have been the
cause o f destroying not only the property, but the lives o f others, who were law­
fully pursuing their legitimate business. The injury to individuals and the de­
struction o f human life, which has from time to time occurred in this country, in
consequence o f domestic animals being wrongfully on the track o f railroads, is
appalling, and justly exciting much alarm in the public mind.
The defendants, in running the cars, were pursuing merely their lawful and le­
gitimate business, and were clearly within the powers and privileges granted by
the express terms o f their charter. If the injury complained of had occurred in
VOL.

xxv.—

NO.




v.

38

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Journal o f M ercantile Law .

consequence o f any negligence or fault on the part o f the defendants, or the en­
gineer conducting the train, without any negligence or fault on the part o f the
plaintiff, the defendants most unquestionably would have been liable for the
damages sustained by the plaintiff; but such is not the case presented. This
suit is an action on the case, sounding in tort. The wrongful injury alledged,
constitutes the foundation o f the plaintiff’s right o f action; and yet the facts
submitted for the purpose o f sustaining it, shows not the least degree o f negli­
gence o f want o f care or skill on the part o f the defendants, or the engineer con­
ducting the train; and the ground upon which the action was brought, or upon
which it was expected that it could be/naintaiued, cannot be perceived, for the case
submitted neither shows a malfeasance, a misfeasance, or a nonfeasance. It of­
ten happens that no precaution, care, or skill, can prevent a locomotive at the
head o f a train o f cars running at their accustomed speed, from coming into col­
lision with some domestic animal wrongfully on the road, and which the owner
has negligently suffered to go at large unrestrained; the engineer conducting
the train, not being able in consequence of some curve in the road, the darkness
o f the night, or some other unavoidable cause, to discover the animal in time to
stop the locomotive, and thus prevent the collision. Under such circumstances,
the defendants could not be held liable by any known principle of law, and if
they could be, it would be unreasonable and manifestly unjust. They are re­
quired under heavy penalties to run the cars, and expeditiously transport persons
and property, & c .; and shall they, by construction based upon nothing better
than mere hypothesis, be compelled to assume the guardianship o f all the stray
cattle, horses, and swine, usually found strolling along on the track of their railroad ?
Most certainly not. The owners are the only persons to look after them, and if
they do not, it is but just that they alone should suffer the consequences o f their
own negligence and wrongful act— o f their own want o f care, in the protection
and preservation o f their own property.
The opinion o f this Court is, that the plaintiff is not entitled to recover on
the case submitted.
LIBEL----SUPPLYING SHIP WITH STORES, ETC.

In the United States District Court— in admiralty— before Judge Betts, Octo­
ber 10, 1851. William H. Meritt &. Co., vs. J. N. M. Brewer.
The libelants supplied a ship belonging to the State o f Maine, and owned by
the respondent, with ship stores, &c., in this port, at various times, between
July, 1849, and August, 1850, on the orders o f her master. In June, 1850, the
respondent paid the indebtedness then accrued for such supplies, to the amount
o f $409 30, and interest. The ship then being in this port, and fitting for a
voyage to the East Indies under the same master; the libelants, on the like
order, furnished her stores and supplies for the voyage, and alledge, also, that
they shipped cargo on board. The master died at Manilla before the voyage was
completed. The libelants proved, by the admission o f the master who suc­
ceeded him, that a portion o f the libelants’ cargo was appropriated at Manilla
to the necessities o f the ship.
They also proved, that, in addition to ship stores and other supplies, furnished
the ship in New York, they advanced to the master various sums in cash, whilst
she was here fitting out, and also paid the premium for her insurance. Held,
that the master had competent authority in law to charge the ship or owner for
such supplies, and that it was not necessary for the libelants to prove they were
absolutely necessary for the ship, nor that they were actually placed on board.
If they were such as were appropriate for the voyage, and were delivered pur­
suant to the order o f the master, or in the usual mode o f business, the owner
was chargeable for them. It was also declared that independent o f such liability
by paying the former credit given to the master and ship, the respondent gave an
implied authority to the master to contract the subsequent debt o f the same cha­
racter. Held, that the declarations o f the new master were incompetent evidence
to charge the defendant, on the claim o f libelants for cargo shipped on board.




<

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they should proceed upon the hill o f lading. Held also, that advances o f cash to
the master created no lien on the vessel, and no liability on the owner, unless
appropriated to her necessities, which the creditors must prove, as also an autho­
rity from the owner to make the advance for insurance. A reference ordered to
take the account upon the basis o f this decision.

COMM ERCIAL CHRONICLE AND R E V IE W .

TH E PROSPECTS A T TH E

O P E N IN G OF T H E M O N T H — F A I L U R E O F S E V E R A L B A N K S — S U C C E E D IN G PA N IC

A N D F A I L U R E S — S U S P E N S IO N OF W E A L T H Y H O U S E S T O

A V O ID S A C R IF IC E S — P R IN C IP L E S

IN V O L V E D

IN S U C H S U S P E N S IO N S F U L L Y D IS C U S S E D — S A C R E D N E S S O F C O M M E R C I A L O B L IG A T IO N S V IN D IC A T E D
— C O N F ID E N C E IN A
F O R E IG N
OF T H E

R E S T O R E D — D E C L IN E
FO R

OUR

M A R Y OF T H E

TH E

D E P O SIT S

OF D O M E S T I C

GOLD A T

D U C T IO N O F C A L IF O R N IA G O L D SIN C E I T S
OF D U T IA B L E

M ATTERS

S T IL L

OF

OF

TH E

ALL
M IN T S

FELT

IN

AND
TH E

TH E
FOR

BANKS

M IN T S , SIN C E
TH E

SAM E

D IS C O V E R Y — IM P O R T S A T N E W

G O O D S — IM P O R T S

S P E C IE — S U P P L Y

W HEAT

F O R N IN E

OF

R Y E — P O S IT IO N
IN T E R IO R — CON­

R E P R E S E N T E D — C O M P A R A T IV E

SU M ­

OF N E W O R L E A N S
T H E IR

O R G A N IZ A ­

T IM E — T O T A L P R O ­

Y O R K FO R S E P T E M B E R —

M O N T H S — I M P O R T S OF D R Y G O O D S

Y O R K F O R S E P T E M B E R — I M P O R T S O F D R Y G O O D S F O R N IN E

W A R E H O U S E , AND T O T A L
FOR

S H IP M E N T

C O N D IT IO N O F T H E N E W Y O R K C I T Y B A N K S , A N D OF T H E

IN C R E A S E D R E C E IP T S
AT NEW

TH E

B A N K A C C O M M O D A T IO N S N O T A S G R E A T A S

C O IN A G E O F G O L D , S I L V E R , A N D C O P P E R A T

T IO N — T O T A L

IN

B R E A D S T U F F S— CROP

C O T T O N S T A P L E — P R E S S U R E OF M O N E Y

T R A C T IO N ^

— TOTAL

M EASU RE

EXCHANGE— M ARKET

M ON TH S— IM P O R T S E N T E R E D

R E C E I P T S O F C A S H D U T IE S F O R N IN E M O N T H S — E X P O R T S

AT NEW YORK

S E P T E M B E R — E X P O R T S A T N E W Y O R K F O R N IN E M O N T H S .

T he commercial horizon, which was clouded at the date o f our last, grew
blacker and more foreboding for awhile, and then cleared, leaving us little more
than the memory o f our fears. The Peoples’ Bank o f Patterson and the Com­
mercial Bank o f Perth Amboy, in New Jersey, both failed, sounding the first
note o f alarm. Their failure was followed by the stoppage o f the James’ Bank,
the Bank o f New Rochelle, the Farmers’ Bank at Mina, and the Western Bank
at White Creek; all Associated Banks in the State o f New York. The Bank o f
Salisbury, Maryland, which had dragged through a fitful existence o f several
years, also suddenly eollap-ed. For a few days the panic seemed universal, and
in all o f the principal markets in the Nort hern States, confidence was almost totally
destroyed. The names o f a few leading merchants would still command a loan
o f money at 18 per cent per annum, but second class borrowers had a sore time
o f it. A few insolvent firms at New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore
were obliged to stop and wind up their affairs; but as the failure o f such houses
is always a mere question o f time, their bankruptcy created less alarm than sym­
pathy. Here and there a firm whose assets had been injudiciously scattered, or
whose business was too much extended, found it impossible to meet its maturing
engagements, but, upon making a satisfactory exhibit o f its affairs, was promptly
relieved by its creditors and other friends, and carried safely over the breakers.
But the darkest feature o f the picture is yet to be mentioned. Several very
wealthy men, whose assets greatly exceeded their liabilities, suspended payment,
solely on account o f the labor and sacrifice required to raise money. W e think
that all who have the public ear, and exert any influence upon public opinion,
should unite in condemning this course, as tending to unsettle the very founda­
tions o f commercial credit. There is too little regard at this day for the sacred­
ness o f business obligations, and many make an acknowledgement or repudiation




59 6

Commercial Chronicle and Review .

o f their debts, a mere matter o f convenience. This indifference is hurtful
enough when associated only with men o f doubtful characters; its influence is
doubly pernicious when found in men o f high character and large means. A
man o f known wealth, and undoubted credit, loans his endorsements for a pre­
mium, and thus becomes bound for large sums o f money, not as principal but as
surety.
Troublous times come on, and he is called upon to make good his
bond. He is unwilling, however, to disburse the wealth he has acquired for his
surety-ship, in providing the means to redeem his obligations, and he “ suspends,’’
until an easier money market shall enable him to meet the payments without any
cost to himself. Apart from the pernicious example which he sets to men of
weaker purses, and less exalted standing, he inflicts a great deal o f direct positive
injury upon the community. He cannot stop alone ; he drags down with him
houses which might otherwise have stood; but which once fallen, can never
again, like the millionaire, regain their lost pedestal. He inflicts a blow upon
public confidence, which the humblest man feels, and from the effects o f which,
many will never recover. A man who has given his promise, is bound to re­
deem it at any sacrifice o f property, short o f such a waste o f his assets as will
risk a loss to his other creditors. Suppose that it will take all o f his property
now to pay his debts, when, if he wait a little, he can pay them and have a
surplus. What right has he to postpone the fulfillment o f a sacred promise, in
order to save a surplus for himself, when such a postponement will rob others o f
their little savings ? Once admit the principle, that a man may repudiate or
postpone his obligations for his own advantage, and commercial credit would be
annihilated. Every debtor would find some convenient excuse for making his
creditor wait for his pay.
As we intimated at the commencement, the excitement and panic created by
these occurrences has chiefly passed away, and confidence is in a measure again
restored. The high rates o f interest current during the darkest hours, are less
easily obtained, and only for second class commercial paper. The exports o f
specie to foreign countries are about over for the season. The receipts of cot­
ton at the shipping ports have been somewhat retarded by the low stage of
water in the Southern rivers, and this has diminished the expected amount o f
bills o f exchange; but sufficient supplies have been realized to cut off nearly
all the shipments o f gold.
There has been a fair demand in Great Britain for our breadstuff's, and large
amounts o f wheat and flour have gone forward. The shipments o f corn which
had declined materially from last year, have again been larger, and have been
latterly increased by the scarcity o f good samples at the principal British mar­
kets. The failure o f a portion o f the rye crop, and the appearance o f the potatoe disease in Central Europe, has created an export demand for rye, and con­
siderable sales have been made for shipment, the first for some time. The
erop o f this grain, in this country, was not very large, although the quantity was
good, and the kernel unusually heavy. The supply reaching the seaboard, is
quite limited compared with the same season o f last year. Wheat is now lower
in our principal markets than it has been for several years, and the farmers part
with it very reluctantly at the prices offered; the crop is large, and very good in
average quality. Cotton is not likely to bear the high prices o f last year, but
the crop will be larger, and with a good demand, the value o f the entire yield will
not probably be largely diminished.




Commercial Chronicle and Review .

59 7

The pressure in the money market, which is now in a measure removed from
the Atlantic cities, is still felt in the interior, and particularly in quarters where
large sums have been due to the seaboard, and the low price o f produce has
prevented its rapid transmission. Much blame has been thrown upon the banks
for contracting their accommodations at the late crisis, and a great portion o f it
has been entirely undeserved. W e illustrated this fully in our last, and our re­
marks have been corroborated by recent bank returns. In New York the Con­
troller has made his usual call upon the banks for their Quarterly Statements,
and they have recently been transmitted. The accounts were made up to Sep­
tember 27th, which was about the lowest point o f depression. The returns from
the New York City Banks have already been compiled, (unofficially,) and we
present a summary o f the returns as compared with those o f the preceding
quarter:—
.--------------June 21sp 1851.--------------v-------- -September 27th, 1851.
Incorporated Associated
Incorporated Associated
Banks.
Banks.
Total.
Banks.
Banks.
Total.
Loans and discounts.............. §36,316,096 $29,307,624 §65,623.720 $32,640,824 $26,825,734 .$59,466,558
Loans to Directors..................
1,880,145
1,690,232 3,570.377
1,858,406 2,245,550 4,103.956
Bonds and mortgages.............
171,091
21,936
193,027
167,692
80,936
248,628
S tocks.....................................
365,685
4,068,702 4,434,387
405,589 4 038,355 4,643,944
S p e cie.....................................
5,782,818
2,203,136 7,985,954
4,116,336 1,924,150 6,040,486
Capital.................................... 16,251,200 16,841,893 33,093,093 16,251,200 18,351,900 34,603,100
Circulation...............................
4,347,950
2,770,336 7,118,286
4,326,775 3,049,319 7,376,094
Deposits................................... 23,854,068 17,284,698 41,138,757 20,648,609 16,073,217 36,721.826

The above shows a contraction o f only $6,157,162 in general discounts, and
an increase in loans to directors o f $553,579; leaving a decline o f but little more
than the falling off in the deposits. The discounts have been further increased
since the date o f the above returns, and the specie in the banks is nearly onethird larger. The following are some particulars o f the condition o f the New
Orleans banks on the same date (Sept. 27th) as compared with the previous
dates noticed:—
Cash Liabilities.
Circulation.
Total.

Cash Assets.
Specie.
Total.

S p ecie p a y in g —

Louisiana Bank.......................
Canal Bank.............................
Louisiana State Bank............
Mechanics’ and Traders’ Bank
Union Bank...........................

$1,018,484
882,300
1,031,950
621,550
25,565

$4,199,781
1,980,583
3,537,243
2,182,877
27,143

$1,929,395
530,701
1,256,249
775,174
12,183

$6,164,848
3,850,259
3,802,146
3.004,813
574,376

10,781
5,084

11.786
7,163

11,220
406

18,121
406

N on -sp ecie p a y in g —

Citizens’ Bank.........................
Consolidated.........................
Total, Sept. 27, 1851 . . .
Total, August 30, 1851...
Total, August 1, 1851...

$3,595,714 $11,946,577
12,234,193
4,968,670
13.080,741
3,306,883

$4,515,328 $16,914,979
5,000,886
16,197,221
5,335,093
16,861,993

As the cash assets in this list, beside specie, are made up almost wholly o f ac­
commodations to borrowers,!, e., o f loans, and bills o f exchange, we find that
the banks at New Orleans have extended their business instead o f contracting,
so that there is little ground for complaint.
In the place o f our usual monthly table o f receipts and coinage at the Mint,
we annex a complete history o f the coinage o f the precious metals from the orga­
nization o f the Mint to the 1st o f October; and also a summary o f the total de­
posit o f gold, both from California and all other sources within the United States.
These have been compiled from official sources, and will be found very conve­
nient for future reference.




598

I. STATEMENT OF THE COINAGE AT THE MINTS OF THE UNITED STATES FROM THEIR ORGANIZATION TO SEPTEMBER

30, 1851.

,------------- MINTS AT -------

t------------------------------PHILADELPHIA
Periods.

Gold.
Dollars.

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

CHARLOTTE. DAHLONEGA. ALL THE MINTS.

Silver.

Copper.

Total.

Gold.

Silver.

Total.

Gold.

Gold.

Dollars.

Dollars.

Dollars.

Dollars.

Dollars.

Dollars.

Dollars.

Dollars.

52,741,350 00 62,748,211 90 1,145,591 21
116,635,153 11 15,189,365
2,780,930 00
420,050 00
64,157 99
3,265,137 99
358,500
7,948,332 00
922,950 00
41,984 32
8,913,266 32
454,000
27,756,445 50
409,600 00
44,467 50
28,210,513 00
3,619,000
35,426,513 00
283,874 00
85,442 43
35,795,829 43
7,500,000
126,653,570 50 64,784,685 90 1,381,643 45

192,8.9,899 85 27,120,865

Total coinage.
Dollars.

8,418,700
23,608,065 1,656,060 00 3,218,017 50
1,620,000
1,978,500
364,330 00
271,752 50
1,192,000
1,646,000
361,299 00
244,130 50
1,456,500
5,075,500
347,791 00
258,502 00
206,000
7,706,000
217,934 50
190,152 00

145,117,295 61
5,879,720 49
11,164,695 82
33,892,306 00
43.909,915 93

12,893,200

239,963,933 85

40,014,065

2,947,414 50

4,182,554 50

Note .—The coinage at the Philadelphia Mint was commenced in 1793, at the other mints in 1838. The Dahlonega (Georgia) and Charlotte (North Carolina) Mints issue gold
coins o n ly ; the New Orleans Mint gold and silver, and no copper.

II. STATEMENT OF THE AMOUNT OF GOLD OF DOMESTIC PRODUCTION DEPOSITED AT THE MINTS TO SEPTEMBER

,

,------PH ILADELPH IA MINT.—— ', — N EW ORLEANS M IN T.— N ,

From
Periods.

Other

California, sources.
Dollars. Dollars.

T o the close o f 1847....
Year 1848.........................
Year 1849.........................
Year 1850..........................
Nine months o f 1 851....
Total..........................




From
Total.
Dollars.

Other

CHARLOTTE MINT.

From

Other

, ,

DAHLONEGA MINT.

From

30, 1851.
N ,-------- AT ALL THE MINTS.---------

Other

California, sources.

Total. California, sources. Total. California, sources. Total.

Dollars. Dollars.

Dollars. Dolls. Dollars. Dollars. Dollars. Dollars. Dollars,

............. 7,797,141 7,797,141 ............. 119,699
44,177 197,367
241,544
1,124 11,469
5,481,439 285,653 5,767,092
669.921 7,268
31,667,505
122,801 31,790,306 4,575,567 4,454
31,300,105
98,340 31,398,445 6,310,462
885

From

Other

California, sources.
Dollars.

Dollars.

119,699 ........ 1,673,718 1,673,718 .......... 3,218,017 2,218,017
...........
12,808,575
12,593
.....................
370,785
370,785
271,753 271,753
45,301
851,374
677,189 ....
390,732
390,732
244,131 244,131 6,151,360
927,784
4,580,021
320,289
.....................
320,289 30,025 217,673 247,698 36,273,097
665,217
202,256
215,061 70,925 129,376 200,301 37,694,297
430,857
6,311,347
12,805

Total.
Dollars.
12,808,575
896,675
7,079,144
36,938,314
38,125,154

68,493,226 8,501,302 76,994,528 11,557,074 143,775 11,700,849 12,805 2,957,780 2,970,585 100,950 4,080,950 4,181,900 80,164,055 15,683,807 95,84/,862

Commercial Chronicle and Review.

To the close of 1847..........
Year 1848 ............................
Year 1849 ............................
Year 1850............................
Nine months of 1851.........

M IN T .------------------------------- N ,-----------NEW ORLEANS MINT.-----------N

Commercial Chronicle and Review .

599

In addition to the $80,000,000 o f California gold which has been deposited in
the Mint up to the 1st o f October, as shown in the following table, we must add
the large quantity stamped by private coiners, and now in circulation in California,
the fifty-dollar pieces stamped by the U. S. Assayer at San Francisco, the large
quantity consumed in manufactures, the shipments to England and other coun­
tries, the quantity still in the hands o f miners and merchants in California, and a
little over $5,000,000 received at the Atlantic ports since 1st October, which
altogether, will make a total production of the Pacific gold region, since its dis­
covery, equal to about one hundred and twenty or one hundred and thirty mil­
lions o f dollars.
The imports thrown into the avenues o f consumption during the month of
September, show little variation from the corresponding month o f last year.
At New York, exclusive o f specie, the amount thus received was $164,272 less
than for September, 1850. Including the specie, which comprises $115,550 from
foreign ports, and $2,654,176 from California, the total was $559,108 greater,
as will be seen by the following comparison :—
IMPORTS THROWN UPON THE MARKET AT N E W YO RK DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER.

1851.....................
1850 ....................
1849
1848
1847 ....................
1846 ....................

Dutiable.

Free.

$10,053,476
9,310,023
7,887,190
8,168,294
8,111,845
5,272,923

$366,168
1,273,878
226,188
513,749
916,109
600,849

Specie.

Total.

$2,769,726
2,046,346
489,435
197,098
94,546
10,044

$13,189,355
12,630,247
8,602,813
8,879,141
9,122,500
6,883,816

The item o f specie includes only the imports entered upon manifest, and covers
only about three-fourths o f the actual receipts, which are shown by the deposits
at the Philadelphia Mint to be about $4,000,000. It will be seen from the
above comparison that there is an increase in dutiable goods and a decline in free,
so that while the total o f merchandise, thus entered, is less than for the same
months o f last year, the amount o f duties has been greater, as will be seen by
the following exhibit:—
Sept. 1851..
1850..

Dutiable.

Free.

Total Merchandise.

Cash Duties.

$10,053,476
9,310,023

$366,153
1,273,878

$10,419,629
10,583,901

$2,609,832 97
2 495 242 77

$743,453 Dec. $907,725

Dec. $164,272

In .. $114,590 20

Increase__

This decline for the month has farther reduced our excess o f imports for the
year, as shown in our previous review, but still leaves the aggregate considerably
larger than for the first three quarters o f 1850, as will be seen by the following
comparison:—
IMPORTS THROW N INTO THE CHANNELS OF CONSUMPTION AT N EW YORK FOR NINE MONTHS
ENDING SEPTEMBER

First quarter. . . .
Second quarter...
Third quarter......
Total................
Add free goods..

Free.

1830.

1851.

$2,464,445
2,997,397
2,019,639

$3,128,216
2,009,428
2,031,968

$27,320,278
28,776,738
87,595,935

$35,793,788
28,305,746
36,127,070

$7,481,481

$7,169,612

$88,692,951
7,481,481

$100,2 2 6 ,6 04
7,169,612

$96,174,432

$107,396,216
96,174,432
$11,221,784

Total thrown on the market.. . .
Increase during nine months..




30.

Free.

Dutiable.

1850.

Dutiable.

1851.

Commercial Chronicle and Review.

60 0

Notwithstanding this aggregate increase, the imports for the quarter ending
September 30, 1851, show a decrease, as compared with the same quarter o f
1850, o f $1,456,536. It is estimated that the imports for the remainder o f the
year will show a still greater decline.
The import o f dry goods at New York during the month o f September, show
a decline in the total thrown upon the market, as compared with the previous
year, o f $142,913, the falling off being chiefly in silks. W e present our usual
monthly statement:—
IMPORTS OP DRY GOODS AT THE PORT NEW YORK FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER.
ENTERED FOR CONSUMPTION.

1849.

1850.

1851.

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

$1,330,783
648,516
1,130,523
443,266
209,243

$1,380,248
546.523
1,874,495
483,040
342,998

$1,293,205
600,073
1,553,943
477,742
331,601

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

$3,662,331

$4,627,304

$4,256,564

W ITHDRAW N FROM WAREHOUSE.

1849.

1850.

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

$330,504
84,995
113,577
30,236
23,790

$361,100
117,801
126,316
65,715
23,816

$494,484
107,164
245,100
44,778
31,059

1851,

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

$683,102
3,662,331

$694,748
4,627,304

$922,575
4,256,564

Total thrown upon the market.

$4,245,433

$5,322,052

$5,179,139

ENTERED FOR WAREHOUSING.

1849.

1850.

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

$147,561
25,851
44,692
82,901
37,707

$232,783
116,729
232,520
56,833
25,521

$277,963
159,998
184,289
137,148
90,092

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

$338,712

$664,386

$849,490

1851.

W e also annex a comparative statement o f the imports o f dry goods for the
three quarters o f the year, which shows little variation from the amount for 1850,
although the total is largely in excess o f the amount for the same period
o f 1849:—
IMPORTS OF D R Y GOODS AT N E W YORK FOR NINE MONTHS, ENDING SEPTEMBER

30.

ENTERED FOE CONSUMPTION.

1849.

1850.

1851.

Manufactures of wool.......................
Manufactures of cotton-...................
Manufactures of silk.........................
Manufactures of flax..........................
Miscellaneous...................................

$8,570,456
7,488,986
12,114,108
3,468,656
2,655,203

$13,527,083
9,020,422
17,110,790
6,270,651
2,112,874

$11,965,958
8,448,367
19,828,556
5,161,925
2,087,479

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

$84,292,409

$48,041,820

$47,492,285




60 1

Commercial Chronicle and Review .
W ITHDRAW N FROM WAREHOUSE.

1851.

1850.

1849.
Manufactures of wool.......................
Manufactures of cotton.....................
Manufactures of silk.........................
Manufactures of flax.........................
Miscellaneous.....................................

$1,703,712
1,092,846
1,174,623
457,812
316,376

$1,538,567
1,072,811
962,064
370,711
120,851

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

$4,745,369
34,292,409

$4,065,004
48,041,820

$1,688,165
1,237,340
1,225,715
507,477
311,647
_-4$4,970,334
47,492,285

$39,037,778

$52,106,824

$52,462,619

Total thrown upon the market,.

ENTERED FOR WAREHOUSING.

1851.

1849.

1850.

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

$1,164,580
1,069,140
1,169,933
388,132
249,648

$1,903,973
1,654,493
1,208,605
600,197
100,410

$1,939,209
1,342,205
1,794,381
620,107
- 358,675

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

$4,041,433

$5,467,678

$6,054,577

As there has been no important change from last year, in the imports o f dry
goods, it follows that the excess on general imports, amounting to $11,221,784,
as shown above, must have been in other articles, and chiefly in dutiable goods,
as the receipts o f cash duties show an increase fully corresponding. The following is a comparison o f the amount o f duties, and also o f the total imports
entered warehouse since the first o f January :—
Elite: ed Warehouse
in September.
for nine months.

Years.

1850................................
1851................................

Cash duties
for nine months.

$864,916
928,125

$11,109,917
12,587,769

$26,012,720 54
23,220,234 42

Decrease..............................................

$877,852

In’e. $2,792,486 12

The exports from New V ork for the month o f September show a very deci­
ded falling o f in domestic produce from the same period o f last year, as will be
seen by the following comparison:—
EXPORTS AT NEW YO RK FOR SEPTEMBER.

Years.

Domestic produce.

1851...........................
1850.................................
1849.................................
1848.................................
1847................................
1846................................

$2,593,986
4,284,574
1,808,500
2,926,213
2,672,452
1,238,401

Foreign.

Specie.

$450,318
724,385
446,895
217,266
193,375
388,169

$3,490,142
1,033,918
326,384
561,445
350,925
2,255

Total.

$6,534,446
6,602,877
2,581,799
3,704,925
3,216,075
2,628,825

The total exports o f domestic produce since January 1, is about the same
amount as for the first three quarters o f 1850, and the exports o f specie show a
large increase.
EXPORTS AT NEW YO RK FOR NINE MONTHS, ENDING SEPTEMBER

Years.

Domestic produce.

Foreign produce.

$31,498,446
31,713,100

$3,446,636
4,258,049

1851.................
1850..................

Specie.

$31,262,271
6,447,466

Increase.................................................................. .......... .




30.
Total.

$66,207,353
42,978,615
$23,228,738

602

Commercial Statistics.

COM M ERCIAL STATISTICS.
STATISTICS OF THE TRADE AND COMMERCE OF NEW ORLEANS.

In the first part of the present number of this Magazine, under our series of papers
entitled “ Commercial Cities and Towns of the United States,” we have given the
annual report of the Trade and Commerce of New Orleans for the year ending August,
1851, as originally prepared for the Price Current of that city. The subjoined statis*
tics of imports, exports, arrivals and clearances of shipping, and prices of produce and
merchandise, <fcc., are derived from the same authentic and reliable source. The reports
and statistics together furnish a well digested and comparative account of the trade of
New Orleans, for the past and present year:—
A TABLE SHOWING THE RECEIPTS OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES FROM THE INTERIOR, DURING
THE YEAR ENDING 3 1 S T

AUGUST, 1 8 5 1 , W IT H THEIR ESTIMATED AVERAGE AND TOTAL

VALUE.

Articles.

Apples...............
Bacon, assorted..
Bacon, assorted ..
Bacon Hams . . . .
Bacon, in bulk. . .
Bagging..............
Bale R ope..........
Beans..................
Butter.................
Butter.................
Beeswax.............
Beef....................
Beef...................
Beef, dried..........
Buffalo Robes . .,
Cotton.................
Corn M eal..........
Corn, in ear.........
Corn, shelled......
Cheese...............
Candles...............
C id er ...................
Coal, western. . . .
Dried apples and peaches..
Feathers.............
Flax s e e d ............
Flour.................
Furs................... . .hhds, bundles and boxes
H e m p ....................

Hides.................
Hay.....................
Iron, pig.............
Lard...................
.barrels and tcs.
Lard..................
Leather..............
Lime, western__
Lead...................
Lead, bar...........
.kegs and boxes
Lead, white.......
Molasses, (estimated crop).
Oats...................
•barrels & sacks




Amount.
54,808
48,602
9,274
44,478
235,000
72,304
107,224
4,236
54,967
2,720
230
36,164
11,902
15.300
155
995,036
3,662
42,526
1,298,932
78,894
80,748
245
700,000
6,853
3,645
204
941,106
1,289
25,116
140,338
48,281
152
115,670
151,931
8,490
37,738
325,605
629
1,930
10,500,000
479,741

Average.
$3
60
30
60

3
35
12
4

00
00
00
00
7
50
50
00
00
00
00
00
00
7
00
00
00
90
30
50
00
00
50
00
00
00
50

18
1
3
25
24
4
25
1
3

00
00
00
00
00
00
00
50
20

12
7
5
5
25
46
10
15
70
49
3
1
3
6
3

20 00
7 00
25

1 00

Value.
$ 174,424
2,916,120
278,220
2,668,680
16,450
903,800
804,180
21,180
274,835
68,000
10,850
361,640
178,800
1,071
10,850
4 8,756,764
10,986
38,273
1,688,608
276,129
484,488
735
350,000
20,559
127,575
2,448
4,234,977
800,000
452,080
140,338
144,843
3,800
2,773,680
607,724
212,250
. 56,607
1,041,616
12,580
13,510
2,625,000
479,741

Commercial S tatistics.
Articles.

.6 0 3

Amount.

Onions........
.barrels
14,279
Oil, linseed..
178
Oil, castor .
4,145
Oil, lard ..
17,157
Potatoes. ..
162,922
Pork..........................................tcs <fc barrels
286,084
Pork ...................................................boxes
1,980
Pork....................................................... bkds
1,231
Pork, in bulk..................................... pounds
10,513,895
Porter and Ale................................... barrels
384
Packing Yarn........................................ reels
4,190
Skins, Deer.......................................... packs
1,119
Skins, Bear..................................................
7
Shot........................................................kegs
2,044
Soap............................................. . . .boxes
9,484
Staves........................................................M.
9,000
Sugar, (estimated crop)......................... hhds
211,303
Spanish Moss.........................................bales
5,974
Tallow................................................ barrels
6,164
Tobacco, Leaf........................................ hhds
62,830
Tobacco Strips............................................
9,100
Tobacco, Stems............................................
2,200
Tobacco, chewing.............................. kegs &boxes
4,115
Twine............................................ bundles &boxes
3,156
Vinegar.............................................. barrels
89
Whisky.........................................................
157,741
Window Glass...................................... boxes
J 6,428
W heat...........................................barrels &sacks 88,797
Other various articles—estimated at............

Value.

Average.
2
35
50
26
2
12
25
60
10
7
25
15
25
3
35
60
6
24
120
150
20
30
10
6
8
5
2

00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
6*
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00

Total value................
Total in 1849-50
Total in 1848-49
Total in 1847-48
exports

of

cotton

from

$ 10 6,924,083
96,897,873
81,989,692
79,779,151
n ew

Or l e a n s

for

tw o

and ending 3 1 s t

years

, c o m m e n c in g




Bales.
5 6 2 ,2 7 7

Bales.
3 7 8 ,1 5 5
1 ,3 6 7

1 5 ,4 1 8

1 0 ,8 5 7

4 ,6 7 8

3 ,7 4 1
3 ,0 6 9

1 2 5 ,0 6 7

1 1 2 ,1 5 9

1 ,1 6 4

1 ,0 0 6

4 ,1 3 1

3 ,6 1 8

1st

Se p t e m b e r

au gost.

1850-51. 1849-50.
Whither exported.

Liverpool.......................
London...........................
Glasgow & Greenock. . .
Cowes, Falmouth, (fee...
Cork, Belfast, ( f e e .................
Havre.................... . . .
Bordeaux ......................
Marseilles.,...................
Nantz, Cette & Rouen..
Amsterdam..................
Rotterdam and Ghent..
Bremen.........................
Antwerp, (fe e ..................
Hamburg......................
Gottenburg...................
Spain and Gibraltar__ _
Havana, Mexico, <tc.. . .
Genoa, Trieste, Ac........
China............................
Other foreign ports.......

28,558
6,230
207,250
446,082
325,844
8,433,008
49,5 00
73,860
578,264
3,840
29,330
27,975
105
51,100
28,452
315.000
12,678,180
35,844
147,936
6,327,600
1,365,000
44,0 00
123,450
31,560
534
1,261,928
82,140
177,594
5,000,000

1850-51. 1849-50.
Whither exported.

New Y ork ....................
Boston...........................
Providence, R. I ...........
Philadelphia.................
Baltimore ....................
Portsmouth...................
Other coastwise ports...
Western States............

Bales.

Bales.

5 2 ,3 9 8

8 4 ,8 9 1

8 2 ,5 4 0

1 0 9 ,0 8 9

1 4 ,8 6 7

1 5 ,6 1 6

2 ,5 1 1

4 ,0 1 7

1

230

500

630
’

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

489
1 ,4 6 8

572

1 2 ,9 0 5

1 ,8 0 1

1 0 ,3 6 6

1 1 ,9 9 4

3 ,2 3 5

11&

8 ,1 8 0

5 ,0 2 1

4 1 ,0 1 8

4 6 ,2 9 6

565

2 ,2 9 2

4 2 ,5 3 7

3 6 ,3 6 2

1 1 ,1 4 3

6 ,4 9 6

9 9 7 ,4 5 8

8 3 8 ,5 9 1

RECAPITULATION.

Great Britain.................
France..........................
North of Europe...........
South of Europe & China
Coastwise.....................

5 8 2 ,3 7 3

3 9 7 ,1 8 9

1 3 0 ,8 6 2

1 1 7 ,4 1 3

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

4 7 ,7 8 6

2 5 ,1 9 6

8 4 ,1 2 0

8 4 ,9 5 0

1 5 2 ,8 1 7

2 1 3 ,8 4 3

9 9 7 ,4 6 8

8 3 8 ,5 9 1

60 4

Com mercial Statistics.

E X P O E T S O F TOBACCO F R O M N E W O R L E A N S F O R L A 8 T T W O T E A R S , CO M M ENC1N O 1 S T

SEPTEM ­

B E R A N D E N D IN G 3 1 S T AUGU ST.

1850-51.1849-50.

1850-51.1819-50.
Hhds.

Whither exported.

Liverpool.....................
London..........................
Glasgow AGreenock...
Cowes, Falmouth, (fee...
Cork, Belfast, Ac...........
Havre...........................
Bordeaux......................
Marseilles......................
Nantz, Cette A Rouen..
Amsterdam..................
Rotterdam and Ghent..
Bremen.........................
Antwerp, Ac.................
Hamburg......................
Gottenburg....................
Spain and Gibraltar . . .
Havana, Mexico, A c___
Genoa, Trieste, Ac.........
China.............................
Other foreign ports . . . .

Whither exported.

Hhds.

659
517
3,006

6,662 New York.....................
6,723 Boston...........................
Providence, R . I ...............
3,435 Philadelphia.................
Baltimore.......................
718 Portsmouth....................
579 Other coastwise ports ..
759 Western States............

712
7,071
570
75
941
7,454

824
7,719
2,244
573
1,365
4,726

5,613

5,874

816

1,375

6,457
6,192
574

Hhds.
10,087
1,594

Hhds.
11,305
1,169

1,118
754

1,291
277

....

....

....

291

337

....

—

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

54,501

57,855

>

RECAPITULATION.

Great Britain................
France...........................
North of Europe............
South of Europe A China
Coastwise......................

13,223
4,182
9,393
13,859
13,844

16,820
2,056
12,725
11,975
14,379

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

54,501

57,955

EXPORTS OF SUGAR FROM NEW ORLEANS FOR TWO YEARS (U P THE R IV E R EXCEPTED) FROM
1 s t SEPTEMBER TO 3 1 s T AUGUST.

1850-51.
Whither exported.

Hhds.

New York............................................
Philadelphia,......................................
Charleston, S. C....................................
Savannah ............................................
Providence and Bristol, R . I .....................
Boston...................................................
Baltimore............................................

O F M O L A S SE S

FROM

NEW

Bbls.

655
867
660
89

42,523
18,344
6,014
1,981

2,229
3,074
683
300

27
237

3,929
8,101

961
2,225

120

6,600

882

2,266
254
3,469

649
2,876
1,830
873

1,526
460
1,602

8,644

92,720

13,942

4,072

1,071

Total..........................................
EXPORTS

Hhds.

10,264

)
Richmond and Petersburg, Va............ ' JAlexandria, D. 0 .................................
Mobile...................................................
Apalachicola and Pensacola,................ . . .
Other ports..........................................

ORLEANS

FOR

TW O

1849-50.

Bbls.

TEARS

(U P T H E R I V E R EXCEPTED)

FROM 1 S T SEPTEMBER T O 3 1 ST AUGU ST.

Whither exported.
New York..........................................
Philadelphia........... ............................
Charleston, S. C...........................................
Savannah............................................
Providence and Bristol, R. I ..............
Boston.................................................
Baltimore..........................................
Norfolk................................ .............
Richmond and Petersburg, V a.......... Alexandria, D. C ................................
Mobile................................................
Apalachicola and Pensacola...............
Other ports........................................
Total..........................................




1850-51.

Hhds.

Bbls.

22,646

7,735
7,031
2,981
....
2,172
2,862
i

'

2,312

1849-50.

Hhds.
2,078
....

--

Bbls.
42,776
14,636
10,531
4,279
37
2,792
13,432

30

6,134

...

82
247
T T

631
10,398
4,578
3,677

....
....
305

600
8,850
5,370
3,237

67,024

2,742

112,674

<

Com mercial Statistics.
EXPORTS

605

O F F L O U R , P O R K , BACO N , L A R D , B E E F , L E A D , W H I S K Y
ENDED

Flour.

Pork.

bbls.
12,584
88,925
418

Ports.

AU GU ST,

Bacon.

AND CORN, FOR

YEAR

Lead.

Corn.

1851.

Lard.

Beef.

Whisky.

bbls.
hhds.
kegs.
bbls. sacks.
bbls.
pigs.
55,849 9,856 209,825 3,055 152,936 1,381 160,128
11,806 6,503 224,333 13,435 121,316 2,242 32,461
5,538 2,163 41,045
421 38,644
268
9,411
18,421 1,843 32,585
955
1,542
....
1,003 2,812
2,169
119
11,514 23,918
22,890 19,912 40,046 3,185
112 50,383 150,125
910 1,513 122,268
94,193
11
15,260
919 66,085 20,514
62 64,420
1,640

New Y ork.. ........
Boston.................
Philadelphia. ........
Baltimore....
Charleston.. ........
6,115
Other coastw’'e p’ts 150,960
Cuba.......... ........
206
Other foreign ports 264,160
Total.........

3 1 st

192,131 46,241 138,956 42,415 320,608 61,392 535,382

In the above, the exports to Mobile, (fee., via the Pontchartrain Railroad and New
Canal, are included.
M O N TH LY A R R IV A L

O F S H IP S , B A R K S , B R I G S , S C H O O N E R S A N D STE A M B O A T S, F O R T W O

YE A R S, FROM THE

1S T O F S E P T E M B E R

1850-51
m
er
-5'
CO

§

S3

5

CO

OB

CO

September .
October__ _
November..
December..
January...
February...
March........
A pril..........
May.............
June...........
July............
August . . . .

31 22
49 11
11 34
61 39
68 48
42 34
88 32
54 21
50 29
43 21
34 13
18 10

12
18
40
43
29
38
34
21
31
16
11
10

H
©
E

CO
ts
o

136
181
230
219
221
198
261
198
181
148
128
81

S'
115
152
259
408
336
311
326
212
243
159
152
125

CO
0
=2
r

&
i
3
54 n
32 15
66 13
64 12
61 15
11 13
90 11
19 11
53 24
50 18
41 11
81 12

TO T H E

3 1 ST O F

AUGU ST.

1849-50
CO S3 S3
cr
*5
’ Ie*r f
GB
5*

P

21 21
96 26
108 43
60 52
18 56
52 32
66 42
16 31
22 20
38 12
10 14
21 14

10
22
41
48
46
40
44
45
23
19
11
1

CD
8*
if
3
29
29
52
54
83
61
19
82
51
51
40
43

CO
CO
_cr

1

CO

12
15
14
9
13
11
13
11
13
10
13
13

99
188
258
223
216
202
244
245
135
130
94
98

S3
O
F
109
184
243
334
352
311
318
238
239
111
152
133

Total. . . . 615 320 315 104 190 2,144 2,918 654 363 362 666 141 2,192 2,184
C O M P A R A T IV E P R IC E S O F M I D D L IN G TO F A I R
E A C H M O N T H D U R IN G
AT

NEW

A P E R IO D

OF

O RLEAN S, AND TH E TOTAL

September.. . .
October..........
November.......
December___
January...........
February ........
March.............
A pril..............
May.................
June...............
July...............
August............

C OTTON A T N E W

O R L E A N S , O N T H E F IR S T O F

Y E A R S -----T O G E T H E R W I T H T H E T O T A L R E C E IP T S

CROPS O F TH E

U N ITE D S TATES.

1850-51.

1849-50.

1848-49.

1847-48.

Cents.

Cents.

Cents.

Cents.

9 a 11
12} a 13}
1 3 } a 14}
13} a 14
12} a 14}
12} a 13}
10} a 13
10} a 12}
9} a 11}
8 } a 11
8 a 10}
1 a 9}
Bales.

Receipts at N. O.. 1,053,633
Crop of U. States 2,350,531




F IV E

9 } a 11}
9 } a 12
9 } a 11
1 0 }a 11}
1 0 }a 11}
1 1 }a 12}
10} a 12}
10} a 12
l l f a 13
11} a 13}
U f a 13}
12} a 13}

5 } a ..
5} a 1
5 a6
5 } a 6}
5# a 6 }
6} a 1}
6} a 1}
6 } a 1}
6} a I f
1 a 8}
1 a 8}
9 a ..

Bales.

Bales.

191,381
2,096,106

1,100,636
2,100,000

10} a
10 a
1} a
6} a
6} a

12
11
8}
n
n
6} a 8
6} a 7 }
6} a n
5 a 6}
5 } a 7}
5} a 7}
5 } a 7}
Bales.

1,188,133
2,350,000

184G-47.
Cents.

7} a 9
8 } a 10
9 a 10}
9 a 10}
10 a 11}
11} a 13
9 } a 11
1 0 }a 11}
1 0 } a 12}
9 } a 11}
9 } a 10}
10} a 12
Bales.

707,324
1,800,000

Com mercial Statistics.

606

COMPARATIVE PRICES OF SUGAR, MOLASSES, FLOUR, CORN

AND

PORK,

EACH MONTH FOR THE YEAR ENDING AUGUST,

Sugar.
Cents.

September..........
October..............
November...........
December...........
January ..............
February............
March.................
A pril..................
May.....................
June....................
July....................
August...............

Molasses.
Cents.

20
20
25
231
18
23
22
25
25
25
22
20

4* a 6f

3 f a 6|
41 a 6i

a 32
a 32
a 251
a 24
a 24
a 271
a 30
a 33
a 32
a 30
a 30
a 28

ON THE FIRST OF

1851.

Flour.
Dollars.

Corn.
Cents.

Pork.
Dollars.

4§ a 51
4 a 51
41 a 51
41 a 51
41 a 5
41 a 5
4 a 41
4 a 41
41 a 5
3f a 4f
31 a 41
4 a 51

53 a 63
50 a 60
70 a 75
70 a ..
60 a 65
60 a 68
52 a 58
50 a 58
46 a 54
38 a 51
34 a 57
34 a 60

101 a 101
101 a 10f
111 a 12
U fa I lf
I l f a 12
121 a 13
121 a 13
13 a 131
14 a 1 4 f
141 a 1 4 f
14 a 14$
15 a 151

COMPARATIVE A R R I V A L S , E X P O R T S , A N D STO C K S O F COTTON A N D TO BACCO A T NEW ORLEANS
F O R T E N Y E A R S , F R O M 1 S T S E P T E M B E R E A C H Y E A R TO 3 1 S T AUGU ST.

Arrivals.

Years.

Cotton—bales.
Exports.

Stocks.

Arrivals.

Tobacco—hhds.
Stocks.
Exports.

23,871
905,036
997,458
15.390
61,030
54,501
1850-51___
14,842
57.955
16,612
60,304
837,723
838,591
1849-50___
13,293
15,480
52,335
52,825
1,142,382
1,167,303
1848-49___
14.854
37,401
55,881
60,364
1,213,805
1847-48___
1,201,897
60,876
22,336
23,493
55,588
740,669
724,508
1846-47___
17,924
6,332
72,896
62,045
1,053,633
1,054,857
1845-46___
7,673
984,616
7,556
71,493
68,679
979,238
1844-45___
4,859
12,934
82,435
82,359
910,854
895,375
1843-44___
4,873
89,891
1,088,870
4,700
92,509
1,089,642
1842-43___
68,058
2,255
4,428
67,555
740,155
749,267
1841-42___
For similar statements of exports, imports, arrivals and clearances, and prices of
produce, <fcc., from 1831 to 1850, the reader is referred to the Merchants' Magazine,
vol. ii., p. 349—vol. v., p. 471—vol. vii., p. 390—vol. ix., p. 568—vol. xi., p. 415—vol.
xiii., p. 369—vol. xv., p. 404—vol. xvii., p. 412—vol. xix., p. 511—vol. xxi., p. 553—
vol. xxiii., p. 536, die.
____________________
COMMERCE AND NAVIGATION OF NEW ORLEANS.
A

STATEMENT

OF

THE

TONNAGE

ENTERED

AND

QUARTER OF THE YEAR COMMENCING JULY

CLEARED

1, 1850, AND

TO N N AGE

AT

EN TERED.

No. of vessel. Tonnage.

July to September, 1850.
American from foreign ports........
Foreign from foreign ports............
Coastwise.....................................
Total......................................
October to December, 1850.
American from foreign ports........
Foreign from foreign ports..........
Coastwise.....................................
Total.....................................
January to March, 1851.
American from foreign ports. . . .
Foreign from foreign ports..........
Coastwise.................................
Total....................................
April to June, 1851.
American from foreign ports.. . . ,
Foreign from foreign ports.........
Coastwise...................................
Total.................................




NEW

ORLEANS

ENDING JUNE

IN EACH

30TH, 1851.

TO N N AGE C LE A R E D .

No. o f vessels.

Tonnage.

16,176 94
14,347 29
63,083 40

109
52
199

44,549 63
19,866 96
57,442 30

93,607 62

306

121,858 94

61,487 57
40,827 33
124,585 02

114
66
275

53,946 18
20,937 40
76,789 20

22,899 926

455

151,672 78

365

64,104 41
46,207 51
125,032 82

188
119
424

85,747 61
53,761 56
121,362 03

640

234,344 79

731

260,871 15

146
88
305
539

53,368 22
36,617 68
123,189 65
213,175 50

234
88
329
651

108,715 82
34,383 15
97,579 68
240,678 7

42
205

158
106

607

Commercial Statistics.
R E C A P IT U L A T IO N .
TONNAGE

ENTERED.

TONNAGE C L E A R E D .

Tonnage.
No. o f vessels.
308
93,607 68
226,899 92
567
6 40
234 ,34 4 79
5 39
213,175 50

Total 3d quarter, 1 8 5 0 .
Total 4th quarter, 1850.
Total 1st quarter, 1851
Total 2d quarter, 1851.
Grand total..........

2,054

No. o f vessels. Tonnage.
360
121,858 94
455
151,672 78
731
260,871 15
240,678 72
651

768,028 04

Total to June, 1851___
The year previous . . . .
Difference

775 ,08 1 69

2,197

768 ,02 8 04
763,634 58

775,081 69
7 7 3 ,7S3 19

4 ,393 41

1,298 60

The subjoined table shows the value of the exports from New Orleans duriDg the
same quarters of the year, 1850-51. Years ending as above:—
E X P O R T S .— A M E R IC A N P R O D U C E .

American Vessels to
Foreign Vessels to
Foreign Countries. to Foreign Countries.
$6,078,397
1 2,103,110
2,719,728
7.983,399
7,692,659
11,431,425
12,529,388
3,449,907

3d quarter, 1850.
4th quarter, 1850.
1st quarter, 1851
2d quarter, 1861.
Total.

......................
F O R E IG N

$38,02 2 ,6 0 9

PRODUCE E X PO R TE D

$ 27 ,228,912

$ 15 ,965,404

FROM

NEW

ORLEANS.

American Vessels to
Foreign Countries.
3d quarter, 1 8 5 0 .............................
4 th quarter, 1S50............................ ...............
1st quarter, 1 8 5 1 ..........................
2d quarter, 1851............................. ...............

Coastwise.
$2,8 59 ,6 6 7
6,177,128
11,707,593
6,4 8 4,62 4

158,316
83,445

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

Foreign Vessels to
Foreign Countries.
$14,616
18,255
13,140
11,674
$ 57,685
388,265

Grand total of foreign produce exported..............

$ 44 5 ,9 5 0

The total exports of American produce to foreign ports, it will be seen, amounts to
$53,988,013 —and the total to coastwise ports to $ 27 ,228,925 —showing a grand total
for the year, of $81,216,925. New Orleans is the largest exporting city in the United
States, with the exception perhaps of San Francisco.
COMMERCE BETWEEN BRAZIL AND THE UNITED STATES,
B r a zil ia n C o n s u la t e , N e w Y

To

F reem an H unt ,

ork,

O c t o b e r 13, 1851.

Esq., Editor o f the Merchants' Magazine, etc. :—

Mr D e a r S ir :—Enclosed you will find a tabular statement of the imports and ex­
ports between Brazil and the United States, in the year 1850-51, (as furnished by the
Brazilian Consulate to the Government,) showing the trade between the Province of
Brazil and the United States. This statement gives some idea of the trade, as far at
least as it is in my power to obtain the information. It may differ from the returns
made to the Secretary of the Treasury; but you know that I cannot obtain all neces­
sary information, as in some ports I have no vice-consuls, an4 all depends upon Cus­
tom-House reports. It is, however, probably very near the truth. By it you will per­
ceive that the present has been a year of increased Commerce between the two coun­
tries.
I am, dear sir, your most ob’t serv’t,




LUIS H. F. D’ AGUIAR.

608

COMMERCE BETWEEN" BRAZIL AND THE UNITED STATES TEAR ENDING JUNE 30,1851.
E X P O E T S F R O M T H E U N IT E D ST A T E S TO T H E P R O V IN C E S O F B R A Z I L .

Rio Janeiro.

New York............
Maryland............ .
Pennsylvania.......
Massachusetts. . .

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

46
98
69
24
30
03
79

$1,843,137 49

Pernambuco.

$67,223
106,670
254,749
56,295

Sm. Peter.

Bahia.

71
91
40
11

$77,086 61
. 63,886 12

138,887 62
10,083 90

69,718 25

76,374 01

$633,910 65

$4S6,448 70

$253,541 45

275,757 72

$50,748
27,094
70,785
28,539

20
65
51
08

Para.

Maranham.

$122,085 79

$203,837 64

201,272 60

8,366 S3

Ceara.

11,908 65

$11,908 65

1,042,908
791,873
447,796
711,886
7,529
652,058
110,355

41
66
60
73
30
91
69

$3,784,409 30

I M P O R T S IN T O T H E U N IT E D S TATES F R O M T H E P R O V IN C E S OF B R A Z IL .

Rio Janeiro.

New York............
Maryland.............
Pennsylvania.......
Massachusetts.. . .
South Carolina.. . .
Alabama..............
Georgia.................
Louisiana..............
Total................




$2,261,165
2,585,586
434,468
74,454
121,922
26,713
28,841
2,896,405

74
75
24
36
86
81
68
29

$8,429,558 73

Pernambuco.

Bahia.

Para.

Maranham.

$77,449 60

$232,514 21

$55,984 42

422,484 82

54,282 16
80,291 06

316,295 68

$839,290 83

$162,022 82

$548,809 89

Sm. Peter,

73
50
21
96

$282,405 94
134,400 07

$511,693 40

$101,829
41,119
222,618
146,125

$55,984 42

Ceara.

Total.

63,011,349
2,761,106
711,368
989,651
121,922
26,713
28,841
2,896,405

64
32
61
88
86
81
68
29

$10,547,360 09

Commercial Statistics.

Virgiaia...............

$521,926
594,221
122,261
129,847
7,529
367,079
100 271

Commercial Statistics.

60 9

EXPORTS OF COTTON FROM MOBILE FROM 1841 TO 1851.
C O M P A R A T IV E

V IE W

----- T H A T I S , 1 8 4 1

OF THE

EXPORTS

OF CO TTO N F R O M

1 8 5 1 ----- Y E A R S CO M M EN CIN G

TO

Ports.
Great Britain................
France .........................
Other foreign ports.. . .
Total foreign............
Total United States.
Grand total..........
Ports.
Great Britain................
France .........................
Other foreign ports.. . .
Total foreign............
Total United States.
Grand tota l..........

M O B IL E F O E T H E L A S T T E N Y E A R S

S E P T . 1 , A N D E N D IN G AU GU ST 8 1 .

1850—51.

1849-50.

1848-49.

1847-48.

2 5 0 ,1 1 8

1 6 2 ,1 8 9

2 9 0 ,8 3 6

2 2 8 ,3 2 9

1 3 1 ,1 5 6

4 6 ,0 0 5

3 9 ,9 7 3

6 3 ,2 9 0

6 1 ,8 1 2

3 9 ,2 9 3

2 6 ,3 7 3

1 1 ,9 2 7

4 4 ,5 2 5

2 9 ,0 7 0

1 9 ,7 8 4

3 2 2 ,4 9 6

2 1 4 ,0 8 9

3 9 8 ,6 5 1

3 1 9 ,2 1 1

1 9 0 ,2 3 3

9 6 ,0 2 9

1 1 1 ,4 5 2

1 4 0 ,9 9 3

1 2 0 ,3 5 0

1 1 6 ,6 7 4

8 0 6 ,9 0 7

1846-47.

3 2 5 ,5 4 1

5 3 9 ,6 4 2

4 3 9 ,5 6 1

1844-45.

1843—44.

1842-43.

2 0 6 ,7 7 2

2 6 9 ,0 3 7

2 0 4 ,2 4 2

3 8 5 ,0 2 9

1 8 5 ,4 1 4

6 6 ,8 2 1

6 8 ,7 8 9

4 9 ,6 1 1

5 3 ,6 4 5

4 9 ,5 4 4

2 6 ,8 2 4

5 2 ,8 1 1

1 5 ,8 8 5

2 6 ,9 0 3

6 ,9 1 9

3 0 0 ,4 1 7

3 9 0 ,6 3 7

2 6 9 ,7 3 8

3 6 5 ,5 5 7

2 4 1 ,8 7 7

1 1 5 ,1 6 4

1 3 0 ,6 0 1

1 9 5 ,7 1 4

1 1 3 ,6 6 8

7 7 ,1 6 1

4 1 5 ,5 8 1

5 2 1 ,2 3 8

4 6 5 ,4 5 2

4 7 9 ,2 4 5

3 1 9 ,0 3 8

4 1 8 ,6 2 5

1845-46.

1841 -42 .

The subjoined table, derived from the Mobile Price Current, shows the number of
bales, pounds, and value of cotton exported from Mobile to foreign and northern ports
in the United States, distinguishing the quantity in foreign and American vessels:—
EXPORTS

OF

COTTON F O E

YEAE

E N D IN G AU G U ST

Bales.

31ST,

1851.

Weight.

Value.

Great Britain, in American vessels___
Great Britain, in British vessels........
Great Britain, in Bremen vessels........

143,386
105,022
1,710

72,609,890
58,811,132
854,009

$7,434,390 55
6,901,713 11
107,518 63

Total to Great Britain..................

250,118

131,275,031

$14,443,622 29

France, in American vessels................
France, in French vessels.....................

44,959
1,046

22,416,752
518,966

$2,829,896 77
68,111 23

Total to France.............................

46,005

22,935,718

$2,898,008 00

Other foreign ports in American vessels
Ditto Spanish vessels..........................
Ditto Sardinian vessels.......................
Ditto Hamburg vessels.......................

10,773
13,705
1,244
651

5,492,135
5,917,382
648,714
321,700

26,373

12,379,931

Total to other foreign ports.........

$567,206
818,883
83,194
40,604

98
61
48
00

$1,509,889 07

TO NORTHERN PORTS.

Bales.

Weight.

Value.

Hew Y o rk ..........................................
Boston..................................................
Providence ...........................................
Philadelphia.........................................
Baltimore.............................................
Gloucester, New Jersey.......................

27,851
32,680
5,997
2,751
2,077
250

13,400,829
14,917,943
2,997,249
1,331,375
908,769
124,973

$1,472,926
1,375,024
364,753
134,833
83,987
15,625

Total to Northern ports................

71,556

33,681,138

$3,447,150 76

Total exports to Sept. 1, 1851...

894,052

200,271,818

$22,298,670 12

VOL. X X V . --- NO. V.




39

37
41
42
92
64
00

Commercial Statistics.

610

STAPLE IMPORTS IBTO MOBILE.
C O M P A R A T IV E IM P O R T S O F T H E F O L L O W IN G H O M E S T A P L E A R T IC L E S IN T O T H E P O R T O F M O B IL E ,
FOR

T H E L A S T F I V E Y E A R S , C O M M E N C IN G S E P T E M B E R

1 , AND

E N D IN G

AU GU ST

81,

IN

EACH YE A R .

1
GO

Articles.
Bagging.........................
Bale Rope................................
Bacon........................... .
Coffee............................. ............
Corn..............................
Flour........................... ............
Hay..............................
Lard.............................
Lime............................. ............
Molasses..................... .............
Oats..........................................
Potatoes.........................
Pork...............................
Rice................................
S a lt...............................
Sugar........................... ............
Whisky....................... .............
Candles.......................

30,926
25,236
96,054
23,745
23,673
29,121

6,634
23,868

1849—§0.
24,901
22,460
9.269
18,928
79,038
70,570
23,189
10,562
19,322
18,042
12,429
20,243
8,016
1,387
154,183
7,760
21,440

1848-49.
29,200
26,679
6,482
26,104
25,573
52,311
17,470
8,044
21,155
10,647
15,290
19,041
5,282
1,169
131,273
5,528
17,895
4,922

1847—48.
27,275
27.011
11,392
26,415
21,505
33,069
11,787
10,914
9,893
15,245
13,160
29,059
11,595
1,227
70,710
7,673
21,345
5,446

NEW YORK AUCTIONEERS’ RETURNS.
A N A B S T R A C T O F A U C T IO N E E R S ’ R E T U R N S F O R H A L F Y E A R E N D IN G JU N E S l S T , 1 8 5 1 .

Free goods.

Firms.

Aust’nASpic’rAD.Aust’n, jr
Wilmerdings & Mount.. . .
Haggerty, Draper A Jones.
Fosters & Livingston........
Warren, Moran <k Co........
Van Wyck & Kobbe.........
Corlies, Haydock «fc C o .. . .
John Rudderow <fc C o .. . .
Catterfield A Topping___
Chesterman A Hoguet___
Curtis A Carrington..........

$560,408
522,250
8,216,995
155,550
173,277
81,530
172,806
201,374
150,386
85,619
25,485

85
81
34
71
28
54
19
98
44
71
98

Dutiable goods.

$253,725
1,540,402
860,799
1,095,049
829,248
388,402
60,947
119,056
113,769
176,731
43,343

47
81
17
11
37
95
13
73
62
24
55

Total.

$814,134
2,062,653
9,077,794
1,250,599
1,002,525
469,933
233,753
320,431
264,156
261,350
68,829

Duty.

32 $1,908 78
62 10,094 49
51
4,813 55
8,245 80
82
65
6,257 17
49
2,917 34
488 12
32
892 93
71
06
1,023 27
95
1,349 18
345 78
53

Total............................. $10,345,686 83 $5,480,476 15 $15,826,162 98 $38,336 41
The Dry Goods Reporter remarks on the above table, “ although these are the re­
turns of a class known as dry goods auctioneers, it does not necessarily follow that the
whole of the amount rendered as sales are dry goods, as in those rendered by Messrs.
Haggerty, Draper <Ss Jones, are included $3,500,000 Erie Railroad bonds and other
stocks, as well as all the goods sold from the Navy Yard by order of Government;
and among the dutiable goods sold by the same gentlemen and Messrs. Wilmerdings
A Mount, are large amounts of teas wools, Ac., Ac. Messrs. Corlies, Haydock A Go.
also sell glass and earthenware. Messrs. Austens A Spicer and David Austen have,
during the season, had one or two wool sales. The sales of the other eight, we believe,
were strictly dry goods. It would be safe, we presume, to estimate the aggregate
sales of dry goods for the period named in the abstract, at $7,500,000, divided into
two parts foreign and one part domestic fabrics.”
THE MERCANTILE NAVY OF GREECE,

A new report has just been made on the condition of the mercantile navy of Greece,
which states the number of vessels rated under 30 tons to be 2,554-; and those
above that rate to be 1,402, making in all 5,046 vessels, rating altogether 266,221
tons. In the year 1838 the number of vessels amounted to 3,269, and their capa­
city was 85,502 tons; thus in twelve years the mercantile navy of Greece has been
augmented by 777 ships, and 177,719 tons weight. It employs 30,000 seamen.




Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

611

JOURNAL OF BANKING, CURRENCY, AND FINANCE.
THE CITY BAM OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

We cheerfully give place to the subjoined letter, from the Cashier of the “ CityBank of Columbus,” correcting an error in the Auditor’s report of the Condition of the
Banks in Ohio. The errors in that statement, it will be seen from the foHowing letter,
originated while the report was passing through the hands of the printer of the
Auditor’s report, and not with the printer of the Merchants’ Magazine.
C i t y B a n k or C o l u m b u s , C o l u m b u s , O ., October 8, 1851.
F re em an H unt, Esq, Editor of the Merchants' Magazine:—
S ir :—In the number of your Magazine for this month, just received, under the head
of “ Condition of the Banks of Ohio,” on pages 467 and 469, you have copied from an
incorrect report. It is particularly erroneous in regard to this bank.
Its resources and liabilities are placed opposite to the name of the City Bank of
Cincinnati, while those of the latter follow the name of this bank, and the difference,
in referring to the corrected statement, you will perceive, is very great. For instance,
while the bills discounted of this bank are $528,185 82, by your statement they ap­
pear to be only $172,445 85 ; and while our State stocks deposited with the Treasu­
rer of State are $215,830 98, the statement, as published, makes these only $152,000.
The error occurred, I believe, while the Auditor’s report was passing through the
hands of the printer. When furnished with copies from the Auditor’s office, I pointed
out this and other errors, and means were immediately taken to suppress the incorrect
impressions. One of these, it appears, had found its way to you. I send you, here­
with, a correct statement, as subsequently issued by the Auditor.
Will you have the goodness to make the necessary correction in your next number ?
Were it not that matter appearing in your Journal acquires a permanent character,
I would not trouble you with this request.
I am, very respectfully,
THOMAS MOODIE, Cashier.

We compile, from an official copy of the corrected report of the Auditor, a state­
ment of the condition of the City Bank of Columbus, on the 1st Monday in August,
1851, as follows:—
RESOURCES.

Notes and bills discounted ....................................................................
Specie......................................................................................................
Notes of other banks.............................................................................
Due from other banks and bankers........................................................
Eastern deposits...................................................................................
Checks and other cash items...................................................................
Bonds deposited with State Treasurer..................................................
Real and personal estate.........................................................................
Other resources.......................................................................................
Total resources.............................................................................

$528,185
49,925
34,205
52,379
41,436
13,165
215,830
19,261
1,769

82
32
07
44
81
10
98
00
94

$956,486 48

LIABILITIES.

Capital stock paid in...... ........................................................................
Circulation..............................................................................................
Safety Fund stock...................................................................................
Due to banks and bankers.....................................................................
Due to individual depositors.................................................................
Surplus contingent fund and undivided profits.....................................
Bills payable and time drafts..................................................................
Discounts, interest, &c.............................................................................
Dividends unpaid...................................................................................
Other liabilities........................................................................................
Total liabilities............................................................................




$148,080
215,626
215,830
78,303
241,314
3,000
33,500
9,217
IT,077
536

00
00
00
04
03
00
00
97
47
99

$956,486 48

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

612

UNITED STATES TREASURER’S STATEMENT FOR SEPTEMBER, 1851.
t r e a s u r e r 's s t a t e m e n t , s h o w in g

th e

am ount

at

h is

c r e d it

in

th e

treasu ry

, w it h

A S SIS T A N T T R E A S U R E R S AN D D E S IG N A T E D D E P O S IT A R IE S , A N D IN T H E M IN T A N D B R A N C H E S ,
B Y R E T U R N S R E C E IV E D TO M O N D A Y , S E P T E M B E R

29, 1851, T H E

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

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

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

R IE S , AS O R D E R E D B Y TH E SE C R E TA R Y OF TH E TR E A SU R Y.

Amount on

Treasury of United States, Washington.

Assistant Treasurer, New Orleans, La.
Assistant Treasurer, St. Louis, Mo........
Depository at Buffalo, New York.........
Depository at Baltimore, Maryland............
Depository at Richmond, Virginia...... . . .
Depository at Norfolk, Virginia..................
Depository at Wilmington, North Carolina.
Depository at Savannah, Georgia...............
Depository at Mobile, Alabama..................
Depository at Nashville, Tennessee ..........
Depository at Cincinnati, Ohio....................
Depository at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania----Depository at Cincinnati, (late)...................
Depository at Little Rock, Arkansas.........
Depository at Jeffersonville, Indiana..........
Depository at Chicago, Illinois....................
Depository at Detroit, Michigan................
Depository at Tallahassee, Florida.............
Suspense account.........................$2,536 74
Mint of the U. S., Philadelphia, Penn.......
Branch Mint of U. S., Charlotte, N. C........
Branch Mint of U. S, Dahlonega, Ga.........
Branch Mint of U. S., New Orleans, L a .. . .

$109,466
1,222,060
3,765,572
1,216,994
290,883
1,377,850
267,085
39,569
127,163
30,532
KO°
8,761
3,194
12,372
19,380
23,022
14,367
2,464
8,301
61,539
29,051
20,189
20,720
16,504
5,684,690
32,000
26,850
1,100,000

A m ount

25 $11,453 32 $98',012 93
17
16,102 54 1,205,957 63
62 175,621 49 3,590,951 13
60
11,838 88 1,205,155 72
62
38,250 67 252,632 95
42 482,110 14 895,740 28
09
84,785 03 1S2,300 06
95
2,843 35
36,726 60
16,202 88 110,961 03
91
56
30,232 56
300 00
8,468 06
25
293 19
33
1,703 49
1,490 84
62
1,722 59
10,650 03
92
9,822 05
9,558 87
61
13,793 23
9,229 38
36
11,946 64
2,420 72
09
2,125 76
383 34
37
3,301 37
39
9,971 93
51,567 46
25,383 89
49
3,667 60
18,724 97
03
1,464 06
16
19,948 67
771 49
15,172 98
68
1,331 70
2,536 74
00
5,684,690 00
00
32,000 00
26,850 00
00
00
1,100,000 00

.5,526,588 49
Deduct suspense account.

Drafts
heretofore drawn
but not yet paid,

950,118 14 14,579,007 09
2,536 74
$14,576,470 35
1,170,000 00

Add difference in transfers .

Net amount subject to draft............................................................. $15,746,470 36
Transfers ordered to Treasury of the United States, Washington.
$600,000 00
Transfers ordered to Assistant Treasurer, New Orleans, Louisiana.
350,000 00
Transfers ordered to Assistant Treasurer, St. Louis, Missouri.......
25,000 00
Transfers ordered to Depository at Norfolk, Virginia......................
195,000 00
1,170,000

00

VALPARAISO CUSTOM-HOUSE RETURNS,

The Valparaiso Neighbor furnishes the subjoined statement of the Custom-House
revenue returns during the last seven years:—
1844.
1845.
1846.
1847.




$1,763,954
1,78S,396
2,033,013
2,103,066

1848
1849
1850

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

$1,940,539
2,323,679
2,626,956

TotaL...........................

$14,579,603

613

Journal of Banking, Currency, and Finance.
CONDITION OF THE BANKS OF NEW ORLEANS.

In the Merchants' Magazine for September, 1851, (vol. xxv., page 465,) we published
a statement of the condition of the banks of New Orleans on the 26th of July, 1851.
We now subjoin a similar statement of their condition on the 30th of August, 1851, as
published by the Louisiana Board of Currency, under the signature of Charles Gayarre,
Secretary of State, and George C. McWhorter, State Treasurer.
MOVEM ENT OF THE

BANKS.
CASH A S S E T S .

CASH L IA B IL IT IE S .

Specie paying—
Louisiana Bank......................
Canal Bank............................
Louisiana State Bank............
Mechanics' & Traders’ Bank..
Union Bank...........................
Non-specie paying—
Citizens’ Bank.........................
Consolidated...........................
Total...............................

Total.

Circulation.

Total.

Specie.

S I ,065,089
931,755
1,109,400
818,845
25,565

$4,219,259
2,122,712
8,604,799
2,238,868
27,452

$1,992,766
837,618
1,167,326
9 86,964
9,733

$ 5,913,836
3,270,483
3,734,711
2,903,613
361,200

10,781
7,234

11,786
9,314

4,159
2,318

11,059
2,318

$ 3,968,670

$12,234,193

$ 5,000,386

$16,197,221

TO TAL M OVEM EN T AN D D E A D W E IG H T .

Liabilities exclusive o f capital.

Specie paying—
Louisiana Bank.......................
Canal and Banking Co..........
Louisiana State Bank............ .
Mechanics’ and Traders’ Bank.
Union Bank...........................
Non-Specie paying—
Citizens’ Bank........................ .
Consolidated Association....... .
Total.......... .....................

$4,219,259
2,122,712
3,604,799
2,238,968
27,452

38
64
88
85
64

Assets.
$8,993,551
6,356,298
5,917,682
4,289,565
4,358,432

26
15
99
92
05

6,595,941 31
1,666,747 15

5,942,697 35
1,217,029 78

$27,375,781 85

$37,072,257 50

REVENUE AND EXPENDITURES OF SPAIN.

The following statement, showing the income received from the first of January to
the 31st of July, 1851, as well as the amount actually paid during the same time, speaks
for itself:—
Received.
R eals*

January.............................
February............................
March.................................
A p r il .,.............................
May....................................
June...................................
Ju ly...................................
Total...........................

61,910,078
108,931,565
97,948,374
68,152,009
121,582,976
98,750,924
71,340,179

Paid out.
Reals *

30
14
7
10
1
31
23

638,566,106 13

115.213,748 22
116,232,183 9
108,984,034 11
102,181,335 1
119,091,347 25
91,853,983 7
132,298,729 27
775,855,372

1

Which means that she has paid 147,289,265 22 reals beyond the amount received,
and that it can only have been contrived by raising money on bills on the provinces,
which if current monthly expenses are to be attended to, all know full well cannot be
paid. Of course this deficiency will progress in the same proportion in the remaining
five months of the year.
* Ten reals, according to Ecfeldt and Dubois’ Manual o f Gold and Silver Coin’s o f all nations, are
valued in the United States at 51 cents 5 mills.




61 4

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

The following table shows the capital of the several banks in Boston, and the semi­
annual dividends declared, and paid, on or after the 6th of October, 1861:—
Dividend.
Amount.
Capital.
Banks.
Per cent.
Atlantic...................................... .
$20,000
$500,000
4
Atlas.............................................
15,000
500,000
3
Boston...........................................
36,000
900,000
4
Bovlston......................................
11,250
250,000
44
60,000
Bank of Commerce......................
1,500,000
4
35,000
City..............................................
1,000,000
34
17,500
Columbian....................................
500,000
34
6,000
Cochituate...................................
150,000
4
Eagle............................................
17,500
500,000
34
Exchange .....................................
1,000,009
40,000
4
Freemans......................................
250,000
11,250
44
none.
* Faneuil Hall, (new)................. .
Globe............................................
40,000
1,000,000
4
Granite.........................................
17,500
500,000
34
2,625
Granite.........................................
150,000
If
12,000
Grocers’ ........................................
300,000
4
Hamilton.......................................
20,000
500,000
4
28,000
560,000
Market.........................................
5
24,000
800,000
Massachusetts...............................
3
Mechanics, (S. B.).........................
150,000
6,000
4
Merchants.....................................
3,000,000
120,000
4
1,000,000
40,000
New England.............................
4
North...........................................
26,250
750,000
34
North America.............................
500,000
17,500
34
Shawmut......................................
500,000
20,000
4
Shoe <fe Leather Dealers.............. ........old
750,000
30,000
4
250,000
3,750
Shoe <St Leather Dealers..............
14
State.............................................
1,800,000
63,000
34
Suftolk.. .....................................
1,000,000
50,000
6
Tremont........................................
1,000,000
40,000
4
f Traders.....................................
400,000
4
16,000
Traders.........................................
200,000
4,900
2 45
Union............................................
40,000
1,000,000
4
Washington...................................
500,000
15,000
8
Total......................................
Amount of capital last April. . . .

$23,660,000
21,760,000

$906,075
848,298

Excess over ApriL............

$1,900,000

$57,777

The following banks have increased their capital since last April, as follows, viz:—
Buylston Bank........................
Bank of Commerce................
Exchange Bank......................
Granite Bank..........................

$50,000 Shoe & Leather Dealers........
$250,000
750,000 Traders’ Bank..............
200,000
500,000
150,000
Increase........................... $1,900,000

As compared with former periods, the following table will show the increase of bank
capital in Boston, and the amount of dividends:—
Capital.

1847
1848
1849

$18,030,000
18.330.000
19.280.000

Am ’t of divi’d.

$1,269,300
1,373,000
1,477,300

Capital

1850............
1851, April..
1851, Oct.....

Am ’t o f divi’d.

$19,760,000 $1,539,000
21.760.000
848,298
23.660.000
906,075

* The Fanuel Hall Bank went into operation September 1st, on.................................
§250,000
Second assessment called for October 1st.................................................................................
250,000
t After the payment of this dividend there will be no difference between the new and old stock.




Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

615

CONDITION OF THE BANKS OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

In the Merchants' Magazine for September, 1851, (vol. xxv., page 353,) we published
a complete comparative view of the statements of such of the banks (including Bank
and Branches of the State of South Carolina, Southwestern Railroad Bank, Planters’
and Mechanics’ Bank, Union Bank, State Bank of South Carolina, and Bank of South
Carolina) as have accepted the provisions of the act of the Legislature of South Caro­
lina of December 18, 1840, from their returns to the Controller General, for the 30th
June, 1851. We now subjoin a summary of the condition of the same banks, on, or
near, the 31st of August, 1851
D E B T S D UE B Y

THE

SEVERAL

BA N K S .

Capital stock......................................................................................
Bills in circulation.............................................................................
Net profits on hand...........................................................................
Balances due to banks in this State..................................................
Balances due to banks in other States..............................................
All other moneys due which bear interest......................................
State Treasury, for balance, Current Fund......................................
State Treasury, for balance, Sinking Fund.......................................
State Treasury, for loan for rebuilding the city...............................
Cash deposited, and all other moneys due, exclusive of bills in cir­
culation, profits on hand, balances due other banks, and money
bearing interest........ ..................................................................
Total liabilities.................................... .................................
RESOURCES OF TH E SE V E R A L

$5,991,885
3,562,844
570,147
1,707,155
213,739
16,000
239,016
672,567
1,760,335

73
12
32
23
41
00
08
00
90

1,792,205 80
$16,525,896 59

BA N K S .

Specie on hand..................................................................................
Real estate.........................................................................................
Bills of other banks in this State......................................................
Bills of banks in other States..........................................................
Balances due from banks in this State..............................................
Balances due from banks in other States.........................................
Notes discounted on personal security.............................................
Loans secured by pledge of its own stock.......................................
Loans secured by pledge of other stock...........................................
Domestic exchange...........................................................................
Foreign exchange...............................................................................
Bonds................................................................................................
Money invested in stock....................................................................
Suspended debt and debt in suit......................................................
State Treasury..................................................................................
Branches and agencies.......................................................................
Bonds under law for rebuilding Charleston......................................
Interest and expenses of State loan................................................
Money invested in every other way than is specified in the forego­
ing particulars...............................................................................

$1,108,689 42
238,353 17
398,982 85
9,870 11
48,988 78
261,920 36
7,283,077 39
224,218 20
783,780 31
1,250,740 73
210,503 50
1,021,629 11
858,003 23
455,059 70
..................
1,429,799 64
416,265 99
102,289 58

Total resources of the banks.................................................

$16,525,896 59

423,824 57

CANADA DECIMAL CURRENCY.

The Inspector-General of Canada has submitted to the Canadian Parliament, at To­
ronto, a series of resolutions for the adoption of the decimal currency, as now in use
in the United States. He says:—
“ It is desirable to adopt a currency for this Province, which might hereafter be ad­
vantageously made common to British America, as being simple and convenient in it­
self, and well adapted to facilitate our commercial intercourse with other parts of this
continent; and that it is therefore expedient to adopt the decimal currency, on which
the unit of account shall be a dollar, or five shillings currency, to be divided decimally
into smaller denominations.”




Journal o f Banking,

61 6

, and Finance.

LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR OF “ FINANCIAL CRISES,” ETC.
We shall vcr\ cheerfully comply with the request contained in the foHowing note
from M . L o o t s C h i t t i , late Professor of Political Economy in Brussels, by publishing,
in an early number of the Merchants’ Magazine, a translation of the criticism in the
Revue Britannique of Mr. Chitti’s work on “ Financial Crises, and Reform o f the
Monetary System," published in 1839, together with some introductory remarks from
the pen of that gentleman, on the means of replacing silver money, etc.
N ew Y o r k , October 28, 1851.

Editor o f the Merchants’ Magazine:—
D e a r S i r :—The panic that has unexpectedly just howled its frightful scream on
the principal markets of the Union, induces me to address to you an article of the
Revue Britannique concerning a work that I published in Brussels in 1839, on the
“ Financial Crises and Reform of the Monetary System.”
Seeing the wise laws promulgated after the crisis of 1836-37 in the greater part of
the United States, in order to prevent the excess of banking issues, which is the cause
of crises, I think the actual panic, having no real motive, will cease very soon.
But for appreciating this opinion, it would, perhaps, be proper to publish, in your
excellent and learned Commercial Review, the article of the Revue Britannique, in
which are clearly and succinctly analyzed my doctrines of the financial crises and moneytary system; which matters are, according to my opinion, intimately connected.
However, your enlightened sense will judge if the aforementioned article is deserv­
ing a record in your very important publication.
Accept, dear sir, the assurance of my perfect consideration.
F

reem an

H

unt,

E

s q .,

LOUIS CHITTI.

UNITED STATES TREASURY NOTES OUTSTANDING OCTOBER 1, 1851.
T reasu ry D epartm en t, R

e g is t e r ’ s

O f f ic e ,

Amount outstanding of the several issues prior to 22d July, 1846, as
per records of this office....................................................................
Amount outstanding of the issue of 22d July, 1846, as per record of
this office.
Amount outstanding of the issue of the 28th January, 1847, as per
records of this office......... ...................................................................

October 1, 1851

$135,961 6
18,200 00
11,850 00

Total
Deduct cancelled notes in the hands of accounting officers, all under
acts prior to 22d July, 1846
Total

166,011 64
150 00
$165,861 64

CONDITION OF THE BANKS OF NEW HA3IPSHIRE IN 1851.
We give below a summary statement of the condition of the several banks of New
Hampshire, on the first Monday of September 1851:—
Total number of banks.........................................................................
Amount of capital stock actually paid in. .........................................
Amount of debts due the bank secured by pledge of its stock..........
Value of real estate belonging to the banks*......................................
Amount of all debts due the banksj ..................................................
Amount of all debts due from directors, either as principal or securi­
ties, specifying whether in interest or otherwise:):...........................
Amount of specie in the vaults............................................................
Amount of bills of other banks on hand.............................................
Amount of deposits in the banks.........................................................
Amount of deposits in other banks for the redemption of its bills.....
Amount of the bills of the banks then in circulation.........................
* Including $10,000 in stocks,
t Exeter Manufacturing Company Stock.




$2,571,584
25,977
50,321
4,798,801

25
77
46
66
62

66,112
136,703
30,434
547,881
405,381
3,127,479

65
76
16
09
35
00

t $5,015 33 as principal, $6,586 70 as surety.

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

617

STEW COINAGE OF CHIII.
Weight of each coin.
Metrical
Chili
U. S. Troy Value in U. S.
Grammes.
Granos.
Grains.
Currency.

C oins—There names and current values.

Condor...................
Doblon......................
Escudo......................
S i l v e r — Dollar...................
Half-dollar............
Peseta ’f 20 centaras
Decima..................
Half-Decima........
C o p p e r — Centara.:..............
Half-Centara........
G old—

$10
5
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0

00
00
00
00
50
20
10
05
01
005

15
7
3
25
12
5
2
1
12
6

25
62
05
00
50
00
50
25
60
25

305
152
61
500
250
100
50
25
ibo
125

50
75
10
76
38
15
07
03
38 ’
19

235
117
47
385
192
77
38
19
192
96

39
69
07
85
92
17
58
29
92
46

$9.121621
4.560760
1.824304
0.935394
0.467697
0.187078
0.093539
0.046769
0.009275
0.004637

The fineness of the metals used in the gold and silver coins is 900 milliemes or ninetenths, as in the United States coins.
The proportion of gold to silver is as 1 to 16.39, and the proportion of silver to cop­
per as 1 to 20.
In the United States the proportion of gold to silver is as 1 to 15.99, and of silver
to copper as 1 to 19.8.
The old coins of Chili are identical in weight, fineness, and value with those of
Spain. The new silver dollar is equivalent to the French five-franc piece, and the
peseta of 20 centaras to the franc, &c.
RATES OF EXCHANGE AT MOBILE FROM 1848 TO 1851.
C O M P A R A T IV E R A T E S O F E X C H A N G E
EACH M ONTH

FOR

ON LON DON , P A R IS , AN D N E W
THREE YEARS

-1850-51.---- .
London. Paris. N.
premium. per dol.
8|
5 .3 7
5 .3 7
8i
5 .3 7
5 341
5 .3 4 1
71
5 .3 5
7i
5 .3 2
5 .2 5
9f
5 .2 2 1
10
5 .1 5
94
5 .2 0
5 .2 0
91

September.. .
October......... . .
November... . .
December..... -•
January........ ■■
February... . . .
March........... . .
April............
May..............
June............ . .
July..............
August........ . .

Si

n

n
n

PAST,

(6 0

DAY

,- - - - - 1819—50.- - - - - - ,

Y O R K , ON TH E

1ST

OF

B I L L S .)

,---- 1848-49.—

York. Lon’ n. Paris. N. York. Lon’n.
dis. ’premium. per dol.
dis. premium.
8f
5 .3 0
i
61
i
5
.3
0
6f
91
5
.3
0
61
81
ii
5
.3
5
21
71
71
ii
21
5 .5 0
71
51
21
3
6
5 .5 0
7#
If
21
5
.4
0
I
f
51
71
5 .4 0
71
41
11
5
.2
5
51
91
I
5 .2 5
91
71
f
9
5 35
81
11
1
9
5 .3 7
81

n
n

n
n

i
n
n

Paris. N. Y ’ k.
per dol.
dis.
....
if
5 .4 0
ii
5 .3 5
if
5 .3 5
ii
5 .3 0
if
5 .3 5
if
5 .4 5
ii
5 .4 0
21
5 .3 5
11
5 .3 0
1
5 .3 0
1
5 .3 0
1

RATES OF EXCHANGE AT NEW ORLEANS FROM 1848 TO 1851.
C O M P A R A T IV E

R A TE S OF EXCH AN G E ON LONDON , P A R IS , AN D
EACH

M O N TH F O R T H R E E

,- - - - - 1850-51.----- v
London.

September.. .
October........
.November...
December. . .
January........
February. . . .
March...........
ApriL............
Mav ............
June..............
July-............
August.........

.
•
.
.
.
.

premium.
9f
91
71
8
7f
71
71
10
10
101
101
91




YEARS PAST, ( 6 0

NEW
DAY

,- - - - - 1849-50.- - - - - ,

Y O R K , ON TH E

1ST

OF

B I L L S .)

,- - - - - 1848-49.- - - - - ,

Paris. N. York. London. Paris. N. York. London. Paris. N .Y ’ k.

per dol.
5.28
5.28
5.32
5.30
5.28
5.80
6.23
5.10
5.12
5.10
5.08
5.10

dis. premium.
81
u
9f
if
2}
91
8
11
21
71
71
21
2f
71
71
f
9f
1
91
1
If
91
91
If

per dol.
5.25
5.30
5.28
5 32
5.35
5.30
5.32
5.35
5.27
5.27
5.27
5.29

dis. premium, per dol.
81
5.20
i
8
5.22
i
5.27
71
h
9
5.27
if
8
5.27
if
5.32
71
if
5.35
51
ii
41
5.37
if
5.35
61
f
5.30
71
i
8-1
5.25
h
5.27
81
i

dis.
ii
ii
ii
ii
if
if
if
if
if
i

f
i

CX8

Journal o f Bunking, Currency, and Finance.
PUBLIC DEBTS AND STANDING ARMIES OF EUROPEAN STATES.
[translated from the kalnkr zkitung.]

The paper money now in actual circulation in Europe represents a value of
$1,261,428,520. The total of the public debt is by far larger; it amounts to
$11,397,096,000. Great Britain (without the colonies) bears nearly one half of this
gigantic burden, viz., $5,000,000,000. The British army numbers 129.000 men ; the
fleet is composed of 678 vessels, with 18,000 guns. The detail of the debts and armies
of the other European States is as follows:—
S p a i n —Debt, 1,300,000,000 dollars; army, 160,000 men; fleet, 50 vessels, with
721 guns.
A ustria—Debt, 1,100,000,000 dollars; fleet, 156 vessels (including gunboats,) with
600 guns.
R u s s i a a n d P o l a n d —Debt, 733,000,000 dollars ; army, 700,000 men; fleet, 175 ves­
sels and 440 gun boats, with 7,000 guns.
T i i e N e t h e r l a n d s —Debt, 731,000,000 dollars ; army, 50,000 men ; fleet, 125 vessels,
with 2,500 guns.
P russia—Debt, 180,000,000 dollars; army, 121,000 men (war footing, 492,000 men ;)
fleet, 47 vessels and gunboats, with 114 guns.
F rance—Debt, 1,330,000,000 dollars ; army, 265,463 m en; fleet, 328 vessels, with
8,000 guns.
B elgium—Debt, 165,000,000 dollars; army, 90,000 men; fleet, 5 vessels, with 36 guns.
P

ortu gal

—Debt, 160,000,000 dollars; army, 38,000 men; fleet, 36 vessels, with

700 guns.
P apal S tates—Debt, 120,000,000 dollars; army, 19,000 men; fleet, 5 vessels, with

24 guns.
S ardinia —Debt, 120,000,000 dollars; army,38,000 men; fleet, 60 vessels, with 900

guns.
N

aples

—Debt, 100,000,000 dollars; army, 48,000 men; fleet, 15 vessels, with 484

guns.
B avaria —Debt, 82,000,000 dollars; army, 57,000 men.

—Debt, 80,000 dollars; army, 20,000 men; fleet, 38 vessels with 1,120 g u n s .
— Debt, 43,500,000 dollars; army, 25,000 men.
T urkey —Debt, 40,000,000 dollars ; army, 220,000 m e n ; fleet, 66 vessels, with 8 0 0
guns.
C ity o f H amburg —Debt, 34,000,000 dollars; army, 1,800 men.
G rand D uchy o f B aden—Debt, 33,000,000 d ollars ; army, 18,000 men.
H a n o v e r —Debt, 30,368,000 dollars; army, 21,000 men.
W u r t e m b u r g —Debt, 28,000,000 dollars; army, 19,000 men.
G reece—Debt, 25,000,000 dollars ; army, 8,900 men ; fleet, 34 vessels, with 131 guns.
G rand D uchy o f M ecklenburg-S chwerin —Debt, 10,000,000 dollars; army, 4,700
men.
G rand D uchy o f T uscany—Debt, 10,000,000 dollars; army, 12,000 men; fleet, 10
vessels, with 15 guns.
C i t y o f F r a n k f o r t —Debt, 7,000,000 dollars; army, 1,300 men.
D uchy o f B runswick—Debt, 6,800,000 dollars; army 3.000 men.
G rand D uchy o f H esse D armstadt—Debt, 6,200,000 dollars; army, 42,000 men.
E lectoral H esse—Debt, 6,000,000 dollars; army, 11,000 men.
C i t y o f L u b e o k —Debt, 6,000,000 dollars; army, 490 men.
D uchy o f S axe -W eimar—Debt, 4,000.000 dollars; army, 2,000 men.
D uchies of S chleswig and H olstein— Debt, 4,000,000 dollars; no army, no navy.
D
S

enm ark

axony

D uchy o f A nhalt D essau a n d K oethen— D ebt, 3,500.000 dollars; army, 700 men.
C it y o f B remen—Debt, 3,000,000 dollars; army, 500 men.
D uchy o f S axe C oburg G otha—Debt, 2,556,000,000 dollars; army, 1,200 men.
D uchy o f S axe -M einingen—Debt, 2,500,000 dollars; army, 2,400 men.
D uchy o f N assau— Debt, 2,000,000 dollars ; army, 3,500 men.
D uchy o f P arma —Debt, 1,800,000 dollars; army, 5,000 men.
D uchy o f A nhalt B ernburg— Debt, 1,500,000 dollars; army 300 men.
D

uchy of

S

axe-A ltenburg

—Debt, 1,500,000 dollars ; army, 1,000 men.

N orway — Debt, 1,500,000 dollars; army, 23,000 m en ; fleet, 160 vessels, w ith 560 guns.
G r a n d D itchy o f O l d e n b u r g —Debt, 1,200,000 dollars; army, 600 men.
L

andgravate of

P

r in c ip a l it y o f




H
S

esse-H o m b u rg —

Debt, 860,000 dollars ; army, 350 men.
— Debt, 252,000 dollars; army, 540 men.

c h w a r zb u r g -R u dolstadt

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.
P rincipality

of

ScmvAitzBuiiG-SoNDERSHAUSEN—Debt, 60,000 dollars ; army, 540

men.
D a n u b i a n P r i n c i p a l i t i e s —No debt; annual tribute to Turkey, 3,000,000 piastres ;
army, 6,800 men.
S e r v i a —No debt; tribute, 2,000,000 paistres; army, 3,000 men.

S weden— N o d e b t; army 34,000 m e n ; fleet, 340 vessels, with 2,400 guns.
D uchy

of

M

odena—

N o d e b t ; arm y 3,500 men.

L ippe -D etmole—No d e b t ; army, 820 men.
G rand D uchy o f M eoklenburg-S terlitz —No d e b t ; army, 800 men.
P r i n c i p a l i t y o f R euss—No d e b t ; army, '745 men.
P rincipality o f L ippe -S chaumburg—No d e b t ; army, 480 men.
P r i n c i p a l i t y o f W a l d e k — N o d ebt; army, 520 men.
P rincipality o f L ichtenstein— N o d e b t ; army 60 men.
P r in c ip a l it y o f

S w it z e r l a n d —

No debt; army, 69,500 men, a small number of whom only is in actual

service.
R epublic of S an M arino—No d e b t ; no army.

PUBLIC DEBT OF PENNSYLVANIA.

Statement showing the amount of public debt of Pennsylvania, at the close of each
fiscal year, from 1844 to 1850, and as it stood on the first day of September, 1851,
after deducting $659,122 08, cancelled by the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund,
together with the amount of increase and reduction of said debt between the several
years designated; also the aggregate amount of tax on real and personal estate, as­
sessed for State purposes, for the years 1845 to 1850, both inclusive:—
D a te .

December
December
December
December
December

A m o u n t o f d e b t.

1, 1844................
1,1845................
1, 1846................
1, 1847................
1, 1848................

$40,835,013
40,986,393
40,789,577
40,628,949
40,474,736

93
22
00
61
93

In crease.

................
$151,819 62
................
................
................

$196,816 22
160,627 49
154,212 58
$511,656 29
151,379 62

Deduct increase in 1845.
Net reduction from December, 1844, to December, 1848........
December 1, 1848................
$40,474,736 93
December 1, 1849................
40,511,173 92
December 1, 1850................
40,775,485 42
September 1,1851...............
40,116,258 39
Deduct increase in 1849-50...........................

R e d u c tio n .

$360,276 67

................
$86,436 99
264,311 50
-------------$300,748 49

659,227 03
800,748 49

Net reduction from December, 1847. to September, 1 8 5 1 ....

$358,478 54

THE BROKER IN THE CHAIR OF SATAN.

Two brokers, A and B, were traveling together, and, during the journey, traded in
stocks; in which operation A shaved B enormously. One morning, after B had be­
come conscious of his singeing, he told A he had had a remarkable vision during the
night. “ Indeed,” says A, “ what was it ?” “ Why,” replied B, “ I dreamed that I was
dead, and was cast into the dominions of the Evil One. The Black Spirit considered •
my case, and assigned me a position in a very warm corner of his dominions. Others
of our acquaintance and profession I saw present, and heard doomed to various degrees
of suffering; the docket was nearly cleared, when an unusual bustle was manifested
by the attending fiends, and upon looking up I saw one of them lead you in, and heard
him announce your name to the cloven-footed chief, and relate a brief sketch of your
character. The judge seemed puzzled what what to do with you:—he ordered the
fiend in whose charge you were to repeat a portion of your history, when, after looking
with an unsatisfied gaze into some of the deepest pits around him, Satan suddenly
rose, and with an air of great deference said, 1Mr. A, y o u m a y t a k e m y c h a i r 1’ ” —
Boston Post.




62 0

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.
TAXATION AND FINANCE IN VIRGINIA.

The Convention ■which assembled in the city of Richmond, Ya., on the second Mon­
day in October, 1850, pursuant to law, “ to consider, discuss and prepare a new consti­
tution or alterations and amendments to the existing constitution,” adjourned sine die, on
the 1st of August 1851, after having agreed upon an amended bill of rights, constitu­
tion and schedule to be submitted to the people. The Lieutenant Governor, acting in
the absence of the Governor, has issued a proclamation embracing a true copy of the
constitution, Ate., certified to the executives, as having been adopted by the said con­
vention, and prepared by them for the ratification or rejection of the people.
As the sections under the title of “ Taxation and Finance” will not be without inter­
ests to the financial readers of the Merchants’ Magazine, we copy them entire.
T A X A T IO N A N D

F IN A N C E .

22. Taxation shall be equal and uniform throughout the Commonwealth, and all pro­
perty, other than slaves, shall be taxed in proportion to its value, which shall be ascer­
tained in such manner as may be prescribed by law.
23. Every slave who has attained the age of twelve years shall be assessed with a
tax equal to and not exceeding that assessed on land of the value of three hundred
dollars. Slaves under that age shall not be subject to taxation; and other taxable
property may be exempted from taxation, by the vote of the ma jority of the whole
number of members elected to each House of the General Assembly.
24. A capitation tax, equal to the tax assessed on land of the value of two hundred
dollars, shall be levied on every white male inhabitant who has attained the age of
twenty-one years; and one equal moiety of the capitation tax upon white persons
shall be applied to the purposes of education in primary and free schools; but nothing
herein contained shall prevent exemptions of taxable polls in cases of bodily infirmity.
25. The General Assembly may levy a tax on incomes, salaries and licenses; but
no tax shall be levied on property from which any income so taxed is derived, or on
the capital invested in the trade or business in respect to which the license so taxed
is issued.
26. No money shall be drawn from the treasury but in pursuance of appropriations
made by law; and a statement of the receipts, disbursement, appropriations and loans
shall be published after the adjournment of each session of the General Assembly, with
the acts and resolutions thereof.
27. On the passage of every act which imposes, continues or revives a tax, or cre­
ates a debt or charge, or makes, continues or revives any appropriation of public or
trust money or property, or releases, discharges, or commutes any claim or demand of
the State, the vote shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the per­
sons voting for and against the same sh ill be entered on the journals of the respective
houses, end a majority of all the members elected to each house shall be necessary to
give it the force of the law.
28. The liability to the State of any incorporated company or institution, to redeem
the principal and pay the interest of any loan heretofore made, or which may hereafter
be made by the State, to such company or institution, shall not be released ; and the
General Assembly shall not pledge the faith of the State, or bind in any form, for the
debts or obligations of any company or corporation.
29. There shall be set apart annually, from the accruing revenues, a sum equal to
seven per cent of the State debt existing on the first day of January in the year one
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two. The fund thus set apart shall be called the
. Sinking fund, and shall be applied to the payment of the interest of the State debt,
and the principal of such part as may be redeemable. If no part be redeemable, then
the residue of the Sinking Fund, after the payment of such interest, shall be invested
in the bonds or certificates of debt of this Commonwealth, or of the United States, or
of some of the States of this Union, and applied to the payment of the State debt, as
it shall become redeemable. Whenever, after the said first day of January, a debt
shall be contracted by the Commonwealth, there shall be set apart in like manner, an­
nually, for thirty-four years, a sum exceeding by one per cent the aggregate amount
of the annual interest agreed to be paid thereon, at the time of its contraction, which
sum shall be a part of the Sinking Fund, and shall be applied in the manner before
directed. The General Assembly shall not otherwise appropriate any part of the
Sinking Fund or its accruing interest, except in time of war, insurrection or invasion.




Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

621

30.
The General Assembly may at any time, direct a sale of the stocks held by the
commonwealth in internal improvement and other companies; but the proceeds of
such sale, if made before the payment of the public debt, shall constitute a part of the
Sinking Fund and be applied in like manner.
81. The General Assembly shall not contract loans or cause to be issued certifi­
cates of debt or bonds of the State, irredeemable for a period greater than thirty-four
years
CERTIFIED BANK CHECKS.

The subject of “.certified ” checks that have been duly attested by the cashi er of
any bank and marked “ good,” and the liability of the banks to the holder afterwards
for the amount of such certified checks, notwithstanding the subsequent inability of
the drawers to meet them, having been one of much discussion in business circles,
we append the following question" by a subscriber to the Journal of Commerce as
having a direct bearing on the question :—
“ A dr ws a check on the City Bank to the order of B, and the bank certifies the
check to be good. C buys the check, and remits it to a western city. About seven
months have expired, and nothing has ever been heard of it, nor has it ever been pre­
sented to the bank for payment. A fails in business, in the meantime, owing the bank;
and the bank, supposing the check to be lost, claims the right to place the amount of
said check to the credit of A. Is the position of the bank correct'?”
To which the Journal of Commerce, which may be considered good authority on the
subject, makes the following reply:—
“ When a bank certifies a check to be ‘ good,’ the obligation to pay it is transferred
from the drawer to the bank; and the latter is as much bound to pay it, whenever
presented by a bona fide holder, as to pay one of its own notes. If the check is lost
or mislaid, the amount may be recovered of the bank upon sufficient proof and surety,
iu the same manner as upon a lost bank note.—If the original drawer of the check
should, in its absence, claim the amount due him from the bank, pi oof of the certificate
having been issued by the bank will be a sufficient bar to his recovery.”
PROGRESS OF TAXATION IN OHIO.

The Auditor and ex-auditor of Columbiana County, Ohio, have examined the annual
reports of the State Auditor, from the year 1811 to the year 1850, both inclusive, and
report the gross amount of taxes paid into the State Treasury, by aU the counties of
Ohio, in each of the undermentioned years, as follows:—
1841
1842
1843
1844

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

$642,153
660,759
934,899
948,996

73 I 1845___
30 | 1846___
19 1847___
63 |

$1,006,001 22 I 1848___
1,198,222 83 | 1849___
1,125,727 66 1850___

$1,251,808 13
1,287,167 52
1,403,069 93

The annual report of the State Auditor, for the year 1851, will not be made until
the next meeting of the Legislature, in December 1851; but the Auditor’s estimate
that the gross amount of taxes that will be paid by the State, the present year, into
the Treasury at Columbus, will not vary materially from $1,600,000.
THE CURRENCY OF HAMBURG.

The Commerce of Hamburg is conducted entirely by silver, without any economy
whatever in its use as capital. They do, however, save the wear of the metal by de­
positing it in the vaults of a bank, and transferring it from one to another by means of
written checks on the bank. The plan is this. The Bank of Hamburg is exclusively
a bauk of deposit. It receives silver into its vaults, crediting the accounts of the de
positor with the amount he pays. The bank possesses no capital, and, therefore, the
silver in the vaults of the bank is always exactly the amount of deposits. The de­
positors withdraw from or add to this amount of silver at pleasure. The Commerce of the
town is then carried on by checks or orders, given by the buyer to the seller, which
orders being paid into the bank, the amounts are transferred from the credit of one ac­




622

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

count to that of the other. The bank, therefore, neither discounts bills nor makes any
advances whatever upon securities. Therefore, as the Bank of Hamburg has no means
of making a profit by the use of any part of the bullion deposited with it, any more
than the proprietors of the London docks have of using any part of the goods depos­
ited with them, it becomes necessary that the depositors of the bank shall pay for this
safety and convenience they derive in thus keeping their treasure. All the economy
which the Hamburg people derive from banking, therefore, is, they save the wear to
which the metal would be subjected if actually passed from hand to hand; but for this
they pay certain charges to the bank. We do not know the exact amount of silver
thus deposited with the Bank of Hamburg, but taking it on an average at £4,000,000
sterling, then that amount of capital is entirely withdrawn from all productive purpo­
ses, for the facilitating of exchanges.
A FINANCIAL OPERATION.

We lately heard a story illustrative of the early days of York, says the York (Pa.)
Gazette, those good old times, when everybody was “ honest as the days are long.”
The parties were two early settlers in the western part of York (now Adams) county
—both were of honest old German stock—and as one of them is still living we sup­
press the names. Peter, it appears, had increased the size of his farm, by annexing
thereto a small track adjoining, and lacked about a hundred dollars of the sum ne­
cessary to pay for the new acquisition. He called upon his neighbor, George, to bor­
row the amount. George brought out an old bread basket, and counted down the de­
sired number of “ thalers,”—and then of course, the two sat down to two large earth­
en mugs of cider and as many pipes of tobacco. After smoking over the matter for
a while, it occurred to Peter, that in similar transactions he had seen or heard of some­
thing like a note passing between the borrower and the lender, and he suggested as
much to George. The lender assented to the propriety of the thing—paper, pen and
ink were produced—and between the two a document was concocted, stating that
George had loaned Peter one hundred dollars, which Peter would repay to George in
“ dree monts,” (three months.) This Peter signed, and thus far our two financiers had
made the thing all regular and ship-shape. But at this point a difficulty presented
itself. They both knew that notes were made in the operation of borrowing and lend­
ing which they had witnessed; but neither of them had observed what disposition
was made of the document—neither could tell whether it was en regie for the borrower
or lender to take charge of the paper! Here was a dilemma ! At length a bright
idea struck George.
“ You haf de money to pay, Peter—so be sure you must take dis paper, so you can
see as you haf to pay it.”
This was conclusive—the common sense of the thing was unanswerable—and Peter
pocketed the money and his note, “ so as he could see as he had to pay it.” The three
months passed over, and punctually to the day appeared our friend Peter, and paid over
the promised sum to George. This being done, the mugs and pipes were again para­
ded. After puffing a while, Peter produced the note, and handed it to George with
the remark:—
“ Now you must take de note, so as you can see as de money haf been paid 1”
THE WALL STREET NOTE BROKERS.

This class of our citizens have assumed an importance in our community, that de­
serves more than a passing notice. They are fast taking the place of the banks, for
whom many of them act as agents. Formerly they were known by the name of sha­
vers, and were looked upon as almost out of the pale of commercial respectability. A
change has come over the spirit of the feeling, and they are now looked upon in the
same light as they are in Europe—as parties holding a position second only to the banks
themselves; and persons now find it quite as easy to drop into the office of a respec­
table bill broker, and obtain the facilities he has been accustomed to ask hat in hand
from a bank, without going through the degrading means they insist on. There are
many millions under the control of these brokers, and as a body they are worthy of
all trust. Some, though, cannot forget the old leaven, particularly found in the region
of Jone’s Court, who still merit the old-fashioned name of shavers from 3 to 10 per
cent a month—men bringing the name of a broker into disrepute, which though they ac­
quired wealth by the misery and ruin of their customers, still reek on, and cannot for­
get their origin. These gentlemen prove but an exception to the general modern high
character which these bill brokers hold.— Wall Street Journal.




Commercial Regulations.

523

COMM ERCIAL REGULATIONS.
OF MOSEYS OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES IN PAYMENT OF DUTIES.
CIROULAR INSTRUCTIONS TO COLLECTORS AND OTHER OFFICERS OF THE CUSTOMS.

T r ea su ry D e pa r t m e n t Sept. 19th, 1851.

In view of the embarrassments existing at some of the principal ports, and the
want of uniformity in the practice of assessing duties upon merchandise invoiced in
depreciating foreign currencies, it is deemed proper to establish some uniform regula­
tions on the subject, for the future government of the officers of the customs.
The law requires invoices of all imported merchandise, subject to an ad valorem
duty, to be made out in the currency of the country or place from whence the impor­
tation is made. The basis of value upon which the duties are to be assessed, is the
true market value in the principal markets of the country, at the period of exporta­
tion to the United States, exhibited in such foreign currency at its intrinsic value, con­
verted into money of the United States according to the rates of value at which said
currency may have been determined agreeably to law.
Congress has fixed the value of some of the foreign currencies at specific rates ; but
where the invoice cost of goods, wares, or merchandise, is exhibited in a depreciated
currency, issued and circulated under the authority of any foreign government, the
President of the Uuited States is duly authorized by law, to cause to be established
“ fit and proper regulations,” for estimating the duties on any such goods, wares, and
merchandise.
In all cases, therefore, where the foreign currency is depreciated, its value in money
of the United States, is to be ascertained in the mode prescribed by the circular in­
structions issued by the Department, by direction of the President, under dates of the
14th May, and 16th August, 1831, and 16th October, 1832. Although the consular
certificate required by said instructions of the value in United States money, of any
foreign depreciating currency, is ordinarily to be received and taken as evidence of
such value, yet it is not to be deemed conclusive in cases where facts or circumstances
may exist, producing a rational belief that manifest error attaches to such certifi­
cate.
Where Congress has fixed the value in American money of any foreign currency,
it is to be understood that the value is to attach in all cases in estimating that duties ;
and should any of said currencies become depreciated, either by the issue of govern­
ment paper money or otherwise, the collectors, nevertheless, wdl make no alteration
in the value in estimating duties, without the previous authority of the Department,
which authority will be promptly given in all cases, so soon as the fact of such depre­
ciation is authentically brought to its knowledge. Such information has been received
as regards the Austrian florin, which, until further instructions on the subject, the col­
lectors will consider as depreciated currency, and levy the duties accordingly on in­
voices stated in it. The foreign currencies alluded to above, the value of which is fixed
by various acts of Congress, are noted at foot for your information and government.
It frequently happens that invoices stated in the currency of the country of ship­
ment, have expressed on the face of them, in the currency of another country, the
amount for which bills of exchange may have been drawn in payment of the goods,
or for other cause. In cases where both currencies have a specie basis, any difference
which may exist between the two amounts thus exhibited, is presumed to arise from
the interest on the sight of the bill, or a regular difference of exchange between the
two points; and where the currency of the country of shipment is depreciated, a sim­
ilar difference may exist between the specie value of the foreign currency thus express­
ed on the face of the invoice, aud the consular certified specie value of the local depre­
ciated currency, in which the invoice is stated. As the law provides that the duties
shall be estimated on the specie value of the currency of the country from whence the
shipment is made, that mode, as a general rule, will therefore be adopted, yet where
the difference between the value of two currencies, expresed upon the face of the in­
voice, is so great as to excite a well-founded belief that either deception or error ex­
ists, the appraisers are required to investigate the facts, and if they ascertain that there
has been error, either in the consular certificate in giving the specie value of a depre­
ciated currency, or that otherwise, the true specie value in currency of the United
States has not been correctly set forth, it will become their duty to correct said error,




Commercial Regulations.

624

by advancing the cost or value given in the invoice or on entry, either in the price of
the goods, or the estimated specie value of the depreciated currency.
THOMAS CORWIN, Secretary o f the Treasury.

The following are the foreign currencies referred to in the preceding circular, the
value of which has been fixed by law, and are not to be deviated from, in assessing
duties without the previous authority of this department:—
Franc of Erance and Belgium.....................................................................
Florin of Netherlands.................................................................................
Florin of Southern States of Germany........................................................
Guilder of Netherlands................................................................................
Livre Tournois of France.............................................................................
Lira of the Lombardo Venitian Kingdom..................................................
Lira of Tuscany...........................................................................................
Lira of Sardinia............................................................................................
Milrea of Portugal...... .............................................................................
Milrea of Azores..........................................................................................
Marc Banco of Hamburg.............................................................................
Pound sterling of Great Britian..................................................................
Pound sterling of British Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
Newfoundland, and Canada......................................................................
Dollars of Mexico, Peru, Chili, and Central America.................................
Pagoda of India..........................................................................................
Real Yellen of Spain...................................................................................
Beal Plate of Spain.....................................................................................
Rupee Company..........................................................................................
Rupee of British India.................................................................................
Specie Dollar of Denmark.........................................................................
Rix Dollar or Thaler of Prussia and the Nothern States of Germany.. . .
Rix Dollar of Bremen.................................................................................
Rouble Silver of Russia...............................................................................
Specie Dollar of Sweeden and Norway............... ....................................
Florin of Austria.........................................................................................
Ducat of Naples................................................................................... .
Ounce of Sicily............................................................................................
Tael of China...............................................................................................
Leghorn Livres
IMPOSITIONS AND FRAUDS I

$0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
4

18.6
40
40
40
18.5
16
16
18.6
12
83i
35
84

4 00
1 00

1 84
0 05
0 10

0
0
1
0

44.5
44.5
05
69

0 781

0
1
0
0
2
1
0

75
06
48.5
80
40
48
16

REIGN MARKETS.

CIRCULAR OF INSTRUCTIONS TO COLLECTORS AND OTHER OFFICERS OF THE CUSTOMS.

T r e a su r y D e pa r t m e n t Sept. 18, 1851.

It is deemed expedient, for the better security of the public revenue from imposi­
tions and frauds, to modify the circular instructions, No. S3, issued by the Department,
under date of the 27 th of February, 1850, in regard to goods, wares and merchandise,
of the growth, production, or manufacture of the United States, as likewise articles
of foreign origin, upon which the import duties shall have been paid, transported from
one port of the United States to another port within the same, via the Isthmus of
Panama.
The following rules and regulations are prescribed, and a strict conformity there­
with enjoined upon Collectors and parties interested. Where any goods, wares or mer­
chandise, of the description before mentioned, are intended to be transported from any
port of the United States, situated either on the Atlantic or Pacific sea-board, to any
other port within the United States, to be conveyed or carried across the Isthmus of
Tehauntepec, the Isthmus of Panama, or over the San Juan de Nicaragua route, to
wit:—
First. It is to be distinctly understood that the law does not authorize either draw­
back or warehouse goods, under bond, to be transported by the routes before indicated,
and become entitled to the privileges of the drawback and warehousing act.
Seeond. Parties wishing to ship goods for transportation by the routes above men­
tioned, must, before lading the same on board the vessel at the port of shipment, give
at least forty-eight hours’ notice, in writing, to the collector of said port of his intention
to make the shipment, describing the goods and their place or places of deposit; where-




Commercial Regulations .

62 5

upon the collector will direct an inspector of the customs to examine and superintend
the boxing, packing, or casing, as the case may be, of the goods, which must be securely
corded, and a lead seal attached thereto, by said officer, to prevent the boxes, bales,
cases, or packages from being opened. The expense of cording and sealing to be paid
by the owner of the goods. The inspector will make due return to the collector, des­
cribing the goods, and the marks placed upon the packages, boxes, <fcc.
Third, Triplicate invoices, describing the contents of the bales, boxes, cases, or
packages, duly certified by the inspector, must be presented to the collector, on mani­
festing the same outward, in pursuance of the 11th section of the Statistical act of the
*20th February, 1820. These invoices will be countersigned by the collector, one to be
attached to the manifest handed to the shipper, another retained by the collector, and
the third deposited in the post-office on the same day the manifest outward is made,
addressed to the collector of the port of the United States to which the goods may
be destined.
Fourth, Upon the arrival of the goods at the designated port of the United States,
and the production at the Custom-house of the manifest and aunexed invoice aforesaid,
the collector will direct due examination and inspection to be made by the United
States appraisers, where there are such officers at the port, and where there are no
such officers, then by some proper officer of the revenue or customs; to ascertain
whether the cords and seals have been disturbed, and that the contents of the packages,
boxes, (fee., correspond with those described in the certified invoice required by these
instructions.
If, upon this examination, the collector should be satisfied that the goods are
identical with those described in the certified invoice forwarded to him by the collector
at the port of shipment, he may grant a permit for the delivery of the goods to the
parties entitled to receive the same; but if not satisfied on this point, he will exact the
appropriate duties.
THOMAS CORWIN, Secretary o f the Treasury.

SECRECY ENJOINED ON TELEGRAPH OPERATORS.

The following important law with regard to Telegraph offices, and operators, was
passed at the last Session of the Pennsylvania Legislature, and is now in force in that
State. The law is embraced in the subjoined 7th and 8th sections of an act relating to
a great variety of other matters. The Legislature of Pennsylvania has a system or
custom of including in a single act a number of laws, that have no relation to each
other—a custom which we should say would be “ more honored in the breach than in
the observance.”
AN ACT RELATING TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF ACTIONS ETC., RELATIVE TO PENALTIES ON TEL­
EGRAPH OPERATORS, ETC.

S ec. 7. That from and after the passage of this act, it shall not be lawful for any

person connected with any line of telegraph within this Commonwealth, whether as su­
perintendent, operator, or any other capacity whatever, to use or cause to be used, or
make known, or cause to be made known, the contents of any despatch of whatsoever
nature, which may be sent or received over any line of telegraph in this Common­
wealth, without the consent or direction of either party sending or receiving the same ;
and all despatches which may be filed in this Commonwealth, for transmission to any
point, shall be so transmitted without being made public, or their purport in any man­
ner divulged at any intermediate point, on any pretense whatever, and in all respects
the same inviolable secresv, safe keeping and conveyance, shall be maintained by the
officers and agents employed upon the several telegraph lines of this Commonwealth,
in relation to all despatches which may be sent or recevied, as is now enjoined by the
laws of the United States in reference to the ordinary mail service ; Provided’, That
nothing in this act contained shall be so construed, as to prevent the publication at any
point of any dispatch of public nature, which may be sent by any person or persons
with a view of general publicity.
S ec. 8. That in case any person, superintendent, operator, or who may be in any
other capacity connected with any telegraph line in this Commonwealth, shall use, or
cause to be used, or make known, or cause to be made known, the contents of any dis­
patch sent from or received at any office in this Commonwealth, or in anywise unlaw­
fully expose another’s business or secrets, or in anywise impair the value of any corresYOL. XXY.---- NO. V.




40

Commercial Regulations.

626

pondence sent or received, such person being duly convicted thereof, shajl, for every
such offense, be subject to a fine of not less than one hundred dollars, or imprisonment
not exceeding six months, or both, according to the circumstances and aggravation of
the offense.
OF FOREIGN MERCHANDISE IMPORTED INTO THE UNITED STATES.
[ tran slated

from

l e jo u r n a l

DES DEBATS, OF PARIS, AUGUST

31, 1851.]

* Instructions have been received by the subscriber, from his government, which
makes it his duty to make known that the laws of the United States require that the
value of all merchandise imported from a foreign nation into the United States, be
stated by declaration, under oath, by the persons to whom they belong. If such per­
sons are residents of the United States, they must swear at the place, and at the time
of the entry of the goods. If the owners of the goods are not residents in the United
States, they must accompany them with an invoice, confirmed by their oath, either be­
fore the United States Consul, or before a local magistrate, whose signature is legalized
by the Consul
“ A great many merchants, manufacturers, and foreigners, having neglected to ac­
company their goods with this indispensable certificate, certified or legalized by the
Consul, abuses and irregularities have been caused by the omission. Consequently,
the government have ordered the officers of the Custom-houses in the United States, to
rigorously exact the observance of this formality. In future, if goods sent are offered
without such documents, the entry will be refused, and they will remain in the public
bond-houses, at the expense and risk of the proprietors, till the arrival of the proper
Certificates.
s . G. GOODRICH, Consul o f the United States o f America^ in Paris?1
TONNAGE-DUTY AND TARIFF OF TURKS ISLAND.

The Grand Turk's Gazette of the 3d of September, 1851, says:—¥ e take this
mode of calling the attention of the mercantile interests abroad to the fact of the en­
tire abrogation, within the presidency, of all tonnage duties, and the otherwise very
liberal reduction which has been effected in our tariff, especially in regard to provisions,
and every description of article required in the culture of our staple.
ARTICLES EXEMPT FROM DUTY.

Ale and porter, in wood; articles imported or supplied out of a bonded warehouse for
the colonial service; articles of every description imported or supplied out of a bonded
warehouse for the use of the President; asses; bullion; carts and cart-harness; cart-wheels,
arms and boxes for cart-wheels; cedar and yellow wood ; cider, (in wood;) coin ; cotr
ton-wool: diamonds; drugs, and dye woods, and stuffs; flax and tow ; fruit, (fresh,)
vegetables, and roots of all kinds; hemp; hay; ice; lead or zinc; lignumvitse; ma­
hogany; manures of all kinds; medicines; mules; oats; osnaburgs, and bagging;
printed books and pamphlets ; provisions and stores of every description, imported or
supplied from a bonded warehouse, for the use of her majesty’s land or sea force ; tal­
low and raw hides ; tannning; tortoise shells ; trees imported for planting ; vegetables
of all kinds.
THE BRITISH MERCANTILE MARINE AMENDMENT ACT.

By the Mercantile Marine Amendment Act, just passed, the advance-notes to sea­
men may be issued upon signing the agreement, instead of, as heretofore, four hours
after. All colonial ships arriving to discharge cargo in any port in the United King­
dom, their crews must be discharged and engaged before the shipping-master; but
such vessels as merely touch at our ports do not become subject to that law; and all
ships making short voyages may have what is called a running agreement, but no such
agreement is to extend beyond the 30th of June or 31st of December, each year.
Coasting vessels are not obliged to keep the official log, and if under eighty tons are
exempt from carrying agreement. Misconduct of pilots, endangering life or limb, to
be deemed guilty of misdemeanor. The law seems, very justly, stringent upon the
desertion of a seaman after signing articles, and the justice before whom he is con­
victed has a power of deducting from the amount £3 of his wages, for the expenses ;
also, if a master or mate is convicted of felony, or sentenced summarily, or otherwise,
for drunkenness or tyraany, the Board of Trade may cancel or suspend his certificate,




Statistics o f Population , etc.

62 7

■whether of competency or service. After 1st September, 1851, the shipping-master is
the person to whom masters of foreign going ships must produce the certificate and
agreement, (and not to the Collector and Controller,) and he is to give a certificate of
their production to satisfy the officers of customs.

STATISTICS OF POPULATION, & c.
POPULATION OF DELAWARE,
Counties.

1810.

1850.

K ent........................... ........
New C a stle ...................... ........
Sussex....................... ........

19,858
33,118
25,132

Increase.

22,471
42,669
25,268

2,613
9,551
136

Total.................... ........
Of which were slaves. . .

78.107
2,605

90,407
2,688

12,300
83

Decrease.

...

PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT OF D ELAW ARE.

Date o f
Census.

1790.......
1800.......
1810.......
1820.......

Total
population.

59,098
64,273
72,674
72,749

Decennial increase.
Numerical, per ct.

6,175
8,401
75

Date of
Census.

Total
population.

1830.......
8.7 1840.......
13.1 1850.......
0.0

76.748
78,107
90,407

Decenaial increase.
Numerical. per ct.

3,999
1,359
12,300

5.6
1.4
15.8

POPULATION OF MARYLAND.

1840.

1850.

Increase.

St. M ary..................
Somerset..................
Talbot.......................
W ashington..............
Worcester................

15,690
29,532
102,313
32,066
17,241
7,806
9,229
17,232
16,027
18,843
36,405
17,121
10,842
14,699
19.539
12,633
13,224
19,580
12,096
28,850
18,377

22,873
33,338
169.012
41,589
18,123
9,692
9,618
18,837
16,162
18,893
38,493
19,366
11,357
15,860
21,552
14,485
13,681
22,458
13,811
30,943
18,870

7,183
2,856
66,669
9,523
882
1,886
389
1,605
139
50
2,088
2,245
515
1,161
2,011
1,852
457
2,878
1,715
2,093
493

Total......................
Of which were slaves.

469,232
89,495

575,150
89,204

105,918

Counties.

Alleghany................
A n n e Arundel...........
Baltimore city...........
Baltimore C ou n ty.. .
Caroll.......................
Caroline.....................
Calvert.....................
Cecil.........................
Charles......................
Dorchester................
Frederick..................
Harford...................
K ent.........................
Montgomery............
P rince George..........
Q u een A n n e .................

Decrease.

...
291

PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT OF MARYLAND.

Census.

population.

1790.......
1800.......
1810.......
1820.......

319,728
341,548
380,546
407,350




Decennial increase.
Numerical, per ct.

21,820
38,998
26,804

Date of
Census.

1830.......
6.8 1840.......
11.4 1850.......
7.0

Total
population.

447,040
469,232
575,150

Decennial increase.
Numerical. per ct.

39,690
22,192
105,918

9.7
4.9
22.5

Statistics o f Population, etc.

62 8

POPULATION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Counties.
Washington county.................
Washington city ....................
Georgetown...........................

1840.

1850.

3,069
23,364
7,312

3,304
40,001
8,366

Increase.
234
16,637
1,054

Total...............................
Of which were slaves...

33,745
3,320

51,670
8,688

17,925
368

PROGRESS OF BOSTON IN WEALTH, POPULATION, ETC.

Below we give a table of the population, value of real estate, value of personal es­
tate, and total valuation of the city of Boston, from 1820 to, 1850. In addition, we
likewise give the amount of railway opened in Massachusetts in each year ; and by
this our readers will see, in some degree, how much the prosperity of Boston is owing
to her railway system. The table was prepared by the editor of the American Hall­
way Times for Mr. Kirkwood’s admirable report upon the Pacific Railway. It will be
remarked tlxat the account of the railways is only brought up to January, of the year
1850, and the reader, without this timely caution, might be misled by accounts in the
Merchants’ Magazine, made up to a later date.
POPULATION AND VALUATION OF BOSTON, FROM

Year.
1820 ............
1 825 ............
1830 ............
1 8 3 1 ............
1832 ............
1833 ............
1 834 ............
1835 ............
1 836 ............
1837 ............
1838 ............
1839 ............
1840 ............
1 8 4 1 ............
1 842 ............
1843 ............
1 84 4 ............
1 845 ............
1 846 ............
1347 ..........
1848 ............
1 849 ............
1 850 ............

Population.
48,298
58,277
61,392

78,603

98,383

114,366

138,788

Real estate.
21,687,000
30.892,000
36,960,000
3 7,675,000
39,145,200
40,9 66 ,4 0 0
4 3,140,600
4 7,552,800
53,370,000
56,3 11 .6 0 0
57,372,400
5 8 ,5 7 7 ,S00
60,424,200
63,963,300
65,499,000
67,673,400
72,048,000
81,991,400
90,119,600
97,767,500
100,403,200
102,827,500
105,093,400

1820

TO

1850,

Personal;
16,602,200
21,450,600
22,626,000
23,023,200
28,869,200
29,510,800
31,665,200
3 1,749,800 '
34,895,000
33,274,200
32,859.200
33,248,600
84,157,400
36,04 3,600
4 1,223,800
42,372,600
4 6,402,300
53,957,300
5 8,720.000
64,595,900
67,324,800
71,352,500
74,907,100

INCLUSIVE.

Miles v’road
ope’ d each
year.

Total.
3 8,289,200
54,442.600
59,568,000
60,698,200
67,514,400
70,477,200
7 4,805,800
7 9,302,600
88,245,000
89,583,800
90,231,6(10
9 i;8 2 6 ,4 0 0
94,584,600
98,006,600
105,723,700
110,056,000
118,450,300
135,948,700
148,839,600
162,360,400
167,728,000
174,180,200
180,000,500

53
70
23
10
31
54
77
125
30
16
23
122
78
105
171

79
54
1,130

THE UNITED KINGDOM IN 1800 AND 1850.

The statistical progress of the United Kingdom in fifty years, is thus stated by a
London cotemporary:—
“ The population of Great Britain has nearly doubled between 1800 and 1S50 ; at
the beginning of the century it was below 11,000,000, and it is now upwards of
20,000,000. Adding the population of Ireland, the United Kingdom will number up­
wards of 28,000,000 inhabitants. In manufactures and Commerce there have been pro­
digious advances; but the money value of our imports and exports is very far from
showing the real increase, owing to the extraordinary reduction in the price both of




Statistics o f Population, etc.

62 9

raw materials and manufactured goods. For example : in 1800 our importation of cot­
ton wool was 56,000,000 lbs., and in 1849 it was '755,000,000 lbs., showing an increase
of thirteen to fourteen fold; but the increase in the value of cotton goods and yarn ex­
ported is only from £6,000,000 to £27,000,000, or four-and-a-half fold. The number of
children in our day schools has increased, within the half century, from 500,000 to
more than 2,000,000; whilst Sunday schools, also, containing more than 2,000,000 of
children, are almost entirely the growth of the present century. Perhaps the increase
in the number of newspapers may afford a fair test of the growth of popular intelli­
gence : in 1801 the number of stamps issued for newspapers was 16,085,085, and in
1849 it was 72,447,707 ; being an increase of four-and-a-half fold. But the increase in
the general size of the newspaper is far greater than in the number issued, and may
be regarded as even a more decisive indication of the intellectual appetite of the read­
ers, and of the extent of their reading.”
CENSUS OF THE BAHAMA ISLANDS FOR 1851.

The official returns of the population of the Bahama Islands, as taken on the 30th
of March, 1851, give the following result:—
New Providence.............................................
Harbor Island................................................
Eleuthera (including Spanish Wells and Cays)
Rum C a y ........................................................
Crooked Island................................................
St. Salvador....................................................
Exuma............................................................
Long Island ..................................................
Abaco..............................................................
Rigged Island................................................
Andros Island..................................................
Grand Bahama..............................................
Berry Islands..................................................
Bimini and Gun Cay.......................................
Watling’s Island..............................................
Inagua ............................................................
Green C ay......................................................
Cay Sal............................................................
Total....................................................

Last census. Present con’s. Increase.

8,385
1,745
3,712
560
935
674
1,682
1,286
1,890
313
759
812
161
815
172

23,401

8,159
1,840
4,610
858
1,092
1,828
2.027
1,477
2,011
347
1,030
922
236
150
384
530
7
11

95
698
298
157
1,154
345
191
121
34
271
110
75
150
69
358
7
11

27,519

4,344

Dec.

226

226

The grand total of the last census was 26,491, but, in making the above calculations,
we have deducted the population of the Turks Island, Caicos and Mayuguama, amount­
ing to 3,090, from the first column, these Islands being now under a separate gov­
ernment.
New Providence is the only Island in which a decrease of population has occurred ;
and this may be easily accounted for when we remember the emigration of laborers to
Demerara, Jamaica, and Honduras, which took place some time since, and the more
recent removal of many mechanics, laborers, &c., to Inagua.
The population of St. Salvador has increased nearly three-fold, and that of Inagua
has been more than trebled.
The proportion of males to females is greater in all the islands except New Provi­
dence, Abaco, and Green Cay, where the females number sufficiently strong to give
them a majority of 25 in the grand total. In Watling’s Island the numbers of both
sexes are equal.
The total increase of population within the Bahamas is 4,344.
POPULATION OF VAN DIEMAN’S LAND.

The census of Van Dieman’s Land has been published. The following is a compara­
tive statement, with the results in 1847:—
31st December, 1847. 1st March, 1851,

Total population.....................................
Free population.....................................
Convict populatioa.................................




67,351
45,976
21,375

70,130
53,031
17,099

N autical Intelligence.

630

The military having been reduced from 2,246 to 953 ; the increase of the free colo­
nists appear less than the reality. Deducting the military, the following gives aynore
correct comparison:—
Free population......................................

1847.

1851.

43,740

52,078

Increase.

8,348

The total increase of population shows anything but a prosperous community, and 18
a strong fact against transportation.

N AU TICAL

IN TE LL IG E N C E .

M W LIGHT-HOUSE IN THE STRAITS OF SINGAPORE.
D e pa rt m e n t of S t a t e , W ashington , October 10, 1851.

Freeman Hunt, Esq., Editor Merchants' Magazine :—
Sir :—I have the honor to transmit, enclosed, a copy of a communication from Mr.
J. Balestier, late Envoy of this Government to South-Eastern Asia, of the 8th inst.,
respecting the erection of a new light-house in the Straits of Singapore. The subject
being one of great interest to all parties engaged in Commerce with the East Indies
and China, I furnish you this information for such use as you may think proper to
make of it.
I am, sir, respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. J. CRITTENDEN, Acting Secretary.
COPY.

W ashington , D. C ., October 8, 1851.

To the H on. J. J. Crittenden, Acting Secretary o f State:—
Sir :— I have the honor to make known to you, for the information of the public
generally, the position of the Horsburg Light-house, now in the process of construction
and to be lighted on, or about, the first of January, 1852, in the Straits of Singapore,
at the entrance of the China Sea, in latitude 1° 20' North, longitude 104° 25' East of
Greenwich, bearing from Singapore Town thirty-three geographical miles, and eight
geographical miles from the nearest head land.
The light will be revolving—period not yet determined upon—and it will be seen at
a distance of sixteen geographical miles from the deck of the ordinary class of vessels,
that navigate those seas.
I have the honor to be, sir, your most obed’t serv’t,
J. BALESTIER, late Envoy to South-Eastern A sia.

NEW LIGHT-HOUSE ON THE ISLAND LAGOSTA.

A new Light-house has lately been erected on the Island Lagosta, in Dalmatia, in­
stead of the temporary one hitherto existing there. It stands on the summit of the
point of land which, in the map of the coast navigation published by the I. R. Mil­
itary Geographical Institution in Milan, is marked Punta Scrigeva, and commands the
Porto Rosso, formed by the same point of land. The geographical bearings of the
said Light house are 42° 43' North Latitude ; 14° 31' East Longitude, from the me­
ridian of Paris.
The Light house is illuminated iu the night from the 15th May, 1851, witli fixed
light by means of the Fresnel Apparatus, 1st class. The height of the tower is 330
Vienna feet above the level of the sea. Its light is apparent in clear weather, to an
observer raised 12 feet above the surface of the water, at a distance of 25 miles at 60
to a degree.
WATER BALLASTING FOR SHIPS.

Some time since Dr. David Blair White, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, patented a plan
for ballasting ships by means of water; and the patentee states that the whole ar­
rangement is in such an advanced state, and its decided advantages over other kinds
of ballast so apparent, that the apparatus will be shortly ready for application to any ves­
sels whose owners may be desirous of availing themselves of it. The Coal brig Ben­




N autical Intelligence.

631

ton, Capt. Blackett, 250 tons, which has long been fitted with the apparatus, has com­
pletely established the economy, safety, and efficiency, in every point, of this mode of
ballasting. On her last arrival in the Thames, and after discharging her cargo, her
crew commenced at seven o’clock on Thursday morning last to fill the ballast bags,
which will hold sixty-seven tons of water. In forty minutes the necessary quantity
was stowed away, and with the tide she sailed down the river on her passage to Sun­
derland for another cargo. Between sixty and seventy visitors witnessed the oper­
ation, which was highly satisfactory.
LIGHTS AT SPURN POINT.
T r in it y H ou se , L ondon , A u gu st 6.

The encroachments of the sea upon the Spurn Point, at the entrance of the river
Humber, having made the preservation of the low light in its ordinary position, both
difficult and uncertain; and it having been ascertained that the exhibition of a light
situate to the north-westward of the high Light-house, is equally effective for the pur­
poses of navigation, as that heretofore exhibited to the south eastward of the said high
Light house, notice is hereby given, that the low light at Spurn Point will hence­
forth be exhibited from a building, which has been set up to the north-westward of
the high Light-house, and that to the south eastward thereof discontinued.
(By order,)

J.

HEEBEET, Secretary.

REVOLVING LIGHT ON CAPE PINE, NEWFOUNDLAND.

On the 1st January 1851, a revolving light was established on Cape Pine, the southermost point of Newfoundland.
The Iron Tower, which is circular, and painted with red and white bands alternately
is 56 feet high, but the light is elevated 302 feet above the sea, and therefore in clear
weather may be seen at the distance of 22 miles. The light revolves so as to be vis­
ible at intervals of 20 seconds, or three times in every minute, and may be seen in all
directions from seaward.
The Light Tower stands at the distance of 450 feet in from the Bhore, and is in lat­
itude 46° 37' 12" North, and longitude 53° 34' 42" west.
Cape Pine lies 22 miles to the westward of Cape Race, and 108 miles S. E. by E.
•|E. by compass, from the fixed light on St. Pierre Island.
The variation of the compass is about 26° west.
THE NOVEL RUDDER OF THE SHIP WARREN.

Capt. Comstock, of the United States steamship Baltic, recently deposited in the
Liverpool Exchange, as we learn from the European Times, an extraordinary piece of
naval construction.
Necessity, in this as in most cases of a similar kind, has been the “ mother of inven­
tion.” The ship Warren, bound from Glasgow to New York, having encountered se­
vere weather, lost her rudder on the outward voyage, and there being no timber of
sufficient size on board to construct a new one, and none of the requisite machinery to
connect it, even if made to the tiller, a most ingenious device was hit upon by Captain
Lawton, which was successfully carried out by the crew, by which means the ship
with a valuable cargo and 150 passengers, was safely steered to her port of destina­
tion. The Warren drew about 16 feet water, and a sufficient number of ropes being
fastened so as to form a sort of hempen plank, very similar to a close door mat on a
gigantic scale, the whole was bound together with transverse pieces of wood, thoroughly
lashed throughout, and secured with iron rods at the edges. For the hinge, a series of
chains were substituted, and two more with blocks and connecting ropes, running under
the quarter, and fastened to the windlass, gave the steersman almost as complete con­
trol as the ordinary wheel. This truly ingenious piece of mechanism has elicited the
warmest expressions of admiration from many nautical veterans who have inspected
i t ; and to those curious in such matters, it will repay a visit to the Exchange-room*
where Mr. Warburton, with his usual courtesy, will explain its action.




Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

632

REVISION OF THE MERIDIAN.

The London Athenseum says, that in consequence of the confusion existing between
the maritime calculations of different powers, and the unfortunate occurrences to
which it sometimes leads, the naval powers of the north, (Russia, Sweden, Denmark,
and Holland,) have entered into an agreement to open conferences on the old subject
of a common meridian for all nations. France, Spain, and Portugal, it is said have
given in their adhesion to the scheme, and a hope is held out that England will come
into the arrangement. Opinion seems to be in favor of the selection of an entirely
neutral point of intersection—say Cape Horn.

R A ILR O A D , CANAL, AND STEAMBOAT STATISTICS.
STATISTICS OF THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO RAILROAD.

The B al t i m o r e a n d O h i o R a i l r o a d was opened for travel and transportation i n
1830. The main stem extends from Baltimore, in Maryland, to Cumberland, in Ohio—a
distance of 179 miles. The cost of the road and equipments, according to the last an­
nual report of the directors, amounts to 110,069,571, or $54,283 per mile. It has two
branch roads—the Washington and Frederick. The former diverges from’ the main
stem at the Relay House, nine mile9 from Baltimore, and the latter at Monocacy, fiftynine miles from Baltimore. We give below a tabular statement of the places, dis­
tances, and fares on the main stem of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, as foDows :—
Places.

Baltimore..................
Mount Clare..............
Relay House..............
Avalon ....................
Ilchester ....................
Ellicott’s Mills...........
Elvsville....................
Woodstock................
Mariottsville..............
Skyesville..................
Hood’s Mill................
Woodbine..................
Mount Airy...............
Monrovia...................
IjamsviUe..................
Monocacy...................
Buckeyston................
Davis, W. H..............
Catoctin, Sw ..............
Berlin.......................

Distances. Fares.
Miles. Cents.

65

2
2
2
2
2

70

2

80

12

2

90

3

05

i
9
10
13
15

25

i

32

i
i

35
38
44
50
54

63

i
i
i

Distances. Fares.
Miles.
Cents.

Places.

. . Knoxville..................
. . Weaverton................
25
Harper’s Ferry..........
37
Duftields....................
50
Kearneyville..............
60
Martinsburg..............
85
Tabbs .......................
00
Hedgesville................
15
Licking, W. S ............
25
Hancock.....................
40
Sir John’s, R ..............
50
Great Cacapon..........
75
D. (4. Tunnel..............
00 12 W. Station............
15
Paw P aw ..................
35
Little Cacapon..........
50
South Branch............
60
Gr’n Sp. Run............

3

15

80

3

20

82

3

30

88

3

50

93

3

70

101

4

00

104

4

15

108

4

30

m

4

70

5

00

133
142

..

Cumberland..............

79

5

15

5

30

5

70

6

04

154

6

15

158

6

30

6

50

165

6

60

171

6

85

179

7 00

It will be seen, by the above table, that the fare from Baltimore to Cumberland, 179
miles, is $7, or nearly four cents per mile. The fare from New York to Dunkirk, by
the Erie Railroad, a distance of 469 miles, is $8, which is less than two cents per mile.
The low rate on the Erie Road is mainly on account of the competing line from Albany
to Buffalo, and the low fare in the Hudson River steamers, from New York to Albany.
The distance from the former to the latter place is 328 miles, and the fare is $6 60, or
nearly two cents per mile.
Since the foregoing statement was in type, we have learned that the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad Company have reduced their rate of fare. The fare from Baltimore to
Cumberland is now fixed at $5 ; to Hancock, $4 35 ; to Martinsburg, $3 50 ; to Har­
per’s Ferry, $2 85 ; to Weaverton, $2 80 ; to Point of Rocks, $2 46 ; to Frederick,
$2 15 ; to SkyesviUe, $1 10 ; to Ellicott’s Mills, 37 cents; and to the Relay House,
25 cents.




TRADE, REVENUE, EXPENSES, PROFITS AND DIVIDENDS OF THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO RAILROAD, FROM THE TIME OF ITS OPENING, IN
SEPTEMBER

SOTH, 1850.

1 830, TO THE PRESENT DATE,

,

RECEIPTS.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- , EXPENSES. — DIVIDENDS— ,

1 830.........
1 8 3 1 .. . .
1832
.....................
1 83 3
.....................
1 83 4 .........
1 835.........
12,147
1 83 6 .........
75,416
1 83 7 .........
73,4 74
1 8 3 8 .........
83,749
1 8 3 9 .........
86,9 64
1 84 0 .........
87,202
107,136
1 84 1 .........
1 8 4 2 .........
94,566
1 8 4 3 .........
78,425
1 84 4 .........
99,160
103,588
1 8 4 5 .........
1 8 4 6 .........
157,157
1 84 7 .........
151,753
170,196
1 848..........
1 8 4 9 .........
171,573
214,360
1 85 0 .........

Totals.

81,905
89,022
88,633
94,8 44
85,611
81,686
67,225
66,767
65,537
65,216
64,493
60,002
71,108
74,661
98,870
123,107
136,921
160,974
165,309
180,905

81,905
89,022
88,633
94,844
97,758
157,102
140,699
150,516
152,501
152,418
171,629
154,568
149,533
173,821
202,458
2 80,264
2 88,674
331,170
336,882
395,265

$ 2 7 ,25 0
67.910
83,233
89,182
93,540
128,126
145,625
166,694
173,860
177,035
179,616
181,177
274.617
336,876
369,882
413,341
447 ,02 0
488,376
394,497
438,375

f------------

---------- T O N N A G E . -------

Eastward Westward
freight,
freight,
tons.
tons.
3,87 6
29,445
37,166
36,192
46,979
40,805
40,697
47,447
54,573
62,736
42,056
37,600
55,523
69,886
90,865
110,356
183,824
205,174
287,894
402,905

2,055
11,640
25,589
19,929
25,655
25,898
33,901
30,079
45,878
25,638
23,443
30,243
27,191
33,224
50,541
83,559
79511
66,071
63,761
74,6 50

Total
freight,
tons.
5,931
41,085
62,755
56,121
7 2 ,6 3 4
66,703
74,598
77,626
100,451
88,3 74
65,499
67,843
82,714
103,110
141,406
193,915
263,335
271,252
351,655
477,555

------------ ,

Receipts
from
tonnage.
$4,1 55
69,027
112,447
116,255
169,828
153,186
155,676
198,530
233,487
255,848
211,454
245,315
300,618
321,743
368,721
468,346
654,917
725,288
846,708
905,430

Total
receipts,
passen­
gers and
tonnage.

Total for
passen­
gers and
tonnage.

$14,711
31,405
136,937
195,680
205,437
263,368
281,312
301,301
365 ,22 4
4 07 ,34 7
432.S85
391,070
4 26 ,49 2
575,235
658,619
738,603
881,687
1,101,937
1,213,664
1,241,205
1,343,805

$11 ,98 5
10,995
75.673
138.485
138,402
161,216
212,937
289,125
271,581
312,700
275,189
239,622
216,715
295,833
311,633
363,841
4 5 4 ,84 0
590,829
662,106
644 ,63 4
609,589

Net Per
receipts, cent
$ 2 ,7 2 6
20.4 10
61,2 64
57.195
67,035
102,152
68,375
12,176
93.643
94,6 47
1 5 7 ,69 4
151,448
209,777
279,402
346,986
874,762
4 2 6 ,74 7
5 11 ,10 8
5 51,558
596.571
734 ,21 6

1,7 6 6,86 6 1,922,796 3,689,662 4,676,232 1,885,999 778,463 2,665,462 6,516,979 11,207,924 6,287,930 4 ,919,992

$ 6 9 ,97 5

$ 15 ,32 5

30,061

2 7 ,1 3 4
67,035
5 7 ,1 5 0
68,375
12,176
93,643
94,6 47
7 7 ,6 9 4
21,448
209,777
1 39 ,40 2
171,986
374 ,76 2
216,847
301,108
551.558
596,571
734,216

45,0 02

......
80.000
130,000
140,000
175,000
2 10 .00 0
210,000

........

1,089,138 3,830,854

633




)
t .
)
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
2
24
..
3
3
..
..
..

Surplus
Amount. Reinvested.

Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

Years
ending
Oct. 1st.

----- P A S S E N G E R S . --------Carried in Carried in Total num­ Receipts
Washington
main
ber o f pas­ from pas­
branch
stem
sengers on sengers
both roads. and mails
trains.
trains.

634

Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.
NOTICES OF THE « CONDENSED HISTORY OF STEAM.”
C l ev el a n d , O h io , O c t o b e r 8,1851.

F

reem an

H

u nt,

Esq., Editor o f the Merchants' Magazine, etc:—

D ear S ir :—It was only a day or two since, (owing to absence,) that I noticed the
short article in your Merchants' Magazine, for August, (vol. xxv., page 244,) purport­
ing to be an abstract of the progress of invention, in regard to the use of steam,
and its application to water craft.
From this list, you have omitted several important names ; such as De Caus, 1612 ;
Papin, 1698; Bernouilli, 1753 ; Raynal, 1781 ; D’Auxinon, 1774; Perrin, 1775 ; Mil­
ler, 1787 ; Stanhope, 1793 ; Des Blaines, 1802; Stevens, 1790; Roosevelt and Liv­
ingston ; all of whom, with others, preceded Fulton. With regard to Rumsey, Fitch,
and Fulton, there are some important corrections to be made in the reported dates,
which I presume you will cheerfully make.
Ho boat was propelled by steam by Mr. James Rumsey in New York in 1782, as is
stated in the “ Condensed History of Steam,” nor was a boat propelled by him in this
manner until the winter of 1785-6, which was done on the Potomac River, at Shephardstown, Virginia. Mr. Rumsey had constructed a working model, to be propelled
by manual power, with setting poles attached to machinery, in 1784 ; and this i3 the
boat to which General Washington certifies, in his letter of September 7th, 1784, pub­
lished by you.
Rumsey’s petition to the Legislature of Pennsylvania, November 26th, 1784, was
for the exclusive right to this setting pole boat.
John Neilson, of Philadelphia, says, (see Rumsey’s pamphlet and Fitch’s reply, by
Zachariah Poulson, Jr., Philadelphia, 1788,) that Rumsey told him he had thought of
a steamboat in July, 1783. William Little says that Rumsey said, in 1784, that he
had perfected the plan of a steamboat; and Charles Morrow and Joseph Barnes make
affidavit that he began to build a steamboat in May, 1785, which was tried in Decem­
ber, 1785, and a defect in the machinery discovered. In the spring of 1786 he made
a successful experiment at Shepherdstown, with a boat of nine (9) tons, working
against the current of the Potomac at the rate of four or five miles an hour. I have
before me a sketch of this boat, afterwards patented in Great Britain, and furnished
me by A. W. Boteler, Esq., of Shepherdstown, Virginia. Mr. Boteler has a portion of
Rumsey’s first boiler.
John Fitch first conceived the idea of a steamboat in April, 1785 ; in 1786 constructed
a working model; in 1787 built a boat of sixty tons, called the “ Perseverance,” which,
owing to imperfections in the machinery, made only three (3) miles an hour that year,
but in October, 1788, was propelled at the rate of eight (8) miles an hour, and made a
trip from Philadelphia to Burlington, averaging six (6) miles an hour. Fulton’s first
boat, the “ Clermont,” made but four miles and seven-tenths of a mile per hour on the
Hudson, in August, 1807, nineteen years, after.
In 1772 and 1773, Oliver Evans reflected upon steamboats: Mr. Henry, of Lancas­
ter, Pennsylvania, and Andrew Ellicott, of Maryland, also thought of the same thing,
about the same time, but neither Evans, Henry, or Ellicott, applied their ideas to a
boat, or even to a model. John Stevens, Jr., of New York, and Nicholas Roosevelt
applied steam to vessels in 1790 and 1791.
Rumsey went to England in the latter part of 1787, and died there December 12th,
1792. Here Fulton made his acquaintance, as appears by a letter from Rumsey to
Mr. G. W. West.
Fitch went to England and France, in 1793, and both Fulton and Livingston had
his plans.
Fulton’s first mention of steamboats is in a letter to Lord Stanhope, in 1793. His
first working model was put in operation at Plompieres, in France, in 1803, and his
first working boat on the Hudson in 1807 ; and yet the mass of mankind regard Fulton
as the inventor of steamboats!! 1
Fitch’s model of 1785 had wheels at the sides, like Fulton’s first working boat of
1807—and so had the boat of the Hulls, in England, in 1736.
Fulton’s engine was made by Watt, in England, and the “ Clermont” did not make
as good speed in 1807 as the “ Perseverance” did in 1788, when no plan or description
of Watt’s patent rotary engine had reached America.
In regard to steamboats—what did Fulton invent ? The committee of the New
York Legislature, in 1817, reported that the machine used by Livingston and Fulton,
under their grant, was in substance and principle the same as that patented to John




63 5

Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

Fitch in 1787, for 20 years, and that during the life of Fitch’s monopoly, he had the
exclusive right to it.
A long line of illustrious mechanics had expended their inventive genius upon the
steam-engine and steamboat for more than 100 years before Fulton thought of the sub­
ject ; and the plans of successful boats and engines were before him in 1793. What
room was there for invention ? The boat with both wheels and paddles had been put
in motion by steam in France, England, and America.
The rotating engine had been completed; the crank connection with a shaft, and a
revolving wheel, and rotating paddles, had all been made, and used at good speed. But
on the Seine, on the Delaware, aud on the Scotch Lochs, the amount of freight and
passengers did not make it a paying business, aud on the Hudson it did pay.
It is not surprising that errors of dates and of important facts should obtain notorie­
ty on this subject. The perfection of steam navigation belongs to no one man or ge­
neration—it is an honor in which a great number of men, of high mechanical genius,
have, or ought to have, a share; and my object in writing this hasty sketch is the per­
formance of a duty to that crowd of illustrious inventors and improvers who preceded
Fulton, but to whom common fame has denied a just share in the merits of the per­
fected steamboat. The subject is broad enough for a volume.
Yours, truly,
CHARLES WilLTTLESEY.

VERMONT AND MASSACHUSETTS RAILROAD.
We give below the comparative receipts of this road for eight months in three years,
together with the increase in 1851 over 1849 and 1850:—
Over
Over

1849.
January ........
February...... .
March............
April..............
M a y ............
J une.............
J M y ............
August........ ..

$8,031
8,679
11,047
13,368
12,518
11,792
11,996
14,767

80
14
20
40
37
51
36
61

1850.
$10,474
11,282
11,959
14,593
14,142
13,599
16,106
19,118

1850.

1849.

1851.
$13,839
17,680
15,096
17,996
17,348
14,948
18,645

50
49
97
66
38
75
27
56

89
80
88
72
35
44
30

$5,808
4,001
4,049
4,628
4.829
3,155
6,648

O'b
66
68
32
9S
93
94

$3,365
1,399
3,136
3,403
3,205
1,348
2,539

39
31
91
06
97
69
03

NEW YORK AND EUROPEAN STEAMSHIPS.
VALUE OF IMPORTS; AND DUTIES FAID BY STEAMSHIPS ARR IV IN G AT THE PORT OF N EW YO RK
FROM

1847

TO

1851.

In the Merchants' Magazine for September, 1851, (vol. xxv, pages 377-379,) we
published a comparative statement of the amount of duties paid on merchandise by
the Cunard steamers arriving at Boston and New York, from their commencement to
the present year. The New York Courier and Enquirer has obtained from the Cus­
tom-house returns, the subjoined tabular detail, showing the value of, and the amount
of duties paid on, imports into the port of New York by the vessels belonging to the
“ Steam Navigation Company,” the “ Ocean Steam Navigation Company,” and the
“ United States Mail Steamship Company,” since the establishment of these lines. The
first-named of the above lines, for which Mortimer Livingston, Esq., is agent, connect­
ing the port of New York with Havre, is monthly in its trips; the second is likewise
monthly in its trips, between New York and Bremen, by way of Southampton, and i3
under the direction of Messrs. Sand, Muller, and Reira; and the third, for which E. K.
Collins, Esq., is agent, is semi-monthly, plying between New York and Liverpool. The
tables, here presented, will be interesting, in connection with the exhibit recently made
in the pages of the Merchants' Magazine, of the duties paid on imports at New York
and Boston by the Cunard steamers. The Courier, speaking of these statements, says:
“ The rates of shipment, which some time ago underwent material revision between
the Cunard and Collins steamers, remain the same; aud farther, in detailing the amount
of goods imported, and duties paid thereon, by either line, it is unnecessary to allow




636

Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

for merchandise warehoused on arrivals, as whatever is imported by our steamships, is
intended for, and does mostly, pass into immediate consumption.”
VALUE AND AMOUNT OF DUTIES PAID ON GOODS BROUGHT BY THE STEAMERS “1WASHINGTON ”
AND “ HERMANN,” OF THE OCEAN STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY', FROM THE FIRST TRIP IN
JULY, 1847, TO JUNE 2, 1851, INCLUSIVE.
Date.
1 847— J u ly
3 0 .................
N o v e m b e r 9 ..................

Steamers.
W a sh in g ton ............... .____
W a s h in g to n ............... ____

Value
o f imports.
$431,597
152,405

T o ta l for 1 8 4 7 . . .
1 84 8 — Jan uary
1 6 ...............
A p r il
7 ...............
M ay
2 2 ...............
June
1 8 ...............
A u g u st
5 ...............
S ep tem b er 6 ...............
O ctob er
4 ...............
N o v e m b e r 4 ...............

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

W a sh in g ton ...............
W a s h i n g t o n .... . . .
H e r m a n n ...................
W a s h in g to n ...............
H e r m a n n ...................
W a sh in g ton ...............
H e r m a n n ...................
W a sh in g to n ..............

____
____
____
____
____

$ 584,002
305,058
201,212
75,230
122.636

....
____

552,476
328,046

T o ta l for 1 8 4 8 . . .
1 849— Jan uary
7 ............... .
J an u a ry
8 ............... .
A p r il
1 3 ............... .
May
8 ...............
June
6 ............... .
J u ly
5............ .
A u gu st
6 ............... .
S ep tem b er 4 ............... .
O ctob er
5 ............... .
N o v em b er 7 ............... ..
D e c e m b e r 1 5 ............... .

____

$2,2 95 ,8 2 2

H e r m a n n ...................
W a sh in g ton ...............
H e r m a n n ...................
W a s h in g to n ...............
H e r m a n n ...................
W a sh in g ton ...............
H erm ann.....................
W a s h in g to n ...............
H e r m a n n ...................
W a sh in g ton ...............
H erm ann.....................

____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____

592,976
5 7 7 ,46 4
246,595
229 ,45 4
606,061
9 44 ,07 4
5 77,825
4 18 ,76 3
370,277
521,210

T o ta l for 1 8 4 9 . . .
1850— A p ril
8 ...............
M ay
4 ...............
June
9 ...............
J u ly
5 ...............
A u g u st
6 ...............
S ep tem b er 4 ...............
O ctob er
9 ...............
N o v e m b e r 3 ............

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

H erm ann.................... _____
W a s h in g to n ..............._____
H erm ann....................._____
W a s h in g to n ...............
H erm ann.................... . . .
W a s h in g to n ..............._____
H erm ann.................... ..........
W a s h in g to n .........................

572,657
315,178
285,674

T ota l for 1 8 5 0 . . .
1 8 5 1 — J an uary
8 ............... .
A p r il
10............... .
M ay
9 ............... .
June
2 ............... .

W a s h in g to n .............. ..........
W a sh in g ton ............ ...........
H erm ann.................. ..........
W a s h in g to n ............ ..........

Duties
on imports.
$107,831 05
34,758 70
$ 142,589
77,519
51,191
17,848
28,358
128.988
140,142
81,133
50,807

75
90
65
75
35
65
00
05
25

$ 575,989
98,8u7
151,209
148,003
60,939
55,0 94
153,462
244,452
150,553
107,227
94,786
136,160

60
90
40
05
85
65
05
40
95
90
10
40

781 ,69 0
570 ,75 0
354,676
246,479

$1,400,717
147,855
76,6 23
65,7 86
2 32,590
203 ,82 2
149,215
91,130
59,645

15
10
00
75
20
25
30
30
50

646,840
223,328
216,066
199,211

$1,0 25 ,6 6 8
168,159
55,989
54,909
52,303

40
95
35
50
10

$331,361 90

T o ta l for 1 8 5 1 . . .
VALUE AND AMOUNT OF DUTIES PAID ON GOODS BROUGHT BY THE STEAMERS
AND “ HUMBOLDT,”
NOVEMBER,

OF THE STEAM NAVIGATION

COMPANY, FROM

THE

u

FRANKLIN ”

FIR ST

T R IP

IN

1850, TO JUNE 17 th, 1851, INCLUSIVE.

Date.
1 85 0 — N o v e m b e r 1 4 ..............., .
1 6 .............. . .
1851—January
M arch
22 ............ .. .
M ay
1 9 ............ . .
June
1 7 ............ . .

Total for 1851




Steamers.
Franklin.....................
Franklin....................
Franklin....................
F ranklin....................
H u m b o ld t.................

Value o f
imports.

Duties on

imports.

$ 7 0 ,98 2
811,878
129,536
76,455
89,182

12,671,151

35
50
90
05
70

1606,553 15

Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.
VALUE AND AMOUNT OF DUTIES PAID ON
FROM THE FIRST T RIP IN JULY,

1850,

GOODS
TO MAY

BROUGHT

BY

20, 1851,

Date.
—July
July
August
September
September
October
October
November
December

Steamers.
i ............ . Pacific.....................
21............ . Atlantic...................
10............ . Pacific.....................
2 ............ . Atlantic...................
21............ . Pacific......................
9 ............ . Atlantic....................
27............ . Pacific......................
12............ . Atlantic....................
4 ............ . Arctic.......................

Total
.—January
January
February
March
March
April
April
May
May

for 1850...
2 ........... .
28............ .
20............ .
15............ .
24............ .
3 ............ .
19........... ..
11........... ..
26.............

Baltic.......................
Arctic.......................
Baltic.......................
Pacific.....................
Arctic.......................
Baltic.......................
Pacific................... .
A rctic.....................
Baltic.......................

THE

637
COLLINS’

Value of
imports.

Duties on
imports.
$33,842 60
89,028 60
61,034 85
47,326 25
29,848 30
29,659 00
18,366 30
16,619 00
18,348 15

270,427

Total for 1851...
AGGREGATE VALUE OF IMPORTS, AND

STEAMERS

INCLUSIVE.

$344,073
130,505
154,786
185,846
162,402
67,260
73,759
33,259
17.552
16,977

05
35
00
90
75
25
95
20
70
95

$842,351 05
DUTIES PAID

ON THE SAME, BY THE ABOVE AM ER­

ICAN STEAMSHIP TRANS-ATLANTIC LINES, WITHIN THE DATES SPECIFIED.

Lines.

Value of imports.

Ocean Steam Navigation Company............
Steam Navigation Company.......................
United States Mail Steamship Company...

$13,674,303
2.988,353
4,705,296

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

$21,367,952

Duties on imports.

13,476,326 80
677,535 50
1,186,424 10
$5,340,286 40

Aggregate amount of duties paid on goods imported by the Cunard
steamers into New York, from the the first trip in January, 1848, to
the 1st June, 1851—a period of three years and five months, inclu­
ding 71 entrances................................................................................. $5,783,699 28
Aggregate amount of duties paid on goods imported by the American
trans atlantic steamers into New York, from the first trip in July,
1847, to the 17th of June, 1851—a period of four years, including 56
entrances.............................................................................................. 5,340,286 40
Difference in receipts in favor of the Cunarders.............................

$443,412 88

Number of entrances at this port of the Cunard steamers in the above-stated
time................................................................................................................
Number of entrances at this port of American trans-atlantic steamers in
same time......................................................................................................

71
56

Difference in our favor, as respects estimate of freight and duties payable
thereon....................................................................................................

15
The number of entrances, during the past four years, of our own steamers, stands
thus:—
Vessels of Ocean Steam Navigation Company................................................
Vessels of Steam Navigation Company..........................................................
Vessels of United States Mail Steamship Company.......................................

83
5

Total................, ................................................................................

56

jg

The American steamer bringing the largest amount of freight, and paying the high­
est duty, was the Franklin, on her return trip from Havre, January 16,1851, when the




/

638

Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

value of her imports was $1,263,649, and the duties thereon $311,378 50—the latter
exceeding by $6,264 59 that paid on any Cunard steamer into Boston, and less by
$16,265 35 (this only on one occasion) than by any Cunard steamer into New York.
The exception here referred to was the steamer Africa, February 17, 1851.
Our extensive transactions with Havre and Bremen are to be accounted for as much,
doubtless, on political grounds, as owing to the security and excellence of our vessels ;
at least this construction finds favor with a large class of merchants, for whose opinions
we have the highest respect; but, passing on to the Liverpool shipments, and we find
that even in a British port, where the national feeling naturally is to our prejudice, and
our only rivalry English in its character, we have command of a fair proportion of the
carrying trade, recent as the establishment of the Collins’ line has been, and mighty
as were the obstacles to be overcome. Gradually, too, the previous monopoly by the
Cunard company, is yielding in a greater ratio; and unless causes intervene, which we
do not anticipate, and can hardly conceive, we must, as a consequence of this compe­
tition, predicated on past experience, completely divide the business in a very few
years. But to the figures
COMPARATIVE TABLE, EXHIBITING THE AMOUNT OF DUTIES PAID ON GOODS BROUGHT TO THIS
PORT B Y THE CUNARD AND COLLINS’ STEAMERS RESPECTIVELY,

ON A GIVEN NUMBER OF

ENTRANCES, AND W IT H A NEAR ASSIMILATION OF DATES :— •
BY THE CUNARD LINE.

Steamers.

Date.

1850___

J u ly
J u ly
A u g u st
A u g u st
S ep tem b er
O ctob er

5 ...............
2 2 ...............
3 ...............
30 ............
2 1 ...............
1 1 ...............

Duties on imports.

..........

Total.

$795,795 50
BY

1850___
____
....
....
....
....

113,843 80

the

Ju’ y
1 .......................
July
21......................
August
10.....................
September 2.....................
September 27.....................
October
9.....................

Co l l i n s ’

l in e .

Pacific..
Atlantic
Pacific..
Atlantic
Pacific..
Atlantic

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

$33 842
89,028
61,034
47,326
29,848
29,659

60
60
85
25
30
00

$290,739 60

The above aggregate amounts exhibit a difference in favor of the Cunard steamers,
of more than half a million of dollars, or in exact figures of $505,055 90. The aver­
age amount of duties paid by the Cunard steamers on each of these six trips is
$132,632 50 , on the Collins steamers $48,456 60. Difference in favor of the Cunard
steamers $84,175 97. The duties paid by the freight of the one, nearly treble those
of the other. But when we come to the current year, in which our American steam­
ers, with the benefit of experience in their engineers and commanders, have sufficient­
ly vindicated their qualities as to speed, we find a different result, which, in time,
will, we hope, prove even more satisfactory. In this year, the average amount of du­
ties paid on goods brought here by the Cunard steamers on each of the six trips of
which we have any return, and embracing a period of four months, viz :—From Janu­
ary 18 to May 21, inclusive, is $169,718 31; the average amount of duties paid, the
same period, on goods brought to this port by the Collins steamers in each of their
six trips was $129,093 53,
The duties paid to withiu the latest dates specified in onr tables on the entrance of
our American trans-atlantic steamships, that is, four years, approaches to within two
million and a half dollars of all the duties paid on goods imported by the C unard stea­
mers into Boston for a period of eleven years; and as shown above, the C unard stea­
mers, with the advantage of fifteen additional trips, exceed us only by something less
than $500,000.




Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

639

THE LARGEST STEAMSHIP IN THE WORLD.
Messrs. 0. Mare & Co., the shipbuilders of Blackwall, and Messrs. Tenn, of Green­
wich, England, engineers, have taken a contract to construct for the Peninsular and
Oriental Steam Navigation Company an iron steamship, of the following dimensions
and power, viz:— Length between the perpendiculars, 325 feet; breadth of beam, 43
feet; depth, 32 feet. She will measure about 3,000 tons, and will be propelled by
four engines, of the collective working power of 1,200 horses; will have feathering
paddle-wheels, and a guaranteed average speed of 14 knots, equal to 16 statute miles,
per hour. Some idea may be formed of the size of this gigantic vessel when it is
compared with that of some of the existing steamships most celebrated for their large
size. She will be 51 feet longer than the Great Britain, 60 feet longer than the largest
of the Cunard, or the American mail steamers, the Asia and Africa; 40 feet longer
than the large steamers, such as the Parana, Oronoco, (fee., now constructing for the
Royal Mail Company, and 100 feet longer and 600 tons larger than the Caledonia, first
rate, of 120 guns. She is the first of an improved class of steamships about to be
constructed by the Peninsular and Oriental Company for the East India mail and
passenger service, and it is confidently estimated that she will effect the passage be­
tween Southampton and Alexandria, a distance of 3,100 miles, in nine days. The pas­
sengers accommodation in these vessels is to be on the most spacious scale, and re­
plete with every comfort and convenience.
FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT MASSACHUSETTS RAILROADS.
In the summer of 1835, the first year of travel on the Boston and Lowell Railroad,
there were but two trains a day between Lowell and Boston. Now there are eleven
trains a day—eight over the Boston and Lowell, and three over the new route via
Wilmington. Just before the opening of this railroad, the “ Middlesex Canal Packet
Boat, Governor Sullivan, Captain S. Tyler,” made daily trips between Lowell and Bos­
ton, “ fare reduced to fifty cents 1” Lowell passengers took the boat at Middlesex vil­
lage. Sixteen years have wrought wonderful changes.
The Boston Daily Advertiser says:—“ For the purpose of showing to what extent
the whole people of the State participate in the benefit of the lines of railroad which
traverse it, it may be pertinent to state that there are in Massachusetts thirtv-two cities
and towns which have each 5,000 inhabitants and upwards, and that one "or more of
these railroads pass through, or terminate in each of these towns, with the exception
of Nantucket only, which is an island twenty miles removed from the main land ; and
that on each railroad two or more passenger trains run to and from Boston daily, Sun­
days excepted. There are in the State ninety-eight towns of a population varying
from 2,000 to 5,000, of which seventy-three are situated on some one of the said lines
of railroad, and have the same facilities of communication as the larger class of towns.
Of the twenty-five towns of from 2,000 to 5,000 inhabitants, thirteen are seaport
towns, mostly in the Old Colony, and a large proportion are situated near a railroad
station in an adjoining town. The population of the smaller class of towns have the
opportunities of railroad accommodation in nearly the same proportion as those of the
class above mentioned.”
The statistics of travel taken recently by the city police, and published by the cele­
bration committee, though quite interesting, do not do full justice to the subject, from
the fact that their count commenced at 6J o’clock in the morning, and ended at 7A
P. M.
For the purpose of ascertaining the number of persons arriving and departing daily
to and from the city of Boston, the city marshall so distributed the police as to enable
him to make up an accurate list of all persons passing over the great thoroughfares
leading to that city. The following is the statement of the arrivals and departures by
railroad for one day :—
P A S S E N G E R T R A IN S O F T .

Trains.

Lowell..................
Maine....................
Fitchburg............
Eastern...............
Old Colony..........
W orcester............
Providence..........
TotaL............




23
14
120

P A S S E N G E R T R A IN S I N .

Cars.

Passengers.

Trains.

Cars.

116
132
148
30
136
192
111
872

1,375
2,584
2,123
1,804
2,264
2,580
1,946
12,952

12
21
22
10
14
21
16
116

Passengers.

114
178
146
34
118
178
122
1,132

1,305
2,600
1,952
1,697
1,981
2,367
1,670
11,963

640

Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.
F R E I G H T T R A IN S O U T .

Lowell..................................
Maine...................................
Fitchburg..............................
Eastern.................................
Old Colony...........................
Worcester.............................
Providence.............................

9
5
7
1
7
5
4

Cars.
388
160
172
20
272
186
134

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

38

1,332

Trains.

F R E IG H T T R A IN S IN .

Passengers. Trains.

Cars.

Pas’gers.

40
27
50
10
32
30
118

9
5
9
1
6
5
4

271
163
2u7
16
197
150
134

45
26
52
10
28
30
117

307

39

1,138

308

The whole number of railroad trains leaving the city was 158 ; arriving, 155. Total
of arrivals and departures, 313. The number of passengers arriving by railroad was
12,291 ; departing, 13,259. Total of arrivals and departures of passengers, 25,539.
Below we give the recapitulation of all the arrivals and departures of persons for the
day
Came in,
Went out.
Per passenger trains............................
11,963
12,952
Per freight trains....................................
308
307
Per vehicles..........................................
14,942
15,964
On foot.................................................. .
14,310
12,887
On horseback........................................
127
124
With handcarts.....................................
79
79
Total persons...............................

42,313

41,729

The above may be taken, we presume, as a fair average of the daily arrivals
departures, both of railroad trains and persons.
PROGRESS OF RAILWAYS LY THE UNITED STATES.
^ A correspondent of the American Railway Times furnishes a statement of the pro­
gress of railways in the United States from 1830 to 1851, which, with a correction or
two, we here subjoin:—
Years.
1 83 0 .........
1 83 1 .........
1 83 2 ........
1 83 3 ........
1 83 4 ........
1 8 3 5 ........

Miles. Years.
13 1 8 3 6 .........
19 1 8 3 7 . . . .
176 1 8 3 8 ..........
1 8 3 9 ..........
1840. . . .
542 1 8 4 1 .........

Miles.
839
1,155
1,389
1,986
2,226
2,505

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

Miles. Years.
2,688 1 8 4 7 .. . .
2,965 1 8 4 8 . . . .
3,474 1 8 4 9 . . . .
3,518 1 8 5 0 .. . .
3,885 1 8 5 1 . . . .

Miles.
4,369
4,574
5,583
6,783
11,471

The Baltimore and Ohio Railway was opened a distance of 13 miles, December 28,
1829 ; the South Carolina Railway, a cistance of 6 miles, November 1, 1830; the
Lake Ponchartrain, April 16th; the Camden and Amboy, a distance of 7 miles, July
1st; and the Mohawk and Hudson, throughout, September 24th, 1831.
It is difficult to prepare a table, which, when published, will give the precise num­
ber of miles of railways in operation, as every day adds to the number, and swells
the grand total of miles completed or in operation.
“ THE AMERICAN RAILWAY GLIDE,”
This is the most complete and convenient manual for the traveler by railway and
steamboat that has ever been published in the United States. It contains carefully
prepared and correct tables for time of starting from all stations, distances, fares, etc.,
on all the railway lines in the United States, together with a complete railway map.
The principal steamboat and stage lines running in connection with railroads, are
also embraced in its admirably classified tables. It is for the traveler in every State
of the Union, what Snow and Wilder’s “ Pathfinder Railway Guide” is for New
England, and Bradshaws’ for Old England—a perfect manual of its kind.




Journal o f M ining and Manufactures.

641

JOURNAL OF MINING AND MANUFACTURES.
PIN MANUFACTURE IN THE UNITED STATES.
During tlie war of 1812, in consequence of the suspension of importations, pins be­
came very scarce. The prices asked for the few in the market, were many times the
original cost—in some instances as high as a dollar a paper, by the pack. About this
time an effort was made to introduce the manufacture in New York. Some pin ma­
kers came from England, bringing the necessary implements, and commenced the busi­
ness at the old States Prison at Greenwich, (New York,) employing the labor of the
convicts. I think the establishment belonged to, or was managed by a man named
Haynes. How much was done, I am not informed; but the low prices which pre­
vailed very soon after the termination of the war, were fatal to the enterprise, and it
was abandoned. In the year 1820, Richard Turman obtained the tools which had been
used by Haynes. He made a contract for pauper labor, and undertook the manufac­
ture in the Alms-House at Bellevue. Mr. Turman carried on the business a year or
two, when he died ; having lost by the undertaking a considerable share of his proper­
ty. Probably the trouble and perplexity of the business, together with the confine­
ment consequent on attending to it, hastened his end. No further use was ever made
of the tools. I recollect hearing Mr. Turman say at this time, that he had seen a
machine for making pins, that it had made pins, but was too delicate, or intricate to be
used with advantage. X suppose this machine was one which was invented and pat­
ented by Moses L. Morse, of Boston, during the war. I think Morse’s machine had
been worked to some small extent at that time, but it had passed into other hands,
and was never used afterwards. His specification showed him to have been a man of
good mechanical talents.
Lemuel William Wright, of Massachusetts, patented a machine for making “ solidheaded pins," both in the United States, and in England, at an early period. I believe
his specification and drawings are published in the London “ Repository or Arts.” He
never attemped to put it to use in the United States, but in London he formed a com­
pany with a large capital, for the purpose of operating with it. The company built a
large Btone factory in Lambeth, and constructed some sixty machines, at great expense.
It is understood that the machines failed in pointing the pins, and for that reason never
could be put into successful operation. To obviate this difficulty, Wright invented a
machine for heading the shanks, pointed and cut in the ordinary way by hand. The
company did not succeed, and broke up with the loss of a great part of the invest ment. D. F. Taylor, who had been ruined by this failure, afterwards came in posses­
sion of tlie machinery, and, by"connecting himself with a capitalist, under the firm of
D. F. Taylor <Ss Co., was enabled to start a manufactory of “ solid-headed pins ” at
Stroud, in Gloucestershire. This was in 1832, or 1833. Some pins of their make
even sold as early as 1833; which were the first “ solid-headed” pins ever sold in any
market. They obtained a patent for the “ solid headed” pin by act of Parliament.
They used (principally or solely) the machine for heading only. Some account of
Wright’s machine is given in Mr. Babbage’s work on the “ Economy of Manufac­
tures.”
In 1832, a patent for a pin machine was obtained for the United States, by John J.
Howe, and in 1833 and '34, patents for the same invention were obtained for England
and France. This machine was designed to make pins similar to the English diamond
pins, the heads being formed of a coil of small wire fastened upon the shand by pres­
sure between dies. No arrangement was made to use this invention in Europe; but in
December, 1835, the Howe Manufacturing Company, was formed in New York, for
the purpose of putting it in operation. This company removed to Birmingham, (Derby,)
Connecticut, where its manufacturing operations are now carried on. In the spring of
1838, a second patent for the United States, was obtained by John J. Howe, for a ma­
chine for making “ solid-headed ” pins in 1840, and this is the machine which is now
in use, by the Howe Manufacturing Company.
Samuel Slocum, of Rhode Island, obtained a patent in England, for a machine to
make “ solid-headed” pins in 1835. His invention was not put to use in England;
but he established the manufacture of pins, by means of it, in Poughkeepsie, in 1S38,
under the firm of Slocum, Gillison & Co. His machine has not been patented in the
United States, but has been, as it still is, run in secret. At this period, and till the
VOL. XXV.--- NO. V.
41




642

Journal o f M ining and M anufactures.

Tariff of 1842 came into operation, pins (under the “ Compromise Act,”) were free of
duty ; while brass wire of which they are made, was subject to a duty of 20 to 25 per
cent. Under this discouragement, the business made but slow progress. But under
the encouragement given by the tariff of 1842, the two companies above named, went
on increasing their production, and doing a profitable business, till 1846. In the mean­
time, it having been found that pins could be successfully manufactured by machinery
— and exaggerated ideas both as to the extent of the business and the profits to be
made in it, having obtained extensive prevalence,—many persons in different parts of
the country, being engaged in scheming on machinery for making pins, and much cap­
ital was expended, and finally sunk in these projects. These attempts were attended
with various degrees of success; in a few instances a good article was produced, but
in most cases, the article produced was more or less inferior in quality. The conse­
quence was, that at this time, within but a few years after the manufacture had been
commenced, and before it was fairly established, (at least on its present basis,) the mar­
ket was overstocked with goods, importations were nearly or quite arrested, and the
business was ruined by domestic competition. This depression continued about two
years, from 1846 to ’48, and during this period, nearly every party engaged in the
manufacture, or attempting to engage in it, excepting the two companies before named,
suspended operations. Slocum, Gillison & Co., sold out their establishment to the
“ American Pin Company,” of Waterbury, Connecticut, and the machinery was removed
from Poughkeepsie to Waterbury, where it is now used by the last named Company.
The “ American Pin Company,” and the “ Howe Manufacturing Company,” now man­
ufacture nearly all the pins consumed in the United States. There is a party at
Poughkeepsie doing a limited business, and a suall amount imported. Since the de­
pression of 1846 to 1848, the business at the two companies named, has been reason­
ably profitable, having been rendered so rather by reducing the cost of production and
the expense of selling, than by the small advance in price which has been realized.
Both companies manufacture the wire for making their pins. During the last year, the
two companies have used principally Lake Superior copper, for making their wire;
their joint consumption of copper, amounting to about 250 tons, per annum. The
present weekly production of pins by the two companies, may be stated at about eight
tons.
In connection with the improvement effected in the manufacture of pins, by the in­
troduction of self-acting machinery, superseding a process which formerly required six
or seven different manual operations, important improvements have been made in the
method of sheeting the pins, or sticking them on paper. This, as previously preformed,
by inserting a few pines at a time by hand, was a tedious process, at which some five
or six doxen papers were as many as a good hand could do in a day. By the improved
machinery now in use, one hand will stick from 75 to 125 dozen a day, and do the work
better than it was usually done in the old way. There are three patents now in force
for improvements in the machines in use for this operation, namely : one granted to
Samuel Slocum, one to De Grass Fowler, and one to John J. Howe. These patents
are held jointly by the “ Howe Manufacturing Company,” and the “ American Pin Com­
pany.”
The present price of American solid-headed pins, is believed not to exceed two-thirds
of the lowest price at which imported pins of equal weight were ever afforded before
the manufacture was introduced, and for service, they are undoubtedly better than the
article of which they have taken the place.
The American improvements in both the pin making and pin sticking machinery
have been for several years in operation in England, and probably in other parts of
Europe.
THE COST OF MAKING COTTON SHEETING.

The Cannelton Indiana Economist, a journal conducted with signal ability, and de­
voted to the manufacturing and industrial interests of the West, publishes the subjoined
tabular statements of the cost of raw cotton in each yard of sheeting, and also the
cost of making one yard of sheeting, Ac. We have no practical knowledge of the
subject, and therefore, must rely entirely on the statements of the Economists’ corres­
pondent, and the endorsement of the editors of that print for the accuracy of the ta­
bles. If correct, however, they will be useful for reference to those interested in cotton
mills, and interesting, in connection with several communications and papers on the




Journal o f M ining and Manufactures.

64 3

same subject, ■which have appeared in former numbers of the Merchants' Magazine. In
reference to the following tables, the editor of the Economist says:—
“ Instead of reckoning insurace and commissions under the item of cost of manufac­
ture, he makes a deduction of 10 per cent. This is probably a fair allowance; the
commissions for sales and guaranty are 5 per cent; the goods are sold at six months
credit, making 3 per cent; and this per cent would cover insurance and incidentals.
It will be borne in mind, that six cents a pound for manufacture is a very high figure,
even for an old New England mill.”
TABLE

S H O W IN G T H E

YARDS

COST O F R A W

COTTON I N

T O T H E P O U N D , A L L O W IN G

10

S IX C E N TS P E R P O U N D , IN C R E A S E D

PER

B Y O N E -Q U A R T E R

P O U N D , E X T E N D E D T O O N E -T E N -M IL L lO N T n
C O N T A IN O F U N C L E A N E D COTTON

Cotton at

.3 9 6 8 2 5 4

Cents.

6 cents will co st...............
“
“ ...............
6£
“
“
6f
“
«
7
“
“
7i
“
«
H
“
“
7|
“
«
8
“
“
8i
“
“
84
“
“
8f
“
«
9
“
“
9£
“
“
94
“
“

EACH YA R D

CE N T F O R

PART

CEN T, TO

T H IR T E E N

O F A CENT O F COST.

C EN TS

PER

EACH YA R D W IL L

P O U N D S :-----

Cotton at
9 f cents will cost..........
((
“
10
It
*
10i
it
It
104
((
“ ..........
10J
It
“
11
u
Hi
It
“
ni
U
iif
it
ft
12
it
“
12i

2.3809524
2.4801587
2.5793650
2’.6785713
2.7777778
2.8769841
2.9761905
3.0753968
3.1746032
3.2738095
3.3730159
3.4722222 124
3.5714286 12f
3.6706349 13
3.7698412

TABLE SHOWING THE COST OF MAKING ONE

O F S H E E T IN G , W E I G H I N G 2 . 8 0

L O S S IN M A N U F A C T U R E , A T F R O M

YARD

it

it

it

It

“

OF

Cents.
3.9682540
4.2658730

4.6626984
4.9603174
5.0595238
5.1687302

..........

SHEETING

2.80

TO

THE

POUND

EXCLUSIVE OF THE COST OF COTTON, W H E N THE MANUFACTURE COSTS P E R POUND FROM

4

CENTS

w e ig h

,

TO 6J TO THE SAME
.3571429 p o u n d s :—

DECIMAL.

EACH

YA RD ,

2.80

TO

THE POUND, W IL L

Cents.

At 4 cents per lb. for making

H
H

4f
5

H

1.4285716
1.5178573
1.6071430
1.6964287
1.7857145
1.8750002

54 cents per lb. for making
5f
6
“
“
6i
64
6|

Cents.
1.9642859
2.0535716
2.1428574
2.2321431
2.3214288
2.4107145

14,880
4,464,000
In 1 year of 300 days will yield................................. yards per year
Each day will produce of goods weighing 2.80 yards to the pound
pounds of sheeting...........................................................................
5,314.286
To which add l-9th for 10 per cent waste in raw cotton, it will
require............................................ pounds of raw cotton per day
5,904.762
300 days will consume about 3,936 bales raw cotton, or 328 bales per
month, of 450 lbs. each, or in pounds per year...............................
1,771,428
Allowing 10 per cent for commission, interest, <fcc., and off the sale price.
Profit.
Cotton.
Goods.
Labor.
Cts.

Cts.

Cts.

Cts. -per yd.

54
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
4

64
64
64
7
n
8
84
9
9i
64

64
6i
64
64
64
64
64
64
64
64

1.0813491
0.9027776
1.1277776
0.9293748
0.7309521
9.5335394
0.3341267
0.1357140
0.0365077
1.8420634




Per annum.

$48,271
40,299
50,343
41,487
82,629
23,816
14,915
6,058
1,629
82,229

42
99
99
29
70
19
41
27
70
71

Per cent on $325,000.

14.85
12.40
15.49
12.76
10.04
7.32
4.59
1.86
0.5
22.22

64 4

Journal o f M ining and Manufactures.
COAL TRADE OF SCHUYLKILL, PENNSYLVANIA.

We are indebted to the Miner's Journal, published at Pottsville, Pa., for the sub­
joined table showing the capital invested, wages paid, annual product, &c., in the
region of Schuylkill County alone. It does not include any real estate, except, per'
haps, that of the Delaware Coal Company. These statistics are based on the situa­
tion of the collieries, product, expenditures, (he., for the year ending June 30,1850:—
POTTSVILLE.

Coal operators.
Thomas Miles & Co................

Capital invested. Mon’Iy wages. Annual product. Value.
118,000
$37,000
NORWEGIAN TOWNSHIP.

Ceorge H. Potts....................
George Spencer & Co............
George Rich..........................
Jonathan Wasley...................
James McKown.....................
Delaware Coal Company . . .

40,000
2,500
500,000

3,150
1,560
1,000
1,700
300
' 4,760

39,285
20,000
15,000
22,000
4,000
50,000

66,784
40,000
30,000
33,000
7,800
75,000

400

6,000
4,000

12,000
8,000

5,000
1,200
240
1,000
16,000
3,000
650
400
1,500
400
600
900
4,500
8,000
600

60,000
15,000
1,800
10.000
131,000
30,000
11,000
2,000
20,000
7,000
11,500
9,500
3,600
63,000
7,000
11,000

120,000
28,000
3,500
20,900
212,000
86,000
16,000
3,600
40,000
10,000
19,000
15,200
57,500
100,800
12,200
14,000

1,000
6,000
450
250
450
2,200
800
450
800
800
1,200
1,000
800
200
1,200
240
600
800
800
700
600

16,000
60,000
5,000
2,000
3,300
25,000
8,000
4,000
10,000
9,000
12,000
13,000
8,000
2,000
15,000
2,500
8,000
8,000
7,000
7,000
4,000

MINERSVILLE.
Philip Jonec...........................
Joseph F. Taylor-..................
CASS TOWNSHIP.
George & 'William Payne......
Charles M. H ill............ - . . . .
John Reese...........................
Jones & Evans.....................
M. P. & G. Heilner.................
Gideon Bast & Co.................
Jacob Serrill..........................
James C. Oliver....................
George Spencer & Co............
William Morris......................
William & Charles Britton. ..
Dolbin <fc Rogers....................
William Petheriek................
Richard Hecksher.................
Johanna Cockill.....................
Joseph F. Taylor..................

8,000
30,000
9,000

BLYTHE TOWNSHIP.
Joseph Whitfield.................
Rogers, Sinickson & Co„........
John Williams.......................
Thomas Pollard....................
Thomas Williams................. .
A. Steinberger......................
Collahan & Hanon............... ___
Elijah Dodson........................ ___
Sager Chadwick..................
James C. Oliver..................
Denison, Bowman & Co........
James Neal........................... ___
John Tucker........................ .
J. & B. Quigley....................
Conner, Rhodes & Co..........
William Williams................
B. N. Titus & Co..................
Henry Guiterman & Co . . . .
Sillyman & Reed..................
James Penman.....................
William Williams™.............. ___




6,000
4,000

28,000

1,200

23,000
120,000
6,500
2,900
5,200
43,000
14,000
6,500
16,000
13,500
17,000
19,000
14,000
3,600
26,SCO
4,400
15,500
13,600
14,000
9,100
7,800

Journal o f M ining and Manufactures,

645

NORTH CASTLE TOWNSHIP.

Coal operators.
VVood & Moore............... ....
Isaac W. Richardson...................
Steel & Wood.....................
Joseph G. Lawton..............
William & Thomas John.. .,
John Hornless.....................
Adams & Miller................
David Brown &, Co............
Daniel Edwards................
Smith &, Glenn...................
Samuel Sillyman...............
Walker, Frantz & C o ........ ........
Francis J. Parvin................
Price & Hughes.................
Milnes, Haywood & Co . . .
John Pinkerton...................
Kelly & Fogerty.................
Sillyman & Fister...............
David Chillas......................
Lewis Dougherty...............
Charles Miller....................

Capital invested. Mon’Jywages. Annual product.
175
780
4,000
3,200
350
3,000
300
2,700
25,000
3,800
40,000
300
20,000
2,000
40,000
2,000
14,000
600
10,000
1,250
180
30,000
2,000
1,000
80
670
1,000
12,400
960
100
4,000
46,879
3,500
42,000
1,600
19,200
1,600
19,300
1,675
180
11,000
750
2,000
40,000

EAST NORWEGIAN TOWNSHIP.
Capewell, Dovey <fc Co. . . .
1,500
William Y. Egard <Ss Co . .. ........
60,000
2,500
Winterstein & Headly....... ........
5,000
400
Haywood & Co................. ........
1,400
20,000
T. & W. Pollock.......... .
1,000
John G. Hughes................
1,200
James Berry.......................
180

Value.
1,400
5,100
4,800
37,000
64,000
3,500
60,000
28,000
16,000
2,200
46,000
1,100
19,800
1,600
70,000
84,000
28,800
29,000
2,600
14,000
64,000

12,600
20,000
5,300
15,250
13,200
12,000
2,000

21,600
38,000
8,000
24,300
31,000
28,500
2,900

75,000
8,400
20,000
20,000
14,000

102,500
126,000
30,000
30,000
21,000

332
1,300
1,950
1,600
2,028
160
1,400

6,000
18,000
28,000
26,000
20,000
3,000
18,000

9,000
27,000
87,500
39,000
87,500
4,800
27,000

1,750
437
437

30,000
8,000
4,000

45,000
16,000
12,000

667
1,667

21,000
30,000

42,000
60,000

400
1,040
584

7,000
23,000
7,000

14,000
42,000
14,000

$149,813

$1,598,549

$2,876,784

TAMAQUA.
J. & R. Carter.....................
Heaton <fc C arter.............. ........
It. Ratcliff C o ................
William Donaldson............
James Taggert..................

4,500
600
1,400
1,200
1,800

5,500

SCHUYLKILL TOWNSHIP.
Charles Bennett..................
William Cooper..................
John Tucker.....................
C. Sillyman & Co...............
George H. Potts...............
Wiggan & Co.....................
Jones, Berbeck & Co..........
F R A IL E Y TOW NSHIP.

Colt, Gaskin <fc Lomison...
McCormick & Clark..........
Molly & Smith..................
TREMONT TOWNSHIP.

Levi S. Spangler................
Henry Eckel.....................
PINEGROVE TOWNSHIP.

David Greenawalt..............
John Kitzmiller..................
Caleb Wheeler..................
Total..........................

Total number of hands employed......................................




6,541

646

Journal o f M ining and Manufactures.

After throwing off all the expenditures made by incorporated coal and improvement
companies, embraced in the above table, it will be seen that the investments made by
individuals engaged in the trade is nearly three millions of dollars.
GOLD QUARTZ MINING UV CALIFORNIA.

The following statement in regard to the quartz mining operations in California is
published in late California papers :—
“ The numerous discoveries of auriferous quarts which have been made in all direc­
tions throughout the length and breadth of this favored land, must force conviction
upon the mind, even of the most skeptical, that the amount of gold in California may
with perfect truth be pronounced inexhaustible, and that for ages to come this State
will possess within her own boundaries a permanent source of wealth beyond the
wildest dream of the gold-seeker’s imagination. Men whose knowledge on this subject
is acquired only by hearsay, and the information obtained by a residence in our cities,
can form but crude ideas of the actual reality. When they have visited the quartz
regions,and have examined for themselves,—not with railroad speed and a cursory
glance—not satisfied with being shown some rich dazzling specimens, which excite
their wonder and admiration, but wisely spending a few weeks in observing the quan­
tity and quality of the various descriptions of gold-bearing quartz, and afterwards
making a calculation of the products of even one ledge or vein sufficiently extensive
to induce the erection of proper machinery—then will they begin to realize the fact
that all the gold which has been already taken from the different bars, ravines, gulch­
es, canons, flats, river banks and river beds, coyote diggings, Ate., are but as gleanings
from a plenteous harvest field, compared with those countless millions which the sure,
though slower process of rock-crushing and amalgamating, will yet extract from the
mountains and hills of California. Heretofore the operations in quartz mining have
been generally regarded either as the schemes of speculators or the visionary crea­
tions of some excited imagination. Gradually, however, these matters are beginning
to be better understood, and no longer to be looked upon with distrust or suspicion.
Confidence now takes the place of doubt, and capital is seeking investment in that
which, if properly and honestly managed, will prove the most valuable of all stock.
One great desideratum still remains to be obtained, namely, some process by which
the very fine gold can be saved. At present the loss varies from 12 to as high as *75
per cent, according to the description of machinery used. Men’s minds are reflecting
on this subject not only here but throughout the States, and we shall not be surprised
to find a method discovered by an ingenious Yankee in some remote New England vil­
lage, which will answer all the purposes required, and perhaps be as remarkable for
its simplicity and cheapness as it will be useful and important to the mining popu­
lation.”
PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF COTTON.

The following statement of the produce and consumption of cottou has been put
forth, in connection with a call for a convention of the cotton-planters to Macon, Georgia,
on the 27th of October, 1851:—
Production.

Average from

1825 to 1830___
1830 to 1835....
1835 to 1840.......
1840 to 1845.......
1845 to 1850.......
Total................

___ bales
..............
..............
..............
..............

1,231,000
1,450,000
1,909,000
2,561,000
2,791,000

Average from

1825 to
1830 to
1835 to
1840 to
1845 to

1830___
1835.......
1840.... ..............
1845....
1850....... ..............

Consumption.

1,943,000
2,869,000

Total...............
PUTNAM’S SPRING BEDSTEAD.

Our readers will bear testimony to the fact, that we are not in the habit of indis­
criminately commending every new article of American or foreign production. Indeed,
we have been rather chary of bestowing praise, in some instances, when we have
thought it was well deserved, to avoid the imputation of using the influence we may
possess, as the conductor of a “ fact and figure ” work like the Merchants' Magazine.




Mercantile Miscellanies.

64T

to promote the private interests of an individual But these considerations will not
deter us from commending an article of so much real value and comfort, as that intro­
duced to the people of the United States, by Mr. John Putnam, in the shape of a
Spring Bedstead. This bedstead we know, from several months personal experience,
possesses advantages over any other article of a similar kind, that we have ever seen.
Simple in its construction, it combines cheapness, durability, and elegance, with a luxu­
riousness of ease, which, if we are not greatly mistaken, is unsurpassed by anything of
the kind now is use.

M E R C A N TILE M ISCELLANIES.
NOTE TO OUR COMMERCIAL CHRONICLE AND REVIEW.

Foreign merchandise continues to sell at very low rates, and most European fabrics
can be purchased in all of our principal cities at a considerable depreciation from the
cost of importation. This is no doubt owing to the oversupply which has been poured
into the country for the last eighteen months, far beyond the wants of the trade. This
evil, however, will cure itself, and the remedy may safely be left to individual judg­
ment. Few of our importers will long continue a losing business, and the demand will
regulate the supply. The past year has witnessed many great changes in the business
relations of our country, and there are indications that the future has in store for us
something still more wonderful. So many new elements have entered into the calcu­
lations of Commerce, that it i3 not safe to predict what is before us. California is now
pouring her golden sands into our treasuries at the rate of nearly five millions of dol­
lars per month ; and this alone is sufficient to unsettle old habits of trade, and turn the
enterprise of busiuess men into new channels. Principles of truth are eternal, and
should never be changed ; but old usages and customs are less important, and should
never be too strenuously clung to, if we would not be left behind in the progress of
the age.
THE CULTIVATION OF THE TEA PLANT,

“We take the liberty of publishing the letter of our friend and correspondent, J unius
S mith, LL. D., which contains some interesting information relating to that gentleman’s
experience in the cultivation of the Tea Plant at Greenville, S. C., which in connection
with previous statements from the same reliable source, leaves on our mind no doubt of
the complete eventual success of the enterprise.
G r e e n v ill e , S. C., Sept., 23, 1851.

F reeman H unt, Esq., J\rew York :—
D ear S i r :—The Post-office here charges 10 cents for the Merchants' Magazine,

which is, I suppose, double what it ought to be.* You must know I would thank you to
pay the postage by the quarter, or any other way, and let me know the amount, and
I will refund it.
You are aware that we have had a very dry and thirsty time here this summer, and
that vegetation has suffered greatly in consequence. My system of irrigation for the
Tea Plantation was not complete, and the Tea Plants, most exposed, perished in con­
sequence. I lost but few, but I cannot well afford to lose one. The increase is slow,
but sure. The larger and more mature plants are now covered with blossom buds,
many of which are just ready to burst into blossom. These plants have my constant
r * Mr. Smith’ s allusion to the extortion of the post-master of Greenville affords another illustra­
tion of tlie workings of one of the most unexplainable and ridiculous laws (we mean the misnamed
cheap postage act of 1850) that ever emanated from an intelligent body o f legislators, and we re­
spectfully request Post-Master General Hall to make another attempt to explain the act, which report
says he had the honor of drafting. For the information, however, o f the post-master at Greenville,
we will state, that the postage on the Merchants’ Magazine is nine cents per quarter (that is, for
three monthly numbers) if paid by Mr. Smith quarterly in advance. According to the act of Con­
gress, or Mr. Hall, the postage must be paid quarterly in advance by the subscriber, in order to secure
the discount of 50 per cent from the exorbitant rates charged upon a single number. Under the pre­
vious act the rate was uniform, and a single number of the Merchants' Magazine could be sent
3,500 miles for 7£ cents, uuder the present act it costs 30 cents for the same distance.—Ed. Mer. Mag,




Mercantile Miscellanies.

64 8

attention, both as regards irrigation and manuring. Perhaps there is no plant that dreads
drought more than the tea plant. It almost seems as if water was its life—many of
my tea nuts perished by the drought. One bed planted upon a wet soil of blue clay,
has germinated well, and the fine healthy seedlings are now eight or ten inches in
height, with fourteen or fifteen leaves; I have not lost but one of them. That was
struck by the heat of the sun before I had shaded it. The older plants require no
other attention than feeding and watering, and now stand the frosts of whiter, and the
heats of summer.
I have just received from China, my annual supply of tea nuts. More than half of
the nuts perished in transportation, but, notwithstanding, I shall continue to furnish
moderate quantities, of these fresh, this year’s nuts for autumnal planting. Having
planted every month for the last year, the result shows that a larger proportion of
the nuts planted in the autumn germinate in the spring and summer than of those
planted at any other season of the year, and yet the first planted here in June, 1850,
were the first to germinate early in the autumn following. Most of these dry foreign
nuts remain from nine to twelve months in the ground before they germinate, if they
vegitate at all. I apprehend that many nuts have been sacrificed through the want
of patience. I am now preparing to replant where the nuts failed the last year. We
find the Indian corn and the wheat and the turnips, and all kinds of vegetables fail
more or less when sown, and why should we expect the tea nut to be an exception to
the general course of God’s horticultural administration ? It is man’s duty to plant,
and Heaven’s prerogative to give or withhold the increase. I can remember when
there was not a bale of cotton grown in the United States. Millions of people well
remember when there was not a pound of tea grown, and no expectation of one. It
is the slowest and least unlikely beginnings which lead to the greatest results. I can
remember when there was not a steam-ship floating upon the ocean, and I can remem­
ber too when the Solomons of this world called me a fool and a blockhead, for advo­
cating the practicability of Atlantic Steam Navigation, and for devoting six years’
labor in introducing and establishing such a foolish scheme. I can now, from my little
farmer’s cottage, look back with unmingled delight to the six years’ intense labor dovoted to that enterprise, and read the result in every newspaper of the Union. I do
not mean to say that such will be the result of the tea undertaking, but I can see no
reason why it should not. I feel that Providence has led on the way in a most mar­
velous and unexpected development, and believe that His guiding hand will sustain in
his own way his own great work.
I am expecting two cases of tea plants from Calcutta, advices of which have been
some time in hand, but I do not place much confidence in their sound arrival, as I
have not had but one case that came in a living condition. The importance of such an
increase, and such a diversity of tea plants, can hardly be appreciated.
Your obedient servant,
JUNIUS SMITH.
AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL AND STATISTICAL SOCIETY.

This Society was established on the 9th of October, 1851, by the adoption of a
Constitution, and the election of suitable officers to manage its affairs. The society is
constituted for the collection and diffusion of geographical and statistical information.
By the constitution, the society is to consist of ordinary, corresponding, and honorary
members. The officers of the society are a President, four Vice-Presidents, Recording
Secretary, Foreign and Domestic Secretaries, and a Treasurer. An Executive Committee,
of nine members, are to be chosen annually by ballot, to whom all the business of the
society is to be referred, for their judgment, decision, and control during the year, ex­
cept when the society is actually in session, or shall otherwise determine. The officers
of the society are members of the Executive Committee, in addition to those chosen.
Five members of the committee constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Persons of good standing and character are admitted members of the society by a
majority of ballots. The initiation fee is fixed at $10, and the annual subscription at
$5. Any member of the society may withdraw on giving notice to the Secretary, and
paying all arrears due, including the subscription for the year then current, and no
persons wiU be considered entitled to the privileges of membership whose subscription
shall remain unpaid six months after he has been called on for payment. The consti­
tution provides for anniversary, special, and ordinary meetings. Anniversary meetings
are to be held on the second Thursday of December in each year, and ordinary meet­
ings on the second Thursday of March, June, September, and December. Special




Mercantile Miscellanies.

64 9

meetings may at any time be called by the Executive Committee, or by the President,
whenever requested by ten members of the society. Honorary and corresponding
members are to be first proposed for admission by the Executive Committee, and
elected in the same manner as ordinary members. The society may, from time to
time, under the superintendence of the officers or Executive Committee, publish its
transactions, with maps and illustrations. The society may also possess a library, with
a collection of maps, charts, and instruments connected with geographical and statis­
tical science, to which all members shall have access, and strangers, under such restric­
tions as may be deemed necessary by the Executive Committee. All donations to the
library are to bo recorded in its transactions. All funds of the society are to be kept
by the Treasurer, who will pay out no money but by order of the Executive Com­
mittee.
The constitution may be altered and amended at any annual meeting, by a majority
of the votes of the members present. The following gentlemen were elected the first
officers of the society in the month of October, namely:—
H enry G rinnell, Esq., President.
J oshua L eavitt, H enry E. P ierrepont, A rchibald R ussell, F reeman H unt, VicePresidents.
C harles C ongdon, Treasurer.
C harles A. D ana, Recording Secretary.
S. D ewitt B loodgood, Foreign Corresponding Secretary.
J ohn D isturnell, Domestic Corresponding Secretary and Agent.
A lexander I. Cotheal, J. Calvin S mith, L ewis G regory , H iram B arney, L uther
B. W yman, G eorge P. P utnam, H enry J. R aymond, M. P aul A rpin , M. D udley B ean,

Executive Committee.
The society at present occupies the Geographical and Statistical Rooms of Mr. John
Disturnell, 179 Broadway, New York. No society that we are acquainted with has
ever started under more favorable auspices, and the general intelligence of its officers
and present list of members, are a guarantee that its objects will be prosecuted with
efficiency, and in a liberal and enlightened spirit.
UNIVERSITY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
mercantile study a branch of university education.

If the true university of modern times (according to Thomas Carlyle) be a collection
of books, it is plain, that the true system of university study must be that which,
while it preserves the degree of discipline and control which a system implies, allows a
wide range of choice of studies, according to the tastes and wants of individuals, and
the line of life they intend to pursue. The old system, especially in America, has not
allowed this range of choice. For the three professions, law, medicine, and divinity,
our colleges furnishes a good preparatory course. But there are other professions,
other pursuits, requiring a thorough preparation, by liberal study, and mental discipline.
There is the engineer, the chemist, the scientific agriculturist, the merchant. The ad­
vance of modern discovery, the growth of modern ideas, has made the pursuits of all
these scientific. To the science and literature of the mercantile profession, the M er ­
chants’ M agazine, we flatter ourselves, has made some contributions, during the past
twelve years. It has, above all, awakened and directed attention to the fact, that
trade is something more than a simple process of money-making, to which the most
ignorant clerk, who has gone through the routine of a counting-house, is equal. Let us
count up the branches of knowledge, of liberal study, which interests the mercantile
professon: Geography, Political Economy, Moral Philosophy, the Modern Languages.
Can the mercantile student omit one of these ? can he study one of these without di­
rect advantage in his future pursuits ?
W e rejoice, therefore, to see, by the circular of the Faculty of Science and Letters,
of the University of the City of New York, that they have introduced, into that insti­
tution, the voluntary system, as it is sometimes called, a system somewhat resembling
that pursued at the continental universities. A student may now select those branches
of study which suit his individual tastes and views in life. “ To meet a great want,”
says the circular, “ especially in this community, by giving more scope for individual
selection among the studies, yet without violating any principle consecrated in the
usage of the republic of letters, and thus the more perfectly to accomplish what has
always been a part of the system of this institution, the Faculty have modified and
greatly enlarged the course of studies, by providing for instruction in the modern




Mercantile Miscellanies.

650

languages and literature equally with the ancient, and by increasing the amount of in­
struction in English literature, in the historical course, and in the cognate political
sciences.”
The student has five departments from which to make his choice : Ancient Languages
and Literature, Modern Languages and Literature, Mathematics and Natural Philoso­
phy, Chemistry, Geology, (fee., and the Moral Sciences. If we include under the last
head, history and geography, here are three, out of the five courses, to which the mer­
cantile student might give two years’ study with the utmost advantage. He would
then enter the counting-house with enlarged views of the duties and the influence of
his profession, and have higher and better qualifications for that rank of Merchant
Prince, which (rather in violation of republican consistency) our newspaper rhetoricians
are fond of bestowing on the merely wealthy trader.
“ THE GROWTH OF TOWNS IN THE UNITED STATES.”

Since the pages embracing the article with the above caption, in a former part of the
present number of the Merchants' Magazine, were struck off, we have received a letter
from the author, explanatory of a passsage in that paper, as follows:—
A d r i a n , O h io , O c t o b e r 2 0, 1851.

F eeemax H unt, E sq., Editor o f the Merchants' Magazine, etc.

Dear Sie :—It has occurred to me that my meaning, in the closing paragraph of the
communication lately sent you, is not fully expressed. In saying that Cincinnati, St.
Louis, Chicago, and Toledo will, in the time mentioned, become the largest cities of
our Union, I meant to express the opinion, that the largest of the four will be more
populous than New York ; the next largest, exceed Philadelphia; the third in size, be
larger than Baltimore or Boston ; and the fourth be greater than New Orleans.
Respectfully yours, (fee., J. w . SCOTT.
HOW TO MAKE MONEY IN BUSINESS.

What perturbation of mind ? What struggling, and scratching, and shifting, and
lying, and cheating, is practiced every day by mammon-worshippers to make money ?
What a comparison between the successful and unsuccessful ? Of the millions who
embark in business to make money, how few succeed ? And why ? Because but few
know the secret of success. Most think it chance, or good fortune, but they are sadly
mistaken; and if such as are now pining to get rich would only strictly mind the fol­
lowing advice and be guided by it, there would be no doubt of their realizing their
golden dreams:—
Let the business of everybody else alone, and attend to your own; don’t buy what
you don’t want; use every hour to advangtage, and study to make even leizure hours
useful; think twice before you throw away a shilling, remember you will have another
to make for it ; find recreation in looking after your business ; buy low, sell fair, and
take care of the profits; look over your books regularly, and if you find an error, trace
it out; should a stroke of misfortune come upon you in trade, retrench, work harder,
but never fly the track; confront difficulties with unflinching perseverance, and they
will disappear at last; though you should fail in the struggle, you will be honored—
but shrink from the task and you will be despised.
THE PRESENCE OF ARSENIC IN BREAD.

In a recent lecture on muriatic acid at the Glasgow Mechanics’ Institution, Dr. Penny
stated that nearly all the muriatic acid sold in Glasgow is contaminated with arsenic.
The doctor said he had examined very carefully numerous samples obtained from dif­
ferent makers and retail shops, in all of which, with one exception, he had discovered,
by Reinsche’s test, the presence of an appreciable proportion of this poisonous sub­
stance. Now, it is well known that muriatic acid, with other chemical articles, is used
very frequently as a substitute for yeast in the making of bread. It therefore really
becomes a very serious question whether the employment of an impure acid like that
mentioned for making such an essential article of food as bread may not be attended
with highly injurious consequences.




The Boole Trade.

051

THE BOOK TRADE.

,(

(if

1. — The Female Prose Writers o f America. With Portraits, Biographical Notices
and specimens o f their Writings. By J ohn S. H art , LL. D. Embellished with
elegant illustrations. Imperial 8vo., pp. 432. Philadelphia: E. H. Butler & Co.
The Female Authors, whose writings and portraits embellish these pages, are among
the most charming of whom we ever boast, S. J. Hale, McIntosh, Kirkland, Sigourney,
Fanny Forrester, and almost all of note are here included. The extracts are generally
the best pieces of the writers, and such as have become long ago favorites with the
public. The aim of the editor, however, seems to have been to select such passages
as were characteristic of the different styles of the writers. The biographical sketches
are prepared with considerable fullness and with a due appreciation of the peculiar
traits of each person. The portraits, of which there are several, have been executed
with uncommon excellence. They are very finely engraved, and care has evidently
been taken to make them correct as likenesses. The mechanical execution of the volume
is superb. As a whole, it forms one of the most desirable works in the entire series of
gift books.
2. — The Poetical Works o f Samuel Rogers. Muustrated with Engravings by the
- first artists, from designs by Lawrence, Stothard, Turner, and Yasan. 8vo. pp. 451.
Philadelphia: E. H. Butler A Co.
Ho one can be uninformed of the merits of Rogers’ Poetry, or of the work to which
that fine scholar and charming poet is entitled. Customary as it has of late become
to issue his poems in an elegant and illustrated form, it is seldom that a more beauti­
ful edition of them than the present has appeared. The illustrations are executed with
great skill from natural scenes, which are highly expressive of character, and the ex­
treme beauty and tastefulness of the typography, of the paper and the binding, are
such as to gratify the most fastidious and refined taste.
3. —Leaflet's o f Memory; an Illuminated Annual fo r 1852. Edited by R eyneli,
C oates, M. D. Imperial 8vo., pp. 312. Philadelphia: E. H. Butler A Co.
The general impression of this volume is very fine. Its contents comprise a large
variety of pieces, both in prose and verse. These are in various humors, all of which
must please the reader. Among the contributors we notice the familiar names of
Alice B. Neal, Camilla Toubnin, author of Cont. Fleming, Charles White, and the
editor. There are, in addition, many articles from anonymous writers. The embel­
lishments are in various styles, such as mezzotint, line engraving, Ac. Some of the
designs are admirable, such as the “ Morning,” “ Choose between us,” the latter of which
will please the fancy and test the taste of all. The external appearance of the vol­
ume is very chaste and rich, seldom surpassed in the style of its execution by a better
taste or design in the binder. The illuminated title-pages display more than ordinary
skill in this novel art.
4. —Episodes of Insect Life. By A oheta D omestica. Third Series. 8vo., pp. 431.
New York: J. S. Redfield.
The insects of autumn form the contents of this volume, and complete this charming
series of episodes. To those who are unacquainted with the wonders of Entomology,
we commend these volumes, which combine a sprinkling of science, imagination, and
art, interwoven with a rich fancy and exquisite taste. The work is issued in an admir­
able style, on fine paper, with clear and open print, and numerous well-executed illus­
trations. Several of the insects of autumn, as the beetle, the glow-worm, the scavalocus, Ac., are taken as examples of the large class of living things to which they be­
long, and entertaining accounts of their habits are given during their different stages of
existence.
5. —Select Original Dialogues, or Spanish and English Conversations ; followed by a
Collection o f Pieces in Prose and Verse, adapted to the Use o f Spanish Classes in
Schools and Academies. By J ose A ntonia P izzarro . Third Edition. 12mo., pp.
284. Baltimore: John Murphy.
This is an excellent work to aid in the acquisition of the Spanish language. It is
prepared by one to whom the language is the mother tongue, and all its obscurities
are explained with much clearness.




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The B ook Trade.

6 . —The

Nile Boat: or Glimpses o f the Land of Egypt. By W. H. B a r t l e t t , author
of “ Forty daya in the Desert.” Imperial octavo, pp. 218. New Tork : Harper &
Brothers.
An illustrated work on Egypt, such as this volume, is a novelty. The number of
illustrations which it contains is forty six, in addition to numerous cuts, which were
drawn upon the spot, and many of them with the learned lucida. They represent as
great a variety of Egyptian scenery and monuments as it was possible to include
within the same compass—and they bear the appearance of truthfulness to a surprising
degree. These plates are executed with skill and taste. The accompanying text will
be found to contain a very agreeable narrative of a tour in Egypt, interspersed with
many anecdotes, illustrative of the manners and habits of its present population. It is
printed on fine paper, and both within and without makes a rich appearance ; on the
whole, we regard it as a suberb volume, upon this most wonderful country.
1.— The Elements of Algebra, designed for Beginners. By E lias L oomis, H. A*
12mo., pp. 260. New York : Harper <fc Brothers.
A treatise like this is entitled to be received with more than ordinary favor. It is
the work of a scholar, and bears upon its face the marks of his attainments; it is,
likewise, an admirable introduction to the science of Algebra. Too many works on
this subject are prepared under a total forgetfulness of the powers and capacities of
the youth who are to use them; they are excellent for mature minds, but totally in­
appropriate to youth. This work of Mr. Loomis is quite free from this unpardonable
blunder. With singular simplicity, he has adapted his explanations of the abstruse
points in the elements of algebra, to the weak and half unfolded powers of youth, and
thus leads them on, by easy steps, as they become familiar with the study. The work
is worthy of the attention of all those teachers who are delighted at witnessing a
happy and agreeable progress in those of their pupils who take up this subject.
8. — The History o f the Restoration o f Monarchy in France. By A lphonso D e
L amartine. VoL 1. 12mo., pp. 530. New York: Harper & Brothers.
In this work, of which the first volume is already issued, Lamartine has drawn, in
his graphic style, a full sketch, or rather history, of the restorations of 1814 and 1815.
He writes as a republican, and with the entire conviction that a Republic is the wisest
and the only course for France. As a work, it partakes of all that eloquent picture­
drawing which characterizes the “ Girondists,” with its power of awakening deep|interest in the reader. It lacks that detail, and reference to authority, and critical
nicety, which we are wont to look for in a history, but giving credence to its state­
ments it will not soon be surpassed in its merits.
9. —Rule and Misrule o f the English in America. By the Author of “ Sam Slick,”
<fec. 12mo., pp. 379. New York: Harper & Brothers.
This work, by an author who has attained considerable notoriety for his humorous
productions, is of an entirely different stamp from the previous ones. Its aim is to
show that the success of republicanism in America is an exception, a result which has
proved favorable in spite of its own nature. Of course this is a somewhat novel view
to take of our institutions, and every one of intelligence must have some curiosity to
learn what an able and talented writer would advance in its support, as well as to look
at ourselves from this point of view. The work is a creditable and meritorious one in
all respects, with the exception of its opinions.
10. — The Rose o f Sharon; a Religious Souvenir fo r 1852. Edited by M rs. 0. M.
S aw yer . Boston : A Tompkins <Ss B. B. Mussey & Co.
This beautiful but unpretending Annual comes to us this year equal to the last, and
in some respects superior to any of its predecessors. Twelve years has this literary
Rose opened “ its annual blossoms to the day, each year shedding a richer fragrance,
and beaming with more refined and graceful beauty.” In its pages we recognize many
of its early contributors, and also the growth and development of their intellectual
powers. The engravings are all in good taste, and in keeping with the progress the
art has made since the publication of the first volume. The tone of this annual is re­
ligious, without cant, sectarianism, or illiberality. The pure and practical teachings of
Christianity are blended, and harmonize in every tale, essay or poem; and we only
regret that our alloted space will not permit us to copy the sound and sensable essay,
“ Limitations of Business,” from the pen of the Rev. E. H. Chapin. We hope to find
room for it hereafter.




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653

11. —Sketches o f Boston, Past and Present, and o f some Few Places in its Vicinity.
With one hundred and twenty Engravings and Maps. 8m , pp. 370. Boston: Phil­
lips, Sampson A Co.
The object of Mr. Homans, the compiler, has been to furnish in a small compass, for
the use of citizens and strangers, a concise history, with a copious account of the Chari­
table institutions and public buildings of Boston, together with noted places in the vi­
cinity. Among the latter, Cambridge comes in for a full share. The University is
elaborately and thoroughly described, showing the organization of the various depart­
ments, viz., Classical, Law, Theological, Medical, Astronomical, Scientific, fisc. The
engravings of the Scientific School, Public Observatory, Ac., are from drawings made
expressly for the work. Among the contributors to this beautiful volume, we notice
the names of Hon. Josiah Quincy, Professors Bond, Horsford and Prancis, of Harvard
College; Dr. Howe (Superintendent of the Blind Asylum); the late General Dear­
born ; Rev. T. B. Felt, of the Massachusetts Historical Society. The volume contains
65 engravings of churches, 24 of public schools, 19 of other public buildings in the city;
and 18 of Cambridge, Lynn, Waltham and Roxbury, the Cemeteries, Ac.
12. — Our Campaign; or Thoughts on the Career o f Life. By E. W i n c h e s t e r R e y ­
n olds.
12mo., pp. 336. Boston: Philips, Sampson A Co.
The author of this volume possesses one of those independent minds which refuses
to conform to customs whether of thought or action, but is animated with a degree of
that inherent liberty which is natural to all men, although enjoyed hy very few. In
these pages will be found many speculations which extend beyond the views of the
mass of men and beyond the comprehension of those who are educated to forms and
systems of opinion as the only abiding places of truth. They are written in a genial
spirit, and will impress with a conviction of their truthfulness the ignorant, both those
who are learnedly so, and those who are unlearnedly so.
13. — Glances at Europe : in a series o f letters from Great Britain, France, Italy, and.
Switzerland, &c., during the summer o f 1851. Including notices o f the great Exhi­
bitioner World's .Fair. By H orace G keelet . 12mo., pp. 350. H ew York: De­
witt A Davenport.
The letters of Mr. Greeley have been very widely read by the public and received
with extensive favor. The views presented by the author are of that class which
is generally overlooked hy the mass of travelers. For this reason they are novel and
their interest is heightened by their practical character and their immediate relation to
the mass of society. In this view they are exceedingly welcome. Beyond this point
also the author disclaims all pretensions. He evidently labored under many disad­
vantages on the continent from a lack of familiarity with the languages. This has de­
prived us of much that would have been of great interest.
14. —Moral Reflections, Sentences and Maxims o f Francis Due De La Rochefoucaut—
newly translated from the French. With an introduction and notes. To which are
added, Moral Sentences and Maxims o f Stanislaus, King o f Poland. 12mo., pp.
189. Hew York: Wm. Gowans.
These admirable maxims have long been before the public. The present edition
is a very neat and tasteful one, and presents them not only in a new dress, hut in the
language of a new translation. Their style is excellent and their general aim appears
to be not so much to point out a successful system of conduct as to detect and expose
those actions which proceed from false and impure motives. Viewed in the light of
practical morals, they are as elevated and pure as if they had fallen from the pen of
many eminent moral writers. The terseness and vigor of the expression and the
clearness of the thought, are seldom surpassed.
15. — The Art-Journal. London and Hew York: George Virtue.
The present (October) number contains the sixth part of the Illustrated Catalogue
of the Great Exhibition, which completes the work, and embraces a preface with a
table of contents of works illustrated; a comprehensive history of the exhibition, with
a number of admirable exterior and interior views; the concluding part of R o b e r t
H u n t s ’ essay on the Science of the exhibion; and a continuation of the Historical
Catalogue. On the whole, we regard this account of the exhibition as the most perfect
and beautiful that has been attempted. The illustrations of the present number of the
Art-Journal are equal to the best that have appeared in the work, since its commence
ment, and it is quite unnecessary to bestow higher praise. Indeed, as a whole, this
Journal has never been surpassed or equaled (in all its parts) by any former effort of
combined taste and skill.




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The Booh Trade.

16.— The Iris : A n Illustrated Souvenir fo r 1852. Edited by J ohn S. H art , LL. D,
Imperial 8vo., pp. 298. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo A Co.

One of the most interesting features of this splendid volume is, that it contains a
series of colored drawings of striking and remarkable objects connected with the tra­
ditions of Indians on the North-Western frontier. The original drawings were made
by Captain Eastman, of the Topographical Corps, who was stationed for nine years in
that part of the country. His accomplished lady, during a portion of that time, collect­
ed the traditions themselves and wove them into tales and poems that let us perceive
the very heart of Indian life. These delightful tales form a portion of the contents of
this volume. The other articles are by some of our most popular writers. It is the
embellishments which are a novelty in this class of books. They are executed with
much skill, and colored with excellent taste. As a whole the Iris is one of the most
brilliant of the works of the season.
11.—The Life of John Calvin, the Great Reformer. Translated from the German of
P a u l H e n r y , D. D., by H e n r y S t e b b i n g .
2 vol. 8vo., pp, 454. New Y ork:
Robert Carter A Brothers.
The last twenty years of the life of Calvin are comprised in the second volume.
This was, perhaps the most important period of the Reformer’s life. His views were,
at this time, most severely handled, and the religious controversies in which he engaged
were more momentous, and involved more serious results. During this period, also,
the memorable trial and martyrdom of Servetus took place. VVe say martyrdom, be­
cause every man is a martyr who is put to death for his religious belief. The author
handles this subject with a degree of timidity and tenderness. His statements contain
all the leading facts of the case, presented in their most favorable light. This life of
Calvin should be received as the ablest and the most complete that exists. It is
probably the fullest and most explicit that will ever be written.
18. —A Class Rook of Chemistry, in which the principles of the science are familiarly

explained and applied to the Arts, Agriculture, Physiology, Dietetics, Ventillation,
and the most important Phenomena o f nature. Designed for the use o f Academies
and Schools, and fo r popular reading. By E dward L. Y umans 12mo., pp. 336.
New York: D. Appleton A Co.
This is an admirable popular treatise on the subject of Chemistry; it is so clear, so
simple, yet so practical and so eloquent that it must rapidly supercede all other works
of the kind in the favor of the public. The author has suffered under many disadvan­
tages during its preparation from physical injuries, and as is often the case those who
struggle under difficulties produce the best results in their several departments of
labor.
19. —Malmitztic the Taltec; and the Cavaliers o f the Cross. By W. W. F o s d i c k .
12mo., pp. 356. Cincinnati: Moore A Anderson. New York: Mark H. Newman.
The scenes of this tale are designed to portray social habits and customs among
the ancient Mexicans at the time of the invasion of Cortez. In many particulars of
this kind, it will impart an interest to the reader; in its style, however, it is often high
wrought and strained even to the utmost limit of composition.
20
Book of Romances, Lyrics and Songs. By B ayard T aylor.'" 12mo., pp. 153.
Boston: Ticknor, Reed A Fields.
These poems are marked with many excellences, the healthful tone of the thought—
the chasteness of the language, and the natural and easy flow of the verse, with cccasional passages of striking power and beauty, are sufficient to secure for them high es­
teem.
21. —Boydell’s Illustrations of Shakspeare. American Edition. Part35. New York:
S. Spooner.
The illustrations of this number consist of “ The Last Scene ” of the Seven Ages of
Man, and a passage in the first scene of the first act of * King Lear,” at the moment
when the enraged king spurns Cordelia from him. The engravings are both very ex­
pressive, and appear to be worthy to be regarded as among the best of the collection.
22. — The Mind and the Heart. By F r a n k l i n "W. F i s h . 12mo., pp. 12. New York:
SAdriance, Sherman A Co.
These brief poems possess a clearness and simplicity of style, and a sympathy with
many of the feelings of the heart, which will attract to them many readers. As poetry,
they have no superior merits.




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C55

23. —Fall of Poland; containing an Analytical and a Philosophical Account of the
Causes which Conspired in the Ruin of that Nation, together with a History of the
Country from its Origin. By L. 0. Saxton. 2 vols., 12mo., pp.563 and 621. New
York: Charles Scribner.
It is full time that the history of Poland was written. After a few years under the
iron sceptres of Austria and Russia, scarce anything will remain of her former state
and glory, unless it be some sparks of that invincible spirit of freedom, which, it is
said, can never be entirely extinguished in the human bosom. The author of these
volumes has undertaken his task as if it was to be the last, the final effort to draw the
features of that glorious nation, whose light has disappeared, perhaps forever, from
the European constellation. He has entered upon his labor with full purpose to
make his work conform to the standard of the best pieces of historical composition.
The view which he has taken of his subject may, therefore, be regarded as complete,
as presenting it in every light, and weighing and testing the importance of principles,
as discussing the influence of measures, and showing the causes of misfortune to Po­
land. Accordingly, the titles of the chapters embrace departments of historical
knowledge, and the whole, grouped together, comprise all that is of general interest
in a historical or philosophical view of this nation. We regret that the author has not
taken more pains in regard to his style—it certainly lacks a clearness and precision
which would have added greatly to its force and beauty.
24. —Memoirs o f the Queens of France. Including a Memoir o f Her Majesty, the
late Queen of the French, (Marie Amelie.) By Mrs. Forbes Bush. From the Sec­
ond London Edition. 2 vols., pp.-360 and 351. Philadelphia: A. Hart.
Scarcely any modem nation can boast of having had more queens than France. The
details of many of them are, however, quite scanty—of others, they are abundant.
The author has, nevertheless, used discretion in the length of the memoirs generally.
Those whose merits are worthy of it, and whose fame demanded, are treated at con­
siderable length, while of others, we have little more than the place of birth, (fee. The
style of these volumes is easy and natural, and the numerous anecdotes which they
contain, and the various characters which are delineated, are sufficient to attach to
them a more than transitory interest.
25. — Memoirs of a London Doll, written by Herself. Edited by Mrs. Fairstar. With
Engravings by Baker, from Designs by Billings. 24mo., pp. 152.
26. — Tales from Catland, fo r Little Kittens. By an Old Tabbt. With Engravings
from Designs by Billings. 24mo., pp. 114. Boston: Ticknor, Reed cfe Fields.
As juvenile works, these little volumes are quite attractive. Youthful readers will
find much to enlist their attention, and instruct their minds, while the beauty of their
embellishments and appearance must readily excite an interest in such readers.
27. —My First Visit to Europe, or Sketches o f Society, Scenery, and Antiquities, in
England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and France. By A ndrew Dickinson. Second
edition. 12mo., pp. 214. New York: G. P. Putnam.
A volume like this will be read with pleasure for the notices which it contains of
places once the abode of eminent literary men, and circumstances of a kindred charac­
ter. It is devoted almost entirely to the author’s observations. It displays considerable
taste for literature, and a high appreciation of English writers.
28. —Manuel o f the Corporation of the City o f New York for the year 1851. By D.
T. V a l e n t i n e . 12mo., pp. 480. Printed for the Common Council.
This annual volume was prepared by the author, in pursuance of a resolution of the
Common Council. Although designed more particularly for the use of that body, it is
so complete in all that relates to municipal affairs, and embellished by such a variety
of old maps and historical documents, that citizens, generally, will find it both useful
and instructive.
— Gramatica Inglesa Kcducirdu a viente y dos Lecciones. Por D. J ose D e Ur,c u l t . a .
From the seventh Paris edition, amended and revised by F ayette R obinson. 12mo.,
pp. 262. Philadelphia: Thomas Cowperthwaite.
For a grammar of the English language in Spanish, this work is very full and com­
plete. The difficult idioms and expressions are explained with much simplicity. The
native of Spain, or South America, will find this among the most valuable boobs for
the acquisition of English which we have.
29.




656

Statistics o f the M anufacture o f Iron in Pennsylvania.
« THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN PENNSYLVANIA.”

The subjoined explanations of the tables commencing on the opposite page, are con­
nected with the article on the “ Manufacture of Iron in Pennsylvania,” in a former
part of the present number, and should have been appended to that article, but were
inadvertently omitted by the printer.
EXPLANATIONS

REFER RIN G

TO

THE

TABLES APPENDED
THIS

TO THE

PRESENT

NUMBER

OF

MAGAZINE.

The ton o f iron is always the gross ton of 2,240 lbs.; except Blooms and Puddled
Bar, which are bought and sold by the Ankoney or double gross ton of 2,464 lbs.;
and nails, which are sold by the net ton of 2,000 lbs.; Anthracite Goal is sold by the
gross ton of 2,240 lbs.; Bituminous Coal by the bushel of 80 lbs.
In the statement of the Blast Furnaces in the column headed “ kind of ore used,”
H signifies Brown Hematite ore. M signifies Magnetic ore. F signifies Fossiliferous Red Oxyd or Fossil ore. C signifies Argillaceous Carbonate. B signifies Bog ore.
In the column headed “ Blast—Tuyeres—Diam.,” the figures represent the diam­
eter of the blowing nozzles.
In the column headed “ Pressure,” the figures represent the pressure to the square
inch in pounds avoirdupoise.
In the column headed “ Market ”■
— “ E ” means Philadelphia. “ W ” means Pitts­
burg. “ H ” means home—or the vicinity of the works.
In the column headed “ kind of metal made ”— 1 signifies coarse grey or best foundry
iron. 2 signifies close grey iron. 3 signifies mottled and white iron or hard iron.
In some instances there are figures in the column headed “ situation, Post-office,”
where such occur they signify the distance of the works from the Post-office.
The Hot Blast Furnaces which have dates assigned them prior to 1830, were built
for Cold Blast Furnaces, and have been since changed to Hot Blast. The dates given
are those when the works were completed and put into operation.
The tables succeed in the following order.
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

I. Statement showing the number and condition o f each sort o f Iron Works and
the capital invested in land and buildings in each county in Eastern Pennsylvania, in
the year 1850.
II. A detailed statement of all the Anthracite Blast Furnaces in the State of Penn­
sylvania, in the year 1850,
III. A detailed statement of all the Hot Blast Charcoal Furnaces in Eastern Penn­
sylvania, in the year 1850.
IV. A detailed statement of all the Cold Blast Charcoal Furnaces in Eastern Penn­
sylvania, in the year 1850.
V. A detailed statement of all the Bloomery Forges in Eastern Penn., in the year 1850.
VI. A detailed statement of the Forges in Eastern Pennsylvania in the year 1850,
not properly belonging to either of the other classes.
VII. A detailed statement of the'Charcoal Forges in Eastern Penn., in the year 1850.
VHI. A detailed statement of all the Rolling Hills in Eastern Pena, in the year 1850.
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

IX. Statement showing the number and condition o f each sort o f Iron Works, and
the capital invested in land and buildings in each county in Western Pennsylvania, in
thi ear 1850.
A detailed statement of all the Charcoal Hot Blast Furnaces in Western Penn­
sylvania, in the year 1850.
XI. A detailed statement of all the Raw Bituminous Coal Hot Blast Furnaces in
Pennsylvania, in the year 1850.
XII. A detailed statement of all the Coke Hot Blast Furnaces in the State of Penn­
sylvania, in the year 1850.
XIII. A detailed statement of all the Charcoal Cold Blast Furnaces in Western Penn­
sylvania, in the year 1850.
XIV. A detailed statement of all the Charcoal Forges in Western Pennsylvania, in
the year 1850.
X V . A detailed statement of all the Rolling Mills in Western Pennsylvania, in
the year 1850.
N o t e .—Owing to oversight of the printer, the tables are not numbered; the reader
is requested to number them as above, for facility of reference.