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ARTICLES. I. Commerce before the Christian E ra,.......................................................................... 307 II. The Government and the Currency. Chapter II.— Restraining and Regulating the Issue o f Banks— H ow far Restraint and Regulation may be carried, and what should be their object—Rights o f the Public, and Rights o f the Banks — Establishment o f Banks under the present system— A matter of Compro mise and Bargain— Banks elude Restraints— N o reliance placed upon Bank Reports— Communication to the Stockholders o f a Balance-Sheet— Stock holders Victims o f their Agents, etc.— The Fundamental Laws and Princi ples o f our System— Limited Liability, etc., etc. By H e n r y M id d l e t o n , Jr., o f South Carolina,..................................................................................................... 311 III. The Commerce and Progress o f Chili,..................................................................... 321 IV. Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium.— Exports and Imports o f United States and Belgium— Manufactures and Fisheries— Manufacture o f Lace at Bruges— Linen Trade— Culture o f Flax— Joint Stock Companies— Export o f Flowers— Curious Fraud in the Sugar Trade— Raw and Refined Sugar exported and imported— Calico Printing— Book Trade in Brussels— Antwerp— Shipping o f Antwerp— Contrabandism— Silk— Maritime Trade — Cotton Manufacture— Export o f Cotton Goods— Railroad System of Bel gium— Breweries— Consumption o f Beer— Coal Mines and Trade— Manu facture o f Liege— Flax and W oollen Trade— Seats o f Trade— Joint Stock Speculations, and Bank o f Belgium,.................................................................... 327 V. The M ining System o f Chili,..................................................................................... 342 VI. The Champagne Districts o f France,........................... 345 V II. Ocean Steam N avigation,......................................................................................... 348 V III. Progress o f English Railways— their Cost, Value, and Dividends. By J. E. B l o o m f ie l d , ..................................................................................................................................................... 353 ME RC ANT I L E LAW D E P A R T M E N T . Mercantile Law Cases— Bill in Equity to Rescind Purchase of Real Estate.............. 356 A ction o f Assumpsit to Recover Amount o f an Account,............................................... 358 Endorser o f a Promissory Note— Landlord and Tenant................................................. 359 VOL. X III.— NO. IV . 20 306 CONTENTS OF NO. I V ., VOL. X III. n e i. COMMERCI AL CHRONI CLE AND REVI EW, EMBRACING A FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL REVIEW OF THE CNITED STATES, ETC., ILLUSTRATED W IT H TABLES, ETC., AS FOLLOWS I State o f Commercial Affairs— Prices o f Wheat per quarter in the European markets, for a series o f years— Prices o f Leading Articles in the N ew Y ork market— Q u alities o f Flour brought down the Hudson and the Mississippi, for several years— Imports and Exports o f the United States, from 1841 to 1845— Quarterly Dutiable Imports, and Duties paid in United States, in 1844 and 1845— Import and Export o f N ew Y ork, for July and August, 1845— Monthly, weekly, and to tal Receipts o f Cotton, in principal ports o f the United States— Statistical V iew o f the Cotton Trade— Prices o f Cotton and Freights, etc., etc.,....................... 360-368 COMME RC I AL STATISTICS. Trade and Commerce o f N ew Orleans— Exports o f Cotton and Tobacco— Sugar and Molasses— Flour, Pork, Bacon, Lard, Beef, Lead, W hiskey, and Corn— Naviga tion o f N ew Orleans— Produce imported into N ew Orleans from the Interior— Value o f Produce— Comparative Exports, and Stock o f Cotton for ten years— Comparative Prices o f Cotton for five years— Foreign Merchandise imported into N ew Orleans— Imports o f Specie into N ew Orleans, etc.,.......................................... 369 Commerce between the United States and other American nations, embracing Im ports and Exports to and from,................................................................................. 375-381 Commerce o f the Island o f Cuba— Total Exports and Imports o f Cuba, for five years— Difference in each year— Products o f Spain imported into Cuba— Foreign Goods imported in Spanish bottoms— Imports from and to the United States,........ 381 Grains imported into Great Britain, from 1842 to 1844,................................................... 383 Exports o f British Machinery, in 1844,.............................................................................. 383 British Hardware and Cutlery exported in 1844............................................................... 383 Commerce o f the East Indies— Imports and Exports in 1834 and 1842,.................. 384 British Trade in Cotton Manufactures,............................................................................... 384 Statistics o f the English W hale Fishery,............................................................................. 384 RAI LROAD AND CANAL S T AT I S T I CS . Receipts and Expenditures o f the N ew Y ork and Erie Railroad,................................. 385 Abstract o f all the Tonnage passed on the Eastern Division o f the N ew Y ork and Erie Railroad, and an enumeration o f the Commodities transported in each year, from September 23, 1841, to September 30,1844, and total for three years,... 386-389 Rates o f T oll on the N ew Y ork Canals, for 1845 and 1846,.................................. 390-392 NA UT I C AL I NT E L L I GE NC E . Floating Light off the Roman Rocks in False Bay,......................................................... 392 Buoys laid down in the Channel off the “ Grounds,” ....................................................... 393 MERCANTI LE MI S C EL L A NI ES . Commerce o f Spain in 1843,............................................................................................... Questions o f Honesty for Merchants— Jacob Little......................................................... Commercial Prosperity o f England..................................................................................... Manufacture o f Sugar in France,......................................................................................... H ow to Make a Good Clerk,................................................................................................ Product o f the Gold and Platina Mines o f Russia,........................................................... 393 394 395 395 395 396 THE HOOK TRADE. Greene’s Texian Expedition— Arnold’s W orks,................................................................ Lester’s M edici Series o f Italian Prose— Noah’s Gleanings.......................................... Rush’s Residence at the Court o f London— W hewell’s Elements o f Morality,......... Acton’s Modern Cookery— Mackintosh’s Philosophy— Newton’s W orks..................... Beecher’s Domestic Economy— W ilson’s Genius o f Burns,............................................ Lamb’s Elia— Dixon on Diseases— Oracles o f Shakspeare,........................................... Christian Retirement— Warner's Lessons in Music— Blossoms o f Morality,.............. Smith’s (E. O.) Poems— The Rose, for 1846— Gertrude— M y Uncle Hobson............ Morrell on Sheep— True Child— Alleine’s Promises— Gallaudet’s Every-day Christian, Strickland’ s (Agnes) Queens o f England— Marryatt’s Mission....................................... Claggett’ s Elocution Made Easy— Simmonds’s Colonial Magazine,............................ Books in paper covets, published since our last,................................................................ 396 396 397 397 398 398 398 399 399 400 400 400 HUNT’S MERCHANTS O CTO BER, MAGAZINE. 1845. Art. 1— C O M M E R C E B E F O R E T H E C H R IS T IA N E R A . C ommerce,* in its usual acceptation, means the exchange o f one thing for another— the exchange o f what we have to spare for what we want, in what ever country it is produced. The origin o f commerce must have been nearly coeval with the world. As pasturage and agriculture were the only employments o f the first inhabitants, so cattle, flocks, and the fruits o f the earth were the only objects o f the first commerce, or that species o f it called barter. It would appear that some progress had been made in manufactures in the ages before the flood. The building o f a city or village by Cain, however insignificant the houses may have been, supposes the existence o f some mechanical knowledge. The musical instruments, such as harps, and organs, the works in brass and in iron exhibited by the succeeding generations, confirm the belief that the arts were considerably advanced. The construction o f Noah’s ark, a ship o f three decks, covered over with pitch, and much larger than any mod ern effort o f architecture, proves that many separate trades were at that period carried on. There must have been parties who supplied Noah and his three sons with the great quantity and variety o f materials which they required, and this they would do in exchange for other commodities, and perhaps money. That enormous pile o f building, the tower o f Babel, was constructed o f bricks, the process o f making which appears to have been well understood. Some learned astronomers are o f opinion that the celestial observations o f the Chinese reach back to 2,249 years before the Christian e ra ; and the celestial observations made at Babylon, con tained in a calendar o f above nineteen centuries, transmitted to Greece by Alexander, reach back to within fifteen years o f those ascribed to the Chinese. The Indians oppear to have had observations quite as early as the Babylonians. * T he idea conveyed by the word Commerce, is represented in the sacred writings by the word trade ; the Hebrew term rebel, signifying literally trade or traffic. 308 Commerce before the Christian E ra . Such o f the descendants o f Noah as lived near the water may be pre sumed to have made use o f vessels built in imitation o f the ark— if, as some think, that was the first floating vessel ever seen in the world— but on a smaller scale, for the purpose o f crossing rivers. In the course o f time the descendants o f his son Japhet settled in “ the isles o f the Gen tiles,” by which are understood the islands at the east end o f the Mediterranean sea, and those between Asia Minor and Greece, whence their colonies spread into Greece, Italy, and other western lands. Sidon, which afterwards became so celebrated for the wonderful mercantile exertions of its inhabitants, was founded about 2,200 years before the Christian era. The neighboring mountains, being covered with ex cellent cedar-trees, furnished the best and most durable timber for ship building. The inhabitants o f Sidon accordingly built numerous ships, and exported the produce o f the adjoining country, and the various articles o f their own manufacture, such as fine linen, embroidery, tapestry, metals, glass, both colored and figured, cut, or carved, and even mirrors. They were unrivalled by the inhabitants o f the Mediterranean coasts in works o f taste, elegance, and luxury. Their great and universally acknowl edged pre-eminence in the arts, procured for the Phoenicians, whose prin cipal seaport was Sidon, the honor o f being esteemed, among the Greeks and other nations, as the inventors o f commerce, ship-building, navigation, the application o f astronomy to nautical purposes, and particularly as the discoverers o f several stars nearer to the north pole than any that were known to other nations ; o f naval war, writing, arithmetic, book keeping, measures and w eights; to which it is probable they might have added money. Egypt appears to have excelled all the neighboring countries in ag riculture, and particularly in its abundant crops o f corn. The fame o f its fertility induced Abraham to remove thither with his numerous family, (Gen. xii. 10.) The earliest accounts o f bargain and sale reach no higher than the time o f Abraham, and his transaction with Ephron. He is said to have weighed unto him “ four hundred shekels o f silver, current money with the merchant, (Gen. xxiii. 16.) The word merchant implies that the standard o f money was fixed by usage among merchants, who comprised a numerous and respectable class o f the community. Manufactures were by this time so far advanced, that not only those more immediately con. nected with agriculture, such as flour ground from corn, wine, oil, butter, and also the most necessary articles o f clothing and furniture, but even those o f luxury and magnificence, were much in use, as appears by the ear-rings, bracelets o f gold and of silver, and other precious things pre sented by Abraham’s steward to Rebecca, (Gen. xxiv. 22, 53.) In the book o f Job, whose author, in the opinion o f the most learned commentators, resided in Arabia, and was contemporary with the sons of Abraham, much light is thrown upon the commerce, manufactures, and science o f the age and country in which he lived. There is mention of gold, iron, brass, lead, crystal, jewels, the art o f weaving, merchants, gold brought from Ophir, which implies commerce with a remote country, and topazes from Ethiopia; ship-building, so far improved that some ships were distinguished for the velocity o f their m otion; writing in a book, and engraving letters or writing on plates o f lead and on stone with iron pens, and also seal-engraving ; fishing with hooks, and nets, and spears; Commerce before the Christian E ra . 309 musical instruments, the harp and organ ; astronomy, and names given to particular stars. These notices tend to prove that, although the patriarchial system o f making pasturage the chief object o f attention was still maintained by many o f the greatest inhabitants where the author o f the book o f Job resided, the sciences were actively cultivated, the useful and ornamental arts in an advanced state, and commerce prosecuted with diligence and success; and this at a period when, if the chronology o f Job is correctly settled, the arts and sciences were scarcely so far advanced in Egypt, from whence, and from the other countries bordering upon the eastern part o f the Mediterranean sea, they afterwards grad ually found their way into Greece. The inhabitants o f Arabia appear to have availed themselves, at a very early period, o f their advantageous situation between the two fer tile and opulent countries o f India and Egypt, and to have obtained the exclusive monopoly o f a very profitable carrying trade between those countries. They were a class o f people who gave their whole attention to merchandise as a regular and established profession, and travelled with caravans between Arabia and Egypt, carrying upon the backs o f camels the spiceries o f India, the balm o f Canaan, and the myrrh produced in their own country, or o f a superior quality from the opposite coast o f Abys sinia— all o f which were in great demand among the Egyptians for embalming the dead, in their religious ceremonies, and for ministering to the pleasures o f that superstitious and luxurious people. The mer chants o f one o f these caravans bought Joseph from his brothers for twenty pieces o f silver, that is about 21. 11s. fid. sterling, and carried him into Egypt. The southern Arabs were eminent traders, and enjoyed a large proportion, and in general the entire monopoly, o f the trade be tween India and the western world, from the earliest ages, until the sys tem o f that important commerce was totally overturned, when the inhabitants o f Europe discovered a direct route to India by the Cape o f Good Hope. At the period when Joseph’s brethren visited Egypt, inns were estab lished for the accommodation o f travellers in that country and in the northern parts o f Arabia. The more civilized southern parts o f the peninsula would no doubt be furnished with caravanserais still more com modious. During the residence o f the Israelites in Egypt, manufactures o f almost every description were carried to great perfection. Flax, fine linen, garments o f cotton, rings and jewels o f gold and silver, works in all kinds o f materials, chariots for pleasure, and chariots for war, are all mentioned by Moses. They had extensive manufactories o f bricks. Literature was in a flourishing state; and, in order to give an enlarged idea o f the ac complishments o f Moses, it is said he was “ learned in all the wisdom o f the Egyptians,” (Acts xii. 22.) The expulsion o f the Canaanites from a great part o f their territories by the Israelites under Joshua, led to the gradual establishment o f colonies in Cyprus, Rhodes, and several islands in the jEgean se a ; they pen etrated into the Euxine or Black sea, and, spreading along the shores o f Sicily, Sardinia, Gaul, Spain, and Africa, established numerous trading places, which gradually rose into more or less importance. At this pe riod, mention is first made o f Tyre as a strong or fortified city, whilst Sidon is dignified with the title o f Great. 310 Commerce before the Christian E ra . During the reign o f David, king o f Israel, that powerful monarch dis posed o f a part o f the wealth obtained by his conquests in purchasing cedar-timber from Hiram, king o f Tyre, with whom he kept up a friendly correspondence while he lived. He also hired Tyrian masons and car penters for carrying on his works. Solomon, the son o f David, cultivated the arts o f peace, and indulged his taste for magnificence and luxury to a great extent. He employed the wealth collected by his father in works o f architecture, and in strengthening and improving his kingdom. He built the famous temple and fortifications o f Jerusalem, and many cities, among which was the celebrated Tadmor or Palmyra. From the king o f Tyre he obtained cedar and fir, or cypress-timbers, and large stones cut and prepared for building, which the Tyrians conveyed by water to the most convenient landing-place in Solomon’s dominions. Hiram also sent a vast number o f workmen to assist and instruct Solomon’s people, none o f whom had skill “ to hew timber like the Sidonians-” Solomon, in exchange, furnished the Tyrians with corn, wine, and oil, and received a balance in gold. Solomon and Hiram appear to have subsequently entered into a trading speculation or adventure upon a large scale. Tyrian shipwrights were accordingly sent to build vessels for both kings at Eziongeber, Solomon’s port on the Red Sea, whither he himself went to animate them with his presence (2 Chron. viii. 17.) These ships, conducted by Tyrian navigators, sailed in company to some rich countries called Ophir and Tarshish, regarding the position o f which the learned have multiplied conjectures to little purpose. The voyage occupied three years ; yet the returns in this new found trade were very great and profit able. This fleet took in apes, ebony, and parrots on the coast o f Ethi opia, gold at Ophir, or the place o f traffic whither the people o f Ophir resorted ; it traded on both sides o f the Red Sea, on the coasts o f Arabia and Ethiopia, in all parts o f Ethiopia beyond the straits when it had entered the ocean ; thence it passed up the Persian Gulf, and might visit the places o f trade upon both its shores, and run up the Tigris or the Euphrates as far as those rivers were navigable. After the reign o f Solomon, the commerce o f the Israelites seems to have very materially declined. An attempt was made by Jehoshaphat, king o f Judah, and Ahaziah, king o f Israel, to effect its revival; but the ships which they had built at Eziongeber having been wrecked in the harbor, the undertaking was abandoned. It does not appear that they had any assistance from the Phoenicians in fitting out this fleet. Great efforts were made by the Egyptians to extend the commerce o f their country, among which, not the least considerable, was the unsuccessful attempt to construct a canal from the Nile to the Arabian Gulf. The rising prosperity o f Tyre soon eclipsed the ancient and long-flour ishing commercial city o f Sidon. About 600 years before Christ her com mercial splendor seemed to have been at its height, and is graphically described by Ezekiel (xxvii.) The imports into Tyre were fine linen from Egypt, blue and purple from the isles o f Elisha; silver, iron, tin, and lead from Tarshish, the south part o f Spain ; slaves and brazen vessels from Javan or Greece, Tubal, and M eshech; horses, slaves bred to horsemanship, and mules from Togarm ah; emeralds, purple, embroidery, fine linen, corals, and agates from S yria; corn, balm, honey, oil, and gums from the Israelites ; wine and wool from Damascus ; polished iron-ware, pre cious oils, and cinnamon from Dan, Javan, and M ezo; magnificent carpets The Government and the Currency. 311 from Dedan ; sheep and goats from the pastoral tribes o f Arabia; costly spices, some the produce o f India, precious stones, and gold from the merchants o f Sheba or Sabsea, and Rama or Regma, countries in the south part o f A rabia; blue cloths, embroidered works, rich apparel in corded cedar-chests, supposed to be original India packages, and other goods from Sheba, Ashur, and Chilmad, and from Haran, Canneh, and Eden, trading ports on the south coast o f Arabia. The vast wealth that thus flowed into Tyre from all quarters brought with it its too general concomitants— extravagance, dissipation, and relaxation o f morals. The subjection of Tyre, “ the renowned city which was strong in the sea, whose merchants were princes, whose trafficers were the honor able o f the earth,” by Cyrus, and its subsequent overthrow by Alexander, after a determined and most formidable resistance, terminated alike the grandeur o f that city and the history o f ancient commerce, as far as they are alluded to in Scripture. (Anderson’s History o f Commerce; Vincent’s Commerce and Navigation o f the Indian O cean; Heeren’s Re searches ; Barnes’s Ancient commerce o f Western A sia, in American Biblical Repository, 1841.) Art. II.— T H E G O V E R N M E N T A N D T H E C U R R E N C Y . CHAPTER II. SECTION I. RESTRAINING AND REGULATING THE ISSUE OF BANKS— HOW FAR RESTRAINT AND REGULATION MAY PROPERLY BE CARRIED ? AND WHAT SHOULD BE THEIR OBJECT ? RIGHTS OF THE PUBLIC AND RIGHTS OF THE BANKS. H aving in the previous chapter taken a general view o f the nature and properties o f “ currency,” whether exclusively metallic, or mixed, and consisting partly of coin and partly o f bank notes— having, too, shown that the term “ currency,” in this confined and limited sense, com prehends but a part, and that not a very large one, o f the multiform in struments by which exchanges are effected; and further, that o f all such instruments, bank notes and notes essentially resembling them in their nature and effects, are alone (or at least more especially) the proper ob jects o f legislative regulation ; and having, we hope, sufficiently demon strated that the issuing o f such notes, or, (as it may well be called,) the business o f making money for the public, cannot, without the danger, or rather, the certainty o f being abused, be left entirely free and unrestrain ed, we shall now proceed to consider in what way, or by what methods, the restraining and regulating that issue may be best accomplished; and shall return once more to the question, the solution o f which is the great object o f our inquiry. It is to be borne in mind that in devising laws for the restraint and regulation o f banks, and in prescribing the rules to be observed in the establishment, or the management o f them, the duty o f the legislator is confined, properly, to simply guarding against the injury, or detriment to which the public interests, or welfare might be exposed, from the unre strained and unregulated action and conduct o f such institutions. It is no part o f his business to instruct bankers— whether individual or incor porated— in the best and most approved schemes o f banking, with a view to securing the largest profits and dividends upon their capital. It is no 312 The Government and the Currency. more a part o f his business to do this, than it is to instruct any other class o f capitalists on the best and most profitable manner o f employing their capital. It is obvious that bankers, like other capitalists, are them selves usually far better qualified to determine upon the most profitable and eligible way o f employing their capital, than any legislator, or, than any legislature can be. The stockholders in a bank, whether two, or two hundred, and whether incorporated, or not incorporated, may be safely left to settle among themselves all those matters which concern only the interests o f their bank. The object, and only object which all banks and bankers propose to themselves, is, the promotion o f their own advantage— the increase o f their own pecuniary gains and profits. T o imagine that in the establishment or management o f a bank, the propri etors and stockholders can ever have any other object than this in view, would argue a degree o f simplicity not very credible. It is perfectly fair, o f course, that they, like any other class o f capitalists, should be per mitted to employ their capital and their industry in the manner which, to them, seems to promise the greatest advantage and profit; provided always that the liberty thus allowed them, shall not lead to consequences injurious to the rights, or detrimental to the interests o f the public. Bank ing, it is obvious, is not the only business, which, in order that it may be carried on with advantage, and at the same time without injury to the public, requires the interposition and restraining influence o f the legis lature. The business o f dyeing— that o f tanning— some o f the manufactures in which the steam power is employed ; and many others which it would be quite unnecessary to mention in detail, are very properly made the subject o f legislative, or municipal regulation. The legislature, in such cases, however, very wisely limits its endeavor, to the prevention o f the detriment which might accrue to the public, were such occupations per mitted to be carried on without due restraint and regulation; and having provided for the public safety, leaves the dyer, the tanner and the man ufacturer, each to carry on his business on his own way, satisfied that they will each of them, in his respective occupation, choose the best and most profitable way. The intention and object o f legislating in relation to banks is, obviously, not to instruct them, but to protect the public. Banks require no instruction from legislatures upon the business o f making large dividends and profits. What they chiefly require is authority for their establishment; and this having been obtained, the rights o f the banks as against the public, and those o f the public as against them, should be left entirely to the protection o f the law, and the decision o f the ordinary tribunals. And, we may observe, in passing, that where, by the legislative authority, a charter for banking purposes has, under cer tain specified conditions been granted to any company o f bankers, the question whether such conditions have been complied with or have been violated, can never, without a manifest impropriety, (not to say injustice,) be referred to the decision o f that body which conferred the grant. SECTION n. SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED— THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BANKS UNDER THE PRESENT SYSTEM A MATTER OF COMPROMISE AND BARGAIN IN WHICH THE PUBLIC ARE THE LOOSERS— BANKS EASILY ELUDE THE RESTRAINTS ORDINARILY IMPOSED UPON THEM— NO DEPENDENCE CAN BE PLACED UPON THE REPORTS OF BANKS IN RELATION TO THEIR OWN CONDITION. In accordance with the views here presented upon the question o f the just limits o f the legislative power, in relation to the establishment and The Government and the Currency. 313 regulation o f banks, it will follow, that the legislature may, by the terms o f a bank charter granted, compel the grantees or stockholders to give security for the whole, or any part o f the notes which may be issued under the authority o f the charter— may determine upon the nature and description o f that security— may require that the stockholders and pro prietors shall all o f them, in their individual capacity, be held responsible to the holders o f their notes, in the whole amount of their private fortunes; may prohibit the issue, by the bank, o f any notes or bills o f denom inations lower than some certain and designated minimum— may, in short, subject the banks which they have established, to any system o f regulations, which may appear to be clearly necessary to the protection and security o f the rights and interests o f the public. But it would be evidently improper, that the legislature should enter into the regulation o f mere matters o f detail, which may always be better settled by the banks themselves, than by the legislature. It would be improper, for example, that the legislature should require, “ that the directors o f a bank should make half yearly dividends o f its profits; or that the di rectors should have the power to appoint a cashier, clerks, and other officers for carrying on the business o f the bank, with such salaries as to them shall seem m eet;” or, “ that such cashier, clerks and other officers should retain their places until removed therefrom, or until others shall be appointed in their places, & c .” It is true, that where banks are constituted as they are in this country— that is, where no se curity is given to the public and note-holders which is independent o f the fate o f the bank, and which will continue good, though the bank should fail, the interests o f the public and those o f the bank, become as one, and must sink or swim together; and it may, under these circumstances, be supposed, that the legislature are justified in entering more minutely into the details o f bank-management, than, under a different state o f things, would be either prudent or proper; for, it is probably considered, that as the legislature, in taking its measures in relation to banks, are generally uninfluenced by motives o f pecuniary interest, and are not stimulated by hopes o f large profits and dividends, they are more likely to lean to the side o f caution and prudence, than bank directors or proprietors, who, though deeply interested, it is true, in the prosperity and security o f their bank, may, nevertheless, sometimes be tempted by the spirit o f gambling and speculation, and the hope o f realizing large profits and dividends, to expose themselves to great and extraordinary risks. The public, though they have no share in those large profits and dividends, are yet liable to suffer severely, from the great risks to which the banks are sometimes tempted to expose themselves, in order to obtain them. The public, therefore, and the legislature, in behalf o f the public, may well conceive they have a right to enter, far more minutely, into the details o f bank direction and discipline, than, under a different system, would be either politic or practicable. The banks, on the other hand, while they afford the public no security independent o f their own solvency— while they set apart, and withdraw from the ordinary risks o f trade, no fund, which, although all their other resources should prove worthless, may yet be re lied upon by the public and note-holders as a certain and unfailing guaranty for the payment o f the debts due them— so long as this continues to be the case, the banks, certainly, can have no right to complain o f the vexatious and intermeddling nature o f the legislation to which they must 314 The Government and the Currency. often be subjected. The establishment o f a bank, under the existing system, is the result o f a compromise between the public, (or their rep. resentatives,) and the projectors and proprietors o f the bank to be established. The public concede to the bank proprietors certain rights and privileges, the possession o f which are o f great importance to the suecess o f their undertaking; and in return for such concessions, they re ceive from the bank usually some pecuniary advantage— sometimes in the shape o f a bonus— sometimes in some other shape. The public, (or their representatives,) take upon them, at the same time, to prescribe and impose certain regulations and restraints upon the banks, to which the latter, in consideration o f the privileges granted, readily submit. The public, as may readily be supposed, usually get the worst of the bargain. The banks easily elude the restraints imposed upon them, which are generally o f such a nature as to be wholly inoperative in those very cases, where, had it been possible to enforce their observance, they would have been most required and o f most u se; and the public are left without any security whatever for the payment o f the bank notes they hold, except what depends entirely upon the honesty and prudence o f the banks that issued them. T o Jake an example o f one o f the devices by which it has been pro posed, that the legislature should compel the banks to afford security to the public ; it has been one plan to make it obligatory upon the banks, “ to make a periodical publication o f their liabilities and assets and “ to communicate a balance sheet to the proprietors at large.” The ac tual publication o f the liabilities and assets o f a bank— supposing the publication to be made in good faith, and to give a perfectly fair and im partial account o f its debts and credits, would, it cannot be denied, aid the public not a little, in forming a just estimate o f the degree in which they could venture to afford it their confidence; and the subjecting banks to the necessity o f making such a publication periodically, and at short intervals, would, by obliging them to consult their own immediate interest in the maintenance o f their credit with the public, compel them in a measure to restrain their issues and liabilities within moderate and rea sonable bounds ; while, on the other hand, if they should be found, from their own report, to have neglected this proper rule o f caution, and to have exceeded the due proportion o f their liabilities in comparison to the amount o f assets, the public would, at least, be put upon their guard, and be afforded some opportunity o f escaping without loss. But, the error of this reasoning consists in supposing, that banks will ever make a true and fair report o f their condition, in any case, in which it is their in terest to do otherwise; or where, in other words, such a report must necessarily be an unfavorable one. Banks which have nothing to con ceal, indeed, may, generally speaking, be fairly expected to give a true account o f themselves. T o them, the publication o f the truth, is not an injury. But to banks which happen, as is too often the case, to be differ ently situated, the publication o f the truth— the plain, unvarnished truth, must often be productive o f the most immediately ruinous consequences ; and these will extend not only to the banks themselves, but to multitudes o f persons who have no other connexion with them, than as borrowers o f their capital, depositors, & c. It is easy to understand, how the appre hension o f producing such wide spread ruin— o f disappointing and crush ing so many hopes, and causing so much misery, should very naturally The Government and the Currency. 315 render men, though generally o f correct principles, reluctant to make a bold and open avowal o f the truth, where such avowal is expected to be followed with consequences so terrible. The hope too o f averting, or, if not, o f at least deferring the evil day, must always have its influence in warping their line o f conduct from that o f strict and rigid duty. Duty, under such circumstances, assumes too much o f the aspect o f severity ; and we are easily persuaded to think ourselves absolved from a punctil ious adherence to its dictates, by what we are disposed to regard, as its excessive rigor. T o suppose bankers and bank directors insensible to the influence o f such considerations as these, would be to suppose them more scrupulously honest and conscientious, and more firm than other men— to suppose them superior, indeed, to the condition and infirmities o f our common nature. It is to be considered, too, that the report o f a bank, respecting its own condition and the amount o f its effects and li abilities, is not a mere statement o f facts. It must generally be a state ment, composed, partly o f matters o f fact, and partly o f matters o f opinion. A portion, and generally a large portion o f the assets o f a bank, must consist o f the debts and obligations which have been contracted towards it in the course o f its business. But, o f what value are such debts and obligations ? upon this question, it is obvious, a great diversity o f opinion may exist. While, in the estimate o f parties, unbiased by interest or prejudice, they may be set down as absolutely worthless, in that o f the banks themselves, very probably they may be reckoned as so much gold and silver coin. A bank which has discounted bills and obli gations to the extent o f several hundred thousand dollars, proves, by such conduct, that at the time o f discounting them, it believed these bills and obligations to be g o o d ; and they are accordingly placed among the number o f its assets ; but subsequent events— a change in the course o f trade— a war— a treaty— the imposition o f a new tariff abroad, or at home— any circumstance, in short, which may shake the credit o f the debtors o f the bank, may have reduced the value o f these bills and obli gations to a third, or to a fourth part o f what they were originally worth ! T o expect that banks, upon the occurrence o f such an event, should come forward and make a public acknowledgment o f their losses, and by this means, injure their credit— aggravate, tenfold, the difficulties o f their situation, and perhaps even cause their own immediate destruction, would be to expect a degree o f heroic, stoic virtue on the part o f those institutions, which, I believe, their greatest admirers have never yet ven tured to claim on their behalf. But, though we should admit that even under circumstances the most trying, the managers and directors o f these institutions may be expected to act with the greatest integrity, and most perfect good faith, still, we all know how sanguine men usually are, in relation to their own affairs ; and in how different a light these may ap pear to the parties chiefly concerned, and to those who have no interest in them, and consequently no bias. W e should, therefore, be at no loss, even in cases where suspicion o f dishonesty was quite out o f the question— to account for finding among the assets o f a bank, and set down at their full nominal value, debts and obligations, which, in the opinion o f most well informed and unbiased persons, would probably have been estimated as wholly worthless, or have been rated, to say the least, at a very considerable discount. 316 The Government and the Currency. SECTION III. THE COMMUNICATION TO THE STOCKHOLDERS OF A BALANCE SHEET— THE INADEQUACY OF SUCH A DEVICE TO THE OBJECT PROPOSED---- THE STOCKHOLDERS THE DUPES AND VICTIMS OF THEIR AGENTS, THE DIRECTORS— THE CAUSE AND ORIGIN OF THIS EVIL---- THE FUNDAMENTAL LAWS AND PRINCIPLES OF OUR SYSTEM FALSE AND ERRONEOUS. The same objections apply, it is obvious, and with equal force, to the proposal for restraining the directors and agents o f a bank, by “ compelling the communication to the stockholders o f a balance sheet.” The total inadequacy o f such a device to the accomplishment o f the object proposed, must, after what has been already said, be so apparent as to call for very little additional remark. I f the stockholders o f a bank have no better means o f obtaining information upon the subject o f its condition, than what is afforded by the balance sheet o f the directors, they are not likely to be at all better instructed in the matter than the public and note-holders o f the bank. During the prosperity o f the bank indeed, and while there is nothing in its condition which requires concealment or disguise, the stockholders will find, in their balance sheet, a pretty fair account o f the proceedings o f their agents; and may feel satisfied, that they have not been duped by them ; but no sooner shall the reverse o f this happen to be the case— no sooner shall the bank become, from whatever cause, involved in difficulties and embarrassments, than the balance sheet will cease, however fairly it may show, to be any longer a document, upon which any firm and undoubting reliance can be placed. The directors, or officers o f the bank, who make out the balance sheet, are interested, chiefly, in the retaining their places in the bank— in securing, by that means, facilities for borrowing money for themselves, and lending it to others ; and in thus preserving and exercising an influence and control in the community, far greater than any, to which their own property, or character could entitle them. It is to them, therefore, o f the most immediate consequence, to keep up the fair credit o f the bank— to prevent its reputation from sustain ing any shock, from indiscreet disclosures— to conceal those infirmities and disorders o f its present state, which it has contracted in a long course o f management, whether from unavoidable accidents and misfortune, or from their own imprudence ; or, what is worse, from their own dishonesty ; and which, they are so sanguine as to hope they may, possibly, ultimately be enabled to cure, provided only, they can prevent any indiscreet and premature disclosures from being made. The motives, indeed, which, during a period o f difficulty and embarrass ment, must tempt the directors of a bank to practise deception and mis representation upon both stockholders and public, are in their nature so strong and cogent, and the arguments which may be urged in favor o f such a course o f conduct, are, at the same time, so specious and plausible, that it can afford no just subject o f wonder, if such motives and arguments are found frequently to prevail over the rigid dictates and exacting punc tilios o f a nice and scrupulous sense o f duty. It is needless to say how numerous have been the instances, in this country, in which proprietors and shareholders in banks have been made the dupes and victims o f their agents— the officers and managers o f those institutions. The number and frequency o f occurrences o f this nature, have been such, as to reflect much and serious discredit upon the character and respectability o f the com mercial and business portion o f the community, and even to have been made the subject o f grave national reproach. The origin o f the evil, The Government and the Currency. 317 however, is to be found, not in any defect o f character, nor in any inferi ority on our part when compared with other nations, in point o f honesty, (for in this respect we may, without vanity, perhaps, claim as a general rule, some little advantage,) but entirely to the false principles and erro neous views upon which we have proceeded, in laying down, in the first instance, the fundamental laws o f our system. CHAPTER LIMITED nr. SECTION I. LIABILITY— NUMEROUS PARTNERS— SMALL AMOUNT OF SHARES— GAMBLING THE MANAGERS OR DIRECTORS OF BANKS— THEIR FACILITIES, OPPORTUNITIES, TEMPTATIONS, AND IRRESPONSIBILITY— THE WANT OF SOME FIXED PRINCIPLE IN BANKS ESTABLISHED UNDER THE PREVAILING SYSTEM— IN W HAT THIS FIXED PRINCIPLE IS FOUND TO CONSIST— THE SAFEST BANKS. Under this system, which differs, in this respect, from that o f England, no stockholder or shareholder in a bank is liable towards the creditors of the bank for more than the amount o f his shares.* The effect o f this is, that great numbers o f persons are tempted to become owners o f bank shares, who, if the liability had extended to the whole, or any considera ble portion o f the amount o f their private fortunes, would never probably have ventured upon such a speculation. Owing to this cause, the propri etors of bank shares and bank stock come to be very numerous. Every body who has a few dollars, or a few hundred dollars to spare, becomes in this way connected with the banks. Such a person considers, that if even the bank in which he has taken shares should fail, he can loose, at the worst, only his shares; the amount o f which bears, probably, but a small proportion to that o f his entire property. In the expectation o f large dividends and profits, he is willing to encounter the risk o f such a loss. E very shareholder becomes, in this way, a sort o f gambler. Banks become lotteries, in which every one ventures a small sum, in the hope o f draw ing prizes ; or, which is the same thing, making exhorbitant profits. The ultimate fate o f the bank, and even of his shares, is a consideration too remote to have much influence on the mind o f the shareholder, so long as the bank gratifies him, as it will generally find means to do, by the pay ment o f a handsome dividend. The whole management o f the bank falls into the hands o f a few, who, like the majority o f the shareholders, have but a small number o f shares; and who, besides, have generally little other property than what they can make out o f the loans from the bank itself. The men o f property who, in the beginning, may have invested any considerable amounts in such a concern, would soon find occasion to withdraw from i t ; or will retain but a small number o f shares; so, that whatever may be the fate o f the bank, they may at least be secure against the occurrence o f any serious loss. The stockholders and shareholders, in such a concern, are too numerous— too much dispersed and distant from one another— too careless, on account o f the smallness o f the several invest ments which each o f them has made in it, to be vigilant or able guardi ans o f its true interests or ultimate fate. According to the old adage, “ what is every body’s business is nobody’s business,” and thus the entire control and management o f the concern is abandoned, as we before remarked, to the hands o f a small junto, whose interests and safety are not at all more deeply involved in the ultimate prosperity or failure o f the bank than those o f the rest o f the shareholders, and who, at the same time, possess facili- This is the general rule. 318 The Government and the Currency. ties for borrowing, and a command o f money for the purposes o f specula tion, which, though extremely convenient to themselves, doubtless— ena bling them often to realize large amounts o f property— are yet liable too to be frequently abused, to the great injury and loss, as well o f their con stituents, the shareholders, as o f the public and note-holders. These re marks are intended, not as a censure o f any men, or class o f men ; but as the condemnation o f a system. They are intended to demonstrate how unwise and mischievous must be any system o f banking, which entrusts to the hands o f an almost irresponsible set o f men, who, from the circum stances in which they are placed, and the facilities and opportunities which they enjoy, are necessarily exposed, frequently, to the strongest tempta tions, which, but too often, they have been proved by experience unable to resist; an immense aggregate o f property, owned in different and dis tant parts o f the country, and generally in comparatively small amounts ; and by a great multitude o f persons, who, from various, causes which have been already alluded to, cannot possibly exercise any efficient control or superintendance over its management. It requires but little reflection, we think, to be convinced, that banks established upon such a system, and on such principles, must unavoidably, from the inherent vices o f their own constitution, be constantly exposed to the greatest vicissitudes; and must contain, in fact, within themselves the latent causes o f their own dissolu tion. The corrupting principle o f the system inheres in every thing which proceeds from, or is built upon it. Such banks can possess, it is obvious, nothing o f stability or firmness— nothing o f strength, confidence, or dura bility— nothing o f security, or safety. They must be liable to be warped from their steady, onward course, by the allurements o f every fancied and temporary advantage ; and to be driven hither and thither, and be blown about and around by every breath o f speculation, and every gust o f fear. They must continue to be, (as they have always heretofore been,) at once, the causes, and the victims o f those panics in the commercial world, which have been more fatal, perhaps, to the happiness o f communities, than either pestilence or war. Every thing about them and around them, must par take o f the restlessness— the insecurity— the uncertainty— the vacillation, which result from the absence o f some fixed, and invariable, and determi nate principle o f action. In banks properly constituted, this principle is found in the preponder ance which is invariably given to the consideration o f security, over all other considerations, or objects whatever. With such banks, the amount o f dividends and profits, is an object altogether secondary and subordinate. It has no weight with them, when placed in the balance, in opposition to the all-important object o f security. Now, this will ever be the guiding •principle o f all hanks so constituted and conditioned, as that their ruin or fa il ure, must necessarily involve and draw along with it, that o f their sharehold. ers and proprietors. Whenever this is the case, the shareholders and proprietors, it may be readily believed, will exercise a control so strict and vigilant over their agents, the managers o f the bank, as will leave them little room for the employment o f their discretion, and still less for the temptation o f their virtue. It must be very evident that where one invests his whole property, or any large part o f it in a concern o f this sort, particularly if his property be a large one, he is far more anxious about the question o f security, than about that o f the amount o f profits and divi dends. So, if a number o f persons unite in the establishment o f a bank, The Government and the Currency. 319 and each o f them invests in it his whole, or any large portion o f his prop, erty, the ruling principle o f its management will be, the consideration o f security. The safest banks, therefore, are, generally speaking, those, in which the amount or value o f shares or stock owned severally by the indi vidual stockholders, or proprietors, bears the largest proportion to that o f their entire property : and in which the number o f stockholders is small, est compared to the whole amount or value o f the capital invested. In proportion as banks recede from this character— in proportion as their shareholders increase in number, and the amount o f shares they severally subscribe for diminishes—-just in this proportion do they approach to the character o f a lottery or gambling concern; and must partake, o f course, o f the fluctuations and vicissitudes which belong to the nature o f such things. SECTION II. UNLIMITED LIABILITY— ITS ADVANTAGES, OTINIONS QUOTED— SECURITY AGAINST FRAUDS AF FORDED B Y THE ADOPTION OF THIS PRINCIPLE— WORTHLESSNESS OF THE PRESENT FLAN OF AMERICAN BANKING, AND FUTILITY OF ALL THE CHECKS AND RESTRAINTS HITHERTO IMPOSED. W ere it not, however, that banks thus constituted, are entrusted with the issue o f a paper currency, and that by this means, their bad manage ment and insecurity are connected with a matter o f public and general concernment, the question o f introducing a reform with a view to insure their better management and greater security, would be o f comparatively little importance. It is this circumstance o f their connection with the currency, which makes them, more immediately, a subject o f legislative attention. And when we consider how important to the public and country it must ever be, to possess a sound and secure currency, and to avoid the evils which are inseparable from one which is ever variable and fluctuating, it can hardly fail to strike us as a subject o f some astonishment, that the attainment o f objects o f so much magnitude and consequence, should ever have been entrusted to institutions, on whose prudent and able man agement, and consequent stability and success, we are taught, both by reason and experience, that so little reliance can be placed. W e have already stated our conviction, that the instability and misman agement alluded to, are, in a great measure, ascribable to that feature in our banking corporations, which consists in their having a very large number o f stock or shareholders; while each o f these has invested in shares or stock, an amount or value which is but small, compared to that of his entire property. In order to remedy this evil, and insure better, and more prudent management, I would propose, that in the case o f all banks hereafter to be established, the legislature should require, as one o f the conditions o f their establishment, the unlimited liability o f the share holders ; and that upon application being made for the renewal o f any o f the existing bank charters, the same requirement should be insisted on, as an indispensable preliminary condition to granting their renewal. An expe rienced English banker,* and well informed practical writer upon bank ing, says, in his “ History o f Banking in America,” page 78, & c. “ In America, the banks are chartered banks, and the shareholders, in most cases, have no liability beyond the amount o f their respective shares. In England, every shareholder is liable to the full extent o f his property for all the debts of the bank. * James William Gilbert, general manager o f the London and Westminister bank. 320 The Government and the Currency. “ Unlimited liability gives greater security to the public. It will hardly be denied that all the property o f five hundred partners gives greater security for the debts o f the bank than any small portion o f that property that may be advanced in the form of paid up capital. It is not necessary to prove that the paid up capital, and the remaining property o f the part ners form a larger fund than the paid up capital alone. The unlimited liability o f the partners constitutes therefore a higher guarantee for the ultimate payment o f the debts o f the bank, whether those debts arise from notes or deposits. “ Unlimited liability, is, to a certain extent, a guarantee for prudent management. As the directors are liable to the full extent o f their prop erty, they will take care not to incur such risks as will place that property in jeopardy. And the shareholders will take care to choose directors, whose wealth and character render them worthy o f confidence ; and they will also attend to the annual report o f the directors, and will be alive to any event that may endanger the prosperity o f the bank. It is no objec tion to say, that private bankers run risks, although their whole property is liable, and hence the directors o f joint stock banks would run risks in the same way. First: private bankers, for the most part, have not run risks as bankers, but as manufacturers and merchants, and the failure of their commercial enterprises has brought down their banks. Secondly : the private bankers had greater inducements to run risks, because all the profit o f the risk went to themselves; but bank directors have no such inducements, because the profit that comes to themselves is very small, being only in proportion to the shares that they hold, while the failure might endanger their whole property, as the directors would be the first that would have judgment issued against them. Nor is it any objection to say, that the shareholders will not pay any regard to the administration o f the banks, so long as they receive good dividends. It may be very true, that when the shareholders have provided for the good management o f the bank, by choosing efficient directors, they will then attend no farther to its administration beyond receiving the half-yearly or annual reports. But let it be once even rumored that the directors are acting unfaithfully towards the shareholders, or let it be suspected that the dividends are not paid out o f the profits, and then see if the shareholders will not meet, and show, by their conduct, that they are alive to the sense o f unlimited lia bility. “ The unlimited liability o f the shareholders attracts the public confi dence. It is not enough that a bank is ultimately safe. A want o f con fidence in our banking establishments has been the cause o f much misery. The panic o f 1825 would have been far less calamitous had there existed no suspicion o f the banks. * * * * It will not be denied, that the public will place greater confidence in a bank, where, in addition to the paid-up capital, they have a claim upon the property o f all the partners, than where they have to depend upon the paid-up capital alone. It is remarkable that this tendency o f unlimited liability, to inspire public confidence, should be advanced as an objection against it. It has been said, that the public confidence may be abused, and that the banks presuming on the confidence they know they have acquired, may engage in specula tions to which they would not otherwise resort. W e grant that public confidence may be abused ; but is there no way o f guarding against these abuses, but by rendering the banks less deserving o f confidence ? * * Commerce and Progress o f Chili. 321 They who assert that unlimited liability acquires an excessive degree o f public confidence, admit that the public opinion is in opposition to their own. They think that unlimited liability renders a bank less worthy of confidence ; the public think the reverse, and they act accordingly.” Mr. McCullock, a deservedly high authority upon this subject says :* “ The American banks are all joint-stock associations. But instead o f the partners being liable, as in England, for the whole amount o f the debts o f the banks, they are in general liable only for the amount o f their shares, or for some fixed multiple thereof. It is needless to dwell on the tempta tion to commit fraud held out by this system, which has not a single coun tervailing advantage to recommend it. The worthlessness o f the plan on which the banks were founded, was evinced by the fact that between 1811, and the fifth o f May, 1830, no fewer than a hundred and sixty-five banks became altogether bankrupt, many o f them paying only an insigni ficant dividend; and this exclusive o f a much greater number that stop ped for a while, and afterwards resumed payments. This wide spread mischief resulting from such a state o f things has led to the devising o f various complicated schemes for insuring the stability and prudent man agement o f banks ; but as they all involve regulations which it is impos sible to enforce, they are practically worse than useless.” Art. I l l — T H E C O M M E R C E A N D PR O G R E SS OF C H IL I.t T he Republic o f Chili is bordered on the north by the Desert o f Atacama, separating it from Bolivia and P eru; on the south, by the Magellan Straits; on the east by the Cordilleras, which separate it from the Pampas o f the Rio de la Plata Republic ; and on the west, by the Pacific. It is watered by a great number o f rivers, some o f which, as the Maule and the Biobio, are navigable to some extent, and could, with little cost, be made still more so. The first insurrection o f Chili against Spain commenced in 1810, and lasted till 1814. The successes obtained in this revolution, however, were soon checked, as the Spaniards had received reinforcements from home, enabling them to regain the ground they had lost. Three years after, in 1817, Chili revolted again, with better success, and the Span iards were expelled by General Mendoza, who, in the plains o f Chacabuco, by a gallant fight, obtained the victory over 5,000 Spaniards with only 4,000 men. After the victory, the Chillians considered their success complete, and had already begun to form an independent government, when a new army o f Royalists, under General Osorio, invaded their country.. This army also was destroyed, in a decisive battle, on the 5th April, 1818, the Chil lians fighting under the command o f San Martin, O’Higgins, Balcarce, and Las Herreras, who completely routed the enemy. A last effort was then made by Spain to regain their lost dominion. A fifty-gun frigate and eleven transport ships, with 2,500 men, were com missioned, and had already reached Cape Horn, when the new govern ment of Chili, which had bought and armed two ships o f the Spanish * McCullock’s Commercial Dictionary Supplement. t A s translated from the French by Mr. W Drugulin, for “ Simmond’s Colonial Mag azine,” for June 1845, with additions by the Editor o f the Merchants’ Magazine. von. xu i.— no. iv. 20 322 Commerce and Progress o f Chili. East India Company, and several trading vessels, as well as a corvette, built in the United States, sent out this squadron under Captain Manuel Blanco, who met the enemy’s forces at Talcahuano, and, in this first trial at sea, displayed so much skill and talent, that he actually took the whole Spanish fleet. With this small force, Admiral Cochrane afterwards kept up the blockade o f the Peruvian ports from 1819 to 1823, at which period he left the Chilian service, during which time he completely nul lified the naval forces o f Spain in the Pacific. The first government o f Chili' was Dictatorial. General O’Higgins was elected Dictator, February 16,1816, and remained in office till 1823. His successor was General Freire, to whom followed Blanco and Eeysaguirre, until, in 1828, a new constitution was proclaimed, and Gen eral Pinto elected president o f the young Republic. He, however, did not accept the dignity offered to him, but ceded his place to Don Ramon Vicuna, at this time president o f the Senate. The new president was no great favorite with the people; several provinces revolted, and a civil war ensued, the end o f which was, that Vicuna was deposed, and General Prieto took his place, in 1833, after several administrations of short duration. At this period it may properly be said, the true history o f Chili begins. Under Prieto’s administration, Chili took her acknowledged place among the nations o f the globe, and her interior relations became settled. The national debt had increased to the enormous amount o f 8,282,978 piasters, (about $10,000,000.) Prieto therefore dismissed a third o f the standing army, diminished the salaries o f the servants o f the state, recalled most o f the diplomatic agents at foreign courts, and, in short, established such a rigorous system o f economy, that, in 1835, already an equalibrium in the finances o f the state was obtained, and more than 1,500,000 piasters o f interior debts were paid off. The increase o f the revenue will be shown by the following figures: 1831 ............................. 1,517,537 piasters 1832 ............................. 1,652,713................. 1833 ............................. 1,770,760................ 1834.................. 1,922,966 piasters 1835....................2,003,421............... A rapid development o f the resources o f Chili has taken place. No wonder; the government is mild ; taxes light; order has been brought into the various branches o f administration ; equitable laws protect alike the native and the foreigner ; and the legislation o f the Republic may simply be reduced to these two points: 1. Perfect liberty to the citizen, so long as he respects that o f his fellow-subjects. 2 Absolute equality under the law, which admits no titles, no catego ries, no privileges or distinctions between natives and foreigners, pro tecting all alike by the same guarantees. The administration o f justice, without being entirely freed from the forms instituted by the Spanish government, is expeditious, impartial, and equitable, or, at least,-always conscientious. The judges are independ ent, because their office is permanent. Their decrees, civil as well as criminal, must be accompanied or preceded by an exposition o f the reasons or considerations which influenced acquittal or condemnation. The cases o f the poor are pleaded in form a pauperis. This country, which under the Spanish sway was uncultivated and poor, now every where shows fertile lands, rich plantations, and artificial Commerce and P rogress o f Chili. 323 meadows. Fine villages, farms, schools, and public institutions, now oc cupy the places o f the poor huts o f former times. Everything has in creased, everything has grown more important, and a few facts will be sufficient to prove this. The annual mining produce under the Spaniards was on the average, Silver.......................................... 23,500 marcs. (1 m are= 8 oz.) Copper....................................... 25,000 cwt. In 1834 it had risen to— Silver.......................................... 164,000 marcs. Copper....................................... 75,000 cwt. W hich brought in circulation a sum o f 2,500,000 piasters. The course o f the bills o f the treasury was, August 20, 1840, not higher than 24 per cent, while in September, 1843, they were in demand at 68 per cent. These favourable results, however, should not lead to the belief, that Chili has enjoyed perfect peace since her independence. She has had to maintain long and severe struggles with Peru, which, however, only served to develop more strongly the high mind o f the Chilians. Chili had in 1820 aided Peru with money and men in the war o f independence which that state waged against Spain; nevertheless Peru soon became the receptacle o f all the Chilian malecontents, the heart o f all intrigues spun against the government o f Chili. This inimical feeling towards the stale which had done so much for Peru, increased still more when General Santa-Cruz was elected protector o f the Peru-Bolivian Republic. He received the Chilian rebels with open arms, and even went so far as to arm three men-of-war at Callao, which he placed at the disposal o f the insurgents. By a coup de main, however, which was crowned with complete success, these ships were taken before they had even left the haven o f Callao. The Chilians also captured the rest o f the vessels sent out to revolutionize their country, and forced Peru to acknowledge the legal capture o f those ships. From this period a series o f animosities ensued on the part o f Peru, which left no doubt that this state wished to provoke war. This pro ceeded so far, that Peru by a law forbade all foreign vessels to trade with South America without previously having entered some port o f Peru or Bolivia, under the threat o f submitting all vessels disregarding this de cree to additional entrance duties. The aim o f this edict was to alien ate the trade from Valparaiso, and to insult the Chilian government, which did not fail to declare war against Peru. Scenes o f bloodshed, treachery, and horrors, peculiar to the wars in America, now followed one another, in quick succession, and ended in 1829 by the battle o f Yungay ; after which Santa-Cruz was forced to lay down his titles, and to expatriate himself. He afterwards returned to Bolivia, but was taken prisoner, and retained by the Chilian government till his banishment to Europe. In 1837, Chili was, owing to the secret intrigues o f Santa-Cruz’s agents, declared to be in statu b elli; this measure becoming indispensa ble also for the purpose o f ensuring success to the war. When, however, in 1839, the dictatorial power o f government ceased, with the circum stances which had made it necessary, it appeared that not in a single in stance had this supreme power been misused, the only results o f those two years being of a pacific tendency; viz., the erection and dotation of schools— improved high roads, courts o f law, “ magazines,” etc., as well 324 Commerce and Progress o f Chili. as the revision o f the commercial, civil, and criminal codes, notwithstand ing the horrors of a famine. It is but proper to add, that the govern ment had been supported during those two years by voluntary contribu tions o f the wealthy o f the country. During even this time the revenue was constantly increasing, a fact more remarkable still than that already shown in the instance o f 1831— 1836. State o f revenue in— 1839 ......................... 2,386,959 piasters, f 1842......................... 3,074,575 piasters. 1840 ......................... 2.946,247 ............ 1843......................... 3,160,000 .............. 1841 ..................... 2,761,787 ............ | This increase, as the figures show, was only retarded in 1841, and then owing to a new tariff'not in accordance with the interests o f the country, and which was therefore easily withdrawn. The following will show the savings the government o f St. Jago real ized in a period o f ten years :— 1832 ......................... 1833 .............. 1834 .............. 1836 .............. 1837 ......................... 118,241 134,565 200,519 212,926 216,311 piasters. ............. ............. ............. ............. 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 ............... 114,512 piasters ............... 219,267............ ............... 415,026............ ............... 569,554............ ........... 1,395,412.............. It will not be uninteresting to see from what sources the revenue was derived, and what were the items o f expenditure. W e therefore subjoin the budget submitted by the Minister o f Finance to the representative chambers in 1842 :— Balance in hand, 1841,............. 569,564 Customs,........................................ *1,936,323 Monopolies,.................................. 590,943 Tithes, ......................................... 212,427 R egistration,............................... 69,118 Conveyancing duties,.................. 77,710 Patents,......................................... 32,379 Stamps,......................................... 44,299 M int,............................................. 23,320 Costs o f representative,............. Ministry o f the interior,............ “ exterior,.......... Charities and public w o rk s,... . Pious pensions,........................... Administration o f justice,.......... R eligion,....................................... Public instruction,...................... Ministry o f finances,.................. Interest and amortisation o f in terior debt,............................... Interest and amortisation o f ex terior debt,.............................. Piasters8,743 153,851 36,387 17,885 12,713 120.948 42.730 25,194 599,353 Postal revenue,............................ Highway tolls, & c.,.................... Auction duties,............................ Sundries,....................................... Confiscations and Restitutions,. Deposits,....................................... Piasters. 40,440 29,796 4,000 13,817 21,650 140,181 Total,.................................. 3,805,961 Ministry o f war,......................... National militia,.......................... Navy,............................................ Military loan institution,............ Repayment o f deposits,............. Restitution o f payments in er ror,............................................ Piasters. 603,551 199,179 122,158 38.930 12,979 7,212 Expenditure,.................. 2,410.549 Savings,......................... 1,395,412 151,147 Total,.................... 3,805,961 256,762 After having given in the preceding figures the increase o f the reve nue o f the state, we proceed to show the progress o f industry and nation al wealth. * The maximum, till 1830, had been 800,000 piasters. T he enormous difference be tween those two sums, alone, would be sufficient to show the increase o f commerce in the republic. 325 Commerce and P rogress o f Chili. The principal articles o f export from Valparaiso were, in the years 1836 to 1 8 4 0 Copper in Bars. Copper ore....... Lucerne Seed.. Cheese.............. 108,763 cw t 7 1 ,8 3 3 ....... 10,422 222,685 Flour.............. Gold in Bars.. Silver in ditto H ides............. 190,783 7,22n 322,917 254,394 cwt. marcs. ... no, These figures compared with those o f 1841— 1843, show a consider able increase, with respect particularly to the metals. The average pro duction of the last three years was— Copper in Bars.................................................................... 252*752 cwt. Copper O r e .......................................................................... 9 0 5 ,0 3 2 __ Silver coind and in Bare................................................... 130,066 marcs. Gold ditto ditto.................................................................. 16,590 .... The sums brought in circulation during this period amount to upwards o f a million sterling per annum on the average, which in 1812 even rose to an additional $200,000. The agricultural industry is prospering in the same ratio, as the soil o f Chili is of extraordinary fertility. It yields all the European, and a great portion o f the tropical products; and the general return from the land is twenty, in some provinces thirty, and in others even a hundred times the quantity o f seed employed. The best way o f proving our assertions will be an exposition o f the government tithes for a number o f successive years; and it ought not to be overlooked, that this law is no great favourite with the farmer, and consequently his own estimate will generally not exceed three-fourths o f his actual harvest. 1833........... 1834........... .......... 205,047 ... 1835........... 1836............. .......... 271,810 .... 1837............. 1838........... 1839........... ........... 312,068 ............. 1840............. .......... 340,427 ............. 1841............. .......... 248,753 ............. * Under these circumstances it is but a necessary consequence that the external credit o f the republic has constantly increased ; arrangements were entered into with the holders o f her bonds, the results o f which were, that while previously shares were to be had at a price o f 5 per cent under the nominal one, they immediately after were sought for at 75 per cent, and at the end o f May, 1843, had even risen to 93 per cent. The present quotations are for the 6 per cent loan 104, and 55 for the 3 per cents, which will begin to bear interest in 1847. T o General Prieto, the credit o f all these improvements and advan tages must be given ; his successor in the presidency, Bulnes, only car ried out, and still does so, the rules o f political economy set down and followed by Prieto, and it is to be expected that Chili will soon be the most flourishing state o f South America. The commercial importance o f Valparaiso, the principal seaport o f Chili, shows a state o f prosperity and confidence in the stability o f the government, which proves that our opinions as to the Republic are in unison with those o f the public. While in 1834 only 450 vessels aggregating 77,700 tons entered this port, the proportions in 1842 were as follows :— * This was the year o f famine. 326 Commerce and Progress o f Chili. Men-of-war.......................................... Steamboats........................................... Commercial vessels............................ 44 i 24 >187,453 tons. 617 j During the year 1842 the commercial movements in all Chilian port*, Valparaiso, Coquimbo, Huasco, Cobiabo, Constitucion, Talcahuano, Valdiva and Chiloe— together were :— C M en-of-war................................. Entries 7 Trading vessels.......................... ( Steamers..................................... t M en-of-war................................ D epartures< Steamers..................................... ( Trading vessels......................... 48 1,173 112 54 Ill 1,209 1 >339,019 tons. > i > 328,288 tons. ; The revenue o f which, as has been shown above, amounted to 1,936,323 piasters. The transit trade is enormous. At the custom-house o f Valparaiso alone, there were, on May 21, 1842, 722,472 bales o f merchandise. T he value o f which was......................... And coined metals to the amount o f . .. 7,159,036 piasters. 3,260,833 „ 10,519,869 piasters. It is scarcely credible that this is the same country which, under the Spaniards, had no trade whatever with any other nation o f the world ; which bad no intercourse but with Peru and Buenos Ayres, and whose revenue was not sufficient for the payment o f the salaries o f the civil and military authorities o f its capital. W e conclude our bird’s-eye view o f Chili with an enumeration o f its principal products, and leave our readers to judge for themselves. Those products are gold, silver, copper, mercury, iron, coa ls; cattle o f every description, particularly horses and mules; the best fruit, the most exquisit legumes, corn, wine, olive oil, are in abundance. These blessings are produced under the influence o f a more salubrious climate than any other part o f South America can boast of, and which ought to be taken into account by emigrants. W e annex the statistics o f trade between the United States and Chili for the year ending June 30, 1844, which we have compiled from the annual report o f the Secretary of the Treasury on commerce and naviga tion. The total exports from the United States to Chili, it will be seen, amounted to $1,105,221, and the total imports from Chili, to $750,370, showing a balance in favor o f the United States, in 1844, of $354,851. In 1843 the balance was $191,907, and in 1842, it was $808,637. E xports to Chili. Fish, oil, and spermaceti candies,........................................ Staves, shingles, planks, & c .,. Masts, spars, and naval stores, Provisions, beef, and spirits,... W a x ,.......................................... $6,953 7,535 2,122 63,489 28,462 6,411 9,258 Sugar,........................................ Manufactures o f all k ind s,.... Non-enumerat’d, and sundries, $22,550 703,951 5,914 Domestic exports,.............. $856,645 248,576 Total exports,...................... $1,105,221 Imports from Chili. Bullion and specie,.................... Copper, pigs, bar, and o ld ,.... Dye-woods,................................ Leghorn, straw, and chip hats, W ool, not exe’ding 7 c. per lb., Cocoa,......................................... $185,817 355,842 3,345 18,833 19,847 26,431 Hem p,......................................... Manufactures,............................ Sundries, and non-enumerat’d. Salt,............................................. Total imports,.................... $2,234 9,470 127,951 600 $750,370 Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . A rt. 327 IV.— S K E T C H E S OF T R A D E A N D M A N U F A C T U R E S IN B E LG IU M . COMMERCE BETWEEN BELGIUM AND THE UNITED STATES— OSTEND— FISHERIES— BRUGES : HER MANUFACTURES, DECLINE, ETC.— LINEN TRADE— CULTURE OF FLAX— JOINT STOCK COMPANIES ---- EXTORT OF FLOWERS— CURIOUS FRAUDS IN THE SUGAR TRADE---- SUGAR EXPORTED AND RE FINED— CALICO PRINTING---- BOOK TRADE AT BRUSSELS---- COMMERCE OF ANTWERP— SHIPPING OF ANTWERP— CONTRABANDISM---- MANUFACTURE OF SILK---- MARITIME TRADE---- COTTON MANU FACTURE— CHILDISH EXPEDIENT— EXPORT OF COTTON GOODS— RAILROAD SYSTEM OF BELGIUM ---- BREWERIES AND CONSUMPTION OF BEER IN BELGIUM---- TRADE OF NAMUR---- MANUFACTURES AT LIEGE— WOOLLEN TRADE— SEATS OF TRADE— JOINT STOCK SPECULATIONS, AND COMMER CIAL DELUSIONS OF BELGIUM— BANK OF BELGIUM, ETC., ETC. W e have, in the previous volumes o f this Magazine, published a variety o f information connected with the commerce and manufactures o f Bel gium ;* and we now propose to lay before our readers some additional sketches, chiefly gleaned from a careful reading o f two volumes of an interesting work, which has not been republished in this country.f The author was a member of the British Parliament; and, as a statesman, his attention was very naturally directed to the commercial and economical condition o f the. country, through which he passed in 1840-41. The de tails furnished by Mr. Tennent, regarding the commerce and manufac tures o f Belgium, were the result o f personal inquiry, corrected by the annual statistical returns, published by the Belgian government, and con firmed by the labors of Mr. Briavionne, in a recent work,f to which re ference is frequently made. The opinion expressed by Mr. Tennent, arose out o f visits made to the principal manufacturing districts, accompanied by two Belgian gentlemen, o f extensive practical acquaintance with the manufacturing and commer cial interests of England and Belgium. W e have endeavored to embody all the volumes contain, upon the subjects embraced in the title o f the pre sent paper; and, in doing this, we have merely condensed the information— preferring generally to use the language of the author, to re-writing the whole. Before referring to the work o f Mr. Tennent, we proceed to give a brief statistical view o f the commercial intercourse between the United States and Belgium. The value of the imports from Belgium into the United States, is quite sm all; amounting, in 1843, to only $171,695 ; and in 1844 to $634,777, showing a considerable increase ; more than half that amount consisting o f cloths and cassimeres, as will be seen by the table we give below, which we have carefully compiled from the annual report of the Secretary o f the Treasury on commerce and navigation. The balance o f trade with Belgium is greatly in favor o f the United States ; the total value of our exports to that country amounting, in 1844, to $2,003,801— of which $1,852,571 was o f the produce, growth, and manufacture o f the United States, and the remaining $151,230 of foreign goods. The balance in our favor was, in 1842, $991,096 ; in 1843, it had increased to * See Merchants’ Magazine, Vol. V., p. 4 8 2 ; Vol. V III., p. 3 7 3 ; Vol. II., p. 79 ; Vol. V III., p. 369 ; Vol. V I., p. 80 ; Vol. V I., p. 409, for commerce and manufactures, com mercial regulations, speculative mania, pilotage department, etc., etc., of Belgium. t Belgium. By J. E m e r s o n T e n n e n t , Esq., M. P., author of “ Letters from the dEgcan,” and the “ History o f M odem Greece.” 2 volumes, 12mo. London: Richard Bentley. 1841. } De L ’lndustrie en Belgique. 328 Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . $1,799,014; and in 1844, it was $1,369,024. Belgium, in 1844, re ceived only about one-fiftieth o f all the merchandise exported from the United States. 1844. Quantity. 475,(J31 42,858 EXTORTS OF THE UNITED STATES TO BELGIUM, IN Articles. Whale and other fish oil,................. Staves,................................................ ............... M. Tar and pitch..................................... Rosin and turpentine,....................... Ashes, pot and pearl,....................... B eef,................................................... Tallow ,............................................... Pork,.................................................... Hams and bacon,............................. Lard,.................................. ................. Butter,................................................ Cheese,............................................... F lour,.................................................. R ic e ,................................................... Cotton-wool,...................................... T obacco,........................................... H ops,.................................................. W a x ,................................................... Tobacco, manufactured,.................. Spirits o f turpentine,......................... L e a d ,................................................. ............. lbs. Manufactures, not enumerated,...... Total exports o f domestic goods,... Total foreign goods exp’d fm. U. S. to Belgium, 93 9,956 3,813 310 50,994 75 200 765,719 49,166 2,472 3 14,992 9,885,581 4,108 39,335 83,505 14,201 542 2,504,604 Valne. $165,103 15,724 1,040 2,548 11,250 336,125 184 5,470 1 > ) l ( 45,628 3,716 15 248,074 760,319 145,374 2,574 24,610 1,266 209 81,011 2,286 1,852,571 151,230 T ot. exp. o f U. S. to Belgium, in 1844,.................................................... $2,003,801 I m p o r t s f k o m B e l g i u m i n t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , i n 1844. Articles. Value. Articles. Value. $1,320 W ines, claret, etc.,.................... Gold and silver,......................... $15,059 W ines o f Germany,............ . 355 Articles free o f duty, not enu Spirits from grain, & c.,............ 145 merated,.................................. 37,283 Porter or beer,............................. 20 Cloths and cassimeres,............. 350,123 Cassia,.......................................... 706 Blankets,..................................... 106 Cheese,................. 90 Worsted stuffs,.......................... 1,552 G lue,............................................ 595 W oollen and worsted y a rn ,.... 1,207 Bleaching powder,.................... 1,616 Manufactures o f cotton,............ 12,279 Goats’ wool,............................... 2,320 Silks, floss, & c.,......................... 1,483 Cigars,......................................... 447 Lace, thread, and cotton,......... 6,351 Manilla and other hemp, E. I., 3,760 Linens, bleached and other,.... 957 Bottles,........................................ 42 Arms, fire and side,,................. 24,279 Tacksr brads, etc.,...................... 63 Manufactures o f iron and steel, 23,692 Nailsr cut and wrought,............ 1,289 4< copper,........... 74 Chains, other than cables,........ 102 u brass,. 1,045 Iron, old and scrap,.................. 22 " other metals,. 13,596 Iron, bar,...................................... 170 Manufac.of leather, not spec’d, 138 Leather, sole and upper,.......... 18 “ w ood,............... 162 330 Boots and shoes,......................... 140 “ glass,................ Skins, tanned and dressed,...... 240 Earthen and 6tone wares,......... 977 Paper,........................................... 586 Furs, undressed on the skin,... 4,822 Furs, hatters’ and others,......... 33,923 Books, printed,........................... 1,457 Hair-cloth and seating,............. 293 Coal,............................................. 1,729 Potatoes,..................................... W ool, unmanufactured,............ 2,705 15 W oollen goods, not enumer’ d,. 19,781 Fish,............................................. 820 Silks, pongees, & c.,.................. 836 Carpeting, Wilton or Saxony,. 100 Total value o f imports into Champaign,................................. 388 U. S. from B elgium ,.... $634,777 Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . 329 Mr. Tennent arrived at Ostend in the month o f September, 1840, which he describes as the second sea-port in the kingdom, and as enjoying a considerable share o f the shipping o f Belgium. It has no manufac tures, and the chief emoluments o f the lower classes, arises from the fishery o f herrings and oysters. F isheries — The herring fishery has, it appears, o f late years, almost disappeared from the coast o f Flanders. It was once one o f the most lucrative branches of trade in the Low Countries ; and Charles V ., when he visited the grave of Beukelson, who discovered the method o f pickling herrings, at Biervliet, near Sluys, caused a monument to be erected over his remains. With the Reformation, however, and the lax observance o f Lent upon the continent, the demand for salted fish declined, and Hol land herself now retains but a remnant o f her ancient trade ; which, however, she cultivates with a rigid observance o f all its ancient form alities— the little fleet o f fishing-boats assemble annually at Vlaardingen, at the entrance o f the Mass— the officers assemble at the Stad-huis, and take the ancient oath to respect the laws o f the fishery; they then hoist their respective flags, and repair to the church to offer up prayers for their success. The day o f their departure is a holiday on the river The first cargo which reaches Holland, is bought at an extravagant price, and the first barrel which is landed on the shore, is forwarded as a present to the king. Ostend, Blankenburg, Nieuport, Antwerp, and even Bruges, had once a valuable share in this important fishery, but it has o f late years been utterly lost; not more than three sloops having put to sea in any year since 1837, and even then with indifferent success. The cod-fishery, however, has been more prosperous, employing between five and six hundred seamen at Ostend alon e; but even this is bolstered and sus tained by the unsound expedient o f government bounties. After passing some time at Ostend, Mr. T . visited Bruges. M anufactures etc .— From the thirteenth century to the close o f the sixteenth, Bruges was at once in the plentitude of her political power and the height o f her commercial prosperity. As the furs and iron of the north were not yet carried by sea round the Baltic, and the wealth o f India still poured through the Red Sea into Genoa and Venice, Bruges became one o f the great entrepots where they were collected, in order to be again distributed over Western Europe ; and with Dantzic, Lubeck, Hamburg, and a few other trading cities o f the west, Bruges became one o f the leading commandaries o f the Hanseatic League. The idea of marine insurances was first acted upon at Bruges in the thirteenth century, and the first exchange for the convenience o f merchants was built there in the century following. Her manufactures were equally celebrated with her traffic and her trade. Her tapestries were the models, and, indeed, the progenitors of the Gobelins, which were established in France by a native o f Burges, under the patronage o f Henry I V .; and the fame o f her woolstaplers and weavers has been perpetuated in the order o f the Golden Fleece, the emblem o f which was selected by Philip the Good, in honor o f the artizans o f Bruges. It was a native of Bruges, Beham, who, fifty years before tbe enter prise o f Columbus, ventured to “ tempt the western main,” and having 330 Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium. discovered the Azores, first led the way to the awakening of a new hem isphere. All this is now passed away, other nations have usurped her foreign commerce, and her own rivals at home have extinguished her manufac tures. But still, in her decline, Bruges wears all the air o f reduced aris tocracy ; her poor are said to be frightfully numerous in proportion to her population, but they are not, as elsewhere, ostentatiously offensive; except a few decripid objects o f compassion, by the door o f the cathedral, Mr. Tennent did not see a beggar in the streets. M a n u f a c t u r e o f l a c e a t Br u g e s — O f all her active pursuits, Bru ges retains no remnant except the manufacture o f lace, to which even her ancient fame has ceased to give a prestige; and it is exported to France to be sold under the name o f Point de Valenciennes. Mechlin, Antwerp, Ypres and Grammont, share with her in its production ; and it is interesting to observe how this mignon and elegant art, originally, perhaps, but the pastime o f their young girls and women, has survived all the storms and vicissitudes which have from time to time suspended or disturbed the other national occupations o f the Belgians, and now en ables the inhabitants o f their superannuated cities, in the ruin o f their own fortunes, to support themselves, as it were, upon the dower o f their fe males. France, in the time o f Colbert, seduced the manufacture to establish itself at Paris by actual gifts o f m oney; and England, emulous o f sharing in it, purchased the la ce'of Belgium to sell to Europe as her own, and made by it such a reputation, that English lace is still a popular name for a particular description made at Brussels! The exquisitely fine thread which is made in Hainoult and Brabant for the purpose o f being worked into lace, has occasionally attained a value almost incredible. A thousand to fifteen hundred francs is no unusual price for it by the pound, but some has actually been spun by hand o f so exquisite a texture, as to be sold at the rate o f ten thousand francs, or up wards o f $2,000, for a single pound weight. Schools have been established to teach both the netting o f the lace and drawing of designs by which to work it, and the trade, at the present moment, (1840-41,) is stated to be in a more flourishing condition than it has ever been known before, even in the most palmy days o f the Netherlands. L i n e n t r a d e — Belgium, from the remotest period, even, it is said, before the Christian era, has been celebrated for its manufacture o f cloth ing o f all descriptions. It was from Belgium that England derived her first knowledge o f the weaving o f w o o l; damask has been made there since the time o f the Crusades, when the soldiers o f Godfrey of Bouillon and o f Count Baldwin, brought the art from Damascus ; and to the pre sent hour, the very name o f “ Holland,” is synonimous with linen, and the cloth so called, has for centuries been woven principally in Flanders. Under the government o f Austria, the manufacture seems to have at tained its acme o f prosperity in the Netherlands ; her exports o f linen in 1784, amounting to 27,843,397 yards, whilst in 1841, with all her in crease o f population and discoveries in machinery, she hardly surpassed thirty millions. Again, under the continental system o f Napoleon, from 1805 to 1812, it attained a high degree o f prosperity, which sensibly de-creased after the events o f 1814, when English produce came again into active competition with it. C ulture o f flax — The cultivation o f flax is still, however, her staple Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . 331 employment; one acre in every eighty-six o f the whole area o f Belgium, being devoted to its growth. In particular districts, such as Courtrai and St. Nicolas, so much as one acre in twenty is given to it ; and in the Pays de Waes, it amounts so high as one in ten. Every district o f Bel gium, in fact, yields flax, more or less, except Luxembourg and Limburg, where it has been attempted, but without success ; but o f the entire quan tity produced, Flanders alone furnishes three-fourths, and the remaining provinces, one. The quality o f the flax, too, seems, independently of local superiority, in its cultivation, to be essentially dependent upon the nature o f the soil in which it is sown. From that around Ghent, no pro cess o f tillage would be sufficient to raise the description suitable to more costly purposes; that o f the Waloons yields the very coarsest qual ities; Courtrai those whose strength is adapted for thread; and Tournai alone furnished the fine and delicate kinds, which serve for the man ufacture o f lace and cambric. O f the quantity o f dressed flax prepared in Belgium, calculated to amount to about eighteen millions o f kilogrammes, five millions were annually exported to England and elsewhere, on an average o f eight years, from 1830 to 1839. According to the returns o f Belgian custom-houses, the export has been as follows— from 1830 to 1839. 1831,....................... 1832,....................... ......... 1833,....................... ......... 1834,....................... ......... 3,655,226 4,392,113 2,698,870 “ “ “ 1835,................. 1836,................. .............. 1837................... 1838,................. .............. 6,891,991 “ 9,459,056 “ The remainder is reserved for home manufacture into thread and cloth, and it is estimated by M. Briavionne, that the cultivation o f this one ar ticle alone, combining the value o f the raw material with the value given to it by preparation, in its various stages from flax to linen cloth, produces annually to Belgium, an income o f 63,615,000 francs. Belgium possesses no source o f national wealth at all to be put into com parison with this, involving as it does, the concentrated profits both o f the raw material and its manufacture, and, at the present moment, the atten tion o f the government and the energies o f the nation are directed to its encouragement in every department, with an earnestness that well be speaks their intimate sense o f its importance. Such is the superiority o f Belgian flax, that whilst, in some instances, it has brought so high a price as $1,100 per ton, and generally ranges from $400 to $450 ; not more than $450 has been obtained for British, and its ordinary average does not exceed $250. The elements of their trade are, therefore, two-lold, the growth o f flax, and secondly, its conversion by machinery into yarn and cloth. J o i n t s t o c k c o m p a n i e s — The seat o f the manufacture o f linen, at present, is at Ghent and Liege, and is confined to a very few extensive establishments, projected by joint stock companies, or Societes Anonymes,* for the formation o f which, there has latterly been almost a mania * By the French commercial code, there are three descriptions o f trading companies, First, societes en nom collectif, with all the attributes o f an ordinary partnership in Eng land ; secondly, societies en commandite, where the great majority o f the associated cap italists are sleeping partners, with no share in the management, no name in the firm, and responsible only to the extent o f their registered capital, one or more o f the partners, , alone, having the conduct o f the establishment, and being responsible to the public to the full extent o f their property; and thirdly, the societes anonymes, which are, in every in cident and particular analogous to the joint stock companies of England, only with a liability, limited in every instance to the amount o f their shares. 332 Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . in Belgium. Four o f these establishments, projected between 1837 and 1838, proposed to invest a capital amounting amongst the whole, to no less than fourteen millions o f francs. One o f them at Liege, perfected its intention and is now in action. That which Mr. Tennent visited belonging to La S ociili de la L ysr may be taken as a fair illustration o f the progress which the art has made in Belgium, as the others are all constructed on similar models, and with the same apparatus in all respects. It was originally calculated for 15,000 spindles, but not more than one-third are erected. E x p o r t o f f l o w e r s — In the rearing o f flowers, Belgium and more especially Ghent, has outrivalled the ancient florists o f Holland ; the city is actually environed with gardens and green-houses, and those of the Botanical Society, are celebrated throughout Europe for their successful cultivation o f the rarest exotics. At Ghent their sale has, in fact, become an important branch o f trade ; plants to the value o f a million and a half o f francs having been exported annually, on account of the gardeners in the vicinity; and it is no unusual thing to see in the rivers, vessels freight ed entirely with Camellias, Azaleas, and Orange trees, which are sent to all parts o f Europe, even to Russia by the florists o f Ghent. C u r io u s f r a u d i n t i i e s u g a r t r a d e — The false policy o f the sys tem o f bounties, has operated in Belgium, as it has invariably done else where, to give an unreal air o f prosperity to the trade, whilst it opened a door to fraud, the never failing concomitant o f such unsound expedients. T o such an extent was this the case, that on its recent detection and sup pression, a reaction was produced in the manufactures, that for a moment threatened to be fatal. The duty on the importation o f raw sugar amounts to 37 francs per 100 kilogrammes, and a drawback was paid down to 1838 on every 55 kilogrammes o f refined sugar exported. This proportion was taken as the probable quantity extractible from 100 kilogrammes o f the raw article, but the law omitted to state in what stage o f refinement, or o f what precise quality that quantity should be. The consequence was, that sugar which had undergone but a single process, and still re tained a considerable weight o f its molasses, was exported, and a draw back was thus paid upon the entire 75 to 80 kilogrammes, which, had the process been completed, would only have been demandable on fifty-five. The encouragement designed to give a stimulus to improvement, thus tended only to give an impulse to fraud, and vast quantities o f half refined sugar were sent across the frontiers, and the drawback paid, only to be smuggled back again for a repetition o f the same dishonest proceeding. The attention o f the government being, however, awakened by the com parison o f the relative quantities o f raw sugar imported, and o f refined exported, on which the drawback was claimed, a change was made in the law in 1838, by which the drawback was restricted to a per centage on nine tenths only o f the raw sugar imported, thus securing a positive rev enue upon the balance, and at the same time some practical expedients were adopted for the prevention o f fraud for the future. These latter were found to be so effectual, that four establishments in Antwerp discon tinued the trade altogether, immediately on the new law coming into force, and this example was followed by others elsewhere. There are still between 60 and 70 refineries in Belgium, and in 1837 and 1838, the importations o f raw sugar and the exports o f refined were as follows:— Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . 333 RAW SUGAR IMPORTED. In 1831,............................................................... In 1838,.............................................................. 20,128,618 kilogrammes. 16,814,946 “ REFINED SUGAR EXPORTED. In 1837,............................................................... In 1838,............................................................... 8.484,097 kilogrammes. 8,113,897 “ An amount, which whilst it shows the general importance o f the trade, seems to indicate that it is not increasing. The home consumption o f Belgium as compared to England, is as 2 kils. per each individual to 8. In France the quantity used per head, is 3 kils., and in the rest o f Europe about 2J. C a l i c o p r i n t i n g — The printing o f calicoes is reduced to the lowest ebb in Belgium by the effects o f the revolution in 1830. Previous to this event, the Belgian calico printer being admitted to the markets o f Hoi. land and her colonies, had an outlet for his produce, quite sufficient to af ford remunerative employment for all his machinery; but when, by her separation from Holland, Belgium was excluded from the Dutch possess, ions, both in the East and West Indies, and restricted to the supply o f her own population, she suddenly found the number o f her consumers reduced from between fifteen and sixteen millions to something less than four. In articles which are universally produced by the unaided labor o f the hand, a limitation on the gross consumption cannot, as a general rule, effect any very material alteration in the individual price, where fair com. petition shall have already reduced and adjusted it by a remunerative standard. But when it comes to an active competition with machinery, the case is widely different; the outlay for apparatus, and the cost o f la bor being almost the same for the production o f one hundred pieces as for ten, it is manifest that the man who has a market for one hundred, can afford to sell each one for a much less sum than he who can only dispose o f ten— even without including in the calculation the interest o f the cap ital embarked, which must, o f course, be ten times the amount upon the small production that it is upon the large. The merchants o f Antwerp and the manufacturers o f Ghent, foresee, ing, clearly, the ruin o f their pursuits in the results o f the repeal o f the union with Holland, loudly protested against the proceedings o f the revolu tionists o f 1830. But, as “ madness ruled the hour,” their protestations were all unheeded— they were overborne by numbers; and, as the patriots o f Ireland, in rejecting the advantages held out to them by Great Britain in the celebrated “ commercial propositions” o f 1785, adopted as their watch word “ perish commerce, but live the constitution;” so the patriots o f Belgium, in their paroxysm o f repeal, reproached their less frenzied fel low-countrymen with “ allowing the profits on their cottons, or the prices o f their iron, to outweigh the independence o f their country!” The revolution was accomplished in their defiance, and the ruin o f their trade was consummated by the same blow. With respect to the printing o f calicoes and woollens, M. Briavionne, an impartial historian, and so far as political inclination is concerned, strong, ly biased in favor o f the revolution, thus details its immediate effects upon it. After describing the rapid decline of the cotton trade in general, since 1830, he goes on to say, “ In the department of printing, the results have not been more satisfactory ; many o f the leading establishments o f 334 Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . Ghent and o f Brussels, have been altogether abandoned, or their build ings dismantled and converted to other purposes, and their utensils and machinery sold off by public auction. Ghent, in 1829, possessed fifteen print-works— in 1839 she had but nine; in Brussels, at the same time, and in Ardennes and Lierre, there were eleven houses o f the first rank, o f these, six have since closed their accounts. Other establishments there are, it is true, that have sprung up in the interim, but, in the aggregate, the number is diminished. In prosperous years, the production o f Bel gium might have amounted, before the revolution, to about 400,000 pieces. Ghent, alone, produced 300,000 in 1829, but its entire production, at pre sent, does not amount to 20,000, nor does that of the largest house in Bel gium exceed 45,000 pieces. “ Nor is this to be ascribed to any want of ability in the Belgian mechanics; on the contrary, they are qualified to undertake the most difficult work, but they can only employ themselves, of course, when any such are in actual demand. They are, in consequence, limited to the production of the most low priced and ordinary articles ; fast colors and cheap cloth are all that they aspire to. High priced muslins they rarely attempt, and although they have ventured to print upon mousseline-de-laine, they have been forced almost altogether to abandon it. In fact, the double rivalry of France, on the one hand, and England on the other, keeps them in continual alarm, and renders them fearful of the slightest spec ulation or deviation from the ordinary line of production. France, on the con trary, enters their market relying upon the elegance and originality of her pat; tern ; and England, notwithstanding her heavy and unimaginative designs, con ceived in inferior taste, still maintains her superiority, by means of her masterly execution and the lowness of her price. Thus, whilst French muslins sell rea dily for from two to three francs an ell, England can offer hers for forty-five cen times, or even less, and those of Belgium vary from sixty centimes to a franc and a quarter per ell; not only so, but for that which she can now with difficulty dis pose of for sixty centimes, she had, thirty-five years ago, an ample demand at two francs and a half. “ T h is destruction o f her hom e trade b y the com petition o f foreigners, she has sou gh t in vain to retrieve by her shipments abroad ; she has exported to B razil, and the Levant, to the South S ea and to Singapore, and finally, she has turned to G erm any and the fairs at Frankfort-on-the-M ain— in short, she has tried every opening, and found only loss in all. T h e only m arket in w h ich she has contrived to hold a footing is that o f H olland, and even this is every day slipping from her, although, before the revolution o f 1830, it consu m ed one h a lf o f her entire pro duction. “ Belgium has not, like England, manufacturers, who, devoting themselves to the supply of the foreign market alone, and bestowing upon it their undivided study and attention, attain a perfect knowledge and command of it in its every particular; but here, every printer looks to exportation only, as an expedient to get rid of his surplus production, after satisfying the demand of his home con sumption. Such a system is pregnant with evils, but it is in vain to attempt its alteration so long as we have England for our rival, with her great experience, her vast command of capital, and her firm possession of the trade.”* B o o k t r a d e i n B r u s s e l s — One most flourishing branch o f trade in Brussels, is that o f books; and more especially o f reprints o f French and foreign literature, with which it plentifully supplies almost every country o f Europe. The value o f the volumes thus produced annually, is estima ted at upwards o f six millions o f francs, o f which two millions, at least, are for contrefacons o f foreign literature. In point o f price they are much below that o f France, notwithstanding that their paper is more expensive. De l’lndustrie en Belguique, vol. 2, p. 384. Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . 335 Nor is cheapness their only recommendation ; their typographical beauty is of the highest order, and some o f their editions de luxe, illustrated by wood-cuts, and arabesques, are in every way equal to those o f Paris, and much superior to any attempts hitherto made in England, where the hard ness o f the sized paper, prevents the engravings from delivering a rich impression, and the pressmen accustomed only to work with it, want that delicacy o f hand, which is essential to use the soft and spongy paper of the French and Belgians. A n t w e r p — Antwerp contests with Holland and Germany, the glory o f the. discovery o f printing. Little books o f devotion, printed there, from solid blocks, early in the fourteenth century, are still in existence ; numbers o f volumes in moveable types, bear its name and the date o f 1476 ; and during the sixteenth century, in the days o f Plantin, it was one o f the most extensive seats o f printing in Europe, all the pro ductions o f its press, and especially its classics, being in the highest repute. The original citadel and fortifications were erected by Philip II., which were strengthened and enlarged in the reign o f Charles V ., at a time when Antwerp was one o f the first commercial cities in Europe. Its manufactures o f linen and silk were then exported to every part o f the world ; its woollen trade was the parent o f the same manufacture in Great ^Britain, and its local historians, perhaps with some exaggeration, describe its commerce as so flourishing, that the population supported by it, exceed one hundred thousand souls, and fifty thousand sailors and travellers on the river and in the faubourgs ; and Scribanius declares that he has seen 2,500 vessels in the Scheldt at a time, o f which five hundred daily entered the river, whilst two thousand lay at anchor before the city; but, “ pour Hre ttmoin veredique, il ne sujfit pas toujours d’etre iemom, octdaire.” It was in this era o f its splendor, that one o f its merchants entertaining Charles V., at a banquet, kindled a fire o f cinnamon, then a costly rarity, with the Emperor’s bond for two millions o f florins, observing, “ that the honor o f having such a guest at his table, was infinitely more precious than the gold.” Its prosperity was, however, annihilated a century later, when at the treaty of Munster, which closed the thirty years war in 1648, Hol land had sufficient influence to obtain the closing o f the Scheldt. For nearly one hundred and fifty years, this noble river, flowing through the midst o f one of the most active and industrious countries in Europe, was forbidden to be navigated by a single native sail, every vessel which bore produce for Antwerp, being compelled to transfer her cargo to a Dutch man under whose flag alone it could reach its destination. This unnatural embargo was terminated by the French in 1794, and Antwerp, under the dominion o f France, rose again into new and augmented importance. The period o f its union with Holland, however, from 1815 to 1830, may be said to have been the golden age o f Antwerp. Its situation for trade is by far more favorable than either Rotterdam or Amsterdam, and being admitted, along with them, to an equal participation in all the resources of the kingdom, it rapidly outstripped them in every department o f trade, so much so, that, at the period ofthe revolution, “ Antwerp did more business, in every article o f colonial produce, with the exception o f tobacco, than Amsterdam and Rotterdam united.” * The events o f the revolution put an * W hite’s Belgic Revolution, vol. i., page 94. 336 Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . instantaneous check to this career o f affluent prosperity; Antwerp, com pelled to form a portion o f the independent kingdom, without colonies, or commerce, or foreign relations, found her shipping laid up idle in her docks, and her merchants, conscious o f the ruin which had overwhelmed their prospects at home, transferred their capital, and their exertions to Holland, and united their fate to that o f their now triumphant rivals. In 1838, all the ports o f Belgium possessed but one hundred and eighty-four sail of merchant vessels, o f whom one hundred and fifty-two were employed merely in the coasting and channel trade, and thirty-two in foreign voyages, whilst, in the same year, Holland had no less than 1,400 sail. From the events of 1830, and their results, Antwerp never has, and never can, thoroughly recover. For some years after the Repeal o f the Union, her quays and harbor were literally motionless and empty ; and, at the present moment, even with occasional revivals, her trade appears to have only the fate o f Venice or o f Genoa in prospect. Her chief em ployment is in carrying the raw material which is to supply her own manufactures, and which she must do at a disadvantage in freights, as her shipments in return fall far short o f her importations. O f2,662 Belgian vessels, which cleared out from her various ports between 1831 and 1836, no less than 739 went out in ballast! S h i p p i n g o p A n t w e r p — In the years immediately succeeding the revo lution, the shipping trade o f Antwerp seemed to undergo an absolute para lysis. In 1829, the year preceding the Repeal o f the Union, 1,028 vessels entered the port, amounting to a tonnage o f 160,658 tons. In 1831, the year after the Repeal, only 398 vessels entered the Scheldt with a tonnage o f 53,303 tons ! Since that period, a superficial glance at the returns, would lead to a belief that the trade had more than recovered itself. In 1832,........ 1833,........ 1834......... 1835,........ 1836,........ 1837......... 18.38,........ 1839,....... 1840,........ 1,254 vessels entered, with 44 1,104 <« 44 1,064 44 (4 1,089 44 44 1,245 (« 44 1,426 44 44 1,538 44 44 955 (4 44 1,028 a tonnage of....... 150,294 129,607 141,465 153,243 176,079 225,030 257,048 136,456 160,658 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 44 But on coming to scrutinize this table by the test o f the relative quanti ties in cargo and in ballast, the air o f prosperity grows fainter, and the real nature o f the trade more distinct. It appears by the following table, that o f 5,694 which arrived in all the ports o f Belgium in the years 1835, 1836 and 1837, the entire were freighted with cargoes, except 141. Whilst o f 5,707, which cleared outwards in the same time, no less than 1,833 left Belgium in ballast, in other words arrived with the produce o f other countries, but departed without carrying away any Belgian manu facture in return. Statement o f the number and tonnage o f vessels, distinguishing Belgian from Foreign, and vessels with cargoes and those in ballast, which arrived and departed at ports in Belgium, during each year, from 1835 to 1837. B elgian— I nwards. Years. With cargoes. In ballast. Total. 1835, ............. 1836, ............. 1837, ............. N o. Tons. 472 493 540 47,409 67,808 71,282 JVo. C 5 24 Tons. 408 295 2,004 N o. 478 498 564 Tons. 47,817 68,102 73,346 337 Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . O utw ards. Years. In ballast. W ith cargoes. Total. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons■ 1835,............. 1836,............. 1837,............. 402 422 41,522 56,665 57,355 72 99 116 6,529 13,436 16,303 474 521 554 48,051 70,101 73,658 1835,............. 1836,............. 1837,............. 1,316 1,443 160,104 160,378 214,739 4,877 4,073 886 1,364 1,329 1,461 164,981 164,451 215,625 1835,............. 1836,............. 1837,............. 916 869 827 105,545 105,224 131,088 61,711 59,863 84,497 1,373 1,345 1,440 167,256 165,087 215,585 F or e ig n —- I n w a r d s . 48 40 18 O u tw ar ds. 457 476 613 C o n t r a b a n d s m — Antwerp and Ostend are suffering, also, by being defrauded o f their fair proportion o f legitimate commerce by the exten sive system of contrabandism, which prevails upon all the Belgian frontiers, and is carried on in foreign vessels; a loss to which they would not be subject, were the government in a position to protect the portion o f trade to which the country must still give employment, by an effectual system o f the douane upon the frontiers and the coast. M a n u f a c t u r e o f s i l k — Antwerp had once a most extensive manu facture of silk ; in 1794, there were twelve thousand workmen employed, in that branch alone. The number is now reduced to two hundred, and their only employment is in producing a beautiful description o f rich black taffetas, which is used for the Spanish head-dresses, still worn by females. M a r i t i m e t r a d e — Another most important branch o f maritime trade, that o f the transit of goods for consumption in the interior o f Europe, has been almost entirely drawn from Antwerp by the Dutch, but the govern ment hope to recover it, by means o f the railroad, from the sea to the Rhine. C o t t o n m a n u f a c t u r e — Mr. Tennent visited a manufacturing village on the Scheldt, which, with another near it, called Waesminister, are said to have been so named in honor o f King Edward III. At Thames he went over the cotton factory o f M. Talboom. It is on a moderate scale, having about 6 to 7,000 spindles, the machinery partly French, but chiefly from the Phoenix works at Ghent. The men and girls employed, work fourteen hours a day, exclusive of two hours for stoppages. He expressed his im pression o f the severity o f this, but was told, that it was indispensable, in order to maintain their position in the market. Like almost every other branch o f national industry, the cotton manufacture which had attained a high degree o f prosperity during the union with Holland, experienced an instantaneous reverse from the events o f the revolution. Factory after factory closed its doors, some in ruin, others to transfer their capital and industry to Holland, whose extensive colonies afforded that outlet for their produce, which they could no longer find at home. The ministry, to check the downward career, resorted to the absurd and childish expedient o f purchasing up the surplus production o f the manufacturers, in order to export it at a loss, and thus get it out o f the country and out o f the way, only to make room for fresh accumulation of stock, and renewed adventures by the government. In this way the trade dragged on a fictitious existence, exposed to peril by every fluctuation o f the markets o f England, and from time to time deluged by importations made at a moment when VOL. x m .— no. iv . 22 333 Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . it was necessary to get rid o f a glut in the market o f that country or in France. E x p o r t o f c o t t o n g o o d s — Year after year their exports have been growing less and less since 1830. In 1833, according to a return in the volume o f M. Briavionne,* they exported a million o f kilogrammes of cot ton goods; in 1834, nine hundred thousand; in 1835, seven; in 1836, s ix ; in 1837 upwards o f five ; in 1838 and 1839, upwards o f fou r; a reduction o f sixty per cent upon the trade in the short period o f six years ! R a i l r o a d s y s t e m — Belgium, from its geographical position, not less than the extraordinary adaptation o f the nature o f the surface, seems to have invited the experiment o f supplanting the old modes o f conveyance, by an uniform and comprehensive system o f railroads. The project was taken up by the government in 1833, and the plan finally executed, was that o f taking one point, in the centre o f the kingdom, and issuing from it— north, west, east, and south— lines, to maintain a communication with the sea-ports o f Ostend and Antwerp, and the great commercial outlets o f France and Prussia. The average cost o f those already completed scarcely exceeds $42,500 a mile, including carriages and buildings. The most expensive line is that from Louvian to Tirlemont, which, including the tunnel, cost $58,305 a mile, and the cheapest, that from Dendermonde to Mechlin, which, as the level surface o f the ground had barely to be dis turbed for laying down the rails, cost only $22,915. This, however, is for single lines o f rails ; that alone from Brussels to Antwerp being yet laid with double, though all have been constructed with a view to their ulti mate adoption. The following is a comparative statement o f the receipts o f the Belgian railroads during the first six months o f the years 1844 and 1845 :— 1844. January. February March.. . A p r il.. . . M a y .. . . J u n e.. . . 648,204 665,334 769,582 901,430 970,266 983,665 1845. 51 99 88 52 27 02 ....................... 753,870 57 ....................... 687,262 27 ....................... 955,005 30 ....................... 987,101 69 ....................... 1,037,589 70 ....................... 1,061,119 04 4,938,484 19 5,482,960 56 This shows an increase o f 544,476fr. 37c., or eleven per cent., in favor o f the first half o f the present year. At the same time, it is to be remarked that this increase has been entirely derived from the transport o f mer chandise, the number o f passengers having diminished. B r e w e r i e s — c o n s u m p t i o n o f b e e r — “ La biere de Louvain,” is to be found in every hotel and estaminent in Belgium. Mr. Tennent went over one o f the largest breweries, that o f Messrs. Renier, Hambrouk and Co. It was but recently built, and being an entirely new building from the foundation, its arrangements are the most commodious and compact imaginable; it is calculated to brew two hundred barrels a-day, and is now in full w ork ; its usual stock is 14,000 barrels. The machinery had been constructed by Sir John Rennie, o f London, but has since been in creased. * L’Industrie en Belgique, v. 2., p. 378. Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . 339 The annua] consumption, calculated upon the excise duty paid upon beer, which is upwards o f seven millions o f francs per annum, and is collected in the proportion o f one franc and a half for every hectolitre, or twenty, six gallons, amounts to 5,400,000 hectolitres, or something above four millions o f barrels, being about thirty-five gallons per annum for every individual o f the population ! A small quantity only, not exceeding forty thousand gallons, is for foreign export. The usual price is about twelve francs a hectolitre, from which some idea may be formed o f the “ thin potations” in which the Belgian peasant delights. C o a l m i n e s a n d c o a l t r a d e — A short distance from Huy commence the coal fields, which extend to the district surrounding Liege, the working o f which was attempted so far back as the 12th century. In coals, Bel gium is, perhaps, the richest country o f the west o f Europe, with the single exception o f Great Britain; the districts in which it abounds being, in England, in the proportion o f one-twentieth o f her entire surface; in Belgium, a thirtieth ; and in France only a two hundredth part. But her success in raising them is not in the same proportion, England having produced, in 1838, twenty-three millions of tons; France, two millions and a h alf; and Belgium only four. M a n u f a c t u r e a t l i e g e — With less o f elegance and attraction, there is an equal air o f business-like energy and bustling activity in the streets o f Liege, as at Ghent. The Meuse is navigable from the city to the sea, and its quays are frequented by the craft, which convey its produce to the various cities along its course, Ruremonde and Venloo to Gorcum, Dordrecht and the Rhine. Its streets are crowded with an incessant stream o f wagons, carriages and carts, and in the better streets and squares, the shops are as gay and attractive as those o f the Rue Montagne de la Cour at Brussels. Coupled with its ancient fiery and quarelsome disposition, its chief man ufacture is a characteristic one, being that o f cannon and fire-arms, which it at one time, exported to Spain, Portugal, Holland and America. Under France, the imperial factory o f arms furnished annually, twenty-seven thousand muskets for the imperial army. A story is told that the rest o f the trade, anxious to share in the profits o f the monopoly, besought Napo leon to admit them to a share o f the supply, and presented him with a finely-finished piece as a specimen o f their talents. But as, either by accident or malice, the bore o f the barrel was too narrow to admit the ramrod, the Emperor gave no other answer than a frown to their ill-supported petition. Under Holland in 1829, the production o f Liege amounted to no less than 190,660 stand o f arm s; in 1836, it rose to nearly double that quantity, but it is at present, fallen much below one half, and the trade is still in a state o f decline. The manufacture is carried on at the homes o f the workmen, who, nevertheless, established a perfect division o f labor in producing the various parts, and can furnish the entire at a lower rate than either Birmingham or France, a double-barrelled gun can be had for thirty or even twenty francs. The percussion lock has not yet been sub stituted in the Belgian army for the flint. The cannon foundery is calcu lated to produce 300 pieces a yea r; and in 1837, the most flourishing period o f the trade, it even exceeded that number. F l a x - s p i n n i n g m i l l . — There is a flax-spinning mill at Liege with ten thousand spindles, the property o f a joint-stock company. W oollen trade — The woollen trade o f the Ardennes, is one o f the 340 Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . oldest national occupations o f the Netherlands, and for the share o f it which is enjoyed in England, she is indebted to the fanatical fury o f Philip 11., whose persecutions drove the weavers o f Brabant and Flanders to seek an asylum with Elizabeth in England. Unlike its other great staple o f linen, however, Belgium, in her woollen manufacture, is dependant upon others for the raw material which she employs ; the entire o f her posses sions do not feed beyond a single million o f sheep, and her annual imports o f wool from Germany, Holland, England and Spain, exceed 15,000,000 francs. S e a t s o f t r a d e — The two grand seats o f the trade, though distributed over a considerable district o f the south, are at Verviers and Dison, which each produce annually from 30 to 35,000 pieces o f thirty ells o f Brabant in length. The manufacture is chiefly carried on in the houses o f the workmen, and in some places, especially at Dison, the employers are so deficient in capital, that the truck system is universal, and the weaver paid by a portion of his own produce, which he must afterwards sell under the pressure for bread, at such a price as he can get for i t ; an act o f injustice to the operative, which must always tend to the manifest injury o f prices, and undermining o f the trade. Down to 1814, the trade was in every way prosperous, but the succes sive curtailments o f consumption, first by the exclusion from France, and, finally, by separation from Holland, have shaken its stability, and brought it into a state o f considerable peril at the present moment. Still the num ber o f factories have not diminished, although the rate o f profits has been cut down to the lowest possible figure, especially at Verviers. It gives employment, at present, to between 15,000 and 20,000 individuals o f all ages, whose wages vary from half a franc per day for children, to two francs, and two francs and a half for their fathers. The countries to which Belgium still exports, are Switzerland, Germany, Italy, the Levant, and Holland ; but a commercial treaty between the latter country and France, is said to have been framed with a view to transfer to French cloth, the preference now given to that o f Verviers in the Dutch market. Her exportations, however, exhibit an incredible decline since the revolution. In 1831, its value amounted to twenty-seven millions o f francs; in 1832 to twenty-three; in 1833, it fell to one half, and in 1836, declined to six millions and a halfj a diminution which is ascribable to numerous causes, but chiefly to its exclusion from Germany, by the operation o f the Prus sian commercial league; the states o f which were once, previously, its most valuable consumers. Germany, in 1831 and 1832, took no less than 1.000. 000 kilogrammes o f Belgian cloth, which fell, in 1833, to 344,000, and on an average o f the four succeeding years, has scarcely exceeded 250.000. J o n t s t o c k s p e c u l a t i o n s — M. Gaudry, an intelligent proprietor o f several manufactories, to whom Mr. Tennent brought letters, gave a de plorable account o f the joint stock speculations in Belgium, which seem to have been carried on to an extent o f capital, and with a recklessness in management that is quite inconceivable. Verviers was a favorite field for their operations, owing to the variety o f its resources, which presented something to suit every appetite o f enterprise; and as works in actual operation were much more seductive baits for shareholders, concerns were bought up wholesale from their proprietors at the most extravagant rates, to be sold out again in retail shares to the joint stock amateurs. One Sketches o f Trade and Manufactures in Belgium . 341 coal mine, in the vicinity o f the town, which had nearly rained its propri etor, was greedily purchased by the projectors o f one o f these schemes, making its owner’s fortune just in time to conceal his actual ruin, and after being worked for a short time, ended in the bankruptcy o f the new com pany— but, o f course, not till it had amply rewarded the secretaries, soli citors, and directory. A worsted manufacturer, in like manner, who was on the verge of insolvency, offered his mills to a joint stock proprietary, who eagerly accepted them on his terms— paid a sum for the concern, which he forthwith invested in land, and gave him a salary, for managing his own works, more than equal to all the profits they ever realized. Between 1833 and 1838, one hundred and fifty or sixty companies o f this kind, actually invested three hundred and fifty millions of francs, or about #75,000,000, in speculations o f this kind— for insurances, mines, machine making, public works, export associations, glass manufactories, sugar refineries, cotton and flax mills, printing, brewing, in short, every imaginable undertaking that could be described in scrip. The mania originated with some similar undertakings projected by the King o f Holland, but which being prudently conducted were moderately successful. But never was theory more vividly exemplified, in practice, than were the warnings o f Adam Smith realized in the case o f the Belgi um companies; without either o f his two essentials to success— “ monopoly or defined and limited action;” they burst at once into all the pathless wilds o f speculation and extravagance. T o success in any industrial un dertaking, two things are essential, mind and m oney; but the shareholders o f a company contribute only the latter, leaving the supply o f the former to a directory: the partners are only called upon to pay and not to think, so that the mass o f their capital is unrepresented by an equivalent propor tion o f intellect and forethought. The general result o f this, is the failure that invariably accompanies neglect, and even the works which are un dertaken are never pushed with vigor, or expanded by new discoveries and inventions. These are the offspring o f that anxious exertion o f all the faculties o f the brain which accompanies the watchful prudence o f a man, who has his whole fortune at stake, and is dependent upon his individual genius. But the holder o f a joint-stock share, who throws his contribu tion into the general fund, and sends twice a year for his dividend, (per haps, without receiving it,) has neither the information nor the interest that are indispensable to stimulate improvements. T h e b a n k o f B e l g i u m — The results o f this system were not slow in developing themselves in Belgium ; one by one they began to strain, break, and give w a y ; distrust was every hour growing blacker, when the bank o f Belgium, which had been similarly formed in 1835, with a capital o f twenty millions o f francs, and had encouraged the establishment o f some twenty or thirty other joint-stock speculations, with a capital o f fifty millions more, suddenly suspended payment in 1838, and universal dismay and confusion followed ; bubbles burst in all directions ; those concerns which were unsound exploded at once, and others more substantial, suspended their operations, and resorted to fresh calls and loans to enable them to proceed. In the meantime, prices and the wages o f labor had been fluc tuating like the waves o f the sea under this financial tempest, at one time raised to the highest pitch by the demand for machinery created by such vast simultaneous exertions, and anon reduced below a remunerative level by the ardor o f their competition with each other. 342 The M ining System o f Chili. Art. V.— T H E M IN IN G S Y S T E M O F C H ILI. M b . D a b w i n , the naturalist, in the narrative o f his researches in South America, gives some details o f the mining system as generally carried on in Chili, and other parts o f that continent. Having given in another article some accounts o f the commercial progress o f Chili, a few details, derived mainly from Mr. Darwin’s work, respecting some peculiarities in the South American system o f mining, will not perhaps be without interest to the readers o f the Merchants’ Magazine. In an old Spanish law in operation in Chili, every encouragement is, given to the search for mines. The discoverer may work a mine in any ground, by paying five shillings; and before paying this he may try, even in the garden o f another man, for twenty days. There are copper-mines in which the men go through a very hard ordeal for a very small remune ration. They have little time allowed for their meals ; and during both summer and winter they begin when it is light, and leave off at dark. (In Chili the summer days are shorter, and the winter days longer, than in England.) They are (at the mines o f Jajuel) paid one pound sterling a month, together with food. This food consists o f sixteen figs, and two small loaves o f bread for breakfast, boiled beans for dinner, and broken roasted wheat grain for supper. They scarcely ever taste meat. They have to clothe themselves and to support their families with twelve pounds a year. But this kind o f work is slight to that which is undergone by the men at some mines which were visited by Mr. Darwin, and which had been visited many years before by Sir Francis Head. On arrival at the gold mines ofY aquil [Jajuel,] Mr. Darwin was surprised at the pale appear, ance o f the men ; but he soon found sufficient reason for it. The mine is four hundred and fifty feet deep, and each man brings up nearly two hundred weight o f ore. With this load they have to climb up the alter nate notches cut in the trunks o f trees placed in a zig-zag line up the shaft. The men (who are quite naked, except drawers) ascend with this great load from the bottom o f the line. Even beardless young men, eighteen or twenty years o f age, do this, although they have little muscular develop ment o f body. Sir Francis Head says :— “ While the barreteros, or miners, were work ing the lode, the apires, were carrying the ore upon their backs; and after we had made the necessary observations, and had collected proper specimens, we ascended, with several o f these apires above and below us. The fatigue o f climbing up the notched sticks was so great, that we were almost exhausted, while the men behind us (with a long stick in one hand, in the cloven end o f which there was a candle,) were urging us not to stop them. The leading apire whistled whenever he came to cer tain spots, and then the whole party rested for a few seconds. It was really very interesting, in looking above and below, to see these poor crea tures, each lighted by his candle, and climbing up the notched stick with such a load upon his back, though I occasionally was afraid lest one of those above me might tumble, in which case we should have all preceded him in his fall. W e were quite exhausted when we came to the mouth o f the mine ; one o f my party almost fainted, and as the sun had long ago set, the air was so bleak and freezing, we were so heated, and the scene was so cheerless, that we were glad to hurry into the hut. * * I then The M ining System, o f Chili. 343 sent out for one o f the apires with his load. I put it on the ground and endeavored to rise with it, but could not, and when two or three o f my party put it on my shoulders, I was barely able to walk under it. The English miner who was with us, was one o f the strongest men o f all the Cornish party, yet he was scarcely able to walk with it, and two o f our party, who attempted to support it, were altogether unable, and exclaimed “ that it would break their backs.” The load which we tried, was one o f specimens which I had paid the apire to bring up for me, and which weighed more than usual, but not much, and he had carried it up with me, and was above me during the whole ascent.” Mr. Darwin says, that notwithstanding this severe labor, the apires live entirely on boiled beans and bread; they would prefer the bread alone, but the masters, finding that they cannot work so hard upon this, insist on their eating the beans also. Their pay is from twenty-four to twenty-eight shillings a month. They leave the mine only once in three weeks ; when they stay with their families for two days. As a means o f preventing the men from abstracting any o f the gold, or gold ore, (for it is o f a gold-mine that Mr. Darwin is speaking,) the owners establish a very summary and stringent tribunal. Whenever the superintendent finds a lump o f ore secreted for theft, its full value is stopped out o f the wages o f all the men ; so that they are obliged to keep watch over each other, each having a direct interest in the honesty o f all the rest. The Chilian miners are full o f peculiarities. The amount o f labor they undergo is greater than that o f slaves, generally so called; yet as they are to a certain extent masters o f their own actions, they bear up against what would wear down most men. Living for weeks together in the most desolate spots, when they descend to the villages on feast-days there is no excess or extravagance into which they do not run. They occasionally gain a considerable sum, and then, like sailors with prize-money, they try how soon they can contrive to squander it. They drink excessively, buy quantities o f clothes, and in a few days return to the mines without a penny, there to resume their laborious mode o f life. It is observed by Mr. Dar win that this thoughtlessness, as with sailors, is the result o f the mode in which they are made dependent upon others rather than on themselves. Their daily food is found them, and they acquire no habitual care as to the means o f subsistence; while the temptation to enjoyment and the means o f paying for it occur at the same times. Far different is this from the system observed in C ornw all; where the men, by having a direct interest in the good management o f the mine, learn to think for them selves, and form a highly intelligent body o f men. The Chilian miners wear a peculiar and rather picturesque dress ; consisting o f a very long shirt, o f some dark-colored baize, with a leathren apron, fastened round the waist by a brightly colored sash ; very broad trowsers; and a small cap o f scarlet cloth fitting closely to the head. It is necessary to bear in mind that the miners here spoken o f are a different set o f men from the apires, who are those that bring up the heavy burdens. The miners dig the ore from the bowels o f the m ine; while the apires are simply laborers, such as the bricklayers, laborers, with whose appearance we are familiar, but who carry much less heavy loads, and up a much less height, with a much better constructed ladder. The following remarks by Mr. Darwin will further illustrate the extraordinary kind o f labor which these men undergo voluntarily; for voluntarily it 344 The M ining System o f Chili. must be called when viewed in relation to acknowledged slavery, since the men are not obliged to accede to the employer’s terms, although in effect, the country is so poor and ill-regulated, that the men have very little choice. “ Acording to the general regulation, the apire is not allowed to halt for breath, except the mine is six hundred feet deep. The average load is considered as rather more than two hundred pounds, and I have been assured that one o f three hundred pounds, (twenty-two stones and a half,) by way o f a trial, has been brought up from the deepest mine ! At the time the apiries were bringing up the usual load twelve times in the day, that is, two thousand four hundred pounds from eighty yards deep ; and they were employed in the intervals in breaking and picking ore. These men, excepting from accidents, are healthy and appear cheerful. Their bodies are not very muscular. They rarely eat meat once a week, and never oflener, and then only the hard dry charqui (dried beef.) Although with.a knowledge that the labor is voluntary, it was, nevertheless, quite revolting to see the state in which they reached the mouth o f the m ine; their bodies bent forward, leaning with their arms on the steps, their legs bowed, the muscles quivering, the perspiration streaming from their faces over their breasts, their nostrils distended, the corners o f their mouth forcibly drawn back, and the expulsion o f their breath the most laborious, each time, from habit, they utter an articulate cry o f ‘ ay-ay,’ which ends in a sound rising from deep in the chest, but shrill like the note o f a fife. After staggering to the pile o f ores, they emptied the ‘ carpacho in two or three seconds recovering their breath, they wiped the sweat from their brows, and, apparently quite fresh, descended the mine again at a quick pace. This appears to me a wonderful instance o f the amount o f labor which habit (for it can be nothing else) will enable a man to endure.” There is a great amount o f ignorance manifested among the Chilian and La Plata miners, on points which, in England, constitute part and parcel o f the mining system. At a copper-mine Mr. Darwin was told that the Chilian miners had no conception o f the value o f copper pyrites (a rich ore o f copper) until informed o f the circumstance by miners from this country: the Chilians laughed at the English for entertaining such a notion; but the English afterwards turned the laugh against them, by making a profitable use o f some veins o f this ore, which they had bought for a mere trifle. The mining system in that country is generally conducted somewhat as follow s:— There are two principal persons concerned in almost every mine, the proprietor and the habilitador : the first, who is also the actual miner, lives at his hacienda, or farm, generally in the neighborhood, and attends to the details o f working and melting the ore. The habilitador resides at one or other o f the sea-port towns; he is the mining capitalist, by whose means the miner is enabled to proceed with his work. The habilitadors are generally diligent and prudent m en ; while the proprietor or miner is too often improvident. The proprietor farms his own ground, on the banks o f a stream ; obtaining from his farm vegetables and some times live-stock for the subsistence o f his working miners. The meltinghouse is also generally built on his hacienda, and the ore is brought to his door on the backs o f mules. These farmer-miners rarely undertake to work a mine with their own unassisted capital; they are seldom sufficiently wealthy, and when they are so, it is found ultimately more advantageous The Champagne Districts o f France. 345 to share with the habilitador, who takes charge o f the commercial part of the business. In some instances, the miner is so utterly without funds that he is at the mercy o f the habilitador, who makes what terms he plea ses, which the other has scarcely an option to refuse or accept, since he has no means o f paying the wages o f his men, and carrying on the ope rations, without the aid o f the capital provided by the habilitador. The Chilian system has, however, undergone a good deal o f change by the introduction o f foreign capital, and modes o f proceeding: although the English capitalists themselves have not paid a very flattering return for the money so invested, except in some rare instances. A bt . VI.— T H E C H A M P A G N E D IS T R IC T S O F F R A N C E . name o f Champagne,, which is so familiar as that applied to a choice variety o f French wines, is the name o f one o f the provinces into which France was divided before the Revolution. The province has been since subdivided into several “ departments,” and the old name is not now offi cially applied to the district; but if nothing else should keep the name o f Champagne in remembrance, the wine which is named after it will effec tually do so. The district o f Champagne lies eastward o f Paris, interve ning between the metropolis and the country around Strasbourg. Rheims, Epernay, and Chateau-Thierry, are three o f the principal spots in the heart o f the wine-district; especially Epernay, on the road from Paris to Chalons-sur-Marne. For the manufacture o f the white champagne wines, black grapes are generally used. They are gathered in the morning, while the dew is yet on them ; and it is remarked that, when the weather is foggy at the time o f the vintage, the produce o f the fermentation is considerably increased. The wine obtained from the first pressure is called vin (Velite, and is always kept apart from the rest. The liquor is collected in small vats, whence it is removed early in the following day into puncheons which have been previously sulphured ; in these the must undergoes a brisk fer mentation, and is allowed to remain till towards the end o f December, when it becomes bright. It is then racked, and fined with isinglass, and in a month or six weeks more it is racked and fined a second time. In the month o f March it is bottled; after it has been six weeks in bottle it be comes brisk, and towards autumn the fermentation is often so powerful as to occasion a considerable loss by the bursting o f the bottles. The loss thus sustained, which is seldom less than twenty per cent, is one o f the causes which tend to enhance the price o f the wines. T o procure pink champagne, the grapes are first slightly trodden and freed from the stalks; and the fermentation is allowed to commence before they are subjected to the press, in order to facilitate the solution o f the coloring matter. In making the red wines, the grapes are trodden before they are introduced into the v a t; sometimes the treading is repeated during the fermentation. The marc, or stalky refuse, is covered by a board, and a layer o f straw is commonly employed to protect the frothy head from the contact o f the atmospheric air. Miss Costello, in her “ Pilgrimage to Auvergne,” has given many inter esting details concerning the Champagne district, which further illustrate the place and its people. Wine-making is deemed such an important part T he 346 The Champagne D istricts o f France. o f the industrial arrangements o f the district, that pamphlets are contin ually appearing, as well as works o f larger bulk, relating to professed improvements in the method o f cultivating the vine, or in the manufacture o f the wine. There does not appear, however, to have been much change in the mode o f proceeding during half a century. At that time, Arthur Young, the agriculturist, visited the wine-caves o f Epernay, then the prop erty o f M. Lasnier and M. Dorse ; and the same caves are now occupied for a similar purpose by M. Moet, a wine-merchant whose name is well known to the connoisseurs in champagne. These wine-caves are quite remarkable, and unparalleled by anything o f the kind in England. They form an intricate labyrinth o f subterranean passages in some chalk-hills near Epernay. It would take a whole day to ramble all through them, and from one end to the other there is nothing but wine, wine. W hen Arthur Young visited them, they contained fifty or sixty thousand bottles o f champagne ; but at the present time, M. Moet has the enormous quan tity o f three millions o f bottles o f this costly wine there deposited. T he ine is kept in the caves three years before being sent out, and the quan tity is kept up by renewals as fast as the old wine is removed. T o the same firm of Moet also belongs the vineyard o f Hautvilliers, one o f the most choice o f the wine-producing estates. It was formerly one o f the rich possessions o f the Benedictines, every trace o f whose convent is now swept away, although the vineyard remains in a flourishing state. The most advantageous position for planting the vines is the south-east ern slope o f a hill. The summits o f hills are too much exposed to winds; while the bottoms o f valleys and plains, although fitted for the growth ot the wood o f the vine, does not answer so well for the ripening o f the grapes. In past times, very great attention was paid to the ehoiceness o f the growth, in order that this, rather than quantity, should give the reputation to the place. Philippe de Hardi issued an ordinance in 1395, expressed in these words :— “ Understanding that on the hill where the best wine in the kingdom is grown, and o f which our Holy Father the Pope, our Lord the King, and many other great lords are in the habit, by preference, o f making provision, there has been o f late planted gamais, a bad plant which has many times deceived and defrauded foreign merchants, by which much injury and loss has been sustained, it is hereby ordered that the diloyal gamais shall be cut and extirpated in a month from this time, under penalty o f a fine o f sixty sous each plant.” Those vines are said to be the best which are planted in cordons and run on trellises; but many are still grown on single props. It is not un common to observe, between the ranks o f vines, beans and potatoes ; but this is a custom not approved by the best judges. Judicious pruning is regarded as a point o f the first consequence, as much so indeed, as the position o f the vineyard, or the quality o f the plant. The vigneron, or vine-dressor, is a husbandman on whose skill much depends ; and it often happens that a person so engaged is himself a proprietor o f vines : a stateo f things which sometimes leads to the neglect o f his employers vineyard while attending to his own. The connexion between the flavor o f the grapes and the flavor o f thewine is not so close as many might suppose. It does not by any meansfollow that a grape pleasant to the palate produces a pleasant wine ; for, in the course o f the fermentation, and o f the different operations necessary to bring out the real qualities o f the fruit, many minute chemical changes- The Champagne D istricts o f France. 347 occur, which render the quality o f the wine a very uncertain point. The kind o f vine called pinnot is reputed to produce the best w in e ; yet there are but few champagne vineyards planted with i t : because, though the vine is superior, the produce is so small that the expense o f cultivation is scarcely compensated by the price. For this reason, this kind o f grape is mixed with others o f lesser value, to produce what is called vin pinote. I f the very finest kind be required, it is necessary to keep all inferior varieties at a distance ; for if a pinot-vine be surrounded by inferior plants called troyons, the flavor o f the fruit o f each will partake o f that o f the other. Miss Costello, after speaking o f some disasters which the town o f Epernay had suffered in the troubled events o f former times, remarks : “ The vines, however, flourish through all troubles, and are not only splendid in quality, but beautiful to the eye. Indeed, the whole drive from Epernay to Chateau-Thierry, which was our next destination, is exquisit, constant ly varied and picturesque, and glowing with abundance ; corn, vines, and fruit heaping the earth with riches; gardens o f roses and orchards o f crimson cherries along the road, with every here and there pretty villas belonging to the wine-merchants peeping from their shrubberies, and prospects o f extreme beauty opening from the summit o f the hills, with the bright Marne winding at their feet.” The Rh6ne, as well as the Marne, presents its gently sloping hills clothed with vineyards. At a spot about two miles from Valence is the village o f St. Peray, around which are hills on whose slopes an almost uninterrupted vineyard extends, producing very beautiful grapes whereever a south-eastern aspect can be obtained. The grape when ripe as sumes a beautiful golden hue ; its taste is cloyingly sweet, and the sac charine matter which exudes often covers the branches with a broxvn stain. From these grapes is produced a sparkling wine o f a wholesome quality and a delicate rosy tint. The vintage takes place about the mid dle or end o f September, and the juice is at once transferred to the cask, before the fermentation has begun, and remains there for six or seven months, during xvhich time it is fined. In March or April it is bottled, and remains two or three years to mature, and allow the dregs to deposit. The bottles are piled up in stacks, each row separated by laths, to allow the bottles which burst (and they form fourteen or fifteen per cent o f the whole) to be withdrawn. After this the wine is racked, that is, each bottle is taken out, and is thrust neck downwards into a hole cut in a board. By this means the dregs sink down gradually into the n e ck ; and as they descend gradually day by day, the bottle is tilted more and more until its position is nearly vertical. T o expedite the falling o f the sediment, the bottles are lifted and set down with a jerk once or twice a d ay; and after receiving two or three hundred o f these jerks, the bottle is taken up, and the sediment is discharged by cutting the string and let ting the cork fly, and with it the lees at the neck o f the bottle, but as little o f the wine as possible. The vacancy thus caused is filled with clear wine ; and this process o f corking and uncorking is repeated two or three times, until no more sediment is deposited. 348 Ocean Steam Navigation. A rt. V II.— O C E A N S T E A M N A V IG A T IO N .* O ne o f the most cheering indications o f the progress o f mankind in the acquisition o f the knowledge necessary to the complete development o f their powers, and the security of their happiness, is to be seen in the fact, that sciences which formerly shed their light only for the benefit o f a fa vored class, have at length become to some good extent accessible to the great mass o f the people ; and it is no less cheering to witness the joyous alacrity with which multitudes avail themselves of the new facilities thus opened before them. It has been said with truth, that o f all aristocracies, an aristocracy o f knowledge is the worst, because it inflicts the deepest o f all injuries upon those who become its victims— an injury to their immor tal natures, the effects o f which can scarcely be conceived, much less ade quately estimated. “ Man perchance may bind, The flower his step hath bruised, or light again T he torch he quenches, or to music wind Again the lyre-string from his touch that fle w : But for the s o u l — O, tremble and beware T o lay rude hands upon God’s mysteries there!” The “ rude hands” which have so long been laid upon the “ mysteries” o f man’s immortal nature, checking his intellectual and spiritual growth, dooming him to a life o f ignorance and hopeless dependence, and making him the prey o f superstition and falsehood, are showing signs o f that weak ness which tyranny ever entails, as a retribution upon those who practice i t ; while on every side the masses are awaking to a clearer consciousness o f the noble powers that God has conferred upon them, and to a deeper sense o f the responsibilities which those powers impose- T o the revolu tion which is thus effectually working the fulfilment o f the sublimest pro phecies o f revelation, and satisfying the earnest longings o f man’s famished heart, every friend o f the human race must wish a speedy con summation. The time will yet arrive, (who will not pray that it may be hastened ?) when the light o f science shall be as universally diffused as the light o f the sun, and when the frowning walls which have too long kept man away from the fountains o f knowledge shall be broken down. If many at first mistake the false for the true, let not their lack o f discrimina tion be urged in favor o f that state o f ignorance in which the mass are made subservient to the few. If is best that the blind should be made to see, though they be thereby exposed to the peril o f mistaking the false for the true way ; best that man should be taught the use o f his own limbs, even though in the moments o f his inexperience he occasionally stumble over some unperceived obstacle. Thoughts such as these crowd our minds as we cast our eyes over the pages o f these admirable lectures, and we would gladly indulge them at much greater length, did not the space to which we are limited, compel a studious brevity. Dr. Lardner is one o f the few scientific men who possess the faculty o f seizing upon the most important and practical scien tific truths, which it is important that every body should understand, and * Popular Lectures on Science and A r t ; delivered in the principal cities and towns o f the United States. By D io n y siu s L a r d n e r , Doctor o f Civil Law, &c. &c. Part I, II, III, IV, V , V I, V II, V l t l and I X ; (to be completed in ten or twelve numbers.) N ew Y o rk : Greeley & McElrath. Ocean Steam Navigation. 349 setting them in so clear and strong a light as to render them perfectly comprehensible to the common mind. His style is remarkable, at once, for clearness and vigor, for simplicity, as well as strength. You are never in doubt as to his meaning, and never under the necessity o f reading a sentence more than once, in order to understand it. This characteristic o f his lectures, whether oral or written, while it renders them exceed ingly attractive, is also the evidence o f his thorough acquaintance with the sciences which he assumes to teach ; for only those who see truth clearly themselves are able to present it clearly to the minds o f others. Dr. Lardner came among us at a time when there was an earnest and growing demand among the people for the knowledge he was so well qualified to impart. This was sufficiently attested by the crowded audiences that uniformly greeted him, and by the almost universal in terest everywhere awakened by his lectures. It is fortunate for the cause o f science that, having closed his career among us as an oral lecturer, he has been induced to prepare for the press, and in a form adapted at once for permanent preservation and universal diffusion, the results o f his long-continued researches. W e hesitate not to avow our belief that these lectures form one o f the most important, because one o f the most useful, contributions that has lately been made to the litera ture o f our country, and we hope their circulation may be commensurate with their extraordinary merits. The subjects o f which these lectures treat, embrace a great variety o f topics in the astronomical and physical sciences, and in their ap plication to the arts o f life. O f the various topics discussed in the present series, no one is o f more immediate interest, especially to the readers o f this Magazine, than that on Atlantic steam navigation. On this subject, the author speaks with his usual perspicuity, and with a confidence inspired by a familiar acquaint ance with the question in all its bearings. Did our limits permit, and could we do so without infringing upon the rights o f the publishers, we would gladly lay before our readers the whole o f his observations on this important question. W e must content ourselves, however, with some brief extracts, referring those who desire a complete view o f the Doctor’s opinions, to the work itself. After a brief history o f the project o f Atlantic steam navigation, and particularly o f the efforts to establish a line o f steamers between Liver pool and N ew York, which it must be acknowledged have been attended as yet with but a very meagre success compared with the anticipations o f manyardent friends o f the scheme, he goes on to sa y: “ How, then, it will be rationally asked, are these things to be explained ? Are we to relinquish the hope of uniting the great mart of the West with the ports of Europe by the agency of steam in such a manner as to serve the ends of com merce, and insure to the projectors that reasonable profit, without which, perma nence cannot be obtained ? Is that mighty power which for the last century has wielded its giant arm over the destinies of the human race—which has raised from the bowels of the earth those inestimable mineral treasures that, without its aid, would have been inaccessible—which has superseded human labor at the Bpindle and the loom, and supplied their products in unbounded quantity at aprice little exceeding that of the raw material—which has invaded the waters of the Ganges and Mississippi, and poured the blessings of civilization even to the inner most recesses of the great continents of Asia and America—which has superseded the weary hand of human labor at the printing-press, and become the instrument 350 Ocean Steam Navigation. of the diffusion of knowledge among the entire human race at a price which has rendered it accessible to all—which has unharnessed the horse from the car, and, taking its place, has given the speed of the wind to the social intercourse of dis tant centres of population—is the mighty arm of this omnipotent agent suddenly enfeebled and paralyzed, and are we, in the middle of the nineteenth century, destined to be the witnesses of this its first signal failure ?—or is it rather that those whom chance has thrown into the management and guidance of this vast enterprise have wanted the skill to devise proper and adequate means of applying the power placed at their disposal ? These are questions to which it were rash in any individual, however high his attainments, to give a dogmatical answer. Nor, indeed, would such an answer now be otherwise useful than as illustrating the history of the progress of steam-machinery.” In the spirit indicated in the last sentence above quoted, Dr. Lardner proceeds to notice the principal difficulties which lie in the way o f the in troduction o f steam in vessels intended, like our packet ships, to subserve the purposes o f commerce, and which cannot depend for their support upon any connection with the government. “ Such vessels, to be profitable to their owners and beneficial to the public, must aim at the acquisition of powers and capabilities which will enable them to perform the service of the packet-ships. They must, in a word, be packet-ships, which sufficient steam-power shall he supplied as may give them that increased expedition, regularity, and punctuality, which, in the existing state of the arts, can only be obtained through that agency; but it is also important that they ac complish this without robbing these ships to any injurious extent of their present capability of satisfying the wants of commerce. „ Now it appears evident that these ends can only be obtained by a material mo dification in the form and position of the propelling apparatus. A great reduction in the dimensions of the machinery, and the surrender to the uses of commerce of that invaluable space which it now occupies within the vessel, are also essential. It is incumbent on the engineer who assumes the high responsibility of the su perintendence of such a project, to leave the present packet-ship in the full and unimpaired enjoyment of its functions as a sailing-vessel. Let him combine, in short, the agency of steam with the undiminished nautical power of the ship. Let him celebrate the marriage of the steam-engine with the sailing vessel. If he accomplish this with the skill and success of which the project is susceptible, he may fairly hope that his name will go down to posterity as a benefactor of man kind, united with those of Pulton and Watt. “ To attain the objects here developed, it will be evidently indispensable to re move those impediments which at once disfigure the appearance and destroy the efficiency of the sailing qualities of the ship, by the enormous and unsightly ex crescences projecting from the sides in the shape of paddle-wheels and the wheelhouses, or paddle-boxes, as they are called. These appendages are attended with many evils, the least of which is perhaps the impediment which they present to the progress of the ship. Few are aware of the amount of the resistance which the air offers to the passage of a large body moving with a considerable velocity. This was, however, proved in a striking manner by an extensive series of experi ments made under my superintendence in the years 1838 and 1839 upon the Eng lish railways. The result of these conclusively proved that at high speeds the resistance of the air forms the main obstacle against which the moving power has to act. Now, although it be true that no speed yet attained on the ocean by steamships bears any comparison to the rate of transport on the English railways, yet it cannot be doubted that when steamships work under their greatest advan tages, their speed is sufficient to render the atmosphere a formidable source of re sistance, and that even at their average speed it robs the moving power of no in considerable portion of its efficacy. It is therefore apparent that no means should be neglected to remove from the ship everything which can augment the amount of this resistance, and it is obvious that the magnitude of the paddle-boxes and paddle-wheels must in this respect form one of the greatest obstructions. Ocean Steam Navigation. 351 51But independently of this, and admitting for a moment that the propelling ma chinery of steamships is not obnoxious to this objection, it would still be subject to other even more serious objections. In order that a paddle-wheel of the com mon form should act with complete efficiency, it is found in practice (and this is countenanced by theory) that its immersion should not exceed the depth of the lowest paddle-board. If the immersion become greater than this, a portion more or less considerable of the moving power is lost in the mere elevation and depres sion of the water. If the immersion be less, the wheel whirls round without lay ing sufficient hold of the water to obtain a reaction sufficient for the propulsion o£# the vessel. It is therefore apparent that so long as the propelling power is con veyed through a pair of paddle-wheels at the sides of the vessel, having the form and structure of the wheels now in general use, a due economy of the moving power cannot be realized, except when the vessel moves as it does in inland navi gation, on smooth water, and in a perfectly upright position. If the vessel leans to either side, one wheel becomes too much and the other too little immersed, and a loss of power is entailed upon both. If the surface of the water be rough and undulating, even though the vessel should be kept strictly in an upright position, both wheels will be momentarily varied in their immersion—now being too deeply and now not deeply enough immersed—and will on both accounts entail on the vessel a proportional waste of the moving power. “ Such is the inevitable condition to which a steam-vessel of the present construe ■ tion is exposed in navigating the ocean. Scarcely an hour throughout its entire voyage can the impelling power work with full and unimpaired efficiency. The swell of the ocean is incessant, nor does it even cease in the intervals of the abate ment of the winds. The principles of this reasoning appear so evident, that it would be a slight upon the understanding to enlarge upon them. It will be easily perceived that the conclusion is inevitable, that when steam-vessels of the present form are applied to ocean-voyages, a large proportion of the moving power must be lost. “ Among persons who have not devoted much time to the investigation of this question, it is a favorite argument to urge the immense speed obtained by the steam-vessels working with these propelling-wheels upon the extensive inland waters of this great continent. But there is no analogy whatever between the cases. Let it be remembered that the condition upon which this extraordinary efficiency depends can never be fulfilled in sea-going steamers. That efficiency depends essentially on the smooth and unruffled surface of the water on which the vessel moves, and the power of the vessel to maintain itself in a constantly per pendicular position. “ When these observations are duly considered, it will be readily admitted that the attainment of perfect efficiency in ocean-steamers with the present propelling apparatus is hopeless. “ But the form,magnitude, and position, of the propelling machinery, is far from being the only obstacle to the full success of the present steam-vessels, when di rected to the general purposes of commerce. The engines themselves, and the boilers, from which the moving power proceeds, and the fuel by which they are worked, occupy the very centre of the vessel, and engross the most valuable part of the tonnage. The chimney, which gives efficacy to the furnaces, is also an unsightly excrescence, and no inconsiderable obstruction.” The objections to the use o f steam-vessels o f the present construction for naval warfare are forcibly presented :— “ It is undoubtedly a great power with which to invest ajvessel-of-war, to confer upon it the faculty of proceeding at will and immediately, in spite of the opposi tion of wind or tide, in any direction which may seem most fit to its commander. Such a power would surpass the wildest dreams of the most romantic and imagi native naval commander of the last century. To confer upon the vessels of a fleet the power immediately at the bidding of the commander to take any position that may be assigned to them relatively to the enemy, or to run in and out of a hostile port at pleasure, or fly with the rapidity of the wind past the guns of for 352 Ocean Steam Navigation. midable forts before giving them time to take effect upon them—are capabilities which must totally revolutionize all the established principles of naval tactics. But these powers at present are not conferred upon steamships without important qualifications and serious drawbacks. The instruments and machinery from which these powers are immediately derived are unfortunately exposed in such a manner as to render the exercise of the powers themselves hazardous in the ex treme. It needs no profound engineering knowledge to perceive that the paddlewheels are eminently exposed to shot, which, taking effect, would altogether dis able the vessel, and leave her at the mercy of the enemy; and the chimney is even more exposed, the destruction of which would render the vessel a prey to the enemy within itself in the shape of fire. But besides these most obvious sources of exposure in vessels of the present form intended as a national defence, the en gines and boilers themselves, being more or less above the water-line, are ex posed so as to be disabled by shot.” In view o f these and other difficulties which have hitherto obstructed the progress o f steam-navigation, Dr. L . comes to the conclusion that there is no alternative save to abandon altogether the form and structure o f the present machinery, and to awaken the inventive genius o f the age to supply other mechanical expedients, which shall not be obnoxious to these objections. Though not forward to commit himself as to the re sults o f projects which still exist in a state but partially tested by expe rience, Dr. L . expresses a strong hope and confident anticipation that the epoch is at hand which will witness a great advance in ocean naviga tion, and a gift conferred by science upon the arts not equalled since the invention o f the steamboat and the safety-lamp. The invention o f Erics son, o f which there is in the work a minute description, illustrated by drawings, appears to have inspired the hope and expectation thus strongly expressed. The application o f this invention to the new line proposed between New York and Liverpool will involve the sacrifice, as compared with the Great Western, o f twenty-five per cent o f speed ; but as a com pensation for this loss, the room occupied by fuel and the machinery will be diminished by a greater ratio than six to one, thus redeeming for the uses of commerce the space which is absolutely necessary to enable vessels propelled by steam to compete successfully with the ordinary packet ships. With a brief passage, in which the results o f the establishment o f such a line o f ocean steamers as is proposed, are succinctly and forcibly presented, we must close our notice. “ Let us consider for a moment the effect which the successful establishment of such a line of steamships would have upon the intercourse between this conti nent and Europe. The average passage of the Great Western to New York has been fifteen days and nineteen hours. That of the Cunard ships to Boston has been thirteen days. It appears, therefore, that these vessels at present bring oc casional intelligence to New York, the one in sixteen and the other in fourteen days. The proposed line of steamships will accomplish the same passage in twenty days; but as they must, if successful at all, be as numerous as the present London and Liverpool liners, they will be continually dropping into this port, keeping up a never-ceasing stream of intelligence, not more than twenty days later from Europe. Instead, therefore, of the present mail-steamers, bringing, as they do now, intelligence in winter often thirty days later, and in summer fifteen days later, their functions will be limited to the conveyance of news occasionally five or six days later. In a word, it is evident that the line of packet-ships now contemplated will to a great extent strip the present mail-steamers of their great importance, not merely as respects intelligence, but also correspondence. A great epoch is indubitably at hand. “ One of the numerous advantages attending these arrangements is, that the Progress o f E nglish Railways. 353 machinery is capable of being applied to any of the present packet-ships without any serious suspension of their operation, or any injurious expenditure. If the experiment about to be made shall therefore be attended with that success which we confidently anticipate, a brief period will be sufficient to convert the entire fleet of packet-ships between New York and Britain into steam-liners—uniting in the expedition, certainty, and regularity, with all their present capabilities for commerce and cargo.” Art. V III.— P R O G R E SS OF E N G L IS H R A I L W A Y S : THEIR COST, VALUE, AND DIVIDENDS. presents some interesting facts relative to the cost, and astonishing travel and traffic on the railways in England. There are already some 2,000 miles o f railroad in Great Britain comple ted, principally in England and Scotland, and but few in Ireland. These roads cost, on the average, about £30,000, ($150,000,) per mile, or $300,000,000, and yield an average income o f about 5 per cent. Fourteen o f the principal railways, 1,367 miles in length, have cost £43,077,348, or £31,512, ($175,600,) per mile, and are 100 per cent above par. By a parliamentary report, it appears that at the last session, 112 rail way charters were passed. The capital and loans authorised, form a total o f £58,452,000, and a length o f 2,847 miles. During the previous ses sion, 1844, thirty-one bills for 819 miles o f railway were passed, the author ized capital for which was £11,761,717; loans £3,920,570— together, £15,682,287— consequently, the actual expenditures, £60,000,000, with the present authorized railways, £74,136,287, will require the expenditure o f the round sum o f $670,000,000. That an estimate may be formed o f the immense cost and travel o f some o f these roads, it is stated that the H e r a p a t h ’ s r a il w a y jo u r n a l, London and Blackwall,.......... London and Greenwich,......... Passengers, 6,000,000 annually. Miles. 3J 3} Cost. £1,078,851 1,031,968 Per mile. £287,093 267,270 In dollars. 1,435,465 1,336,350 On this cost, the first paid a dividend, the last year, at the rate o f 36s per share, or about I f per cent, and the Greenwich 58s, or near three per cent, for the last twelve months. The most profitable road in England, is the Stockton and Darlington. It cost £2,000,000— $10,000,000, for 43 miles, and netts its stockholders in regular dividends, 15 per cent per annum, derived principally from the carrying o f upwards o f 800,000 tons of coal anually, and is £ 250 for £10 0 . That an idea may be formed o f the cost, travel, and traffic, over some o f the English roads, we take the following from the half-yearly returns o f the Great Western, extending 1191 miles from London to Bristol, with which are connected 102 miles o f branches. The whole was completed at an outlay o f £7,455,690. The Great Western alone, with motive power and station-houses, cost £6,746,500 ; o f this amount the following are some o f the principal items. They must astonish our American readers, par ticularly the legal and parliamentiary expenses to procure the charter, engineering and land damages. VOL. XIII.— NO. IV. 23 Progress o f English Railways. 354 Expenses to procure charter,................................... Expenses o f parliament,............................................ Law expenses and conveyancing,............................ Total to procure charter, and law expenses,. Land and compensation,.......................................... Land-valuers, purchasing land,................................ Engineering, surveyors, & c .,................................... Grading for superstructure,........................................ Permanent way superstructure, and rails,.............. Locomotive engines, cars, & c.,............................... Office expenses, salaries, miscellaneous,................ £89,436 'A'** -----£198,927 380,641 20,003 156,800 3,800,641 1,121,815 547,078 516,595 Cost in dollars per nrilev for 120 miles, in round numbers. $8 ,292 £1,658 15,860 3,172 833 166 1,306 6,523 31,672 158,360 46,740 9,348 22,790 4,558 21,520 4,304 From this table, it will be perceived, the expenses in parliament to pro cure a charter, with law expenses, cost $8,292 per m ile; engineering, $6,533 ; cost o f land for road-bed, or right o f way, $15,860 per mile— a sum that will construct a good railway in the United States ; the grading and superstructure, cost the inconceivable sum o f £4,022,456, or equal to $205,100 per mile. The whole cost $32,732,500, or $272,770 per mile. The last semi-annual dividend to July 1, 1845, was 4 percent, or 8 per cent per annum. The news o f this dividend was carried from Bristol to the London stock-holders in two hours and thirty-five minutes or at the rate o f 45 miles per hour. The usual time to Exeter, 195 miles— Express line— is four and a half hours. The gross receipts for six months were as follow s:— From passengers,.................................................................................................... mails,............................................................................................................. merchandise andparcels,........................................................................... miscellaneous, rents, & c.,.......................................................................... £285,311 32,314 111,422 4,249 Expenses,...................................................................................... £433,296 153,367 Nett............................................................................................... £279,829 T h e number of miles travelled the last year was 70,862,510. The passengers carried, 1,998,088 ; average daily, 5,462. The gross receipts for six months over this road, is greater in amount than all the tolls received the last year on all the New York state canals, with the salt and auction duties included. The half-yearly report o f the London and Birmingham railway, 112L miles up to July 1, 1845, declares a semi-annual dividend o f 5 per cent, or 10 per cent per annum on a cost o f £2,637,753. This road for 112A miles, shows double the receipts per annum, compared with the canals o f New York, o f 674 miles in length. The operations o f the last half year exhibit an increase o f traffic, both in passengers and goods, and a consid erable excess o f receipts over the corresponding period o f 1844, not withstanding the large reductions which have since been made in the rates and fare o f this company, amounting, on an average, in pence and deci mals. per mile, 1844. 1845. Passengers................................... 2,609 1,818 Freight, tons,............................... 2,816 2,606 The total mileage o f passengers was 35,758,260 during six months in 1845, against 24,664,979, the corresponding months o f 1844, or 57 per cent increase. The total mileage o f goods was 9,350,718 tons against 6,929,885, being an increase o f 35 per cent. 355 Progress o f English Railways. The gross receipts 6 months in 1844 were £405,768 do do 1845 “ 447,190 Receipts from passengers,.............................................. £293,707 do M ails,................................ ............................. 7,445 do Merchandise, £98,859; parcels, 25,826 ; ) do cattle and horses, 21,153...................... $ ’ The number of passengers taken over this road the last year was 1,096,271; daily, 2,997; equal to the average o f through passengers, 1,705. The maintenance o f way, repairs o f bridges and station-houses, engineers salaries, office-charges, & c ........................................................... £24,142 Locomotive power, wages to engine-drivers and foremen £5,994, Coke fuel £18,460 ; repairs to engines and tenders £8,340 ; wasted oil, £ 2 ,4 1 4 ; labor, stationery engines, & c ............... 43,161 Police charges,.................................................................................... 6,667 Coach traffic charges,........................................................................ 17,517 Coach rep a irs,.................................................................................. 6,083 11,036 General charges,........................... Parish-rates and tax,........................ £12,613 -------------Duty on passenger traffic,............... 13,029 £108,608 ---------- 25,642 41,140 Reserve for deprec’n o f locomoti. and cars 15,498 .................... £149,748 The following view o f the principal railways o f England and Scotland, is compiled from the August number o f Herapath’s Railway Journal:— Name o f Railway. Great Western, and tranches,....... Liverpool and Manchester,............ London and Birmingham,............. Grand Junction,............................... Stockton and Darlington............'.. Midland,........................................... Manchester and Leeds,.................. Eastern Counties,............................ Great N. o f England,.................... London and Southwestern,........... Newcastle and Darlington,........... Newcastle and Carlisle,.................. Southeastern, just finished,........... Y ork, N. M. and Leeds,................ Total,................................. Miles. Cost. Value o f stock. 221 31 1121 119 43 J 271 86 83 45 93 56 60 98 48 £7,455,690 1,698,628 6,614,996 2,477,701 2,000,000 6,259,838 3,293,716 4,010,910 1,237,487 2,604,406 506,788 1,070,232 3,739,810 1,107,146 232 214 250 248 250 178 202 100 1,367 166 216 116 220 Dividend- 8 per ct. *< 10 IS 10 u 10 ti 15 ss 6 it 7 31 ts ft 6 ts 9 is 6 5 31 ts it 10 £43,077,348== £31,512 cost per mile. The whole cost o f 1,367 miles, £43,077,348— equal to $157,560 per mile. The other short roads varying in their dividends from nothing up to 8 per cent, the average dividends on 2,000 miles o f road that have cost £60,000,000, yields about 5 per cent dividends, while the enhanced value in the market is not short o f $200,000,000. Ireland is commencing the railway system in earnest. The Dublin and Drogheada railroad, 31 miles, pays 4 per cent on its great cost. The Dublin and Kingston, 9 per cent on £354,733 for six miles. France is pressing forward her railways to connect the Atlantic and British chan nel with the Mediterranean. Her capitol, with Brussels, Antwerp, V i enna, and finally, Warsaw, St. Petersburg, and the Black sea, while a 356 Mercantile Law Cases. road from Paris, through Spain and Portugal, to Lisbon, is projected, and will no doubt be completed, thus forming the great band to unite and main tain Europe in a state of peace, by making each nation dependent on the other, for the interchange o f commodities, produced by inland commerce ; a traffic the most productive to the wealth and advancement o f nations, during a state o f peace, which the construction o f railways tends to per petuate. That railways will tend to bind in indissoluble iron bands, the union of these United States, and extend the Anglo Saxon race to the Pacific ocean, there can be no question. For defence they are invaluable. T o regulate our exchanges, the best bank. Without them we cannot have the cheap postage system, yet the general government is parsimonious, and it would appear, ignorant o f the cost o f yielding them this mode o f rapid transit for the mails. Railway companies are abused as extortionate, & c., and yet the Post Master General is not authorized by Congress to pay per mile per annum, half the rates paid in England, from a uniform postage o f one penny per half ounce from one end o f the kingdom to the other. The error on this subject should be corrected. Now that railways in the United States are generally weak and struggling with pecuniary difficulties, to extend and connect the detached parts, the general govern ment should step in, or for the privilege and right, in the several states, of carrying the mails, troops, and munitions o f war, on prefered terms, as to price. The people could well afford to pay about $3,000, per mile, or the interest o f this sum, for this privilege, where roads are completed and in use. Without something o f this kind is promptly done by the next Con gress, it is to be feared, that combinations o f private enterprise, aided by state authority, and state cupidity, may nullify all attempts on the part o f the general government, to proeure rights in the main sea-board lines, and into the interior, through the several indebted states, who may, like N ew Jersey, tax them for the privilege o f transit. j. e . b . MERCANTILE LAW MERCANTILE DEPARTMENT. LAW CASES. BILL IN EQUITY TO RESCIND A PURCHASE OF R E A L ESTA TE. In the United States Circuit Court, (Boston, Mass.,) Yeazie v. Williams, et. al. This was a bill in equity, brought to rescind a purchase of mills, made by the plaintiff at auction, on the ground of fraud committed by the auctioneer, as the agent of the defendants, in bidding against the plaintiff, and thereby inducing him to give more than its value for the property. It appeared that the sale was in January, 1836. The defendants, who lived in Boston, were the owners of certain mills in Oldtown, near Bangor, in the state of Maine, which were supposed to be worth $14,000 or $15,000. A Mr. Head was employed as an auctioneer to sell the property for the defendants. Mr. Veazie, the plaintiff, and a Mr. Wadleigh, who were mill owners, living near by, were each anxious to buy the mills in question, and felt a spirit of rivalry to obtain them. They were struck off to Foster, who was the agent of Mr. Veazie, and who bid for him, at $40,000. Mr. Veazie adopted the contract, paid down $12,000, and gave two notes for $14,000 each, payable one in one year, and one in two years, for the balance. The first of the two notes was paid, and interest paid on the other until 1840. The defen dants were not present at the sale, knew nothing about any by-bidding, and had given no directions to the auctioneer or any other person to bid for them, but had in fact expressly forbidden it. Wadleigh had authorised Head to bid for him, as Mercantile Law Cases. 357 high as $20,000. It appeared in evidence, that at seme time during the bidding, Wadleigh came up to Head, and said to him, “ are you bidding for me ? if you are, for God’s sake stop!” There was considerable diversity in the testimony as to the time at which this remark was made, whether it was soon after $20,000 was bid, or not until $3 9,00 0 was bid. But Head himself testified that after $39,00 0 was bid, he himself bid $ 5 0 0 more on his own responsibility, and without any au thority from any body, and that $ 4 0,00 0 was then bid for Mr. Veazie, and the property struck off to him. The plaintiff, soon after the sale, expressed great sat isfaction with his bargain, and insisted on a bond from the agent of the defendants in a large penalty, that they would complete the sale; and it appeared, that, prior to the auction, the plaintiff had fixed the sum of $40,00 0 as the amount that he would give for the property, if necessary. Head never communicated to the de fendants that he had been bidding from $2 0,00 0 to $3 9,00 0 on his own account, although he did inform them that he had bid $ 5 0 0 above $39,000. T h e plaintiff w as not inform ed that the bids w ere not made in good faith, until 1840. In order to render H ead a com petent witness for him , he executed a re lease to H ead from all claim s on accou n t o f the m isfeasance, m alfeasance or mis m anagem ent o f Head, and from all dam ages on accou n t o f the proceedings at the -auction sale. It appeared that the property had depreciated very m uch in value .since the time o f the sale. Story J. in his opinion, examined the question, whether a purchaser at auction, where puffers, or by-bidders were employed, by whose bids he is induced to bid .more than he otherwise would, is bound by the sale. He said there was much diversity among the authorities, but there was no case in which it had been held, that the unauthorised act of an auctioneer, in bidding himself, would avoid the sale. The purchaser, if injured by such bidding, might have an action against the auctioneer, but not against the innocent owner. The bid of $ 5 0 0 beyond the -$ 39,000 was a bid made by the auctioneer for himself, at his own risk, and not for the defendants, or under any instruction of theirs. The defendants were never informed that the auctioneer had acted fraudulently, that he had been bidding without authority, from $2 5,00 0 to $3 9,00 0, or that the plaintiff was deceived by "his acts. If the property had been struck off to the auctioneer at his bid, he could not have enforced the contract against the owners; because an agent employed to sell property cannot become a purchaser of the same property, or purchase it as an agent for another. But the contract would be voidable only, and not void; and the owners could enforce it against him. In this case the plaintiff ratified the purchase, the deed was executed, he ex pressed no dissatisfaction at the price, but the contrary, and he paid one of the notes a year after the purchase. His judgment, at that time, could not have been deceived by the auctioneer’s bidding, but was deceived, if at all, by his own san guine schemes. It was impossible to sustain the plaintiff’s case without the testimony of Head, and his testimony was given under circumstances of great suspicion. A release was given him by the plaintiff, for the purpose of making him a witness. He proclaimed his own fraud. His Honor thought that Head ought to have been made a party to the bill, and he was not sure that a decree would not in that case have been made against him. He was primarily liable for the fraud. The de fendants ought to have the benefit of his being made a party, that a decree might be made against him in the present suit. If a decree should now be made against the defendants, on the ground that Head had been guilty of fraud, it would be open to him to contest the question again, in a new suit to be brought against him by the present defendants. A court of equity ought not to tolerate such proceed ings. The practice of courts of equity required that the guilty agent should always be made a party. Then as to the effect of the release, given by the plaintiff to Head. There was no doubt that the parties intended this instrument to operate merely as a personal release of Head, and not to work any release of the defendant’s ; but there was great doubt whether the law would carry any such resolution into effect. A re lease of a party primarily liable would release the party secondarily liable, not 358 Mercantile Law Cases. withstanding the expressed intention of the parties. A release of the principal would discharge the surety ; a release of the maker of a promissory note would discharge the endorser; a release of the principal in a trespass would discharge the accessory. If this was the maxim in law, it was far more conclusive in equity. Here the plaintiff had voluntarily discharged the person primarily liable,, and he claimed redress against the person secondarily liable. The gravamen of his charge was, not that the defendants had perpetrated a fraud by which he was injured, but that Head had done so. He had discharged Head, of his own accord. Suppose he had recovered judgment and satisfaction against Head for this very fraud, could he sustain a suit against the defendants for the same cause of action ? Yet a release would have the same effect as a judgment and satisfaction. Another ground which was fatal to the plaintiffs claim, was the elapse of time. The property had experienced a great change in value, not only in the mind of the rival purchaser, but also in that of the public. It could not now be sold for more than one-fourth of the sum which it brought at auction. Veazie had been in possession of the property, and now lived near it He was not ignorant of its value. He knew whether his bid was high or not. Why did he ratify the sale, if the price was too high ? The persons present were not so numerous, but that he might ascertain whether the bids were fair or not. The high bidding ought to have put him upon the inquiry. He appeared for a long time to he satisfied with his bargain. He suspected no imposition until four years after the sale. He asked now of the defendants, who were innocent of the fraud, and were misled by his long silence, to take back the property after it had depreciated in value. It was now difficult to prove the actual facts connected with the sale. The recollections of those who were present, after the elapse of five years and a half, had become confused and inaccurate, as was shown by their contradictory testimony. The court could not put the parties in the same position in which they were before the sale; the defendants were innocent of the fraud ; the plaintiff, with the means of knowledge in his power, had sanctioned the sale, and had relnained silent for years afterwards; he had discharged the person guilty of the fraud, and he could not now be at liberty to shift his loss upon the defendants. His Honor was therefore of opinion that the bill should be dismissed; but as the two judges of the court were divided in their opinion, the bill would be dismissed without costs. A de cree would be entered to that effect, subject to an appeal, if one should be claimed, to the Supreme Court of the United States. W a r e , (district ju d ge,) drew up a dissenting opinion, w h ich w as read by the clerk. H e took the ground, that the em ploym ent o f puffers, or by-bidders, at an auction sale, w as a fraud upon the purchaser, and vitiated the sale. H e held, that the release, given by the plaintiff to H ead, w as m erely a release o f any claim w h ich he m ight have against him for dam ages, and did not bar the plaintiff’s right to have the contract rescinded. T h e lapse o f time w as a bar to a suit in equity, whenever it w ou ld be a bar to a suit at law , and also in cases w h ere there had been laches in prosecuting the plaintiff’s rights. But here the tim e for im posing the statute bar had not expired— only five and a h a lf years having elapsed betw een the sale and the com m encem ent o f the s u it ; nor had the plaintiff been guilty o f laches, as he did not hear o f the fraud until 1840, and the suit w as com m enced in 1841. A s the property had m u ch depreciated in value, his H on or w as not in favor o f rescinding the contract entirely, but he thought a decree should be en tered, reducing the price to $2 0,00 0. ACTION OF ASSUM PSIT.. In the Court of Common Pleas, (Boston, Massachusetts,) an action of assump sit was brought by William C. Holmes, vs Joseph K. Miller, to recover the amount of an account annexed to the writ, for labor and materials furnished in doing carpenter’s work on defendant’s house. Before Chief Justice Wells. T h e plaintiff claim ed, as the con tra ct price, $ 3 1 0 , and as extra w ork $ 8 3 92 ; also, for time lost by delay o f the defendant in furnishing lum ber $ 2 5 , and the amount o f $ 6 0 for an order paid to the defendant, m aking in all $ 4 7 8 92. The defendant replied that the work was not well done; nor done within Mercantile Law Cases. 359 reasonable time; and also offered, in set off, an account amounting to $238 06, and a note for $150, and other claims, for delay in the above work, and for money alleged to have been paid in repairing it, and for lumber said to have been used by Holmes belonging to Miller. The defendant’s set off was a few dollars larger than the plaintiff’s claim. The plaintiff alleged that the note was barred by a discharge under the in solvent act, but the defendant alleged that since the date of the discharge, and at the time the verbal contract above mentioned was made, Holmes agreed to allow the said note as set off against the contract. This the plaintiff denied. The plaintiff also alleged that the account filed in set off by Miller, was in reality a claim of Miller & Sickels against him: and not therefore a subject of set off under the statute. Wells, chief justice ruled, that though the jury should find that the note was discharged by the insolvent act, yet if it was agreed that the amount of it should be deducted from the contract price of the work, the jury should make that de duction. That as the property mentioned in the account filed in set off was proved to have belonged to Miller & Sickels, and to have been charged in the books of the firm to the defendant; yet if Holmes and Miller & Sickles agreed together, that this account should be deducted from the contract price of the work, then the jury should so deduct it; but that if the credit was given by Miller & Sickels as a firm, to Holmes, the account could not be allowed as set off. The jury having been occupied nearly four days with this trial, found a ver dict for the plaintiff, and assessed damages in the sum of $233 41. ACTION o r ASSUMPSIT— ENDORSER OF A PROMISSORY NOTE. Moses Baker vs. Enos Baldwin.—This was an action of assumpsit brought (in the Essex county New Jersey court of the term of August, 1845, before chief justice Hornblower) against the defendant, as endorser upon a promissory note given under these circumstances. One Isaac Watkins wishing to borrow money of the plaintiff, gave him his note at four months, in January, 1844, for $425, and instead of money, received in return another note for $420 at four months, made by the plaintiff. At the expiration of the time, Baker, the plaintiff, took up his, the $420 note, but Watkins being unable to take up his, gave Baker a new one in $425 at four months, (the note now in question,) without interest, made by Wm. Ashley, indorsed by Watkins and the defendant, in consideration that Baker would take up Watkins’s first note; but no allowance was made for discount and none received. It was contended for the defendant, that the first note being clearly usurious, the new one was also effected by the usury, although it covered only the prin cipal of the first note without reserving any interest; and, also, that an express agreement to that effect was necessary to purge the transaction of usury—and so the judge charged, leaving the jury to say whether there was any such ex press agreement, and whether the recollection of the witness could be depended upon. Verdict for the plaintiff. LANDLORD AND TENANT— BREACH OF COVENANT. the Essex coimty (New Jersey) court, before chief justice Hornblower, in the case of Abraham G. Thompson vs. Henry Adams and Linn Adams:—The complaint was for ajbreach of covenant by the defendants underletting the prem ises No. 309 Broad street, contrary to the terms of a lease from the plaintiff to them, executed in April, 1844, by Joseph Law, agent for Thompson, on the one part, and signed by only one of the parties on the other, but in the name of the firm. The defence was that the lease was void, because one of the partners was ab sent when the lease was executed, and there was no evidence that he knew of its terms. Cases were also cited to show that one partner could not bind another by deed, even though for business concerning the partnership. The plaintiff in sisted in reply that both having entered the premises and accepted the estate un der the lease, were bound by its terms. The chief justice decided that this con sequence followed if the fact were so. In 360 Commercial Chronicle and Review. C O MME R C I A L C HR O NI C L E AND R E V I E W. ASPECT OF COMMERCIAL AFFAIRS— RAILROAD MOVEMENT IN NEW YORK AND NEW ENGLAND— IM PORTANCE OF THE NEW YORK AND ERIE RAILROAD— INFLUENCE OF CROPS IN ENGLAND ON THE AFFAIRS OF THE WORLD---- PRICE OF WHEAT PER QUARTER IN THE EUROPEAN MARKETS, FOR A SERIES OF YEARS— PRICES OF LEADING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN THE NEW YORK MARKET, IN 1837 AND 1845— QUANTITIES OF FLOUR SHIPPED ON THE HUDSON AND THE MISSISSIPPI— IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF THE UNITED STATES, FOR 1845, COMPARED WITH FORMER YEARS --- QUARTERLY DUTIABLE IMPORTS, AND DUTIES PAID IN THE UNITED STATES— IMPORT AND EX PORT OF NEW YORK, IN JULY AND AUGUST— TRADE WITH MEXICO, SOUTH AMERICA, WEST INDIES, ETC.— RECEIPTS OF COTTON INTO THE PRINCIPAL PORTS OF THE UNITED STATES— RECEIPTS AND EXPORTS OF COTTON FROM ALL PORTS IN THE UNITED STATES— COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE TRADE— PRICES OF COTTON— RATES OP FREIGHT, ETC. T he state o f commercial affairs has happily remained undisturbed by any political con- tre temps. The apprehensions that were excited by the bravadoes of M exico have most ly died away, after effecting a sensible decline in stock securities. The general aspect of the commercial world is such as eminently to inspire confidence in a long period o f commer cial prosperity; accordingly, therefore, as the war fears subside, the disposition to embark in enterprises revives. Those which most demand the attention of capitalists, are they which increase the means o f internal communication, from one end o f our wide spread Union to the other. T he most important o f these, to N ew Y ork, is the Erie railroad, and it has become a subject o f earnest regard not only by all citizens of N ew Y ork, but of all in terested in the welfare o f the great west. The Erie railroad connects the Hudson river with Lake Erie, running through 508 miles o f a country containing 500,000 inhabitants; and pos sessed o f no communication with the great markets o f the Atlantic. T o complete this road $6,000,000 are required; $3,000,000 to be subscribed within eighteen months after the pas sage o f the law o f the last session. T he confidence o f the public has at last been aroused in favor o f the work,and some $2,700,000 have been subscribed in the city o f N ew Y ork, and the subscriptions are in rapid progress o f completion. This road will be to the trade o f southern N ew Y ork what the Erie canal was to the northern counties. That work cost some $7,132,000. T he Erie railroad combining as it does the power o f carrying freight to an extent equal to that o f the canal, and also by its speed and ample accomodations to m o nopolize the whole western trade, promises to be by far the most profitable work in the country to the stockholders, independently o f the vast benefits it will confer upon the general trade o f the city. T he advantages that Boston has derived from the concentra tion o f a vast net work o f railroads reaching west to Buffalo through N ew Y ork, and east to Portland, Maine, and now in process o f construction, north to the river St. Law rence, to connect with the new roads in process o f construction across the peninsular o f Upper Canada to Lake Huron, are manifest in the swelling tide o f prosperity which her increasing population enjoys. A great fever o f speculation has been excited in N ew England by the evident wealth conferred by the possession o f railroads, and that excite ment is rapidly spreading through the state o f N ew Y ork, and will lead to the connec tion o f the city with Albany, and the completion o f the several lines necessary to put the lakes in communication with the city by winter as well as summer. W hile these movements for the prosecution o f the internal trade are in progress, the usual business o f all sections o f the country is likely to be affected by the recurrence o f a deficient harvest in England. Such an event is by no means fraught with the conse quences that once attended i t ; on the other hand, it is comparatively o f small importance Commercial Chronicle and Review, 361 when viewed in connection with the great results o f the failure o f the harvest o f 1837. W hen that event took place, a vast fabric o f commercial credits extended over the face of the mercantile world. Prices every where were inordinately high, and enormous amounts o f private obligations were outstanding, all dependant upon a small sum o f coin in the vaults o f the bank o f England, which had been declining under the influence o f spec ulation in the previous five years o f good harvests. T he failure o f the harvest involving an extraordinary demand for specie in the payment o f corn, sapped the whole foundation o f the credits on which the value o f property, the high level o f prices, and the majority o f individual obligations were based. T he result was, a degree of distress which seldom before overtook the commercial world, and the billows o f destruction, rolling across the ocean, overwhelmned as well the banks o f India and N ew Holland, as o f the W est Indies and the United States. N o such state o f affairs now exists, and consequently such results cannot follow. The revulsion in the United States took place through the strin gent action o f the bank o f England in 1836, before the failure o f the harvest. That re vulsion was heightend in its effects, and prolonged in its influence by the new impulse given to it through the failure o f the harvest. There are two ways by which the affairs o f the world are influenced by the crops o f England. T h e one is by the contraction o f credits and the fall o f prices. This however is only when it takes place in time o f ex tended credits and o f prices unusually high. This is not now the case. T he other way is, that under the operation o f the corn laws, a deficiency in the harvest causes the price o f food to rise so high as to absorb for its purchase most o f the earnings of a large portion o f the people. T he effect is, a greatly diminished purchase o f goods, a conse quent lessened manufacture, and a necessary discharge o f work people. H ence, in time o f dear food there is less work. T he influence o f this upon the United States has here tofore been a fall in cotton, the great staple export, while the increased wants o f the flour and wheat in England have been supplied from Europe. been greatly modified. A ll these influences have now First, in relation to the corn laws, the tariff o f 1842 so far mod ifies the scale that the level o f prices in a time o f scarcity cannot be maintained so high as before. A s thus during ten years, ending in 1843, 16,000,000 bushels were admitted at 6s. 8 d. duty or 17 cents per bushel. T o do this the price was necessarily maintained at 72s. or $ 2 13 cents per bushel. T o admit the same quantity o f wheat at the same duty, will require, under the present tariff, that the price be maintained at 66s. or $ 1 95 cents, a decline o f 16 cents, or 9 per cent in the level o f prices maintained by the new tariff in time o f scarcity as compared with the old. T he effect of this is to reduce the cost o f wheat alone, to the consumers £4,500,000 or $22,500,000. Embracing the whole consumption o f food, the reduction in the expense to the consumer, is at least $50,000,000 in time o f scarcity. T o this extent, therefore, has the effect of a short har vest in diminishing the consumption o f goods been modified, and in the same proportion the fall o f cotton has been checked. It may also be taken into consideration that the foreign markets for English manufactures depend now less on those credits, hanging on the discounts o f the bank than they formerly did, and therefore are not likely to be checked from the same cause, and the progress o f those exports has been immense. On the other hand, we may observe that the position o f the United States, in relation to the supply o f England with breadstuff's, is very different from what it was when the harvest o f England failed in 1837. Prices o f farm produce were so high in the United States that wheat was actually imported from England hither in large amounts. A t the same time as there had been no demand out o f Europe for the space o f five years, the granaries o f the Baltic were well stocked and prices had fallen very low. in the following table;— T he state o f affairs is seen 362 Commercial Chronicle and Review . Imp’ tinto Years. European m a rk et s . Av. pr. in IV. wht. Pr. flour Dantzic. Ham b’g. A ms’ in. A n tw ’p. Odessa. Europe. in U .S . inU .,S. s. d. s. d. s. d. 8. d. s • d. s. d. 33 8 $1 12 $7 14 4 84 34 10 1 15 38 11 31 9 41 4 34 8 24 10 5 91 39 2 1 15 42 11 43 5 42 1 26 0 38 8 5 26 34 2 40 2 32 10 22 8 32 9 1 15 34 0 prices of w h ’ t per q r . in England. Bushels. 1829,.......... 1830,.......... 1831,.......... 1832,.......... 11,504,768 13,338,304 10,952,352 1,510,160 Average, 9,326,390 1833,.......... 1834,.......... 1835,.......... 1836,.......... 1837,.......... 10,560 2,320 960 8,360 1,686,176 Average, 341,695 1838............ 1839,.......... 1840,.......... 1841,.......... 1842,.......... 14,550,624 21,591,848 18,291,096 19,105,264 22,202,512 Average, 19,148,268 35 30 3 25 5 22 2 25 3 26 6 25 3 24 7 23 0 28 11 28 8 32 0 24 0 28 1 28 0 29 10 34 7 34 8 39 0 44 9 40 1 42 8 48 0 47 0 36 0 40 5 44 0 49 0 40 0 39 0 40 7 0 9 9 2 7 26 10 28 0 21 0 18 11 18 5 36 0 54 0 50 0 54 0 53 0 23 8 29 0 25 10 26 10 23 8 20 18 19 25 25 1 15 $1 1 1 1 1 22 11 •• .. 0 26 10 24 1 22 9 25 3 25 9 .. 38 2 42 4 40 4 40 3 39 2 40 •• 13 08 19 44 83 1 33 $1 1 1 1 1 i 54 42 10 03 16 1 25 5 79 $5 5 5 7 10 25 04 72 23 19 6 68 $7 7 5 4 6 96 75 44 92 03 6 42 T he demand for less than 15,000,000 bushels from England, exhausted the granaries o f Europe, and nearly doubled the price all over the continent. T he continued demand maintained the high price; and the average, for the five years ending with 1842, exceed ed by 18s., or 90 per cent, the average for the five years ending with 1837. In the United States, the reverse has taken place. Produce o f all kinds was never more abundant, nor the price so low. In the above table, wheat was never so low as a dollar, nor flour but twice less than $ 5 00. During the last seven months, the average for flour, in N ew Y ork, has been $ 4 6 9 ; and, as compared with 1837, when the harvest was short, the prices o f leading articles are now, in N ew Y ork, as fo llo w s:— P r ic es of L eadens A r t ic l e s in N e w Y o r k . W h e a t,................... Barley,.................... Butter,.................... Cheese,.................... W o o l,...................... Pork, mess,............ Beef, mess,............. Flour,....................... ............lb. .........bbl. .........bbl. 1837. $ 1 90 1 00 18 10 68 30 00 11 00 10 19 1845. $ 0 90 60 12 6 34 9 50 9 00 4 75 Reduction. $ 1 00 40 6 4 34 19 50 2 00 5 44 In 1837, the United States were in no condition to compete with the countries o f E u rope in supplying the large demands o f England for food. T he case is now quite the reverse ; and, with a most extraordinary supply o f farm produce, at low prices, in the United States, England is coming forward with an enhanced demand, which the corn countries o f Europe cannot supply. T he quantities o f flour brought down the Hudson and the Mississippi, for several.years, are as follows:— 1 8 4 1 -2 . 1 8 4 2 -3 . 1 8 4 3 -4 . 1 8 4 4 -5 . Flour on the Hudson,........bbls. “ Mississippi,......... 1,647,492 439,688 1,577,555 521,175 2,073,703 502,507 2,222,204 533,312 Total flour,............. ~ ............. W h e a t,...........................bush. 2,087,180 781,055 2,098,730 928,347 2,576,210 827,346 2,755,516 1,262,249 This indicates the very great increase o f produce which has been continually pressing upon the markets, forcing down the prices to a most unprecedented extent. T he exports o f domestic produce from the United States have been large. T he following table gives the monthly imports and exports o f the United States, compiled from the monthly returns o f the collectors to the treasury department, for the year ending June 30:— 363 Commercial Chronicle and Review . I m p o r ts and E x p o r t s of t h e U n ite d S t a t e s , f o r 1845. E x po r ts , F o r ’ n . Dutiable. Free. E x po r ts . Domestic. Specie. Dolls. X B. Dolls. Total. Dutiable. Dolls. Dolls. Dolls. Dolls. Oct’ .,.. Nov’r,. Dec’r ,. 394,875 238,545 392,950 583,919 559,663 486,257 216,757 159,734 280,076 390,210 350,842 59,536 6,312.649 266,920 7,191,202 10,318,784 4,606.277 2,076,001 6,280,557 12,974,248 5,465,977 704,853 6,842,856 11,084,438 6,0S9,416 1,416,411 8,479,956 7,023,215 4.602,579 1,256 42 7,236,726 3,548,276 7,335,583 785,959 8,667,135 4,849,297 1845. Jan’ y,. Febr’ y, M ’ rch,. April, . M ay,. • June,.. 348,657 341,633 365,217 350,623 656,328 739,226 83,035 163,543 211,814 328,979 236,729 398,344 5,873.421 7.027,787 8,847,458 9,664,558 9,702,249 7,712,330 1844. July, •• A u g .,.. Sept., • 791,989 117,128 279,075 256,600 333,839 159,494 Free. Specie. Dolls. Dolls. Total. Dolls. 1,505,439 1,577,159 1,104,694 1,431,977 571,217 976,287 385,136 500,093 336,733 586,247 274,558 366,491 12,209,359 15,051,500 12,525,865 9,041,439 4,394,051 6,192,075 7,697,102 8,358,684 1,433,161 7,649,091 6,528,760 1,374,119 9,703,564 7,795,080 2,208,036 10,600,755 7,671,117 2,488,903 10,929,148 6,592,499 2,894,366 9,009,394 6,299,263 1,906,684 231,015 206,859 333,804 302,426 230,054 232,430 10,021,861 8,109,738 10,336,918 10,463,446 9,716,919 8,438,377 Total, 5,457,893 2,878,599 83,240,079 8,111,911 99,688,482 93,043,661 19,471,048 3,985,844 116,500,548 These aggregates, as compared with former years, present results as follows:— I m p o r ts a nd E x p o r t s of t h e U n it e d S t a t e s . Exports. 1841. Dutiable............ Free................... Domestic,......... S p ecie,.............. $4,228,201 3,953,140 103,636,236 10,034,246 1842. 1843. 1844. 1845. $4,884,454 3,129,285 91,799,242 4,878,553 $3,456,572 1,682,206 77,686,354 1,521,348 $3,961,508 2,252,550 99,531,774 5,454,214 $5,457,893 2,878,599 83,240,079 8,111,911 T otal,.$ 121,851,823 $104,691,534 Dutiable............. Free,................... S pecie,............... $84,346,480 $111,200,046 $99,688,482 Imports. $69,534,601 $29,179,215 16,540,470 13,254,249 4,087,016 22,320,335 $61,926,445 61,031,103 4,988,633 T otal,....... $127,946,182 $100,162,087 $83,668,154 $93,043,661 18,936,452 19,471,043 5,830,429 3,985,844 $64,753,799 $108,435,035 $116,500,548 In this table, we have the full operation o f three tariffs, v iz : the tariff which, in 1841, raised most duties lower than 20 per cent to that rate ad valorem, and imposed duties on most goods before free. This produced a fall o f $25,000,000 in the amount under the head “ free o f duty,” for the year 1842; but a corresponding increase o f less than $8,000,000 took place in the dutiable goods. A t the close o f the year 1842, the present tariff came into operation, and the dutiable imports have gradually increased. There has been but little movement in specie since the first quarter o f the fiscal year, which ended September 30. It appears that one-fourth o f all the specie exported took place daring the month o f August, in which a kind o f panic existed, in consequence o f the return o f some cotton bills under protest. In the same month, over $500,000 was imported ; show ing that if specie was the best remittance to England in that month, it was also the best means o f receiving returns from the South American and W est India countries. There is a very marked decline in the above monthly table, in the import of dutiable goods, as the year draws to a dose, and an increase in the export. I f we compare the customs du ties for each quarter with the amoifnt o f dutiable goods imported, we have results as follow s:— Q u a r t e r l y D u t ia b l e I m p o r t s , a n d D u ties p aid in t h e U n ite d S t a t e s . 1844. Ur. ending 1845. Dut. imports. Customs. Dut. imports. September 30....... December 31,...... March 3 1 , ............ June 30,................ $19,615,316 14,366,860 25,324,984 24,361,460 $6,132,272 3,881,993 7,675,366 8,493,938 $34,377,420 15,420,388 22,682,524 20,462,879 Total, 1845,. “ 1844,, $83,668,620 $26,183,570 ........................................... $92,943,661 83,668,620 Customs. Duties p. ct< $10,750,000 31.2' 4,100,360 26.5 6,375,575 28.1 6,201,390 30.3 $27,427,325 29,137,060 29.4 34.9 364 Commercial Chronicle and Review, There is a discrepancy, it will be observed, between the quarterly duties for 1844, and the aggregate, as compared with the year 1845. The quarterly amounts are the payments into the treasury, less the expenses o f collection— the aggregate compared, is the gross duties collected. It is observable that the dutiable imports for the quarter ending Septem ber 30, 1845, exceeded those o f the corresponding period o f the previous year near $15,000,000, or 75 per cent; while the two last quarters show a decline o f $7,000,000, or 14 per cent. T he imports for the first quarter o f 1846 will not be greatly less than the amount o f the corresponding quarter o f the last year, if we may judge from the movement at the port o f N ew Y ork, which is as follow s:— Years. D u t ia b l e I m p o r t s . August. July. D u ties . Total. 1844 ......... 1845 ...... $6,543,331 6,046,532 $9,537,239 8,903,468 $16,080,610 14,950,010 $5,326,644 4,628,571 Decrease,. $496,799 $633,771 $1,130,600 $698,073 T he imports at Boston show a slight increase over the same period of last year. The quarterly import and export o f specie was as follow s:— Qr. ending September 3 0 ,................ December 31,.............. March 31,....................... June 30,.......................... Total....................... Import. Export. $1,221,962 1,227,296 771,676 765,910 $3,047,773 3,158,790 1,188,192 749,933 $3,986,844 $8,144,690 Exc. irnp't. Excess exp’ t. $15,977 $1,825,811 1,931,494 417,516 ................. T he import and export o f N ew Y ork, for July and August, making the first two months o f the first quarter o f 1846, are as follow s:— I m port. 1844. Foreign mdse, dutiable,.. Do. free,except specie,... Specie,............................... July. $6,543,331 565,348 142,604 Domestic merchandise,... Foreign mdse, dutiable,.. D o. free, except specie,... Specie,............................... $1,584,515 130,349 60,466 194,886 1845. August. $9,537,279 1,121,221 108,542 July. $6,046,532 623,930 72,427 August. $8,003,468 1,037,595 23,000 $1,770,630 204,491 128,382 188,185 .$1,899,270 378,604 78,288 353,268 E xport. $1,631,297 101,822 64,174 1,180,794 T he export o f specie is near $1,000,000 less this year, from this port, than in the same months o f last year. T he prospect is, that, for the coming year, the exchanges will rule even more regularly than during the last— that is to say,the discredit which last year attended cotton bills will, this year, not probably exert the same influence in causing an export of specie, even at a time when bills were actually not scarce. The chances are, that the balance o f exchange will incline in favor o f the United States, and that tjjere will be an excess o f import, rather than otherwise. A marked feature, however, in the general trade o f the United States, is the decline in the re-export o f foreign goods. T he United States, from their command ing position on the American continent, should procure for us the whole carrying trade of all the nations o f this continent, whose mercantile marine does not suffice for their own wants. For a series o f years, the re-export o f foreign goods from the United States to the southern countries o f Europe, has constantly declined. T he trade in 1844 to M exico and South America was, 25 per cent o f that o f 1835. Some variation was produced in the exports, doubtless by the state o f the markets here. W hen the imports here had been large and the demand slack, a portion o f the goods would seek other markets to better advantage. It is evident, however, that some general 365 Commercial Chronicle and Review . cause has weighed heavily on the trade, diminishing it year by year, until it threatens to be entirely extinguished. This cause is the operation o f the cash duties. The old system o f long credits upon revenue bonds allowed o f the import o f goods here, and their re-ex port to any other market, without being burdened by additional expense. It was to the commerce o f this country, what the warehousing system is to that o f England. Foreign goods were here in abundance, and vessels bound to M exico and the W est Indies could make up assorted cargoes as cheaply, and to as good advantage as if merchandise was duty free in warehouses. T he presence o f these foreign goods to complete assorted car goes, greatly promoted the sale o f the manufactures o f the United States. For instance, in the case o f M exico, the export o f foreign goods to that country in 1835, amounted to $6,012,609, and in the same year there was sent thither $1,438,452 of domestic cotton goods necessary to complete the assortments. In 1844 the export of foreign assorted goods to M exicc was only $564,862, and the sales o f domestic cottons to that quarter had declined to $115,675, a falling off o f $1,323,000, a serious loss to our manufactures. T he first blow struck at this carrying trade was the act o f July 14, 1822, which required the duties on wollen goods to be paid in cash, and all other goods in three and six months. T he progressive effect o f these regulations is apparent down to 1842, when the require ments that all duties should be in cash, put the finishing stroke to the trade, and about $1,000,000 only was sent to Cuba and M exico, in place o f $8,000,000 in 1835. This effect is the more matked, when we consider the following paragraph from the report of the Secretary o f the Treasury, dated December, 1842:— “ The amount o f foreign commodities in our markets is still found greatly to exceed the demand ; and the fall in the prices o f merchandise since September 1st, is supposed to be on an average not less than 10 per cen t” Notwithstanding this glut o f goods and fall in prices, the quantity o f those goods re exported was smaller than ever, a fact which is accounted for by the previous ruin which had overtaken our markets for those goods. to recover it is the work o f time. T he trade has got into other channels, and T he existing laws are such as to work out the total ruin o f our intercourse with the W est Indies; as for instance, nearly all the molasses made in the islands o f Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Dutch Main, amounting to 150,000 a 160,000 hogsheads, is imported into the United States, and a greater part o f it is distilled into spirits, which is exported to foreign countries. This trade employs a great tonnage; eastern vessels carry out lumber, fish & c., which is exchanged for this molasses. T he molasses is generally sold in Cuba for what it will fetch. Its cost is accounted nothing by the planters. The average price is 5 cents per gallon, and costs, duty paid here, 25 cents. The whole trade turns upon the drawback allowed on the spirits exported. T he tariff o f 1842 enacts, however, that a drawback o f 5 cents per gallon shall be allowed on spirits distilled from foreign molass es until January, 1843, when it shall be reduced 1 cent per gallon, and one cent annually thereafter, until the whole is discontinued. Hence the drawback is now 2 cents per gal lon. The effect o f this duty on molasses without the drawback on the spirits, is to trans fer the manufacture o f the latter to Cuba, to deprive the eastern country o f the sale o f its lumber and fish, and to give to the British North American colonies, Africa and the M editeranean ports the trade o f supplying Cuba with that which she buys in exchange for the spirits now furnished by the United States. T he eastern vessels carry lumber and fish to Cuba, exchange it for molasses, which is manufactured in N ew England, and the spirits sold to the British North American colonies. Without a drawback, the colonies will send their fish and lumber to Cuba and procure spirits direct. vessels in the ports o f N ew Brunswick is an instance o f this. T he increase o f Spanish A ll these evils and decay o f trade arise from a want o f those facilities for our com merce which are furnished to that o f England by the warehousing system, and which could easily be organized in this country. / 366 Commercial Chronicle and Review . T he movement o f the cotton crop, for the past year, is given in the comprehensive tables compiled by W . P. Wright, Esq., cotton-broker, o f N ew Y ork, as follows:— S t a t e m e n t showing the weekly, monthly, and total receipts o f Cotton into the principal ports o f the United States, from 1st September, 1844, to 31s£ A ugust, 1845. N .O rl. Georgia. S. Car. N. Car. G. total. 1,422 2,216 1,777 4,107 12 11 336 529 680 2,408 1,309 6,878 18,676 30,521 55,995 336 4,926 9,522 23 1,420 1,204 1,276 3,402 6,249 6,930 8,652 9,105 21 196 45 1,007 1,105 2,956 2,650 2,644 74,405 7,302 1,052 9,355 30,936 217 N ov. 2, “ 9, “ 16, “ 23, “ 30, 22,798 23,825 28,087 29,646 23,077 4,451 3,290 3,690 11,107 15,755 617 355 1,284 1,215 8,901 8,075 2,703 5,872 5,643 10,710 12,449 13,194 10,571 10,294 14,935 157 103 180 Total N ov’r,..... 127,433 38,293 12,372 33,003 61,443 521 7, 14, 21, 28, 38,316 25,991 34,942 36,313 15,292 20,990 17,534 14,649 4,885 1,423 13,339 7,554 12,630 10,082 9,193 9,212 13,471 14,847 14,947 12,300 857 228 370 61 Total D ec’r ,.... 135,562 68,465 27,201 41,117 55,565 1,517 4, 11, 18, 25, 31, 22,601 19,430 26,351 28,341 31,908 11,883 6,742 21,674 29,826 32,072 6,085 5,485 5,808 7,164 10,488 8,361 6,196 4,992 7,131 8,087 6,175 4,190 9,221 8,389 9,760 89 523 80 100 261 Total January,. 128,631 102,197 35,030 34,767 37,735 1,053 8, 15, 22, 28, 32,146 36,773 40,519 29,496 37,003 37,772 44,965 37,248 10,746 12,264 9,450 13,659 11,375 13,602 14,092 14,050 18,837 15,618 15,618 14,637 251 744 265 709 Total February, 138,934 156,988 46,119 53,119 59,710 1,969 Mar. 8, “ 15, “ 22, “ 29, 33,114 28,621 24,770 25,933 32,152 22,291 21,394 13,554 4,558 8,537 8,484 8,056 13,778 12,507 12,934 6,495 16,743 11,204 10,813 11,640 742 409 385 448 Total March,... 112,438 89,391 29,635 45,714 50,400 1,984 April 5, “ 12, “ 19, “ 26, 27,179 25,54-1 27,785 18,788 13,510 10,803 6,714 5,778 8,051 4,549 6,203 3,732 17,041 10,250 10,023 5,858 24,789 10,976 12,408 7,832 496 446 481 873 99,293 36,805 22,535 43,172 56,005 2,296 Date. Mobile. 1844.— Sept. 7, “ 14, “ 21, “ 28, 4,775 8,379 6,764 18,147 152 511 885 1,575 Total Sept’r,.... 38,065 3,123 Oct. 5, “ 12, “ 19, “ 26, 15,028 20,670 17,346 21,361 Total October,. Dec. “ “ “ 1845.— Jan. “ “ “ “ Feb. “ “ “ Total April,__ Florida. 81 79,818 111,774 141,743 179,262 227,809 271,279 320,963 378,868 452,327 537,778 611,339 701,664 781,753 836,947 879,513 947,639 1,028,590 1,121,166 1,226,524 1,343,297 1,468,206 1,578,005 1,679,092 1,762,661 1,841,441 1,907,567 1,998,633 2,061,198 2,124,812 2,167,673 367 Commercial Chronicle and Review. May 3, (t 10, It 17, «( 24, ft 31, Total May,. . . . . June 7, tt 14, if 21, II 28, Total June,. July ii if if 5, 12, 19, 26, Total July,.. S t a t e m e n t , etc.— Continued. Florida. Mobile. Georgia. S. Car. N. Car. Gr. total. 18,459 16,081 14,637 11,544 10,861 4,300 2,515 1,598 1,593 748 2,660 1,255 2,332 964 542 5,230 4,211 5,483 5,570 4,402 6,752 5,457 4,511 5,642 5,010 344 299 760 412 107 2,205,418 2,235,236 2,264,557 2,290,282 2,311,952 71,582 10,754 7,753 24,896 27,372 1,922 4,741 4,275 1,486 2,022 696 778 485 129 309 17 235 1,017 1,926 1,784 723 523 4,290 4,423 3,062 1,702 464 55 32 38 12,524 2,088 1,578 4,956 13,477 579 978 3,034 1,130 1,194 303 77 275 239 1,016 794 409 927 1,665 1,312 2,997 1,013 7,518 3,721 3,028 2,251 33 85 N. Orl. Date. 27 6,336 894 3,146 6,987 16,518 146 Aug, 2, (( 9, (i 16, it 23, if 31, 393 372 1,328 1,729 5,260 50 23 32 181 1,326 1,127 851 886 1,187 645 4,109 39 86 809 546 324 107 368 2,385 95 41 Total August,.. 9,082 1,614 1,936 3,730 7,678 261 Grand total, . . . . 954,285 517,914 188,693 305,742 426,361 12,487 Deduct for Texas cotton received in 'N e w Orleans,............. it << a ft M obile,...... Deduct difference in Augusta and Hamburgh stock, on 1st Septem ber this ijear and last, and for minor corrections o f Georgia re ceipts,....'................................................................................................... 25,159 718 2,324,368 2,335,700 2,341,723 2,347,154 2,358,667 2,367,690 2,375,529 2,381,181 2,384,187 2,385,878 2,388,532 2,391,550 2,405,482 10,302 36,179 Less receipts for Virginia, o f which 14,500 bales were manufactured within the state,....................................................................................... 25,200 ---------- Total crop o f the United States for 1844-45,................. bales 10,979 2,394,503 T he monthly receipts and exports are as follow s:— S t a t e m e n t showing the comparative receipts and exports o f Cotton, fo r all the ports in the United States, as made up in N ew York on the 1st o f each month, fo r the years 1844-45, and 1843-44. E x por ts . Receipts from 1st Sept’ br, Date. 1844. 1844— October 2. 35,937 November 1,. 164,031 December 2,.. 379,870 1845— January 1 , .. . 711,436 February 1 ,.. 983,006 M arch 1.......... 1,418,017 April 2 ,.......... 1,883,662 M a y l .............. 2,148,494 June 2 ,.......... 2,306,391 July 2 ,............ 2,361,749 August 1........ 2,399,149 September 2 ,. 2,413,123 Receipts from 1st Sept’ br, 1843. 17,189 140,010 341,388 634,173 902,377 1,210,197 1,546,372 1,751,077 1,905,569 1,966,627 2,000,890 2,022,587 T o Great Britain. 26,167 64,078 114,753 240,948 377,450 517,643 740,411 982,918 1,218,651 1,377,071 1,426,772 1,438,458 France. 10,810 36,472 56,385 91,119 138,985 182.437 227,568 275,733 305,993 334,345 347,075 355,833 North of Eur'pe. 9,355 14,935 17,961 21,699 27,709 50,246 74,579 94,438 104,973 123,181 130,549 134,404 Other foreign ports. 2,388 14,901 28,213 48,035 63,945 74,631 92,409 114,263 135,951 148,405 150‘435 150,482 Tot. fm . Sept. 1, 1B44, to date. 48,730 130,396 217,312 401,801 608,089 824,957 1,134,967 1,467,352 1,765,568 1,983,042 2,054,831 2,079,177 Tot. fm . Sept. 1, 1843, to date. 6,603 19,084 118,642 231,351 337,918 425,136 619,264 925,875 1,314,416 1,491,050 1,598,470 1,623,468 368 Commercial Chronicle and Review . The weekly sales, prices in N ew York, and stocks o f cotton in the United States, are given as follow s:— S t a t e m e n t showing the estimated sales o f Cotton in the city o f New York, the prices fo r fa ir Uplands and fa ir Orleans, with the rates o f freig h t to Liverpool, at the mid dle and close o f each month, from September 1,1 844 , to A ugust 31, 1845. Sales. Date. 1844. September 14, “ 30, October 15, 31, November 15, 30, December 14, 31, 1845. January 15, 31, February 15, 28, March 15, U 31, April 15, t( 30, May 15, t< 31, June 14, U 30, 15, July U 31, August 15, 30, S tock of C otton Fair Uplands. 21,000 13,000 8,500 12,000 10,000 14,500 12,500 12,000 17,000 18,000 11,500 23,500 22,000 31,000 26,000 22,000 19,000 30,000 23,000 11,000 13,000 13,000 10,000 10,000 6i 64 6£ 6$ 6| 54 5§ 5J 6| 6J 6i 64 6! 64 64 64 64 74 74 74 84 8 74 Fair Orleans. a 74 a 74 a 7 a 74 a 64 a 64 a 6 a 54 a 6 a 64 a 6f a 6i a 64 a 6« a 6! a 6f a 64 a 7 a 74 a 74 a 8 a 84 a 84 a 8 remaining on hand in the 74 74 74 74 64 64 64 64 64 64 64 64 64 74 7 7 7 74 8 84 84 84 84 84 a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a 74 74 74 74 74 64 64 64 64 7 7 7 64 74 74 74 74 74 84 84 84 9 84 84 sq. 11-32 1-4 1-4 1-4 1-4 5-16 11-32 3-8 5-16 11-32 5-16 3-8 3-8 3-8 5-16 1-4 1-4 1-4 1-4 1-4 3-16 1-8 3-16 1-4 U nited S tates , on N ew Orleans,................ M obile,............................ F lorida,........................... Savannah,....................... Augusta,.......................... Charleston,.................... North Carolina,.............. V irginia,......................... N ew Y o rk ,.................... Other northern ports,.... 1844. 12,934 4,175 300 2,161 17,498 13,536 200 2,150 75,818 31,100 Total,................. 159,772 Q uotations of th e a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a 1 st 5 5| 6* 6f 6J 7| 7} a a a a a a a a 5J 6 6J 6} 7i 7J 8 128,047 224,701 324,885 330,228 478,880 562,526 455,765 300,484 119,157 72,041 67,845 S eptember - N ew Y o r k , on the 1845. M obile and N . Orleans. 44 a a 5J a 64 a 7 a 7| a 74 a 84 a of 91,106 94,126 of 1844. Inferior,.......................... Ordinary,......................... Middling,......................... Good middling,............. Middling fair,................ Fair,................................ Fully fair,........................ G o o d fair,........................ Fine,................................. rd. 7-17 3-8 5-1S 5-1 5-16 3-8 7-16 7-16 3-8 3-8 3-8 7-16 7-16 7-16 3-8 5-16 5-16 5-16 5-16 5-1G 1-4 3-16 1-4 5-16 1845. 7,556 609 100 2,736 5,919 10,879 100 2,418 43,887 19,922 C otton , “ L iverpool C lassification ,” in the city 11 th S eptember , for t h e years 1 8 4 4 -4 5 . Uplands. St'k on h’ nd at close. Ft. to Liverpool. 4£ 64 6| 74 7* 8 9 Uplands. . 64 7 7| 74 84 8f 9 a a a a a a a a 64 64 74 74 8 84 84 94 none. Mobile and N. Orleans. . 64 7J 7| 8 84 9 10 a a 64 a 7§ a 74 a 84 a 84 a 94 a 11 none. 369 Commercial Statistics, C OMME RC I AL STATISTI CS. T R A D E A N D C O M M E R C E OF N E W O R L E A N S . EXPORTS OP COTTON AND TOBACCO---- SUGAR AND MOLASSES— FLOUR, PORK, BACON, LARD, BEEF, LEAD, WHISKEY, AND CORN— NAVIGATION OF NEW ORLEANS— PRODUCE IMPORTED INTO NEW ORLEANS FROM THE INTERIOR— VALUE OF PRODUCE— COMPARATIVE EXPORTS, AND STOCK OF COTTON FOR TEN YEARS---- COMPARATIVE PRICES OF COTTON FOR FIVE YEARS— FOREIGN MER CHANDISE IMPORTED INTO NEW ORLEANS— IMPORTS OF SPECIE INTO NEW ORLEANS, ETC. W e have received the annual statement o f the “ N ew Orleans Price Current, Com mercial Intelligencer,” etc. This statement is made up, by the editors o f that valuable Journal, with great care and accuracy, each year, commencing on the 1st o f September, and ending on the 31st o f A ugust It embraces tabular statements o f the exports o f cot ton and tobacco from N ew Orleans, for ten years; export o f sugar and molasses, for five years; exports o f flour, pork, bacon, lard, beef, lead, whiskey, and corn, for three years; also, the imports into N ew Orleans o f produce from the interior, for ten years; and the monthly arrivals o f ships, barks, brigs, schooners, and steamboats, for five years, & c., & c. It has been our custom to republish this statement since 1839, annually, in the pages o f this Magazine. W e now proceed to give the statement for the year ending August 31st, 18 45; and, for the purpose o f comparison, we refer our readers to 'previous volumes o f the Merchants’ Magazine.* E x p o r t s of C ot t o n a nd T obacco f r o m N e w O r l e a n s . W hither exported. Liverpool,..................................... London,.......................................... Glasgow and Greenock,.............. Cowes, Falmouth, & c.,.............. Cork, Belfast, & c.,....................... Havre,............................................. Bordeaux,....................................... M arseilles,.................................... Nantz, Cette, and Rouen,.......... Amsterdam,.................................... Rotterdam and Ghent,................. Bremen,.......................................... Antwerp, & c.,.............................. . Hamburgh,.................................... Gottenburgh,................................. Spain and Gibraltar,..................... W est Indies,................................. . Genoa, Trieste, & c.,.................... China,............................................ Other foreign ports,....................... N ew Y o rk ,.................................... Boston,........................................... Providence, R. I.,......................... Philadelphia,.................................. Baltimore,...................................... Portsmouth,.................................. Other coastwise ports,.................. Total,................................. Cotton—Bales. 1 8 4 4 -5 . 529,675 2,025 36,213 17,975 112,995 2,314 7,857 1,854 1,253 2,355 9,211 7,196 9,123 1,630 821 62,083 27,201 2,353 2,267 52,880 75,357 78 6,784 3,640 1,053 2,423 6,000 984,616 1 8 4 3 -4 . 488,817 518 21,265 14,893 2,182 107,973 1,418 7,462 3,127 1,360 512 2,770 8,499 3,156 402 33,151 19,704 1,208 82,814 72,400 211 6,919 4,698 4,136 3,280 2,500 895,375 Tobacco—Ilhds. 1 8 4 4 -5 . 4,947 6,475 1 8 4 3 -4 . 8,808 8,291 1,131 5,424 3,514 1,565 3,934 4,846 1,156 5,102 50 1,014 12,012 3,862 786 909 6,749 903 3,001 3,775 917 9,602 2,178 2,303 734 10,681 1,601 1,556 794 6,936 4,938 1,177 6,960 2,585 2,536 478 1,286 1,167 2,145 1,100 68,679 81,249 * Vol. II., p. 34 9; Vol. IV., p. 3 8 8 ; Vol. V ., p. 471 to 4 7 8 ; Vol. VII., p. 390 to 3 9 2 . Vol. I X , p. 568 to 5 7 2 ; V ol. X I., p. 416 to 421. VOL. XIII.— NO. IV. 24 370 Commercial Statistics. R e c a p it u l a t io n . Great Britain,................................. France,............................................. North o f Europe,.......................... South o f Europe, and C hin a,.... Coastwise,....................................... 585,888 125,020 33,035 92,458 148,215 527,675 119,980 17,907 52,855 176,958 12,553 9,013 19,051 11,029 17,033 22,523 11,104 20,175 14,349 13,098 Total,................................. 984,616 895,375 68,679 81,249 E x p o r t s of S u s a r a n d M olasses f r o m N e w O r l e a n s . 1844-45. 1844-45. Sugar . M olasses . Hhds. Bbls- Hhds. Bbls. N ew Y ork ,..................................... Philadelphia,.................................... Charleston, S. G.,........................... Savannah,....................................... Providence and Bristol, R . I.,___ B oston,............................................ Baltimore,....................................... Norfolk, Richmond, and Petersburgh, Va.,.................................. Alexandria, D . C .,......................... M obile,............................................ Apalachicola and Pensacola,........ Other ports,..................................... 49,442 21,392 4,426 782 6,794 1,422 95 10 6,062 12,564 543 480 4,500 201 3,534 838 760 208 668 102 239 391 6,029 84 5,218 1,795 881 T otal,.— ............................ 104,501 10,561 17,094 94,415 W hither exported. 9,875 2,418 1,472 2,124 547 96 95 76 33,322 11,575 5,610 2,686 1,051 14,221 10,943 A s an evidence o f the remarkably fluctuating character o f the production o f sugar, we give, from the same source, a statement o f the crops for a series o f years, by which it will be seen that, while the crop o f 1834 was 100,000 hhds., the succeeding one, that o f 1835, fell to 30,000; and further, that the last crop exceeds the one immediately preceding it by 100,000 hhds. Crop o f Hhds. Crop o f Hhds. .. 1844.. .. 200,000 1836.. 70.000 1843.. .. .. 30.000 100,000 1835.. 1849.. .. 140.000 1834.. .. 100,000 1833.. .. 75.000 1841.. .. 90.000 1840.. .. 87.000 1832.. .. 70.000 115.000 1829.. .. 1839.. .. 48.000 1838.. .. 70.000 88.000 1828.. .. 1837.. .. 65.000 A s regards the prospect o f prices, it will be borne in mind that the ascertained defi ciency in the crop o f Cuba was the main cause o f the recovery o f the market from great depression during the past season; and, as the accounts from that island state the grow ing crop to promise the usual average production, a similar favorable influence from that quarter cannot be expected to operate upon the coming crop of Louisiana. Nevertheless, the extension o f consumption in our own country, and the opening o f the English markets at a reduced duty, will be likely to protect this important staple from so great a depres sion as would otherwise be consequent upon a large production. E x p o r t s of F l o u r , P o r k , B acon , L a r d , B e ef , L e a d , W h is k e y , a n d C o r n , f r o m N e w O r l e a n s , in 1844-45. Destination. N ew Y ork ,.......... — Boston,.................... Philadelphia,.......... Baltimore................. Charleston,.............. Oth. coastwise p’rts, Cuba,....................... Other foreign ports, F lour . Bbls. 74,802 75,960 3,638 1,100 43,959 23,787 55,891 P ork . Bbls. 56,046 79,617 17,242 13,165 1,038 5,603 520 8,178 B acon. Hhds. 1,565 727 834 624 2,533 5,559 190 50 L ard. Kegs. 119,967 133,474 39,275 23,163 9,332 13,315 89,997 39,815 B e ef . L ead . W hiskey . Corn . Sacks. Bbls. Bbls. Pigs. 5,805 339,345 2,592 5,922 135,489 600 874 88,810 1,256 500 350 17,455 4,422 24 78 22,495 1,827 206 495 8,961 126,262 30,051 81,341 4,382 67,513 9,096 27,912 T o ta l,-............ 279,137 181,409 12,082 ■468,338 23,969 707,439 32,360 220,297 371 Commercial Statistics, A r r iv a l s of S h ips , B a r k s , B r ig s , S chooners , a n d S t e a m b o a t s , a t N. O. in 1844-45. Months. Ships. Barks. Schrs. Total. St’ mb’ ts. Brigs. September,.................. October,....................... November,.................. December,.................. January,....................... February,.................... March,......................... A pril,.......................... M a y ,............................ June,............................ July,............................ A u g u st,....................... 26 69 74 83 118 52 93 78 32 52 23 18 9 16 25 39 48 44 40 34 19 12 8 3 12 14 29 37 57 56 62 48 12 6 8 10 8 6 28 29 48 52 49 34 25 14 12 11 55 105 156 188 271 204 244 194 88 84 51 42 120 165 233 289 279 272 281 242 228 168 154 99 Total,.................. 718 297 351 316 1,682 2,530 C o m pa r a t iv e N u m b e r of V essels i n t h e P o r t of N e w O r l e a n s , FOR SEVEN YEARS. Aug. 31— Ships,... “ Barks,.. “ Brigs,.... “ Schre.,.. Total,.......... 1845. 13 3 7 8 1844. 20 8 6 9 1843. 11 n 9 10 1842. 22 9 7 9 — — — _ 31 43 37 47 1841 . 17 3 11 18 1840. 13 8 10 13 1839. 21 4 11 25 — — — 49 44 61 P roduce I m ported in t o N e w O r l e a n s , fro m t h e I n te r io r . Articles. A pples,................................. bbls. Bacon, asst.,........................casks Bacon hams,.......................hhds. Bacon in bulk,.......................lbs. Bagging.......... Beans,............. ..................... bbls. Butter,............. Butter,.................................. bbls. Beeswax,........ B eef,............... . .bbls. and tierces Beef, dried,..... Buffalo robes,. Cotton— La. and M i.,........bales “ Lake,............................ “ N. Ala. and Tenn...... “ Arkansas,..................... “ M obile,......................... “ Florida,.......................... “ T e x a s ,.......................... Corn-meal,........................ bbls. C om in ears,............................... Corn, shelled,....................sacks Cheese, ............................. boxes Candles,....................................... Cider,.....................................bbls. Coal, western.............................. Dried peaches............................. Dried apples,............................... Flax-seed,.........................tierces F lour,....................................bbls. F u r s,..................................boxes Furs,................................ bundles Feathers,.............................. bags Hemp,..............................bundles H ides,........................................... H om s,................................ .......... 1844-45. 26,515 12,892 8,358 350,000 111,324 67,600 7,006 30,319 396 1,464 32,674 58,200 1,915 688,244 19,533 198,246 23,103 12,123 12,830 25,159 7,917 139,686 390,964 39,091 5,170 385 281,000 474 1,758 2,181 533,312 118 581 5,403 46,274 117,863 Articles. Hay,................................. bundles Iron, pig,............................... tons Lard,.....................................hhds. Lard,..................................... bbls. L a r d ,................................ —kegs Lime, western,.....................bbls. Lead,..................................... pigs Lead, bar,........-................... kegs Lead, white, Molasses,..........- ................. bbls Oats,...................bbls. and sacks Onions,............... bbls Oil, linseed, Oil, castor,. 1844-45. 37,296 207 167 60,078 245,414 6,233 732,125 788 888 105,086 144,262 7,499 1,356 3,385 Peach brandy,.. 46 Pickles,.............. .kegs and bbls. 218 Potatoes,............ 53,779 Pork,................. 216,960 Pork,................. 6,741 Pork in bulk,... Porter and ale,. 86 Packing yarn,.. 1,104 Skins, deer,...... 2,729 Shot................... 4,105 Sugar,................ 93,288 Soap,.................. 6,076 Shingles,........... 144,000 Staves,............... ................ 2,500,000 Tallow,............. 7,828 Tobacco, leaf,... 71,493 Tobacco, chewing,... 5,309 T obacco,.......... 3,799 Tw ine,............... 1,951 W hiskey,.......... 97,851 W indow glass,. 3,071 W heat,............. ..bbls. and sacks 64,759 372 Commercial Statistics, V a l u e o f P roduce of t h e I n t e r io r , I m p o r te d in t o N e w O r le a n s . :o rH A Table showing the receipts o f the principal articles from the interior, during the year ending 31s< August, 1845, with their estimated average and total value. Am ount. Average. Value. Articles. 26,515 $53,030 Apples,........................................bbls. $ 2 00 12,892 40 00 514,160 Bacon, ass’ d,.........hhds. and casks 25 00 950 Bacon, assorted,.......................boxes 38 376,110 45 00 8,358 Bacon hams,.......hhds. and tierces 15,570 350.000 Bacon in bulk............................ lbs. 44 1,113,240 10 00 111,324 B agging,................................. pieces 338.000 5 00 67,600 Bale-rope,...................................coils 28,024 4 00 7,006 Beans,.........................................bbls. 30,319 121,276 Butter,.................kegs and firkins 4 00 396 5,940 15 00 Butter,.........................................bbls. 65,880 1,464 45 00 B ee sw a x ,.......................................... 29,113 203,791 7 00 Beef,................................................... 3,561 46,293 13 00 Beef,.............................................tcs. 3,492 6 58,200 Beef, d rie d ,................................ lbs. 95,750 50 00 1,915 Buffalo robes,.......................... packs 23,501,712 24 00 979,238 Cotton,.......................................bales 19,792 2 50 7,917 Corn-meal,..................................bbls. 45 62,859 139,686 Corn in ear,....................................... 342,094 874 390,964 C om , shelled,........................... sacks 78,182 2 00 39,091 Cheese...................................... boxes 15,510 3 00 5,170 Candles,............................................. 00 1,155 3 385 Cider,............................ bbls. 105,375 374 281.000 Coal, western,................................... 00 4,464 2 2.232 Dried apples and peaches,.............. 135,075 25 00 5,403 Feathers,.................................... bags 8 50 18,539 2,181 Flax-seed,.............................. tierces 2,134,248 533,312 4 00 Flour,..........................................bbls. 699 850.000 Furs,........hhds., bundles, and b x s. 462,740 46,274 00 H em p ,.................................. bundles 117,863 147,329 l 25 H ides,................................................ 86,165 37,296 2 25 H ay,.............'........................ bundles 6,210 207 30 00 Iron, pig,.................................... tons 8,350 167 50 00 L ard,......................................... hhds. 961,248 16 00 60,078 Lard,..........................................bbls. 797,613 3 25 245,414 kegs Lard,................................. 44,964 18 00 2,498 Leather,................................ bundles 6,233 6.233 1 00 Lim e, western,.......................... bbls. 1,618,455 2 20 732,125 L e a d ,...........................................pigs 9,456 12 00 788 Lead, bar,............. kegs and boxes 1,260,000 14 9,000,000 Molasses, estimated crop,...gallons 100,983 144,262 70 Oats,.......................................... bbls. 14,998 2 00 . 7,499 Onions,.............................................. 40,680 30 1,356 00 Oil, linseed,...................................... 30 3,385 101,550 00 Oil, castor,......................................... 24 00 57,912 2,413 Oil, lard,............................................ 46 15 00 690 Peach brandy,................................... 80,669 1 50 53,779 Potatoes,............................................ 10 00 2,169,600 216,960 P ork,.................................................. 269,640 6,741 40 00 Pork,.......................................... hhds. 211,932 4,709,600 Pork in bulk,............................. lbs. 44 430 86 5 00 Porter and ale,.......................... bbls. 5,520 1.104 5 00 Packing yam ,...........................reels 54,580 2,729 20 00 Skins, deer,............................ .packs 780 15 00 52 Skins, bear,........................... 61,575 4.105 15 00 Shot,...................................... 16,709 2 75 6,076 Soap,.........................................boxes 70,000 2,500 28 00 Staves,...........................................M. 9,000,000 200,000 45 00 Sugar, estimated crop,............ hhds. 11,469 3 00 3,823 Spanish moss,...........................bales 133,926 17 00 7,828 T allow ........................................bbls. 373 Commercial Statistics, Articles. A m oun t Average. 64,093 7,400 9,309 3,799 1,951 656 97,651 3,071 64,759 $45 100 12 2 7 3 8 4 2 T obacco, leaf,...................... Tobacco, strips,.................... T obacco, chewing,.kegs and boxes Tobacco,............................... T w in e.................bundles and boxes Vinegar,...............- ............... W h isk e y ,............................ W indow glass,..................... W heat,.................... bbls. and sacks Other various articles, estimated at......... Total Total Total Total Value. $2,884,185 740,000 63,708 9,497 13,657 1,968 781,208 12,284 129,518 4,500,000 00 00 00 50 00 00 00 00 00 $57,199,122 60,094,716 53,728,054 45,716,045 value,............. in 1843-44,... in 1842-43,... in 1841-42,.. C o m pa r a t iv e A r r iv a l s , E x p o r t s , a n d S tocks of C otton a n d T obacco a t N e w O r l e a n s , FOR TEN YEARS— FROM 1ST SEPTEMBER TO 3 1 s l AUGUST. T obacco—H hds , Cotton —B a lk s . Arrivals. Exports. Stocks. Years. Arrivals. Exports. Stocks. 18 44-45,........... 1843-44,........... 1842-43,........... . . . . 18 41-42,........... 1840-41,........... 1839-40,........... 1838-39,........... 1837-38,........... 1836 37,....... 1835-36,........... 1,089,642 740,155 578,514 495,442 984,616 895,375 1,088,870 749,267 821,228 949,320 579,179 738,313 588,969 490,495 71,493 82,435 92,509 67,555 53,170 43,827 28,153 37,588 28,501 50,555 7,556 12,934 4,700 4,428 14,490 17,867 10,308 9,570 20,678 4,586 7,673 4,859 4,873 2,255 2,758 4,409 1,294 3,834 3,857 10,456 68,679 81,249 89,891 68,058 54,667 40,436 30,780 35,555 35,821 43,028 C o m p a r a t iv e P r ices of M iddling ! t o F a ir C otton , a t N e w O r l e a n s , On the first o f each month, during a period o f five years; together with the total re ceipts at N ew Orleans, and the total crops o f the United States. 1 8 4 4 -5 . 1 8 4 3 -4 . 1 8 4 2 4 3. 1841- 2 . Cents. Cents. Cents. Cents. U n September,............ October,................ N ovember,............ D ecem ber,............ January,................ February,.............. M arch,.................. A p ril,.................... M a y ,..................... J u n e ,................... July,...................... August................... 6 a 5f a a 4£ a 4* a 4£ a 5 a 5£ a 5£ a 5| a 61s a 64 a Eec. N . O.,..bales Crop o f U. S ...... 9 79,238 2,400, 000 64 64 64 64 64 74 74 74 74 7| 54 7 64 74 84 84 84 74 64 7 64 64 a a a a a a a a a a a a 6 64 54 54 54 54 44 44 54 54 5f 54 8 84 8 84 104 10 94 94 84 84 84 8 910 ,854 2,030 ,409 a a a a a a a a a a a a 8 74 74 74 74 7 74 74 8 8 8 1,089,1G42 2,378,1375 S4 84 84 8 74 64 74 64 64 64 64 a a a a a a a a a a a a 104 94 104 10 94 10 10 10 10 10 10 — 740 ,155 1,683 ,574 1 8 4 0 .1. Cents. 8 9 8 84 84 94 94 94 104 94 9 9 a a a a a a a a a a a a 10 102| 94 94 94 104 104 104 Hi 12 114 114 822,870 1, 634,945 F o r e ig n M erc h a nd ise im p o r t e d in to N e w O r l e a n s . D irect Imports o f Coffee, Sugar, and Salt, fo r three years—from Sept. 1, to A u g. 31. Coffee, Havana,...................... Coffee, R io,............................. Sugar, Havana,....................... Salt, Liverpool,....................... Salt, Turks’ island, & c.,....... I mports of S pecie for three years — from 1 8 4 4 -5 ,....................................... 1 8 4 3 -4 ,....................................... 1 8 4 2 -3 ,....................................... 1 8 4 4 -5 . 4 ,0 9 4 167,669 3 ,473 361,486 518 ,40 7 1 8 4 3 -4 . 52,857 161,082 10,153 302,350 309,650 1 st S eptember , to 31 st A 1 8 4 2 -3 . 60,183 8 5 ,4 3 8 2 ,2 3 3 2 39 ,42 7 129,520 u gu st . $ 2 ,2 4 9 ,1 3 8 7,7 4 8,72 3 10,415,531 374 Commercial Statistics. C o m p a r a t iv e R a t e s o f F r e ig h t f r o m N e w O r le a n s . T he rates o f freight have ranged unusually low throughout the greater portion o f the past year. The known increase in the most important southern crops— cotton, sugar, and molasses— led to the expectation that freights would rule considerably higher than during the previous y e a r b u t the material falling o ff in several o f the most important products o f the west, and a larger supply o f British tonnage than was looked for to arrive, pre vented that enhancement o f rates which some were led to hope, and others to apprehend, according to their particular interests. T he annexed table will show the rates for cotton and tobacco, the ruling articles, to the principal ports, on the first o f each month, for the past two years:— Comparative Bates o f Freight, on Cotton and Tobacco, to Liverpool, Havre, and New York, on the first o f each month, fo r the past two years. C o t t o n , f e r found . 1 8 4 4 -5 . Liverpool. id . September*............ October,.................. November,............. December,............. January,................. February,.............. March,................... April...................... M ay,...................... Ju ne,..................... J u ly ,...................... August................... 7-16 4 4 i 17-32 7-18 1 1 13-32 1 7-16 Havre. R .C t 15-16 1 1 H* 1 1-16 1 1 I i 4 . 1 8 4 3 -4 . N ew York. Liverpool. id . 1 Ct 7-16 4 4 4 4 1 9-16 4 7-16 7-16 7-16 4 1 1 4 4 9-16 § 4 7-16 1 i Havre. N .Y . 1 ct 1 1 1 1 is 14 IS 1 7-16 4 4 i I ft 11-16 9-16 * t 4 4 l 1 i T obacco , p e r hogshead . $ 8 50 September,............. October,................. Novem ber,............ December,............. January,................ February,............. April,...................... M ay,...................... June....................... July,....................... August,................. 37 37 38 45 6 6 6 0 35 33 0 0 35s. 0 $ 8 00 $3 3 4 4 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 2 50 00 00 00 50 50 50 00 00 50 00 50 37s. 37 37 35 36 37 6d. 6 6 0 0 6 36 36 35 6 0 0 32s. 6d. $8 8 8 8 50 50 50 50 $5 4 4 3 3 5 6 5 4 4 5 2 00 00 00 50 75 00 00 50 50 50 00 75 C o m p a r a t iv e R a te s of E x ch an g e a t N e w O r l e a n s . Comparative B ales o f Exchange on London, Paris, and New York, on the first o f each month, fo r three years past— 60 day bills. September,......... .... October,............. .... November,.............. D ecem ber,........ .... January,.............. ... February,........... .... M arch ,.............. .... A p ril,.................. M a y ,................... ... June,.................. July,.................... . . . . August,............... .... 1844-5. London. Paris. pm. per $ 5 28 9i 5 31 8i 5 31 8i 5 27 8| 5 30 8| 5 28 8| 5 30 84 5 31 5 27 8i 9 5 28 5 30 9f 10 5 27 1843-4. N- Y. London. Paris. dis. pm. per $ 5 25 84 4 5 30 84 14 6 5 40 14 5 40 64 IS 5 40 IS 74 5 37 74 14 5 41 2 64 5 37 2 64 8| 5 28 14 5 25 84 4 5 27 84 S par 94 5 25 1842-3. N.Y. Lond’n. Paris. N.Y. dis. pm. per S dis. 5 5 37 4 14 2| 34 5 5 60 24 par 5 56 4| 44 5 52 ‘34 14 2 44 5 55 24 24 3 3 5 55 par 6 3 5 65 2 34 5 47 24 6 5 35 1 4 5 26 8 4 4 5 25 l 8 4 4 94 5 25 pm. 4 375 Commercial Statistics. T he exchange market has been characterised by remarkable steadiness throughout tha past season. T he extreme range for sterling has been G| a 10J per cent premium ; the lowest rate being in the early part o f April, under very heavy operations in cotton, and the highest during the past month, when there have been scarcely any bills offering. It was only for a few days, however; that the rate was depressed below 7J per cen t; and the main business o f the season may be said to have been transacted within a range o f 7J a 9 per cent premium. In francs, the extreme rates have been 5f. 25 a 5f. 32 J ; and for sixty day bills on N ew Y ork and Boston, the range has been 2J per cent discount to J per cent premium. $8,000,000 last year. The imports o f specie have been less than $3,000,000, against The amount o f specie in the banks o f N ew Orleans, on the 31st July last, was $6,300,000. E x p o r t of S u s a r a n d M olasses f r o m F r a n k l in , L a . Statement o f Sugar and, Molasses shipped from the port o f Franklin, La., from 1st Sep tember, 1844, to 1st September, 1845. Su s a r . Hhds. Destination. N ew Y ork ,........................... Philadelphia,........................ 866 828 Bbls. 2,547 354 _ 220 51 26 Norfolk,................................. Richm ond,........................... Charleston,........................... Mobile,.................................. 1,057 205 26 34 Total,....................... 5,581 298 548 M olasses . Hhds. Bbls. 33 — 1,288 740 804 76 90 280 665 971 3,274 4,838 N ote .— The above is included in the N ew Orleans export table. C O M M E R C E B E T W E E N U. S T A T E S A N D O T H E R A M E R IC A N N A T IO N S . W e are indebted to the National Intelligencer for the valuable statistical view o f the commerce o f the United States with other American nations, which we publish below. Our labors are so arduous, that we gladly avail ourself o f the industry o f the limited num ber o f persons in this country, whose inclination, or circumstances, are imperative enough to impel them to the drudgery o f statistical compilation; especially when we find, by examination, that the task has been faithfully performed. Such is the fact, generally, 60 far as regards the tables occasionally published in the Intelligencer. T he statistical bu reau, projected by the Hon. Zadok Pratt, o f N ew Y ork, is yet in its infancy; and, judging from the meagre documents that have been given to the country, we judge it to be very inadequately constituted. In England and France, the plan o f collecting and compiling statistics is thoroughly organized, and placed in the hands o f scientific and laborious men, who are not removed from office by every change o f administration. A department at Washington can never be established with any prospect o f utility or efficiency, until the contending parties, through their representatives and executive, adopt a similar course. “ These tables,” says the National Intelligencer, “ render very important aid in ascer taining the comparative value o f our commerce with those different nations ; that value depending much more upon the description o f the produce or goods we receive from or send to any particular nation, than the mere amount o f imports and exports in dollars and cents, or the isolated fact o f the balance o f trade being for or against us. T he importance o f our commerce with another nation will be in proportion to what our own people gain npon what they sell to that nation, and the abstract importance o f what they purchase from them, as a necessary, a convenience, or a luxury. These considerations must also be blended with the employment which any particular trade gives to our shipping, and its interference with, or importance to, our agricultural and manufacturing interests.” 376 C ommerce Commercial Statistics, of the U nited S tates A merican N ations, J une 3 0, 1844. w it h other for the year ending E xports to Texas. Fish, whale oil, and spermaceti candles,.................................... Staves, shingles, and planks,... Provisions, malt liq’or, and sp’ts, Bread-stuffs,............................... Cotton,........................................ T ob a cco,..................................... $2,834 1,928 12,498 10,763 Manufactures o f all kinds,...... Sundries, and not enumerated, $144,102 9,826 Domestic exports,................ Foreign exports,.. $196,447 81,101 Total exports,...................... $277,548 11,200 3,296 Imports from Texas. Bullion and specie,.............. Cotton,.................................. Edible nuts,........................... Manufactures o f all kinds,.. $10,114 644,580 1,668 Sundries, and nou-enumerated, Total imports,...................... $15,923 $678,551 6,266 E xports to M exico. Manufactures o f all kinds,...... $442,909 $25,511 Sundries, and non-enumerated, 16,593 10,592 72,209 Domestic exports,.. 11,292,752 154,978 502,081 Foreign “ 17,210 552,750 Total exports,........................ $1,794,833 Imports from M exico. Bullion and specie,...................... $1,780,267 Manilla and sun hemp, and D ye-w oods,................................ 135,595 jute grass,............................... $28,438 Straw and chip hats,................. 4,352 Coffee and pimento,.................. 4,117 W ool, under 7 cents per lb.,... 13,910 Sundries,..................................... 4,189 Sugar,.......................................... 4,237 Non-enumerated,...................... 407,564 Indigo.......................................... 2,108 C ig ars,........................................ 2,225 Total imports,..................... $2,387,002 E xports to Central Eepublic o f America. Fish, whale oil, and spermaceti Gold and silver coin,................ $10,000 candles,................................... $1 32 Manufactures of all kinds,...... 82,821 W oo d , shingles, planks, masts, Non-enumerated, and sundries, 256 394 etc.,........................................... Provisions, malt liquors, and Domestic exports,................ $103,377 spirits,...................................... 1,836 ................ 46,899 Foreign “ Bread-stuffs................................. 6,990 Tobacco,...................................... 948 Total exports,...................... $150,276 Imports from Central Eepublic o f America. Fish, oil, and spermaceti can dles,.......................................... Staves, sh’gles, pl’ks, spars, etc., Provisions, malt liq’rs, and sp’ts, Bread-stuffs,............................... Horses and mules,.................... Cotton,......................................... Bullion and specie,..................... D ye-w ood,................................... Mahogany and rose-wood,........ Ind igo,.......................................... Cotton,.......................................... $14,187 5,523 3,734 112,222 2,338 Sundries,................ Non-enumerated,., Total imports,...................... E xports to N ew Grenada. Fish, whale oil, and spermaceti Manufactures o f all kinds,...... candles..................................... $6,332 Sundries, and not enumerated,. W ood , sh’gles, pl’ks, masts, etc., 420 Provisions, malt liquors, and Domestic exports,*.. spirits,...................................... 1,731 Foreign “ Bread-stuffs,............................... 15,983 Naval stores,............................... 1,681 Total exports,....................... Imports from N ew Grenada. Bullion and specie,.. Coffee,...................... D ye-w oods,............ Indigo,..................... $62,605 10,951 13,819 13,449 $223,408 $51,390 1,934 $79,381 49,225 $128,606 Sundries,................ Non-enumerated,.. $3,275 85,517 Total imports,.. $189,616 * T he annual statement makes this amount $75,621. $736 84,668 Commercial Statistics. Fish, whale oil, and spermaceti candles,................................... W ood , shingles, staves, & c.,... Skins and furs,.......................... Horses and mules,.................... T obacco,..................................... T allow candles and soap,......... Provisions, malt liquors, and spirits,..................................... Bullion and specie,.................... C offee,......................................... Dye-woods,................................. Cocoa and chocolate,................. Sugar............................................ In d ig o,........................................ E xports to Venezuela. Bread-stuffs,............................... Manufactures o f all kinds,...... $8,164 5,012 Sundries, and non-enumerated, 2,118 Domestic exports,*.............. 608 5,240 Foreign “ .............. 96,622 Total exports,...................... 46,999 377 $143,135 124,271 6,562 $438,731 88,741 $527,472 Imports from. Venezuela. $1,816 Manufactures,........................... $5,058 1,732 Sundries,.................................... 817,058 299,954 Non-enumerated,...................... 8,168 34,492 21,261 Total imports,................... $1,435,479 245,940 W a x ............................. ............... E xports to Brazil. $666,163 Manufactures o f all kinds,...... $7,747 31,602 Sundries, and non-enumerated 20,373 22,398 30,146 Domestic exports,............... $2,409,418 408,834 Foreign “ ............... 95,214 $2,818,252 1,513,807 ' 21 j968 Bullion and specie,................... C offee,....................................... W oo l, under 7 cents per lb.,... C ocoa,*...................................... Rose-wood and m ahogany,.... Imports from Brazil. $121,487 Sugar,!....................................... $28,609 7,626 5,802,901 Sundries,.................................... 809,290 49,955 Non-enumerated,..................... 58,568 Total imports,.................... $6,883,806 5,370 Fish, and sperm and whale oil, •Spermaceti candles,.................. Staves, shingles, and planks,... Masts, spars, and naval stores,. Provisions, malt liquors, and spirits,..................................... E xports to the Cisplatine Republic. Fish, oil, and spermaceti can Bread-stuffs........................... dles.................... $2,579 Manufactures o f all k ind s,.... Shingles, planks, and lumber,. 19,070 Non-enumerat’d, and sundries, Masts and spars, and naval stores,................ 977 Domestic exports,............... Provisions, beer,and spirits,... 32,709 Foreign “ ............... Cotton,.................. 1,442 T o b a c c o ,............. 10,280 Total exports,..................... $462,176 Imports from the Cisplatine Republic. Bullion and specie,........................................ Salt................................................................................................................................ Non-enumerated,........................................................................................................ $22,088 45 122,630 Total imports,.. E xports to the Argentine Republic. Manufactures o f all kin d s,.... Fish, oil, and sperm, candles,. $3,931 Shingles, plank, and lumber,.. 14,538 Sundries, and non-enumerat’d, Masts, spars, and naval stores, 583 Provisions, beer, and spirits,... 55,060 Domestic exports,. T obacco,.................................... 1,088 Foreign “ Sugar,......................................... 12,627 Bread-stuffs,.............................. 40,591 Total exports,.. $246,307 76,719 4,183 $394,266 67,910 $144,763 $109,087 7,834 $245,339 258,950 $504,289 * Stated as being $442,491 in annual statement. t These two imports were given together in a former statement; in which, by mis take, “ chocolate” was printed, instead o f “ s u g a r” 378 Commercial Statistics, Imports from, the Argentine Republic. Furs undressed on the skin,... W ool, not exceed’g 7 c. per lb., Non-enumerated,...................... Indigo,........................................ Salt,............................................ Fish, oil, and spermaceti can-]] dies,......................................... Staves, shingles, planks, & c .,. Masts, spars, and naval stores, Provisions, beef, and spirits,... Bread-stuffs,............................... Tobacco,..................................... W a x ,................................... ....... $44,762 467,020 845,744 56,986 564 B eef and pork,......................... Bar iron,................................... Sundries,............... $5,373 450 293 Total imports....... .. ........... $1,421,192 E xports to Chili. Sugar,.............. ............... .......... Manufactures o f all kinds...... $6,953 7,535 Non-enumerat’d, and sundries, $22,550 703,951 5,914 2,122 63,489 28,462 6,411 9,258 Domestic exports,.............. .............. Foreign “ $856,645 248,576 Total exports....................... $1,105,221 Imports from Chili. Bullion and specie,.................... Copper, pigs, bar, and o ld ,.... Dye-woods,................................ Leghorn, straw, and chip hats, W o o l, not exc’ding 7 c. per lb., Cocoa,........................................ $185,817 355,842 3,345 18,833 19,847 26,431 Hem p,......................................... Sundries, and non-enumerat’d, Salt,............................................. Total imports,.................... $2,234 9,470 127,951 600 $750,370 E xports to Peru. $365 1,917 2,570 8,683 518 ................... Provisions,........................... Bread-stuffs,.......................... Manufactures o f all kinds,. Sundries,............................... Domestic exports,.................................................................................... Foreign “ .................................................................................... $14,053 2,754 Total exports,. $16,807 Imports from Peru. Bullion and specie..................... Copper, pig, bar, and old,........ Palm-leaf hats and Leghorns,. Coffee, cocoa, and chocolate,. $21,839 17,775 21,611 68,470 Manufactures,............................ Sundries,.................................... $3 49 54,380 Total imports,.................... $184,424 E xports to British W est Indies. Fish, oil, and sperm, candles,. Staves, shingles, planks, & c .,. Masts and spars, and naval stores,...................................... Provisions, beer, and spirits,... Sheep,........................................ Bread-stuffs,.............................. R ic e ,..................... ...................... $33,699 312,342 3,916 772,408 215,902 14,669 2,194,052 159,739 T obacco,.................................... Gold and silver coin,................ Manufactures o f all kinds,___ N on-enumerated,..................... Foreign “ ............... $36,885 6,100 287,782 76,724 $4,114,218 21,828 Total exports,..................... $4,136,046 Imports from British W est Indies. Bullion and specie,.................. Coffee, chocolate, and cocoa ,. Copper and brass,............... D ye-w ood,.................................. Mahogany and rose-w ood ,.... W ines, spirits, and beer,......... Molasses,............-................ . Sugar,.................................. . . . . . $345,294 6,459 42,430 19,154 4,049 4,785 2,917 22,206 Spices,...... .. .............................. Coal,............................................ Salt.............................................. Manufactures o f all kinds......... Sundries, and non-enumerat’d, $38,699 765 99,693 16,497 84,958 Total imports,..................... $687,906 Commercial Statistics. 379 Exports to British American Colonies. Fish, oil, and sperm, candles,. Shingles, staves, planks, & c .,. Masts and spars, and naval stores, .. . v .......... 20,735 Ashes, pot and pearl,................ Skins and furs,.......................... Provisions, beer, and spirits,... Bread-stuffs,.......... 2,156,936 Horses and mules,.................... Sheep,........................................ R ice,......................... $46,257 92,367 2,434 17,535 782,225 11,450 8,138 38,207 Imports from Britis Bullion and specie,.................... Copper and brass...................... Dye-wood, in sticks,................ Furs, undressed on the skin,... Mahogany and rose-w ood,.... W ool, not exc’dng 7 c. per lb., W ool, exceeding 7 cents,,...... W in e, spirits, and beer........ Molasses,.................................... Sugar,.......................................... $445,995 10,817 2,258 7,977 1,700 3,368 3,237 2,341 2,664 3,143 Cotton,........................................ T obacco,..................................... Sugar,......................................... Domestic salt,............................ Manufactures o f all kinds,...... Sundries, and non-enumeraf d, $96,843 19,355 7,775 46,498 1,778,503 235,928 Domestic exports,............... $5,361,186 Foreign “ ............... 306,125 Total,................................... $5,667,311 American Colonies. Indigo,........................................ Rags,........................................... Coal............................................. Salt.............................................. Potatoes,.................................... Fish, dried and pickled,......... Manufactures o f all kinds,___ Sundries, and non-enumerated, Total,........................ $6 ,292 5,348 115,906 8,701 11,937 261,349 46,577 526,105 $1,465,715 E xports to Cuba. Fish, oil, and spermaceti can dles,......................................... Staves, shingles, planks, & c .,. Masts and spars, and naval stores,................. Provisions, beer, and spirits,... Bread-stuffs,............................. Manufactures o f all kinds,___ Horses and mules,.................... $471,973 541,539 9,073 750,437 219,186 1,357,980 7,200 R ice,.................................. Cotton......................................... Tobacco,.................................... Sundries, and non-enumerafd, $313,969 540,183 23,874 68,648 Domestic exports,.............. $4,304,062 Foreign “ .............. 934,533 Total exports,..................... $5,238,595 om Cuba. Bullion and specie,................... Coffee, chocolate, and cocoa,. Copper, in pigs and bars,......... D ye-w oods,............................... Mahogany and rose-w ood ,.... W ine and spirits,...................... Molasses,................ Sugar,.............................. $170,927 1,207,104 60,509 19,251 49,561 3,621 2,108,304 4,510,454 Fruit and spices,....................... Indigo,........................................ Cigars,........................................ Manufactures o f all kin d s,.... Sundries, and non-enumerafd, $ 3 ,495 7,417 961,261 14,449 814,068 Total imports,..................... $9,930,421 E xports to Hayti. Fish, oil, and spermaceti can dles,........................................ Shingles, staves, and planks,. Masts and spars, and naval stores,...................................... Provisions, beer, and spirits,... Bread-stuffs,............... R ice,........................................... T o b a c c o ,..................... $241,503 42,214 922 231,490 212,015 26,540 10,385 Gold and silver coin,,............... Sugar,™........................................ Manufactures o f all k in k s,.... Sundries, and non-enumerafd, $60,701 1,726 251,786 3,525 Domestic exports,............. $1,082,807 Foreign s .............. 45,549 Total exports,...................... $1,128,356 m Hayti. Bullion and specie.................... Coffee, cocoa, and chocolate,. Dye-wood, in sticks,................ Mahogany and rose-w ood ,.... $90,468 1,080,593 80,836 105,841 Manufactures o f all k in d s,.... Sundries, and non-enumerafd, $1 ,627 75,879 Total imports,....... .............. $1,435,244 880 Commercial Statistics. General summary o f the foregoin g Exports. Domestic. Foreign. Total. T o Texas,.................................. M exico,................................ Central Rep. o f Am erica,. N ew Grenada,.................... Venezuela............................. B ra zil,................................. Cisplatine Republic,........... Argentine Republic,.......... Chili,.................................... Peru,.................................... British W est Indies,......... British A m . colonies,......... Cuba,.................................... Hayti,......................... ......... $196,447 1,292,752 103,377 79,381 438,731 2,409,418 394,266 245,339 856,645 14,053 4,114,218 5,361,186 4,304,062 1,082,807 $81,101 502,081 46,899 49,225 88,741 408,834 67,910 258,950 248,576 2,754 21,828 306,125 934,533 45,549 $277,548 1,794,833 150,276 128,606 527,472 2,818,252 462,176 504,289 1,105,221 16,807 4,136,046 5,667,311 5,238,595 1,128,356 Total,......................... $20,892,682 $3,063,106 $23,955,788 The Domestic E xports consisted o f— Skins and furs,......................... Fish, whale and spermaceti oil, 19,653 and spermaceti candles,...... $877,988 W a x ,......................................... 31,226 Staves, shingles, planks, & c .,. Sugar,...................................... 1,070,349 44,678 Provisions, malt liquors, and Salt,........................................... 46,498 spirits,.................. ................. 2,920,222 A sh e s,...................................... 2,434 Bread-stuffs,.............................. 252,370 6,945,775 Horses and mules,.................. R ice,............................................ Sheep,...................................... 538,455 22,801 Cotton,....................................... 76,801 Specie, (gold and silver,)...... 1,202,418 T obacco,.................................... 117,762 Sundries, and non-enumeraManufactures o f all k in d s,.... ted,....................................... 6,182,679 470,047 Masts and spars, and naval stores,..................................... Total,.................... ........ $20,892,682 70,520 General summary o f the foreg oin g Imports. From T exas,............................. $678,551 From Chili,............................. $750,370 2,387,002 Peru,............................. M exico............................ 184,424 British W est Indies,... Cen. Rep. of A m erica,. 223,408 687.906 189,616 British Am. colonies,. 1,165,715 N ew Grenada,.............. Venezuela,..................... 1,435,479 C u b a ,.......................... 9,930,421 Hayti,.......... ................ Brazil,............................. 6,883,806 1,441,244 Cisplatine R epublic,.... 144,763 Total,.................... $27,823,897 Argentine Republic,___ 1,421,192 }’ The Imports consisted o f— M olasses,................................ Bullion and specie,.................. $3,183,268 $2,113,885 D ye-w ood s,............................... 287,949 W ine, spirits, and beer,......... 10,749 Mahogany and rose-wood,. . . 170,255 Fish, dried and pickled,........ 261.349 Coffee, chocolate, and cocoa,. 9,123,144 Fruit and spices,.................... 43,862 Indigo,....................................... Cigars,...................................... 444,423 963,486 Potatoes,................................... C otton ,...................................... 646,918 11,937 Sugar,......................................... Furs, undressed and on the 4,682,788 554,100 skin,..................................... W ool, under 7 cents per lb.,... 52,739 W ool, exc’ng “ Hemp, Manilla and sun hemp, 3,237 and jute grass,.................... Palm-leaf^ chip, and straw hats, 44,796 30,672 82,961 487,373 Non-enumerated,................... Manufactures 97,492 o f all kinds,. .. 4,300,242 109,603 Salt,.... C oal,............................................ T otal,........................... $27,823,897 116,671 Many important conclusions may be drawn from these statements, to some o f which we shall hereafter direct our attention. Another leading consideration is the great amount o f domestic tonnage constantly employed in our intercourse with this American family o f nations. T he following is a statement o f the domestic and foreign tonnage employed in the trade with American nations and powers, during the year which ended on June 30. 1844:— 381 Commercial Statistics. N a v ig a t io n b e t w e e n t h e U n ite d S t a t e s a n d o th e r A m e r ic a n N a t io n s , in 1844. Totals,.................. 1,164,073 American tonnage. 20,065 22,636 2,251 8,835 1,691 46,250 4,833 12,519 7,247 404 696,865 123,501 224,618 26,710 if S3 Entered. American tonnage. 19,019 1,876 4,170 24,934 119 2,547 1,498 11,601 2,146 14,802 48,550 2,008 11,668 615 445 3,206 551 473,922 723,587 , 40,956 76,315 5,205 209,322 307 30,182 Countries. Texas,................................. M exico,............................... Central America,............... Venezuela,.......................... N ew Grenada,................... Brazil,................................. Argentine Republic,......... Cisplatine Republic,......... Chili,................................... Peru,................................... British Am. colonies,........ British W est Indies,......... Cuba,.................................. Hayti,.................................. 545,478 Cleared. Foreign tonn’ge. 1,779 1,804 120 1,839 1,816 566 1,159 516,231 26,854 7,588 649 1,198,425 560,405 C O M M E R C E O F T H E IS L A N D O F C U B A , IN 1844. PREVIOUS STATEMENTS OF CUBA COMMERCE IN THIS MAGAZINE— TOTAL IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF CUBA, FOR FIVE YEARS— DIFFERENCE IN EACH YEAR— PRODUCTS OF SPECIE IMPORTED INTO CUBA— OF OTHER NATIONS— INCREASE OF THE COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES WITH CUBA — FOREIGN GOODS IMPORTED IN SPANISH BOTTOMS— IMPORTS FROM AND TO THE UNITED STATES— SUGAR— TOBACCO, ETC. W e published in the Merchants’ Magazine, for October, 1842, (Vol. 7, No. 4, p. 319 to 337,) and for October, 1843, (Vol. 9, N o. 4, p. 337 to 357,) elaborate articles, present ing very full and comprehensive statistical views o f the commerce o f Cuba, for a series o f years. The statistical data we derived from the official document emanating from the governor-general, which usually appears annually, about the 30th o f July. W e have failed to receive a copy o f that document this year; and, in the absence o f it, w e avail ourself o f the substance o f it, as translated for the United States Gazette— a Journal that sustains a high character for general accuracy. T he leading facts and figures pertaining to the trade o f Cuba in 1844, as compared with previous years, w e now proceed to lay before the readers o f this Magazine:— T he value o f the whole imports, for the year 1844, amounted to $25,056,231 0 6 } ; the value o f exports, for the same time, $25,426,591 18j — being a difference in favor of the exports, o f $370,360 12}. T he following tabular statement will give a comparison with former years:— Y ears. Imports. 1840.................. 1841, ............. 1842, ............. 1843................. 1844,................ $24,700,189 25,081,408 24,637,527 23,422,096 25,056,231 Exports. 31* 50 25 43} 06} $25,941,783 26,774,614 26,684,701 25,029,792 25,426,591 Difference. 374 56} 00 62} 18} $1,241,594 1,693,206 2,047,173 1,607,696 370,360 064 06} 75 18} 12} It appears, from the above statement, that the balance for the past year is less favorable for the island than it has been for the four previous years. The whole value o f the products o f Spain imported into Cuba, during the year 1844, was $5,726,271 50. O f this, $5,699,299 25 were brought in Spanish vessels, and but $26,972 25 in foreign bottoms. This shows an increase over 1843 o f $497,129 9 3 }, and over 1842 o f $141,948. T he value o f the products o f other nations imported, was, in— 1842. $19,080,171 1843. 1844. $16,249,844 $17,164,323 T he commerce o f the United States reaped the benefit o f the difference o f the increase 382 Commercial Statistics. o f 1844 over 1843, amounting to $914,579. This may, at first sight, appear strange ; but it is to be accounted for by the fact that, in order to supply the deficiency occasioned by the protracted drought which took place in 1844, extra quantities o f American pro duce, such as rice, corn, corn-meal, &.C., were o f necessity imported. T he value o f foreign goods, imported in Spanish bottoms, amounted, in— 1844. $6,436,735 1843. $7,170,229 1842. $7,869,004 This shows a falling o ff in 1844, as compared with 1843, o f $ 6 7 3 ,4 9 4 ; and, with 1842, o f $1,362,269. It must be admitted, however, that, in the year 1843, there was no transient cause to justify, as in 1844, the decrease o f the trade in Spanish vessels, as compared with the previous years. It is therefore with pain, says the “ Balanza Mercan tile,” that the admission must be made that the trade in Spanish vessels is, in place of increasing, as was hoped for, yearly on the decline. T he following gives a comparison o f the value o f products imported in foreign vessels, in 1844, with the previous years:— 1840. $19,404,928 1841. $19,240,083 1842. $19,080,176 1843. $17,869,745 1844. $19,329,960 T he decrease in 1843, as compared with 1842, is not accounted fo r ; though the in crease o f 1844, as compared with 1843, is laid to the extra import from the United States, to supply the wants occasioned by the drought and hurricane. Am ong the articles o f import to which particular attention is directed, is that o f flour; not only because it is a subject o f great importance to the province o f Castile, from whence comes most o f the Spanish flour, but also as affecting the interests o f the national commerce o f Spain. T he importations in 1844 were 187,951 J bbls., valued at $2,349,398 814- O f the total, 143,934 bbls. were from Spain, valued at $1,799,180 50— the balance, 44,017 bbls., valued at $516,050, were chiefly from the United States. That is to say, that the amount o f foreign flour was 24 per cent o f the whole amount introduced, and 25 per cent o f the whole value. In 1843, the imports o f flour amounted to 174,844 barrels, valued at $2,185,235 75. T he amount o f foreign flour, for the same year, was 23,319 bbls., valued at $294,736. F or this year, then, o f 1843, foreign flour was but the one-eighth part o f the aggregate; showing a material increase o f foreign flour introduced, and a consequent decrease of the import o f Spanish flour. T he value o f the exports for the whole island, for the subjoined years, were— 1840. 1841. 1842. 1843. 1844. $25,941,783 374 $26,774,614 564 $26,684,701 9 3 f $25,029,792 624 $25,426,591 18| By an inspection o f this table, it will be seen that there is a falling o ff in the years 1844 and 1843, as compared with the three previous years. A t first sight, this would appear to indicate a falling off in the amount o f articles exported ; but such is not the case. T he apparent falling off in the gross value, for each of these years, is owing to the decreased value which the staples o f the island have realized in the countries o f fheir consumption. N o one doubts but that the products o f sugar, tobacco, and minerals, have very materially increased within the last two years; and, therefore, to their diminished value, alone, is the falling o ff to be attributed. Passing on to the examination o f the different elements which compose the value o f the sum total o f exports, we find that, in 1844, they amounted, for the peninsula o f Spain, to $3,148,114 564 shipped in Spanish vessels; but in 1843, despite the aggregate quan tity being much less, that to Spain, however, amounted to $3,400,522 43J. In 1842, it was still greater; reaching $3,729,970 314- T he tabular form to Spain, for the five years, gives— 1840. $3,473,630 834 1841. $3,451,988 00 1842. 1843. $3,729,970 314 $3,400,522 434 1844. $3,148,114 564 There were exported in Spanish vessels for foreign ports, in 1844, $4,880,613 68 | ; and in 1843, $6,125,823 3 1 4 ; showing a diminution, in one year, o f $1,245,210, but still a large increase over the three previous years, which were— 1840. $2,044,441 50 1841. $2,269,339 50 1842. $2,342,936 50 1843. $6,125,823 314 1844. $4,880,613 684 383 Commercial Statistics. T his result shows that the United States, to which most o f this increased export has gone, are increasing their consumption o f our staples. Still, i f we compare this statement with that previously given o f the imports from the United States, we find the balance still inclines in their favor. It stands thus:— Years. 1842,........ 1 8 4 3 ....... 1844,....... Imports from U . S. Exports to U . S. Difference. $6,200,221 00 5,938,073 00 7,598,661 75 $5,282,574 00 5,224,068 00 6,532,292 75 $917,647 714,005 1,066,369 (After an elaborate description o f the quality o f Cuba tobacco, and its superiority over that o f other countries for the finer purposes to which it is applied, the report is made on the subject o f the tobacco trade o f Cuba.) T he drought o f the year 1844 was slight, as compared with that o f previous years, throughout the Vuelta Abajo. T he total amount o f export in 1844, o f leaf tobacco, was 4,633,768 lbs., valued at $419,267 56J. O f cigars, 158,505 M .; value, $1,564,650— pricked or pounded do., 50,516 lbs.; value, $9,052— and paper cigars, value, $4,837. I f this result is compared with that o f 1843, the effects o f the drought of 1844 must be apparent, as having been more injurious than is generally supposed. In that year, the exports o f leaf tobacco were 7,280,238 lbs., nearly double that o f 1844, valued at $901,030. Cigars, 257,997,000; value, $1,687,602. T he exports o f sugar, for 1844, were 1,009,565 boxes, sold at $14,133,926. In 1843, 889,103 boxes exported, sold for $12,447,453, showing a considerable increase in the production o f this great staple. (It is added, by way o f running comment, “ Alas ! how different the result will be for the year 1845.” ) T he income received into the royal treasury, for 1844, amounted to $10,490,252 87J. In deposit, for benefit o f drawback goods, were entered to the value o f $2,165,630, o f which were withdrawn the value o f $1,344,264. In 1843, the account stood— Entered, $1 ,94 3 ,1 3 2 ; withdrawn, $1,650,131. A s regards Spanish commerce, the statement gives— Years. 1840,.............. 1841,............... 1842,............... Entered. 958 1,053 884 Cl’ d. 912 1,036 828 Years. 1843................ 1844................ Entered. 815 855 C l'd. 798 798 T he 855 Spanish vessels entered in 1844, measured 81,587 tons. T he decrease in the number o f vessels is supposed to be made up by the enlarged tonnage o f those now en- / gaged in the trade. G R A IN S IM P O R T E D IN T O G R E A T B R I T A I N F R O M IR E L A N D . There has been laid before the House o f Commons, on the motion o f Mr. Trotter, a return o f the quantities o f wheat, barley, oats, wheat-flour, and oat-meal, imported into Great Britain, from Ireland, in the years 1842, ’43, and ’44, distinguishing the quantities in each year. O f wheat, in 1842, the number o f quarters imported was 112,195; in 1843, 192,477 qrs.; in 1844, 200,276 qrs. Barley, in the three years respectively, 50,287, 110,499, 90,656 qrs. Oats, 1,274,326, 1,561,997,1,509,870 qrs. Wheat-meal and flour, 314,311, 773,463, 839,567 cwts. Oat-meal, 1,551,172, 1,706,628, 1,150,976 cwts. T he return is from the office o f the inspector-general o f imports and exports, at the London custom-house. E X P O R T S O F B R IT IS H M A C H IN E R Y . T he declared value o f the British machinery and mill-work exported in 1844, from a parliamentary return, was £716,256. T he following are the principal countries to which it was exported:— Russia, £ 158,137; Italy, £ 9 6 ,3 4 2 ; Germany, £ 9 2 ,8 5 1 ; France, £ 8 4 ,3 1 5 ; East Indies, £62,080 ; Spain, £ 5 4 ,6 8 1 ; Holland, £34,117 ; British W est In dies, £ 2 4 ,1 0 2 ; United States, £32,223 ; Brazil, £ 1 9 ,9 3 4 ; Mauritius, £14,937. B R IT IS H H A R D W A R E A N D C U T L E R Y . In the year 1844, there were exported 22,552 tons o f British hardware and cutlery, o f the declared value o f £2,176,087. O f this, the United States took 8,326 tons, value £287,083 ; British North American colonies, 1,932 tons, value £167,876 ; Germany, 1,263 tons, value £156,706 ; France, 1,062 tons, value £ 1 2 1 ,5 5 4 ; and East Indies and Ceylon, 1,182 tons, value £115,911. 384 Commercial Statistics. C O M M E R C E O F T H E E A S T IN D IE S . I n d ia n I m p o r t s and E xports d u r in g n in e tears. From a recent parliamentary return, we derive an account o f the total value o f exports and imports respectively, from and unto the ports o f Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay, from 1834-5 to 1842-3, converted into sterling money, at the rate o f 2s. per sicca rupee:— _ Imports. 1834-35. 1841-42. Bengal.................................... Madras,................................. Bombay,................................ £2,838,782 1,061,323 3,653,319 £5,639,046 1,050,028 4,459,052 Total,......................... £7,553,424 £11,496,350 T he statements o f imports for the following year had not been received from Madras; but the following are those from Bengal and Bombay, in 1842-3:— Bengal, £ 5 ,671 ,848 ; Bombay, £5,542,578. T he imports into the two presidencies, therefore, are nearly equal. Exports. Bengal,................................... Madras................................... B om bay,............................... 1834-35. 1841-42. £4,586,367 1,667,239 3,303.515 £8,062,533 2,284,270 5,170,696 T otal,......................... £9,557,121 £15,517,499 There is no return o f the exports from Madras for 1842-43. Those from Bengal were £ 7 ,240 ,080 ; from Bombay, £5,273,986. It appears, from these returns, that, in eight years, the value o f the total imports o f India had increased by £3,594,702 ; and that o f the total exports by £5,960,378. B R IT IS H T R A D E IN C O T T O N M A N U F A C T U R E S . Cotton is the great staple product o f the United States, and the leading manufacture o f Great Britain. Burns’s Commercial GJance, for the first six months o f the present year, is published; and, as usual, it contains a large amount o f important information, and forms an almost indispensable reference for the merchant and manufacturer concerned in the sale, purchase, or manufacture o f the great staple o f British industry. It exhibits the total exports o f yarn, in the first six months o f every year, from 1837, inclusive, to the present year. T he exports o f yarn, in the last six months, (54,692,551 lbs.,) exhibit a decrease, as compared with the corresponding period o f 1844, (55,044,134 lbs.,) o f 351,583 lbs. T he principal sources o f the decrease are in the exports to India, (deer., 3,400,000 lbs.,) and Russia, (2,400,000 lbs.) On the other hand, the exports have increased to H ol land, (1,800,000 lbs.,) Belgium, the Hanse Towns, Naples, and Sicily, (1,200,000 lbs.;) Sardinia, Tuscany, & c. . On the other hand, there has been a vast increase in the exports o f plain calicoes, v iz:— from 276,722,671 yards in the first six months o f 1844, to 300,038,150 in the corresponding period o f this year— increase, 23,315,479 yards. O f this increase, 20,000,000 yards are due to China, 4,000,000 yards to Chili and Peru, 7,000,000 to the Cape, 10,000,000 to Colombia, and 2,000,000 each to the foreign W est Indies, Malta, and the Ionian islands, Sardinia, A c., Turkey, and the L evant; and 3,600,000 yards to the United States. On the other hand, there is a decrease o f 11,000,000 yards in the export to India, and a large decrease in those to Egypt, India, &c. S T A T IS T IC S O F T H E E N G L IS H W H A L E F IS H E R Y . Returns o f the number o f British ships, their tonnage, and o f seamen o f all ranks, employed in the South Sea and Greenland whale fishery, have been printed by order of the British Parliament From these returns, we learn that in the years 1830, 1831, and 1832, there were 91 ships, o f 30,083 tons, engaged in the South Sea fishing, carrying 2,750 m en; and that in 1841, 1842, and 1843, there were employed 28 ships, of 9,767 tons, carrying 835 men. A s regards the Greenland and Davis’s Straits whale fishery, it is found that in 1830, 1831, and 1832, there were employed 258 ships, o f 84,795 tons, carrying 11,919 m e n ; and in 1841, 1842, and 1843, 62 vessels, o f 17,831 tons, carrying 2,873 men. T he records o f the customs department do not afford the means o f preparing the return o f shipping and seamen employed in the fishing trade to Russia, Denmark, Sweden, and Prussia. 385 Railroad and Canal Statistics. RAI LROAD AND CANAL S TAT I S TI CS . N E W Y O R K A N D E R IE R A IL R O A D . T he importance o f this road to the commerce o f the city o f N ew Y ork, as well as to the region through which it is to pass; and, indeed, a large portion of the great west, can scarcely be over-estimated. There is not, in our opinion, formed after the most ma ture deliberation, and based on an accumulation o f the most unquestionable statistical data, a doubt but that the real estate owners o f N ew Y ork would, in less than five years after its completion, be more than repaid by the enhanced value of real property; admit ting, even, that the revenue from the road was barely sufficient to cover the expenses. But it is equally clear, to our mind, that it would pay a handsome per centage on the capital invested in its construction. Eleazer Lord, Esq., the able and indefatigable presi dent, retired from that office, on the pledge o f a majority o f the board o f directors, that, under the auspices o f a new president, to be selected by them, they should be able to prosecute the enterprise to its speedy completion. Whatever may be our opinion o f the justice or expediency o f that movement, we should hardly regret it if, at an individual sa crifice for the public good, the completion o f a work scarcely second in importance to the Erie canal were accomplished. The receipts o f the company, on account o f capital and construction, to February, 1844, have been as follows:— From stockholders,...................................................................................... Nett proceeds o f state loan o f $3,000,000........................................... Interest received on hypothecated stock,.................................................. Sundry receipts,....-.......................................................................... ........... $1,501,830 2,599,514 39,942 21,848 T o which add amounts o f debts due by company,................................. $4,163,135 62 573,814 37 Total,............................................................................................. Summary o f expenditures. 53 miles single track, at eastern termination, including pier at Piermont, $220,000......................................................... .............................. 4 miles single track, near Corning,........................................................... 7 miles double track, at western termination,.......................................... Cars, engines, depots, shops, & c.,............................................................. W ork in progress, and finished, o f a permanent character,.................. A ll other expenditures, including right o f way, surveys, timber fen cing, interest on stock, & c.,................................- . . . . ; .......................... Total.............................................................................................. T he estimated cost o f completing the work, from its present termina tion to Lake Erie, is about..................................................................... 14 92 40 16 $4,736,949 99 $1,760,000 43,000 162,000 178,558 885,370 1,705,945 $4,734,873 6,000,000 Making the total cost o f the road,............................................................ $10,734,873 T o which is to be added a farther sum o f one million o f dollars, for engines, cars, & c. T he state having relinquished their lien on the road on certain conditions, the state loan o f $3,000,000 may be considered as a grant in favor o f the road. T he company is authorized to issue its bonds for three millions, and will require a far ther subscription to its stock o f three m illions; making the total amount o f capital stock, including present indebtedness, about five millions o f dollars. On that amount, therefore, (or perhaps six millions,) it may be presumed dividends will be made, deducting interest on bonds o f the company, after the road shall have been completed. T he N ew Y ork and Erie railroad, it was estimated by the board o f directors, in 1844, will accommodate an area o f country containing, in 1840, a population o f 532,000 ; and VOL. XIII.--- NO. IV. 25 386 Railroad and Canal Statistics. the nett earnings o f the road, on the basis o f the business now done on the eastern sec tion o f 53 miles, is put down at $1,343,500, leaving out o f calculation the income which may be expected from the proportion o f the trade and travel to and from Lake Erie, & c., which will pass over this railroad. For the purpose o f laying before our readers, and the public generally, the condition o f the road, in an intelligible form, we have procured, through the courtesy o f H . C. Sey mour, Esq., the efficient superintendent, from the books o f the company, an accurate statement o f the revenue, trade, and tonnage o f the road, from September, 1841, to Sep tember, 1843; which, together with a variety o f other equally official and authentic statements, bearing on the subject, w e publish below :— Abstract o f all the Tonnage which has passed on the Eastern Division o f the New York and E rie Railroad, from September 23d, 1841, to September 30th, 1844, with an enu meration o f the several commodities transported, and the total amount o f reveuue. S e p t e m b e r 2 3 ,1 8 4 1 , t o S e p t e m b e r 30, 1842. Commodities. Tonnage, in pounds. Revenue, in dollars and cents. Eastw d. Westw d. Apples, and oth. fruit, 703,179 85,883 Bark, (ground,)......... 2,029,879 Butter,....................... 91,840 Bricks,....................... 285 China, glass, e tc...... 960,304 Charcoal,.................... Coal, mineral,........... Cotton and wool,...... 9,932 Copper and tin,......... D rv-goods,................ 153,860 Drugs, medic’es, etc., 5,124 123,059 Flour and meal,........ Fish, oysters, etc.,... 22,429 Groceries,.................. 512,633 Grain and seeds,...... Gypsum, etc.,............ 13,841 Hardware,................. 235,912 Hay,............................ 29,991 H ides,......................... Hoop-poles, etc.,...... 737,933 39,292 Iron, cast,.................. 475,276 “ bar,................... “ pig..................... 4,571,857 600,430 “ ore,................... 431,466 Leather,..................... 1,070 Lim e and cement,... 130,261 Liquors,..................... 198,359 Lumber,..................... 766,880 Cattle,*...................... 760,167 Calves,*..................... 832,399 H ogs,*....................... 23,800 Horses,*.................... 470,092 Sheep and lambs,*... 858,796 M ilk............................ 690 Nails, etc.,................. Oil o f all kinds,........ Pork, beef.t............... 2,262,313 1,500 Pork, beef,t................ 19,873 Potatoes, etc.,............ Salt,............................ 863,796 S teel,.......................... W ood, fire,................ 4,915,853 506,437 Unenumerated,......... 10,694 11,295 275,763 122,968 1,501,696 160,851 36,290 484,824 147,842 699,601 182,217 2,857,615 4^681 5,846,323 183,228 529,095 190.439 1,623,637 24,200 48,056 92,688 222,823 3,131,394 4,500 100 11,200 9,200 1,390 156,000 66,584 25,760 581,703 3,882 1,561,468 45,649 1,270,900 1,116,710 Total. 713,873 85,883 2,041,174 367,603 123,253 960,304 1,501,696 170,783 36,290 638,684 152,966 822,660 182,217 2,88,0044 561,314 5,846,323 197,069 235,912 559,086 737,933 229,731 2,098,913 4,596,057 600,430 479,522 93,758 353,084 3,329,753 771,380 760,267 832,399 35,000 479,292 860,086 156,690 66,584 2,288,073 583,203 23,755 1,561,468 909,445 6,186,753 1,623,147 Eastw'd. 976 118 3,500 33 93 82 28 36 61 760 95 25 70 312 36 10 49 213 94 41 17 365 69 23 338 43 654 21 515 3,702 337 816 213 161 1,052 1,680 1,658 81 1,078 1,527 1 26 47 19 73 65 00 70 62 53 79 98 47 42 71 51 98 38 52 08 4,162 43 3 07 29 15 810 08 1,385 58 1,053 05 Westw'd. Total. 20 50 997 43 118 82 19 65 3,519 93 173 65 207 01 270 07 270 68 760.95 990 37 990 37 302 39 328 09 61 30 61 30 1,193 51 1,505 87 301 28 311 77 1,038 19 1,252 13 350 21 350 21 4,991 32 5,032 49 81 05 446 74 3,633 97 3,633 97 364 70 388 05 338 47 959 26 916 07 654 73 261 94 283 59 1,597 00 2,112 00 24 86 3,727 56 337 62 892 80 76 27 92 63 91 84 569 58 355 60 2,885 99 3,047 46 9 61 1,062 03 26 1,680 97 1,658 51 101 83 19 85 18 40 1,096 78 1,528 56 1 04 273 47 272 39 116 37 116 37 47 62 4,210 05 906 72 903 66 39 13 9 98 2,153 05 2,153 05 858 56 858 56 1,771 23 1,771 23 2,947 46 2,947 46 Total,..................... 24,446,69123,287,16647,733,857 27,713 65 53,596 15 53,596 15 * Live stock. t A nd poultry, fresh. 1 A nd fish, salted. 387 Railroad and Canal Statistics, O Commodities. Apples, and oth. fruit, Bark, (ground,).......... Butter,....................... Bricks,....................... China, glass, e tc.,.... Charcoal,................... Coal, mineral,........... Cotton and w o o l,.... Copper and tin,......... Dry-goods,................. Drugs, medic’es, etc., Flour and meal,........ Fish, oysters, etc...... Groceries,.................. Grain and seeds,...... Gypsum, etc.,............ Hardware,................. Hay,............................ H ides,......................... Hoop-poles, etc.,...... Iron, cast,.................. “ bar,.................... “ Pig..................... “ ore,................... Leather,...................... Lime and cement,.... Liquors,..................... Lumber,..................... Cattle,*...................... Calves,*..................... H ogs,*....................... H orses,*.................... Sheep and lambs,*... M ilk,........................... Nails, etc.,................. Oil o f all kinds,....... Pork, beef,t............... Pork, beef,}:................ Potatoes, etc.,............ S alt,........................... Steel,.......................... W ood, fire,................ Unenumerated,......... c t o b e r 1, 1842, t o S e p t e m b e r 3 0, 1843. Tonnage, in pounds. Revenue, in dollars iand cents. Eastw d. Westw'd. Eastw'd. Westw'd. Total. Total. 854,112 9 2 55 45,070 899,182 777 19 869 74 3,614,900 11,401 901,390 23,155 159,882 177,239 948,890 250 252,095 7,525 93,525 290,670 601,384 14,290 216,293 67,962 1,799,665 1,450 349,725 23,320 2,982,506 547,124 401,216 122,645 3,146,440 55,875 288,851 77,330 138,485 6,940 633,273 518,600 100 21660 215,285 426,247 2,696,871 4,379,640 148,380 660,551 433,823 55,325 3,760 261,020 27,820 471,490 732,130 3,457,456 2,208,210 23,600 1,100,520 250 630,410 1,500 49,100 42,900 765,995 7,225 7,953,763 125 255 220,190 1,320 107,425 2,693,294 4,660 3,775 818,820 71,365 50,280 480 2,516,630 803,592 33,732 358,550 2,579,465 574,943 1,009,812 3,638,055 6,420 159,882 188,640 25 901,390 480 943,890 252,345 101,050 11 892,564 545 230,583 28 1,867,627 108 351,175 2 3,005,826 43 948,340 413 3,269,085 17 344,216 92 215,815 91 640,213 14 518,700 437 236,945 26 3,123,118 446 4 ,528,020 3,107 660,651 356 489,148 818 264,780 6 499,310 37 4,189,586 595 2,231,810 2,899 1,100,770 2,776 • 631,910 1,260 92,000 93 773,220 1,536 7 ,9 5 3 ,8 8 8 ; 15,889 220,445 108,745 2 2 ,697,954 4,571 822,595 G 121,645 80 2,517,110 837,324 666 2,938,515 825 1,584,755 1,008 19 92 35 63 86 43 20 78 00 55 85 31 49 18 79 59 08 58 15 32 88 39 71 97 98 46 07 72 26 17 50 36 34 54 34 24 45 75 89 33 59 100 27 380 17 744 416 165 1,469 454 2,297 634 5,029 416 1,775 592 114 1,065 30 40 46 97 59 92 93 11 22 93 47 20 88 10 256 90 2,019 93 128 36 105 211 767 2,797 26 3 74 5 339 177 6 1,268 70 2,803 52 67 1,651 36 13 11 48 93 40 62 75 52 25 86 93 72 10 70 99 95 44 94 6,453 100 406 480 744 417 177 2,015 482 2,406 636 5,072 830 1,793 684 205 1,080 437 282 2,466 3,235 356 924 217 804 3,393 2,926 2,776 1,263 168 1,541 15,889 340 180 4,578 1,274 151 2,804 719 893 2,660 78 27 09 35 30 0.3 32 40 79 70 93 66 07 24 96 38 67 69 98 51 51 32 24 52 82 45 91 86 69 47 78 42 36 29 06 64 04 23 40 19 83 Total,...................... 33,238,502 2 4,7 54 ,3 2 0 ;57,992,822.46,524 4 6 2 8 ,6 2 1 43 75,145 89 c t o b e r 1, 1 843, t o S e p t e m b e r 3 0, 1844. Tonnage, in pounds. Revenue, in dollars and cents. Eastward. Westward. Eastward. Westward. Total. Total 110 20 1,711 17 1,985,806 64,790 2,050,596 1,600 97 273 63 7 13 475,465 14,240 489,705 280 76 22 06 7,362 48 3,974,335 14,145 3,988,480 7,340 42 229,320 33 25 83 86 70,220 159,100 117 11 224,450 45 96 479 27 16,395 208,055 525 23 462,490 462,490 199 80 199 80 2,050 1,587,380 1,589,430 84 1,243 97 1,244 81 512,115 8 95 699 00 5,040 507,075 707 95 128,830 123,770 9 58 5,060 234 71 244 29 798,134 1,511,733 1,197 71 2,001 99 3,199 70 713,599 272,560 21,210 293,770 42 76 592 56 635 32 364 39 2,323 58 2,687 97 271,923 1,917,690 2,189,613 O Commodities. Apples, and oth. fruit, Bark, (ground,)......... Butter,........................ Bricks,........................ China, glass, etc.,..... Charcoal,................... Coal, mineral,........... Cotton and w ool,__ Copper and tin,......... D ry-goods,................ Drugs, medic’es, etc., Flour and meal,........ * Live stock. 4 A nd poultry, fresh. t A nd fish, salted. 388 Railroad and Canal Statistics. O c to be r 1, 1843, t o S e p t e m b e r 30, 1844— Continued. Commodities. Tonnage, in pounds. Eastw'd. Westw'd. Revenue, in dollars and cts. Total. Eastw'd. Westw'd. Fish, oysters, etc...... 170 399,000 399,170 Groceries,.................. 16,745 3,852,890 3,869,635 29 341,755 1,085,298 Grain and seeds,...... 743,543 518 ..... 4,305,150 4,305,150 Gypsum, etc.,............ 224,070 Hardware,................. 288,755 64,685 117 120,810 120,810 H a y ,........................... 3,720 1,439,941 1,443,661 6 H ides,......................... 931,610 931,610 Hoop-poles, etc.,........ 689 65,817 150,330 181,147 60 Iron, cast,.................. 363,220 1,881,265 2,244,485 “ bar,................... 371 6,101,260 5,969,015 192,245 4,568 “ p ig ,................... ..... 4,200 4,200 3 “ ore..................... 1,178,630 1,243,280 64,850 1,888 Leather,..................... 263,250 Lime and cement,... 30,715 232,535 25 113,045 660,310 547,265 178 Liquors, ................................... 1,134,306 2,611,160 3,745,466 1,070 Lumber,..................... 24,200 2,761,055 3,532 2,736,855 Cattle,*...................... 850 1,659,100 2,765 Calves,*...................... 1,658,250 766,175 370 766,545 1,349 H og s,*....................... 46,260 22,500 68,760 99 Horses,*.................... 702,500 1,269 694,400 8,100 Sheep and lambs,*... ........13,167,675 26,335 M ilk............................ 13,167,675 231,930 1,465 230,465 2 Nails, etc.,.................. 360 140,620 140,980 Oil o f all kinds,........ 12,930 2,906,253 5,161 Pork, beef,t............... 2,893,323 4,160 770,865 782,025 5 Pork, beef,}............... 137,065 74,180 211,245 113 Potatoes, e t c .,........... 13,270 2,099,150 2,112,420 6 Salt,............................ 29,530 1,195,194 990 S teel,.......................... 1,165,664 108,160 3,364,825 397 W ood, fire,................ 3,256,665 991,179 1,056,565 2,047,744 1,638 Unenumerated,.......... Total. 30 777 14 777 44 14 6,658 98 6,688 12 992 23 45 473 78 2,656 37 2,656 37 09 473 99 591 08 111 22 111 22 33 2,359 13 2,365 46 40 689 40 11 145 63 205 74 58 1,737 48 2,109 06 68 205 28 4,773 96 57 3 57 116 33 2,004 58 25 16 220 17 245 33 74 958 15 1,136 89 71 2,206 19 3,276 90 16 26 24 3,558 40 59 1 72 2,767 31 49 87 1,350 36 144 90 40 45 50 5 21 1,274 66 45 26,335 35 35 16 368 75 370 91 240 90 240 38 52 55 10 48 5,172 03 106 53 1,112 16 63 52 96 88 210 40 03 2,224 56 2,230 59 50 51 39 1,041 89 6 62 404 39 77 99 1,690 62 3,329 61 Total,............... ...... 46,155,780 26,580,690 72,736,470 64,313 88 32,773: 92 97,087 80 T o t a l , f o r TH E TH REE YEARS. Tonnage, in pounds. Commodities. Eastward. 3,543,097 Apples, etc.,...... 561,346 Bark, (ground,). 9,619,114 Butter,................ 162,060 Bricks,................ China, glass, etc., 28,081 2,324,184 Charcoal,............ 2,050 Coal, mineral,... 15,222 Cotton and wool, 12,585 Copper and tin,. 1,158,129 D ry-goods,......... Drugs, etc.,........ 40,624 462,944 Flour and meal,. 1,620 Fish, oyst’s, etc., 62,494 Groceries,........... 1,803,300 Grain and seeds, 122,645 Gypsum, etc...... Hardware,.......... 134,401 313,242 H a y,................... H id e s,................ 40,651 2,188,143 Hoop-poles, etc., 126,769 Iron, cast............ “ bar,............ 1,264,743 “ Pig............. 14,920,912 * Live 9tock. Westward. 120,554 14,240 48,595 594,745 508,262 4,032,966 920,021 253,585 1,884,342 636,695 4,416,956 930,942 9,693,011 791,652 13,297,913 696,149 259,295 2,602,309 100 521,054 6,201,773 364,825 Revenue, in dollars and cents Total. Eastward. 3,663,651 3,355 575,588 392 9,667,709 17,260 66 756,805 72 536,343 1,441 2,324,184 4,035,016 35 935,243 21 266,170 2,055 3,042,471 677,319 81 687 4,879,900 2 932,562 113 9,755,505 2,594,952 1,297 17 13,420,558 830,550 232 572,537 429 2,642,960 64 2,188,243 1,781 647,823 107 7,466,516 1,333 15,285,337 11,378 t A nd poultry, fresh. 09 45 89 61 49 10 84 28 44 50 45 11 30 86 99 31 84 65 31 72 84 16 53 Westward. 223 7 75 357 1,129 2,978 1,417 461 4,665 1,348 5,659 1,762 16,679 971 8,066 1,431 225 4,341 664 5,354 358 Total. 25 3,578 34 12 399 58 30 17,336 19 78 424 39 51 1,202 00 1,441 10 64 2,979 48 79 1,453 07 47 482 91 6,720 97 47 43 1,429 88 69 6,346 80 1,764 58 28 41 16,793 27 2,269 04 05 8,083 58 27 1,664 00 16 655 07 42 4,405 39 08 1,781 82 10 772 31 47 6,687 57 41 50 11,737 03 i A nd fish, salted. 389 Railroad and Canal Statistics. T Commodities. otal, fo r th e three years — Continued. Tonnage, in pounds. Eastward. Westward. Revenue, in dollars and cents. Total. Eastward. Iron ore,............. 1,265,281 ........ 1,265,281 697 51 Leather,.............. 2,043,919 168,231 2,212,150 3,523 66 Lim e and cem’t, 35,545 586,243 621,788 32 34 Liquors,.............. 271,126 1,241,578 1,512,704 430 43 Lum ber,............. 2,064,795 9,200,010 11,264,805 1,828 15 C a ttle * .............. 5,711,945 52,300 5,764,245 7,484 56 C alves*.............. 3,518,937 1,200 3,520,137 7,222 76 H o g s * ................ 2,228,984 1,870 2,230,854 4,268 07 H orses*............. 119,160 76,600 195,760 275 10 Sheep & lambs,* 1,930,487 24,525 1,955,012 3,884 09 1,415 21,981,649 43,752 04 M ilk.................... 21,980,234 Nails, etc.,.......... 2,410 606,655 609,065 3 74 Oil o f all kinds,. 1,680 314,629 316,309 2 88 Pork, beef,t........ 7,848,930 43,350 7,892,280 13,895 32 Pork, beef,t........ 9,435 2,178,388 2,187,823 15 24 Potatoes, etc...... 228,303 128,342 356,645 223 01 Salt...................... 13,750 6,177,248 6,190,998 6 27 Steel,.................. 2,833,052 108,911 2,941,963 2,467 03 W ood, fire,......... 10,752,483 1,737,610 12,490,093 2,609 10 Unenumerated,.. 2,072,559 3,183,087 5,255,646 3,700 93 Westward. Total. ........ 697 51 297 96 3,821 62 523 14 555 48 2,080 86 511 29 7,889 66 9,717 81 62 78 7,547 34 2 38 7,225 14 4 49 4,272 56 140 10 415 20 29 13 3,913 22 1 29 43,753 33 941 00 984 74 534 68 537 56 64 82 13,960 14 3,278 29 3,293 53 177 56 400 57 7,181 60 7,187 87 152 82 2,619 85 459 71 3,068 81 5,236 97 8,937 90 T otal,............ 103,840,973 74,622,176178,463,149 138,551 99 87,277 85 225,829 84 S tatem ent O f several commodities transported on the N ew York and Erie Railroad, by tale or count, the weights o f which, and the revenue derived therefrom, are included in the abstract, fo r the three years. Y Commodities. Head o f cattle, (east,).............. “ calves, do.,.................. “ hogs, do.,.................... “ sheep and lambs, do., Firkins o f butter, do.,................ Barrels o f flour, (west,)............ Baskets o f strawberries, (east,) Quarts o f milk,......................... 1842, 775 6,271 8,360 6 ,545 20,3 00 3,300 53,570 305,500 ears ending 1843. 2,459 10,351 6,079 9,047 36,149 8,810 152,430 3,181,500 S ept . 30, 1844. 3,087 11,332 6,364 7,877 39,7 43 9 ,045 168,380 5 ,267,000 Total for 3 years. 6,321 2 7 ,9 5 4 20,8 03 23,4 69 96,192 2 1 ,1 5 5 374,380 8,7 5 4,00 0 T he foregoing abstract o f the tonnage and revenue o f the road, shows a remarkable increase o f business during the three years. F or the year ending 30th o f September, 1842, the gross revenue on freight, it will be seen, was $53,596 1 5 ; and for the year ending same time in 1843, it was $75,145 89— showing an increase, over the first year, o f $11,566 8 4 ; and for the following year, ending September 30th, 1844, it amounted to $97,087 80— an increase o f $43,508 65 over 1842, and $21,941 91 over 1843. The quantity o f milk coming eastward, over the road, increased from 305,500 quarts, in 1842, to 5,267,000 quarts, in 1844. T he quantity o f milk transported over the road, for the first six months o f 1845, commencing on the 1st o f January, and ending on the 30th o f June, was 2,842,616 quarts; which would, at the same rate, for the remaining 6ix months o f 1845, make the total 5,685,232— a considerable increase over 1844. T he reduced price at which milk has been sold since this road has been in operation, is an item o f con siderable moment to the consumers o f that article. T he annual saving to every family, in the city o f N ew Y ork, using one quart per day, would amount to more than the in terest, at 7 per cent, on a single share o f the stock o f the company. T he authorized capital o f the N ew Y ork and Erie Railroad Company is $10,000,000, and the charter was granted by the state in 1832. The credit o f the state, to the amount o f $3,000,000, in state stock, has been loaned to the company. * Live stock. + And poultry, fresh. t And fish, salted. 390 Railroad and Canal Statistics. T he nett earnings o f the northern chain o f railroads, from Albany to Buffalo, 326 miles, were $709,139 in 1844, notwithstanding the competition o f the canal, and the prohibition respecting freight Proportional earnings on the N ew Y ork and Erie railroad, which will be 450 miles in length, will be over $978,000. Length o f the road in opera tion, from the Hudson, at Piermont, to Middletown, 53 m iles; cost, $1,540,000, equal to $29,000 per m ile ; the track 6 feet in width, H rail, 56 lbs. to the yard; pier, one mile in length; cost, with the docks, wharves, depot, & c., $220,000— designed to accommo date the business o f the whole road, when completed. R A T E S O F T O L L O N T H E N E W Y O R K C A N A L S , F O R 1845-46, E S T A B L IS H E D BY THE CANAL BOARD, Y O R K STA TE C AN ALS, FOR THE Y E A R ON PERSONS 1845 ; AN D P R O P E R T Y T R A N SPO R TE D ON TH E NEW A N D , A S M O D IF IE D A N D R E D U C E D , T O T A K E E F F E C T A T T H E O P E N IN G O F N A V IG A T IO N , I N T H E Y E A R 1846.* 1845. 1846. c.m .fr. c .m .f. Provisions, i)V. 1. On flour, salted beef and pork, butter, cheese, tallow, lard, beer, and cider,.................................................................... per 1,000 lbs. per mile 2. On bran and ship-stuffs in bulk,................................................................ 0 4 5 0 4 5 0 4 0 0 3 0 Iron, Minerals, Ores, <J-c. 3. On salt manufactured in this state, per 1,000 lbs. per mile, viz:— 1. On salt not entitled to bounty,....................................................... 0 2. On salt entitled to bounty,..................................................... i ....... 0 4. On foreign salt,............................................................................................ 3 5. 1st. On gypsum, the product o f this state, per 1,000 lbs. per mile, v iz : 1. N ot entitled to bounty,.................................................................... 0 2. Entitled to bounty,........................................................................... 0 2d. On foreign gypsum,............................................................................... 0 6. On brick, sand, lime, clay, earth, leached ashes, manure, and iron ore, 0 7. On pot and pearl ashes, window-glass, or glass-ware, manufactured in this state, kelp, charcoal, broken castings, scrap and pig iron,... 0 8. On mineral coal, (except coal to be used in the manufacture o f salt, which shall pass free o f toll,) per 1,000 lbs. per mile, v iz :— 1. N ot entitled to bounty,..................................................................... 0 2. Entitled to bounty,............................................................................. 0 9. On stove and all other iron castings, except machines, and the parts thereof,................................................................per 1,000 lbs. per mile 0 10. On copperas and manganese, going towards tide-water,...................... 0 11. On bar and pig lead, going towards tide-water...................................... 0 2 3 2 3 0 0 2 2 4 2 3 3 5 3 4 5 0 1 5 0 2 3 1 5 0 0 15 0 2 3 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 4 5 0 10 4 5 0 4 5 4 5 0 4 0 4 5 0 4 0 4 5 0 4 0 Furs, P eltry, Skins, if-c. 12. On furs and peltry, except deer, buffalo, and moose skins, per 1,000 lbs. per m ile,.............................................................................................. 13. On deer, buffalo, andmoose skins,.......................................................... 14. On sheep skins, and raw hides o f domestic animals o f the United States,........................................................................................................ 15. On imported raw hides, o f domestic and other animals,....................... Furniture, cf-c. 16. On household furniture, accompanied by, and actually belonging to, families emigrating,......................................... per 1,000 lbs. per mile 17. On carts, wagons, sleighs, ploughs, and mechanics’ tools necessary ' for the owner’s individual use, when accompanied by the owner, emigrating for the purpose o f settlement,............................................ Stone, Slate, <f-c. 18. On slate and tile for roofing, and stone-ware, .per 1,000 lbs. per mile 19. On all stone, wrought or unwrought,...................................................... 10 0 10 0 5 0 0 5 0 0 0 4 5 0 4 0 5 0 0 5 0 0 0 4 5 0 3 0 0 4 5 0 4 0 0 4 5 0 2 3 0 4 0 0 2 0 * From a copy dated at the Canal Department, state o f N ew Y ork, Albany, 17th o f July, 1845, and certified to be a correct copy from the minutes o f the canal board, on file in the canal department, by G. W . Newell, chief clerk. Railroad and Caned Statistics. 391 Lumber, Wood, 20. On timber, squared and round, if carried in boats, per 100 cubic feet per mile,....................................................................................................... 0 5 0 0 4 0 21. On the same, if carried in rafts,(except dock-sticks, asin next item,) 1 0 0 10 0 22. On round dock-sticks, passing in cribs, separate from every other kind o f timber,............................... ......................................................... 1 0 0 1 0 0 23. On blocks o f timber, forpaving streets, per 1,000 lbs. per mile,........ 0 2 0 0 2 0 24. On lumber carried in boats, when weighed, per 1,000 lbs. per mile, v iz : * 1. On white pine, white wood, basswood, and cedar,................................ 0 18 * 2. On oak, hickory, and beach,....................................................................... 0 1 0 * 3. On hemlock, maple, ash, and elm,........................................................... 0 1 2 * 4. On cherry and black walnut,...................................................................... 0 1 4 5. On boards, plank, scantling, and sawed timber, reduced to inch measure, all kinds o f red cedar, estimating that a cord, after deducting for openings, will contain 1,000 feet, and all siding, lath, and other sawed stuff, less than one inch thick, carried in boats, (except such as is enumerated in regulations No. 26 and 35,) per 1,000 feet per mile,when not weighed,........ 0 5 0 0 5 0 6. On the same, if transported in rafts,............................................. 2 0 0 2 0 0 25. On mahogany, (except veneering,) reduced to inch measure,............ 1 5 0 1 5 0 26. On sawed lath, o f less than ten feet in length, split lath, hoop-poles, handspikes, rowing oars, broom-handles, spokes, hubs, tree-nails, felloes, boat-knees, plane-stocks, pickets for fences, and stuff man ufactured or partly manufactured for chairs or bedsteads, and hoppoles, per 1,000 lbs. per mile,............................................................... 0 2 0 0 2 0 27. On staves and heading, transported in boats— 1st. For pipes and hogsheads,........................................ .................... 0 1 5 0 1 5 2d. For barrels,....................................................................................... 0 2 0 0 1 5 28. On the same, if transported in rafts,....................................................... 0 5 0 0 5 0 29. On shingles, per M. per mile, carried in boats,..................................... 0 1 0 0 10 30. On the same, if conveyed in rafts,........................................................... 0 4 0 0 4 0 31. On split posts, (not exceeding ten feet in length,) and rails for fen cing, (not exceeding fourteen feet in length,) per M. per mile, car ried in boats,............................................................................................. 2 0 0 2 0 0 32. On the same, i f conveyed in rafts,........................................................... 8 0 0 8 0 0 33. 1st. On w ood for fuel, (except such as may be used in the manufac ture o f salt, which shall be exempt from toll,)....per cord per mile 1 0 0 0 5 0 2d. On tan-bark,........................................................................................ 10 0 10 0 34. On the same, if transported in rafts,..................................................... 2 0 0 2 0 0 35. On sawed stuff for window-blinds, not exceeding one-fourth of an inch in thickness, and window-sashes,........ per 1,000 lbs. per mile 0 5 0 0 5 0 Agricultural Productions, tyc. 36. On cotton and w ool,................... per 1,000 lbs. per mile 37. On live cattle, sheep, hogs, horns, hoofs, and bones,........................... 38. On horses, (and each horse when not weighed to be computed at 900 lbs.,).................................................................................................... 39. On rags and junk,..........................................................-........................... 40. On hemp, Manilla, and unmanufacturedtobacco,................................ 41. On pressed hay,......................................................................................... 42. On wheat, and all other agricultural productions o f the U. States, not particularly specified, and not being merchandise,...................... 43. On merchandise, per 1,000 lbs. per mile, v iz:— 1. On sugar, molasses, coffee, nails and spikes, iron and steel, going from tide-water,..................................................................... 2. On other merchandise,..................................................................... Articles not enumerated. 44. On all articles not enumerated or excepted, passing from tide-wa ter,.......................................................................per 1,000 lbs. per mile 45. On all articles not enumerated or excepted, passing towards tide water, ....................................................................................................... * In 1845, by the foot, under N o. 5. 0 4 5 0 4 0 4 5 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 4 4 2 0 5 5 3 0 3 0 4 0 4 0 2 0 4 5 0 4 0 0 9 0 0 9 0 0 5 0 0 8 0 0 9 0 0 8 0 0 4 5 0 4 0* 392 Nautical Intelligence. Boats and passengers. 46. On boats used chiefly for the transportation o f persons, navigating the canals, per mile, v iz :— 1. Genesee Valley, Cayuga and Seneca, and Chenango canal,... 2. A ll other canals,....................... ....................................................... 47. On boats used chiefly for the transportation o f property,...... per mile 48. On all persons over ten years o f age,.......... ........................*................. 49. On articles o f the manufacture o f the United States, going towards tide-water, although they may be enumerated in the foregoing list, per 1,000 lbs. per mile,........................................................................... 5 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 3 5 2 0 0 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 4 0 Resolved, That the foregoing rates o f toll be, and they are hereby established, on the N ew Y ork state canals, to take effect on the opening o f navigation, in the year 1846, except as to mineral coal not entitled to bounty entering the canal at Buffalo and R o chester, wood for fuel, and boats used chiefly for the transportation o f persons, and navi gating the Genesee Valley, Cayuga and Seneca, and Chenango canals; the reduction on which shall take effect on the first day o f August, 1845. NAUTI CAL I NTELLI GENCE. F L O A T IN G L IG H T O F F T H E R O M A N R O C K S , IN F A L S E B A Y . T he Secretary o f the Treasury has received the following notice in relation to a float ing light off the Roman Rocks, in False Bay, which we publish for the information of mariners. T he notice is dated on board H. M. S. Winchester, January 10th, 1845, and signed by William Dyer, secretary to the commander-in-chief. Rear-admiral the Honorable Josceline Percy, C. B., commander-in-chief o f Her M a jesty’s ships and vessels on the Cape o f Good Hope station, hereby gives notice that, in pursuance o f instructions from the lords commissioners o f the admiralty, a floating light is moored o ff the Roman Rocks, in 7^ fathoms water, distant therefrom one cable’s length, due north, (by compass.) It is a bright revolving light, thirty-seven feet above the level of the sea, and may be seen, in clear weather, at a distance o f ten miles from a ship’s deck. It will be lighted at sunset all the year round, and extinguished half an hour after daylight. T he lightvessel is painted red, and during daylight will hoist a red flag when a sail is in sight T he following remarks made by Mr. Brown, master o f H. M. ship Winchester, are hereunto subjoined, for the guidance o f the ships navigating False and Simon’s B ay:— R em arks for S h ip s b o u n d in t o S im o n ’ s B ay. T he light-vessel is moored on the north side o f the Roman Rocks, and distant there from one cable’s length. It is a bright revolving light, thirty-seven feet above the level o f the se a ; and may be seen, in clear weather, at a distance of ten miles from a ship’s deck. From this light, the compass bearings are— Whittle, S. S. E., distance 7 miles, on which there is only 12 feet water ; Miller’s Point, S. f W ., distance 4 m iles; Sea island, E . £ S., distance 6 f m iles; Dock-Yard Jetty, W . f N., distance I f miles. Ships steering or bearing into False Bay, from round the Cape o f Good Hope, will open the light clear o f Miller’s Point, (which is the point 7 f miles from Cape Point, off which, but close to, are some rocks above water,) when it bears N. J E .; and, if intend ing to beat up inside the Whittle, the light should not be brought to the westward o f N. by W . £ W ., or to the eastward o f north, until you are certain of being within 5 miles of the light, when you must be northward o f the Whittle, and may bring the light, in stand ing to the northward, to bear N . W . by W ., working up towards her by short tacks, and passing to the north, leaving her on your larboard hand, distant f o f a mile. I f outside o f the Whittle, do not bring the light to the north o f N. N. W . £ W ., on account o f Sea island, and the rocks which lay off 1^ miles to the southwTard. Turn up by short tacks, until you are certain o f being within 5 miles o f the light, which will insure your being northward o f the Whittle, and may bring the light, in standing to the westward, to bear north. With a leading wind, bring the light to bear N . by W ., you will be well inside the Whittle, and may run up, keeping it on that bearing, until within f o f a mile of the light, w’hen you must open it on your larboard side, and round it not less than ^ a mile distant. W hen the light bears S. S. W ., steer in west for the anchorage, and come to in 393 Mercantile M iscellanies. fourteen, twelve, or ten fathoms, according to the weather. I f a fine night, you may choose a berth among the shipping— if otherwise, anchor in an outside berth for the night. Ships rounding Hanglip, must bear in mind that the Whittle lies nearly in a direct line between that cape and light-vessel, from which it bears S. S. E . ; therefore, if coming up with a fair wind outside the Whittle, bring it to bear N. N . W . £ W ., or N. W . by N., and run for it. These remarks are principally intended for seamen not acquainted with Simon’s Bay. O f course, those who know the passage between Roman Rocks and Noah’s Ark, need not pass to the north o f the form er; but I would call their attention to the Phoenix Rock, and recommend their running for the anchorage, at all times, by a bearing o f the light A s I am aware o f the great difficulty in judging o f distances at night, and this lightvessel being moored on the north side o f the rocks, to protect her from the S. E. gales, I do recommend it as a fixed rule that all ships should at night pass to the eastward, and haul round the north side o f the light-vessel. I f you pass to the southward, bear in mind the passage between Noah’s Ark and the Roman Rocks is barely J o f a mile ; and, as the light is to the northward of these rocks two cables’ length, do not come within full one half a mile o f the ligh t; but I do not re commend this passage to strangers. The following compass bearings were taken from the light-vessel:— Miller’s Point, S. 8 W . ; Outer Roman Rock, S. 15 E., distant 100 fathoms; Elsey Peak, N . 5 W . ; Noah’s Ark, S. 47 W .; Dock-Yard Jetty, W . 3 N . ; Hanglip, S. 23 E . ; Sea island, S. 85 E . : Whittle, S. 22 E. B U O Y S L A ID D O W N IN T H E C H A N N E L O F T H E “ G R O U N D S .” T he Danish government have notified the following to Lloyd’s, respecting buoys laid down in the channel o f the “ G r o u n d s — Notice is hereby given to the seafaring public, that the buoy over the middlemost wreck o f the middle ground, the color o f which has hitherto been half black and half white, will now be painted green, like that which lies over the wreck o f the ship o f war Infodsretten; and furthermore, that, as soon as the sea-marks shall be laid out in these parts, this spring, three additional green buoys, similar to the one above-mentioned, will be laid down, v iz :— One buoy off the wreck o f a “ Stykpram,” in the Hollaenderdyb, in 4, 2, 3 fathoms water. One buoy o ff the wrecks o f two merchant vessels in the Skudelob, in 3 fathoms water. One buoy off the wreck o f the “ Stykpram, Haien,” outside the Stubbensand, in 5 j fathoms water. ME RC ANT I L E MI S CEL L ANI ES . C O M M E R C E O F S P A IN . E X P O R T S A N D IM P O R T S O F S P A IN , IN T H E Y E A R 1843. In the Merchants’ Magazine, for July, 1845, we published an article on the commerce of Spain, which we prepared from the best materials we could obtain at the time. We add a few additional particulars, which we derive from the Madrid Gazette. That Jour nal publishes a return o f the imports and exports into Spain, during the year 1843 ; from which it appears that the total imports for that year amount to 423,436,601 reals and 25 maravedis, and the exports to 304,735,082 reals and 25 maravedis; leaving a balance in favor o f the imports o f 118,691,518 reals. O f the total amount o f imports, 229,375,392 reals are from foreign countries in Europe, and from A frica ; 184,820,850 reals from America, and 9,330,358 reals from Asia. O f the exports, 187,517,243 reals were sent to European States and A frica; 116,154,066 to America, and 1,063,773 reals to Asia. The duties paid at the custom-houses amount to 85,893,413 reals, and a fraction. For the importation, 5,206 ships were employed in the trade, amounting in all to 579,475 tons, and employing 56,786 sailors— for the exportation, 4,622 ships, o f 470,973 tons burthen, and employing 45,081 sailors. 1,803,099 tons, and 413,674 sailors. The coasting trade amounts to 62,343 vessels, o f 394 M ercantile M iscellanies. Q U E S T IO N S O F H O N E S T Y F O R M E R C H A N T S . A correspondent residing at Baltimore, has sent us the following communication. In reply to his queries, we can only say that we know not “ what usage does sanction but we are persuaded that Honesty would give a prompt and decided negative to each o f the subjoined questions. W ill some one whose circumstances have afforded opportu nity for becoming acquainted with the secrets o f trade, inform our correspondent, through the medium o f this Magazine, what is the usage in these matters. Or will some moral philosopher or Christian minister, present us with an essay that will cover the ground of our questant. To the Editor o f the Merchants’ M a g a zin e: Having always noticed with deep regret, an apparent absence among merchants, of that keen perception o f what is right, which should ever develop itself in all their actions, and believing it to be, in a measure, attributable to the fact that custom frequently seems to uphold them in the performance o f much that moral philosophy would not, I beg that you, as the representative o f the mercantile community, will favor me with the answers to the following queries, that I may know what usage does sanction:— Is it considered honest in commission merchants rendering sales of goods which they have insured, to charge for a policy, when they have an open policy with an Insurance Company ? Is it considered honest in them to render sales as on time, charging a guarantee com mission, when the same sales have been charged by the purchasers ? Is it considered honest in them to charge in an invoice, or bill, the full price for articles, when they know that upon paying for the same, a discount o f from 2 to perhaps 6 per cent will be allowed them ? Is it considered honest in them to make any charges, excepting such as have been ac tually paid 1 j. m . b . JA C O B L I T T L E , E sq. T he following notice o f this successful banker, which appeared in the Picture Gallery o f the Old and N ew W orld, for June, 1844, (a Journal projected on the plan o f the L on don Pictorial Times, but which only reached some half dozen numbers,) may not, per haps, be without interest to some o f our readers:— “ Mr. Little belongs to that class o f eminent capitalists who acquire fortunes from small beginnings, by the exercise o f a clear-sighted and practical sagacity ; whose comprehen sive views o f the remote causes which influence the commercial and financial affairs of the country and the world, not only enables them to amass princely fortunes in their own persons, and makes them the stay and support o f the prudent merchant in the hour o f difficulty, but the main strength o f the government, when gathering political clouds have burst in a storm o f war. A ll the cities o f Europe have furnished eminent examples of the power and usefulness o f these private capitalists. Unlike banking associations, they combine immense power in the person o f a single far-seeing and capacious mind, which is the centre o f a large circle o f mercantile operations, operating around, and dependent upon it. W hile it restrains them from pushing too fast in time o f confidence and pros perity, it puts out the hand, and supports them in the hour o f adversity. It was a remark able fact, on the occasion o f a political revolution, and change o f government in Paris, with the presence o f a foreign army, that very few failures occurred among the mercan tile classes; because the private capitalists, understanding perfectly the nature o f the crisis, instead o f partaking in a common panic, and rushing headlong to ruin, as is always the case, under such circumstances, with corporate associations, extended liberally and freely their aid to all their customers, carrying them through their obligations as they matured, until the return o f political calm ; when business reviving, brought back their means with safety and profit to all parties. T he prevalence o f banking corporations in this country has hitherto stifled the growth o f this class o f citizens, who are emphatically the pillars o f the state. They form the only resource o f the government in furnishing forth its armies to beat back the invading enemy, and in supplying revenues, which perish with the cessation o f commerce. A t such times, paper banks are crushed beneath the weight that leans on them. O f late years, banking has been going out of favor, and individual genius and enterprise is rapidly assuming its position. The public are already, in cheap exchanges, and superior facilities, experiencing the superiority o f individual, over corpo rate bankers. Foremost among them, Mr. Little may be ranked; and the progress o f events, with the rapidly increasing wealth o f the whole country, with its concentration in N ew Y ork, are opening before him a brilliant destiny 395 Mercantile Miscellanies. C O M M E R C IA L P R O S P E R IT Y O F E N G L A N D . T he English papers give, from an important document, just issued from the statistical department o f the board o f trade, under the signature o f Mr. G. R. Porter, amongst other interesting matter, the following data, for forming an estimate o f the increasing prosperity o f Great Britain. W e only wish the “ commercial prosperity” would produce, as it should, a corresponding social progress— that the conscience o f the British nation were thoroughly awakened to the importance o f improving the condition o f the famishing mil lions, who are the chief instruments o f the nation’s wealth. T he quantity o f coffee entered for consumption in the five months o f the years 1843 to 1845, ending 30th June, was as follow s:— In 1843,12,748,350lb s.; 1844,11,462,380 lb s .; 1845, 14,896,401 lbs. Eggs— 1843, 36,078,796 ; 1844, 32,789,360 ; 1845, 35,453,566. Sugar— 1843, 1,694,688 c w t.; 1844, 1,498,998 c w t .; 1845, 2,000,933 cwt. Tea— 1843, 16,586,036 lbs.; 1844, 16,635,349 lb s.; 1845,18,169,551 lbs. W ine— 1843, 1,947,164 gallons; 1844, 2,976,508 gallons; 1845, 2,874,500 gallons. The total value o f manufactured goods exported, was, in 1843, £ 1 7,02 7,19 0; 1844, £1 9,490,719; 1845, £20,482,579. T he number o f vessels in the foreign trade, entered inwards, was, in 1843, 6,251 ships, 1,244,186 tons; in 1844, 6,930 ships, 1,180,286 ton s; and in 1845, 642 ships, 1,532,748 tons. T he number o f vessels in the foreign trade, cleared outwards, was, in 1843, 8,418 ships, 1,521,936 tons; in 1844, 7,972 ships, 1,412,694 tons; and in 1845, 8,288 ships, 1,693,008 tons. T he coasting trade, inwards, was, in 1843,4,174,439 tons ; in 1844, 4,326,334 tons; in 1845, 5,225,932 tons. Outwards, it was, in 1843, 4,360,984 tons; in 1844, 4,507,848 ton s; and in 1845, 5,398,419 tons. M A N U F A C T U R E O F SU G A R IN F R AN C E . T h e statistics published in the French papers o f the production and consumption of indigenous sugar, during the season o f 1844-45, show the situation o f this manufacture to the end o f March last, and the amount o f duty received. According to these tables, it appears that the manufactories in work were 294, or 31 less than at the same period last year. Manufactories not in work were 21, or 29 less than last year. T he quantity o f sugar produced was 32,373,449 kilogrammes, or an increase o f 5,598,054 kilogrammes on last year. Stock at the end o f March was 8,861,791 kilogrammes, or an increase of 2,438,760 kilogrammes on last year; and the amount o f duty paid was 4,025,860f., or 537,462f. over the sum received last year. Thus it will be seen that, if the number of manufactories has decreased, the production, and its benefit to the treasury, have increased. H O W TO M A K E A GOOD CLERK. Inattention to business is not always the effect o f a pressure in the money-market, but is induced, sometimes, by a variety o f causes. I f a merchant wishes a clerk to be faithful, and attentive to his interest, he should take some care o f the welfare o f those in his employ. A n y act o f kindness, by which gratitude will be awakened, will g o farther towards making a good clerk, than a thousand severe, and sometimes irksome business precepts. A display o f passion towards those who, by the nature o f their situation, can make no defence, is not only galling to a sensitive mind, but it often leads to future evils, which no opposite influence can counteract. P R O D U C T O F T H E G O L D A N D P L A T I N A M IN E S O F R U S S IA . By a report sent in by the Russian minister o f the interior, it appears that the gold and platina mines o f Russia, the former o f which were first worked in 1815, and the latter in 1819, have produced, up to the end o f 1844, about 9,000 pouds (157,000 kilos.) o f fine gold, valued at 150,000,000 o f roubles, or 600,000,000 f., and 2,000 pouds (35,000 kilos.) o f platina, worth 7,000,000 o f roubles, or 28,000,000 f. T he gold and platina mines o f Russia are almost all in the Ural and Altai mountains. Two-thirds o f them belong to the state, and one-third to private individuals, o f whom the Prince de D em idoff and the Count de Strogonoff are the largest proprietors. 396 The Book Trade, THE BOOK TRADE. 1. — Journal o f the Tezian Expedition against M ie r ; Subsequent Imprisonment o f the A u th o r; his Sufferings, and Final Escape from the Castle o f Pcrote. With Reflections upon the P resen t Political and Probable Future Relations o f Texas, M exico, and the United States. B y Gen. T homas J. G reene . Illustrated by Drawings taken from L ife. By C harles M ’ L a Ughlin , a Fellow-JETisoner. N ew Y o r k : Harper & Brothers. The Texas revolution is perhaps one o f the most remarkable political movements recorded in the annals o f history. “ Napoleon, in twenty years’ warring with nearly the whole combined world, did not lose half as many men, in proportion to the population o f France, as has Texas.” General Greene, in compliance with the request o f friends, has, as we are informed in the preface to the present volume, (a large and handsome octavo, o f nearly five hundred pages,) endeavored to give a faithful account o f the most im portant incidents o f this most sanguinary struggle, about which much has been said by the governments and people belligerent, as well as by friendly neutral powers. He makes no pretension to authorship, but simply endeavors to interest the reader with a plain tale, told in a homely way, ©f Texian daring; o f battles won and lost; o f dungeons and old castles; o f imprisonment, and hair-breadth escapes; o f unparalleled sufferings, and cruel murders. The Mexicans, as pourtrayed by the author o f the present narrative, are scarcely entitled to sympathy for the loss o f T exa s; and w e are assured by the author that i f he has been unjust to Mexico, it is in failing to detail at length her vices ; and that what he has said o f the general degradation o f that nation, o f the wretched want and misery o f the people, is far short o f the whole truth. The narrative is interesting in the highest degree, and cannot fail o f exciting admiration for the heroic courage with which the decimated Texians met their fate at Solado. The thirteen engra vings o f scenes and events connected w ith the recital, etc., taken on the spot by Mr. M ’Laughlin, one o f the Mier prisoners, impart additional interest to the fetter-press illustrations. 2. — Miscellaneous W orks o f Thomas Arnold, D . D . N ew Y o r k : D. Appleton and Co. Philadel phia : George S. Appleton. Am ong the sterling volum es that have just been issued from the Am erican press, few o f its class can be named w h ich present so many recommendations as this series o f Arnold’ s “ miscellaneous w orks.” T h e topics are largely diffused, but all having only one grand design, to contribute the workings o f a Philanthropist’ s heart, and a scholar’ s intellect to the permanently accelerating advance m ent o f the w elfare o f mankind. Dr. Arnold was em phatically a man f o r progress ! T h e rusty an tiquated mummery o f the medial centuries o f darkness and superstition, o f barbaric chivalry, and crusading massacres, presented to him no allurem ent; and the feudal vassalage and “ villainage,” w ith their inseparable ignorance and debasement, were as repugnant to his judgm ent and sensi bilities, as the Russian knout and the Turk’ s bastinado. It follow s, therefore, that in general, Dr. Arnold’ s writings are imbued w ith that fearless tone o f sincerity, that dauntless advocacy o f the “ rights o f man,” that persevering search after practical truth in its purest vicissitudes and most ben eficial application, and that burning zeal for the cultivation o f our com m on humanity, w h ich render ed his arduous labors so advantageous to his fellow Britons ; and so far as applicable, w ill be equally useful to all w ho carry into operatien his noble principles and plans. 3.— The Medici Series o f Italian Prose, JVbs. 2 and 3.— The Florentine H istories. B y N icolo M acchiavelli . In two volum es. Translated and edited by C. E dw ards L e s t e r . N ew York : Paine & Burgess. T h ese histories o f the republics o f Italy, by the master intellect o f Macchiavelli, contain the germs o f the soundest political wisdom . T h e translator has happily alluded, in his preface, to the applica bility o f many o f the truths taught by the political mutations o f that republic to our ow n age and country. T h e original intention o f M acchiavelli to com mence w ith the history o f the times o f Cosmo de M edici, in the fifteenth century,- was afterwards so far changed, that he com m enced w ith the irrup tion o f the barbarians upon the Rom an em pire; and w e have thus, in the first volum e, the early his tory o f Italy, its changes, the feuds o f the Guelphs and Ghibbelines, continued to the fifteenth century, w hile the second volum e contains the history o f Florence during that century, w hile the republic was under the rule o f the M edici family. T h e triumphs o f Cosimos, the “ Father o f his Country,” and the beautiful portrayal o f the life o f Lorenzo de Medici, the pillar o f Italian literature and art, are so skilfully translated from the great Italian mind, that the volum e deserves to be prized by men o f letters. 4__ Gleanings from a Gathered H arvest. By M. M. N oah . N ew Y o r k : Charles W ells. Unlocking m usty trunks and boxes, long mouldering in the dust, our w itty and w orthy friend the Major informs us that he discovered the papers comprised in the present volume, many o f w hich have heretofore been published, but in times so long past, that it is not convenient to remember w hen they first saw light. Gentle satire on the follies o f city life, w ith a mingling o f quaint humor, and undogmatical morality, are leading features in the present collection o f “ gleanings.” W e hope to be favored w ith not only “ a few more o f the same kind,” but other ripe fruits, “ gathered” from the same source. The Book Trade, 397 5. — Memoranda o f a Residence at the Court o f London; comprising Incidents, Official and Personal, from 1819 to 1825; including Negotiations on the Oregon Question, and other Unsettled Questions between the United States and Great Britain. B y R ichard R ush , Minister, etc., from the United States, from 1817 to 1825. Philadelphia: L e a & Blanchard. T h e necessity o f information and documents by the public, in the possession o f Mr. Rush, as w ell as the desire to publish a sequel to a former volum e o f the same character, that he might present som e incidents o f personal and social interest during his stay in Great Britain, has called out this volum e. T h e official character o f the w ork w ill be its greatest recom m endation; and seems, as the author states in his preface, designed for England as w ell as America. He urges an am icable adjust m ent o f the difficulties relative to Oregon, and presents some new and interesting facts in the report w hich he transmitted to Mr. Adams, (then Secretary o f State,) upon that subject, and w hich occupies over one hundred pages at the close o f the volume, forming an invaluable document for our statesmen. T h e accounts o f personal characters in England, and the social incidents related, are interesting. 6. — Harper's N ew Miscellany, N os. 1 and 2.— The Elements o f M orality, including Polity. By W il liam W ilewell , D. D., author o f “ The History and the Philosophy o f the Inductive Sciences.” In 2 vols. New Y ork : Harper and Brothers. It is not our purpose, at this time, to speak o f the merits o f a work from an author o f so high repute as Professor W hewell. He ranks among the most eminent scholars o f the age, and the present work has been eulogized as exhibiting “ in a lucid, exact, and elegant style, the great principles o f moral, political, and ecclesiastical science, in a far more complete and methodical manner than has ever yet been presented to the public.” In regard to the series o f which these volumes form the two first numbers, we must say that they are, without exception, the cheapest that have ever been published in this country. By this, we do not mean that the “ getting up” is cheap, but that more real intrinsic value is obtained for the same price, than has ever been afforded in any other form. The volumes, each containing over four hundred pages, are handsomely printed on fine paper, and neatly bound, and sold at fifty cents ; so that the present work, the English edition o f which costs about $6, is sold by the Harpers in their series for $1. 7. — Modern Cookery, in all its Branches, reduced to a System o f E asy Practice, f o r the use o f P ri vate Families; in a Scries o f Receipts which have been strictly tested, and are given with the most minute exactness. By E liza A cton . Illustrated w ith numerous wood cuts. T o w hich are added, Directions for Carving, Garnishing, and Setting out the Table, with a Table o f Weights and Mea sures ; the w hole revised and prepared for American Housekeepers. By Mrs. S. J. H a l e . From the second London edition. Philadelphia: Lea & Blanchard. T h e copious title o f the volume, quoted above, presents a very com prehensive outline o f its cha racter and contents. Our opinion, unsupported by those w h o are experienced in domestic affairs, w ould be worth very little ; but, w ith their approbation, w e have no hesitation in recommending the treatise to our fair countrywom en generally. T h e Medico-Chirurgical Review , good authority, warmly recommends it, and pronounces it as useful to the young Mrs., and her cook in the kitchen, as Thom pson’ s Dispensatory or Conspectus to the young doctor in the library. Som e h a lf dozen o f the leading London Journals speak o f it in terms o f high commendation. W e have the pleasure o f a long personal acquaintance w ith Mrs. Hale, the Am erican editress; and w e can safely say that her good sense is as prominent in the circle o f her acquaintance, as it is to the public as an author. 8. — D issertation on the Progress o f Ethical Philosophy, chiefly during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. By Right Honorable Lord J ames M ackintosh , L L . D. W ith a Preface. By the Rev. W illiam W h e w e ll , M. A., Fellow o f Trinity College, Cambridge. From the second Edinburgh edition. P h iladelphia: L e a & Blanchard. Mackintosh could have written a better system o f ethics than many w h o have inflicted their huge volum es upon the w o rld ; but the peculiar modification o f his theories he has presented in such dis sertations as th is ; in w hich, after a brief retrospect o f the ancient and scholastic ethics, he has given us a full, connected, and progressive view o f the modern, by considering the system o f each philosopher separately, from Hobbes to Stewart and Brown. In the general remarks at the close, the author has brought out many o f his ow n view s. A s his mind was more collective and synthetic than original, they w ould perhaps be neglected by the students o f the progressive and continually changing philosophy o f the day. A better history o f modern philosophy, in so small a compass, has not been w ritten ; and, in the philosophical library, it must rank among the standard volumes. 9. — The L etters o f the R ev. John N ewton, late Pastor o f the United Parishes o f St. M ary Woolnoth and St. M ary Wool-Church-Haw, Lombard-Street, L ondon; containing an Authentic N arrative, drc.. L etters on Religious Subjects, originally published under the signatures o f “ Omicron" and “ V irgil,'' and Cordiphonia, or the Utterance o f the Heart. To which is prefixed, Memoirs o f his L ife,% c. By Rev. R ichard C ecil , A . M. N ew Y o r k : Robert Carter. T h is is a handsomely printed octavo volume, o f three hundred and eighty pages ; but to those w h o are familiar with the religious literature o f the closing part o f the last, and first part o f the present century, the name o f Newton, the dissolute sailor boy, and subsequently the devout Christian and zealous divine, is too w ell known to require any further statement than the mere announcem ent o f the publication o f the present edition. T h e memoir, by Cecil, w ill be appreciated by all w h o sym pa thize in the religious views w hich the life o f his subject is designed to illustrate. Indeed, there Is m uch that w ill interest and instruct all intelligent readers. 398 The Book Trade. 10.—A Treatise on Domestic Economy, f o r the Use o f Young Ladies, at Home and at School. By Miss C ath arine E. B eecher . N ew Y ork : Harper & Brothers. T h e writer o f this w ork was led to attempt it, as she informs us in her preface, by discovering, in her travels, the deplorable sufferings o f multitudes o f young w ives and mothers, from the combined influence o f poor health, poor domestics, and a defective domestic education. It w as originally pre pared as a text-book for fem ale sc h o o ls ; and it has been examined by the Massachusetts Board o f Education, and adopted as a part o f the Massachusetts School Library. Th at board is composed o f some o f the leading minds in this country, and their approval o f the w ork w ill generally be received as a sufficient guarantee o f its excellence. 11. — Genius and Character o f B u m s. B y Professor W ilson , o f the University o f Edinburgh, etc. Library o f Choice Reading, JVo. 21. N ew Y o r k : W iley & Putnam. T h is beautiful essay is one o f the most interesting volum es o f the Library. T o his sympathy and kindred feeling w ith the song-w riter and man. the accom plished scholar and contributor to Blackw ood has added a thorough knowledge o f the poet's untaught, yet unsurpassable pow er. Excepting Mr. Carlyle’ s inimitable essay, w e w elcom e it as conveying the most just criticism, and truest idea o f one o f “ nature’ s noblemen.” F ew have been better calculated to give an artistic memorial o f the labors and life o f “ the great leader o f the Scottish song” to the w orld. It is a w orthy tribute to his genius, his m em ory, and his fate. 12. — Essays o f E lia. By C harles L am b . First and second series. L ibrary o f Gkoicc Reading , J Vo. 22 and 23. N ew Y o r k : W ile y & Putnam. W e are glad to see Lam b’ s Essays in this Library so soon after the appearance o f H ood’ s prose and p oetry; for the works, like their authors, are kindred in humor and genius. Lam b’ s humor is wanting in that deep tragic characteristic o f Hood’ s, as his life and circumstances called less for the strong endurance w h ich the latter exercised; ye t w h o ever rose from the perusal o f “ Elia” without feeling o f lighter heart, and more benevolent, and full o f sympathy towards G od’ s creation [and his crea tures 1 W e can say nothing in commendation o f these essays that has not been said by the press, or felt by their readers. 13. —A Treatise on D iseases o f the Sexual Organs, adapted to Popular and Professional Reading, and the Exposition o f Quackery, Professional and Otherwise. B y E dw ar d H. Dix o n , M. D. N ew York : Burgess, Stringer & Co. T h e author o f this treatise seems to be anxious that his m otive should not be misapprehended, and w e are sure that it w ill not be, among the sensible portion o f our community. T h e book m ay be con sidered as a valuable contribution to science and medical bibliography, as w ell as useful to many that need not a physician—certainly to m any that do. It has no mark or sign o f quackery about it, al though the author confesses the book originated in self-interest. A thorough experience in this branch o f the profession could only have enabled him to produce a treatise apparently so scientific. 14. — Oracles fro m Shakspeare: with a Selection o f Aphorisms, from the same Author. H am ilton . Boston: Saxton &. Kelt. N ew Y o rk : Saxton & Miles. By R obert T h e ingenious idea o f this pretty volum e is, by an arrangement o f sentences from the poet, to form a system o f fortune-telling, to pass aw ay an idle hour, and blend, as the author says, “ instruction w ith amusement.” It suggested to us the fancy that, had Shakspeare lived three thousand years before his time, w ould not many a shrine, w ith pries.tess and burning lamp, have given forth, in prized fragments, these words o f w isdom to the anxious votaries. T h us genius is a God to one age, a priest to another; in another, still, a man in all respects like his fellow s, save in his inspiration. 15. — Christian R etirem ent; or, Spiritual E xercises o f the H eart. By the author o f “ Christian E x perience, as Displayed in the L ife and W ritings o f St. Paul.” N ew Y o r k : R. Carter. T h e design o f the pious author o f these reflections, as stated in the preface, is to induce a habit o f self-examination and prayer, and to excite to a more diligent perusal o f the word o f God. T h e y are intended as a friendly visiter, for the sacred retirement o f the Christian. T h e sale o f fourteen editions in England, is conclusive evidence o f the popularity o f the w o r k ; and w e have no doubt but that it w ill obtain as w ide a circulation among the same class o f persons in this country. 16. — Rudimental L essons in M u s ic : containing the Prim ary Instruction requisite f o r all beginners in the A r t, whether Vocal or Instrumental. By J ames W a r n e r , Translator o f W eber’s T h eory o f M usical Composition, etc., etc. N ew Y o r k : D. Appleton & Co. Philadelphia: G. S. Appleton. T h is little manual is designed for beginners in the study o f music. It appears to contain the pri mary instruction required by the instrumental as w ell as the vocal student; and, as far as w e are capable o f judging, is w ell adapted for both. Its simplicity o f style, its m ethodical arrangement, and its copious lists o f questions, render it peculiarly fitted for use in schools. 17— The Blossoms o f M orality; intended f o r the Amusement and Instruction o f Young People. Illus trated with Tw enty-Three D esigns, b e . Philadelphia: G. S. Appleton. T h is little volum e contains eighteen or twenty narratives, each calculated to ctn v e y to the juvenile reader some lesson o f moral or social virtue, without the appearance o f pedantry. Narrative is the best method o f instruction to the young—almost the only one. The Book Trade, 399 18. — Poems. By E l iza be th O akes S m it h . N ew Y o r k : J. S. Redfield. T h is volume contains, in addition to the beautiful poem o f the “ Sinless Child,” several shorter p ie c e s ; and among them the popular one o f the “ Acorn,” and a number o f sonnets. In the longest poem o f the volume, the “ Sinless Child,” w ill be found pictured a character o f such perfect and pure loveliness and grace, as hardly lives even in the dreams o f the good. In the beautiful virtues, and in the fair creations o f the imagination by w h ich they are exemplified, w e are at a loss whether to ad mire more the pow er that creates, or the beauties portrayed in the beings described for us to love. T h e pow er o f description, and combination o f natural images, reminds us o f Coleridge’ s “ Ancient M ariner;” where earthly purity is o f such an order that w e think o f the supernatural, and supersti tion seems to be necessarily called for as a completion o f the idea. 19. — The R o s e ; or, Affection's G ift, f o r 1846. N ew Y o rk : D. Appleton & Co. T h e annuals are among the first things that remind us o f a coming year. This one, how ever com m on-place in contents, is beautiful in execution, and contains some finely executed engravings, among w h ich are “ T h e Little Gleaner,” “ N um aan d Egeria,” and “ T h e Cottage Children.” T h e selec tion is doubtless very suitable for the purpose o f the book—an ornament to the drawing-room, seldom i f ever read, save w hen one is passing aw ay a few moments waiting for a dilatory guest, or escaping an unpleasant companion. 20. — Gertrude. By the author o f “ A m y Herbert,” etc. Edited by the R ev. W . S e w e l l , B. D., Fel low o f Exeter College, Oxford. N ew Y o rk : D. Appleton & Co. Philadelphia: G. S. Appleton. T h is is the first volum e o f Appleton’ s “ Literary M elange,” in w h ich series w e expect to see, from these enterprising publishers, works w h ich w ill form a delightful intellectual repast. “ Gertrude” is a story o f domestic English life, a subject exhaustless, although the Hannah More’ s, Miss Landon’ s et id genus omnc have drawn from the same fountain. T h e style o f the novel is unrivalled, w hile the materials are w ell woven, and the story natural, from a pen evidently versed in society, but not so spoiled by it as not to perceive the true beauties o f individual character—the virtues that adorn, as w ell as the accom plishm ents that please. 21.— M y Uncle Hobson and I ; or, “ D ashes at L ife with a Free Broad-Axe .” B y P ascal J ones . N ew Y o rk : D. Appleton & Co. P h iladelphia: G. S. Appleton. T h is amusing volum e abounds in graphic and hom ely delineations o f Am erican life and charac* ter. “ M y U ncle Hobson,” as the book says, “ was a pedlar, and carried on a large business in the east, the west, the north, and the south.” T h e nephew, Pascal Jones, the hero, goes through the regular steps w h ich a hero o f a novel is expected to do, in a sensible N ew England way. T h e abun dance o f slang phrases, and occasional vulgarity, are the c h ie f objections to the work. A n amusing part o f the volum e is that in w hich the professors o f the doctrines o f the “ second advent,” and other humbugs o f like character, are ridiculed. 22. — The American Shepherd; being a H istory o f the Sheep, with their Breeds, Management, and D is* eases, illustrated with Portraits o f Different Breeds, Sheep-Barns, Sheds, Sec. With an Appendix^ embracing upwards o f Twenty L etters from eminent W ool-Growers and Sheep-Fattencrs o f different States, detailing their respective modes o f Management. By L. A . M o r r e l l . N ew Y o rk : Harper & Brothers. T h is is a duodecim o volum e o f nearly five hundred pages, and is, w e believe, the first thoroughly Am erican treatise on the subject that has been published, and has the sanction and recommendation o f the N ew Y ork State Agricultural Society. It embodies the results o f long experience, aided by a thorough research into the practice o f the best breeders o f sheep and w ool-growers in Great Britain and the continents. 23. — The True Child. By Mrs. E. O akes S m ith , author o f the “ Sinless Child,” etc. Boston: Sax ton & Kelt. N ew Y o r k : Saxton Miles. Mrs. Smith says these little stories are “ not for good children nor bad children, but real children.'* Children w ill read them, and remain children, as they s h o u ld ; for w e have men and wom en enough in the w o r ld ; and the age is beginning to discover that its precocity, like that o f its children, is no advantage. 24. — Gospel P rom ises; being a Short View o f the G reat and Precious Promises o f the Gospel. By R ev. J oseph A lleine , author o f “ A n Alarm to the U nconverted,” etc. N ew Y o r k : R. Carter. In this little volum e, the various promises o f the Bible are arranged and classified under distinct h ea d s; tinged, o f course, w ith the popular evangelism o f the great majority o f the orthodox Church J irrespective o f the various sects o f w h ich it is composed. 25. — The E v ery-D a y Christian, Mo. 1. By T . H. G a ll au d et , late Principal o f the American Asylum for the Education o f the D eaf and Dumb. N ew Y o r k : Paine & Burgess. T h is is a book w h ich the good and the true o f all sects, and no sect, m ay read— “ mark, learn, and inwardly digest,” w ith profit. It is practical, forcibly inculcating the moral dignity o f every-day du ties. Its pages are devoted to temperance, and the social relations o f the fam ily state, embracing the domestic duties o f father and mother, clerks and apprentices, and the duties o f their em ployers to the latter. 400 The Book Trade. 26. — L ives o f the Queens o f England, fro m the Norman Conquest, with Anecdotes o f their CourtsN ow first published, from Official Records and other Authentic Documents, Private as well as Public. V ol. VIII. By A gnes St ric k l an d . Philadelphia: L ea & Blanchard. T h is volume o f the series contains the interesting biography o f Ilenriette Marie, consort o f the unfortunate Charles the First, o f England, and also that o f Catharine o f Braganza, consort o f Charles the Second. T h e sufferings o f the first, from the ill-starred fortunes o f her husband, w ill be interest ing to all those w h o have made that period o f English history their study, and w ho have defended the beheaded Stuart. Her attachment to the king deserves honorable record. Q ueen Catharine’ s sufferings were from an entirely different quarter. Her life was far less blameless than Q ueen Hen rietta’s ; and there w ill, o f course, be less sym pathy for w hat she suffered from Charles the Second, Buckingham, the Duchess o f Portsmouth, and his other profligate companions. T h e memoirs are interesting, and the series, on the w hole, w e ll designed. 27. — The M ission ; or. Scenes in Africa. W ritten f o r Young People. B y Captain M a r r y a t t . N ew Y ork : D. Appleton & Co. Philadelphia: G. S. Appleton. A lthough Captain Marryatt’ s earlier fictions, designed for all readers, were particularly pleasing to boys, w e consider their moral tendency at best doubtful, i f not exceptionable. This remark, how ever, does not apply to his more recent works, especially intended for the young. O f this latter class, are “ Masterman Ready,” “ Settlers in Canada,” and the one before us. T h e “ Mission” is a familiar com pend o f diversified “ Scenes in Southern A frica,” derived from the details o f the British mission aries in Caffraria, adapted especially to juvenile readers, and at the same time encouraging the “ no blest spirit, and exertions o f active benevolence.” 28. — Elocution Made E a s y ; containing Rules .and Selections f o r Declamation and Reading, with F igures Illustrative o f Gesture. By R. C l ag g e tt , A . M. N ew Y o rk : Paine &. Burgess. Text-books on the subject o f elocution have multiplied, o f late, to an unlimited exten t; but no au thor, w e believe, except Mr. Claggett, has attempted to divest the study o f many objectionable fea tures, w h ich have rendered it unsuited to the capacity o f juvenile classes. In the w ork now before us, the author has reduced the principles o f the science to such a degree o f simplicity, without exclu ding the more important rules and illustrations, that the merest child, w h o can read w ith tolerable fluency, is initiated into the subject by a process both easy and effective. W e understand that the plan adopted by the author is the result o f long experience in teaching, and, w e should think, w ell calculated to render the study o f elocution a pleasing recreation, and habituate the pupil to chaste and elegant enunciation. 29. —Simmonds's Colonial Magazine, and Foreign Miscellany. Edited by P. L . Simmonds, Esq., F. S. S. London : Simmonds & W ard. T h e August number o f this popular periodical is replete w ith articles o f value and interest. It fur nishes, from month to month, able papers concerning the geography, history, commerce and resources, not only o f Ihe British provinces throughout the world, but a vast amount o f information on various subjects, that possesses a general .and permanent interest. Our estimate o f the value o f the w ork m ay be gathered from the fact that, in reply to the charge-d’ affaires o f the United States to the repub lic o f Venezuela, w h o wrote to us, expressing his desire to becom e a subscriber to some English pub lication corresponding in character w ith our Magazine, and asking us to recommend the best w e knew, w e referred him to Simmonds’ s Colonial Magazine, as the best w ork o f the kind in England. B O O K S I N P A P E R C O V E R S , P U B L I S H E D S IN C E O U R L A S T . 30. — The White Slave; or, The Russian Peasant G irl. By the author o f “ Revelations in Russia.” N ew Y o r k : Harper & Brothers. [This w ork meets w ith m uch approbation. W e have seen one or tw o well written criticisms from the press.] 31. — The H otel Lam bert; or. The En graver's D aughter. A Tale o f L ove and Intrigue. By M. E ugene Sue . Translated from the French, by a Lady o f Boston. N ew Y o r k : E. W inchester. 32. — The Bosom Friend. A N ovel. By the author o f “ T h e Gambler’ s W ife ,” “ T h e Young Prima D onna,” etc. N ew York : Harper & Brothers. 33 . — The H alf- Yearly Abstract o f the Medical Sciences ; being a Practical and Analytical D igest o f the contents o f the principal British and Continental Medical Works published in the preceding six m onths; together with a series o f Critical Reports on the Progress o f Medicine and the Collateral Sciences, during the same period. Edited by W . H. R anking , M. D., Cambridge, etc. N ew Y ork : J. &. H. G. Langley. 34. —Adventures o f Captain Suggs, late o f the Talapoosa Volunteers, together with “ Taking the Cen s u s ," and other Alabama Sketches. By a Country Editor. W ith a portrait o f “ Simon” from life, and other illustrations by Darley. Philadelphia. Carey and Hart. [T h e smallest favors from the respectable publishers o f this amusing volum e greatfully received.] 35. — E s s a y s on Human Rights and Political Guarantees. By E .P. IIu rlbut , Councelor at L a w in the city o f N ew York. N ew Y o r k : Greeley and M ’Elrath. [W e intend to speak o f this w ork after w e have found time to read it. W e have, how ever, read enough to excite in us an interest in the doctrines it promulgates, and enough to recommend it to all enquirers after truth. 36. — Treasury o f H istory, N o. 7. N ew Y ork: Daniel Adee. [This concludes British history, bring ing events down from 1776 to the present day, and contains a spirited account o f the troubles between that country and her colonies—a thrilling picture o f N apoleon’s erratic career— the times o f George IV ., W illiam IV ., and Victoria—the operations o f the British in India, China, and elsewhere—as w ell as a part o f the history o f Ireland.] 37. — Christina and her Court. A Swedish Historical Tale. N ew Y o r k : E. W inchester.
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