Full text of The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review : September 1853, Vol. XXIX, No. III

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H U N T ’S

MERCHANTS’ MAGAZINE.
E s t a b li s h e d J u l y , 18 3 9 ,

BY FREEMAN HUNT, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.

VOLUM E X X I X .

SEPTEMBER,

1 85 3 .

NU M BE R HI.

C O N T E N T S OF N O . I I I ., Y O L . X X I X .

ARTICLES.
A r t .

p a g e

.

I. DOMINION OF THE SEAS, AND THE FISHERIES. By D e x t e r F. P a r k e r , Me­
chanic, o f Massachusetts.............................................................................................................. 275
II. OREGON: ITS COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES................................. 291
III. COMMERCIAL CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE UNITED STATES.—No. x x xv .—
NE W BUR Y PORT, MASS AC HUS ETTS.................................................................................... 299
IV. TRAITS OF T R A D E -L A U D A B L E AND INIQUITOUS. By a Merchant o f Massachu­
setts.............................................................................. .................................................................. 315
V. TRADE OF TREBIZOND IN 1852. By. J. P. B r o w n , Esq., o f the United States Lega­
tion at Constantinople.................................................................................................................. 319
VI. OPORTO: ITS COMMERCE, ETC............................................................................................ 322
VII.
COMMERCIAL BENEFITS OF S LA V E R Y . By W m. S. P r i c e , M. D............................... 325

J O U R N A L OF M E R C A N T I L E L A W .
The Incorporation o f Fire Insurance Companies in the State o f New Y ork................................... 331

COMMERCI AL CHRONICLE AND R E V I E W :
EMBRACING A FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL R E V IE W OF THE UNITED STATES, ETC., ILLU STRA­
TED W IT H TABLES, ETC., AS FOLLOWS I

Increased Excitement in the Money Market—'With an Explanation o f its Causes—Inquiry into the
Connection between the Course o f the Banks and the Convulsions in Trade—Summary Statement
o f the Banks in the United States—Private Banking Houses—Bank Returns in New York—Cash
Revenue of the United States, and Proposals for Redeeming part o f the National Debt—Receipts
and Coinage o f Gold for July— Imports at New York for July and since January 1st—Cause and
Effect o f the Increased Imports—Imports o f Dry Goods for July and since January 1st, for four
Years—Exports from New York for July and since January 1st—Exports o f Leading Articles o f
Domestic Produce from New York, and from all Domestic Ports.................................... ....340-348
VOL. X X IX .---- N O. III.
18




274

CO N TEN TS

JOURNAL

O E N O . I I I ., V O L . X X IX ,

OF B A N K I N G ,

CURRENCY,

AND FI N AN C E .
PAG E.

Revenue and Expenditures o f Great Britain........................................................................................ 348
Condition o f the Banks in the United States...................................................................................... 349
Condition of the Banks o f Ohio................................................................ ............................................. 352
Insurance Companies in New Y ork...................................................................................................... 353
The Purchase o f Silver by the United States Mint.............................................................................. 355
Condition o f the Planters’ Bank of Tennessee.......................................................................... .......... 355
Condition o f the Banks in the City of New Y ork................................................................................ 356
Condition of the Bank of Charleston in 1853........................................................................................ 356
Supplemental Banking Law of Illinois................................................................................................. 357
Gold—its Increase and its Effect............................................................................................................ 359
Redemption of the Public Debt o f the United States......................................................................... 360
Product o f the Precious Metals in 1852................................................................................................. 360

COMMERCIAL STATISTICS.
Commerce and Navigation o f the United States...................................... .......................................... 361

COMMERCIAL

REGULATIONS.

Alterations in the British Tariff.............................................................................. .............................. 367
Of the Appraisement o f Imported Merchandise;................................................................................ 373
Reduction o f Duties by the German Zoll-Verein................................................................................ 373

RAILROAD,

CANAL,

AND S T E A M B O A T

STATISTICS.

General Railroad Law of Iowa...............................................................................................................
Steam Marine of New York.—Railroads: their Necessity as a Means o f Wealth...........................
Locomotives on the Pennsylvania Railroad.........................................................................................
Self-acting Railroad Brake.—Mobile and Ohio Railroad...................................................................
First Steamboat on the Western Waters..............................................................................................

374
377
378
379
379

J O U R N A L OF M I N I N G A N D M A N U F A C T U R E S .
Song of the Miner.—Manufactures o f Paris.........................................................................................
Iron Manufactures in Great Britain.......................................................................................................
The Iron Trade o f Scotland.—Manufacture of Silesian Iron..............................................................
Mining and Manufacturing Corporations in Michigan............ ..................................................... .
Cotton and other Manufactures of Prussia...........................................................................................
French Gelatine........... ...........................................................................................................................

380
383
384
385
387
388

S T A T I S T I C S OF P O P U L A T I O N .
The Census o f the United States............................................................................................................ 388
The Pauper Population of Ireland and England.................................................................................. 389
Population o f California.......................................................................................................................... 399

NAUTICAL INTELLIGENCE.
Quarantine Regulations o f Turkey.................. ............. *............................................ ......................
Australia, Bass’s Strait, Revolving Light on Cape Otway...................................... *.........................
Light on Sorello Point, near Cape Granitola, on the South Coast o f Sicily....................................
Quarantine Regulations at Puerto R i c o ...............................................................................................
Lights at the Entrance o f Manilla Bay, Philippine Islands . . : ........................................................
Sand Cay Light, Florida R eef................................................................................................................
Electric Telegraph, South Foreland to Belgium..................................................................................
Oxo Fixed Light, Entrance to Christiana, Norway.............................................................................

MERCANTILE

391
391
391
391
392
392
392
392

MISCELLANIES.

The Great Heat in the Month of August, 1853..................................................................................... 393
Frankenstein’s Panorama of Niagara.................................. ................................................................ 394
Tne Fast Man o f Business...................................................................................................................... 394

T I I E BOOK T R A D E .
Notices o f 38 new works, or new editions.




395-400

HUNT’S

MERCHANTS’ MAGAZINE
*

AND

COMMERCIAL REVIEW.
S E P T E M B E R ,

1 853.

Art. I.— DOMINION OF THE SEAS, AND THE FISHERIES.
A y e a r since the whole nation was laboring under intense excitement in
regard to the subject o f the fisheries. British cruisers were swarming upon
those waters which, for more than half a century, had been the peaceable
fishing grounds of American citizens, and, in defiance o f all law, and all ju s­
tice, attempted to drive our hardy fishermen from their peaceable and prof­
itable pursuits, and at the same time, asserting claims to certain parts o f the
fishing grounds, the absurdity o f which could only be equalled by the inso­
lence with which she attempted to enforce them. Government, to allay the
excitement, to quiet the growing discontent o f the people, and restore con­
fidence to those employed in that hardy occupation and, at the same time,
most important branch o f Commerce, gave out that the two governments
were endeavoring to cause a final and reciprocal settlement o f the question.
But, as yet, no such arrangements have been made, and our rights are no
more carefully defended or rigorously guarded than they were then, while
on the part o f her Majesty’s government, comes the assurance that it is p re­
pared and intends to renew this season the overbearing policy it pursued the
last. Nor have the British colonies interested in this question ceased their
importunities to the mother country, but, on the contrary, we have now be­
fore us an address from both houses o f the New Brunswick Legislature, to
her most gracious Majesty the Queen, which urges, with undiminished vigor,
the repetition o f that policy which awakened such wide-spread and well
merited indignation. In this address (published in the London Times May
11th, 1853,) they, in behalf o f the colony, declare that the prompt and ef­
ficient protection afforded by her Majesty’s naval forces to the fisheries o f
British North America which secured its coasts from foreign aggression dur­
ing the last year, and enabled British subjects to enjoy unmolested their
rights and their privileges, has inspired the inhabitants o f New Brunswick
with increased confidence in the determination o f her Majesty’s government




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Dominion o f the Seas and the Fisheries.

to maintain, to the fullest extent, their claims to those unalienable privileges,
and they again entreat that her Majesty will be pleased to continue such
protection, with the belief that it will prove much more satisfactory than the
acceptance o f any equivalent yet offered by the American Government.
They then add, “ Maritime nations, at all times and in every quarter o f the
globe, have set up and maintained certain exclusive privileges within three
marine leagues o f the shore, and by universal custom and the law o f nations,
this claim has been defined by lines not within bays, but from the entrances
o f such as are designated by lines drawn from headland to headland forming
such bays.” They then assert that our fisheries are valueless, theirs price­
less ; that there can be no reciprocity in mutual liberty to fish on each oth­
er’s coast, but that, as a set-off to our free participation in their fisheries, we
must admit a reciprocity in trade in the following commodities, v iz.: grain
and breadstuffs o f all kinds, all natural productions of'the colonies, including
their fish, to admit colonial built ships to register in American ports, to per­
mit colonial vessels to trade from one port to another, in the United States,
and lastly, the privilege o f fishing on the American coast. Upon this ad­
dress the government organ, (May 14th,) in a semi-official manner, expresses
its satisfaction in hearing that such beneficial results attended her Majesty’s
demonstration, and adds, “ W e at once acknowledge the validity o f the in­
terpretation given by the British government to the treaty o f 1818, and the
importance o f putting an end to the infractions o f that convention which had
occurred partly under cover of the concessions made with reference to the
Bay o f Fundy in 1845.” It then assures the colonists that instructions,
similar to those given last year, have been sent to Admiral Seymour, and
adds “ that experience has demonstrated that these measures are in no de­
gree inconsistent with the rights o f the United States.” These measures
here spoken o f and asserted to be the result o f a desire to fulfil a treaty
stipulation, are nothing more or less than the revival o f England’s old claim
to dominion o f the seas.
This claim o f property in the sea dates even from the fabulous ages, and
there is scarcely a nation o f antiquity, or even those o f modern times, but
have asserted this claim and, at some period o f their history, warred for it.*
Each and all o f them called this assumed right the dominion o f the seas,
and, as the claim still lives, and is intimately connected with the three great
unsettled points o f commercial interest, viz.; right o f search, impressment
o f seamen, and the fisheries, we propose in these papers to look at its rise
and progress, and to examine into the foundations upon which it rests, espe­
cially as regards the fisheries. O f the nations o f antiquity, whose manners,
customs, and habits have been handed down to us upon the pages o f history,
the Phenicians stand pre-eminent as the first maritime and commercial peo­
ple. Settled by the shores o f the Red Sea,f (which they possessed on all
sides, and could rightfully claim dominion over it,) they made its waters
their home, and claimed it as property; and we may here remark that the
origin o f the claim o f property in the sea was based on right principles, and
still bolds good by the law o f nations.
W hen driven from thence by the children o f Israel to the more extended
coast o f Syria, they, unmindful o f the vast expanse before them, asserted the
same claim, coveting no empire on the land, but asserting that of the sea.J




* France constitutes an honorable exception,
f Herodotus.
$ Rees.

Dominion o f the Seas, and the Fisheries.

-7 7

Quintus Curtius remarks o f them, that from the time o f their taking com ­
mand o f the sea, they grew mighty in power and dispersed their colonies
to S^ain, Africa, and the British Isles. O f the colonies she planted, Car­
thage was her glory and her pride; and well did the child remember the
example and precepts o f its founders and parents. Planted by a Tyrian
colony under Dido, their pursuits, like Tyre’s, were purely commercial, and
in furtherance o f their purposes, they possessed themselves o f many places
on the coast o f the Mediterranean, and conquered the Sardinian, Corsican,
and Canary Isles, and made voyages o f discovery that have handed down to
posterity the name o f Hanno, who shines more brightly as a navigator than
a statesman.* Descendants o f Esau, they early gave signs o f being willing
instruments in fulfilling the decree o f the Almighty, that their hands
should be against every man’s, and every man’s hand against them ; and in
each and all o f their pursuits they asserted their claim of being “ lords o f
the sea,” and when at the hight o f their power, they once set bounds to the
navy o f Rom e.f
The custom o f the Persians in sending an ambassador to demand earth
and water o f other states as an acknowledgment o f her dominion over these
two elements, is too well known to need any further remark; but there is
another nation which demands a more extended notice, because, for many
centuries, she has been supposed to have been peculiarly averse to the navi­
gation o f the seas, and yet this very power disputed with Phenicia the do­
minion o f them.
The Egyptians worshipped Isis as the Grecians did Neptune, and moved,
as they thought, by that god, they sought upon the sea the honor, glory and
dominion they had gained upon the land. A s we remarked in the com­
mencement, this claim extended back to the fabulous ages, and among the
poetic tales o f Greece was the story o f Jupiter robbing his father o f his
kingdom and sharing it with his brethren, giving Pluto the infernal world,
himself taking the earth, and giving Neptune the sea.J W h ile such were
the legendary tales o f Greece, it is not to be wondered at that Minos, its
first king, claimed dominion over the waters adjacent to his island, and in­
culcated the same opinion into the then lesser states o f Greece.
Nor were they slow in arrogating to themselves this power, and in con­
tending for it. Athens and Sparta poured out like water their best blood,§
and spent treasures which, if they had been husbanded, might have kept
Peloponnesia from becoming the humble Roman province o f Achai. In the
exercise o f this power they restrained the Persians from sailing westward o f
Cayenne and Chalcedonis, and, as victory or success fluctuated between them
in their intestine troubles and maritime wars, they limited the number of
ships, or destroyed entirely the mercantile and maritime power o f their ri­
vals.! But these states perished from the seeds o f decay they themselves
had sown, and all became tributary powers and provinces to that towering
empire to whose Commerce they once set bounds, and whose navy they
once laughed to scorn. Whatever vices Rom e may have possessed, she had
one transcendent virtue, nor was it dimmed or weakened in its strength till
her pristine virtue had departed, and every noble principle o f her early
rulers overshadowed and beclouded by the vices o f her last race o f Empe­
rors. Though every nation that had preceded her had claimed property in*§
* Eschenberg’s Classical Manual.
f Rollin, vol. i., p. 169.
§ Sir Walter Raleigh’s History ol the World. 1G14. Part i., pp. 67, 72,88.




$ Selden.

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Dominion o f the Seas and the Fisheries.

the sea, her emperors declared that the sea and its shores were free to all
m?n ;* and, even to the times o f Justinian, the wisest lawyers of Rome de­
clared such to be then the law. But, under the emperor Leo, the possessor
o f the land was allowed to claim as property the water lying before it, and
to sell the privilege o f fishing, while, at the same time, the Thracian Bos­
phorus was parceled, like land, into lots, and sold to the highest bidder.-}
Till the time of Leo the Straits o f the Bosphorus were open to the freedom
o f trade; but under that emperor a tax was levied on each ship passing
through them, and Egypt was forced to send yearly an ambassador to Con­
stantinople to solicit the privilege o f navigating the Roman seas.} A s
Rom e grew feeble in defense o f her rights, so her smaller vassals grew inso­
lent in their demands, and beneath the very walls o f Byzantium Genoa warred
with Venice for the mastery o f the sea, and dragged in triumph through
the Golden Horn her vanquished foe, and, in its insolence, demanded o f the
emperor the concession, o f the dominion of the sea. A t the beginning o f
these contests, (12 59 ,) the Venetians were triumphant in every battle; but
in 1 2 9 3 -4 , they lost a hundred ships, and yielded to Genoa the mastery
o f the sea. But the glory o f that republic was of short duration, for des­
pite her defeats and disasters, Venice, during the next century, contended for
the right she had conceded, and, by the treaty of Turin, (1381,) gave the
death blow to that rival who claimed the empire o f the Black and Adriatic
Seas.); A t the latter part of this century she received from Alexander III.
a bull giving her the dominion of the Adriatic in consideration o f the ser­
vices she had rendered him in destroying the fleet o f Frederick Barbarossa.§
A t the latter part o f the fourteenth century, she had extended her maritime
voyages to the W est Indies, and in the fifteenth we find her warring with
Portugal for the dominion o f the Indian seas.
In the middle o f the fifteenth century, Austria, whose commercial enter­
prise she had very early checked, demanded a convention with her to discuss
the validity o f her claims to the dominion o f the Adriatic. In 1557 the
convention took place, and it was alleged on the part o f Austria that such a
claim was contrary to the freedom of trade (which Venice had previously
stipulated by treaty,) and a denial o f the principle that the sea was common
to all. Chizzola, on the part o f Venice, confesses that the proposition that
the sea was common to all, was true, but that it meant only the high waves,
that it must have a master, or else all upon its waters would go into anarcby; so that states were in duty bound to claim and exercise dominion over
it.jj H e also contended that the sea could be made property and be di­
vided among men and appropriated ; and lastly, based the right o f Venice
upon prescription, dating the claim back some six hundred years. It is al­
most needless to say that the convention produced no change, and that other
nations, in their turns, entered the same protest. The Hanseatic League, in
1640, reiterated the same general principles as those advanced by Austria,
and maintained that no one could be debarred the privilege o f navigation
and fishing, and that any one thus debarred had the right to bring an action
for damages.^]" She again responded as to Austria, asserting the right o f a
prince to allow or deny his or any other people the right, privileges and lib­
erties of Commerce. W e suppose it was at this period that Julius Pacius
Justinian’s Institutes, lib. ii., cap .2.
$ Smedley’s Venetian History.
| Dominum Maris. 1652.




t Chambers’ Dictionary, article Sea.
§ Bernard’s Historical Dictionary.
T De Jure Maritima et Navali.

Dominion o f the Seas, and the Fisheries.

279

put forth his defense o f the right o f the republi; as embodied in the three
propositions as given in Azuni’s Droit Maritime de l’Europe. The two first
were, in reality, embodied in the last, which was, what is the effect of this
sovereignty and dominion ? H e answers, it grants power to impose taxes or
duties, guaranties the protection o f the subject, and assumes the expulsion
o f pirates.*
As late as 1717, Austria again combated this claim, and
Bennetti Landi defended, with honor to himself and country, the principles
and policy o f Austria,! and when, a century later, Venice became incorpo­
rated with the empire she once spurned, she should have been consoled with
the thought that she was but paying simple interest on the debt she owed to
Austria for the four hundred ships she had taxed, confiscated, and destroyed
in asserting her right to property in the sea.J W hilst minor states were
thus asserting their claims, empires then deemed mighty, but now powerless,
came forward with their arrogant assumptions. Portugal, in the beginning
o f the fifteenth century, had commenced those discoveries which afterward
gave her such power, and made her so insolent while possessing it. Their
first voyages commenced in 1418, though it was not till 1433 that they
made the discovery o f Africa. In 1498 Grama landed upon the long sought
for coast o f the Indies, and thus laid the foundation o f Portugal’s dominions
in the East. Elated with the success o f his servants, and dazzled and blind­
ed by his boundless and precious acquisitions, he styled himself Lord o f the
Navigation and Commerce o f Ethiopia, Arabia and Persia.§ It was the
boast of the king that he possessed 12,000 miles o f seacoast, stretching from
the Cape o f Good H ope to the frontiers o f China, and over this vast extent
he arrogated to himself exclusive navigation,|| and ruined his empire by
contesting the opponents o f this claim. From the beginning to the end o f
Portugal’s arrogant assumptions, she had an ally every way worthy of her,
and whose end was alike disastrous and infamous. From the beginning o f
the discoveries o f Christopher Columbus, Spain arrogated to herself the
same right- of navigation and Commerce as did Portugal. In 1493 Pope
Alexander V I. granted the famous bull^[ giving to Spain all islands, conti­
nents and lands westward of one hundred leagues from the Azores and
Cape de Verdes, and added to the fact o f discovery under this bull** she
claims the right of sole and entire navigation of the Atlantic Ocean. W e
think that this claim provoked no very serious remonstrance till the time o f
Elizabeth, when it assumed a phase of importance not unworthy o f noticer
In the early part o f her reign the spirit o f adventure had prompted he.
* Azuni’ s Droit Maritime de l’ Europe, tome i., pp. 31, 32.
t Historical Register. 1717. p. 36d.
J Dominura Maris.
§ History o f British India.
| Five ships, sufficed to transact all commercial exchanges between Portugal and her East Indi­
possessions. At first the king had the monopoly o f the trade, giving the merchant twelve ducats
per quintal for the pepper, and only thirty thousand quintals were allowed to be imported, as that
was thought sufficient for all Europe.—Robert’s Map of Commerce. 1700.
Though this bull was the result o f a reference by the kings of Portugal and Spain, o f their mua
taal claims, which each deemed conflicted with the other’s rights, still it was not satisfactory to either
party. The reader will see by looking at the map, that the line drawn from the north pole one hun­
dred leagues westward o f the Azores, would have cut off Portugal from the Brazils, and in addition
to this, it conflicted with a previous bull, given to Portugal in 1445. To remedy these defects, a treaty
was made at Tordesillas, in 1494, removing the line 376 leagues (instead o f 100) westward from the
Azores, which carried Spain’s line to the outer bank o f Newfoundl-md. In 1506 another treaty gave
to each power the right to navigate and travel over each other’s seas and possessions. In 1525 an­
other meeting of the commissioners took place to settle the claims o f the Spaniards, as regarded
same East India possessions. The result was, Spain had ceded to her the Malucca islands, which
she sold to Portugal for 350,000 ducats. All of the various treaties and conventions were sent to the
Pope for his approval, and duly ratified by his bulls.—Cordon’s Spanish America, vol. ii.; Ancient
History o f Portugal.
** For the famous bull of 1493, under which Spain claimed the dominion o f the seas, see Haz­
ard’s Historical Collection, vol. i., and Annals d’ Espagne, et de Portugal, vol. iv.




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Dominion o f the Seas, and the Fisheries.

Drake, Raleigh and Cavendish to perform those voyages that have given
their names so conspicuous a place among the early voyagers o f England.
Drake, in circumnavigating the world, had sailed through those seas to
which Spain laid exclusive claim, and which prompted her to make it a mat­
ter o f complaint to the English court.*
N ot content with this remonstrance and prohibiting trade to America, she,
in 1600, prohibited all trade to the Indies,f and from this date her history
for a long period is but a continual repetition o f wars upon England and
Holland to drive them from those long coveted possessions. If any mon­
arch or any empire was ever capable o f enforcing such a restriction, it was
the monarch o f and the empire o f Spain and Portugal, then united under
Philip II. H e was at that time the richest monarch o f Europe, both as re­
garded his political power and princely possessions.^ Under him was fitted
out that Invincible Armada that was to have triumphantly asserted his claim
to the dominion o f the s'ea, but which was scattered by nature itself, as if she
was conscious o f the violation o f her laws which he proposed to commit.
By the defeat o f this fleet he was obliged to concede to Holland the right to
trade to the Indies, and leave England in the peaceable possession o f the
acquirements she had there made. W e see hut little for a century from
this date which seems worthy o f notice as regards the maritime pretensions
o f Spain; but, as early as the beginning o f the eighteenth century, she
again put in practice her early assumptions. Though, at first, her efforts
were directed to the encouragement o f the Ostend Company, hoping by the
success o f this project, to undermine the East India trade o f England and
Holland, (through the aid o f Austrian subjects in the Low Countries); yet,
a little later, in a note addressed to the Court o f Great Britain, she says,
(when attempting to conceal her treaty with Austria, by which she had stipu­
lated to that power aid in carrying out that plan,) “ should this treaty be
made (i. e. the Ostend part o f it) without reserving to itself (Spain) the ex­
clusive right o f navigation to the Indies, Holland might complain,” &c.
Here was the same assumption o f dominion as that put forth when she was
at the bight o f her power, nor was it an idle, unmeaning declaration; for
she soon began her seizures o f British ships sailing to the American colonies.
All vessels sailing within a certain distance o f her possessions, were seized
by her privateers, or rigorously searched and insolently examined by her
cruisers. In 1129 she had taken 130 ships and sloops, valued at £1,300,000.
Such outrages as these awakened in England universal indignation,! and
the result was that by the treaty o f Seville she was obliged to renounce the
secret treaty with Austria, and again guaranty the same rights to Holland
that she had endeavored to destroy ; and from that day she commenced her
decline from a mighty maritime nation, to a state too insignificant to attract
any notice and too weak to awaken any fear. A s Portugal was often the
ally o f her pride, so she is now the partner o f her degradation ; and the two
nations stand as a warning to all others to never assert a principle and war
for it, when it is contrary to right reason, the precepts o f God, and the law
o f nations.
* Elizabeth answered this protest by observing that the sea was common to all, and no one had a
right to forbid the navigation o f it.—Oriental Commerce,
f Discourse on the Present State o f Spain. 1001.
§ Biographe Universelle.
| The position of Spain at this time and the nature o f her claims will be found discussed at length,
under “ Enquiry into the Reasons o f the Conduct o f Great Britain with Relation to the Present state
of Foreign Affairs. London: 1727. Answer, Rejoinder, and further remarks. 1729. Also Histori­
cal Register, vol. xi., 1724, and xv., 1729, containing the treaty o f Seville.”




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Dominion o f the Seas and the Fisheries.

281

From these more southern and polite nations, in whose bosoms had
flourished the arts, Commerce, and manufactures, we turn to those northern
States, whose hordes desolated Rom e, and left upon Italy for centuries the
indelible marks o f their barbarism. As early as 570 the Danes, by their
maritime depredations, had given great trouble to the Roman emperors,
and by the eighth century, they carried death, devastation, and destruction,
to England, Ireland, and the countries around the Hellespont, and left as
the remembrancer o f their deeds, their devastations in Germany, the sack
o f Paris, and the ruthless slaughter o f all foes, and handed down to posteri­
ty the character of their nation and king, as chronicled in the death-song o f
Regner Lodbrag.* As rovers and pirates the northern nations were une­
qualed, yet, like their more refined neighbors, they levied a tax upon all
who visited the seas over which they claimed dominion, and exacted from
that nation over whose sea they claimed rule, a tribute, to save them from
instant destruction and annihilation. But to follow in detail their history,
would elicit no new fact as regards the form o f their claim, so we close by
remarking that from claiming dominion over all the seas adjacent to Scan­
dinavia and Britain, they have dwindled down to a single sound, and mod­
ern enterprise bids fair to render that claim worthless.f
Such are a few o f the many nations that have asserted this claim to prop­
erty in the seas, and as we turn away from them and their assumption, we
come, not to a nation actuated (as we might wish) by liberal views, enlight­
ened ideas, and noble political principle, but to one which, in asserting the
dominion o f the seas, combined in her claim, the vanity o f an Athenian, the
pride o f a Roman, the insolence o f a Spaniard, and the rapaciousness o f a
Portuguese. For this reason we propose to examine in detail the claim o f
England to the dominion o f the seas, as shown by her acts and the writings
o f her learned and distinguished men. Though Edgar, and some other
kings that succeeded him, properly belong to the Danish marauders, yet, as
he was seated on the throne o f England, we will commence our history with
him, briefly remarking, that in 937 he fitted out a fleet o f four hundred sail,
for the express purpose o f asserting his claim to the dominion o f the British
seas. Arriving at Chester, eight kings met him, and with their own hands
row ed his boat down that river to the sea, and his courtiers argued that this
act was an acknowledgement o f his sovereignty over the Ocean.),
Canute, his successor, reasserted his claims, and under circumstances so
peculiar, that we cannot help recurring to th em :— “ W alking by the sea­
shore with his courtiers, they told him the seas were his, whereupon he
ordered his chair to be brought, and sitting in it said to the sea, ‘ As the
land is my land, so is the sea my sea ;’ and from that day he became the
assertor o f the right.” § Upon the accession o f K ing Arthur, he caused all
natious to strike their topsails to his men-of-war, as a sign o f his sovereign­
ty over the seas ;|| and old K ing John declared, that he who would not
make whole fleets strike their topsails to a single men-of-war, should be
deemed an enemy, though he were before a friend.^]" O f these early mon-*§

* Blackwood.
t A company is now being formed and ere this is organized, for the purpose o f constructing a
railroad that1will obviate the necessity o f vessels passing the Sound.—London Times.
$ Collection o f English History. By Danyls.
§ Camden’s Britiana, where a facsimile of one of his coins is given, and explanations on the same,
by Walchen.
| Jacob’s Law Dictionary.
^ Sir Lionel Jenkins’s note to the mediator at Cologne.




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Dominion o f the Seas, and the Fisheries.

archs, we think no one asserted more ostentatiously his claim than Edward.
In the language of an early chronicler, “ The grand navie o f K ing Edward,
4,000 vessels and 100,000 men, sailed yearly round the Isle o f Albion and
the lesser isles, and he could not choose, I say, but by such full aud peace­
able possession, find himself (according to right and his heart’s desire) the
true and sovereign monarch o f all the British ocean.” * Another chronicle
found in Trinity Church, thus speaks his praise:—
“ But King Edward made a seige royal,
And wanne (won) the tow n; and in especial
The sea was kept, and thereof he was lord.”

O f the succeeding monarchs, we deem but few worthy o f notice, except
to remark o f Richard II. that he levied a tax o f sixpence on all vessels fish­
ing in the British seas, and his example was imitated by Edward IV ., Rich­
ard III., and Henry V II. Thus far the assertion o f this right had been
made by men o f iron nerve and unflinching purpose; but a new era was
opening, and a delicate woman gave this claim a form it never before posssesed, and a life and energy never before infused into it. The period in
which she came to the throne was pregnant with the fate o f empires, and
all Europe was rousing from the lethargic slumber o f centuries, and seeking,
by discoveries, war, conquest, and Papal grants, new additions to their
somewhat limited domains. Commerce also began to unfold its latent
powers, and manufactures to give new life and vivacity to the dormant en­
ergies o f nations. Spain, with its possessions in Am erica; Portugal, with
its riches o f the Indies ; Holland, with its then infant mercantile marine, and
the Hanseatic towns with their decaying trade, were all struggling for as­
cendancy and prominence; and the two first powers were hurling defiance
at the Virgin Queen, and bidding her keep the limits o f her own narrow
seas. To recount the deeds o f Drake, Cumberland, and Cavendish, would
require volum es; suffice it to say, they conquered in every sea, and their
mistress, in her turn, claimed the very dominion she once had denied.
Upon her coins was the image o f a port cullis, signifying, her power to shut
up the sea ; nor was it an idle assumption, for in her wars with Spain, she
refused to the king o f Denmark and the Hanseatic towns, the liberty of
carrying corn to Lisbon, and when they, in defiance o f her, attempted it,
she destroyed their ships upon the very shores o f Spain, giving as her rea­
son for the destruction o f them, “ that they had presumptuously made use
o f her sea without obtaining her royal permission for so doing.” ) All Eng­
land was wild with delirium at her success, and gloried in the extent o f her
claims, while the pious ministers o f Christ, when eulogizing her character,
boastingly said :—- “ She extended her dominion over our own seas, over the
ocean, and the Mediterjanein.”)
N or did the claim into which she infused
such vigorous life, expire with her, but James, upon his accession, issued his
edict forbidding any foreign vessels fishing in the British seas without a
license. Yet, if history may be trusted, the edict was merely formal, and
for thirty years the Dutch pursued unmolested, their fisheries in the British
Channel.§ But a new phase was to be put upon the aspect of these con-*§
* Hakluyt’ s Voyages, Travels, Discoveries, etc. vol. i., 10, 217.
f De Jure Maritiraa et Navalis. Rapin says she destroyed them for having contraband goods, but
does not deny the assumption of sovereignty as claimed by her. Vol. ix., book 17.
t Gilbert’s (bishop of Sarum) Essay on Queen Elizabeth.
§ The value o f Holland’s fisheries at this time, as estimated by Sir Walter Raleigh, was .£1,750,000,
employing 3,000 ships, and 50,000 m en; aud these gave employment to 9,000 other ships, and
150,000 persons, by sea and land.—Anderson’s Commerce.




Dominion o f the Seas, and the Fisheries.

283

stant, and, as was asserted, unwarrantable encroachments on England’s
rights, and though Rapin asserts^that it was because Charles wished for a
pretence for continuing ship money, that the privilege, after thirty years’
forbearance was called in question, still wo must candidly admit that we
believe it was provoked by the Mare Liberum o f Grotius. This famous
work o f Grotius was answered by the learned Selden in his Mare Claussum,
and so extraordinary were the claims that were put forward and attempted
to be proved by this book, that we feel we shall be pardoned for briefly re­
ferring to it, and show upon what ground that acknowledged expounder of
England’s assumptions bases his arguments and supports his pretensions.
Let us remark in the commencement, that Grotius, in his Mare Liberum,
asserted that the fisheries, by the law o f nature and nations,* were free, and
that upon these grounds only did the Dutch claim the right o f fishing.
The laws o f nations he defined to be those to which most civilized nations
had given their assent, or, to use his own language :— “ As the laws o f each
state respect the benefit o f that state, there might be, and in fact are, some
laws agreed on by common consent, which respect the advantage not o f any
body in particular, but all in general. And this is what is called the Law
o f Nations when used in distinction from the Law o f Nature.” f
After giv­
ing some o f Grotius’ authorities, that the sea could not be made property,
and defining the law of nations in almost the same words as his distin­
guished rival, Selden commences his labors by citing those nations that had
asserted the claim, taking the fabulous, legendary, and historical accounts
o f the various nations and states who. had arrogated to themselves property
in the sea. H e begins with the mythological account o f Jupiter, giving
Pluto the infernal world and Neptune the sea, then takes the legendary tale
o f Minos, Crete’s first king, then the various historic nations, as Egypt, Syria,
and nineteen o f her States, the Oriental nations, Greece and all o f its little
powers, and then Rome, the conqueror o f them all, together with the claims
o f the pontiftsjj; the various States o f Italy, Germany, and the Northern na­
tions, and among all others the Jews, whom Josephus asserts§ were not in
his time nor never were a commercial and maritime people.|| H e devotes
his second book mostly to the claim o f England, dating it back even before
the birth o f Christ, and tracing it downward to his own time. The reader
can see by this brief summary, that his research was almost boundless; but
to judge o f his labors we should read the poets, philosophers, statesmen,
lawyers, and historians, o f every tongue and clime, whom he liberally
quoted, to sustain his assertions and substantiate his facts. Truly if the
Law o f Nations had rested on the ground upon which Grotius placed it,*f
all must have confessed the truthfulness o f Selden’s remark, (in his Titles o f
H on or,)** when speaking o f Edgar’s title, who styled himself, “ By the clem­
ency o f the Thunderer G od, Imperator and Lord of the British Isle and the
seas circumjacent,” ) that in his “ Mare Claussum, wrote about 1 6 30 ,ff for*§
* The king in council, March 2G, 1G35, ordered Selden’s Mare Claussuin to kept in the councilchest, Court o f Exchequer, and Court o f Admiralty, as strong and faithful evidence o f the Dominion
o f the Seas.— History o f England.
t De Jure Belli ac Pacis.
t He refers to the true bull of which we have already spoken.
§ Josephus’s Letter to Appius.
| To prove the correctness o f his assertion, Selden quotes the writings o f the Rabbi Jehudra,
and Aben Ezra, both o f whom maintained that the sea before the land o f Palestine was the property
o f the Jews, lib. i., cap. 6.
T Grotius reasserted these principles in the Preliminaries to his De Jure Beilis a Pacis.
** Janui Seldini Jurisconsulti Opera Omnia. Tam edita quam inedita. London. 177G. V ol. iii.
f t It was not printed till 1G35, and then only in Latin.




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Dominion o f the Seas, and the Fisheries.

the assertion o f the marine dominion or empire o f the Crown o f England,
where also that great question touching the sea being capable o f dominion,
is largely disputed, and the affirmative clearly and fully concluded, especial­
ly out o f the law or custom o f almost all nations known on the earth.” But
the moment Selden quitted the field o f historic research, and attempted to
combat the proposition o f Grotius and Yasquez, that the sea was free to all,
and destined to be so ; that it was not, like other property, divided and di­
visible, he at once showed the weakness* o f his defense against these selfevident truths, by impugning the veracity o f Vasquez, and asserting that
the air as well as the sea could be made property and be appropriated by.
men.
The law o f nations, as laid down by Grotius, proved the wreck, (in
later days) o f Selden’s whole argument, for by it might have been proved
that might made right, and that even piracy was justified by the customs
and usages o f nations. But the monarch for whom he wrote cared not for
the self-evident truthfulness o f a principle, and in 1636 he attacked with
his fleet the fishing busses o f the Dutch, who ransomed themselves by pay­
ing £3 0 ,0 0 0 .f During the few succeeding years this claim seems to have
slept; but when Cromwell was firmly seated at the head o f the common­
wealth, it awakened, strengthened and invigorated by its long repose. The
Dutch fleet meeting an English one in the Channel, refused to strike their
sail, and from this little affair, and so-deemed affront to England’s suprem­
acy o f the seas, a war arose, which ended, as all the other wars o f the Pro­
tector did, in favor o f England; and though two centuries have passed
since those deeds were performed, that shed a halo o f glory round the Com ­
monwealth’s name, yet we seem almost to hear Cromwell telling his parlia­
ment, that Portugal had ceased her insolence, Holland lowered her flag at
his bidding, and that Denmark had given the same liberal privileges to
English vessels passing the sound, as she had to the Dutch ;J and thus all
had conceded to England the dominion o f the seas. The treaty thus
concluded by the Dutch with England left them the liberty o f fishing, nor
were they disturbed in this pursuit till the time o f Charles II. W a r at this
time breaking out, and the Lord Keeper, as the mouth-piece of the king
thus spoke:— “ Tue Dutch, no recompense offered, nor so much as leave
asked for.the liberty o f fishing upon our coast; and yet the right o f our
sole fishing is so clear, that we find in our ancient rolls o f Parliament, in
the times o f Richard II., a tax laid upon all strangers who fish in our seas,
and this not by way o f custom when they come into our ports, but by way
o f tribute for fishing in our seas; and this evidence of his majesty’s domin­
ion within his own seas, hath been in all ages downward preserved in some
measure until the time o f the late usurper, who for private reasons first
abandoned it. As to the flag this is the thing shall be done ; whole fleets
shall strike their sails to single ships, and they shall do it out o f his majes­
* Azguni, a distinguished jurisconsult o f Naples, whose writings we have before referred to, says,
in speaking o f Selden’s work, that as it defended the right of property in the sea, it was generally
regarded by the jurisconsults o f Europe as a weak defense of that principle.
t Hume thus notices this attack: u 1636. The effect o f the ship-money began now to appear. A
formidable fleet o f sixty sail, the greatest that England had ever known, was equipped under the
Earl of Northumberland, who had orders to attack the herring busses of the Dutch, which fished in
what was called the British Sea ; the Dutch were content to pay .£3(),0(J0 for a license that year. They
openly denied, however, the claim of dominion of the seas beyond the friths, bays, and shores, and
it may be questioned whether the laws of nations warrant any further pretension.”
% Cromwell’s Speech in the Painted Chamber, [Sept. 4, 1654,] “ took by one who stood very near
him, and published to prevent mistakes. London : printed for Ceorge Sawbridge at the Bible, Laudgate Hill, 1656.”




Dominion o f the Seas, and the Fisheries.

285

ty’s seas too.” * To this speech the House o f Commons replied: “ These
our humble requests (exclusion o f the Duke o f York and the appointment
o f Protestant officers in the state and army) being obtained, we shall, on
our part, be ready to assist your majesty for the preservation o f Tangiers,
and for putting your majesty’s fleet into such a condition, as it may preserve
your majesty’s sovereignty o f the seas.” f
In the instructions given to Sir
Lionel Jenkins, who was dispatched to Cologne to negotiate a treaty o f
peace with the Dutch, the king says, “ That you will demand £1 0,00 0 per
annum, as honorary acknowledgement for the great benefit that republic
reaps from the fishery on our coast, and £2 ,000 for the like liberty they
enjoy upon the coast o f our kingdom o f Scotland.” To this demand the
Dutch returned answer, that they were in possession o f the right o f fishing,
by prescription, o f about two hundred years, and had the celebrated treaty
o f Intercursus Magnus from Henry V II.
but that they would pay for the
privilege o f drying their nets on shore, or buy the right with one round
sum, and lastly, that rather than pay a tribute for the liberty o f fishing,
they would abandon it altogether, because it was a badge o f servitude, and
they would not submit to it. Suffice it to say, the Dutch carried their
point.
W e ought here to notice Lord Howell’s “ Precedence o f Kings,” in which
that learned man contends that the sea o f England extends to their neigh­
bor’s shore, and that the sea dominion o f England is one ground upon
which he bases the claim o f the precedency o f her king. In 1680 was
published another work entitled, “ De Jure Marilima et Navali,” and in­
tended for a defense o f property in the sea. Like Selden’s great master
works, it appeals to precedent, not reason, and in addition to defending this
claim, it asserts the right o f search and impressment of seamen. Another
tract upon this subject deserves our notice, as it was prepared by wish o f
Charles II., who had the only manuscript copy, but was afterwards printed
by command o f the crown. It is entitled “ Observations concerning the
Dominion o f the Seas. B y Sir Philip Meadows, Knight.” Unlike any
other writer that had preceded him, he contended that no king o f Great
Britain ever had dominion over the sea, or that any nation whatever ever
admitted their claim. H e also asserted that the custom o f striking the flag
was never stipulated till 1654, and then only because Cromwell wished the
monarchical nations to admit that the Protectorate was as worthy o f honor
as the crown. H e proves that the early claim was for the purpose o f de­
stroying pirates and preventing their depredation, and that no nation or
sovereign ever paid a license for the right o f fishing.§ In the course o f his
tract he maintains that “ he who asserts a sea dominion, and by it under-*§
* Speech of His Majesty, together with the Lord Keeper, to Parliament, Jan. 7th, 167$. Published
by Ills Majesty’s Command, by the printers to His Majesty, 167$.
t Address of the House of Commons. Dec. 12, 1680. “ 1 appoint John Wright and Richard Chiswell to print this address. Perused by me, according to the order of the House o f Commons ; and
that no other person presume to print the same.— Williams, Speaker.” Dec. 21st., 1680.
X A treaty peculiarly favorable to the Flemings, made in 1453.
§ This statement o f Meadows at first thought looks like an absurdity, especially when it Is so often
asserted that such and such nations paid for a license. But we shall at once see the truthfulness o f
it, when by examining the old histories it will be seen, that this tax was paid by persons in their in­
dividual capacity, and not as delegated agents o f a nation. Such was the tax paid by Bruges, cited
by Sir Lionel Jenkins, and that o f the Dutch at one period to the Commander o f Scarborough Castle.
It was paid by individuals to secure their exemption from molestation, and as in case o f the
Dutch, was soon forbidden by their respective nations. The same was true o f the ships in King
John’s time, which struck their fiag, and so down to Cromwell; but it was not, as he alledges, stipu­
lated by treaty.
Hargrave, in notes on Coke upon Lyttleton, commends highly this tract, and ranks it next to Sel­
den’s work.




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Dominion o f the Seas, and the Fisheries.

stands anything less than property, embraces a cloud for Juno.” H e then
explains the difference between power and property, and concludes in the
rightfulness o f sovereignty but not o f dominion over the sea. His review of
Selden’s arguments, and examination o f his facts, are replete with interest
and full of information, and doubly refreshing when coming from so disin­
terested a source, and in opposition to the then public sentiment o f England.
That his work produced no abiding effect is too clearly evidenced by the
early acts of William IH. Not only did he assert the dominion o f the seas,
in his declaration o f war against France, but in 1705 his minister procured
the passage o f an act prohibiting all aliens* from fishing upon the Banks o f
Newfoundland, or in any way encroaching on the same. In succeeding
years there is but little worthy o f notice as regards this claim, save that the
writer o f the “ Enquiry into the Conduct o f Great Britain in regard to her
Foreign Relations,” (1729,) urged upon the classes he addressed the neces­
sity o f asserting and maintaining the claim.
In 1769, Malachy Postlethwaite, in his Universal Dictionary of Commerce,
(translated from M. Savary’s work o f the same character,) reasserts this
claim, and on reading his treatise upon the “ Dominion o f the Seas,” we
could not help being struck by the truthfulness o f Sir Philip Meadows’s ob­
servation, that he who would write in defense o f the dominion o f the seas,
after Selden, would attempt an Illiad after Homer. In fa d the entire ar­
ticle o f Postlethwaite is but a plagiarism upon Selden’s both in argument
and fact.
Since that time there have been some signs o f a desire on the part o f
Great Britain, to renew this claim over whole seas, and this was evidenced
in 1783, by soliciting and obtaining from France the treaty of peace conclu­
ded with that power, for the purpose of striking out “ North Sea ” and in­
serting “ British Sea,” thus retaining, in the language o f the prime minister,
the acknowledgement o f Britain’s ancient claim.f O f the various forms this
claim took, from this date to 1815, we will only remark that the accredited
organ o f the British government boasted, during the last war with us, that,
as Rome limited the triremes of Carthage, so would England limit the ships
o f the American navy.J From this arrogant boast she was forced to recede,
and now, from claiming dominion over whole oceans, and property in whole
seas, she has narrowed down her claims and pretensions to tlie dominion of
a “ king’s chamber.”
Reserving the discussion o f this claim till we take up the fisheries, we
now pass to a point o f considerable interest.
W hile we have been speaking o f the different nations who have asserted
this claim, probably the inquiry has presented itself to every mind that loves
justice and honor, Can a nation have property in, or dominion over the sea ?
For us to answer this question, even if we were competent, in our own lan­
guage, would be but to provoke a smile at our presumption, instead of
awakening indignation at the enormity o f the claim and the insolence o f
that nation that now asserts it. W e shall therefore answer the question, by
citing the opinion o f the ablest writers who have over written upon the law
o f nature and nations, and o f property in or dominion over the seas. As
early as the Christian era, the emperor of the mightiest nation that perhaps
* We did not at first suppose that this act was intended to exclude the colonies also, but by refer­
ence to Hanzard’s Parliamentary History, we learn that such was the intention o f the bill.
+ Hansard’s Parliamentary History, 1775-6.
X Cobbett’s Letters.




V

■*'

s.

Dominion o f the Seas, and the Fisheries.

287

ever existed, declared: “ B y the law o f nature and nations, the sea and its
shore are common to all.” Grotius, the great champion o f the right o f H ol­
land as to free navigation, has thus left his testimony as regards property in
the sea. “ There is a reason in nature why the sea cannot be possessed or
appropriated, because possession is o f no force unless i.b e in a thing that is
bounded.” * So Vasquiz, a distinguished casuist o f Spain, to whose opin­
ion we attach more weight than any other, from the fact that he wrote
without any hope o f reward and against the claims of his country, thus ex ­
presses his opinion: “ From hence (the law o f nature) it appears how little
esteem is to be had o f their opinions who suppose that the Genoese and
Venetians may, without injury, forbid others to sail through their seas, as if
they could have laid claims to those seas by prescription, which is contrary
to the primitive law o f nature and nations, that cannot be altered.” And
again: “ Though the commonality o f land has been abolished, yet it hath
been and still is as to the dominion o f the sets, which from the beginning
o f the world to the present day is and ever hath been common to all.”
Rutherford(• is no less explicit: “ The ocean, either as"to the whole or as to
the principal parts o f it, does not admit o f property, but remains still in
common to all mankind, notwithstanding the introduction o f property in
other things.
“ Since, therefore, property in the ocean could not be introduced, either by
occupancy or by division, the necessary consequence is that it cannot be in­
troduced at all.” The opinion o f Puffendorf cannot be rightly understood
by throwing it into a single sentence, therefore we shall state more in de­
tail his opinions. H e assumes that the same divine grant that gave man
the land gave him the sea also, and that the fluidity o f the seas was no bar,
as alleged by Grotius, to its being property. H e then asserts that the
moral reason that the sea is sufficient for all and its bounties inexhaustible,
is the strongest reason o f all that has been urged against its being made
property; and still he does not believe the soundness o f the reasoning,
either as to the uses o f navigation or fishing. After thus expressing his
opinion that nations may obtain dominion by performing such acts o f sov­
ereignty as the nations require, he makes the remark, “ That the dominion
o f the main ocean would not only be unprofitable, but unjust, and that dis­
covery or possession around it, gives no claim.” H e then says: “ From
what we have observed, it is clear that to sail the ocean in a peaceful man­
ner hath, is, and ought to be the free privilege o f all nations;— it is, be­
cause no one people have attained such a right over the ocean as will justify
them in shutting out all others from the same benefit; and it ought to be,
because the law o f general kindness and humanity require it.” J
Brynkensbach is decided in his declaration as to property in the sea. H e
says (D e Domino Maris), “ There is no part o f the main ocean, nor o f any
sea inclosed with land, that belongs to any power farther than he can com­
mand it from the shore; because there is no power in actual possession.” §
W ith the opinions o f such men as these, so freely and copiously ex­
pressed, we might take leave o f this part o f our inquiry without doing any
injustice to the subject, but there is one who has not yet spoken, and who
combines in his opinion not only his own judgment, but that o f another*§




* De Jure Beilis a Pads, lib. ii., cap. 2, p. 3.
+ Rutherford’s Institutes o f Natural Law, book i., cap. 5.
% PuffendorPs Law o f Nature and Nations.
§ See M. Berbeyrac’s Notes on Puffendorf.

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Dominion o f the Seas, and the Fisheries.

abler than he,* and whose Law o f Nations is to-day the accredited author­
ity o f almost all states and empires.
H e expresses himself so clearly,
plainly, and decidedly, that we copy entire his impregnable arguments and
self-evident truisms : “ The open sea is o f such a nature as not to admit the
holding possession o f it, since no settlements can be formed on it, so as to
hinder others from passing it.” After remarking that nations may forbid
others to fish in and navigate it, he observes : “ Let us see whether she has
a right to do this'.” “ It is manifest that the use of, which consists in navi­
gation and fishing, is innocent and inexhaustible— that is to say, he who
navigates or fishes in the open sea, does no injury to any one ; and the sea
in these two respects is sufficient for all mankind. Now, nature does not
give to any one a right o f appropriating to himself things that may be inno­
cently used and that are inexhaustible and sufficient for all.” “ The right
o f navigation and fishing being, then, a right common to all, the nation that
attempts to exclude another from that advantage, does an injury, and fur­
nishes her with sufficient grounds for commencing hostilities. Nay, more,
a nation which, without legitimate claims, would arrogate to itself an ex­
clusive right to the sea, and support its pretensions by force, does an injury
to all nations, and they are justified in forming a general combination
against it, in order to repress such an attempt ” f
After such testimony as this against property in the sea, and the assertions
o f all writers that the sea is common to all, it will naturally be asked, How,
in defiance o f principles so self-evidently just and incontestibly true, came,
nations to assert this claim ? To answer this question rightly, and at the
same time to show the real position in which that nation stands that now
asserts this claim, it will be necessary to look at the rise and progress o f
those principles and laws that are now the admitted authority o f all civilized
nations, and which, “ when applied only to individuals, has called forth the
enthusiasm o f the greatest men and the greatest writers of ancient and m od­
ern times, in those sublime descriptions where they have exhausted all the
powers o f language, and surpassed all the other exertions even o f their own
genius in the display o f the beauty and majesty o f this sovereign and immu­
table law.” t
W h ile the principles o f which we propose to speak have called forth such
glowing praise from one o f the brightest intellects o f the a g e ; while the ut­
terance o f them has almost stamped the offices o f Cicero with the impress
o f inspiration ; while the contemplation o f them must strengthen every good
citizen in the love o f morality and virtue ; while their self-evident truthful­
ness and the constant obedience o f them, is the only bulwark o f the rights
and privileges o f any maritime and commercial nation, yet, though such be
their importance, we propose to look at them only so far as is necessary to
show the grounds upon which different nations have based their claim to
the dominion of the sea. To attempt to cite separately the principles of
each nation o f whom we have spoken, would be but to tire the reader with
a constant repetition o f the names o f nations who were devoid o f every
principle o f h on or; whose constant actions set at defiance every principle of
righ t: whose wisest legislators thought that a youth’s greatest virtues were
his thefts; whose wisest lawgiver thought piracy more honorable than labor,
* See Wheaton’s Law of Nations, page 182-5, where he compares the matter in Well’s and Vattel’s
work.
t Vattel’s Law of Nations, book i., cap. 23.
X Mackintosh’s Discourse on the Study o f the Law of Nature and Nations.




Dominion o f the Seas, and the Fisheries.

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and gave to it a systematic code ;* whose government devoted their mighty
energies to the subjugation of their neighbors, whose only crime was that
they were the weakest nation; whose, constant maxim was, that “ might
made right, and that no government could exist without injustice :"f who
deemed the conquest o f a foe a sufficient claim to his life, liberty, and prop­
erty, and the subju ation o f a nation as bestowing on them the right of
annihilation;— and, in fine, to tell the constant tale o f nations who believed
no principles o f nature’s laws, save those that made the eagle seize the dove
and the lion tear the lamb.J
Such were, indeed, the principles o f natural law inculcated and enforced
by those nations of whom we have spoken, though we must not forget that
among them were a few philosophers, who inculcated principles o f right
and justice, that at this distant day make us honor the names o f Zoroaster,
Socrates, P iilo , and PJato.§
As we leave these minor states o f antiquity, and come to that empire that
absorbed them all, we find more enlightened ideas, correcter principles, and
a juster acknowledgment and acquaintance with the laws o f nature. Cicero,
in his Republic, lib. 3, beautifully expresses his sentiments in regard to i t :
“ Right reason,” says he, “ is indeed a true law agreeable to nature, and
common to all men— constant, eternal, immutable. It prompts men to
their duty by its commands, and deters them from evil by its prohibitions.
Neither the senate nor the people can dispense with it.” || And then in the
Institutes of Justinian, lib. 1st, tit. 2d, it is declared as a fundamental law
o f the empire, “ That law which natural reason enacts for all mankind is
called the law o f nations. The laws o f nature observed by all nations, in­
asmuch as they are the appointments o f Divine Providence, remain fixed
and immutable.”
Such were the principles o f the Roman government when it declared,
“ that the sea and its shore were common to a l l b u t as she rose in power
and importance, she forgot the early purity o f her principles, her people
were corrupted with luxury, and in her decline she denied the principles
she asserted in her youth, and claimed the dominion o f the sea in her ex­
piring age. O f the nations that sprung up from her ruins, none were so
virtuous, either as regarded the virtue of their subjects or the principles of
their governments; and, as a matter o f cour-e, we find those nations assert­
ing principles as vicious as those entertained by their citizens, and their
claim to the dominion o f the sea may be rested on these grounds, at least
till the time o f Grotius:— 1st. That might made right, as with the northern
pirates and rovers. 2d. That it was conceded to them in consideration o f
keeping certain seas free from pirates, as Vattel remarks was the case with
Venice, and as Sir Philip Meadows informs us was the case with England,
to whom nations paid a tribute o f six pence a ton, in consideration o f her*§
* Wheaton’s introduction to Modern Law o f Nations.
f Cicero; Esprit du Lois, liv. xxi., chap. 7 ; PufFendorf, book ii., cap. 12.
$ We must except the Persians from those nations o f antiquity o f whom we have spoken ; nor are
they in reality chargeable with asserting a dominion of the sea for the purpose o f making it prop­
erty : on Jhe contrary, they regarded it as an object of worship, and demanded the acknowledgment
o f their sovereignty over it upon the ground of their being defenders o f the honor o f that Deity,
whose prophet, Agassau, said— “ Reverence the four elements, the second o f which is waier.” >ee
the Desatir, or Ancient and Sacred Writings of the Persians, containing the commands of morality
and the prophecy of various Persian prophets.
§ t'or an interesting account o f the development and progress of those principles o f natural law
that now constitute the basis o f every good government, see M. Berbeyrac’s Historical and Critical
Account of the Progress of the Science of Morality.
| Burlemaqui’s Principles o f Natural Law.
VOL. X X IX .---- NO. III.




19

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Dominion o f the Seas, and the Fisheries.

keeping the British Seas free from piratical rovers. 3d. Papal grants and
discovery combined, as in case o f Portugal and Spain. And, lastly, and
which, as we read the history o f those times and the crude nations then
prevalent, we believe to bo in reality the first cause of this claim, commenc­
ing with Rome, the inseparability of jurisdiction and sovereignty from do­
minion or property, as in case o f Rome, who kept four fleets in the seas
adjacent to Italy, that by possession she might always claim jurisdiction ;*
as in case o f Venice, who, in the language o f Chizzolla, kept the Adriatic,
that her subjects on its waters might be restrained by her laws and kept
from violence and anarchy; aud, lastly, as in case of England, who extended
her jurisdiction over the whole British Seas, that her subjects might ever be
protected in their rights and be amenable to the crown.)
W hile such were the foundations o f the claims o f most, if not all nations,
arising from the almost entire absence of any general principles o f justice
and right, causes were in operation that soon were to show the fallacy of
their claims and their undeniable injustice. W heaton ascribes, as one reason
o f the attentions that began to be paid in the middle ages to the duties of
men and nations, the discussion o f the casuist in the Catholic Church ; and
certain it is, that the principles advanced by Vasquiz, whose works are
quoted by Grotius, Selden, and Pufl’endorf, Saurez (the general tenor of
whose writings is given in Culverwell’s Light o f Nature, London, 1660),
Victoria, and Ayala, opened the way for Grotius, who justly ranks as one
o f the first who advanced those pure principles o f morality that should gov­
ern men and regulate the conduct o f states and empires.) W e have already
given his written definition o f the law o f nations; and in defining the law o f
nature, he seems to have adopted the opinion o f Aristotle, “ that the con­
sent o f all men in every point is to be deemed a law o f nature.” And again,
“ the consent o f all men is the voice o f nature.” So in relation to the law
o f nations, he declared the customs o f the most civilized nations to be the
law o f nations; and it was this basing the law o f nations on numbers in­
stead o f principles, that gave Selden the advantage over him in their con­
troversy as regarded property in the sea.
But, happily for the commercial world, a new era was approaching in the
science of morality and national law, and the law o f nations was to he based
not on numerical multiplication, but on G od’s immutable justice as evidenced
by the principles o f right he had implanted in man, or, in the language of
Culverwell, “ The law o f nature powerfully discerning aud abhorring evil,
and having the manifestations o f beauty and goodness.” Pufiendorf, who
* M. Berbeyrac’s Note on Puffendorf.
f “ The realm of England comprehends the narrow seas, and formerly it was the practice to
unish both treason and felony committed there in the Court o f King’s Bench.” —Hale, 54, 1
and., 152.
“ And such offences committed there might be tried in the next county adjoining to the coast, by
an indictment taken by the jurors for that county before a special commission.” —Admirably (E)
Cornyn’s Digest.
“ The king has the property in the sea as well as the land, and all profits in the sea and all navig­
able rivers. The king’s jurisdiction and interest extends over the whole sea between Britain and
Ireland and France, and the middle o f the sea between Britain and Spain.” —Navigation (A)
Comyn’s Digest.
“ The dominion o f the whole sea, which surrounds England, belongs to tte king. This dominion
extends to both shores, and the liegance or dominion o f it belongs to the crown o f England.” —
Prerogative (P) Comyn’s Digest.
Sir Matthew Hale observes, “ That in the open sea the king has a double right, viz., a right o f
jurisdiction, which he ordinarily exercises by his admiral, and a right of property or ownership.” —
Thomas Coke’s Inst. vol. i., 46.
“ If a man be upon the seas of England, he is within the kingdom or realm o f England, and within
the liegiance o f the king or o f his crown.” —Coke.
$ M. Barbeyrac.

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Oregon: its Commercial and Industrial Resources.

291

succeeded Grotius, based the law o f nature on the dictates o f right reason
and the law o f nations, on impartial justice. A ll that followed as writers
upon natural law or o f the law o f nations, among- whom were W olf, Vattel,
Montesquieu and Eurlemaqui, admitted this principle “ that each individual
nation is bound to contribute every thing in her power to the perfection and
happiness o f all the others, (Yattel.) Under such principles as these have
been swept away the last vestige, almost, of the claim o f dominion o f the
sea or property in its waters. And yet a shadow o f the claim still exists,
and which we propose to examine in another place, and we will conclude
this paper with a single remark. Though all the nations that have asserted
tais claim were apparently governed only by a desire to expel pirates, obtain
jurisdiction over their subjects, and keep, in the language o f Chizzola and
Pacius, the sea from anarchy, yet the real motive was the pecuniary enrich­
ing o f the nation and the destruction o f rival maritime states. Thus Venice
fought with Genoa that she might secure the profits o f helping forward the
crusader to the H oly L an d; with Portugal, that she might absorb the wealth
o f the Indies; and Portugal and Spain that they might enrich their king­
doms by the wealth o f two new worlds, and destroy the marine o f England
and Holland, and lastly, as with England, who hoped, by the destruction of
the fisheries o f Holland, to undermine and destroy its maritime power, and
make herself, like Holland, the carrier o f the world’s produce. She succeeded
in her plans, though not by the means she first attempted ; and now she re­
asserts a claim which, if allowed, will sap the very foundations o f our mer­
cantile marine, and place it, not where it now is, taking rapid strides by
which it will soon outrun her, but beside those dead, decaying powers, H ol­
land, Portugal, and Spain. That we have not misjudged the nation, nor
overrated the value o f the right threatened, and its importance to our mer­
cantile marine, we will demonstrate in our next paper upon the history,
value, and importance o f the fisheries.

Art. II.— OREGON: ITS COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES.
D E S C R IP T IO N O F O R E G O N — F A C E OF T H E C O U N T R Y — I T S N A T U R A L D IV IS IO N IN T O
S O IL — P R O D U C T IO N S — T R A D E

T H R E E R E G IO N S —

A N D C O M M E R C E — H E A L T H — N A V IG A T IO N .

O r e g o n is quite an extensive territory— extending from the divide on the
Eocky Mountains to the Pacific Oceau, some 1,200 miles, and stretching
north and south from 42 deg. to 49 deg. north latitude. The whole is nat­
urally divided into three regions : the eastern, middle, and western. These
regions are divided or separated from each other by lofty mountains. But
these dividing mountains, although they occupy a very large.portion of the
country, are not the only mountains in the territory. There are the coast
mountains, o f less altitude, stretching along the whole length o f our sea
co a st: then we find frequent collateral ranges running crosswise from one
.of these leading ranges to another, which leaves the valleys surrounded by
m untains on all sides. These valleys— (by the by, we term the intervening
space between two mountains a valley, whether it is rough or smooth)—-




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Oregon: its Commercial and Industrial Resources.

are, for the most part, interspersed with hills, some o f which are pretty
high.
I shall now attempt to describe each o f these regions separately, hut shall
confine myself more particularly to the west region, for the reason that the
settlements are, at present, confined to this region, and that it is the only
portion a description o f which would interest you. I will say of the ap­
pearance o f the east region, with the exception o f a small portion o f the
western part, that it is the most worthless desert on the face of God’s earth
— checkered with cross mountains, hills, kanyons, and sand plains, destitute
o f timber and vegetation o f any kind, except the artimacia or wild sage ;
the very smell and appearance o f this detested shrub is enough to disgust
you with the worthless country where nothing else will grow. True, in
many miles travel, and far distant apart, may be found very limited spots
that produce grass, and sometimes a few dwarf willows, and at such places
you will generally find water. This artimacia is the only chance for fuel to
cook with in passing through this desert land. But in the immediate
vicinity o f the Blue Mountains, which separate the eastern from the middle
region, there is considerable good land clad with a heavy coat o f the most
nutritious grasses, and the mountains around are covered with good fir and
pine timber, and watered by good springs and mountain streams. The
climate o f the east region is dry and hot in the summer, and dry and cold
in the winter. But let me here remark, that the altitude makes more dif­
ference in the climate, as it respects heat and cold, in not only this, but all
other parts o f Oregon, than in any other part o f the world I was ever in. I
will further remark, that this region, and a great portion o f the middle re­
gion, looks as if it had been burned with fire and brimstone for a thousand
years, then heaved up and torn to pieces by some powerful convulsion in
nature, leaving long and narrow chasms so deep, in many places, that the
eye with difficulty can reach the bottom. But I wish you to bear in mind
the exceptions, for I assure you that many excellent grain and grazing farms
could there be made.
W e come next in order to speak o f the middle or second region. This
is the intermediate space between the Blue and Cascade ranges o f mount­
ains. It is useless for me to give you distances here, for should, you pass
through, you would doubtless call it all mountains in this middle region. It
is very hilly and rough for the most part, destitute o f timber, except on the
mountain ranges and on some o f the mountain streams for a few miles in
the valley. Oak-timber is seen for the first time on your way from the
States, on the west side o f this region, as you approach near the Cascade
Mountains, but it is very short and scrubby; nevertheless, you will be glad
to see it— it is a species o f the white oak. There is an extensive sand plain
in this region along the Columbia River and about at the junction o f the
Umatilla River with the same. Those plains bear neither grass nor other
vegetation. The southern portion o f this region is highly volcanic, being
composed o f high and irregular hills covered with burned rock and scoria,
deep chasms, and extensive salaeratus plains. I will now give you some o f
the redeeming qualities o f this middle region, which will be found applicable
to the inhabitable part o f the eastern region likewise. The hills, valleys,
and table-lands, are mostly set with the most nutritious grass that I have
anywhere seen. It is called bunch-grass, from the fact o f its growing in
bunches some distance apart. Large portions o f this region, as you will be
able to discover, are well adapted to raising stock— which is at present the




Oregon : its Commercial and Industrial Resources.

293

most profitable business in Oregon— while sufficient grain lands, in limited
parcels, everywhere abound to support a “Sumerous population who may
choose to lead a pastoral life. This region is generally well watered by
rivers, creeks, and springs. The climate o f this region differs but little from
that o f the eastern, though there is no greater uniformity, taking a number
o f consecutive years, in the season anywhere in Oregon, than you find in
the Eastern States. W e have our hot and cool summers here, likewise our
mild and our cold winters. N o settlements have as yet been made in either
o f these regions ; they are held by different tribes of Indians. There is a
station for government troops at the Dalles o f the Columbia River, in the
western part o f this region, but few soldiers there at present.
W e now come to speak of the western region of Oregon. This region
extends from the Cascade range o f mountains to the Pacific Ocean, a dis­
tance differing from 100 to 150 miles. WThen I tell you that there is a
range o f comparatively low mountains extending along the Pacific coast, and
frequent cross ranges extending from the Cascade to this coast range, you
will be able to form a correct idea how it is blocked oft' into valleys. These
mountains are generally covered with a luxuriant growth o f the best fir,
cedar, and pine timbers, that are anywhere to be found. The summits of
these mountains are not always very easy of access from every part of the
valleys, on account o f collateral ridges and steep hollows. A map o f this
country will show you the relative position o f the rivers, as also the locality
o f their different sources, likewise the courses they flow. There is a river
running through each valley, with tributary streams from the mountains on
each side. W ith these general remarks, I will now begin to particularize,
commencing at the north, (and o f that portion lying north o f the Columbia
River, I am sorry that I cannot give information from actual observation,
having explored but little o f it myself,) on the Columbia River. There is
no portion o f country, from its source to its mouth, that can with propriety
be termed a valley; and through this west region it mostly runs through a
low chain o f cross mountains, forming, in many places, very extensive bot­
tom lands and numerous fertile islands. These bottoms and island lands
are divided into timber and prairie : these prairies, and in many places the
timbered lands, are covered with a heavy coat of tall grass, upon which the
stock grow fat during the greater portion o f the year. The timber is fir,
white oak, ash, soft maple, willow, balm of gilead— termed poplar by some
— but there is no poplar in Oregon. Vancouver is situated on the north
side o f the Columbia River some 90 or 100 miles from its mouth. The tide
flows on this river to the Cascade Falls, some 25 or 30 miles higher up. It
is navigable for large class vessels to the last named place.
As I cannot dwell long upon any particular locality, you must now leave
the immediate vicinity o f the Columbia, and, in going north, you have one
o f those cross ranges to travel before you can reach another valley. And
here allow me to remark, that a great portion o f the soil on most o f the
mountains throughout this western region is o f good quality. This remark
is alike applicable to the Blue Mountains— the timber is the great objection
to settling them. W e will now return to where we had crossed from the
Columbia River, north, over the mountains, and we find ourselves in what
is generally termed the Puget’s Sound country. The inhabitable portion of
this part is said to be quite extensive, though much o f the land near the
sound is said to be very gravelly and unsuited to farming, but good for
g. azing purposes, whilst in other parts are found lands possessing an excel-




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O regon: its Commercial and Industrial Resources.

«

lent soil. The prairies are said not to be so extensive here as in some other
parts, but the timber lands areTery rich. This part o f the country lies handy
to Puget’s Sound, one o f the best harbors in the world, with no mountains
to cross to get to it. Towns are fast springing up along the Sound, and
this part is filling up by settlers very fast. The country is well watered and
very healthy.
I shall not attempt to give you a description o f the country lying south
o f the Columbia River and west o f the Cascade range. First in point o f
importance is the Willamette Valley. In passing from the Columbia River
to this valley, a depression in the mountains on the east side o f the Willamette
affords an easy access, (though the mountains on the west side are not wor­
thy o f the name in this country). This valley is 150 miles in length from
north to south, and 40 miles wide from east to west. The Willamette
River approaches this valley from the south in three different branches,
which unite soon after reaching the valley, thence, running nearly through
the center o f the valley, empties into the Columbia five miles below Van­
couver. This stream receives many tributaries on each side, which rise in
the Cascades on the one side, and in the coast mountains on the other. This
stream and its tributaries are all skirted with timber, among which will be
found fir, oak, ash, soft maple, balm o f gilead, and a variety o f underbrush,
o f which the hazle and vine-maple are most common.
The Willamette River is navigable for shipping to Portland, which is the
chief commercial town in the territory; thence to Oregon City, 12 miles, it
is navigable for steamboats. A t this latter place is the celebrated W illamette
Falls, and above these the river is navigable for steamboats o f light draught
as high as Three Forks, about 100 miles. In the northern part of this val­
ley is the most timbered land, but in the south part there is more prairie
land. A great portion o f this valley consists o f beautiful level or slightly
undulating prairies interspersed with hills, some o f which are bare of timber,
whilst, others are sparsely timbered with white oak trees, which never grow
tall in this country. Both hills and valleys are covered with grass of good
quality, which dries up in the summer and again becomes green when the
rains commence in the fall. The soil is uniformly good throughout the val­
ley. The largest portion o f the people o f Oregon are living in this valley,
and it is more extensive than any other inhabitable portion lying in a com­
pact form. Towns and villages are fast springing up— the most important
o f which are Portland, Oregon City, Salem, and Marysville, all situated on
the Willamette River, and ranged up the valley in the order in which I
have named them. I have no statistical information whereby to enable me
to give an estimate o f the population o f either.
The climate o f this valley differs but little from the climate o f the bal­
ance o f the western region. The seasons are divided into wet and dry.
The rainy season commences about the first o f November and continues till
the first o f April, during which time we have long and tedious spells of in­
cessant rain, and much of the time is more or less showery. After the time
last named, we have but very little rain till fall again. W e generally have
some snow every winter, and every four or five years we have a cold winter.
W e likewise have rains in the summer in certain seasons. Rains are sel­
dom attended with thunder and lightning. Streams are much swollen in
the winter season— the ground gets full o f water and makes bad traveling,
and everything wears a gloom y and dreary appearance. From most any
spot o f open lands in the valley we have from one to three snow-peaks in




Oregon : its Commercial and Industrial Resources.

295

full view, whose white summits appear to pierce the verv skies. These are
ranged along the Cascade Mountains from 50 to 100 miles apart, north and
south. The wind prevails from the south in the winter, and from the north
in the summer. The nights are cool and pleasant during the summer,
though the days may be hot.
The Umpqua Valley comes next. It lies south of the Willamette Valley,
and is separated from it by the Callapooiah Mountain. This mountain is
not h igh : it is covered with timber, among which is to be found the Oregon
chestnut; the soil is good. The Umpqua, like all other valleys, is entirely
surrounded by mountains. This valley consists o f a succession o f hills and
narrow intervening valleys. The whole is covered with a fine coat o f excel­
lent grass. The soil is very rich in these small valleys. The Umpqua Val­
ley is about 60 miles long from north to south, and near half that width
from east to west. It is watered by two rivers o f the same name, which
unite in the valley and flo.v west to the Pacific Ocean. It is watered by
many other tributary streams of the Umpqua likewise, and many springs of
good water. The timber is fir, pine, white and black oak, <kc. The climate
is similar to that o f the Willamette, perhaps a little warmer in the winter
season. This v d le y is fast settling, mostlj by persons who wish to raise
stoek. But since the discovery o f gold in the south part o f the territory,
the produce o f the farms would demand a good price.
The Rogue River Valley lies south from the Umpqua Valley, and is sep­
arated from it by the Umpqua Mountain and a succession of mountain
ridges and narrow valleys. Ih is mountain is high, precipitous, and rough;
it is heaved up into high peaks, with intervening low gaps, through one o f
which a wagon road has been made, and with a small appropriation from
government, judiciously applied, an excellent road might be made. The
soil o f this mountain is rather poor, and such is the character o f all the
mountain soil south o f it. W hat is termed the Rogue River Valley lies
high up on the river o f the same n am e: it is 30 miles long from north to
south, and about 15 miles wide from east to west. It is a beautiful valley
to the eye o f the beholder, but much o f the soil is rather sterile ; yet there
is some excellent land that produces good crops o f native grass, and would
produce good crops o f grain if cultivated.
This valley is also settling fast: gold mines have lately been discovered
in it, and some o f the miners are doing very well. It is also near the Shasta
mines in California, which will secure a high price for everything raised
here. None o f the rivers south o f the Willamette are navigable, conse­
quently the supplies for the mines are taken from the Willamette Valley.
From what I have said o f this western region, you will see that there is a
succession o f valleys separated by mountains, and lying back from the coast
reaching from Puget’s Sound to the California line. It is necessary that
Congress should make an appropriation of money to locate and open a road
from Puget’s Sound through these valleys to the navigable waters o f the
Sacramento, or Bay o f San Francisco, in California. This is necessary to
the government for military purposes, and ere long will be indispensably so
as a post route.
In addition to those parts that I have attempted to describe to you, I
must say something about the country lying immediately on the coast. A t
the mouth of the Columbia River, on the south side, is a country o f limited
extent. This is called the Clatsop Plains, and is already thickly settled.
Higher up the river, on the same side, is the ancient town o f Astoria, sur-




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Oregon: its Commercial and Industrial Resources.

rounded by hills and high peaks o f the coast range; these hills are tim­
bered with fir, hemlock, &c. In this vicinity is found some o f the largest
and tallest timber in the territory. The country south o f this, on the coast,
has been but little explored; but sufficient is known to justify me in saying
there are many depressions and slopes on the Pacific side o f the coast
mountains, where good settlements may be formed. The soil is said to be
rich on the coast mountains generally. A t the harbor near the mouth o f
the Umpqua is a small settlement, and also at Port Orford, farther south.
The vicinity o f these settlements is hilly, mountainous, and rough. I f you
will procure a map o f Oregon, and locate places as I have imperfectly de­
scribed them, you will have a tolerable good knowledge of Oregon.
Many other persons beside yourself have made the inquiry o f me, by
letter, respecting the society o f this country. In answer, I will say that the
inhabitants o f the country are mostly immigrants from the United States,
consequently the society may, with fairness, be presumed to be just such as
tho:-.e who make the inquiry would form, if situated so themselves. I will
fuither remark, that each and every State in the Union, from Maine to
Georgia, has its representatives here, and I am happy that I am not the
only representative o f the good old Hickory State, Tennessee.
The same denominations o f Christian worshipers that you have in the
States are found here. Schools are as numerous throughout the country as
the sparse population will justify, though as yet we have no permanent
school fund, but Congress has appropriated the eighteenth part of all public
lands here for that purpose.
From what I have said, you can form a correct idea as to where the agri­
cultural lands are situated, as well as the grazing lands. Like all other
countries, the soil o f Oregon varies not only in color, but in productive
qualities. The prairie lands— which, by the by, are used almost entirely
for farming purposes— are mostly o f a dark-gray color, and the soil is what
is generally called a clay soil, from one to two feet bedded, with some
exceptions, on a porous clay, which becomes o f lighter color the deeper you
go, till you reach the sand, which you will do in fifteen or twenty feet in
most places. This quality o f soil is much darker when wet than when dry.
It pulverizes quite easy when plowed in proper order, but if plowed or
tramped by stock when it is wet, it will bake very hard when it becomes
dry ; and this is the case with all soils in this country, except some very
limited spots that are very sandy. W e also have a pale and a deep darkred soil. These colors o f soil are found on the hills in the Umpqua Valley,
and also on the hills in the south part of the Willamette Valley. Near the
base of some o f the hills, and on the bottoms o f some of the streams, the
soil is a rich alluvial deposit that produces extremely well.
The productions o f the country are wheat, oats, barley, rye, peas, and
garden vegetables, such as potatoes, cabbage, onions, beans, parsnips, carrots,
tomatoes, turnips, beets, melons, squashes, <fcc. The apple, pear, and peach
tree thrive very well, and produce good fruit. It would be a very hard
task for me to give you a satisfactory account o f the quantity of wheat, or
other grains, produced to the acre; for whilst but little depends on differ­
ence in soil, much depends on the time and mode o f cultivating. W here
land is well broken and completely pulverized by repeated harrowings after
the rains are over in the spring, and the seed sown and well covered, so that
it may come or vegetate with the first rains in the fall, it will, one year with
another, yield from 20 to 30 bushels o f wheat per acre, and more than that




Oregon: its Commercial and Industrial Resources.

29 1

o f oats ; but if sown late in the fall or in the spring, from 10 to 20 bushels
per acre will be the most. The garden vegetables that I have named thrive
well most anywhere on manured land. This climate does not suit the
growth o f corn ; it is not raised as a crop, but to use while soft. Our lands
will doubtless become deteriorated by continued crops o f small grain : we
shall then have to resort to clover and manure to fertilize them. Tame
grasses are not cultivated, as all the open parts o f the country produce a
native grass equally as good. This native grass is quite short compared
with that o f the Western States; but when not fed down, it runs up a seed
straw from two to three feet high, which produces a heavy crop o f seed.
On this grass cattle, horses, sheep, &c., subsist both summer and winter
without the care o f man. Hogs do tolerably well in this country, consider­
ing we have no corn to feed them o n : they subsist on vegetables, roots,
white oak and hazle nuts, &c.
I will now give you the prices o f some o f the products of the grain and
grazing farms :—
American horses, $100 to $200 ; Indiau horses, $40 to $ 1 0 0 ; American
cows, $50 to $60 ; oxen, per yoke, $120 to 1 5 0 ; sheep, per head, $4 to $6 ;
chickens, each, $1 ; beef, per pound on foot, 8 cents; pork, 10 to 12 cents
per pound on foot; stock hogs, 8 rents per pound gross; butter 35 to 40
cents per pou n d; eggs, 40 to 50 cents per dozen ; bacon, 25 cents per
pou nd; wheat, $1 V5 to $2 per bushel; oats, $1 per bushel.
These prices are obtained at or in the immediate vicinity o f the seller,
without the trouble o f going far to market. Potatoes and other vegetables
are raised in large quantities on the Columbia River and on the plains near
its mouth, for the California m arket; but I am not sufficiently posted up in
this market to quote the prices.
The export trade o f this country, since the discovery o f the gold mines in
California, has been confined to that country, and consists in lumber, stock
hogs, beef, butter, eg£rs, chickens, pork, oats, flour, potatoes, onions, &c., be­
sides large droves o f beef cattle, cows, and other stock, driven overland to
the mines. There is also much flour, bacon, butter, cheese, &c., packed on
animals or hauled in wagons to the mines. In the articles of flour and
grain, this country cannot compete with Chili, on account of the high price
o f labor here, and the very low price o f labor in that country. As to the
imports, every article, such as our clothing, boots, shoes, hats, &c., come
mostly from the United States and Europe ; our coffee from Rio, Java, and
the Sandwich Islands; our sugar and salt from various parts of the world
— a good portion o f it from the States and Sandwich Islands. Vessels are
arriving and departing all the time.
I am not aware that we have had more than one arrival direct from
C hina; but arrivals o f vessels from San Francisco, various ports in the
United States, Sandwich Islands, Europe, and other places, are o f almost
daily occurrence. For the prices o f store goods, groceries, and everything
in that line, I refer you to the Portland wholesale prices current— you will
add to these prices about 50 per cent, and you will then have a good idea
o f the retail prices in the country. The United States mail arrives twice a
month. W e have post routes and weekly mails to every inhabited part of
the country, besides a river route, by steamboat, from Astoria to Portland,
thence to Oregon City, thence to Marysville, high up the Willamette River;
also a route to Salt Lake, whence the mail goes and returns every two
months.




298

Oregon : its Commercial and Industrial Resources.

The representative population o f this country is about twenty thousand.
The Indians in the vicinity o f the settlements are not very numerous— they
are fast disappearing by death. They are generally harmless and-inoffen­
sive, and subsist mostly on salmon, which are found in great abundance in
most o f the streams that empty into the Pacific. There are a few bear, a
good many deer, and any quantity o f wolves in this country: the latter are
very destructive to stock in many parts o f the territory.
B y an act of Congress, approved September 27, 1850, donations o f lands
were made, (subject to certain conditions and restrictions,) to the then set­
tlers on the public lands in this country. By another section o f the same
law, provision is made for all who emigrate to this country and settle on
the public lands, from about the time last mentioned until December 1, 1853.
This latter section grants a donation of 320 acres of land to a married man,
and half that quantity to each single man who comes to the country within
the time specified. Four consecutive years’ residence and cultivation is ex­
acted by the government before you can obtain a patent. It is necessary I
should say, that each settler is allowed to select for himself any unoccupied
lands, except the 16th and 36th sections in each township, which are re­
served and appropriated for common school purposes.
Congress, by another act, appropriated money to extinguish the Indian
title to the lands in the western region o f Oregon. Agents have been ap­
pointed to make treaties with many of the tribes, but whether these treaties
will be confirmed or not, I cannot tell.
The health o f the first portion o f the western region spoken o f is not very
good, owing to the overflowing o f much o f the bottom lands by the Colum­
bia. It is somewhat subject to fever and ague, and other bilious diseases.
This remark is alike applicable to the bottom lands on the Willamette
River. In fact, bilious, typhus, and lung diseases, influenza, rheumatism, &c.,
are not o f uncommon occurrence throughout the entire country. Yet,
upon the whole, I believe this country to be as healthy as the State o f Ten­
nessee.
In speaking o f the navigable rivers of Oregon, let me remind you that the
Columbia, and the Willamette, that empties into it 90 or 100 miles from
its mouth, are the only ones o f note o f this class. The Columbia is naviga­
ble, with the exception o f a portage o f some four or five miles at the Cas­
cade Falls, from its mouth to the Dalles, a distance of 200 miles.
I have heretofore spoken o f the navigation o f the Willamette River, with
the obstruction of the Falls at Oregon City, where a portage o f half a mile
is made. But this is not the only obstruction on that river during the sum­
mer season ; for when the water becomes low, there is a number o f bars
where the water becomes shallow and forms a barrier against the passage o f
boats o f a profitable size. One o f these bars is one mile below the Falls,
and some three or four others between the Falls and Marysville. These ob­
structions will doubtless, at no distant day, be removed. Our present dele­
gate to Congress, when canvassing before the people for an election, advo­
cated, without the solicitation o f any person, the propriety of Congress
making an appropriation to effect this object; but since he has gone to
Washington, he has written back and says he is politically opposed to all
such measures. But if there is no deception in the signs o f the times, the
day is near at hand when the enlightened people o f Oregon will lay all
such political demogogues on the shelf, and will take in hand to manufac­
ture and direct public sentiment themselves.




299

Newburyport.

A portion o f the citizens o f Portland, together with others— (Portland is
situated on the west bank of the Willamette River some 12 miles from its
mouth)— acting under a legislative charter, are constructing a plank road
from that place to the Tualatin Plains, a distance o f some 12 to 15 miles,
in a northwesterly direction, and when completed it will be o f much benefit,
not only to that portion o f the country, but to nearly all Oregon.
You ask whether we have limestone or freestone water. This is a ques­
tion I am unable to answer, as this is neither a limestone nor a freestone
country, but volcanic. I would say the water was rather a nondescript—
nevertheless, cold, healthy, and well tasted. The most prevalent rocks o f
this country are the basahic and trapp rocks, though granite, slate, quartz,
and, in a few places, a coarse sand-stone, are found. The agricultural lands
are generally clear o f rocks or gravel. And as respects the waters of the
country, like the branches o f the forest tree, you will find in each valley
small streams that have their rise in the mountains, on either side, winding
their way through the valley till they reach the main stream ; besides these,
at the foot o f the hills and mountains, we frequently find good cold springs;
but then in many o f the large prairies and plains, water becomes scarce in
the summer tim e: in such situations the settlers dig wells, where they find
g o o d water at a depth o f from 20 to 40 feet. The harvest o f wheat, oats,
&c., comes off in the months o f July and August. The quality o f the wheat
is always g o o d ; the berry is full and plump, however small the yield may
be per acre.
JOHN M. EORBEST.

Art. I ll— CO M ERCIAL CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE UNITED STATES.
NUM BER X X X V .

NEW BURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.
N e w b u r y p o r t is situated on the Merrimac River, the center of the city
being about two and a half miles from the river’s mouth, and is by railroad
34 miles from Boston, 20 miles from Salem, 15 miles from Haverhill, about
20 miles from Portsmouth, N. H ., and 71 miles from Portland. According
to the State survey o f 1845, its latitude is 42° 48' 3 2 " N., and its longitude
70° 52' 4 1 " NY. It is in the extreme northeast corner o f the State, and o f
Essex County, which is the densest populated area o f the same extent in
New England, and o f course the densest to be found in the United States,
or on the continent o f America. The superficial extent o f this county is
about 400 square miles, and its population in 1850 was 127,170, equal to
about 318 inhabitants to the square m ile; the density o f Massachusetts
being 126 to the square mile, o f Rhode Island, 108, and o f New York, 67.
Very few places in Europe indeed, of like extent, are so thickly populated as
the County o f Essex. But the extent o f the population is not more remark­
able than the uniformity of its division. The county is covered at almost
equal intervals with villages, none o f them o f overgrown dimensions. There
are thirty incorporated towns in the county, the largest o f which is Salem,




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Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States:

with only 20,264 inhabitants in 1850. Lynn, with 14,257 inhabitants, is
the ouly other city or town in the county ranking above Newburyport in
population, which had in 1850, prior to its incorporation as a city, 9,534
people.
Newburyport bears still the rank, which it has long held, o f the third
commercial town in the State, although in regard to population it has de­
scended to the tenth place.
Newbury, the parent town, was settled in 1633, the first settlers being
agriculturists, and was incorporated in 1635. It was named from a town in
Berkshire County, England, about 56 miles from London. The aboriginal
name o f the place, or o f some part o f the water thereabout probably, (for
the Indians generally attached names rather to streams, or falls, or lakes,
than to the land about them,) was, as differently spelt, and perhaps never
correctly written, Quascacumcon, Quascacanquen, Quafcacanquen, Wessacumcou, (as in the General Court records,) and lately, Wessacumcon. To
all appearance, the land was taken from the few miserable savages found
upon it or claiming it, as the Dutch really took Manhattan Island by virtue
o f the stronger arm ; and if the principles voted by the Milford church
meeting were not formally readopted, they were at least practically recognized
— those affirmations being ; l. “ That the earth is the Lord’s, and the full­
ness thereof;” 2 . “ That the earth is given to the s a i n t s 3. “ That w e
are the saints.”
But in the disposition o f the land thus acquired, the socialists and land
reformers o f our day could not have beat them in agrarianism. The whole
seizure (the town being incorporated with 33,000 acrejs) was divided into
conveniently small lots, o f which one was freely given to every new comer,
and even Indians were not denied a share with their generous white
brethren.
As the plantation increased and prospered, the rudiments o f a fishing,
and finally o f a commercial interest began to appear, and before long had
become strong enough to quarrel with the primitive interest. The former
were seated on the Merrimac banks, the latter remained where it was first
domiciled, on the banks of the Parker. The Merrimac settlement had much
the faster growth, and the result o f their disagreements was a division in
1764, one hundred and thirty-three years after the original settlement, at
which time the whole town contained about 4,000 inhabitants, o f which the
Merrimac town, called Newburyport, took 2,282, and a more than propor­
tionate share of the common wealth, with nearly all the manufacturing
industry and general enterprise, although very restricted in territory, having
no more than 647 acres, or one square mile, being the smallest town in area
ever incorporated in the State, and probably in the United States.
This imperfect separation, although it left Newburyport more free to pur­
sue her own course, did not answer its object with regard to either town.
A s Newbury inclosed her daughter on three sides, abutting still on the Mer­
rimac both above and below Newburyport, at which points there were still
growing villages o f fishermen, ship-builders, and other artisans, the assumed
desideratum o f uniformity o f pursuit in her population had not been at­
tained; while with regard to Newburyport, much inconvenience arose from
the fact that the interests of the villages at her sides were mingled almost
wholly with hers, and she was thus deprived o f the advantages o f one muni­
cipal administration throughout what was essentially her own extent. As




Newburyport.

301

these suburbs o f Newburyport enlarged, the disagreement between them
and the rural community was renewed, and eventually, after protracted
effort, determinedly resisted, led to another separation, to be hereafter no­
ticed. This correlation o f concerns necessarily involves, in a sketch o f the
history o f Newburyport, a rather extended notice o f the affairs o f the town
o f Newbury.
From the period o f separation until the Revolution, the two towns went
forward with considerable vigor. The ship-building interest became very
important, and the Merrimac-built ships attained a high reputation through­
out the colonies and in the mother country. W ithin the memory o f people
now living, ninety vessels have been in progress o f construction at one time
at Newburyport. About 1770 several rafts o f timber, in form o f a ship, and
completely solid with the exception o f a small cavity for the accommodation
o f the sailors, were constructed in New England to the order of some mer­
chants o f London, whither, provided with the means of navigating the ocean,
they were sent. One o f these, built at Newbury, and bearing the name o f
the town, is mentioned as arriving out in 26 days front the Merrimac.
In the earlier and later wars, from the Pequot to the Revolution, these
towns took their full share, furnishing able and distinguished officers as well
as efficient troops. The sentiment prevailing in them in the revolutionary
period was thoroughly whig. The merchants o f Newburyport joined heart­
ily in the non-importation and other retaliatory measures preceding the out­
break, and after the war commenced, entered vigorously into privateering.
In this effort they were at first very successful. On one occasion, an armed
ship, with a very valuable cargo, a portion of which was provision and stores
for the British army in Boston, was taken off the bar by seventeen men, in
an open boat, through a bold stratagem. But the evil o f this privateering
essay o f New England upon British Commerce was its too great success,
W hen the greedy flotilla had become so swollen as to block up every pathway
o f the sea, carrying their audacity even to the extent o f cruising in the Irish
Channel, blockading British ports, throwing Dublin into consternation, and
raising fears all along the coasts, perhaps even greater than those excited by
the grand Armada, and the combined French and Spanish fleets riding in
the complete mastery o f those waters, and effecting really far greater injury
than was accomplished by those vast armaments, England thought it full
time to arouse herself to the extirpation o f an enemy so formidable. In the
effort, made with an energy which nothing but a blow so severe at her vital
interests could stimulate, America was partially driven back to her original
position o f the assailed, and the losses which fell upon the privateering towns
were very heavy. From one vessel, the brigantine Dalton, 51 citizens o f
Newburyport were taken, and all thrown into the noted Mill Prison at P ly ­
mouth. A m ong them was Henry Lunt, who was a lieutenant to Paul Jones
in the Bon Homme Richard at the time o f his desperate action on the coast
o f Scotland. But the elements also joined the efforts o f the British fleets to
clear the seas o f these terrible depredators. Twenty-two vessels, sailing from
Newburyport alone, carrying probably as many as 1,000 men, never returned
from their expeditions, nor were ever heard of.
Upon the establishment of independence and the resumption o f our inter­
rupted trade with Great Britain, the first vessel that ever displayed the
American flag in the R iver Thames was the Count de Grasse, commanded
by Capt. Nicholas Johnson, o f Newburyport. The first American vessel




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Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States:

that was fitted out for the Labrador Fishery sailed also from Newburyport,
toward the close o f the century, as we are informed by Mr. Sabine.
In 1781 there were in Newburyport 3 rope walks, 39 warehouses, 10 dis­
tilleries and sugar-houses, 430 dwellings, and 87,900 superficial feet of wharf.
In Newbury there were 16 grist, saw, fulling, and slitting mills, and 437
dwellings. The tonnage o f Newburyport was 7,176, Newbury, 192 ; total,
7,368 tons.
In 1790 there were owned in Newburyport 6 ships, 45 brigantines, 39
schooners, and 28 sloops, in all 11,870 tons, an increase o f about 60 per
cent in tonnage in nine years. The stock in trade o f Newburyport was
£74,131, of Newbury, £ 5 9 2 ; ounces o f silver plate.in both, 5,467. New­
buryport had 616 houses, and 4,837 inhabitants; Newbury, 3,972 inhabit­
ants— total, 8,809.
The growing and prosperous trade o f Newburyport suffered severely dur­
ing the French difficulties. In the midst o f the contention between our
government and the Directory, and when war appeared unavoidable, (in
1798,) the merchants o f this town, emulating the example o f the larger
cities, built by subscription a 20-gun ship and presented it to the govern­
ment, then very poorly off in regard to a naval force, the simple cost o f
building to be repaid at the convenience of the government.
After the French affair had blown over, and along for some years in the
opening of the present century, the town was commercially, and of conse­
quence otherwise, more prosperous than at any other period o f its history.
It had an ample share in the great W est Indian trade, that, in consequence
o f the difficulties of Europe, thrived so remarkably at that period, and under
the wholesome influence o f which, as its chief business, the town was fast
expanding, and had fair promise o f opulence and maritime importance.
Probably no town o f its size in the United States could then boast a brighter
prospect. In 1807 its shipping had increased to 30,000 tons, having nearly
trebled within a few years.
But continuous prosperity this unfortunate town was never fated to enjoy.
Her whole history is a series o f oppressive disasters recurring at brief inter­
vals, and destroying the gain o f the intervening snatches o f good fortune.
In the commercial troubles which arose at this time out o f the political pol­
icies o f Europe, and in the aggravation o f this evil by the policy of our own
government, which, whatever opinion may be held o f its wisdom in the
main, was eminently afflictive to New England, no town suffered proportion­
ately more. The losses through the seizure o f her vessels under Napoleon’s
decrees, in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, were most ruinous, and when
the embargo and its kindred measures prohibited her merchants from efforts
to retrieve their fortunes in other trade, before they should become alto­
gether desperate, and laid up the remnant o f their vessels to “ rot at the
wharves,” the gloom overspreading their hopes was indeed thick. After
this policy was abandoned, another forward effort was made, and in this
moment o f clear breathing time, the word and the result was, Onward.
Ship-building revived, and Commerce began to hew out to itself new chan­
nels. In 1810 there were built on the Merrimac 21 ships, 13 brigs, 1
schooner, and 7 vessels o f other description, amounting to above 12,000 tons
— the largest amount ever built in any one year upon that river.
A long breath had been drawn and a step taken, when there came the
visitation o f 1811. This conflagration swept away 250 buildings, clearing




Newburyport.

303

a space o f fifteen closely covered acres in the very heart of the town.
A m ong the buildings destroyed were the custom-house, post-office, surveyor’s
office, two insurance offices, four printing offices, (all in the town,) a meet­
ing house, &c. The loss was variously estimated between $1,000,000 and
$2,000,000— probably it was not below $1,500,000, the whole valuation of
the town being about $7,000,000. From this dreadful blow the town has
never to this day recovered. It crippled her energies, and threw her into a
somnolent state, from which she seems never to have more than partially
recovered.
On the heels o f this catastrophe came the W ar of 1812— W ater com ­
pleting the work o f Fire— which prostrated the little remaining vitality of
Newburyport, and deepened her quietude into a profound slumber. This
crowned the series o f disasters. The interruption to both her pursuits on
the ocean, Commerce, and the fisheries, was complete, and her population
began to question seriously in what way they might be enabled to gather a
subsistence.
O f course, with the vast majority o f the people o f New England, the citi­
zens of Newburyport and its vicinity were not particularly friendly to the
authors and promoters o f the war. Following the example o f Boston, they
held public meetings, and issued manifestoes denouncing Madison and his
whole policy as anti-commercial, and ruinous to every real interest o f the
country. Under the excited state o f their feelings, their words, of course,
were not entirely guarded. A t that time, the clergy deemed the occasion to
be such as to warrant their taking an active part in political discussions.
The sermons o f Rev. Elijah Parish, who was settled in Newbury, one o f the
most learned and respected divines in the State, were remarkable for the
eloquence, power, and electrical vigor o f their diatribes against the govern­
ment. They were mostly published, and are read to this day. Rev. Mr.
Giles, the only clergyman, we believe, in Newburyport o f the war party, un­
dertook the defense o f the country’s rulers in his pulpit, but, it is said, and
is probably true, preached his congregation out o f doors.
Under such a state o f things, the government could not expect from that
quarter to which Newburyport belonged, an efficient contribution to its op­
erative forces. The cause which thus so strongly indisposed the people of
New England to the war policy, destroyed in a great degree the very means
which they were asked to furnish to its support. W ith universal bankruptcy
and ruin staring them in the face, what could they respond to the earnest
petitions o f the government ? Yet, under circumstances o f disaster which
would have convulsed any other republic o f the world, and have shivered to
fragments any confederacy that ever before existed, New England kept her
place, true to the Union and to herself. W h at some o f her great men did,
or wished to do— if even they did or thought to do wrong— is no matter.
The body was sound and knew its duty. New England gave her money,
and gave more o f that which she had in greater plenty— men. New Eng­
land soldiers were strong in every battle-field o f the North during that whole
war. A nd it was almost alone the sailors and fishermen o f Massachusetts—
o f Marblehead, Boston, Gloucester, Newburyport, and Cape Cod— who filled
the navy, and accomplished that brilliant series o f maritime victories which
redeemed the many miscarriages o f the land. A m ong the distinguished
officers o f that war, Newburyport furnished the name of Brig. Gen. John
Boyd, the compeer o f Brown and Scott, who had fought also in the Revo-




304

Commercial Cities and Towns o f the United States:

lution, and who was engaged later in the British service in India, and who,
later still, 1830, was appointed by President Jackson to the post of Naval
Officer of Boston.
After the war, the Middlesex Canal was built, connecting Boston directly
with a region o f country in .vlassachusetts and southern New Hampshire
and Vermont, o f which Newburyport had before, by a less convenient com ­
munication, enjoyed the whole trade. This trade was diverted thereby to
Boston. The town could do nothing then to prevent the misfortune ; but
moderate efforts at a later day would perhaps have reclaimed the lost traffic.
It was delayed too late. This was not the only adverse effect o f the Middle­
sex Canal. The timber used by the ship builders o f Newburyport was
brought, at this period, from New Hampshire. On its way down the river
it had to be taken round the falls by land carriage, which added much to
the expense o f transportation. As the canal united with the river above the
falls, the timber could be carried by the canal to Boston cheaper than it
was brought to Newburyport. Consequently, Boston robbed Newburyport
o f her eminence in that business also; and other ship-building towns spring­
ing up about the same time in favorable localities, the name and fame o f the
Merrimac-built ships seemed likely to be heard o f no more.
In 1816 the shipping owned in Newburyport was down to 24,691 tons,
and in 1820 it had been further reduced to 20,000 tons.
The fisheries in the British waters, early engaged in, had furnished some
relief, as the means of an easy transit to a new channel o f a portion of the
capital in the freighting business, during the politico-commercial difficulties.
In the year 1808, forty five Labrador cod-fishermen sailed from Newburyport.
It had been long and profitably pursued by other towns in Massachusetts;
and after the war Newburyport turned her attention more toward it, as the
most feasible mode o f permanently employing her vessels and supporting
her population. The fisheries kept the town from falling to ruins, and
helped to maintain a small coastwise and W est India trade, which would
else have died altogether. Though moderating her commercial aspirations,
Newburyport has since had and still holds the rank o f the third fishing
town in the United States.
In 1819, Newbury was again disintegrated by a split in its agricultural
population. The new town was called Parsonsville, and afterward W est
Newbury. It took about 9,500 acres from Newbury, o f its best land, leav­
ing about 23,000 acres, or about two-thirds o f the original area, and 1,279
inhabitants, these being among its most substantial farmers, out o f the joint
population o f about 5,000.
About 1830 some reviving effort began to be made in Newburyport.
Since 1810, the population had dwindled from 7,634 to 6,741, and the
joint population from 12,810 to 11,960; and the general valuation had
depreciated from 88,000,000 to $4,000,000. One most serious and perma­
nent disadvantage under which the town had always labored, was the sand­
bar at the mouth o f the river, which neutralized all the advantage o f an
excellent harbor, and a channel deep enough for the largest ships. The
obstacle had grown worse and worse for years, the water on the bar becom­
ing at length so shoal that it was necessary to send their ships and all larger
vessels to unload at Boston, or to lighten them at the bar. The removal of
this obstructure had been from the first in earnest contemplation ; the favor­
ite scheme, and the only feasible one, being a breakwater, so placed as to




N ew bury •port.

395

turn a part o f the water that forms the wide bay toward the mouth o f the
river into the channel, thus strengthening the current ; but it was not until
1830 that the urgent solicitations o f the Newburyport merchants prevailed*
and the government commenced the work. The breakwater was built unde1direction o f Col. John Anderson, o f the U. S. engineers; it was 1,900 feet
in length, and the first appropriation, which did not finish it, was $35,000.
It failed completely o f its object, neither removing the bar nor deepening
the inner channel. As all repairs were neglected, it gradually decayed, and
a year or two since was wholly broken up by a storm.
But the modest exertions o f the people o f Newburyport made near this
time to help themselves, were more fortunate than the effort o f the govern­
ment in their behalf. The cod and mackerel fisheries progressed, and a
spirited adventure was made in the whale fishery. A t the outset a fair suc­
cess was achieved, and for a while Newburyport seemed disposed to embark
earnestly in this new pursuit. In 1835 the had four ships, valued at
$175,000, in the whaling business, (New Bedford had then 54,737 tons, and
Nantucket 26,266 tons in that fishery ;) but the prospect getting momenta­
rily dull, the discouraged adventurers sold their ships to Nantucket, and
washed their hands clean from oil. That town and others, having then no
better prospect than Newburyport in that pursuit, had yet more perseve­
rance, and the result o f their exercising it is well known. New Bedford,
which had but 3,947 inhabitants in 1820, when Newburyport had 6,852,
and which has scarcely entered at all into the other fisheries, depending for
what she has become almost solely on the whale fishery, is now a city o f
16,443 inhabitants, and has plenty o f margin left for growth, with prospect
o f tilling it respectably out.
A bout this time the ship-building interest revived a little, and had soon
regained something o f the ancient Merrimac reputation.
In 1834 there were owned in Newburyport, as appears by its shipping
list o f that year, 28 ships, o f 10,130 tons ; 4 barks, of 1,198 ton s; 26 brigs,
o f 5,258 tons; 145 schooners, o f 8,370 tons; and 4 sloops, o f 192 tons; a
total o f 25,148 tons— an increase o f about 5,000 tons since 1820. There
were inspected for the year 27,777 barrels o f mackerel, the largest number,,
we believe, ever inspected in the town in any one year; and 20,000 quintals
o f codfish were brought in and prepared there for the market.
In 1835 there were employed in the cod and mackerel fishery 150 ves­
sels, carrying 1,350 men, and there were 27,767 barrels o f mackerel in­
spected. In the freighting business there were 32 square-rigged vessels, o f
10,594 tons; in the whale fishery, 4 ships, as before mentioned. There
were 17 dry goods and 30 grocery stores, and 298 stores, shops, and ware­
houses o f all sorts; a comb factory, employing 85 hands, and turning out
90,000 dozens o f combs y early ; and a tobacco manufactory, making
10,000,000 cigars and 5 tons o f snulf yearly. The valuation (Newburyport
alone) was $3,306,400. There were in Newbury, 3 tanneries, 5 grist-mills,
running 11 pairs o f stones, 2 mills for corn with cob, 3 saw-mills, 1 cotton
factory, with 1,200 spindles, and 1 woolen factory with 150 spindles. The
tonnage enrolled and registered as built on the Merrimac, for the two years
ending Sept. 1835, was 5,279 tons.
After the retreat from the whaling enterprise another new idea occurred,
and the project o f building up a Cotton Manufacture was entered upon with
some spirit. To the effort in this direction, the projectors were incited by
V OL. x xix .— NO. III.
20




306

Com m ercial Cities and T ow ns o f the United S ta te s :

the remarkable success o f Lowell. N ot having the water-power advantages
o f Lowell, a more expensive, but on many accounts a better agent, Steam,
was employed in the mills built at Newburyport. Their success was so good
that others followed, the building o f several o f them being under the direc­
tion o f Gen. Charles T. James, the present enlightened senator from Bhode
Island, who also for some years directed the management o f one o f the
mills. There are now five large cotton mills, including one double mill in
operation, but their profits are much lower than formerly, and there is no
present prospect that the cotton manufacture will be any further enlarged in
that place.
About the same time with the commencement o f the manufacturinglenterprise, the Eastern Bailroad was incorporated, and was completed to New­
buryport in Juno, 1840. This road connects Newburyport directly with the
metropolis, and with several o f the larger towns o f the country, on one side,
and on the other, extends its communication with Portsmouth and to Port­
land. It is 58 miles in length, and had cost, to Jan. 1, 1849, 13,095,000.
Its capital is $2,250,000. The road enters the town by a tunnel excavated
through a large hill, on emerging from which the cars are almost immedi­
ately rumbling high in air over the upper floor o f a two-decked bridge, the
river at this point being three-eighths of a mile wide. The ride through New­
buryport presents one o f the most remarkable features to be met with in the
railway traveling o f the United States.
In 1840, Newburyport had 832 dwellings, 238 ware-houses and stores,
4 cotton factories with 11,046 spindles and 280 looms, 1 woolen factory,
with 800 spindles, and 453,812 superficial feet o f wharf, or five times as
much area o f wharf as in 1781. In Newbury, there were 401 dwellings,
6 rope-walks, 3 grist-mills, 4 tan-houses, and 2 woolen factories, with 240
spindles. In the three towns, there were raised 811 bushels o f wheat, 1,240
bushels o f rye, 6,073 bushels oats, 15,635 bushels Indian corn, 3,166 bush,
barley. In Newbury there were cut from 3,825^ acres o f marsh, 2,8651
tons o f salt hay.
According to the statistical survey o f Massachusetts, made by order o f the
Legislature, in the year ending April, 1845, there were 75 vessels from New­
buryport and Newbury engaged in the fisheries, their tonnage being 4,292,
and their fares 27,000 qtls. codfish, valued at $56,250, and 2,000 barrels
mackerel, value $70,072 ; total catch, both kind, $126,322. The salt con­
sumed by these vessels amounted to 43,638 bushels; and the hands em­
ployed were 705. The number o f vessels built was 12, (all in Newbury,)
o f 5,130 tons, valued at $227,000, and employed in the construction 256
shipwrights. The returns o f the Secretary o f the Treasury, (year ending
June, 1845,) state the vessels built in the district o f Newburyport at 7 ships,
2 brigs, 6 schooners, total 15 vessels, o f 5,463.53 tons, which amounts to
above one-fifth o f all built in the State for the year, and is far ahead o f all
other places in the State but Boston, which built over 14,000 tons, a figure
not in much excess, however, o f the Merrimac build o f 1810. Besides these,
the State statistics give 32 boats valued at $3,500, built in Newburyport Be­
side the persons enumerated as ship-builders, there were 25 ship-jo ners,
whose work was valued at $15,000 : 35 ship painters, $6,000 ; 6 sailmakers,
$6,000 ; 20 riggers, $5,000 ; 7 mast-makers, $2,000.
The following is a statement o f some other matters, for the three towns,
gathered from the State statistics for the year ending April, 1845.




307

N ew buryport.
Value of
[No. yearly product. Capital.
$700,000
$562,000
3
130,100
.
70,700
22,575
.
29,369
12,600
3
25,200
19,340
10,705
8
6
18,700
10,000
22
15,000
5,100
6
14,300
8,600
2
13,000
8,000
5,000
9
10,400
9,795
5,500
6
8,375
3,000
6,700
6,000
.
4,400
7,684
4
3,200
900
3,200
2

Cotton Mills...........................................................
Boots and shoes made........................................ .
Comb factory................................................
Snuff, cigars, and tobacco manufactured.........
Chronometers, watches, gold and silver ware..
Railroad cars, coaches, chaises, e t c ...................
Tin ware.............................................................
F orges..................................................................
Tanneries............................................................
Cotton, woolen, and other m achinery.............
Chair and cabinet ware manufactures..............
Soap and candle manufactures..........................
Hollow w a r e ......................................................
Bricks made (1,360,000).....................................
Blocks and pumps..............................................
Hats and ca p s ....................................................
Saddle, harness, and trunk manufactures........ .
Fire-engine manufactures...................................

Hands.
*921
435
86
114
13
35
16
SO
16
25
22
17
8
19
20
12
8
10

PRINCIPAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.

Hay.....................................
Indian corn .......................
Oats...................................
Rye.....................................
Wheat.................................
Barley................................
P otatoes...........................
Other esculents...............
Fruit................ ...............
B utter...............................
Cheese................................

Newbury.

West
Newbury.

4,623
9,399
626
831
147
453
49,172
21,697
41,497
24,065
12,810

2,039
8,283
3,199
740
699
288
19,292
2,963
31,843
24.364
22,310

Newburyport.
150
100

....
....
2,000
1,200
10,500
600
. . . .

Total
Value.
$57,993
10,876
1,408
1,157
846
470
17,526
7,869
20,510
7,986
1,978
$128,619

LIVE STOCK.

H orses............................... ...................No.
Neat ca ttle .......................
Swine.................................

236
1,386
410

161
1,010
288

223
90
120

$39,142
46,108
6,408

The great quantity o f fruit produced in Newburyport, was raised entirely
in very small gardens, almost wholly by amateur cultivation, and is an extra­
ordinary product for so small and compact a place.
The shipping list for Newburyport, for 1845, states the vessels owned there
at 24 ships, 9 barks, 17 brigs, 96 schooners, and 1 steamer, total 23,962
tons.
The census for 1846, states the population o f Newburyport at 8,117, viz
males, 3,557, females 4,560, polls 1,830. The large excess o f females is oc­
casioned by the numbers o f them employed from abroad as operatives in the
mills. This was a gain o f 956 from the census o f 1840. The valuation,
same year, was §3,866,461, an increase o f $119,061 on the valuation o f the
year previous, and $657,604 on that o f 1840.
A branch of the Eastern Railroad, from Newbury port to Salisbury, has
been built within a few years, and on the other side, the Georgetown Rail­
road, for some years contemplated, was finished in 1840, connecting with the
Eastern Road, and also with the Boston and Maine Railroad. One design of
this road was to open a new route to Boston, and another, to regain some por-*




* 662 Females.

308

Com m ercial Cities and T ow ns o f the U nited S ta tes :

tion o f the country trade wrested from the town many years ago. But the
latter object can never be more than partially accomplished. Kailroads and
facilities have brought Boston too near the region o f country in ■question, and
other towns are now so situated that they can claim and get a fair share o f
that part o f this trade which Boston does not monopolize. The receipts o f
the road, the first year, were $9,533, and the expenses $8,371. A steam­
boat has also been employed for several years on the river, in summer, with
rather indifferent success, but we believe was taken off altogether, the late
season.
The births, marriages, and deaths, in Newburyport for six years, 1 8 42 -7,
according to the yearly abstracts o f the Secretary o f the State, were as
follow s:—
1842
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847

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

Births.
296
167
189
227
220
253

Marriages. Deaths.
61
114
63
139
62
114
67
115
99
114
101
140

This affords an average o f 225 births, 75 marriages, and 123 deaths
yearly. Assuming an average population for the time o f 7,500, the deaths
are 1 in 61 yearly, an exceedingly favorable state o f the public health, the
proportion o f deaths being only about one-third that o f New York, the last
year, and about one-half that o f Boston, which shows how much pure air
and proper living have to do with health.
A t length, after repeated efforts o f the two villages on the sides o f Newburyport, one o f which was the seat of the ship-building, and the other o f
a large portion o f the fishing interest, to effect their union with her, theproeet w as accomplished in 1851. W ith this considerable addition o f popula­
tion (numbering now over 12,000 souls,) and wealth, Newburyport received
a charter incorporating her a city. The annexation enlarged her area to
about 6,000 acres, leaving Newbury with about 17,000 acres, or one-lialf
her original area, and about 1,800 inhabitants— in population, now the
smallest o f the three towns made out o f her territory'. Hon. Caleb Cushing
was chosen the first mayor o f the new city, and on resigning the office to
accept a seat on the Supreme Bench of the State, Henry Johnson, Esq., a
respectable merchant, was appointed to succeed him, and is its present chief
magistrate.
The statistics o f various interests, for 1851, are as given below :—
COTTON MANUFACTURE.
E ssex
M ills.

When incorporated................

J a m es’
M ills.

Globe.
M ills.

O ce a n .
M ills

1838

1842

1845

1845

312

820

165

50
17,000
348

50

50
8,785
208

{mi

Length of M ill.......................
Breadth of M ills...................
Number of spindles............. ...........
Number of looms................... ...........

B a rtlett
M ills.

6,720
180

50
18,080
391

| [

13,300

....

100
150
300
120
100
450
425
350
175
...........
130
Number of employees...........
1,200
1,200
1,600
900
600
Consumption o f coal............. ..tons.
1,200
1,200
2,000
850
750
Consumption of cotton.......... . . .bis.
Cotton goods manufactured.. . . .yds. 1,700,000 2,000,000 2,000,000 3,500,000 2,185,000
200
700
2,500
800
400
Number of stock shares........ ...........
$500
$500
$100
$400
$400
Par va lu e.............................. ..........
Capital stock......................... ........... $100,000 $350,000 $250,000 $320,000 $160,000

Horse-power o f engines........ ...........




309

N ew b u ry ■port.

The aggregate results o f the above statement are as follow s:—
No. o f square feet covered by
m ills..........................................
No. of spindles..................... . . .
Horse-power employed...............
Hands employed.........................

5,500
Tons of coal consumed............
67,270 Bales of cotton consumed. . . .
6.000
Yards
cotton
cloth
manufac..
11,385,000
63,884
840 Amount of capital stock . . . . $1,180,000
1,530

The capital invested is $480,000 more than in 1845, and there are 611
more hands employed.
The number o f vessels o f each class owned at the latter part o f 1851, as
we gather from shipping list, was 10 ships, 4 barks, 8 brigs, and 94 schoon­
ers; the tonnage, according to the custom-house returns, being 26,707.
The largest o f the ships are the Castilian and Clarissa Currier, registered at
999 tons each; 13 o f the schooners are over 100 tons, the largest being 128
tons. O f the schooners, nearly all are employed in the fisheries, in the warm
season, and all o f these last year, but 12 or 15 codfishermen, were mackereling. The whole capital invested in the coast trade is stated at about
$1,000,000, that in the fisheries is about $200,000.
BANKS.

There are three banks:—
Incorporated ..........................................................
Number of stock shares.........................................
Par value.................................................................
Capital stock..........................................................
Total bank capital......................................

Mechanics’.

Merchants’.

1812
2,000
$100

1831

1833

6,000

2,000

$200,000

Ocean.

$35
$60
$ 210,000
$ 100,000
$510,000

The amount o f bills in circulation by the three banks, may be stated at
about $275,000, and their total resources at $975,000. The average semi­
annual dividends for several years past, are about 4 per cent.
There is one Savings Institution, in which the number o f depositors, in
1851, were 3,481, the amount o f deposits $556,156 5 0 ; it held in public
fund* $137,125, bank stock$154,849, railroad stock $14,300. The uniform
dividend for some years past has been equal to 5 per cent annually.
The whole business capital may be stated as follow s;—
Cotton manufacture.............
Coast trade, etc. .................
B anks....................................

$1,180,000
1,000,000
610,000

Fisheries...............................
Other manufactures.. about

$200,000
150,000
--------------$3,040,000

About $3,000,000, which is exclusive o f the value o f stores, ware-housesi
wharves, &c. There may be added $100,000 for manufactures, etc., not in­
cluded in Newbury and W est Newbury.
W e present here, business statistics for a series o f years, giving the whole
progress o f the towns at one view :—
POPULATION.

1810.

1820.

1810.

1840.

1850.

Newburyport.................. 2,282 4,837 6,946 7,634
N e w b u ry ..................................... 3,972 4,076 5,176
West N ew bury...................................................................

1764.

6,852
3,671
1,279

6,741
3,771
1,448

7,161
3,789
1,560

9,534
4,457
1,708




___

1790.

1800.

8,809 10,022 12,810 11,802 11,960 12,510 15,699

Com mercial Cities and T ow ns o f the U nited S ta te s :

310

VALUATION.
NEWBURYPORT.

NEWBURY.

Years.
1810 . . .
1830 . . .
1835 . . .
1840 . . .
1850 . . .
1851 . . .
WEST

Amount.
$7,000,000
3,000,000
3,306,400
8,208,857
4,437,650
5,390,069

Years.
1821.........
1831.........
1836.........
1840.........
1850.........

Amount.
$316,017
385,965
476,154
578,671

Years.
1830.........
1840.........
1850.........

NEWBURY.

Years.
1821____
1831____
1840____
I 8 6 0 ....

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

Amount.
$799,316
846,173
840,000
904,026
1,515,554

THE THREE TOWNS.

Amount.
............................
.............................

4,589,037
6.531.875

The average wealth per head in the first town was above $900, in 1810,
and in 1840 it was reduced to $448 1 0 ; in 1850 it was $465 45. O f the
joint towns, the average wealth per head was about $353 in 1830 ; $366 80
in 1840, and $416 07 in 1850. This is quite as fair, probably, as the av­
erage o f the New England second and third class towns. In Salem, in 1845,
the average per head was $601 60 ; in Providence, 1845, $898 06 ; in New­
port, 1850, $493 6 1 ; in Boston it was $1,297, in 1 8 5 0 ; and in New
York city $555.
DIVISION OF AREA.

W h at may be considered the village portion o f the three towns, that is,
so much as is occupied by buildings or divided into small lots, will cover
about 8,000 to 10,000 acres, the part occupied tolerably close, being em­
braced within about two square miles. The division o f the agricultural sur­
face, according to the assessors’ statement in 1840, was—
English and upland mowing la n d s..........................................acres
Fresh m eadow .....................................................................................
Pasturage.............................................................................................
Woodland..............................................................................................
Unimproved la n d ...............................................................................

4,548
1,430
11,120
1,167
391

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

18,656

The tables subjoined, relating to ship-building, tonnage, and its employment, and the arrivals and clearances for a series o f years, we have compiled
from the annual reports o f the Secretary o f the Treasury. These statements
refer to the district o f Newburyport.
m
VESSELS BUILT.

Years.
1833 ............
1834 .............
1836 ............
1837 ............
1839 ............
1840 ............
1 8 4 1 ............
1842 ............
1843 ............
1845 .............
1846 ............
1847 ............
1848 ............
1849 ............
1850 ............




Ships.
6
6
3
5
6

4
8
4
3

7
0
12
12
6
8

Brigs.
1
1
0
0
0
2
2
1
0
2
4
1
1
0
0

Sch’rs.
3
8
11
9
8
5
4
1
1

Sloops. Steamboats.
..
.,
.,
..
..
..
,,
,,
,.

6
8

i

7
.#

l
..
,,

• •

. .

12
4
2

Total.
10
15
14
14
14
11
14
6
4
15
13
21
25
10
10

Tons. 95ths.
2,693.01
3,017.53
1,764.05
2,753.37
3,242.31
2,788.20
3,785.72
2,162.11
1,400.89
5,463.53
1,475.68
7,036.74
8,585.91
3,067.61
4,656.65

.

311

N ew b u ry ■port.

The amount of tonnage built in most o f these years, was exceeded in the
State only by Boston.
TONNAGE, AND HOW EMPLOYED.

The annexed table shows the total amount o f tonnage belonging to Newburyport in each year since 1825— the part thereof registered, or engaged
in the foreign trade, the part enrolled and licensed, and the proportion o f
the enrolled and licensed in the coast trade and in the cod and mackerel
fisheries. The year ends with December 31, to 1834, thence with Septem­
ber 30, to 1843, and since then with June 30.

Registered.
Y ear.

1 8 2 5 ..
1 8 2 6 ..
1 8 2 7 ..
1 8 2 8 ..
1 8 2 9 ..
1 8 3 0 ..
1 8 3 1 ..
1 8 3 2 ..
1 8 3 3 ..
1 8 3 4 ..
1535. .
1 8 3 6 ..
1 8 8 7 .. .
1 8 3 8 ..
1 8 3 9 ..
1 8 4 0 ..
1 8 4 1 ..
1 8 4 2 ..
1 8 4 3 ..
1 8 4 4 ..
1 8 4 5 ..
1 8 4 6 ..
1 8 4 7 ..
1 8 4 8 ..
1 8 4 9 ..
1 8 5 0 ..
1 8 5 1 ..

Tons.

95ths.

. 8,309.02
. 9,844.5S
. 10,778.75
. 12,280.62
.11,215.78
. 9,714.44
. 10,487.65
. 11,854.00
. 12,166.11
. 14,669.09
. 14,510.85
. 12,059.30
11,473.38
. 10,640.66
. 13,172.50
. 14,591.73
. 14,286.44
. 15,648.19
. 14,362.04
. 16,162.65
. 16,586.32
. 16,451.08
. 18,038.42
. 21,314.45
. 17,720.82
. 16,213.57
. 18,766.11

Enrolled and
licensed.
Coast Trade.

Cod Fishery. Mckrl. Fishery. Whale Fishry. Total Tonge.

Tons. 95lhs.

Tons. 95ths.

12,048.54
12,986.36
13,622.37
14,707.49
7,398.83
6,862.98
7,172.23
8,277.90
9,368.86
8,632.88
10,693.62
10,205.24
10,604.59
9,908.52
10,048.73
9,373.34
8,931.30
5,392.84
5,324.29
4,910.55
5,396.69
5,865.06
7,144 44
7,658.55
7,289,87
7,048.29
7,940.69

Tons. 95tks.

Tons. 95ths.

9,114.88
35.11
1,004.60
793.93
988.09
588.04
2,251.61

6,592.56
7,363.72
1,490.26 4,390.12
1,839.18 4,539.07
3,307.22 3,982.59
4,273.78 4,507.04
1,563.69 4,817.53

3,759.15
4,064.48
2,198.62
3,084.54
4,424.05
4,435.11
1.376.63
2,551.84
766.21
2,025.36
2,071.91
2,557.93
1,303.85
2,646.48
494.27
495.29

1,881.22 4,564.72
1,660.70 4,879.36
1,708.83 6,006.02
2,719.30 4,244.84
2,070.61 2,962.63
2,721.03 1,775.16
1.863.43 2,162.63
2,521.37
251.03
3,647.46
496.83
3,161.89
209.29
3,687.40
101.65
3,867.84
718.57
2,865.83 3,488.77
2,982.02 1,661.37
3,739.11 2,814.86
4,667.47 2,777.88

Tons. 95ths.

Tons.

95ths.

20,357.56
22,880.94
24,401.17
........... 26,988.16
........... 18.614.66
..... 16,577.47
..... 17,659.88
..... 20,131.90
..... 21,535.02
..... 23,302.02
25,204.52
1,440.20 22,264.54
685.38 22,078.02
329.35 20,549.23
413.65 23,221.28
..... 23,965.12
..... 23,217.74
..... 21,041.08
..... 19,686.33
21,073.75
21,982.91
22,406.14
25,182.86
..... 28,973.05'
..... 25,010.74'
.... 23,261.86
.... 26,706.80

W hile the aggregates o f the tonnage here stated as engaged in the fish­
eries, are correct, the division to the two branches o f that pursuit, is far
from truth. To make this evident, we need but refer to a single year, the
last.
The tonnage in the cod fishery in 1851, is stated by the Secretary, as
informed by the Collector o f hi ew bury port, at 4,667, and that in the mack­
erel fishery, at 2,7 78; while the amount actually engaged in the latter, was
4,223 tons, and in the former was much below the figure given. The error
n question arises mainly from the manner o f taking out the licenses for the
vessels, and cannot, under the circumstances, be rectified in the Treasury
tables.
The year ends with September 30, in the following table, until 1843,
thence with June 30.




Com m ercial Cities an d T ow ns o f the U nited S ta te s :

312

ARR IV A L S AND CLEARANCES.

Years.

1827
1828
1829
1830
1831
1832
1823
1834
1835
1836
1837
1838
1839
1840
1841
1842
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851

No. of Am.
Vessels.
. .
. .
•.
. .

. .
. .

. •

. .

••

••

. .

. .

..

32
26
23
24
19
21
21
22
17
17
25

..
..

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

10

..

21

..

7

..
..

15
12
10

..

7

..

ARRIVED.
No. of For.
Tons.
Vessels.
•.
4,372

6,015
6,565
5,480
5,890
6,964
6,884
5,497
5,087
4,2C3
4,779
3,347
3,767
4,168
4,146
4,057
3,358
5,386
2,096
4,390
1,236
2,800
2,112
2,110
1,366

Tons.
••••

....
....
....
....
68

....
....
i

4
6

12
14
16
11
8
10
15
37
40
8
51
91
118
112

136
301
468
979
1,017
1,028
722
576
650
843
1,834
1,979
428
2,848
5,686
6,495
7,340

Total
Tons.

CLEARED.
No. of For.
Vessels,

STo. o f Am.
Vessels.

Tons.

35
28
27
22
23
25
23
32
32
22
23
15
26
22
23
29
20
14

3,795
4,555
4,521
4,301
5,921
6,618
7,181
6,168
4,706
4,177
3,582
4,709
4,469
3,780
4,824
5,501
3,766
4,068
2,849
4,430
3,423
3,546
4,224
2,851
1,749

4,372
6,015
6,565
5,480
5,890
7,032
6,884
5,497
5,223
4,504
5,247
4,326
4,784
5,196
4,868
4,633
3,938
6,229
3,930
6,369
1,664
5,648
7,798
8,605
8,706

Total
Tons.

Tons.
. . . .

3,796
4,555
4,521
4,301
5,921
6,688
7,181
6,168
4,842
4,478
3,975
5,764
5,486
4,773
5,581
6,005
4,416
4,901
4,683
6,381
3,753
6,229
9,680
9,703
8,924

. . . .
. . . .

....
....
68

....
....
1
4
5
13
14
15
12
8
10
15
37
40
7
49
90
120
108

136
301
393
1,055
1,017
993
757
504
650
343
1,834
1,951
330
2,783
6,456
6,852
7,175

MACKEEEL INSPECTED.

The reports o f the Inspector-General o f pickled fish, state the inspection
at Newburyport, in—
Barrels.
27,767
11,061
37,628

1835
1845
1846

1848......................................
1849.....................................
1850.....................................

Barrels.
26,295
16,880
22,929

The whole quantity o f Codfish caught by the Newburyport vessels, and
cured there, for the last ten years, is about 200,000 quintals, an average
o f 20,000 quintals per year, which would amount in number to about
2,000,000 fish, averaging all kinds. These codfish, when dried, are shipped
principally to New York, a small part going directly to the W est Indies.
The year 1851 was one o f signal disaster to the fishing fleet o f this place.
It was one o f those storms on the British waters, which have heretofore, so
often and so calamitously fallen upon the fleets o f Gloucester and other
towns, but which the vessels o f Newburyport have more often escaped.
This time her loss was the heaviest. There were 67 mackerelmen, o f 4,223
tons, and having 707 men on board, “ in the bay ” from Newburyport, that
year— it being the heaviest fleet from any o f the 23 fishing towns o f Massa­
chusetts, except those o f Gloucester and Welfleet. The following is a list
o f the vessels lost in this gale :—
Names.

Atlantic...............
Blossom . . . . . . . . .
Enterprise..........

G entile.................




Tons.
60
44
46
65
38
93

73

Names.

Good Intent...........
H. Ingram ............
Index .....................

M. Scotchburn.. . .

Tons.
92
76
51
71
51
99
85

Tons.

Names.

Ocean .............
S p ra y.............
Statesman .. . . . .
..
20 vessels o f . . .

82
99
62
45
44

N ew b u ryport.

313

Two or three only o f these vessels were got off and repaired after having
gone ashore and been abandoned. Twenty lives were lost with them, ten o f
them being in the Statesman, all her crew, and eight in the Traveler. The
greatest number o f lives lost from any other place was Portland, eleven men
perishing from that place. Portsmouth lost ten, and Dennis, Mass., ten—
in all about 150 perished in the storm.
Besides the changes in business already remarked, there have been others
worth notice. Tanning and preparing Leather was once a prominent pur­
suit. In 1781, there were in Newburyport and Newbury, 64 tanneries, a
part o f them in connection with slaughter-houses.
In 1845, they had
dwindled to five. Rope-making was once extensively carried on. So l^te
as 1840, there were six rope-walks in Newbury, and one in Newburyport,
one o f them being worked by steam-power. The business is now entirely
abandoned. In 1781, there were ten distil and sugar-houses; only one
distillery is now left. Although ship-building has considerably revived o f
late, it has not near regained its ancient importance. That the vessels built
on the Merrimac excel still, in the manner o f old, their present fame gives
ample assurance. Improvements in building are as likely to actually origi­
nate here as elsewhere; and when made abroad, are not deterred by the
bar from finding their way up the river. Donald McKay, the celebrated
East Boston builder, was located at Bellevilleport (now a part o f Newbury­
port) several years, and did much to restore to the Merrimac banks their
former reputation. Some o f the very finest ships added to the New York
packet lines for some years past, were built at Newburyport. A m ong the
ships recently launched there, we need only mention the R acer , whose per­
fections were o f late the theme o f so much comment. The P a r th e n ia ,
owned in that place, is one o f the last that has been set afloat, and is a
splendid specimen o f naval architecture.
The old town o f Newbury has a number o f very interesting historical
reminiscences. Thus, she claims the merit o f the first incorporated Acade­
my in the State (Dummer’s)— the first toll-bridge— the first suspension
chain-bridge in the State or in the United States, and said to be the second
in the world— and the first incorporated woolen factory in the State.
Another evidence o f former enterprise, but which, like too many other
efforts here, was very illy rewarded, remains yet in the N ewburyport Turn­
pike. The project o f this road— a company adventure— was started early
in the century, in connection with other towns in the county, when the am­
bition o f this town was high and her prospects flattering. It was built on
an arrow-line, across the whole county o f Essex and part o f Middlesex,
mounting over hill and descending into valley, leveling the one and filling
up the other, so as to leave no irregularities but long and gentle slopes
which, though they look formidable ahead, the traveler scarce perceives in
overcoming. Turning aside for nothing, it reached Malden bridge, and con­
nected Newburyport with Boston.
It was finished in 1806, and cost
$420,000. The expectations o f its projectors were high, but were totally
disappointed. It never paid, and was at length wholly superseded by more
eligible means o f travel. O f late years, the company have been endeavor­
ing, with but little success, we believe, to have it taken up by the several
towns as a public road.
There are several fine public buildings in Newburyport. The Custom­
house is o f rough granite, with hammered stone pilasters, entablature, cor­
nice, and portico. It is in the Grecian-Doric order; is entirely fireproof;




314

Com m ercial Cities and T ow ns o f the U nited States

cost 125,000. The brick Court-house cost $16,000. The new City Hall
is a beautiful edifice, costing $32,000 with the ground. But the Putnam
School-house is the finest architectural effort in the city. The latter, with
the ground, cost $25,000. The Suspension Bridge, built in 1827, cost
$70,000.
Newburyport is a delightful place for residence. Retired business men,
gentlemen o f leisure, students, &c., could hardly select another place so in­
viting. Dr. Morse, the geographer, says there is not so beautiful a town in
the United States. It sits on a gentle declivity, with the river at its base.
The rise is about 100 feet in its length o f about three-fourths o f a m ile ; on
the summit o f the ridge is High-street, an avenue o f unrivaled beauty. The
town is laid out with exceeding regularity, the streets being all at right
angles, wide and airy, trees abundant, and the houses elegant. Am ong
what may be called the municipal advantages tempting to settlement here,
are— extraordinary quiet, generally; an excellent state o f public health:
good air and water; a gas supply just introduced; fine landscape; the pro­
pinquity o f fine summer resorts ; 16 churches, (one to every 750 inhabi­
tants), embracing ten different persuasions; eight male, seven female, and
three mixed primary schools, five male and five female grammar schools, a
male high school, a female liigh school, the Putnam Free School— an en­
dowed institution with a permanent fund o f $50,000— for teaching the com­
mon and higher branches o f English, the French language, &c., and (in
Newbury) the Dummer Academy, one o f the most widely-known institu­
tions, as well as the oldest o f the kind, in the State, (incorporated 1 7 5 6 );
a Lyceum, furnished with the best popular lecturers every winter; a new
and promising public library, just established; Masonic, Odd Fellows, and
Sons o f Temperance lodges; and about a dozen religious and benevolent so­
cieties, open to the membership o f those inclined to do good by associative
effort. In the same list are, also, a convenient and well-provided market;
an efficient fire department, provided with eight fine engines; and a toler­
able' civil administration, (which people o f some other cities could appreciate
if they had it). I f one has a relish for the air breathed by greatness, here
were born or lived, such men as Rufus K ing and John Quincy Adams,
Tristam Dalton, Senator in the First Congress, Gov. W m . Pluiner, o f N. H.,
Parsons, the unequaled jurist, Judges Bradbury, Jackson, Thatcher, W ild,
and Lowell, o f the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, Jacob Perkins, the in­
ventor, Rev. Jedediah Morse, D. D., the learned geographer, and many
others.
Here Whitefield died, and his dust still reposes under the old
South pulpit. One o f the eminent divines o f the city o f New York, Rev.
Gardner Spring, went thither from Newburyport.
That Newburyport will make a much better advance in the next ten
years than she has effected within the last ten, cannot be doubted. A bet­
ter spirit seems to be gradually waking up ; some creditable efforts have
been made, and, by-and-bye, the new city will take one o f those leaps, which
have o f late years advanced other towns of the old Commonwealth to such
respectable elevations, and will look about again with the renewed flush of
1810’s hopes and prospects.




T ra its o f T rade— Laudable and In iqu itou s.

315

Art. IV.— TRAITS OF TRADE— LAUDABLE AND INIQUITOUS.
C H A P T E R V II.

FAILURES.

I t has been estimated that over nine-tenths of the merchants in this coun­

try fail at least once in course o f three years devoted to mercantile pursuits.
W h y this calculation is applied only to this profession, is not apparent, for
it is not too strong a statement to make that nine-tenths o f the whole in­
dustrial population o f the United States fail in course of their lives. The
merchant stands in the foremost rank in all business operations. If there is
shipwreck, fire or fraud, he is the first to suffer and to fall. The custom o f
the world with such unfortunate ones is to take from them all the little that
is left, tread them under foot, close the ranks over them, and rush onward
in the pursuit o f the all tempting gain. Let the same usage be applied to
all classes and ranks o f men, and who would escape the direful fate ? Let
the mercantile rule o f payment to the day or the hour, with or without
grace, be enforced as a general rule, and in default thereof, an assignee be
appointed and administration commenced. Under such circumstances, the
petty guiddler who stands one side, and exists on the very indulgence o f the
class o f courageous men he derides, may consult the annals o f bankruptcy
to his heart’s content and welcome, if it affords him any satisfaction. The
farmer who has lived upon the expectant crop, which the summer’s drought
has curtailed, here finds no favorable extension to another season, but his farm
and utensils must be brought to the hammer. The mechanic who, from ill
health or accident, is withdrawn from his trade, would surely find a successor
in his place. The physician who should neglect to collect his fees, would
lack physic to prosecute his practice. The clergyman with his “ forty
pounds” delayed, would find an undoubted opportunity to practice some o f
the virtues, the theory o f which he is supposed to understand. In short, the
rule would effectually prostrate all excepting the drones o f the world, who
live on what others have stored up for them.
Notwithstanding the large majority o f men who, in the pursuits o f wealth,
fall victims to false legislation, to the abrupt change o f political policy, to
fire, flood and famine, to fraud and pestilence, or to any other one o f the le­
gion o f causes ever lying wait in the merchant’s career, it is the habit o f the
world to look upon his fate as more or less ignominious. This fact seems
often to spur on the sensitive merchant to reckless madness. His honor, his
integrity, are at stake. H e sees his own elevated position filled by another.
His friends, his neighbors, look coldly upon him, or pass by without recog­
nition. His wife and children are slighted, his home, with all its treasured
associations, is violated. Himself, after a life o f incessant toil, known to no
other profession, is ground to poverty and may find his retreat in a workhouse or a madhouse. The mortal who lacks charity for such an one, most
richly deserves the same tragical fate.
There are large classes o f speculators who meet with failures in their
operations, as frequent as the gambler loses his risk. Indeed, for the pur­
pose o f the present essay, this species o f character, viz., all who blindly rush
into any sort o f speculation, without any regard to the legitimate rules o f
trade, are to be left entirely out of the question. They are no merchants,
any more than those who purchase lottery tickets, or such as lay a risk upon
the cast o f a dye. Both are gamblers, and as such they may be left to
their fate.




316

T ra its o f T ra d e— Laudable and In iq u itou s.

In- regard to true mercantile failures, the ground to be taken here is, that
in the very nature o f business operations, they are sure to occur to a very
large proportion engaged therein, that there is, ultimately, no great evil
in them, that there should be no ignominy attached to such a misfortune,
and that o f all living men in the world, the embarrassed or failed merchant
most needs sympathy and kindness.
Merchants, as a class, take the responsibility o f transporting and equal­
izing the necessaries, the luxuries, the property o f the world. The profits of
this business are nominally larger than for any other kind o f industry. If
there was no loss, the profits would be too large. Inasmuch as there is
great liability, this loss must occasionally come upon the inexperienced or
upon the small capitalist. Failures follow as a matter o f course. Still, in
the aggregate, the business goes on. The industrious, the rich, the valiant
have fallen in the strife; yet the grand conquest is pursued. There may be
one failure, one hundred, or one thousand, the city, as a whole, goes on in
the steady acquisition o f wealth. You may take Boston, New York, Phila­
delphia or New Orleans, and count the failures that have happened in either
place during ten, twenty, or fifty years, and moralize upon them as you may,
these cities have steadily progressed, and will continue to progress, in the ac­
quisition o f wealth, mainly by merchandizing. Many men have failed once
or twice, have rallied again, and left not the field until they had conquered
success. Many more have failed and thereby become convinced that they
were unfitted for the responsibilities they had undertaken. Others there are
who, with a craven, cowardly spirit, rush into dissipation, or commit suicide,
thus proving their natural inability to battle manfully in such a profession.
“ But,” it is asked, “ can you not give us any directions how to avoid fail­
ures, cannot the rocks and rough seas be pointed out ?” There has never
yet been any accurate mercantile chart promulgated, that could be safely re­
lied on by the inexperienced adventurer. The old routes are being con­
stantly changed, the old customs are renewed, and most fortunes are made
in some new manner, unknown to few but those who make them. A ll that
can be said by way o f advice, is “ Be cautious, conscientious and persevering.
I f loss and failure come, and you fall, begin and climb again. Most men
succeed the second time. I f creditors oppress and persecute you, what care
you if you have done what you could? Y ou will, probably, have an op­
portunity to see some o f them in the same perilous position themselves.
C H A P T E R V III.

MONEY AND ITS USES.

Let no one here squeamishly object to such a motive as “ the love o f m o­
ney ” being placed foremost in the forces that extend Commerce to the ends
o f the earth ! There are other motives, undoubtedly, but this is, and ever
will be, the leading impulse. Money, money is what men work for, suffer
for, die for. It must be approved; it is the ruling passion ; it ever has been,
and it ever will be as long as human nature is human nature 1 W ell, may
not even the darkest deeds o f sin be made to praise the Giver o f all good 1
The conquests of the Roman Emperors extended Rome over so many coun­
tries, that Rom e became a term synonymous with the world. It was upon
the wings o f this worldly power that the revelations o f God were borne to
all nations. Christianity thus received an impulse which nothing else but
direct personal inspiration could have given it. Rome, after thus accom­




T ra its o f T rad e— Laudable and In iqu itou s.

317

plishing an end to which all other objects in the world are as nothing, be­
came dismembered, and literally no more. Xerxes, weeping for more worlds
to conquer, Caesar on the shores o f Gaul, these small men had small pur­
poses o f their own, and thought o f little save their own aggrandizement.
Thus philosophically may be treated unlawful, even dishonest gains. The
poor tool, who flatters himself that he has “ much goods laid up for many
years,” and sees naught in prospect but magnificence and ease, by the un­
quietness o f conscience, or other causes, is made to disgorge his misgotten
wealth. It may go to endow a church to make men better than he was.
It may found a college where the very children o f those he has defrauded
shall be reared and educated without price, for philanthropists, philosophers,
and statesmen.
It has been said that once upon a time a poor man lived upon the banks
o f a broad and beautiful river. His land was poor, but it afforded good pas­
turage for his sheep, and, as he guarded them, he gazed over the playfully
tumbling waters, and was content. A fisherman, strolling along his prem­
ises one day* talked to him o f richer lands in a neighboring town, where
large crops o f grain could be raised. But his description reached not the
heart o f the old shepherd. His father had lived there before him, and he
thought that his children should live there after him. Other emissaries ap­
peared to him afterwards under different pretenses, but no effect could be
produced upon him. The next winter was very severe, and the poor man’s
sheep died. In the spring he was overjoyed to find that a stranger offered
to sell him a new flock, and give him time to pay for them without any
charge o f interest. Here was the snare that he could not escape. The poor
man’s land was attached to pay for the sheep. The sheep must be sold for
the shambles to pay for litigation. W h en it became certain that the land
must be sold to pay the debt, it was sold at auction. One o f the largest o f
X ew England manufacturing cities now stands upon that sheep pasture. The
original owner died in the poorhouse. The purchaser is now one of the
richest men in the country.
A captain o f a small brig was once lying at a port in one o f the W est
India Islands. A n insurrection o f the slaves broke out, and the wealthy
citizens deposited their money and plate on board this American brig. The
captain soon after sailed from the port. Some years after he was found in
a very large and profitable importing business, and he is now a millionaire.
H e has even beer called an honorable man.
A shrewd lawyer, in the settlement o f a bankrupt’s estate, cunningly con­
trived to appropriate a valuable estate to himself by his misrepresentations
to the creditors. H e succeeded and became immensely rich, while the credi­
tors o f that bankrupt believe him to be a dishonest man.
A deacon o f an evangelical church became largely indebted to a London
banking-house, and, upon some quibble, refused to make payment. H e in­
vested his money in lands neighboring to a city, in another man’s name,
closed his business, and retired, apparently in poverty. H e has recently
turned up rich.
Facts like these are the most common occurrences in the annals o f trade.
There is nothing to be said in extenuation o f such transactions. It can only
be hoped that, when fortuues are thus accumulated, they will speedily fall
to pieces for the benefit o f the oppressed.
W hat will great wealth do for a man ? W h y, it will enable him to dine
even on the rarest dainties, and sip champagne ; no, not champagne, but




318

T ra ils o f T rade— L audable and In iqu itou s.

wines and brandies o f age and reputation ! It will enable your wife to out­
shine common-place people in her dress, diamonds, and equipage ! It will
make ignorant, foolish men envy you, and take off their tattered hats to you 1
It will make your sons spendthrifts, gamblers, and dissolute; your daugh­
ters weak, vain and foolish ; while both sons and daughters will harbor a
constant wish that “ the old coon would evacuate !” It will furnish you with
a bloated body and with gouty feet at an early age. Finally, it will provide
you with a magnificent funeral and a costly tom b !
But, burlesque aside, seriously there are the strongest reasons for the best
men to seek money and to labor for it. W ith money, he and his family
can be sheltered, fed and cloth ed! The man who has ever been certain of
these first necessaries o f life, has never experienced the fearful misfortunes
that lie at his very door. Oh, to lie down at nights, after a day’s anxiety
and struggle for the coarsest fare, not to sleep, but to be enshrouded with
the thought o f the sufferings that misfortune has borne down upon you and
an endeared fam ily; to feel the winter’s piercing chills penetrating every
crevice o f the hovel you call your h om e; to fear that colds, croups and con­
sumption are lying in wait for some little soul whose presence here is as ne­
cessary to you as your own health;— surely not to sleep, but to the torture
o f the anguish o f want! To rise up in the morning without the certainty o f
honestly providing bread to prevent starvation. But whoever has not expe­
rienced actual want, cannot be made to understand what it is unaccompa­
nied by filth, rags, and blasphemy. The general statement, however, can
be comprehended. That is, place a man in such a position as to prevent
him from suffering the terrific fears o f want, and you have his capacities free
for intense mental and physical action. And this is the first great good that
wealth brings to h im ; the comforts, yea, the luxuries o f a h om e! not the
extravagant, but the convenient, comfortable home, furnished first with the
absolute necessaries, then the means o f education and refinement. The
place, not merely for the business man to board and lodge, but where he
holds sweet companionship with the confiding, sympathizing wife, who, with
a spirit equal to his own, can nerve him on to great and good deeds ; where
his children climb upon his knees and lovingly lisp their tenderest endear­
ments ; where the best books are read and appreciated; where music is heard
and pictures are seen ; where, above all things else, a domestic altar is
founded, upon which the incense of a sincere and humble piety is offered up
unceasingly to Heaven.
These things alone are sufficient to force a man to strive after wealth; for
without wealth they cannot be had. Are not all entitled to these blessings ®
Are they not lavishly provided by a beneficent Providence for all men ? If
so, let them be realized and possessed, for without them there is danger o f
degradation and moral death.
As a merchant makes money, he is entitled to' a wider range o f benefits.
H e can indulge in travel to see the wonders o f nature and o f art. H e can
procure books the concentrated wisdom of the ages, he can have compan­
ionship, thus, with the greatest and best minds that have ever sojourned on
the earth, and time to spend with them.
There too, are the luxuries o f doing good. The opportunities, every day
occurring, to aid the deserving and striving youth, ia the way o f benefit to
himself and usefulness to the world. To save the widow and orphan sensi­
tively secreted in some cold, dark attic; to project and carry out extensive
plans o f benevolence for the poor, the down-trodden, and the cast-away o f




T rad e o f Trebizond in 1 8 5 2 .

319

one’s own city and tlie w orld; to found institutions o f real and lasting bene­
fit to general literature and science; to exert a powerful influence against
political wrongs, and eradicate institutions that have grown old in oppres­
sion ; to extend the holy truths o f Christianity to the heathen who are liv­
ing without God and without hope in the world. These are some o f the
privileges and blessings o f wealth. W ithout wealth a man is comparatively
powerless and insignificant.
Make money, then, acquire wealth, not for the gross love o f lucre, but for
the power it will give y o u ; for the blessings broadcast you can bestow ; for
the right to be godlike in action; for your own highest good, and for the
good o f all within reach o f your benevolence.

Art. V,— TRADE OF TREBIZOND IN 1852.
T he Commerce o f this great and chief port o f the Black Sea, amounted
in imports in 1852, to 224,179,300 piasters, or $8,967,172, and in exports,
to 105,052,656 piasters, or $4,202,107, showing a difference between the
two o f 119,126,644 piasters, or $4,645,066. Part o f the transit trade to
Persia has been balanced, as in last year, by returns in spiecie, the greater
portion o f which go to Tifflis, in Georgia, where they are turned into paper,
(bills o f exchange on Europe).
In the notice o f exports, detailed under this head, is comprised 38,683,100
piasters, or $1,547,324, in specie, sent from Trebizond to Constantinople by
steam, to pay for goods for the transit trade with Persia. The bales o f
Persian productions amounted to some 17,116 in number, among which
are 6,300 in silk, all brought from Persia, through Egeroom on horses or
mules. On the other hand, there were imported for the transit trade o f
this country, 48,300 bales o f manufactures, sugar, <fcc. B y comparing the
figures o f the trade o f last year with these o f the present, a considerable
diminution will be perceived in the imports in transit for Persia, which has
its origin in the circumstance that a great amount o f goods was amassed in
Persia in 1851, so that it caused a considerable diminution in the prices o f
nearly all kinds o f manufactures, and thus prevented any farther orders be­
ing given for more. However, from the figures o f the present year, it will
be observed that no unimportant amount o f trade has been carried on. The
products o f Persia, especially silk, have found an active and free sale, and
the loads o f the present year surpass those o f the last, 14,756.
The number o f passengers which embark and disembark at Trebizond is
very great. The Capital attracts vast numbers o f emigrant people from
the interior. In 1852, they amounted to 17,200, the greater portion o f
which took passage in the steamers belonging to the Imperial Arsenal, and
to the Ottoman Company. The three companies, viz., Turkish, Austrian,
and English, are declared rivals, and in spirit o f competition have lowered
the fare so much, that it cannot certainly leave any profit to either.
The trade o f Persia still continues to pass through Trebizond and
Egeroom. The road which, at the request o f the British ambassador was
commenced, between these places, has long since been abandoned. The
peculations of the Governor o f the Province, Ismail Pacha, absorbed nearly
all the sums devoted to that purpose by the Porte ; and it is not improbable
also that Russian intrigue aided in putting a stop to an enterprise so useful




320

Trade o f Trebizond in 1 8 5 2 .

to British manufactures and to Turkish Commerce, but so contrary to the
views o f Russia, which still cherishes the idea o f drawing all the transit
trade o f Persia through Georgia. To effect this, the emperor must obtain
a port for his Georgian province— say Battoom— from Turkey, and then, by
a little annexation, on the head branches o f the Arras, secure a direct and
cheaper route for Persian caravans.
IMPORTS.

Piasters.

Ottoman.— 51 steamers...................
“
120 sailing vessels..........

120,225,151
9,525,440

Austrian.— 20 steamers...................
“
1 sailing vessel. . . . . .

52,803,996
73,984

English.— I t steamers.....................
“
3 sailing vessels...........

40,057,940
295,644

Danish.— 1 sailing vessel...............
Russian.— 2 sailing vessels.............
Greek.— 2 sailing vessels...............
Ionic.— 1 sailing vessel...................
French.— 1 sailing vessel in ballast

859,000
161,850
104,520
71,784

Piasters.

129,750,592
52,877,980
40,353,584

000
1,197,144

Total
224,179,030
Total number of vessels: 219— 88 steamers ; 130 sailing vessels; 1 sailing vessel
in ballast.
PRINCIPAL MERCHANDISES IMPORTED.

Manufactures.........
Cloth .......................
S ilk .........................
Coarse clo th s ........
Linen do................... ....... pkgs.
Red ca p s.................
Dry fru its...............
Medicine.................
P la n k s...................
B eer......................... ........ bbls.
B randy...................
R u m .......................
Iron b a r s ................
Zinc in le a v e s........
Copper.....................
S te e l.......................
Tin-plate .................
N a ils....................... ......... bbls.
Im plem ents...........
Worked copper.. . .
Glass wares.............
Leather...................
C olors.....................
Books.......................
Paper .......................
Jewelry .................
H orologery.............
H ardw are...............
Porcelains...............
U m brellas.............




48,859
382
58
184
22
35
2,966
72
22,000
380
104
109

S u g a r .........................
Coffee.........................
Pepper .....................
In digo.........................
Cochineal...................
Tea.............................
Pianos .......................
Furniture...................
Glass w a r e ...............
Perfum ery.................
Lucifer matches........
P ottery.....................
476 Incense .......................
478 Tobacco.......................
4,497 Pipe nuts ‘. .................
I S Ropes .......................
117 W o o l.........................
264 Yellow seed...............
191 Lemons & oranges. . .
227 Preserved fruits . . . .
309 Olives.........................
91 O i l .............................
357 S o a p ...........................
1,100 Sundry provisions.. .
20 Sundry objects..........
55 Charcoal.....................
327 S a lt .............................
13 Rice.............................
15 W h ea t........................
' 585 Maize...........................
15 B arley.........................
22 F lo u r ..........................

7,668
1,494
175
40
47
408
5
79
60
50
55
63
58
538
176
. 157
230
97
284
69
161
87
566
164
1,541
14,813
47,500
40
199,800
91,800
7,000
70

T rad e o f Trebizond in 1 8 5 2 .

321

EXPOETS.

Piasters.

Ottoman.— 61 steam ers.........
“
48 sailing vessels ,
“
12 ditto in ballast

60,248,620
9.108,124

English.— 11 steamers...........................
3 sailing vessels in ballast

19,222,656

Austrian.— 20 steamers....................... .
“
1 sailing vessel in ballast

14,423,168

French.— 1 sailing vessel.....................
Russian.— 1 d itto....................................
“
1 ditto in ballast.................
Danish.— 1 do..........................................
Ionic.— 1 d o .............................................
Greek.— 2 sailing vessels in ballast . . .

1,211,488
838,100

Piasters.

000
69,356,644

000
19,222,656

000
14,423,168

000
000
000

000
2,049,588

T o ta l........................................
T ota l: 219 steamers and vessels.

105,052,656

PRIN CIPAL MERCHANDISES EXPORTED.

Shawls..................... ...........pkgs.
Silk...........................
Gall-nuts.................
Leeches ...................
Persian tobacco. . . .
W a x .........................
T iftik .......................
T o w .........................
Boxwood.................
Gum.........................
Hemp th re a d ........
C arpet.....................
T obacco...................
Saffron.....................
C a via r..................... .......... bbls.
Honey..................... .
C heese.....................
Dry fru its...............
A lu m .......................
L e a d .......................
C opp er.....................
Ir o n .........................
Colors.....................
VOL. X X IX .-----NO. III.




196
6,389
2,013
399
6,959
800
111
80
16,000
494
1,045
20
440
181
294
13
21
131
61
154
4,483
1,389
88

Pens (reeds).................
Turkey shoes.................
Tressed stra w ...............
G rease...........................
T a r .................................
R i c e ...............................
Yellow s e e d .................
Potatoes.........................
N u t s ..............................
Kidney-beans............... .
W h ea t............................
Smoked m e a t...............
A pples...........................
Butter............................. ...b b ls.
Worked leather........... . ..pkgs.
Skins ...........................
Salted skins...................
Horsehair.......................
Pipe w o o d .....................
Various d y e s ...............
Turkish manufactures .
Several merchandises .,. . .pkgs.

21

83
39
185
144
106
32
84
145
3,532
8,121
14,000
458
1,486
186
204
381
118
88
93
125
441
1,125

322

O porto : its Commerce, etc.

Art. VI.— O P O R T O I T S COMMERCE, ETC.
T he city o f Oporto, called the second capital o f the kingdom of Portugal,
like the greatest part o f the maritime places on the southwestern coast of
Europe, was built by the Phenicians, near the mouth of the river Douro, on
the undulating declivities o f three large hills which form a kind o f amphi­
theater, the bases o f which are watered by the silvery waves of the same river.
On the opposite side lies the town of Villanova, celebrated for its beautiful
sites, like the hill o f Gaya, and the historical and splendid Serra do Pillar,
which, in cases o f war, can be considered as the strongest bulwarks o f
the fortress o f Oporto. But, more than to the enchanting beauties o f its
scenery, Villanova owes its renown and richness to the immense number
o f large and spacious wine-lodges which occupy nearly the whole area o f
the lower part of the town, where all the best wines from the Douro are
deposited and kept previous to being shipped, or used for internal consump­
tion. Only wines o f a second or inferior quality, destined for the home
consumption, are admitted to storage within the city of Oporto, while those
classified by the wine inspector as first quality wines, are to be stored in
the lodges o f Villanova, which are numbered, registered, and often inspected
by officers o f the custom-house and surveyors appointed by the Royal Douro
W in e Company, and by the Commercial association.*
The city o f Oporto has a population o f 80,000 inhabitants, inclusive o f
the suburbs, and the watering place of St. Joao da Foz, situated about one
league distant from the city, at the mouth o f the Douro. There the port of
Oporto, which for small and middling sized vessels, would become one o f the
best and safest mooring places on the Atlantic coast o f Europe, is encum­
bered by a bar formed by beds o f sand, and several rocks, above the ebb of
the sea, among which 0 Cabedello and A punta da Cruz are the most con­
spicuous. These dangerous obstructions, against which, every year, at least
half a dozen o f vessels meet with inevitable loss, make the passes impracti­
cable during the flood o f the Douro, and in irany other instances, when
there is either too much surf, or too much current on the bar, or when the
water is too low. Vessels making the bar of Oporto, are oftentimes obliged
to cruise between that place and the rock o f Lisbon, for many days, before
they receive a pilot from St Joao da Foz, and can attempt to cross the bar.
In other instances, especially during the winter season, they are obliged to
seek for shelter in the Bay of V igo, at about five leagues’ distance, on the
coast o f Gallicia.
The frequent and distressing losses o f valuable cargoes, and often of pre­
cious lives, on the bar of Oporto, impressed the Portuguese government with
the necessity of doing something f o r it. Unfortunately, they did not do
anything for it, but they made something out o f it. More than fifty years
since, a law was passed, by which all the vessels, inclusive of the small crafts
and coasters which cross the bar, are charged an extra tonnage duty o f 100
reis for each ton, to be appropriated to the improvement of the bar. That
duty has been levied and faithfully collected ever since on all national and
foreign vessels, by the custom-house o f Oporto, which gives an account o f
* The first quality wines stored in the wine lodges at Villanova vary from 120,000 to 150,000
pipes; and the yearly exportations to the different parts of Europe, Brazils, and North America,
average 36,000 pipes, at least 25,000 of which are shipped to England.




,

O porto : its Com merce etc.

323

nearly $10,000 a year, so that we can easily reckon that about $500,000
were actually received by the Portuguese government for what they call the
works o f the bar (as obras da barra ; ) but, to the great shame o f that gov­
ernment, not one cent has yet been spent towards that salutary object, nor
does exist any reserved fund in the hands o f the public functionaries, appiopriated to that specific purpose. Mismanagement, dilapidation, and pecula­
tion have always been prominent characteristics o f the government o f Por­
tugal. Many projects and plans have been presented, at several times, to
the government, by foreign companies, and by rich and philanthropic capi­
talists o f Oporto, for the improvement o f that bar, by which Commerce in
general, and the community o f Oporto especially, would have been greatly
benefited, without any cost on the part of the government, except the extra
tonnage due, which, o f course, would have been received by the contractors.
But, up to this day, the ministers o f Her most faithful Majesty did not deem
it fit to give up that small income for the better safety o f her subjects, and
o f their property.
Vessels drawing more than eleven feet o f water cannot cross the b
Oporto, even in the best weather. After such premises, it is needless for us
to say that the navigation of the beautiful river Douro, which, without much
expense and trouble could be easily extended across all the province of Traz
os Montes, to the very center o f Spain, in its present state, it is only prac­
ticable by small flatboats, which carry to the Oporto mart the productions o f
the interior, the wines from the Regoa, and the wheat from Oastille, which
is stored at Villanova, and re-exported, according to recent treaty stipula­
tions with Spain. The principal exportations from Oporto are made to Eng­
land, mostly in English bottoms, and consist in wine, fruit, argols, wool, and
cork wood. A few cargoes o f the same goods are also sent to Hamburg,
and to some other ports on the Baltic. To Brazils, with which Oporto has
still a very lucrative intercourse, they export wine, hardware, common
crockery, coarse woolens and cotton goods, in return o f more valuable car­
goes of hides, sugar, coffee, cocoa, raw cotton, and some lum ber*
W ith the United States they exchange their wines (the average is 3,000
pipes a year, mostly o f the second quality) with staves, masts, rice, whale­
bone, cotton, and naval stores ; but the transactions between the two coun­
tries are almost insignificant.
The greatest and most costly importations in Oporto come from England,
especially in dry goods aad other manufactures, and in codfish from N ew ­
foundland.
To give an idea o f the extent o f the British trade with the kingdom o f
Portugal, it will be sufficient to say that the value o f woolens and other
manufactured wares imported into Lisbon and Oporto, from England, from
1800 to 1820, amounted to £5 3,259,580, although that period includes the
time of the French invasion and of the Peninsular war. From 1815 to
1827, the importations from England averaged annually at £1,647,283. A t
least two hundred English vessels are employed every year in carrying cod­
fish from Newfoundland to Lisbon, Oporto, Figuera, and Vianna; 4,242,441
quintals o f that commodity were imported during the period running from
1796 to 1810, and 5,941,615 quintals from 1816 to 1836.
The great preponderance, at early periods, acquired by the British mer­
* All goods imported from Brazils have separate public stores, and a separate branch of the
custom-house, called “ Alfandega de Massarellos.”




324

,

O porto : its Commerce etc.

chants in the Portuguese markets, cannot be ascribed solely to the superi­
ority o f their manufactures upon those of all other countries, but principally
to the immense advantages and privileges granted to them from the several
treaties stipulated by the British government with the Portuguese crown.
Since the year 1571, Cardinal Henrique, as tutor and regent during the
minority o f the king, Don Sebastian, stipulated a treaty of friendship and
reciprocity, as such treaties are generally styled, with the Court o f St. James,
and in 1624, another treaty of peace and Commerce was entered into with
Great Britain by the K ing Don John IV ., by which British merchants ac­
quired the right to free and undisturbed trade, not only with Portugal and
her islands, but also with Brazils and the ultra-marine possessions of the
Portuguese crown.
But the humiliating conditions agreed upon by either ignorant or corrupt
ministers on the part o f Portugal, in former treaties, can hardly be com ­
pared with the degrading stipulations o f the treaty o f Methuen, of the year
1703, and o f that o f 1810. The government which did not shrink before
the sanction o f those conventions, delivered Portugal handcuffed and feetshackled to the prepotent cupidity o f an invading power, which turned to its
own profit the ruin o f all manufacturing industry o f that beautiful and rich
country.
Notwithstanding the joint efforts of English egotism and o f Portuguese
corruption in high quarters, to paralyze all spirit of industrial enterprise in
Portugal, Oporto can still boast of being a manufacturing city. Besides
some thousand looms which she possesses, and which furnish to the country,
to the colonies and to the Brazils, substantial and very desirable wool and
cotton goods, a large cotton spinning and twisting establishment was re­
cently founded near St. Tyrso, on Visella river. There are also in Oporto,
many silk factories, where the common raw silk o f Traz os Montes is twisted
into sewing silk, and the tram and orgarizine, imported from Italy, is con­
verted into beautiful velvet, silks, and gros-de-Naples.
The wine, which is the principal resource o f Oporto and o f the surround­
ing districts, is made in a certain part of the country, placed on the right
bank o f the Douro, from between ten to twenty leagues distant from the
city. The principal entrepot is a small town called A Regoa, from which
all the wines are sent in small flatboats down to Oporto and Viilanova.
The Douro wine, in its primitive state, is not fit for shipment. In the wine
lodges of Viilanova it always undergoes a process o f purification with the
white o f eggs, and o f strengthening, through the addition o f strong white
brandy, and o f some old wine. B y the repeated turning, shaking and mix­
ing o f the liquid, the wine is brought to that perfection which makes the
port wine so acceptable and celebrated in all foreign countries.
W hat is known in America as pure juice, is called in Portugal geropiga,
and is generally used to give strength and an agreeable flavor to wines either
naturally too poor, or having lost by age part o f their power. It is the first
juice of the grape, put to boil until it is reduced to two-thirds of its volume,
when one-third o f first-rate brandy is added to it, which gives to the stuff a
high grade. In many instances sugar also is added, and the juice o f the
elder-berry which, by its deep color, gives to the stuff an appearance o f a
strong-bodied wine.
W ith the view o f preventing frauds and adulterations in the wine manu­
facture, and o f preserving the high reputation enjoyed by the port-wine in
foreign countries, the trade o f that valuable commodity has been so much




Com mercial B en efits o f S la very.

325

entangled by an immense number o f legislative enactments and local regu­
lations, that, in the present state o f affairs, a more enlightened and broader
policy is loudly claimed by the Commercial Association o f Oporto, which
embraces the most patriotic and instructed men of that large city.
Am ong the greatest deeds of the immortal Marquis de Pombal, is the es­
tablishment of the Royal Douro W in e Company, to counteract the long ex­
ercised monopoly o f the Englis'.i company known as the English Oporto fac­
tory. The K ing himself was the first stockholder o f the newly formed na­
tional company. W hen this patriotic measure was adopted in 1755, it ex­
cited the strongest complaints on the part o f the British merchants resident
o f Oporto, and by their malignant suggestions and instigations a large num­
ber o f poor, narrow-minded inhabitants o f the wine region were so misled
as to attempt an insurrection, which the strong arm of the uncompromising
minister succeeded in repressing, not without some difficulty and bloodshed.
The first effect of the establishment o f the Royal Douro W ine Company
was, that the exportations o f the port-wine which, during the twenty years
previous to that event, never exceeded 18,000 pipes, amounted in 1757 to
to 35,000, and the price which, on account o f the British monopoly, had
been kept down to 45 milreis per pipe, suddenly rose to 125 milreis. How­
ever, the many and important political changes occurred since that epoch,
and the material progress o f all human speculations in our days, induce us
to hope and wish that the privileges still enjoyed by the Royal Douro W ine
Company, may soon be abolished, together with the many burdens and vex­
atious regulations which embarrass the wine trade and exportations in
Oporto. The first quality wine exported to all foreign countries, is taxed
with an export duty o f 15 milreis per pipe, part o f which is paid for the
benefit o f the said Royal Company.
The total amount o f the receipts o f the custom-house o f Oporto in the
fiscal year 1841 to 1842, was 5,393,950 K’s.
l. w . t.

Art. VII.— CO IIER CIAL BENEFITS OF SLAVERY.*
To F r e e m a n H unt, Editor o f the Merchants Magazine.
D e a r S ir :— In discussing this subject apparent digressions will be made,
owing to the intimate relations existing, and the dependence o f Commerce on
the stability of governments.
* W e published in the Merchants' Magazine for April, 1853, an article on “ T iie M o r a l B e n e f it s
S l a v e r y ,” communicated by Dr. P r i c e , o f Spencerville, Alabama; and in June another com ­
munication under the title o f “ T h e M o r a l R e s u l t s of S l a v e r y ,” from the Rev. T. W. H i g g in s o n ,
o f Worcester, Massachusetts, designed by the writer as a reply to the remarks o f Dr. Price. In pub­
lishing the last-named paper, we remarked, in substance, that both were admitted with equal reluc­
tance, because although, as Dr. Price argues, “ Slaves are considered and used as merchantable
property,” and us such may be an appropriate subject in the pages o f a mercantile work, it was not
the mercantile aspect o f that topic which he discussed. Now the “ moral benefits ” or the “ moral
results " of Slavery, apart from their commercial and industrial bearing, are not topics falling within
the design of the Merchants' Magazine. As, however, Dr. Price has seen fit to discuss what he
terms “ The Commercial Benefits o f Slavery,” we are induced, in accordance with the rule which we
have frequently laid down, and to which we have uniformly adhered, o f allowing a free and fair dis­
cussion of mooted points, falling within the range of the work, to admit the present communication;
of




326

Com m ercial B en efits o f S lavery.

1. That the results o f slave labor furnish the basis for Commerce, and
that it cannot be furnished with constancy by any other description of labor.
2. The tendency which Slavery has in giving stability to governments.
3. The contributions o f slavery to national wealth.
To maintain the leading clause o f the first proposition, we look to the
statistics o f those governments which exercise the most diffusing and power­
ful influence on Commerce; it is shown the articles of cotton, sugar, rice,
and tobacco, (which are almost exclusively the products o f slave labor,) con­
stitute nearly two-thirds o f the exports o f the United States; on the exports
are mainly dependent the imports, from which is derived government rev­
enue; lienee those articles not only form the basis o f external Commerce, but
are the means through which two-thirds o f her revenue is raised.
The product o f slave labor is o f acknowledged supremacy W’itk Great
Britain, not only as a commercial and manufacturing basis, but as a means
o f adding stability to the government, by furnishing employment to men,
and money necessary for internal protection. Articles of merchandise giving
healthful tone to the trade o f these governments, must to a great extent
affect the Commerce o f all with which they have intercourse; which extends,
directly or indirectly, to the known world. To render slaves profitable, strict
regard must be had to their health, comfort, and happiness; with these con­
tributions, fidelity and usefulness will be the return under proper manage­
ment.
The African race being the only one now recognized as slaves, in the full
sense o f the term, these remarks will pertain to such, although there are
others, as virtually slaves, with the (supposed) mild and qualifying epi­
thets o f serf, peyean, apprentice, hirelings, servant, laborer, subject, tenant,
debtor, &c., many o f them with fewer allowed privileges, under the penalty
o f dismissal or imprisonment for neglect o f duty, with the horrors of want to
follow in their train.*
and injustice to the writer, and the Magazine, we take the liberty o f subjoining the note o f Dr. Price;
as a preface to his remarks, without further comment:—
S p e n c e r v i l l e , A l a b a m a , July 2 0,1 84 3.
Mr. F reeman Hunt :—
D e a r 8 i r — I feel it a duty to offer an apology for sending you this article, after your note under
Mr. Higginson’ s nominal reply to my April article. 1 assure you that it is not with the view o f invi­
ting discussion that my article on Slavery is sent to your journal; and had resolved in advance not
to notice any reply that might be made. Because 1 have no idea o f convincing anv one (at least to
bring them to the point of admission) whose prejudices are established against slavery; but their
noticing my article is an evidence that public attention has been arrested, and that a spiri o f inves­
tigation is up, inside o f their public replies;—effect this and I am satisfied. The main object I have
in sending my articles to your journal, is in consequence of the high value I attach to it in the hands
of planters. I believe the statistics gathered from it saved for me more than a thousand dollars in
the sale of 250 bales of cotton of last year’s crop, by enabling me to price it according to the rule of
supply and demand. Having no selfishness in my composition, 1 want to see it in the hands o f every
planter, feeling confident that they will esteem it, as I do, a faithful financial friend. You may in­
quire why it is necessary to publish such communications to secure its currency in the South. 1 an­
swer, because there have appeared in it frequently, articles, the leading views o f which were opposed
to our institution of Domestic Slavery ; and l have often heard the remark made, that it was not a
work adapted to the tastes and feelings of slave-holders on that account. 1 concluded and often ex­
pressed the opinion, from the liberal tone o f its editor g< nerally, the one-sided appearance o f the
work was owing entirely to the want of articles being furnished on the opposite. And when my
April article appeared, 1 felt confident in the opinion, and a different judgment respecting your jour­
nal became general among my acquaintances. Now sir, if you can, consistently with your views, ad­
mit this article into your journal, be assured that any reply to it will pass unnoticed by me, at
least through your pages. I think the proper course would be to forbid any article purporting to be
a reply ; but if any writer should send independent articles, setting forth his views on this subject,
they should receive proper consideration. As slaves certainly are merchandise, I venture to send
you this, hoping that you will not consider it discourteous; with the request that, should its publi­
cation not meet your views, you will return the manuscript at my expense; with the assurance that
such refusal will not alter my estimate of Hunt's Merchants' Magazine, or create disappointment.
Yours, with high respect*
W m . S. P r i c e .




Com m ercial B enefits o f S lavery.

327

As to the health o f slaves, every one is aware of its importance, hence no
remark is necessary. Comfort and happiness are so nearly synonymous,
when applied to the slave population, that to add the one the other follows,
as a result. These blessings are to be conferred, by administering a welldigested police, by keeping them employed in a climate and atmosphere
adapted to their physical nature, to the extent o f substituting moral employ­
ment and instruction for the vicious— inclinations and actions which are the
legitimate fruits o f idleness. The business of planting affords such employ­
ment and location.
Cotton, sugar, rice, and tobacco, can be produced for commercial purposes,
only in a mild climate, and by such labor as can be controlled; to make a
crop o f either, and prepare it for market, requires the entire year’s work, the
least relaxation or neglect, in preparing the land, planting, cultivation, or
gathering, insures defeat. Can such labor be found outside of Slavery; in
other words, can these staples be produced, by any other labor than such'as
can be sent to the field and compelled to stay there until a fair day’s work
is done, for a succession o f years; which is necessary according to the pres­
ent method o f planting and the demands o f Commerce ?
The experiment has been tried both in this and other countries, with
strong inducements presented to the laborers for their continuance in the
business with the necessary energy, but without any thing like success, they
preferring a change o f employment, although want should be the conse­
quence, rather than submit to the constant labor in the sun, which is essen­
tial for the production o f these staples ; although there is immense territory
in the same climate with our own adapted to cotton-raising, yet threefourths o f that which is used in Commerce is made by the well directed
slave labor o f the Southern States; and so far as the labor is involved the
same may be said o f sugar, rice, and tobacco. Curtail the supply o f these
four staples, to the extent that experience has proven would be the case if
any other description o f labor was to be relied on for their production, and
what would be the condition o f Commerce ? War, pestilence, and famine,
would not have such an effect on the world’s prosperity; it is likely they
would be confined to localities, but the other would be o f world-wide effect,
not only by land but by sea likewise; the affliction would not be confined
to commercial communities, but every class would feel it ; not alone those
who are engaged in manufacturing these staples, they being thrown out of
employment would crowd other professions, which would be the means of
reducing wages below a living, besides the awful doom that would await
the present operatives engaged in their production, as vagabonds they would
wander on the face o f the earth until the masses would be hunted down and
destroyed by their more enlightened neighbors, as has been with some, and
will be the fate o f all the aboriginal tribes o f Am erica; thus the calamity
would be diffused through every branch o f business and every class o f so­
ciety, from the hamlet to the palace, its blighting effect would be felt.
That Commerce is dependent on government for protection, no question will
arise; a government, to enjoy the confidence of Commerce, and be able to
extend protection, must have stability, and that stability is dependent on
the subordination o f the mass o f her population, which is regulated either
by their intelligence or their privileges. The masses o f almost every coun­
try are ignorant as to the requisites necessary to give form and stability to
government; and in all that are densely populated experience has proven
the necessity o f abridging the suffrage privilege, which some do by requiring




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Com m ercial B enefits o f S lavery.

a high property qualification, others by title and grade in society; by
which means the mass o f common laborers have equivalent privileges with
absolute slaves in making laws to govern themselves or reform the govern­
ment. B y the concentration o f power in the hands o f those possessing an
identity o f interests, causing power and interest mutually to protect each
other from encroachments by the masses, has given stability to many Euro­
pean governments o f long standing. The evidence we have that it is this
policy which has given them stability, is to be found in the case of those
governments which, for a time, adopted the popular or republican form ;
such as France, Greece, Mexico, the States o f South America, &c., where
their stability amounted to a biennial change; falling into the hands of
such as were able to secure the favor o f the masses, independent o f merit
or the form o f government to be administered when in power. Thus de­
monstrating that the republican form of government cannot be enjoyed by
a people until educated in view o f it, which can be done only by a system
o f general political education, conducted by liberty o f speech and o f the
press; and the fact is not yet proven that they can be fully and safely tole­
rated among any other people than such as have been taught their use
during the formation o f national character. Y et their toleration is abso­
lutely necessary to the formation and perpetuation o f a republican form o f
government; hence it is the slave States o f this Union that may be looked
to for its stability; if not the dominant, the conservative power should re­
main in their hands.
The slave population precludes immigration to the extent o f a dangerous
adulteration, by supplying labor, which will preserve in its original purity
a white population, which has inherited the free and safe use o f speech and
of the press, as a sure means o f perpetuating this government, which was
conceived and brought forth in view o f the institution o f domestic slavery.
This species o f property has the tendency to produce among those who are
living in its midst, and are interested in its management, an identity o f in­
terest and feeling, a fondness for the same constitution and laws, that has
been found to work well for Africa’s once valueless and benighted sons, for
their perpetual guardians the moral and commercial world. Although po­
litical aspirants, and other restless spirits, may arouse and array party feel­
ing for a time, yet when the vital interests o f the country are at stake, its
constitution and laws, there is but one sentiment, although they may differ
as to action; so long as a people entertaining sentiments in common on
questions o f government arising from its adaptation to their interests, and
have power, there can be no danger o f its stability, or of its commercial
prosperity from within.
That the productions o f slave labor add largely to the wealth and power
o f the United States is founded on the fact, that nearly three-fourths o f her
surplus production is the result o f this description o f la bor: and it is only
such surplus being thrown into commercial channels that can bring the
wealth o f other countries to this, (except by a free gift,) which only could
be considered a true addition or contribution to national wealth; all other
means (strictly speaking) being the development o f internal resources.
Commercial preparations and wealth are necessary concomitants when a na­
tion has to exercise offensive or defensive power; it is the surplus produc­
tion that gives rise to such preparations, hence much of the wealth which
is added from without, and o f the. power which enables her to command
respect abroad, is referable to her slave institution either directly or indi­




Com m ercial B enefits o f S lavery.

329

rectly. Much o f this reasoning is applicable to other nations dealing largely
in the products o f slave labor, although they may disclaim the existence of
positive or perpetual slavery within the pale o f their governments. The
true interest o f every country is to encourage the useful arts, in view o f the
development of all o f her natural resources, the idle waters, wild soil, things
on the surface, hidden treasures beneath, and the air which sweeps above
are her’s for culture and improvement, by which the national character is
magnified, and physical support increased for a much larger population.
To effect this in every country, and keep pace with science, the labor o f the
world’s population, properly directed, would be inadequate; yet much o f
this population is permitted to exist in as wild and dormant a state as the
undeveloped resources are. There is no doubt but every man in a state
o f civilization feels it his duty to be actively engaged, independent o f the
mere supply of his own necessities, in converting the dormant resources of
the world into a tangible and realizable form for the world’s progress, and
it is only such that can take a retrospect and make claim to a well-spent
life. S ow , if it is the rational desire and ambition o f civilized man to
bring the things o f earth to this state o f usefulness, how much more so is
it his duty to Bring persons bearing his own physical (and probably mental)
image, purporting to have descended from the same common stock, who
are by millions roaming on the earth’s beautiful surface, as wild as the
beasts o f the forests, without any more moral culture or usefulness, ignorant
o f any proper appreciation o f nature’s gifts, and a terror to civilized man in
attempting to introduce cultivation or improvement. All experience has
proven, and all historical authority is corroborative, that the speediest and
only method which has succeeded to any extent in bringing the heathen
(proper) into a state o f usefulness, is by placing them in contact with, and,
under the educated hand o f civilization, until their wild nature and slothful
habits shall be worn out, and a capacity for self government manifested,
although'it should require thousands o f years to effect it.
This work of usefulness is to be commenced by the civilized countries
permitting, by law, their own and the population o f each other to obtain,
by purchase or capture, o f the world’s heathen, as many as they can profit­
ably employ, to be perpetual slaves, with proper enactments for their treat­
ment. There is very little doubt but the'first governmental opposition to
this once noble and praiseworthy license for doing good to the heathen,
originated in the short-sighted apprehension that there would not be room
in the civilized portions o f the world for the well-doing o f their own surplus
population; but let them fear not, science will develop employment as fast
as population can grow in all time to c om e; and selfish considerations
should not be tolerated with such an amount o f good in prospect. The
ostensible objections raised against slavery are its attendant cruelties and
immoralities; but they are blessings when compared with such as are prac­
ticed in their native condition ; some of which are the scarifying o f infant’s
cheeks, that pain may result when they attempt to express their wants by
crying, selling each other for a trifle in return, regardless o f their future lot,
torturing themselves and one another under the dominion o f superstition,
by burying alive, the funeral pile, Juggernaut’s car, &c., but that which is
the worst o f all is cannibalism. Think o f the number o f fat babies and
sprightly youths o f their own people, besides the unfortunate strangers that
are eaten ; with these historical truths before us it would be blind prejudice
to compare the horrors o f heathendom with the necessary penalties of




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Com m ercial B en efits o f S lavery.

slavery, which are never carried further than to secure subordination to the
reasonable government o f civilization, which brings with it benefits, individ­
ual and general, which are unknown in heathendom. If enlightened gov­
ernments were to take this view o f the heathen’s condition and act, leaving
the semi-civilized nations as the field for Christian effort and benevolence,
what would be the effect f The enterprise and progress o f the age would
call into requisition many-fold the number that are at present engaged in
the efficient school o f civilization, and the odium which is attached to the
epithet slavery would be lost in view o f the mutual benefits accruing to the
heathen and his enlightened instructors through this humane institution.
If the labor o f the present number o f heathen that are employed in the
moral arts has produced so good an effect on the world’s commerce as has
been shown, we would expect any multiplied number to produce a propor­
tionate effect, the ocean highways between commercial nations would be so
crowded with merchantmen that their canvas would never be out o f each
other’s sight, bearing the valuable products o f slave labor. Bearing on this
subject is appended a transcript o f the protest resolutions o f W ellington, St.
Vincent, Penshurst, and Winford, presented to the British Parliament on
the 20th August, 1833, against the third reading of the slavery abolition
bill.
DISSENTIENT.

“ 1. Because it is attempted by this bill to emancipate a nation o f slaves,
not prepared by a previous course o f training, education, or o f religious in­
struction, habits o f industry, or o f social intercourse, for the position in
which they will be placed in societyr.
, “ 2. Because the value, as possessions o f the crown o f Great Britain, o f
the colonies in which these negroes are located, as wTell as the value o f these
estates to the proprietors and colonists, depends upon the labor o f the ne­
groes to obtain the valuable produce of the soil, sugar, whether as slaves, as
apprentices, or as free laborers for hire.
“ 3. Because the experience o f all times, and o f all nations, particularly
that o f modern times, and in our own colonies, and in St. Domingo, has
proved that men uncivilized, and at liberty to labor or not as they please,
will not work for hire at regular agricultural labor in the low grounds with­
in the tropics; and ihe example o f the United States, a country but thinly
peopled in proportion to its extent and fertility, and always in want of
hands, has shown that even in more temperate climates the labor o f eman­
cipated negroes could not be relied upon for the cultivation o f the soil; and
that the welfare o f society, as well as that o f the emancipated negroes them­
selves, required that they should be removed elsewhere.
“ 4. Because the number o f negroes on the several islands and settle­
ments on the continent o f America in which they are located, is so small in
proportion to the extent o f the country which they occupy, and the fertility
o f the soil is so great, and the climate (however insalubrious and little in­
viting to exertion and labor) is so favorable to vegetation and the growth o f
all descriptions o f the produce o f the earth, that it cannot be expected that
these emancipated slaves, thus uneducated and untrained, will be induced
to work for hire.
“ 5. Because, upon this speculation depends the value o f a capital o f not
less than 200,000,000 sterling, including therein the fortunes and existence,
in a state o f independence, o f thousands o f colonists and proprietors o f es­




I

331

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

tates in the colonies, the trade o f the country, the employment o f 250,000
tons o f British shipping, and o f 25,000 seamen, and a revenue which pro­
duces to the exchequer, upon sugar alone, not less than 5,000,000 sterling
per annum.”
WM. S. PRICE, M . D.

JOURNAL OF MERCANTILE LAW.
THE

IN C O R P O R A T IO N OF F IR E IN S U R A N C E CO M PAN IES IN T H E S T A T E OF N E W T O R E .

W e publish below “ An Act to provide for the Incorporation o f Fire Insurance
Companies,” passed June 25th, 1853, by “ The People o f the State o f New York,
represented in Senate and Assembly,” which is now in force:—
AN ACT

T O P R O V ID E F O R

THE

IN C O R P O R A T IO N OF F IR E

IN SU R A N C E

CO M PAN IES.

S ec. 1. Any number o f persons, not less than thirteen, may associate and

form an incorporated company for the following purposes, to wit
T o make insurance on dwelling-houses, stores, and all kinds o f buildings, and
upon household furniture, and other property, against loss or damage by fire,
and the risks o f inland navigation and transportation.
S ec . 2. Any company organized under this act, shall have pow er to effect re­
insurance o f any risks taken by them respectively.
S ec. 3. Such persons shall file in the office o f the Controller, a declaration
signed by all the corporators, expressing their intention to form a company for
the purpose o f transacting the business o f insurance, as expressed in the first
section o f this act, which declaration shall also comprise a copy o f the charter
proposed to be adopted by them, and shall publish a notice o f such their inten­
tion, once in each week for at least six weeks, in a public newspaper in the coun­
ty in which such insurance company is proposed to be located.
S ec. 4. The charter comprised in such declaration, shall set forth the name o f

the company, the place where the principal office for the transaction of its bus­
iness shall be located; the mode and manner in which the corporate powers
granted by this act are to be exercised; the mode and manner o f electing trus­
tees or directors, a majority o f whom shall be citizens o f this State, and o f fill­
ing vacancies, (but each director o f a stock company shall be the owner in his
own right o f at least five hundred dollars worth o f the stock o f such company
at its par value;) the period for the commencement and termination o f its fiscal
year, and the amount o f capital to be employed in the transaction o f its business;
and the Controller shall have the right to reject any name or title o f any com­
pany applied for, when he shall deem the name too similar to one already appro­
priated, or likely to mislead the public in any respect.
S ec. 5. No company formed under this act shall, directly or indirectly, deal
or trade in buying or selling any goods, wares, merchandise, or other commodi­
ties whatever, excepting such articles as may have been insured by any compa­
ny, and are claimed to be damaged by fire or water.
S ec . 6. No joint-stock company shall be incorporated under this act in the
city and county o f New York, nor in the county o f Kings, nor shall any com­
pany incorporated under this act establish any agency for the transaction o f bus­
iness in either o f said counties, with a smaller capital than one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars, nor in any other county in this State, with a smaller capital
than fifty thousand dollars; nor shall any company formed for the purpose o f
doing the business o f fire or inland navigation insurance, on the plan o f mutual
insurance, commence business if .located in the city o f New York, or in the
county o f Kings, nor establish any agency for the transaction o f business in
either o f said counties, until agreements have been entered into for insurance




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Journal o f Mercantile Law.

with at least four hundred applicants, the premiums on which shall amount to
not less than tw o hundred thousand dollars, o f which forty thousand dollars
shall have been paid in cash, and notes o f solvent parties, founded on actual and
bona fide applications for insurance, shall have been received for the remaining
one hundred and sixty thousand dollars; nor shall any mutual insurance com ­
pany in any other county o f the State, commence business until agreements have
been entered into for insurance with at least tw o hundred applicants, the pre­
miums on which shall amount to not less than one hundred thousand dollars, o f
which twenty thousand dollars shall have been paid in cash, and notes o f solvent
parties, founded on actual and bona fide applications for insurance, shall have
been received for the remaining eighty thousand dollars; no one o f the notes
received as aforesaid shall amount to more than five hundred dollars, and no tw o
shall be given for the same risk, or be made by the same persons or firm, except
where the whole amount o f such notes shall not exceed five hundred dollars;
nor shall any such note be represented as capital stock unless a policy be issued
upon the same within thirty days after the organization o f the company, upon
a risk which shall be for no shorter period than twelve months. Each o f said
notes shall be payable in part or in whole, at any time when the directors shall
deem the same requisite for the payment o f losses by fire or inland navigation,
and such incidental expenses as may be necessary for transacting the business
o f said company.
S ec . 7. It shall and may be lawful for the individuals associated for the pur­
pose o f organizing any company under this act, after having published the no­
tice and filed their declaration and charter, as required by the third section o f
this act, and also on filing in the office o f the controller p roof o f such publica­
tion, by the affidavit o f the publisher o f such newspaper, his foreman, or clerk,
to open books for subscription to the capital stock o f the company so intended
to be organized, and to keep the same open until the full amount specified in the
charter is subscribed; or in case the business o f such company is proposed to
be conducted on the plan o f mutual insurance, then to open books to receive
propositions, and enter into agreements in the manner and to the extent speci­
fied in the sixth section o f this act.
S ec . 8. It shall be lawful for any company organized under this act, to invest
its capital, or the funds accumulated in the course o f its business, or any part
thereof, in bonds and mortgages on unincumbered real estate within the State
o f New York, worth fifty per cent more than the sum loaned thereon; but in
such valuation farm buildings shall not be estimated, and also in the stocks o f
this State or o f the United States, or in the stocks or bonds o f either o f the in­
corporated cities o f this State, which shall be at or above par at the time o f the
investment, and to lend the same or any part thereof, on the security o f such
stocks or bonds, or upon bonds and mortgages as aforesaid, and to change and
re-invest the same as occasion may from time to time require; but any surplus
moneys (over and above the capital stock) o f any such fire and inland navigation
insurance companies, or o f any fire insurance company incorporated under any
law o f this State, may be invested in or loaned upon the pledge o f the stock,
bpnds, or other evidences o f indebtedness o f any institution incorporated under
the laws o f this State, except their own stock; provided, always, that the current
market value o f such stocks, bonds, or other evidences o f indebtedness shall be
a least ten per cent more than the sum so loaned thereon.
S ec . 9. No company organized by or under this act, shall purchase, hold, or
convey real estate, excepting for the purposes and in the manner herein set forth,
to w it:—
1. Such as shall be requisite for its convenient accommodation in the transac­
tion o f its business; or,
2. Such as shall have been mortgaged to it in good faith, by way o f security
for loans previously contracted, or for moneys d u e; or,
3. Such as shall have been conveyed to it in satisfaction o f debts previously
contracted in their legitimate business, or for moneys d u e; or,
4. Such as shall have been purchased at sales upon judgments, decrees or




Journal o f Mercantile Law.

333

mortgages obtained or made for such d ebts; and it shall not be lawful for any
such company to purchase, hold, or convey real estate in any other case, or for
any other purpose; and all such real estate as may be acquired as aforesaid, and
which shall not be necessary for the accommodation o f such company in the
transaction o f its business, shall be sold and disposed o f within five years after
such company shall have acquired title thereto, unless the company shall procure
a certificate from the controller o f the State, that the interests o f the company
will suffer materially by a forced sale thereof, in which event the sale may be
postponed for such a period as the controller shall direct in said certificate ; and
the controller may also give such certificate and extend the time for holding real
estate, in the like circumstances, on the application o f any insurance company
heretofore incorporated.
S ec . 10. T he charter and p roof o f publication herein required to be filed by
every such company, shall be examined by the attorney general, and i f found
conformable to this act and not inconsistent with the constitution or laws o f this
State, shall be certified by him to the controller o f the State, who shall there­
upon cause an examination to be made, either by himself, or b y three disinter­
ested persons specially appointed by him for that purpose, who shall certify un­
der oath that the capital herein required o f the company named in the charter
according to the nature o f the business proposed to be transacted by such com ­
pany, has been paid in and is possessed by it in m oney, or in such stocks and
bonds and mortgages as are required by the eighth section o f this act; or if a
mutual company, that it has received and is in actual possession o f the capital,
premiums, or bona fide engagements o f insurance, or other securities, as the case
may be, to the full extent and o f the value required by the sixth section o f this
a c t; and the name and the residence o f the maker o f each premium note form­
ing part o f the capital, and the amount o f such note shall be returned to the
controller; and the corporators and officers o f such company shall be required
to certify under oath that the capital exhibited to those persons is bona fide prop­
erty o f the company. Such certificate shall be filed in the office o f the controller,
who shall thereupon deliver to such company a certified cop y o f the charter and
o f such certificates, which, on being filed in the office o f the clerk o f the county
where the company is to be located, shall be their authority to commence busi­
ness and issue policies; and such certified cop y o f the charter and o f said cer­
tificates may be used in evidence for or against said company with the same effect
with the originals.
S ec. 11. T he corporators, or the trustees or directors, as the case may be, o f
any company organized under this act, shall have power to make such by-laws
not inconsistent with the consitution or laws o f this State, as may be deemed
necessary for the government o f its officers and the conduct o f its affairs, and
the same, when necessary, to alter and amend, and they and their successors may
have a com mon seal, and may change and alter the same at their pleasure.
S ec . 12. It shall not be lawful for the directors, trustees, or managers o f any
such company, to make any dividend except from the surplus profits arising from
their business, and in estimating such profits, there shall be reserved therefrom
a sum equal to the amount o f premiums unearned on risks not matured, and
also all sums due the corporation on bonds and mortgages, bonds, stocks, and
book accounts, o f which no part o f the interest or principal thereon has
been paid during the last year, and for which foreclosure or suit has not been
com m erced for collection, or which after judgment obtained thereon, shall have
remained more than tw o years unsatisfied, and on which interest shall not have
been paid, and also all interest due or accrued, and remaining unpaid. A ny divi­
dend made contrary to these provisions shall subject the stockholders receiving
it to a joint and several liability to the creditors o f such company, to the extent
o f the dividend.
S ec. 13. A ll notes deposited with any mutual insurance company at the time
o f its organization, as provided in section six, shall remain as security for all
losses and claims until the accumulation o f the profits, invested as required by
the eighth section o f this act, shall equal the amount o f cash capital required to




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Journal o f Mercantile Law.

be possessed by stock companies organized under this act, the liability o f each
note decreasing proportionately as the profits are accumulated; but any note
which may have been deposited with any mutual insurance company subsequent
to its organization, in addition to the cash premium on any insurance effected
with such company, may, at the expiration o f the time o f such insurance, be re­
linquished and given up to the maker thereof, or his representatives, upon his
paying the proportion o f all losses and expenses which may have accrued thereon
during such term. The directors or trustees o f any such company shall have
the right to determine the amount o f the note to be given in addition to the cash
premium, by any person insuring in any such com pany; but in no case shall the
note be more than five times the whole amount o f the cash premium. And every
person effecting insurance in any mutual company, and also their heirs, executors,
.administrators, and assigns, continuing to be so insured, shall thereby becom e
members o f said corporation during the period o f insurance, and shall be bound
to pay for losses and such necessary expenses as aforesaid, accruing in and to
said company, in proportion to the amount o f his deposit note or notes. The
directors shall, after receiving notice o f any loss or damage by fire sustained by
any member, and ascertaining the same, or after the rendition o f any judgment
against said company for loss or damage, settle and determine the sums to be
paid by the several members thereof as their respective portion o f such loss, and
publish the same in such manner as they shall see fit, or as the by-laws shall
have prescribed; and the sum to be paid by each member shall always be in pro­
portion to the original amount o f his deposit note or notes, and shall be paid to
the officers o f the company within thirty days next after the publication o f said
notice. And if any member shall, for the space o f thirty days after the publica­
tion o f said notice, and after personal demand for payment shall have been made,
neglect or refuse to pay the sum assessed upon him as his proportion o f any loss
as aforesaid, in such case the directors may sue for and recover the whole amount
o f his deposit note or notes, with costs o f suit, but execution shall only issue
for assessments and costs as they accrue, and every such execution shall be ac­
companied by a list o f the losses for which the assessment is made. I f the
whole amount o f deposit notes shall be insufficient to pay the loss occasioned
by any fire or fires, in such case the sufferers insured by the said company shall
receive toward making good their respective losses, a proportional share o f the
whole amount o f said notes according to the sums by them respectively insured;
but no member shall ever be required.to pay for any loss occasioned by fire or
inland navigation, more than the whole amount o f his deposit note.
•S e c . 14. It shall be lawful for any mutual insurance company established in
conformity with the provisions o f this act, to unite a cash capital to any extent,
as an additional security to its members, over and above their cash premiums
and premium n o te s ; provided, that such cash capital shall not be less than thirty
thousand dollars, and which additional cash capital shall be loaned and invested
as provided in the eighth section o f this a c t ; and the company may allow an in­
terest on such cash capital, and a participation in its profits, and prescribe the li­
ability o f the owner or owners thereof, to share in the losses o f the company,
and such cash capital shall be liable as the capital stock o f the company, in the
payment o f its debts; provided, that such cash capital shall in all cases be paid
in at the organization o f the company, and satisfactory evidence o f that fact fur­
nished to the controller. A n y existing joint-stock fire insurance company, and
any company formed under this law may, (the written consent o f the holders o f
three-fourths in amount o f the stock first being had,) permit the insured to par­
ticipate in the profits o f the business o f such company, and provide how for any
scrip issued to the insured for such profits shall be liable for the losses to be
sustained, and any company so doing, whenever an amount not less than one
hundred thousand dollars has been accumulated and scrip so issued therefor, may,
with the written consent o f the holders o f three-fourths in amount o f the stock,
pay off and cancel an amount o f the original cash capital equal to one-half o f
the accumulated profits, and so may continue from time to time until the whole
amount o f the original cash capital is paid o ff: provided, that before any portion




Journal o f Mercantile Law.

335

o f such capital stock shall he so paid off, proof shall be exhibited to the con ­
troller that an amount o f accumulated profits has been realized, scrip issued
therefor, and the investments made thereof, pursuant to the provisions o f the
eighth section o f this act, at least equal to double the amount so desired to he
paid oft' and canceled, and the controller shall also certify that he is first satis­
fied with such proof.
S ec . 15. Every fire and inland navigation insurance company hereinafter or­
ganized, shall, if it be a mutual company, embody the word “ mutual ” in its
title, which shall appear on the fir^t page o f every policy and renewal receip t;
and every company doing business as a cash stock company shall, upon the face
o f its policy in some, suitable manner, express that such policy is a stock policy.
S ec . 16. Suits at law may he maintained by any corporation formed under
this act, against any o f its members or stockholders for any cause relating to the
business o f such corporation, and also suits at law may he prosecuted and main­
tained b y any member or stockholder against such corporations for any losses
which may have accrued, if payment is withheld more than thirty days after
such losses shall have become due ; and any member or stockholder, not indi­
vidually a party to such suits, may be a witness therein.
S ec . 17. The trustees and corporators o f any company organized under this
act, and those entitled to a participation o f the profits o f such company, shall be
jointly and severally liable for all debts or responsibilities o f such company, until
the whole amount o f the capital o f such company shall have been paid in and a
certificate thereof recorded as hereinbefore provided.
Notes taken in advance
o f premiums under this act, are not to be considered debts o f the company in
determining whether a company is insolvent, but are to be regarded as assets o f
the company.
S ec . 18. Any existing joint-stock fire insurance company heretofore incor­
porated under the laws o f this State, and any company organized under this act,
may at any time within tw o years previous to the termination o f its charter, af­
ter giving notice at least once a week for six weeks successively, in a newspaper
published in the county where such company is located, o f such intentions, and
with a declaration under its corporate seal, signed by its president and two-thirds
o f its directors, o f their desire for such extension, extend the term o f its orig­
inal charter to the time specified in the twenty-sixth section o f this act, b y alter­
ing and amending the same, so as to accord with the provisions o f this act, and
filing a copy o f such amended charter, with the declaration aforesaid, in the office
o f the con troller; whereupon the same proceedings shall be had as are required
in the tenth section o f this a c t ; and any mutual insurance company heretofore
incorporated under the laws o f this State, or organized under this act, may, with
the consent o f two-thirds o f the corporators or members thereof, and the unan­
imous. consent o f the trustees or directors o f such company, unless otherwise
provided in the charter expressed in writing, after having given notice once a
week for six weeks o f their intentions in the State paper, and in a newspaper
published in the county where such company is located, becom e a joint-stock
company, by conforming its charter to, and otherwise proceeding in accordance
with this a c t ; and every company so extended or changed shall com e under the
provisions o f this act, in the same manner as if it had been incorporated orig­
inally under this act.
S ec. 19. A ny existing fire insurance company, and any company formed under
this law, may, at any time, increase the amount o f its capital stock, after notice
given once a week for six weeks, in the state paper and in any newspaper pub­
lished in the county where such company is located, o f such intentions, with the
written consent o f three-fourths in amount o f its stockholders; unless otherwise
provided in its charter, or if a mutual company, with the unanimous consent o f
its trustees, (unless otherwise provided in its charter,) by altering or amending
their charter in this respect, and filing a copy o f their charter so amended, to­
gether witli a declaration under its corporate seal, signed by its president and di­
rectors, o f their desire so to do, with such written consent o f three-fourths in
amount o f its stockholders, or the unanimous consent o f the trustees as afore­




336

Journal o f Mercantile Law.

said to such increase in the office o f the controller, and upon the same proceed­
ings being had as are required by the tenth section o f this act.
S ec. 20. Such companies as may have been incorporated or extended under
th e " A ct to provide for the incorporation o f insurance companies,” passed April
10th, 1849, are hereby brought under all the provisions o f this act, except that
their capitals may continue o f the amounts named in their respective charters
during the existing term thereof, and are also entitled to all the privileges grant­
ed by said charters.
S ec. 21. A ll companies incorporated or extended under this act, shall be
deemed and taken to be bodies corporate and politic in fact and in name, and
shall be subject to all the provisions o f the revised statutes, and acts supplemen­
tal thereto, in relation to corporations so far as the same are applicable.
S ec. 22. It shall be the duty o f the president or vice-president and secretary
o f each company organized under this act or incorporated under any law o f this
State, annually, on the first day o f January, or within one month thereafter, to
prepare, under their own oath, and deposit in the office o f the controller o f this
State, a statement o f the condition o f such company on the thirty-first day o f
December, then next preceding, exhibiting the follow ing facts and items, and in
the follow ing form, namely :
F irst . The amount o f capital stock o f the company.
S econd. T h e property or assets held by the company, specifying,
1. T he value, or nearly as may be, o f the real estate held by such company.
2. The amount o f cash on hand and deposited in the banks to the credit o f the
company, specifying in what banks the same are deposited.
3. The amount o f cash in hands o f agents and in course o f transmission.
4. The amount o f loans secured by bonds and mortgages, constituting the first
lien on real estate, on which there shall be less than one year’ s interest due or
owing.
5. The amount o f loans on which interest shall not have been paid within one
year previous to such statement.
6. The amount due the company on which judgments have been obtained.
7. The amount o f stocks o f this State, o f the United States, o f any incorpo­
rated city o f this State, and o f any other stocks owned by the company, specify­
ing the amount, number o f shares, and par and market value o f each kind o f
stock.
8. The amount o f stocks held thereby, as collateral security for loans, with the
amount loaned on each kind o f stock, its par value and market value.
. 9. The amount o f assessments on stock or premium notes paid and unpaid.
10. The amount o f interest actually due and unpaid.
11. The amount o f premium notes on hand on which policies are issued.
T hird . The liabilities o f such company, specifying,
1. The amount o f losses due and yet unpaid.
2. The amount o f claims for losses resisted by the company.
3. T he amount o f losses incurred during the year, including those claimed’ and
not yet due, and o f those reported to the company upon which no action has
been taken.
4. T he amount o f dividends declared and due, and remaining unpaid.
5. T he amount o f dividends (either cash or script) declared but not yet due.
6. The amount o f money borrowed, and security given for the payment thereof.
7. The amount o f all other existing claims against the company.
F ourth . The income o f the company during the preceding year, specifying,
1. The amount o f cash premiums received.
2. The amount o f notes received for premiums.
3. The amount o f interest money received.
4. The amount o f income received from other sources.
F ifth . The expenditures during the preceding year, specifying,
1.
T he amount o f losses paid during the year, stating how much o f the same
accrued prior, and how much subsequent to the date o f the preceding statement,
and the amount at which such losses were estimated in such preceding statement.




Journal o f Mercantile Law.

a s?

2. The amount o f dividends paid during the year.
3. The amount o f expenses paid during the year, including commissions and
fees to agents and officers o f the company.
4. The amount paid in taxes.
5. The amount o f all other payments and expenditures.
The statement o f any company, the capital o f which is composed in whole or
in part o f notes, shall, in addition to the foregoing, exhibit the amount o f notes
originally forming the capital, and also what proportion o f said notes is still held
by such company, and considered capital. The statement herein provided for
shall be in lieu o f any or all statements now required by any existing law or
provision. Every fire insurance company organized under any law o f this State,
failing to make and deposit such statement, shall be subject to the penalty o f five
hundred dollars, and an additional five hundred dollars for every month that such
company shall continue thereafter to transact any business o f insurance.
It shall be the duty o f the controller to cause to be prepared and furnished
to each o f the companies and to the attorneys o f companies incorporated by
other states and foreign governments, printed forms o f the statement required by
this act, and he may, from time to time, make such changes in the form o f such
statements as shall seem to him best adapted to elicit from the companies a true
exhibit o f their condition in respect to the several points herein before enu­
merated.
It shall be the duty o f the controller to canse the information contained in
the statements required by this section to be. arranged in a tabular form, and pre­
pare the same in a single document for printing, which he shall communicate to
the legislature annually.
S ec. 23. It shall not be lawful for any fire insurance company incorporated by
any other state o f the United States, or by any foreign government, directly or
indirectly to take risks or transact any business o f insurance in this State, unless
possessed o f the amount o f actual capital required o f similar companies formed
under the provisions o f this act, and any such company desiring to transa't any
such business as aforesaid by an agent or agents in this State, shall first appoint
an attorney in this State, on whom process o f law can be served, and file in the
office o f the controller o f this State a certified copy o f the vote or resolution
o f the directors appointing such attorney, which appointment shall continue until
another attorney be substituted, and also a certified copy o f their charter, to­
gether With a statement under the oath o f the president or vice-president, and sec­
retary o f the company, for which he or they may act, stating the name o f the
company, and place where located; the amount o f its capital, with a detailed
statement o f its assets, showing the amount o f cash on hand, in bank, or in the
hands o f agents; the amount o f real estate, and how much the same is encum­
bered by mortgage; the number o f shares o f stock o f every kind owned by the
company, the par and market value o f the sam e; amount loaned on bond and
m ortgage; the amount loaned on other security, stating the kind, and the amount
loaned on each, and the estimated value o f the whole amount o f such securities;
any other assets or property o f the company, also stating the indebtedness o f the
company, the amount o f losses adjusted and unpaid, the amount incurred and in
process o f adjustment, the amount resisted by the company as illegal and fraudu­
lent, and any other claims existing against the company, also a copy o f the last
annual report, if any made under any law o f the state by which such company
was incorporated; and no agent shall be allow ed to transact, business for any
company whose capital is impaired to the extent o f twenty per cent thereof, while
such deficiency shall continue ; and any agent for any company incorporated by
any foreign government, shall, in addition to the foregoing, furnish evidence to
the satisfaction o f the controller, that such company has invested in securities
o f a similar character as required o f companies organized under this act, an
amount equal to the capital required by section six, o f companies organized un­
der this a c t; and that such securities and investments are held in trust by citizens
o f the United States for the benefit and security o f such as may effect insurance
with him or them; nor shall it be lawful for any agent or agents to act for any
V OL. x x i x . —

no




. in .

22

338

Journal o f M ercantile Law.

company or companies referred to in this section, directly or indirectly, in taking
risks or transacting the business o f tire or inland navigation insurance in this
State, without procuring from the controller a certificate o f authority stating
that such company has complied with all the requisitions o f this act which apply
to such companies, and the name of the attorney appointed to act for the com­
pany ; a certified copy o f such certificate o f authority with statement must be
filed by the agent in the office o f the clerk o f every county where such company
has agents, and shall be published in the paper in which the state notices are re­
quired to be inserted, four successive times after the filing o f such statement as
aforesaid, and within thirty days thereafter proof o f such publication by the affi­
davit o f the publisher o f such newspaper, his foreman, or clerk, shall be filed in
the office o f the controller. The statements and evidences o f investment re­
quired by this section, shall be renewed from year to year, with an additional
statement o f the amount o f premiums received and losses incurred in this State
duringthe preceding year, so long as such agency continues; and the controller,
on being satisfied that the capital, securities and investments remain secure, as at
first, shall furnish a renewal o f his certificates as aforesaid, and the agent or
agents obtaining such certificates shall file the same, together with a certified
copy o f statements and affidavits on which it was obtained or renewed, in the of­
fice o f the clerk o f the county in which such agency shall be established, within
the month o f January. But the attorney, agent, or agents o f any company in­
corporated by any foreign government may furnish and file such statements and
evidences as aforesaid, within the months o f January and February in each year,
and publish the same as hereinbefore provided. Any violation o f any o f the
provisions o f this section shall subject the party violating, to a penalty o f five
hundred dollars for each violation, and o f the additional sum o f one hundred dol­
lars for each month during which any such agent-shall neglect to make such pub­
lication or to file such affidavits as are herein required. Every agent o f any fire
insurance company shall, in all advertisements o f such agency, publish the loca­
tion o f the company, giving the name o f the city, town or village, in which the
company is located, and the state or government under the laws o f which it is
organized.
The term agent or agents, used in this section, shall include an acknowledged
agent or surveyor, or any other person or persons, who shall, in any manner, aid
in transacting the insurance business o f any insurance company not incorporated
by the laws o f fhis State.
S ec. 24. It shall be the duty o f the controller, whenever he shall deem it
expedient so to do, to appoint one or more persons, not officers o f any fire insu­
rance company doing business in this State, to examine into the affairs o f any fire
insurance company incorporated in this State, or doing business by its agents in
this State; and it shall be the duty o f the officers or agents o f any such compa­
ny doing business in this State, to cause their books to be opened for the inspec­
tion o f the person or persons so appointed, and otherwise to facilitate such ex­
amination so far as it may be in their power to d o ; and for that purpose, the
controller, or person or persons so appointed by him, shall have power to ex­
amine under oath, the officers and agents o f any company relative to the busi­
ness o f said com pany; and when the controller shall deem it for the interest
o f the public so to do, lie shall publish the result o f such investigation in one or
more papers in this State; and whenever it shall appear to the controller, from
such examination^ that the assets o f any company, incorporated in this State, are
insufficient to justify the continuance in business o f any such company, he may
direct the officers thereof to require the stockholders to pay in the amount o f
such deficiency within such period as he may designate in such requisition, or he
shall communicate the fact to the attorney general, whose duty it shall then be­
com e to apply to the Supreme Court for an order requiring them to show cause
why the business o f such company should not be closed, and the court shall
thereupon proceed to hear the allegations and proofs o f the respective parties;
and in case it shall appear to the satisfaction o f said court that the assets and
funds o f the said company are not sufficient as aforesaid, or that the interests o f




Journal o f M ercantile Law.

339

the public so require, the said court shall decree a dissolution o f said company,
and a distribution o f its effects. The Supreme Court shall have power to refer
the application o f the attorney general to a referee to inquire into and report up­
on the facts stated therein. Any company receiving the aforesaid requisition
from the controller, shall forthwith call upon its stockholders for such amounts
as will make its capital equal to the amount fixed by the charter o f said com ­
pany, and in case any stockholder o f such company shall refuse or neglect to pay
the amount so called for, after notice personally given or by advertisement, in
such time and manner as the controller shall approve, it shall be lawful for the
said company to require the return o f the original certificate o f stock held by
such stockholder, and in lieu thereof to issue new certificates for such number o f
shares as the said stockholder may be entitled to in the proportion that the as­
certained value o f the funds o f the said company may be found to bear to the
original capital o f the said company ; the value o f such shares for which new
certificates shall be issued, to be ascertained under the direction o f the con­
troller, and the company paying for the fractional parts o f shares; and it shall be
lawful for the directors o f such company to create new stock and dispose o f the
same, and to issue new certificates therefor, to an amount sufficient to make up
the original capital o f the company. And it is hereby declared that in the event
o f any additional losses accruing upon new risks taken after the expiration o f the
period limited by the controller, in the aforesaid requisition for the tilling up o f
the deficiency in the capital o f such company, and before said deficiency shall
have been made up, the directors shall be individually liable to the extent thereof.
And if, upon such examination, it shall appear to the controller that the assets
o f any company chartered on the plan o f mutual insurance under this act, are in­
sufficient to justify the continuance o f such company in business, it shall be his
duty to proceed in relation to such company in the same manner as is herein re­
quired in regard to joint stock companies, and the trustees or directors o f such
company are hereby made personally liable for any losses which may be sustained
upon risks taken after the expiration o f the period limited by the controller for
the filling up the deficiency in the capital, and before such deficiency shall have
been made up. A ny transfer o f the stock o f any company organized under this
act, made during the pending o f any such investigation, shall not release the
party making the transfer from his liability for the losses which may have accrued
previous to the transfer. And whenever it shall appear 1o the controller from
the report o f the person or persons appointed by him, that the affairs o f any com ­
pany not incorporated by the laws o f this State, are in an unsound condition, he
shall revoke the certificates granted in behalf o f such company, and shall cause
a notification thereof to be published in the state paper for four weeks, and the
agent or agents o f such company is, after such notice, required to discontinue the
issuing o f any new policy, and the renewal o f any previously issued.
S ec. 25. Every penalty provided for by this act shall be sued for and recov­
ered in the name o f the people, by the district attorney o f the county in which
the company or the agent or agents so violating shall be situated, and one-half o f
the said penalty, when recovered, shall be paid into the treasury o f said county,
and the other half to the informer o f such violation; and in the case o f non-pay­
ment o f such penalty, the party so offending shall be liable to imprisonment for
a period not exceeding six months, in the discretion o f any court having cogni­
zance thereof.
S ec . 26. All companies incorporated or extended under this act, may' crovide
in their charters for not more than thirty years duration, but the legislature may
at any time alter, amend or repeal this act, and provide for the closing up o f the
business and affairs o f any company formed under it. Nothing herein contained
shall be construed to prevent subsequent extensions o f the charters o f com pa­
nies organized or extended under this act.
S ec. 2 7 . T h e r e shall b e p aid b y e v e r y a ss o cia tio n , c o m p a n y , o r a g e n t, t o w h o m
th is a c t shall a p p ly , th e fo llo w in g fe e s t o b e a p p ro p ria te d t o w a r d s p a y in g th e e x ­
p e n s e s o f e x e c u t in g said a c t : F o r filin g th e d ecla ra tion re q u ire d b y th e third s e c ­
tio n , th e certified c o p y o f th e ch a rter r e q u ir e d b y th e tw e n ty -th ir d s e c t io n , f o r th e




340

Commercial Chronicle and Review.

papers required by the eighteenth or nineteenth sections, the sum o f twenty dol­
lars; for filing the annual statement, five dollars; for every certificate o f agency,
one dollar. And all declarations, charters or other papers relating to fire and in­
land navigation insurance companies now on file in the office o f the secretary o f
state shall be transferred to the office o f the controller, who shall furnish, on
payment o f the usual fees, all certificates in relation thereto, as if the same had
been originally filed in his office. Every county clerk shall demand and receive
for every paper filed in his office under this act, the sum o f ten cents, to be ac­
counted for and paid over to the county treasury as provided by law with regard
to other fees.
S ec . 2 8 . So much o f the act entitled “ An act to provide for the incorporation
o f insurance companies,” passed April 10, 1 8 4 9 as relates to fire and inland navi­
gation insurance, is hereby repealed; but such repeal shall not affect any compa­
nies organized under the said act.
S ec. 29. This act shall take effect immediately, except that those companies
whose officers or agents have complied with the law o f eighteen hundred and
forty-nine, in making and publishing their respective statements, shall be permit­
ted to continue to transact the business o f insurance, without further statement,
until the thirty-first day o f January, eighteen hundred and fifty-four.

COM M ERCIAL CHRONICLE AND R E V I E W .
I N C R E A S E D E X C I T E M E N T IN T H E M O N E Y M A R K E T — W I T H
IN T O T H E

C O N N E C T IO N

BETW EEN

— S U M M A R Y S T A T E M E N T OF T H E
BANK

TH E
BANKS

CO U RSE
IN

TH E

R E T U R N S IN N E W Y O R K — C A S H R E V E N U E

R E D E E M IN G

PART

OF

PORTS A T NEW YO RK
ED IM P O R T S — IM P O R T S
EXPORTS

FROM

TH E

N A T IO N A L

FO R JU L Y
OF

DRY

A N E X P L A N A T I O N OF I T S C A U S E S — IN Q U I R Y

OF TH E

B A N K S A N D T H E C O N V U L S IO N S IN T R A D E

U N IT E D
OF

TH E

S T A T E S — P R IV A T E
U N IT E D

D E B T — R E C E IP T S

AND

C O IN A G E O F G O L D

PROPOSALS

GOODS

FOR

JU L Y AND

SIN C E J A N U A R Y

NEW

Y O R K , AND

FROM

FOR

F O R JU L Y — IM ­

A N D S IN C E J A N U A R Y 1 S T — C A U S E A N D E F F E C T O F T H E

IN C R E A S ­

1 S T , FO R F O U R YE A R S*—

N E W Y O R K F O R J U L Y A N D SIN C E J A N U A R Y 1 S T — E X P O R T S

OF D O M E S T IC PR O D U C E FR O M

B A N K IN G H O U S E S —

S T A T E S , AND

OF

L E A D IN G A R T IC L E S

A L L D O M E S T IC P O R T S .

T he increased activity in monetary affairs, which w e anticipated in our last,
has been realized.

It was speedily follow ed, if not actually introduced, by a

partial panic among stock operators and other speculators, and has been attend­
ed, in all o f the principal markets, with more excitement than has been previous­
ly witnessed for a twelvemonth.

A t New Y ork several causes contributed to

hasten the pressure. The imports have been very large, and the demand for
cash duties absorbed a large amount o f capital. The works o f internal improve­
ment have drawn considerable capital from the seaboard, which could be poorly
spared at such a crisis. An unprecedented amount o f fancy and investment
stocks, bonds, and other similar securities, were held by speculators, but subject
to call loans for which they were hypothecated.

A large portion o f the heavy

capitalists and moneyed men were absent in the country, and there was but little
floating capital subject to a sudden demand.

The increased anxiety among bor­

rowers resulting from these com bined influences was brought to a focus by the
flurry among the banks, occasioned by the demand for a weekly statement o f the
average amount for the previous six days o f their loans and discounts, deposits,
specie, and circulation. This demand, authorizedby the Legislature, could not
be resisted. It cut at once at the root o f all the k it in g which had been practised
during the last two years by those institutions who pretended to lend, but were
in fact borrowers o f capital.




It has offended some who had no need o f such a

Commercial Chronicle and Review.
requirement, but who will in the end see both its justice and utility.

341

It has

brought about daily settlements among the city banks, a measure often urged,
but never before unanimously adopted. N ow each bank has possession o f its
means and o f such deposits as it can obtain from bona fide customers, and is
lim ite d to the business it can thus legitimately obtain. T he four items required,
as an e x h ib it o f the condition o f the bank, are o f less value than generally sup­
posed ; but the influence o f the requisition upon the actual condition o f the
bank has not been overrated.

Under the operation o f the causes alluded to, the

street rates o f interest have been quite irregular, but have ranged mostly from 9
to 12 per cent per annum for prime business paper.
A t Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, the pressure in the money market
originated in part from their intimate connection with New York, and in part
from local causes.

T he excitement in each o f these cities has been less than in

New York, and the stringency has been unaccompanied by the panic felt in the
last named place.
A t New Orleans the excitement has been from quite another cause. The
Y ellow Fever has prevailed there to an extent unknown for many years, and the
moveable population have mostly fled, leaving the city a desolation. A ll regular
commercial business has been suspended, and even when the epidemic has aba­
ted, and the inhabitants have returned, it will take some time to reinstate the
trade in its old channels.
T h e great losses occasioned by this pressure in the money market, although
they have fallen chiefly upon speculators and stock operators, have, nevertheless,
suggested among all classes o f the commercial community some serious ques­
tions in regard to the present management o f the moneyed institutions o f this
country. There can be no doubt but that the panic was immediately brought
on by a sudden contraction o f their loans by the banking institutions o f New
York and other cities. But had the banks no agency in p r e p a r i n g the mine,
which all agree they were instrumental in exploding ? W e do not mean to
charge the managers o f these institutions, as some do, with bringing on the cri­
sis for the.express purpose o f depressing stocks that they might profit by judicious
purchases at a low rate; but we wish to inquire, i f in their anxiety to secure
large dividends they have not contributed to the evil which they subsequently
attempted to correct ?

T he course pursued by the majority o f the banks may

be too deep for ordinary comprehension, but, as far as we can judge, there seems
to be a total want o f system in their general management. There are pointed excep­
tions to this rule, but the few who pursue a judicious course are mostly foiled in
their efforts at regularity by the measures o f the rest. The banks certainly, in
times o f expansion, presume too much upon their accidental capital, and exhaust
their resources too closely. Then they commence a contraction, not gradual
like 1he expansion, but sudden and oppressive. They attempt to regulate the
foreign trade too much, and always at the wrong time.

They will grant every

facility to the importer, until he has given out his orders, and then when the
goods are arriving freely, and he needs all their help to pay the duties and make
up his remittances, they shut up their accommodations under the plea o f a whole­
some restriction o f an excessive importation.

W e have begun to doubt whether

the whole system o f loans on call is not a nuisance which should be abated.

If

the banks should keep a reserve fund for a sudden call, let them keep it to them-




/

Commercial Chronicle and Review.

342

selves. T he}' lend it “ subject to call,” and in calling for it shake commercial
credit to its center. The floating capital thus loaned is almost wholly used for
purposes o f speculation.
gitimate business.

Such loans are never o f any positive benefit to a le­

Prudent merchants will not touch them, but even the most

prudent cannot escape from the trouble occasioned by the use which is made o f
them by others. It may be that the banks will see the errors connected with
the present mode o f business and work the change themselves; but if they do
not, the community will at last effect the reform, although they may not do it
as gently as could be desired.
increasing.

Meantime the number o f banks is everywhere

The follow ing will show that the number, even up to the last

official dates, has been considerably augmented since the heavy failures follow ing
the attempted resumption o f specie payments in 1839.
BANKS OF THE UNITED STATES.

Date.
1 8 3 0 ..
1 8 3 7 ..
1 8 3 9 ..
1 8 4 3 ..
1 8 4 7 ..
1 8 4 8 ..
1 8 6 0 ..
1851. .

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

No.
Capital.
Loans.
Specie.
330 $145,192,268 §200,451,214 §22,114,917
788 290,772.091 525.115,702 37,915.340
840 327.132.512 492,278,015 45,132 673
228.861,948 254,544,937 28,440.423
715 203,070.622 310,282,945 35,132.516
751 204,833,175 344,476,582 46,369,765
829 217,317,211 364,204,078 45,379,345
871 227,469,074 412,607,653 48,671,138

Circulation.

Deposits.

$61,32 3 ,8 9 8
149,185,890
135.170,995
58,563,608
105,519,766
128,506,091
131,316,526
155,012,912

$55,559,928
127,397,185
90,240,146
56.168,623

91,792.533
103,226,177
109,586,595
127,557,645

T h e la ter o fficia l retu rn s a re q u ite in c o m p le te , b u t th e p r e s e n t n u m b e r o f b a n k s
in th e U n io n is o v e r o n e th o u s a n d .
I f th e b a n k s c o n tin u e th e irre g u la ritie s h ith erto c h a r g e a b le t o th e m , p e rh a p s
th e first n o t ic e a b le a tte m p t a t r e fo r m w ill b e th e e n c o u r a g e m e n t g iv e n t o p riva te
b a n k in g .

A lr e a d y a t

s ev era l p o in ts t h r o u g h o u t th e

U n io n

p riv a te

b a n k in g

h o u s e s h a v e b e e n es ta b lis h e d , a n d are q u it e in fa v o r w ith th e c o m m e r c ia l c o m ­
m u n ity .
T h e b a n k s o f N e w Y o r k c it y are n o w m a k in g w e e k ly s u m m a ry s ta te m e n ts o f
th eir c o n d it io n , fr o m w h ic h w e a n n e x th e f o l l o w i n g co m p a ra tiv e s u m m a r y :—
Loans and discounts.
A u g u st 6 ,1 8 5 3 .................
$97,899,499
A u g u st 1 3 ,1 8 5 3 .................
94.633,282
A u g u st 20, 1 8 5 3 .................
94,074,717

Specie.
$ 9,746,441
10,653,518
1 1,082,274

Circulation.
$9,5 13 ,0 5 3
9,451,943
9,389,727

Deposits.
$ 60 ,579,797
5 7,457,504
5 7,207,223

T h e s e retu rn s s h o w th a t e a ch w e e k is a d d in g t o th e s tr e n g th o f th e ir p o s it io n .
T h e la st q u a rte rly retu rn o f th e b a n k s in th e S ta te h a s b e e n p u b lis h e d , f r o m
w h ic h w e h a ve c o m p ile d th e fo l l o w i n g co m p a ra tiv e t a b l e :—
L oans and d is c o u n t s .....................................
S to c k s .....................
S p e c ie .................................................................
Cash it e m s ........................................................
B ank n o te s ..........................
D u e from B anks.............................................
C apital................................................................
C irculation.........................................................
D ep osits..............................................................
D u e to b a n k s ...................................................

Dec. 25, 1852.
$ 1 3 4 ,8 7 7 ,2 00
18,110,316
11,493,743
20,906,241
2,877,708
14,546,432
65,4 49 ,7 0 3
33,4 16 ,1 0 0
74,923,943
29,3 03 ,3 5 3

Feb. 26,1853.
$ 14 1,586,945
18,634,167
10,089,306
16,144,816
3 ,670,205
16.258,332
67,623,326
30,063,014
7 9,469,326
3 0,473,106

June 11,1853.
$ 1 4 4 ,5 9 0 ,6 96
19,820,646
13,384,410
1 7,883,543
4,3 6 8,19 5
13,575,589
73,183,251
30.064.959
79,9 96 ,5 2 8
31,889,129

Since our last, the government has made a standing offer o f 121 and interest,
for the return o f $ 5 000,000 United States bonds redeemable either in 1867 or
1868, and 116 and 108J respectively for $2,000,000 o f the stock redeemable in




-i

\

Commercial Chronicle and Review.

343

1862, and 1856; but even in the present stringent state o f the money market,
the bonds come in very slowly. The par, o f course, is 100, and the excess
above this in the priees named, is a p r e m iu m for anticipating the maturity o f the
stock.

The surplus now in the Treasury is very large, and is daily increasing.

The follow ing will show the cash revenue received at New York :—
CASB DOTIES RECEIVED AT THE PORT OK NEW YORK.

1840.

1851.

1852.

1851

In July............................ $4.210,115 95
Previous six months....... 13,029,910 05

$3,558,400 12 $3,240,787 18
16,652,665 60 14,250,312 88

$4,640,107 15
21,167,329 50

Total from January 1st.

20,211,065 72 17,491,100 06

25,807,436 65

17,240,02600

The receipts at other ports have

increased, but not in the same proportion.

The gold product has been large both from California and Australia.

The

amount reaching the Atlantic States from the former cannot now be so well as­
certained as formerly, since a large amount is assayed in California, and reaching
New York in ingots, is exported without being sent to the Mint. Over a railio f dollars was shipped in this way since the date o f our last review.
The follow ing will show the deposits and coinage at the United States Mint
in Philadelphia, for the month o f July :—
DEPOSITS

FOR JULY.
PHILA DE LPH IA.

N EW ORLEANS.

From California.

Total.

G o ld

From C alifornia.
$3,459,000

Total.
$3,491,000

Pieces.
50,228
20,860
43,000
83,216
60,276

Value.
$1,004,560
208,600
215,000
208,040
60,276

257,580

$1,696,476
2,762,993

GOLD COINAGE.

Pieces.

Total.

D ou b le e a g le s .......................................................
E a g le s ..................................................
.............
H a lf e a g le s ............................................................
Q u arter e a g le s ..................................
.............
G o ld d o lla rs ..........................................................

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

T otal g o ld coin a g e
G o ld b ars......................

$4,459,469
SILVER COINAGE.

H a lf d o lla r s .........................................
Q u arter d o l l a r s ...............................
D im es..........................................
H a lf d im e s ...........................................

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

...
...

652.000
1,404,000
540.000
580.000

276.000
351.000
64.000
29.000

...

3,076,000

$710,000

...

T ota l silv er c o in a g e .......................................

COPPER COINAGE.

C e n t s ........................................................................
T o ta l C o in a g e ......................................

...

183,288

$1,832

...

W e have received no returns from the New Orleans Mint for July.
In our last number w e noticed the fact that the imports for the month then
closing (July) were very large, although the total was not then made u p ; the
official summary has since been received and we have com piled our usual com ­
parative tables for New York, which show a larger amount o f merchandise than
ever befere entered during any similar period.




In 1850 a portion o f the Califor-

/

Commercial Chronicle and Review.

344

nia gold, shipped via Panama, was entered among the foreign ports, and thus
the gross imports for July o f that year would appear to be greater than for the
corresponding month this year; but excluding the specie, the imports for July,
1853, were $632,775 the greatest. The total for the month at the port men­
tioned, was $7,136,250 greater than for July, 1852, and 85,572,457 greater than
for the same period o f 1851, as will appear from the follow ing com parison:—
IMPORTS AT NEW Y O RK PROM FOREIGN PORTS FOR THE MONTH OF JULY.

1S50.

1851.

1852.

1851

E n tered for co n su m p tio n .................... $ 16 ,591,446
E n tered for w a r e h o u s in g ................
2,155,320
F re e g o o d s -------! .................................
499,512
S p e c i e .....................................................
1,927,708

$12,374,701 $11,453,117 $16,725,643
1,022,725
423 .91 9
2,080,908
1,027,481
915 ,15 4
1,072,502
81,143
150,067
199,454

T ota l en tered a t th e p o r t ............... $21,173,986
■Withdrawn from w a r e h o u s e ..........
944,127

$14,506,050 $12,942,267 $20,07 «,607
1,167,644
1,095,800
1,702,448

A t the other ports the aggregate receipts show a comparative decline, although
at Philadelphia and Boston there is a slight gain.

The great increase, however*

has been at New York, and no inconsiderable portion o f the most expensive
goods have come by steamer.

The total foreign imports at New York from Jan­

uary 1st to August 1st o f the current year, are $43,677,146 greater than for the
corresponding seven months o f 1852, $31,019,623 greater than for the same
period o f 1851, and $19,718,266 greater than for the same period o f 1850.
FOREIGN IMPORTS AT NEW YO RK FOR SEVEN MONTHS, ENDING JULY 31sT.

1850.

1851.

1852.

E ntered for con su m p tion ..................$63 ,254,488 $70 ,76 2 ,8 9 3 $ 58 ,498,029
E n tered for w a re h o u sin g ..............
9,916,433
7,486,712
5,451,668
F re e g o o d s .........................................
5,9 6 1,35 4
6,165,125
8,259,939
S p e c i e ..................................................
9,064,489
1,480,476
2,028,248
T ota l im p o r t s .........................$ 88 ,19 6 ,7 6 4
W ith d r a w n from w arehouse . . .
5,378,101

1863.
$93,55 8 ,8 0 7
1 3,587,589
9 ,669,118
1 ,099,516

$86,895,407 $ 74 ,237,884 $ 1 1 7 ,9 1 5 ,0 30
6,879,985
9,622,577
8,227,102

The total for 1850 is swelled, as already noticed, by the California gold, part o f
which cleared from Chagres as from a foreign port. This large increase in the im­
ports has excited much speculation throughout the country, and political writers o f
various parties have each tried to make the fact serve as an argument in favor o f
their respective theories. The difficulty with allsuch writers is that they look too far
for causes, forgetting that the grandest effects are sometimes produced by the
operation o f a very simple natural law. Tlje country has been enriched during the
past three years, by the addition o f $100,000,000 to its metallic currency. Those
who are frightened at the increased imports would do well to remember this fact.
T h e exports have also largely increased both in quantity and in value, and the
profits on the exports has been unprecedented. But the most important item
in this connection is the great activity and high rate o f freights, a very great por­
tion o f which is in American bottoms which has to be drawn for, and helps ma­
terially to make up the balance o f trade. A bout half o f the increased imports
have been in dry goods, and we extend the comparison for four years, as the
year 1850 stood at the beginning o f the great increase o f trade brought on by
the introduction o f California c o ld :—




Commercial Chronicle and Review,

345

IMPORTS OF FOREIGN D R Y GOODS AT N E W Y O RK FOR JULY,
ENTERED F O R CONSUMPTION.

1850.
Manufactures of w o o l................... .
Manufactures of cotton..................
Manufactures of silk,..................... .
Manufactures of flax......................
Miscellaneous dry goods................

$3,552,120
1,607,775
4,572.161
741,095
380,698

Total...................................... . $10,853,849

1851.

1852,

$2,354,643 $2,187,187
1,193,817 1,089,736
3,933,092 3,074,265
611,250
488,586
530,595
453,476

1853.
$4,097,250
1,847,216
4.824,913
719,307
569,761

$8,546,278 $7,370,369 $12,058,447

W ITH D RAW N FROM WAREHOUSE.

1850.

1851.

1852.

1853.

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

$314,619
104,880
124,574
24,695
10,984

$318,717
157,371
265,709
37,782
21,109

$237,434
96,970
149,394
32,064
12,416

$531,250
98,255
233,066
18,957
32,796

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

$579,752
10,853,849

$800,688
8,546,278

$528,278
7,370,369

$914,324
12,058,447

Total thrown on the market..,. $11,433,601

$9,346,966 $7,898,647 $12,972,771

ENTERED F O R WAREHOUSING.

1850.

1851.

1852.

1853.

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

$486,339
393.93 i
222,142
71,207
12,313

$341,315
129,572
268,318
45.003
27,465

$126,623
72,226
130,624
16,299
21,556

$273,785
119,021
144,791
9,488
21,121

Total.......................................,
A dd entered for consumption.. . . .

$1,185,934
10,853,849

$811,673
8,546,278

$367,328
7,370,369

$568,206
12,048,447

Total entered at the port . . . . $12,089,183

$9,357,951 $7,737,697 $12,626,658

IMPORTS OF FOREIGN D R Y GOODS AT NEW YO RK FOR SEVEN MONTHS, ENDING W IT H

JUL1 3 1 st .
ENTERED F O R CONSUMPTION.

1850.
Manufactures of wool................. . .
Manufactures of cotton .............
Manufactures of s ilk .................
Manufactures of fla x ..................
Miscellaneous dry goods............

$9,892,766

1851.
$8,936,521
6,978,178
15,742,584
4,147,367
2,373,047

1851

1853.

$7,464,841 $14,913,222
5,715,788
9,469,017
12,242,731 20,679,454
3,423,990
4,918,869
2,492,455
3,356,511

Total................................... . $36,410,132 $38,177,697 $31,339,805 $53,337,071
W IT H D R A W N FROM WAREHOUSE.

1850.
Manufactures of wool................
Manufactures of cotton..............
Manufactures o f s ilk .................
Manufactures of flax..................
Miscellaneous dry goods............
Total.................................
Add entered for consumption.. . .

758,530

36,410,132

1851.

1858.

$896,547
1,008,874
858,926
397,349
260,821

$1,079,133
1,125.786
1,401,176
615.523
239,265

$1,164,654
701,490
1,008,372
149,641
247,543

1853.

$3,422,517
38,177,697

$4,460,888
31.339,805

$3,271,700
53,337,071

Total thrown on the market. $88,923,004 $41,600,214 $35,800,693 $56,608,171




Commercial Chronicle and Review.

346

ENTERED FOR WAREHOUSING.

1850.

1851.

o f w o o l ..................... $1,312,992
o f cotton ....................
1,356.312
o f silk ..........................................
o f fla x .........................
473 ,33 6
67,363
d ry g o o d s .................

T o t a l ...............................
A d d entered for consum ption.
T ota l entered at th e p o r t . . .

.

M anufactures
M anufactures
M anufactures
M anufactures
M iscellaneous

$4,004,545
36,410,132

1851

1851

$ 1,165,289
$91 5 ,1 8 3 $1,654,251
1 038,237
640 ,86 4
861,092
794 ,54 2 1,238,440 1,652,118 1,115,548
390,664
223,779
190,745
229,890
222,545
262,912
$4,0 62 ,5 2 0
38,177,697

$3,654,489
31,339,805

$4,084,548
53,337,071

$40,414,677 $42,240,217 $34,994,294 $57,421,619

The total for the month shows an increase o f $4,888,956 over the correspond­
ing month o f 1852, $3,268,702 over the same period o f 1851; and only
$586,870 over the same period o f 1850.
T h e receipts for seven months are $22,427,325 greater than for the same
period o f 1852, $15,182,402 greater than for the same period o f 1851, and
$17,006,942 greater than for the same period o f 1850.

The fact that there has

been no great over-importation is shown, not only in the little demand for spe­
cie for export, but in the profitable sales o f most o f the fabrics received.

There

have been quite as few goods sold at a sacrifice during the current season as in
any similar period when the imports were lighter; and the stock now arriving is
mostly in good request for distribution.
T h e exports, as already stated, have largely increased. This increase is less
apparent in amount at New York, where the comparison between imports and
exports is always largely in favor o f the form er; but in proportion it has been
very great, particularly during the last two months. In July the total increase,
(exclusive o f specie,) was 70 per cent, as will be seen by the follow ing sum­
mary :—
EXPORTS FROM N E W Y O RK TO FOREIGN PORTS FOR THE MONTH OF JULY.

1852.

1843.

D om es tic p ro d u c e .................................
F oreign m erch an dise ( f r e e ) ..............
F oreign m erch an dise (d u t ia b le )___
S p e c i e .......................................................

$3,5 74 ,2 6 0
17,563
413.671
1,518,080

1850.

$ 3 ,1 88 ,0 2 7
2,311
284,397
6,004,170

1841.

$ 2,965,542
20,759
325,732
2,971,499

$ 4,882,957
313,192
447,201
3,924,612

T o ta l e x p o r ts ....................................
T o ta l, exclu siv e o f s p e c ie .............

$ 5,523,574
4,0 0 5,49 4

$9,4 78 ,9 0 5
3,474,735

$6,2 83 ,5 3 0 $ 9,567,962
3,312,031
5,643,350

There has been an increase o f specie for the month as compared with last
year, but a falling off as compared with 1851. T he total, exclusive o f specie,
is $2,331,319 greater than for July, 1852 ; $2,168,615 greater than for the same
period o f 1851; and $1,637,856 greater than for the same period o f 1850.
follow ing wi 11 show the exports at the same port since January 1st:—

The

EXPORTS FROM N E W Y O RK TO FOREIGN PORTS FOR SEVEN MONTHS, ENDING JULY g lS T .

1840.

'

1851.

1852.

1841

D om estic p r o d u c e ............................. $22 ,49 1 ,1 3 3 $ 25 ,644,866 $25,111,363 $30,305,247
F oreig n m erch an dise ( fr e e )............
444 ,53 3
373,656
5 41,978
1,010,669
F oreig n m erchandise (d u tia b le ).. .
2,411.578
2,266,139
2,745,307
2,488,181
S p e c ie ........................................... .
3,971,812 25,097,685
15,595,508
12,579,594
T ota l e x p o r ts ................................... $29,319,056 $53,382,346 $ 43 ,994,156 $46,383,691
T o ta l, exclu siv e o f s p e c i e ...........
2 5,337,244 28,284,661 28,398,648 33,804,097




Commercial Chronicle and Review.

347

T he above shows an increase for seven months, exclusive o f specie, o f
$5,405,449 as compared with the. corresponding period o f last year; $5,519,436
as compared with the same period o f 1851; and $8,466,853 as compared
with 1850.
T he great increase in exports, however, has been at the other ports, where,
unfortunately, no monthly record is made up, which can be used for comparisonT h e returns are made quarterly, and then only after the lapse o f tw o or three
months.

Enough is known, however, to show a large increase in the quantity

and value o f domestic produce, and to quiet all fears among those not disposed
to be captious about the “ balance o f trade.”
The demand for breadstuffs from Great Britain and the continent continues,
and although the prices have been somewhat variable, they have shown a gene­
ral advance, and large fortunes have been made by many engaged in this trade.
The follow ing will show the clearances from New York o f certain leading articles
o f domestic produce, from June 1st to A ugust 20th :—
EXPORTS FROM NEW YO RK TO FOREIGN PORTS OF CERTAIN LEADING ARTICLES OF
DOMESTIC

PRODUCE,

1852.

FROM JUNE 1ST TO AUGUST 2 0 t H.

1852.

1853.

A sh es— p o t s . . .
7,308
513
pearls. ............
481
B e e s w a x ..........
132,962
Breadstuffs—
W h ea t flour . . b b ls. 856,588 957,361
R y e flo u r ...
1,501
C orn m e a l ..
28,770
W h e a t . . . . , ..b u s h . 1,072,762 2,301,077
R y e ................
O a t s ..............
43,287
B a r le y ..........
C o r n ............
590.556
C an dles, m o ld . .b o x e s
40,370
33,698
sperm
3,330
C o a l ...................
21,775
C o t t o n ............... •b ales 273,051
192,549
H a y ....................
3,405
H o p s ...................
272

1853.

N a va l s t o r e s .. . .b b ls . 2 82,500 291,213
30,912 219,148
O ils, w h a le ..........g a lls.
s p e r m ...................
448 ,89 6
723,074
l a r d .......................
21,975
42,9 92
l i n s e e d .................
9,731
6,547
Provisions —
25,697
46,4 58
P ork .................... b b ls .
B e e f.............................
34,866
34,273
C ut m e a t s ..........lbs. 1,190,302 6,927,865
B u t te r ......................... 449 ,75 4 1,116,020
551,456 2,628,688
C h e e s e ......................
L a r d ........................... 2,518,131 4,720,782
R i c e ......................... trcs.
22,378
13,407
T a llo w .......................lb s. 2 71,570 2,278,897
T ob a cco, c r u d e .. .pkgs.
16,887
13,908
Do,, m an ufactured.lbs. 2,583,799 4,015,823
W h a le b o n e .................... 577 ,63 6 2,353,590

It will be seen that there has been a large increase in the exports o f breadstuffs, and many other articles o f produce. H ow far this demand for our cereals
is to be extended beyond the harvest now ingathering abroad, is not yet fully
decided; but considerable engagements, both o f wheat and flour, to France and
Great Britain, have been made, extending into October.

A t one time, it was

thought that the old times o f 1846-7 were to be realized again, and “ fam ine”
prices obtained for all o f the principal articles o f fo o d ; but this is given up, and
less extravagant expectations are now cherished. There can be no doubt, h ow ­
ever, but what the total exports o f articles o f food from the United States will
far exceed any. year since 1849.

T he follow ing comparison, which we have

carefully compiled from official sources, will be not without interest in this con­
nection :—




318

Journal o f Banking , Currency , awe? Finance .

EXPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATE OF CERTAIN ARTICLES OF DOMESTIC PRODUCE, FOR
THE YE AR ENDING JUNE 30TH.

1846
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851
1852

Breads!uffs and
Provisions.

Cotton.

$27,701,121
68,701,921
37,472,752
38,155,507
26,051,373
21,948,651
25,857,027

$42,767,341
53,415,848
61,998.294
66,396,967
71,984,616
112,315.317
87,965,732

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

Tobacco.

$8,478,270
7,242,086
7,551,122
5,804.207
9,951,023
9,219,251
10,031,283

T h e h ig h e s t a v e r a g e c o s t o f b rea d stu ff's w a s in 1 8 4 7 .
o f co tto n

w a s in

Rice.

$2,564,991
3,605,S96
2.331,824
2,569,362
2,631,557
2,170.927
2,470,029

T h e h ig h e s t a v e ra g e

1 8 5 1 , w h e n it r e a ch e d 1 2 1 1 -1 0 0 c e n ts p e r l b . ; th e l o w e s t

a v e r a g e w a s in 1 8 4 9 , w h e n th e la r g e s t n u m b e r o f p o u n d s ( e x c e p t in 1 8 5 3 ) w a s
e x p o r t e d , a n d th e p r ic e f o r th e w h o le y e a r a v e ra g e d o n ly 6 4 -1 0 c e n ts p e r lb .
I n t o b a c c o , th e h ig h e s t w a s $ 9 6 0 9 p e r h h d . in 1 8 5 1 , a n d th e l o w e s t $ 5 3 3 4 in
1847.

In ric e , th e h ig h e s t w a s $ 2 4 9 7 p e r trc. in 1 8 4 7 ; a n d th e l o w e s t $ 1 9 9 4

in 1 8 4 9 .

T h e h ig h c o m p a r a tiv e p rice s o f w h e a t o v e r flo u r h a v e in d u c e d th e

fa rm e rs in th e in t e r io r t o s e n d th eir w h e a t t o th e s e a b o a rd in s te a d o f s e llin g it
t o th e m ille r s , a n d th is m a y tell u p o n th e p r ic e o f flo u r.

The numerous and fatal accidents upon the various railroad lines throughout
the country have tended to limit the travel, otherwise the receipts from this
source w ould have been larger than ever before known. Even with the limita­
tion, the pleasure travel has been very large, and with the additional receipts
from an active freighting business, most o f the lines are doing very well, and
must pay unusually large dividends.

JOURNAL OF BANKING, CURRENCY, AND FINANCE.
R E V E N U E AND E X PE N D IT U R E S OF GREAT BRITAIN.

The following are the annual returns of revenue and expenditure for the years 1852
Year ending July 5.

Quarter ending July 5.

1859.

1853.

1852.

1851

Custom s.............................
Excise...............................:.
S ta m ps............................... '
Taxes...................................
Property tax.......................
Post-office...........................
Crown land s.......................
Miscellaneous.....................

£19.011,774
13,206,404
6,002,860
3,149,702
5,363,919
1,041,000
220.000
302,948

£18,954,362
13,737,599
6,477,347
3,201,047
5,589,079
1,066,000
392,888
159,862

£4 502,164
3,443,516.
1,626,826
1.503.707
1,056.991
280.000
60,000
202,189

£4.943,337
3,795,617
1,675,148
1,510,483
1,053,027
251,000
200,888
90,537

Ordinary revenue...............
Imprest and other moneys.
Repayment of advances...

48,298,598
695,004
842,886

49,578,184
768,789
1,322,469

12,625,893
212,688
216,652

13,510,037
253,759
424,573

Total income.........................

49,736,488

51,659,442

13,054,733

14,201,369

Applied to consolid’ed fund
The amount applied a s a d v .
Applied as waysand mea’s.

29,468,628
1,163,179
19,194,681

27,209,735
1,985,628
22,464,079

7,620,984
826.343
5,107,406

5,239,935
999,027
7,962,407

£49,736,488

£51,659,442

£13,054,733

£14,201,369




Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

34 9

A comparison of the table shows the following results :—
Year ending July 5.

Increase.
.
.

Quarter ending July, 5.

185*.

185J.

Decrease.
£57,412

£531,195
474,487
51,345
225,169
25,000
172,888

Increase.
£441,173
352.101
48,322
6,776

£3,964
21,000
140,888
111,652

143,086

Ordinary revenue............................ .
Impre t and other m oneys........... .
.

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

Decrease.

1,480,084
163,785
479,583

200,498

1,101,260
44,071
207,921

115,616

2,123,452
200,498

200,498

1,262.253
115,616

115,616

Increase........................................... . £1,922,954

£1,146,636

The L o n d o n News in publishing the foregoing tables, says:

“ Deducting the £3,964 deficiency under property tax, and the larger item that
comes under the heading of miscellaneous, and we have the remarkable fact of an in­
crease on the quarter’s revenue of no less a sum than £1,146,636. This large total is
doubly welcome when we come to note carefully the sources whence it is derived, and
to remember the indications thence arising. First, we have a sum approaching half
an extra million derived from customs, and telling a story of increased power o f con­
sumption by the people, of tea, sugar, aud other foreign products. Next, we have
still more certain indication of a comfortable population— the extended demand for
exciseable articles. The growth of revenue under this heading is seen to amount to
something over a third of a million sterling on the three months 1 Notwithstanding
the pending change in our stamp law— for pending changes always ch *ck consumption
— we see the .activity of business indicated by an increased revenue on stamps to the
tune o f £48,322; the post office, the crown lands, and “ repayments,” coming in to
make up the remarkable and eminently satisfactory sum total. So much for the
quarter.
On the year ending yesterday we find a similar result, told in equally satisfactory,
though different figures. For the twelve months the headings preserve the relation o f
eight for increase, and only two for the reverse.
After all the amelioration of our fiscal system, to find the national exchequer flour­
ishing after this fashion, surely encourages men of all parties— but especially the re­
formers to whose exertions all these changes are due— to persist in their wise deter­
mination not to rest until our system of taxation is so adjusted, as to press as lightly as
possible on the energies of industrious people, whilst supply ing all that may be really
needful for the national service, or really necessary for the honor and dignity of the
country. The total surplus on the year approaches two millions sterling.
This English balance-sheet may well be taken to illustrate the result sure to follow
the steps of a nation that grows up in intelligence, industry, and lreedom. Where
men are permitted full scope for their industry, and safe enjoyments of its fruits, na­
tional wealth is sure to accumulate, and national spirit and power to increase.
CONDITION OF TH E BANKS IN TH E UNITED ST A T E S.

The following statement of the condition of the banks in the several States named,
has been copied with care from the official returns at the Treasury Department, and
embraces all that have been received up to this date. No returns have been made
from any of the banks in Pennsylvania; and those received from the States of Dela­
ware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee,
include only a part of the banks in those States. There are no banks legally existing
in the States of Illinois, Texas, Florida, California, Iowa, and Wisconsin; and the
banks in Arkansas are in a state of liquidation :—




350

STATEMENT IN GENERAL OF THE CONDITION OF SUCH OF THE BANKS OF DIFFERENT STATES OF THE UNITED STATES AS HAVE REPORTED TO NEAR

1ST OF JANUARY, 1 8 5 3 .

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




Loans and Discounts.

Stocks.

Other
Investments.

Real Estate.

$-7,042,461
5,571.524
5,567.464
77.172.079
18,737,093
20.572,263
130.124,403
8,389,262

37
92
00
03
51
47
00
90

115,833
326,714
20,950,230
636,416

00
68
00
22

1,359.501
15,185.587
21,784.357
7,126,008
17,970,341
7,088.252
4,876,031
17.038,359
7,207.491
14,088,798
160.746
4,249.994
16,787,252
1,416 328
3,109.559

38
79
93
96
77
09
44
40
70
04
19
43
39
13
65

50
683.512
740.949
150.000
1,487,785
421,193
829,276
5,742.394
120.985
295,903
13,052
108.485
2,803.438
508.678
51,872

00
08
68
00
60
51
79
14
19
95
64
00
48

63,098 52

11

19

$217,831,179 83 $414,268,894 49 $35,453,259 68

$118,523
101.086
56,482
1,090,463
258.923
418,232
4,262,480
254,387

22
69
00
09
12
08
00
29

37,896
328,813
752.674
122.905
803,801
245.839
66,371
1,340,463
289,191
354,390
10,070
319,448
432 569
129.520
122.869

59
78
43
54
55
52
48
79
66
55
87
18
,48
25
65

Due bv other

$15,996 50

22,757 10
5,283 25
8,623,583 00

2,071
21.9>7
126,493
8,994
1,076,262
66,684
88.479
1,149.015
143,543
12,023

69
66
71
56
40
02
22
07
71
13

207,803
851.284
43.751
48.028

40
14
66
88

Banks.
$ 95 6 4 89 00
1,104,862 57

6 666,412
948.313
2.540,700
13,800,955
569,372

15
91
00
00
55

188,070
1,991.902
2,198,304
414,520
1,061,221
1.655.758
698.296
2,438,219
1,182.524
3,330,772
5,94 3
1,432 292
4,381,741
276.455
114.557

32
63
68
65
60
41
43
04
58
48
65
98
98
55
37

$297,375 80 $1,558,794 10 $47,905,686 43

f

Journal o f B anking, Currency, and Finance.

\

1852.
No. of
State.
Date o f Report.
Banks.
Capital.
M aine, J u n e ....................................................
39
$3.9 28 000 00
V erm on t, O c to b e r .......................................
32
2.721,168 00
N . H a m p sh ire, S e p te m b e r .......................
31
3 ,076,000 00
M assachusetts, S e p t e m b e r ..............................
137
4 3,2 70 ,5 0 0 00
R h o d e Island, S e p t e m b e r .......................
71
14.037.441 00
C onnecticut, A p r i l .....................................
51
12,509,807 99
N e w Y o r k , S e p t e m b e r ............................
277
62,207,216 00
N ew J ersey, (rep orted in f u l l ) .....................................
4,325,115 00
P en n sy lv a n ia, (n o r e p o r t ) ..................................................................................
D ela w a re, O ct. to Jan., ( p ’tlly r e p o r t e d ) .................
610,000 00
M arylan d. O ct. to Jan., ( p ’tlly r e p o r t e d ) .................
8.0 6 4.73 0 00
V irg in ia , D ecem b er, (in f u ll).........................................
10,583,000 00
N orth C arolina, ( p a r t i a l l y ) ...........................................
3 ,605,000 00
S outh C arolina,
“
9.825,485 73
G eorgia ,
“
3 ,810,000 00
A la b a m a ,
“
2,000,000 00
Louisiana, (in f u l l ) ............................................................
1 0,834.130 00
Tennessee, ( p a r t ia l l y ) ......................................................
3 ,460,114 00
K en tu ck y , (in fu ll) ..........................................................
7 ,685.700 00
M ississippi, “
............................................................
132.726 98
Indiana, N ov.. (1 ban k, 13 branches in full).
...
2.083.007 44
Ohio, N ov., (in f u l l ) ..........................................................
7,115.011 00
M ichigan,
“
...................... , ................................
665.803 00
M issouri, D ec., (1 bank, 5 branches in full).
...
1,210.622 69

f

STATEMENT OF 1THE CONDITION OF THE BANKS OF THE UNITED STATES---- CONTINUED.

..........

D e la w a r e ............................. ............
M a r y la n d ........................... ..........
V ir g in ia ................................. ..........
N orth C a r o lin a ................. ..
S outh C a r o lin a ..................
G e o r g i a ............................... ............
A la b a m a ...............................
L o u is ia n a .............................
T en u essee .............................
K e n tu c k y ..............................
M is s is s ip p i...........................
I n d i a n a ..................................
O h io .........................................
M ic h ig a n ............................. .
M issou ri.................................
T o t a l ........................

9 6 ,4 5 0 58
7 7 1 ,1 9 0 00

172,697 16
13,032,961 00

127,143 94

10

8,378 44
96,123 13

62
00

8,581 31

00

Specie.
$ 6 2 2 ,3 0 0
1 76,879
175 ,15 6
3,5 6 3,78 2
414 970
8 25 .37 9
9 ,993.816
877 ,50 7

00
66
00
52
02
20
00
74

Circulation.
$ 3,254,882
3,779,131
2,625 707
21.172,360
3,322.314
7,118.625
29.934,657
3,126,083

00
75
00
75
26
06
00
60

Deposits.
£1.525.627
872 ,42 0
743 .85 6
15.067,21 4
2,174.883
3,472.210
66,897,497
2,824,480

00
72
00
22
75
63
00
51

2 0 6 ,55 5
2,838,071
3,2 3 8,87 4
1 ,388,545
1 ,6 6 9.65 0
1 ,443.714
1 ,175,107
6 ,9 4 6 ,9 9 0
9 7 2 ,0 3 4
3 ,6 3 4,04 3
19,211
1 ,308.933
2,6 3 1.31 9
1 9 7 ,29 4
1,253,311

38
09
98
73
13
78
24
63
26
35
06
38
66
92
96

470 ,44 0
4,254.412
12.020,378
4,276.978
7 ,050.673
4 ,201.604
2,763.015
4.409.271
4 .879.196
8,889,101
4 9,925
3 907,371
1 1,373,210
861 .14 0
2,4 2 7,72 0

00
27
41
50
12
60
00
04
00
00
00
00
50
00
00

315.795
7,282.355
5,191.297
990.130
6 319.219
1,639.354
2.268.398
10 565.849
1.864.693
2,456,267
12,4 28
868,066
7,4 4 0,65 0
579,969
1,078,138

70
13
46
67
51
11
56
66
79
81
92
14
12
14
95

Due by other
Ranks.
$93,456 00
31,171 83

Other
Liabilities.

8,608,238
692,108
642.637
28,796.332
433,280

01
38
65
00

$474,051 78

65,138
1,676,361
450,331
104.364
764.916
673d29
35,288
810 .45 4
199.513
2,060.923
2.721
108.392
3,166.879
63,084
160,995

66
53
75
18
11
56
96
16
41
23
75

77
04
15
00

32 $14 ,34 3 ,5 2 5 56 $ 4 4 ,73 2 ,5 5 8 60 $14 5 ,4 6 8 ,0 97 66 $ 2 2 ,40 0 ,8 3 0 7S $50 ,61 9 ,6 6 8 98

1.4 23,419 75
5,084,011 00

158,995
131,734
1,416,214
584.322
1,125.651
931,898
343.530
8,098,877
290,921
1,269,160
1.222
357,863
138,487
182,382

07
65
02
57
49
64
08
26
43
77
06
92
16
15

$ 32 2,547,958

351




177.224 07
1 ,1 0 0,38 0 65
820 ,26 6 23
58
01
334 ,84 4 48
00
32
53
41

Specie Funds.

Journal o f Banking, Currency, ant/ Finance.

V e r m o n t ..............................
N e w H a m p s h ire ............... ..........
M a ssa ch u setts................................
..........
C o n n e cticu t........................ ..
N e w Y o r k ............................. ..........

Notes o f other
Ranks.
$ 2 2 4 ,3 6 3 00
50
120,929 00
5,3 4 0,16 2 06
'726,039 77
09
1 5,840,540 00

352

Journal o f B anking , Currency, and Finance.
CONDITION OF TH E BANKS OF OHIO.

Below we publish a statement o f the condition of the banks in Ohio, as per returns
f, 1853.
ELEVEN INDEPENDENT BANKS.
L IABILITIES.

Notes and bills discounted. $2,192,080
198,471
Specie...................................
199,342
Notes of other banks........
Due from banks and ban’rs
128.012
Eastern deposits.................
227,502
87,081
Cash items...........................
Bonds d e p o s ite d ............. 1,040,081
94,827
Real and personal prope’ty
193,550
Other resources.................

87
35
58
82
29
99
99
66
45

Capital stock................... . $669,380 00
911,748 00
Circulation.......................
Safety fund...................... . 1,017,323 67
156,978 94
Due banks and bankers..
1,368,250 46
Due depositors...............
67,075 91
Surplus fund....................
70.196 04
Bills payable...................
12,969 88
Discount, Interest, e tc ...
6,476 00
Dividends unpaid..........
35,509 10
Other liabilities..............

Total resources............... $4,805,852 00
$4,305,852 00

Total liabilities
THIRTY-NINE BRANCHES STATE BANK.
LIABILITIES.

Notes and bills discounted. $11,525,477
1,725,298
S p e cie...............................
826,566
Notes of other banks.. . .
Due from banks & bank’rs.
814,199
1,292,556
Eastern deposits...............
83,030
Cash item s.......................
874,935
Safety fund.......................
146,870
Real and personal prop’ty.
446,780
Other resources................

85
12
36
45
65
80
64
91
35

$4,421,675
8,006,420
71,912
496,988
3,985,397
339,345
157,525
2.141
152.132
103,176

Circulation.......................
Safety fund......................
Due banks and bankers.
Surplus fun d.................
Bills payable.................
Discount, interest, etc . .
Dividends unpaid...........
Other liabilities..............

00
50
80
67
02
20
95
80
75
44

Total resources.............$17,725,716 13
$17,735,716 13
FIVE OLD CHARTERED BANKS.

5.
LIABILITIES.

RESOURCES.

Notes and bills discounted. $3,677,812
403.263
Specie..................................
875,336
Notes of other banks........
218,432
Due from banks & bankers.,
598,540
Eastern deposits................
112
Cash item s.........................
115.518
Real and personal prop’ty. .
814,481
Other resources.................

07
89
00
47
75
87 Bills payable.....................
08 Discounts, Interest, e t c ..
17 Dividends uupaid . . . . . . .
Other liabilities.................
Total Resources..............$5,698,497 25

. $1,547,526
. 1,524,654
. 1,150,835
. 1,054.239
306.549
6,647
56,186
1,845
50,103

00
00
65
21
48
66
84
00
11

. $5,698,497 25
THIRTEEN FREE BANKS.
RESOURCES.

LIABILITIES,

$659,340
Notes and bills discounted.. $1,363,001 33 Capital stock........................ $659,
Specie.................
154,754 94 Circulation................
267.481
Notes of other banks........
251,593 35 Safety fund.........................
267
131,000
Due from banks <St bankers.
253,085 66 Due banks and bankers ,.
Eastern deposits.................
224,112 92 Due depositors................... 1,186
15,827
Cash item s.........................
18,422 69 Surplus fund ..........
65,572
Bonds deposited.................
882,028 67 Bills Payable.............
6,610
Real & personal property..
22,969 00 Discount, interest, etc
34,912
Other resources...................
3,397 66 Dividends unpaid... .
Other liabilities........
Total resources............... $3,173,360 22
Total liabilties............... $3,173,366




00
00
00
90
86
24
60
12
50
00
22

Journal o f Banking , Currency , and Finance .

353

INSURANCE COMPANIES IN NEW YORK.
I t is a m atter o f p u b lic congratulation that Insurance, F ire, M arine, and L ife, says
the Wall-street Journal, is not n eg lected . T h e prem ium on a house o r ship and ca rgo
should b e reserv ed as the m ost indispensable o f the ch arges to be p aid on the p ro p ­
e rty. I f there are any m en so rich that th ey can afford to b e their ow n insurers, let
them d o it in a rou ud-abou t w a y b y takin g sufficient scrip in the com p anies w h ere
th e y p a y prem ium s to receiv e a share in the profits o f the business. Thus w h ile th ey
lose nothing, their m oney helps to form a p rop er basis for the protection o f their
p oorer neighbors. C apital is, h ow ever, a secon d a ry m atter in resp ect to in su ra n ce ;
if risks are p rop erly taken, the profits o f the business w ill secure the co m p a n y against
loss. W e b eliev e that this is the case gen era lly , and that the busiuess is con du cted
ca refu lly , that risks are d ivid ed p rop erly, and a m argin left so as to secure at once a
p rofit to the com p a n y and a com p lete p rotection t o the insured. L a st y e a r the d iv i­
dends o f the insurance com p a u ies o f N ew Y o r k c ity am ou nted to fourteen m illi ns o f
dolla rs— a sum show ing at least 1,500 m illions o f dollars o f insurable values p ro te cte d
b y these com panies, and securing e v e r y ow n er from loss and ruin b y the p a ym en t
m e rely o f his ow n share o f the t o t il loss accru in g on so vast an exten t o f p ro p e rty .
T h e d ivid en d s o f the various com panies va ried from 15 p e r cent to 40 per cen t, and
th e average w as about 27 per cent.
T he business o f individual com p anies is n ow , b y m eans o f agencies, w id e ly e xte n d e d ,
a n d if our N e w Y o r k com p anies find here rivals, th ey in turn by th e ^ a m e m eans are
e n a b led to scatter their risks o v e r the cou ntry. T h e busiitess men o f this city have
p ursued the p rop er p o lic y in a lly in g them selves to the m anagem ent o f these co m ­
panies, and their nam es are a p led g e w ell recognized in every part o f the continent
w h ere N e w Y o r k m erchants are know n, that the insured w ill be treated liberally»and
p a id p rom p tly in ca se o f a loss.
B e lo w w ill b e fouud a list o f the com panies and a gencies d oin g business in N e w
Y o r k , w ith their capitals. It w ill be seen that the total o f the cap ita ls o f the foreign
com p a n ies is sw elled b y the large cap ital o f the tw o English com panies, each having
§ 1 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 . A m o n g the M utual com panies, b oth F ire and M arine, are som e w ith
la rge accum ulations.
F IR E COMPANIES.
NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN.

FOREIGN AND COUNTRY.

Name.
Capital.
Name.
E t n a ................................................. . $ 200,000 M erchants, L o u is v ille ..............
A llia n ce ....................................... . 800.000
Merchants, B oston......................
A s t o r ................................................... 150,000 M erchants, P r o v id e n c e ............
A tla n tic ................. .......................... .
188,000 M oh aw k V a lley , A m sterd am ,
B ee k m a n ........................................ . 200,000
N ew Y o r k ................................
B o w e ry . . . . . . ................................ .
800,000 M haw k V a lle y , S ch en ecta d y ,
B r o a d w a y ..................................... . 200,000
N ew Y o r k ................................
B r o o k ly n ......................................... .
102,000 N ational, B o s t o n ........................
C it iz e n s .......................................... .
150,000 N ational
Protec., S aratoga
210,000
C it y ............................................... .
C lin to n ............................................. . 200,000 N ep tu ne, B oston .........................
C o lu m b ia ........................................ . 2<jO,0uO N. Y . Farm ers, U tic a ................
C o m m e rc ia l................................... . 200,000 N. Y . U nion. Johnston ..............
C o m m e rc ia l................................... . M utual
N . Y . W estern, O sw e g o . . . . . ,
. 500,000
C o m E x ch a n g e ............................. .
200,000 P eop les, K ingston, N. Y ..........
G r o ce rs ..................................... . . . 200,000 P oughkeep sie, P ou g h k e e p sie .
H a m ilto n ........................................ .
150,000
Etna, H a r t f o r d ...........................
H a n o v e r ......................................... .
150,000 E tna, U tic a ..................................
H o m e .............................................. . M utual
A lb a n y , A l b a n y ........................
H o w a r d ........................................... . 250,000
D o. M utual, d o .....................
H udson R i v e r .............................. . 350,000 A llia n ce, B oston ........................
.
200,000
J e ffe r s o n ......................................... .
200,000 A m erican , P rov id e n e e ..............
K n ic k e r b o c k e r ............................ . 280,000 A m erican , U t i c a ........................
L a fa rg e ........................................... .
150.000 A m erican , Mutual, A m sterL e n o x ............................................. .
150,000
dam , N Y .................................
L o r il l a r d ........................................ . 200,000 A u g u sta Ins. ifc B. Co., A u M anh attan...................................... . 250,000
gusta, G a . ................................
VOL. XXIX, ---- NO. III.
23




Capital.
117 6 ,0 0 0
500 ,00 0
150,000
200,000
175,000
500 ,00 0
200 000
3 00 /10 0
200,000
200,000
150,000
150 000
110,000
125,000
300 ,00 0
175,000
200 ,00 0
2U0,000
800,000
300 000
150,000
150,000
200,000
3 75,000

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

354

$300,000
150.000

M a r k e t ..............................................$ 20 0 ,0 0 0 B oylston , B o s t o n ........................
M echanics <fc T ra d ers .................... 2OO.U0U C olu m b ia , C olu m bia, S. C . . .
2 0 0 ,00 0 C om m ercia l, C h a rleston .........
M e r c a n t ile .......................................
N a ssa u ............................................. ,
150,000 C om m ercial, H a rtfo rd ............
N a t io n a l...........................................
150,000 H a rtford , H a r tfo r d ...................
N ew A m s te rd a m ............................ 200,000 Ins. C o. N. A m ., P hiladel. . .
N e w Y o r k C i t y .............................
500,000 K n ick erb ock er, W a t e r f o r d ..
E q u it a b le .........................................
210,000 M anufacturers, B o s t o n ..........
N . Y . F ire & M a r in e ....................
200,000 P rotection , H a rtfo rd ...............
N iaga ra
........................................
200,000 R ensellaer, L a n sin g b u rg .... .
N orth A m e r ic a ................................
250,000 R ochester, R o c h e s t e r .............
350,000 R o g e r W illiam s, P rov iden ce
N ortli R iv e r .....................................
P a c i f i c ................................................
200,000 L iv e r p o o l & L o n d o n ................
P a r k ...................................................
200,000 R o y a l L iv e rp o o l & L on d on .
P e o p l e s .............................................
150,0n0 S pringfield, M ass......................
P e te r C o o p e r ..................................
160,000 S ta te M utual, P hila................
R e p u b l i c ...........................................
150.000 W arren, B o sto n .........................
S t. N i c h o l a s ....................................
150.000 W ashington, P rov id en ce . . .
S tu y v e s a n t........................................
200,000
S u n .....................................................
M u tu al
U n ion M utual ................................ 750,000
250,000
U n ited S la t e s ..................................
W a sh in g ton ......................................
200,000

500.000
200.000
160,000
500.000
150.000
400.000
300.000
200.000
200,000
150.000
10, 000,000
10, 000,000
150.000
350.000
150 000
200.000

v

$12,740,000

$29,335,000

LIFE COMPANIES.

Farmers’ Loan and Trust C o. $2,000,000
Hoivard....................................
110,000
Knickerbocker........................
100,000
Manhattan...............................
100,000
M utual..................................... 2,000,000
New York L i f e . , ...................
636.000
New York Life & Trust......... 1,000.000
United States.........................
100,000

Etna, Hartford
Mutual
Albion, London & N. Y .......... $5,000,000
125.000
Am. Mutual, N. H...................
British Commercial. . . . . . . . . 3,000,000
Connecticut Mutual................ 1.700.000
Hartford Life...........................
100.000
Mutual Benefit, Newark......... 1.559.000
National Loan Fund, London. 2.500.000
New England Mutual............
600,000
Union Mutual..........................
400.000
United States, Philadel...........
250.000

$6,046,000

$14,234,000

MARINE.

Astor M utual........................
Atlantic M utual.....................
Atlas Mutual...........................
General Mutual.........._...........
New York M utual.................

$653,0U0
1,000,000
300,000
504,000
872,000

Delaware Mutual, Phila.........
Falls City, Louisville..............
Hudson River, Crescent, N. Y.
Phenix Mutual.........................
Union M utual.........................

$3,329,000

$500,000
150,000
350,000
300,000
380,000
$1,680,000

RECAPITULATION.

New York Fire Companies....................................................... $12,740,000
Foreign and Country Fire do................................................... 29,335,000
New York L ife .........................................................................
6,046,000
Foreign Life...............................................................................
14,234,000
New York Marine....................................................................
3,329,000
Foreign and Country Marine..................................................
1,680,000


x


$67,364,000

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

355

THE PURCHASE OF SILV E R BY TH E UNITED ST A T E S M IS T .

The Director of the United States Mint at Philadelphia has issued the following
circular touching the plan of purchasing silver:—
M i n t of t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , )
P h i l a d e l p h i a , July 27, J«53. \

The Director of the Mint gives notice, that from and after the 15th day o f August
next, payments for silver purchased for tli * Mint at Philadelphia, and at the Branch
Mint, New Orleans, will be made three-fourths in silver coin of the new emission, and
one-fourth in gold. In accordance with existing arrangements the whole pr'ce will be
advanced in the first instance in gold, and as the new coin is ready for issue it will be
paid out, in the proportions specified, in exchange for gold returned by the parties
selling silver, and in the order of their priority of sales.
At the New Orleans Branch Mint an option is reserved to substitute, partially or
entirely, drafts on the Assistant Treasurer at New York, for the gold otherwise pay­
able for silver purchased.
The present prices of silver, which will be continued until further notice, are as
follows:—
For dollars of Mexico. Peru, Bolivia, Chili, and Spain ; for francs, and for silver coin
of the United States, other than the three cents,— $1 21 an ounce.
For thalers o f Sweden, and of the Northern States of Germany, Si 01 an ounce
gross.
For silver in bars, for mixed coins, and for other silver coins not herein specified,
Si 21 for each,ounce at standard fineness (nine-tenths) as determined on assay at the
Mint.
JAMES ROSS SNOWDEN, Director.

CONDITION OF TH E PLA N TE R S’ BANK OF T E N N E S SE E ,

0 . E w in g , E sq., the Cashier of this Bank, has forwarded to the Editor of this Maga­
zine the subjoined official statement of the condition of the Bank and branches,on the
1st of July, 1853, as follows:—
ASSETS.

Notes discounted..........................................................
Domestic bills o f exchange..........................................
Suspended d e b t ............................................................
Real Estate....................................................................

$1,248,569
1,330,134
6r»,644
187,673

86
46
58
56
2,832,022 4 6
92,569 39
4,450 00

Tennessee State bonds, $108,750, cost.......................
S tocks.. . . ....................................... .'..........................
Due from Northern Banks............................................
Due from Southern Banks...........................................
Due from Tennessee Banks..........................................

583.920 16
443,736 57
52,421 20

Cash on hand, viz., notes of other b a n k s...................
“
gold and silver..............................

72,214 00
623,742 36

1,080,071 93
595,956 36
$4,605,076 14
LIABILITIES.

Capital stock.........................................................................
Less Amount owned by the b a n k ....................................

$2,248,300
739,500
1,508.800 00
192,050 66

P rofit and loss, (surplus a fter p a yin g d iv id e n d .................

Dividend unclaimed............................................................
Dividend declared July 1, 1853.........................................
D u e to banks . . .
D u e to depositors
C ir c u la t io n ..........




1,745
60,352
62,097
5,667
646,183
2,190,278

00
45
03
00

$4,605,076 14
O. EWING,Cashier.

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

356

CONDITION OF TH E BANKS IN TH E CITY OF NEW YORK.

W e givq below a summary statement of the liabilities and resources of tbe Banks
of the City of New York, in September of each year, from 1850 to 1852 inclusive,
also for June 1853 :—
LIABILITIES.

Sept. 1850.

Sept. 1851.

Sept. 1852.

June 1853.

Capital.............................................. $27,440,070 $34,603,100 $36,791,760 $44,196,793
Profits............................................
4,352,048
5,348,666
5,464,511
6,674,823
Circulation, old.............................
275,690
272,880
256,834
996,431
“
reported...................
6,419,320
7,103,234
8,421,830
8,087,675
Due State of New Y o rk .............
275,583
221,840
187,200
213,111
D eposits........................................ 37,018,220
36,640,617 49,608,800 59,078,171
Due Banks........................
16,624,440 11,094.293 22,434,214 24,961,931
Miscellaneous.................................
273,145
241,547
332,096
971,374
Total liabilities.........................

92,678,516

95,526,177 123,497,235

144,180,309

RESOURCES.

L oa n s......................................... $57,705,810 $59,910,252
Loans to directors .....................
2,912,332
4,203.951
Loans to brokers.......................
2,268,380
1,312,150
Peal estate...................................
1,956,284
2,397,980
Stocks, bonds, etc.......................
3,377,089
5,090,158
Loss and expense account........
306,393
392,337
Overdrafts...................................
33,151
42,040
Specie.................................\ ___
9,056.135
6,032,463
Cash item s.................................
9,292,290 10,900,135
B an k n otes.................................
815,200
1,065,842
Due from banks, etc...................
4,955,432
4,178,879

$79,039,394 $85,130,227
3,90,9,444
4,522,4445,866,626
5,867,985
2,702,410
3,457,545
5,539.815
7,183,925
404,950
443,459
41,210
63,965
8,702,895
12,174,509
11,866,284
16,383,916
1,195,842
2080,214
4,228,365
6,872,121

Total resources....................... $92,678,516 $95,526,177 $123,497,235 $144,180,309
In September 1850, the banking capital, it appears from the above, was $27,440,070,
and June, 1853, $44,196,793: showing an increase from September, 1850, to June,
1853, of $16,759,723.
CONDITION OF TH E BANK OF CHARLESTON IN 1853,

W e have received from a correspondent the “ Proceedings at the Annual Meeting o f
tbe Stockholders of the Bank of Charleston, South Carolina, held at the Banking
House, July 6th, 1853.” From the report of the President, A. G. R o s e , Esq., we learn
that the net profits of the year, after deducting current expenses, amount to $318,643.
Out of this sum have been declared two semi annual dividends of 5 per eent each,
amounting to $316,080, leaving to tbe credit of reserved profits $2,563. The following
abstract from the cashier’s statement of the general condition of tbe Bank o q the 30th
of June, may serve to illustrate the actual position of the Bank at that time, as to its
immediate liabilities and resources:—
LIABILITIES.

Bank notes in circulation
Due to city h an ks.........
Due to distant banks.. . .
Unclaimed dividends . . .
Due to depositors...........




RESOURCES.

$2,111,054
31,972
750,576
11,044
607,678

Gold and silver coin.................. $562,238
Notes of city and country
banks...................................... j- 98,897
Due by city banks...................
50,893
Due by distant banks...............
321,106
Due by agencies........................
373,720
Foreign exchange unsold..........
883,077
Domestic exchange maturing.. 2,112,984
S tock s....................... ...............
539,648

$3,512,324

$4,942,563

Journal o f Banking, Currency, and Finance.

351

Showing an excess o f resources over liabilities, of $1,430,239. The total amount
lying over under protest in bank, on the 1st of July, 1853, was $40,080. The quarterly
examination of the cash assets o f the Bank, shows that everything in that important
department is correct and satisfactory.
The stock o f the Bank is held by 1,07 5 proprietors, who are classed as follows:—
By individuals in their own right $1,932,200; by guardians, executors, trustees, die.,
$220,400; banks and other corporate bodies $1,008,200; total capital $3,160,800. The
President says:—
“ The business of the year has generally been safe and regular. With but few ex­
ceptions, all obligations held by the bank have been punctually paid at their maturity.
In the foreign exchange and discount departments, not a bill or note lies over. The
exchanges this year have generally yielded but small returns of profit on the amount
o f capital employed in them; which may mainly be attributed to the very great com­
petition and consequent equalization of values in the different markets, where we are
accustomed to deal.”
A summary furnishes some idea of the various transactions of the bank, and to
what extent it has offered facilities to its customers and the community, in supplying
the current demands of trade during the year. From this summary we learn that the
bills and notes discounted amounted to $14,077,144 ; amount of domestic exchange
purchased $11,859,436; amount o f foreign exchange purchased $3,305,249 ; making
a total of $29,241,829. The amount of exchanges sold in checks and credits on the
North and elsewhere was $11,973,983; and in bills on England and France $2,903,107,
showing a total amount of business transacted of $44,118,909. We subjoin a list of
the present officers and directors of the Bank, viz:—
A. G. Rose, President: J. K. Sass, Cashier; John Cheesborough, Assistant Cashier ;
H. Gourdin, Ker Boyce, L. M. Wiley, G. A. Trenholm, Win. Bull Pringle, Wm. IJ. Gil­
liland, Alexander Robertson, J. S. Bowie, Charles T. Lowndes, T. L. Wragg, W. C.
Courtney, J. K. Sass, Directors.
SUPPLEM EN TA L BANKING LAW OF ILLINOIS.

W e give below the several sections of “ An act supplemental to, and explanatory of
an act entitled An act to establish a general system of bauking, and to prevent the
issuing and circulating of illegal currency.”
S ec. 1. Be it enacted by the people o f the State o f Illinois, represented in the Gene­
ral Assembly, That the act to which this is supplementary shall be so construed, that
no person or persons shall become incorporated under said act until he, she, or they,
shall first have deposited with the auditor United States stocks or State stocks, as re
quired by said act, so that the capital stock of said incorporation shall amount, in such
United States stocks or State stocks, at the rate and value fixed by said act, to the
sum of fifty thousand dollars; and at no period during the existence of said bank
shall the said capital stock of the same, in stocks deposited as aforesaid, be less than
the sum of fifty thousand dollars.
S ec. 2. No bank, banking association, corporation, broker, banker, dealer in money,
produce, or foreign merchandise, or other person, shall emit, issue, utter, pay out,
pass, or receive in payment or on deposit, any bill o f credit, boud, promissory note,
bill of exchange, order, draft, certificate of depost, written instrument, or in-trument
partly written and partly printed, to be used as a general circulating medium, as or
in lieu of money, or other currency, or intended by the makers thereof to be so used,
other than the bills or notes of banks of this State, countersigned in the auditor’s office,
according to the provisions o f the act to establish a general system of bauking, or the
notes or bills, (of a denomination not less than five dollars.) of specie-paying banks,
created by an express authority of law, in either of the United States, Territories, the
District of Columbia, or Canada. Every bank, banking association, corporation, bro­
ker, banker, dealer in money, produce, or foreign merchandise, or other person, who
shall violate the provisions of this section, shall forfeit and pay to any person or per-




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sons, who may sue for the same, the sum of fifty dollars for each and every bill of
credit, bond, promissory note, bill of exch mge, order, draft, certificate of deposit, or
other instrument, so issued, uttered, paid out, passed, or received, contrary to the pro­
visions of this section, to be recovered in an action of debt before any justice, magis­
trate, or court, having juri>dictiou to the amount claimed in any such suit.
S ec. 3. In addition to the penalties in the foregoing section, every broker, banker,
dealer in money, produce, or foreign merchandise, and every officer, agent, or em­
ployee, of any bank, banking association, corporation, broker, banker, dealer in money,
produce, or foreign merchandise, who shall offend against the provisions o f this act,
shall, for every bill, bond, note, order, certificate of deposit, or other instrument or
piece of paper emitted, issued, uttered, paid out, passed or received, contrary to the
provisions of this act, be liable to be indicted, and, on conviction, shall be imprisoned
in the county jail not more than one year. It shall not be necessary in any indict­
ment, suit, or prosecution, under the provisions of this act, to specify or particularize
any particular bill, note, bond, order, certificate of deposit, or other instrument, but it
shall be sufficient to allege generally that the defendant or defendants have been
guilty of violating the provisions of this act by uttering, emitting, paying out, passing
or receiving, as the case may be. any such bill, note, bond, order, certificate of deposit,
or other instrument, of the character or description which by this act are forbidden or
prohibited to be issued, passed, or received, and proof of such general nature shall be
sufficient to sustain such indictment, suit, or prosecution.
S ec. 4. Whenever it shall be represented to any one of the bank commissioners,
upon the oath or affirmation of any creditable person, setting forth the facts, or when­
ever, from any information, any one of the said commissioners shall have reason to
believe that any bank, corporation, broker, banker, dealer in money, produce, or for­
eign merchandise, or any officer, clerk, agent, or other employee, of any such bank,
corporation, broker, banker, dealer in money, produce, or foreign merchandise, shall
have been guilty of any violation of the provisions of this act, it shall be the duty of
such commissioner forthwith to proceed to the said bank, or place of business of such
bank, corporation, broker, banker, dealer in money, produce, or foreign merchandise,
officer, clerk, agent, or employee, and then and there to inquire, by the oaths of the
said broker, banker, dealer, officer, clerk, agent, or employee, or other testimony, whe­
ther the said bank, corporation, banker, broker, dealer in money, produce, or foreign
merchandise, officer, clerk, agent, or employee, have been guilty of any violation of
this act. The said bank commissioner shall have full power and authority to issue
subpoenas and attachments, to compel the attendance of witnesses before him, from
any part o f the State, and shall also have power and authority to administer all oaths
and affirmations to parties, witnesses, or others, required to be administered or taken
by this act. He shall reduce the said evidence and answers to writing, and report to
the other bank commissioners, and also to the State’s attorney for the judicial circuit
in which the said bank or other corporation, or the place of busine. s of any such
broker, banker, dealer, officer, clerk, agent, or other employee, may be situated, and
if the said commissioner shall be of opinion that any such banker, broker, dealer,
officer, agent, or employee, has been guilty of any violation of the provisions of this
act, he shall make complaint before some judge, justice of the peace, or other proper
officer, and the said judge, justice of the peace, or other officer, shall proceed against
the person or persons named in said complaints, in all respects, as provided by the
eighteenth division of chapter thirty of Revised Statutes, entitled “ Criminal Jurispru­
dence;” and, for the purpose of compelling the attendance of witnesses, may issue
subpoenas and attachments to any part of the State: provided, that no answer made
by any broker, banker, dealer in money, produce, or foreign merchandise, officer, clerk,
agent, or employee, or any other person, upon any examination made by or before
any bank commissioner, judge, or justice of the peace, or other officer, touching any
violation of this act, shall be given in evidence against him, her, or them, on the trial
of any indictment, suit, or prosecution, for the recovery of any penalty or forfeiture
imposed or provided for by this act, or in any other writ or legal proceeding what­
ever.
S ec. 5. In case the bank commissioners, or a majority of them, shall be satisfied
that any bank, corporation, broker, banker, dealer in money, produce, or foreign mer­
chandise, or such officer, agent, clerk, or employee, has been guilty of any violation
of the provisions of this act, they shall immediately apply to some judge of a circuit
or supreme court for a writ of injunction against such bank, corporation, broker,
banker, dealer in money, produce, or foreign merchandise, such officer, clerk, agent,
or employee, forbidding or restraining him or them from violating any of the provis­




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359

ions of this act; and such judge, after reason ible notice given to such bank, corpora­
tion, banker, broker, dealer in money, produce, or foreign merchandise, such officer,
clerk, agent, or employee, shall proceed Without delay to investigate the questions in­
volved in such application, and shall have power to compel the production of all books,
papers, vouchers, and documents, in the possession of the defendant or defendants, or
to cause and require answers, on oath, from such defendant or defendants, which an­
swers shall not be evidence on the trial of any other action or suit in law or equity;
and if, upon such examination, he shall be of opinion that any of the provisions of this
act have been violated, he shall issue such writ or injunction and enforce the same, in
case it shall be disregarded, according to the practice o f the courts of chancery; and
such further proceedings shall be had upon such application, in the circuit court of
the county where the office or place of business of such bank, corporation, broker,
banker, dealer, officer, clerk, agent, or employee, may be situated, as may be neces­
sary to enforce the provisi' ns of this act. And if it shall be finally determined by the
judge or court that any of the provisions of this act have been violated, it shall, by
the order of the judge or court, be certified to the auditor, which shall be sufficient
authority to him, and he shall proceed to put the said bank into liquidation, in the
matter contemplated by this act and the act to which this is a supplement.
S ec. 6. The bank commissioners to be appointed under the provisions of the act to
which this is a supplement, before entering upon the duties of their office, shall take
and subscribe on oath or affirmation, faithfully and impartially to perform all the
duties enjoined upon and required to be performed by them under the provisions of
this act, and the act to which this is a supplement; which said oath or affirmation
shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State.
S ec. 7. Every payment made, in whole or in part, in any bill, note, bond, order,
draft, certificate of deposit, or other instrument or paper, the passing, uttering, emit­
ting, or use of which is prohibited by this act, shall be utterly null and void, and the
persons or corporation to whom any such payment may have been made therein, may
sue or lecover upon the original contract or cause of action, in the same manner and
with like effect as if no such payment had been made.
%
S ec. 8. No action shall be maintained in any court of this State upon any contract,
expressed or implied, the consideration o f which, in whole or in part, shall be any note,
check, draft, or other instrument or paper, the use, receipt, or emission of which is
prohibited by this act, but the same shall be adjudged to be utterly null and void.
S ec. 9. In all prosecutions and suits for the recovery of the penalties imposed for
any violation of the provisions of this act, the person sueing for the same, (notwith­
standing he may be liable for, or may have given bond for the costs of such suit, or
may be entitled to the said penalties when recovered), and the defendant or defend­
ants shall be competent witnesses.
S ec. 10. This act to be in force and take effect from and after the first day of
August, 1853.
GOLD— IT S INCREASE AND IT S EFFECT.

The Boston A tla s,(n o v ? edited by the Hon. C h a r l e s H u d s o n , late naval officer at the
port of Boston.) gives an able article on the increase of gold and the effect upon the
Commerce and condition of the world. The editor says that since the working of the
mines in California there has been a rapid increase of gold. Up to 1852, it has been
estimated that the gold from California alone would amount to $153,000,000. The
total coined at the United States Mints in 1852 was $52,240,000; and though a small
portion of this may have been obtained from North Carolina and Georgia, and another
small portion may have been a recoinage o f foreign gold, yet it is believed that as
large a quantity of California gold has been used in manufactures as all the coinage
of foreigu gold, added to what has been obtained from Carolina and Georgia. We will,
however, drop the odd numbers, and set down the amount at $52,000,000. The
quantity of gold dust sent from California to Great Britain and other foreign countries
during the same years, must have amounted to at least $12,000,000— making the
product of California for 1852, $64,000,000. Some have estimated it much higher.
From present appearances the quantity from California the present year will be in­
creased rather than diminished. We will set it down at $66,000,000. We will also
suppose that Australia and Siberia will yield $44,000,000 more; we shall then have
an annual production of $110,000,000'of gold, over and above the ordinary product
from other parts of the world.




,

,

Journal o f Banking Currency and Finance.

360

Of the effect he remarks:— “ On a full view of the subject, we arc inclined to the
belief that there will be no very great decline in the value of the precious metals.
The causes to which we have alluded will tend to counteract that downward ten­
dency in the value of gold, which would otherwise result from the vast increase.
But after making all reasonable allowance for the increased demand, the addition
of 8100,000,000 to the precious metals can hardly fail to produce some effect upon
their exchangeable value. As gold and silver are a lawful tender in the com­
mercial world, and as the law fixes their value, that value must remain; that is to
say, a dollar will remain a dollar, an eagle an eagle, a franc a franc, and a sovereign a
sovereign. But though these coins retain the same nominal value, their exchangeable
value may be reduced by the rise in the price of articles which they will purchase.
Thus, if a quantity of goods or provisions, which can now oe purchased for 8100,
should rise to 8110, in consequence of the abundance of gold, this must be substantially
the same in effect as though the gold had depreciated ten per cent"

REDEM PTION OF TH E PUBLIC DEBT OF TH E UNITED ST A T E S.

With a view o f reducing the public debt, the Secretary of the U. S. Treasury has
issued the following notice, which, if it brings forward the stocks to the amount indi­
cated, may affect the money market to some extent favorably:—
T reasury De pa r tm en t.

July 30, 1853.

Notice is hereby given to the holders of the six per cent stock of the United States,
of the loan authorized by the act o f 28th January, 1847, and redeemable the 31st of
December, 1867, and of the loan authorized by the act of 31st March, 1848, and re­
deemable 30th June, 1868, that this Department is prepared to purchase, at any time
between the date hereof and the 1st day of December next, to the extent of the sum
of five millions of dollars of the said stocks, in the manner and on the terms herein­
after mentioned, to w it: .
In case offcny contingent competition, within the amount stated, preference will be
given in the order of time in which the said stocks may be offered. The certificates,
duly assigned to the United States, must be transmitted to this Department ; upon
the receipt whereof a price will be paid, compounded of the following particulars:
1. The par value or amount specified in each certificate.
2. A premium on said amount of twenty-one per cent.
3. Interest on the par of the certificate from the 1st of July, 1853, to the date o f
receipt and settlement at the Treasury, with the allowance (fur the money to reach
the owner) of one day’s interest in addition.
Payments for said stocks will be made in drafts of the Treasurer of the United
States, on the Assistant Treasurer, at Boston, New York, or Philadelphia, as parties
may indicate.
i
JAMES GUTHRIE,
Secretary o f the Treasury.

PRODUCT OF TH E PRECIOUS M ETALS IN 1852.
PRODUCT OF THE PRECIOUS METALS THROUGHOUT THE W O RLD IN

Silver.

Gold.

A m erica ..................................
$31,000,000
Australia............................................................
E u ro p e ....................................
8,000,000
Asia..........................................
5,000,000
Africa, &c .................................
.................
T o ta l...............................

$87,000,000
76,000,000
22,000,000
14,600,000
3,800,000

$44,000,000

$204,400,000

1852.
Total.

$119,000,000
76,000,000
30,000,000
19,600.000
3,800,000
$248,400,000

The following statement will exhibit the annual product of the precious metals at
different periods prior to the above:—
1492
1500
1600
1700

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




$250,000
3,000,000
11,000,000
23,000,000

1800
1843
1848
1851

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

v

$52,529,867
73,678,743
86,661,060
174,000,000

9

Commercial Statistics.

36 1

COMMERCIAL STATISTICS.
COMMERCE AND NAVIGATION OF TH E UNITED ST A T E S.

The annual report of the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting a report from the
Register of the Treasury, of the Commerce and Navigation of the United States, for
the year ending June 30th, 1852, has at length made its appearance. By the act o f
1850, it should have been printed and ready for “ delivery on or before the first day
o f January next ensuing the close of the fiscal year to which the report relates.” W e
give below the tabular statements of the report relating to Commerce.
DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF THE UNITED STATES.
SUMMARY STATEMENT OF THE VALUE OF THE EXPORTS OF THE GROWTH, PRODUCE, AND
MANUFACTURE OF
OF JULY,

1851,

THE

UNITED

STATES, DURING THE YEAR COMMENCING ON THE 1ST

AND ENDING ON THE 30TH OF JUNE,

THE SEA.

Fisheries—
Oil, spermaceti................
Oil, whale and other fish.
W halebone.....................
Spermaceti candles . . . .
Dried or smoked fish .. .
Pickled fish.....................

TH E FOREST.

Wood—
Staves, shingles, boards,
hewed timber, e t c .. . .
Other lu m ber.................
Masts and spars.............
Oak bark aud other dye.
Manufactures of w ood...
Naval stores, tar, pitch,
rosin, <fc turpentine . . .
Ashes, pot and pearl . . .
Ginseng...............................
Skins and furs.....................

A G R IC U L T U R E .

Of animab—
Beef, tallow, hides, horned
ca ttle...........................
Butter and cheese...........
Pork, (pickled,) bacon,
lard, live hogs..............
Horses and mules...........
Sheep...............................
W o o l ...............................
Vegetable food—
W heat.............................
Flour ...............................
Indian co rn .....................
Indian meal.....................
Bye meal.........................




1852.

Rye, oats, and other small
grain and pulse...........
334,471
§809,274
Biscuit or ship bread... .
318,899
440,2S7
115,121
P ota toes.........................
436,073
A pp les.............................
43,635
143,098
Rice ...............................
2,471,029
354,127 C otton .................................
87.965,732
98,883 Tobacco................................
10,031,283
Hemp....................................
18,649
$2,282,342 Other agricultural products—
Flaxseed.........................
56,1S7
H o p s ...............................
69,042
Brown sugar....................
24,057
In d igo.............................
910
§2,674,577
123,522
$124,375,887
95,459
MANUFACTURES.
160,154
2,193,085 W ax.....................................
$91,499
Refined sugar......................
149,921
1,209,173 Chocolate.............................
3.267
507,673 Spirits from grain...............
48,737
102,073 Spirits from molasses........
323,949
798,504 Molasses................................
13,163
Vinegar................................
12,220
§7,864,220 Beer, ale, porter, tfe cider . .
48,052
Linseed oil...........................
14,981
Spirits of turpentine........
137,856
Household furniture...........
430,182
172,445
$1,500,429 C« aches and other carriages
779,391 Hats.....................................
80.453
Saddlery.............................
47,937
3,765,470 Tallow candles and soap...
660,054
247,550 Snuff and tob a cco .............
1,316,622
16,291 Leather, boots, & shoes... .
428,708
14,308 Cables and cordage...........
62,903
Gunpowder .......................
121,580
2,555,209 S a lt ......................................
89,316
11,869,143 Lead......................................
32,725
1,540,225 Iron— pig, bar, and nails . .
118,624
574,380
Castings.......................
191,388
64,476
A ll manufactures o f...
1,993,807

Commercial Statistics,

362

Copper and brass, and manfaetures of........................
Medical drugs......................
Cotton piece goods—
Printed or colored .........
Uncolored.......................
Cotton thread and yarn... .
Cotton, all manufactures of.
Flax and hemp—
Cloth and th read...........
Bags and other man’es of
Wearing a pp arel...............
Earthen and stone w a re.. .
Combs and buttons.............
Bru-hes of all kinds...........
Billiard tables and appa­
ratus ...............................
Umbrellas, parasols, A sun­
shades .............................
Morocco and other leather
not sold by the pound . .
Fire-engines A apparatus .

Printing presses and type .
$103,039 Musical instruments............
263,862 Books and maps..................
Paper and stationary.........
926,404 Paints and varnish..............
6,139.391 G lass....................................
34,718 Tin.........................................
571,638 Pewter and lead..................
Marble and stone................
5,468 Gold A silver A gold leaf .
8,154 Gold and silver coin............
250.228 Artificial flowers A jewelry.
18.310 Trunks ...............................
2S,S33 Brick and lime....................
4,385 Coal......................................
I c e ........................................
1,088 Articles not enumerated—
Manufactured.................
8,340
Raw produce...................
18,617
16,784

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

$4I7,781
67,733
217,809
119,535
85,369
194,634
23,420
18,469
57,240
20,332
37,437,837
114,738
15,035
13,539
188,906
161,086
2,877,669
1,195,775
$192,388,984

VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF UNITED STATES TO EACH FOREIGN COUNTRY.
VALUE OF THE DOMESTIC

EXPORTS OFT HE UNITED STATES TO EACH FOREIGN COUNTRY,

AND TO DOMINIONS OF EACH

FOREIGN POW ER, DISTINGUISHING THE AMOUNT SHIPPED

IN AMERICAN AND FOREIGN VESSELS, FOR YEAR ENDING JUNE 3 0 , 1 8 5 2 .

Whither exported
Russia...........................
Prussia...........................
Sweden and Norway . .
Swedish West Indies...
Denmark. .....................
Danish West indies... .
Hanse Towns.................
H olland.........................
Dutch East In d ie s___
Dutch West Indies........
Dutch Guiana................
Belgium.........................
England.........................
Scotland.........................
Ireland...........................
Hanover.........................
Gibraltar.......................
Malta...............................
Cape o f Good H o p e ...
British East Indies........
Honduras.........................
British Guiana................
British West Indies . . .
Canada..........................
British American Col'es.
Falkland Islands...........
Australia.......................
France on the Atlautic.
France on the Mediter’n.
French West Indies....
French Guiana.............




In American
vessels.
$860,478
20,668
367,571
82,034
5,548
603,533
1,591,166
1,438,611
142.172
271,737
83,952
2,889.144
62,764,957
1,401,986
179,361
163,556
79,134
186,008
554,667
11,520
263,631
593,585
2,498,767
2,083,918
604,454
196,554
20,063,296
1,281,600
305,916
64,747

In foreign
vessels.
$201,270
72,565
365,275
8,768
87,461
206,906
4,604.761
854,237
825
27,942
313,623
45.023,700
1,039,162
393,889
5,906
66,746
17,213
38,228
10,471
29,182
148,701
1,013,366
1,921.045
2,045.680
7,363
730,582
114,592
123,930

To each
country.
$1,061,748
93,233
732,846
90,802
93,009
810.439
6,195,927
2,292,848 ]
r
299,679
83.952,
3,202,767
107,788 657 j
2,441,148
673,250
5,906
229,302
96.347
224,236
565,138
11,520
292,813
742,286
3,512,133
4,004,963
2,650,134
7,363
196,554,
20,793.878
1,396,192
y
428,946
64,747 J

To the do­
minions of
each power.
$1,061,748
93,233
823,648
903,448
6,195,927
15,0Ac-,1 •U
3,202,767

123,341,750

22,684,663

Commercial Statistics.
In American
vessels.

Whither exported.

Spain on the A tlantic..
Spain on the Meriiter’an
Tenerife A ot’r Canaries.
Manilla ^.Philippine Is.
Cuba........................
Other Spanish W. Indies
Portugal.........................
Madeira .......................
Payal A other Azores..
Cape de Verde Islands..
Italy generally..............
Sicily..............................
Sardinia .......................
Tuscany...................... ..
Trieste, A c .........1,497,125
Turkey, Levant, A c .. . .
Hayti..............................
M exico...........................
Central Republic o f A ’a
New Grenada................
Venezuela......... ............
Brazil.............................
Cisplatine Republic . . .
Argentine Republic . . .
Bolivia............................
P eru ...............................
Chili.................................
China.............................
West Indies generally..
South America ge’erally
Asia generally.............
Africa generally............
South Se’s A Pacific Oc’n.
Total.......................

215,321
260,800
13.837
211,791
5,643,066
881.714
181,323
66,115
12,975
51.490
1,161,344
23,459
649,929
...........

In foreign
vessels.
• 282.993
2,457,704
2,634
160,130
1.33,849
52,741
21,817
4.791
2.935
412,508
32.190
119,280
17,697
906,405

265,825
1,272,284
1,290,908
365,121
1,281,383
680,647
2,572,019
98,260
468,137
210,705
267,784
1,968.207
2,477,886
49,844
37,824
14,049
1,173,313
311,791

$127,340,547

207,042
115,464
21,015
16,853
45,377
210,160
82,896
49,870
66,010
75.629
2,180
12.364
6,467
38,047

$65,026,437

363
To the dominions of
each power.

To each
country.
489.314'
2,718,504
16,471
211.791
5.803,196
1,015,563
234.064]
87,932
17,766
54.425
1,573,852
55.649
767,209
17.697
2,403.530
265,825
1,479 326
1,406,372
386,136
1,298,236
726,024
2,782,179
181,156
518,007
210,705
333,794
2,043,836
2,480,066
72,208
43,291
14,049
1,211,360
311,791
$192,368,984

10,263,839

394,187
1,573,852
55,649
769,209
17,697
2,403,530
265,825
1,479,326
1,406,372
386,136
1,298.236
726,024
2,782,179
181,156
518,007
210,705
333,794
2,043,836
2,4SP,066
72.208
48,291
14,049
1,211,360
311,791
$192,368,984

FOREIGN MERCHANDISE EXPORTED TO EACH FOREIGN COUNTRY.
VALUE

OF

FOREIGN

MERCHANDISE

EXPORTED

FROM UNITED STATES TO F.ACII FOREIGN

COUNTRY, (F R E E OF DUTY, AND PAYING DUTIES,) DISTINGUISHING THE AMOUNT SHIPPED
IN AMERICAN AND FOREIGN VESSELS, FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE

Whither exported.

Russia...........................
Prussia .........................
Sweden and Norway . .
Swedish West Indies ..
Danish West Indies . . .
Denmark........................
Hanse T ow n s...............
Holland.........................
Dutch East Indies........
Dutch West Indies.. . .
Dutch Guiana...............
Belgium.........................
England..........................
Scotland. .......................
Gibraltar.......................
M alta.............................
British East Indies........




Free of
duty
$697
2,414
613
84,419
16,807
248,580
3,179
154,430
2,387
39
377,591
2,379,826

17,830
8,868
17,976

Paying duties
Total.
ad valorem.
$138,732
$138,035
153
153
22,908
25.322
1,380
1,193
36.278
120,697
5,836
22.643
432,450
681,030
201,502
204,681
26.755
181,185
17,766
15,379
7.243
7,282
623,412
1,001,003
2,156.369
4,536,185
230,635
230,635
100
100
31,277
49,157
16,975
8,907
21,384
39,360

30, 1852.

In American
vessels.
$113,933
518
1,948
66,356
18,934
284,513
08,245
181,185
13,576
7,282
877,365
2,896,959
176,015
41,801
8,420
39,360

In foreign
vessels.
$24,799
153
24,804
45
54,341
3,709
396,517
136,436
4,190
123,638
1,639.226
64,620
100
7,356
8,555

Commercial Statistics.

364

Whither exported.

Australia.......................
Cape of Good H o p e ...
British Honduras........
British G uiana.............
British West Indies___
British A. Colonies.. . .
Other British Colonies..
Canada...........................
France on the Atlantic.
France on the Mediter’n
French West Indies___
French Guiana...............
Spain on the Atlantic..
Spain on the Mediter’an
Teneriffe & o’er Canaries
Cuba...............................
Other Spanish W. Indies
Portu gal.......................
Madeira.........................
Fayal & other Azores...
Cape de Yerd Islands .
Italy...............................
S icily .............................
Sardinia..........................
Trieste, <fcc.....................
Turkey, Levant, <fcc___
H a y ti.............................
Mexico............................
Central Republic of A ’a
New Grenada................
Venezuela......................
Brazil.............................
Cisplatine Republic . . .
Argentine Republic . . .
C hill...............................
Peru................................

Free of
duty.

75
5,600
9,845
8,820
262,737
1,104,549
1,474,958
48,936
12,834
117
26,113
87,965
45
6,246
380'382
5,301
103
7,000

Payinff duties
ad valorem.

11,638
1,718
63,659
8,536
71,136
879,085
3,996
1,607,548
246,483
30,198
12,764
1,161
2,095
26,272
3,681
333,973
34,241
4,026
480
1,386
4,229
30,731
5,699
13.178
101,133
15,759
231,926
876,936
81,615
190,501
31,217
105,900
6,385
22,693
259,854
21,408
163 3S3
26,541
20,859
939

Total.
11,713
1,718
69,259
18,381
79,956
1,141,822
3,966
2,712,097
1,721,441
79,134
25,598
1,278
28,208
114,237
45
9.927
714^355
39,542
.
4,129
7,480
1,386
9,651
205,342
10,890
42,286
329,S89
50,371
239,577
878,557
87,382
217,558
67,387
238.863
11,917
281,110
295,297
22,048
183,111
34,781
21,615
1,177

In American
vessels.

11,713
748
66,562
17,011
56,800
88,997
2,065
1,753,631
1,655,712
72,958
5,654
1,278
26,408
94,532
45
9,927
' 708^155
32,999
2,726
7,000
1,386
9,651
180,266
9,627

In foreign
vessels.

970
2,697
1,370
23,156
1,052,825
1,901
958,466
65,729
6,176
19,944
* . • •.
1,800
19,705
6,200
6,543
1,503
480

Africa generally...........
South Seas.....................
Falkland Islands............

5,422
174,611
5,191
29,108
228,756
34,612
7,651
1,621
6,767
27,057
36,172
132,963
5,532
258,417
35,443
640
19,728
8,240
756
238

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

7,774,457

9,514,925 17,289,382

12,136,390

5,152,992

7,774,457

1,562.673
1,096,482
6,855,770

1.562,673
8,870,939
6,855,770

1,292,762
6,159,827
4,683,801

269,911
2,711,112
2,171,969

Entitled to drawback.. .
Not entitled todrawba’k
From warehouse............

VALUE OF IMPORTS

Whence exported.

Russia...........................
Sweden and Norway...
Swedish West Indies..
Danish West Indies . . .
Denmark........................




1,177

STATES FROM EACH FOREIGN

DISTINGUISHING

Pitying

COUNTRY,

THE AMOUNT IMPORTED IN F O R -

EIGN AND AMERICAN VESSELS, FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE

Free of
duty.

16,604
39,584
10,254
107
3,078
30.753
10,722
5,989
74,343
5,813

FROM EACH FOREIGN COUNTRY,

VALUE OF MERCHANDISE IMPORTED INTO UNITED
FREE OF DUTY AND PAYING DUTIES

91,800
50,371
222,973
838.973
77,128
217,451
64,311
208,110
1,195
275,121
220,954
16,235
183.111
34,781
21,615

25,076
1,263
42,286
238,089

30, 1851.
In American

duties.
Total.
vessels.
$54,379 $1,527,241 $1,581,620 $1,279,388
75
21,188
21,263
21,263
774,743
705
775,448
229,670
3,229
1,055
4,284
3,782
10,775
180,970
191,745
168,953
16,611
16,611

In foreign
vessels.

$305,232
545,778
502
22,792
16,611

Commercial Statistics,
Free of
Paying
duty.
duties.
100,709 8,070,702
267,193 1,368,368
746,250
269,744
386,578
165,983
2,842
83,896
17,000 2,037,043
2,890.932 85,228,927
2,832 2,353,115
149,546
2,987
9,251
96,602
2,091
112,273
178,017 4,047,024
40
190,758
38,399
223,247
25,290
18,653
297,605
733,032
218,718
1,301,612
3,828,398
761,571
850,605 23,345,309
3.252
1,691,100
7,435
24,987
43,382
2,905
524
342,096
8,580
1,435,395
51,615
4,809
1,517,837
553,982 17.307,746
37,287
2,963,936
850
266,014
10
89,993
1,428
27,918
5,598
12,531
33,073
1,201,832
3,667
602,874
1,381
73,520
3,624
206,965
23,591
Trieste & o’er Aus. ports
3,972
304^777
Turkey, Levant, etc----547,005
9,095
1,493,573
377,099
Hayti..............................
Mexico............................
1,114,506
534,700
230,269
Central Republic of A .
138,086
New Grenada................
464,822
285,705
Venezuela......................
1.140,127
981,737
Brazil............................... 10,171,087 2,059,202
Cisplatine Republic . . .
18,812
30,895
Argentine Republic . . .
6,841 2.084,256
C hili...............................
281,462 1,780,698
76,884
6 IS,008
Peru .............................
C hina.............................
7,147,412 3,446,538
Asia generally.............
1,451
130,132
Africa generally............
143,465
914,192
S. America generally...
32,159
80,927
Equador.........................
■ 1,261
69,324
S. Seas & Pacific Ocean.
4,462
Atlantic Ocean, etc . . .
176
Sandwich Islauds..........
5,988

Whence exported.
Hanse Towns.................
H olland.........................
Dutch East Indies . . . .
Dutch West Indies.. . .
Dutch Guiana................
Belgium..........................
England.........................
Scotland.........................
Ireland...........................
Gibraltar........................
Malta.............................
British East Indies.........
Cape of Good Hope . . .
British Honduras...........
British Guiana...............
British West Indies. . . .
British A- Colonies........
Canada...........................
France on the Atlantic.
France on the Mediter’n
French Guiana...............
French West Indies... .
Miquelon & Fre'ch Fish’s
Spain on the A tlantic..
Spain on the Mediter’an
Teneriffe & ot’r Canaries
Manilla <fc Philippine Is..
Cuba...............................
Other Spanish W. Indies
Portugal.........................
Madeira..........................
Fayal <fc other Azores.. .
Cape de Yerd Islands .
Italy.................................
Sicily..............................
Sardinia.........................
Tuscany.........................

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




Total.
8,171,411
1,635,561
1,015,994
552,561
86,738
2,054,043
88,119,859
2,355,947
152,533
105,853
114,364
4,222,041
190,798
261,646
43,943
1,030,5 37
1,520,330
4,589,969
24,195,914
1,694,352
32,422
46,287
524
342,096
1,443,975
51,615
1,522,646
17,861,728
3,001,223
266,864
90,003
29,346
18,129
1,234,905
606,541
74,901
210,589
23,591
808/749
556,100
1,870,672
1,649,206
368,355
750,527
2,121,864
12,230,289
49,707
2,091,097
2,062,160
694,892
10,593,950
131,583
1,057,657
113,086
70,585
4,462
176
5,988

865

In American
In foreign
vessels.
vessels.
3,584,022 4,587,389
700,771
934,790
82,767
938,227
506,728
45,833
86,708
30
1,494,105
559.938
58,382,915 29,736,944
726,370
1,630,577
25,643
126,890
38,274
67,579
79,097
35,267
3,967,920
257,121
186,545
4.253
222,766
38,880
43,122
821
591,937
438,600
184,534
1,335,796
2,278,603 2,311,366
22,922,707
1,273,207
961,318
733,034
32,422
44,293
1,994
624
185,865
156,231
928,390
515,585
32,305
19,310
1,467,421
55,225
16,716,323 1,145,405
2,525,521
475,701
65,769
201,095
86,576
3,427
25,637
3,709
18,129
970,877
264,028
371,499
235,042
294
74,607
210,589
23 591
147,304
161,445
508,616
47,484
1,678,911
191,761
1,387,757
261,449
356,011
12,344
738,077
12,450
1,816,916
304,948
9,777,645 2,452,644
49,707
1,562,068
629.029
2,011,845
50,315
607,513
87,379
10,248,528
345,422
131,583
1,032,402
25,255
85,785
27,301
68,666
1,919
4,462
176
6,988

29,692,934 17S,603,921 208,296,855 155,258,467 53,038,388

Commercial Statistics,

366

COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES WITH ALL NATIONS.
S T A T IS T IC A L V I E W
OF

EXPORTS TO,

E N D IN G JU N E

OF

THE

AND

COM M ERCE

IM P O R T S

OF TH E

FROM ,

EACH

U N ITE D

E X H IB IT IN G

CO U N U R Y ,

D U R IN G

THE
THE

VALUE
YEAR

30, 1852.

Countries.
Russia................................................
Prussia.............................................. .
Sweden and Norway .....................
Swedish West Indies.....................
Denmark ..........................................
Danish West Indies.........................
Hanse Towns................................... .

Value of Exports.
Domestic.
Value of
Foreign.
produce.
Total.
imports.
produce.
$1,061,748
$138,732 $1,200,480 $1,581,620
93,886
21,263
93,233
153
732,846
758,168
775,448
25,322
90,802
4.284
1.993
92,795
93,009
115,652
16,611
22,643
810,439
931,136
191,745
120,697
8,171,411
6,195,927
681,030 6,876,957

Holland..............................................
2,292,848
Dutch East Indies...........................
142,997
Dutch West Indies..........................
299,679
Dutch Guiana................................... .
83,952
B elgium ............................................ .
3,202,767
England............................................. ,. 107,788,657
2,441,148
Scotland............................................ .
573,250
Irelan d....................................... .....
229,302
Gibraltar...........................................
M a lta ................................................
96,347
5,906
11,520
British East In dies.........................
565,138
Cape of Good H o p e .......................
224,236
British Honduras.............................
292,813
742,286
British Guiana.................................
British West Indies.......................... .
3,512,133
British American Colonies............. .
2,650,134
Canada .............................................. .
4,004,963

France on the A tlantic................... .
France on the Mediterranean........
French West Indies.........................
French Guiana.................................
Miquelon and French Fisheries . . . .
Spain on the Atlantic......................
Spain ' n the Mediterranean..........
Teneriffe and other Canaries........
Manilla and Philippine Islands . . .
C u ba..................................................
Other Spanish West Indies.............
Portugal.............................................
Madeira..............................................
Fayal and other A zores.................
Cape de Verd Islands.....................
I t a ly ..................................................
Sicily..................................................
Sardinia............................................

.
.
.

.

Trieste and other Austrian ports.. .
T u rk ey.............................................




ST A T E S,

F O R E IG N

196,554
7,363
20,793,878
1,396,192
429,846
64,747
...........

1,635,561
204,681
2,497,529
1,015,994
181,185
324,182
552,561
17,766
317,445
86,738
7,282
91,234
1,001,003 4,203,770 2.054,043
4,536,185 112,324,842 88,119,859
230,635
2,671,783 2,355,947
573,350
100
152,533
278,459
105,853
49,157
16,975
113,322
114,364
5.906
11,520
39,360
604,498 4,225,041
190,798
1,718
225,954
261,646
69,259
362,072
18,381
43,943
760,667
79,956
3,592,089
1,030,637
1,141,822
3,791.956
1,520,330
6,717,060 4,589,969
2,712,097
3,966
3.966
11,713
208,267
8,540
1,177
1,721,441 22,515,319 24,195,914
79,134 1,475,326
1,694,352
46,286
25,598
455,444
32,422
1,278
66,025
524

498,314
2,718,504
16,471
211,791
5,803,196
1,015,563
234,064
87,932
17,766
54,425
1,573,852
65,649
769,209
17,697

28,208
114,237
45
9,927
714,355
39,542
4,129
7,480
1,386
9,651
205,342
10,890
42,286

526,522
342,096
2,832,741
1,443,975
16,516
51,615
221,718 1,522,646
6,517,551 17,861,728
1,055,105
3,001,223
238,193
266,864
95,412
90,003
19,152
29,346
64,076
18,129
1,779.194 1,234.905
66,539
606,541
74,901
811,495
210,589
17,697

2,403,530
265,825

329,889
50,371

2,733,419
316,196

23,591
308,749
556,100

Commercial Regulations.

Countries.
H ayti.............................................
Mexico...........................................
Central A m erica.........................
New Grenada............................... . . . .
Venezuela.....................................
Bolivia ......................................... ___
Brazil........................................... .
Cisplatine Republic.................... ___
Argentine Republic....................
Peru..............................................
China...........................................
L iberia....................... ■ ........
Patagonia.......................... ..................
West Indies generally............... . . .
Asia gen era lly ___ "..................___
South America generally............
Africa generally......................... .
South S ea s...................................
Equador......................................
Greenland.....................................
Atlantic Ocean.............................
Pacific Ocean............................. .
Indian O cean.....................................
Sandwich Islands.........................
Northwest C oast.........................
Uncertain Places................._............
San Francisco, California.........

Domestic
prod uce*

1,298,286
726,024
210,705
181,156
518,007

...........
72,208
14,019
43,291

Value of exports.

Foreign
produce.
239,577
878.557
87.382
217.558
67,389
238,863
11.917
281,110
295,297
22,048
183,111
...........

34,781
21-.615

367

Value of
Total.
imports.
1,718,903
1,870,672
2,284,929
1,649,206
473,518
368,355
1,515,794
750,527
798.413
2,121,864
210,705
3,021,042 12,230,289
193,073
49,707
799,117 2,091,098
2,339,133 2,062,160
355,842
694,892
2,663,177 10,593,950
...........
72,208
14,049
43,291
1,246,141
333,406

181,583
113,086
1,057,657
4,462
70,585
176

..........

.........

...........

........
5,988

...........

...........

...........

...........
4,648,587.

Total............................................192,368,984 17,289,382 209,658,366 212,945,442

COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS.
ALTERATIONS IN THE BRITISH TARIFF.
W e give below, from an authentic and reliable source, a complete list of all altera­
tions made in the Custom Duties, during the present session of the British Parliament.
These changes will extend the freedom of trade, and lessen the inconveniences which
all such duties impose upon the trade of the w orld:—
Schedule No. 2.
Duties on Tea— That in lieu of the duties of customs now chargeable on
tea imported into the United Kingdom, the following duties shall be
charged; that is to say, upon every pound of tea, and that the allow­
ance of one pound for draft on each chest exceeding 28 lbs. in weight
shall cease and determine:—
To 6th April, 1854, inclusive...................................................................
From and after
5th April, 1854,to 5th April,1855, inclusive...............
From and after
5th April, 1855,to5th April,1856, inclusive..............
From and after
5th April, 1856...............................................................

£ s. d.
0 1 10
0 1 6
0 1 3
0 1 0

Schedule No. 3.
Duties on the articles undermentioned:
Apples, raw (not of British possessions)..................................
bushel
Ditto, dried....................................... ...................................................................
Butter (not of British possessions)............................................................... cwt.
Cheese (ditto), to be charged on the landing w eight....................................
C ocoa.................................................................................................................. lb.

0 0
0 1
0 6
0 2
0 0




3
0
0
6
1

368

Commercial Regulations.

Ditto, husks and shells.......................................................................................
Ditto, paste and chocolate.................................................................................
Eggs (not ° f British possessions)..................................................................120
Nuts, sm a ll.................................................................................................bushel
Ditto, walnuts.....................................................................................................
Oranges and lem ons...........................................................................................
Raisins............................................................................................................. cwt.

£

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

s. d.
0
0 2
0 4
1 0
1 0
0 8
10 0

Schedule No. 4.
Duties on the articles undermentioned:
Almonds, Jordan.....................................................
cwt.
Not Jordan, nor bitter.......................................................................................
Paste o f ,..............................
lb.
Arrowroot....................................................................................................... cwt.
Barley, pearled...................................................................................................
Baskets, viz, baskets corresponding with the description commonly called
B erlin............................................................................................. cubic foot
All others.........................................................................................................
Beads, co ra l............................
lb.
Arrango, crystal, jet, and other sorts, not enumerated or described.......
Books, being of editions printed in or since the year 1801, bound or
unbound....................................................................................................... cwt.
Admitted under treaties of international copyright, or if of and from a
British possession.........................................
Brass, manufactures of, not otherwise enumerated.......................................
Brocade, of gold or silver................................................................................ lb.
Bronze, manufactures of, not otherwiseenumerated................................cwt.
Candles, viz., spermaceti....................................................................................
Stearine, till the 5th April, 1858..................................................................
T allow ..............................................................................................................
W a x ..................................................................................................................
Canes, viz., walking canes or sticks, mounted, painted, or otherwise orna­
mented.......................................................................................................100
Umbrella or parasol s tic k s ..........................................................................
Capers, including the pickle.......................................................................... lb.
Cards, viz., playing-cards..................................................................doz. packs
Cassava pow der............................................................................................cwt.
Cas>ia lignea.................................................................................................... lb.
Cherries, r a w .............................................................................
bush.
Dried, until 5th July, 1854, inclusive.......................................................lb.
From and after 5th July, 1854 ....................................................................
Chicory, or other vegetable matter applicable to the uses of coffee, viz.,
roasted or ground........................................................................................lb.
Raw or kiln-dried, until the 10th Oct.,1854, inclusive ....................... cwt.
From and after the 10th Oct., 1854..............................................................
China ware, or porcelain, painted or plain,gilt or orriamented............... cwt.
Cinnamon.......................................................................................................... lb.
Clocks, viz., not exceeding the value of 5s. each....................................... doz.
Exceeding the value of 5s., and not exceeding the value of 12s. 6d.
e a ch ........................................................................
doz.
Exceeding the value of 12s. 6d., and not exceeding the value of £3
ea ch ..........................................................................................
each
Exceeding the value of £3, and not exceeding the value of £10
e a ch ........................................................................................................each
Exceeding the value of £10 e a ch ................................................................
Cloves.................................
lb.
Coculus Indicus.............................................................................................cwt.
Coffee, roasted or ground............................................................................... lb.
Comfits, dry, until 5th July, 1854, inclusive..................................................
From and after 5th July, 1854 ....................................................................
Confectionery, until 5th July, 1854, inclusive................................................
From and after 5th July, 1854...............................................................




0 10
0 10
0 0
0 0
0
0

0
0
2

4\

4£

0 0 7
0 0 2
0 1 6
0 0 2
1 10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

15
10
5
10
2
3
2
2

0 6
0 3
0 0
0 15
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 4
free.
0 10
0 0
0 4

0
0
0
0
0
4
6
4
4
0
0
1£
0
4£
1
2
2
1^
4
0
0
2
0

0

8 0

0

2 0

0 4
0 10
0 0
0 5
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0

0
0
0
4
4
2
1^2
1£

Commercial Regulations,

86 9
s. d.

Copper, manufactures of, not otherwise enumerated or described, and
10
copper plates, engraved ........................................................................cwt.
0
Corks, ready made............................................................................................lb.
8
Squared for rounding............................................................................... cwt.
0
Cotton manufactures, viz , fringe.................................................................. lb
0
Gloves, of cotton or thread........................................................dozen pairs
Stockings, of cotton or thread................... .................................................... 0 0
Socks or halt-hose, of cotton or thread........................................................ 0 0
Articles of manufactures of cotton, wholly or in part made up. not other­
0
wise charged with d u t y ........................................for every £100 value
10
D ates............................................................
cwt.
1
.pair
D ce .........................
10
Earthenware, not otherwise enumerated or described............................cwt.
Embroidery and needlework, viz., silk net, figured with the needle, being
imitation lace, and articles thereof............................................................lb.
io
Cotton net, figured with the needle, being imitation lace, and articles
8
thereof...........................................................................................................lb.
Curtains, commonly called Swiss, embroidered on muslin or n e t................. 0 1
A ll other embroidery not enumerated......................... for every £100 value 10 0
Of and from Br itish possessions....................................for every £lu0 value 5 0
lb. 0 8
Feathers, dressed, viz , ostrich................
Paddy bird..................................... .................................................................
0 3
Not otherwise enumerated or described..................... ............................... 0 3
Flowers, artificial, not made of silk— per cubic foot as packed— no allow­
ance for vacant spaces............... ................................................cubic foot 0 12
Wholly or in p u t made of s ilk .............................................................. ..
0 12
Fruit., raw, not otherwise enumerated..............................
bushel 0 0
Ginger, preserved, until 5th July, 1854, inclusive.......................................lb. 0 0
From and after 5th July,1 8 5 4 ...................................................................... 0 o
Glass, viz.: Any kind of window glass, white or stained, of one color only,
(except plate or rolled glass,) and shades and cylinders, until the 6th
April, 1855. in clu sre...........'..................................................................cwt. 0 2
From and after 5th Apiil, 1855, until 5th April, 1857, inclusive........... 0 1
free.
From and after 5th April. 1857........................................................
All flint gla^-s, flint colored glass, and fancy ornamental glass, of what­
ever kind...................................................................................................... 0 10
G rapes....................................................................................................bush.
0 0
Hair articles, manufactures of hair or goat’s wool, or of hair or of goat’s
wool and any other material, wholly or in part made up, notparticu­
larly enumerated or otherwise charged with d u ty .. . .every £100 value 5 0
Hats or bonnets, viz.. Of c h ip ........................................... .......................... lb. 0 2
OI bast, cane, or horsehair............................................................................. 0 2
Of straw .........................................
0 2
.each 0 1
Of felt, hair, wool, or beaver..........................
Of silk or silk shag, laid upon felt, linen, or other material..................... 0 1
Iron and steel, wrought or manufactured, viz.: Machinery, wrought, cast­
ings, tools, cutlery, and other manufactures of iron or steel, not enume­
ra te d ...........................................................
cwt. 0 2
Fancy ornamental articles of iron ................................... ..
0 15
Steel . . . . ...........................................
lb. 0 0
Jewels, emeralds, and all other precious stones, s e t.. . . .every £101) value 10 0
Lace and articles thereof, viz.: Mohair or w orsted..................................... lb. 0 1
Thread or cotton pillow lace, (not being Biussels, point, or Saxon ‘bone
lace,) not exceeding one inch in w id th ................................................. lb. 1 0
Thread or cotton pillow lace, (not being Brussels, point, or Saxon bone
lace,) exceeding one inch in width................
.lb. 2 0
Silk lace, pillow, and application, (not being Saxon wire-ground lace,).
1 10
Silk Saxon wire-ground lace, and all lace known as Maltese.................. 0 8
Brussels, point, and other lace, made by the hand, not otherwise charged
with d u ty .................................................................... every £100 value 10 0
Lead, manufactures of, not otherwise enumerated................................ cwt 0 2
Leather, viz.: Boot backs......................................... ........................ doz. pairs 0 1
Cut into shapes.......................................................................................... cwt. 0 10
V O L . X X I X . ----- .N O . I I I .




24

0

6
0
2
3

6
3

0
0

0
0

o
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2

2

H
6

6
0
2
0
6
6

6
0
0
6
0

6
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
6

o

370

Commercial Regulations.
£

linen, or linen and cotton manufactures, viz.: Cambric handkerchiefs,
hemmed or hem-stitched, not trim m ed................................................doz.
Stays............................. ........................ ...........................................doz. pairs
Articles, manufactures of linen, or of linen mixed with cotton or with
wool, wholly or in part made up, not particularly enumerated, or
otherwise charged with d u ty .....................................every £100 value
Liquorice paste (not of British possessions)..................... ,\...................... cwt.
Powder (riot of British possessions)............................... ..............................
Root, until 5th April, 1857, inclusive.............. . . .■.....................................
From and after 5th April, 1857....................................................................
Macaroni................................................... ...........................................................
Ib.
Mace....................
Marmalade, until oth July, 1854, inclusive....................................................
Froth and after 5th July, 1854 ....................................................................
M edlars........................................................................................................bush.
Millboards.........................................................................................................lb.
Music and musical instruments, viz.: Musical-boxes, small, not exceeding
four inches in length......................................... ................................. the air
L a rg e ...............................................................................................................
Overtures, or extra accompaniments...........................................................
Piano-fortes, horizontal grand .................................
each
Upright or square...................................................... ..................................
Harmoniums or serapliines, not exceeding three stops............................
Four stops, and not exceeding seven s to p s................................................
Eight stops, and not exceeding eleven stop s.............................................
Exceeding eleven stop s..................................................................................
Accordions, commonly called Chinese............... . . ...........the 100 notes
Other sorts, including flutinas and common German square concertinas.
Concertinas of octagon form, not common German...................................
Brass instruments, all sorts .......................................................................lb.
Musical instruments, not otherwise enumerated or described,
for every £100 value
Mustard flour................................................................................................ cwt.
Nutmegs, except those commonly called wild...............
lb.
Nux Y om ica ..................................................................................................cwt.
Oil, viz.: Alm onds..................'.................................. i ................................. lb.
B a y s..................................................................................................................
Essential oil of cloves.....................................................................................
Onions...........................................................................................................bush.
Paper, viz.: Brown paper, made of old rope or cordage only, without sep­
arating or extracting the pitch or tar therefrom, and without any mix­
ture of other materials therewith.....................................
lb.
Printed, painted, or stained paper, or paper-hangings, or flock paper,
the square yard
Waste paper, or paper of any other sort, not particularly enumerated
or described, not otherwise charged with d u ty .................................. lb.
Pasteboard...........................................................................................................
Fears, ra w ....................................................................................................bush.
D ried .. . . ......................................... . . . . . * .....................................................
Percussion ca p s ............................. ..................................................... the 1,000
Perfumery, not otherwise enumerated, and scented or fancy s o a p ......... lb.
Pewter, manufactures of, not otherwise enumerated..............................cwt.
Pickles, preserved in vinegar.......................................................................gal.
Pim ento..........................................................................................................cwt.
Plate o f g o ld ...........................................................................................oz. troy
Silver, gilt, or ungilt.......................................................................................
Platting, or other manufactures o f straw, chip,* or other materials to be
used in or proper for making or ornamenting hats or bonnets, not other­
wise enumerated or charged with d u t y .................................................. lb.
Cordonet, single and twist of straw or of other materials.........................
Willow squares......................................................................................... doz.




* Platting of chip is now free o f duty.

0
0

8. d.
2
4

5
1
1
0

6
0

0
0
0
5
free.
1
0
0 1
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0

0
0
0
0

0 0
0 0
0 2
3 0
2 0
0 12
1 4
1 10
2 0
0 1
0 5
0 4
0 0

3
8
6
0
0
0
0
0
G
0
0
0
9

10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
2
H
2
H

0 0
1 6
1 0
2 0
O' 1
0 1
1 0
0 1

0

0

- i

0

0

1

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0

0
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
5
1
1

2*
3
0
1
2
0
1
0
0
8

0
0
0

2
0
0

0
6
1

n

Commercial Regulations.

371
£

Plums, commonly called French plums and prunellea.............................cwt.
Dried or preserved, (except in sugar,) not otherwise d e s c r i b e d , .........
Preserved in sugar, until 5th July, 1854, inclusive......................... . . .lb.
From and after 5th July, 1854 ....................................................................
Pomatum..............................................................................................................
Potato flour..................................................................................................... cwt.
Powder, viz.: Hair p o w d e r............................................................................ lb.
Perfumed......................... ................................................................................
Not otherwise enumerated or described, that will serve the same pur­
pose as starch...............................................
cwt.
Prints and drawings, plain or colored, single................................................lb.
Bound or sewn.................................................................................................
Admitted under treaties o f international copyright, single, bound or
sew n............................................................................................................lb.
Quassia........................................................................................................... cwt.
Quinces............................................................ „ „.......................... ........... bush.
Bice, not rough nor in the h u sk ..................
cwt.
Bough and in the husk.................................................................................qr.
Sago.................................................................................; .............................. cwt.
Scaleboard.............................................................................. ............................
Semolina..............................................................................................................
Ships, foreign ships, to be broken up, with their tackle, apparel, and furni­
ture, (except sales)...........................................................every £100 value
Broken u p ........................................................................................................
Silk manufactures, being velvet, the produce of Europe, plain or figured:
Broad stuffs................................................................................................... lb.
Tfee foundation of which is wholly composed of cotton or other mate­
rial than s ilk ......................................................................................... lb.
Eibbons of velvet, or silk embossed with velvet........................................
The foundation of which is wholly composed of cotton or other mate­
rial than s ilk ......................................................................................... lb.
Manufactures o f silk, or of silk mixed with any other materials, the
produce o f Europe, called p lu s h ........................................................... lb.
Commonly used for making hats..............................................................
Parasols and umbrellas............................................................................ each
Damask of silk and wool, or other materials, forfurniture...................lb.
Damask China............................. ...............................................running yd.
Corahs, Choppahs, Bandannoes, and Tussore cloth, viz.:
In pieces not exceeding 5J- yards in length......................................... piece
Exceeding 5J-, and not exceeding 6£ yards in len gth ................................
Exceeding 6£, and not exceeding
yards in len gth ...............................
Exceeding 7J-, and not exceeding 8£ yards in len gth ................................
Exceeding 8J, and not exceeding 9 j yards in len gth ...............................
And for every additional yard in length.................................................. yd.
China crape shawls, plain and damask..................................................... lb.
Embroidered...............................................................................................
Pongees, in pieces, not exceeding 15 yards in length.............................piece
Exceeding 15 yards, and not exceeding 21 yards in length.........................
Exceeding 21 yards, and not exceeding 31 yards in length.........................
Handkerchiefs, plain and figured, in pieces cot exceeding 9 yards in
length...............................................................................................................
Exceeding 9 yards, and not exceeding 18 yards in length...........................
Soap, not being scented or fancy,viz.:
H ard............................................................................................................cwt.
S o ft...................................................................................................................
N a p les..............................................................................................................
Spa w a re............................................................................................. cubic foot
Spelter, or zinc, manufactures, not otherwise enumerated......................cwt.
Spirits, cordials, or strong waters, not being the produce of any British
possession in America, nor of any British possession within the limits of
the East India Company’s charter, in regard to which the conditions of
the act 4th Victoria, chap. 8, have or shall have been fulfilled, sweet­
ened, or mixed with any article, so that the degree of strength cannot




s.

d.

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

15 0
15 0
0 2
0 1£
0 2
0 4£
0 2
0 2

0
0
0

0 4£
0 8
0 3

0 0 1J
0 1 0
0 0 8
0 0 4}
0
0 6
0
0 4£
0
10
0
0 4£
6
5
0

0 0
0 0
9

0

0
3 0
0 10 0
0

3

6

0 3
0
0
1 0
0 1 0
0 0 10
0 0 8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

4
0 6
0 8
0 9
0 10
0
14
3
0
5 0
2
0
3 0
5 0

0
0

1 6
3 0

0 2
8
0 2 8
0 2 8
0 0 6
0 2
0

Commercial Regulations.

372

£

s. d.

be exactly ascertained by Syke’s hydrometer; and perfumed spirits to
b e used as p erfu m ery o n l y ................... ............................................................. ga l.
S ta r c h ............................ , .................. . . . . ................................... .............................. cw t.
G u m of, torrified or c a l c i n e d ............... .................. .................................................
S uccades, including all fruits and veg e ta b le s p reserv ed in sugar,, until 5th.
J u ly , 1854, inclusive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .................................................. lb .
F rom and a fter 5th J u ly , 1 854 ...............................................................................
T a p ioca
.c w t.
Tin f o i l ...................................................................................................................................
M anufactures of, n ot oth erw ise e n u m e r a t e d .....................................................
T o y s . v iz .: M a r b le s ,.........................................................................................................
A ll oth er t o y s ........................................................................................... .c u b ic fo o t
T urnery, n ot otherw ise d escrib ed ...............................................................................
V arnish, containing any q u a n tity o f a lcoh ol or s p i r i t .............. ..................... gal.
V e r m i c e l l i .............. .................................................
cw t.
V in e g a r ................... ..................................... ..................................... ............................ga l.
W ash in g b a l l s . . . . ..................
lb .
W a tch es, o f g o ld , silver, or any other m eta l, ex ce e d in g th e value
o f £ 1 0 ........................ ..................................................... ........................ . . ......... ea ch
O ther w a tch es, v iz .: G old op en fa c e s ................. ..................................... ...........
H u n t e r s . . , . . , . . , , . . , , .................................................... ......................................
R e p e a te r s .........................................................................................................................
S ilv er, or a n y oth er m eta l not g o ld , op en fa ce s ..................................................
H u n te r s .......... .................................................................................................................
R e p e a t e r s .................................................... ....................................................................
W a ter, C ologn e w a ter, the flask, (3 0 o f such flasks containing n ot m ore
than one g a llo n ).............................................................................................................
W hen n ot in flasks, (as p erfu m ed s p irits )..........................................
gal.
W oolen s, articles or m anufactures o f w o o l, (n ot b ein g g o a t’s w o o l,) or o f
w o o l m ixed w ith cotton , v i z .: C arpets and r u g s ......................... squ are y d .
S h a w ls, scarfs,an d handkerchiefs, plain, and n ot p r i n t e d ....................... lb.
P r in t e d ..............................................................................................................................
G l o v e s .......... ..........................................................
A rtic le s or m anufactures o f w o o l, (n ot b ein g g o a t’s w o o l, o r o f w o o l
m ix ed w ith cotton , w h o lly o r in p a rt m ad e up, n ot oth erw ise charged

with duty,).................................................................... every £100 value

1 0
0
0 0 4^
0
0 4£
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0 2
0 1-J0 4^
10 0
10 0
1 0
0 4
0 4
12 0
1 0
0 3
0 2

1 0
0
0
5 0
0 7 6
0 15 0
0
2 6
0
3 6
0
8 0
0 ,0
1 0
0
0

5

8
0

0 6
0 04
0 8
doz. pairs

0

0

Schedule No. 5.
Duties on spirits imported into Scotland and Ireland:—•
Spirits or strong waters, for every gallon of such spirits or strong waters,
Of any strength not exceeding the strength of proof of Syke’s hydrome­
ter, and so in proportion for any greater or less strength than the
strength of proof of and for any greater or less quantity than a gal­
lon, viz.:—
The produce of any British possession in America, not being sweetened
spirits, Or spirits mixed with any article, so that the degree of strength
thereof cannot be exactly ascertained by such hydrometer:—
I f imported into Scotland.. . . ................................. ............................... gal. 0 5 0
“
“ Ireland................................................................................... 0 3 8
Rum, the produce of any British possession within the limits of the East
India Company’s charter, not being sweetened spirits, or spirits so
mixed as aforesaid, in regard to which the conditions of the act 4 Vic.,
cap. 8, have or shall have been fulfilled:—
I f imported into Scotland.............................................................................gal. 0 5 0
“
“ Ireland........................ ........................................................... 0 3 3
Rum shrub, however sweetened, the produce o f and imported from such
possessions, in regard to which the conditions of the act 4 Vic., cap. 8,
have or shall have been fulfilled, or the produce of and imported from
any British possession in America :—
I f imported into Scotland............................................................................ gal. 0 5 0
“
“ Ireland............................. ...................................................... 0 3 8




0 03

Commercial Regulations.

373

Schedule No. 6.
£ s. d.
In lieu of ad valorem duties:
Biscuit and bread...................*................................................................... cwt. 0 0 i {
Caoutchouc, or india-rubber, manufactures o f .................................. ........ lb. 0 0 4
Coral negligees.................................................< ............................. ................. 0 1 0
Daguerreotype pla tes........................................................................................
0 0 3
Flock for paper stainers.................................................
cwt. 0 7 0
Fig ca k e ............................................................................................................... 0 15 0
6-utta percha, manufactures of, not moulded, such as bands, sheets, soles,
tubing..........................................................................................................cw t 0 5 0
Articles moulded..........................................................................................lb. 0 0 2
Lucifers, o f wood, in boxes containingnot more
than100matches,
the gross of boxes 0 0 2
In boxes containing more than 100 m atches.................................................. 0 0 3
Vesta of wax, in boxes not exceeding 1,000 matches..................doz. boxes 0 0 6
In boxes exceeding 1,000 matches........................................................... 1,000 0 0 0
Mandioca Hour..............................................................................................cwt. 0 0 4|
Manna crou p.......................................................................................................
0 0 4*
Mustard, mixed or manufactured, except d o u r .............................................. 0 5 0
Oil cloth, for table covers.................................................................square yd. 0 0 1
Paper, gilt, stained, colored, embossed, and all fancykinds, not being
paper-hangings............................................................................................ lb. 0 0 H
Salacine . .......................................................................................................... oz. 0 0 3
Sauces, not otherwise enumerated................................................................lb. 0 0 1
Soy ................................................................................................................. gal. 0 0 6
Steariue, till 5th April, 1858 ............
cwt. 0 3 6
• After 5th April, 1858.....................................................................................
free.
V eneers................................................................................................................ 0 1 0
OF TH E A PPR A ISEM EN T OF IMPORTED MERCHANDISE,

We have received from the Treasury Department the following instructions to Col­
lectors and other officers of the Customs in the United States, under the act of 3d of
March, 1851, regulating the appraisement of imported merchandise, which we publish
for the benefit of importing merchants and others :—
T reasury D epartm en t,

July 20, 1853.

Your special attention is called to the following instructions in relation to the ap­
praisement of merchandise, under the act o f 3d March, 1851, additional to, or in modi­
fication of the circular instructions from this Department, dated 27th March, 1351.
The invoice cost of foreign merchandise, supported by the oath required by law,
will be held and taken as the importer’s declaration of value at the port and time of
shipment, and conclusive against the importer; unless, before entering the same, the
said importer, his consignee, or agent, where the merchandise has been actually pur­
chased, shall declare in writing, under oath, on the invoice, a decline in value between
the time of such purchase and the date of shipment, and the amount thereof; in which
case such declared value shall be conclusive against the importer: but in either case
the appraisers will determine and fix such additional value as the law and the tacts
may warrant.
JAMES GUTHRIE, Secretary o f the Treasury.

REDUCTION OF DUTIES BV TH E GERMAN Z0LL-VEREIN.
D epartm en t

of

St a t e ,

July 23, 1853.

Information has been received at this Department from the United States Consul
at Frankfort, that a reduction in the rate of duties on certain articles imported into
the States of the Zoll-Verein went into effect on the 1st instant, to wit:—
Tobacco leaves and stems from the present rate of 5^ rix dollars to 4 rix dollars
per cwt.
French brandies from 16 rix dollars to 8 rix dollars per cwt.
Wines in casks, 8 rix dollars to 6 rix dollars per cwt.
Coffee, 6£ rix dollars to 5 rix dollars per cwt.
Teas, 4§- rix dollars to 8 ri* dollars per cwt.




374

Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

R A ILR O A D , CANAL, AND STEAMBOAT STA TISTICS.

GENERAL RAILROAD LAW OF IOWA.

W e give below the General Railroad Law of Iowa. The companies are organized
under the Act providing for the organization of companies for p e cu n ia ry p r o fit. The
additional privileges necessary to the construction of a railroad, such as condemning
lands, and crossing public highways, are provided for by another act.
1. Any number of persons may associate themselves and become incorporated for
the transaction of any lawful business including the establishment of ferries, the con­
struction of canals, railways, bridges, or other works o f internal improvement; but
such incorporation confers no power or privilege not possessed by n a t u r a l p e rso n s ex­
cept as hereinafter provided.
2. Among the powers of such body corporate, are the following :—
1st. To have perpetual succession.
2d. To sue and be sued by its corporate name.
3d. To have a common seal which it may alter at pleasure.
4th. To render the interests of the stockholders transferable.
5th.' To exempt the private property of its members from liability for corporate
debts except as herein otherwise declared.
6th. To make contracts, acquire and transfer property, possessing the same powers
in such respects as private individuals now enjoy.
7th. To establish by-laws, and make all rules and regulations deemed expedient
for the management of their affairs, in accordance with law and not incompatible with
an honest purpose.
8.
Previous to commencing any business except that of their own organization they
must adopt articles of incorporation, which must be recorded in the office of the re­
o rd e r o f deeds of the county where the principal place of business is to be, in a book
kept therefor.
4. Corporations for the construction of any work of internal improvement must, in
addition, also file a copy of such articles in the office of a secretary of state, and have
the same recorded by him in a book kept for such purposes. Such articles of incor­
poration must fix the highest amount of indebtedness or liability to which the corpo­
ration is at any one time to be subject, which must in no case, except in that of the
risks of insurance companies, exceed two thirds of its capital stock.
5. A notice must also be published for four weeks in succession in some newspaper
as convenient as practicable to the principal place of business.
6. Such notice must contain:
1st. The name of the corporation and its principal place o f transacting business.
2d. The general nature of the business to be transacted.
8d The amount of capital and stock authorized, and the times and conditions on
which it is to be paid in.
4th. The time of the commencement and termination of the corporation.
5 th. By what officers or persons the affairs of the company are to be conducted,
and the times at which they will be elected.
6th. The highest amount of indebtedness or liability to which the corporation is at
any time to subject itself.
7 th. Whether private property is to be exempt from the corporate debts.
7. The corporation may commence business as soon as the articles are filed in the
office of the recorder of deeds, and their doing shall be valid if the publication in a
newspaper is made and the copy filed in the office of secretary of state, when such
filing is necessary, within three months from such filing in the recorder’s office.
8. No change in any of the above matters shall be valid unless recorded and pub­
lished as the original articles are required to be.
9. Corporations for the construction of any work of internal improvement may be
formed to endure fifty years: those formed fur other purposes cannot exceed twenty
years in duration; but in either case they may be renewed from time to time for
periods not greater respectively than was at first permissible, provided three-fourths
o f the votes cast at any regular election for that purpose be in favor of such renewal,




R ailroad , Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

315

and provided also that those thus wishing a renewal will purchase the stock of those
opposed to the renewal at a fair current value.
10. The corporation cannot he dissolved prior to the period fixed upon in the articles
o f incorporation except by unanimous consent, unless a different rule has been adopted
in their articles.
11. The same period of newspaper publication must precede any such premature
dissolution of a corporation as is required at its creation.
12. A copy of the by-laws of the corporation, with the names of all its officers ap­
pended thereto, must be posted in the principal place of business, and be subject to
public inspection.
"
13. A statement of the amount o f the capital stock subscribed, the amount of capi­
tal actually paid in, and the amount of indebtedness of the company iu a general
way, must also be kept posted up in like manner, which statement must be corrected
as often as any material change takes place in relation to any part of the subject mat­
ter of such statement.
14 Intentional fraud, in failing to comply substantially with the articles of incor­
poration, or in deceiving the public or individuals in relation to their means or their
liabilities, shall subject those guilty thereof to fine and imprisonment or both, at the
discretion of the court. Any person who has sustained inj ury from such fraud may
also recover damages therefor against those guilty of participating in such fraud.
15. The diversion of the funds o f the corporation to other objects than those men­
tioned in their articles and in the notices published as aforesaid, (provided any person
be thereby injured,) and the payment o f dividends which leave insufficient funds to
meet the liabilities of the corporation, shall be deemed such frauds as will subject
those therein concerned to the penalties of the preceding section, and such dividends
or their equivalents iu the hands of individual stockholders shall be subject to said
liabilities.
16. Dividends in insurance companies, made in good faith before their knowledge
o f the happening o f actual losses, are not intended to be prevented or punished by
the provisions of the preceding section.
17. A failure to comply substantially with the foregoing requisitions in relation to
organization and publicity renders the individual property of all the stockholders
liable for the corporate debts.
18. Either such failure or the practice of fraud in the manner hereinafter mentioned
shall cause a forfeiture o f all the privileges hereby conferred, and the courts may pro­
ceed to wind up the business of the corporation by an information in the manner pre­
scribed by law.
19. The intentional keeping of false books or accounts by any corporation, where­
by any one is injured, is a misdemeanor on the part of those concerned therein, and
any person shall be presumed to be concerned therein whose duty it was to see that
the books and accounts were correctly kept.
20. The transfer of shares is not valid, except as between the two parties thereto,
until it is regularly entered on the hooks o f the company so far as to show the name
o f the person by and to whom transferred, the numbers or other designation of the
shares, and the date o f the transfer; bat such transfer shall notin any way exempt
the person or persons making such transfer from any liability or liabilities of said cor­
poration which were created prior to such transfer. The books of the company must
be so kept as to show intelligibly the original stockholders, their respective interests,
the amount which has been paid in on their shares, and all transfers thereof; and
such books, or a correct copy thereof, so far as the items mentioned in this section are
concerned, shall be subject to the inspection of any person desiring the same.
21. Any corporation organized or attempted to be organized in accordance with the
provisions of this chapter shall cease to exist by the non-user of its franchises for two
years at any one time, but such body shall not forfeit its franchises by reason of its
omission to elect officers or to hold meetings at any time prescribed by the by-laws,
provided such act be done within two years o f the time appointed therefor.
22. Corporations whose charters expire by their own limitation, or by the voluntary
act of the stockholders, may, nevertheless, continue to act for the purpose of winding
up their concerns, but for no other purpose.
23. Nothing herein contained exempts the stockholders of any corporation from in­
dividual liability to the amount of the unpaid installments on the stock owned by
them or transferred by them for the purpose of defrauding creditors, and an execu­
tion against the company may to that extent be levied upon such private property of
any individual.




376

Railroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

24.
In none of the cases contemplated in this chapter can the private property of
the stockholder he levied up*»n for the payment o f corporate debts while corporate
property can be found wi'h which to satisfy the same, but it will be sufficient proof
that no property can be found if an execution has issued on a judgment against the
corporation and a demand thereon made of some one of the last acting officers o f
the body for property on which to levy, and if he neglects to point out any such
property.
25 The defendant in any stage of a cause may point out corporate property sub­
ject to levy, and upon his satisfying the court of the existence of such a property, by
affidavit or otherwbe, the cause may be continued, or execution against the defendant
stayed, until the property can be levied upon and sold, and the court may subse­
quently render judgment and order executbn for any balance which there may be
after disposing of the corporate property, according to the stage of the cause; but if
a demand of property has been made, as contemplated in the preceding section, the
costs of such proceedings shall in any event be paid by the company or by the de­
fendant.
26. When the private property of a stockholder is taken for a corporate debt he
may maintain au action against the corporation for indemnity and against any of the
other stockholders for contribution.
27. For the purpose of repairs, rebuilding, or enlarging, or to meet contingencies, or
for the purpose of a sinking fund, the corporation may establish a fund which they
may loan, and in relation to which they may take the proper securities.
28. When the franchise of a corporation has been levied upon under an execution
and sold, the corporators shall not have power to dissolve the corporation so as to de­
stroy the franchise, and if they neglect to keep up an organization sufficient to enable
the business to proceed, the purchaser thereupon becomes vested with all the powers
of the corporation requisite therefor; and when it becomes impracticable for an indi­
vidual so to conduct them, and in cases where doubts and difficulties not herein pro­
vided for arise, the purchaser may apply by petition to the district court, which is
hereby vested with authority to make any orders requisite for carrying into effect the
intent of this chapter in this respect.
29. In any pioceedings b / or against a corporation or against a stockholder, to
charge his private property or the dividends received by him, the court is invested
with power to compel the officers to produce the books of the corporation on the mo­
tion of either party upon a proper cause being shown for that purpose.
30. A single individual may entitle himself to all the advantages of this chapter
provided he complies substantially with all its requirements, omitting those which
fr6m the nature of the case are inapplicable.
31. Persons acting as a corporation under the provisions of this chapter will be
presumed to be legally incorporated until the contrary is shown; and no such fran­
chise shall be declared actually null or forfeited except in a regular proceeding
brought for that purpose.
32. No body of men acting as a corporation under the provisions of this chapter
shall be permitted to set up the want of a legal organization as a defense to aD action
against them a9 a corporation, nor shall any person sued on a contract made with
such a corporation, or sued for an injury to its property, or a wrong done to its inter­
ests, be permitted to set up a want of such legal organization in his defense.
33. Corporations regularly organized under the general law heretofore in force, by
adapting their articles of association to the provisions of this chapter, and by making
the required publication of the change as well as of their intention to act under the
foregoing provisions, will be entitled to all the advantages and subjected to all the
liabilities above provided for, but the change in their articles of association must be
made in accordance with those articles or by the unanimous consent of the stock­
holders.
34. Mutual insurance companies organized under the provisions of this chapter may
render their premium notes a lien upon the whole or any part of their real estate
upon which the property issued is situate, whether such real estate is or is not exempt
from other liabilities as a homestead, but such lien will not attach uutil the premium
note, stating the property on which it is a lien, is filed for record, and treated in the
same manner as though it were a mortgage from the maker thereof to the company,
except that it need not be acknowledged.
35. Nothing herein contained is intended to affect the interests of companies already
organized farther than is above expressed.




R ailroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

311

STEA M MARINE OF NEW YORK.

A correspondent, of the C ourier des E t a t s U n is gives the following statement of the
steam marine of New Y ork:—
17
15
1
19

/

Tons.

Traus-atlantic steamers, making voyages to Europe, and measuring...........
Ocean steamers, intended for service to California and the West Indies.. .
Steamer doing the West Indian business........................................................
Large coasting steamers................................. . .................................................

37,662
30,000
800
17,112

Total, 52 steamers, measuring..........................................................................

85,574

If we add to this sum total the Pacific steamers, which are in direct communication
with the California steamers above mentioned, the sum total is augmented by 21 ves­
sels of 29,436 aggregate burden. And this last figure, let us repeat, would be much
more considerable were it not for the recent disasters which have befallen navigation
in the Pacific.
But, even if we strictly confine ourselves to those vessels which make New York a
point of entry and departure, we feel bound to acknowledge that they form a truly
important fleet. Many States would deem themselves fortunate if they possessed for
Commerce and defense a steam navy equal to that of the Empire City.

RAILROADS: T H E IR N ECESSITY AS A MEANS OF WEALTH.
[From the Cincinnati Railroad Record.]

In the present state of railroad progress it would appear supererogatory to attempt
a demonstration of the necessity of the “ iron road,” politically, commercially, and so­
cially; or show that facility of intercommunication increases such communication,
creates business, begets sociality, tends to the dissemination of enlightened views, and
by uniting all these advantages, promotes the growth, wealth, and prosperity of the
country.
It is a self evident proposition that accessibility promotes population. The history
of our country is an enduring exemplification of this fact. As facilities of intercourse
increased, the area of our settlements extended, until the entire continent has been
embraced withiu our borders. Cities and towns have sprung up in the midst of the
wilderness, and the wilds have been made to blossom like the rose; and if canals,
rivers, and plank and Macadamized roads—the restricted means of intercommunica­
tion enjoyed before the introduction of railroads— have sufficed to render this country
so prosperous, what may we not anticipate when the vast undertakings now projected
shall have been completed ?—when the auriferous shores of the Pacific shall be con­
nected with the rocky barriers of the Atlantic by iron bands, and the treasures of the
East and the islands of the seas shall be transported thereupon, to find a ready mar­
ket among the dwellers at the West?
That railroads will hereafter be the means o f intercommunication is equally evident.
They are the best and cheapest means for promoting accessibility ; they can be built
wherever the people will it; and by their means time and distance can almost be an­
nihilated. The experience upon the few completed roads has demonstrated their
utility and fitness for the purpose for which they were designed. And the completion
of these few roads has made the building of others compulsory, or those sections
lacking in such facilities must consent to si t supinely down, and witness the rapid de­
velopment in wealth and prosperity of such sections as keep up with the progress of
the age.
Wherever railroads have been built in this country, the inevitable consequence has
been to enhance the value of property in the neighborhood. Depots have been estab­
lished along the lines for the reception and shipment of freight; and from these sim­
ple depots flourishing towns have grown up, magic-like, and, anomalous at it may
appear, but in few instances producing any diversion of trade from one place to an­
other, seeming rather to create of themselves business for themselves— thus, by
facilities of communication adding to population, and by population adding to the
wealth and prosperity of the country.
Not unfrequently does it occur that these depots are established in the vicinity of
mines heretofore unavailable, for want of means of transportation, as is the case in
many instances within our knowledge. So soon as the roads are completed, and these




R ailroad, Canal, and Steamboat Statistics.

378

mines brought within the reach of a market, a town at once springs up, and the here­
tofore waste lands become not only sources of wealth to a few-, perhaps, but of com­
petence to many.
And when these roads are opened through an agricultural country, affording means
of ready and cheap transportation to market, the farmer at once becomes independ­
ent. He is not compelled to haul his produce through almost impassable mudholes,
sloughs, and ponds, to a market, where he is constrained to dispose of it at unremu­
nerating rates, rather than haul it home again; he can quietly wait until it is called
for at his own door, or until he learns from the papers that it is to his advantage to
ship to a distant market. Few persons are aware of the difference in the cost of
transportation between the ordinary wagon and the rail. In one of our exchanges
we some time since found the following table, in which is given the comparative
value of a ton of wheat and one of corn at given distances from market, as affected
by the cost of transportation by railroad, and over the ordinary road
Miles.

By railroad.
Wheat. Corn.

Ordin. highway.
Wheat. Corn.

Miles.

By railroad.
Wheat. Corn.

A t market $49 50 $24 75 $49 50 $24 75 170___ . . $46 95 $22 20
10___ . 49 25 24 60 48 00 23 25 180___
22 05
20___ . .
49 20 24 45 46 50 21 76 190___ . . 46 65 21 90
30 . . . . . 49 05 24 30 45 00 20 26 200___ . . 46 50 21 75
4 0 ___ . . 49 00 24 15 43 50 1875 210___ . .
46 35 21 60
5 0 . . . . . . 48 75 24 00 42 00 17 25 220___ . . 46 20 21 45
60___ . . 48 50 23 85 40 50 16 75 23u___ . . 46 05 21 30
70___ . . 48 45 23 70 39 00 14 25 240___
21 15
80___ . . 48 30 23 55 37 50 12 75 250___ . . 45 75 21 00
90___
23 40 36 00 11 25 260___ . . 45 60 20 85
1 0 0 ... . .
48 00 23 25 34 50
9 75 270___ . . 45 45 20 70
110___ . . 47 85 23 10 33 00
8 25 280___ . . 45 30 20 55
120___ . . 47 70 22 95 31 50
6 75 290___ . . 45 15 20 40
130___ . . 47 55 22 80 30 00
5 25 300___ . . 45 00 20 25
140___ . . 47 40 22 65 28 50
20 10
3 75 310___
150___ . .
47 25 22 50 27 00
2 25 320___ . . 44 70 19 95
160___ . . 47 10 22 35 25 50
0 75 330___ . .
44 55 19 80

Ordin. t
Wheat. Corn.

$24 00
22 50
21 00
19 50
18 00
16 50
15 00
13 50
12 00
10 50
9 00
7 60
6 00
4 50
3 00
1 50
....

By this table it appears that a ton of corn is estimated not to be worth hau
wagon, when 170 miles from market; while at the same distance upon a line of rail­
road it would be worth §22 20. A ton of wheat 230 miles from market is not worth
the hauling by wagon, but by railroad it would be worth $44 55. Thus, as land may
be near or more remote from lines of railroad is its value enhanced over and above
the value had there been no such railroad. This is an important consideration to far­
mers when called upon to aid in the construction of railroads, and should influence
their actions in the matter.
While it thus develops the physical resources o f the country, and by the ready
means of intercommunication it affords makes distant points accessible, the railroad is
also intimately connected with Commerce, and with all of its powers and results, is
peculiarly its agent, and has exerted a potential influence in the development and ex­
tension of modern trade, and is destined to work still greater changes and more vast
achievements in behalf of the Commerce of the future.
Such being the fact, and railroads being the “ necessity of the age,” we say let
them be built wherever they can be with reasonable prospect of success; but in rail­
roads, as in every other line of business, judgment should be exercised, and rival lines
on minor routes should be avoided, at least until such time as the wants of the com­
munity call for an extension of traveling facilities. This competition of rival lines
will be one of the strongest objections to railroads, in the construction and prosperous
management of which united effort is a peculiarly necessary ingredient.

LOCOMOTIVES ON T H E PEKUSYLVAKIA RAILROAD.

The Pennsylvania Railroad Company own and use upon their road, according to the
last annual report, forty-three locomotive engines. Of these, 9 were placed on the
road in the year 1849, 14 in the year 1850, 3 in 1851, and 17 in 1852. Of the whole
number, 37 were built by M. W. Baldwin, 3 by Norris & Brothers, 2 by Seth Wilmarth, and 1 by Smith & Perkins. 28 of them have 4 drivers each, 7 have 6 drivers




Railroad , Canal, awe? Steamboat Statistics.

379

each, 6 have 2 drivers each, and 2 have eight drivers each. As regards the size o f
these drivers, 20 of them are each 4 feet 6 inches in diameter, 7 are of 5 feet each,
2 are of 6 feet 6 inches, 1 of 8 feet 6 inches, 3 of 6 feet, 2 of 4 feet, 1 of 3 feet 7
inches, and 1 o f 3 feet 8 inches. It will thus be seen that 82 of these engines have
drivers of 4 feet 6 inches and upwards. During the year 1852 the total number of
miles run by these locomotives was 663,991, and the total cost of repairs was
$32,630 07, or an average cost of $4 92 per 100 miles run. In the year 1850 the
total number of miles run by the locomotives on this road was 320,999, or nearly
11,000 less than half the total for 1852.
SELF-ACTIJVU RAILROAD BRAKE.

In these days of railroad accidents, every invention that may contribute in any de­
gree to prevent destruction of life deserves notice, and there is one, which has stood
the test of a fair trial on the Reading Railroad, that ought to be universally adopted.
It is called “ Lahaye’s Patent Self-Acting Brake,” and is the invention of Mr. J. J.
Lahaye, of Reading. The mode o f its operation is very simple, and as it is self-acting,
it dispenses with the necessity of brakemen on a train. The process is as follows :—
As soon as an engineer, seeing danger before him, reverses the engine, the slight check
given to the train, causes a pressure against the “ bumper ” of each car. Attached to
this bumper, and passing under the car, is a rod connecting with a lever, which the
moment it feels the pressure, forces a brake against the wheels of the truck, with such
violence as to enable the engineer to stop the train in an astonishingly short time. On
the Reading Railroad, where this brake has been in use for a year and a half, an engi­
neer can stop a train going at the rate o f thirty miles an hour, in a space of from two
hundred to two hundred and fifty feet.
It is easily seen that under these circumstances a collision can very rarely occur, as
it is seldom that an obstacle in a track cannot be discovered at a distance of at least
five or six hundred'feet. The operation of detaching the brake is also quite simple,
and the whole apparatus is such as to recommend it to general adoption, especially
on railroads having but a single track, where the dangers of collision are much the
greatest. Ho description, without diagrams, can do full justice to the beauty and
practical value of this invention; but the very fact that it has been successfully used,
for a length of time, on a road doing such an immense business as the Reading Rail­
road, is sufficient to convince all of its excellence.
F IR S T STEAMBOAT ON T H E W E ST ER N W ATERS.

According to statements in the Newport (Ky.) N ew s, the first steamboat that ever
ran on the western waters was built under the superintendence of Mr. John Robson,
now 80 years old, and living with his son William, two miles back of Newport, Ky.
His head is whitened by age, but his memory is good, and recollects well about his
youthful exercises. He was employed by Fulton, Livingston & Co., of New York.
The boat was launched at Pittsburg, Pa., on the 17th day of March, 1811, and was
called the New Orleans. She was painted with a blueisli colored paint. She passed
New Madrid, Mo., at the time of the earthquake in December, 1811. Mr. Scowls,
now living in Covington, a wealthy man, was cabin-boy on her; Andrew Jack was
pilot, and a Mr. Baker was engineer. She carried Gen. Coffee and Don Carl, with
their troops, from Natchez down to New Orleans, in 1814, at the time Gen. Jackson
was defending that city against the British.
M 0E IL E AND OHIO RAILROAD,

The Chief Engineer of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad Company reports that the
whole road is now under contract to the Kentucky line, 453 miles from Mobile. The
local subscriptions amount to $4,902,200, and the land given by Congress is valued at
$3,469,075, making together a property capital of $8,372,176. Upon this it is intend­
ed to raise by mortgage of road and lands, a loan of $6,500,000, including the Tennes­
see loan of $1,000,000, at 6 per cent, to complete the main road and iron the Padu­
cah, Tennessee River, Columbus, Kentucky and Columbus, Mississippi branches, all of
which branches, in the aggregate, will be 102 miles long. Thirty-three miles of the
road, from Mobile to Citronville, are now in operation, and fifty-five miles in addition
are now under contract, and will be ready for the iron by the 1st of November, 1853.




J ournal o f M inin g and M anufactures.

880

JOURNAL OF MINING AND MANUFACTURES.
SOJYG OF TH E M IN ER.
TRANSLATED

FROM

THE

GERM AN

O F N O V A IS S.

And caverned night releases
To him a quenchless ray.

W ho fathoms her recesses,
Is monarch o f the sphere—
Forgetting all distresses,
Within her bosom here­

On every side he greeteth
A long familiar land,
And willingly she meeteth
The labors o f his hand.

o f all her granite piling
The secret make he knows,
And down amid her toiling
Unweariedly he goes.

For hopeful waves are flowing
Along his mountain course,
And rocky holds are showing
Their treasures’ secret source.

lie is unto her plighted,
And tenderly allied—
Becomes by her delighted,
As if she were his bride.

Toward his monarch’ s palace
He guides the golden stream,
And diadem and chalice
With noble jewels gleam.

New love each day is burning
For her within his breast,
No toil or trouble shunning,
She leavetb him to rest.

Though faithfully his treasure
He renders to the king.
He liveth poor with pleasure,
And makes no questioning.

To him her voice is swelling
In solemn, friendly rhyme,
The mighty stories telling
O f long-evanished time.

And though beneath him daily
They tight for gold and gain,
Above here let him gaily
The lord o f earth remain.

The Fore-world’ s holy breezes
Around his temples play,

MANUFACTURES OF PARIS.
N O. II.
S T A T IS T IC S OF F O O D

AND TH E

B R A N C H E S O F IN D U S T R Y

R E L A T IN G

TO IT ,

AT

P A R IS .

Of the seventeen branches of industry belonging to this group, according to the
classification of the Report of the Chamber of Commerce of Paris, we have noticed
all but the following:— Distillers, (liquors and sirups;) grocers, (manufacturing;) ice­
cream makers, alimentary paste makers, pastry cooks, sugar refiners, and pickle
makers.
M an u factu re o f L iq u o r s a n d S ir u p s .— Number of employers 126 ; amount of busi­
ness in 1847, 8,276,805 francs; in 1848, 5,379,900 francs.
The effervescing drinks, of which the principal are effervescing lemonade and Selt­
zer water, are classed with medicinal mineral waters, and the manufacture of them is
subjected to government regulation. There are two inspectors at Paris, who superin­
tend the manufacture of all artificial waters of this kind.
G rocers , ( m an u fac tu rin g .)—Besides the numerous articles sold in small quantities
for daily use, and which are simply bought at wholesale and sold at retail, without
undergoing any change in the hands o f the grocer, there are many other articles which
are prepared for use at the shop, and therefore are included in the list of Paris manu­
factures. Thus, at some grocers’ shops, chocolate, preserves, liquors, sirups, confection­
ary. and blacking are made, coffee also is burnt, and some vegetables prepared
for use.
Of these grocers, who are classed among the manufacturers of Paris, there are
1,180; of whom 1,044 confine themselves to articles of food: 62 manufacture black­
ing; 6, colors and blacking; 5, blacking and ink; 8, caudles, night-lights, glue, eau de
J a v e lle , eau de Cologne.
In 1847 the amount of business was as follows :— Articles of food, 9,621,269 francs;




Journal o f M ining and M anufactures.

381

e a u d e Janette, 110,000 francs; candles, 101,600 francs; colors, 81,500 francs; black­
ing, 84,155 francs; glue, ink, eau de Cologne, and night lights, 2,370 francs. The total
is 9,950,894 francs; but these figures are far from exhibiting the real extent of this
branch of industry.
Articles o f food, it will be seen, form the principal item. They consist of burnt
coffee, the value of which was 7,000,000 francs, including the value of the coffee;
chocolate and confectiouary, 2,402,913 francs; alimentary preserves, 218,346 francs.
The value of coffee burnt by those who make it a special business was 2,033,070
francs, which, added to the above amount of 7,000,000 francs, makes the total
9,033,070 francs.
The total value of sirups and distilled liquors was 8,276,805 francs; adding the
amount made by the grocers, and we have a total of 8,469,781 francs.
Almost all the grocers prepare chocolate. The total value manufactured in 1847
was 3,896,977 francs, in addition to that made by grocers. The aggregate of both is
5,068,493 francs. Nearly all the grocers (1,071 out of 1,130) make preserves also.
Fruits preserved in sugar are an agreeable and useful article of food for children,
and especially the sick. When the sirup alone is used, the preparations are called
g e le c s: when a part of the pulp is retained they are m arm elades. Amount of busi­
ness in 1847, 1,231,397 francs; in 1848, 775,780 francs.
Ice Cream. M ak ers. — The c a fe s are generally supplied with ices and sorbets from
establishments where they are manufactured on a large scale: they are prepared,
however, at some of the coffeehouses. Number of employers in 1847,45 ; amount
o f business in 1847, 1,224,160 francs ; in 1848,6^0,360 francs.
A lim e n ta ry p re p a ra tio n s of dough or paste, ( p a te s a lim en taire s ,) are made from
the finest ground wheat, and are variously named, from their shape, m a c a ro n i, ver­
m icelli, la sa g n e , tag lio n i, a n d a r in i, m ille fa n ti, etoiles, <fcc. This manufacture is of
Italian origin, and famous at Naples and Genoa. About the beginning of this century
it was introduced at Paris and Lyons, and particularly at Clermont-Ferrand. Makers
o f vermicelli, Ac., 17 ; amount of business in 1847, 1,567,728 francs; in 1848, 941,800
francs. One cause of thi3 falling off was the high price of wheat in 1847.
P a s t r y Cooks.— The art of pastry includes pies, cakes, rolls, spice bread, Ac., and
it is classified by the report into fine pastry and common pastry. Much of the com­
mon pastry is sold in the street by itinerants, who make their own cakes, or buy in
the 12 arrondissements the peculiar articles made there called galettes, N a n te rre cak es,
and p la is ir s .
A marked change has of late taken place in the business of the pastry cook. Many
no longer furnish meals at their own shops, but undertake to furnish complete enter­
tainments in the city. Nearly all the cooks are now instructed as apprentices by
them. Number of pastry cooks, 402 ; of these 37 are also bakers; 11 makers of
sirups and preserves ; 2 makers of ices; 1 maker of broiled oinions. .Amount of busi­
ness in 1847, 12,255,087 francs; in 1848,6,618,780 francs.
S u g a r R efiners. — The use of sugar as a food, at once healthful and nutritive, is
growing with the growth of wealth. Its importance as an article of Commerce dates
back only to the 17th century. The Portuguese, sole possessors of Brazil, where the
cane was first cultivated, had almost a monopoly of the European market. After­
wards the Dutch, English, and French colonies cultivated the cane; and under the
colonial system each had the monopoly of supplying its mother country.
The sugar trade in France is now supplied by native sugar made from the beet, by
cane sugar from the colonies, and to a limited extent by foreign sugars ; but high du­
ties shut out the foreign sugars from consumption. What is received at the French




382

Journal o f M ining and Manufactures.

entrepots is almost wholly re-exported. Refined sugars are allowed a drawback, by
way of bounty, on exportation.
Raw sugar was consumed in France to a considerable extent some years ago, but
the use of it is very much diminished iu consequence of the reduction in the price of
refined sugars, effected by the improved process o f refining. Cane sugar was in fact
the only kind that could be used raw. Now, nearly all the sugar used is refined.
Value of sugar entered at custom house in 1847,149,822,480 kilogrammes ; in 1848,
106,013,371 kilogrammes. Value o f sugar exported in 1847,18,400,556 kilogrammes;
iu 1848, 8,258,089 kilogrammes.
The consumption of sugar evidently fell off in 1848 in consequence of the political
crisis of that year. It seems to be determined by the price of breadstuffs; the aver­
age consumption o f the richer classes being considerable, that of the poor very small.
As prosperity increases, the consumption of sugar increases with it, and the compara­
tive wealth o f different classes would be pretty accurately shown by a classification
based upon the average of sugar consumed by each individual.
According to the generally received calculations, made in 1845, the average of
sugar consumed by each individual in a year was, in
Russia....................... kilogrammes
Austria............................................
F rance............................... ...........

0.775
1.200
3.615

Holland....................... kilogrammes
United S tates........... i ....................
England............................................

5.410
8.000
8.460

Raw sugar contains two different elements, the one a grain, the other a sirup, cov­
ering and closing the former. The process o f refining consists in separating the two,
one of which is susceptible of crystallization and the other is not, and also in removing
from the sugar the foreign substances mingled with it. To effect this various chemi­
cal and mechanical agencies are employed. The sugar is dissolved in water, decolor­
ized by animal black, clarified by beef’s blood, concentrated by heat, boiled in caul­
drons, and poured into moulds, in which it is crystallized in a rude manner, and then
ground.
There are 18 sugar refineries in Paris and the ban-lieue , which supply Rouen,
Amiens, Rheims, Metz, Strasbourg, Besancon, Lyons, Moulins, Chateauroux, Tours, and
also the foreign demand.
The quantity of sugar received in the District of Paris, in 1847, may be estimated
at 58 or 60,000,000 kilogrammes, of which from 16 to 18,000,000, or about one third,
remained for local consumption. In 1848 the quantity received was only from 45 to
48.000. 000 kilogrammes in the city.
Amount o f business in 1847, 23,000,000 francs; quantity of sugar made, 19.500,000
kilogrammes; workmen employed, 435. Amount o f business without the city,
42.000. 000 francs; quantity o f sugar made, 35,000,000 kilogrammes; workmen em­
ployed, 600 to 700. Total amount, 65,500,000 francs ; workmen, 1,100.
In 1848 business fell to 17,625,000 francs, a reduction of 25 per cent. During the
month following the revolution of February, 1848, 157 workmen out of 435, or 86 out
of 100, were discharged.
P ic k le M a k ers .—The last branch o f industry in the group of pursuits relating to
food includes the preparation of vinegar for the table, of mustard, and of gherkins, and
other vegetables and fruits pickled in vinegar. Of these articles Paris exports con­
siderable quantities; about one half of the quantity produced. Amount of business
in 1847, 631,600 francs ; in 1S48, 461,000 francs: there is here a falling off of 27 per
cent.
"We shall next take up the second branch o f industry enumerated in the Report,
that of construction— including ships, houses, streets, and pavements, plumbing, and
the business of the mason, carpenter, and painter.




Journal o f M ining and M anufactures

383

IRON MANUFACTURES IN GREAT BRITAIN.
T H E M E T A L T R A D E S O F L IV E R P O O L -----IR O N .

There are at the present moment 178 different iron works in the kingdom, witli an
aggregate capital approaching £4,000,000. The production of pig-iron during the last
twelve months was estimated at 2,697,240 tons; and, if we take only 2,000,000 tons,
at £ 3 per ton, it makes the annual value of £6,000,000.
The demand for iron of late years has greatly increased, owing to its adaptability
for marine purposes, in the construction o f ship-building and steamers, as well as in
the formation of railroads; and, although there has been a great scarcity of coal gene­
rally in South Staffordshire and to some extent in Wales. The production of pig-iron
in the United Kingdom during the year 1852, was estimated as follows, the yield be­
ing calculated only upon those furnaces in blast:—
Furnaces.
In.
Out.

Total.

27
23
32
4
7
13
8
6
7

144
162
35
159
21
13
40
26
13
42

775,000
635,000
31,000
725,000
90,000
30,000
120,000
110,000
35,000
150,000

158

655

2,701,000

Scotland....................................................
South W a les..............................................
Ditto, Anthracite ....................................
South Staffordshire.................................
North Staffordshire.................................
North W a le s..............................................
Shropshire ..................................................
Durham.................................................
Northumberland.......................................
Yorkshire and Derbyshire.......................
Total..................................................

Pig-iron.
Tons.

There is little doubt but in the course of 15 years, and even sooner, this manufac­
ture will be doubled in its quantity. A t the present moment there are 118 furnaces
in blast in Scotland, producing at the rate of 800,000 tons per annum.
The principal stocks of pig-iron held in this country are kept on wharves and in
yards at Glasgow, and on premises belonging to the iron works in the neighborhood,
as Gartsherrie, Dundyvan, &c . ; but there are smaller depots for pig-iron intended for
consumption or re-manufacture in England, formed at Poulton, Fleetwood, Preston,
Lancaster, Runcorn, Ellesmere Port, and Saltney, near Chester ; therefore we should
first ascertain the amount of such stocks, the shipments, Ac., during the last seven
years, which we find recorded in the report of Mr. John Barclay, iron broker, Glasgow,
and Messrs. Stitt Brothers, Liverpool, as below :—
STO C K S O F P I G -IR O N

H E LD IN SCOTLAND ( iN

TONS)

ON THE

3 1 s t D E C E M B E R IN

EACH YEAR.

1816.

1847.

1848.

1849.

1850.

145.000

90,000

100,000

200,000

275,000

S H IP M E N T S OF P I G -IR O N

FROM

..........................................tons
.................................................
.................................................
.................................................
.................................................
.................................................
.................................................

119,100
143,460
162,151153,183
134,576
192,676
224,070

1852.
450,000

SCOTLAND.

Foreign.

1846
1847
18(18
1849
1850
1851
1852

1851.
350,000
Coastwise.

•

257,851
227,005
227,833
221,943
190,083
260,080
199,050

Total.

376,951
370,465
389,984
375,126
324,659
452,756
425,020

The consumption of pig-iron in Glasgow and that neighborhood is now 4,000 tons a
w eek; equal to 200,000 tons a year ; and the manufacture o f malleable iron in Scot­
land has been calculated, in tons, as follows :—

1846.

1847.

45.000

60,000

1848.

1849.

1850.

1851.

1852.

90,000

80,000

80,000

90,000

90,000

As the United States of America purchase extensively, we will record the exports
of pig-iron thence, direct from Scotland, during the last seven years, to show the mar­
velous increase :—




Journal o f M ining and M anufactures.

384

1816.
13,918

1847.

1818.

1819.

1850.

1851.

44,993

90.235

94,212

57,509

80,019

1852.
100,700

The entire exports of iron from Great Britain are now double what they were in
1825, having almost reached 1,500,000 tons in the past year, 1853, of which those of
Liverpool exceed one-fifth portion. The United States being our principal market,
let us see what were the shipments of manufactured iron from Liverpool to the three
chief ports, New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, duriug the last seven years :—
1846
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851
1852

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

Rails.
Tons.

Bars, k c .
Tons.

12,514
12,635
60,188
33.849
29.808
78,199
74,468

12,807
37,543
33,621
57,135
66,338
64,301
• 72,064

Hoops, ike.
Tons.

Total.
Tons.

1,686
7,195
7,237
13,203
19,486
19.293
22,196

27.007
57,373
92.046
104.187
115,632
161,793
168,728

Of this extraordinary increase during the last year, 1852, New York received from
us 135,299 tons; Boston, 24,414 tons; and Philadelphia, 12,024 tons.
The shipments to the East Indies are falling off. The total experts from Great
Britain to Calcutta, of all sorts of iron, last year only amounted to 14,020 tons, of
which 4,404 were sent from Liverpool.
TH E IRON TRADE OF SCOTLAND.

The average value, per week, of the whole make of pig iron in Scotland was, in
1830,£8,000; 1840, £22,000 ; 1845, £36,000 ; 1850, £25,000 ; 1851, £29,500 ; and. at
75s. per ton, it is now £56,250 per week. Mr. H. L. Seligmann, of Glasgow, estimates
that the production during the past year was estimated at 770,000 tons, and for the
year previous, 765.000 tons; of which there was stored in Glasgow, in 1852. 251,000
tons ; in makers’ hands and stored at oiher ports, 189.000 tons—total, 440,000 tons.
In 1851 there was stored in Glasgow, 130.COO tons; in makers’ hands in other ports,
210.000— total, 304,000 tons. Of the shipments from all ports in Scotland there
was. in 1852, foreign, including transhipment at Liverpool, 212,000 tons; coastwise,
218.000— total, 440,000 tons. In 1851, foreign, including transhipment at Liverpool,
178,000 tons; coastwise, 271,000 tons— total, 449,000 tons. In the past year, the
highest number of furnaces in blast was in the month of December, and amounted to
113 ; and the lowest number was in July, and amounted to 106. In 1851, the high­
est number was in December, and amounted to 115; and the lowest number was in
January, and amounted to 165.
MANUFACTURE OF SILESIA N IRON.

The London M ech an ics' M ag az in e says:— The most extensive display of iron, in all
the stages of its manufacture, is sent from the numerous Luges of Hutton, of Count
Renard, who alone occupies a large portion of the basement of the building. The
quality of the metal produced at his works has secured a local reputation, though
other establishments, as the Laura Works, at Beuthen, produce iron in bar, and the
larger forms, in greater quantity. The Renard Works are unrivalled in the finer
sorts; and of hoop iron, nail rods, wire, cast iron for cooking vessels, steel in many
varieties, especially forged steel of the finest quality, there is a most abundant sup­
ply. Sheet iron is exhibited from these works, of such a degree ot tenuity that the
leaves can be used for paper. A bookbinder of Breslau has made an album of noth­
ing else, the pages of which turn as flexibly a9 the finest fabric of linen rags. As
yet no extensive application for this form ot the metal has been found, but the mana­
ger says the material must precede the use for i t ; perhaps books may hereafter be
printed for the tropics On these metallic leaves, and defy the destructive power of
ants, or any color or strength df forceps. We have only to invent a white ink, and
the thing is done. Of the finest sort the machinery rolls 7.040 square feet o f what
may be called leaf iron, from a hundred weight of metal. In point of price, however,
the tSilesiau iron cannot compete with the English ; much i9 still smelted with wood,
and the coal and iron districts lie at greater distances from each other, so that much
capital is consumed by the conveyance of fuel to the works.




Journal o f M inin g and M anu factu res .

385

MINING AND MANUFACTURING CORPORATIONS IN MICHIGAN.
A N ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE FORMATION OF CORPORATIONS FOR MINING, SMELTING, OR MANU­

FACTURING IRON, COPPER, MINERAL COAL, SILV ER, OR OTHER ORES OR MINERALS, AND FOR
OTHER MANUFACTURING PURPOSES.

S ection 1. T h e peo ple o f the S ta te o f M ic h ig an enact. A ll corporations organized
and established under the provisions of this act, shall be capable of suing and being
sued, in any court in this State, and may have a common seal, and alter or amend
the same at pleasure ; may elect, in such a manner as they shall determine, all neces­
sary officers; may fix their compensation and determine their duties, and make from
time to time, such by-laws, not inconsistent with the constitution and laws o f this State,
as a majority of the stockholders shall direct.
S ec. 2. Any number of persons, not less than three, who shall, by articles of agree­
ment, in writing, associate according to the provisions of this act, under any name
assumed by them for the purpose of engaging in and carrying ou any kind of mining
or manufacturing business, or who shall comply with the provisions of this act, shall,
with their successors and assigus, constitute a body politic or corporate, in fact, and
under any name assumed by them in their articles of association, provided no two
companies shall assume the same name.
S ec. 3. Before any corporation formed under this act shall commence business, the
president and directors shall cause their articles of association to be filled with the
Secretary of State o f this State, and with the county clerk of the county or counties
in which any such corporation shall conduct its mining or manufacturing business;
which said articles shall be recorded in said office at length, in books prepared for
that purpose at the expeuse of said corporation.
S ec. 4, The articles of every such association shall be signed by the persons associ­
ating in the first instance, and acknowledged before some person authorized by the
laws of this State to take acknowledgments of deeds, and shall state :—
1. Distinctly and definitely the purpose for which the same is formed.
2. The amount o f their capital stock and the number of shares.
3. The amount of capital stock actually paid in.
4. The name of the stockholders, their respective residences, and the number of
shares held by each person.
5. The place in this State where their office for the transaction of business is loca-.
ted, and the county or counties in which their business is to be carried on.
6. The term of its existence not to exceed thirty years.
S ec. 5. Every such corporation shall annually in the month of July, make a report,
sighed by a majority o f the board of directors, containing:—
1. The amount of capital actually paid in.
2. The amount invested in real estate.
3. The amount of personal estate.
4. The amount of their debts and credits as near as may be.
5. The name of each stockholder and the number of shares held by him at the date
o f such report; and every such report shall be verified on oath, by the officers signing
the same; and if any person shall, as to any material facts, knowingly swear or affirm
falsely, he shall be deemed guilty of perjury, and be punished accordingly.
S ec. 6. The amount of the capital stock in every such corporation shall be fixed
and limited by the stockholders in their articles of association, and shall, in no case,
be less than ten thousand dollars, nor more than five hundred thousand dollars, and
shall be divided into shares of twenty-five dollars each. The capital stock may be in­
creased, and the number of shares, at any meeting of the stockholders called for that
purpose ; p ro v ided , that the arnouut so increased shall not, with the existing capital,
exceed five hundred thousand dollars.
S ec. 7. The purposes for which every such corporation shall be established shall be
distinctly and definitely specified in the articles of association; and it shall not be
lawful for said corporation to appropriate its funds to any other purpose.
S ec. 8. When any corporation shall be formed under this act, any two of those as­
sociated may call the first meeting of the corporation at such time and place as they
may appoint, by giving notice thereof, by publishing the same in a newspaper, at
least fifteen days before the time appointed for such meeting.
S ec. 9. The stock, property, and affairs of such corporation, shall be managed by
not less than three, nor more than nine directors, as the article shall determine, one of
whom shall be a resident of this State. They shall hold their office one year, and un­
til their successors shall be duly chosen.
VOL. X X IX .---- NO. III.




25

386

Journal o f M inin g and M anufactures.

S ec. 10. The directors o f every such corporation shall choose one of their number
president, and such other officers as their articles of association and by-laws may re­
quire, who shall hold their offices one year, or until a majority of the stockholders
choose others in their stead. The directors for the time beiDg shall have power to fill
any vacancy which may happen in their board by death, resignation, or otherwise, for
the current year.
S ec. 11. The directors may call in the subscription to the capital stock of such cor­
poration by installments, in such portion, and at such times and places as they shall
think proper, by giving notice thereof as the by-laws shall prescribe, and in case any
stockholder shall neglect or refuse payment of any such installment for the space of
sixty days after the same shall have become due and payable, and after he shall have
been notified thereof, the stock of such delinquent stockholders may be sold by the di­
rectors at public auction, at the office of the secretary of the corporation, giving at
least thirty days notice in some newspaper published in the county : P ro v id ed , That
if said stockholder shall reside in this State, the stock shall be sold at the business of­
fice o f said corporation, in the county in which they are doing business, giving at least
thirty days notice thereof in some newspaper published in the county ; if no newspa­
per be published in said county, in which such corporation transact their business, then
it shall be published in some newspaper in the city of Detroit; and the proceeds of
such sale shall be first applied in payment of the installment called for, and the ex­
penses on the same, and the residue shall be refunded to the owner thereof; and such
sale shall entitle the purchaser to all the rights of a stockholder to the extent of the
shares so bought.
S ec. 12. A majority o f the directors of every such corporation, convened according
to the by-laws, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business; and those
holding a majority of the stock, at any meeting of the stockholders, shall be capable
o f transacting the business of the meeting; and at all meetings of such stockholders,
each share shall be entitled to one vote. Stockholders may appear and vote in per­
son, or by proxy, duly filed.
S ec. 13. I f it shall so happen that an election of directors shall not take place at
the annual meeting, such corporation shall not be dissolved, but the election may be
held at any time thereafter, by giving thirty days notice of the time and place of such
election, in the manner provided in the eleventh section.
S ec. 14. The books of every such corporation containing the accounts shall, at all
reasonable times, be open for the inspection of any of the stockholders, and so often
as once in each year a statement of the accounts of such corporation shall be made by
order of the directors and laid before the stockholders.
S ec. 15. Every such corporation shall by their name have power to acquire and
hold all such real and personal estate as shall be necessary for the purposes of carry­
ing on the business of such corporation: P rovided, That their real estate shall not ex­
ceed three thousand acres.
S ec. 16. The stock of every such corporation shall be deemed personal property,
and shall be transferred only on the books of such company in such form as the direc­
tors shall prescribe ; and such corporation shall at all times have alien upon the stock
or property o f its members, invested therein, for all the debts due from them to such
corporation, which may be enforced by advertisement and sale, in the manner herein
provided for selling delinquent stock ; and all purchasers at such sale shall be entitled
to the rights of stockholders.
S ec. 17. The stockholders of all corporations founded upon this act, shall be indi­
vidually liable for all labor performed for such corporation or associations, which said
liability may be enforced against any stockholders founded on this statute at any time
after an execution shall be returned not satisfied against said company, P ro v id e d a l ­
w ays, That if any stockholder shall be compelled by any such action to pay the debts
o f any creditor, or any part thereof, he shall have the right to call upon all the stock­
holders to contribute their part of the sum so paid by him as aforesaid, and may sue
them jointly or severally, or any number of them, and recover in such action the rata­
ble amount due from the person or persons so sued.
S ko. 18. Every such corporation formed for mining purposes, shall annually, in the
month of July in each year, make a report, which shall state the amount of copper,
iron, or other mineral which such company may have mined within the year past,
which report shall be signed by the president and a majority of the directors, and
shall be verified by the oath of the secretary or other officer making the same, and
be filed in the office of the clerk of the county in which the business of any such
corporation is carried on, and a duplicate thereof in the office of the Auditor General.




Journal o f M ining and M anufactures.

387

S ec. 19. Every corporation formed under the provisions of this act, for the purposes
o f carrying on manufacturing business, shall annually in the month of July, in each
year, make a report, which shall state the amount of capital actually paid in, and the
amount borrowed by such company and remaining unpaid in whole or in part; which
report shall be signed by a majority of the directors, and verified by the oath of the
secretary or other officers making the same, and be filed in the office of the clerk of
the county in which the business of any such corporation is carried on, and a dupli­
cate thereof in the office of the Auditor General.
S ec. 20. All corporations formed under the provisions of this act for the purpose of
mining, shall pay into the State treasury specific taxes, as follows, that is to sa y:
every such corporation engaged in copper mining, shall pay a tax of one dollar for
each ton of copper of mineral obtained, every such corporation engaged in iron
mining, shall pay a tax of ten cents for each ton of iron obtained, and every such
corporation engaged in coal mining, shall pay a tax of one-half cent for each ton of
coal obtained by such corporation in such mining business ; which taxes shall be paid
annually, in the month of July, at the office of the State Treasurer, or such place in
the city of Detroit as he may designate; and the same shall be in lieu of all State
taxes to be paid by such corporations respectively: P ro v id e d , Nothing herein shall
exempt from State taxation, any property of said corporation not invested in the
said mining or manufacturing business, contemplated in this act.
S ec . 21. All corporations formed under the provisions of this act for manufacturing
purposes, shall pay to the State a specific tax of one-half of one per cent on the
amount of their capital stock paid in, and also money borrowed, which for this pur­
pose shall be considered as capital stock o f such corporations. The said tax shall be
paid on the first day of September, at the office of the State Treasurer, or such place
in the city of Detroit as he may designate, and the same shall be in lieu of all State
taxes to be paid by such corporations respectively.
S ec. 22. S erv ice o f a n y leg a l p rocess against any corporation form ed under this
a ct, m a y b e m a d e on the president, secreta ry, or agent, or if neither o f them can b e
found in the cou nty in w h ich by their articles o f association they are to d o their busi­
ness, then such service m ay be m ade b y posting a true c o p y t h e re o f on som e co n ­
spicu ou s p la ce a t the business office o f the com p a n y in said cou n ty.

S ec. 23. If the directors of any such company shall intentionally neglect or refuse
to comply with the provisions and to perform the duties required of them by sections
three, five, eighteen, and nineteen of this act, they shall be jointly and severally liable
in an action founded on this statute for all the debts of such corporation contracted
during the period of such neglect or refusal; and such o f them as were present and
acting as such directors at any time during such neglect or refusal, shall be guilty
o f a misdemeanor, and may, on conviction .thereof, be fined a sum not exceeding five
thousand dollars, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or both, in the
discretion of the court.
S ec . 24. I f any such corporation , organ ized and established under this act, shall
w ilfu lly violate a n y o f its provisions, and shall th ereb y b e co m e insolvent, the d ire c­
tors orderin g o r assenting to such violation shall jo in tly and s e v e r a lly b e liab le in an
action foun ded on this statute for all d eb ts con tracted a fter such violation.
S ec . 25. The Legislature may at any time, for just cause, rescind the powers of

any corporation created pursuant to the provisions of this act, and prescribe such
mode as may be necessary or expedient for the settlement o f its affairs. The Legis­
lature may repeal, alter, or amend this act.
S ec . 26. That this act shall be subject to the provisions of chapter fifty five, title
ten, of the revised statutes of 1846, so far as applicable to companies formed under
this act.
S ec. 27. This act shall take effect immediately.
Approved February 5, 1853.

COTTON AND OTHER MANUFACTURES OF PR U SSIA .

From a statistical return, just published by the Prussian Government, it appears,
that there now exist in that country, 2,207 spiffing mills; 5,188 manufactories, dyeworks, and cotton printing establishments; 39,253 mills of different kinds; 12,960
large metal works; 17,165 breweries; and 4,535 other manufactories of different kinds •
making a total of 81,308 establishments, occupying 515,551 workmen.




Statistics o f Population, etc.

388

FRENCH GELATINE.

How to get a pennyworth of beauty out of old bones and bits of skin, says Dickens,
in his H ousehold W ords , is a problem which the French gelatine-makers have solved
very prettily. Does the reader remember some gorgeous sheets of colored gelatine
in the French department of the Great Exhibition? We owed them to the slaughter­
houses of Paris. Those establishments are so well organized and conducted, that all
the refuse is carefully preserved, to be applied to any purposes for which it may be
deemed fitting. Very pure gelatine is made from the waste fragments of skin, bone,
tendon, ligature, and gelatinous tissue of the animals slaughtered in the Parisian abat­
toirs ; and thin sheets of this gelatine are made to receive very rich and beautiful
colors. As a gelatinous liquid, when melted, it is used in the dressing of woven
stuffs, and in the clarification of wine ; and, as a solid, it is cut into threads for the or­
namental uses of the confectioner, or made into thin, white, and transparent sheets o f
p a p i e r g la c e for copying drawings, or applied in the making of artificial flowers, or
used as a substitute for paper on which gold printing may be executed. In good
sooth, when an ox has given us our beef, and our leather, and our tallow, his career of
usefulness is by no means ended : we can get a penny out of him as long as there is
a scrap of his substance above ground.

STATISTICS OF POPULATION, & c .
TH E CENSUS OF TH E UN ITED ST A T E S.

The W ash in gton U n ion says that this work is being rapidly printed. That it will
be a volume similar to those of the Congressional Globe, but o f about 1,600 pages.
The type, paper, binding, etc., are superior, and the volume very convenient for refer­
ence and for the shelves of the library, in this respect differing from previous census
reports.
The appendix includes brief and condensed notes necessary to the understanding
or explanation of the text, or to account for any of its deficiencies; and the introduc­
tory chapter comprises the aggregate for the United States, their comparison with
other census returns, and with the returns of foreign countries. Some remarks upon
the plan of the census, in the preparation of which circulars have been freely sent out
by Mr. De Bow to members of Congress and to others, to guard, as far as possible,
against the chances of error, or to furnish, if possible, the means of its detection.
The arrangement of the census is such that the States and Territories can be de­
tached, if desired, from the volume, their statistical results being developed in every
instance separately, in the foHowing tabular form : —
1. Population by counties, classification of ages, and color— aggregate.
2. Population by subdivisions o f counties.
3. Nativities of the population.
4. Births, marriages, deaths, dwellings, and families.
5. Progress of population from 1790 to 1850.
6. Deaf and dumb, blind, idiotic, and insane.
7. Colleges, academies, schools, &c.
8. Attending school during the year, as returned by families.
9. Adults in the State who cannot read and write.
10. Professions, occupations, and trades, o f the male population.
11. Agriculture, farms, and implements, stock, products, home manufactures, &c.
12. Newspapers and periodicals.
13. Libraries, other than private.
14. Churches, church property, &c.




389

Statistics o f Population, etc .
TH E PA U PER POPULATION OF IRELAND AND ENGLAND.

The following “ facts and fiigures,” which we find in the L o n d o n E x a m in e r , will be
read with interest by political economists and philanthropists:—
The sixth annual report of the poor law commissioners for Ireland, informs us the
persons now requiring out-door relief in Ireland— who were heretofore many hundred
thousands—and whose sad condition erewhile excited universal commiseration, though
it has now almost passed out of remembrance— does not exceed 4,000 weekly, includ­
ing heads of families and their dependents. In one week only, during the 20 months
that have “ elapsed since September, 1851, has the number exceeded 4,000.” A t the
same time, the number of able-bodied poor in the work-houses had decreased from
60,759 in May, 1852, to 43,626 in April 23, 1853 ; and the total number of persons in
the work houses had decreased from 186,879 to 146,141, or about 22 per cent in the
year. The expenditure, too, had decreased from £1,141,647, in 1851, to £883,267 in
1852, or also at the rate of 22 per cent. The following are the figures in a tabular
form :—
IN

W ORK H O U SE.

Males.

Able-bodied.
Females.

May 1, 1852.....................
April 3, 1853.....................

16,760
11,818

43,999
31,808

60,759
43,626

D ecrease.....................

4,942

12,191

17,133

E X P E N D IT U R E

AN D NU M BER R E L IE V E D

IN Y E A R

All other classes,
Total, including the sick. Totals.

E N D IN G

£1,141,647
883,267

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

258,380

186,879
146,141

23,605
SEPTEM BER

40,738
29.

Number relieved.
In-door.
Out-door.

Expenditure.

1851 ............................................................
1852 ............................................................

126,120
102,515

*

707,443
508,864

47,914
14,911

198,579

33,003

The reduction in 1853 is, therefore, a great reduction on a previously large reduc­
tion both of the number of paupers and of their cost; and we may suppose that the
greatest change that has occurred in any population in modern times, accompanied by
great misery and great loss o f life, is now terminated, and that a new prosperity dawns
on the Irish, both in their own couutry and abroad.
At present rather contrary to what happened in former years, when the great­
est amount of destitution was experienced in the summer as the potatoes came
to an end, the maximum of claimants for relief occurs in the early part of the year.
The number, therefore, is now declining week after week, and has been since February;
so that by October next it is probable the total number of persons receiving relief in
Ireland will not exceed 80,000, or more than 1 in 80 of the population—a very small
proportion compared to the pauperism of England, even it its present reduced state.
The gradual reduction in the number of the juvenile inmates of work-houses is the
consequence of the young persons having the means of subsistence provided for them
outside by their parents and friends, or the means being provided for the inmates to
join their relation in America, or in England or Scotland. In the last year there was
remitted £2,158 to enable 877 inmates of work-houses to join their friends in America,
£136 to send 489 to England and Scotland, £221 to help 31 out to Australia. The
remittances are increasing and are expected to increase. A sum of £14,041 also was
applied by the poor law guardians to the same objects in the year ending September
la st; and from that time to March they have assisted 3,825 persons to emigrate. A
more beneficial change than from the work-house to a brisk demand for labor and good
wages, can scarcely be conceived; and it gives a true picture of the regeneration of
the Irish from idleness, disease, and destitution, to industry, comfort, and independence.
The most effectual cause, however, for the depletion o f the work-houses, is the
growing demand for labor, while emigration has reduced the number of hands. As
yet, the rate of wages has not risen much, and is only in a few cases higher in 1853
than in 1845 ; but there is more general and continuous employment for the people.
They are able to earn more money, if the rate be not much advanced. Those who re­
main in Ireland are better off, as well as those who remove, and the improve­
ment, as, perhaps, might be expected, is the greatest in the districts that were most
necessitous. The actual reduction of pauperism in Connaught since 1851, say the
commissioners, has been beyond all expectation. Since April, 1851, the inmates of
the work-houses in that province have fallen off from 42,286 to 17,389, or 60 per cent,




, .

Statistics o f Population etc

390

the number of able-bodied females having declined from 12,267 to 3,587, or 70 per
cent, and of children under 15, from 18,620 to 8,569, or 55 per cent. In particular
unions distinguished for their poverty, the rate of reduction has been still greater: “ In
Belmullet, from 1,790 in 1851 to 387 in 1853, or 80 per cent; in Newport, from 1,644
to 320, or 75 per cent; in Clifden, from 2,771 t o 557, or 80 per cen t; and in Westport,
from 2,757 to 539, or 80 per cent” That the young and the females escape from pau­
perism in the poorest districts, is an evidence that the evil is drying up at its source,
and that pauperism will be even more diminished than the commissioners contem­
plate.
The public may rejoice at that; for, with the strictest care, work-house life is fatal alike
to moral and physical health. The sad picture we borrowed a fortnight ago from Dr.
Forbes’ work on Ireland, of the prevalence of ophthalmia in the work-houses, is proved
by the Commissioners’ report not to be too highly colored. The following is their state­
ment o f ophthalmia in the work-houses:—
Cases admitted. Lost both eyes. Lost one eye. Sight inj’d

1851 ............................................
1852 ............................................

42,067
28,765

263
137

656
298

754
476

Soldiers in barracks, to whom the greatest attention is paid, as well as the inmates
of workhouses, are a prey to disease and a high rate of mortality; and it may be sus­
pected that all such close and artificial packing of large numbers of persons is inim­
ical to health. It is a satisfaction, therefore, to think that work-houses are likely in a
great measure to be emptied. At present they assume the character of hospitals for
the reception of the destitute sick, and the Commissioners, it may be hoped, will be
spared the trouble of devising plans for educating and employing a “ large number of
children deserted or made orphans by famine.” They seem, indeed, inclined to agree
with those who deprecate the introduction of arrangements tending to retain paupers
in the workhouse, and of making pauperism, as it were, an institution of the State, by
providing for it and making it self-supporting. With 6uch a small proportion of the
people reduced to pauperism, as seems likely hereafter to be the case in Ireland, the
object should be to distribute the few paupers as much as possible throughout society,
and not congregate them into diseased and festering masses.
We regret to see that England is not doing as well with regard to pauperism as
Ireland. A return issued on Thursday of the amount of money expended for in-main­
tenance and for out-door relief in 60S unions and parishes in England and Wales, du­
ring the half-years ending Lady-day 1852 and 1853 respectively, shows an increase in
the last half-year of £23,478. No doubt this increase is amply accounted for by
the rise in the price of all the necessaries of life ; but we hoped, from the isolated
cases of diminution published, that the decrease in the number of paupers would com­
pensate for the rise in the price of their maintenance, and rather lessen than increase
the expenditure. The winter has been unusually protracted, and a great diminution
has probably ensued of field labor. A t the same time hands have been scarce. We
have heard of great diminutions of pauperism at Birmingham, for example, at the same
time the increase of expense in Warwick is 3.3 percent. The agricultural population,
therefore, rather than the town population, swell the expenditure for pauperism.
The deep-seated and long continued pauperism of England seems not susceptible of
decrease from the generous motives which are clearing out the Irish work-houses; and
the generations habituated here, through a long period of unwise restrictions and pa­
ternal care, to be fed by poor rates, must die out before the pauperized people of Eng­
land can recover their independence.
POPULATION OF CALIFORNIA.

The following is a synopsis of the official returns as far as received o f the State
census recently taken:—
Inhabitants.

Whites.

Santa Clara County........................................
Mariposa County.................
Yuba County..................................................
San Joaquin County........................................
Nevada County..............................................
Shasta County................................................

6,664
8,968
22,005
5,029
20,364
3,833

6,158
4,353
17,545
4,669
12,727
3,700

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

66,863

49,152




Indians. Foreign.

900
4,533
120
369
3,266
73
9,261

1,335
1,571
4,915
861
4,669
825
13,356

Nautical Intelligence.

N AU TICAL

391

IN TE LL IG E N C E .

QUARANTINE REGULATIONS OF TU R K E Y .
D epartm en t

of

St a t e ,

July 23, 1853.

Information has been received at this Department from the United States Consul
at Smyrna, that the quarantine regulations of Turkey require that every vessel leav­
ing a port of the United States, bound to Smyrna, should be provided with a bill o f
health from the proper authorities, in which the exact number of persons on board
must appear; and in case the vessel on her voyage out should put into an interme­
diate port, any alteration that may take place in the number of the crew or passen­
gers by death, accident, <fcc., mu9t be noted in a bill of health given by the health
officer of such port, or by a consul o f the United States; in default of which the vessel
is obliged to perform ten days’ quarantine. Should the intermediate port be one of
Greece, the bill o f health from the health office is not sufficient, but it must be certi­
fied by an American Consul, or by the Consul of some other power at peace with the
United States; otherwise the vessel is required to perform a quarantine of twenty-one
days. When a vessel is bound from one Turkish port to another, the bill of health
must be taken from the Turkish health office of the port of her departure.
AUSTRALIA, BA SS’S STR A IT.
R E V O L V IN G

L IG H T

ON C A PE

OTW AY.

T r i n i t y -H o u s e , L o n d o n ,

July 20th, 1853,

The following particulars respecting the revolving light at Cape Otway, (the first
exhibition of which in August, 1848, was notified from this House, on the 11th April,
1849,) having been communicated to thi9 corporation by direction of her majesty's
secretary of state for the colonies, are hereby made public for the general information
of mariners, viz:—
The light-house on Cape Otway in Bass’s Straits, is situate in latitude 38° 51' south,
and in longitude 143° 29' east. The light revolves, showing a bright flash once in ev­
ery minute, and burns at the hight of 300 feet above the level of high water, and may
be seen, by estimation, at the distance of eight leagues.
Mariners are requested to observe that the reef off Cape Otway, lies about one-half
or three quarter’s of a mile therefrom, in a S. E. to S. S. W. direction, and extends 11miles to the westward. By order,
J.

HERBERT, Secretary.

LIGHT ON SORELLO POINT,
NEAR

C A P E G R A S IT O L A , O N T H E S O O TH

COAST O F S IC I L Y .

H y d r o g r a p h i c - o f f ic e , A d m i r a l t y ,

June 9, 1853.

Her majesty’s government has been officially informed that a Fixed Light, but
varied by a flash every three minutes, was to be established on the 20th of this
month on Sorello Point or South Eastern Point of Cape Granitola, in 37° 33' 50" N.,
12° 37' 36" East of Greenwich, on the South Coast of Sicily.
The Light will appear at an elevation of 87 feet above the level of the sea, and will
be visible, in clear weather, at the distance of 14 miles from the deck of a moderate
sized vesseL
QUARANTINE REGULATIONS AT PUERTO RICO.
D epartm en t

of

St a t e ,

July 23, 1853.

Information has been received from the United States Consul at St. John’s, Puerto
Rico, that the government of the island has determined to enforce strictly the quaran­
tine laws of the island, whereby all vessels coming to the different ports iu Puerto
Rico are required to produce bills of health, with the certificates of the Spanish Con­
sul attached, if there is oue at the port of departure; otherwise they will be subjected
to a rigorous quarantine, and incur heavy expenses.




Nautical Intelligence.

392

LIGH TS AT TH E ENTRANCE OF MANILLA BAY, PH ILIP P IN E ISLANDS.
H y d r o g r a p h i c -o f f i c e , A d m i r a l t y ,

June 2 8, 1853.

Her majesty’s government has been officially informed of the establishment, on the
first day of February last, of two lights in the Entrance of Manilla Bay.
The first is a Revolving Light, eclipsed every minute, in 14° 23' 5" N., and 120°
33' 56" east of Greenwich: it stands on the summit of Corregidor Island, at an eleva­
tion of 648 feet above the level of the sea, and the Spanish account adds, that it is
visible at the distance of 40 miles.
It bears from the Monja Rock North 86° East.
The second is a Fixed Light, and placed on the small steep Island of Caballo, at an
elevation of 417 feet above the sea, about two miles to the eastward of Corregidor.
This Light can be seen but nine miles, and only when it bears to the northward of
East or W est; so that a vessel having entered the Bay will lose sight of it as soon as
she has passed Caballo Island, and will have to rely on the great Light of Corregidor
to guide her to the anchorage off Manilla.
Fraile Island is 3| miles from Caballo, the Light on which is useful in dark nights
to ships passing between them; but none of these islands should be approached within
half a mile, as the current is strong.

SAND CAY LIGH T, FLORIDA R E E F ,
H y d r o g r a p h i c -o f f i c e ,

May 28,1853.

Her Majesty’s Government has received information that the Lighthouse on Sand
Cay, which was destroyed by a hurricane in 1846, has been rebuilt, and that the light
will reappear in the course of next month.
The Light-tower is cylindric, but stands on a square base supported by 17 iron
piles, and the whole structure rises 121 feet above low water, and is all painted black,
except the lantern, which is white.
The light is fixed, but varied by flashes ; for one minute showing a steady light,
and in the next minute a flash of ten seconds duration, preceded and followed by
eclipses of 25 seconds.
It stands in 24° 27' 9" N., and 81° 52' 43" W. of Greenwich, and being about 100
feet above the high-water level of the sea, may be seen in clear weather at the dis­
tance of 16 miles by an eye 15 feet above the water.
ELECTRIC TE LEG R A PH , SOUTH FORELAND TO BELGIUM .
N O T IC E T O M A R IN E R S .

T r i n i t y -h o d s k , L

ondon,

June 28th, 1853.

Notice is hereby given, that the Sub-marine Cable, extending from the South Fore­
land to Belgium, lies in an E. by S. direction, (by compass,) with the South Foreland
Lighthouses in line, bearing W. by N., until without the stream of the Goodwin Sand,
passing about one mile to the southward of the South Sand Head Light Yessel, after
which it takes a general E. S. E. direction across to the Flemish Banks.
Mariners are requested to observe, that it is desirable that vessels should not anchor
with this mark or bearing on, lest, by so doing, they damage the Electric Cable, or
lose their own anchors.
By order,
J. HERBERT, Secretary.

0 X 0 FIX ED LIGHT, ENTRANCE TO CHRISTIANA, NORWAY.
H y d r o g r a p h i c - off i c e , A d m i r a l t y ,

July 10,1853.

The following is an extract from a notice issued by this office on the 25th February
last:—
Oxo, name o f Light; 8° 6' 35", Lon. E. from Greenwich; 58° 3 '2 5 ", N. Lat.;
existing light— Fixed Light, with a flash every 4th minute ; to be altered into— One
Fixed Light, 2d order; higbt above the level of the sea, 135 feet; visible at the dis­
tance of 18 sea miles.
Her Majesty’s Government has now been officially informed, that the above-men­
tioned alteration has been carried into effect, and that the light of Oxo will reappear
on the 16th of the present month.




Mercantile Miscellanies.

393

M E R C A N TILE M ISC ELLA N IES.
TH E GREAT HEAT I S TH E MONTH OF AUGUST, 1853.
To

F reem an

H u nt,

E d it o r o f the M erch an ts’ M a g a z in e :—

S ir :— One o f the most extraordinary terms of hot weather ever experienced in this

latitude was felt here on the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th of August instant.
On Monday, the 8th of August, a fearful thunder-storm passed this meridian about
10 P.m ., and commenced the heated term; and the day following, the 9th, the tem­
perature rose to 85 degrees, and continued rising every day until the 13th, when it
reached 95 degrees: on the 14th it fell to 93 degrees, when another thunder-storm,
still more fearful and appalling, terminated the heated term.
The following statement of temperature (in the shade) we copy from our thermometrical record:—
Tuesday, August 9—80 to 85 degrees, for nine consecutive hours.
10— 80 to 90 “
fifteen
“
“
Wednesday,
11— 80 to 92 “
“
“
“
Thursday,
Friday,
12— 80 to 93
“
seventeen
13— 80 to 95
“
Saturday,
14— 80 to 93
“
fifteen
“
Sunday,
The changes during each of the six days named were as follows:—
Tuesday, August 9— Change in the 24 hours, 19 degrees.
««
18
“
Wednesday,
10
It
18
“
Thursday,
11
it
19
“
Friday,
12
««
19
“
Saturday,
13
“
«
Sunday,
17
“
14
It will be seen by this brief statement, that the changes each day differed but two
degrees from each other.
The heated air possessed peculiar properties, and was very destructive to human
life. It is supposed that at least three hundred persons died from the effect of heat,
during the 12th, 13th, and 14th, in the cities of New York and Brooklyn; and its
effects were not confined alone to animal life—the potatoes, still in the ground, in the
immediate vicinity were seized suddenly with the disease, and in three days the
crops in very many places became putrid.
On Wednesday evening, and again on Saturday evening, during this heated term,
thunder-storms prevailed at a distance, but the distant lightning was visible here.
W e have kept an hourly thennometrical record, now covering eight consecutive
years, which shows but three days in August, during that time, in which the tempera­
ture has reached 90 degrees. The first of these occurred on the 5th of August, 1846,
when it rose to 90£, and the next day, the 6th, rose to 92 degrees. These two days
belonged to a warm term which commenced on the 27th of July, and continued till
the 10th o f August— duration, fifteen consecutive days— during which the highest
temperature of the atmosphere was from 80 to 92. The other was on the 6th of Au­
gust, 1850, when the temperature rose to 91 degrees. This belonged to a warm term
which commenced on the 28th of July, and continued till the 16th of August, during
which the highest temperature was from 80 to 90 degrees, for twenty consecutive
days.
We have a thermometrical record extending from 1808 to 1853, in which the tem­
perature was noted three times each day, and this does not show any such tempera­




394

Mercantile Miscellanies.

ture, either in intensity, duration, or the disastrous effects on human life, as that of the
six days we have here named.
W e have a correspondent, who has been staying at the Summit House, Mount
Washington, since the 7th of June last; he has furnished us with a copy of the record
of his thermometrical observations made there, at an altitude of 6,265 feet above the
sea, by which it appears that at no time during this heated term did the temperature
there rise above 62 degrees. The difference between the temperature on Mount
Washington and that on Long Island, during the six heated days, was as follows:—
Tuesday, August
Wednesday,
Thursday,
Friday,
Saturday,
Sunday,

9— 33 degrees.
10— 31
11— 29
12— 33
13— 35
14— 33

On Mount Washington a fearful thunder-storm, accompanied by hail, was expe­
rienced at 4 p. m., on Monday, the 8tb, and there was lightning in the evening at a
distance ; and on Sunday, the 14th, a thunder and lightning storm, still more fearful
and appalling, passed that mountain-top at 2 p. m. It will be seen, by a comparison
of the two accounts, that the lightning-storms of the 8th and 14th passed Mount
Washington several hours before they reached here.
The pinnacle of Mount Washington is within less than four thousand feet of that
portion o f the atmosphere where the frost is perpetual. Beneath this frigid canopy,
which extends over the whole earth, is the dwelling-place of the human race.
B r o o k l y n H e ig h t s ,

August 2 2 d , 1853.

E. MER1AM.

FR A N K E N ST E IN ’ S PANORAMA OF NIAGARA.

W e noticed this beautiful work of art in a former number o f the M erch an ts’ M a g a ­
zine. W e were present on the opening night, on the 18 th July, in Hope Chapel,
Broadway, New York, and notwithstanding we saw parts of the work while in pro­
gress, which was calculated in some measure to deprive it of its novelty to our eye,
we entered heartily into the applause o f the large and intelligent audience on that
occasion. In naturalness and truth it possesses greater merit than any thing of the
kind we have ever seen. The closeness with which the representation often approxi­
mates nature, absolutely identifies it with it, and deceives the sense. No one can
look upon Frankenstein’s Niagara without being impressed with the emotion of
sublime awe that is felt by all who go to and remain at Niagara any length of timeIn the Panorama all the most picturesque, beautiful, sublime, and grand scenes, which
abound as profusely at Niagara as vast ideas in a great brain, are presented vividly,
life-like, real.
TH E FA ST MAN OF BU SIN ESS.

Closely upon the heels of the gambler came the “ fast” man of business— in haste
to be rich, impatient of labor, and, by his expenses, proving that if he did not make
his own fortune, he understood as well how to spend another man’s fortune as if he
learned the art in our Common Council. Life to such a man was very like a Missis­
sippi voyage to those on the lookout for a race, consoling themselves with the reflec­
tion that the chances of their rival’s boiler bursting and blowing them to atoms would
be as great as their own. The “ fast man” thought the locomotive but a “ slow coach,”
and that the telegraph “ did very well for a beginning.” The “ fast man” of business
also looked forward with confident expectation for the arrival of the period when all
days of receipt would be brought very near, and all days of payment indefinitely
postponed.— R ev. S a m u e l Osgood.




The B ook Trade .

395

THE BOOK TRADE.
1. — The M is s iss ip p i a n d Ohio R iv e r s : c o n tain in g p la n s f o r the p rotection o f the
D e lta fr o m in u n d a tio n , a n d in v estig atio n s o f the p r a c tic a b ility a n d cost o f im p rov­
in g the n av ig a tio n o f the Ohio a n d other riv ers by m eans o f R e se rv o irs, with a n a p ­
p e n d ix on the b a rs a t the m outh o f the M ississip p i. By C h arles E llet , Jr., Civil
Engineer. 8vo., pp. 367. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo & Co.

Mr. Ellet has furnished a fund of knowledge and information in this work, which
must command the attention of professional and scientific readers. The importance
o f the subject attracted the notice of Congress, and resulted in directing the Secretary
o f War to institute the necessary surveys and investigations for the prevention of the
overflow of the Delta, and increasing the depths of water on the bars at the mouth
of the Mississippi. In making these surveys, Mr. Ellet has introduced a new system
o f civil engineering, which must increase in interest as it becomes more fully devel­
oped. His views are supported by irresistible arguments and clear reasoning. His
calculations are made with great care, and the diagrams illustrate his subject perfect­
ly. He attributes the greater frequency, and the more alarming character of the
floods of the Mississippi, to the extension of cultivation along the valley of the Mis­
sissippi, by which evaporation is diminished and drainage obviously increased, and the
floods hurried forward more rapidly into the country below. Another cause, he says,
is the extension of the levees along the borders of the river, and its tributaries and
outlets, by means of which the water that was formerly allowed to spread over many
thousand square miles of low lands, is becoming more and more confined to the imme­
diate channel of the river, and is therefore compelled to rise higher and flow faster,
until, under the increased power of the current, it may have time to excavate a wider
and deeper trench, to give vent to the increased volume which it conveys.
2. — Scenes a n d A dventures in the S em i-A lp in e R e g io n o f the O zark M o u n ta in s o f
M isso u r i a n d A r k a n s a s , which were f i r s t traversed by D e S o to , in 1551. By H en ry
K . S choolcraft . 8vo., pp. 256. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo
Co.
Four and thirty years have passed away since the travels here brought to view
were terminated. But time, it is believed, has not destroyed their value. They de­
scribe the first and only attempt to identify the famous De Soto’s march west of the
Mississippi, and they recall reminiscences of scenes and observations which belong to
the history o f the discovery and settlement of the country. The appendix, which is
extensive, embraces a vast store of scientific facts and observations on the mines and
mineralogy of Missouri, with full descriptions of the methods pursued at that period in
the manufacture of lead ore. These have, to some extent, been published before.
3. — The P ro -slav e ry A rg u m e n t , a s m a in ta in e d by the m ost d istin g u ish ed w riters o f
the So u th ern S la t e s : c o n tain in g the several E s s a y s on the subject , o f C hancellor
H a r p e r , G overnor H am m on d , D r . S im m s , a n d P r o f e s s o r Dew. 12mo., pp. 490.
Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo
Co.
This volume contains Harper’s Memoir of Slavery, Gov. Hammond’s Letters on
Slavery; an Essay on the Morals of Slavery, by Wm. Gilmore Simms, and Professor
Dew on Slavery. The whole subject is discussed with ability and learning; and we
are glad to find embodied in one volume some of the ablest and best papers on the
Southern side o f the question of Slavery that have been produced. We commend
the volume to all who would candidly examine the arguments in support of the “ pe­
culiar institution.”
4. — Th e Sw ord a n d the D i s t a f f : or, “ F a i r ,' F a t , a n d F o r t y ? A story of the South,
at the close of the Revolution. By the author of “ The Partisan,” “ Mellichampe,”
“ Katharine Walton,” <fcc., tfcc. 12mo., pp. 591. Philadelphia : Lippincott, Grambo
& Co.
This work is doubly interesting from the circumstance of its being drawn from
real life. It is well written, and embraces a period of our country’s history which
is rendered peculiarly attractive to the reader, as furnishing so many thrilling and
exciting incidents, which wear more the semblance of fiction than truth.




396

The B ook Trade .

5. — Ju v e n ile B o o k s. New Y ork: Published by Robert Carter & Brothers.
Great progress has been made since the writer was a boy, in books for the young,
not only in their character, but in the style in which they were produced. The “ Mother
Goose Melodies,” and other senseless nonsense of the past, is replaced by works that
are at once interesting and instructive, without being dull and prosy. The fact is, wri­
ters, men and women of genius, especially the latter, have applied themselves to the
task of teaching the young idea how and what to read. As an illustration of the above
remarks we refer to the twelve volumes now before us, which in every respect reflect
credit upon the taste and judgment of the publishers, and upon the progressive spirit
of the times. “ Clever Stories,” Little Lessons for Little Learners,” “ A Call to the
Lambs,” “ Jamie Gordon, or the Orphan,” “ Three months under the Snow,” “ Frank
Harrison,” “ Collier’s Tale,” “ The Swamp and the Lantern,” “ Clara Stanley,” “ Se­
quel to Mamma’s Bible Stories,” “ A Hundred Short Stories,” “ Child’s own Story
Book,” “ Rhymes for the Nursery,” etc., the titles of the Brothers Carter’s books, are
volumes that may be put into the hands of little folks, with the assurance that they
will neither corrupt the taste, nor the manners. They are printed on a flue white pa­
per, the engravings are pretty, and the binding neat and attractive ; and on the whole,
they form a series of juveniles that are worthy of a place in every family, certainly
every Sunday School library in the country.
6. — The S lav e T rade , D om estic a n d F o r e ig n : W hy it E x is t s , a n d How it m ay he E x ­
tinguish ed. By H. C. C a r e y . Author of the “ Principles of Political Economy,”
“ The Past, The Present, and The Future,” etc., etc. 12mo., pp. 426. Philadelphia:
A. Hart, late Carey & Hart.
Among the thousand and one means devised to extinguish slavery, the author has
suggested one which has been in successful operation coexistent with the Colonization
Society, and the founding of the Republic of Liberia is one o f the evidences of th e.
success of that admirably organized society. Mr. Carey says we have only to raise the
value of man in Africa to terminate the African Slave Trade. Surely the Coloniza­
tion Society is gradually, but surely, answering that demand. The unguarded ex­
pression which he makes that “ there exists a ‘ higher law ’— a great law of the Cre­
ator— that will effectually extinguish the trade whenever it shall be permitted to come
into activity,” presents a short method of doing the work, but his volume contains
much valuable information on the introduction of slavery, and its progress and growth
in the different countries of Europe as well as the United States, West India Islands,
and South America.
7. — P o e try o f the Vegetable W o rld ; a p o p u la r E x p o sitio n o f the Scien ce o f B o ta n y ,
a n d its relatio n s to M an . By M. J. S ch le ide n , M. D., Professor of Botany in the
University o f Genoa. Illustrated with engravings. Edited by A lphonzo W ood ,
M. A., author o f the “ C lass B ook of B otan y ,” & c . 12m o., p p . 360. Cincinnati:
Moore, Anderson, Welstach
Keys. New York : Newman
Ivison.
This is the first American edition, reprinted from that of Henfrey. Schleiden, the
author, is one of the most distinguished and most accomplished botanists of the
present day. The exhaustless beauties of the vegetable world— its spiritual aspect
lies beyond the reach of mere science. Herein lies the charm of this work. While
its author has everywhere exhibited the principles of science in the most attractive
and perspicuous style, he has also contrived to blend with them the imaginative and
the spiritual, and thus to render his work the exponent of the relations of the plant
to the human soul. He has shown that the multiform vegetables of the material
world are all ministering spirits. In a word, science and poetry are beautifully and
harmoniously blended together.
8. — S um m er S to rie s o f the S o u th
By T. A ddison R ich ards .
12mo., pp. 255.
Philadelphia : Lippincott, Grambo & Co.
This volume contains six tales, written in a graceful and pleasant 6tyle, and with
sufficient pathos and humor to be read without wearing out the reader’s patience in
warm summer days.
9. — A B u dget o f S to rie s fr o m Cham bers' “ P a p e r s f o r the P eo p le .” Philadelphia:
Lippincott, Grambo & Co.
This neat paper pamphlet of 168 pages, contains four choice tales, selected from
“ Chambers’ Papers for the People,” viz.: “ The Helf-Castle,” “ The Lost Laird,” “ The
Queen oi Spades,” and “ The Last of the Ruthvens.”




The B ook Trade.

307

— Th e Q uadrupeds o f N o rth A m erica. B y J ohn J ames A udubon , F. R . S., die., itc.,
and the Rev. J ohn B achman , D. D. Royal Svo., vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 40. New York :
Y . G. Audubon.
The first number of this great work is before us. From the prospectus of Mr. V. G.
Audubon, (a son of the eminent naturalist,) we learn that the present will be a minia­
ture copy of the large edition with figures and descriptions of the quadrupeds of the
United States, (including Texas, California, and Oregon,) part of Mexico, the British
possessions, and Arctic regions of our continent. The number before us contains five
plates, colored engravings. The illustrations are not only scientifically correct, but
interesting to all, from the varied occupations, expressions, and attitudes given to the
different species, together with the appropriate accessaries, such as tiees, plants,
landscapes, &c., with which the figures of the landscape are relieved. The engravings
in the present number are—the common American Wild Cat, the Maryland Marmot,
Woodchuck, Ground Hog (old and young,) Townsend’s Rocky Mountain Hare (male
and female,) Flanders Rat (male and female, and young of different ages,) and Rich­
ardson’s Columbia Squirrel (male and female.) Each number is to contain five en­
gravings, and the work completed in thirty numbers, and delivered to subscribers at
intervals of not less than one month. Price of the work one dollar per number, to be
paid on delivery.
10.

11. — The B oyh ood o f G re a t M en. In ten ded a s a n E x a m p le to Youth. With Illustra­
tions. New York: Harper & Brothers.
The object of this little work is to place before the “ rising generation ” brief
sketches of the early career of those who have fought their way to eminence and dis­
tinction in the various walks of life, and thus develop in the mind of youth noble
tastes and high principles, as well as to encourage, stimulate, and sustain that spirit
o f industry which is essential to the attainment of any position worth striving for.
It furnishes sketches of poets, historians, critics, statesmen, lawyers, philanthropists,
astronomers, natural philosophers, mathematicians, chemists, sailors, soldiers, musi­
cians, painters, sculptors, scholars, divines, surgeons, and naturalists; and gives some
account of the boyhood of two or more individuals in this classification, who, in after­
life, secured fame, and left behind them a name more durable than marble.
12. — The C old G rap e ry , fr o m A m e rica n P r a c t i c e : being a concise a n d d etailed treatise
on the cultiv atio n o f the exotic grape-vin e, under g la ss , w ithout a rtific ia l heat.

By

W m. C hoclton . 12mo., pp. 94. New York: J. 0. Riker.
This volume makes a timely appearance. The method of raising exotic grapes, un­
der glass, without artificial heat, has begun to attract considerable attention; and a
work of experience in this country, and suited to our climate, can hardly fail to be ex­
tensively useful. The author has been prosecuting this branch of industry as a gar­
dener, on Staten Island, for a considerable period, and has become quite successful in
the production of these choice exotics. W ith much simplicity of design, he has col­
lected within a small compass the fruits of his experience, hoping that it might be of
use in assisting both the amateur and the inexperienced.
IS.— H o m e-L ife in G erm any. By C h a r l e s L o r i n g B ruce . 12mo., pp. 443. New
Y e rk : Charles Scribner.
This is one of the best books of travel we have met with, for it tells us just what
we want to know about a foreign country—that is, what people eat and drink, how
they amuse themselves, what their habits are at home, how their houses look, and,
above all, what the usual talk and tone o f thought is among the great middle classes
of Germany. It is, in short, a sort of home history— a social life of the people. In
the appendix, we have an interesting account of the German tariff revenues, a feature
that will interest the commercial reader.
14.— The Y oung L a d y 's G uid e to the H a rm o n io u s D evelopm ent o f C h r istia n C h a ra c ­
ter. B y H e r v e y N e w c o m b . l8mo., pp., 330. New Y ork : M. W. Dodd. *
This is a very neat little volume and should be found in every young lady’s library,
instead of those works of fiction which produce such a morbid appetite for excitement.
Habitual writing is highly recommended to young ladies, and nothing is better calcu­
lated to call out the resources of the mind than its practice ; our thoughts become
more methodical, and all the intellectual faculties are strengthened and improved by
exertion.




398

T he B o o k T rade .

15. — N a r r a tiv e o f a Jo u r n e y R o u n d the W o rld ; C o m p risin g a W inter P a s s a g e across
the A n d e s to C h il i; with a V isit to the G o ld R egio n s o f C a lifo r n ia a n d A u s t r a lia ,
the S o u th S e a Is la n d s, J a v a , &c. By F. G e r sl a e c k e r , 12mo.,pp. 624. New York
Harper & Brothers.
:
In bi9 voyage “ around the world,” the author visited various part9 of South Amer­
ica, California, the South Sea Islands, Australia, and the Island of Java, and gives us
a very readable narrative of the incidents of his journey, with much interesting infor­
mation relating to the manners and customs of the people; besides many statements
touching the condition and resources of the several places visited. It appears to be a
reliable narrative, written by a nice observer, and in a clear and direct style.
16. — The B r it is h C abinet in 1853. 18mo., pp. 345. Philadelphia: Lippincott,
Grambo & Co.
The present volume contains sketches of the political and personal history of the
several members of the remarkable coalition ministry now in power in Great Britain.
The establishment of this ministry may, we think, be regarded as marking an epoch
in the political history of England, in which the old barriers of class and party rivalry
are seen to have given way to something more in keeping with an age of progress.
The work has evidently been prepared with care, and will be found to contain an
accurate and competent sketch of all the members of the present British administra­
tion.
17. — L iv e s o f the B ro th e rs H um boldt. Alexander and William. Translated and Ar­
ranged from the German of K lencke <fc S ch le sie r . B y J uliette B a u e r . With
Portraits. New Y ork: Harper <fc Brothers.
The works of these remarkable men for so many years connected with the progress
of science, are well known to the class of readers who will mainly desire to learn
their personal history. The translator, we have no doubt, has done justice to the orig
inal German ; at all events it furnishes a fine specimen of biographical writing, and is
withal quite an attractive and readable book.
18. — Th e O ld a n d the New ; o r, C hanges o f T h irty Y ears in the E a s t : with some a llu ­
sio n s to O rie n tal Custom s, a s E lu c id a tin g S crip tu re . By W m. G oodell , Missionary
in Constantinople of American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. With
an Introduction by Rev. Wm. Adams, D. D. 12mo., pp. 239. New Y ork : M. W.
Dodd.
The facilities of the author for obtaining correct information were such as have ena­
bled him to furnish an interesting work, and one that will command the attention of
all who take an interest in missions, and it will repay the perusal of those who read
for general information. The colored illustrations add much to the generally attractive
character o f the work.
19. — H a r r y Covcrdale's C ourtship, a n d what came o f it. By the author of “ Frank
Fairleigh,” “ Lewis Arundel,” <fcc., &c. 12mo., pp. 341. New Y ork: H. Long &
Brother.
This i9 an excellent work. The author lays siege to the reader’s feelings, and does
not remit his assault from the time when Coverdale’s first symptoms of courtship be­
gin to appear on his horizon, to the last page of the work.
20. — M a rtin 's E q u a tio n T ab le s f o r A v e ra g in g A ccou n ts. Imperial 8vo., pp. 83.
Rochester: Erastus Darrow. New York: for sale by O. A. Roorback.
This is a very valuable work, furnishing to merchants, bookkeepers, accountants,
manufacturers, and other business men, a complete and accurate set of calculations
for averaging accounts. The work is got up with great care, and is calculated to ren­
der every facility to the accountant in the science of equations. The examples ac­
companying the tables are lucid and explanatory, and every counting-room should be
furnished with a copy.
21 — T h e B r it is h Colonies ; th eir H isto ry , C o n ditio n , E x te n t , a n d R esou rces. By R.
M. M a r t in . Part 42. New York: J. Tallis‘<fc Co.
Sierra Leone, its early history, population, commerce, productions, &c., with the
history of the British possessions in Western Africa, are the subjects of the present
number of this valuable work. It is accompanied with an elegant map of the Islands
of the Atlantic, and many fine engravings of places of note in them.




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399

— L i f e o f Th om as C halm ers, I ) . D ., L L . D . Edited by Rev. J ames 0 . M o ffat ,
M. A., Professor of Latin and Lecturer ou History in the College of Hew Jersey.
12mo., pp. 455. Cincinnati: Moore, Anderson, Wilstach <4; Keys. New Y ork:
Newman <4 Ivison.
This is an abstract o f Dr. Hanna’s elaborate work, designed for those who wish to
know the outline of Dr. Chalmers’ career, but who cannot either afford to purchase, or
have not the leisure nor the taste to peruse, many volumes on the subject. It em­
braces the principal part of these volumes briefly and consecutively; retaining the
words of Dr. Hanna in all cases where consistent with the desired brevity. Professor
Moffat appears to have performed the labor of compiler with marked ability, and has
contrived to produce a faithful, and, at the same time, comprehensive memoir of the
life and opinions of that eminent divine.
22.

23. — T h e W igwam a n d the C a b in ; or, T a le s o f the South . By W. G ilm o r e S im m s .
12mo., pp. 471. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo & Co.
The tales embraced in this volume, some thirteen in number, were written for an­
nuals and other periodicals, where they met with much favor. They illustrate, in
large degree, the border history of the South. The life of the planter, the squatter,
the Indian, and the negro, the bold and hardy pioneer, and the vigorous yeoman,—
these are the subjects of the author; and in their delineation he has drawn from living
portraits, and, in many instances, from actual scenes and circumstances within the
memories o f men.
24. — M a rie D e B a n i e r e : A T ale o f the Crescent C ity, <kc. 12mo., pp. 422. Philadel­
phia : Lippincott, Grambo & Co.
This volume, from the prolific pen of W. G ilm or e S im ms , contains three interesting
but highly wrought tales, descriptive of real life, the first of which the title indicates,
“ The Maroon,” and “ Maize in Milk.” “ Guy Rivers,” the last of Mr. Simms’ produc­
tions, has been extensively read; and though less pleased withthe work before us, we
doubt not that it will meet with favor at the hands of the reading public. The inter­
est in the several tales is well sustained.
25. — The W ay o f Peace. By H en ry A. R o w la n d , author of a work “ On the Com­
mon Maxims of Infidelity,” “ The Path of Life,” and “ Light in a Dark Alley.”
18mo., pp. 228. New York: M. W. Dodd.
The object o f this work, inferred from the title, and stated in the preface, is “ to di­
rect the wandering and lost to C h r i s t t o show the seeker ••how he may preserve
his religious affections in their purity and strength,” ifcc. It was written under an im­
pression of the author that the works designed in this day for Christians “ are not
sufficiently experimental and practical to prove the most satisfactory.”
— M em oir o f M rs. J u l i a H . S c o t t ; W ith her P o em s, a n d other Selection s f r o m her
P ro s e . By M r s . 0. M. S a w y e r . 12mo., pp. 432. .Boston: Abel Tomkins.

26.

Besides the memoir, interspersed with extracts from her diary and private letters,
the present volume contains a collection of her poems and prose writings. Mrs. Scott, it
would seem from her writings, was animated with the overmastering desire to live the
lif; of a Chriitim woman,and herj example is worthy of all imitation. The editor has,
in the preparation of the work, evinced a true womanly delicacy and taste, combined
with a sound, discriminating judgment.
27. — N o rm an M a u r ic e ; or, the M a n o f the P e o p le : a n A m e rica n D r a m a . By W .
G ilm ore S im m s , E sq ., author of “ The Tennessee,” “ Katharine Walton,” <fcc. 12mo.
Philadelphia: Lippincott, Crambo & Co.
Mr. Simms is a ready and vigorous writer, and the present drama, which has passed
through three previous editions, evinces more than ordinary power in that department
of literary effort. It has some fine passages, and the interest of dialogue is well sus­
tained throughout.
28. — L ette rs to C oun try G irls.- By J ane G. S w issh e l m . 12mo., pp. 219. New Y ork:
John 0. Riker.
Here is a volume which was written, as the authoress says, “ to tell the girls some
things I thought they did not know, or to remind them of duties they were likely to
overlook.”




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29.— A H isto ry o f E n g la n d . By J ohn L in g a r d , D. D. YoL IL Boston: Phillips,
Sampson A Oo.
We have received from the publishers the second volume of this -work. It com­
mences with the settlement of the Normans in Gaul, A. D. 1060, and brings the his­
tory down to the death of Richard I., in 1195. It is, as we have before stated, re­
garded as a very impartial history, touching all questions bearing on the Catholic
Church— a fact worthy of note, as the author, it is well known, was a distinguished
member of that communion.
SO.— R ach el K e ll. By the Author of “ Scenes and Characters in College,” etc. 12mo.,
pp. 312. New York: M. W. Dodd.
This is an endeavor to portray the final triumph of virtue and piety over circum­
stances which tend to awaken in the minds of mankind, disrespect and often contempt
for their innocent victim. Apart from this object, the influence of religion upon the
character is well illustrated, and the story which serves as a basis for this moral is at­
tractive and interesting.
81.— Open C o m m u n io n ; o r the P r in c ip le s o f R e stric ted Com m union exam in ed a n d
p ro v ed to be u n sc rip tu r a l a n d F a l s e : in a iSeries o f L e tte rs to a F rie n d . By S. W.
W h itn e y , A. M., late Pastor of the Baptist Church, Westport, N. Y. New York :
M. W. Dodd.
The object of the writer of these letters is to prove that close communion in the
Baptist Church is false, and entirely at variance with the spirit of Christianity.
32. — G erm an L y r ic s . By C h a r le s T. B r o o ks . 12mo., pp. 237. Boston: Ticknor,
Heed A Fields.
The sweetness of German poetry has always been appreciated, and the public must
feel indebted to Mr. Brooks tor his translation of this beautiful selection from various
German authors. Some of the productions of Anastasius Grun have already been
favorably noticed and translated by Rev. Dr. Prothingham, of Boston.
33. — The B r id e o f Omberg. By E m il ie F. C a r l e n . From the original Swedish b y
Professor Alex. L. and Elbert Perce. New Y ork : Charles Scribner.
.This appears to be an excellent translation of a Swedish tale of domestic life, and
will, in our judgment, bear a favorable comparison with the best of those from the
pen of the author’s countrywoman, Miss Bremer.
34. — E a r l ’s N o v e l; or, L ig h t s a n d Sh adow s o f the A n g lic a n Church. A Tale for the
Times. By C harlotte A u le y , author of “ Miriam,” “ Influence,” Ac. New Y ork:
Robert Carter & Brothers.
This, as will be inferred from the title, is a religious novel, and will, doubtless, find
more readers than a treatise designed to inculcate similar religious views and senti­
ments.
35. — W ild J a c k : o r the S to len C hild. A Sketch from Life. Together with other
Stories. Including the celebrated Magnolia Series. By C a r o lin e L ee H kntz .
Authoress of “ Rena,” “ Linda,” “ Marcus Warland,” “ Magnolia Vale,” etc., etc.
12mo. (Paper Covers.) Philadelphia: A. Hart.
A collection of little stories of a highly interesting character.
36. — T a llis 's I llu str a te d A t la s a n d M odern H isto ry o f the W orld. Edited by R.
M o ntgom ery M a r t in . Parts 53, 54.
New York : John Tallis A Co.
These numbers contain further pages- of the index, and a large and finely engraved
map o f the city of London, showing the streets, with their names, and the public
places.
37. — B e h in d the C u rtain . A tale of Elville. 12mo., pp. 442. Danville: J. IC Trem­
bly. New York : G . P. Putnam.
These are pictures of social life which possess more than ordinary geniality of sen­
timent. They are well drawn, with a smoothness of diction and ease of style which
adds much to their interest.
— P oem s. By A l e x a n d e r S m it h . 12mo., p p . 192. Boston: Ticknor, Reed A
Fields.
This is genuine poetry; high-toned, spirit-stirring, with noble and manly thoughts, it
flows with a smoothness of verse and energy of expression seldom combined in the
same Muse. It will please all who have a taste for noble song.
38.