The great bulk of the imports for the last month at the port named consists of dry goods. Usually not more than half the receipts are of that description, but the entries have been larger than ever before during the same period of the year, being in excess of the large total for the same month of 1854. The imports of general merchandise are comparatively light. We annex a summary showing the fluctuations in this respect : FOREIGN MERCHANDISE, EXCLUSIVE of specie, IMPORTED AT NEW YORK IN JANUARY. 1853. 1854. 1855. 1856. $8,564,818 $10,232,470 $5,630,393 $10,686,771 4,843,104 9,085,964 7,225,150 4,836 929 Dry goods..... General merchandise... Total....... $13,407,922 $19,318,434 $12,855,543 $15,523,700 The increase in dry goods and falling off in general merchandise, exhibited in the above table, is very remarkable. It shows that no branch of our Commerce is likely to be overdone this season, unless it be the receipts of foreign fabrics. The dealers explain these large receipts by insisting that the goods have been shipped earlier than usual, as the first sales of the season generally bring the highest prices. The few goods thrown into warehouse prove that the receipts have not been greater than the wants of the trade, for with money worth 9 a 10 per cent the duties would not be paid, and the goods held for a market, unless they had been wanted. The receipts of dry goods, it will be seen, are $5,056,378 larger than for January, 1855, (an increase of nearly 100 per cent,) $454,301 greater than for the same time in 1854, and $2,121,953 greater for January, 1853. We annex a full statement of the discription of goods received :— IMPORTS OF FOREIGN DRY GOODS AT THE PORT OF NEW YORK FOR FOUR WEEKS ENDING JANUARY 25TH. Total thrown on the market. $8,814,367 $10,262,998 $4,943,617 $10,336,164 Total entered at the port...... $8,564,818 $10,232,470 $5,630,393 $10,686,771 The exports from New York to foreign ports have not been as large as expected, in consequence of the severe weather which has obstructed navigation. Vessels have been frozen in at the dock, and the floating ice in the channel has been so abundant that it was not safe for lighters to be moved about the harbor. Under these circumstances it is gratifying to observe that the shipments of domestic produce have been larger than for the same time last year, although a little less than for the same period of 1854. There has been a considerable falling off in shipments of foreign merchandise, and a large decrease in exports of specie. The total exports for the month, exclusive of specie, are $384,287 less than for January, 1855, $333,565 less than for January, 1854, but $2,212,302 greater than for January, 1853, as will appear from the following summary :-- EXPORTS FROM NEW YORK TO FOREIGN PORTS FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY. Total exports Total, exclusive of specie ..... $4,046,607 $7,690,477 $6,051,915 $5,616,064 3,298,928 5,844,795 5,895,517 5,511,230 The total imports of all descriptions, and the exports of merchandise and produce since the commencement of the fiscal year, (July 1st,) exhibits many features of peculiar interest. The imports are five millions larger than for the corresponding period of the previous year, but ten millions less than for the corresponding period of the year before last. But the exports (exclusive of specie) for the last seven months are about eleven millions larger than for the same time last year, and nearly two millions larger than for the same time in 1853-4, all of which will appear from the following comparison : IMPORTS AT NEW YORK FOR SEVEN MONTHS OF THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING JULY 1. EXPORTS (EXCLUsive of specie) FROM NEW YORK TO FOREIGN PORTS FOR SEVEN MONTHS As we have previously shown, except for the large receipts of dry goods, the imports at New York for January would not have been as large as usual. We have added the goods entered directly for consumption to the goods warehoused, in order to show at a glance in what description the change has oc curred : RECEIPTS OF DRY GOODS AT NEW YORK FOR FOUR WEEKS.-RECAPITULATION. It will thus be seen that notwithstanding all which has been said about the great increase in imports of dry goods, it is only extraordinary as compared with the same period of last year, and not in comparison with former years. The following will show the imports for the corresponding four weeks in each of the last six years : First 4 weeks of 1851...... $9,372,564 | First 4 weeks of 1854....... $10,232,470 7,927,376 8,564,818 1852.. ... 1855... 1856..... 5,630,393 10,686,771 The total is large, and shows that the importers have been urging their goods forward at an early date; but the total for the same time last year was unusually small. The receipts for cash duties exhibit a larger comparative increase than the total imports, because a larger proportion of the goods entered have been thrown directly upon the market. We annex a comparison, showing the receipts for January, and since the commencement of the fiscal year : Total 7 months.... $20,393,562 30 $26,300,181 65 $20,918,965 64 $23,771,017 13 There is a proposition now on foot at Washington for a revision of the tariff, which will probably result in a diminution of the national revenue, the present income being greater than is required by the wants of the government. All raw materials are to be brought in duty free, and some other changes made, involving a loss in the aggregate receipt of duties. The exports of produce have been interrupted by the severe weather, but the total shipments, as shown in the tables above given, are quite large for the season. As a matter of interest, we have compiled a comparative statement of the exports of certain leading articles of produce from the port of New York since the opening of the year :— EXPORTS OF CERTAIN ARTICLES OF DOMESTIC PRODUCE FROM NEW YORK TO FOREIGN PORTS FROM JANUARY 1ST TO FEBRUARY 18TH: We have carefully compiled a statement of the tonnage which arrived and 29,105 18,234 cleared from the port of New York for the year 1855. The great demand for shipping in Europe, with the depression in freights in this country during the early part of the year, has limited the number of arrivals from foreign ports, while the direct clearances show a slight increase in domestic, but a large falling off in foreign vessels :— The number of registered arrivals from abroad is always greater than the direct clearances for foreign ports, because many vessels entering in the foreign trade clear for a coastwise port. The decline in entries has been chiefly in foreign vessels, the number of that description having fallen off 507, a decline of nearly 40 per cent, while the entries of domestic have fallen off but 149, a decline of only about five per cent. The following is a comparison of the American and foreign entries and clearances for the last two years: It will be seen that the falling off in foreign tonnage is far greater than in the number of vessels, showing that the craft arriving have averaged of much smaller size than last year. In the clearances for foreign ports the total decline has been in foreign vessels, the domestic showing an increase, both in number and tonnage. Those who have watched the commerce of the country for a number of years, will see that the general tendency is strongly toward an increase of tonnage, although the total for the last year is a little less in domestic and far less in foreign, than for the preceding year. Compare the aggregate for the year, however, in the small beginning, and the growth of our mercantile marine assumes almost the appearance of magic. We annex a statement representing the annual progress of this interest since 1821. The great demand for vessels in Europe, as stated above, has united with the falling off in our import trade, from the immense business of 1853 and 1854, to diminish the tonnage, but the total is still very large. We have also prepared a summary of the coastwise commerce at that port, as far as this can be done from the custom-house records. Vessels engaged in this trade are not obliged to make official record of their entrance or clearance unless they have foreign goods or distilled spirits on board; and as a majority of vessels arriving from domestic ports come within this exception, the official entries of this class include only a fraction of the actual trade. The vessels which leave for domestic ports oftener carry the description of property which obliges them to take official icave, and thus the clearances on record are far more numerous than the entries. Even the clearances, however, do not embrace a very considerable portion of this branch of trade. With this explanation, we annex a summary of the official records :: |