The tonnage of this port has been con- mountains and the oak forests of the siderably increased, and as freights were state, our docks and machine shops will scarce, charges have ruled unusually be enabled to exhibit as well-built veslow during the year. There have been sels, propelled by engines as perfect, added to our list, within the past twelve and all furnished as cheaply as any months, several boats, which, for dimen- other point in the west. sion, power, swiftness and elegance of finish, are hardly surpassed on the western waters. One of these was built at Hannibal, and equipped, and furnished at this point, and although, as yet, she has made but a trip or two to New-Orleans, and has not fully tested her capacity, she has already established a high character for our artisans in naval architecture, machinery and embellishment. There can be no doubt, that with rail-road communication to the iron CUSTOM-HOUSE REPORT.-Through the politeness of Mr. GREENE, Surveyor of the Port, we are enabled to lay before the public the following statement. We annex in a parallel column the figures of 1851: ST. LOUIS, January 3, 1853. Messrs. CHAMBERS and KNAPP: Gentlemen: I herewith give you a statement of some of the particulars and results of the business of the customhouse during the past year: The foreign value of goods, wares, and merchandise, imported into St. Louis from foreign countries, and entered for consumption at this port in 1852... Foreign value of merchandise remaining in public store on 31st Dec., ult.. The foreign value of merchandise entered at other ports for transportation hither, but not yet received, estimated. Total....... Of the above-mentioned goods, wares, and merchandise, entered for consumption in 1852, the imports were from the following countries:-From England, the foreign value of which was... The general descriptions of merchandise imported and entered for consumption are, viz: sugar and molasses, foreign cost..... Hardware, cutlery, &c... Rail-road iron. Earthen and glassware.. Tin-plate, tin, iron, copper, &c.. Dry goods and fancy goods Brandies, wines, gins, cordials, &c. Burr stones.... Drugs and medicines.... Cigars.... Respectfully, your obedient servant, W. W. GREENE. Annual Report of the Commerce, &c., of the United States. 399 ART. IX.-COMMERCIAL PROGRESS-HOME AND FOREIGN. UNITED STATES COMMERCE, 1852-COMMERCIAL STATISTICS, U. s.—COPPER OF MICHIGAN COMMERCE OF NORTH-WEST-NEWSPAPERS IN U. S.-SHIPWRECKS ON THE FLORIDA COASTS -ADVANCES OF GEORGIA-LEAD RESOURCES OF NORTH-WEST-STATISTICS OF WEALTH— TAXATION AND INDEBTEDNESS OF NEW-YORK AND NEW-ORLEANS-OIL BUSINESS OF THE U. S.-MINT OF THE U. S.-COMMERCE OF CHARLESTON-COMMERCE OF RICHMOND-NEWYORK STEAMSHIPS. SINCE the appearance of our last number, the Secretary of the Treasury has published his annual report of the commerce and navigation, etc., of the United States, for the commercial year which closed on the 30th June last. We will in our next make an analysis of it similar to those which were made by us of the reports of the other departments of government. Meanwhile the following statistics from the volume may be of value to our readers. Statement exhibiting the value of certain articles imported during the year ending on the 30th of June, 1845, 1846, 1851, 1852, (after deducting the re-exportations,) and the amount of duty which accrued on each during the same period, respectively : Copper Resources of Michigan-Commerce at Toledo. The abundant copper 1849, .18,069,580..178,620,138..196,689,718 .37,437,837..154,931,147..192,366,984 resources of Michigan continue still to attract attention. A single mineral section which brought a few years ago $2.600, is now supposed to be worth $400.000. The completion of the Sault St. Marie Canal will greatly develope these resources, and the land appropriation by Congress will be adequate to the completion. The results which are sure to be derived to the country at a future day, so far as the article of copper is concerned, can be roughly estimated from statements which we shall give, of operations in English mining, down to the period when attention was prominently drawn to the region around Lake Superior. The English mines do not afford so pure 401 an article as the American, by a large per centage, and that the cost of production in the former has been much greater than it will be in the latter. In 1843 the exports of British copper consisted of 8.463 tons, unwrought, in pigs, &c.; 60 tons of coin; 8,386 tons in sheets, nails, &c.; 6 tons of wire, and 598 tons of wrought copper, making a total of 18,515 tons. The quantity of copper ore carried to England for the purpose of being smelted, and re-imported in the metallic state, has been very great of late years. In 1826, but 64 tons were sent. In 1836, the importation had reached 18,491 tons, and in 1844 the quantity had increased to 55,720 tons. În 1843, 64,445 tons of ore produced 11,640 tons of metal, or a fraction over 18 per cent. The foreign copper ore imported into England in that year was estimated at $900,000Chili furnished 19,849 tons, and the United States 1,151 tons. Three-sevenths of the copper made in England, at that period, was from foreign ore, the remainder from ore derived principally from the mines of Cornwall. The total value of all the British copper mines is, in good years, £1,500,000. COMMERCE OF TOLEDO.-Supposing you to be interested in the march of business in all parts of the great central plain, I have procured, says J. W. Scott, of Toledo, in a letter to us to-day, from the canal collector, at this place, a few items of arrivals and clearances by canal, from the opening of navigation, for the years 1851 and 1852, up to 14th of November: receipts of grain by this channel alone our time was published in the metropowill have reached six million bushels. lis in 1622, and that the most prominent Adding the flour at five bush. the bbl., of the ingenious speculators who offered and the large figure of seven million the novelty to the world was one Nathanand three hundred thousands of bushels iel Butter. His companions in the work is made, to represent the breadstuffs appear to have been Nicholas Bourne, discharged from canal-boats at Toledo. Thomas Archer, Nathaniel Newberry, The receipts by rail-road have more Wm. Sheffard, Bartholomew Downes than doubled those of any preceding and Edward Allde. All these different year, as have also those by wagon. The names appear in the imprints of the tables exhibiting these have not yet early numbers of the first newspaperbeen prepared. the New News. What appears to be the earliest sheet bears date the 23d of May, 1622, and has the names of Bourne and Archer on the title; but as we proceed in the examination of the subject, we find that Butter becomes the most conspicuous of the set. He seems to have been the author and the writer whilst the others were probably the publishers; and, with varying title, and apparently with but indifferent success, his name is found connected with newspapers as late as 1640." NEWSPAPERS.-By the last census it appears the number published in the United States is 2625, circulating about 400,000,000 copies annually. It is curious to trace the origin of this powerful Fourth Estate from its humble beginnings in the seventeenth century. "When the reign of James the First was drawing to a close; when Ben Jonson was poet laureate, and the personal friends of Shakspeare were lamenting his recent death; when Cromwell was trading as a brewer at Huntingdon; when Milton was a youth of sixteen, just In continuation of the statistics of trying his pen at Latin verse, and Hamp- Florida Keys and Wreckers, as given in den a quiet country gentlemen in Buck- the Industrial Resources, we give the folinghamshire; London was first solicited lowing table, for which we are indebted to patronise its first newspaper. There is to E. J. Gomez, Esq., Spanish consul, no reason to doubt that the puny ances- and agent for insurance companies of tors of the myriads of broad sheets of Spain and Cuba, at Key-West STATEMENT OF VESSELS WRECKED ON THE FLORIDA COAST, AND ASSISTED BY THE KEY WEST Total........ 279.... .$789,911 47...... $531,766 56...... We have often had occasion to refer to the prodigious advances of Georgia in every element of material wealth, and the reader will find in the Industrial Resources quite a chapter upon the subject. We add the following additional items: In castings, Georgia has four establishments, with a capital invested of $35,000. They consume 440 tons pig * Many of these vessels were lost in the severe hurricane experienced on the 11th of October. Estimated number of vessels lost or injured on the Keys since 1823, 1200; of the value with cargoes, $40,000,000. From the 1st January to 1st Sept., 1852, 21 vessels reached Key West in distress or for repairs. $1,321,678 03 $7,918,217 77 9,800 bushels There are 39 The value of These iron, 100 tons mineral coal, |