Modern Discoveries-Freedom and its kindred Institutions. minuteness, without a painter or a pencil, except the pencils of the solar rays, merely by exposing the subject to the refractive condensation of the rays of light, through the medium of the camera obscura-imprisoning the reflection on a silvered plate of copper by chemical and galvanic fitters. 469 zenith with volcanic force into the aërial space. These are more than enough for them, yet we look forward to more wonderful occurrences. What is the cause of the unparalleled progress of the last fifty years?-Freedom, and its concomitant institutions, education, commerce, industry and enWe almost hear them exclaim, as terprise. The bright prospects of the they shrink from the picture, "Hold! future seem to expand over the region of let us return to the darkness of the past, the Southwestern states; the lustre of a and be again shut up from the modern glorious halo already surrounds their world of witchcraft, magic and enchant- path of progress, if they are only true to ment!" Detain them for a few minutes, themselves. Alabama, Mississippi, and and desire them to take a peep through Louisiana are already on the track of Rosse's or Craig's telescopes, while they improvement. But the young giant of take a sweep across the firmament. the South has not yet decided to fall into They find the haze of distance dissolved; the ranks of self-aggrandizement, for the barriers to mortal vision vanished; which nature has designed this great the veil of the universe withdrawn; the state. The people of Texas are evidently splendor and magnificence of celestial inclined to harmonize with the conscenery, with all its grandeur, displayed temporary movements of this progressive to human understanding at a glance; age. A union of sentiment is all that the siderial fields of space passing, like is wanting to form, accelerate, and cona panorama of suns and worlds, with suminate the grandest conception of the their satellites and rings, brilliant orbs, times-a rail-road from the Pacific to and opaque planets, on the majestic the Atlantic, connecting these two march of time. We imagine a spirit of great oceans by an iron link, lying uneasiness and a desire to quit this lower across the continent of North America, sphere, and ascend to planets that they and forming a line of uninterrupted comrecognize as their local habitations in munication between Asia, the United the spirit world, on the acromatic field. States and Europe, which, from the They may be persuaded to stay, and look physical construction of the country, is upon the operation of the electric post. destined by nature to pass through A London correspondent demands from Texas. Paris, Berlin or Vienna, the character of The fabrics of every country, the prothe Bourse, the rise or fall of stocks, ductions of every clime, will be transprices of exchange, &c., and while ported upon it. Merchants of all nations gazing on the operator's motions, he reads will be its subsidiaries. The trade of the instantaneous response. At ten the world will concentrate at two points o'clock the New-Orleans broker receives on this continent. The terminus of this a bulletin of the packet just ten days road on the Pacific will become the from England to New-York, in ten great mart of the East. There will be minutes after her arrival. Show them offered for sale or transportation her rich twenty thousand mammoth sheets of manufactures, her gums, her drugs, her news thrown off from the press in sixty tropical fruits, her gems. At some point minutes. Show them yonder hill ob- on the Gulf of Mexico, where the best structing the progress of the grading harbor may be found, will be the comlaborers of a new rail-road; the rock- mercial emporium of European goods bound base is charged already, and intended for the consumption of the ignited by the merest movement of a East. The future Rothschilds, Barings tiny wire, connected with alternate lay- and Astors, will congregate at these ers of zinc and copper plates submerged points, as the immediate localities from in acid; a vast explosive sound bursts which the other markets of the world can upon their ears, and the mountain rocks be scanned and controlled. Capital will are flying in mid-air. Present a similar be amassed and wielded in sums beyond explosion in the depths of Hell Gate, and the heaving surge gives way, and the sub-marine obstructions are riven from their foundations, shooting upward to the the pale of all former antecedents. Mercantile operations will assume gigantic forms; and the adventures will exceed the wildest dreams of by-gone days of speculation. The financial short in the attempt to delineate the kings of to-day will dwindle into insig- prosperity, the wealth, the refinementnificance before the imperial dynasties in fact, the abundance of all the elethat will rise up, as it were, to-morrow. ments of greatness and happiness clusterThe pen, aided by fancy, might even fall ing around a future like this. ART. VII-COMMERCIAL PROGRESS OF BALTIMORE. [We continue to present statistical returns showing the growth of the great American cities. We are indebted to the annual statement of the Baltimore Prices Current and Baltimore American for the facts we now give.] already reached an advanced stage. Earnest appeals are being made daily to our merchants and the merchants of Savannah to establish a line of steamers between Baltimore and that port; and of late the subject has come so palpably before them, that we cannot but indulge the hope that we may, in a few months, put afloat two more steamers to follow in the wake of our pioneer line to the South. A REVIEW of the business operations of may now be looked upon as completely Baltimore for the year just elapsed, al- established-the Palmetto, sailing to though it may not afford any very strik- Charleston, is to have a consort of 1,300 ing feature with regard to actual in- tons, the largest steamer ever built at crease, will show a regular and healthy Baltimore-she is building at the yard condition of things, with an abundant of Mr. Robb, and her construction has money market, and an absence of speculation generally; and there is to be observed every element of future growth and prosperity, with the promise that so soon as our carrying facilities are perfected, an extent of inland as well as foreign trade, equal to the desires of the most zealously ambitious, must be realized. With regard to the progress made toward enlarging and facilitating our trading operations, it is a source of unfeigned pleasure to know that within the past twelve months a number of most important objects, which only require time to carry out and develop with entire success, have been commenced under very auspicious circumstances. In the train of these we think we can see many other objects of nearly equal moment, as affecting the future of our city, taken up and as ably and energetically managed. Since we last presented an annual statement of our trade and commerce, appropriations have been made by Congress and by our City Council for the improvement of our harbor and ship channel. This is an alldesirable object, for which our Board of Trade had been assiduously laboring, and we are in hopes that the general government will follow up its acknowledgment of the propriety of our petition by a further appropriation, and one more commensurate with the character of the object. In the mean time, it is hoped our State Legislature will imitate the example of our City Council by making an appropriation towards improving the Patapsco beyond the city limits. Our steam connection with the South Much has been said within the year upon the subject of direct trade with Europe. However zealous we may be in our efforts to place Baltimore upon such a footing as will render it unnecessary for southern merchants to go to the North for their purchases, the truth cannot be disguised that our water facilities are such as to preclude the possibility of establishing Baltimore as the importing point for the present. What we want most now is aid in perfecting our water facilities, so that vessels of even present average tonnage may arrive and depart ad libitum. Let us renew and redouble our efforts for the improvement of our harbor and river: when we are ready the South will take us by the hand. The Baltimore and Ohio Rail-road is completed to Wheeling! Who but the citizens of Baltimore can fully apprehend the import of those words? Though it be not our vocation to indulge in panegyric, on this occasion, at least, an excuse must be permitted us if we soar somewhat with the bright wings which hope has lent us in the contemplation of that great event. We have reached Baltimore and Ohio Rail-road-Coal-Guano-Iron Furnaces. 471 Years: 1852. 1851. 1850. 16,241... 21,081... 24,040 the threshold and the stepping-stone of Imports of Coffee at this Port for the last Three our true commercial destiny, and there is nothing now can turn us back. The wide and far West has opened her am- From Rio de Janeiro...224,082... 266,240...150,194 ple arms to receive us, and bids us Godspeed in our efforts to secure the prize which nature has so long and patiently held out to us. Who will say that the prize is not already ours? The hope deferred through a protracted series of 66 La Guayra... 66 Porto Cabello.. 66 Maracaibo.. West Indies. 66 Coastwise Total..... 554... 5,873... 2,754 8,535... 8,114... 6,532 4,280... 3,885... 3,934 253,692...305,103...187,454 The receipts of cotton at this port for years is finally resolved into a complete the last three years have been as folreality, and the most sanguine calcula- lows, as near as can be ascertained: tions of those by whom it was first entertained are on the eve of being entirely verified. COAL-Cumberland-This article is rapidly becoming one of the leading features of our trade, having established itself in favor wherever its qualities have been tested. The increased use of steampower, particularly on the ocean, and the growing preference for cheap bituminous coal for domestic purposes, have caused an extraordinary demand for Cumberland, and our routes of transportation have been taxed to their utmost within the past year in order to meet the wants of the different companies working mines in the Alleghany region. The trade, in the early part of the year, opened under some disadvantages, owing to the failure of the largest company then in operation, the late Maryland Mining Company, and continued depressed until May, when it revived, and has continued since then with great activity. The demand for transportation by the rail-road company has exceeded its ability to provide cars, and at this time the amount brought to this market for shipment and consumption is at the rate of about 300,000 tons per annum, although the business of the Company's year ending 1st October, 1852, did not exceed 206,000 tons. The rail-road company having made preliminary arrangements for the accommodation of the coal trade, the exceedingly active demand now prevailing warrants us in the belief that the receipts of 1853 will reach not less than 500,000 tons. Receipts of Coal at Baltimore for the past Eight Years, to the 1st of January: Baltimore the past year do not much GUANO. The imports of Peruvian at exceed those of 1851, amounting to about the fact that the agents of the Peruvian This is accounted for by 25,500 tons. government have imported a considerable quantity into Norfolk and AlexanThe demand dria, for the first time. was active the past season, and prices ruled high, from dealers, on account of the scarcity of the article. The import ers' prices remained unchanged at $46 20 per ton during the year. We embrace this opportunity of correcting a recent statement in the Boston Journal, in which the total imports of guano into all the United States. in 1851, The imare put down at 23,153 tons. ports of Peruvian guano at Baltimore alone amounted to 25,000 tons, and we are quite certain that at least 10,000 tons were imported into other ports in that year, which would make the total 12,000 tons more than is stated by the Journal. The total imports of Peruvian guano into all the United States, during the year 1852, were 79 cargoes, with 41,088 tons (2,240 lbs). 1849. 1850. 1851. 1852. 1852. t Thirteen Years: From New-Orleans. Hhds. 13,153.... 307...... .12,619....2,653 Vessels arrived at Baltimore during the year 1851, May. exclusive of Bay Craft: 33... 35.. November.. 6... 22... 31.. December. 5... 24... 26... Total, Tetal 1851. 36... 65... 139 74... 152... 144 170... 163 175... 142 96. 163. 144 Sch'rs. Total 1852, 128. 292.. 401...1,068...1,889...1,633 the following foreign vessels: Ships- Bremen, 33; Whisky-Manufactured Tobacco-Foreign Imports and Exports. 473 Tobacco Statement, showing the Quantity in the several Warehouses on the 1st of January, 1852. the Inspections by each house for the year ending December 31, Deliveries for the same period, and Stock on hand January 1, 1853: Deliveries for 1852..... .13,749....11,577.... 9,223.... 9,072....10,651.. .54,272 Stock, January 1, 1853........ 2,100.... 1,711.... 1,881.... 3,124........ 2,943....11,759 The following statement shows the manufacturers; the raw material gains stock in warehouses on the 1st January, additional value as the old crop, now 1852, and the quantity of each kind in- nearly or quite consumed, goes into use, spected for the year ending December 31. and no likelihood of an abatement during the coming season need be apprehended from the prices now quoted, which are: Hhds. Stock in warehouses January 1, 1852.. 17,699 Pound lumps of excellent fine quality..from Maryland. Ohio.. 29,569 .17,720 Kentucky. 837 Cents. 30 to 40 46 23 to 28 To which add, received from District of Best brands of 5's and 8's lump. 17 to 22 16's, 18's, and 20's lump Ladies' twist and other spun work. ..... Tobacco Inspections at Baltimore for the last Twelve Years: 8 to 10 22 to 27 5.067 "France 7,679 Years. "England. Maryland. Ohio. 2,847 4 Trieste.. 830 1852. "St. Petersburg "Hamburg.. "Emden.. "Africa 158 1848. "West Indies.. 1847. 176 "Other ports.. Coastwise ports. 2,456 1845 Years, Bremen. dam. 1844...17,139..11,864.. 7,095..7,212..1,594..44,904 1843...16,990.. 6.525.. 7,325..7.932. 3,822. 42,594 1842...17.719. 10,874.. 8,109 4,682 2,379..43 763 MANUFACTURED TOBACCO.-The leading features of the past year's business Exports of Tobacco from the Port of Baltimore for in this important article have been, much regularity of demand, as compared with the previous year, and a more uniform scale of prices, with little varia- 1850...15,864. 7,814.. 5,973..8,177 6.540. 44,368 tion. The stock now on hand to go 1848 12,787 7,910 3,103 5,761 131.38,890 over to the next season is made up 1847. 22,967.. 7.819.11,388.7,889 1,895 53,482 chiefly of desirable kinds of fine, good 1846 24.404 9,498 6,181.8.165. 3,037.49.491 and medium qualities, mostly of the 184526.832 18,171 10,944..7,183. 2,880..66,010 manufacture of last summer and fall, with a small proportion comparatively of common and perishable descriptions. Agents and holders will therefore have it in their power to meet the early trade expected in the coming season, with, perhaps, a better supply than they have been enabled to offer within several years, and present advantages to new buyers, which it is conceded this market, 1844.. from location alone, enjoys over those 1845. eastwardly. Prices are now settled 1846. down to a point barely remunerative to 1847..... 1841...16,373.. 7,918.. 5,169..3,814..2,519..38,001 Value of Foreign Imports and Exports at the Dis trict of Baltimore for the past Thirteen Years: Exports. 1840.. 1841. 1842. 1843. Imports. .$5,109,274. . $5,868,018 |