£6,529,000 the whole exhibit, is the severe taxation upon one article of American manufacture, to the extent of £4,466,000, or 3,789,900 $22,300,000 annually. Instead of taxing 2,422,100 the real and personal property of the 353,000 kingdom, and the individual incomes, to 703,000 such an extent as will cover largely the 5,440,000 Total revenue for the year..........£56,834,000 expenditures of the nation, those articles It will thus be seen that the articles which enter so generally into consumption among the laboring classes, pay over £21,000,000 sterling, or full thirty-eight per cent. of the aggregate revenue of the United Kingdom. Malt liquors form the prominent beverage of the poorer classes, and although tobacco has been heretofore enumerated among the luxuries of the people of Europe, yet it is essentially, among the English, an article of consumption among their poor. The London Quarterly remarks: "It is curious to observe how very largely the revenue of Great Britain depends on what goes into the mouth. * * * The duties of between thirty and thirty-one millions are levied upon articles of universal consumption in England. All but a mere fraction of this may be in some sort regarded as voluntary taxation, so far as the consumers are concerned." But the most striking feature to us, of are taxed heavily which enter into the daily consumption of the lower classes. The following returns are interesting to our American readers, because the increase of American shipping during the years 1850, 51, 52, employed in the English foreign trade, is shown to be fully 33 per cent.-while that of the British shipping increased very slightly, and that of France actually decreased. The growing importance of the United States in the English foreign trade, is clearly demonstrated in the tables; while the diminished trade with France, Sweden, the German States, Spain, Portugal, &c., is clearly shown. During the eight months, ending 30th September, the importation of the last three years of tobacco (unmanufactured) into Great Britain, was as follows: 8 Months, 1850 1851 8 66 1852 .18,109,000 lbs. .18,157,000 6 .18,553,000" VESSELS EMPLOYED IN THE FOREIGN TRADE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. An Account of the Number and Tonnage of Vessels, distinguishing the Countries to which they belonged, which Entered Inwards, and Cleared Outwards, in the Eight Months ending 5th September, 1852, compared with the Entries and Clearances in the corresponding Periods of the Years 1850 and 1851, stated exclusively of Vessels in Ballast, and of those employed in the Coasting Trade, of the Trade between Great Britain and Ireland. IMPROVEMENTS AT WILMINGTON, N. C.-WILMINGTON AND RALEIGH ROAD-TEXAN RAIL-ROAD SYSTEM-MEMPHIS AND LOUISVILLE RAIL-ROAD-ECONOMY OF RAIL-ROADS AS COMPARED WITH OTHER TRANSPORTATION-RAIL-ROAD AT CHICAGO-ST. LOUIS RAIL-ROAD CONVENTIONTENNESSEE IMPROVEMENTS-RAIL-ROAD STATISTICS OF THE WEST AND NORTHWEST-CAN THERE BE TOO MANY OUTLETS FOR THE trade of THE WEST-COMPETITION OF LOUISVILLE WITH NEW-ORLEANS IN THE COTTON TRADE. PASSING through Wilmington, N. C., a few days ago, we learned from Gen. McRae, President of the Rail-road Company, that a line of stages would soon be put on, so as to secure the connection of Wilmington with the Manchester road, as far as completed, and enable passengers to avoid the sea steamers from Charleston, which have been always such a drawback upon this route. The arrangement will shorten the line of travel and greatly promote its comforts. In Wilmington one cannot but be surprised with the evidences of progress and improvement which meet him upon every hand, and the rail-roads which are centering at her door indicate a still brighter future. Handsome residences are multiplying large stores, extensive mills, and what is of much consequence, the inhabitants have acquired great confidence in the health of the place during the sum mer season. If Charleston would protect herself effectually from the danger of being thrown out of the line of communication between the North and the South, she must speedily enter upon the construction of the roads which some of her citizens have suggested, and which we noticed in a previous number. The Wilmington and Raleigh Road shows a gross total of receipts for the year ending 30th September, 1852, of $510,038. Gross expenditures, $325,909. Leaving a profit of $184,128, or deducting interest account, of $115,898. A dividend of six per cent. was paid on the 12th November. The people of Texas are actively discussing the propriety of an early construction of the Red River and Galveston road, in which it is expected they will have the sympathies of New-York, as in this manner trade will be abstracted from New-Orleans in favor of that city. We have before us a letter from Mr. Lincoln, of Galveston, in which he recommends a course of action to be pursued by the legislature of the state, which meets in January. The suggestions of this letter are criticised in a letter by Mr. Hartley, also before us, who thinks that the dona tions of land recommended should be made to the counties; that the bonds should be issued at a lower rate of interest than 10 per cent., etc. etc. But to Mr. Lincoln's views, viz: Internal Improvements. "Have the legislature at the next session pass a law increasing her donation, and giving to all rail-roads sixteen sections of land per mile, to each five miles of rail-road that is actually properly made, within the limits of the state, with such restrictions as will prevent corporations from over-charging on freights and passengers. "Also, a law authorizing counties, cities, towns, &c., upon a majority of the tax payers voting for the same, to issue ten per cent. bonds, and laying a tax to provide for the interest thereon, to such companies as are designated at the time, the companies paying for the bonds in their stock; no county to issue bonds to the company until they have actually finished the road to the borders of the counties so doing, or to such other points as the majority of the voters shall desig nate. "The rail-roads receiving the bonds and guaranteeing the principal and interest thereon, (which will make them abundantly safe,) can negociate north for means to build the roads beyond a doubt; particularly now, when NewYork is awake to the importance to her of the rail-road from Red River to Galveston Bay, and the immense amount of trade, now going to New-Orleans by way of Red River, that will be drawn off that route, and be thrown into New-York city by way of Galveston. "Also, the bonds being issued direct by the counties, and the people of the counties receiving a direct and immediate benefit therefrom, the fear of repudiation will never arise in the minds of the capitalists at the North or in Europe. The rail-roads also being bound for their redemption, and the counties having directly received an equivalent not only in benefit from rail-roads, but stock for their bonds, which stock without any additional aid will be of sufficient value to pay off the bonds, with every prospect of doing more, will give such confidence that I can see no reason why the road will not be put under almost immediate contract. 79 held in Memphis, in which a large num ber of leading citizens took part. The following resolutions were reported by Robinson Topp, Esq.: Resolved, That it is the opinion of this meeting-and we believe of the entire population of Memphis-that a direct rail-road route from Memphis through the counties of Shelby, Tipton, Haywood, Gibson and Henry, in West Tennesseethence by the nearest and best route to Bowling Green and Louisville, is a project of high magnitude, not alone to the counties through which it may pass, but to the whole Mississippi Valley. Resolved, That we hail with joy the energetic movements now being made in the counties of De Soto, Panola, Yallobusha, and Tallahatchie, Mississippi, for the purpose of constructing a rail-road from this place towards Grenada, or Canton, Mississippi. Resolved, That we regard the last-mentioned road as a link, and an important one, in the great chain of rail-roads, which must ere long be made from Louisville, through Memphis to New-Orleans, and likewise from St. Louis to New-Orleans. Resolved, That we feel deeply concerned in the immediate construction of the road through Mississippi, and that the President of this meeting appoint a delegation to the Rail-road Convention, to be held at Hernando, on the 29th inst., with a very earnest request that they will attend, and assure their brethren in Mississippi that they are identified with them in interest, and that the citizens of Memphis and Shelby county will do their part towards promoting the construction of said road. We published some time ago a very able article by Mr. Hewson, of Tennessee, illustrated by a diagram, showing the value imparted to lands by rail-road improvement at all distances. We have since seen an article in the Rail-Road Journal carrying out the subject in more detail. It is well known, says the Rail-Road Journal, that upon the ordinary highways the economical limit to transportation is confined within a comparatively few miles, depending of course upon the kind of freight and character of the roads. Upon the average of such ways, cost of transportation is not far from fifteen cents per ton per mile, which may be considered as a sufficiently correct estimate for an average of the country. Estimat- It will be seen that the value of lands ing at the same time the value of wheat are affected by rail-roads in the same at $1.50 per bushel, and corn at 75 cents, ratio as their products. For instance: and that 33 bushels of each are equal to lands lying upon a navigable water a ton, the value of the former would be course, or in the immediate vicinity of a equal to its cost of transportation for 330 market, may be worth for the culture of miles, and the latter 165 miles. At these wheat $100. Let the average crop be esrespective distances from market, neither timated at twenty-two bushels to the acre, of the above articles would have any valued at $33, and the cost of cultivation commercial value, with only a common at $15, this would leave $18 per acre as earth road as an avenue to market. the net profit. This quantity of wheat, But we find that we can move proper- (two-thirds of a ton,) could be transported ty upon rail-roads at the rate of one-fifth per 280 miles at a cost of one cent per mile, ton per mile, or for one-tenth the cost or $3.30, which would leave $14.70 as upon the ordinary road. These works the net profit of land at that distance thee fore extend the economic limit of from a market, when connected with it the cost of transportation of the above arti- by a rail-road. The value of the land, cles to 3,300, and 1,650 miles respective therefore, admitting the quality to be the ly. At the limit of the economical same in both cases, would bear the same movement of these articles upon the ratio to the assumed value of $100, as the common highway, by the use of rail-roads, value of its products, $14.70, does to $18, wheat would be worth $44.50, and corn or $82 per acre; which is an actual crea$22.27, which sum respectively would represent the actual increase of value created by the interposition of such a work. The following table will show the amount saved per ton by transportation by rail-road, over the ordinary highways of the country. tion of value to that amount, assuming the correctness of the premises. The same calculation may of course be applied with equal force to any kind and species of property. The following rail-roads it is said are all aiming in the direction of Chicago: 21 75 Qniucy and Military Tract.. 250 200 200 200 Illinois and Wisconsin via Fond du Lac to Lake Superior 400 Lake Shore, Milwaukee and Green Bay.. 200 7650 Value at market..$49 50...$24 75...$49 50...$24 75 ..40 50. 1575 48 15....23 40....36 00. 20. 30. 40. 50 60. 70 80 90. 100. 110. 120. 130. 140. 150. 160. 170. 180. 190 200. 210. 220. 230. 240. 250. 260. 270. 280 290 300. 310. 320. ...44 70....19 95. 330 ..46 65. .21 90....21 00.. ...44 55... The convention which was proposed to 5 25 be held in St. Louis for the construction of a rail-road from the Gulf to Minnesota, was duly held, 150 delegates being present. The Hon. Thomas Benton and Mr. Kennett, mayor of St. Louis, delivered addresses. Among the resolutions passed we note the following: First, That the individual and social interests of the inhabitants west of the Mississippi River, imperatively demand the construction of a rail-road from the city of New-Orleans to a central eligible point in the Territory of Minnesota, in the direction of the Red River of the North, and with a branch to the Falls of St. Anthony; Internal Improvements. said road to pass by the capital of the State of Arkansas, the Iron Mountain and the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, and the valley of the Des Moines River, in the State of Iowa. Second, That a rail-way thus uniting the fertile valleys and productive prairies of the extreme northern territory of the United States with the Gulf of Mexico, is eminently national in its character, and, therefore, justly entitled to assistance from the general government. 81 on by our people-the one we have mentioned and the one from Selma-will penetrate the rich regions of Northern Mississippi, North Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky, before the New-Orleans and Nashville road can be pushed to those quarters. This will give us a decided advantage in securing the trade.". We are obliged to Mr. Hewson for a copy of his valuable letter to the Legislature of Tennessee, upon the subject of the improvement of that state. In the extract which follows he marks out the centres of industry there: Third, That the act of Congress granting public lands in aid of the Illinois Central and Mobile and Ohio Rail-roads, "The industrial geography of Tennesgives additional strength to the claims of see is marked very distinctly; the breadthe states west of the Mississippi to a stuff region centering at Nashville, the similar grant in aid of the Mississippi cotton region at Memphis; the great IlliValley Rail-road; for it would be unjust nois coal basin running down into the on the part of Congress to refuse assist- western section of the state, while the ance to establishing commercial facilities whole extent of Eastern Tennessee is on this, after doing so much to encourage traversed in a north and south direction similar works on the other side of the by the great Apalachian coal measures. river. These few facts define clearly the tradecentres of the state, and also the system of roads by which those trade-centres may be drawn together in the best manner to subserve the purposes of varied production. In the west the manufacturing interests of Tennessee are seated at the nearest edge of the coal-fields to the corn of Nashville, and the cotton of Memphis; in the east the manufacturing interests of the state are situated at that point of the Apalachian coal-fields, which lie most convenient to the supplies of both provisions and cotton from Nashville." Sixth, That the meeting of this convention affords a proper occasion for those of whom it is composed to urge upon Congress the necessity of adopting immediate measures in view of the certain and speedy construction of the Great Central Pacific Rail-road-a grand national project calculated to unite the interests and advance the prosperity of every part of the republic; and secure by the shortest and most economical route, upon our own soil and through the heart of our own country, safe and uninterrupted communication between its distant borders on the shores of the two great oceans,—a The rail-roads at present projected in project worthy of the age in which we the West reach ten thousand miles, two live and of the American people, who thousand of which are nearly completed. would speedily accomplish this glorious It is said that Pennsylvania, Central, and enterprise, if sectional jealousy and con- the Baltimore and Ohio roads will be fed flicting interests could be reconciled, and by the following western roads : the national mind concentrated upon its achievement. Congratulating the South upon the progress of this rail-road spirit, the Mobile Advertiser remarks: "Our own great enterprise, the Mobile and Ohio Rail-road, has no doubt had a great influence in awakening this spirit. It certainly was the main impulse which started NewOrleans from her lethargic slumbers, and caused her to enter into the competition for the trade of central Mississippi and the Tennessee Valley. As matters are now progressing, we have unquestionably the advantage, as we had the start, of our mammoth rival. The two great enterprises, which are being rapidly carried VOL. XIV. 6 IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. The Hempfield road, Greenburg to Wheeling... west. |