Newspaper Page Text
addrlW
To the People of tjtt Souther* South-utjt
cm Slata.
Fellow Citizens:
Tlm CoatuHttee appointed to carry into ef
fect the sixth resolution of the Merchant’s
they cannot better sub
serve the purposes of the appointment, that* by
caHißf tobt attention to the existing relation*^
of tlieNorthem and Soutliern Ftaics, and im-
FdUtg the evidence which they afford, of
the importance of the enterprise which the
(I'onvenUeß have u» l 'ierr.
At this moment, pecuniary embarrassment,
in a greater or less degree, pervades the whole
country: every Bank within its limits has sus
pended payment: there is hardly a dollar of
specie in circulation; the monied institutions of
the North &nd of "the South, in point of solv
ency, are upon unequal footing; the foreign
commerce of the country is sustained almost
entirely by souther n productions; and yet, ex
changes between the North ;*nd the South, are
from seven to forty per centum in favor of the
former; a northern bank note, sustains the
same relative value to a soutliern bank note;
southern credit is lamentably depressed, w hile
northern credit is comparatively firm; the
dockets of our Courts are crowded with suits
brought by northern Houses against southern
Houses. To meet the issues of these suits,
our people are constrained to sue one another;
and thus, their distresses are extended, anil
embittered by the prospects of the inture. In
the meantime our northern brethren arereap
ing rich fruits from their vantage-grounu.
They send hither their funds—exchange them
at an enormous premium for southern funds—-
turn these into soutliern staples leash articles)
at |>ar —draw bills upon them, which they sell
at like profit—re-invest tiic proceeds in tin
same way, and renew the operation as often
as their own ready means of exchange and
transportation will allow. Wo do not pretend
to say that this is the universal, or oven the
prevailing mode of operation, or that it is con
fined-exclusively to northern men. Northern
funds, to be the basis of this system, must
have a currency at the South, which in but
few instances they have; but that this Ins be n
the mode of procedure in some instances, and
that the same thing is daily effected through
other instrumentalities, we believe admits of
no doubt. Nor let us he understood as attach
ing any blame to those who thus avail them
selves of their means, to profit by the times.
It is a singular feature in this dismal picture,
that the pecuniary embarrassments of the
Southern States, increase ns they recede from
the North; and (their age and population* con
sidered) in an exact ratio to their agricultural
resources.
is this a natural state of tilings? If it be,
we must acquiesce in the necessity that dooms
us to it. But self-respect, to say nothing of
self-interest, demands, that wo search for the
causes of it in order that we may reform it, if
it be remediable. A brief recurrence to the
commercial and financial history of.tin- f lut
ed States, will teach us, that iu the uatur.il or
der of things, the position of the two sections
should be precisely reversed; and that nothin;.'
will more effectually secure to the people of
the south, their natural advantages, than a di
rect trade between them and foreign nations.
Before we commence the review, we take
leave to observe, that we cannot assent to the
opinion too often expressed, that the embar
rassment of the southern peoplojis the result
of a wild and reckless spirit of adventure ami
speculation on their part That tins may, to
some extent, have had its effects, is very prob
able; but that it is the leading cause of their
distress, we are not prepared to admit. We
believe, that could it now he known, what
were the resources and prospects of all who
have failed, at that time when they incurred
the debts which effected their ruin, it would
be found, that not one in twenty of thorn is
justly chargeable with imprudence even, in
incurring those debts. Is the planter whose
cotton crop netted him fifty thousand dollars
in December, IKKi, and wlm in January fol
lowing, when cotton was on the advance, in
curred a debt ot forty thousand dollars, in or
der to double the succeeding crop; to be
charged with folly, because m .May, 1837, his
property sunk to nothing, from causes w hich
human prudence could not have foreseen? Is
die merchant who sold out Ins stock in IKK),
at a large profit, and having found it too small
for the demand, doubled it, and with it his
debt, to meet the demand of 1637; to be called
a wild adventurer, because lie did not foresee
tiie disasters of that year! And yet probably
few, who sunk under the pressure of that year,
were as indiscreet, as these are supposed to
have been. None blame the creditors; but
equal eensurebelongs to the man who runs ex
travagantly in debt, and the man who credits
him.
The time was, when the people of the south
were the largest importers in the country.
“In 1760, the value of tha imports of the
several colonies w as as follow s:
Os Virginia, J.’Pol, 140 sterling.
New England States, 5(51,000 <i<>.
New York, 1 SI),GOO do
Pennsylvania, 400,000 do.
South Carolina, 555,000 do.
“The exports were in about the same pro
portion; Virginia exporting nc..rly four times
as much ns New York; and South Carolina
nearly twice as much as New York and Penn
sylvania together, and five times as much as
ail the New England States united.
“The sime relative proportion of imports is
preserved until the adoption of the federal con
stitution, when we find them to be in the year
1791, as follows:
Os New York, §3,222.(100
' Virginia, 2,48(5.000
South Carolina, 1,520,000
“There are no data to show the imports in
to the several States from the year 1791 to
1820, but the general fact nnv be assumed,
that the import trade of New York and other
Northern States, lias been constantly progress
ing, while that of Virginia arid South Caroling
lias as regularly diminished. From 1.-21 to 1
the present time, we have sufficient data, and !
they exhibit the following, as the state of the
import tnde:
New York. Virginia. S.Carolina.
1821, $23,000,000 $i .04 8,000 | $3,000,000
1822, 35,000,000 801000 | 2,000.000
18-23, 29,000,000 081,000 | 2,400.000
1824, 36,000.000 639.000 | 2.400,000
1825, 49,000,000 553,000 j 2.150.000
1827, 39,000/100 431,000 | 1.800,000
1829, 43,000,000 375,000 | 1,240.000
1832, 57,000,000 550,000 | 1,213,000
“Thus, the import trade of New York has
grtdnflh increased from £189,009 sterling,
inbVwtt W10.000.} : . > ..." ir il?f' am! ’ :,.i
nboutt-.treefee; • 1 - : ; i jr»)2, *„• :!:••'
< -.ornKfi ■ -nr- :•.. *'■ - ;k
us dollar*.’ While Virginia has fallen est. in
her iu jorl trade, from t«o and a half millions
of dollars, in ITMy to $375,000 in 1829, and
$550,000 in 1632, not a great deal more than
the freight of half a dozen ships!
“From these calculations, a few curious
facts appear. The imports of New York were
in 1832, seventy times as great us they were
in 1791. Virginia, on the other hand, mipoit
edVin 182 ft, about one-eleventh of what she
did in 1769, and about one-seventh ot what j
she did ill 1791. Iu a period too, of eight
years, the aggregate imports of New lork ■
amounted to 311 millions of dollars; those it ;
South Carolina to about 16 millions, and those ,
of Virginia to about five millions! New lurk
imported therefore, in iK>2, eleven times as
. much as Virginia did in eight years preceding,
and nearlv four times as much in the single,
year of 1&32, #s South Carolina imported hi a
period of eight years. Aan in. Ne-.v \ ork im
ported in one year, (1832) nearly fifty times as
much us South Carolina in the same year, and
about 110 tunes as much ns Virginia.” !
We acknowledge our indebtedness for the
foregoing extract, to a writer in the Richmond
Whig, who, under the signature of “Patrick
Henry,” has favored the public with a series
of numbers, assistant to our purpose, which
are worthy to be read by every Southron. j
At the conclusion of the war with Great
Britain, Georgia commenced quite a brisk and
profitable importing business; but it declined
m a lew years, and its snl: sequeut history, may
be seen in the history cf the trade of .South
Carolina.
Having shown the decline of southern
trade, we proceed to enquire into the cuuse of
it. iu tin: course of our research, the reader
will discover the prime cause of our present
embarrassments.
The Committee of Ways and Means in
their report of the sth March lust, say:.“Our
collectors have had under their control a gross
revenue of 946,(T0,(i(!i), and our land receiv
ers 107.i-00.0C0, making 1,043.(1.>0,(X(). They '
not only li id control of this vust amount, but
they were permitted to pay without v arrant
from the tie e-my, and hef,re the money pamed
out of tlulr hr.ii /.i, ail the expenses of ourCu.s
tom-Ji.mses and land offices ami debentures
ichich alone amounted to four or fire mil! Inns nn
nvaUy, ini'! soiritlined maned
Though wu find some difficulty in reconcil
ing this statement with tin: actual receipts and
disbursements nt the Gmernment as reported
annually to Congress, and with this expeire.-i ,
el collection :is discover'idilo from the sources
of information which lie within cur reach,
, without supposing greater losses in the tran
sit of '.lie public lends to the treasure, than are
• stated to have occurred; if is probable that
our liitiicuily a< - -es Ha.iii our limit- and means ol
lesearch, ami ilut the Committee are su • ian
tially, if not i-ter.iiiv cornet.
; The nine hundred and f.-ity-dx minions of
r*. venue, raised .'Vein the customs, -.re re levied
| from foreign merchandise,received tn exchange
lor domestic productions; for (liongli tin-term
' emloms. in financial language, cmhi.-ces duties
| on tonnage,clearance-, light-mimev,&•’. fee.,
these mo comparatively so iimigi-iilcmit, that
they will not n.alejiiliy i.i’iect li.-' estimate.,
1 hose uini tnink (iiueivn'lv. nine a’itv.v for
them, llie odd forty-si\ tiifiliireis. Os the do
mestic production.; given in exchange for the :
I foreign mctcti re y it,. o
Jof suutliei .1 growth- -v. cw .u . .y Inn tnir.ls,
which we know, in tin: whole * --ate, t-> he
j under 11 io m Wit limit distm l-.ng Ihe v ex
it'd question, “who pay-; the duties,” we may
-stale then, ulmtali v. ill admit, that, the Govei.n
jmi ait has been indebted to Southern imiusav
j for six humhe.l and thirty millions o| money.
If the expenses of collecting one billion and
i ffitv-threc millions of revenue, ne e "lrmii for,r
! to live million; nmiu -ilv, ami souit reccs more,’’
!it limy sat dy be u-Mimed, that the rxpens. s
jof collecting the six hundred and thirty mil
j i,oiis, amounted to 0n,.: iniliion mum lily. 11. id
the southern people then, shipped their own
I pro.luce to loreign markets, and brought to -
11 'turn eargues to their ov. n parts, 11 1 - r would
have eight and forty i.;ii!i.-:i« -jai ihut.• 1 among
them since IVB9, simply in (lie pay of their
; revenue officers. This won. i liave g. me into
die pockets of individuals, to be sure; ami so
goes nil that constitute the wealth of a iiitiou.
Here it would line been received, ami here ex
pended. Insignificant as it nnv seem while
we are contemplating billions and hundreds of
I millions, when we rolled upon the ii;f!m.';u'.-'
| which the comparatively trivial sum received
I by trie States from the surplus revenue, has
i had upon the Southern Slates, we cannot doubt
|th it its effects have been most benignly left,
j Tiiis sum divided among the citizens of Nor
folk, Wilmington, (’a .ilesion, Savannah, .Mo
bile, and New Orleans, would have cni-te-l
many it disturbed bosom in the trving reign of
! the protective system. Savannah's portion of
it, would have defrayed the whole expenses ot
.he government of (i -org-i for more than thir
!tv years; nor, it is L- In",oil, "ouhl ti.e poitions
,ot ti.c other cities h:ve done fares lor their
States. \\ hatever the >a..i may li r e been
worth, we must remember, that if toe land'
1 should ever be revived, (ami hints to that el'-
Meet have recently fallen from high uuthoritv
I °n the tloor ot Congress, a direct trade will in
| some measure mitigate its rigor, and tins far
tern, to the preservation of the L nion.
If we supposv: the value of the goods u; on
which the six hundred and thirty'millions « |
; duties were levied, to h ive !> ( V-ti but four
j limes the value of tiie unties, it amounted to
.?'2,500(d (.),((-.'. How were these goods
brought to tins country and distributed? The
Northern merchant has come hither and bought
from the Southern planter produce of equal
value, abating from the pm c. ail tiie expenses,
direct and Bwident.tl, ot' transportation. • lie
lias in Northern offices, and ship
ped them abroad in his own vessels—exchang
ed them at a small profit for foreign merchan
dise—brought it home—paid one-fourth of its
value to the Government—added that amount
and all the expett-e< of importation, and fifteen
to twenty per rent, for his profits, to the price,
’and exposed it for sale. The Southern mer
chant has now gone (o him; lingered the sum
mer through with ituii at a heavy expense—
bought a .portion of these goo fs—reshipped
t! c'.u m Northern vessels to Southern ports—
a id ■ i twenty-five per cent, more to the price,
to cover bis expenses and profits—and sold*
them to the Southern planter. All the dis- ‘
bursemeiits unde in this process, save such as
■-.re made abroad, are made among Northern
men: all the protits, save lire Southern mer
chant a, arc made by Northern men: and the
Soutliern planter, who supply* nearly all the
, 01 !- rl goods ot tiiis country, gets his portion
ot them burdened with every expense that the 1
Government, merchant, insurer, seaman, wharf
■ * 1,1 * v»i. in '.in, ami "‘ c 3 n
BRUNSWICK ADVOCATE.
expenses incurred in landing the goods at
Northern ports, and bringing them thence to
Southern markets. Every item in the endless
catalogue of charges, except the Government
dues, may be considered a voluntary tribute
from the citizens of the South to their breth
ren of the north : for they would alt have gone
to our own people, had we done our own ex
porting and importing. Will the reader com
pute the amount of them, on twenty-five hun
dred millions’ worth of goods, and make a fair
allowance for the portion of them consumed- at
the South?
Our planters! not content with their portion
of the tribute, crowd their plantations with cot
ton, coni, rice uml tobacco, and then pay the
Soutiieiii merchant, to pay tiie Northern mer
chant, to pay the Northern farmer for the flour
which they consume; and compel all their
neighbors to do the like. » In this way a goodly
number of unaseertaina'-le millions more, move
annually from south to north, in September
last we had a painful exhibition of the fruits of
our agricultural policy. In that mouth, a bu.e
of cotton and a barrel of canal flour command
ed the same price in Georgia. We were dis
posed to doubt this statement when we first
heard it; but upon referring to the prices cur
rent in that month for the city o. August i,
w here ti.e one article uniformly stands at near
ly the highest, and the other nearly the lowest
ji,ice. in the State, wo !;;iJ actual sales of a
bout ninety bales of the first, quoted at an av
crog,.: of 5 5-8 cents per pound; and in two
inst-tic is, sales of very small lots, at 5 cents
per pound, viiile quotations ofilonr, nt whole
sale prices, stood firmly at 12 to 13 dollars per
barrel. We know of many sales about tins
time, at 15 and some at 16 dollars per barret
in the same city. At these rates, we could
name a hundred places in Georgia, where;
northern flour is in constant use, and where a
b ile of the lowest priced cottons would rot
h-.ve pmeimseil a barrel of flour. Here, to lie
sure, the opposite exiieu.es of the two article.;
were brought together; but tin: force of the
example is hut little weakened when it informs
n there «as raft probably a bale of uplands in
the St'!e, that would live purchased three
lmrels of flour.
To ties head of voluntary tribute may he re
ferred the-niillimis expended annually by our
i eople, iii visits idi((;leasii.';: to the North.—
These are unobioctioiiable m themselves, ami
rim ej- different circumstances would 1)0 com
mendable; but v.lien it is considered that they
swell the streams of wealth which are con
-bintlv flowing from a waning to a growing
people, they deserve our notice, if not our ce.u
sure. '('hero is a point-of view, however, in
which thev assume an importance not t<> be o
vcrlooked. They distinctly mark a (Ulfcienc
ot habit, between the Northern and Southern
people, from winch the first are yearly guiu
am! the last lasers, in the amount of sever
al millions. In the iimnr.l erfier of things our
Northern brellrcn slieiild sj.eml t'.'. ice ns much
vviih us in winter, os we do wi;'i them iu the
summer; for they double us in white popula
tion: but it may v.eii he questioned, whether
their dish in semcnl.s in this wav, err ala third
of our;. Tim mam reason of the difference is,
that tlay are a. home-ohiding, economical peo
ple: while vre incline too much to the oppo
site traits oi character. Hence ilndr gains,
w hich are not ! wger in weftith than in honor.
! ot ns at™ to' th-ur er.amc.dc.
» V -s *
From a hasty re; ievr it apjH-ars. tint under
circil... t.:la e , iuiiuiteiy ICO. ' m'.vOi -*to a di
; :eet trade v. ii!t Ihiaagn itiot.s than ticse vviiicii
: now .surround us, w • not only cmri-'d < such
a trade, hut took the load in it. We hiv* sc a
1 that w uii the iii.lastrv, enterprise and e. i ~emy
'uf our Net tiiern b;e.'., ( ;i, and w itli equal fiver
from the Government, w e must not eudy have
tar sc; ci. . oil them in we rltli, but that we niu-f
have been tie: most prosperous people on tin:
pinbe. V.’t: have sc at, that our own impon'i
(buieo, the shrewder pi die y of North j; a I: lends,
ninl t!;c u '(-(pa al action of Ihe Gove;', i; n •!.! !i iu:
II cun coed to!: ing upon us our pre.sent cm-!
b irr.'iss;i:» nts. Na t tint they are the immedi
ate cause: but tii it they have so far weaken
ed us. mi l made ns so completely ('.open lent
upon the peO; ;a of the North tor everything,'
tunl tiie least shuck to Co.amerce, pros;rut::.*
us,aed the le-sl pleasure upon tneiu, is turn .*d
apoa ns with <' •■ll h 1 (:. 1 force. We have seen i
why it is that the one people has lisyn ha the!
rocked, and the other has fallen like its.stick, t
\Ye have seen, tint their positions icu-i have
been reversed, if ti.e Soutliern people had.
niaiitaine.l ti.eir foreign tr ■ 10. Tiie opp w’u-.
n: tv is now oiiored to them to resume i*. ami to.
li ai tiie : icii rewards fio.a it. tier ti: . have!
hftlierto tinmferred to other hands', i'chowi
citireiis. v ill yon not lestmie it? Ever; tiling !
now encoa-iiges yon to do so. American com-1
nierce is almost released from its letters : ami!
our resources will enable van tocontrff ft.—
\ m: are not wunthig in moans, in skill, in |ii.sls.
• w "ecs, !,. accomplish the great enterprise.!
\ no ; '.;-!•:: ares of your respective States have
rp tile eisy tin* way. .and safe th- attempt, to!
aivuii'idisfi i*. They have authorized you to;
form associations for lias purpose, in which
you may invest what yen please, without L.az-J
urd oiWore than you invest. Your interests,)
social, pecuniary and politic 6, arc deeply in- J
voiced in it. A single, hold, united, nmidvcf- j
flat, on your part, and the thing is done. Every I
citizen ions’, tike ail interest in it —every citi
zen, a part in it.
And while we are directing our united ex-!
ertion- to the great object, let ns not forget the ‘
nuxihaiy unties which devolve upon ns s in-,
dividual*. Let c i, !'or:;i from our h::h.;.. of
(xtr.iv . .. ir.ee. • I.ct us become .an indusirtetTri,'
cconotnieal and domestic people; and v.iat
we practise (■•urselves, let its. teach ear chil
dren. Let us makeinoie of them merchants—
scientific, reputable, pnu tical nierchaiit-. Let
our planters reform their agricultural sy.-'.gais. j
Let d;r ,ii, solve to buy i. .:,mg tint tiitirf
farms can produce, and to si il brc..,!.stuffs un
der every season. P.y t!ri.*pffir wall |
gain more in indtpendei.ee, than in v.t ilth;!
flor tiieir ci-tton crop.s reduced nno-fourth.would
command a higher mice than Uiev now do.— j
Nature ins pr.nlie.iilv demousUatcd tins irutli '
to our planters, again and again : but they w ill i
not profit by her lessons. Never M rs .-ho:
•shorten their crops, that they are not i ; ■ than :
compensate 1 in the price; and yet they o in-:
not be persuaded lo sl.orten them themselves/
In 1.25, a rumor was spread and genera ilv be-:
lieved, that tiie cotton crop oil liand, wculd not
supply the demand by some fitly or a bundled!
thousand bales; and immediately the mticle
rose from twelve or thirteen cents, to thirty.—
No class of the community are so deeply in
terested in a direct trade as they are. e'er the
want of 6. ns we have seen, they lose in the
price of all that they raise, and ail that they ,
consume.
But it has been said that we eanr. >t carry on
; v • foreign n<-ti r.s, I :- -wei ■ve
not tiie requisite capital. That is to say, the i
people of the Southern .States, with the most I
ample resources, that any people of equal num-i
bora ever possessed, cannot do that which ail!
nations have done, from the Phoenicians to tiie ;
Texians. Have we less capital now than we
(rid in 1769? Did the capital which made
\ irginia and South Carolina larger importers
than all the Northern States combined, desert:
'■hem immediately upon the adoption of the
Federal Constitution, and flee to the Northern !
States? But what is the capital that sustains 1
the foreign commerce of the United States at |
(his time? Cash? Banknotes? Why all the
specie and bank notes in circulation three
years ago, between the St. Lawrence and the
.Sabine, would not have purchased the exports
ot 1K16: and all t.'ie specie in Europe and the
t nited States, would not purchase the exports
fir six years to come, at that year’s prices—a
fact that seems to hive been overlook* il, when
the cotton and specie traffic was so strongly
recommended to ns, in by-gone days. And
vet tin* exports of that vear w ere bought and
sold.
ilo'v was the operation effected? We will
take a Southern st pie, for (lie. sake of .illus
tration, and a small part to represent the whole
crop, andjexhibit the process. The Northern
importer formed commercial connexions at the
South and in Liverpool, lie ordered the .South
ern House to lay in for him a thousand bales
of cotton, and to draw on him for the price.—
The erafl was drawn, and sold for Southern
hank notes, to someone who wanted Northern
funds. The notes paid the planter for the cot
ton, who bought his supplies with them, from
the merchant, who returned them to the bank,
where they remained ready to purchase as
much more cotton. The cotton went on to the
Northern merchant, who shipped it to Liver
pool, end upon the credit, of it, drew a bill upon
the Liverpool Hi.iho, which lie sold for North
ern bank notes, and with the.n paid the Soiith
, ern draft. The Liverpool merchant turned the
cotton into goods, and shipped them to his cor
respondent «it the North, d'ew a bill upon him,
winch lie sold, and from the proceeds, paid his
.acceptance. Ur, he sold the cotton for cash,
paid iiis acceptance, and procured the goods
upon a credit, for the benefit of his American
friend, who renewed tin: operation before the
term of credit expired. There aie variations
in the process, which we h ve not time to no
tice. Sometimes it is conducted throughout,
.by agents of foreign Houses established in
this country. Tiiis we believe is now the
usual mode; and other inodes are adopted, ac
cording to circumstances; hut in this w ay, or
so other substantially the same, have nil
tii" productions of the country, which have
gone to foreign markets, been bought and
so;J. No money has co.ne South, gone N nth,
or <■ ro.-M'd the Atlantic. Ti e traffic has been
" relucted entirely upon credit. We have
only, tii vein.'*}, to clot lie our merchants with
i'.u •ime credit that the Northern importer
ha -, to enable them to perform the s-me office.
How is tins to be dune? Simply by giv'tig
tin’ll: the control of as jouch property ns the
Northern importer possesses. It matters not
v. h 6 kin.' of propeiiv you give them, provid
ed it equ ■I; iin value, li; ; ; :o| er'y is
capitai; it consists of houses, ships and stocks
of different kimi--. lie never haiti'is those
r goods; hut the foreign merchant know ing
:itii-.i' :... *>-- i »-.i"g "n.'U'.n ... ,v„-
| pose (.f ins own mere Inn !ise. very readily
'•'ie .its In.a, upon the strength of ids resourc
| ''s. -I*:.I who supposes, that tiiis kind of c.ipi
; t..i .: essentia! to foreign trade? If the plant
■ eis (and i,i; ft. e;h vo'.'kl place ten hales mi tin *
• hundred cf their next year’s ci ".mi croc, in the
; hands ieerrhants in the six principal sea-
I poits, the merchants in each chv won!.! hive
!a e ’oit dos !u:)i'e'l]i:in II:.1 1’ a million; eaiite :.s
; good in all respects, ns any merchant in th.:
; I-in ci jios.-vs.-'cs. of so gre t a value. Nay,
■ lar in Mer; tor tlu.ir capital would enter into
tneir trine —'.oul.i go to Europu po;■;essin> f
[ ail tiie properties of coin for (acomercia: pure
i p.vc would its'di’ establish the owner’s
. c.-edit there—or rather, set all credit at defi
ance. and Convert their traffic into a cash l.ns
ine.-s. Doe.! she world produce sucii a capita!
lor foreign cn o c ■ Inde.-d. almost ail tiie
capital ot th > c.'iiir.ry, ins to be resolved into
this, befo;o it is m nnv value to trade upon
j ahn- i '.
! The next host capital to cotton, is money:
: and this is at the command of the Southern
people, in any quantity, that tiie most active
; commerce may re. .mo*. When, therefore, we
; are taunted by North tii paragrnpiiists with,
“I'lai:* 'fons an i negroes " ill not be easily
! bar'o re !t v ihc.t!i .:i iise iii Kurep.’,” we ox
idise, the insult, in fiiiritv to the ignoruice
j which it betrays: and in further indulgence,
| we topic,-quite as easily as Wall-street stocks,
i Tiie difforence between the two kinds of prop
i erty is, that the one produces tiiaf wliicii will
j bier goods m Hu .op”, are! the otiicr lioe.; not.”
j *.Ye most (MriK’si'y invite the attention of
the F-oiitliern j.eop : e to tins great interest. We
beg the’ n to promote it, by availing themselves
jof the privileges which the legislatures of
J their respective States have offered to them,
i \\ o feel well assured that nil who inakein
(•vestments in the imiiorting business, will reap
[ large profits from it. Managed with common '
prudence, it must be profitable. Two gentle- ■
| men of Savannah, long practised in mercan- :
1 tile business, un i of 1 u-ge resources, proposed
• forming a co-partnership in the importing
! trade, it they could meet with proper eneoiii -
‘ agenfrnt main those tenns: That the countrv
; merchants wiio might join the association.
should he supplied with their goods nt cost!
an-1 charges; and that the firm would look to •
sales to disinterested individuals tor its profits. 1
I liner such an arrangement the countrv mer
chants would only have to hand iu tiieir or- i
dors, receive tiieir supplies in a month or two,
direct trout the factories, and at the lowest
rates, and at the same time, be drawing a
hm is i:o interest upon the capital invested.
\v hat country merchant would refuse to be- 1
come a. partner in such an establishment?.
But we take higher ground than mere pecu
niary in.rrst. We address ourselves to the
patriotism of tiie Soutliern people, to tiieir
prftle oi character, to their regard for the ris
ing race, to tiieir love of independence—and
bj all iff’-.' considerations, we solicit them, to
put at lutzaril someth.ug, for the recovery of
our lost commerce. \\ e believe, that a gra
tuitous contribution -to this object, of ten per
cent, from a yore's income ot' every citizen of
the F.'iitli, would in the end be to ail. the best
investment that they ever made. *
V> o urge upon the citizens of the Southern
and Sou;!:'.' cstorn States, to send representa
tives to the Convention to he held in Augusta
in October next, to devise means of accom
plishing our ali-important object. The advan
tages ot trie former meetings have already .
been most signally leg. They have aroused ,
a spirit ot inquiry into this matter, which pro-
jfoundly instructs, while it greatly amazes us. J
I They have produced concert of action, and
* harmony of feeling in the Southern States—j
By one impulse, they have moved all the leg- !
isUtive bodies of tire South to our assistance— j
I hev have awakened active exertions in the
people of the States, to give their States the
lead in tiie great enterprise—So much have
'they done; and more will they doubtless do, as
i their numbers increase. We promise our-'
! selves from them, united counsel and a mi di
ty effort, in pushing on our great works ofln
j tcrnul improvements. From ail our seaports,
are railways extending in every direction
oier tiie bread : i.e iof our fertile countrv ad
; miraide' precursors of our admirable design,
j Future Conventions " ill consider how these
j may be converted into bonds of union—how .
j they may be combined and extended for the ’
common good. How strongly do they recorn
, mend to the people of the South unusual and
untiring exertions to reclaim their lost com
merce! In eight and forty hours, they will
lay the planters produce upon the shores of
the Atlantic—in us many hours more, they
i will lay the proceeds of it'at the foot of moun
. tains. Availing ourselves of our own ports, of
our own ships, and of the agency wliicii makes
our roaus so useful, we may in twenty davs
piace our staples in Europe; and in as many
more, receive the avails of them at our own
doors. Why, with these advantages before
1 us, should we send our produce a coast-wise
voyage of a thousand utiles; and then travel
;as fl-tr ourselves, to gather a small part of its
returns? Since our attention has been direct
ied to this subject, nothing amazes us more,
than that it should have been reserved lor the
v ar 1836, and for a gentleman in a small
.town two hundred miles in the interior of
; Georgia, to arouse the people of the South, to
a Sense of the losses which they wore sustain
ing, and the advantages they were losing, by
, their neglect oi a direct trade with foreign ua
i timis. If we improve the hint which that gen
; tinman has dropped, as we should, he will have
! conferred a favor upon the Southern States,
! which they can never over-appreciate, or duly
reward.
The Committee deem it unnecessary ami
inexpedient to enlarge upon the probable bene
fits that would result from the accomplish
ment of our purpose. They maybe inferred'
hem the retro,poet which we have taken.
If the reader require better evidence than
jthi-, let him look to the State, that has im
proved tiie advantages, which we have neg-
S looted. In ]c36, ‘-New York imported six
1 times ill? amount of her exports, while the
i Southern and South-western States imported
little more than one-fourth of theirs.” Which
is in tiie most prosperous condition? Could we
hvide between our Southern seaports, but a
fi'u;t!i of the commerce of the chief city of the
i-iijur.' /(ate, it would diffuse new life and ac
re, ity through al! the States in which those
*si ; ports are located. The Commit too on
' Ways and Moans before quoted, sxy “the Cnl
-1 •"• 1 •»r or the City of New-York received in
i?M- at th* Custom Houses, Five Millions
or Do:.:,We know, that in 1833, the
' . in pay of the Government, who were
employed in those “Custom-houses,” werecon
; a!)!y the rise of three hundred, independ
, out "! tli-'ir jirivit ■ assistants. In 1636, thev
\ 'ire!> ’.hiv ill to • nn>.»uitod t.> live or six
hundred. A village poptil ttiou of Collectors,
| with a million per annum in their pockets, re
! served mainly from the pr.ve »ds of .Southern
1 iuuiisiry ! Who cn contemplate a city enjoy
mg such a commerce, without the liveliest
re.:>: :iriftoi:! To vdi.t an interesting train of
ivil-vtioiH ft give rev! Wh.it throngs
■’ areci:gatiio. ml there, to bear her
-to. a-i t.h,a ft! the length and breadth of.
the great re.afl.ilie ! How vast the multitude
of laborers, derivm.g an easy subsistence, from
.heaiing her merchandise from ship to store, 1
Mind horn store to ship again!
I’ow countless the number of artisans, made
| busy by her saippini!—Ot clerks, in houoia
i on: servii.'c, ; a i v lire tide schoolina' in uverv
; lo a i di of trade! —Of public officers, drawn
iut’iCi' by her commerce, and feeding on its
*rure;' While over n:I, mi l moving all, and
; ricii 'r than ail, the importer preside.:. He it
is, who gives life an i spirit, and activity to the
; busy mart. Hi.; tribute is fifteen millions per
i annum, levied upon as many of his country
men. ft *s to raise your portion of this tribute,
fellow-citizens, tiiat your are now exchanging
; redeemable for unredeemable notes, and giv
ing farm: odds for the privilege—That you
ren: giving articles prized by nil the world, for
paper, wliicii but tor your voluntary servitude
would be as wo: t:d 'ss to you, as the refuse of
which it is made—That you are submitting
in'daily a : critic res in a tliousind forms, and
; feirlully large, to raise funds, the use of which
you had never known, had you known how to
use your ow i resources—That your are bur
dened with debt, and vour peace disturbed, by
the .-tili heavier burdens, which it threatens to
bring upon you. It was to visit tiiis lordling’s
, uomuiii, ride abroad in his ships, or draw a
mite from his stores, tint many a worthy son of
the South lias found a grave in the waters of
the Atlantic—And yet. fellow-citizens, he is
almost as completely in your power, ns the
nursling is iii its mother’s. You hold the ele
ment from " hit'll he derives his strength, and
yore have only to withdraw it, to make him as
siiaservieut to you as you now are to him.
'.mi have but to speak the word, and his em
pire is tr .usi’erred to your own soil, and his
1 sovereignty, to the sons of that soil.
| M ere this done, there would be an end to 1
the unequal barter of wliicii we have spoken—;
The doleful cry for Northern funds would be
hushed—The speculations upon Southern dis
! tress would cease—The disorders of the cur- !
rency would be healed—The relation of the :
commercial agents would he climged. They!
would be acquaintancesandfriends. indcntic.il j
in feeling, and indention] in interests; en-;
joying mutual confidence, ami interchanging:
mutual favors. It would be their interest and
their pleasure, to sustain each other in times ;
a! distress. Debtors would not be summoned |
two hundred miles from home, to answer the I
demands ot their creditors ; nor to their other
burdens, would he added the enormous costs!
ot the Federal judicatories. The fountain and
the streams of commerce lying all within otir
land, would enrich it to an extent that none
can foresee. Our "orks of internal improve
ment would receive anew and ever-accelerat
ing impetus—Our drooping cities wouid he
r. > ived—our creeping commerce winged; and ' i
nil the blessings, physical morn! ami infel- j
factual, which invariably accornpanv affluence !
and independence, would he ours. Fellow
citizens, shall they be ours? Or is this great '
enterprise in "Inch our honor, our interests,
our safety, our ad, is involved, to end in a few *
convu,sive efforts, and a few bootless an- <
peals ? i,
The SMiTHsoK-fAx Legacy. A writer
in the National Gazette, is not more than
half satisfied with the manner in which Mr.
Rush, representing the United States, ob
tained so speedy a decision in Chancery
of our claim under Smithson’s will,—By
that will, the United States was constituted
the residuary legatee of the Testator, pro
vided his nephew, Henry James Hunger
ford, formerly called Henry James Dick
inson, be dead, without leaving a child,
legitimate or illegitimate. In case said
nephew, or anv such his children be liv
ing. the United States takes nothing by
the will. •
This Hungerford was an illegitimate
child of Henry Louis Dickinson, who
was a brother of the Testator, and both
these brothers were illegitimate. Hunger
, ford’s mother was a Coates, who after
wards married Dela Batut, a Frenchman,
and is still living. The son is represen
ted ns having been dissipated, extrava
jgant, and debauched, and as having pur
i sued his travels, his pleasures, and his
1 amours, under a variety of names, and in
| a variety of places.
In the hill filed in behalfof this countrv,
it was averred that Hungerford died in
| Haiv, in 1835, without a child, legitimate
or illegitimate. The Court ordered no
tice to be given by advertisement. Mr.
Rush wished to avoid advertising not simp
ly on account of expense, but on account
of raising up fictitious claimants. He how
ever, as lie says, “caused to be carefully
kept from them (the advertisements) any
! mention of the amount of property be
queathed, and every thing else respecting
the nature of Mr. Smithson’s will. The
| advertisements, in fact, appear to have
j been drawn up with great adroitness, and
j if the representation made of them in the
, National Gazette he a fair one, and the
history of the proceedings of Mr. Rush, as
: there given, be a full one—why, then the
j United States have not much to boast of
in tiiis business—nor much of good to
hope for from any institution founded on
the half tnillon which Mr. Rush has thus
obtained, and is probably now bringing
| home with him from Europe.
[Exeter News Letter.
j
Extract of a letter received in this city,
dated, “Macon, Aug. 10, 1833.
“Business quite dull and the weather uu
i usually warm and dry. The Cotton crops
i now injuring quite fast for want of rain iu
this section—and in fact, I am now corn
peiied to alter my mind in regard to the
i crop in this section. lain now fully .of
; the opinion, that the crop will be light, for
two reasons—l find the quantity of land
; planted is much less than last year, and
I tiie long dry spell of unusual hot wether,
1 is now drying it np very fast indeed.”
[Savannah Republican.
France. The Theatre du Vaudeville
Was destroyed by fire July 17th. It was
sitflatc close to the Palais Royal, and iu
its immediate neighborhood are some very
large hotels, much frequented at this sea
son of the year by English visitors to the
capital. The street in which the Theatre
dn Vaudeville was situate is so exceed
ingly narrow that of course, great appre
hension -.vas felt by all the English inhab
itants of these hotels, and from two to
tour in the morning they were entjaoed
to clearingoil, “in chemise,” themselves,
ami tiieir boxes. It is said that tiie flames
originated in the wardrobe room, which is
in the upper stories of tlie building.
Horrible Circumstance. About a
fortnight since, a man named Brown, a
shoemaker, at St. Marks, Florida, having
nude some slanderous remarks concern
ing a female in the place, the crew of the
steamboat Izard attacked his house.
Brown, with a Bowie knife, killed one of
the assailants, lipped up the body of all
ot ncr, so as to render his life precarious,
and cut a third so severely that he will
have to undergo amputation. On reach
ing his fourth victim lie was captured bv
the mob and secured.
On the day of the Coronation of Queen
Victoria, thirty-one baronets were created.
Among them were Sir John Herschel,
the son of the great astronomer, E. L.
Bulwer, the Pelhatn, &,c.
Cotton. The first bale of new Cot
ton was received at the ware-house of
Messrs Solomon Kneeland & Cos., on
Wednesday last, from the plantation of
Rev. Jnri ah Harris, Burke county. The
quality of this hale is represented as good
and it met with ready sale at 13 cents.
Last year the first bale of new cotton was
received on the 23d August, from the
plantation of Turner Clanton, Esg., Co
lumbia county, and brought 12 1-2 cents.
Another. —The second bale of Cotton
of the present crop, weighing 419 lbs.
was received yesterday at the warehouse
of Messrs. Clark, McTeir & Cos. from
the plantation of Turner Clanton, Esq. of
Columbia county. We were shown
a sample of this cotton; the colorof which
was- good—staple fair. It was sold on
arrival at 14 cents. [Aug. Cons.
A Convenient Gaol. —Sometime ago
i person was incarcerated in a gaol, not
ibove five miles from Paisley, for want
and the needful. A friend of his came
roin Glasgow to see him, and for that
uirpose called the gaoler. The gaoler
mlocked the outer door, and after having
noked through several rooms without
hiding the prisoner, observed, “I’m
binking he’ll be awa’ out to the fishing
iu: day, but he aye comes haute gm five
> clock, and ye il be sure to oet him
hen.” ft °