I. SAIL AND STEAM COMMERCE. Desiderata of Sail Commerce-Obvious Advantages of their Reformation-The Desiderata of steam Commerce-Inefficiency of Collins' Steamer "Pacific's" Wheels-Her Unavailable Motive Power-River Steamers......... 19 II. THE FIELD OF THE AMAZON. Fractional Aspect of the Mississippi-Relations with the Amazon-Atlantic the Natural Outlet of Western South America-The Permanent Region of Commercial Supremacy-Description of the Amazon-Population, Products, III. THE ELEMENTS OF BUSINESS SUCCESS.-BY MATTHEW HALE SMITH, Esq., of the IV. A UNIFORM SYSTEM OF COINAGE FOR COMMERCIAL NATIONS. By Dr. J. H. GIBBON, of the United States' Branch Mint, North Carolina... Ship-owners-Specific Performance of a Contract..... Liability of Railroad Companies for the Delivery of Goods, etc Ship-Contract for Sale of No Specific Performance-Registry Act..... 22228 Carriers by Sea-Bills of Lading-Robbers-Dangers of the Road.-Ship-owners-Insurance.... 80 COMMERCIAL CHRONICLE AND REVIEW: EMBRACING A FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL REVIEW OF THE UNITED STATES, ETC., ILLUSTRA- Condition of the Money Market throughout the Country-Prospects of the Fall Trade-State of the Manufacturing Interests-Building and other Improvements-Receipts of Railroad Com- panies, and Pecuniary Effect of Careless Management-Explosion of the Parker Vein Coal Co. -Necessity of Guarding against Fraudulent Issues of Stock-Condition of the Banks at New York and Boston-Comparative Receipts of Leading Railroads for May-Deposits and Coinage at United States Mint for May-Foreign Imports at New York for May, and since January 1st -Causes of Increased Receipts-Comparative Imports of Dry Goods for May, and during the last Five Months-Revenue of the Country, with a Statement of Receipts at New York and Philadelphia-Exports from New York to Foreign Ports for May and since January 1st-Ex- ports of Leading Articles of Domestic Produce to June 17th-Imports and Exports for Eleven 2 Taxes and Property of Illinois.-The Condition of the Banks of Boston................. Condition of the Banks in the different States in 1850-51 and 1853-54 Savings Banks in the City of New York.-American Stocks held by Foreigners Condition of the Banks of New Orleans.-The Three dollar Gold Coin of the U. States Exports of the Products of the Forest from the United States Export of the Products of Agriculture from the United States. Exports of the products of the sea from the United States Export of Animals and their products from the U. S.-Prices of Wheat at Albany for 61 Years. 109 Property destroyed by fire in San Francisco.-Stocks in Insurance Companies held by Foreigners. 114 Marine losses by Boston Companies.-Policy of Insurance-Average loss-Set-off North Ronaldshay Lighthouse.-Start-Point Lighthouse Navigation into Spithead.-Invention for reefing sails of Vessels... Results of the Census of Great Britain Decline of the Population of Spain..... "Commerce is King."—Overtrading, and giving large Credit "The Bible Clerks."-A Camel Market: bargaining by Pantomime Tricks of Tailors.-A hint for the unsuccessful.-Industry the Road to Success HUNT'S MERCHANTS' MAGAZINE AND COMMERCIAL REVIEW. JULY, 1854. Art. I.-SAIL AND STEAM COMMERCE. DESIDERATA OF SAIL COMMERCE-OBVIOUS ADVANTAGES OF THEIR REFORMATION-THE DESIDERATA OF STEAM COMMERCE-INEFFICIENCY OF COLLINS' STEAMER "PACIFIC's" WHEELS-BER UN AVAILABLE MOTIVE POWER-RIVER STEAMERS. THAT which is directly incorporated into our very prosperity, which is a part of our individual and national life, and peculiarly so of our international life, speaks its own eulogy at the door to the public mind; its advances are as rapidly proclaimed as from time to time they occur; but the present and the past speak not the future, except as to its firm basis, which is beyond the reach of decline; except they tell that its advances are unknown, which may mark its culminating progress, as it has been so forcibly marked by the past; and except they tell that the present, as that of no past epoch in the day of its unsurpassed honors, has not reached its meridian splendor. Marine Commerce has proclaimed within a half century last past her successful alliance with steam, her extension of that treaty to Trans-Atlantic Commerce, her improvements in model and rigging, as shown in the fast modern clipper in contrast with the anterior, dull-sailing ship, and her nautical improvements under the scientific aid rendered through the National Observatory Department. It would be arrogance to suppose that the public is not already fully sensible of the wide-spread, extending, and deep-rooted interests of marine Commerce in our vital prosperity, and sufficiently so to watch the pulsations of her manly system. Not to watch them, through fear lest her sail or her steam branch shall decline or lose its vitality; such a thought would be contradicted by the prosperous enterprises of our commercial men, by the constantly advancing attainments of her mechanical departments, of her ship-builders, her riggers, and engine-builders; of her army of mercantile and navy commanders, so bold to meet the dangers of the deep, and so no ble in humanity's calls, aspiring to the noblest and highest duties and honors of their profession; and it would be false to the late successful accomplishments of science in her so full hydrographical history and obvious instructions therefrom, so ably set forth to mariners as at an early day of their practical trial at once to establish important advantages, and their profitable and reliable character; all of which speak her progress and not her decline, even speak her future eminence unknown-but to watch them to know at all times her healthy or unhealthy state. The human pulsations indicate, better even than the external appearance, the real state of the physical system, and while all around judge by the external appearance, that imbecility, disease, dangers, and death brood now and then over different members of the great family, often over many of them at the same period of time, he whose profession especially qualifies him to judge critically, watches the pulsations of the internal system, and as he determines the disease, actual or threatening, wisely determines the proper restoratives or preventives. So, too, the public judge of the external appearances of sail commerce, and observe now and then her imbecilities, her diseases, her dangers, and the too numerous deaths, as they hover over and attack different members of her great family; but he whose profession constitutes him a judge of her internal system, should watch her more sensitive pulsations, and knowing her threatening and actual diseases and dangers, should know of and provide the remedies. The general and specific diseases by which sail Commerce may be personated, have all her lifetime hung about her system, like uncertain, occasional diseases and dangers to the constitution of man. Thus, as when the ship lies at her dock ready to spread her canvas to the winds, but the winds are not forthcoming at her wish, or are too adverse for the narrow channels or threatening shores; and as when she drops anchor at the door of our harbor, because the winds are too light or too indirect to speed her to her berth, the resting and reinvigorating place, which she seeks so anxiously after the tedious, protracted, and perhaps disabling labors of her day, (her passage,) then is she imbecile as the invalid upon the sick bed; as she finds herself in the calms that settle upon the bosom of the ocean, that prevail at certain seasons and that monopolize certain broad "belts," as in the tropical and equatorial calms, to their peculiar and constant reign, then is she like the feeble patient sleeping to recover hope and vigor; as the faint breezes fan her, then does she show recovering vigor; as the dead head-winds assail her, then is she like the strong man striving boldly against disease, perhaps convulsive attacks, or perhaps moderate or mild in form; as the "slant" winds drive her from her chart course, then is she like the robust man baffling a staggering disease; or, as when she finds herself by enticing or decoy winds under their sudden reversion, helplessly too near the lee shore dangers, and as when she is driven by winds overpowering her skill, also too near threatening coast dangers, then is she like the almost hopeless and helpless victim of terrible diseases; but, worst of all, when the far too numerous and too terrible shipwrecks overtake her, then is she like man tossed in the arms of Death; and we would that she did not so alarmingly often carry in her embrace numbers, and often large numbers of human victims to her disease, to the same watery grave! But, again, Wisdom, in the outfit of his bark, (man,) provides for his diseases by professionally bringing the preventives and restoratives of Science and Art to the aid of the mortal frailties of his nature, that he may preserve or restore a healthy constitutional vigor; which frailties of man are well known, for they are taught by fact, as well as by the words that gave life to the fact when it was uttered unto the woman, "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children;" and unto Adam, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return." We all feel and realize the fact, hence we desire, appreciate, and honor the faculty that comes to our relief; and the medical department of science is based upon the firmest foundations, for it is seated upon the best understanding and judgment, and is deep-rooted in the affections of man. The constitutional diseases of sail commerce are just as well known by facts, and by that inspiration that said-"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth," and it is left to the latter half of the nineteenth century to repeat the echo-from whence cometh help? No medical department for her ills and woes is publicly known, and none is pretended, and so far as we can judge of public sentiment and effort, and commercial apathy in this regard, none is sought for; supineness and patient, passive sufferance, seem to me to predominate, and wealth lavishes from her abundance to so multiply the numbers of her crafts as to make good their inefficiencies from disease, and to reinforce, by new levies, the numbers that decease. Observe, due care is taken by the keen foresight of Finance to avail herself to the utmost of science, art, and nautical skill, when the ship is healthy, that no fractional percentage of the gratuitous forces of nature that conduce to such health shall pass their deposits beyond her coffers, but the mite from those deposits she does not send forth to invite from the apothecaries of Commerce-Science and Art-the forces of art to prevent and relieve her from the diseases of her system. The smoothly-gliding model is duly encouraged the ingenuity of man in spreading her multiplied canvas, bearings broad as the long-arm of strength can reach, as high as the upper currents and as low as the surface currents, and longitudinally sail after sail to catch every "slant," winding, or diverted current of the wind, is encouraged until every flowing, fluttering breath of force must lend their aid in enabling her to creep like an infant, at times, to walk like a child, and to engage in the electric race of life, as when in the race with time she has beaten (as yet at times) the most rapid steamers that have ever furrowed the tranquil inland, or billowy, oceanic waters; the highest skill is sought in her nautical instruments, and the highest energy and talent in her commanders; yet it is said of her "one thing thou lackest," and it is thus, as if we would do everything to adorn the body so naturally and perfectly developed, but scorn to provide for the inspiration of the soul by force-since force is the living spirit of the ship-when nature ceaseth so to do, and leave her a victim to her mortality. Steam Commerce possesses the two familiar ways of developing the force of steam in the run of the ship, but that which is best for the full steamer, (the paddle-wheel,) so greatly encumbers the ship in fair sailing, that it is secondary to the screw as an occasional motor. Neither is the screw propeller adapted, in that it hinders more in fair sailing than it helps through adverse winds, which fact is practically known; and the |