To show the changes in the returns during the war, we give the movements since September, 1861, in the four principal items of the quarterly report: December, 1863..... 33,423,230 233,611,282 31,071,759 203,462,460 222,645,314 26,685,669 193,781,315 RETURNS OF THE SAVINGS BANKS OF NEW YORK STATE.-The Superintendent of the Bank Department has transmitted abstracts of the annual report of the savings banks of this State, showing the condition of these institutions in January, 1864: The whole sum represented in savings banks at the time stated was $98,881171; of this amount $93,786,384 is directly due to depositors, and the balance consists of real estate, furniture and accumulated profits, amounting to $5,094,787. The following comparative statements of the operations of the banks for the year ending 31st December, 1862 and 1863, will serve to mark the rapidity with which this trust is increasing in volume and value: The following summary shows the aggregate of the resources and liabilities of the Savings Banks of the State, as exhibited by their reports, January 1, 1864 : Total amount deposited during the calendar year of 1863.. $54,257,096 withdrawn... 40,257,953 Of the Stock investments reported, $31.635,752 is in United States Securities. Bonds and Mortgages have diminished $1,589,110. Loans on personal securities have increased from $174,717 in 1862 to $372,926 in 1863. EUROPEAN FINANCES.-The Bank of England has again reduced its rate of interest to seven per cent, having raised it to eight per cent January 20th. The indications are, however, that it will return to the old figures very soon, and most likely go higher; for the same causes which have been in active operation ever since the breaking out of the war can but increase in energy while the war lasts. The foundation of the difficulty is, as we have many times stated before, the sudden withdrawal of American cotton from the markets of the world, and the necessity of supplying the demand from countries which will only take specie in payment. The following figures show the amount of cotton the United States has furnished the last three years, compared with the previons three years: The value of the total supply, the past three years, from the East Indies, Brazil, and Egypt is as follows: The amount of money sent to new places has been, in three years, $435,000,000, and the price of cotton is now five times as much as before. The exports of specie from Great Britain and France have been as follows: ' With these rising values and prices the drain of specie has been continuous, and is not likely to cease; on the other hand, it seems likely to increase, because the supply of cotton from those sources swells in magnitude, demanding monthly remittances, and it has, as seen in the rates of discount, already reached a serious extent, even in a year of good harvests; should the harvests of the present year turn out poorly, a drain for food would be superadded. The only check to the movement must come from a restoration of the cotton trade to its normal state, a thing not likely to happen at present. These European financial difficulties have now far less interest to the United States than would have been the case under ordinary circumstances, since we now owe those nations nothing. If they want gold to buy cotton, they must buy the gold first. It cannot be obtained here by calling in outstanding credits, because those credits have nearly ceased to exist. A higher price for gold will undoubtedly cause it to be more freely exported, because more goods must be given for it; but gold is an article that we have to sell. The Government has thought fit to dispense with its use as a currency, and there remains only to get the most for it. Its departure would not cause the Government paper to depreciate if the quantity of paper did not exceed the wants of business. The following comparative table of the Bank of England returns will be found of interest, affording, as it does, a view of the bank returns, the bank rate of discount, and the price of wheat in London during a period of three years corresponding with returns of February 3d, 1864 : We subjoin our usual table, with the returns brought down to Feb. 3, 1864: Date. Circulation. Public Private Deposits. Securities. Dec. 2,... 21,685,732 7,234,894 12,924,545 31,980,889 32,622,659 9,... 20,801,207 8,629,856 12,981,276 46 66 23,. 20,273,799 10,266,546 30,... 20,686,538 10,841,991 Jan. 6, '64 21,322,304 10,001,982 13,675,474 7 12,711,637 32,270,286 14,217,067 7 18,021,212 33,438,154 14,862,605 7 13,052,604 33,486,952 14,196,754 7 21,396,420 5,264,097 15,411,794 81,726,575 11,708,597 7 20,... 21,445,793 5,689,074 13,879,877 81,445,860 12,974,109 8 46 27,... 20,875,825 6,337,246 13,406,627 31,017,449 13,022,220 8 Feb. 3,... 21,162,626 6,748,867 13,372,981 31,436,334 18,303,243 8 66 13,... 44 STATISTICS OF TRADE AND COMMERCE. STATISTICS OF THE WHALE FISHERY FOR 1863. The Whalemen's Shipping List, of New Bedford, gives us an interesting review of the whale fishery for 1863. It will be seen that the past year, like its several predecessors, has witnessed a large decrease in the number of vessels engaged in the business, and the fleet is now reduced to a number which, although taking into consideration the high price of everything needed in fitting ships-if present prices of the staple continue can be made a profitable business. The success of the Artic fleet the last season was very good. The number of American ships in the Arctic in 1863, was twenty-six, of which twenty-one arrived at the Sandwich Islands, and five at San Francisco,* with an aggregate catch of 28,700 barrels of whale oil, and 432,000 pounds of bone—an average of 1,104 barrels of oil, and 16,616 pounds bone to each ship. The favorable news had the effect of infusing new life into our ship owners, and was the immediate cause of the fitting of eighteen ships which sailed from this port in the months of November and December last, which otherwise would have remained at our wharves idle all the winter. The Ochotsk fleet, which includes seventeen American vessels, have done poorly. Fourteen have arrived at the Sandwich Islands, and two at San Fran cisco, with an aggregate of 7,310 barrels of whale oil, and 89,500 pounds bone —an average catch of 457 barrels of whale oil, and 5,593 pounds bone. The slim catch in the Ochotsk may be accounted for in the following which we copy from the Honolulu Commercial Advertiser: "We learn that whales have been abundant as usual on the ground, but the weather has been rough and foggy. In addition to this, it is reported that extensive fires have been raging all the summer on the shores of the Ochotsk, which have created dense banks of smoke over the land and sea. Some of the forests that line the shores and cover the Islands, have been entirely swept away. Whether these fires have been set purposely by the Russians or not, is not known. But the effect has been to put a check to whaling in the bays and near the shores, which are the favorite haunts of the whales." The total catch of the two Northern fleets of American vessels gives an average season's catch of 857 barrels of whale oil, and 12.416 pounds bone each. The new field for Arctic whaling-Hudson's Bay-promises well. There arrived at this port from that Bay last fall, the Black Eagle, Antelope and Ansel Gibbs; and at New London, the Monticello and Pioneer, each having been absent two seasons (spending one winter there.) bringing an aggregate of 5,878 barrels of Polar oil, and 98,550 pounds of whalebone-an average of 1,175 barrels of * One, the Jireh Perry, of New Bedford, not heard from. oil, and 19,710 pounds of bone to each vessel, by actual turn out. The William Thompson also arrived at this port, from Hudson's Bay, but as she sailed last year, and encountered so much ice in getting through the Straits, there was no time left for whaling. She did not winter, but put away in a very short time for home, to avoid being frozen in. She took 93 barrels of oil, and 1,200 pounds bone. Ships must go prepared to winter, in order to have the whole of the following season. There were two arrivals from Cumberland Inlet, the Orray Taft, at this port, with 663 barrels of whale oil, and 10,150 pounds bone, and the Georgiana, at New London, with 319 barrels of oil, and 4,700 pounds bone. There were two losses in Hudson's Bay in 1863--the Pavillion, of Fairhaven, and the George Henry, of New London-both by being jammed in the ice. The following vessels are to be fitted from this port, for Hudson's Bay, the coming spring, viz.: Antelope, Ansel Gibbs, Black Eagle, Milwood, Morning Star, and Orray Taft; and probably several from New London. The prospect now is that many of the ships in port, and of those to arrive, will be fitted in the course of the year for the various sperm and right whaling localities. The sperm whale fishery, which in former years was prosecuted with success on the Pacific coast, seems to have been exhausted of late on those grounds; and ships, with few exceptions, have done little or nothing within the past few years. Short voyages in the Atlantic have been more successful of late, and we doubt if a ship fitted for three years could do better than to cruise in this ocean, visiting the different grounds, according to the seasons. Whatever may be the fate of whaleships in 1864, owners have been agreeably dissappointed in the extent of depredations committed by the rebel pirates on their vessels in 1863. It was greatly feared by many, in the earlier part of the year, that these pests of the ocean would be in a position to capture and destroy all, or nearly all of the homeward bound whalers coming around Cape Horn. But not a single instance of the capture of a homeward bound whaler occurred during the year. The imports of sperm oil in 1863, exceeds that of 1862, 9,414 barrels, while that of whale falls short 37,504 barrels, and of whalebone, 274,750 pounds. The exports of 1863 fall short of 1862, in sperm oil, 9,610 barrels; whale oil, 57,286 barrels; whalebone, 725,587 pounds. The whole number of vessels employed in the business on the 1st of January, 1864, is 304, and of tonnage 88,785, showing a decrease of 49 vessels and 14,361 tons since January 1, 1863. The average price of sperm oil for 1862, is 161 cents per gallon; whale oil, 95 cents per gallon; whalebone-Northern, 172 cents, and Southern 144 cents per pound, against 141 cents for sperm, 593 cents for whale oil, 88 cents for Northern, and 76 cents for Southern bone, in 1862. The stock of sperm oil on hand January 1, 1864, exceeds that of 1863, 15,162 barrels; while that of whale is less by 13,675 barrels. Whalebone is in excess over 1863, of 57,480 pounds. We now refer our readers to the following table of statistics, which has been prepared with great care, and will be found correct. |