INTERNAL COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES. It is impossible under this head, within the limits of our present number, to find room for all the statements within our reach. The trade of the upper lakes is of itself a vast field. A portion of it passes through the Welland Canal to Canadian ports, a part by the way of Lake Ontario, but the largest portion to Buffalo, through the great Erie Canal. In 1835, the whole exports from the west came principally from the northern or lake portion of Ohio. The amount which passed through Buffalo to tide-water, via the Erie Canal, of the principal articles, consisted of the following:— Corn lbs. 2,565,272 Wool 140,911 bu. 14,579 Butter, cheese and lard “ 1,030,632 In 1845 and 1846, Ohio and the other states around these lakes, sent to eastern markets, through the same channel, the following articles: Corn bu. 1,119,689 Butter, cheese and lard" 12,713,662 The entire amount of flour, wheat and other grain exported by the Western States, through the lakes in 1846, for Canada and our own markets, reduced to bushels, will exceed 15,000,000 of bushels. James L. Barton, Esq., of Buffalo, to whom we are indebted for the foregoing tables, makes the following statement. "The ascertained value of the business of Buffalo and Black Rock done on the Erie canal, and which came from and went on to the lakes, is a little short of "To which add the immense quantities of building materials, coal, raw materials for our manufactures, provisions of all kinds for the supply of the city and local markets, nearly the whole of which come from the lakes, and the large business done on the rail roads and other sources to and from the lakes may, with great safety, be placed at Making a total of $40,000,000 10,000,000 $50,000,000 as the amount of commerce of Buffalo alone; to which must be added the amount done through all the other ports on the lakes, and the large amount of intermediate commerce between the different ports, all of which I consider equal in amount to that done through Buffalo, the whole forming an aggregate of $100,000,000 as the money value of the commerce of the upper lakes in 1846, against $66,000,000 in 1845; and this without taking into account the large sums of money carried over the lakes either year. Colonel Abert, in his topographical report, puts down the consolidated returns of exports and imports of the lake harbors for 1846 at $123,829,821. The commerce of Buffalo is stated at $48,989,116. The American tonnage of the lakes is estimated at 106,836 tons. The British tonnage is estimated at 46,575 tons. The number of passengers on the lakes in 1846, 250,000, and mariners, 7,000 He states the steamboat tonnage on the Western rivers for the same period, 249,055 tons. Flat-boats, 300,000 tons. Exports and imports of New Orleans, $53,366,993. Value of the commerce of the Western rivers, $163,611,725. In 1847, the tonnage through on the Western Railroad, from Albany to Boston, was 274,591 tons, and the number of barrels of flour carried to Boston and intermediate places, was 702,500. The receipts for freight on this road for the year 1847, were $785,346, and all the eastern rail roads more than $5,000,000. The whole western trade which came to tide-water in that year (1847) through the New York canals, is thus stated in the Albany Journal. "We have procured from the canal department the following interesting statistics, compiled from tables prepared for the annual report of the commissioners of the canal fund, in relation to the canals of this state. It will be seen by reference to the statements, that the increase in the article of flour, compared with the year 1846, is 889,531 barrels; in wheat, 1,193,194 bushels: and by reducing the latter to flour, it shows an excess equal to 1,128,170 barrels of flour. "In corn, the excess is 4,443,696 bushels; in barley, 95,067 bushels, and in rye the decrease is 26,680 bushels. "In cheese, the excess is 5,283,882 pounds; in butter, 1,246,343 pounds, and in wool, 3,177,624 pounds. "The aggregate quantity of property going from tide-water, is 288,267 tons, an increase over 1846, of 74,472 tons. "The aggregate quantity of property arriving at tide water, is 1,744,283 tons, an increase over 1846 of 381,964 tons, which increase is distributed as follows: The forest 63,103 tons, agriculture 269,263 tons, manufactures 5,456 tons, merchandise 3,034 tons, and other articles 41,108 tons. "The value of all the articles arriving at tide-water is $73,092,414, an increase over 1846 of $21,987,158." STATEMENT showing the estimated value of each article which came to the Hudson river on all the canals during the years 1846 and 1847. STATEMENT showing the aggregate value of the property which came to the Hudson river on all the canals in 1846 and 1847: 1,923,390 2,369,187 719,787 740,901 180,035 133,836 276,872 517,594 63,170 83,129 26,933 17,584 47,116 81,453 3,633,257 2,944,914 STATEMENT showing the total tons going from tide-water for the last fourteen years, and also the total tons arriving at tide-water, and the aggregate value thereof in market, during the same period. ST. LAWRENCE CANALS.-The tolls on the Welland Canal have netted $120,000 this year-a great increase. Many new vessels have been added to the lake trade, of 200 to 400 tons burthen. Now that the Welland and St. Lawrence Canals are in a fit state to pass vessels of 400 tons from Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, or Superior, to the ocean, the inland trade will be likely to increase greatly. The tolls collected on the canals and railways belonging to Pennsylvania, for one year, ending in 1847, were $1,587,995. The coal and iron trade of that state is immense, and has been already specially noticed. The following is the official statement of the quantity of coal sent to market in the years 1846 and '47. 1847. 1846. Income. Of the quantity sent to market, Schuylkill County furnished 1,650,831 tons. All other regions Excess in favor of Schuylkill Co. Increase for Schuylkill Co. in 1847 From all the other regions 1,331,295" Of the whole quantity sent to market since the commencement of the trade, Schuylkill County has furnished 283,211 " All other regions 10,213,120 " 8,580,480" Total 18,793,603 The freight receipts of the Delaware and Raritan Canal, and Camden and Amboy Railroad Companies for the year 1847, were, $1,405,705. Through the canal there passed 700,408 tons of merchandise, and 540,200 tons of coal. Over the railroad were carried 53,688 tons of merchandise. Amount of tolls received on all the New York State canals, in each of the following years, viz.: 1840 Total to 1st Dec. 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 The above statement embraces, we presume, the aggregate of the canal business of the late prosperous season, or as near thereto as will enable us to state with something like accuracy the increased revenue which the canals have poured into our treasury. The increase over the season of 1846 may be stated in round numbers at $880,000. To the gross amount Buffalo has contributed more than any other office on the line of the canal—the sum of $1,216,700— about one-third of the whole. The trade of the great Western rivers is commensurate with the capabilities of the vast and fertile country which they water. Steam power is producing wonderful results everywhere, but nowhere are its triumphs more complete than in the great valley of the West. Railroads are made and projected for the purpose of radiating over its surface in every direction, and the rivers are crowded with steamers. There arrived at the port of St. Louis, during 1847, 3,704 boats and barges, whose aggregate registered tonnage was 584,039. Fifteen were built at St. Louis during the same period, and nine more at other places on the river by the citizens of that place. There are now on the Western rivers about 1000 steamboats, and 5000 flatboats, carrying produce to New Orleans. The commerce of St. Louis for the past year has been very large. From a table containing a statement of the receipts of the principal articles of merchandise, up to 1st Dec. 1847, we extract the following items: Tobacco.-10,875 hhds. Hemp.-83,392 bales, 30 tons loose. Lead-751,886 pigs. Flour.-318,535 bbls., 747 half bbls. Wheat.-39,538 bbls., 1,112,805 sacks. Corn.-619 bbls., 481,247 sacks, 19,000 bushels in bulk. Oats.-24 bbls., 108,967 sacks, 2,000 bushels in bulk. Rye.-106 bbls., 2,914 sacks. Pork.-245 casks and tierces, 43,316 bbls., 186 half barrels. Beef.-5,258 tierces, 5,756 bbls., 120 half barrels. Bacon.-10,969 casks, 2,213 bbls. and boxes, 129,156 pieces, and 587 tons, in bulk. Lard.-1,982 tierces, 27,829 bbls., 467 half barrels, 10,577 kegs. Sugar.-10,706 hhds. and tierces, 13,978 bbls. and boxes, 1,241 bags. Molasses.-1,580 hhds. and tierces, 12,509 bbls., 350 half barrels. Cincinnati has increased with astonishing rapidity in population and bu siness, within the past ten years, and has a position which commands the products of a vast region of unbounded fertility. It is becoming celebrated for |
