The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-21 00:00:00

BUSINESS PROSPECT 3.

(From the New York Herald.)
The business season is beginning. The hotels are
filling up ; and, choked as the streets are, carts are be•
ginning to travel to and fro with bales of goods. A
steady influx of arrivals from the west are eulivening the
business wards, and the new corners are, for the most
part, well provided with plethoric purses, fruit of the
bounteous crop of last year. Our arrivals from sea are
not so numerous as usual, owing to the severe weather,
but many heavy laden vessels are hourly expected, and
the wharves will soon present their accustomed scene of
spring activity.
It is possible—it is probable—that we are entering
upon a period of prosperity such as even our past
history can hardly parallel. There perhaps never
was a time when so many elements of prosperity bade
fair to concur for our benefit. Past well-being and
past suffering alike conspire for our advantage.
We have the vantage ground of 1853 to start
from in the new race ; and the depression of 1:54
and 1855 has husbanded our resources, strengthened
our prudence, weeded out unprofitable enterprises, nar-
rowed our expenditure. Nor is the almost certain cessa-
tion of the war in Europe less opportune. That prodi-
gious calamity has been felt from the Caspian to Lake
Superior, from the Himalayas to the Rocky Mountains,
producing everywhere alarm, distrust, inertia. It has
east a shade over every great enterprise even in this
country ; abroad it has involved immense sacrifices of
commercial means, paralysed industry, and led to au
extensive system of hoarding. Peace dissolves these
fatal influences, checks these injurious habits, restores
confidence, and unlocks the treasure vault.
At home everything points to good times. Since the
month of February, 1853, we must have received from
Californla fully 150 millions of gold, of which we have
not reported over 100 millions. Fifty millions have re-
mained here, swelling the stock of specie in the country
by that amount. Our accounts by the Webster and
Illinois announce that the prospects of the mines were
never so promising as at present, and assure that the
export this year will not fall short of fifty mil-
lions. A like production of gold is guaranteed to us
from Australia. A much larger sum will probably come
to light when the people of Germany and France and
Russia bring out their gold from its hiding places, and
put it again into trade or interest paying securities.
Nor have the elements thus far proved unpropitious.
The heavy storms of the winter have for a time checked
commercial intercourse, and will thus concentrate busi-
ness transactions into the spring months. It is probable
that the sales of the wholesale merchants during the
next three months will be larger than they ever were
during a like period before. They will be only limited
by the supplies of the importers, which are and must
remain small in consequence of the stagnation of
foreign manufactured goods. But !the severe winter
has been far more useful in another respect. The
heavy falls of snow which have extended from Canada
to south of Mason and Dixon's line insure us
—unless some unforeseen disaster should occur
—a bountiful crop. Farmers are confident that this
year's crop will even be greater than that of last year.
Politically, what is the prospect ? Some persons talk
about war with England. We might prove it impossible;
but as no man of sense expects anything of the kind, we
will say no more about it. Uneasiness is felt in certain
quarters about the falling off in emigration. It does not
seem very likely that the number of emigrants will fall
short of 130,000, at the worst ; and, really, after the
immense importations of the raw material we have had
of late years, a return to moderation will be beneficial.
Those also are here will be the better able to improve
the land. The country's progress will be steadied and
consolidated. And that running sore—pauperism—
which is less to be feared on account, of its immediate
i than its contingent at all eyents be healed.