Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1848-02-19

Tho talent which, in smother age. and in ann.
ther state Of society, was exercised in the ar, Of
war. is now TO a great extent engaged in the
peaceful occupations nf the counting .room.-
War has been great field for the development
o. grea, talents But commerce. affords scope
Tor greater variety Of talent. and is a field on
which the most gigantic genius, and the mos,
soaring ambition may extend themselves in On.
limited con1ues,s. In this department Of hu.
man action. Astor has displayed great mind
Landing on our shores as a common steerage
! passenRsr-A poor uneducated boy-a stranger
10 the language and the people--he has BY the
sole aid Of his own industry. accumulated q for.
tune scarcely second to that Of any individual
on The gIooe. and has executed projects that
have become identified with the history ot his
country. and which will perpetua,c his name to
the latest nge.
He was born in July, 1863, in the viIlnge Of
WALDORF. near Heidelberg. in the Duchy Of
Baden, Germany. His father was a very wor.
thv man end held the office Of bslin. At the
age Of eighteen. young .Astor. on the eve Of
10 be honest and industrious and nerrr 10 gam.
bic. In March. lisa. he landed at Baltimore.
q stecrage passenger. having sailed from Lon.
don in November, and been detained by the ice
three months. On his voyage he became &C
quainted with a fellow coun,ryman Of his q
fur.ier. who induced Sir. Asior to learn his art.
The main portion Of Mr. As,oris property st
this time consisted OF seven flutes from his Sro.
ther's manu- fuciory, n: Inrdon. which. with n
few other articles Of merchs ndizr, he sold. and
invested the email proceeds in furs, and com
nenced learning the fur.trsde. lie was soon
afer engaged as clerk IT, the fur establishing nj
Of Robert B,wen. the first cousin Of Walter's
father. (see Walter Bowen good old quaker.
who priced Mr. As,or very much tor his unit.
ring industry and fidelity Subsequently. by
the aid OF a few thonsa nds from his brother tIar.
ry. rich B,werv butcher. he engaged in bust.
ncss for himself. associated with the late Corne.
Illus Heyer. Afterwards he became associated
with Mr.. Smith, the father Of Gerril Smith.
A, the close OF the revolutionary war, Oswe.
60. Niagara, Dstrdt, and other posts being in
possession Of foreign power, serious embar-
rassment was thrown in the wsy Of the fur
trade. Soon after Mr.. As,or entered the bus.
ness. In 1894 by a treaty these posts were
surrendered, when, contemplating the g,snd %.
portunity then offered TO him. he said, Now I
will make my fortune in the fur.trade llis
prediction WAS verified As;or, with an industry
1 ~ lnll laH Cd
por'un,y. and after lapse Of six ycsrs, during
The fret year Of the prescn, century. he had .,
matseG something like $50 600 dollars. By :hc
natural course Of sccnmns ,ion. this sn,n, ~ the
present time. would have amounted u &c 0O0.
OOO-bui in Mr Astor's hands il hss increased
to mor. thar four times that smoun,. Nine
years later, OF the age Of tor,y.hve. Mr. Asto'
founded the American Fur Company. for the
purpose Of competing wish the powerful British
assoc ATOMS which were in fsir way to mono
20 iz" the traffic in fur through The Northern
and Southwestern port ions Of our continent -
> The on'posis Of this new company stretched n
,o ne and hitherto untroddrn fields, and seen
red the richest spoils of beaver. otter and buff.
10. " nau, iWf'o, pr Fous'y NJ "'' ~ INV"
been the policy OF Mr.. Asior TO extend his con
quests into New territories. The projection
and establishment Of this company did mt sa'sf,
hi. gigantic intellect. HE grand project of ,h'
Astoris settlement was now formed. II va
his design 10 establish a series Of forts alon!
,ha Pacific O:csn. and on the Columbia river
in connection with mr government. and thu
monopoze the fur trade west OF the Rock!
Monnisins.
The first post. Astoris, was established II
lslO, by q party NJ sixty men, under the com
m.nd Of Mr. w p. Hunt. This settlement
which was destined 10 he she commercial en-
porium of the northern Pacific, was 10 he sur
piled with commodities from New York, an
the same vessel was also TO convey supplies
the Russian trading settlements farther nor'i
end receive furs 10 exchange. With the f"'
from the Riss,sn posts. and hom As'oria. oh
. ~ss to proceed to Canton. then The best ma
n. ket for furs, aud return home with teas, silk
y, and nankeens. In the projection of this ma!
m. nifeent enterprise, Astor anticipated the, u
YET settlement would prove bill Of costs for u
70 frs, two years, and that no considerable prof
W. would be received 10 less than ten yesra
he the expitaiion of twenty years he counted {
IT, receiving million Of dollars annpsl prohs.'
The Tonquin, the hsst. and the Lark, the ihi
ins vessel despatched for Astoria, were lost u
IsL moth hwiths,snding. The enterprise would q