Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-09-29

Direct Trade with Europe.
We are not sufficiently acquainted with
Mercantile history Of Lynchhurg to be
certain in the matter, bu, we believe This to
be the FIRST year that our Merchants have
engaged in direct importation Of any con
siderable portion of their stock Of goods. |
The experiment, whether it succeed or not,
is crcditablc to our enterprise. We have
examined all the causes which have result
ted in making our Merchants tributaries to
the Northern cities, and confess them to
have been, if not entirely adequate to the
end produced. at least too powerful to be
overcome without the combination and
concentration ofal our energies. Political
economists tell us that the laws of trade
are as immutable and all-pervading as
those which govern the physical world
This is true But why should the acknowl-
edgmcntcommit us to abind acquescencc
in existing customs! Might not the intro
duction Of Steamboats, and Railroads have
been objected to on the same groundl-
Night not every enterprise that had for its
object, changes and Improvement Of COM
mercial facilities have received discourage
sment from the same sourcel In other
words,wc contend that the commencement
ofdirect trade with England and Europe is
butacting in obedience to the laws of trade.
tits the opening Of new avenues, which a
wantof proper foresight have hitherto kept
sealed; the removingof old obstacles which
timidity and want of enterprise have suf.
fered to remain and strengthen. until they
appear to be part and portion Of the laws
OF trade instead Of causes which prevented
the free operation of those laws.
But, as remarked by our intelligent little
contemporary Of the Richmond Dispatch,
we must have our Railroads before any
well organized system Of direct trade can
be put into full and permanent operation
They will carry 10 the aboard exports
which viii constitute the return tonnage
of vessels engaged in this commerce; and
when we look to the fact that all of our In
ternal Improvements are ra4ii, which con-
verge to the mouth of James River us their
Central iocus--whcn we reflect upon the
immense amount of produce which (at that
point will demand expectation, where is
the 4aio citrate that forbids the ful6lmeni
OF our hopes But we should not wait
for the completion Of these roads. We
should make every effort to have the ships
ready;to establish intimate relations between
our merchants here and the foreign houses
with which they are to trade /; the eyes Of
the commercial world should be turned
towards the accomplishment of the great
project, and we shall soon find that we are
acting not in violation Of the laws Of trade
but in obedience to their high behess.
In connection with these remarks, in
tended only as a hasty preface 10 the fact
we state that Mr.. Van Lcnnep, "a special
agent Of the merchants Of Amsterdam in
Holland" has just left our country to "com-
plete the arrangements,in the way of mon
eyed and commercial facilities" which
those merchants have rendered the South.
He will take steps 10 open credits in lIol-
land through Banks and agencies in this
country, "by which means actual ard a.
variable capital, properly distributed, will
enter, in the ordinary way, into compcti-
ton for the trade and productions of the
South" The Washington Union says:
at is by suca movements these that the South
is 10 rcnch the scale Of greatness and wealth which
is to be the measure Of her wonderful and incxhaus-
blc resources and il il for this reason thut we re-
card them as marking grcnt event in the history
of our country. Wcmny say that it ia the beginning
of policy which is To bring the South, rs a sec
tnn Of our happy couicdcucy; the same blessings
that have rewarded the northern section Of our I'M
ion. which, by the construction Of interior cumnu-
| nicntons. the encourage cement of manufactures and
the indicous employment of capital in Transporting
| the cxchangcable products of the country, may be
suil TO have reached point in the scale of indvi-
dual and national prosperity not surpassed ly that
Of the most favored country in the world