The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-06-10

G. Boonen Graves, George Law,
Peter Cooper, Jacob Little S Co,
Francis Grfen, Il. b. Hart,
Henry Nicoll, George Briggs,
+. >. Lathrop, Pells & Co.,
Moses Taylor, G. A. Secor & Co.,
Alsop * Chauncey, X. III. Morris,
Mortimer Livingston, Drew, Robinson & Co.,
James Brooks, Bee bee & Co.,
Goodbue & Co., 4. X. Van Rensselaer,,
h. h. Collins,
MR.. HUNTERS REPLY.
LoyDs, Essex county, Va, May %, 1851.
GENTLEMEN:-l had the honor to receive, by the
last mail, letter of invitation to dinner rendered
to me by yourselves and others, on the 10Th of next
June No personal compliment could have been
more acceptable to me, than the honor you have
offered me, upon such consideration you were
pleased to assgn your let ter of nvit alton should
be especially gratihed to believe that had contri
buted any degree to promote the great interests
of the country; and i regret to be constrained to
say that the estimate which you have placed on my
poor services is greater than they deserve. If
my grateful sense of your kindness, | would
lay aside almost any occupation to meet you when
you propose; but as believe you will give full
credit for sincerity in my grateful Acknowledgements,
and rs have pressing engagements at home, am
constrained to beg most respectfully to be excused
from attending the dinner to which you have in
vited me. feel the more free to do this, because
the loss will mine, not yours Ii would have given
the greatest pleasure to have avaed myself of such
an opportunity to extend my personal acquaintance
in your city, and to study, from actual OBJ
great emporium Of American trade. Whatever is
connected with the maryes Of your progress hitherto
and whatever concerns the future deyelopement of
your great commercial resources, are matters of
deep interest to me you do more than Justice
in attributing to me, desire to promote far as
can the prosperity Of all the great interests of the
country believe, if you touch one, you affect them
all; and that all concerned in the prosperity of
each. Especially do hold it to be matter of duty
as it ought to be ofpride with the American States,
to afford New York all proper facilities to win the
place which she Is probably destined to mold, the
great centre of the commerce Of the world. Ii is,
perhaps, not extavagant to say that the tendencies
Of nations changing, and their contests des-
tined hereafter, to consist more in the rivalres of
the arts, than in opposition Of arms Certainly there
has been no period in human history, when COM
mercal affairs occupied 80 large portion of the
attention of mankind, and none in which commercial
men played so important and prominent part.
Great Britain with that shrewdness of interest which
characteristics her conduct towards other nations,
seems to have given early evidence of her sense Of
the change which was taking place in the theatre
Of human rivalry and strife She Is preparing,
if not already prepared for the conflict She has
thrown down the glove in open and manly defiance
to the rest of the world and challenged the nations
of the earth to a contest for the empire of trade,
and the supremacy ofthe seas To all appearance,
fairer terms Of bat proposed. She
has laid aside the whole panoply Of her defensive
armor, and stripped her productive interests Of
every thing which they have hitherto worn by way
of defence or protection She has provided her
operate, and cheap food to consume She has given
her ship owner cheap timber with which to build,
and II opposition even to some Of the Oldest usages
Of her colonial policy, has relieved the producer
was practicable to do So She has shown, too, the
utmost skill and anxiety in making the machinery
Of her commerce work smoothly and easily. II
spring gave evidence Of loss Of elasticity from un
due pressure, the burthen, If possible, was dimn-
ished OF removed; and, having done all this, she
has thrown down the walls which were built to
guard her commerce, and invited the rest OF the
world to participate in the Struggle for its prize
The challenge which has thus been x zen will,
trust, be accepted, and suppose | may say, with
out having imputed to me undue share of ma
tional vanity, that if anybody is able to take up
John Bulls glove in such contest rs this, it is his
Brother Jonathan. Nor do | disparage the just
claim Of other cities, when say that in this con-
fct we must look to New York for the lead She
herself Is already giving evidence that she accepts
her destiny, and Is preparing for the conai,t. Her
lines Of magnid sent steamers, If they do not girdc
the earth, at least spangle the ocean in more drec
tions than one; her commercial enterprise and am
b,ion worldwide in their extont. In such an
undertaking this, IN ~ all good omens attend,
and all success reward her In such a struggle she
has right to expect the MD Of every American
legislator. She may justly demand NIL roper ia.
eihtes for commerce, the whole machinery Of trade,
n mint within her limits, warehousing system all
justcd to her wants and whatever gisaton may be
necessary to enable her to main tain free CONNER
cial competition with the rest Of the world. IL hui
N IN am bition should take this new direction,
rather take this old direction with increased zeal
the world may well rejoice, for these are contests
in which mankind is benefited, no matter who may
win. To such riy slry may bring double
blessing, for its trunphs may not only give MS rich
rewards abroad, but lead to harmony Mt home. IL
American ambition and energy can find full ocou-
patton abroad, II may fairly be hoped that the
hrts Of sectional strife viii burn less fercely
at home. The developement Of moral and
physical resources which such occupation must
give, and the progress Of truth, would, perhaps,
remove some OF the old antagonisms, and discover
new harmonies in our system. The very creation Of
such n commercial emporium your city must
then become, would be eminently conservative Of
peace abroad and harmony ut home; for all its best
Interests would be stAked, to some extent, on the
peace Of tho world, and wholly upon concord at
home. With these vie -, gentlemcn, you may well
suppose that feel deep interest in tho prosperity
Of your city, and an earnest desire to prou,ote its
growth, ms far rs can. To understand the wsnts
Of your commerce, hold 10 be one Of the proper
cares Of the American statesman; for around that
centre reyolve, to great extent, the commercial
interests tf our Union. But my letter Ia, grown
with the theme, until have become tedious. And
conclude with assurances of my high respect and
profound gratitude to those who have honored me
with SO public mark Of their appreciation.
Very respectfully, your obd't sery't,
X. NJ. L. HUNTER.
Messrs. A. &. kingslsnd, and others.
The following editorial or pud accompanied the
above letter, and written by one Of the signers, Is