Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1852-03-06
G. OIL U NJ B u S
Letter from Lieut.. +. Nj. Maury.
NEW ORLEANS RAILROAD CONVICTION
NATIONAL OBSERVATORY,
Washington, December IS, 1851.

washington, December 16, 1851.
GENTLEMEN l am receipt of your esteemed fa-
vor informing of the Railroad Convention tc
be held in New Orleans on the 1st Monday in Jan
uary next, and inviting me to be present, ant
90 address the Convention upon the Southern anC
Western commerce, the home and foreign trade
they are influenced by facilities of intercourse
and communication, by railroad or otherwise 0,
to prepare report upon the subject to be reao
before the Generation and placed among the doc
atmentS. -
My official engagements put it out of my power
to attend, and l regret exceedingly that present
active calls upon my attention will not at this late
day allow to give as much time to the consid
Grafton of the vast subjects which are about tC
occupy the attention of the convention as then
Importance deserves.
Most of the railroads run across the ridges, anc
go from valley to valley In one sense one navi
gable water courses may be considered as inclined
planes, and the river craft gravity cars which
taking advantages of a physical principle, convey
the produce to market at a cheap rate along the
natural descents of the country. Hence the very
striking feature in our internal improvement sys-
TEN The railroads and navigable rivers cross
at right angles. The Hudson river railroad. and
some Of those which are either In contemplation
or in process of actnal construction III the South
are the exceptions which make that rule general
Can the steam on the land successfully com
pete in the transportation of merchandise, Will
the gravity car en- ghc water?
This Is one Of the questions which will no doub
command the deIiberation of the Convention
Its members will be far better able to Judge thar
| am, whether the condition of your part of thu
country be such that railways may run along
parallel with your magnificent water courses anC
live.
But in considering it, it should not be forgotten
that this is aye of advancement and improve
ment. 1t was but few years ago that it was salt
and the world believed, that the power of steam
could not compete with the free winds of heave
in propelling vessels to and fro across the ocean
and l am not prepared to say that railways ma
not compete with the Mississippi, in the transpor
taton of merchandise as well as of travellers.
Times have greatly changed You all can re
collect gentlemen, when the price of cotton dc
pended upon which way the wind blew. If eas
terly winds prevailed to prevent the arrive
of the cotton fleet in Liverpool, up went the sta
pie. Some swift-footed packet despatche
over with the intelligence and he who could Ou
ride the mail and reach your markets first, mad
his fortune. But steam and the telegraph hav
done away with this. There is more room fC
that sort of enterprise, as it used to be called
New York and New Orleans, with the forked tor
qua of the lightning, now talk daily together {
bout the price of cotton and everything else an
there is no more chance for the merchant to di
play his enterprise by getting control of priva
and peculiar sources of information All informs
ton now as to the state of markets is common.
Salem once had command of the trade
Her merchants, ascertaining that the stocks c
hand were SMALL and the sources of immedia
supply scanty, would club together and buy L
for speculation all the tea in the country.
But note a cargo of tea arrives the fact
known. The telegraph may pass the word fo
and aft through every State, and ask who wants
If Salem merchants may demand one farthir
more than those of New Y ork were willing
face, the telegraph would give the order to Ne
York And so with every article known to cor
merce.
Southern and Western merchants now, by re
son of steam and lightning, can stay at HON
send out orders and get from France and Englal
their supplies much sooner than few years ag
they could get them from Baltimore, New 20
or Philadelphia, after having gone there to ord
them. The consequence is, that Southern al
Western merchants do this and there are nc
IN that section of the country, houses engaged
transporting direct from abroad
The fact Is, the producer and consumer a
much nearer together than they used to be. Co
sequently the factor does not not keep the lar
stocks of former times on hand He draws frc
the sources OF supply just in proportion as 6
channels OF demand are checked or free
Thus the chances of speculation are SMALL a
profits are brought down to the smallest figure
Ali these circumstances have impressed the
selves upon the business of the country, impa
ed new features TO it, and make necessary a
important changes in the mode and means of c.
Quoting it.
These changes and the causes of them hi
powerful bearings upon the subjects which
convention is called upon to take into conslde
ton.
They and the operations of the ware -hoqs
system have caused men of business to establ
in st. Louis, Cincinnati and Louisville, for
importing houses The duties collected IN tn
three cities for the current year amount to nea
half of million, and the value of the fore
merchandise imported direct to upward of a I
lion and a half. These importations and the wa
housing system are recovering back to the So
aporton of the direct trade.
The duties collected at Charleston this year
greater than they have ever been. And Oh
lesion imports largely of Havana segars for \
York.
II is true that the quantity of produce com
to New Orleans in search of a market seaws
has fallen off, and consequently the number