The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-04-07


List.
Among the many thousand daily readers Of tho
New YORK HERALD, there are doubtless many who
may never, probably, have had their attention n.
rested at the silent but rapid growth Of what 10, to
thousands Of others important department Of
our paper The feature allude to is the Maritime
Intelligence.
The importance of such department 70 paper
which processes to give commercial news to tho
public, cannot be too highly valued, when
the vast interest to the maritime nation which
it represents is duly considered. There 10 no
branch of industry in which SO large an
amount of capital is represented as in this. II is
but few years back that half q column Of the New
YORK HERALD amply suficed for the daily quantity
Of marine news received at our Office, excepting oD
an occasional arrival from the Old World By refer.
ence to our pages, it will easily be seen what n
chance such cireumscribed limit would now have
of representing that department. The average
quantity of important marine news We daily place
before readers, amounts to between two and
three columns. On some occasions indeed, we
have published in one edition four columns Of ship
news not repetitions of previously reported ships
as is often the casebut fresh advices from vessels
in all parts of the world. Such fact is true and
incontrovcrtble proof of the growth and prosperity
Of the country-an index as infallble aud palpablS
as the sun ut midday.
The commerce of the United States. AS indicated
by the daily growth of this most useful department
of our paper has nearly doubled within the past ten
years. and we are now, after national existence Of
but seventy-seven years, the first maritime nation in
the world. Such rapid increase is unparalleled
since the early Grecian navigators launched their
first bark upon the waters of the Archipelago.
And in the knowledge of such aatterine testimony
Of enterprise, we may be excused for feeling, and
nlso expressing, the exutaton that every welwsher
Of his country must entertain that the United States.
while yet in its infancy, has so Gar outstrippcd all
competitors for supremacy in such a noble and hu-
MANNING pursuit.
As an evidence Of this increase, we lind that the
number Of vessels built during the past year, in New
York city alone, amounted to 60-namely, Is
steamers, Is ships, 2 briggs, ID schoeners, and 2
sloops; the first two classes averaging considerably
over 900 tons burthen. The whole tonnage Of the
port of New York is about 900, 600 tons. From tho
LIST Of January, 1851, to the LIST Of January. 1852,
the number of vessels " hich entered this port was
1883, of which 1881 were American of the aggre-
gate bu,then Of 1881 tons. The number Of pas
sengcrs brought in these vessels from foreign ports
York nearly double those at any other port in the
Union, or indeed in the world excepting probably,
| Liverpool and London.
| The discovery Of the auriferous region in Cali
fornia has done much to increase the commercial
| marine Of the United States Some few years
back, an arrival from the Pacific at an Atlantic
| port was quito an event--the number Of American
vessels in that trade being extremely limited But
hat Ia dvrith hoo .
Gag Of the Union-vessels, too, that in speed and
| beauty are unequaed. Owing to this sudden in
crease in that particular trade the marine news from
the Pacific has greatly increased in quantity and i'm
portance, and is eagerly read by commercial men
| coon as published in the columns of our paper,
| upon the arrival of California steamer.
| When these facts are duly considered, the value
of correctly complied marine department to daily
newspaper can be easily appreciated. But it is not
only in commercial view that it's usefulness is 40
knowledged by all who have occasion to refer to it
for informaton-many an anxious heart has been
relieved by hAelligence thus obtained Of vessel
long unheard Of, and whose fate had been wrapt in
doubt. simple paragraph, Of perhaps not moro than
couple Of lines, has probably informed lonely wife
ormother ofthe near approach Of cherished husband
or son, whose long absence had filed their minds
4
them at once from the depth of misery and despair
The interest taken in this department could not
be better shown than by perusal Of the
many letters we are continually receiving from
all parts Of the country, imploring information
Of the whereabouts Of some missing vessel Some
| Of these letters arc touchingy simple, and
betray in every line the anxiety Of the writer's
Some Of them from emigrants away out in Michi-
circumstances in this country have enabled them to
send for, to unite with them in their new homes
another, from parent wishing news of n sailor son.
or o wife Of her husband A vessel, when sailing
from New York, is duly recorded in our columns
and leaves behind some fifty or sixty persons in
tcrcsted in her safety, comprising owners consgnees
and relatives and friends of the captain and crew.
To such persons until the return of the vessel to
port, the marine records published in the daily
| HERALD possess unbounded interest; and when we
reflect that from this port alone 1900 vessels
with thirty to forty thousand souls ON board, an
nuay depart for oil quarters of the world, idea
Of it's usefulness and vital importance may be ga
thcred. The intelligence contained under the ma
rne head hns often been the precursor Of the fall OF
many proud merchant, whose prosperity and ability
to fulfil all his engagements had never till that
ment, been doubted. Through that medium lie first
hears that valuable cargo-the stay upon which he
depended for stemming the torrent Of some unlucky
speculation-has been swallowed up by the waves,
| the loss Of which has made him ruined man.
When the amount of capital invested in shipping,
the number Of men employed in navigation and the
consequent interest taken in such matters by large
class Of our citizens, arc taken into consideration,
the importance to the public Of accurate and full
ally record of marine matters cannot be too highly
valued. For this it has always been our aim
o make this department of the New YORK HERALD
! worthy of the extensive interest it represents. We
have the satisfaction Of knowing that our exertions
have been successful from the fact that the HERALD
preferred above all the other city journals for in
formation upon this subject, by merchants and
others interested in marine matters. BY means