Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-02-19
NORTH AMERICAN COMMERCE.

DREws, Esq, in pursuance OF resolution OF the
Senate requesting the Secretary of the Treasury to
communicate full statements of the trade of the
British North American Colonies with the United
States and other parts of the world, in the years
1850 and 1851, with information relative to the
trade of the Great Lakes In confding this task to
Mr.. Andrews, the Secretary of the Treasury, in his
instructions, directed that subjects of national or
great local interest, germane to the spirit of the re-
solution of the Senate, should be embraced in the
report. The result of these enlightened instructions
of the Secretary of the Treasury and of the efficient
and intelligent execution of them by Mr. Andrews,
is report presenting perhaps as much commercial
information as has ever been communicated in one
Of our public documents
We could not do justice to this report by giving
analysis of its contents in the short space which
we can afford in our columns, and can only invite
attention to the prominent topics discussed.
| The trade of the Great Lakes, which is now one
of the chief sources and illustrations of national
prosperity, occupies prominent portion of the re-
port We congratulate our Western friends that
they can refer here to detailed and comprehensive
description of the most magnificent internal com
merce that the world has ever known Connected
with the subject of the Lake trade the report con
tains complete statements of the trade of the Mssis
sipp and its principal cities, ST. Louis, Cincinnati
Louisville, and New Orleans.
The trade of the principal of the British North
American Colonies (Canada) is also connected with
that of the Lakes. Mr. Andrews has given full
statistics of the commerce Of Canada, as well as
each Of the other colonies. But, as the subject Of
the future commercial relations between the United
States and these colonies is now before Congress,
Mr.. Andrews has very properly abstained from
any arguments the vexed question of reciprocity
He has simply presented the facts which bear upon
the subject and has left conclusions to the states
men before whom the facts are placed
striking feature of the report that relating to
the fisheries of the Gulf of ST. Lawrence exhibiting
as they do the immense advantages which our
fishermen would obtain from being admitted to the
same rights of catching and curing fish as are en-
joyed by British subjects, which rights were I'm,
fortunately reinquished on our part by the Treaty
of 1918. Another valuable article, on the French
fisheries of Newfoundland, shows that the French
Government is fully awake to the Importance of pro
tecting that great nursery of her searhen.
The surplus productions of the Northwest, flowing
into the Lakes, must reach the seaboard and, to
effect this, a grand system of artificial communica-
ton by canals and railroads has been devised This
system, which can be comprehended only by tracing
its connexion with the most important works of in
ternal communication in the United States has been
fully described by Mr.. Andrews in all its ramifca-
tions. The trade of the Northwest, flowing partly
into the Mississippi and thence to New Orleans is
allied to that of the Gulf of Mexico.
| We have read with great interest the article in
the appendix to the report containing able paper
on the military and geographical position of the
Straits of Florida, through which that commerc,
flows and also one on the value of the commerce ant
trade of New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico, thu
latter prepared by the present accomplished Assistan
Secretary of the Treasury.
We are happy to see that the great export trade
of the Southern States and their principal cities
New Orleans, Charleston, and Baltimore, are pro
perly noticed, and have read with qualification thu
able and important article on the great American
staple, cotton, which branch of the report we ar,
quite sure will command deep attention by tn,
striking views and remarkable statistical statement
which it presents.
Accompanying the report are three original maps
one exhibiting the basin Of the great Lakes and The
Gulf of st. Lawrence and strikingy illustrating tn,
importance of the free navigation Of the St. Law
renee to the Lake trade, well the value of the
free fisheries of the Gulf to our Eastern fishermen
a second exhibiting the network of railroads ant
canals of the limited States and showing how won
derfully the great Lakes, the Mississippi, and the
Atlantic are bound together by them; the third
showing the Gulf of Mexico, the coasts, and islands
between Charleston and Vera Cruz, and the Straits
of Florida, through which the commerce of the
world may one day flow to and from the Pacific
This map, prepared by the able and laborious off
GERS of the Coast Survey, is among many ex
amplcs of the incidental advantages which the com
merce of the country derives from this department
of the public service.
We particularly commend this report for its ma
tional character 1t displays the value Of our home
trade and internal commerce, and our real ndepen-
dence of foreign States across the ocean But more
than ALL it illustrates the transcendent value Of the
commercial union of the States and proves that all
considerations of interest must bind them to an en-
during political union
PRESIDENT FILLMORE AT HOME
The annexed resolutions, so proper both in sent-
ment and language, have been adopted by the Mayor
and Common Council of the CITY of Buffalo While