The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-08-13
The following, Of Stephen Girard, will be in
teresting TO Philsdelphians -

EtsrsinB " uiAsuel puAaAAb -
1csnnoelet this opportunity slip BY without say
ing something abrut another mercantile celebrity Ia
the United States, viz: 6terheR Girsrd. This man
was born In village near the banks Of the Garonne
He was the son Of peasant, and had left his own
country as q common saiIor. Having gradually risen
to the post Of second mate he came as such TO Pni
delpbia, where he remained. and opened tavern on
the banks Of she Deia ware for such OF his country
men as were engaged in the West India trade, par.
ticuarly that with st. Domingo. Toe revolution IN
St. Domingo caused an emigration which continually
brought him fresh customers, and, having buiit
small vessels to bring bis tug tive country men
Say in safety from the island be battered -four and
meal for colse until his capital, which hsd been
scarcely worth mentioning at irss gradually in
creased and enabled him to build larger vessels and
extend his spirit Of enterprise in all directions. His
frugaty bordered on avaJice. Sailors fare was to
him the best, and the reghng Of vessels els favor
ie pursuit. The success which attended his exer-
tions vt length became unexamped; for he never
had bis ships insured, bu, always chose ssiful and
experienced rapta ms, thus saving bimse the heavy
expense Of taxing out insurance policies and con-
tinued acting on this principle, gradually increas-
ing his capital more and more. until It finally swell
ed 10 an enormous amount. Dliterate, "a French
common sailor must needs be- and scarcely able TO
write his own name, he called all his ships after the
great authors of his native country, aud thus en-
joyed the sensation Of beholdng the American flag
| waving above Montesquieu, Voltaire, Heiye
/ titus, and Jean Jacques Rosseau. HIS ships, which
he in the habit Of sending successively to the
island of Baurtius, at that tms the Isle de France,
to Calcutta, and Canton, and each Of which cost
from $40 600 to 100000 brought back cargoes worth
| from 100000 to 100000 to Philadelphia, and
| thence 10 Europe, particularly to Messrs. Hope d
| Co., 1t Amsterdam, aud we're never insured. Re
mafksble good fortune attended all these enterpri-
ses. Until the year 1885, not one Of his ships was
ever lost or captured. IL will be essy 70 form
idea Il the amount of capital accumulated by this
saving CT Insurance premiums, when one reflects
that tie latter went as high from tea to fifteen,
and even twenty cent.
A.; vt,tt or
famed Eoberjeot, sho, however bad re ,eived his
meIcaI tile edncstion entirely ut Hamburg, under
the tneIage Of Professor Busch. This Roberjeot
wss the only man whom he now ami then, but no
otcner than now and then, took into his especial
confidence, and he had worked in the house of Gil
rard, for iespe stable yet very moderate salary,
during the lapse of twenty years; frequently some
thing was said about increasing it, but nothing
OF the sort ever done. Roberjeot, who had
some desire to be taken care of in hia old age, re-
solved to let his patton know tina. ii he desired
TO keep him any longer, be must take that matter
into serious consideration, and give him handsome
sum, that he might put aside and turn to good ac-
count. GiIard a little nettled by this replied that
he would give him ten thousand dollars bur Roher
jeot emanded sixty. He was told to wait until the
next day wheD without hearing another word in
relation to the matte he received what he had asked
fOr-sixty thousand dollars.
Magnanimous az Girard could be in many things,
ne was, on the other hand, equally petty in many
others. OF his numerous relatives In Frauce, who
were all poor peasant folks, he would never hear a
syllable mentioned. When some Of them, upon one
occasion, ventured to cross the ocean, and visit him
in Philadelphia, he Immediately sent them away
again, with triling present. In one particular in
stance he exhibited unusual hars-heartedness His
captains had received the strictest orders not to
bring either strange goods, passengers or letters
back with them. Oue OF his ships was returning
from Bordeaux, and through another, which had
hurried on before it, he learned that IL convey
ing BIN some relations OF his as passengers. He in
stantly sent to Newcastle, on the Delaware, where
IN ItS,
to the csptsin, forbidding MIN to land any passen
gers, but to remain at that point until another had
been procured to take them back to Bordeaux, when
he might come up to Philadelphia with his CARGO
The captai1 was then replaced by another person.
He, however, made sn exception in favor Of two
hieces the orphan daughters Of a brother who had
died in poverty. He allowed these girls to come to
him, and gave ore of them permission, along with
some twenty thousand dollars. to marry the brother
Of General LalieDant, who had emig. ated to Anne
RIGA upon the restoration Of the Blurbons after the
battle Of Waterloo IL his will he bequeathed to the
other an equal sum.
He learned sharp lesson from his fayorite cor.
respondents il Europe, Messrs HOPE d CO., OF Am.
serdam, WHO cs;essed his entire conideoce. Not
outstanding .be reliance he place! in them, be had
sent Quaker, by the name Of Hutchinson, to Am-
s'erdam, with explicit instructions TO watch tho,e
gentlemen closely, and see that tbey accounted for
the real prices Ieceiyed by them for his consign
men's, &C., &c. II was rule in tie house o
Messrs Ho, e to compute one-eighth per cent more
than the daily noted rate OF exchange, when send
ing the regular receipts to bank, sai this was done
TO cover variety Of minute Office expenses, which
could not be brought into stated account. Thus,
for instance: Mr.. Hutchinson vas informed thl
they had sold q thousand bags of coffee from the
cargo of the ship Voliare, and at so much per cent.
HefeupoD, that gentleman came next day to the
counting. room, and interrupted Mr.. Labouchare in
bis meditations, and, running his finger along the
printed price. current he held in his hand pointed
out to him that the rate must be put a. one eighth
per cent less. The oit.repeated hints Mr.. Labou
came in with his hat ON his head, and, withou. per-
mission, ma ched directly up to the door and pushed
on into the private countiogroom-the sanctum
sanctolum OF Dutch me1chants-had all proved Of
avail. At last they got TO let him stand there,
without paying any attention to wha. he had to say
He then wrote to PHILADELPHIA TO his principal, who
dictated, for his benefit the most offensive letters to
Messrs Hope which finally decided the latter to let
him know at once, that there existed 50 wide DIFF
telenle between their ways Of doing business and
his and all attem ITS to teach him better hal sig
naly failed that, for the sake Of their comfort
and tranquility, they should be compelled to decline
any further transactions with him. There then
came Kind of apology, promise to manage diff
ferenty in future, DC, &c. Bat the house in Am
sterdam remained firm in the resolution they had
taken, Offering however, to do him the favor of re-
commencing to him as his future core so0ndents
Messls. Daniel Crommein Sons, their neighbors.
The astonishment Of these latter gentlemen them.
selves, when the first import ant consgnmenss began
to reach them from Girard and the surprise OF the
whole Bourse Of Amsterdam, that auy one could re-
ject such business as his, requiring no advances,
may be readily conceived.
Tie Messrs. Hope had, after the annexation Of
Holland to the empire, withdrawn, or rather had in
q measure been compelled to withdraw, from all
trade in goods and wares, since the famous Berlin
and Milan DEGREES Of Napoleon had thrown great
difficulties in the way Of trade, and much impaired
the security Of commercial intercourse. However,
when, after the fall Of Napoleon, III 1914, HoIani
again obtained her Independence, aud the house of
Messrs. Hope, having been established ON . new ba-
Sis resumed its former rank, Grard was anxious to
renew the connection which had been interrupte
for several years. Upon this occasion the assurance
was once more given, that the style of correspon
dence TO be carried on between the two houses
should be altogether changed. But Mr.. Labouchere
was not accustomed to alter bis Tone He took the
pen in his own hand and replied to the desire ex.
pressed by Mr. Girard with the regret that he could
tleman might indeed reform his language, but not