New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-12-13
And under this tariff of l,. December, lsIs, our
IN psrtations have Geen Rs follows


Ia lt1J 81 SOC
In ltof
During the four years lat me ntoned, we have in.
ported aggregate Of ESQ l62 tune, valued accord
ing TO Treasury statement in my possession, cert-
fed Nov. 81, 1854 at Al s7o. 179 or, At . general
average Of four years 81 % per tue and the agyre
gate DUTY paid on the same is $50. 053 10. The
scarcity Of fuel and the demand for coal had un-
doubtedly their fsll share in influencing the amount
Of impoTtations At the several periods mentioned
This demend for cca is still rapidly sugmsuting
having rsen in the last fifty years from Is 900 tuns
per apnum to an annual consumption Of
10000 co., and yet being continually on the incre se
II IL only within the last fifteen years that the United
Stses has become, strictly speaking, coal producing
country. quarter OF century previous to that Pc
rod there lot more than 900 to Of anthracite
coal annually produced in the whole Union; yet in
la47, the increase alone had reached to more than
,0C0 tuns per day. and has since increased and is
still increasing, almost in a compound ratio. The
ability OF the American producer to successfully
pete with the foreign Importer after the present
protective restriction shall have been removed is be-
yoBd question. Look at our superior facilities for the
extraction and transportation Of the article the
ttsDty increasing demand, and the extent Of our coal
producing regions in comparison with those OF Ed
rope and the British possessions on this continent.
1t IL TO be remembered that the coal We import
is mostly from Great Britain and her North American
dependencies. The aggregate Of square miles Of the
coal producing countries in Europe, viz. Great Brit
rias region, France, Belgium, Pr0ssan domini0ns,
Austrian provinces and the British dependencies in
North America, is 552 229 square mies-the coal re-
gOn OF which embraces about -, 5O4 square miles
little more than oDe-t~enty fourth part The United
States contain exclusive of Texas, Oregon and Wash
ipgt)D, the last two Astounding extensively in this
mineral, some 1850, 900 square miles. The twelve
coal States viz: Alabama Georgia Per Dessee Ken
lucky, Virginia Mary land Ohio, Indiana Illinois
PenIsJ lvsnia- Michigan ard Missouri. embrace an
aggregate surface of sos 2S3 square miles, of which
the coal region covers 1873, 1872 square miles, or
nearly oBequarter Of the entire area of these
States, producing, IN 1850, while vet in the infancy
Of this great staple. according to the returns
Of that yesr, 5,Of9 95i tuna The auDual coal pro-
duce Of Great Britain proper, Belgium France, Prus-
fla Austria, in Spain, in 1853, was within fraction
Of 81 900 600 of tuhs In that year Pensy alone
produced 900 900 of tuDs, and sryland mora than
bslf million The produce and consumption in the
United States for 1854 may be safely estimated al
10 0000 600 Of tuns; yet, Notwithstanding this article
abundant in volntry, and facilities for its
supply great the price has risen within the last Year
from 30 10 20 per cent and within the last FIVE years
nearly 100 per cent. With almost mitable resources
at home can see no good reason for continuing the
present exhOiba amt DUTY coal, which, in my opiD-
ion should be free article, and the earlier the for
eign coal is brought into competition with domes-
tic the better it will certainly be for the consumer.
Nor in a series of years will this prove any derl-
ment TO the American producer, whose energies
will be directed to the proper application OF all
the facilities possible for the cheapest mining trans
portaton. and lite delivery on the most reasonable
terms; while, as matter Of revenue TO the country.
il is not only not wanted but absolutely detrimental
to our general interests. Not a railway is made aud
equipped with engines and cars, steamship con-
structed, but ren is required ard in It's manufacture
coal is the material used for the propulsion Of the re-
QUisite machinery. The growth of the iron manu-
facture and trade in the United Sates, intimately
conDecte with the coal trade within the last forty
ears, is enolmous-keeping pace if not in advance
Of the strides in every other department Of human in
had htu al and ~ fhraa
furnaces producing fifty four thousand tuDs of pig
iron. 10 ls45 We had five hundred and forty blast
furnaces averaging 900 tuns each Annually, yielding
4s6 600 tuns and $50 bloomeries FORCES rolling aud
splitting mills yielding Of Der hoops &C., 29l 600
tune, end Of blooms castings machinery and stove
plates l5 500 tuns, making that year an aggregate of
900 100 tuns at the value Of s33 $40 00 nls53 the
rapid increase in this branch Of manufacture such
80 10 Weld much than million TINS Of pig iron.
Some amay be formed of the increasing demand for
coal by even glance at the multiplied uses to which
is applied. We have nov in active operation 10000
miles Of railway communication at cost of $500 OOO,-
OCO and the system is advancing, stretching its arms,
BTiareus like, far and wide over the Union, ia the
ratio Of the expansion OF population, ard the growth
of the country The steam marine Of the United States
in 1852 was 800 vessels with aggregated of NJ
226 tuns of which 90 were stea ners, 529 en-
gagged in the coast trade and 7G5 employed on inland
navigation Such has been the increase Of our steam
commercial marine within the last two years that 1t
would not be extravagaBt 10 estimate our steam
marine for 1854 at 500 vessels, with an aggregate
steam tuunsee Of $40 600 tuns. quarter of c9n-
fury ago the power Of steam upon land, and upon
ocean, was comparatively unknown, and the vast
and unmeasurod material which walked this
mower into HE sumbered in soil But
tie use Of coal for the creation OF motive
power upon railroads and in steam navigation, both
inland and ocean, furnishes but an inadequate idea
of its extensive application and value to the country
{" Coal has been forcibly described as the indis-
pensable aliment OF Industry. 1t is a primary
"materia, engendering force giving power
"superior 10 that natural Of agents, such as water
air &C., procure. 1t is 10 Industry, what oxygen
"is 10 the iungs, water to the plant, nourishnent
"to the animal. Ii Is to coal ~e owe our steam
and gas. Ii replaces in the workshops aud domes-
" tic 6earihs the charcoal which had become too
g. sty under the last head; In northerly lati-
" tudes il is destined always to acquire increasing
and more general use The employment OF coal
will be henceforward no other than question OF
cheapness and in the present age the first interest
OF INDUSTRY is above Az, 10 see aineHorateu the
"geNs of communication TO lower the tolls upon the
4" routes and canals" When Croesu5 exhibited his
Golden treasures one told him that he who pos
seesed iron could soon make himself masterof them
The ownership Of the gold OF the Aztecs ana tbe IN
cas Welded 70 the iron and steel of the Spanish in
vader The Creator. with bounteous hand has fur
bisbed us with coal region with an extent ana rlch-
uess Ga trust have shoTn, uneqnied by any po-
liical community on the lace OF ihe eaI'u, anu al
most as exhaustless as the atmosphere by which We
are surrounded The for the extraction OF thus
one Of the great necessares of life are at mana ana
are all that human ingenuity aud enterprise coud de-
sire and from these rich deposits stream OF wealth
now fvollsr flows into the Golfers of the producer.
When we reflect that that article under high
protective tariff is becoming and to great extent has
be- come on indispensable agent IN every household
that il is daily growing into universal use for all
domestic purposcs-that it is indispensable 10 the
macbirery which fashions with artistic skill aud ele-
gsuoe the Implements used and necessary IN every
amily-that il is equally needed snd employed IN ths
manufacture Of farming utensils aud tools 10 the
mechanic srts-iniravel by land and by water indeed
for all the arts of peace and equally indispensable N
The art of war, and for all the means OF 1auohH
SeSrse il there apv reason why there seould be an