The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-08-13
NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.


FURY Years IN Born HExIsPHEaEs; OR.
RENrsuscEscEs or FORMER MERCHANT. By
VINCENT NoLTr. Translated from the German
Redfeld, ls54-Vincent Noite was well known
In this country. Sprung from mercantile
family and educated among the first merchants
Of Europe, he had imbibed early the grand
notions Of mercantile Importance which have
distinguished the Hopes, the Earrings, and other
merchant kings. To Nolte's mind, the mer-
chant, the buyer and seller Of cotton, and the
dealer 10 exchange, is the leading man in the
commonwealth. The State is his customer !:
the public his obliged servant. No military
glory or political rank can counterbalance the
merit his wealth imparts to him between Napo-
leon and Ouvrard, Nolte obviously gives the
palm of genius to the latter. Himself a mer-
chant on grand scale, though too circum-
ssribed for his ambition, he long figured as one
Of the celebrities OF New Orleans. His ouse
was, as he says, the leading firm in the South As
correspondent OF the Barings and many other
extensive European houses, his command Of
capital was unlimited his mind could grasp
the vastest combinations; and his incessant
activity left his competitors far behind
N the distance. After fourteen years sue
cess, however, the evil day came at last.
In the commercial crisis of 1856, the house
Of Nolte TELL and from shat hour his sun set
forever Poverty, neglect, Imprisonment, await
81 him who had stood at the head OF the com
Berce of the Southern States. Failure was his
hot in every thing be attempted; aud though bis
energy never left him, it was with the utmost
d fiicuity he gained a livelihood for himself aud
hmily. His biography is full Of instruction,
and will be studied with profit by every reflect
ing mind.
Not the least interesting portion Of the work,
10 us here, is the narration of Nolte's inter-
sourse with our great men, and his piquant and
occasionally ill-natured notice of their faults
and fobles. Read the following sketch Of
John J Jacob Astor, for instance:-
This man was John Jacob Aston, the founder of
The American colony OF Astoria, on the northern
coast OF the Pacific Ocean, which has been SO graph
,Say and Pssuesquey described BY the pen Of
where the original name OF his family is said to have
been Aschthor, and had come to New York as fur
yieI's apprentice. His first savings, that it to say,
the wages he got in the peltry warehouse for beat
ing out and preparing bear, doe and other Skins he
invested In the purchase of all kinds Of pelty bear
mink, and rabbit skius. which he got from the In
dams who at that time wandered about the streets of
New York; and as soon as he Rad collected q GER
tain quantity, he sent them to Europe particularly
to the LEIPZIG fair. There he traded them of for
Nnrenburg wares, cheap knives, glass beads and
other sices adapted 10 traffic with the Indians on
the Canadian frontiers and took them himself to the
latter points, where he again exchanged them for
furs OF various KINDS As he has often told me with
bis own lips he carried on this traffic untriagly for
twelve long years, going in p rson alternately, ID
the Canadian frontiers, and then the Leipsic fair
ard lived oil the wbile be had ever been accus-
toned to do, humbly and sparingly. Az leugth he
had managed to bring together Considerable CAPT.
~, and gradually became q freighter OF ships, and
hs,ed out expeditions to the Northwest coast. to
trade with the Indians Of Nootka Sound for furs
Another circumstance contributed to the increase Of
bis means At the peace conclude cd IN 1883, between
England and her revolted colonies, the thirteen
United States, many acres Of land in the State Of
New York, some even in the neighb0rhood of New
York CITY, were voted BY Congress 70 the German
soldiers who had fought in the Aneric IN army. The
latter we're chiefly Hessiana and Darmstader
Most OF them died in the Of the year. without
having succeeded in converting this property into
money; but the relatives and heirs they left behind
them in Germany did no. forget these little inherit
ances. Upon the occasion of visit made by Astor
TO Heidelburg in later years most OF The parties last
referred TO, nherit,ng the allotments Of the de-
ceased German soldiers, aud residing in Heide!burg,
united and made our friend their legally authorized
attorney in order to alize something, If possible
from their hitherto useless But the hoped for
increase OF the value OF this property was, the
whole, rather slow in coming AID the heirs wanted
money, money, quick and ready money. Aston hav-
ing been applied to on this score told them that in
order to get ready money they must reckon up the
real present value Of the cash itself, and not any
imagined value OF the land, and that only through
pretty considerable sacrifice could they gel cash for
The same. Thereupon the parties advised with each
other, and finally Astor received peremptory orders
10 sell without further delay. Unkno vn specula
eors were found; the proceeds were small, but TIC
heirs got what they wanted-money. At the present
day many Of those pieces of ground are among the
most valuable and most important in the city, and
have gradually passed through Astor into other
hands the unknown spectators, however. have
faded from the memory OF everybody.
Astor, at the moment of the embargo was Ia the
possession of several millions 80 that nc was able to
give his son. William B. Aston, who was educated at
Gottingen, the magnificent hotel on Broadway,
called the "Astor House" which cost the sum Of
$500, 900.
The permission (procursd by Parish) to send out
ships in ballast to bring home silver had given As
tor the idea that the same privilege might be ex.
tended to vessels dispatched for the purpose Of
bringing home the amount of debts due abroad, in
goods. With this view he went to Washington, aud
there, under the peteu,e that he had an important
depot of teas at Can on, obtained the desired per-
mission to send ell thiher la ballast This step,
however, was only the forerunner of another one.
Assor, in reality, owred depot OF teas at Canton,
and hence it simply came to.this, that he would,
cording TO the usual custom, send money thither to
purchase the article
The exceptional favor Of sending schooners in bal
last 10 Vera Ctuz, which Parish had up to this time
enjoyed, which was now gradually extended to otter
veaeeie whose destination not TO bring back gold
and silver values, but goods ON American account,
sufficiently showed that under certain circumstances,
there position TO grant free exit to ships
in ballast for q particular object. AMI now arose
another poin, namely, whether empty vessels which,
however had sill yer board, could be regarded as
IN ballast. The precious metals are, In most coun.
tries not locked upon wares, although in some
they are SO classified. IL not exactly advisable
TO bring discussion of the question whether the
expos atiou of silver in otherwise unladen vessels
should depend upon it or not. Tie query was, whe-
ther foreign creditor, who had to collect the
moneys owed hias by Anne lean merchants, would be
permitted TO take the funds really thus received back
with him. In Washington. there appeared to b.
every disposition to allow this. Now, IL was we'll
lnorx in r,nria of fho GfaAoa