The true Democrat., 1854-09-20

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 Ertracts from tue Forthcoming Autobiography cf
 Vincent Nohe the Great Cotton Speculator.
 "REMINISCENCES OF STEPHEN GERARD.
 cannot let this opportunity slip by without saying something of another mercantile cele- brity of the United States, viz: Stephen Girard 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 a common sailor Having gradually risen to the post of second mate, he came as sIch to Philadelphia where he remained and opened tavern on the banks of the Deleware for such of his conntrv- men as were engaged in the West India trade, particular y that with St. Domingo. The revolution in St. Domingo caused an emi- grafton which continually brought him fresh customers, and, having built some small ves- sels to bring his fugitive countrymen away in safety from the island, he bartered flour and meal for coffee, until his capital, which had been scarcely worth mentioning at first, gradually increased, and enabled him to build larger ves- sells, and extend his spirit of enterprise in all directions. His frugality bordered on avarice. Sailors fare was to him the best, and the freight Ing of vessels his favOrlte pursuit. The suc- cess which attended his exertions at length be- came unexampled; for he never had his ships insured, butalways chose skilful and experienc- ed captains thus saving himself the heavy ex- pense of taking out insurance policies, and con- tnued acting on this principle, gradually in- creaslng his capital more and more, until it had finally swelled to an enormous amount Illlterate, as 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, and thus enjoyed the sensation of beholding the American flag way ing above Montesquleu, Voltaire, Helve- tius, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. His ships, which he was in the habit of sending success svely to the Island Mauritius, at that time the Isle de France, to Calcutta and Canton and each of which cost from forty to sixty thousand dollars, brought back cargoeS worth from one to two hundred thousand dollars to Phade- phia, and thence to Europe, particularly to Messrs. Hope & Co.,, at Amsterdam, and were never insured Remarkable good fortune at tended all these enterprises. Until the year 1915, not one of his ships was ever lostor cap- tured. 1t will be easy to form all idea of the amount of capital accumulated by this saving of insurance premiums, when one reflects that the latter went as high as from ten to fifteen, and even twenty Der cent.
 d of his, named Roberjeot, who, however, had received his mercantile education entirely at Hamburg, under the tutelage of Professor Bunch. This Robeueot was the only man whom he now and then, and only now and then, took into his especial confidence, and he worked in the house of Girard for respecta- ble, yet very moderate salary, during the lapse of twenty years; frequently something was said olo b,,t oc %lo ever done Robereot, who had some desire patron know that if he desired to keep him any longer, he must take that matter into ser- ous consideration, and give him a handsome sum, that he might put aside and turn to good account Girard, a little nettled by this, re- piled that he would give him ten thousand dol lars, but Roberjeot demanded sixty. He was told to wait until the next day, when, without hearing another word in relation to the matter, he received what he asked for-Sixty thousand dollars
 Magnanimous as Girard could be in many things, he was, on the other hand, equally petty in many others. Of his numerous relatives in France, who were all poor peasant folks, he would never hear 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 a trifing present. In one particular instance he exhibited unusual hard d-heartedness. His cap- tains had received the strictest orders not to bring either strange goods, passengers or letters back with them. One of his ships was return ing from Bordeaux, and through another which had hurried on before it, he learned that it was conveying him some relations of his as passen- gers; he instantly sent to New Castle on the Delaware, where the ships coming from sea usually touch, an order to the captain, forbid ding him to land any passengers, 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 captain was then replaced by another person. He, however, made an exception in favor of two nieces, the orphaned daug ghters of abrother who had died in poverty. He allowed these girls to come to him, and gave one of them permission, along with some twenty thousand dollars, to marry the brother of General Lalle- mont, who had emigrated to America upon the IL rk@.< <kn hn%k kva<N