The daily union., 1854-07-21
Lake Commerce.

da, my attention mperceptiby drawn to a considera
ton OF our own inland trade gradually INTERVIEWING
with and forming the most extended ramcations Will
The different trading ports the Canadian lake frontier
all contributing untedy TO the value and ealhiness
our wonderful inland commerce
The great difficulties of obtaining correct returns of ON
inland trade have been felt for many years and those
cnltles multiply with the increase of population and
trade the evil cannot too be grapped with and
died by the action OF the general The great
desderaum Is general system of arrangement for fur
sns minute details Of the imports and exports of goods
foreign as well as coaswise exhibiting quality quantity
and value the entering and clearing of vessels their
Try tonnage and crews, specifying the build employ
ment periodical returns to the Executive under the spec
ned iors and Of an Inspector whose duty it would be
unerae The custom districts and that the general in
strucnons We're correctly carried out Nondivdus except
one with the same personal experience realize
done the necessity of thorough reodeng of our lake
\ ports custom-houses To fact | deem il mr. duty
specially to call your attention. viz the practice in several
Inland ports Tor each collector, ON retiring from Office
carry away with him the books and accounts on the plea
that having paid for the stationery from his private funds
they arc private proyertythe government not making
any allowance for this item Of public expenditure.
The following extracts from Colonel Aberts able report
ON the lake trade in lsA7 will justify in earnestly press
ing this matter your considerations Our revenue sys-
ten gives an exact knowledge of that portion of our
productive industry which forms foreign commerce but
the system has not been extended obtain know-
edge OF our Internal trade and This immense
amount OF national resources and the of
uonal strength has as yet been left-tha is correct
knowledge of ito individual efforts and accidental
investigation Or in other words, il is yet in want of
some established system by which its details be col
leced with the reliable accuracy those of our for
eign Considering how essential this knowledge
to the forming of sound opinions of the fiscal military
power of people we think it will be readily admitted
that system by which this knowledge shall be obtained
cannot be too carefully established or too highly cher
ished"
If it is necessary to add this subject to such
high authority permit mo TO refer TO the practice of Euro
pean nations particularly to that OF Great Britain HON
neither expense labor deers from obtaining in
form correct statistical information of the industrial re-
sources Of all coantresa knowledge necessary under
hac;s ,J,,,,,
ment the happiness and wealth of people
The detailed statements herewith Of the trade of Ogdens
burg uswego Buffalo, and other growing Of lake
commerce. WILL hope present and interesting
facts for the consideration of the and while
conveying idea of the Importance of those towns as de-
pots OF trade will tend convince the representatives in
Congress of the necessity of liberal appropriations for the
Improvement and protection of the harbors along this
| tensiye frontier. a...
In my sketch Of the lake ports allude to the contra
band traffic carried in some if in all the custom
house districts to and from Canada At one period this
traffic amounted to large sum annually OF late it is
sidered to be more limited in its extent But when the
great extent of our frontier is considered well the
limited number of officers employed to watch it. and
that high duties exacted each side of the boundary
line 1T H evident to the most casual observer that taking
in,o consideration the almost multdnou increase yearly
OF population an army OF cusomhouse officers would be
insufficient to check its progress curta its increase 1t
therefore becomes matter for the considera
tion whether prompt and effective should not be
adopted either NY arrangements between the govern
ments By other means to check the deoraliaing traffic
and remedy the evils to which it naturally gives rise
have procured and annexed copies of the forms used in the
n!ecoonal trade of the British colonies and supplied by
the government to the masters of their coasting vessels 1t
enables the coasters to in and of harbor at all
hora great saving of time to them in the short
OF navigation in these northern ATTITUDES The plan is
simple and efficient In book the master of each
enters his CARGO nwards and outwards and once MONTH
as an opportunity enables him to do So he submits the
same under oath to the collector of the port from which
he trades Every facility thus offered for the of
merchandise and the attainment Of statistical de-
tails II occurred to me that plan somewhat analogous
| he ppnonn ,,f nrn
coastng marine long subject of veXation regards
the statistics Of that rapidly increasing trade.
This lake commerce, floating along q line of coast of
nearly FIVE thousand miles (including Lake Champain
three thousand miles of which American and two
thousand miles Canadian, employing hundred and
seventy thousand tons of American shipping ten thou
sand seamen aggregate of American and British
lake tonnage Of two hundred and FIVE thousand about
thirteen thousand men, presents the remarkable
ample OF the inland resources of this continents and may
be said, AS TO its rise and progress, to be unparalleled
IN any era or in any other quarter of the globe This
wonderful section OF our country, unknown in
cal point OF view few years ago, is the land Of
promise to vast masses Of engnnts from many countries
and by its productive power creates amount of wealth
alike beyond the calculations Of the political economist and
the foresight of the satesnn none can form an estimate
of the extent to which such may be increased
II we view it, stretching from the Gulf of St Lawrence
the extreme verge OF Lake Superior uncontrolled unetter
will rival the of Britain as Great Britain has RI
vailed and overeaped the of Venice of Holland
and OF Portugal
| tUhctUHRY hehadrhS
The population of all the North American colonies now
exceeds two millions of souls As people, they intel
ligent Industrious and enterprsng; and, if permitted
fully TO exercise selfgovernment, would
equality in commercial activity with the citizens of the
United States and Great Britain. Occupying
tensiye country OF an of nearly five hundred thousand
square miles stretching from the 42d the 5oth degree
north latitude, abounding in forests of the finest timber
and minerals of great value with soil fitted to afford
exlaustless supplies of food man a country moreover
blessed with healthy and nvigorating climate favored
with unparalleled facilities for sen, river and lake navga
tlon waered throughout by streams which furnish
limited amount OF waterpower and stocked with the
most valuable descriptions of fish; bordered by
indented with bays and admirable harbors which open
such superabundan resources and sustained and stimulated
by energy of character which they have inherited with
us from common source, these coloniss destined
become great and hourshing people and to exercise
mean influence on the interests of northern continent
1t is question of serious consideration to own
statesmen what relation these colonies shall hereafter have
with this country whether their prosperity shall become
identified with by the reciprocal exchange of
tual benefits whether the barriers between the two
countries now partially removed, shall be rebuilt and
strengthened
The Canadian government has proposed to our own to
establish reciprocal free trade with in certain articles
the natural products Of both countries 1t remains with
the American government To determine whether the leading
principle of Mr. Pitts celebrated bill of equal and honest
reciprocity after having been buried for nearly three
quarters of century under the accumulated rubbish of
narrow and selfish enactmen shall become resuscitated
and form the basis of liberal legislation cannot
refrain from expressing my convictions that this measure
recommends itself strongly to American interests and mag
panmity 1t is true that objections against reciprocity
with Canada have been urged from which ente
them TO high consideration but il Is believed that while
the advantages to Canada wll be immediate the dsadvan
will be local empornry and will he