The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-08-09

II ey are further informed by this official and ex
clusively authorized purveyor Of news that England
II at this moment suffering The extremity Of famine
rom the stoppage Of her usual supplies from the
Black Sea. Wheat, to use Its own expression, is al
the famine price Of sos. quarter, and our working
classes are beginning to apprehend the time when
they viii be reduced to give up this costly luxury. II
is further intimated that, much our people hate
the Gar and fond as they may be of their new pro-
fege, the Turk, they Lot prepared TO sacrifice
their usual diet of bread from the finest wheat -four to
the indulgence of these feelings or, if they should
attempt to combine the two indulgences, they viii do
so at the expense of those other duable articles from
which the revenue Is derived. To Russian vanity,
not to speak of Russian ambition, 1t must be very
delightful to contemplate the laboring population
OF this country as dependent on Russia--as PAM
Pc red and starved, rejoicing and pining, at her
discretion. 1t imparts q new shade of ingratitade
to our hostility that we turn against the hand
that feeds u.s. and presume on the abundance per.
mits us to enjoy. The Gear u the father of many
nbes let us hasten to enrol ourselves in the num-
Der. But, before we sell our bithright for q meas
OF pottage let at least be- quite sure that We can
get the meas OF potfage from ne other quarter. Let
US look 70 the monthly returns of the Board of
TRADE which give Us the figures on this very ques.
tion. Here, perhaps, We may venture to use with
somewhat less reserve the above quoted axiom that
figures speak for themselves and, 80 far from fall
ue OF foreign supplies 80 far from there having been
less importation Of corn than usual, we find that
the importation Of wheat during the last month for
which any return has bAen made--viz: the month
ending June s, 1854, was very much grester than in
CJsAU
greater still than in the Same month of 1852. We
nnd the same very great increase in the importation
OF wheat for the five months ending June S, COM
pa ed with the same period in the two former years
WIN one exception, uncomfortable and easily ac-
counted for the increase runs through all the differ
en heads of grain and -four It is quite evident that
England has only to hold up her finger, and any
Of supply port Or one
from many others, and that Russia can no more de-
pfNe us OF bread than she can deprive US of water
or the air we breathe.
Before the alarming calculations of the Russian
economist could arrive at this country, and have
their intended impression the nerves of the Bri.
tish operative, the markets themselves were ready
with reply. The fine seasonablc weather of the
last few weeks has advanced the crops In the ground
SO far that prices have fallen rapidly and in one
week onr provincial correspondents report decline
OF ten sLings quarter 1t il only inst now that
the war has begun in good earnest, and the block
ade been made effectua; yet, contemporaneously
With ar event which the Russians interpret into the
doom OF starvation pronounced by ourselves on our
own heads, there arises a sudden cheapness aud
abundance This occurs in country where
everything relating to trade is left to tako its own
course ano where the price of wheat in the market
has no respect for political considerations. All that
we know Is, wheat has gone down. Something,
lndeed, we know OF the reason There never was 80
great breadth of wheat sown in this country, and
the crops on that increased breadth promise an un-
eXampied rate Of production. Wheat and other
gram have poured In from all parts Of the world,
usual. War never has been able to keep corn out of
this country, and to ell appearance never WILL Thus
even the actual commencement Of hostilities hap.
rens to be coincident with decline in prices As
with corn, 80 Ia 1t with the rest Of our trade No
war. not even the Cafret war; caused so little
disturbance to commercial operations. Thus far the
only lesson to be drawn is that we can do without
Russia; and, though it is true some articles for
which we have hitherto been dependent on
that country for supplies have become dear, yet on
all sides we hear Of regions equally adapted to
their culture, and Of available substitutes War is
generally found to break up accidensal monopolies,
to give fresh stimulus to invention and enterprise,
and to lay open new fields to our commerce. Should
this war last long enough, the only permanent
stand more competition in our market than she ever
| bad before. The Emperor Of China, indeed, has
some reason for depreciating US, as dependents on
,or R 1s p really cannot sn YET buy
production and the mere fact which she takes
pains to proclaim that wheat has st bod for some
time at sos: quarter, is enough to cover other
plains and other hills with waving crops, and to fill
other rivers and other ports with fleets ready to
convey them to this country.
THE FINANCES OF RUSSIA.
French journal pm lishes an interesting article
| on the fnarcal situation of Russia. The following
are the most salient point, of it,
At the news Of the declaration Of war by France
ard England the exchange on Paris fell at St. Pc
tefslurg from $50 to 3OSthat is to saw the rcuble
4
longer worth more than 81. Sc. Ii in order to
ward of the danger which would result from.snch
state Of things that the Russian government pro
hibtsd the export of gold; but this measure took
1 from commerce the only means of mitigating the
injury to which it was exposed by tine loss in the
exchange, and trade was thus thrown into complete
confusion.
4 This disturbance is the greater, inasmuch as in
Russia the banks do not in any way resemble anaio
gous institutions whith see in operation with us.
The Russian government, in fact, being inspired,
aan.fla l,t,.n
exaggerated principles Of communism, has not
confined itself to facilting the creations of free
! industry. II has wished to substitute itself in its
place Tor the institution of private credit; it has
mace 1t its own; and 1t may be said that in the in.
terror its principal resources arise from the double
monopoly which it has attributed to itself, and
which ccnsists-1st, in manufacturing and issuing
for its profit The financial moneywhich Independent
banks Issue in other countres "a. in founding aud
working also for its own benefit all the great COM
mercial industrial, and financial credit establish
ments.
II results from this that oil the fol tune of the
coultry is in the hands Of the State, and that on
the day when the State is embarrassed the country
is ruined, and then by natural consequence, pri.
yate cstastrophes react in rightful manner the
I. public finances.
| The last report made to the Gear b. the Minister
of Finance states tina, the LIST Of January, 1885,
The sums coniided by private individuals to the ere.
dit establishments OF the empire exceeded the sum
of three millards, divided as follow
10 The Loan Bank. ............... $50 ,653 ,940f.
10 The two Iombsr6s OF ST. Peters
burg and Moscow. ............. i ,66S, 1873 9l6f.
To the Commercial Bank .......... 0,6s0, 596f.
To the charitable establishments. 216sS9, 96sf
Total Of deposits ............. 1921 500 ,420f.
These accounts concern Russia alone. Poland
has it's special establishment, (tne Bank Of War.
SAW the deposits in which amounted. according
to the last return, to l3s 900 000 which, added to
The above mentioned amount, form total Of three
unlhards, 800 600 ,o00i, payable on the demand OF
the deposisors within oelsy which, according to
u Importance Of the sums wales from eight days
10 three months.
The Russian government, IL kept for any time in
check will be very shortly placed in The alternative
( either Of becoming bankrupt or of bearing the
weight Of all the Individual disasters when is poll.
J cy stall have provoked. And let it be well reailrk
I ed that the question Is not Of a temporary embar.
rasafnent for Rnesia: the question Il OF var IN.