The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-11-07
A new Route for direct Trade with Eu-
rope.

The Chicago papers frequently notice the
arrival at that port Vessels direct from Eng
land, laden with mer chandise, which have
come up the ST. Lawrence, and through
the Lakes, and urge the superiority OF that
route over the New York route to importers
from Europt. They claim that the saving
of time and expense in thus receiving their
goods direct, without re-shipping at the Sea
mort towns in the States, enables the impor-
tiers to realize a much better profit than if
they had come by Boston or New York.
The fact that the St. Lawrence is the nat
ural highway for the commerce of Europe
and the North West is becoming by these
occurrences every day more and more evil
dent, and many years will not elapse, proba-
bly, until that route shall have been adopted
universally, in our trade with foreign coun-
tries.
As direct means Of importing, it cannot
be valued so highly,-as before many years,
our imports from Europe will become very
Insignificant. With the proper encourage
ment from home consumers to home manu-
lecturers, winch Is every day growing more
strong, We will before that time produce
nearly all of whatever we use, whether of
course or fancy fabrics, for all purposes. Our
manufacturing population will not then be
subjected to the dread alternatives of crime or
starvation by the stoppage of the manufacto-
ries brought on by excessive importations
from abroad. That they can vie with for
eign producers very soon and the demand for
foreign fabrics thus decrease, is undoubtedly
true, for the leaven has already commenced
to work during the present crisis. The route
thus looses its Importance in that light, while
as means of shipping our immense surplus
Of grain and produce to foreign countries
will continually increase in value.
As the North West gradually settles up,
and its tens of millions of fertile acres are
brought under cultivation, producing vast
surplus of bread stuffs, the States bordering
on the Lakes in the North Westcan thus
ave route for sending it abroad. 1t is as
highway for exporting that it is to be of the
greatest -alue to the North West, affording
Inc most direct communication with the coun-
tries consuming its products.
Cities on the Lakes, Superior. Bayfield,, On
tonagon, Marquette, Green Bay, Milwaukee,
Racine, Chicago, etc, connected with the in
terror, or soon to be, by railroads through the
country will become the great shipping points
for this surplus, and receiving stations for our
foreign imports.
Twenty years ago, the country imported
millions Of dollars ,Corth Of JreadstuSs from
abroad. To-day, there is surplus of thirty
millions of dollars worth of breadstuffs for er-
port. The majority of this immense amount
is from the Western States. Most of the
North Western States are as yet but half set
tied, and little cultivated. Receiving hence
forward new impetus, in a short time the
wilderness will be brought under cultivation.
There must be some highway for exporting
the enormous surplus which will be annually
raised then, and none seems more important
or cheap than that route through the Lakes
and out the St. Lawrence river.