Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-01-16
GROWTH OF THE UNITED STATES.

We are in q fair way Of seeing warllke operation
commenced against Tho latter immediately alter tn
turn Of the year.
GROWTH OF THE UNITED STATES
During the past year the prosperity of the Cnlte'
States has received al unexamp!ed Development. Tit
various sources of true national wealth, the cultiva
ton of new LANDS, the increase Of the crops, the eS
tension of manufactures, the working of mines, tn,
import and export trade, foreign and home
the contraction and working of railroads, the growtl
and establishment Of cities, have all wonderfully 10
CREASED, and, by adding largely 10 the capita! Of th'
country, lIavs gwen such impulse and activity e
business o; all kinds, that 1t has far surpassed thu
best results ofany preceding year. This growth o
prosperity il but partially shown by the published
statements of the Secretary Of the Treasury, mas
much Il. the fiscal year OF the Government closes
with the a)th Of me, and, while The results Of those
statements embrace and are largely affected by In,
business ofthe latter hall of iSjj, thoy do not include
tina! Of the latter half OF 1856. An approximate idet
of the business of the year can be formed by eXarnin
ing tables Of the COMMERCE uni finances OF New York
III 1916. The transactions Of the New York clearing
house Tor lSJu SHOW an increase of 81 ,'UO, OD1 ,UUo, or
thirty per cent. on those of 1855, making the tota
Tor the year amount TO the enormous sum o.
81 800, GU0,GG0. The transactions of the London clear
ing house III 1899 amounted 10 SlII2,0OU'Ouu. lhey
amount now. probably, to triple thar sum. IL 50, tht
business of New York il equal 20 han that oil London
In the imports Snl exports I'll e i"h' iHtle ih
b-en an increase Of thirty three per cent. on those o
lS5,. Tn. increase IN railroad traffic has been from
twenty Ia thirty per cent.
TIE. Increase il! tho cultivation Of new IanJs, one o
the cLicf elements OF oar Prosperity, Ia shown by TIT
Isr,. sales vithuss lands. mud Gy the grants Of the pub
lie domain, amounting 10 seventeen million six bunire(
Thousand acres, nearly four times the extent OF Mas
sschuse,:-, or more than Belgium aud Holland united
Besides these large appropriations, Congress has grant
ed daring the Year 20 railroads, or 10 S,ales that vii
SOONER or later partially make n similar disposition
of them, about twenty oae million seven hundred
thousand acres making a total OF sales and grants il
a single year VI thirty nine million three hundred
thousand acres, equal in extent To Virginia, or alInos
a third uf France. Notwithstanding the great de
crease for 80 many years in the Federal domain. tn,
public lands yet remaining unsuld in the Territories ar,
equal in extent 10 the present tbirry.one States, o.
more than all Europe, except Russia. Farming ant
industrial production has kept pcce with other depart
inenis. lis approximate value AS estimated by tht
Secretary of the Treasury from the returns OF thu
census OF $40 md that OF 1850. WAS during the yeal
1856, atou, -, 600, 0G0, UU0. or triple that of 1880.
The Secretary estimates the value uf the entire
property Of the United States, taxed and not taxed, n
Sll, 81 ,00O,OD0 exclusive of the public domain. liz
estimates the population at % 9Gi ,3l2.
Al the close IF 1855. there were u ,OGl miles Of raj
road. There are now more than 2I,OOO miles. The
telegraph, which does 81 much 10 diminish the los
OF Interest, on capital, aud to quicken business by
anuihiatins, as ii were, the "lnaSniiicen, distances
Of our territory, now extends III almost every direc
ton throughout the Statss. 1t is esiimated that tbt
aggregate length of cur electric telegraph ID frou
forty 10 fifty thousand miles.
Our INGREDIENT marine has made great progress
durins tbs year. There have been constructed twt
hundred and ,wen.y-ouc Steuners. aud seventeen
hundred aud three ggi! vessels, with an aggregate
tonnage Ct i69. 3yi tons. Notwithstanding this lnrg'
aidI:ion!the official llSis show q decrease in the ton
mage ii tine merchant marins on that Uf 1875, CAUSED
by a more careful examination OF The Old lists, th'
ETC OF which ha4 been 10 crop from Tie account
!a-.e number OF veSsG.2 sold abroad, lost, or ion!
since condemned.
DniugrL- year. IL. Federal Government. has re
iuced III d-nt TWENTY-FIVE PER ceE;. ltro~ amount
T., SJn.h GOO, wish q residue IN the treasury O
so, UUO, 1850, after the pay tnent of al, demands. Tn
| President states tina: This debt can br entirely eI.;n
cui-hed for Tie sccDud time, III having been "n,lrel
!i~quidated in lSH5-J6) by the beginning Of 1853. an
he recommends that Congress AXE measures 10 pre-
! vent the injurious effects that would necessarily b
produced hy to- grent al accumulation II rpecie i
the Treasury. The statements If th financial al
| fairs Of the various States show everywhere a big
degree OF prosperity. TIE different cities, ccun;ie'
aud rai!road., throughout tic uuion, are in a lik
dourishiug condition The bauk., except q few j
| the eastern States, are also generally prosperous, i
consequence of the prudent restrictions put upn
their transactions BY the several Legislatures, ana b
their own private directors. The clearing houses c
Nav York aud Boston, the former established i
1853. the latter in 1855, have n wide influence. The
may bc considered MS the Indispensable complement
of the free banking system. To The salutary infu
ence exercised ny these institutions, may be adde
! that Of the guarantee, fret demanded Of the bank
by a law of ihs New York Legislature, and since e1
! acted by the Legislatures Of other States, OF Il depc
81, with the State TO secure the redemption OF ban
! notes. ihl, latter regulation mus, prevent The rick
of paper money, and the possibility OF such eIcessiv
issues rs preceded the crisis of 1887. The %increesin
proportion of guld As a circulating medium, since th
scquisitinn of California, the sysiem of specie pa,
men,s adopted by the Government since 1870, an
the SAT. rule for some time pursued by il Of maxim
no loans whatever for any purpose, to association
cities, counties, or States, arc additional securities fc
the permapeuce Of our moneyed and commercii
prosperity.
Il, thought by many that the development Of IN
resources OF the United States depends chiefly on f
reign CAPITAL. The falIacy Of this ldea is shown b
our progress since the Investment OF foreign capitt
among US WAS checked, three years ago, by the prof
pect and subsequent actual existence OF the Easter
war. In that time, our foreign commerce has grow
from $500, o MOOD to SGi2. G0c, O0D, an increase of 8
per cent: there has been n reduction in the natioht
debt of 2l 600, 0GO, OF 3l0.GU1, 900 more than the pre-
sent debt; from sl0.UG1,00 to tl5,O0 900, at prem
ums of ten and fifteen per cent, have been pad OF
European claims anI | n,b0D.D 900 for the purchase c
the Mesills valley, which eqasis in extent the king
dom of Belgium; our trade with Canada, under III
neg treaty, has iHr! "ased from S20,D0G, 0O0 in 1885,, I
$50 100. U00 in 1856; our rail roads, whichin 1913 wer
hardly IL, 100 miles long. are now, rs already STATED
over =, 600 in length; and the mines Of Californi
have supplied ia with about Sl70,OiO ,OGO IN golf
which has paid Tor our foreign imports, and furnishe
n residur sufficient for onr domestic wants. 1his r.
s;duu is obtained by d~eduating from 3lIO,OO 100 III
amount OF so!d received, Sl29,0 GO, 900, the amour
of specie eApn:,ed, giving III three years an additio
of sal 800, 900 10 the circulating medium oi the coul
try. -, mn
Meanwhile, our tonnage has increased ,20O, OO
tons. nr twenty-five pes cent tho cultivation of new
lands, Judging By the sales al public landa, covers q
extent ri u, NaD,0D0 ncrcs, equal 20 tho State OF Ohi'
or The kingdom % the Two S;rilies, while the tot
! amount OF llud s"!d ard granted for various OF
ircts has amounted 20 81 S0a,GG0 acres, aimos; equ'
~ New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, or to tn
| B,itisa Islands and Belgium. While the countr
has TINS improved, villages have been transfnrme
into cities, and cities have grown by the consiruc;io
! Of buildings unequaled b. any built in former year!
In four years, The number Of pos; offices has increas
ed twenty five per cent. or IRON 20.93I in 1852, t
- 800 in IS56. showing the creation If 1874 ne'
c.niers Of population IN that si,nri period.
Thus. year by ycaf. are the United States advanc
ing in material prosperity, aud, az Il natural result {
he development OF their buundiess resources, be
coming, in d measure independent, Of the aid ot im-
,;rn cap::ai, TO which nothing but the desire TO de
| v.!on with still more startling rap.dity their grea
u.;ura, advantages necG npw induce them Ia resort
| 4 vast, bewiiiering estate Of national wealth an
| ,,lo,y is before them, which tho great future offers t
| their eager hands. May !hry not madly forfeit tn
noble prize due Ia national virtue! Disuni"l an