Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-01-22

During the past year tho prosperity oi the nitel
States has received an Uuetlmplel development
The various of true national wealth. the en-
tiynlon of new lands, the increase oflhe crops, tic
extension of manufactures the wording of mines the
import and export trade foreign and homc commerce,
the construction and working OF riilroads the growth
and establishment Of cities, have all wonderfully in
creased, and, by adding largely 10 the capital of tho
country have given such impulse aud activity to bus
mess of all kinds, that it has far surpassed the best
results fany preceding year. This growth OF pro-
perty is but partially shown by the publ shed state
mcnts of the Secretary OF the Treasury iuasmuch M
the fiscal year of the Government closes with the 1O
OF June, and while the results of those statements
embrace and are largely affected by the business of
the latter half of 1855, they do include that tho
latter half of $50. An approximate idea Of the bus
mess ofthe year can be formed by examining tablcs
OF the commerce and finances of New York in ls56
The transactions OF the New York clearing house or
1886 show increase Of $l,10n0o0, 900, or thirty
per cent, on those OF 1898. making The total for the
year amount to the enormous of $1,000, 600 900
The transactions of the London clearing house in 1870
amounted to Sl,i12 ,o00,OOo They amount now,
probably, to triple that sum II so, the business OF
New York is equal 10 half that of London. In the
imports and exports of New Nork, there has been
increase of thirty three per cent those of 1900.
The increase in railroad traffic has been from twenty
TO thirty per cen.
Tho increase in the cultivation of new unds. ono of
the chief elements of our prosperity, is shown by the
large sales of those lands, and by tho grants OF the
public domain, amounting to seventeen million SIX
hundred thousand acres, nearly four times the extent
Massachusetts,, or more than Belgium aud Holland
united Besides these large appropriations, Congress
has granted during the year to railroads. To States
that will sooner or later partially make similar dis
position of them about twent million seven hun
bred thousand acres; making total of sales and
grants in ainge year of thrty-niue million tire,
hundred thousand acres, equal in extent to Virginia
or almost third of France. =. Notwithstanding th'
great decrease for SO many years in tue Federal do
main, the public lands yet remaining unsod in th'
Territories equal in extent to the present thirty
one States, or more than all Europe except Rnssn
Farming and industrial production has kept pac,
I with other departments, Its approximate value rs
estimated by the Secretary of the Treasury from the
of the of $40 and that of 1880, was
during the year 1856, about $4,000 900, or triple
| that OF 1880.
| The Secretary estimates the value of the entire
property of the United States taxed aud not taxed NJ
ST. ,3l7 900 900, exclusive Of the public domain. t
| estimates the population at 28,964,3l2.
At the close OF 1858, there u ,o69 miles of rail
| road. There are now more than - 600 miles. Tho
telegraph, which does much 10 diminish the loss o
interest capital and quicken business by ami
hilatug, rs it were, the magnificent distances o
territory, ,-'ta}> II almost every direction
throughout the States !, l. estimated that the ag
gregate length of our electric telegraph is from for
ty to fifty thousand miles
| ing the year There u,te esta constructed two hun
bred and twenty-ono steamers, and seventeen hun
bred and three sail vessels with aggregate Tonnage
| Of Acc 39i tons. notwithstanding this large add
tion the official lists show decrease in tie Tonnage
of the merchant marine on that of 1879, caused by
careful examination of the old lists the effect o
which has been to drop from the account larg
number OF vessels sold abroad lost long since con
| demnei.
During the year, the Federal Government has re
ducei its debt twenty -dve per cent Ii now amounts
to $4,000, OO0 with residue in the treasury o
S22,O00,oD0, after the payment of all dema IDS TIN
President states that this debt be entirely extin
guished for the second time, (it having been enre,
hqmdaied in ls35-36) by the beginning ef ls5s,an,
he recommends that Congress take measures to pre-
vent the injurious effects that would ncee-,rlY b,
produced by too great accumulation of specie il
the Treasury. The statements of the financial affair
Of the various States show every where u h. Ii tegre
OF prosperity The different cities, ounes and rail
roads, throughout the Union, in like hourishin
condition. The banks, except few in the easter
States, also generally prosperous in consequent
of the prudent restrictions put upon their transaC