The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-10-19

Effect or THE PANIC on OUR FINANCIAL.
DEcoY- Ducks ACKNOWLEDGMENT MIGRATION
or OR JEREMY DIppIERs Amongst the variety
Of interests which viii be affected by our none
tary embarrasemen,s there Is one class whose
sufferipgs will not, We apprehend, excite much
sympathy. We allude to our financial agents
and decoy ducks who for some years past have
inundated the European capitals and contributed
to the responsibility of the American name
abroad. The expansion given to railroad enter
prizes in this country by the discovery Of gold 10
California called this class Of Adventures into
existence, and the eagernefs with which foreign
spectators caught at the temptations held out to
them furnished them full employment. Immense
sums were made by some Of these persons, and, as
in Europe, in order to make money II is
necessary to make show Of 1t, the amounts
expended by them in keeping up appear
ances were pToportionately large. Thus
in London Paris, Vienna and Berlin-the chief
scenes Of their operations-they lived in style
equal TO that OF the wealthiest mobiles, and scat
tered money about with prodigal hand. Their
dinners at Mivart's and the Clarenion--their
epicurean banquets of Tortoni's and the Maison
Doree-their luxuriously furnished apartments
their splendid equipages, and their reckless ex-
travagaace generally-all combined to gid the
bait which attracted so many dupes. How
could enterprises be otherwise than sound that
maintained their representatives 10 such princely
style? Where could ones money be more profit
ably invested than In speculations which offered,
in addition to enormous dividends, the palatsble
erioymerts Of costly dinners and the rarest
wines? Under such fourishing aspect Of things,
IL was not surprising that our railroad agents
made hosts Of friends in foreign capitals and
found influential persons ready TO promote their
schemes.
But, ucgrateful az II may appear, there was
large class amongst the Americans resident
or travelling abrosd--who we're dissatisfied
at the manner in which these parties con-
6uctcd their operationa They found no fault
OF course, with the large amounts of capital
which we're sent cut 10 this country through their
iDstrumen,ality. They gumbled only at the in
convenience TO which their style of doing bust
ness subjected themselver The expensive habits
ard proiuse expenditure Of these agents had 10
fact run up the American name for extravaganza,
amongst the Continental sbopkeepers, TO q point
which rendered II difficult for an American Of
moderate mears to- get fairly treated In his
dealings Even the Russians, those reckless
SybaritCs to wbosc appetites whole principalitles
are compelled to pay tribute, we're gradually
falling book into the second rank In the eetims-
tion Of the Boulevard des ItaIiens and the Rue
de 10 PAX. American fortunes and American
capiices we've believed 10 be an exhaustless field
for exploitation, and consequently wherever the
Ams rican travelled he was sure to be duped and
pllaged to an extent to which even the proven
hal conceit and ostentation Of the English and
the Injurious habits to the Russians had rarely
exposed them.
But this was the least Of the grievances TO
which our moneyed reputation subjected sober
Americans abroad The facility with which our
railroad Agent made and spent money induced