The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-11-21


her once broad Indian possessions She is now
endeavoring to get into Cochin China where she
once held sway, and may or may not succeed in
doing so. II is curious fact that while
France is sending ships and soldiers
to help England break into China, she is seek
ing aid Of the Spanish power in Manila, which is
sending forces to hel the French in their at
tempt to get into Cocl n China But whether
France succeeds in that aicmpt or not, she can
never acquire any great Id of the commerce Of
the East In trade, the F enchman has nothing
Of the merchant at best he never ascends above
the level Of a retailer and the pedlar of ribbons
ard perfumory.
The great commerce which is now about
sprngng into existence on either shore of the
North Pacific must come into the hands Of the
Americans and Russians. On either shore each
Of those nations is founding an empire. Our
Pacific States have not yet come even into the
gristle, while the Russian territories on the
Amoor arc still in the germ. We have been
working away quietly here in New York for the
past two or three years. TO give both communities
a start. and it has been done. We shall soon
have the fourth route opened between us and
San Francisco; we have sent out steamers, ma
chnery for founderics, and traps innumerable to
the AMOR. and in couple OF years the whole
thing will be under way, including a railroad to
the western shore of the continent A great fuss
has been made over the progress that has been
attained in ocean steam navigation on the
Atlantic. But all that we have done here is
only an apprenticeship to the great labor we
have to perform on the Pacific. That ocean is
to be the true scene of the empire of steam, and
We of the United States have to rule it.
Across its broad surface dotted everywhere
with islands for ports Of call, the winds blow
with regularity Of direction that precludes COM
petition between sailing vessels and steamers.
There the interchanges between the civilized
world and five hundred millions of Asatcs have
to be transported New cities will spring up
everywhere-new sources Of trade will be open
cd that will far surpass the limited exchanges
Of nations with similarity of production and
industry, lying upon the shores Of. the Atlantic.
This is already foreseen, and everywhere the
great search now prosecuted in those regions is
for coal, which is the parent Of steam. In this
empire Of trade Americans must rule. Their
proximity, their indomitable enterprise, their
fertility of resources, their adaptability to the
material circumstances that surround them their
freedom from the trammels Of social classes.
which gives intellect its due sway and power
full stmulant, will all contribute to this end.
England may seek to obtain footholds in the
East, and places for the younger scions of her
aristocraiical classes; but in the building up of
new empires and the opening of new paths for
commerce, whe Their it he through the forest or
over the ocean, she cannot compete with the
United States.
Therein lies the connection between the
Jeaiousies of the English diplomatists in Asia
and her efforts to secure an unlimited control of
one of the routes across the American isthmus.
She sees the coming commercial prepondcrancc
Of the United States Therein, too, lies the wish
Of the President TO secure the construction of a
railroad to the Pacific. We shall always send a
thousand travellers across the American 18TH
muses. where England sends one, for they are
the routes. TO our rising empire in the North
Pacific. We shall use them. and use brings con-
troll.