The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-06-03

The cause of this extraordinary diversion of the
Lake trade from port to another is thus briefly
but lucidly explained '"The hides, bacon, pork,
'beef lard, and other produce of the West, and
1.-THE sugar, molasses, iron, STEEL castings, coal,
salt leather, crockery, and other merchandise OF
'the east naturally sought the cheapest channel to
their destination; which always lies in the shortest
inland transportation from or to the Lakes and
this advantage gave the trade to Oswego.''
Such being the facts of the case, the Committee
very pertinently inquire whether t is not import
''ant for the citizens of Philadelphia and Bati-
''more," for it was impossible wholly to ignore
the existence of Baltimore in connection with any
speculation upon the nearest inland route to
the Lakes-to examine whether a harbor
even more favorably situated than Oswego
could not be found on Lake Ontario They
then point out as it was to be expected
they would, the superior advantages offered by So
dus Bay, and to that Bay Baltimore possesses great
facilities of access than any other Atlantic port
Have we then, in the next place, those articles of
domestic consumption which are most in demand
in Northern Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Upper
Canada? Let us see what they are. They consist
principally of COAL leather iron and iron castings
steel, salt, molasses, coffee, sugar, and general
merchandise. With all these commodities our
market is well supplied, and with some ofthem ire
spectve ofess cost of transportation cheaper than
they can be bought in the cities to the Eastward.
The anthracite coal lies directly on the line of route
the bituminous comes to US from our own Cum
berland mountains. Our commerce with South
America furnishes us with hides to be tanned into
leather, and from Turk Island we readily import
salt. Our proximity to the Southern States and
the West India Islands has long since established
foGrishing commerce in the products of the
Tropics, while our mountain furnaces and our city
foundries are capable of turning out almost any
amount of raw and manufactured IRON Having
then the commodities and the nearest market
what hinders us from entering into competition
for trade so valuable, and so rapidly
expanding? We have been so accustomed
to look westward for the agricultural pro-
ducts of the valleys of the Ohio and the
Mississippi, that we seem to have utterly lost
sight of the mexampled increase of popula-
ton in the northwestern States and the extra
ordinary energy The people of that region have
displayed in developing its resources Yet, the
day will come when the inland commerce of the
Mississippi and the Ohio will not bear comparison
with that of the country drained by the Great
Lakes and moreover we must remember, that
even for the products of the West, we have active
competitors. Pennsylvania and New York are
strenuously exerting themselves to drain the West
of its produce by the northern routes; Virginia has
reused herself from her Rip Van Wrinkle slumber
and is pushing forward her great Railway into
the heart of Tennessee and thence to Memphis and
the Mississippi The Illinois Central taps the
Mississippi and Ohio at Cairo, and all through the
West and Southwest and South, exists perfect
network of Railways. Let us then turn our at
tention not to the Westward alone, but northward-
ly also. We have the advantage of position, and
we have likewise those commodities most in de-
mand; it needs but the construction of thirty-fve
miles of Railway to complete our connection al
most by an air line with Sodus Bay, and when
that is finished, if we fail to reap the advantages
it offers, the fault will be owing to our own SUI
pineness, and not to any natural obstacle to our
success.