Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-10-12

LETTER FROM GOVERNOR wisE-sTEaA b.
TWEEN TiiE ClE~irEAHE AND 2oc!h A'!r''

Gl-pjTi uf NiliGiNlA"a.
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,;...,t 49, ....ss.: - III - ~ 81 -
H-r.'. ,a.-' sf. u c'iuntr.' TX tr"-" - '''' = . 80
lee -; Important 'u' j-ct of direct 49,. III ~ ,'r'
most i-a- br inrnrs. The letter r!hon'l-7 W''; -"
p,r;ant particulars 10 regard - iha exciting lialt "
,,,od.s nj communication. and shows conciutive'y that
u lr merchant need only the ''hesf' ~
win the proudest honors OF the great coip"e'c'"'
contest.
We will not msr the effect Of this valuable letter by
a nrolonoed prsisce, hut merely promise that the
corrtspondeucs had its origin III thls "lse' "a '"
dave since. Mr.. Iiiggs, the President OF 'ho E!c'ausr'
nad several others of the members, "e'e ~
mond, making arrangements On .ehhl VI s. = r.
b ard Towing aud Transpot tai;o1 Company mnru."e!
took occasion To pay iheir r. pectd i" the u"Ve'no''
They we're mos: kindly received, a;ii All eA'enuea ~
terv.ew took place, in which Gov r. " I'e e-ptee e.
deepest interest III the subject II Gir-'' iIsue u. ~
European commerce lay in hi es;shiishihthi VI s'eah,
communication with South anet'cs' ms u".''s' W
reasoning was 80 cogent aud lmpresste 'ne w.
Biggs, on behalf of his aesocia'ioh; u - :.
hrired by letter that he would emoouy MS views u "
written communication. The Governor 8 arHuHientf,
whsn read before the Exchange, carried euch "risn.
with the members that they maize Inc iur,hei iequss'
thar he yould allow them 10 be published ior Inc
public benefit. To this he gracefully accened' thouTh
he had mot written with All eye TO publication
We are glad ,hus 10 have The opportunity OF laying
this impressive letter before our readers;
RICHMOND, Va, Sept. 10Th, 1883.
To Kader BiRgs, Esq. a..
Sir-Yours of the oath inst. was received TINS
morning, and I reply Immediately that did no! eH-
meet the conversation which l cur-orly heia WIN
you to make any abiding impression or 10 p!ouuce
any results but it was upon a su6J.ct ,Ie irPoi
lance nj which ia TOO great to be slighfed by Vrgi
mans. and especially by Norfolk and Richmond and
| therefore ~cheerfully apply the materials al my com
msnd 10 the you request. l canno' Gu.
ter into details, but the general facts are snmcleht
TO illustrate the in,erest We should 'aAo ~ '"o sun
ject. - II o,o, 90
The praat European trade has attracted all eyes so
intentIv that attention has been drawn from equally
important enterprises which are periscty ptaclic"''
and actually inviting our industry ana lhV1stlhsh.~
A trade with Europe is all Important, and i mem nor
10 detract from the efforts made 10 utvtIope ana
establish it. But time and immense acquisitions OF
capital, and u long education of merchants associated
with foreign trade, and the most costy steam na'i-
ration. are all necessary to attain the far OIL con
summation OF a direct trade with the ports OF the
Old World. And the question has always puzzled
me whether We are not attempting ITO put me cart
before the horse" in transportation, by attempting 10
establish lines of mammoth steHmsrs before We nave
comple.ed our works Of internal improvement. ana
piled the pabulum Of commerce on the quays OF the
Ch.sapaake, tor a trade with England or the CONT
uent of Europe. That trade has ita channels, liz con.
ne1iops abroad, its associations 1T home, its capital
located, and its merchants educated. But there IL
another trada, naturally and legitimately ours, ana
waiting only for a MASTER merchant TO mart all It's I'M
mense materials, Rnd To maks us a city OF foreign
commerce lager in proportion than We no" nave
capital to employ in IFS development, l mean me
trade with South America, the Wet lpdIes' bru1h'
Buenos Ayres and Paraguay.
Al the falls of James River, here at Richmond, the
capital Of this Commonwealth, We have mighty mills
ssid 10 bathe lsrge-t 10 the world. grinding morethan
half q million 0 fbbh. of the finest Hour per hlnuin; ana
that -four commands the very highest price oil any
in The world at Rio de Janeiro. and is the great item
of all our exports to South America. That -four, grown
on our soil, ground by our mills, psys US only q terre
tenant profit und II miler's toll. Until lateiy
il gave us no ehip-owuer, and has butt us no
ships, made ue no sail makers and riggere, Train
ed for ua no chip chambers, given ne no ireights,
10 dunnsge, TO foreign eIc6snIe, ana mas seht
back 10 US no Imports Of coffee, and hidea, and
fruits for wholesale distribution to tho interior, and
has fos,ered no interior trade tor that Distribution
and has, consequently, educated no merchants IN fhe
foreign trade, Brought us no capital o! com
merce, and built Is no cities. Why mott wing,
heretofore. our internal improvements have not been
completed, and We could not heve q distributing
point, not even for OF. own great Valley u! Virginia,
and We have had 40 sgentS and factors abroad to
send us imporis;Iuns upon the best tsfias, and eonss-
queutly we have been mere retailers OF the proceeds
Of our own produce, and NO importers.
When Minister Of the United States at the Court
Of Brazil for nearly four years, from the beginning OF
lS4i TO the end of l8f7, whilst Gallego aud HsIal!
-four commanded p nireis per barrel, the Trieste,
Chill, Cincinnati, Philadelphia. New York and Baltl-
more -four commanded -, 20 ard IL milries on III av
erage. The French bakers bought the Richmond
-four "a a printing for their bread, so superior WAS 1t
10 Wilderness and gluten, and, under proper inspection,
II continues to command the markets OF South Amer
lea, Lut the ships which carry that -four from Viz
ginis TO Rio are all built in Baltimore, New YORK, or
further North. Theirs they are manned, rugged and
victualed. They come TO City Point Tor our Hour
and spend nothing amongst Us Whilst loading, Tor
they come provided for the voyage. Thsir owners
make the freight, the dunnage and the exchange, Gnd
above all. they bring back the return cargoes, not TO
us. but TO Baltimore or New York, TO bG distributed,
and The coffee comes through thea ports TO our peo,
pie at retail prices. Until .ately, lrepeni, not i pound
was imported into Virginia, nat a virginia bot
tom was employed in this trade, aud not q port or
place OF Virginia sent a bag to the interior, but we
were consumers at retail prices n the very city OF
Richmond which ground the -four that bought the
coffee.
But, now, by the South Western, and Sou;h.Side,
and Norfolk and Petersburg Raj Roads, and by the
, Central, Norfolk and Richmond are connected with
tie great interior, with the ifttrminabie W,.t al
Memphis, and will soon be VITA Cincinnati. AL lu'
terror Virginia is opened, and he beautiful ana tat
pastures and Whea;iaDds OF EastT Tennessee, heretofore
unknown, will no longer get 10 market on the hoots OF
cattle and swine. In future tag will send wheat or
fonr, and mesa pork snd beef tliichmond, and Hlch-
rnond can Distribute TO them tieir sugars, coffee and
groceries of all kinds and a, thei: supplies. why
Cannot Norfolk fulfil her nS;ira. destiny and be the
great port of expor; and impsrt for This point ut DIS
tribution for thess great mill, and for the places IN
Vulnerable of the interior andiha Wet TO be supplied
with West India and South american product-! II
there not a concordance and homogeneiiy OF interest
between Richmond and Norfolk, in this already estab
lished and natural and Legitimate foreign trader
Richmond has already began tho enterpriSe, ami
has, | believe, five fue barqles importing the return
csryoes for Whist her mills gind and seDd away
Norfolk il the natural port a and Rich
uond is the gransry, and thu mln'house' and Inc dis-
;ributing point to the intsrio. That il the true har-
mony OF the trade. Let US hWe Il.
From memorials presented TO the !sst Congress by
! John Gardner, long 3 Rc commission merchant, we'll
known 10 ma fo. shrewd indulgence, on wsloss state
men's you may rely for tho etatis;ics he presents, |
extract some important tac'. ills Tas seeking sub,
aides for mail steamers TO the Wet indies, Brazil
and the Argentine Republic He might we'll pray for
malls to South America. England has mails, Bel
gium has mails, France hH. mails, and Brazil has
mails carried by steamers fom Ro to Europe, out
the United States have none. Coffee may De falling
aud -four rising, and the Eurapean aud United States
merchant may start even ir the race to get intelii'
gence home. The letter 10 Trieste will go direct by
steam, and the flour IL s,nds for De hail way back
whilst the letter for Richmond has 10 20 to South
ampton, in England; getting there, il finds Engand
has DO steam mall more direct than 10 Halifax or ST.
Thomas. and to Halifax our letters have to 90 10 get
TO Richmond, and by theti;ne they get here Inc prlas
is won BY the Trieste trGjer In Rio. To remedy this
intardlct on our trade 10 competition with Europeans
IN South America, Mr.. Gardner presented his memo.
rial To Congress. No o1e hers took notice of IL,
though We were more deeply intertsted IN II than We
are in the great ColIins lire itself. But J AIN NJ; urg-
ing a mail line-certain.y not one %ris.iin2 lrou New
York for us-l an presenting to you da!a Tor the
estimate of profit. on d commercial line tom Norfolk
30 Rio de Janeiro.
Is. We have no steam lines in connection with
South Americs; though they would, AZ they ha', for
Europe. vastly lncresse our commerce with ths nth.
I'd. We having 10 -t-am line with South Aneica,
ani European Powers having eeversI, our co'nmarc-
is seriously injured thereby. Eurores onm rec
and intercourse is enlarged 1t our expense.
81. | would star, a line ut Norfolk, touch at 81.
Thomas, thu great distributing point Of the Engiah
and other West India mails. thence to barbados;
thenae to PoInambHco, BHhls ami liio de J.n"irc A
smsller stsa'ner here would connect with Montavi-o
and Buenos Ayres.
An, The distance would he from
Norfolk TO Cape Henry, East. - miies.
Cnpe Henry 20 s.. Thon4s, ). 3S' E.. 1.36l miles.
| -, -Jy,,,sI o., ua,buj,ay - iiO f. III mills