The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-04-16

Since that terrible scourge, the vine disease, ap-
peared in 1872, the annual production has gone
down from over thirteen hundred and forty million
gallons. ,312, liz, 000) in 1S4S, to only $50 mil
lion gallons in 1854. Hard times have come on,
Great Britain and the United States-the latter in
minor degree-have sent their steamers and sail
ing vessels over every sea, and grasped the com
merce of every nation while the ships of France are
rotting in her harbors, her warehouses are lying
empty, her ship yards inactive, and productive in
duStry is ut stand still. Nantes, the great sea
port of France whence such rich argoses mail steam
ers were to sail for all parts of the world
the verge OF total ruin and bankruptcy. Immense
sums have been laid out there within the last few
years to build docks, erect warehouses, and pre-
pare for an extensive commerce, and now this dis
astrous Financial crisis of 1851 and the deprecia-
ton Of the public fortune has come upon Them
and the merchants and ship owners of the place
have petitioned his Imperial Majesty for relief
They say, in their petition, cat present there is
further Specuat0ns, no more purchases of produce
where it is grown, and consequently no more
fTelghts; no more employment for our numerous
shipping. = 'By an
fortunate coincidence there are in the markets of
consumption such quantities of merchandise that
prices are falling every day. and have actually fall
en- so low that the importer has nothing to expect
but ruin and Disaster
The production of beet root sugar has so much
increased that in the present it exceeds the
preceding crop By 500000O0 kilogrammes lover
100000, 900 lbsl The cause of the evil, Sire, is
easily accounted for-''he enormous ercess of pro
ducfion orer eonsunlaion!" They go on to speak of
the ''disaster to the ship-owners- enormous de-
probation in the value of naval stores-numerous
ships lying idle in quays-a complete cessation
OF ship building-misery and ruin to seamen,
artisans, and operatives in great numbers, and
without employment in our towns. This melancholy
picture, Sire, is not exaggerated" They then ask
for ga reduction of customs duties and an extern
sion of consumption
This picture is unquestionably too true. A little
spasmodic activity is given to labor and business
by the large number of public works going on, the
public money expended in 1855 being 1920, 100000
dollars, not francs), and of this, Sl75 600 900 was
In Paris alone. That sum of money is nothing for
thrty-iye million people, and it had all to be con
tributed by them in some species of taxation. An
able French writer-M F. r. De La Trehonnais-
has well stated that agricultural prosperity is the
very foundation of the colossal power of England
the greatest the world has known, not except
ing even that of the Romans Yes it is probably
the foundation" but where would the superstrnc-
ture be, if there not liberal commercial policy
to seek out and find foreign market for surplus
production of over six hundred million dollars
worth of home products and manufactures? And
how is it with France? In 1856, the importation of
agricultural products into France amounted to more
than $50, 100000 Here are the items in sterling
m .