Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-02-10


Obliged 10 TO- or compel their customers TO re.
sort to other cities where there is no such
prohibition. i modification Of this ordinance
would afford employment 10 large number Of
men during the cool weather in the summer
months.
The increase in the sales Of oysters is estl.
mated at fully thirty-three per cent this sea
son.
The raw oysters during the fall and winter
are shipped to the lartneSt points Of the West
in ar-tisht cans. packed in ice, and reach their
destination in excellent condition. The pre-
served oysters arc shipped to the Wcs. us well
as 10 California. Australia South America. and
various parts nf Europe, and meet with ready
sale wherever they are sent.
The number Of persons employed in the bust.
ness of opening preparing aud packing oysters
IN this city varies from Zoo to :, 900. OrliIosc
engaged in opening shucking) about 600
are colorcd persons. The packing and saving
gives employment to several hundred white
men, the number employed in filling the cans
alone exceeding 200.
The oysters are all procured in the waters South
Of the mouth Of the PItapSco river. \ great
portion arc taken by dredging in ten to twenty
fathonls water, but the largest and finest are
taken with tongs in shalowcr water, in the
numerous rivers and inlcts, the best being
mostly found towards the mouth Of the Chcsa-
peakc. In many places the system Of planting
is proiilably reSorted to- the modo being to
take the small oysters from deep water and
lay them down in shallow coves, where they
increase, in two or three years, to Il very large
size. The process is an easy and certain one.
r., IL,
the crop ever affected by any kind Of weather,
and the increase is unI;silinS. The oysters are
brought to the city i'll small vessels, varying in
size from 20 to $50 tons, carrying from 300 to
1900 bushels each. Among them wc include
a fast-suilng species Of small schooncrs called
''pungics," peculiar to our bay alone, and cost
ing from 81 200 to s., 900 each. The number
of vessels, large and small, ergaged in the
trade is estimated at ono thousand.
The quantity Of tin plate used for this cspe-
cial business is no inconsidcrable item 1t is
supposed ,llat the value OF tin plate and solder
annually consumed is not less than $3.50, 900
The number Of timers employed in the manu-
facturc Of cans is over 300 and one factory
alone, in which machinery is extensively en-
ployed made this year, ono million Of tin cans
About 900 900 feet Of lumber are consumed
in the Manufacture Of boxes for packing the
cans. to make which some 200 carpenters arc
employed Exclusive Of the value Of the YES
scls. buildings, &c, the capital invested in the
business is about s 100000.
Value of trade in packed oysters. :. 5000, 900
Value Of oysters consumed in city
Value Of preserved fruits ....... ala,000
a revenue may, I should think, be raised by
taxing the oysters per bushel per tonaccording
to customhousc measurement. have no know
ledge Of the oyster trade (rcliablc) except what
know by statistics. mean by statistics the
annual pricc.current Of Baltimore This price
current does not specify the oysters from Vir-
gnia exactly. but have supposed that one
haif nent frcm t5e waiers Of Virginia, the
Chesapeake and lis tributaries ! have no ac-
tual knowledge of what oysters 20 to Balti-
more from Virginia. only knowa great many
have been carried from the Rappahannock 10
Baltimore, New York and Philadelphia. was
never engaged in the trade. know nothing
OF the profits made by vessels engaged in the
oyster trade. cannot say what tax that trade
would bear There are men irrregularly en-
gagged in running oysters from the Nomni and
Machodo creeks TO market to Baltimore, Wash
ngton and Alexandria, | have no idea Of the
quantity of oysters run. The steamers think,
would be n protection to the oysters, ard in
case OF invasion would be the means Of giving
tr:c first intelligence at particular seasons. a
steamer drawing six feet Of water could land,
| should think, at eight places on the Potomac
from its mouth to Backstonc's Island, and
they might come three or four miles up into
Cona, icocunico, Great and Little Machodo
md Nomini. There is small steambOa.
running on the Potomac, called the George
Guy | never saw steamboat on the
Numni, though ono drawing four feet
can get in. suppose two steamers, collect
ing the tax on oysters, from ScwportS
News on james River 10 Blackstonc's Island
on the Potomac. would visit us two or three
times week, or onener if they chose I sup
pose the steamers armed and equipped would
cost eighty thousand dollars. can't say what
il wonld cost TO run them annually. know
several persons on the Rappahannock who have
servants regularly engaged in catching oysters.
No farmer in our cnunty can realize anything
like 81 so as agricullurists for his men. No
body nstrrs his negroes in or county so far as
know, aud they would not run the risk Of their
being drowned or dcmoralizc'l by the company
which they keen There arc vessels owned in
cur county, and there is nothing to prevent
any gentleman employing his hands and run
ming his oysters, except for demoralizing his
slaves, and the apprehension of their being
drowned or running off. There arc captains
who can command vessels in the neighborhood,
who are employed as ovcrsecrs, and who have
the confidence Of the gentlemen and the slave
holders, who, think, would be captains still,
if free negroes did not act as captains and
under-bd them The free negroes are not
as reliable as these men and free negroes
are employed because they work cheaper. The
shipping interest of onr county is in 4 flour
iShins condition when the vessel is well worked.
The agricultural interests are in n fiourishins
condition. Negro men hire in our county for
about $715 do not know whether the farmers
arc embarrassed or not. have heard that the
citizens Of other States take oysters in our wa
tcrS, and know that one is now in our Jail from
Washington, and another, who is fugitive
from Justice, for violation Of the oyster law.
know of my own knowledge that the oyster
lawSare disrcgardcd. BY the measures proposed
by this bill, as related to me by Mr.. Paxton
In speaking OF lie decrease OIL oysters, spoke
from information Of every man with whom
have conrcrsed on The subject. and not from
my own knowledge.
Re.cxamined by Mr.. Paxton:
| have no personal knowledge Of the dcsc'ip-
tion OF steamers that would be necessary to
navigate the Chesapeake and its tributaries, for
the purpose Of executing this law, or their
cost; and would rely upon the opinion Of Mr..
TlaSkins and other men familiar with ship-build-
ing. and who may have been or can be exam
ncd on the subject. j. MAYO
Nr. P. T. Yeatman, Of Gloucester, was op-
posed to the law; but the facts furnished by
him are especially useful since coming from
one opposed TO the bill:
81 have heard there arc about $500 vessels
engaged in the oyster trade in the Chesapeake,
of an average Of s5 or 10 TONS They make six
or scren trips to market year. suppose the
average cargoes ofoysters is about from 500 to