The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-08-11


n. DrspArcH FOR rnR STRINGS. &c.--Psrsens
seins 10 Nv scats,ing places can haze the DALI
DISPATCH ma,lsd to them for ANY length a.
siie, BY ieactag tketr orders at fAs eosnttHg ROOM
and pag'ag an adcaaos Co9 tAs time sawed.
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The Southwestern Cotton Trade Again
The Straight Road 10 Lyhehoure.
If our own citizens are looking WIN orowsy
eyes upon the vast market that direct commu-
uicatien with the Southwest would command,
II cannot be said that other communities are
equally obiivious of their interests. The ex-
tract from the Alexandria Gostts, 10 which
we referred yesterday, aliuding TO the trade
which il thinks will centre in that city on the
completion of the Orange and Alexandra
Railroad, by which Alexandria will be put In
direct communication with the Virginia ana
Tennessee Road, Quilt in part by Richmond
money, which we have thus far In vain APP
peaied TO our citizens TO secure, learns tna'
kanrements for the transportation OF 'Hio"k"
3eirhts 10 and from New York ana memp"'s'
Tam via the Southwestern Raiiroao line 10
Alexandria and thence by steamers, are In
PROGRESS, and will soon be completed. AS soon
as the margarine is fully carried out, quite
=. ,.rJ kput of Southwestern freight will
be I! BPed at Alexandria, from the rail-
road. On board OF the steamers of the New
York and Virginia Screw Steamship Com
pany." The Gazette says that one hundred
thousand bales of cotton have been contracted
for. all of which, upon the completion of the
arrangement mentioned, will come TO Alexan-
dria and be shipped TO New York city. 1t is
believed that before the end of this year, l5o,-
600 bales will take this route TO New York
This method of transportation, the Gazette
contends, is cheaper than the present means
a. transportation, and will be shorter by thir-
ear DAYS than the route via New Orleans.
The Memphis EHqairer commenting on the
statements Of the Gazette, observes that the
advantages of shipping cotton from Memphis,
not only 10 ali points in the Union-North
and East-but also to Europe, by way Of
Charleston, Alexandria, (why is Richmond
o,ri,,sd ,, baltimore and Philadelphia, are
apuarent to all who will examine the subject
And why not by way Of Richmond ! This is
the first commercial and business city OF Nir-
yinia the largest population the centre OF
capital: the metropolis of the State; city
which has already fleet of vessels trading
with South America; which has just estab-
lishsd a line OF packets to Liverpool; which
is connected by rail and steamship with the
NOrlNcTE Cllics 10 Sisuotcu VA sao ho
liable waters of the grand, historic James,
once the highway of a prosperous commerce.
and which has just completed railroad OF
thirty.siN miles, by which the York River is
brought TO her doors, one OF the deepest
broadest straightest rivers in the world, ca
pabie of floating thousand Great Las terms,
and giving Richmond an outlet by which she
can reach the blue waters of the ocean III six
hours. Why, then, should not Richmond, the
capital of Old Virginia-which is justly dear
10 all the Southwestern States, many OF whose
people are flesh of our flesh and bone of our
bone-why should not Richmond be looked to
at least one OF the points from which cotton
may be shipped to Europe or the North, in
stead of selecting single Virginia town, and
that only as tributary to the oyergrown
commerce and power of the Northern cities
Il commerce and power which has cast cheer
less shadow over all Southern enterprise, and
which, under this new programme, will dwarf
more efiectually than ever the growth of our
Southern cities J
We do not find fault with our Memphis
contemporary for emitting Richmond from his
programme because, Notwithstanding other
advantages in which no other town i'll the
State will fer a moment compare with her, she
loses the benefit of them all so far as the South
western trade is concerned, by lacking that
direct link with the Sonthwes tern road which
will present cheap aAd rapid means of
transportation as that which Alexandria
boasts ste now possesses in her own connec
1 on With the Virginia and Tennessee Rail.
road. She is standing listless, unmoved
and immoya5le, while this river Of gold is
preparing 10 start from its inexhaustible
fountains, and seek channel 10 the sea some
where or other in Virginia SOIL She will not
dig out that channel, even for the short dis
lance OF sixty miles, but sees it coming afar off
with most philosophical indifference, listens
TO its musical murmurs as she would to a song
in an unknown tongue, and resigns TO others
the treasures of this world with degree of
self-abnegation, which, if it proceeded from
anything but want of forecast and enterprise,
would entitle her to place among the saints
and TO eternal riches in that region where
moths do not corrupt, nor thieves break
through and steal.
The growth Of the city of Memphis is one of
the wonders even of the rapidly growing
West. Twenty years ago and it was almost &
wilderness. 1t is now populous, prosper.
Gus, and progressive city, having population
perfectly wide-awake, and alive upon all
that relates to material development. and
whose intense and triumphant energy will
vet make Memphis one of the greatest of
southern cities. We agree with the Memphis
Eneairsr. that but few years will elapse ere
Memphis will become the grand centre, from
which nearly one-half the cotton crop will
seek a prof table market. More than one-tenth
of the cotton grown in the Sou tn now passes
through Memphis and, with her iron arms
stretched out to every point of the compass,
clutching the rich treasures of neighbo-ing
States, and drawing them into her grand dis
tributing depot, no limit can be assigned to
her advance in prosperity and Importance
Ought not Richmond at once 10 put herself in
direct connection with such point Is she
willing that others shall secure rot only the
cotton, but every other kind of trade, which
the exhaustless variety of production in the
Mississippi Valley affords, and sink herself
into a grass-grown, one-horse suburb of the
Northern cities
The Statistical congress.
The International Statisti teal Congress, at
which the United States was insulted in the
person Of its representative, was, after all, in
point of numbers, very slim affair, ded NC ting
the English delegates and visitors present
The report before US in the London Times
shows one delegate from each OF the European