New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-01-12
VOLUME XIII.

animated there The arrivals Of several rich aFSo-
sizes from the West also several large loads OF cot
ton. gave great indications of business in all Its
various ramiticatons. Produce that is, breadsiulis
and provisions are arriving daily. The great LII
nois railroad, we learn is crowded with freight en-
route for our market in fact, produce is coming
all the way from Chicago to our cash market, the
only real cash market on this continent. On the
opening of navigation in the Upper Mississippi and
tributaries, we look for a very large increase in
receipts We again repeat to the great West and
Northwest, send forward the contents OF your
warehouses, we have stores Of hard money here to
exchange for it. New Orleans will be real free
port, and no obstruction to commerce need be ap-
pretended.
Talking Of charges and onerous taxation on COM
merce, brought up the question Of quarantine
charges. We must relieve our great trade OF all
restrictions. The detention Of ten days, for four
months of the year, of vessels arriving from ports
in the tropics without sickness on board is great
hardship. All the charges, fees and eXactlons
collected through our quarantine laws can be
greatly reduced if not entirely avoided by the re-
peal and abrogation of our quarantine statutes.
In the end all these charges and exactions have
mostly to come off of cotton, as every ship owner,
in making arrangements for freight and the cost of
sailing his vessel takes into calculation all these lit
| tie charges SO called. The fees and detentions OF
vessels, the time lost, if calculated by dollars and
| dimes, amount to over fifty thousand dollars per
anuum. What benefit or advantage to our city
the quarantine laws are, has not yet been dis
covered. The desire is, that our port shall be il
reality and truly free port. To accomplish ana
carry out this desire, quarantine laws ought tc
he abolished altogether, or so modified as to re
duce charges and fees to one-haf of what they nov
| are.
This subject will deserve the attention Of ou
| Legislature at the coming session. The talk is
there are many other little matters, apparently they
seem to be, but really important in the aggregate
| which require attention. Let New Orleans b
really and truly free port.
/ There are many charges and fees at our Custom
house which can be very well reduced. The in
quiry is, "When will the great Custom-hous
building be completed?" This is a very hard an
intricate question. If justice had been dealt out
our State the money to complete it ought to hav
been appropriated long ago. During the last min
years there have been collected through our Gus
I tor house. in the way of duties alone on importa
tons of merchandise, $22, 900. To collect thi
sum has cost about $500 900, leaving the grea
sum of nearly $40 000 coo drawn out Of Louisan
and spent elsewhere. True, we have received bac
about three millions of dollars for the unfnishe
building now used for Custom house and Pos
office purposes. Then how many millions OF do
lars the General Government has received for sale
of public land in Louisiana for the same time, wi
i count up by additional millions. To the amount
duties received can be added the fees and charge
, attending all revenue business, the entrance an
clearance of vessels, amounting to other millioI
of dollars. How much have we received back,
} question. We have, however, possession of Fo
5 Pike Forts st. Philip and Jackson, and the Bate
, Rouge Arsenal, which will reduce the balance.
the meantime, there has been no talk Of Fo
e Wood in Chef Menteur Pass, or rather of its beir
taken possession of. Then there is Fort 1ivingsto
n at Barrataria, requires looking after. We have
> very large balance against our venerable INCL
d the Federal Government that was. 1t is not su
posed that Louisiana's share of the ships of wa
$ which she has contributed towards building al
II equippng, will be made good to her at the separ
l. ton or withdrawal next month.
n There was some talk that other banks intend
$ to follow the course Of the Southern Bank in ter
J erng loans to the State for the impending Girls
II The old State Bank will, it is supposed, be pl
Ii pared with quarter Of a million to half MILL
{ of dollars. How our quoulam citizen, DR.. M
e gan, will like the Canal Bank to come forward W
Il a couple cf hundred thousand, we cannot say. Y
l. hope the Doctor will at once give the "prescr
S' tion,' Notwithstanding his recorded views agai
} secession, before the New York Board Of Curren
~ are so strong against the Southern Confedcracy
il The usual weekly circular Of the coffee mari
III will be found in the usual column. The ste
I" shows some decrease from last year, say 23,
bags. The article appears to be steady in pri
So and no speculation attending movements.