, 1862-04-24

TO name snmetllihg he cUulJ do for him. He
asked what present would be acceptable. AEtOr
declined anv. Finally they met two days be.
fore the vessel was to SAIL and again tie Cover.
nor asked Mr.. AstoF Il he would accept any pres
ent he made him. Mr.. Astor, seeing the lover
nor ~ anxious, said:
"YeS"
When he called to hid the Governor good bye,
the latter was quite affected at parting with his
old German schOOlmate.
Take these" said he, "you may find their
value" One Of the documents was simply q
Canton prices current
The other was a carefully engrosSed permit on
parchment, authorizing the ship that bore Il to
trade freely and without any mOlestatI0n at any
Of the ports nOnOpOliEed by the East lndia Com.
pany.
Mr.. Astor bade his friend goodbye and re.
turned th The city, never givii the present Q
second thought He had no EhiIS, and never
had any trade with the East Indies, and tiever
expe6 t-d to have. lie little dreamed that In the
parchment would be the foundation Of vast ship
ping Operations, and trade amounting to mil.
lions, and embracing the Pacific Ocean. The
permit was No. SO.
When NJ. AstOr got home, he showed these
documents to his wife, and advised with hsf, as
he always did, what IN do in the nIatter.
:" have no Ships-itS ND use 10 "" he said.
At that time, there was very celebrated mrT-
chant named James LiveTmOrp. Iis was largely
engaged in the West India trado particularly to
Jamaica He owned YES es---of good size.
Mrs. AstUT recommended her husband 70 gn
and have q talk with the merchant Mr.. Astnr
went-showel the East India Company ship
pass and the Canton prices current
"NOw, said he, "if you viii make up voy.
age fnr one Of your largest ships, you can have
the pasS and the prices current on unr condition.
You n'e to furnish the ship and cargo, but am
n have one half Of the profits for my pass and
IOr suggesting the yage."
Pan, bah" said tie great West IndiS mef-
chant. He laughed at it-wOuld not listen to
surh on, -si,lel operation. AstOr went home
and reported bro gfcSS For time; the matter
was dropped. Not many weeks after, the great
West India merchant thuught over the matter.
He had made n1uney in the West India trade,
and he saw an up Mug in the East India.
At thSt tiuhe no vessel trad, d ct Canton. Il
was just after the Revo utiOnary war. and the
East lnda ports were as Theoretically sealed to
AmIeriysn commerce as if it had not existed.
He called al Mr.. AstOr's store. Were you
in earnest, the other day, when you showed Ine
the pass OF the East India Company 7"
81 was Never more So" Again they talked
over the matter. the merchant finally thought
he saw his way clear, and an agreement was
SIgned, agreeing to give Mr. ASt1r one half Of the
profits. He to have no outlay.
The ship was selected and loaded partly with
Specie-Spanish and mi led dollars, about e3O,-
UOO-and the other ha'f ginseng, lead and scrap
irUn.
She went t. Canton. The pass enabled her
to anchor at WhanpOa, a few miles below Can.
ton, where she lnadeL and unluaded her cargO
the same as il she bad been vessel belonging
To the East India COMPANY.
Her ginseng, costing ~ cents per pound In
New York, 50 at 81 So per pound in Canton,
lead ten cents, scrap IRON at an enormOus price.
lea was purchased that sold here At 81 per
pound on the Canton cost
When the rctuTned cargo was snld, the &C.
counts were made Uut, and Mr. AsuFS half
share, which was $50, ,UOO all 10 silver, YVES packed
~ harTelS, RnI sent up To his StUre. When Mrs.
AStUr saw Ihe barrels, she asked what was in
thrIn.
" The fruits Of our Elst India pass" replied
the husband. lie went to the ship owner, and
got back his pass. lie tIcn 6OugIta snip anu
loaded her with an assorted cRrgO. On her way
nut size I, uchvd at the SaldwIch Islands 10 TAKE
III fresh water aud prOvisIUlls. They also lSId
in large StUck Of hrewODd.
When the snip reached Canton, q mandarin
came On board, and noticing their tirewOOd,
asked the prcS Or il At once The Captain
l'ugIed at such question, but signted that he
was open tO an Uticr. The mandarin Otyred
S0UO TIM, and every part of II sold at that prise.
LnaI was sandal wOOd.
For seventeen years Mr.. Astor enjoyed that
lucrative San,la' WOod without rival. No other
concern in the United States or England knew
tue secret Nor vas iL discovered until the
shrewd Boston ship-Owutr detailed ship To lOl.
law One Uf Mr.. AStuT's and observe the events
Vi the voyage Then, FIR some tune, that house
Was participant in this valuable .rade.
II was curious tact that Mrs. AStOr knew
more uf the value OF Iurs than he did. Sne
would select cargo GOr the Canton uarket, aud
make no mistake.
When they became very affiuent she used To
make him pay her $500 an hour for using her
Judgment u fur TO promote his Commercial
plans, lie paid her whatever she asked.
john jacob was great Free Mason. In 1901
he was Grand Treasurer Of the k"ight Tcmpiur
EncampnIrnt, aud VAS "SIr John Jacob AstOr."
Besr,leS the bachelor, Henry AstOT, John ia.
cob had anOIher brother, who came out here,
think, m 1916, just after the war. His name
was George. He died In 1889.
Henry AStOr must have died in 1881. Heleh
widow tut 10 children.
He was in the habit Of selecting young girls,
adapting. educating, and starting them IN hIr,
when they married. | rrcOllect one Of thenl,
Eliza AstOr, married Mr.. Constant tue oil msr.
chInt.
These facts concerning the renowned John
Jacob AStor are true, aDd are FAR more interest.
ing to the general reader than the dry stuff pub
IiShed in his Life" and what is m,.rr, TO man
would enjoy their publication more than Mr.. AstOr
himself, were he nIw alive.
Mrssrs. Ball, Black 4 Co., Of New York. have
at their store n genuine curiosity. II Is the