The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-09-20
9lashvtllc aluion.
TERMS:
SATURDAY MORNING, SEPT 20. 1862
From the Continental Monthly
Astor and the Capitalists of New
York.

The history of rich men proves that it
is not so much the art OF getting as that
Of keeping which insures success. New
York and other of our great cities contain
thousands of poor men who, but few
years ago, were heavy operators, and
whose future seemed brilliant with prom
Use. Yet here they are now struggling
for mere bread.
Riches are winged creatures, which
break cage with strange facility and are
not to be whistled back again. The
array of agents, brokers, book keepers,
and decayed gentlemen who but lately
were numbered among merchants, bank
ers, aud ship-owners, is quite 4 moving
spectacle Thus A. B, for thirty
years connected with trade, during most
Of which period he was a leading mem
ber Of the great cloth house Of --, has
been worth two hundred thousand dol
lars, but is now a book keeper for con-
Germ in John street. !. s. has been
forty years in trade, and was considered
successful beyond all liability TO future
risk and for many years ranked among
the rich men of the street, but has since
failed, and is now poor. B and
M, princes in the dry goods line,
built two palatial stores in Broadway,
have been immensely rich, but after bat
Ting honorably with adverse fortune,
have failed. j. b, retired mer-
chant, estimated at five hundred thousand
dollars, hClding at one time fifty thou
sand dollars ia Delaware and Hudson
Canal stock, subsequently got involved
and lost all Instances like these might
be multiplied TO volumes, but they are
sufficient to illustrate the trasitOry nature
of earthly possessions.
The great capitalists Of New York are
chiefly identified with its real estate, and
their wealth has generally arisen from its
| advance in value. Few great fortunes
have lasted long, when left to the ca
prices of trade, and the sons of our mer-
| chant princes generally turn out poor
men. The great estates Of the city are
of a very limited number, and are main
ly included in the names of Whitney,
/ Goellet, Lorrillard, Rhinelander, Stuy-
yesant, Lenox, and Astor. The first OF
/ these was 50 long an h0bitue of Wall street
| Front street, and Coenties Slip, that even
now, when wandering along those thor
oughfares, we almost mOmently expect to
meet him. We cannot but think that
AZ the next turn we shall see that shrunk
en- and diminutive form, that meagre
hungry looking countenance, and that
timid, nervous eye, which indicated the
fear Of loss or the dread approach o.
charity. His office was held for years II
the second story of a warehouse in From
street, a spot in whose vicinity he hat
passed nearly threo-score years. Ihithol
he had come in his boyhoOd, a poor
lriendless, New Jersey lad, had found
friends and employment, had at last go
10 be a grocer, and had gradually accu.
mulated a large capital, by the closes
economy. At this time the war Of lSl'
broke out, and cotton became very low
in consequence Of the difficulty Of ship
ping il to England MIR Whitney ha'
at that time a vast amount Of outstanding
accounts in the Southern States, and hi,
debtors were glad TO pay hiEi in this de
preciated article. We have been inform
ed that Jackson's cotton deiences Of New
Orleans were Of his property, AS neu
trAl ships were permitted TO sail betwee
the belligerent ports Mr.. Whitney eN
ported large quantities of cotton 20 Eng
land, aud held the balance of his stool
until the close of the war, whom Il cd
yanceG enormously This advance. 10
gether wi ia the proceeds of his exports
at once made him millionaire, and IA
capital thus acquired never lost a chanC