The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-04-13
FINANCIAL AND ooMMERc ,AL.


SUNDAY, April II, leeS.
M foreign imports at this port last week were
Nsht Those of general merchandise were q 7s7 l47
those Of dry goods 1851 ,e34-in all % ,7l8,7 I'll.
Against this we exported $2,474,376 Of domestic
produce and merchandise, and $3.50 $50 ofspecie-
A all q, OO0, $751; The export Of American stocks
has stopped since the fall Of gold, and we have
nothing now to pay for our foreign importations
but our food and specie exports. The recent ffuc-
taations in god and the probability of still more
active fluctuations as success attends or deserts
eur military enterprises, operate powerfully
against the importing trade, and the prospect Of
IN active fall season ia slender. Within Q day or
two the jobbers have been buying some goods;
but the prices leave heavy loss for those import
ing houses which paid duties and RENTED to Eu-
rope when gold was selling at ITO q 17l. There
h no prospect Of any decline in our exports Of
cereals. Europe can take all we can spare at
prices which, though considerably below the
famine standard, still remunerate the grower and
the forwarder to the seaboard. ''
Money was very easy all last week, as might be
inferred from the deposit of some $4,000, 900 at
this point with the Sub Treasurer at per cent.
On call II is worth a per cent. Some leading
bankers, who have good class of dealers, lend
Ill they have at 8, while leading commits
sien houses, with good class Of customers. Dor
row all they want at 8. First class mercantile
paper which Is very scarce indeed, sells at q 6.
Debt certificates, old issue, have risen to "a per
cent premium. The Secretary continues to dis
pose of his $40 bonds at par at the rate of over
. million per day. We presume that during the
week which ended yesterday the aggregate
seipts of the government from conversions, de-
posts, internal revenue and duties were not
less than $l6,000,O00. The advantage of this
method of raising money is thar it Gre
stes no disturbance in the money market,
and enables the Treasury Department to
pay its way without embarrassing mercantile
operations. 30 vast are the expenditures Of 60
vernment for the prosecution of the war that the
disbursements in excess Of the receipts, large
- they are. The entire army and navy are being
paid or and large amounts Of legal tender notes
are being scattered throughout the country for
This purpose. OF these the bulk will find their
way to this centre within sixty days. Had the
Secretary followed the advice Of those who, for
various purposes of their own, desired to see
Dong loan placed on the market in the month of
March or the beginning Of April. he would not
have obtained as much money as he has secured,
and he would infailfey have : sEsstea financial
srisia which would have proved ruinous TO q
hrge section Of the mercantile community, and
gould have rendered the war and his admins.
Grafton 50 unpopular that future financial ne
Sotiations would have been very difficult, if
not entirely impossible. The chief secret of
saocessful administration Of our finances at the
present juncture lies in keeping the people in
good humor with the war and enabling every man
% make money. So long ~ this is secured people
win pay taxes generously, will witness the in
crease Of the debt without alarm, and will grant
20 the government . liberal support. But II ever
Che day comes when o direct issue is raised be-
tween the mercantile and financial public on the
enc hand and the Treasury Department on the
ether, and the Secretary attempts to carry on the
war by withdrawing from commerce the money
which is needed for it's prosecution, that instant
viii witness revulsion in public feeling which
win rcnder the government. and the war unpopu-
lar, and Will check simultaneously the negotia-
taon Of leans and the spontaneous payment Of
Saxes.
Gold Nuctuated last week between IA and l5l,
closing last evening at 1885, Exchange sold as low
- 100 and as high as f6s, closing ct about 16s a
Les for bankers signatures. Gold moved last
week In response to the news from the seat of war
and the intelligence from Albany. If it should
turn out that the demonstration Of the 7th of April
against Charleston was merely reconnaissance in
force, az seems fairly probable, and if the subse-
Nuent attack should end in the reduction Of Fort
Sumter and the other defences of that city, Il il
probable that gold would fall 10 a 10 per cent in
. day or two. II, on the other hand, our feet
should be repulsed and finally expelled from
Charleston harbor public confidence in the cur
rency would decline and gold would advance
FROM Albany the intelligence up to last evening
was adverse to the passage Of the Senate Gold
bill. But last evening we heard that the
views Of the House had undergone q change,
and that bill not essentially differing
from the Senate bill would pass. The bears IN
gold have been very active, and are fully repre-
sented In both the Assembly and the Senate, and
some Of the rural members have IN idea that they
San by statute regulate the price of gold as easily
~ the penalty for forgery. II Is of course obvi-
Gus to every person Of experience that the pas
sage Of the Como n Dean bill would be equally
nschievous to our foreign commerce and to our
banking interests. But it does not follow that il
will not pass. Very few Of the members of the
Legislature know or care anything about our trade
or our banks. And, 80 far we can Judge at
present the prospect is that these intense patriots
whose distress at the depreciation Of the currency
has been 10 poignant. and who are willing to see
che export Of American securities stopped, the
price Of domestic produce lowered, and our for.
sign trade convulsed, for the sake Of reducing the
premium on gold to 126 100, are in fair way to
zee their wishes realized.
The following table shows the course Of the stock
sarket for the past week and month";
A.. ,..,.. 10 "a, xa IA "a kso; e. -2,t AL Il