The New York herald., 1869-02-11
THE SPRING TRADE.

The Hotels Crowded With Merchants and
Buycrs-AlI Parts or the Country Repre-
sensed-The Prospects Of Business.
The metropolis Of large country Is naturally the
centre Of commerce. The Empire City stands in the
position OF an immense warehouse to the other parts
OF the Union and to 1t the buyers Of all goods must
nock in order to purchase the articles wanted for
their respective businesses. Goods can never be
bought so well away from this city as they
can In it, as when at distance the
business Is transacted upon representations,
while upon the spot it s matter OF inspection.
Competition nowadays is so great that business
man can never tell where he can get the best value
for his money unless he can make tour OF the vari-
Gus warehouses where the particular class OF goods
which he may need is offered for sale. The old
fashioned days when dealers reposed SO much conf
dence in merchants as TO write them for goods,
trusting to the honesty OF the sellers TO treat them
fairly, are fast fading away and In their place the
time has come for storekeepers 10 select their own
stock at such houses as can afford to sell the best
articles at the most reasonable rates.
At this season OF the year the city Is always iu OF
tropos to provide goods for the spring trade rms
year. owing to the unusual mYdness OF The weather
and the prospect OF an early spring. the are
somewhat earlier in their visit than usual They have
already through their stocks and have formed an
estimate Of the gamS Se o. g goo1s win ~ aey M e
stocks OF our wholesale houses and make
such purchases as they may think advisable. AS Q
down town ones, filed with strangers from all
parts Of the country, whose visits are OF business
character. Entering one OF these lotes anu looking
over the register OF the names OF the visitors one
cannot but be surprised at the large number OF
towns and cities which are thus represented BY
business men. The Yankee and the western man.
the Southerner and the dweler In the provinces the
inlabtant OF the 'HuDn and the single storekeeper
n, NAV S'H ali De found registered on the pages Of
the same hotel book. In 1act, from East
and from West from North and from South from
cities and from villages, from all parts OF this broad
land the merchants have come to see how they can
best expend their capital In early morning and In
ne , evening s1s ali sections Of t6e country
and oil branches OF trade, some busiiy engaged IN
scanning the columns OF the daily newspapers, some
floor, and some diligently consulting memoranda,
contrasting prices and quotations quotations During ing
the middle "a these q the visitors as the and sey %sy s
seen walking along our business thoroughfares, or
popping in and out OF the wholesale stores TO oe
found upon them bnsily engaged In the transaction
OF their business. The number OF persons OF this
class now in the city Is said to be larger than has
in the lower part OF this island are crowded by them
in every part OF course where SO many
men meet there must necessarily be frequent recog-
nitions Of friends, and II is amusing TO witness
the greetings which sometimes pass between persons
who are thus accidentally brought together. The
prospects for the coming season are eagerly dis
cussed. From what can be gathered from the OBJ
servatons OF the merchants from various paris oi
the country, the spring trade, 1t is generally con-
sdered, VIII be very good. Most OF the gentlemen
complain that they have been passing through dull
time, but almost all seem sanguine for the future
Western men are confident that f the weather con-
tinues fpe business Will be unusually good az the
prospects for the crops &C., are very atterng East
ern men also that the general settled condition OF
the country will have beneficial effect upon their
business. In fact, ell hands there Is q hopefulness
which speaks well for the Oriskness OF business dur
ing the coming months, and there can be little doubt
that, to use the phrase oi a Boston dry goods mer
chant sthings are on the mend.n The up ptowD
hotels are just now tenanted BY o few persons who
have come to this city TO purchase goods but by far
the majority OF the traders to be found In the
hotels below Canal street. A continual stream oi
statesmen may be seen entering these hotels, anx-
i0us to fnd out gentlemen personally known to
them, with Of course an eye to business; but friend
ship has not as much to do with such matters now
as II had In days gone by. t