The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-04-09
Trade, Foreign and Domestic Rich
= Y,10ftS 100

mortd.
People have been inclined to overrate
greatly the foreign trade Of the country.
& The coastwise and interior trade are vastly
more important, and build up cities with
greater -apidity. In all great nations there
must be chief centres of trade-setthng
poinss--points for the concentration OF
capital, for the lending of credit, and tor
the collection and sale of foreign bills.
AZ such points assemble the frcistts Tor
foreign shipment, and there the imported
freights arrivc-for there the ships engaged
in the foreign transportation tho more
readily find cargoes. 1t is true that IN the
matter Of our great staple, cotton, there 10
: qualification of this rule to some extent
The foreign ship finds it convenient TO make
"Trip coastwise, after delivering its cargo
at the city where the foreign trade concen-
trates, to get load of cotton. That Is
bulky--it is shippedin immense quantities,
and is sent only to few foreign ports, so
that vessel loaded with it finds dispatch
and entire freight for single port.
Thus We see hundreds of vessels taking
freights from Charleston, and Mobile, and
st. Marks, and SO on, without ever return
ing to those places with u cargo from
abroad, unless it be in railroad iron or
salt. Now, this fact is one that invites
reflection. For instance, were you ever at
St. Markss 1t is so insignificant that 1t Is
not in the gazetteers. Yet, is smart ex-
porting town, with dozen houses or there
-Ktouts.
When q great city gets the position OF
supremacy as settling point for nations
1t is almost an impossibility to impair its
power in foreign commerce. The interior
and consting trade and manufacturing in
dustry will build up great cities, but they
eannot stop the currents, financial and COM
mercial, which concentrate upon the we'll
established commercial emporium OF con-
tinentl
People who want to build up great cities
to afford near markets to farmers, and con-
centra.e wealth within their State, have
abundant means in these last-named agen-
Acies to accomplish their object without
Sing crazy after direct trade; yet there
sommunities which have not the en-
Hill, or public spirit, or physical adj
vantsges, to make right use OF these
agencies that are running after this direct
trade, which, if they could ever have at oil,
must be acquired after they have made
such use of the domestic means % will
give sufficient wealth to extend their rela
tons to foreign cities. But with neither
manufactures nor domestic commerce they
run after the deluson of foreign trade as
little boys do after the bags of money that
are at the ends of the rainbow.
In rejecting upon the sources OF city
wealth, domestic and foreign, we cannot
fail to zee the rare advantages of Rich
mond. With the improvements of
straight road to Lynchburg, and the
strengthening and easing the grades on the
Chesapeake and Ohio railroad, and the
completion of that road, she will have
thorough communication by the best means
of conveyance with the West, Southwest, and
South. Her adaptability to manufacturing
is unsurpassed. Her outletto sea, good now,
may BE made, for small expenditure, un-
exceptionable. Therefore, for oil that If
needed to make city great by internal
and coastwise trade and manufacturing
industry, no city in the Union stands ahead
of Richmond.
But she has IN advantage of peculiar
character with reference to foreign COM
merce. Her staples are of q bulky charac-
! ter, and are destined always for one of a
\ few great cities abroad. One of those sta
Aples-faur-goes almost exclusively to
leading South American cities, whose ex
ports are alike ponderous, and may he a.
well brought into this city as any other. So
ships engaged in the trade would find
freights both ways, afording active anc
thrifty employment to them. We need no;
e1patiatc on this subject, for We have the
brilliant example of the trade carried Oh
: by this city before the war with the West
Indies and South American ports, which
made it q grocery market that had no supe
rjor, When we remember that in foreign
imports from Great Britain and the CONT
nent one ship may bring enough in an as
sorted cargo to supply the wants of man!
States, we see how difficult it is to Introduce
such cargo anywhere but into New York :;
but when for our -four we can bring tho
heavy freights of sugar, coffee, molasses, anG
hides, to this city, we at once gee what &
grand advantage in foreign commerce Rich
,mond enjoys.
Really, at this moment we cannot look
9on single city in the Union which hat
,azsssh p bright prospect for growth and in
If wealth as Richmond. Complete
Us lin lines of communication-pour in
! q; eat elements of power and opulence
Id iron-build up the manufactures
eworking of them-extend our mill
ywer-,exchange our -four for the tro-
staples-and We cannot place limit,
sicipation, upon her growth. She oc
enp4Ss the just middle line of temperature
that endues men with greatest force the
. year round, and subjects their enterprises
to least obstruction. Commerce here finds
less delay from winters frosts and sum.
/ mer's heats than in any other line Of lati-