The New York herald., 1871-08-18
The Productions, Financial Condition,
Trade and Prospects Of tho Country.

barometer that shows unerringy the actual
and prospective state of things. Through
this port pass the greater part of our i'm
portations and expectations. 1t is the centre
and regulator of large portion of home
trade. 1t furnishes the money for commercial
movements and most of the great enterprises
| throughout the republic. 1t regulates ex-
! change, and establishes values according to
and in connection with the financial condition
Of the rest of the world and the currents OF
trade. To form an idea, then, OF the pros
pect before US, let us glance at the commercial
movements of New York.
BY our Washington telegraphic news pub
lished yesterday we learn that the receipts
| from customs for the present month to date
that is, for fifteen days-amounted to nearly ten
millions of dollars, a larger sum than any
ever received before in the same portion ofthe
month of August. OF course our merchants
know what they are about, and the extraordi-
nary importations, which yield such an unpre-
cedented sum for the Treasury, show that
they are calculating upon very active taii
trade, and that they have no doubt as to either
the demand or means of the country. An
easy money market, the reduced premium on
gold, compared to what it was for some years
previously, and the comparatively steady
price Of the precious metal for some time
past, together with bountiful crops, have
caused the merchants to increase their i'm
ports and the country traders to extend their
| orders. Country buyers begin to come to the
city, and there is every reason to expect an
unusual number Of them as the
summer season closes. Then, in addition
| to the necessities and inducements
of business, and the usual attractions
of this beautiful metropolis, there will be this
fall and the coming winter number of the
| most inviting amusements to draw people from
all parts of the country. Our retail merchants,
hotels, tradesmen and business men generally
may look forward for prosperous time.
There has not been since the war such
activity in trade thus early in the season
and with such promise for the future.
This is particularly the case in the dry goods
trade The grocery merchants, both whole
sale and retail, evidently anticipate a brisk
business for we notice that the foreign impor-
tations of wines, fruits and other things in this
trade have been heavy. 1t has been stated
that nearly double the amount was imported
last week over the importations for the corre-
spending week of last year, and that larger
and unusual quantities are on the way. The
clothing manufacturers and dealers, the hard
ware establishments, aud merchants and
traders in other goods, are in similar expec-
tant aud prepared condition for the opening
| trade.
| The promised abundant productions Of the
country generally are the basis OF this activity
and hopeful prospect. Among these cotton
stands first for this is equivalent to gold in
paving for the vast amount of imported luxu-
ries and necessary articles we consume and in
regulating the balance of trade and exchange.
Our gold and silver mines, particularly the
former. furnish considerable sum for
this purpose but the cotton plant, that beau
tifnl and valuable product Of the South is
worth all the mines of precious metals in the
world The product this year will not be as
large as last year. The planters found that
they received little or nothing more for large
crop than for smaller one, the market price
| ductuatiug with the supply, while at the same
| time they had to buy corn and other provi-
| sions, which they could have raised had they
not planted SO much cotton This year. con-
sequently, they have had less number of
| acres in cotton and have raised more prOvi
| sions. STILL according to the Bureau Of
Statistics at Washington and from other
sources of information, there is reason to
believe the cotton crop will yield
three millions of bales or thereabout.
This will make the crop worth, at
the present price two hundred millions of dol
lars in gold While it may be to the interest
of the people generally Of this country and of
mankind everywhere to have raw cotton
abundant aud cheap we cannot blame the
Southern planters for looking first TO their own
interests. Then, the South having raised more
necessary supplies in consequence Of planting
less cotton, it will have more money to spend
for luxuries and for many needed manufactured
articles which New York furnishes directly or
indirectly.
Tobacco, wheat, corn and other products of
the soil promise a good yield. We hear of few
complaints of the crops, and these only as to
limited localities The average product, no
donbt. will be abundant. For fruit, vege-
tables, hay and other things the season has
also been propitious. Our manufacturing
establishments of almost every kind, too, have
felt the general impulse of prosperity and
have been doing good business. In what
ever way we turn we see the country blessed
by Providence and carried onward in the way
of progress by the industry Of the people. 1t
is a spectacle of prosperity which no other
country presents to the same extent and one
which the American people may well be proud
Of and thank full for.
Our financial condition, both in a national