Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-06-13


(FoR THE COUNTRY
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Ol.D AND New TINES. s.-[From the Norfolk
Nirginian. We remember-several years ago
the grey boards of that day used to tell what
seemed to US most wonderful stories about the
commerce possessed by Norfolk when they were
Young, that is, about the beginning of this cen
tury We heard them declare that it was then
not very easy matter to cross the river be.
cause the square-rigged vessels lay so close to
each other that it was hard to steer between
them They also verged on the boundless
when they asserted that such and such an old
merchant was worth his hundred Of thousands
before the great crash of lSlS-l9 We
stretched our eyes at these afhrmatious but
girls when they we're young we're so much more
beautiful than the creatures of our youth, this
capped the climax, and we fatty refused to be-
licve any of their stories.
Nevertheless, we are now willing to admit,
making due allowance for the laudation Of past
times which has ever been failing of age,
that Norfolk did enjoy great commerce from
the beginning of the century up to the laying
on of the embargo while from the end Of the
War Of 1872 up to 1918, her trade was again
very considerable. There are many facts to
confirm this, among which we may mention
that during the Yellow Fever which visited
this port, we believe n 1901, we are informed
by an official announcement that twenty-five
must have been indeed huge fleets Of merchant
men moored in our harbor, and that the trade
Of the Old Borough must have been great.
Yet we should not forget that the Schoouers
now are as large as the barqueS of that day and
the bligs now will compare in tonnage with
the largest ships of. the earlier years Of the
century.
Most of the commerce Of the times of which
we write Was with foreign ports, and especially
with those of the West Indies. We have lost
most of this, it is true; but we are sure that we
hazard nothing in asserting that the trade OF
Norfolk is greater now than it ever was. We
admit that its character has entirely changed,
for instead of carrying on foreign commerce,
our trade is now chiefly domestic Our present
avenue. of commerce are the great net work OF
railroads which centre at this point, our canals
which open all Eastern North Carolina to us,
and our steam communication with Carolina,
Virginia, the whole North, and with Europe.
The twenty large steamers sent away to every
point of the compass. some OF them maklug
from two to three trips week, carry on an
average, ,cargoes five times larger than the ships
ot seventy years ago, while the multltudes or
smaller steamers and sailing vessels which daily
leave our wharves average fully as high ton
mage as the brigs and barques OF that date. 10
this must be added the fact that where steam
is employed fewer sailors are necessary, and
not half so many hands are required to load and
unload as was the case in former years Oar
commerce. moreover, as now carried on, does
not make the noise it did when our merchants
loaded their ships with slaves for the West
Indies and unloaded their cargoes OF sugars and
rum ..tt
"ISTERSATIoNAL.' In the National Thea
ter. in this city, few nights since,- number
of Indian chiefs, representatives OF barbarous
tribes whose hands are red with the blood OF
the white man shed iu futile attempts to check
the advance of civilization, were seated, look
ing with open mouthed wonder at the Juggling
ftats of travelling hand of japanese, IBIS
bringing together Of the Occldent and the
O.ieut has been repeated and improved upon,
in New York, where, 10 Wall street. day or
two SINCE among the bulls and oearss 6eo
Cloud. Red Dog, Red Shirt, Red Skin, 4 Co.,
the uncivillzed met and we're introduced to the
members of the Japanese Embassy represent
ing the Oldest civilization on earth. Can this
be properly called meeting of extremes, oris
it not rather the reunion, after centuries OF ab-
sence and estrangemeDt OF men OF the same
race, whose habits have grown dsslmlar be
cause Of the diverse circumstances by which
they we're surrounded ln either case such
meetings, under such circumstances, are among
the remarkable events of the age, and might
furnish suggestive theme tor the coming poet
Wush Star.
TIE END OF THE WoRLD.-The world we
live in is doomed, and the fashion OF 1t. Mr.
John Eiske. of Harvard University, has de-
termined for us upon an old theory, but as be-
comes the latitude of New England, more dog
maticalv than usual. Thus We are told that
the earth each year adds to itself some one
hundred and fifty billion meteorlc particles II
is also losing part of its molar motion OF ro.a-
ton. 1t is further being retarded oy radlatloo'
The consequence of this will be that at last, tLe
earth will strike the sun with tremendous 81 iolce'
The heat generated by such COLLISION ~ WIN pao-
grees centigrade. Disintegration will lnmedl, =
atelv follow, aud then the whole solid mass OF
or unfortunate planet, together WI b every
hing unon il. animate and inammate, large or
smai; @ fto fat or lean, win be lissipated into
nebnla > Decidedly an unpleasant out LOOK,
but il is consoling to know that Mr.. F'ske al
lows US some millions of years to make up our
minds to the lameptable fate predicted Tor U.s.
Baltimore ,Gdzette. rt..
A minister who, after hard days labor,
was enjoying "tea dinner" kept necessarily n
praisng the ham, and stating that MT :; Dun,
op at hame was fond Cham as ne was, wnen'
the mistress kindly offered to send ner tue pre- pre-
sent OF one. s'Its unco KIN ye unco kiu TIi T,ii