Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-02-01

reGdrU, Dul as VIC nave ODS SP
for one, we make that which most i'm
mediately concerns the people Of
Memphis, who will find the city des-
cribed as follows:
! ANYONE whose impressions of Memphis
hiss been formed from the accounts OF its
condition at the close of the war, would
be sgrsesbly surprised by its present we'll
built, well paved, and comfortable condl-
tion. The CITY, from its high bluh on the
Mississippi. overlooks the low country,
embracing great parts Of Tennessee, Mis-
sippi. and Arkansas. Its local lines Of
river steamers, carrying upwards Of ten
| Thousand tons, not only conduct 8 regular
traffic with the plantations on the Mis-"
sissippi, but, ascending the branch rivers,
penetrste into the interior westward over
distances as great as many sea voyages.
Tts railway connections ere also very sd-
Ambiguous placing it On all the great
routes north and eastward; but, not sat
ished with present sttsinments in this re-
spect, Memphis is as strongly moved by
| the ENTERPRISE of opening new ines Of
I railway as other southern towns. 1t is
pushing to get down direct by rail on the
mineral regions of Alabama; TO shorten
its communications with Savannah,
Charleston, and Norfolk and the question
as to the future Atlantic seaport par en-
eeUeeace has been as keenly -csnYRssed
here as in other great cotton centres Of
the southern interior The Of
commerce has come TO the conclusion that
Port Royal, an embryo port In South Car
DINA betWixt Charleston and Savannah,
may be the destined gateway OF Mem
phis TO the sea- because the distance is
onlv seven hundred and tW~enty-eight
miles. as sEsinst nine hundred and fifty
nine from Memphis to Norfolk in Viz
| giuis. and may be reduced by q projected
shortcut betwixt Atlanta and Dscatur to
six hundred snd ifty-eight miles in all;
and so the chamber looks with favor on
the line working along from Port Royal
in the lowlsuds of Carolina to Augusta,
in Georgia, While thus glsnGing eagerly
and far Into the future eastward, Mem
phis is not unmindful of the great Dur
try behind it to the west, from which it
draws immediate support, and which is
bound from year to year to swell its pros
perity and raise it ultimately into one of
the great cities of the American continent.
A lire is now open from Memphis to Lit
tie Rock, the capital Of. Arkansas, and
others are protected through that State to
Fulton on the borders Of Texas, and to
Fort Smith in the Indian territory, That
there is q rich harvest to be gathered by
Memphis from the gradual development
of the great agricultural of Ar
kansas is already seen in the rapid pro-
Rress of the city. It's population, which
was 22,623 in 1860, is now given at 1920
by the census taken last summer, when a
large number of the inhabitants were alb
sent, The probability is that b populs-
ton of Memphis has fully doubled in ten
yesrs-hve of these being years Of war
and deysststion-8nd has thus made good
an increase of inhabitants which has no.
where been surpassed, If equslled.
The total receipts of cotton in Memphis
in the season of IS69-70 we're 2e0,7 S7 bales.
The receipts already this season have
been 1856 SIS bales. The receipts at same
date last year were 2I2,slS bales, showing
an increase this ysar of no less than
e~ighty-one per cent, which is greatly
more in proportion than the total
increase of receipts at the United States
ports this year IS compared with last
the figures being, total receipts this year.,
to February 18th, 2,7s6.l4 9 bales, snd last
year to same date, 2,llS, 5S3 bales, an in
crease of thirty-two per cent. The total
increase Of cotton ct United States ports
at this date being 672 GIG bales, and the
total increase at Memphis 1881 bales;
the consequence is that Memphis has
above twenty-five per cent. at this time
of the whole increase on last year at all
the great outlets Of cotton.T This result
speaks fsvoTsbly, in the first place, of b
lQCEGAaGA UANOANsAD1 u NO-INA OA Wiz
Mississippi river, in the State Of Arksn-
sas, and the Tennesseesn and other dis
tricts round Memphis; and in the second
place, of the energy and advantage for
sellers and buyers with which the market
here is conducted. The classification of
cotton in Memphis il the same as in New
Orlssns-the two markets bsing supplied
from almost precisely the same varieties
Of soil aud climRte-but the Liverpool
-aa-Iarl fu tho nraun1TfnO haSia 0F traua-
actions. The cotton of Memphis, till
within the last two or three years, Wss
almost wholly sent TO the Atlantic sea
ports to be there resold; butthe establish
ment Of through bills of lsdinR by the
various railroad companies In connection
with the ocean steamship lines from New
York has introduced anew mode of busi-
ness. which promises to Ave important
results. The present freight rate of
through bills of lsding Is seven-eights of
offs penny per pound of cotton from
Memphis TO Liverpool. Insurance for the
whole route is also effected in one rams
action with the English companies at
~three-fourths per cent. so that spinner
or merchant in England can buy in Mem
phis st first hand from the producer, with
all the selection of gISdes the market af-
fords, and hsve the cotton delivered to
him in Liverpool by rail and steamship
three or four weeks of the pur-
chase, not only with advantages of freight,
but without the cotton being handled,
tsred, or stolen at any intermediate point,
and with no more b one series of ne
cessary commission ckarges-viz., at the
place Of purchase. The advantage of this
mode of business has been found consid-
cradle enough to be now giving it some
play; and having heard the cry Of the
planters in Mississippi for more direct re-
lRtions with the spinners, / can scarcely
cohesive how, in present circumstances,
this object can, with equal benefit to pro-
duce and consumer, be better realized.
Memphis, as the greatest inland mart Of
cotton, has been the hrst 70 feel the force
of this movement, but there Is no reason
why at any point amidst the plantations,
with means of transit, the same class of
operations may not be carried out. One
or two of the cotton brokers of Memphis
began after the war, to turn their atten-
ton to the execution OF direct orders
from Liverpool; and 30 contagious is q
good example, that already, 1 am told,
0ne. third Of all the cotton business in
Memphis is done on this principle. The
telegraph gives the buyer In England the
power OF controlling his orders, reducing
or extending his margin, or closing IL up,
and regulatinR his shipment of cotton per
week or month, in the incest adaptation
to his views Of the course of the market
or to his manufacturing wants. 1t is
gratifying to find such proofs of closer
commercial relationship betW1xt parties
working to each other ct such vast dis
tsnces: and vet, beneficial as this direct
ness OF trade betwixt the planter n spin
ner must be in the matter of cotton, there
Is not less ground Of rejoicing in the
smaller tact at present IS estimated by
that Memphis, awaiting itself Of
g. act OF congress BY which 1t has been
made a port OF entry, and under rather
hard conditions of inland transit, may
pay its own import duties on the spot,
Of in New York or Boston, has in
the year ending Both June last. paid ST.
40 IN duties OF European goods imported
direct to the order of its own merchants.
The cotton growers may rely that, snb.
alantiRl as the advantage may be of q
more direct disposal of their product to
the manufacturers Of Europe, 1t is not q
hundredth fraction OF the advantage
which would accrue II b laws of the
United States allowed to Europe anything
like equal liberty of paying them lis pro-
ductstn return, which products, as meas
ured in the exchanges Of the two CONT
nents, are in reality, whqteyer the laws of
the United States may enact or prescribe,
the price Of cotton 10 them. The fact that
Memphis, Notwithstanding the severity
Of the tariff and the restrictions with
which the removalof goods in bond to in
land ports of entry IL accompanied +
should have paid 70 much as s4l,140 OF
duties in tn , past year, is no in
Significant proof Of the mercantile spirit
enterprise of b city; and II 30 much
has bean done under existing difficulties
In Memphis, it becomes the more obvious
how greatly a FREQ exchange would In
crease the volume Of trade with the Old
how much larger and better value
the United States would receive for It's
exported produces, snd What 2 healthy
fuvigorating influence would be ex-
srted on American industry and manu- :