Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-08-12

moneys sake, as Is lutly eVluoncsu IN Inc FREED
mans Bank case to the tune of SOB Z2l IL.
News From Home.
A correspondent OF the Washington Chroni-
Gle writing about Alexandria, says the grocery
trade of the city is at present IN Il state
rather worse than last year, and with no mate
rial prospects Of improvement. 10 note this
fac, more accurately it is, perhaps, best that
the statement of the boOkkceper OF prom-
nent grocery and provision house should be
given. He says, in effect, that the sales for
the first half of the present year have showa
decrease OF ii per cent. compared With the
business done during the first six months of rs.
This would seem to Indicate large falling OF
in the profits of the grocery trade. Inquiry il
another quarter revealed the fact that this de-
crease in sales since January las, Was gen.
eral, though the percentage, OF course, varies,
and that the reduction Was noticed to tail more
upon the retail than the wholesale orders.
The groceries here enjoy. as may be pre-
sumed, large proportion OF country patronage
| from the farming class scattered aruuad the en-
virons, and who bring their produce TO market
every week This species of retail customer is
now engaged at harvesting, and it can well be
hoped that after the last sheathas boon gath
| cred and housed" thu branch Of trade now
| under consideration will improve somewhat il
| this respect.
Dry goods show little better condition; al
though OF the six chief houses, three uny are
doing any remuuerative business. The best OF
these three stores is conducting quite fair
| trade Its sales thus far this year have been
far 10 advance Of last season. Among our dry
goods dealers there is considerable complaint
against the ladies. The fair SEX they say,
will not patronze home taZars in the pur
chase of dress fabrics aud fancy fnery, but Insist
upon seeking such articles i'll other cities ln
! this respect, it was al limited with pang) that
| Washington profted largely from the migrating
tendencies OF our Alexandria ladies. And in like
degree, quoth my informant-an aokooWl
edged authority in the matter OF dry goods, the
ladies of Washington visit Baltimore 10 obtain
their dresses, &C.; the Baltimore damssls wan
| der further on tn Philadelphia and my ady OF
the Quaker Centennial City Of Br0therIy Love
is not content unless Gotham furnishes them
the ueedtuI land quite often the suprlhlous)
| 10 dress The gentleman who gave me- this
valuable piece of information can be relied on
! implicitly for bis experience 10 the business
one of whose evils he thus graphically deScrb-
es-readers his knowledge OF 1t almost perfect.
And yet, 10 thus delineatiug the perpetual
onward" impulses Of the ladies 10 the alI-lm-
portrait matter of shopping, my friend, quite
naturally, perhaps selected Alexandria Us the
starting point. His theory being currect-as,
in all seriousness, | take it to bc-his little
city, whence my letter is dated, must of neces.
sity profit somewhat from the incoming of
Fredericksburg lasses intent on purchasing
away from home. ln the setting forth Of u
we'll known fact my friend did very we'll, only
he failed TO select q proper starting place,
which, as far as the fair sex of the Un,ed
States arc concerned, might properly be fixed
at Key West.
The Corn Exchange of Alexandria, com
posed Of all the merchants 10 the grain and
hour trade Nv. W. Herbert, esq, presid-n,),
reports one aud half mion bushels as the
estimated amount Of grain which passes
through this market annually. Most of this is
shipped to Richmond. New York, Georgetown
aud some Eastcro ports: The imports consist
of fish, salt, plaster and lumber, received irJm
British ports and Eastern and coastwisc maj
ke,s. With regard to the various river lines
which have Alexandra as a starting or stop.
ping point, it was asccrtained that they are
| four in plumber, as follows: The New York
and Washington steamship line, +. A. Reed
local agent, steamers K. G. Knight aud John
W. Gibson, weekly; the Inland and Seaboard
Coastiug Company, f. A. Red, local agent,
steamers Lady of the Lake, Jane MoseIcy and
John w. Thompson. This liue is composed
OF two separate routes, Of VIII CHI the Lady and
the Jane form the Norfolk and the Thompson
the rivcr-landing lines. The Norfolk route is
a tri-weekly one. AID the river route semi
weekly. Also. the Clyde line, en- institution
of Philadelphia's commerce more especially
although the steamers stop here on each trip
between the destinal points, Philadelphia and
Washington. The system is weekly one, and
the Clyde line Connect at its more Northern
port with the entire Clyde system Of coast and
trans Atlantic steamers Mr. Reed is also
agent of this line. The Potomac rransporta
ton line, aod the Wcems Transportation line,
consolidated, form the fourth and last on the
list. Messrs. j. Broders & Go. are the agents
| here. The Express and Mary Washington (ol
Baltimorc) comprise this line, and they make
all the river landings.
T