St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-05-04
Our New York Letter.

KETCH-HIs DUTIES AND EMOLU-
MENTS.
New YORK. April %, 1877.
| To the Editor of the LdIedOnidn
Local events have this week largely
taken their color from the bursting war
cloud III Europe. Remote as is the ac-
tuai scene of action from us, we can
scarcely he said to be disinterested
spectators to the developments which
the last few days have inaugurated.
Despite the expressed intention of the
European powers to hold themselves
aloof from the strife between Russia
and Turkey, and thus prevent the strife
from being more than a local one, the
probability is everywhere felt to be
strong, that unless the last abject APP
peal of Turkey to the treaty of Paris
should prove of some etfect-and moth
ing could be more unlikely-it will not
be many months before England, Aus
tria, Germany, and perhaps France and
Italy, will be found ranged upon the
side of one or the other of the present
combatamts. The effect upon this coun-
try of the stubborn general war that
would follow is easily to be seen. The
production of provisions and of manu-
featured articles practically ceasing
throughout Europe, demands upon the
United States, the only great producing
nation left with its hands free, for sup
plies of every variety, would tax our
capacity to the utmost, and give such a
stimulus to our manufactures us not
even our own war furnished.
With these ideas uppermost in mind,
Wall street and the heavy manufacture
ing interests have naturally been fever
ish and excited. Gold has gone up
three or fOul figures and breadstutfs
have followed suit. presume few are
so greedy and inhuman us to desire to
see the whole of Europe plunged i'll the
horrors of war; but certain it is that
none of us can help it if such state of
things is brought about, and therefore
need not hesitate to reap the temporary
harvest which it would place ready to
our hands.
The Russian fleet, which brought the
Grand Dukes to this country, and which
has formed the great attraction to the
ferry passengers on the North River for
several weeks, shows very evidently
that it has heard of the disturbance on
the other side. On receipt of the news
of the declaration of war the ships Off
GERS secured the town for such members
of their crews as, having been allowed
leave to go on shore, had disported
themselves with the characteristic dbdR-
dom of Jack Tar the world over, had
got drunk and been sent to various
limbOs by the police justices. The
weather beaten truantS were reclaimed
us rapidly as possible, their fines being
paid out of the treasury of his imperial
majesty, the Gar of all the Russias,
and the fleet now lies with steam up
awaiting and rather expecting Il tele-
graphic recall to the Black Sea.
With the returning green of our parks
and trees attention falls naturally upon
the plant and seed interests, which now
begin to be III enormous activity. Few
people realize what business is done
about here III the raising and selling of
flowers and seeds. Flower growers es-
innate that within IA radius of thirty
miles about the New York city hall
there are over Sl0,000,000 invested in
the growing of plants by professional
gardeners, large and small, and that
their annual sales exclusive of cut
fowers-reach 1000, 900, half of which,
or more, belongs to the spring trade
Besides this, there is probably not less
than Sl,O0O,0O0 worth of seeds sold
from this city between january and
June of each year. The growth of the
seed and hot house interest has of course
OccasiOned a tremendous multiplication
of varieties. | know of one seed house
alone which has 500 named varieties of
potatoes, and other vegetables and flow
ering plants receive proportionate at
tention.
A very pleasant result of the con-
ccntration of this trade about New
York, Is the cheapness of cut flowers in
the city. Beside the numerous regular
florists there is on almost every busy
street corner Il little flower stand " here,
from the first warm sunshine to the first
snow squall, pretty, fragrant little
punches of green and color can he
bought for Il song. And to the credit
of New Workers it must be said that
busy as they are, these flower stands
get veIy fair patronage. Throughout
his huIIying day in the heat and dust
of summer, many IL clerk, banker, and
merchant, and above all, the wild, I'M
tamable broker of Wall street, would
feel quite lost without bunch of vio-
lets OF pansies, or Il rosebud and spriy
of geranium in his buttOn-hole OF on his
office desk.
The tidal wave which for several
years past has been sweeping the finest
retail business of the city from its old
moorings i'll lower Broadway to various
uptown locations, has now carried
away another landmark i'll the great
Photographic dtelier of SarOny, the
pioneer, and for many years the leader,
i'll this department of American fine
arts. Every visitor to New York knows
the old location opposite the Grand
Central hotel, and even those who never
enjoyed an inspection of the beauties
of the place cannot fail to he familiar
with the bold and characteristic sigma
ture which appears beneath all the best
portraits of native and foreign celebrities
which are scattered through the coun-
try. The new quarters OH Union Square
are being made IL palace of this art,
every luxury and convenience which
taste and experience can suggest, being
applied with unstinted liberality for
''SarOny's" has always been first in ele-
Gance as well as art, and its proprietor
is not the man to fall behind in the uni
) versal march of improvement. Among
the other accessories for the convenience
of the public which he is placing in the