The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-09
THE WEST INDIAN TRADE AGAIN.

EditOr Democrat Some time ago, when the
West Indian trade was being agiatod by Mr..
Nathan, and the tidal wave Of public Rcnti-
mCnt seemed to be flowing thirhcrWard, |
wrote an article through your columns reIa-
tive to the trade of the Island of st DOmin-
go via Cuba. / was then impressed with the
idea that q lucrative business could be built
lIp between these places Since then nothing
has been said relative TO the matter J. there
fore, with your permission, would like to
place the matter again before our business
community. PerChanCe some one may give it
due consideration and treat it in accordance
with its merits. New Orleans is destined by
nature to be the great metropolis Of the South
situated as 1t is near the mouth of the great
Father OF Waters with the immense tribu-
taries of the West entering it above, making
it available for the transportation of the
great bulk Of Western produce and that Of
the Mississippi valley, which can easily find
its way abroad to all parts Of the globe
through the means Of this grand reservoir
with our lCtty system a success such as it
has proven to be- it only needs commercial
energy, ability and enterprise to make this
city the commercial emporium of the South
and West. | will not pretend to discuss the
great commercial principles which ought to
be applied to make the figure fact, but shall
simply COniine myself to the commerce Of the
islands referred to, which legtimately be-
longs to New Orleans. AS cents make dol
lars, and dollars make fortunes the trades
of these islands would be auxiaries in build
that we have lines Of steamer running be
tween here and Havana, but this is no reason
why they should not extend further. The
Island of st. Domingo abOunds in CONNER
100000 to be supplied with products such as
are exported from this market daily, and
which are supplied from the far North at
rates that could be greatly reduced if shipped
from here. Let us suppose that commercial
relations were to be opened up with
these island, running a steamer
monthly of about two thousand tons.
leaving here, touching at Key West, Florida,
thence to Havana and various other ports in
the Island of Cuba, thence to Puerto Prn-
cipc, Cape Hayticn, Turks Island, Mt.
Christi, Puerto Plato, SANTANA Bay, City Of
st. Domingo, far down as AZlla, and back by
the same route, We could ship from here
monthly thousands Of barrels Of flour, thou
sands Of boxes Of soap, butter, lard, hams,
salt meats and fish in proportion, notions in
abundance, and largo quantities of lumber
and shingles; this would be our outward
bound cargo, all OF which are available in this
market. American domestic goods boots and
shoes, which equal in quality and compete in
prices with those Of any other country, would
form a big item in this trade, from the pro-
goods Of which thousands Of dollars could be
raised, but the largest profits would be real
lied upon the return cargo.
What could be gathered from the various
ports of Cuba is too well known to the trade
to need comment, but from the various ports
OF Hayt we could mOnOpOliXe a portion Of
that large coffee trade that flows North and
on to Europe, when this is its legitimate dcs-
tination. From the ports Of st. Domingo we
could gather large quantities of tobacco,
cigars, hides beeSwaX, honey, mahogany,
lignumvitm, dye woods Of every kind, and a
large variety Of tropical fruits and vegetables,
which would not only be remunerative to
trade, but great luXurics to our people. With
such q trade Cstab lished Porto Rico and
other adjacent islands would soon stretch out
their arms and fall into this great vortex, so
that within few years New Orleans would
be the great mart for the tropics and our mpr-
chants would gather invaluable trophies for
this now seeming insignificant speculation.
Can such an enterprise fail to receive the CON
sideratiOn of our merchants
Our transatlantic steamers would also be
benefited. Tobacco, clutches, and other arti-
cleS which find their way to Hamburg, HaVre
Liverpool, etc, at enormous rates, could find
their way thither from here Oh board of the
ocean palaces at much reduced lates, and
other advantages too numerous to discuss
would develop themselves in the event of
such All enterprise. Fearing that | have
treSpaSsed too much upon your time and
space, will conclude, hoping that some able
brain will take hold Of this matter and wheel
this minute speculation into a gigantic enter
prise, which will speak loud in honor of the
commercial minds Of the Crescent City.
II. G. G. ASTWOOD.