Morning journal and courier., 1894-04-10
AFTER DYE HUNDRED YEARS.

AFTER DYE HUNDRED YEARS. DUR CHAmBRR OF COMmERCK. fudge .. E. Baldvvin's Review Of she
 Chamber's History Read at She
 Chambers Centennial Celebration
 Last Evening.
 One hundred years ago this day, on Wednesday, April g. 1794, the chamber of of New Haven, the second in point of time in the United States, was under a written constitution which had been previously signed by twenty six of the leading merchants of the new city.
 Ten years had then elapsed since the grant of the city charter, the first under which city WAS organized in New Eng. land. The state had given privileges to New Haven that, did they exist today, would mako 1t the metropolis of America. You will reeoifect that our city zeal bears the motto Mare Libsrum-A free seq. At the May session of the general assembly in 17S4, . few months after the grant of the charter, 1t was enacted "that the cities and ports of New London and New Haven shall be free cities and ports for the term of seven years from the first day of June, 17s4"; and an exemption from taxation was granted, during the same period, to any merchants or firm of merchants, in either city, who should maintain . mercantile house, importing annually from Europe, Asia or Africa, goods worth 33. .OOO, or who should bring in a capital of S2 .OOO; and also to ship owners on account of any vessels employed four months in the year in foreign trade. It was carefully pro- vtded, however, in the concluding section, that these grants were subject to any fu- turs legislation by the Uaited States, within the powers granted, or which might be granted by this state, and that nothing in this statute should be con strued to countenaucs or authorize the African slave trade.
 Three years later. the constitution of the United States was framed, and its ratifics- ton, by Connecticut closed, probably for ever, the free port of New Haven.
 The foreign commerce of the place,
 which had been almost extlpguished by the Revolutionary war, had rapidly re- vived, and in the first year of the city charter one British, one Danish,
 and thirty-six American vessels entered the
 port, and thirty sail owned by New
 Haven merchants were actually engaged
 in foreign and West India trade.
 Several stores carried stocke of
 goods to the value of two or three thou
 sand pounds. One weekly packet line ran
 to New York, except during the winter,
 and another to New L1ndon and Nor
 wich. From 17s3 to 1793 tho arrivals
 and departures of vessels making foreign
 and the
 registered tonnage was over 7,O0O, hun
 drei tons of which vas represented by a
 full rigged ship, the Philadelphia.
 In 1792 our first bank, now the National
 New Haven bank, was chartered. with .
 capital of $l00, ,000, which, however. 1t was
 found necessary to reduce in 1795 by the
 recommendation of this chamber, to min-
 mum limit of $50, 900, in order to secure its organiz stion. It's power to issue cir culsting bills was unrestricted.
 These were stirring times in the history of the world. It was in 1792 that
 the national convention assembled in France and offered assi, tance to all peoples who wished to throw Louis XVI. went to the block and all Eo rope was banded together to crush out the rising spirit of republicanism. Americs had prospered by the csiamities of other lands, and under our neutral flag profit able commerce had been spreading ovel avery sea- That of New Haven was main ly with the West Indies, though an oecs sional voyage, like that of the Neptune, te remoter countries, by the eplendor of iti results. threw into obscurity the more fire | quept trips of our bri9antfnes and schoon CTS to and from the islands of the Carribsar ses, carrying out live stock and provisions and returning with rum and molasses. Oar shipping soon began to suffer from | the depredations of British and French 1 cruisers, and in April, 1794, nineteen New Haven vessels were held ss prizes in Wes Indian ports. It is probable that thes' French spoliations were the eHcisn ! cause that brought this chamber in | to existence, and the first business of { | general character which 1t transacted wal | the preparation of a memorial to congress on this subjsct, to bs pressed in concer | with 6 similar movement on the part of tht merchants of Norwich.
 The original signsrs of the constitution were good representatives of the business | strength and enterprise of the city.
 Colonel Joseph Drake headed the list | He was one of the pillars of Trinity church ! a member of the committee to procure fl ! an organ in 1784; of another, in 1792. tt fence its share of the old burial ground or | the green, and plan for the establishment
 of a new cemetery; and of that which hat charge of the erection of the presen
 church edifcs, in 1913, to the cost O which Colonel Isaac Tomlinson and b. were the largest contributors, each takinl ten shares of $50 apiece. At that tim,
 churches were usually built under an ar engagement by which some of their member supplied the funds, and were compensated
 to a certain extent, by an allotmen of pews in perpetuity, subject generally | to some stipulated and always moderate l rental. Colonel Drake was one of the las | of our citizens to wear small clothes, anG | was one of the SD bstantial men of the towr | of the old school. This year was to be cloud ed to him by the death of his son and nameeake, graduate of Yale of the clssi | of 1785. Colonel Drake died here in 1S8(
 at the age of ninety seven.
 Next on the roll of siRners comes the name of Captain Henry DsRgstt, g gradu
 ate of Yale of the class of 177l and Long Wharf merchant, who lived long life in the large house still standing on the north. west corner of Chapel and High streets, shaded until recent years by two large ev- erRreens. He wss the secretary of the New Haven convention of 177S, at which dele gates from seven states met here to concert measures to keep up the waning credit of the Continental currency.
 Henry Daegett. jr., Is also upon the list G~n~&.~f Gd kS~