230 



COMMERCE. 



New York represented by far the largest por- 

 tion of the whole quantities shipped out of the 

 country, and the results of the year's business 

 show a singular reversal in the course of many 

 important items. Thus, last year the national 

 export of cotton, as seen in page 117, "Annual 

 Cylopajdia, 1861," amounted to $34,051,488, 

 which amount had been sent out of the coun- 

 try before the blockade became strict. This 

 year the imports of cotton into the port of New- 

 York were 70,565 bales, valued at $0,121,403. 

 The imports of wool were as large. The im- 

 ports of sugar and molasses figured at nearly 

 17 millions ; tobacco and rice nearly $3,800,000; 

 so with many other articles that are usually of 

 domestic supply. Guns reached nearly $10,- 

 000,000. The effect of the war was thus to 

 cause a large and unwonted import of cer- 

 tain articles, while the usual medium of 

 payment for imports was not forthcoming. 

 The products of the West indeed formed the 

 basis of the export trade; but the wants of 

 England and Europe were much less than in 

 the previous year ; hence the quantities export- 

 ed realized much lower sums of money abroad, 

 and it is probable, but for the influence of paper 

 money upon the shipments, the amounts would 

 have been much less than they were. The fol- 

 lowing table shows the leading articles export- 

 ed as compared with the previous year : 



Exports from New Tort: to Foreign Ports of Certain 

 Leading Articles of Domestic Produce for EUvtn 

 Months of the Year. 



The quantity of wheat exported in the shape 

 of flour and wheat was equal to 40,000,000 

 bushels, against 44,000,000 bushels in the pre- 

 vious year, but the prices realized were much 

 less. In provisions the increased export was 

 very large, as was also the case with oils. The 

 new trade which sprang up in petroleum seems 

 to have been greatly developed by the intro- 

 duction of the article into Europe, and nearly 

 12 millions of gallons were shipped. The ex- 

 ports for the year were as follows : 



Included iu the exports of crude tobacco are 43,350 hogsheads. 



According to the annual statement of the 

 superintendent, in the year 1862 there passed 

 through the ship canal, at St. Mary's Falls, 

 Michigan, which forms the gateway to Lake 

 Superior, $12,000,000 worth of copper and 

 iron, besides general merchandise to the value 

 of $10,000,000. The following statement, pre- 

 pared by the superintendent of the canal, shows 

 the extent and character of this trade more in 

 detail: 543 schooners, aggregating 170,595 

 tons; 121 propellers, 65,124 tons; and 174 

 steamers, 124,838 tons making a total tonnage 

 for the year of 359,612 tons. By this it ap- 

 pears that the whole number of vessels, sail 

 and steam, that passed through the canal last 

 year was 838, with an aggregate tonnage of 

 359,612 tons. In the year previous there were 

 527 vessels, sail and steam, with a tonnage of 

 276,637 tons. At six cents per ton, the rate 

 now collected, the tolls for the last year 

 amounted to $21,676.72, of which $14,120 

 were deposited with the State Treasurer. A 

 careful estimate of the trade of the Lake Supe- 

 rior region for the year 1862 gives the following 

 results : Iron, pig and ore, 150,000 tons ; copper, 

 9,300 tons ; general merchandise, 80,000 tons. 

 The iron and copper mines of Lake Superior 

 were never in a more prosperous condition, 

 and there is every reason to believe there will 

 be a large increase of exports in the current 

 year, though the business of 1862 shows an in- 

 crease of about 50 per cent., compared with 

 the year immediately preceding. 



In the early part of the year the trade un- 

 derwent a great depression, and the prices fell 

 to a very low point, with a great accumulation 

 of stock on hand ; a remarkable upward move- 

 ment then took place, and a very rapid advance 

 in prices suddenly developed a great traffic. 

 This, like most others, was powerfully affected 

 by the effect of paper money upon the exchanges 

 of the country, since as the price of bills rose it 

 imparted a stimulus to the shipment of all avail- 

 able goods, and consequently the export value 

 of the produce by no means represents the 

 value realized abroad, since the value is in 

 paper prices. The export value of the month 

 of December was $14,805,112 for domestic 



