464 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



countries. If the supply can be kept up to the demand, it would not be 

 surprising to find the export of petroleum, five years hence, three or four 

 limes its present amount, placing this product among the foremost of our 

 articles of commerce. 



[From the Shipping and Commercial List.] 



Our Maritime Commerce. 



We have received a volume of statistics of the Foreign and Domestic 

 Commerce of the United States, communicated by the Secretary of tlie 

 Treasury in answer to a resolution of the Senate, which contains matter for 

 grave consideration — especially that portion relating to our maritime in- 

 terests. Commerce is shown to have lagged and shrunk away because of 

 piracies aggravated by the stagnation of the mercantile interests. Our 

 wonderful increase in the brief period of our national life, which raised our 

 tonnage from almost nothing when the nation had established its freedom 

 to superiority over that of the greatest commercial counti'y, it is well 

 known, caused fear as well as jealousy abroad, and any method was hailed 

 by our enemies which promised to destroy or cripple it. Much has been 

 done to that end. Many of our best ships have been burned, while a much 

 larger number have been driven to seek shelter under foreign flags; and 

 thus, not only our foreign commerce, but mucl^ of our domestic, has been 

 broken up and destroyed. 



In 1857, the aggregate commercial tonnage of the world was estimated 

 at about 15,500,000 tons. This was distributed as follows : The United 

 States 5,661,416 tons; Great Britain 5,043,270 tons; France 716,130; Ital- 

 ian States 546,021; Holland 456,462; Spain 379,421; Prussia 368,729; Nor- 

 way 368,632; Austria 324,447; Greece 264,981; Denmark 208,109; Mexico 

 and South America 192,735; Turkey 182,000; Bremen 160,000; Sweden 

 147,828; Hamburg 119,884; Russia 105,509. This estimate excludes Chi- 

 na, Japan, and the East generally, where no definite data are procurable. 

 It yielded an excess of about ten per cent to the commercial tonnage of the 

 United States over that of Great Britain, and an excess over all European 

 nations, excluding Great Britain, of over one hundred thousand tons. 



The aggregate of tonnage entering the ports of the United States from 

 foreign countries in 1857 was 7,186,316, of which 2,464,946, or 34.3, was 

 foreign; in 1860, 8,275,196, of which 2,358,911, or 28.4, was foreign; in 

 1861, 7,261,471, of which 2,217,554, or 30.6, was foreign; in 1862, 7, 362,- 

 953, of which 2,245,278, or 30.5, was foreign; and in 1863, 7,255,076, of 

 which 2,640,378, or 36.4, was foreign. The facts thus presented show to 

 bow great an extent we are a commercial and maritime people; and though 

 our present tonnage can hardl}' compare with that of a quarter of a century 

 ago, it is not probable that the present deplorable state of things will con- 

 tinue beyond the close of the war. With peace and unity restored to the 

 country we shall soon rally, and the lapse of many years is not likely to 

 occur before we shall have recovered our lost ground. We are rich in all 

 the essentials for maritime supremacy, We have the raw materials for 

 exchange which prompt such enterprise, and the taste for commercial en- 

 terprise which improves such possibility. Then again, we raise in excess 

 and excellence everything for shipbuilding, and have, moreover, the me- 



