r04 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 



bought from the various countries with which the publishers of the 

 volume have had dealings, and also in many are to be found the 

 opinions of the Consuls regarding the state and prospects of trade in 

 the different places in which they are located. Valuable information 

 is thus given, and useful lessons are learned regarding the trade and 

 history of the country. But, in addition to all this, and reading 

 between the lines, as it were, we learn a lesson much more valuable 

 to the student of man than any which may be obtained from pages 

 of figures, however valuable — we learn the great lesson of civilization. 

 Above and beyond everything in bringing men together, in 

 knitting and uniting them in the great bond of brotherhood, and in 

 teaching men to recognize in each other, a brother, independent of 

 his country, his race, his color, or his creed, commerce stands be- 

 yond a rival ; without fear or without envy, she is always ready to 

 welcome any means whereby the end she has in view may be at. 

 tained. Commerce is the elder sister of civilization. As stones in 

 the earth remain for ever angular, while in the brook or river, by 

 coming in contact as they roll along with the stream, here gently 

 pushing, there knocking violently against each other, they are 

 smoothed and rounded into the pebbles we find and admire for 

 their roundness and and polish, so it is with men. Man isolated 

 from his fellows remains in an almost stationary condition, some- 

 times retrogressing, scarcely or never progressing, and always retain- 

 ing his angularities. Bring him into contact with other men, throw 

 him, as it were, into the river, and soon we find him beginning to 

 move forward with the great stream of life, and by and by we find 

 him occupying his proper position among the people of the world. 

 The great lever moving the world is commerce. Go where we 

 may, from zone to zone, in the most highly civilized nations, or 

 amongst peoples of the lowest grade we continually find her opening 

 the way, unbarring the gates, and making the path smooth for her 

 younger sister, civilization, leading her gently over the dangerous 

 places, and pushing her boldly forward where chance or necessity 

 may occur. The birthday of commerce is an unknown period, and 

 her age, a time not to be measured by years, nor by centuries, nor 

 yet by cycles. The oldest peoples of which we have any record at 

 all had a certain amount of commerce existing amongst them, and 

 even the rude§t s.avage of the present day betrays his knowledge and 



