REVENUE AND INCOME. 
121 
are unexhausted. The Hon. George M. Dallas, in a recent 
communication, says : 
"I cannot resist the impression that this junction of the two oceans of the 
Isthmus of Tehuantepec would Americanize this vast and augmenting portion 
of the commerce of the world. It would give to the people of the United 
States the overwhelming advantage of an abridgment, by fully one-half, of ge- 
ographical distances. Against the merchants of Europe it would give ours 
two voyages to one. There is scarcely a region in the limitless South Sea, 
with which a trade would be lucrative, that could not be reached by them in 
half the time that would be consumed by English, French, Spanish, Dutch, or 
Swedish navigators. ' If,' says Mr. Scarlett, ' this scheme were realized, it has 
been calculated that the navigation from Philadelphia to Nootka Sound and 
the mouth of the Columbia River, which by Cape Horn is now five thousand 
leagues, would be reduced to three thousand only.' In fact, the reduction 
would be greater. But, at this rate, what would the reduction necessarily be 
as regards the navigation, in that direction, from New Orleans, Mobile, St. Au- 
gustine, Savannah, and our entire southern sea-board ? The interchanges of 
commodities between our great and teeming valley of the West, and the rich 
and rising region of the Pacific, would be accomplished almost at the mouth 
of the Mississippi." 
The following table exhibits (as nearly as can be ascertained 
from the most authentic data) the number of vessels and pas- 
sengers, tons of freight, value of gold, and average weight of 
mail between California and the Atlantic States for four years, 
ending Dec. 24, 1851. 
Route. 
No. of 
Vessels. 
No. of 
Passengers. 
Tons of 
Freight. 
Gold. 
Average weight of 
Mail per steamer. 
1183 
71 
227,001 
14,521 
171,420 
46,584 
425 
| $138,620,400 
(17,000 lbs.hvst.) 
9000 
Total... 
1254 
412,942 
47,009 
$138,620,400 
To this number of passengers may be added 11,021 who have 
gone by sea around Cape Horn, making a total of 423,963 per- 
sons — of whom only 8100 belong to the year 1848. In order, 
however, to arrive at a yearly average, we may safely leave out 
that year, and divide the total number of passengers by 3 (rep - 
resenting respectively 1849, '50, and '51), which gives 141,320 
as the lowest annual estimate of emigration between the Atlan- 
