The supplies are principally drawn from the entrepots of Bremen and Hamburg. The lower qualities of American tobacco are the only kind mixed with the native tobacco.

Austrian Empire.-In Austria proper the cultivation is interdicted, but in Hungary it is cultivated to a considerable extent. The importation and manufacture is a government monopoly, except in Hungary. A portion of the supplies of foreign tobacco is received through Trieste, but the principal part is drawn from Bremen, Hamburg, and Holland.

France. The cultivation of tobacco is prohibited except in a few departments. Although there has been much pains used to improve the quality of the tobacco, yet it is generally very inferior. The importation is a government monopoly, and a revenue exceeding $11,000,000 is derived from it.

Spain. The cultivation, sale, and manufacture is interdicted, except in four provinces. In the rest of Spain it is imported and manufactured on government account-and the net amount of revenue derived from this source has been estimated at upward of $4,000,000. The supplies are principally from the United States, Cuba and Brazil. Portugal. The cultivation is interdicted. The right of importation is farmed out, and the net revenue derived from it is over one and a half million of dollars.

In most of the European States bordering on the Mediterranean, tobacco is held as a government monopoly.

Gibraltar.-Being a free port, large quantities of tobacco are deposited there a portion for the supply of the small markets on the Mediterranean, but much the larger portion to be smuggled into the adjoining States.

England.-No tobacco is allowed to be cultivated. Leaf tobacco, when entered for consumption, has to pay the heavy duty of $72 75 per 100 lbs., and in its transition through the country, it is subjected to the strictest surveillance. The government derive from the imports on tobacco a net revenue of over $17,000,000 annually. The importations are not merely for consumption; but as tobacco on arriving there can be admitted to entrepot, where it can remain for six years without other expenses than storage duty, large quantities find their way there for re-exportation to the various markets of consumption. The annual consumption of England is about 18,000 hhds.

It will, upon an examination of this trade, be seen that Europe levies a revenue of about $30,000,000 on about 100,000 hhds. of tobacco, which cost in the United States about $7,000,000.

Art. VI.-NEW ORLEANS.

ITS PRESENT SITUATION AND FUTURE PROSPECTS.

No city of the world has ever advanced as a mart of commerce with such gigantic and rapid strides as New Orleans.

Her commercial life may be said to date after the cession of Louisiana to the United States, in 1803, as, previous to that, her commerce was insignificant; and yet, in this short period of about 40

COMMERCE OF NEW ORLEANS,

54

years, she already ranks as the fourth city of the world for the magnitude and value of her commerce, being exceeded only by London, Liverpool, and New York. The foreign importations of New York greatly exceed those of New Orleans, but if the whole of the foreign and coasting trade of both ports are taken into view, it might be a matter of doubt whether the bulk and possibly the value of merchandise that enters and leaves the mouth of the Mississippi is not fully equal to that which enters and clears Sandy Hook. At any rate, if it is not now, it will in a very few years not only equal but exceed it, and place New Orleans the third in rank of the commercial cities of the world.

In estimating the tonnage engaged in the commerce of New Orleans, there is no valid objection against including that trading with the interior of the country, which under the circumstances of the case is on the same footing as the coasting trade of New York. Of the produce and manufactures of the country, which are the great foundation of the large foreign export trade of New York, a very large portion is brought there by coasting vessels. The produce that forms the enormous export trade of New Orleans is brought from the interior, and the greater part of it a distance exceeding 1,000 and often 2,000 miles, by the hundreds of large and heavily laden steamboats and the thousands of flat-boats arriving from high up the Mississippi and Missouri and the head waters of the Ohio, and all the numerous and large tributaries of those mighty rivers, ought certainly to rank with the coasting trade of other ports, in estimating the amount of tonnage engaged in the commerce of the place. It is, in fact, the only coasting trade, as regards the agricultural produce of the country, that New Orleans possesses.

The value of produce and merchandise annually received in New Orleans from the interior, including the crop of Louisiana, is from 65 to 70,000,000 of dollars, the whole of which is exported to foreign or coastwise ports, with the exception of the small portion required for local consumption.

No data exists on which to base a correct opinion of the value of the coasting trade of the United States, but the coastwise importations at New Orleans have been estimated at from 30 to 35,000,000 dollars, nor can this be considered excessive, when we recollect the immense population in the upper country which draws its supplies from, or through this city; and any one who will watch the quantity, variety and value of the cargoes that are continually landing from the numerous lines of packet ships from Philadelphia, New York, Boston, &c., will readily acknowledge that the above amount is not too large, and is most probably much underrated. The local trade of the city also fully corroborates the estimate, when we recollect the immense dry goods, hardware, and other branches of business, both wholesale and retail, all of which draw their stocks from the northern ports, and many of which effect sales to the amount of from 300,000 to 500,000 dollars each per annum; and that of these cargoes thus landed, the larger portion is not intended for the trade of this city, but is forwarded direct to the dealers and traders at all the cities and towns on the Mississippi and its tributaries.

The value, then, of the commerce entering and leaving the Missis

sippi, is probably not less than 100,000,000 dollars, and must, in the natural course of events, annually and rapidly increase.

To give an idea of the quantity of merchandise received and shipped at New Orleans, the following prominent articles have been selected from the statistical tables that are annually published, premising that though these tables are correct so far as they go, they must necessarily fall short in many items, and to a large extent. The produce arriving by steamboats is correctly obtained from their manifests, but in the arrivals of many thousands of large flat-boats who make no report whatever, a great number must be overlooked.

The following quantities are stated in round numbers, throwing off fractional parts:

Also lumber, staves, furs and peltries of all kinds; soap, candles, beeswax, beans, peas, beer, ale, feathers, honey, lime, white lead, glass, and a long list of other articles, many of them in immense quantities.

The facilities and convenience of transacting business at New Orleans, are fully equal and in many respects superior to that of any other place. It is the centre of immense exchange operations, and any amount of funds can at all times be obtained at the shortest notice under good letters of credit, and bills negotiated with great readiness and facility on any prominent point in the United States, or any of the commercial cities of western Europe; and the banking institutions afford all reasonable accommodations to the local wants and trade of the city.

Some European cities can show more splendid quays, or magnificent docks for the accommodation of shipping, and the landing and loading of cargoes, far exceeding in appearance and durability anything of the kind in New Orleans, but in no way superior in point of actual convenience to the unpretending wharves of this city.

As is generally known, the surface of the alluvial soil of Louisiana including, of course, the site of the city, is considerably below the river in ordinary stages of high water, and the country is protected

These two articles include what is shipped direct from plantation by vessels and steamboats.

from inundation by a raised and solid embankment called "the Levee," extending on both sides of the river below, and a great distance above the city. Outside of the levee the bank of the river is called the Batture," which in many places is increasing from the continued alluvial deposits, while in other places the river has what is called "a falling bank," and the water gradually encroaches on the land. In the former case the levee is advanced as the batture increases, and this has been the case in a large portion of the front of New Orleans, where in some parts the levee has in the last 25 years advanced full 1,000 feet, and the front warehouses now stand for a long extent that distance from the water, affording a splendid space for the vast bulk of produce that is annually landed and shipped. The wharves are constructed outside the levee, on massive piles driven with a heavy iron ram into the mud, and extending over the river into the water sufficiently deep to admit the heaviest ships and steamboats to lie up against them; heavy sleepers connect the piles at the top, and on these latter the platform is laid, of thick planking, the edges of which are separated about an inch, to prevent the accumulation of dirt, which falls through these interstices into the river flowing below, and in five minutes after the heaviest storm the whole surface is in perfect condition to receive any description of merchandise. These wharves are thus planked back until they join the crown of the levee, in some places 150 to 200 feet, which is made firm and solid by a constant coating of shells, and always kept in good order. One of these wharves presents an unbroken front on the river of 1,500 feet, and others 600 to 800 feet; and in the business season it is usual to see these fronts entirely occupied with steamboats lying bow on, and each with her stage rigged out to the wharf actively engaged in loading or unloading. The wharves intended for sea-going vessels are detached from each other with an intervening dock, and each wharf accommodates a tier of vessels, which, unlike the steamboats, are moored up and down the river, one outside the other, 3, 4 and 5 tiers deep, with a broad, common stage communicating with the levee, and extending on the bulwarks of the vessels to the outside onethe timber, plank, and all the conveniences for this staging being furnished by the city, who even also supply tarpaulins to protect the goods in case of rain.

These details are given to show to those who are familiar with shipping, the very great facilities and convenience that is afforded here, and without which it would be impracticable to get through the vast amount of business that is transacted in the city, except with great inconvenience and enormous expense.

In nothing, perhaps, is the "go-ahead" principle of the Americans so strikingly exemplified, as the manner in which cargoes of steamboats are landed and shipped at the levee of New Orleans. It would startle even our northern friends, and would make Europeans connected with commerce and accustomed to their regular and quiet mode of handling merchandise, stand aghast-unencumbered with bulwarks-carrying considerable portions of cargo on their wide and ample decks, with shallow holds that do not require much hoisting, with ample room on the wide extended levee, a strong force, and with every convenience for landing, a cargo is transferred from the

water to the land, and vice versa, in a space of time that appears almost magical.

You will see one of those gigantic steamboats coming to the wharf loaded down to her guards with 2,500 to 3,000 bales of cotton -the hold not only full, but piled up 8, 9, and 10 tier high on her deck, so as almost to exclude the sight of any portion of the boat except her wheel-houses, and having the appearance of a moving mass of cotton bales, and while one part of the crew are actually yet engaged in taking out her mooring lines to secure her to the wharf, the other portion are already engaged in landing cotton, and a long pile of bales with two men at each, are seen rolling up along the levee, and in half an hour afterward the press drays are hauling it

away.

It is almost an every day occurrence that a cargo of 2,500 to 3,000 bales is landed between sun and sun, and the packet-boats that run to time and have fixed days and hours for starting, are frequently obliged to make extra exertions when, from accident or other cause, they have been detained beyond their regular time, and then day or night is immaterial, the work goes on the same. As a specimen of dispatch the following is given, as being within our own knowledge, and no doubt there are many other instances of equal or greater expedition.

The Henry Clay, a first class boat, arrived at the levee late on Thursday afternoon, and left at ten A. M. on Sunday. During the interval of two working days, she had landed and shipped 1,400 tons of cargo; besides which, the boat had to be cleared up, fixed, and all the supplies procured, and arrangements made for 100 cabin passengers that returned with her; nor was this considered as being anything extraordinary.

The Rainbow, one of the smaller class boats, and therefore not with so strong a crew, arrived at 10 P. м. with 1,000 bales of cotton, which she landed, and took on board a return freight, though not a full one, and started next day at noon, at her regular hour-the same boat stopped at a plantation, and in 38 minutes took on board and stowed in her hold 128 hhds. of sugar.

The Concordia landed 2,200 bales of cotton, reloaded a full return freight and left the city in 26 hours after her arrival-the cotton was landed in 8 hours. Probably no other city can produce parallel instances of dispatch in the usual routine of business, and it is in a great degree necessary to use this dispatch in consequence of being obliged to condense the business of a year into about six months; for although the business season is considered to be from November to June inclusive (8 months), it is really condensed into little more than 6 months, as it is hardly fairly open till December, and falls off rapidly after the 1st June-nor can it ever be otherwise in consequence of natural causes, as all the waters above are unnavigable during the summer months, and consequently all the produce must be sent to market, and all the return supplies be received before low

water.

The question now arises, will New Orleans be able to retain this immense commerce, and its natural and large increase, arising from the great and inevitable addition to the population and resources of