IMPORT OF GOODS, DISTINGUISHING FREE FROM DUTIABLE, AND SHOWING THE AMOUNT OF THE DUTIES ACCRUING MONTHLY.

Total..$10,763,961.....57,830,632.....17,763,821....11,117,435.....58,496,827..

..17,300,597

Specie is not included in this account. The progress of the export trade monthly, from May to January 1st, 1847, is as follows:

In the last three months the value of domestic produce from this port excceded those of last year by $4,000,000. This tendency of large exports and small imports, has been to effect exchanges powerfully, and to promote an abundance of money. The rates of exchange, and import and export of specie monthly at the port of New-York, has been as follows:

For the last three months bills have ruled lower than for many years previous, and as the export has ceased, so has the import commenced under circumstances as above detailed, which tends to make the acquisition large.

The same circumstances have produced an abundance of money, if not great liberality in lending it. The strife in opposition to the new tariff and the people's treasury, has served to check confidence and retard enterprise. The fact, that the government must come into the market for a loan of $20,000,000, to meet war contingencies, up to 1848, would at any time produce a pause in investments; but more particularly, when powerful interests exert themselves to thwart the government, through party motives. It was frequently and distinctly threatened that the government should have no loan, unless the specie clause of the Independent

Treasury law should be repealed. Following the wise maxim, that no new loan should be created without specific appropriation of means for its discharge, the Secretary, in stating the necessity which exists for a new loan, to carry out the measures of Congress in regard to Mexico, proposed a tax on tea and coffee, estimated to yield $3,000,000 per annum, to cover that loan. There is no reason why tea and coffee should not pay a tax in time of peace, as for a simple revenue tax, solely for the support of the government, will go. The fact that the country is at war, and necessarily incurring expenditures beyond the ordinary revenues, is of itself evidence that the government requires all the revenues which it can legitimately procure; and a tax upon tea and coffee is the most obvious expedient, and necessary. When a government is driven to the necessity of borrowing, it becomes it first to abandon all considerations in relation to its finances, except those which will tend simply to increase its revenues; at such a time to declare the tax upon tea and coffee "inexpedient," is to declare our glorious institutions inexpedient." Not that a mere tax on those articles is necessary to the procurement of a loan, to sustain the credit of the government, or to enhance confidence in its securities; but it betrays symptoms of that dangerous doctrine, which has shown itself in the individual states, teaching that it is better to borrow than pay, and "inexpedient" to pay taxes in the discharge of debts. In April, 1842, Congress passed a law authorising a loan, and specially pledging the customs revenues for its redemption. That pledge did not, however, strengthen the credit of the government, nor was a dollar procured under the law. The passage of the law authorising the issue of treasury notes to the amount of $23,000,000, fundable in a 6 per cent. 20 years' stock, and receivable for public dues, meets with general favor, and will operate smoothly. The specie clause of the Independent Treasury bill, went smoothly into operation on the 1st Jan. Most of the large payments are made in treasury notes, probably in the proportion of 60 per cent. of the whole receipts, and the balance in specie. The greatest difficulty is in the want of a sufficiency of American coin; a thing which should be remedied, until a mint can be established in New-York eity, by the appropriation of means by Congress, if necessary, to defray the expense of sending coin to Philadelphia for coinage. The effect upon the banks is by no means what they apprehended; nor can the farce of such fears be much longer kept up.

The operations of trade are causing money to become abundant; but there was also an effort made by fund-mongers to get the new loan as cheap as possible, until the issue of treasury notes was decided on, and capitalists naturally held back in the hope of getting it low; perhaps at 7 per cent. stock at par. The prices of stocks have been, for some time, as follows:

The war broke out in May; since when, the government has borrowed and spent $10,000,000, and called for $20,000,000 more; altered the tariff and put the "specie clause" into operation; its old 6 per cent. stock is still above par, and its Treasury Notes, bearing but one mill interest, cannot be bought under par, yet the new 6 per cent. loan is at 984. The actual difference between the 6 per cent. loan of 1856 and that of 1862, as an investment, is per cent.; the latter having six years longer to run, the market difference is 24 per cent. This is to be accounted for by the "bearing" disposition of the takers of the last loan, in order to

get a new one much cheaper. The Treasury Notes are sustained by the demand for the Custom-House. The United States loan certainly forms by far the most profitable investment, at least for New-York capital, inasmuch as that it is exempt from taxation, according to a decision of the Supreme Court; and taxation in New-York city amounts to one per cent. Bonds and mortgages, or real estate generally, as they now stand, yield scarcely 4 per cent. per annum in New-York, where the legal rate is 7 per cent. The tax is over one per cent., and insurance, repairs, &c., bring the nett revenue down pretty low. Notwithstanding this fact, and the superior profits that some stocks offer, the security offered by real estate, is supposed to be enough to counterbalance the higher rate of interest yielded by stocks. The Ohio 6 per cent. stock, quoted above at 913, has 15 years to run, and will yield, at that rate, 7 per cent. interest. Mortgages in New-York, that will yield 5 per cent. nett, are preferred; because the position of Ohio is not such as will command confidence, notwithstanding that her creditors have, up to this time, always got their money. The grossest charlatanry has, however, been apparent in the management of her finances, and taxation is very heavy, to meet a debt created in extravagance; she has also 34 banks, of which 28 are of the wild-cat species, created under a most absurd banking law. The capital of the whole, reported, is $5,826,677; and their circulation already amounts to $5,674,769. A re vulsion must come, sooner or later; and the present inadequate system of taxation may perish in that hour, leaving Ohio creditors on a level with those of Mississippi. These fears attach more or less to other stocks, except New-York, and those of the federal government.

NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS.

Literary Studies; A Collection of Miscellaneous Essays. By W. A. JONES. New-York: Wiley & Putnam.

Mr. Jones is one of the few writers among us, who may be called the direct descendants of the old English essayists. He gives evidence of the most careful reading of that class of authors, and has imbibed a portion of their characteristic spirit and style. His models are the contributors to the Spectator, Guardian, &c. &c.; and he has caught the trick of their quiet, but profound tone of remark. He has very little of the humor, which distinguishes some of his spiritual progenitors; but he has much of their variety, and, perhaps, more nervous strength. His manner, too, is more sententious and antithetical, while it wants the grace which gives such fascination to the speculations of the former. The little volume he published several years since, called the Analyst, a collection of miscellaneous papers, contain a series of delightful essays, which have never attracted as much attention as they deserve; and the present volumes, though like it in character, indicate considerable improvement.

Mr. Jones's mind is rather critical than suggestive; it is in criticism that he displays the most acuteness and power; and the merit of his criticism is, that he is rather more genial than rigid. We do not always concur in his estimates of men and things; yet, even in what we deem his errors, we discover a fair and honest disposition. His remarks, for instance, on the qualities of the female mind, show sentiments widely different from those we have been led to adopt on the same subject; but they betray no malignant or voluntary false spirit. Again, his whole appreciation of the scientific and theological system of Swedenborg, is utterly inadequate and unjust; yet his deficiencies are produced by his want of complete knowledge of his subject, rather than by any premeditated injustice. Swedenborg, with all

the vagaries that we may be disposed to ascribe to his singular assumptions, was an immense soul, greatly in advance, on many points, of his contemporaries, and only just now beginning to be appreciated as a thinker in the most exalted sphere of human thought. No one, we think, will take the trouble to read his philosophical works, without coming away from them deeply impressed by the reach and grandeur of his generalizations. Mr. Jones should not have attempted to take his measure, without a much longer study, than he has, apparently, given to the subject. He is more at home among our great English worthies, whom he has studied con amore, and with better means of getting at their greatness.

We confess to a partiality for the Essay. It is one of the most agreeable forms of writing; having none of the labored ponderousness of the Treatise, and being less superficial than the newspaper. It admits of a large variety in connection with a general unity of place. With nine readers out of ten, a well-constructed essay will find favor, when the more elaborate book will be thrown aside. The essay fills up a thousand interstices of time, when the mind, guided by the active interests of life, feels incompetent to the task of more serious and sustained reading. Indeed, it ranks next to poetry, as an occupation of desultory hours, and produces much of the same genial and enlivening effect. Who can estimate the value of such collections as the Indicator, and Companion, of Leigh Hunt, in this respect? Or of the "Table-Talk," and other similar works, of Hazlitt? They are like pictures, which one hangs about his room, or keeps lying on his writing table, always at hand, and a single glance at which calls up a world of pleasurable emotions.

We thank Mr. Jones, therefore, for his frequent contributions to this species of literature. Whether his books, so quietly put forth, will make an impression on the American mind, in its intense practical absorption, and be swallowed at once in the surges of public excitement, we cannot say; but we are satisfied that there are many thoughtful readers, scattered over the land, who will receive his labors with a feeling of welcome, which is sometimes more cheering to the author, than more sounding praise, and even the substantial tokens shared with publishers.

Letters on Astronomy-Addressed to a Lady. By DENISON OLMSTEAD, LL. D., Professor of Astronomy in Yale College. Harper Brothers.

The form of letters appears to be, as the author of the volume suggests, peculiarly applicable to the transmission of instruction, in the noble science of which the volume treats. It is well illustrated with numerous engravings, and the style is clear, and peculiarly adapted, as a class book, for the use of High Schools and Academies.

Schiller's Revolt of the Netherlands-Trial and Execution of Counts Egmont and Horn, and the Siege of Antwerp. Translated from the German of Frederick Schiller. By the Rev. A. J. W. MORRISON, M. A. Harper Brothers. This admirable history forms No. 21, of Harpers' New Miscellany. The emancipation of the Netherlands from the Spanish crown, was the great feature of the 16th century. The subjugation of the Netherlands was the rock on which the power of Spain was split. Philip II., the most powerful of its sovereigns, threatened the independence of Europe, through his ambition and warlike resources. Like other tyrants, he found in a distant, and comparatively weak nation, an obstacle on which all his efforts were expended in vain. The story of his fruitless efforts, and the manner in which the virtue and fortitude of a people, weak in natural resources, resisted the utmost power of Spain, in the zenith of its glory, is told in the glowing colors of a romance, yet with singular fidelity and truth.

Rural Cemeteries of America. By JAMES SMILIE, Esq. R. Martin, 29 Johnstreet, New-York.

Three numbers of this admirable work, illustrating with great fidelity of pen and pencil, that noble place of sepulture, Greenwood Cemetery. The publication is in numbers, each containing three beautiful line engravings, with the descriptive text, for the low price of 50 cents each number. When we reflect upon the fidelity of the views, the beauty of the engravings, and the costly style of execution, it becomes matter of surprise that the work can be afforded so low; and in

that fact, we have a guarantee that it can never be sold for less than the subscription price. Future numbers will contain views of Mount Auburn, Boston, Laurel Hill, Philadelphia, and the cemeteries of other cities. To the numerous holders of lots at Greenwood, and the friends of those there buried, it is pleasant to contemplate the beautiful spot where they repose.

Spaniards and their Country. By RICHARD FORD. Wiley & Putnam. This book forms No. 84 of the Library of Choice Reading, with the high merit of which the public are acquainted. The present publication purports to be the first part of a work on Spain, by the author of the Handbook of Spain. It avoids politics, and sketches very agreeably the topography, features of the country, national manners and peculiarities. The author is, however, very evidently a good example of your genuine English "snob," and is apparently one of those accustomed to "drink brandy and water, and damn the French." A class distinguished for a most thorough self satisfaction in relation to the entire superiority of England and the English, and a good natured sort of toleration for the poor creatures who are happy elsewhere. Like all English books on the peninsula, frequent appeals to the "wonderful despatches" of "the duke" are to be found. It does not seem to occur to this class, however, that those "wonderful despatches" contain a wonderful deal of nonsense, and that the opinions of "the duke" are, generally speaking, of but very little value; nevertheless, he is appealed to on all occasions as if he had made the peninsula. As an instance, the scarcity of provisions is proved by the letter of the "all providing duke" to Lord Hill, wherein he states, "If you mean to dine, you had better bring your things with you, as I shall have nothing here." A most wonderful despatch," certainly. Nevertheless such is the material, which, aided by the dissensions and treachery of the French marshals, the English have continued to make a greater man (on paper) of smaller materials than any other nation. Apart from this true spirit of snobism, the work is lively and of considerable interest. The following description of the pigs of the province of Estremadura, is an example of the vein of humor which runs through the book:

66

"The pigs during the greater part of the year are left to support nature as they can, and in gauntness resemble those greyhound-looking animals which pass for porkers in France. When the acorns are ripe and fall from the trees, the greedy animals are turned out in legions from the villages, which more correctly may be termed coalitions of pigsties. They return from the woods at night, of their own accord, and without a swine's general. On entering the hamlet, all set off at a full gallop, like a legion possessed with devils, in a handicap for home, into which each single pig turns, never making a mistake. We have more than once been caught in one of these pig-deluges, and nearly carried away, horse and all, as befel Don Quixote, when really swept away by the far-spread and grunting drove. In his own home each truant is welcomed like a prodigal son or a domestic father. These pigs are the pets of the peasants; they are brought up with their children, and partake, as in Ireland, in the domestic discomforts of their cabins; they are universally respected, and justly, for it is this animal who pays the rint;' in fact, are the citizens, as at Sorrento; an Estremenian man is quite a secondary formation, and created to tend herds of these swine, who lead the happy life of former Toledan dignitaries, with the additional advantage of becoming more valuable when dead."

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Songs and Ballads. By SAMUEL LOVER. New-York: Wiley & Putnam. This is a third edition of these highly popular songs, corrected by the author, and is the only collection recognised by him as complete. It contains the songs of Handy Andy" and "Treasure-Trove," as well as all from "Irish Evenings." The whole are so decidedly popular, as to make but the mention of their publication, in a small neat volume, in the style of Wiley & Putnam's Library of Choice Reading, necessary to ensure its sale.

together with the cause of the present New-York: Wiley & Putnam.

The Potatoe Plant, its uses and properties, malady. By Alfred Smee, F. R. S. The calamity which has overtaken the potatoe plant in all countries, particularly in those where it is most depended upon, through the influence of a strange malady, makes a work of the kind before us, of peculiar interest at the present time. It is illustrated with 10 lithographs, representing the plant and the disease incident to it. The prevalent disease is ably and carefully investigated, and all in our agricultural country should possess themselves of the work.