in his children and apprentices only bunglers.' Let us be assured, that the merchant's love of gain is far more detrimental to the improvement of trade. And does not experience teach us that the very vices, whereby property has been or can be acquired, at the same time destroy its value? The counting-room is a school of deceit and avarice; what wonder? when the household is a temple of disorder and waste! The exchange is ashamed of these freebooters, and the city of their memory. Trade execrates their oppressions, and the public their profession.

The merchant, on the other hand, who loves his country, its present and future welfare, plants trees that may give shade to his posterity. He abhors as a theft all gain which is contrary to the general good of commerce. He seeks by wise undertakings, to attract to the country new branches of trade. He supports and upholds the old, which, if they do not immediately bring him fruit a hundred fold, yet employ the hands of his fellow-citizens, and with the ruin of which, numerous other lateral branches would be destroyed. This merchant is no phantom. I myself know merchants who have greatness of soul enough to make the expansion of trade, and not private gain, their ultimate object, who think not only of its arithmetic, but also of its morals and its utility. Holland should bore through her dams, if she had not merchants, who out of love to her soil, can employ their millions in a trade which now yields little, or is indeed the occasion of loss, like the whale-fishery. The merchant is therefore capable of great sentiments. To encourage them is worth the pains.

The green cap, the broken bench formerly terrified the cheat. Wherein does he now find his security, but in the defence, which he durst not stoop to himself, but which is offered hiin, and in the ruin of better citizens. Hope and compassion, which are left him, inspire boldness, while the final disgrace renders fear and repentance inactive.

An ancient nation is spoken of,* where the taste for beauty cost lovers dear. From their contributions a bridal treasure was collected for those daughters of the land whom nature had refused to furnish with recommendations. How near does not this come to the use, made at present, of the virtue of an honorable man? If a city contains not more than one upright citizen, it is on his account the laws were made, and on his account the magistracy instituted. Not to accommodate those offenders, who are studious only to infringe and corrupt justice, are the laws entrusted to you, fathers of the city! but to support this honest man, that he may not be wearied out, terrified, or impeded, that unhindered, he may do all the good his patriotic soul devises and his magnanimous heart suggests for the benefit of the commonwealth. Then will his zeal, in gratitude for your support, find fresh nutriment, and his example become the pattern and inheritance of his house. Let us argue from single individuals to whole families. They are the elements of civil society; consequently, their social influence is indisputably greater than men seem to recognize. The welfare of the community is bound up with the vir tues and vices, the flourishing and decay of certain families. A single family has often been sufficient to corrupt the morals of a whole State, to impress its own form on the mass, or to fix it there; to bring certain principles and customs, on which business depends, into favor or contempt. Mahomet was first the prophet of his own family, and afterwards of a great people. Ought not the cares of the magistracy to extend to the fostering of some families, and the depression of others?

If it is justifiable policy, in opening the view of a building that adorns a certain part of the city, to remove a few miserable hovels, if it is a duty to transfer to the mouth of the stream such trades as taint the purity of its waters, and to remove them from the place where it enters their walls, there is a far more urgent call on the magistracy, to protect families whose integrity is exposed to the vexations of envy, and the rage of wickedness, to uphold them as the keystone of the laws, and on the other hand, to watch those whose views spread secret poison among their fellow-citizens.

The family mania, whose mere name excites suspicions of an infectious disease, is in our days greater than ever. The selfishness which unites whole families in extorting from the community the same assistance that relations are obliged to lend each other, has extended a detrimental indulgence to the children of great families, to whom men, in spite of stupidity and worthlessness, hardly venture to refuse preferences and offices any longer, and who, through the baseness of their intercessors and patrons, are sometimes placed in a position to justify themselves again, by the choice of others. Hence those conspiracies to put down merit, the rewards of which they seek to marry with their like, in case of need to disarm the laws, or give their expounders cunning. Hence those nurseries of old customs, to whose service certain houses are more devoted, than the corporations at Ephesus to their Diana. To this prevailing evil there could not be a more forcible check than through the family spirit itself, whose application as much to the public good generally, as to commerce in particular, I would here recommend.

The family spirit, of which I speak, deserves at least more attention, than the author of the Fable of the Bees claims for a portion of ignorance, which he holds must be maintained, in every well-constituted community. This spirit consists in a remarkable strength of certain natural gifts or propensities, which through the impression of domestic example, and the consequent training, becomes hereditary and is transmitted. I premise here particularly a certain amount of social tendencies, and the seeds of citizen-like virtues, (for why should not these be capable of imitation and degeneracy, like other tendencies and dispositions?) an amount which would enable us to forget our private good in the public approbation and welfare, to prefer the honor of the order, to which we devote ourselves, and its social advantages, above self-preservation and individual advantage.

It is this family spirit which has built cities, and through which they subsist. It was doubtless most active when their foundations were laid and the walks first marked out. None of those small communities thought of anything else but the city; even when his own house began to occupy him, the thoughts of the individual were far from being directed from the public works to his own building, but this latter was always subordinate to the former. The city was completed, yet was still a subject of discourse; each was still occupied in the work undertaken; one still inquired of another, what was to be supplied and added? Children and children's children carried out and improved the plan which the first founder had devised. The more distant the times, the more obscure was the tradition of the value, the nature and the circumstances of an inheritance, which had cost many generations, and for the rent of which the care and management should be under taken by us. The peril of capital, in hands which have not earned it, is great. The zeal, the blessings, the wishes, wherewith the first founders of our dwellingplaces bequeath them to their latest possessors in spite of their ingratitude, kindles yet perhaps some sparks in the souls of a few families, who make known and reveal to us the spirit of the first benefactors. It is these patriots to whose families every city should offer the right and honor of representing those by whom it was built and founded.

If there are besides, families which have inherited from their ancestors the true principles of trade, and a genuine love of it, these are the lifeguardsmen, from whose services commerce receives warmth and splendor. They are to be regarded as the dam, which gives security to its course, as the light house, by which the wandering mariner directs his path, and at whose sight the stranger rejoices. Such families should not be allowed to go to decay, but rather be encouraged, dis tinguished, preferred, so that the spirit which animates them may be immortal; for with them trade rises and falls, and under its ruins they must be buried.

Art. III.-COMMERCIAL CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE UNITED STATES.

NUMBER X.

NEWBURGH, NEW YORK.

LOCATION AND SETTLEMENT-EARLY INHABITANTS-EFFECTS OF THE EMBARGO AND WAR OF 1812-ENTERPRISE OF JACOB AND THOMAS POWELL-NEWBURGH WHALING COMPANY-INVESTMENT IN MANUFACTURES-WATER POWER-NEWBURGH BRANCH OF THE ERIE RAILROAD-STATISTICS OF NEWBURGH STEAMBOATS AND OTHER VESSELS BELONGING TO NEWBURGH-VALUE OF REAL AND PERSONAL ESTATE IN NEWBURGH-AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS-MANUFACTURES-STEAM MILLS-POWDER WORKS -BREWERY-HIGHLAND FACTORY-NEWBURGH PRINT WORKS-OIL CLOTH FACTORY-OIL MILLMILLS-FOUNDRIES, ETC., ETC.

THE village of Newburgh is pleasantly situated on the west bank of the Hudson, 60 miles from the city of New York and about 95 from Albany. Extending along the water's edge for more than three-fourths of a mile, and rising by successive gradations to the table-land which surmounts the bold and rather precipitous shore, its appearance to the voyager is peculiarly attractive and picturesque. As he enters the village, his attention is arrested by the air of commercial preparation which distinguishes this from all other villages on the Hudson. The extended ranges of well-constructed wharves, the capacious and convenient buildings for storage, the regularity of the streets, and the concentration of business on the principal avenues contiguous to the water, cannot fail to remind him of the city he has left behind. Having ascended the hill, the eye wanders over every possible variety of scenery, from the sublime to the beautiful; from the cloud-capped mountain to the serene and placid atmosphere of an Italian landscape. To a stranger, the broad expanse of the river in front would convey the idea of an extended lake, whose waters are disgorged through the rugged passes of the Highlands that bound it on the south; for, in every direction, the vision is hemmed in by mountain ranges or highly cultivated fields. Such is the location of a village, in the selection of whose site, the worthy Palatines that first landed here displayed uncommon sagacity and foresight.

Until the reign of Queen Anne, the tract of country now embraced in the township of Newburgh was called Quaissaick, from an Indian tribe who occupied it prior to its first settlement by Europeans. During that reign, a patent, confirmed on the 18th of December, 1719, was granted by Lord Lovelace, then Governor of New York, to a company of Germans, for the settlement of a tract of 2,190 acres, including 500 acres of glebe land, which was subject to an annual rent for the support of a Lutheran church; although it does not appear that a minister of any denomi nation was inducted, as the first settlers sold out their interest, and the glebe rents were appropriated for the support of the Glebe School and the Newburgh Academy.

Although, as we have intimated, a degree of sagacity was exhibited in the selection of the site, it does not appear that the earliest settlers contemplated a commercial establishment; for, agreeably to their uniform practice, the village was located more than half a mile from the water's edge, and constituted what has since been called the "Old Town." Here was situated the Glebe School, which continued for many years, a memento of the "olden time," and contained within its enclosures the mortal remains of many of the early settlers. It was not until 1783, when the

impression prevailed that Newburgh was better calculated for business purposes than New Windsor, which had been previously settled, that the plot now occupied by the most densely populated portion of the village, was surveyed and laid out. About this period, the war having terminated, men of enterprise began to direct their attention to this place as one that was possessed of uncommon facilities for inland traffic. The Newburgh and Cochecton Turnpike had already been projected and partially laid out; and it was, doubtless, foreseen by many that, as no other point was equally accessible, this must eventually become a thoroughfare for the extensive back country which was rapidly filling up.

Among the early settlers whose enterprise gave an impulse to the business operations of Newburgh, we might name James Renwick, Leonard and Benjamin Carpenter, John Dubois, Jonathan and Isaac Hasbrouck, Robert Gardiner, Derick Amerman, Benjamin Smith, Alexander Falls, Joseph Clark, John D. Lawson, John Neely, Jacob and Thomas Powell, John Mandeville, John McAuley, David Crawford, Seelah Reeve, Daniel Niven, John Chambers, John Anderson, Robert Gourlay, and John Law. Of these, a few are still lingering around the scene of their early enter prise; some have paid the debt of nature; while others have removed to distant parts, and made room for a younger and more active generation.

In proportion as new adventurers came in, the commercial prosperity of Newburgh gradually expanded. Possessing a trade almost exclusively inland, it felt the effects of the embargo and the war of 1812 less sensibly than other river towns, which, at that time, were engaged, to some extent, in coasting. The consequence was, an influx of trade which no competi tor could take away, on the return of peace. The advantages of a safe market had allured a tide of emigration to the adjacent country, which gradually extended itself beyond the limits of the Delaware; bringing the village of Newburgh into competition with the city of Philadelphia, and contributing largely to aid the commercial supremacy of her rival at the mouth of the Hudson. In those days, it was thought a great achievement among the striplings of the village, to count the teams which lined the turnpike on market days, which, at that time, were Tuesday and Saturday of each week; and it was, no doubt, equally gratifying to those of maturer age to observe the struggle for precedence in the densely crowded Waterstreet. Indeed, so great was the ingress of produce at this place, about 1820, that its shipment brought into requisition no less than 25 or 30 sailing vessels of the largest class. We well remember, too, that Newburgh was the goal which tested the powers of the earliest steamboats navigating the Hudson; and to receive and land from 200 to 300 passengers at this place, was a matter of almost every-day occurrence. In fact, although hundreds preferred the conveniences of the sailing vessel to those of the steamer, the first way-boat known on the Hudson, the " Fire-fly," was stationed at this place, and made her regular trips to the city under command of the affable Captain Griswold.

This state of prosperity continued, without any sensible interruption, until the mania for speculation projected the Erie Railroad, which diverted a large portion of the trade that rightfully belonged to Newburgh from its natural channel, and debarred her, in some measure, from the supremacy she had formerly enjoyed. Yet the village did not suffer so severe a shock as might naturally have been expected. Some eight or ten years previous to the commencement of this project of internal improvement, two individ

uals of extensive capital, the brothers Jacob and Thomas Powell, began to make investments in commercial enterprises which contributed largely towards arresting the downward tendency of Newburgh. The lumbering horse-boat which plied to the opposite shore or landing of Fishkill was shortly exchanged for a steamboat, and the fare reduced; a new street was gradually opened along the wharves; and a steamer of great speed, the Highlander, was built to ply as a freight and passenger boat between the village and the city of New York. The example was speedily followed by other proprietors, and the sailing vessels gradually gave place to steamboats and tow-barges of large capacity. In the meantime, more than usual attention was directed to improving and beautifying the general aspect of the village. Avenues were graded and planted with trees; tasteful cottages began to spring up, and elegant mansions were erected on the adjacent eminences by those whose industry had enabled them to retire from the cares of business.

Among other experiments, by way of enlarging the sphere of commercial enterprise, was the formation, in 1831, of a Joint Stock Whaling Company, in which the principal adventurers were Messrs. William Roe, Peter H. Dewint, Abraham M. Smith, John Harris, Samuel Williams, Benoni H. Howell, Benjamin Carpenter, Christopher Keene, and Augustus F. Scofield. Three vessels were accordingly fitted out for the purpose, namely, the Portland, which sailed in 1831; the Russell, in 1832; and the Illinois, in 1833. After an absence of one year, the Portland returned with about half a cargo of oil; and was successively followed by the other two vessels, whose adventure had been attended with no better

success.

The result of this enterprise having proved unexpectedly disastrous to those who embarked in it, a disorganization of the company took place in 1840. Attention began now to be turned towards manufactures. Among the earliest investments in this branch of business was that of an Oil Cloth Factory, situated on the turnpike, about three-fourths of a mile west of the village. Near the same time, a foundry was built on the same thoroughfare, at its junction with Grand-street; and in 1844, an establishment for the manufacture of printing cloths and shirtings, called the Newburgh Steam Mills, was erected at the north end of the village, on a magnificent scale. The extensive brewery of Messrs. Law, Beveridge & Co., had been in operation for a series of years, as also the powder manufactory of Daniel Rogers, Esq., which is located a few miles back of the village.

Newburgh is less highly favored than some of her sister villages, in regard to water-power. Orange Lake or Big Pond, however, a sheet of water embracing an area of some 400 acres, has been found available to keep in operation a large amount of manufacturing industry. Its principal outlet, formerly Quaissaick, now Chamber's Creek, enters the Hudson about a mile below the village, and furnishes power for numerous mills and manufactories, among which are, 1 saw mill, 4 flouring mills, 1 pow. der mill, 1 calico printing establishment, 2 woollen factories, 1 buskin factory, 1 plaster mill, 1 paper mill, 2 cotton factories, 1 hat factory, 1 pin factory, and 1 hair cloth factory. These make up the aggregate of the present manufacturing investments of Newburgh; and, so far as we may judge from the progressive increase of these establishments within the last few years, the expectations based on this new field of enterprise have been amply realized.