which they could resort at all times, and where the crews could be rendered useful on shore during the continuance of bad weather at sea.

Navigation of the St. Lawrence.

In connexion with the right to land and cure fish on the shores of the gulf, the free navigation of the river St. Lawrence becomes a matter of much importance.

The fish caught by our fishermen in the gulf, instead of being sent by the long and dangerous voyage around Nova Scotia, in order to reach some port in the Union from whence to be sent into the interior, might, when ready for market, be shipped in our own vessels from the fishing stations on the coast, and these vessels proceeding up the St. Lawrence, might reach any or all of the ports or places on the great lakes, where a supply of sea-fish is highly prized.

The numerous and constantly increasing body of consumers in the great West, even to its remotest extremity, would thus be furnished with good fish at reasonable rates, caught and cured by our own hardy fishermen, and transported in our own vessels.

French Fisheries at Newfoundland.

The recent movements in France with regard to bounties on fish caught at Newfoundland, and exported to foreign countries, are singularly interesting at the present time, because it will be found, from what follows, that the changes which take place during the present year the allowance of those bounties are calculated to exercise a powerful effect on the deep-sea fisheries of the United States.*

Hereafter, we are to have fish caught and cured by citizens of France, entering our markets under the stimulus of an extravagant bounty, to compete with the fish caught and cured by our own citizens.

This altogether new and unexpected movement on the part of France has already attracted attention, and excited much interest and uneasiness among the fishermen of the eastern States. The matter at present stands thus:

The law of France which granted bounties to the sea fisheries being about to expire, the project of a new law was submitted to the National Assembly on the 20th December, 1850, by the government. An able report on these fisheries was at the same time submitted, which, among other things, sets forth, that the bounties paid by France during the nine years from 1841 to 1850 inclusive, for the cod-fishery only, had amounted to the mean annual average of 3,900,000 francs; the number of men employed annually in this fishery amounting to 11,500 on the average. The annual expense to the nation was therefore 338 francs per annum for each man. France, it is said, thus trains up able and

*Translations of recent legislative documents of the National Assembly of France are appended to this report, and to these reference is made for full particulars. For these and other valuable documents the undersigned is indebted to Hon. Abbott Lawrence, minister at the court of St. James, to whom his best acknowledgments are justly due, and are respectfully tendered.

hardy seamen for her navy, who would cost the nation much more if they were trained to the sea on board vessels of war.

A committee of the National Assembly reported at length upon the proposed law, and the state of the deep-sea fisheries. From this report, it appears that these fisheries, although enjoying large bounties and privileges, were languishing, owing to the great distance at which they are conducted, and a farther increase of bounties on exportation was recommended, in order to stimulate their drooping energies. Upon this elaborate report, the National Assembly passed the proposed law on the 22d July, 1851. It provides that, from the first day of January, 1852, until the 30th June, 1861, the bounties for the encouragement of the cod fishery shall be as follows:

Bounties to the Crew.

1. For each man employed in the cod fishery, with drying, on the coast of Newfoundland, at St. Pierre, and Miquelon, or on the Grand Bank, 50 francs.

2. For each man employed in the fisheries in the seas surrounding Iceland, without drying, 50 francs.

3. For each man employed in the cod fishery on the Grand Bank, without drying, 30 francs.

4. For each man employed in the fishery on the Dogger Bank, 15 francs.

Bounties on the Products of the Fisheries.

1. Dried cod of French catch, exported directly from the place where the same is caught, or from the warehouse in France, to French colonies in America or India, or to the French establishments on the west coast of Africa, or to transatlantic countries, provided the same are landed at a port where there is a French consul, per quintal metrique, (equal to 220 pounds avoirdupois,) 20 francs.

2. Dried cod of French catch, exported either direct from the place where caught, or from ports in France, to European countries or foreign States within the Mediterranean, except Sardinia and Algeria, per quintal metrique, 16 francs.

3. Dried cod of French catch, exported either to French colonies in America or India, or to transatlantic countries, from ports in France, without being warehoused, per quintal metrique, 16 francs.

4. Dried cod of French catch, exported direct from the place where caught, or from the ports of France, to Sardinia or Algeria, per quintal metrique, 12 francs.

Bounty on Cod Livers.

5. Cod livers which French fishing vessels may bring into France as the product of their fishery, per quintal metrique, 20 francs.

From the foregoing scale of bounties, it will be seen that there are some grounds for the fears entertained by the fishermen of New Eng

land, that the dried cod caught and cured by the French at Newfoundland will be introduced into the principal markets of the United States, with the advantage of a bounty very nearly equal to two dollars for each American quintal-a sum almost equal to what our fishermen obtain for their dried fish when brought to market. It must not be overlooked, either, that, besides this excessive bounty on fish exported to transatlantic countries, the French fisherman will enjoy also the bounty of fifty francs (almost ten dollars) per man for each of the crew, a farther bounty of twenty francs per quintal metrique on the cod-oil which he lands in France; and farther, an almost entire remission of the duties on salt used at Newfoundland.

With competition at hand so encouraged and stimulated, it will soon be necessary to give our fishermen every facility and advantage for pursuing their business which by any possibility can be procured for them.

By the treaty of Paris of 1824, the French were restored to the fisheries at Newfoundland. They in a short time took possession of the west coast and the northeast coast, and, under the high stimulus afforded by their heavy bounties, they nearly drove the British fishermen off of those coasts, and competed successfully with them in the foreign mar kets they had previously supplied.

PART II.

THE TRADE OF THE LAKES.

In obedience to your instructions, the following detailed report is submitted on the condition, history, and prospects of the trade and commerce of the great lakes of America; the character, nature, quality, and value of their imports, exports, and coast-wise shipments, the places where originated, and whether on the increase or decrease; the present enumeration of their entrances, clearances, tonnage, and crews, whether progressive or retrogressive; with comparative statements of the present and past years; the facilities and obstructions to their free navigation and the transportation of goods; the internal improvements completed, under way, projected, or imperatively required; the character for productiveness, whether of agricultural or mineral wealth, or of that arising from fisheries or the forest of the cir cumjacent districts; the growth, prospects, and present condition of the harbors, light-houses, beacons, piers, and other works indispensable to secure navigation; and lastly, the farther works of construction, removal of obstacles, and general improvements of navigation, requisite for the development and exploration to the fullest extent of the inestimable resources of these noble waters, and the vast territories surrounding them.

It has been difficult to obtain much information and full detailed statements on some of these points, owing, it is believed, to the absence of proper legal requirements and authoritative departmental instructions in that respect, and the want of means (except at the private expense of the officers and others) of furnishing such statistical data. Most of the officers of the customs on the lake frontier are attentive, and are desirous of furnishing all the statistical and general information in their power, and many of the citizens engaged in trade and commerce, and in the shipment and transportation of produce and merchandise, and especially incorporated companies or associations, have frequently furnished the public with useful information on the lake trade and commerce.

The interests of those engaged in such business are ordinarily advanced by expositions of such data. But full and authentic data, in proper form for ready compilation and condensation into intelligible tabular statements, especially those for comparison, cannot be obtained without legal provision to such end, and particular departmental in!structions presenting uniform abstracts. Funds are also necessary, to compensate the time and labor devoted to such important service. Several of the most valuable revenue officers on the lake and inland frontier now receive inadequate compensation for their faithful and onerous services. And with respect to federal officers, punctuality

should be enforced by legal enactments. The organization of a statistical office, the duties of which should include the decennial census, as a permanent bureau attached to the proper department at Washington, to which full information and data from all the departments and offices at the seat of government and throughout the Union, and from all our officers abroad, should be rendered, and which could obtain like information from the State governments and other trustworthy sources, and from foreign governments likewise, might prove eminently useful.

Properly established, and conducted by intelligent, accurate, industrious persons, it might easily collect quarterly all the requisite data of our trade and commerce with foreign countries, of our internal trade and commerce, of our internal improvements and internal transportation, of our growing resources in every quarter, and of our coast-wise trade. And all statistical data that might be wanted, could be advantageously published in advance of every session of Congress. That such information would be invaluable to the statesmen of this country who seek to legislate upon national principles, no one can deny. That vigilant detector, the public press, would then be enabled to expose errors or fallacies in time to prevent their causing inconvenience.

Other governments, less liberal than ours, seek such information to enable them to find new objects for taxation: it would be especially important to ours as enabling it to abolish indirect or direct restrictions and burdens upon the advancement of every branch of industry, as it might then do without danger of mistake as to the facts. The paramount duty of this government is to relieve the people from all unnecessary taxation, and this measure would tend to further such object. Congress would not then, as is now too often the case, be compelled to legislate on such subjects in the dark, by conjecture, or, what is infinitely worse, upon the false data and incorrect and deceptive statistics furnished by interested persons.

Notwithstanding the difficulties now existing, it is believed that an approximation, sufficiently near the realities of the case to convey an adequate understanding of the subject, has been attained in the following pages; and that the results, as shown, will be alike gratifying to the enlightened and patriotic statesman, as displaying the immense development and incalculable prospects of the resources of his country, and astonishing to the casual observer, who has, it is prohable, never regarded the lake trade of the West as the right arm of the nation's commerce, or its area as the cradle of national wealth, prosperity, and progress.

For the convenience of reference and comparison, as well as from regard to historical and geographical propriety, the matter collected on this subject has been thus divided and arranged:

A review, general and detailed, of each of the lake districts of collection, seventeen in number, commencing from the Vermont district to the eastward as the first, and among the first constituted, and thence proceeding westward to the head of Lake Superior.

To each of these districts is attached a synopsis of such commercial and custom-house statistics as were attainable, and found to be to the