Currants,... .lb., Dates,... ..lb., Figs,. ..lb., 2 cents lb. 8 cents lb... 40 per ct. 8 per ct... 1 cent lb. 40 per ct. 8 per ct. Feathers and downs,.... 25 per cent... 25 per ct... 19 per ct. .. 40 per ct... 8 per ct... 40 per ct. 15 per ct... 8 cents lb... 5 cents lb. 10 per cent... 30 per cent. 15 per ct. 10 per cent... 3 cents lb. 15 per ct. .. 10 per cent... 5 cents lb. .. Hemp, Manilla,. .ton, $25 .. $25 80 per cent. $25 ton. $40 ton. 10 per cent. .. 10 per cent. 80 per cent. 10 per cent. 10 per cent. 1 cent lb. 1 cent lb. 1% cent lb. .. 11⁄2 cent lb... .. 1 cent lb. 4 per ct. 10 per cent. 15 per ct... 8 cents lb. 6 cents Ib... 20 per ct... 15 per ct... 20 per cent... 5 cents lb. 1 cent lb. 30 per cent. $30 5 per ct... 4 per ct... $19 $15 $35 10 per ct... 4 per ct... 25 per ct. 19 per ct. 20 per ct. 40 per ct... .. .. $30 30 per ct. .. 8 per ct. free. .. 15 per ct. $24 15 per ct. 15 per ct. 24 per ct. 40 per cent. .. 20 per cent... 35 per cent. 80 per cent... 40 per cent. 20 per cent. 80 per cent. 30 per cent. .. 40 per cent. $40 ton. 25 per ct. 19 per ct. 20 per cent. 80 per cent. 15 per cent. per cent. 20 per cent. 1 cent lb. cent lb. 1 cent lb. 10 cents gall. 50 cents gall. 25 per cent. .. 40 per cent. 40 per cent. 2 cents lb. 4 cents lb. 2 cents lb. free. 6 cents lb. . DUTIES LEVIED BY EACH GENERAL TARIFF OF THE UNITED STATES, SINCE THE FORMATION OF THE GOVERNMENT, UPON ELEVEN LEADING HEADS OF IMPORTS. *Where the duty exceeds 20 per cent., the excess to be reduced biennially until the excess should cease, 1842. CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND BOARDS OF TRADE. Monthly Meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, New-York. THE monthly meeting of the New-York Chamber of Commerce was held Thursday, October 3d, 1861. PELATIAH PERIT, Esq., president, in the chair. Present, Messrs. PHELPS and Low, vice-presidents, and about forty members. The following gentlemen, who were nominated September 5th, were this day elected members: JOHN JACOB ASTOR, Jr., JONATHAN H. RANSOM, EDWARD MOTT ROBINSON, SELAH VAN DUZER, EDWARD WILLETS. Mr. ROYAL PHELPS said that as Mr. ASTOR was a personal friend-a gentleman whom they would all regard as an acquisition to the Chamber-he considered the presentation of his name a favorable opportunity to raise the inquiry, how the Chamber was to be constituted-whether of respectable citizens of New-York in general, or of merchants? Gentlemen were constantly elected who had no connection whatever with the commerce of New-York, and it had been a frequent subject of remark. He felt assured Mr. ASTOR would not take offence at his embracing the opportunity to make an objection that might hereafter be a shield between the Chamber and such nominations. Mr. P. M. WETMORE, while entirely concurring in the views expressed by Mr. PHELPS, considered that Mr. ASTOR could not be said to have no connection with the commerce of New-York. As a large capitalist, whose money was invested, and became the foundation for extensive commercial transactions, he was very intimately connected with commerce. He was glad, however, that the question was raised; and, with the intention of himself bringing up the subject, he had cut a paragraph from the Evening Post, stating that Mr. G. W. SMITH, late Street Commissioner of this city, had received a commission in the rebel army. This Mr. SMITH had been elected a member of the Chamber, although having no connection whatever with commerce. The Secretary read from the by-laws showing that those "whose vocations were connected with the trade of the country" were embraced as eligible, viz. : "No persons can be admitted members of this corporation but merchants and others, residents of this and contiguous States, whose avocations are connected with the trade and commerce of the country." Mr. OPDYKE said that Mr. ASTOR, properly speaking, was not a merchant. Commerce, in a large sense, took in financial transactions, such as banking, exchange, brokerage, buying and selling whatever was to be sold. Mr. ASTOR did not come under that category, so far as he knew, being engaged only in investing his own revenues. But under the sentence read from the by-laws he was eligible. WM. B. ASTOR, his father, was a member. Mr. PHELPS withdrew his objection, which he had made solely for the purpose of stopping the further election of men not merchants. Mr. A. C. RICHARDS, from the committee on procuring medals for presentation to the soldiers at Forts Sumter and Pickens, reported that $1,500 would be required to supply the 168 medals. A subscription list, headed by Mr. PHELPS for $100, was immediately opened, and the sum of eight hundred dollars subscribed. Mr. R. B. MINTURN was re-elected a member of the Arbitration Committee for the term of twelve months. Mr. BLUNT thought that some action should be taken in the case of runaway members. He moved that the names of ISAAC V. Fowler, M. LOVELL and G. W. SMITH, who had absconded, be stricken from the roll of members, which was adopted. On motion of Mr. GEORGE OPDYKE, the Executive Committee were requested to present three names for trustees of the Nautical School, established by the legislature, for approval of the Chamber at its next meeting. (This law was printed in the September No. of the MERCHANTS' MAGAZINE, pp. 310, 311.) A letter was received from Prof. FRANCIS LIEBER, of Columbia College, thanking the Chamber for his election as honorary member. Mr. PROSPER M. WETMORE offered the following: Resolved, That the Executive Committee be instructed to prepare and submit, at the next meeting of the Chamber, a memorial to the Congress of the United States, asking that authority be granted to the Assay Office in this city to coin for the national currency such portion of gold and silver bullion which may be in the Treasury of the United States as the Secretary of the Treasury may direct. This resolution, Mr. WETMORE said, he based upon a statement of the bullion deposited in the United States Assay Office, New-York, by which it appeared that the total deposits, from October 1, 1860, to September 30, 1861, were-of silver, $2,480,237; of gold, $67,788,158. Bullion transmitted to the United States Mint for coinage, during the same period -of silver, $2,300,126; of gold, $64,855,532. The cost of transporting the bullion to the Mint at Philadelphia, and returning it, was $71,755; but this was not the only or greatest loss sustained. The loss of time involved by transmitting the bullion to Philadelphia, instead of coining it here, was as four weeks to three days. Again, the risk was enormous. No great loss had yet been sustained; but when they recollected that two millions a week, on the average, went by way of boat to Amboy, and the liability of accidents to steamboats, it would be seen what a risk the government ran; for the loss, if any, would fall, not on the owners nor on the express company, but on government; and it was a very unprofitable kind of insurance, for they receive no premium. He thought the community who furnish government, in its necessity, with seventy per cent. of the coin it had to use, ought to be permitted to furnish the coin from its own Mint, since it had all the power except authority from Congress. He added the following items: BULLION DEPOSITED, UNITED STATES ASSAY OFFICE, New-York. |