Sailors' Snug Harbor.-In our last report we referred (pp. 25, 26) to the early history of the Sailors' Snug Harbor, founded by the late Capt. ROBERT RICHARD RANDALL, of this city. The president of the Chamber of Commerce is ex-officio a trustee of this institution, and the active management of the trust falls principally upon him, and upon the president and vice-president of the Marine Society, who are also ex-officio trustees. The present number of inmates of the Sailors' Snug Harbor (January, 1860) is about four hundred and eighteen, all of whom are clothed, fed and accommodated with spacious apartments and everything requisite to their comfort. The income of this institution is fully adequate to all its wants, and there is no appeal necessary in its behalf to the community for its support. The present buildings consist of one large edifice, with two wings, with one large dining hall, with numerous apartments in the upper stories; a large and commodious hospital, and a handsome chapel for religious worship; together with numerous outbuildings, connected with the baking, washing and farming establishment. The present trustees of the SAILORS' SNUG HARBOR are as follows: Rev. WILLIAM W. PHILLIPS, D. D., Minister of the First Presbyterian Rev. WILLIAM BERRIAN, D. D., Rector of Trinity Church in the City Present officers are:-AUG. DEPEYSTER, Governor. ROBERT A. QUINN, Chaplain. S. V. R. BOGERT, Physician. THE NEW-YORK ASSAY OFFICE. THE operations at this office are of the first importance to our merchants and bankers. In view of the new discoveries of gold and silver mines on this continent, and the large amount of bullion and bars received at this port annually, it would appear that the interests of our community would be further served by the establishment of a branch Mint in New-York. More than three-fourths of the gold produced in the United States is received at New-York. Branches of the Mint are maintained at Dahlonega, Ga., Charlotte, N. C., and New-Orleans, where little gold is received annually. The combined forces of the government might be used to concentrate all the coinage at one point. The whole production of gold in this country, and deposited in the United States Mint and branches, to 30th June last, was $470,341,478 46, viz.: This large sum has been coined at the following points-the first column representing the coinage of American gold only, the other of both American and foreign gold, silver and copper: It is now proposed to establish at New-York a branch Mint, with powers similar to that at Philadelphia. New-York receives more than nine-tenths of the domestic product of gold. It would seem proper that this vast sum should be retained here for conversion into coin or bars, and that the government should not be subjected to the expense, nor the owners to the delay of transportation to Philadelphia and back. At San Francisco the Co. has been established. received in this city. Assay Office of Messrs. DUNCAN, SHERMAN & Recapitulation of Deposits, &c., at the United States Assay Office, NewYork, to 31st December, 1859. The Washoe silver will soon come into direct competition with the Spanish and Mexican dollars, for which we have so long paid heavy premiums, to accommodate our commerce with the fastidious Mongolian. Mint facilities in San Francisco, equal to all the business that may arise from the Washoe mines, should be provided, as soon as it is demonstrated that their richness, under actual daily working, are approximate to their present estimated value. It is not for the interest of our government or people that the proceeds of these mines should be shipped coastwise in bars, or that any of the ore should be sent abroad for smelting. The opportunity should not be lost by government to check the drain of specie from the Atlantic States towards Europe, or of making provision in their revised treaties with the Asiatics that our silver coin shall be taken at par in all our commercial interchanges with them. While government assumes the power to regulate the currency, it is an absolute duty to pro. vide sufficient means to meet every want to which that currency may be liable. The present mint facilities are far short of this requisite in ability to give a liberal silver coinage, and, at the same time, keep up the present issue of gold. Even if bars of silver become the staple of commerce with the Orientals, they will, in all probability, need a government stamp to give the requisite guarantee of uniformity and intrinsic value. The manufacture of them by private establishments, although sufficiently reliable from well known houses for all the ordinary wants of business, is still liable to abuse in difference of mark, in fineness or in value, whenever interest or policy may dictate such a course. The shrewd Chinese merchants would soon make discovery of any such discrepancy, and future distrust would be the result. OUR COMMERCE WITH ASIA. THE proper steps have been taken by the government at Washington to carry out the provisions of the several treaties negotiated with the kingdom of Siam and the empires of China and Japan. Congress has authorized the appointment by the President of the customary officers to secure protection to the rights of persons and property in the countries mentioned. American citizens may, therefore, enter into the commerce thus opened to them with the full assurance that all their interests will be guarded by the presence of the national flag. In Siam the American trade has largely increased, and the benefit of the new treaty has been sensibly felt by the commercial interests of the country. In the year 1858, forty-eight American ships took cargoes at the single port of Bankok. The saving to the interests of navigation in the tonnage duties on these vessels, under the treaty made by Mr. HARRIS, amounted to 326,400 Ticals, or nearly 200,000 dollars. The total amount of tonnage duties on American vessels, between 1st June, 1856, and 31st December, 1859, which would have been levied under the former treaty, would have amounted to more than half a million of dollars. This large saving has been effected by the successful negotiation of a judicious commercial treaty. Our trade with China has felt, during the past year, the effects of the general depression in commerce throughout the world. The rupture with European governments has undoubtedly affected injuriously all the external relations of that secluded people, but it is gratifying to know that our country is in no sense involved in the adverse feeling which continues to exist against foreign governments. The American treaty was duly ratified and exchanged, without any interruption of the good feeling and friendly intercourse between the public functionaries of the country and our diplomatic representative. The question of our trade with China is treated at length in other pages of this report, to which reference is made. Our trade with Japan has not as yet grown to any magnitude. Large numbers of our citizens have visited that remote region, with the view to inquiries in regard to the prospects of a close commercial intercourse. Few importations have as yet been made of the productions of Japan, and scarcely any active demand has been made for our exports. A feeling of distrust has prevailed in this country and in Europe, in regard to the sincerity of the friendship avowed by the Japanese for the citizens of other nations who should enter their dominions. No evidence has been made public to justify these apprehensions, so far as American citizens are concerned. It should be remembered, however, that by the terms of the treaty with this country, its citizens generally are not permitted to visit Jeddo before the first of January, 1862. This privilege is confined until then to the persons composing the legation. The government of Japan has been seriously annoyed by numerous and persevering 30 Our Commerce with Asia. efforts to violate this provision of the treaty. Justice and policy both call for the removal of this cause of uneasiness. The judicious management of the American Minister, and his sagacious counsel to his countrymen, have succeeded in an eminent degree in maintaining amicable relations, both with the government and the people of Japan. The disorders which have occurred in that country have been mainly confined either to the public functionaries of the government, or the foreign residents from European nations. The strongest hopes may be indulged that the intercourse, so happily commenced between the Japanese and American citizens, will not be interrupted. Some indications have already been given that a profitable trade may spring up with that country. Teas are raised in large quantities, and of superior qualities. Advices have been received in this country of the prospective shipment of teas to a large extent. Hitherto, the exportation of that article from Japan has been mainly confined to China. As our business relations become gradually more stable with Japan, there can be little doubt of an extensive and profitable commerce growing up between the two countries. In treating of the general subject of our commerce with Asia, the question naturally occurs, what steps are to be taken by our government to give to American commerce the advantages of certain and speedy communication with that remote region. The absence of any national system of mail facilities with the Eastern world has, necessarily, deprived our merchants of the benefits of a fair competition with those of other nations. In our trade with China, in past years, the only means for transmission of correspondence was through the private mail-bags of transient sailing vessels. In later times, we have been permitted to avail ourselves of the regular mail system established and maintained by the government of Great Britain. To the courtesy of a foreign nation, therefore, the government and the merchants and navigators of the United States have been indebted for the indispensable facilities of communication, alike with public functionaries abroad and with private correspondents. This fact is not creditable to our national character for enterprise and public spirit. A portion of the American continent now lies directly in the pathway of commerce between Europe and Asia. With a direct line of steam mail communication between New-York, San Francisco and China, the financial interests of the world would speedily find their centre on this continent. The subject is one of too much importance to be discussed, in its general bearings, in this form. But it is one which must speedily and effectually awaken the attention of the Chamber. The interests of American commerce, and the character of the national government, must no longer suffer from the neglect which has permitted so great an evil to exist without any effectual effort to apply a remedy. Our fast increasing commerce with Asia-the vast interests connected with our whaling fleets, which centre in the Eastern seas-the existence of the most productive gold mines of the world, lying at the extreme |