the paths of inland commerce-第11节

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The　most　interesting　phase　of　this　era　is　the　connection　between　western　trade　and　the　politics　of　the　Mississippi　Valley　which　led　up　to　the　Louisiana　Purchase。　By　the　Treaty　of　San　Lorenzo　in　1795　Spain　made　New　Orleans　an　open　port；　and　in　the　next　seven　years　the　young　West　made　the　most　of　its　opportunity。　But　before　the　new　century　was　two　years　old　the　difficulties　encountered　were　found　to　be　serious。　The　lack　of　commission　merchants；　of　methods　of　credit；　of　information　as　to　the　state　of　the　market；　all　combined　to　handicap　trade　and　to　cause　loss。　Pittsburgh　shippers　figured　their　loss　already　at　60；000　a　year。　In　consequence　men　began　to　look　elsewhere；　and　an　advocate　of　big　business　wrote　in　1802：　〃The　country　has　received　a　shock；　let　us　immediately　extend　our　views　and　direct　our　efforts　to　every　foreign　market。〃

One　of　the　most　remarkable　plans　for　the　capture　of　foreign　trade　to　be　found　in　the　annals　of　American　commerce　originated　almost　simultaneously　in　the　Muskingum　and　Monongahela　regions。　With　a　view　to　making　the　American　West　independent　of　the　Spanish　middlemen；　it　was　proposed　to　build　ocean…going　vessels　on　the　Ohio　that　should　carry　the　produce　of　the　interior　down　the　Mississippi　and　thence　abroad　through　the　open　port　of　New　Orleans。　The　idea　was　typically　Western　in　its　arrogant　originality　and　confident　self…assertion。　Two　vessels　were　built：　the　brig　St。　Clair；　of　110　tons；　at　Marietta；　and　the　Monongahela　Farmer；　of　250　tons；　at　Elizabeth　on　the　Monongahela。　The　former　reached　Cincinnati　April　27；　1801；　the　latter；　loaded　with　750　barrels　of　flour；　passed　Pittsburgh　on　the　13th　of　May。　Eventually；　the　St。　Clair　reached　Havana　and　thus　proved　that　Muskingum　Valley　black　walnut；　Ohio　hemp；　and　Marietta　carpenters；　anchor　smiths；　and　skippers　could　defy　the　grip　of　the　Spaniard　on　the　Mississippi。　Other　vessels　followed　these　adventurers；　and　shipbuilding　immediately　became　an　important　industry　at　Pittsburgh；　Marietta；　Cincinnati；　and　other　points。　The　Duane　of　Pittsburgh　was　said　by　the　Liverpool　〃Saturday　Advertiser〃　of　July　9；　1803；　to　have　been　the　〃first　vessel　which　ever　came　to　Europe　from　the　western　waters　of　the　United　States。〃　Probably　the　Louisiana　of　Marietta　went　as　far　afield　as　any　of　the　one　hundred　odd　ships　built　in　these　years　on　the　Ohio。　The　official　papers　of　her　voyage　in　1805；　dated　at　New　Orleans；　Norfolk　（Virginia）；　Liverpool；　Messina；　and　Trieste　at　the　head　of　the　Adriatic；　are　preserved　today　in　the　Marietta　College　Library。

The　growth　of　the　shipbuilding　industry　necessitated　a　readjustment　of　the　districts　for　the　collection　of　customs。　Columbia　（Cincinnati）　at　first　served　the　region　of　the　upper　Ohio；　but　in　1803　the　district　was　divided　and　Marietta　was　made　the　port　for　the　Pittsburgh…Portsmouth　section　of　the　river。　In　1807　all　the　western　districts　were　amalgamated；　and　Pittsburgh；　Charleston　（Wellsburg）；　Marietta；　Cincinnati；　Louisville；　and　Fort　Massac　were　made　ports　of　entry。

The　Louisiana　Purchase　in　1803　gave　a　marked　impulse　to　inland　shipbuilding；　but　the　embargo　of　1807；　which　prohibited　foreign　trade；　following　so　soon；　killed　the　shipyards；　which；　for　a　few　years；　had　been　so　busy。　The　great　new　industry　of　the　Ohio　Valley　was　ruined。　By　this　time　the　successful　voyage　of　Fulton's　steamboat；　the　Clermont；　between　New　York　and　Albany；　had　demonstrated　the　possibilities　of　steam　navigation。　Not　a　few　men　saw　in　the　novel　craft　the　beginning　of　a　new　era　in　Western　river　traffic；　but　many　doubted　whether　it　was　possible　to　construct　a　vessel　powerful　enough　to　make　its　way　upstream　against　such　sweeping　currents　as　those　of　the　Mississippi　and　the　Ohio。　Surely　no　one　for　a　moment　dreamed　that　in　hardly　more　than　a　generation　the　Western　rivers　would　carry　a　tonnage　larger　than　that　of　the　cities　of　the　Atlantic　seaboard　combined　and　larger　than　that　of　Great　Britain！

As　early　as　1805；　two　years　before　the　trip　of　the　Clermont；　Captain　Keever　built　a　〃steamboat〃　on　the　Ohio；　and　sent　her　down　to　New　Orleans　where　her　engine　was　to　be　installed。　But　it　was　not　until　1811　that　the　Orleans；　the　first　steamboat　to　ply　the　Western　streams；　was　built　at　Pittsburgh；　from　which　point　she　sailed　for　New　Orleans　in　October　of　that　year。　The　Comet　and　Vesuvius　quickly　followed；　but　all　three　entered　the　New　Orleans…Natchez　trade　on　the　lower　river　and　were　never　seen　again　at　the　headwaters。　As　yet　the　swift　currents　and　flood　tides　of　the　great　river　had　not　been　mastered。　It　is　true　that　in　1815　the　Enterprise　had　made　two　trips　between　New　Orleans　and　Louisville；　but　this　was　in　time　of　high　water；　when　counter　currents　and　backwaters　had　assisted　her　feeble　engine。　In　1816；　however；　Henry　Shreve　conceived　the　idea　of　raising　the　engine　out　of　the　hold　and　constructing　an　additional　deck。　The　Washington；　the　first　doubledecker；　was　the　result。　The　next　year　this　steamboat　made　the　round　trip　from　Louisville　to　New　Orleans　and　back　in　forty…one　days。　The　doubters　were　now　convinced。

For　a　little　while　the　quaint　and　original　riverman　held　on　in　the　new　age；　only　to　disappear　entirely　when　the　colored　roustabout　became　the　deckhand　of　post…bellum　days。　The　riverman　as　a　type　was　unknown　except　on　the　larger　rivers　in　the　earlier　years　of　water　traffic。　What　an　experience　it　would　be　today　to　rouse　one　of　those　remarkable　individuals　from　his　dreaming；　as　Davy　Crockett　did；　with　an　oar；　and　hear　him　howl　〃Halloe　stranger；　who　axed　you　to　crack　my　lice？〃to　tell　him　in　his　own　lingo　to　〃shut　his　mouth　or　he　would　get　his　teeth　sunburnt〃to　see　him　crook　his　neck　and　neigh　like　a　stallionto　answer　his　challenge　in　kind　with　a　flapping　of　arms　and　a　cock's　crowto　go　to　shore　and　have　a　scrimmage　such　as　was　never　known　on　a　gridironand　then　to　resolve　with　Crockett；　during　a　period　of　recuperation；　that　you　would　never　〃wake　up　a　ringtailed　roarer　with　an　oar　again。〃

The　riverman；　his　art；　his　language；　his　traffic；　seem　to　belong　to　days　as　distant　as　those　of　which　Homer　sang。



CHAPTER　VI。　The　Passing　Show　Of　1800

Foreign　travelers　who　have　come　to　the　United　States　have　always　proved　of　great　interest　to　Americans。　From　Brissot　to　Arnold　Bennett　while　in　the　country　they　have　been　fed　and　clothed　and　transported　wheresoever　they　would　goat　the　highest　prevailing　prices。　And　after　they　have　left；　the　records　of　their　sojourn　that　these　travelers　have　published　have　made　interesting　reading　for　Americans　all　over　the　land。　Some　of　these　trans…Atlantic　visitors　have　been　jaundiced；　disgruntled；　and　contemptuous；　others　have　shown　themselves　of　an　open　nature；　discreet；　conscientious；　and　fair…minded。

One　of　the　most　amiable　and　clear…headed　of　such　foreign　guests　was　Francis　Baily；　later　in　life　president　of　the　Royal　Astronomical　Society　of　Great　Britain；　but　at　the　time　of　his　American　tour　a　young　man　of　twenty…two。　His　journey　in　1796…97　gave　him　a　wide　experience　of　stage；　flatboat；　and　pack…horse　travel；　and　his　genial　disposition；　his　observant　eye；　and　his　discriminating　criticism；　together　with　his　comments　on　the　commercial　features　of　the　towns　and　regions　he　visited；　make　his　record　particularly　interesting　and　valuable　to　the　historian。*　Using　Baily's　journal　as　a　guide；　therefore；　one　can　today　journey　with　him　across　the　country　and　note　the　passing　show　as　he　saw　it　in　this　transitional　period。

*　〃Journal　of　a　Tour　in　Unsettled　Parts　of　North　America　in　1796　and　1797〃　by　the　late　Francis　Baily　（London；　1856）。　


Landing　at　Norfolk；　Virginia；　Baily　was　immediately　introduced　to　an　American　tavern。　Like　most　travelers；　he　was　surprised　to　find　that　American　taverns　were　〃boarding…places；〃　frequented　by　crowds　of　〃young；　able…bodied　men　who　seemed　to　be　as　perfectly　at　leisure　as　the　loungers　of　ancient　Europe。〃　In　those　days　of　few　newspapers；　the　tavern　everywhere　in　America　was　the　center　of　information；　in　fact；　it　was　a　common　practice　for　travelers　in　the　interior；　after　signing　their　names　in　the　register；　to　add　on　the　same　page　any　news　of　local　interest　which　they　brought　with　them。　The　tavern　habitues；　Baily　remarks；　did　not　sit　and　drink　after　meals　but　〃wasted〃　their　time　at　billiards　and　cards。　The　passion　for　billiards　was　notorious；　and　taverns　in　the　most　out…of…the…way　places；　though　they　lacked　the　most　ordinary　conveniences；　were　nevertheless　provided　with　billiard　tables。　This　custom　seems　to　have　been　especially　true　in　the　South；　and　it　is　significant　that　the　first　taxes　in　Tennessee　levied　before　the　beginning　of　the　nineteenth　century　were　the　poll　tax　and　taxes　on　billiard　tables　and　studhorses！

》From　Norfolk　Baily　passed　northward　to　Baltimore；　paying　a　fare　of　ten　dollars；　and　from　there　he　went　on　to　Philadelphia；　paying　six　dollars　more。　On　the　way　his　stagecoach　stuck　fast　in　a　bog　and　the　passengers　were　compelled　to　leave　it　until　the　next　morning。　This　sixty…mile　road　out　of　Baltimore　was　evidently　one　of　the　worst　in　the　East。　Ten　years　prior　to　this　date；　Brissot；　a　keen　French　journalist；　mentions　the　great　ruts　in　its　heavy　clay　soil；　the　overturned　trees　which　blocked　the　way；　and　the　unexampled　skilfulness　of　the　stage　drivers。　All　travelers　in　America；　though　differing　on　almost　e