It is an astonishing, but indubitable fact, that, while the population of New York has increased sixty-six per cent during the last decade, the consumption of beef has in the same time increased sixty-five per cent. This increment might be ascribed to the great advance of late years in the price of pork,—that traditional main stay of the poor man's housekeeping,—were it not that the importation of swine has increased almost as surprisingly. We are therefore obliged to acknowledge that during a period when the chief growth of our population was due to emigration from the lowest ranks of foreign nationalities, during three years of a devastating war, and inclusive of the great financial crisis of 1857, the increase in consumption of the most costly and healthful article of animal food lacked but one per cent of the increase of the population. These statistics bear eloquent witness to the rapid diffusion of luxury among the New York people.

From the table of classification by States we may draw another interesting inference. It will be seen that by far the largest proportion of the bullocks came into the New York market from the most remote of the Western States contributing. In other words, New York City has so perfected her connection with all the sources of supply, that distance has become an unimportant element in her calculations of expense; and she can make all the best grazing land of the country tributary to her market, without regard to the question whether it be one or twelve hundred miles off.

The foregoing butchers' estimates are as exact as our present means of information can make them. Large numbers of uncounted sheep are consumed within the city limits, and the unreported calves are many more than come to light in statistics. Besides these main staples of the market which have been mentioned, there is consumed in New York an incalculable quantity of game and poultry, preserved meats and fish, cheese, butter, and eggs.

Mr. James Boughton, clerk of the New York Produce Exchange, has been good enough to furnish me with a tabular statement of the city's receipts of produce for the year ending April 30, 1864. Such portions of it as may show the amount of staples, exclusive of fresh meat, required for the regular supply of the New York market, are presented in the opposite column.

A less important, but still very interesting, class of products entered New York during the same period, in the following amounts:—

Cotton. Seed. Ashes.Whiskey. Oil Cake.
Bales. Bush. Pkgs. Bbls.Sacks.
18,193 7,343 1,401 21,838 2,329
16,299 3,196 1,657 26,925 14,040
13,080 901 1,175 19,627 20,120
11,043 892 1,551 18,083 19,583
12,874 2,082 884 15,781 4,810
19,332 1,189 790 17,656 17,500
26,902 2,318 1,280 20,098 10,441
24,870 8,193 1,393 39,594 4,973
22,010 8,441 1,163 32,346 2,676
28,242 24,216 1,498 34,475 2,115
39,302 31,765 1,457 35,575 2,963
33,538 5,686 1,044 22,873 4,536
265,685 96,222 15,293 304,871 106,356

New York, during the same period, exported,—

OfFlour2,571,744 bbls.
"Wheat15,842,836 bushels.
"Corn5,576,836 "
"Cured Beef113,061 pkgs.
" " Pork189,757 bbls.
"Cotton27,561 bales.
Month. Flour. Corn Meal. Corn Meal.Wheat. Corn.
Bbls. Bbls. Bags.Bush. Bush.
1863.—May 454,363 10,331 18,614 1,789,952 1,914,490
June 636,501 19,283 7,989 2,853,755 2,262,825
July 451,004 9,995 10,480 2,409,184 3,049,126
August 298,097 9,875 9,226 1,989,839 2,343,899
September 319,923 10,481 4,715 1,132,588 2,196,157
October 451,762 8,673 13,020 3,052,968 1,265,793
November 530,096 8,883 22,835 3,164,750 295,398
December 429,641 16,301 45,627 1,396,608 135,907
1864.—January 266,240 7,987 43,990 10,244 145,557
February 233,822 12,489 47,137 45,283 108,751
March 190,785 14,135 40,510 108,407 259,547
April 218,181 10,889 27,097 166,506 120,272
Total 4,480,415 145,272 291,190 18,119,993 14,098,262
Months. Oats. Rye.Malt. Barley. Beef.
Bush. Bush. Bush.Bush. Bbls.
1863.—May 808,233 28,034 24,034 4,672 9,428
June 1,442,979 23,038 22,508 1,643 2,386
July 849,831 52,759 16,710 none. 1,285
August 1,097,223 68,035 55,453 .... 892
September 307,025 9,721 47,048 7,941 718
October 1,319,985 41,912 13,461 753,893 7,420
November 2,189,719 36,731 44,322 441,479 68,391
December 1,882,344 45,727 59,494 275,568 74,031
1864.—January 305,690 6,532 42,608 6,972 22,988
February 209,080 3,554 63,064 5,105 6,358
March 258,685 5,308 69,578 18,386 4,319
April 238,344 6,373 44,383 41,914 4,654
Total 10,909,238 328,619 502,693 1,557,573 203,270