Washington City.
NOTES AND REMARKS—BY THE EDITOR OF THE REGISTER.
The general average value of the products of the United States exported, may be estimated as amounting to 45,000,000 dollars, at fair prices; the cotton, tobacco, and rice, included in which, may be valued at 21,000,000—the balance is made up of bread stuffs and meats, the product of the forest and of the sea, and 2,000,000 in manufactures.
The chief things that we have for export bear about the following proportions to their respective quantities consumed in the United States—assuming 45 millions as the amount of value exported, and taking our products at their average quantities.
| Val. or am't | Val. or am't | |
| exported. | consumed. | |
| Bread stuffs, meats & drinks, | D. 13,500,000 | 270,000,000 |
| Provender for horses, &c. (say) | 50,000 | 60,000,000 |
| Manufactures, (in general) | 2,000,000 | 220,000,000 |
| Product of the fisheries | 1,500,000 | 9,000,000 |
| ————— forest | 6,000,000 | 60,000,000 |
| Cotton, | lbs. 85,000,000 | 40,000,000 |
| Tobacco, | hhds. 75,000 | 25,000 |
| Rice, | tierces 80,000 | 80,000 |
The value of the cotton, tobacco, and rice consumed in the United States, being considered as included in the aggregate values of the manufactures used, or other stuffs consumed, will give a value to the consumption equal to 619, say 620 millions of dollars per annum; and assuming our population at 9,500,000, the average for each individual is 65 dollars a-year. This amount includes ALL sorts of disbursements needful to the subsistence, convenience and comfort of the people, except the product of the value of labour directly applied to the erection of buildings or other permanent works. The amount, though it appears enormous, I am satisfied is less than the actual value consumed. It brings out the general result, that our exports stand to our consumption as 45 is to 620—or as one is to fourteen, at the present time. When the price of commodities was higher, the rate was as one to seventeen.
The ratio of each of the preceding items are about as follows:
| Exported. | Consumed. | ||
| Bread stuffs, meats & drinks, as | 1 | is to | 21 |
| Provender, | 1 | — | 1200 |
| Manufactured articles, | 1 | — | 110 |
| Product of the fisheries, | 1 | — | 6 |
| ———— forest, | 1 | — | 10 |
| Cotton, | 2 | — | 1 (nearly.) |
| Tobacco, | 3 | — | 1 |
| Rice, | 1 | — | 1 |
It would be excessively tedious to attempt to detail the multitude of items that affect these general conclusions. Accuracy is not pretended in either of them. Probabilities only are aimed at.