The New York Herald Newspaper, February 5, 1853, Page 2

~—VIGTUALLING THE META! ACCOUNT OF FULTON MARKET. ‘Where do all the Fish Come From? hier, Bier See ‘This is the second great depot from which the metropolis is supplied with provisions, and in point | ef imporiarce it is next to Washington market. Its Desiness, however, though chiefly wholesale, is also fs different character. Washington market deals ‘More extensively in country produce, while the prin- @pal trade of Fulton market is in fish, and all varie- | ties of meat. The latter does not, in fact, present | the same inducements to farmers to send their pro- | ‘@uee to it; the space is limited, and the accommoda- | ‘tions very poor. About three or four years ago the | gupply of vegetables was, we are informed, more | abundant; but within the last year or two, the coun- ‘wy wagons from Long Islan@ have left it for Washing- ton market, where they have found a more extensive eustom and better sale. Fulton market, on aecount of its situation, never can have a large trade in vege- tables, and will always remain inferior, in its general Dasiness, to Washington market. Where is no room | for expansion, and its limits must, therefore, remain | always the same, unless some future Common Council | should order the dock in front to be filled in: Itisnot probable, however, that this will ever be done, no | matter how requisite it may appear, as the East river | is too narrow at this point to admit of any contrac- | tion. Still, there is a very extensive area under the | market, and sufficient accommodation for about two | hundred stands and stalls. The market building it- self is bounded by Front, Beekman, Fulton and South streets, and forma a square, each side of which is boat twa hundred feet in length. Between South street and the river, thereare about fifteen stands, or, more properly speaking, sheds, for the sale of fish and fruit mainly. Under these the most extensive | wholecale business in fish is transacted, and the deal- ems supply not only the various markets in New York, bat in Williamsburg and Brooklyn. The value of the whole property is estimated at $210,000, which is $170,000 less than Washington market. There is, however, a great disparity in the Proportion of their rents to the amount of the pro- | perty, for while the latter yields a revenue of over | $83,000 to the city treasury every year, the former pays about $18,000. This material difference, how- ever, is accounted for by the fact that there are more than twice the number of stands in Washington | market ; and also thata considerable part of the revenue derived from it is received for the’ rent of stands and sheds erected on the ground between West street and the river, which we believe is not imeluded in the Comptroller's estimate of the market property. i The amount received from Fulton market for rent, has very largely increased within the last few years. Of the $18,520 78 received in 1851, $10,227 52 was | paid for the rent of cellars, of which this market has | more than any other in the city. The rent for | Watchers’ stands, during the same year, amounted to | 93,240 42; the remainder being paid for vegetable, fish, poultry, and other stands. The highest rent paid for the best stand in the market does not exceed | ‘three dollars a week, while the poorest stand rents fer three shillings. Several stands are occupied by ‘the retail dealers in fancy wares, apple women, and eoffee and pie men. The coffee stands, as a general ‘thing, are quite an ornament to the market, and are Tegarded as a great convenience to the dealers and ethers doing business thre, who are unable to leave | the market to obtain their meals elsewhere. They are, therefore, pretty well patronized. Folton market was established about thirty years ago, on its present site. Soon after ita erection the whole number of stalls, amounting to eighty-six, Were put up at auction, and disposed of for $19,015, | whieh isan average of $216 for each stand. The Dowest price for which a stand can be purchased now #9 $150, and some of the dealers would not dispose @ their title for five or six thousand dollars. The | aggregate value of all the stands may be estimated at $100,000, which is rather under than over their veal worth to the dealers. The price paid for the @ands thirty years since, is about equal to the rent | Weeeipts at present. But it appears that the business ofthe market was +o limited at that period that there ‘Were more stands than could be profitably occupied, and many of the victuallers were unable to pay their | vents. This led to a reduction of the number; twen- | *y-seven of the butchers’ stalls in the southeast wing | being allotted to fishermen, and the residue were re- Ret at a diminished price. j The market building, which is at present not in very good repair, is one story high, with a basement —the roof being supported ona large number of stone pillars. The butchers’ stalls occupy three sides of the building, the centre being occupied by eommission dealers in fowls, and ell kinds ef meat, besides a large number who sell vegetables, butter, cheese, kc. All the oyster stands are sitnated on the side of the market nearest to Fulton street, and they occupy a considerable space. Immediately in front of each 1s a separate stand, in which soveral per- sons are constantly employed in opening oysters. The Principal stands display a ureat deal of taste in their construction, and are the most attractive in the whole market. They are all made of wood, and , intended as an imitation of the Gothi le, aud are certainly superior to those in Wash’ mar: | ket, and we may add, to any other market in the ity. Each has a kind of restauraut attached, in which oysters dressed to suit all tastes are served ap @aring all hours of the day. Considerable quantities of oysters are disposed of in this manner, for they are an article of food that market dealers are very partial to. We have said that the market is in bad repair; but still it is superior to many others in the city. ‘There are three brick buildings attached to it, each @f which is occupied as a boardiag-house, while the | eellars or basements are occupied as retail provision and liquor stores, restaurants, Xe. The business ome in these is very large, aud the rent paid for | them forms more than one-half the revenue from the whole market. Independent. of the rent received from those who bold stands, stalls, and sheds, a small amount is collected by the clerk of the market, | Mr. Isaacs, from pediars of various kinds, each of whom is required by the ordinance to pay one shil. Ming per week for the privilege of disposing of his ‘wares inside the limits of the market. He “also col- eects a market fee of six cents per day for every te and occupied by a countryman selling the produce of his own farm: and fifty cents from each person employed as an agent by such countryman. ‘The quarters assigned to the dealers in country produce, are situated in the lower part of the market, | mear South street. Every morning i the fruit ‘and vegetable season, it is so daa to render it almost imporsible to pass, thoroughfare is | absolutely blockaded with wagons ted with pro- | duce. By eight or nine o'clovk the market ie gene rally clear, and by one or two the sof the day is at an end. After this general ootline of the principal featares of interest in the market, we present our readers with the following details of ite business, commencing with the meat trade, ax the most important :—~ THE ME “There are sixty-five butchers’ stalls in Fulton mar- ket, exclusive of those belonging to the commission dealers. Some of these butchers kill as many as @ifty or sixty head of cattle in one week, but the ave- | fage number soli by each is about fifteen. The high | ost daily receipts of any one amount to about five bandred dollars, and the lowe-t to seventy or eighty; but the average sales of cach do not exceed one hundred and fifty. The proportion of heef to all ether kinds of mest retailed in the market, is asaboug three toone. The aggregate yearly sules of those datchers are estimated at about three millions of dol- | lars. Their business is chiefly with hotels an ‘the steamboats and shipping along the Kast river: | ‘They alvo have customers on the North river, among | whom may be mentioned Vanderbilt, whose line of | | market, who aisc | her of open boats engaged in these fisheries is e | obtain their princi steamers is supplied by them. The number of heads of cattle slaughtered in one year for the butchers in Fulton market, is computed at sixteen thousand, in- dependent of the “small meat,” which is the general title for mutton, veal, lamb, and pork. The business of the regular butchers is said to be more extensive than that of the same class in Washington market. A butcher informed us that he expended, during one year, $150,000 for the purchase of cattle, and that he paid, besides, about sixty dollars a day, the whole year round, for meat which he was obliged to buy from other dealers. A considerable portion of this meat is, however, salted and pickled, in barrels, and some of it is sent direct from the slaughterhouse to their customers, As a geueral thing, the butchers doing business in the market are opposed to the granting of licenses to isolated stalls throughout the city. Some of them believe that the establishment of a few more markets would be more desirable, and better suited to the wants of the people. A great deal of diseased and unhealthy meat, it is said, is sold at these stalls, which could not be exposed for sale in the open market without de- n and instant exposure. However thismay be, we are not prepared to decide; but there is one thing certain—that every honest butcher who is cognizant of such practices, should, out of respect for the credit of his business, and in justice to the public, inform the proper authorities of them. About a year and a balf ago, a butcher was expelled from Fulton market, by those engaged in the same business, for exposing diseased meat for sale; and although he has made several applications to be permitted to re- turn, he has never been allowed to rent a stall ia the market since. Such a course, if uniformly pursued every case of the kind, is calculated to secure the public “confidence in any market in which it is adopted. In addition to the regular butchers, there are about fifteen commission dealers in the centre of the ell meat of various kinds. Their sales are very limited, however, and do not exceed two hundred thousand dollars in the year. They are not, however, it should be understood, restricted | to the sale of meat, but do an extensive business in fowls. Their meat is sold at a commission of five per cent, and they are not allowed by the market rules to sell it by retail. abiab THE FISH TRADE. Fulton market is, par excellence, the greatest fish depot in New York, and for this it is peculiarly adapted by iis location. It is estimated that the nuuber of fishiug vessels constantly employed by the dealers exéeeds one hundred and fifty, varying in ity from twenty-to one hundred and twenty tons, average cost of each of these “ fishing smacks,” as they are termed, is about four thousand dollars, including fishing tackle, &c.,and the number of men employed upon them ig about a thousand. The New York fishermen are a remarkably hardy and healthy class, and are capable of enduring an al- t incredible amount of fatigue and labor. Their pation, at particular seasons, is very laborious ; re exposed to all kinds of weather, and to this principally is owing their hardiness and strength. They are also very frugal and provident, and the majority of them are part owners of the boats on which they are employed. Their pursuit is much more Incrative than might be supposed, and in a few years some have been known to accumulate, if not large fortunes, at least sufficient to render them comfortable for life. As a general thing, the fishermen are not employed on regular wages, like failors, but work on shares, receiving at the end of each trip an equal apportionment of the whole pro- ceeds, As this isa subject of peculiar interest, we may be pardoned for making a digression here for the purpose of entering into a brief explanation of the manner in which this business is conducted. The fishing smacks are owned generally by compa- nies of three or four, and sometimes more, who are entitled to about two-fifths the amount of all the fish caught on each trip, the remaining three-fifths being distributed among the captain, mate, and the rest of the hands. The only one on board who receives a regular salary is the cook, whose particular duties prevent him from engaging in the business of catch- ing fish, Aswe have already said, the fishermen are freqnently part owners of the boats, and they are therefore entitled to a separate share on that ac- count. Their profits, therefore, on a successfal trip, are very large, exceeding sometimes forty and even fifty dollars in one week. It not unfrequently happens, however, that a company of fishermen engage or charter a vessel on speculation, and di- vide the proceeds equally among themselves, after The dedneting the amount paid for the hire to the owner. | In come cases, howev regular wages. garded as the best method that could be adopted, for it gives the mena direct interest in the success of the vessel, and renders them more expert in their enpation. In fact, it was the remarkable expert- ness of the American fishermen in the British waters, and their veneral superiority to the British, that gave rise to the late fishery difficulty with Great Britain, worked for wages, could not compete with men who were their own masters, and who had a direct inter- bs in their work. They were not so independent; the natural consequence, they were unable to cope, even in their own waters, and under the protection of their own flag, with our fishermen. They therefore desired the inte their behalf, for they knew well that they contd not contend h any chance of snecess against such formidable competitors, The New York fishi their strength, their r, the hands are engaged for shoats are remarkable for jess, and their peculiar adaptation to the ion in which they are mployed. Their tackle is of the heat description, bob and line, hook and sink and each boat has what is termed a ‘fish well,” in which fish are pre- served alive for the market. This is Dictpeng interesting feature in these vessels, and it is one of the most important parts. The fish well is generall: placed in the centre of the boat, and at the top is about three feet in length by two in width. At first sight it looks like a diminutive hatchway, but. on a closer inspection it is found to be full of water, which is let in through holes in the bottom of the vessel. To the uninitiated this may appear incredi- ble, as it is generally thonght that a vessel with holes must jlably sink. Such is not the case, however, with the fishing boats, for the fish wells are 4o constructed that the height of the water in them is always regulated by the draught ofthe boat. When the fish are canght they are immediately thrown into the well, and kept there ontil they are transferred to the fish cars. There ave about two bundred fi-h ents in th at the foot of Fulton street, all which are convenient to the fish stands. They are of different dimensions,and are each eapable of containing about seven thonsand pounds of tish. The average cost i¢ about twenty dollars, and their total value may be estimated at abont four thoa- sand. A go substantial car will last for three Working on shares is generally re- | The fishermen of the colonies, who | y had not the same moetive for exertion; and, asa | ition of their government in | years, but during that time it may reqnire frequent | repairs. The kinds of fish kept in these are chietly halibut, codfish, blackfish, and +ea bass, In a j? tiou to the “smacks,” there are a large small boats emploved on the fishing d tor a considerable * near Shrewebw space along the Jersey ‘const. These send larze quantities to mmission dealers in Fulton market, by the aboats plying between this city and the different seaports of that State. The num- mated at one hundred and fifty, and the number of fishermen between three and fonr hundred. They generally commence operations about the latter part of May, and continue Gll some time in October, when the vn terminates, 1 four oc during these three hours nothing can ex despatch with whieh {tls performed. All hands are acti iin furnishing the custome with wagons wailing tor whole market is one sce bustle and apparent confusion. Ryerything «ineted, however, in order, and each person has his own work to perform. A_ certain number of men are stationed on the ears with large nets, attached to long poles, with which ve their aupply, and the , they catch the fish, and give them alive to their | enstomers. In this manner the whole of New is supplied with fish every morning, by the de: thie market. The fish cone Washingte rine, and all the other mowrkef+ thronghout the city, here. On Fridays the consumption of fisi ter than on any other day of the week. This is attributable to the fact that Catholics do not eat meat on that day, and are pelled to use fish as a substit Vhen there ia great abandance in mark e ve an as he whole amount sold on Friday morning is about one hundred and tweuty thonsund pounds. Calculating this at five cents per pound, the total value of the fish thus disposed of at wholesale may be estimated at six thousand dollars. It would be a great mistake, how- ever, to regard this as a fair indication of the extent of their business: for, daring some weeks in the year, their sales w 1ot average one-lifth that amount. When the ecason is particulerly doll, som will ral number of in the wholesale fish trade is twelve, and ‘are owned rally companies of two or three who have also shares in the fishing boats, average daily re- ceipts of each of » the whole yearround, ma’ be safely estimated at three hundred dollars. presents the immense total of $1,126,800 as the ag- gregate yearly amount of sales. Of course, in tl calculation, we leave out Sunday, as there is no busi- ness done on that day. the wholesale dealers, there are ten who are e in the retail trade ; but as these are suppli the former, their sales are included in the fo ing esti- mate. The wholesale dealers are allowed a commis- sion of ten percent on their sales, independent of what they are entitled to for their share in the vessel. ‘The rules and regulations among these dealers are very strict, and indeed it is necessary that they should be ‘so, to avoid the disorder which would inevitably ea Each veseel, a3 it arrives, is aliowed the p Vilege of- discharging her freight first, uo matter ow great may be the press of business. Of the twelve wholesale stands, several engage exclusively in the sale of codfish, halibut and blacktish, while Ca again deal chiefly in eels, porgies, founders, Ce SHAD. During the shad season, there is only one stand in the wholesale market that sells that fish exclusive- ly. The season begins about the middle of March, and lasts about seven weeks, during which time the sales average one thousand dollars a day. The shad are sold outside of the docks from the boats, and im- mense numbers of them are hawked around the city | in wagons, and disposed of at a large profit by the retailers, In the commencement of the season they | are sold as high as one dollar a piece; but when there | is a great abundance in market they can be purchas- ed fora shilling each. The commission on shad is one cent on each fish, and this is never varied, no matter what the price at which they are sold. Shad fishing is altogether different from cod and halibut fishing, and is pursued by a different class of men. The beats employed in it are open, and the fish are, as is well known, caught with nets. The principal supply of this fish is taken in the North river, and in the bay, within a space ex- tending from the lower part of Staten Island to Albany. A large proportion of what is caught is taken direct to Washington market, and disposed of there. ‘The business in shad is conducted in a somewhat different manner from the trade in other fish. The commission, as we have stated, is not regu- lated by the value of the tish, but by the number sold; and the commission dealers, as a general thing, have no shares gr direct interest in the boats engaged in the fishery. MACKEREL. These fish are caught off Sandy Hook, and are brought to market alive. They will not live longer than fifteen or twenty minutes out of the water, and when dead they do not ‘ keep” so long as other fish. The manner in which mackerel fishing is pursued is singular and intéresting. When the boat arrives near the fishing ground the hands commence throwing large quantities of bait overboard in her wake. After disposing of a suflicient amount in this way, they come to anchor and commence fishing. As the mackerel is a voracious fish, swarms of them are at- tracted about the versel by the scattered bait, and the fishermen capture them with very little difficulty. When taken they are immediately thrown into the fish wells. The mackerel season begins in May, and continues throughout the whole of that month. They com- mence their migrations eastward after they leave the waters of New York, towards the Bay of Fundy; but a very few of our fishermen pursue them up to that point. They arrive in the Bay of Fundy about Sep- tember, and when caught there they are salted and packed in barrels, according to their size and quality. he vessels fishing in those waters are larger than thoze engaged in our coast fisheries CODFISH. The amount of codfish sold Menitf in Fulton mar- ket, by the wholesale and retail dealers, exceeds that of any other fish, and forms about one-fourth of the total sales. All the commission dealers sell it, and there is not a retail stand in the market at which it cannot be purchased, except when there isan wnusual searcity, The great codfisheries are on the banks of Newfoundland, and along the coast of British | North America; but large quantities are taken during the summer in the waters about Nantucket, and in the winter ey are also caught in great abundance off the coast ol taken in our own waters are general; market alive, while the fish caught on the “Banks” are salted and packed in BASS. Cie os two Se of oa ered bass and the str! as. The princi, obtain- ed from ete tad, and 4 large entity is also brought from Rhode Island. The total sales of both Kinds of bass during the year do not exceed eighty thousand dollars. SALMON. In onr article on Washington market, we leading particulars of the business in this fish, and it is therefore only necessary to state a few fi in re- lation to the trade in this market. Nearly all the dealers sell salmon, and the aggregate sales during the year amount to abont $0,000. A ropor- tion of the salmon sold in Fulton market is bought from the people of St. John, N. B., a considerable num- ber of whom are dependent upon the fisheries for a subsistence. Our dealers are obliged by the colonial government to pay an ad valorem duty of twenty ve the per cent, but for which our markets might be more | plentifully supplied with this favorite fish, and at | | much cheaper prices. HALIBUT. During the summer large quantities of this | fish are taken on the St. George's banks, which lie about one hundred miles to the eastward | of Boston. Halibut are caught in about forty fathoms water, and the tackle with which they are taken must be of the best description. They grow to an immense size, and some have been known to weigh near 400 pounds. They are brought to mar- ket alive, and are considered by fishermen generally as a very Vagies S fish. In the months of Septem- ber, October, and November, they are taken on the coast of Nova Sectia, about Sable Island. The year- ly sales of halibut in this market alone exceeds $100,000. The season begins about the first of April, and ends abont the last of October ; but a consider- able supply is received during the two succeeding months. market, the daily sales average $1,000; but there are some weeks, when the weather is unfavorable, that the sales are not. sufficient to defray the ex- penes of the dealers. LOBSTERS. The extensive sales of this fish entitle it to parti- cular notice, It is sold by nearly all the dealers in bi market, and, with the exception of the months December, January, and February, there is always an abundant supply in the market during the whole year. In those months, however, there is a very lim- ited quantity, and that is obtained from Boston, in boxes. The season for lobsters commences about the Ist | of March and ends in the beginning of December. During this period the average daily sales are esti- | . wi mated at ten thousand ponn hich, at four cents a pound, gives a total of #96,000 as the receipts for nine months. If to this we add $4,000, a low esti- mate of the amount of sales for the other three months, we have the large sum of one hundred thousand dollars. It must, however, be borne in mind in this calculation, that more than nine-tenths of all the lobsters received in this market are sold by the wholesale to dealers in other markets. and fis! stands throughont the city. In fact, nearly all the lobsters consumed in New York have to pass through the hands of the dealers in Fulton market. Lobsters are canght off the coast of Maine, by citi- | zens of that State, who make a business of it. frat are taken by means of a contrivance something simi- lar to some rat traps we have seen, The trap or “lobster pot,” as it is called, is constructed of wire, and is provided with an entrance barely large enough to admit a good sized lobster. It is easy for the “‘crit- ter" to get admittance, but once in, all the ingenui- ty of which it is capable could never release it. In- side the door of the pot is a cious apartment containing the bait by which they are lured, but. when they attempt to return, the wires, which are all pointed on the inside, lock them in as securely as any ba nate prisoner condemned to a dungeon in the tile. There are, we were told, about a thousand persona engaged in the lobeter fisheries, and these dispose of them to our New York fishermen, who transfer them | to the commission dealers. During a part of the year, from abont the Ist of Jnly till October, a consi- derable supply is obtained from the lobster fisheries at Cape Cod. BLACKPISH. This fish is sold by all the dealera in the market; but the averaye daily sales of each do not excced fifteen dollars during the season, which beginsin May and ends in December. For the remainder of the year there is generally a supply in market, but it is very limited. Blackfish, althongh considered by seme as very excellent fating is not a general fa- vorite, and during the last three or four years there has been a considerable diminution in the sales. This may be attributed to the appearance of the fish, which many might consider repulsive; but whatever | effect this may be supposed to have, it is certain that the diminntion is not owing to the scarcity of the fish iteelf. The sales in this case are, asin many others, graduated by the taste of the public. WEAK FISH, PORGIFS, KELS, AND FLOUNDER, There are only two wholesale companies which dea! in theve fish to any extent, and they, we were told, receive about four tons daily. The principal | fishing gronnds are along the southern shore of Long | Island, and the fish are transported over the railroad to Brooklyn, from whence they are sent by boats to this market. But besides the supply received daily | pe og dealera, there are about twenty-live boats frora which they are sold in the docks to the retail dealers. These boats dispose of about six dollars worth a day each, consisting of blue tish, floanders, weak fish, small bass, and crabs, a considerable proportion of which are canght ip the East river, near Hellgate, New York and New Jersey. Those | ly brought to | When there is a great abundance in the | limited, not ex: is only one company , and they sent more than worth last year, to Califor- fifteer is vel There ie same company pickled in one week n thousand. As the oysters are not sold in the shell, a large number of ms are employed in opening them. This is a Tiainens by iteel , and the a sons engaged in itare at the rate of about fitty cents a thousand. me who are well prac- ticed in the art, can open thousand in one doy, but two thousand five hundred is con- sidered a goed day’s work. Nearly all the oysters rold in this market are obtained at ‘Oliver slip, near Catharine market, which is the principal rendez- vous of the oyster boats. No adequate conception can, however, be formed of the extent the oyster trade in this city from the business done in the markets, for immense quantities are bought from the boats, without ever passi through the hands of the dealers. As it isa subject of con- sidery ble importance, and one in which every person who exts oysters is interested, it is impossible to do justice to Fd in a brief paragraph. In our next article on markets we will therefore give a detailed account of the trade, the manner in which it is conducted, and such other matters connected with it as may be of interest to the public. The sale of clams amounts to about twenty thou- | sand dollars annually. About fifteen years ago the | trade was more extensive, and on some Sunday morn- ings as much as one hundred dollars worth would be sold. They are sold b; ey all the dealers; but as there has been a considerable falling off in the demand for them within the last few years, they find it more profitable to devote their attention to the oyster chiefly trade. In additicn to oysters and clams, there are two other kinds of shell fish sold in this market, called scollofs and muscles; but the sales of both do not exceed four hundved dollars during the whole year, FRESH WATER FISH. But avery limited amount ‘of fresh water fish is sold in Fulton market in comparison with the other kinds. The principal varieties are perch, salmon and brook trout, pickerel, suckers, and catfish. They are to be bonght of nearly all the dealers during the preper season; but the trade in them is very unsteady, and the aggregate yearly sales do not amount to more than fifty thousand dollars at the utmost. The brook trout, which is a great favorite with epicures, is ob- tained chiefly from Long Island, and the salmon trout is caught principally in the lakes. The catfish is taken in the ponds in various parts of this State, but a very limited supply is brought to any of the New York markets. ‘There is, perhaps, a greater de- mand for pickerel than for any other fresh water fish, and there is generally a more liberal supply, with the exception of perch, of which there isa large number sold. THE FRUIT TRADE. There are three kinds of fruit dealers in this mar- ket—the dealers in foreign fruit, consisting of or- anges, lemons, pine apples, bananas, &c., and whole- sale and retail dealers in all the varieties of home fruit, such as apples, peaches, strawberries, pears, &c. The whole number of dealers is about thirty, of whom eight sell whclesale either for themselves or on commission, four sell foreign fruit, and the re- mainder are engaged in the retail trade. The retail dealers are, however, employed in the fruit business only during two or three months, and their number varies from year to year. It is with them a tem- porary business, and is abandoned at the end of the season, for avaltey and vegetables. In fact, nearly all who deal in poultry and vegetables, and particu- larly those who comp stands in the country mar- kets, sell nearly all kinds of fruit when in season. The agare ite sales of these dealers amount to about four hundred thousand dollars a year. Of the | dealers in ee fruit there are four, two of whom are engaged almost exclusively in the wholesale business, while the sales of the other two are princi- | Vet retail. The total amount of the daily sules of | the four is estimated at three hundred dollars, but two of these sell about one hundred dollars worth each per day. We should also state that two of them | deal in peaches. Altogether, their total ‘ly re- ceipts may be computed at about one hundred thou- sand dollars. ; The most extensive business in the fruit trade is done by the wholesale dealers, of whom there are eight. “One of these gave us a statement of his sales of peaches for three weeks, from which it appears that during that time his receipts for that frait alone averaged eight hundred dollars aday. The same dealer sold about ten thousand dollars worth of straw- berries, which was about one-third of the whole amount sold in the market. Throughout the year their sales of npples were in proportion to the amount of other fruit, “being about fitty thousand barrels, or one hundred thousand dollars worth. A considerable supply of nies is shipped by the wholesale dealers for Philadelphia, Baltimore, and a few other Southern orta ; but the principal business is confined to New ork, Williamsburg,and Brooklyn. The total re- ceipts of the wholesale dealers in fruit, during one ear, is estimated at six hundred thousand dollara ; ut this is liable to be diminished or increased, by a favorable or unfavorable season. THE BUTTER TRADE. The wholesale and retail butter business is trans- acted by seven dealers, whose aggregate daily sales | do not exceed two thousand pounds. About one- half of this amount is sold by retail to hotels, res- taurants, boarding honses, and private families. The average cost per pound, of all kinds, may be fairly | estimated at twenty cents, which makes the value of the whole quantity disposed of daily four hundred dollars. Of the seven dealers there are two or three who have a most extensive custom, and each of whom sells from six to seven hundred pounds daily— the smallest amount sold by any one dealer being about eighty. ieee THE POULTRY TRADE. ‘There are a large number of persons in this market | who deal in poultry during the winter and spring, when the supply is most abundant. They are | variously eetimated from twenty to thirty, but, like the dealers in Washington market, they do not con- | fine themeclves to the sale of poultry, and are ready, when occasion offers, to engage in any market busi- | ness which pays better. During the summer and fall they are generally engaged in the frait trade, | which A regarded as very profitable. There are not | moore than six or seven regular dealers, of whom four sell venison and different kinds of game. We were informed by the owner of one stand that of venison alone he sold about five thousand dollars worth in one season, and his daily receipts for game amounts to one hundred dollars. His business is principally | wholesale, and he numbers among his customers the Astor and Irving Houses, the Metropolitan and other hotels, and several steamboats. His aggregate year- ly sales exceed one hundred and fifty thousand dol- lars, which is abont one-third the receipts of the whole business of the other dealers. The total sales the whole year round is estimated at about six hun- dred thousand dollars. The supply of venison is about equal to that received in Washington market, and bear is occasionally added to the stock of game, though the arrival of such game is of very rare oc- currence. Moose deer saddles, though not very abundant, can also be purchased in this market. THE EGG TRADE. There are ten regular dealers in this trade, whose aggregate daily sales amount to seventy barrels, the value of which is about one thousand dollars. About fonr-fifths of this amount are sold by wholesale, and a large proportion of the total supply is received either from Washington market or from the produce boats in its immediate vicinity. Besides the regular dealers there is about an equal number of others who are engaged in the oes, trade during a part of the year. Large shipments of eggs are made from this market for varions parts of the country, and an | extensive business is transacted with stores, steam- boats, hotels, &c. BACON, HAM, ETC. There are only two stands in the market which transact an extensive business in bacon, hams, smoked tongues, and other kinds of preserved meats, and their sales are estimated at $250 a day each. Of this amount about nine-tenths are sold wholesale to grocers and other retail dealers,and a large number of vessels are supplied by those dealers. The stands are situated near the main entrance on Front street, and ey are among the oldest established in the market. THE VEGETABLE TRADE. Including potatoes, there are more vegetables sold in Washington market than in any other in the city, and indeed we may safely say than in all the mar- keta, The vegetable trade is the principal featare there,as the market has peculiar advantages from its position and extensive accommodations. Tn Fal- ton market, there are not more than twenty dealers, the majority of whom are engaged in the retail trade. The average daily number of wagons which Spee of their produce here is computed at forty, but some days a8 many as a hundred and fifty arrive from the country. Some of these bo ad contain about fifty dollars worth of vegetables, but the ave- rage cost of each load does not exceed twenty-five dollars, We do“not over estimate the amount of \ yearly sales of green vegetables alone, when we put them down at $300,000. Of of all kinds, ive the assent of the Board of Finance. Section rae say be estinoted at $260,000" es the Board of Finance power, in case of ur- ee a as pace Rae ‘and, if RECAPITULATION. need be, the con! of a debt. Section’ 31 re- TABLE SHOWING THE YEABLY SALES OF EACH BUBI- Is all powers lodged in the Board of Supervisors, thd all Torisions in the city charter and NESS IN FULTON MARKET. Amount of sales by regular butchers... + $8,000,000 ‘All kinds of meat sold on commission ‘200, Bacon, ham, smoked beef, kc... 156,000 Vegetable trade, wholesale and retail. 500,000 Trade in all descriptions of salt water fish. 1,126,800 Fresh water fish, Oysters, clams, se. Poultry trade, comprising the sales of domestic ultry and all kinds of game + 600,000 wholesale and retail egg trade. 318,000 Butter trade...... 125,200 Wholesale and retail trade in 100,000 Retail trade in home fruit 400,000 Wholesale trade in do. 600,000 Total... » $7,999,400 MEETING FOR CITY REFORM. Are Our Taxes to Increase? WHAT ARE WE TO DO? ko, ke, &e. Another city reform meeting washeld at the Stuy- vesant Institute on Thursday evening last, over which Peter Cooper, Esq. of the Eighteenth ward presided. A committee appointed at a former meeting to pro- pore measures of reform, made their report, as fol- lows :-— REPORT. That they have carefully examined the whole sys- tem of government now provided by law for the city, and have inquired into its actual administration, with a view of learning what the mischiefs were which required a remedy, and whether such remedy demanded further legal enactments for its applica- cation. A defect of the first importance, if not in the struc- ture, at least in the working of the ry government, immediately attracted the attention of yonr commit- | tee. They found that no efficient and sound system of accountability for the public moneys, on the part of those by whom they were expended, existed or was enforced—that no regular scrutiny of the dis- bursements of departments, bureaus, or subordinates was practised; and no etfective supervision of expen- ditures, to see that they were confined to legal ob- jects of expense to the city, was even attempted. Another essential error in the administration of the city government, Ra committee discovered in the entire confusion between legislative and executive | duties, which had been introduced in practice by the two boards of the Common Council, their committees and members. The entire discrimination between these two functions which the amendments to the charter in 1849, were designed to effect, in practice, has utterly failed of accomplishment. But the worst feature of the city government, a9 now constituted, seemed to your committee to be the | complete supremacy of the Common Council, and the | entire absence of any office or department indepen- dent of its influence or able to withstand it. The veto of the Mayor interposed no obstacle to the designs of a persistent majority of the two boards; the limits | which the law should impose upon their acts as re- stricted to the special Re of the sear parece became DUmakGry, as the two boards of the Common Council judged of the extent and scope of those pur- | poses, and without appeal, unless judicial restraint was interposed at the suit of individual com- plaints; and the arrangement of the power of im- posuere for malpractices in office, and of the tri- unal for the trial of impeachments, removed all fear tothe members of the Common Council from this quarter, as it lay Smale the Board of As- sistant Aldermen to impeach, and exclusively with | the Board of Aldermen to try the impedchment. When the committee looked from the system of government to the persons and characters of those who had of late administered it, they found great reason to inquire whether some change in regard to the charter elections might not be made to rescue | the conduct of the public affairs from the unworthy | hands into which it hed fallen. Their own observa- tion, the attestations which the record presented, and the.concurrent voice of public sentiment from .all | uarters, sutisfied yout committee that a great | change for the worse had taken place of late in the | character and conduct of those ‘ged with the city | government. | Under the impression of these views, of the evils to be corrected, your committee have mepered se veral measures, frommwhich they think a beneficial result may he anticipated, and which they respect- fully submit for your approval. In the first place, they recommend an amendment | to the city charter, separating the charter from the eneral election, and restoring it to the month of pril. By this change, your committee suppose the attention of the honest and disinterested portion of the community can be directed to the mal quali- fications, whether of capacity or integrity, of the can- didates for charter offices, without any embarrass- ment from the general politics of the State or of the Union, which, in the present arrangements of the elections, absorb all local considerations. Besides, the absence from the city during the summer and early fall, (the period when all the preparations for the November elections are compl ng) of a great num- ber of citizens most interested in the city affairs, ren- ders the restoration of the charter elections to the | spring for this reason, highly desirable. Your | committee have accordingly framed a law to accom- plish this object. The second measure which your committee have thought advisable, is a change in the provisions of the annval tax law of the Legislature, with the in- tent to limit the e: diture of the city government to the objects therein named and the amounts there- | in authorized, and to preclude the Common Council or the executive de; ents from making expendi- tures or contracting debts in the excess of the | amounts thus authorized. Your committee have pre- | pared a law to this effect, and its adoption by the gislature will set a limit to the treasures at the disposal of the city government, not easily to be overpassed, ‘The third measure which your committee have ma- | tured, and now present for your consideration, is an amendment of the city charter, organizing a Board of Finance, with such eee as may constitute it an efficient check, both to keep the legislation of the | Common Council within its legitimate sphere, and the action of the executive departments under strict supervision and complete control. The amendment to the charter proposed to accomplish this object is herewith submitted to you; buta brief explanation of the principles upon which this Board of Finance has been framed, and of the main features of its con- struction, seems not inappropriate. The great requisites to the vigor and successful operation of such a Board of Finance, it will gene- rally be conceded, are, first, independence of, and security against encroachments from, the Common Council, and the departments whose proceedings and action it is designed to hold in check. Second, strength, both in its hold upon the public confidence. and from its own inherent powers practically to effi whatever the law of its constitution permits it to un- dertake. Third, permanence, both in the longer tenure of office, and from the sources of its appoint- ment being in some sort distinct from those of the other branches of the city government. Fourth, pu- | 7 rity, by being removed from the corrupting influence which the patronage of office and the distribution of | money exert on their possessors, and protected by | the absence of those attributes of power, alike from | the envy of aspirants for place and the distrust of the | citizens at large. | In framing the law establishing this Board of Fi- | nance, your committee have endeavored to meet all | theze requisitions, so far at least as was deemed com- | patible with the general spirit of our institutions. j The first ten sections of the act, as proposed, are occupied with the organization of the hoard, and sec- tions 29, 30, 32, 33, and 34, provide for the filling of vacancies which may occur in it, for the submi+sion of the act to the people before it shall become a law, and for the first election of members of the hoard. By a reference to these sections it will be observed, that of the nine members of the board, three are elected by the people, three appointed by the Go- vernor, and three by the Mayor dat they are divided into three classes, going out of office at intervals of two years; and that they have power to provide for the expense of discharging their duties, but receive no pay or emolument. Sections 11 and 18, both inclusive, contain the Fe. neral powers of the board in supervising and auditing the accounts of all departments and officers of the city government, and confer uj them all power to limit the expenditures, prohibit any large expendi- tures, and prevent any demand from accruing against the city beyond the fixed limite, and give authority to the board to institute and control suits for the re- covery of money illegally paid from the treasury, and to enforce the collection of all balances of accounts bite may be stated against city officers by said oard. Sections 19, 20, and 21, relate to the impeach- ing power, and the trial impeachments, giving to the Board of Finance the sole power of impeachment of members of the Common Council, | and city and all officers, excepting the members of eaid Board of Finance, and subjecting them to im- peachment hy the Common Council, and establishing an independant court for the trial of all these im- peachments, composed of the judges of the Supreme and Superior Courts and of the Common Pleas. Rections 22 to 26, both inclusive, contain im) ant restrictions on the sale of the property the gig, and the making of contracts and incurring of debt in its behalf, both to prevent money from being ie out of the treasury, or property of the city eing conveyed contrary to.law, and to recover them i by suit; in cases where the wrong has beon done. Rection 27 provides that no act of the Common | Council, vetoed by the Mayor, shall go into effect, if it concern the finance of the city, until it shall re- ice our other subjects of reform, and paws still farther to consider the same; but they 50,000 Presens the shanti of their labors up to this 220,400 | the Legislature in person, and enforce | men. | affrighted sheep, to get rid of the curse of intolerable | property hy | is the principal cause of hi amend- consistent with this act. committee have had under consideration jeemed it boncefess to it, should they meet the approval of the ¢ fF > no time may be lost in securing the necessary legis- lative action. Your committee have no hesitation in saying that taatantrongs perpeied sen the propery a ngs pe upon the prop city and the eaten wishic ot the pitivens, x the name of government, rh and permanent reform, which shall not only correct ex- isting evils, but prevent their recurrence. It is of the utmost im, that this public sentiment should be confirmed and concentrated; that petitions to the Legislature should be signed by the iu general; that a deputation of res men of ail the professions and employments should attend upois their griev- ances aud demand their remedy, and that the public prees should faithfully and boldly BS ed and ad- vance this just cause of the people. ‘isdom in the adoption of measures, neither attempting plans un- sound or impossible, nor abating from any essential or efficacious demand, firmness and unanimity in in- sisting upon what the general sense of the honest friends of reform shall approve, though at the sacri fice of personal Hens and judgment, are the twa great qualities with which success is sure, without which it is impracticable. Your committee call your attention to the forms of x petition to the Legislature which they have separ and recommend that they be circulated for sigue. tures without delay. B. Winthrop, Peter Cooper, A. Vanderpool, J. Boorman, John L. Mason, Henry Grinnel), C, W. Lawrence, Thomas Suffern, Edgar Ketchum, Jas. B. Murray, Jolin M. Dodd, Sylvanus 8. Ward, John A. Harrict, Wn. M. Evarts, Wm. Chauncey, Simeon Baldwin. New York, February 1, 1863. : MEMORIAL, To the Legislature of the State of New York :— The undersigned, citizens and” inhabitants of the city of New York, respectfully represent, that they are sufferers from the grievous taxation imposed upon them, to meet the enormous expenses of the city government, as now administered; that the pub- lic property of the city is exposed to waste and Gila pidation; that the property of the city and common rights of the citizens are made the subjects of special and exclusive grants to individuals; that the inter- este of the city are BS eae by its government, and its revenues expended to large amounts for illegal objects, and that the general credit and repute of the city and its citizens are tarnished by the general opinion that has obtained of the reckless and impro- vidert, if not corrupt aud profligate managemext of its public affairs, Your petitioners earnestly pray for such legislative action 28 may correct the evils under which they sut- fer, and particularly, that in the “ Act to enable the Supervisors of the city aud county of New York ta raise money by tax,” to be passed at the presenti session of the Legislature, Povey may be inserted, specially prescribing the objects of expenditure and he amounts to be raised forthem respectively, and Wm. Browning, Burtis Skidmore, | probibisaaiete expenditure of any larger sum, and | the ineu ring of any debt for such objects, so that the contributions of the tax payers, which, in fact, are mainly borne by the laboring classes, may bi applied for the common benefit. Secondly, that the charter of the city may be amended so as to separate the election of charter ofti- cers from the general election, and restore it to the month of April in each year. Thirdly, that the charter of the city may be amend- ed so as to establish an independent Board of Fi- nance for the general managementand control of the finances of the city. And lastly, that such other measures in correctiouw of the evil government under which the citizens are suffering, may be adopted as to the wisdom of the Legislature may seem meet. The report was adopted. Judge VANDERPOOL then said he was glad to see this asemblage of gentlemen, composed of both the great politi arties of the country. They had met to co-operate in some effort to remedy the evils our city was suffering from, the curse of over-taxa- tion. it was to him an ample pledge that there were occasions when men could throw off the shackles of party and unite in anattempt to promote the public good. He had been a party man, and claimed to be- long to the old line democracy; but he thought the time had emphatically arrived in the affairs of our city, when such a union was called for as he had tha | high pleasure here to witneas. If the evil of increas- ing and yet increasing taxation was not arrested, where was the thing to end? Our valuations of pro- ae stretched up to their utmost tension; while other parts of the State the assessors estimates did not exceed fifty per cent of their actual value; and yet our taxes are one and a quarter per cent. When reach two and a half per cent, as soon they would, ifsomething were not done to dam up the torrent which threatens to overwhelm us, you will find out to your sorrow how little your real estate will be worth. Shoulda commercial revulsion or monied crisis come, as come they would, sooner or later, your city would soon be depopulated of moneye Yes, capitalists would flee from it taxation. What we have done and are now doing is only the beginning of our labors. Much remain | to be done. Our organization must be extended, so that its ramifications embrace every A tp of our city—all its classes and interests. Petitions must be. circulated, and agencies employed, to urge your subjects of reform upon the consideration of the Legislature; and should you be fortunate enough ta et a favorable response from the law-making power, the strnggle will not then be half finished. Your work must be submitted to the popular suffrage, and. thei onr utmost efforts would be necessary to secure the approbation of the popular vote. You must ex- pect opposition. The interests op) to an econo’ tical administration of our city aflairs are too mul; tiplied and strong to surrender without a conflict. You will have to strive to array the masses on you’ side; to convince them, if possible, that they—poor | and humble though they may be—pay intinitely more than their fair portion of overtaxation. 1 fear there is a heresy too prevalent among us, that the burther of our overpment falls chiefly on the rich or the ders, It is notso. It required no great advance in the science of political economy, na Adam Smith to convince any thoughtful mind, that labor, however humble, always pays more than its fairshare of taxation. Capital is powerful, and al- ways trininphsin a contest with labor in regard ta ytd burthens. Our frightful amount of taxa~ tion; our four or five millions per year, enters into everything the poor man consumes, into every loaf of bread he eats, into every dollar of rent he pay¢ for his humble dwelling. Are your taxes increased ? the real estate owner relieves “himself by adding ta his rent; and it has already come to this, and we hear the complaint daily, that a poor man can hardly afford to get @ hoase and hmable heme in this tax« e of public extravagance { notion so false and deceptiy the popular mind. Once and your city authorities we shat an economical nse of only guarantee of popu tion. He hoped the time bud good men of all parti | armor, and go forth i ” of city n,- form. ‘The men in easy circ os at length: cemed willing to leave, tor iv pleasant porlor ond their evening tire d bestir ther; elves for the public weal. a last to ee this shaking among bones to so dry and dead as to public matters. [t wos a good augury, and if the zeal of the class of gentle here assei- bled should keep pace with the demands of the time, much good could not fail to come out of their efforts. ‘The meeting was then addressed by William M. Evarts, Hiram Ketchum, and Benjamin F. Butler, Esquires, and wascomposed about equally of whig2 and democrats. Prisoner Escarrp-—A man by the name of Carmelich, a Spaniard, who was tried and found guilty of murder at the last term of the Circuit Court of Jackson county, and sentenced by Judge Watts to: be hing on the last Friday of December, hg from the custody of the Sheriff on the day on whicl: he was to have been hung, and is now at large. Thy Pct ac of his escape, as we learn them from # iend,are as follows:—The prisoner, from the time of his removal from Green county jail, pretended ta be sick and very lame, and was believed to be entirely unable to move without assistance, and in this con- dition was left on the ffllery of Mr. Samuel Davis; but when the Sheriff and his deputies returned to per- form the last sad and solemn requisitions of the law, Jo and behold the bird had flown, and Carmelich was nowhere to he found. The Sheriff, at last accounts, was in close pursuit, and we hope he will sueceed in re-capturing the prisoner—Paulding (Miss.) Cla- rion, Grrav Ace.—There is a man in Bloomfield, Ontario county, who, in April next, will, if he lives until that time, have seen his 112th birthday. Hit name ts James —. and he was born in county, Ireland, in April, 1741. Within the last eight ornine months a marked change had taken place in his intellectual capacity; but aside from this, he Was ypbind the same as for many years past. * resides with his son, who is seventy two years old. ’ ike |