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The compiler of the estimate remarks:-"It is not clearly expressed by any of the authorities quoted, whether the amounts of the precious metals stated to have been produced at different periods, applies to the amount coined or to the entire production, but the inference is strongly in favor of the latter.

"The limited production of gold and silver in the last years of the fifteenth century, may be very naturally accounted for in the limited number of people who at first ventured to explore the New World, and in the scarcity of those metals in the lands first occupied by Columbus; but it will, perhaps, excite surprise to find that the first deposits of California gold in the mints of the United States, in the year 1851, exceed the highest annual production of gold and silver in Mexico and South America by nearly 40 per cent."

CAPITAL AND DIVIDENDS OF BANKS IN NEW YORK.

We give below a statement of the capital and dividends of the several banks in the city of New York for the first half of the year 1852, as compared with the same time in 1851. The capital which paid dividends last year averaged 4 per cent for the preceding six months. This year $4,592,500 of new capital pays dividends, and the average is slightly less.

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For the sake of comparison, we give the aggregate capital and dividends of the banks in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, as follows:

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CONDITION OF THE BANKS OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

In the Merchants' Magazine for September 1851, (vol. xxv., page 353,) we published under our "JOURNAL OF BANKING, CURRENCY, AND FINANCE" a detailed statement of the condition of each bank in South Carolina, from the official copy of their returns, made to the Controller General, for June 30th, 1851; and in the number for November, 1851, (same volume, page 615,) and also in the Merchants' Mogazine for April, 1852, (vol. xxvi., p. 475,) we gave the aggregate condition of all the banks in the State, the former for the 31st of August, 1851, and the latter for the 31st of December, 1851. We now subjoin a similar aggregate statement of their Auditor for the 31st of March, 1852:-*

DEBTS DUE BY THE SEVERAL BANKS OF SOUTH CAROLINA ON THE 31ST OF MARCH, 1852. Capital stock

Bills in circulation..

Net profits on hand.

Balances due to banks in this State.
Balances due to banks in other States.
All other moneys due which bear interest
State Treasury, for balance, Current Fund
State Treasury for balance, Sinking Fund..
State Treasury, for loan for rebuilding the city
Cash depositedt..

Total liabilities......

$5.991,885 78

3,933,779 12

647,948 25

1,258,914 69

328.894 87

13.675 00

29,543 39

RESOURCES OF THE SEVERAL BANKS ON THE 31ST OF MARCH, 1852.

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522.909 30

1,759.160 11

2.543,449 41

$17,025,159 87

$682,912 62

224.765 77

416,111 47

20,765 00

106,981 94

165,737 51

7,024,718 90

221.660 77

466,849 81

2,452,896 86

568,828 45

906,705 61

837.938 67

491.385 66

Suspended debt and debt in suit

State Treasury. . . .

Branches and agencies..

Bonds under law for rebuilding Charleston..

Money invested in every other way.

Interest and expenses of State loan........

Total resources of the banks...

87,087 50

1,519.121 92

320,833 79

50.793 10

439,064 53

$17,025,159 87

*This statement embraces the Bank of the State of South of Carolina, and the Branch of the same at Columbia; the South-Western Railroad Bank; the Planters' and Mechanics' Bank; Union Bank of Charleston; State Bank of South Carolina; and the Bank of South Carolina,

† And all other moneys due, exclusive of bills in circulation, profits on hand, balances due other banks, and money bearing interest.

STATISTICS OF THE UNITED STATES POST OFFICE.

The United States Senate passed, on the 25th of March, 1852, a resolution requesting the Postmaster-General to report to the Senate the whole number of letters which passed through the Post Office of the United States during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1851; distinguishing the paid from the unpaid, those paid by stamps from those paid in cash," together with certain other matters.

From the communications of the Postmaster-General and the Auditor of the Department, we condense the subjoined statistics:

POSTAGE COLLECTED IN THE LEADING CITIES.

The postages collected during the fiscal year ending June 30th, 1851, were as follows:

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The number of dead letters received during the fiscal year is estimated by the officer in charge of that department at 2,750,000. During the same period the number of dead letters containing money, opened, registered, and sent out for delivery,

was 645.

The aggregate amount of money found in the same
The number of such letters delivered

The amount of money therein

The number of letters returned unclaimed

The nominal amount of money in the same..

$40,336 73 5,347 $26,090 61 1,106

$4,246 12

A few of the unclaimed letters have been restored to their owners since the close of the fiscal year, and the remainder are yet on hand in the dead letter office.

There is also another class of dead letters which contain articles of value other than money, such as bonds, notes of hand, drafts, bills of exchange, checks, certificates of deposit, certificates of stock, and other papers having a value capable of being expressed in dollars and cents. During the same year the number of letters of this class registered and sent out for delivery was 10,088. Their inclosures having a nominal value of $1,292,125.

Of these 6,631 were restored to their owners; 3,263 were returned unclaimed, and 194 remained in the hands of postmasters to whom they had been sent for delivery.

LETTERS PASSED THROUGH THE POST OFFICE IN 1851.

By calculation, the Auditor estimates the whole number of paid and unpaid letters which passed through the Post Office of the United States during the year aforesaid (exclusive of California, foreign and dead letters) at . Deduct number estimated to have been prepaid by stamps.

71,185,285

1,270,088

Leaves paid by cash and unpaid.....

69,915,197

Then estimating the number paid by cash to have been 3-64th of this

amount, we have as paid letters.

19,207,471

Leaving as unpaid letters..

50,707,726

Paid by stamps

1,270,088

Free..

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3,646,016

715,428 3,909,186

Conveyed by California steamers.
Dead letters...

Total

56,903

1,823,367

2,416,250

83,252,735

Letters which passed through the Post Office of the United States during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1851.

The amount of postage due on dead letters for the same year was $165,125, by estimate.

The number of free letters is computed from the returns of postmasters for a single quarter, and may be regarded as rather below the actual amount, as in some cases postmasters fail to enter in their returns the free letters delivered from their office, upon which by law they are allowed a commission of two cents.

PRINTED MATTER PASSED THROUGH THE POST OFFICE IN 1851.

The number of newspapers and pamphlets chargable with postage which passed through the Post Office of the United States during the year ended June 30, 1851,

was

82,695,872

According to a calculation made by Mr. Bradley, of the Washington city Post Office, the free printed matter passing through his Office during the same period was....

3,460,050

Exchange newspapers and documents franked by Governors of States, &c, estimated..

5,000,000

Total printed matter......

91,155,922

It is proper to remark that in computing the number of free letters no allowance is made for such free printed matter as is mailed at other offices than Washington city; and as it is never entered on way-bills by postmasters, and no returns are made therefor, this office has no data upon which to base even a calculation.

COST OF TRANSPORTATION AND POSTAGES COLLECTED IN THE SEVERAL STATES, ETC.

The following table shows the amounts actually credited for the transportation of mails, by States, and differs slightly from the amounts actually paid. It also shows the amounts by postage collected in the several States :-

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The above table of transportation embraces (with the exception of what is paid for the sea service) only such items as are classified by States upon the books of this of fice. A portion of the expenses of the Department charged to transportation, consisting of river mails, route agents, irregular service, and some cases of recognized service, are consequently not included.

The number of letters conveyed by the Cunard, Collins, Bremen, and Havre lines for the same period is as follows, viz :—

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Number of newspapers conveyed by same lines, respectively, and the amount of postage collected on the same:- By Cunard line, 637,168; By Collins line, 224.278; by Bremen line, 7,180; by Havre line; 3,920; total, 872,546; at two cents each, $17,450 92.

Amount of postage on letters by Cunard and Collins lines, respectively, collected in the United States and Great Britain, and the amount of commissions paid to our postmasters on the balance due and paid to the British Government :

By Cunard line collected in United States....
By Cunard line collected in Great Britain..

Total....

By Collins line collected in United States..
By Collins line collected in Great Britain

Total ....

The balance due and paid to the British Government was........

$309.494 44

226,543 17

$586,037 61

131.127 85

74,713 86

$205,841 71

$59,490 78

It is estimated that three-fourths of the postages by the Cunard and Collins lines collected in the United States have been collected in the large offices, at which the commissions are 124 per cent, and that the average rate of commissions paid on the remaining one-fourth has not exceeded 30 per cent. According to this calculation, the commissions paid to our postmasters on the balance due and paid to Great Britain amounts to $10,039 06; to say, $44,618 09, at 124 per cent, $5,577 26; $14,872 69, at 30 per cent, $4.461 80; total, $10,089 06.

A portion of this sum is returned to the Department in the shape of surplus commissions at the large offices.

The amount received from the British Government on closed mails was $45,279 41. The amount paid to the British Government on closed mails was $6 306 80.

The number of letters conveyed between New York and California, and New York and Oregon, via Chagres and Panama, and the amount of postages collected thereon, are as follows:

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The post bills sent to this office from New York do not distinguish between the California and Oregon letters; nor do they state the number of newspapers sent and received by the same line, nor the number of free letters.

The number of letters and newspapers conveyed by the Charleston and Havana steamers, and the amount of postage collected thereon, are as follows:-Letters, 56,903; newspapers, 24,664; amount of letter postage, $9,156 87; amount of newspaper postage, $759 92; total, $9,896 79.

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