in full, for it is impossible otherwise to put fairly before the constituent bodies, the State Legislatures and Congress, the opinions and judgments of our Board. It will be recollected, too, by those who participated in the formation of the Board at Philadelphia, that it was thought the success of the association would depend mainly on the Secretary. After four years of the most intimate relations with the gentleman who has filled that office, I desire, in the most emphatic terms, to bear my testimony to the faithfulness, ability and zeal with which he has discharged his trust and duties. He has shrunk from no work that the Board and Executive Council have imposed on him; and his knowledge, talents and labors have been no more than fairly rewarded by his compensation.

It only remains for me to direct your attention to the index of subjects that have heretofore been considered at our regular sessions as proofs of our attention to the objects we were formed to consider. They prove, to some extent at least, that our Board has been taking the proper measures to fulfil the plan of its founders. The programme for the present session is one that will call into action all your knowledge and all your wisdom. The time has come for speaking on the currency, on our revenue system of taxes and duties, on the resuscitation of our foreign commerce, and on our commercial relations with the Dominion of Canada, in such a decided way as may lead to intelligent legislation for their just and permanent settlement. From my past experience of your ability I know that you will come nobly up to the demands of the civilization of the time we live in, and prove that you are worthy to be trusted with laying the foundation on which all our national interests may safely rest. (Loud applause.)

The next business in order was the election of VicePresidents. The several delegations nominated, as their names were called, and the following nominations were made:

By the Baltimore Board of Trade and Baltimore Corn and Flour Exchange ROBERT R. KIRKLAND.

By the Boston Commercial Exchange and Boston Board of Trade -JOHN W. CANDLER.

By the Chicago Board of Trade-A. M. WRIGHT.

By the New York Chamber of Commerce GEO. OPDYKE, also, for the Buffalo Board of Trade - GEO. S. HAZARD.

By the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and Cincinnati Board of Trade S. LESTER TAYLOR.

By the St. Louis Union Merchants' Exchange and St. Louis Board of Trade - GEO. BAIN.

By the Boston Board of Trade, for the Portland Board of Trade - JOHN B. BROWN.

By Mr. ABLE, for the Dubuque Board of Trade-THOS. M. MONROE. By the Detroit Board of Trade- - GEO. F. BAGLEY.

By the Milwaukie Chamber of Commerce

WM. P. McLAREN. By Mr. L. R. SHRYOCK, for the New Orleans Chamber of ComWM. M. BURWELL.

merce

The Wilmington Board of Trade, the Philadelphia Commercial Exchange, and the Philadelphia Board of Trade, declined to make any nominations.

The Chair appointed Messrs. Cооk, of Cincinnati, and YOUNG, of Baltimore, tellers.

Mr. BISHOP, of Cincinnati, moved a reconsideration of the vote fixing ten o'clock as the time of meeting to-morrow, which was carried.

The same gentleman then moved to amend the resolution to the effect, that when the Board adjourn, this afternoon, it be to meet at nine o'clock to-morrow morning, and to sit not later than one o'clock, in order to enable the delegates to accept an invitation tendered by the Committee of Arrangements of the St. Louis Board of Trade and Union Exchange, to a drive about the city.

The resolution was so amended, and in that form, passed.

Mr. PLUMER, of Boston, offered the following resolution, which was adopted:

Resolved, That the delegates of the Dominion Board of Trade who have come to this meeting by invitation of the Executive Council, be admitted to seats upon the floor, with the privilege of speaking, and that a Committee of eight be appointed to confer with them upon the relations that should exist between the United States and the Dominion of Canada for trade, and for the common use of the natural and artificial highways of the two countries, and to report during the present meeting.

The PRESIDENT: It gives me great pleasure to welcome our Canadian brethren to this room, and to accord to them the privileges which have just been unanimously tendered to them by the resolution.

Mr. KIRKLAND, of Baltimore, moved that a Committee on Credentials be appointed, which was agreed to, and the Chair announced the Committee, as follows:

R. R. KIRKLAND, Baltimore,

E. O. STANARD, St. Louis,

J. W. PRESTON, Chicago,

J. P. WETHERILL, Philadelphia,
J. BRADFORD, Wilmington.

The President announced the Committee to confer with the delegates of the Dominion Board of Trade, as follows:

AVERY PLUMER, Boston,
S. L. TAYLOR, Cincinnati,
J. S. T. STRANAHAN, N. Y.,
G. F. BAGLEY, Detroit,

E. D. HOLTON, Milwaukie,
J. WELSH, Philadelphia,
A. M. WRIGHT, Chicago,
B. ABLE, St. Louis.

The Committee appointed to collect, assort and count the votes for Vice-Presidents, reported, as fol

And these gentlemen were declared elected.

The Secretary read a communication from the Dominion Board of Trade, announcing that the following

gentlemen had been appointed a Committee to represent that Board at the present meeting :

The Hon. JOHN YOUNG, Messrs. JOHN MCLENNAN, THOMAS RIMMER, WM. J. PATTERSON, of Montreal; Mr. W. H. HOWLAND, of Toronto; Mr. JAMES WATSON, of Hamilton, Ontario; Mr. JOHN CARRUTHERS, of Kingston; and Mr. CHARLES H. FAIRWEATHER, of St. John, New Brunswick.

A communication was presented from the Pittsburgh Board of Trade, proposing to withdraw from the membership, which was referred to the Committee on Credentials.

Mr. KIRKLAND, of Baltimore, from the Committee on Credentials, submitted a report, recommending that the Quincy Board of Trade be admitted as one of the constituent bodies of this Board, and that their delegate, Mr. JOSEPH B. GILPIN, be received as their representative.

Adopted.

The Committee also reported in favor of the admission of the Mobile Board of Trade, (Messrs. LEROY BREWER, and ROBT. H. SMITH, delegates ;) and the St. Joseph Board of Trade, (Mr. J. L. BITTINGER, delegate ;) and the recommendations were adopted.

There being two vacancies in the list of Vice-Presidents, Mr. SHRYOCK, of St. Louis, nominated Mr. ROBT. H. SMITH, Of Mobile; and Mr. STANARD, of St. Louis, nominated Mr. JOSEPH B. GILPIN, of Quincy, Ill.

It was voted to proceed to ballot, and the tellers having collected and counted the ballots, reported the election of both these gentlemen.

On motion of Mr. BISHOP, of Cincinnati, the Board adjourned to meet on Thursday morning at nine o'clock.

SECOND DAY.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1871.

The Board was called to order at nine o'clock, by the President, and prayer was offered by the Rev. MONTGOMERY SCHUYLER, D.D., of St. Louis.

The records of yesterday were read and approved. The PRESIDENT: The first business in order will be the propositions for the amendment of the Constitution, coming from the Executive Council.

The Secretary read the first proposition to strike out the last clause of Article II, Section 1, to wit: "and for each additional five hundred members, one additional delegate;" and insert as follows: "And for each additional three hundred members, one additional delegate," so that the section, as amended, would read as follows:

SECTION 1. Every local Board of Trade, Chamber of Commerce, or other body organized for general commercial and not for special or private purposes, and duly chartered under State or national laws, shall be entitled to membership in this association, on the approval of two-thirds of the bodies represented at any meeting of the association, and shall be accorded the following representation: Each such association having fifty members who have the right to vote therein shall be entitled to one delegate; having one hundred members, two delegates; having three hundred members, three delegates; having five hundred members, four delegates; and for each additional three hundred members, one additional delegate.

This proposition was unanimously agreed to.

The second proposition, to amend Article VI, Section 1, by substituting the word Tuesday for Wednesday,