AN ACCOMPLISHED IRISH MERCHANT.

We find the subjoined biographical sketch of DANIEL CALLAGHAN, & successful and accomplished merchant of Cork, in a late number of the Dublin University Magazine: Daniel Callaghan, the elder, was one of the ablest and most accomplished merchants that Ireland has produced. He was a man far beyond the average even of clever men, in his enterprise and quickness of perception. He was a man emphatically of strenuous ability, and even in his boyhood showed the germs of his character. When Dr. Gibbings (father of Lady Cobermere) was visiting young Callaghan's father, the gouty patient cried out "Ah! doctor, there's something troubling me worse than the gout; I can get no good of my son there; the fellow will never be of any good at any business -he's always poring over those d―d books of his." Dr. Gibbings noticed the young lad (who had left school, but was studying still of his own accord,) and found him even then of remarkable intelligence. In a few short years the Doctor saw this stripling shoot ahead of all the merchants in Ireland, by his native abilities. He set up in the butter trade, but was refused credit for £400 at Tonson & Warren's bank. We have heard more than once a partner in that eminent bank recount the circumstances of young Callaghan's rise. Though in narrow circumstances, his appearance and manners were very gentlemanly, courteous to all persons, unbending only to his enemies. Sir Riggs Falkiner was interested by Callaghan, and induced, with some difficulty, the bank to advance him a sum of £500 on a bond of Callaghan's, and on the security of his father-in-law, Mr. Barry, of Lyra. Callaghan had in the meantime been carefully studying the trade of Cork, as it never before or since was studied. He mastered it even to its minutest details. A great London merchant took the whole provision contract, and the Cork merchants combined to engross the market. Now was the moment for Callaghan to reap the reward of his patient study. Alarmed at their position, one of the Londoners came over, and was still more dismayed when he reached Cork. Young Callaghan introduced himself, and what was then thought a most presuming thing on his part, he gave a dinner to the Londoner, to which he had some difficulty in getting guests, as one of them confessed to ourselves. He soon showed the London firm the game it should play, and expounded all the resources in their power with masterly perspicuity and close accuracy of detail. A share of the contract was immediately given him, and before the year expired-we use the relator's words:-"I gave Callaghan £10,000 on his own word, after having hesitated, nine months before, to take his bond with security for $500." He then bounded over the heads of all his competitors. He cared naught for politics or public life, his ambition being to cope as a merchant with the men he met on 'Change at Liverpool and London. He had a system of his own which required a rapid perception and retentive memory, with both of which he was endowed. His system was carried upon-first, pumping for information, Second, rapid action on information obtained. Third, secrecy of intention and means. Fourth, munificence in rewarding his employes. In the first of these he greatly excelled. He read men intuitively and used his information with great skill, concentrating his intellect in mercantile knowledge and trade in all its branches. He was very bold in his decisions, and with a frank manner could keep a secret project in his head in a most statesmanlike style. He was lavish in the use of his money to obtain early information. The merchants of Liverpool and London used often to be astonished how "D. Callaghan, Cork," used to contrive to cram in his ventures of provisions before they were well advertised of the ports being open. It was supposed he had got hold of some high official persons, and the late Col. got into some scrapes upon this point, and thought proper to leave England. Mr. Callaghan never knew exactly what he was worth, as he always had so many speculations going on. The late Mr. Beamish, of Beaumont, used to relate, as characteristic of Callaghan's love of speculation, how they both chanced to be in Liverpool and walked into a great bankruptcy sale. An enormous quantity of cotton was offered for auction, and Mr. Beamish was surprised by Mr. Callaghan bidding for it. It was knocked down to him in the middle of the day, and before dinner time the Corkonian had got £1,000 profit for his storeful of cotton. Mr. Callaghan made the fortunes of several persons connected with him. He died in the prime of life, but was prematurely broken down in health.

There have been several Irishmen who have realized greater fortunes than Mr. Cal. laghan, who, at his culminating point, was not rated at more than £250,000; but it was the splendid style in which he transacted his affairs, his off hand dealing, his liberality and contempt for peddling, and his complete mercantile accomplishment that placed him at the head of the Irish mercantile world. He must not be confounded

with haphazard speculators; all his movements were carefully reasoned out on facts acquired by his own apprehensive and retentive mind. Unlike the Tonsons and Hares, he did not gain a peerage, but the sway of the name of "Dan Callaghan" on 'Change at London, was far brighter in the eyes of true manly ambition, than the luster of coronets, like those of Listowel or Riversdale.

THE CONSULAR SYSTEM OF THE UNITED STATES.

The defects of our present consular system have been pointed out in former volumes of the Merchants' Magazine, and we have frequently urged upon Congress the necessity of remodeling it. The subject has also repeatedly been brought to the notice of Congress by various Presidents, and reform earnestly urged. But thus far, Congress has done nothing in reference to it. It is to be hoped, that if the present body does any business at all, which is doubtful, a thorough revisal of the consular system, and a correction of its errors may be among the useful work transacted. A writer, an old Consul, who signs himself " Observer," comments upon it in a late number of the Providence Journal, as follows:

If there is anything connected with the machinery of our government more imperfect than another, and actually disgraceful to the country, it is certainly our consular system, and its operation.

Many of our Consulates are now, from necessity, filled by foreigners-subjects of the governments which acknowledge them in the capacity of American Consuls - who often discredit our flag by their ignorance, improper official and private conduct, and actual dishonesty-who have no interest in our trade or Commerce any further than subserves their own direct individual advantage-and cannot properly represent the interests of our government, or its citizens; they, the said foreign subjects, who are American Consuls, owing no allegiance to the laws of the United States, in any manner, cannot be punished for violating them, inasmuch as the laws for the punishment of Consuls could not be inflicted on a foreign subject holding an American Consulate, no matter how great his official misdemeanor. Removal from office, therefore, would be his only punishment, while an American citizen would not escape so easily.

Again: our Consuls, at three-fourths of our one hundred and eighty stations, have not sufficient support from fees of office to buy them bread and meat, to tell the plain humiliating truth-and have not as much protection from arrest and imprisonment for trifling breaches of the law or peace, in a foreign land, (at their stations,) as the mean est servants of our foreign Ministers! What inducement, therefore, is there for a gentleman of genuine public spirit, and of good standing at home, to accept of any Consulate under our government, unless it be one of the twenty-two or twenty-three only of our very lucrative Consulates? Unless one hundred and fifty of the rest go into business, or have abundant private resources, they cannot remain in office without becoming bankrupt.

Each of these lesser one hundred and fifty Consuls pay dearly for the honor of representing his country in such capacity. In the first place, the Consul is compelled to purchase his outfit, and bear all the expenses of the passage to his port of destination; pay his own office rent, and for the stationery he uses in performing duty even for the government, besides being compelled by the government to become a merchant, that he may be on a par with that class of individuals with whom he has much to do. And then, at the end of four years, (unless very fortunate in business,) in consequence of his efforts to respectably represent his country as its public agent, charged with national affairs, he finds himself out of pocket, after all, to the amount of $1,500 or $2,000; and returns home disgusted and poor, with the consciousness of so much valuable time being thrown away, at best, and with no hope of a reasonable reward in future. How much does our present consular establishment cause us to be respected abroad? and of how much advantage is it to our trade and Commerce?

Further, the unequal, mean, and vexatious fee of $4, paid by all our vessels, either large or small, to their Consuls, upon entering a foreign port, is odious, and ought to be abolished The present Congress would do much for the credit and advantage of the country, by passing a law abolishing such fee; to pay our Consuls at the small stations, in lieu thereof, $1,000 salary; and to prohibit the Consuls from making any charge to shipmasters but for notarial services. But to argue that the dignity of one

Consulate is greater than that of another, would be absurd; for if there be any diference, it is in favor of those Consuls whose district comprises a whole colony, and who have several consular agents under them, (no matter how small the receipts of fees.) For instance, the Consul at Kingston, Ja, has five or six consular agents; the Consul at Nassau, N. P., has three or four; the Consul at Turk's Island has two or three; and the Consul at Demerara has also two or three consular agents under him. And yet, according to the returns at the Department of State, the consular fees at Jamaica do not exceed $1,200, at an average; at Nassau, $850; at Turk's Island, $950; and at Demerara, $1,100; while the smallest salary of any public officer at either place, (except their constables.) is $1,000. All of which, the foregoing, is known, and some of which has been the experience of an old Consul, who is an observer.

THE BLACK AND GREEN TEAS OF COMMERCE.

The subjoined abstract of a lecture before a meeting of the British Association, at Belfast, (Ireland,) is derived from the report of the "Mercantile Journal and Statistical Register," published at Belfast, Ireland, "under the control of a committee of merchants:"

Dr. Royle set out by stating, that the thea or tea was one of the most important articles of consumption, and, consequently, of Commerce. There were different tea plants, which had different names assigned them, such as thea bohea, and thea viridis, supposed to yield the different kinds of tea; though some might dispute whether they were only adulterated varieties or distinct species, slight as the characters were upon which species were now frequently established. It was a remarkable fact, that the subject of the difference between the black and green teas has been, until recently, a matter of great uncertainty. The Jesuits, who had penetrated into China, and Mr. Pigou, were of opinion that both the black and green teas were produced from the same plant; while Mr. Reeve believed that they were manufactured from two distinct plauts. Now, as regarded himself, he (Dr. Royle) had adopted the view that the best kinds of black and green tea were made from different plants, and examinations of tea samples seemed to confirm that view; but a repetition of the experiment had not done so. It having been inferred from various reasons that tea could be cultivated in the Himalaya Mountains, Mr. Fortune, subsequent to the China War, was sent out to China, by the Horticultural Society of England, in order to make inquries on the subject. He, therefore, found the thea bohea in the southern parts of China employed for making black tea; and in proceeding as far north as Shanghae, he found the thea viridis used in making green tea, was near the districts where the best green tea was made. So far, therefore, the information obtained seemed to confirm the view of two different species of thea being employed to make the two different kinds of tea; but Mr. Fortune, in visiting the district of Fokien, was surprised to find what he conceived to be the true thea viridis employed in making black tea in districts near where the best black tea was made. He took plants with him from Fokien to Shanghae, and could find no difference between them. It was still, however, desirable to get specimens from the districts where the black and green teas of Commerce were actually made, and this has latterly been effected. Mr. Fortune procured seeds and plants in great numbers, and sent them to the Himalayas, where they have been since cultivated. In consequence of the great success which had attended the experimental culture of tea in the nurseries established in the Himalayas, Mr. Fortune was again sent to China by the East India Company. He proceeded to the northern parts of the country, in order to obtain tea seeds and plants of the best description, as the most likely to stand the Himalaya climate. When he had reached Calcutta, the tea manufacturers whom he had brought with him, made from plants in the Botanic Gardens, their black and green tea from the same specimens; to that it was evident it was the process of manufacture, and not the plant itself, that produced the green tea. All now who were acquainted with the difference between black and green teas, knew that they could be prepared from the same plant, without the assistance of any extraneous materials, though it was a common thing for manufacturers to use copper, indigo, Prussian blue, turmeric, &c., in coloring the tea.

MARKET FOR YOUNG WOMEN IN HUNGARY.

In Europe "matrimonial matches" are, especially among the wealthy classes, more or less a matter of trade; and it seems in honest Hungary that the peasantry visit the fairs, not only for the purchase of household utensils, but for husbands and wives. Without committing the Merchants' Magazine to the propriety or impropriety of such a custom, we venture to transfer from the Congregationalist to our "Mercantile Miscellanies,” the subjoined account of a market in Hungary where young men and young women enter into matrimonial speculations :-

Every year, at the feast of St. Peter, which comes on the latter days of June, the peasantry of this district (Bihar) meet together at a certain place, for the purpose of a general fair. This fair has a very peculiar interest for the young men and the young maidens, for it is there that, whilst purchasing household utensils and family necessaries, they choose for themselves partners, and conclude marriages. The parents bring their marriageable daughters, with each one her little dower accompanying her, loaded up in a small cart. This dower is, of course, proportionate to the lowly condition of these mountaineers, some sheep, sometimes a few hogs, or even chickens. These girls are attired in their best, or what pieces of gold or silver they may possess, are strung upon a string, and neatly attached to the braids of their hair.

Thus fitted out, every girl who desires to find a husband betakes herself to the fair. She quits the house of her father, perhaps forever, and bids her mother adieu, quite ignorant of what roof is to shelter, or what fate awaits her journey's end. As to her fortune, it is in the little car that attends her. The object of her journey is never mistaken; nobody wonders at it; nor is there occasion for a public officer to make a record of the deed. On the other hand, the youths who wish to procure themselves wives hasten to the fair, arrayed in the very best skin garments their chests contain. These savage looking chaps, who would be quite enough to make our young ladies run and hide themselves, proceed with a good deal of interest and zest to inspect the fair mountain lasses that are brought thither by their fathers and their uncles, casting many side glances and wistful looks towards the captivating merchandise.

He gives his fancy a free rein, and when he finds one that seems to claim his preference, he at once addresses the parents, asks what they have given her, and asks what price they have set upon the "lot" so exposed for sale-at the same time stating his own property and standing. If the parents ask too much, these gallant “boys” make their own offer, which, if it does not suit the other to agree to, the fond lover passes to seek some one else.

We may suppose that the proud young men always keep a "top eye" open to the correspondence of loveliness upon the one hand, and the size of the dower upon the other. At last he finds one for whom he is willing to give the price, and a loud clapping of the hands together announces to the bystanders that the bargain is completed. What a heavy blow this must be for some lazy rival who has not decided quick enough, who is halting and considering whether she will suit him, and whether she is as lovely and accomplished in household matters as some of the others. However, the deed is done, and the bargain is completed, and forthwith the young girl-poor thing-proceeds also to clasp the hand of her future husband. What a moment of interest and anxiety to her. The destiny of her life is sealed by this rude clasp of the hand. In this act she as much as said, "Yes, I will be yours for life, and I consent to partake of your joys and your troubles, to follow you through weal and through

Wo.

The families of the betrothed pair then surround them, offering their congratulations, and at once, without delay, the priest who is on the ground for the occasion, pronounces the nuptial benediction. The young woman presses the parting hand of that family who have reared her, but of which she is no longer a part-mounts the car of her new husband, whom but a few hours before she never so much as knew, and escorted by her dower is conducted to the house henceforward to be her home.

The Hungarian government have long tried, but in vain, to suppress these fairs for young girls. Positive orders have been given that they should no longer take place, but such is the force of long established custom, united to the necessities of this pastoral race, that all such orders have been disregarded. The fair still continues, and every year such cavalcades as we have described may be seen descending into the plains of Kalinasa, there to barter off these precious jewels of the household, as though they were senseless beeves or mere produce of the soil.

A LECTURE FOR RICH MERCHANTS.

Col. CUMMINGS, of the Evening Bulletin reads the following brief discourse touching the indebtedness of rich men; which it may not be amiss to repeat in our "pulpit," for the benefit of our parish.

"I can pay my way, and am obliged to nobody," is a frequent expression of the selfish rich man. We fancy we can see him, while he utters it, with his purse proud, defiant look, buttoning up his pocket as if he thought you a thief.

You can pay your way, can you? You are obliged to nobody? Good sir, we dont believe you know what you say. That you can pay your pecuniary debts we have no doubt, but those, it seems to us, are the least part of your obligations. You owe duties to society as a man, a citizen, and a millionaire, of which, perhaps, you have never thought; certainly not as debts to be paid, in your own person, and by an expenditure of your own time, and thought, and money. My dear sir, consider this well. Do not live and die in the false belief that because you owe this debt to society in the abstract, heaven will never require its payment at your hands. Do not imagine either that you can delegate its liquidation to others. No well-salaried minister, no sleek visitor of the poor can become your middleman in this matter, doing your work for you. Monopolize your time in mere money-making, and suffer your heart to grow hard as steel, as all hearts will that never come into contact with human misery.

"I can pay my way," you say, "I am obliged to nobody." Perhaps, as you utter these words, you look rebukingly at some poor debtor who has failed to meet his engagements. Beware, oh! rich man: "judge not, lest ye be judged." You know not what defects of early training, what cruel disasters of fortune, what treachery on the part of others, may have led to his bankruptcy. With all his errors, and even faults, for probably he has not been entirely free from either, he may yet be a better man, taken all in all, than you, with your bank stock, your mortgages, your ships, and your real estate. He may not neglect his children, as you, absorbed in your speculations, probably do, leaving their moral training to others, instead of superintending it yourself. He may be a truer husband, not acting as you perhaps do, as if a wife was either slave or a plaything, and not a companion. He may be a kinder friend, a more conscientious citizen, a man better imbued with the thousand sympathies of humanity. Believe us, there are more crimes than being in debt, though, where debt comes from imprudence or a reckless spirit of speculation, it is, heaven knows, bad enough.

“I can pay my way," you say, "I am obliged to nobody." You are obliged, on the contrary, to every fellow creature with whom you are thrown into contact, either in social life or in business. Without their courtesy, their attention, their kindness, their society, you would be the most miserable creature alive. Every hour you live you are indebted to some fellow-being for some attention or other, and it is only because · they are so freely and commonly given, like the air of heaven, that you do not realize their value. The time will come, if it has not come already, when some great family affliction shall teach you that, with all your riches, you are but a frail, helpless, human creature; and in that hour of grief and heart-wrung agony, you will recognize at last, even if but for a moment, the precious boon of common sympathy; you will feel how much you owe, after all, to your fellows.

Thank heaven! all rich men are not like you. There have been many, in every generation, who acknowledge that they owe other debts than pecuniary ones, and who strive faithfully to liquidate them. Their number is increasing, moreover, with cach successive generation. When the day arrives, as we believe most firmly, it will, when all rich men shall recognize the obligations they owe to society, the millennium, in one sense, at least, will have come. Then may the rich man truly say, "I can pay my way, I am obliged to nobody."

CONSUMPTION OF COTTON IN GREAT BRITAIN.

Great Britain now consumes upward of 31,500 bales of cotton weekly, or more than 1,600,000 bales annually, with a progress of consumption from year to year much larger than the pro rata increase of population. According to late and authentic statements of the English manufactures, it seems that there are in Great Britain 21,000,000 spindles in constant motion, spinning upward of 105,000,000 hanks (or 50,000 miles) of yarn per day—in length sufficient to circumscribe the globe 2,000 times. Out of this immense production, in one country only, about 130,000,000 yards of yarn are exported to foreign countries, the remainder being converted into cloth, lace, and other fabrics. There are also in operation in Great Britain, at this time, 220,000 powerlooms, each of which will produce, on an average, five or six pieces of cloth per week, each piece about 28 yards long, or a daily product of 6,256,000 yards, (or 3,550 miles.)