would, therefore, do well to send either to the societies or to the United States consuls prospectuses or designs of their machinery in order to establish business relations. The bringing into notice, and introduction of machines, is here considerably facilitated by the said machine exhibitions, and by the industrial newspapers, of which there are many in circulation. There is one of this kind published here under the title of "Der Arbeitgeber," (The Employer,) which contains every week a list of all new inventions and patents, American ones included. There is connected with this paper (like the "Scientific American ") an agency for the medium of patents in all Germany and the continent, a combination which acts very well, as the agency is acquainted with all new inventions and improvements, through the paper, and can therefore give the inventor the best of advice. This agency not only procures patents in Europe for American inventions, but also procures patents in America for German inventions. Of the other American machines which were remarked in the exhibition, the following may be mentioned: Root's rotating steam-engine, which was unknown here before; Aikens & Soffe's knitting machines, of which the former has already become more known; implements of trade of American construction, very little known here heretofore; a new wooden hay-rake; ice-boxes; icepress; small agricultural implements, &c. In general, machinery here meets with a ready sale, as there are in many districts a want of workmen, and people are obliged to use machinery. American machine-manufacturers might, therefore, very safely speculate in sending many other kinds of machines to this market. With respect to the efforts of the "Frankfort Emigration Society" it appears from the last annual reports of the same that during the period from 1st of February, 1862, to 31st January, 1864, 1,537 persons emigrated, with a cash capital of 430,000 florins, after they had called for advice at the office of the society. The ports for which they embarked were the following: The professions of the 1,165 male emigrants were as follows: The native place, sex and age of these emigrants are given in the following list: These statistical statements of the society make their appearance accompanied by some explanatory remarks, of which a few seem to be interesting enough for a translation. Among other things it is said that the frequent and not inconsiderable announcements which have lately appeared of members of the community emigrating even out of the more happy districts of Germany, give reason to suppose that emigration will shortly be much greater than hitherto; so much the more as new colonies are opening, culture is gradually extending to the remotest parts of the world, and the passage to the newer colonies is assisted by the respective governments. * Before going over to the statistical report respecting the activity of the "German Zollverein" of which Frankfort and the other states belonging to this consular district (excepting the three Hanseatic towns of Lubeck, Hamburg and Bremen) are members, it may be of interest to give a short sketch of the history, tendency and former activity of that commercial league, which, by its being now reorganized on the basis of the treaty of commerce with France, has taken a considerable step of advancement on the territory of free trade. I beg to remark that I have taken the principal details of this sketch from a very valuable work by Professor Otto Michaelis, on the Zollverein and the French treaty of commerce." 66 The princes of the German empire had found the 16th century had so extended the power against that of the Emperor that the latter might be said only to hold the empire together nominally. In reality the empire had already fallen into several hundred smaller or larger territories, which, jealous of each other's power, had become rigidly isolated one from another. This isolation showed itself in an economical point of view. The last remains of the restrictions imposed on those who wished to settle down and carry on their profession in another part of the country extend even down to the present time; and there are many yet living who remember the tolls and custom-houses on the borders of the different larger and smaller states upon the time of the fall of the German empire down to the foundation of the Zollverein. Having shaken off the yoke of the Napoleonic government, it happened that many of the new states instituted toll-laws and customs entirely different from one another. In Vienna they had no time to demolish in newly founded Germany the turnpikes between the different states. They put off the occasion, with the urgency of which they were well acquainted, like so many other things, for an indefinite period, and confined themselves to deciding in article 9 of the federal act, (Bundes act,) "that the members of the confederation intend at the first meeting of the Diet in Frankfort to enter into conference respecting the business and traffic among the different states of the confederation." Although this determination was repeated in article 69 of the Vienna treaty, it never came into execution. In the year 1818 Prussia first arranged within her own territory the customs, tolls, &c.; and by a simple comprehensive code of custom laws dispensed with the toll restrictions within the different divisions of the country. A few of the other states endeavored to make custom regulations between themselves, but Austria entirely excluded herself from participating in these regulations. The idea of the toll alliance of the German states was first broached in the conference of ministers held at Vienna in 1818 and 1819, in pursuance of which it was agreed between Bavaria, Wurtemberg, Baden, Grand Duchy of Hesse, the Saxon Duchies and Nassau, that commissaries should be sent to Darmstadt in order to conclude a custom and commercial treaty. The conference really took place on the 13th September, 1820, in Darmstadt, and in the year 1821 Electoral Hesse, Hohenzollern, Reuss, and Waldeck also joined it. But when the conference began to discuss the tariff, the division of revenue, the organization of government, and the right of votes, they became divided, and the negotiations entirely ceased on the 1st of July, 1822. In the year 1824 Wurtemberg and Bavaria endeavored to reorganize a conference, and they succeeded in uniting at Stuttgart commissaries from Baden, the Grand Duchy of Hesse and Nassau. But here, also, the tariff was the point of quarrel, and nothing was effected. On the 18th January, 1828, a toll alliance was concluded between Bavaria and Wurtemberg, and on the 14th of February, 1828, a toll alliance was concluded between Prussia and Hesse Darmstadt. The basis of this last treaty was the system proposed by Prussia in 1818. On the 27th of May, 1829, the toll alliances, that of Bavaria and Wurtemberg, and that of Prussia and Hesse Darmstadt, concluded between themselves a commercial treaty. After this treaty had been joined by Saxe Gotha, Electoral Hesse, and a few of the very small states, a treaty was concluded in 1833, whereby the Prusso-Hessian and the Bavaro-Wurtembergian toll alliances entered into a toll treaty, which soon after was also joined by the kingdom of Saxony and the Thuringian states. The latter had already concluded a commercial and toll alliance, consisting of the Saxonian Duchies, Schwarzburg, Reuss, a few districts of the province of Erfurt, and the Electoral Duchy of Schmalkalden, and entered therefore the new toll treaty as the Thuringian toll alliance. The following is a chronological table of the principal events, and the dates when the German states entered the German Zollverein: 1818. New code of custom laws in Prussia. 1828, January 18. Custom alliance between Bavaria and Wurtemberg. 1828, February 14. Custom alliance between Prussia and Hesse Darmstadt. 1829, May 27. Commercial treaty between Prussia and Darmstadt on the one part, and Bavaria and Wurtemberg on the other. 1833, March 2. Foundation of the Zollverein between Prussia, Bavaria, Wurtemberg, and Hesse Darmstadt. 1833, March 30. The kingdom of Saxony joined the same. 1835, May 12. The Grand Duchy of Baden joined. 1853, February 19. Commercial and customs treaty between Austria and Prussia respecting the Zollverein. 1853, April 4. Renewal of the general customs treaties. 1856, January 26. Conclusion of a treaty of traffic with the free city of Bre men. At present there remain out of the Zollverein the Grand Duchies of Mecklenburg, the free cities of Hamburg, Bremen, Lubeck, and the Duchy of Holstein; Lauenburg-Mecklenburg remains isolated to the prejudice of its own interests. Whether the Hanseatic cities will join the Zollverein or not depends, perhaps, partly on the final solution of the Sleswick-Holstein question. To this short sketch of the history of the Zollverein it is only necessary to remark that the same was renewed for the first time in 1841, and the second time in 1853. The last twelve-year period commenced on the 1st of January, 1854, and will terminate on the 31st December, 1865. It appears, from what has been before said, with what difficulties since the year 1820 the several German states have had to battle with regard to an agreement respecting a joint custom-house tariff, the attempt to establish business regulations were more than once frustrated with the question of a tariff. It also appears that Prussia formed, in the year 1818, a uniform tariff for the whole of her territory, and that this tariff formed the base of the treaty of 1833, as well as of the present Zollverein. It is therefore of importance to examine this tariff a little more closely, and to estimate it in its importance for the period at which it was issued, as otherwise an understanding of the so-much-discussed “Zollverein-confusions" is impossible. When Prussia came forward with her new tariff, France, England, Russia, and Austria were surrounded with import prohibitions, or duties greatly resembling prohibitions. The Prussian tariff, therefore, shows, in contrast with the tariff legislations of the said states, an immense progress, as its object was not so much the exclusion of foreign products from the inland markets, as the placing of the inland mguufacturers in a position to compete at home with the foreign markets. When, therefore, the Prussian tariff is discussed with regard to the protective duty, it must be distinguished between this and the protective duties of other states of the same period. The rates of the tariff of 1818 protect, it is true, the inland industry, but not by entirely excluding foreign imports; they only protect it so far as to strengthen it and place it in a position to compete with foreign imports. The Prussian tariff has, therefore, for its object, in the first place, free trade, and the efforts of the Prussian legislation to institute a protective system for the home industry, which should consist not so much in high duties as in its adaptation to further and render more easy competition; these efforts made the Prussian tariff suitable both for Prussia herself and for a general German toll treaty, the foundation of which was, therefore, much furthered by it. The Prussian, as well as the Zollverein tariff, however, besides affording a protection to inland industry and rendering it thereby more capable of competition, has also its financial side, as it is intended to procure at the same time, for the states of the confederation, as large a revenue as possible. The Prussian tariff of 1818 gives as its object "to protect the inland luxury by a moderate taxation of external commerce, and the consumption of foreign articles, and to insure to the state a revenue which business and luxury can afford, without impeding commerce." It was, therefore, laid down as a principle, that the duty on foreign manufactures should not exceed 10 per cent. on an average, and that the duty should be lightest, if the same could be done without injuring the home industry. Since the establishment of the Zollverein an age has passed away. By the progress of natural science, and science generally by the new means of communication and by the introduction of machinery, many of the articles subjected to duty are much lower in price. Thus calico which in 1825 cost 15 to 20 silver groschen for seven-eighths wide, can now be bought nine-eighths wide for 4 silver groschen. In consequence of such great revolution in price it now happens that certain duties which then were 10 per cent. now exceed 50 per cent. So that the same regulations which then only imposed a moderate duty, which business and luxury could well pay, now impose on many articles, viz: those of a coarse nature of the same class a tax which amounts to a prohibition. The constitution of the Zollverein is such that the most glaring faults in the tariff, in the way of custom legislation, cannot be remedied. For instance, the constitution prescribes for all conclusions of the tariff conferences unanimity. It gives, therefore, to every little state of Germany the power to prevent, by its vote, every reform, and renders the reduction of the tariff impossible. Thus the tariff modifications proposed by Prussia during the last few years have failed through Bavaria, Wurtemberg, and Hesse Darmstadt voting against the same. The inconvenience of this antiquated tariff made itself, however, during the present tariff period, (begun on the 1st January,) 1854, so much the more sensible, as, at this period, other nations have altered their systems of customs, and have gone over to liberal tariff principles. England has taken the prohibition tariff quite away, and Austria has approached the system of the protective duties. Belgium, Holland, Italy, even Russia, have reformed their tariffs; and at last France, who had longest upheld the prohibition, was led by the treaty concluded between England and Belgium to enter the path of a liberal tariff policy. The Zollverein alone has remained in its former stagnation, with its antiquated tariff. It was, therefore, evident that with the termination of the twelve-yearly period a considerable change must take place. The present crisis of the Zollverein is nothing further than the severe and extended conflict caused by a stagnation of the tariff legislation through the resistance of the minority, while the necessity of a reform was universally acknowledged. The German Zollverein is an alliance of German states, the joint territories of which are forming a closed girdle of land. The object of this alliance is the introduction of a common custom and commercial system. Every one of the allied states cannot, however, represent itself by a deputy of its own in the said alliance. By the renewed treaty of 1853 there are only twelve members provided with a full vote, viz: Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover, Wurtemberg, Baden, Electoral Hesse, Grand Duchy of Hesse, the Thuringian states, Oldenburg, Nassau and Brunswick. The representative of Nassau has also to give his voice for the free city of Frankfort. Still Frankfort has the right of sending a special commissary, to be present at the conference, but this commissary has not the right to vote. There are, in all, twenty-seven German states of the confederation which have an interest in the Zollverein; that is to say, all except Austria, Holstein, Lauenburg-Mecklenberg, Lichtenstein, Lubeck, and Hamburg. The toll and custom revenue realized by the import, export, and transit duties, according to the general tariff, forms the first and most important of the common revenues of the Zollverein. To secure this revenue, the borders of the Zollverein have been marked with as exact a toll line as possible. In the different states there exist the same laws for the levying of the duties. Also, the organization of the board of customs is as much as possible placed on the same footing in the different states. The legislation of the Zollverein, in so far as the financial side is held in view, comprehends the custom law, the custom tariff, the arrangement of the customs, the regulation of the fines, the law respecting the taxation of beet-root sugar, the agreement respecting the levying and controlling of inland (transit) imposts. The principal taxation is laid on such objects of consumption as are not absolute necessities, and which are used chiefly by the better classes of the population, such as coffee, sugar, tobacco, and wine. The duty is regulated according to rather extensive classes of goods, so that as a rule it is not necessary to make a distinction in the contents of a case. The amount of duty is regulated according to weight, measure, and number, so that it is not necessary to ascertain the value of the goods. As immediately after |