[Communicated by Messrs. Whitcomb and Barton, Old Broad-street.]

English bar iron continues very firm at the late advance; large orders are in the market at former prices, which have been declined.-In Staffordshire and Welsh pig iron the demand has greatly increased, and higher rates paid. The Scotch pig iron market has been rather dull during the week-holders, however, are not disposed to give way; orders being expected by the next American packet, which will, in all probability, greatly affect prices :-sales have been made to-day at 76s. 6d. and 77s. 6d., mixed Nos., bill at three and four months. Foreign iron and steel still dull of sale. In spelter sales are reported this week to 197. 5s. and 197. 7s. 6d.

CURRENT PRICE OF GOLD AND SILVER.

SIR-There has been little doing here in Scotch pig iron since the date of our last communication. A few parcels of No. 1 have been forced on the market for immediate payment, which realised 75s. Nothing considerable could be bought under 71s. 6d. for No. 3; 74s. for 3-5ths No 1 and 2-5ths No. 3; and 76s. to 77s. 6d. for No. 1-cash, free on board.

Glasgow, August 26.

DOUGLASS & HILL.

Austrian Mining Company.-Additional advices have been received from the works, during the past week, fully corroborative of the favorable anticipations alluded to in the Journal of the 16th August, as contained in the reports then received by the directors. It appears. however, that the local superintendent requires the assistance of some additional hands, particularly engineers, and such as are familiar with iron manufactures. The company obtained, in May last, a concession for a railroad to the sea, passing directly through the mines. This concession has, upon certain conditions, been made over to Mr. Bushenthall, a large shareholder in the mining company, who has undertaken the construction of it with purely Spanish capital, and has formed for the purpose a strong directory at Madrid, where the shares are all subscribed for, and held at a premium. In the early part of the ensuing year, the engineerin-chief expects that the mining company will be in a condition to pay a dividend to the shareholders, upon the paid-up capital, of 15 or 20 per cent. from actual returns, grounding his opinion that this may be done upon various calculations. In September next, the first furnace will be in full blast, when, from the quantity and quality of the ore, the company will be able to manufacture iron as cheaply as it may be done in the most favored districts in this country. Its manufacture is also protected by the almost prohibitory ad valorem duty on importation of 161. to 201. per ton. Iron is, moreover, in great demand in Spain, and sells freely, especially for light fabrics, such as balconies, railings, &c., at from 251. to 301, per ton, and in bars at from 181 to 221. per ton-leaving, consequently, a profit of fully 151. per ton. Other advantages, having reference to the supply of coke to certain ordnance works of the gov ernment, which is done by the company, and to the possession of a quicksilver mine, at present worked only to pay its expenses, but which may be turned to great account when attention can be withdrawn a little from the more important operations of the company, are adverted to as contributing to the probability of highly satisfactory results.

Substitute for gunpowder-Valuable discovery.-The attention of the scientific world has been drawn to the discovery, by Professor Schönbein, of an explosive compound, which appears to possess many advantages over gunpowder.

A cotton is prepared by a process not yet divulged-but which is, in all probability, one that depends on the formation of a nitrogen compound. This cotton possesses many remarkable properties. On the application of a spark, the solid mass is at once converted to a gaseous state; and a scientific gentleman, who has witnessed some experiments in the laboratory of Professor Schönbein, informs us that, whereas an equal weight of gunpowder, when exploded, filled the apartment with smoke, the cotton exploded without producing any leaving only a few atoms of carbonaceous matter behind. Common balls and shells have been projected by this prepared cotton, and it is stated to have the projectile force of gunpowder. An interesting experiment was recently tried on the walls of an old castle. It had been calculated, that from three to four pounds of gunpowder would be required to destroy it--and a hole, capable of holding that quantity, was prepared. Professor Schönbein being desirous of testing the explosive force of his new preparation, placed four ounces of it in the hole; which, when fired, blew the massy walls to pieces. Another valuable property of this cotton is, that it is not injured by wet; as it appears that, after being dried, it has lost nothing of its power. It, of course, remains to be seen if it is, in all respects, equal to gunpowder; but, under many circumstances, it may prove of great value. It is expected that Professor Schönbein will attend the meeting of the British Association, at Southampton; when, no doubt, we shall hear more of this extraordinary dis

covery.

NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS.

Essays on the Progress of Nations, in productive industry, civilization, popu lation and wealth. Illustrated by Statistics of Mining, Agriculture, Manu factures, Commerce, Banking, Revenues, Internal Improvements, Emigration, Mortality and Population. By EZRA C. SEAMAN, Detroit: M. Griger & Co., Printers, 1846.

We have not had this book in our possession a sufficient length of time, to give it that thorough examination it appears richly to merit.

As our readers will perceive, its scope is very extensive, and the various subjects of which it treats of deep moment. All that we can at present say is, that we have been much pleased with such portions of it, as time has permitted us to examine.

The author is evidently a deep thinker, lays his foundation on what he considers the laws of nature, dividing man into his two constituent principles, of physical and moral properties, and after pointing out the tendencies of each, he thus generalizes :

"Man's intellect and understanding were given to him to enable him to judge of, learn from experience, and understand the properties, tendencies, and effects of all the elements of matter, and of all their various combinations; that he might avoid such elements, combinations and quantities as are injurious and dangerous to him, and whose evil tendencies he cannot control, and use such materials and in such combinations and quantities, and in such mode of the human system, as to promote his health and general good. In hot climates, he promotes and secures his general health and welfare and that of his family, by planting shade trees and building a house, to protect them from the burning heat of the sun during the day. In very cold climates, he is constantly struggling with the cold instead of the heat, and is obliged to build a house or hut as warm as possible, and to provide himself with a large amount of fuel and of clothing, of leather, furs and skins, or of cloth made of wool, to protect himself from the severity of the cold. In changeable, and what are usually termed temperate climates, he finds it necessary to resort to all these means, and to use these and many others; some to protect himself from the excessive heats of summer, and others to defend him against the cold of winter; and in all climates

he must use means to protect himself against rains, storms, dews, winds and bad air; and must also provide himself a sufficiency for every day's use, of wholesome water as well as food.

Man is born in perfect helplessness and ignorance, and yet he is required to conform to the laws of God, as unfolded in the volume of nature; and must learn them before he can do so. His whole life should therefore be a constant effort to learn these laws; to prevent the physical appetites and propensities of his nature from running into excess and vice; to resist and avoid the laws of nature, and of the elements and combinations of matter which are dangerous or injurious to him; to subdue and regulate properly his own appetites and passions; and to subdue the earth, and convert its products into useful instruments and materials for securing and promoting his health, enjoyment and general welfare. Hence, one of the first and most important duties of parents, is to give their children as much instruction as in their power, adapted to their sta tion and condition, to fit them in the best manner to perform their duties, provide for and satisfy their own wants, and for the great duties and business of life, upon which they have entered.

It must have been designed by the Deity, and probably forms the basis of his moral law and government, that man should be subject to a constant struggle with the physical laws of nature, and required to make great efforts to support life and satisfy his own wants, and provide for his own comforts, as a suitable discipline to develope his faculties, and fit him for a higher state of existence. The moral law and government of God, which may be called the moral law of nature, therefore requires man to develope his faculties; to struggle against the physical laws of nature, and provide for his own wants and comforts, and to act under all circumstances, in such a manner as to promote his own general welfare and happiness, and that of his fellow beings, and particularly of those depending upon him, to the greatest extent possible."

Our author then proceeds to define the meaning of "utility." Utility is a tendency to promote the general welfare and happiness. Utility and justice are the principle tests to determine, what is in accordance with the moral laws of nature, and the will of God, and they are therefore the chief tests of human action and virtue, as well as of all human laws. He must look to their general tendency, and not to any particular tendency, which may be the result of particular circumstances; and in relation to utility, it is the general utility, or to all the persons affected by it, and not to that kind of utility which necessarily injures one by benefiting another, like the traffic in intoxicating drinks, and the business of providing vicious amusements."

We are not permitted from want of space to pursue his chain of moral causes, which appear to us fair, amounting almost to what might be called moral axioms. We therefore proceed to show the author's views of the adaptation of them to the welfare of a nation, on which he thus reasons:

66

Though the laws of nature are uniform in their operation, yet man, by his inventive powers, and his own efforts and industry during a series of years, can alter the face of nature, and convert the ores and mineral substances, in the bowels of the earth, and other material things, and nature's products as well as nature's laws into instruments and mechanical powers, to augment the productiveness of his own industry and the productiveness of the earth. The more labor-saving machinery he can invent, and bring into use, the more easily he can subdue the earth; convert its resources and products to his use; increase the products of agricultural industry as well as mechanical industry, and facilitate their transportation and exchange; and the more capital he can accumulate; and this again aids him in rendering his industry still more and more productive, and enables him to increase both his capital and wealth, and to multiply his comforts with still greater and greater rapidity. Capital is not only wealth in itself, but it is one of the principal elements, instruments, and agents, by which man makes his industry productive, whereby he creates

value, produces what is necessary to supply his own wants, accumulates wealth."

Our author then goes on, and gives a history of the progress of the human mind, and shows the advancement of the useful arts of Europe. His next theme is the progress of the human mind, aided, as he shows, by this augmentation of the physical means of bettering his condition.

Chapter the 3rd is on Civilization, from which we quote the following:"Civilization consists in the developement and melioration of the intellectual, physical and moral faculties, constitution and condition of man; and in the improvement of the social system, and government of the society in which he lives. The highest degree of civilization for which man was designed by his creator, consists in such a developement and improvement of his intellectual, physical and moral faculties, constitution and condition, and such an organization and improvement of the social system, and system of government under which he lives, as tend to secure his rights, promote his general welfare and happiness to the greatest extent in the aggregate, of which his nature is susceptible. The institutions of religion are also included under the term social system; and the developement of the sources of the country, together with the accumulation of capital and of the comforts of life, are included under the term physical condition. This definition is a condensation of the statement and definition of civilization given by M. Guizot, the learned French scholar and statesman, in his lectures on the general history of the civilization of Europe; except that less importance is attached by him to the physical condition of man."

He then continues to show what are the primary wants of man-food, drink and clothing, fuel, and a tent or house to shelter him from the elements.

"The first step in his progress, is to tame, domesticate, and subject to use, such animals as will furnish him food and clothing, or be useful as beasts of burden, and labor in subduingt he earth."

The second step in his progress is to learn to make iron, and to convert it into edge tools and other tools, and instruments of mechanism, to enable him to work in wood, stone, and other materials, and to convert them to use.

The next and third step in his progress is to invent and make ploughs, tools, and other instruments for digging up and cultivating the earth.

"As agriculture (he continues) cannot be carried on except to a very trifling extent, without various tools and instruments, made partly of iron or copper, and partly of wood; the wood part of which cannot be made without edge tools made of iron or hardened copper, it follows as a necessary consequence, that not only the art of making iron or copper, but the mechanism required to make the tools and implements of agriculture, must precede the practice itself of agriculture. Some portion of the mechanic arts, therefore, necessarily precede agriculture, which is entirely dependant upon them, and cannot exist without them Agriculture is therefore dependant upon the mechanic arts, not only for its origin, but also for every step of its progress in the march of improvement. It follows the mechanic arts, but it cannot precede them, and may be said to be the fourth step in the progress of civilization."

Commerce comes last, as our author truly says; and here he quotes Mr. Jefferson's letter to Austin, to state that the manufacturer should be placed by the side of the farmer."

He then goes more fully into trade, and introduces the great and governing rule of demand and supply, and says further, that "No exclusively agricultural nation above the thirty fifth degree of latitude ever did, or ever can become rich and prosperous. The free trade (he says) between Ireland and the Canadas and Great Britain, together with the statutes of the British Parliament to discourage manufactures and the mechanic arts, in those countries, and keep them dependant on England, has had the same depressing influence, and kept the Canadas as well as Ireland poor, when compared with Scotland and

some of our free states; and much more so when compared with England. Why is China so much more prosperous, wealthy and flourishing, than Turkey, Spain, Portugal and even Mexico? It cannot be owing to the government, for the Emperor of China is equally absolute, and unlimited in power as the Sultan of Turkey. Can any cause be assigned, except the mechanic arts and an extensive domestic commerce?"

*

We have thus imperfectly given a running outline of the views of the author, who is a thorough advocate of the protective system, truly believing, as he says, that "progressive improvement and advancement in civilization depend on industry; productive industry depends mostly on the rewards and compensations of labor, and the activity of commerce, which act as stimulants to the mind of man; and these again depend almost entirely upon the mechanic arts and machinery.

It may therefore be truly said, that a division of employment, agriculture, commerce, and the whole fabric of civilization, all depend upon the mechanic arts, and cannot exist without them; and that as a general rule, no nation or people can advance in civilization any farther than they make progress in the mechanic arts, and the sciences on which they are based."

We must now conclude this extended notice of this work, which we think highly creditable to its author. He is not, as he admits himself, a practised writer, but this by no means lessens the value of his work, which may be considered as a full and complete treatise on the progress of nations, embracing all the elements of public and private wealth. There are many and valuable tables of statistics on every branch of the subject, and we recommend the whole to the careful examination of all, who are desirous of informing themselves, not only upon the general principles of political economy-not the political economy of the schools, but of a much more practical and useful kind.

Two Lives; or, to Seem and to Be. By MARIA J. MCINTOSH, author of “ConPraise and Principle," quest and Self-Conquest,' Woman an Enigma,' &c. &c. New-York: D. Appleton & Co., 200 Broadway. Philadelphia : George S. Appleton, 148 Chestnut street. 1846.

This is a well written book, intended to convey a high moral, and certainly accomplishes its object. The story is of two young American females, born in the South, and sent to the North for their education and future settlement in life.

Of course, the one, (Grace,) adopts the first character to seem, and Isabel the wiser determination to be; and as the natural consequence, the latter is well married to a Clergyman, and is happily situated-the former "Grace" marries a French Marquis, goes with him abroad, returns a broken-hearted widow, and ends her days in misery.

The story is well told, keeps up the interest of the reader; undoubtedly conveys the moral intended, and therefore is so far valuable. We think, however, that there is somewhat too much of an overstraining desire in the author to insist upon an established truth, namely, that modesty, grace and truthfulness, must ever be promotive of the love of others, and of happiness to their possessors; while levity, fiction, and an inordinate love of fashion, lead to the reverse; rendering those who rely upon a false existence, unamiable, unloveable, and consequently unhappy. There is, we think, rather a desire throughout the book, to exact too much from the young and the lively, who often in early life manifest a desire for amusement, and even hilarity, who become sedate mothers, and ornaments to society.

We do not wish to be hypercritical, or to cast any censure upon the author. who we learn is the sister of the gallant Captain McIntosh, of the American Navy-far from it-she has written a good and useful book, and in what we have said, we are only asking for her lovely, and often highly talented sisters, who may be somewhat less sombre than her Isabella, and are charmed