The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review, Volume XX, January to June 1849

Six months bound into one volume. Half leather, marbled paper. Covers are in poor condition, contents near very good. Front cover held by only one stitch, rear board loose, leather on spine is broken down, brittle, flaking. Title page bears public library stamp, otherwise contents are clean, unmarked, a little scattered foxing, sewn binding is completely sound. Articles on recently discovered gold in California (this was less than a year after the first discovery at Sutter's Mill), the American whaling industry, a proposed railway across the isthmus of Panama, protection for ships from lightning, the Atlantic coast survey. There are pages and pages of statistics covering all aspects of commerce and business. Alexander Hamilton Jr. presents his disturbing, but probably not uncommon given the time, point of view on slavery, namely his conviction that ".white supervision is essential and necessary to the comfort of the blacks." Lots of information on maritime and mercantile law.