here than in most European cities. Taking average prices of first-class meats as a criterion of prices here, the chief cities of Europe will compare as follows:

It appears that London is the dearest place to live, in respect to edibles of this kind, and Rome the cheapest. All the Italian cities are cheap, as every one knows. Men live sumptuously at Florence on a couple of hundred a year, and many a family leads a life of unmixed bliss at Naples on what is here a meager salary for an efficient clerk. But the difference between these cities and London and New York is, that there you can live well and cheaply, it is true, but you cannot make anything; while in London and here, if you do pay more for beef, you can earn more than twice as much.

The price of bread does not vary much.

But the two items of bread and beef are a very small portion of our domestic expense. In all others, the Europeans have a great advantage over us. Rent, dress, servants, furniture, amusements, and so forth, cost far more here than abroad. In England, the rule is that rent is one-tenth of a man's total house expenses; the tenant of a house costing £100 a year is expected to spend £1,000 in living. Here rent is nearer twenty or twenty-five per cent of the total house expenses of most citizens; the tenant of a $1,000 house does not usually spend over $4,500 to $5,000, if he is fortunate enough to have as much. So of dress and servants. In France and England, a housekeeper can keep a staff of servants on what it costs here to keep a cook that knows the difference between baking and boiling. It is needless to observe that incomes are, as an average, three or four times as large here as in England, eight or ten times as large as in France.

PROFIT OF FEEDING CORN TO HOGS.

It is estimated, from an experiment made by S. B. Anderson, that 100 bushels of corn will produce 1,050 lbs. of gross increase in the weight of hogs. One hundred thrifty hogs were weighed and put into a pen. They were fed for 100 days on as much corn as they could eat. The average gross increase per hog for the 100 days was 175 lbs., or at the rate of 14 lbs. per day.

It thus appears that one bushel of corn will produce a gross increase of 10 lbs. Throwing off 1-5 to come at the net weight, gives 8 1-5 lbs. of pork as the product of 1 bushel of corn. If 8 2-5 lbs. of pork are made by 1 bushel, or 56 lbs. of corn, 1 lb. of pork is the product of 64 lbs. of corn.

From an experiment made by Samuel Linn, with 58 hogs, as reported in the Patent Office Report for 1849, 6 lbs. of corn produced 1 lb. of pork.

From the experiment of the Hon. H. L. Ellsworth, reported in the Patent Of fice Report for the year 1847, it appears that 3 4-5 lbs. of cooked meal made 1 lb. of pork. This experiment was on a small scale.

Assuming that it requires 68 lbs. of corn to make 1 lb. of pork, the cost of its production will be seen from the following table. The labor of feeding and taking care of the hogs is not included in the estimate:-

When corn costs 124
Wheu corn costs 17
When corn costs 25
When corn costs 33
When corn costs 42

cts. per bushel, pork costs 14
cts. per bushel, pork costs 2
cts. per bushel, pork co-ts 3
cts. per bushel, pork costs 4
cts. per bushel, pork costs 5

cts. per lb. cts. per lb. cts. per lb. cts. per lb. cts. per lb.

The following table shows what the farmer realizes for his corn, when sold in the form of pork :

When pork sells for 3 cts. per lb., it brings 25 cts. per bushel for corn.
When pork sells for 4 cts per lb., it brings 33 cts. per bushel for corn.
When pork sells for 5 cts. per lb., it brings 42 cts. per bushel for corn.
When pork sells for 6 cts. per lb., it brings 50 cts. per bushel for corn.

STATISTICS OF POPULATION, &c.

CENSUS OF ILLINOIS IN 1850 AND 1855.

The returns of the State census are all in, except from one county, (Jackson,) and the result will be so little varied that we may say that the census is now complete. Leaving out the population of Jackson county in 1850, 5,862, the entire population of the State at the time of taking the census, was 1,292,917; adding that, 1,298,779-so that if the increase in Jackson county since 1850 has been only 1,221, the round number of 1,300,000, is made out. Since the census was taken, however, from 20,000 to 30,000 have been added to the population, supposing the rate of increase to have been equal to that of the last five years. We subjoin a table of all the counties in the State :

* This county was formed since 1850 from parts of Will and Iroquois.

PROGRESS OF POPULATION IN CHICAGO AND TOLEDO.

We cheerfully give place to the following communication, in reply to statements of our esteemed correspondent, J. W. Scort, Esq. :—

FREEMAN HUNT, Esq, Editor of the Merchants' Magazine, etc :—

DEAR SIR-The article of J. W. Scott, Esq., in the July number of the Merchants' Magazine, fails to do Chicago relative justice. At the time of its first appearance in the Toledo Blade, I furnished the inclosed notice of it to the Chicago Tribune, which, as amended in three points, please copy into the next number of the Magazine. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

CHICAGO, July 21, 1856.

J. G. HAMILTON.

MESSRS. EDITORS--In a recent number of the Toledo Blade, J. W. Scott, Esq., presents a table of estimates of the future growth of Chicago and Toledo, based (one would suppose, judging from his text, quoted above,) upon their past growth, from which he would make it appear, that their respective populations in the not distant future, would be, Chicago, in 1860, 171,753; Toledo, in 1870, 146,815.

It is fair to presume Mr. Scott has not underrated Toledo, inasmuch as he is entirely familiar with the statistics of his own city. But he unquestionably, though unintentionally no doubt, fails to give Chicago" full measure," as is shown by the fact that for every year since 1850, (except 1852,) his estimates for Chicago are short of the census returns, the deficiency last year, 1855, amounting to 10.898. Over 12 per cent.

His error, it is presumed, is to be accounted for in this way, viz.: In applying to Chicago since 1850, (the year when her railroad system began to be developed.) only the rate of increase which obtained from 1840 to 1850, before she had twenty miles of railroad in operation; while Toledo gets the benefit in the calculation of her ratio of increase since the development of her railroad system. According to his own showing, the rate of increase in Toledo, since 1850, has been about 20 per cent per annum; while, in point of fact, that of Chicago since the same date, has been about 23 per cent compounded annually.

Amending the estimate for Chicago, accordingly, the tables would stand as

follows:

While I neither affirm nor deny the correctness of Mr. Scott's text, that "what has been, will be," yet if it be true as applied to Chicago, it follows that our city during the year 1860, will contain a population of 227,000, instead of 171,000, as estimated by him. Either number is large enough to satisfy reasonable men; so the reader can choose for himself. I have not carried the calculation forward to 1870, the period at which Mr. S. assigns to Toledo a population of 146,815—having no fondness for the labor which the calculation would require, and being also somewhat fearful lest it might turn out that the largeness of our figures then, for Chicago, might cast a doubt upon the whole calculation. Beyond a question, they will be large enough to satisfy the demands of the most hopeful.

Either Mr. Scott's figures are too small for Chicago, or too large for Toledo; most likely the latter.

J. G. H.

MORTALITY OF POPULATION IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK IN 1855. The following is the summary of the weekly bills of mortality in the city of New York in 1855, distinguishing each month and quarter, as nearly as the corresponding weeks will allow :

Under 1 year.

Over 40 y'rs.

MERCANTILE MISCELLANIES.

THE SONG OF COMMERCE.

STEERS, OF NEW YORK, THE GREAT AMERICAN NAVAL ARCHITECT, BUILDER OF THE YACHT AMERICA," AND OF THE NIAGARA AND "ADRIATIC."

BY G. W. CUTTER.

COPPER ORE A DANGEROUS CARGO.

The ship Georgia, which recently arrived at Liverpool, Eng., from Savannah, brought some copper ore in cases, which proves to be an exceedingly dangerous cargo, for so great was the heat evolved during the passage, from the sulphur contained in the ore, that some of the cases were taken out of the ship completely charred, the lids being a mass of charcoal; while the cotton stowed immediately above them was partially burnt, and when landed from the ship, so hot as to make it painful for a man to thrust his hand into the bales. These ores should be first roasted to dispel the sulphur in them before they are shipped across the Atlantic.