Ships and Shipping of Old New York e-bog

IN presenting its second historical brochure, the Bank of the Manhattan Company directs attention to a subject always of interest to the city of New York. In the space at its command only a bird's-eye view can be given of the Ships and Shipping of Old New York from the days of the first Dutch traders to the end of that remarkable era of maritime development when the American clipper ships carried the bulk of the oversea trade and were the admiration of every port. Prior to 1860 all the great fortunes of the country had come from the sea, and so, inevitably, from the earliest days and until the glory of the American merchant marine had passed away, ships and shipping were the most conspicuous feature of New York business life, and the water front was the centre of interest. The story of the adventurous sailors and merchants who built the city with wealth brought from the seven seas, together with a brief account of their vessels, is not without interest to the business man as well as to the student of history. So far as can be learned this pamphlet is the only connected account of the commerce of New York, and no pains have been spared to make it, so far as it goes, interesting and authoritative. It is illustrated with many rare prints, a number of which are here reproduced for the first time. They are available through the courtesy of Percy R. Pyne, 2d, John D. Crimmins, the New York Chamber of Commerce, J. Clarence Davies, Charles H. Taylor, Jr., Arthur T. Williams, Jr., Samuel Pray, Otto Wiecker, the Boston Marine Society, the New York Public Library, New York Historical Society, the Nantucket Public Library, and others who have facilitated the preparation of this book. A list of the authorities consulted in the preparation of this brochure will be found on the last page.