Chapter XXVII

In the last chapter, when speaking of Mr. George A. Ward, I alluded to his having been a partner in the house of Low, Harriman & Co., and that when that house dissolved in 1836, Mr. Ward retired with the large sum of $100,000. The book-keeper of Low, Harriman & Co. was the celebrated Chevalier George C. de la Figaniere, then merely the Portuguese consul, but now the full Minister of Portugal. The store of Low, Harriman & Co. was in William street, opposite the Exchange. They had a counting-room, and a private office attached. When any one called on business connected with the Portuguese consulate, (captains of vessels, or merchants with papers to be certified,) Mr. Figaniere would retire into the private office, where he kept his uniform, sword and cocked hat, and array himself in the paraphernalia of Portugal-then come out with all the dignity of a King's representative, sign the paper, administer the oath, attach the seal of Portugal and take his fees. He would then undress and resume his old office coat, and return to private life as book-keeper.

Yet who is there in our midst that does not rejoice that we have such a man as this De la Figaniere among us? He is an honor to the merchant class. When De la Figaniere was elevated from consul to Minister Extraordinary, his successor as consul was first his son Henry, who had been vice consul; then the latter was succeeded by Mr. Phillip N. Searle; and still later by a Mr. Santos. As the latter gentleman resides in Portugal he has a vice consul at No. 92 Pearl street, I. E. Amsinck. The latter is one of the most remarkable men, as well as merchants, in town. Probably he is not yet thirty-five years of age. He represents a class of our great merchants who handle almost fabulous amounts, do an enormous mercantile business, have combinations extending throughout the commercial world, and connections going far back into the past, from one hundred and fifty to two hundred years. Of course, such a mercantile house must have its head in one of the old commercial cities of Europe. There are many such houses here, or rather branches, and yet doing an independent business. Oelrichs & Co., down at 68 Broad street, hardly known above Wall, are agents of the house of Widow John Lang, Son & Co. of Bremen. John Lang founded the house in 1642, about the time New York was settled, over two hundred years ago. When he died, at a good old age, his widow took it up, and the firm was Widow John Lang. Then the son came in, and the firm was changed to Widow John Lang & Son. Then some other name came in and a Company was added, and so it has gone on for more than a century, without one of the name or even blood of Lang being in the concern. They have two persons in the firm now named Oelrichs, and another named Lurman. They also have a branch in Baltimore called E. G. Oelrichs & Lurman, and the other Oelrichs & Co., down in Broad street.

Who can forget the first Oelrichs who came to New York from Bremen to establish the agency, and the house of Oelrichs & Co.? He was the pet of the ladies, and was nicknamed "Fat Oelrichs." He was an open-souled fellow and a smart business man.

Mr. Oelrichs was a gay man. He came to this city about twenty-five years ago. He married a grand-daughter of Harrison Gray Otis of Boston; a niece of James Otis, once of the firm of Otis, Stone & Mason, the great dry goods house. That Otis is now President of the North American Insurace Company.

Mr. Oelrichs, after residing here some time, returned to Europe, where he died.

We will now return to the main subject. L. E. Amsinck, of the firm of L. E. Amsinck & Co. We shall speak of him as a fair representation of this class of merchants, who represent or are connected with the oldest European houses. To those here, who are not familiar with this class of merchants or great financiers, their career and apparent rise seems singular and sudden. It is not so. These young men drop in upon us without notice, but soon they appear to do a large foreign trade. It is because they represent commercial firms who go far back into the past, and are in commerce as ancient as those German Princes of Reuss, who are styled "Henry the 95th" or "97th."

The old house of Nottebohn Brothers, of Rotterdam and Antwerp, a quarter of a century ago (but now widow Nottebohn), sent out one of the family, whose christian name was Andrew. He has done an immense business in those years, but without any fuss or noise. But on "change" it is known who he is, and what great interests he represents.

So, too, with L. E. Amsinck. He came over as recent as 1848, and, as usual, went with a house to clerk it, but really to learn the mode of doing business in New York, in order to do business for his own account. He selected the house of Ebech & Kunhardt as his employers. After an apprenticeship of three years he returned to Hamburg to make arrangements for a final trip here to establish a commercial house. This he accomplished in 1851.

The elder Amsinck was the principal partner in the very ancient Hamburg house of John Schuback & Sons, one of the oldest in that free city. Originally from Holland, one or two hundred years ago, this Schuback established himself in Hamburg. All of the original name are dead long ago. The father and brother of L. E., or the American Amsinck, are the principal managers of John Schuback & Sons now.

Of course the connection of a house so long established, and with vast resources and business connections all over the world, could at once throw an immense business into the hands of their new established house in New York, and they did so. The business between Hamburg and Portugal had been large. The Portuguese connection was extended to New York, and Amsinck & Co. became the sole agents of the principal wine trade between Portugal, Spain, and New York. They became the agents of the Royal Oporto Wine Company of Oporto, in Portugal, and of the celebrated brandy and sherry wines of the Widow De X Harmony & Co. of Cadiz.

The name of Harmony, in connection with choice sherry wines, is famed all over the earth.

Many persons suppose it has something to do with the firm of Peter Harmony & Nephews, in this city. It is not so. Old Peter Harmony in his life was once agent of the old house of widow Harmony; but it divided up in Cadiz, and the Harmony house in New York became the agents for Peter Harmony's Nephews in Cadiz. The Cadiz house failed last year. Mr. Amsinck was appointed agent of the widow of X. Harmony, one of those antediluvian wine manufacturers in Spain as old as the hills.

By the way, old Peter Harmony was a great merchant in his day. He built a magnificent house on Broadway, just below the corner of Rector street, next but one to the old Grace Church. His lot extended through to Trinity Place, and his store was back of the dwelling. His counting house was in the rear. Peter was a merchant many years. It was Peter Harmony at one time, and then, "company" was added. It is now Peter Harmony's Nephews.

In connection with Amsinck & Co., and the wine trade, we must mention a very curious fact in reference to Hungarian wines.

A few years ago, none could be sold. In fact no prominent wine dealer would look at the article. It was not deemed worthy of notice. John G. & E. Boker could not sell it to any extent. That firm sent samples to all the dealers, and offered the Hungarian wines for a song. It was useless.

That house of Boker was an old established wine house. The brother John G. came here poor, sent out as an agent of an old wine house. He became wealthy, and notorious in connection with Mr. John Dean who married his daughter. Boker must have done business in this city thirty-eight years ago. He first introduced into this market "the Sparkling Hock." He also undertook to introduce the wines of Hungary into this market as before stated. There is an immense variety. The "Tokay" has been famous in Europe for two hundred years. The best sells for five dollars a bottle in Vienna. The Tokay vineyard belongs to the Emperor of Austria. The old poets allude to it in all their songs.

"Muses young and laughing,
Dwell in vineyards of Tokay."

The demand for this wine in America has now become enormous. France only produces at the outside 800 millions of gallons of wine. Hungary produces 500 millions of gallons. The trade to America commenced as recently as 1855, by consignments to J. G. & E. Boker. The originator is an aged Hungarian patriot, by the name of Alois Schwartzer. He is over eighty years of age, and has been over to this country several times. He has a suit with his old agents, the Bokers, involving an immense amount. Mr. Schwartzer is the great Hungarian proprietor of vineyards. He has patriotically sunk one million of dollars in five years, in order to introduce the splendid Hungarian wines into this country. He does this for national pride. When he transferred his agency to L. E. Amsinck & Co., they advanced him $100,000 on the stock transferred. The imports increase every year. It has become a permanent institution, and will entirely, or to a great extent, eventually supersede the wines of France. The price varies from sixty cents to six dollars per gallon, by the cask. The sweet wine is very choice, and very high. The Hungarian wines are the finest in the world. Their wines are both white and red. They are sent from the interior of Hungary to Vienna, then to Hamburg, and then to New York city.