OF JVEW  YORK CITY                       gf
 

CHAPTER XI.

The Mediterranean trade is ever a large one to this
city. Davis & Brooks, years ago, had a large share of
it, but not all. The principal part of it was divided
between Davis & Brooks, and the house of G. W. & H.
-Bruen.

I have already mentioned that G. W. Bruen married
a daughter of Thomas H. Smith, the great tea merchant
in this city. Both G. W. and his brother Herman were
sons of old Matthias Bruen, of Perth Amboy; he,
who In after years was the famous assignee of old
Thomas H. Smith,

The firm of G. W. & H. Bruen commenced business
in 1822, the year famous for the yellow fever, and
would have done an immense business for years had not
the young firm been allied with the old one. The way
and method of this entanglement happened after this
fashion :

There were three great tea houses in America at the
period of which we write — Thompson, of Philadelphia;
Perkins, of Boston ; and Thomas H. Smith, of New
York. In 1826, the market became overstocked; the
tea cargoes had come in so fast that the government got
scared about the duties. At that time the credit given
to tea importers was  twelve, eighteen and  twenty-four