76 NOTES UPON THE GULF OF PECHELI, [Nov. 22, 1858. 



been the case, had the trade been merely one of transfer from 

 native to foreign bottoms. Nearly every shop I entered at Tientsin 

 had some article or other of European manufacture ; sad trash for 

 the most part, but still high-priced ; indeed I saw more British, 

 American, and German articles in Tientsin than the shops of Canton 

 or Shanghai usually exhibited. There being no staple export from 

 Tientsin, the trade there must be purely an import one ; and from 

 the profusion of metals we observed here, there could be no diffi- 

 culty as to purchasing until some products, such as wool, hides, 

 coals, were brought into the market as a return. All the thousands 

 of jimks from the south were leaving in ballast, their returns for 

 grain being silver and copper coin. Considering how severely 

 China drains our money-market, we shall have every reason to 

 rejoice if, apart from opium, we can discover some mode of creating 

 a purely import trade in Northern China to balance the exports of 

 the South. 



Grain is, and must be, the great article of commerce in Tientsin. 

 Formerly, whilst China was at peace within its borders, the canal 

 perfect, and communication between her rice-producing districts 

 and the capital assured, it would have been difficult to have com- 

 peted with our Indian rice against the Chinese farmer ; but not im- 

 possible, for be it remembered we import that grain largely into 

 Canton. But the canal is irredeemably ruined by the Hoang-Ho 

 Eiver having altered its course. Rebellion, ruin, and misery have 

 for years prevailed in Central China ; the route by sea has been 

 voluntarily adopted by the authorities. Our rice is largely bought 

 up at Shanghai and sent by junks to Tientsin ; as the following 

 figures will show, we have merely to step in as carriers of that 

 grain and to cheapen it. The Shanghai import of rice in European 

 vessels shows the following increase : — 



Value 

 Rice Imported. Value ,p, „^ at Shanghai. 



Piculs. InTaels. ^"^^- £ sterling. 



Year f ^ year to June 30th. 

 1856 I ^ year to Dec, 31st.. 110,000 = 220,000 = 7,000 = 7,333 



^^^^ { 2nd^ht[/yTar '.'. '.[} 8^4,637 = 1,810,849 = 54,039 = 603,281 



Increase in one year .. .. 47,039 = 595,948 



And how dire must be the need in Northern China for rice is best 

 proved by the following facts, which will give some assurance to 

 the trader of the amount of fair profit he may count upon : — 



Dollars, d. 



Summer of 1858 , . . , / gl^^ ^l Shanghai = 3 a picul or 2 per lb. 

 I. ( Rice at Tientsin = 6 „ 4 „ 



Winter of 1857-1858 .. Rice at Pekin = 12 „ 8 ,, 



