FRANCE. 



FREDERICKSBURG. 



479 



taken in 1861, but its results are not yet pub- 

 lished. 



The imports of France for the year ending 

 Dec. 31, 1861, were $1,105,900,000, of which 

 $617,420,000 was under the head of general, 

 and $488,480,000 of special commerce ; the ex- 

 ports were $917,500,000, of which $532,240,000 

 belonged to general and $385,260,000 to special 

 commerce. Of the imports, grain and flour 

 were the largest items, amounting together to 

 $78.000,000. and cotton next, amounting to $54,- 

 120,000 ; raw silk amounted to $33,220,000, and 

 wool unmanufactured to $34,280,000. The other 

 most important items were coal, sugar, coffee, 

 oleaginous grains, coffee, indigo, live stock, 

 wines and spirituous liquors, olive oil and zinc. 

 Of the exports, silk fabrics took the lead, being 

 valued at $66,580,000 ; and next in order were 

 wines, $39.1 80,000 ; woollen goods, $37, 600,000 ; 

 dressed and prepared skins and leather, $18,- 

 300,000; cotton goods, $11,340,000; spirits 

 $10,020,000; grain and flour, $6,820,000; met- 

 als, manufactured, $7,660,000; refined sugar, 

 $8,400,000 ; raw silk, $6,120,000 ; and considera- 

 ble amounts of live stock, glass and porcelain, 

 linen goods, and machinery. The number of 

 vessels entering French ports in 1861 was 30,- 

 021, measuring 4,934,000 tons; of which 11,- 

 653 were under the French, and 18,368 under 

 a foreign flag. The number of vessels which 

 cleared the same year was 17,246, measuring 

 2,684,000 tons, of which 6,868, were French 

 and 10,378 foreign vessels: 



The number of miles of railroad completed 

 and in operation in France on the 1st of July, 

 1862, was 6,276, miles, of which f was single 

 track, and f double track. The gross receipts 

 of these roads in 1861 were $92,080.211. There 

 were in 1862, 97 canals, having a total length of 

 2,829 miles, and there were also 5.290 miles of 

 river navigation, a part of it made navigable by 

 artificial means. 



The French army in 1862 on the peace foot- 

 ing amounted to 404,192 men of all arms, and 

 could be raised by calling out the entire force 

 on the war footing to 757,725. Of this force 

 about 250,000 were infantry, 60,000 cavalry, 

 39,000 artillery, and 7,400 engineers. In addi- 

 tion to this there are about 117,000 armed 

 police, and 500,000 of the National Guard, an- 

 swering very nearly to our militia. The navy 

 of France in 1862 consisted of 94 iron clad^, 

 carrying 1.142 guns and having a total horse- 

 power of 21,136 (of these 58 were gunboats 

 of 1, 2, or 4 guns, 19 more floating batteries of 

 16 or 18 guns, for harbor defences, and 14 were 

 40 gun frigates) ; and one ship, ten frigates, and 

 13 floating batteries, of the whole number, were 

 in process of construction. Besides the iron 

 clads. there were 178 screw steamers, and 86 

 sidewheel steamers not iron clad, having 

 together 6,196 guns and 81,300 horse power, 

 and 111 sailing vessels, mostly ships of the line 

 and frigates, carrying 2,380 guns. Total, 478 

 vessels, with 9,718 guns, and 102,436 horse 

 power, of which 24 (all iron clads) are building. 



The postal service in France increases rapidly. 

 The charge for single-letter postage throughout 

 France is 20 centimes, or 3i cents." 274,000,000 

 letters and 189,000 newspapers passed through 

 the post offices in 1861. The amount of 

 money orders transmitted was about $105,000,- 

 000. The gross receipts for the letter postage 

 were $11,120,000. 



The extent of the telegraph lines in 1862 was 

 14,799 miles, the number of stations (aside from 

 railroad stations) 454, and the number of de- 

 spatches 1,383,200. 



FREDERICK, the capital of Frederick coun- 

 ty, Maryland, and the capital of the State in 

 1861- ? 62, is situated on Carroll creek, two 

 miles from its mouth, in Monocacy river. It is 

 connected with the Baltimore and Ohio rail- 

 road by a branch road, three miles in length. 

 The city is well built, the streets are wide and 

 regular, and lined with houses of brick or stone. 

 It contains a court house, jail, several churches, 

 banks, scientific and literary institutes, corn and 

 flour, lumber and paper mills, and is the sec- 

 ond city in the State in commercial importance. 

 The population in 1860 was 8,143, and that of 

 the county 46,591. The county has an area of 

 770 square miles, and is bounded on the south- 

 west by the Potomac river, which separates it 

 from Virginia, intersected by the Monocacy 

 river, and also drained by Catoctin, Pipe, Lin- 

 gnnore, and Bennett's creeks. The South 

 Mountain, a continuation of the Blue Ridge of 

 Virginia, forms its western boundary, and the 

 surface is generally undulating. The soil, 

 formed of decomposed limestone and slate, is 

 highly productive. The city of Frederick was 

 occupied by the Confederate army, under Gen. 

 Lee, on the 7th of September ; for particulars 

 of which see ABMY OPERATIONS. 



FREDERICKSBURG. a city of Spottsylva- 

 nia county, Virginia, is pleasantly situated on 

 the right bank of the Rappahannock river, at 

 the head of tide water. It is 65 miles north 

 from Richmond, and 110 miles from Chesa- 

 peake bay. The population in 1860 was 5,022. 

 It contained a court house, jail, several 

 churches, two banks, and two seminaries, an 

 orphan asylum, a grist mill, and some large 

 tanneries. Above the city are falls in the river 

 which furnish valuable motive power. The 

 railroad from Aquia creek, on the Potomac, to 

 Richmond passes through the city, and was the 

 principal route between Washington and Rich- 

 mond. A canal also extends 40 miles above 

 the city, affording an outlet to the productions 

 of the rich farming country above. Nearly op- 

 posite the city, on the left bank of the river, is 

 the little town of Falmouth, which was made 

 the headquarters of Gen. Burnside while in 

 command of the Federal army. Fredericks- 

 burg was evacuated by the Confederate troops, 

 as their army retired from northeastern Vir- 

 ginia, and soon after occupied by the Federal 

 troops without opposition. It was subsequent- 

 ly evacuated by the Federal troops in August, 

 1862, as Gen. Lee, in command of the Confed- 



