FRANCE. 



311 



The total commerce of France with foreign 

 countries, and with its colonies, accordingly 

 was as follows : 



In 1875 the imports amounted to 3,672,300,000 



francs, and the exports to 4,022,162,000 francs. 

 The coal and iron production in 1875 was as 

 follows : Coal, 169,490,315 metrical hundred- 

 weights; cast-iron, 14,157,283; iron bars, 7,554,- 

 422 ; railroad-tracks, 1,189,589 ; sheet-iron, 

 1,149,312; steel, 2,516,374; and cast-steel, 61,- 

 431 metrical hundred-weights. 



The movement of shipping in 1873 was as 

 follows (of coasting-vessels only statistics of 

 1872 have been published) : 



The commercial navy on December 31, 1874, 

 was as follows: 



The postal statistics for 1873 and 1874 were ; 



All the railroads of France are private roads, 

 which are assumed by the Government at the 

 expiration of their charters. According to the 

 Statistique Central* des Chemint de Fer, the 



number of kilometres in operation on January 

 1, 1874, 1875. and 1876, was as follows : 



YEARS. Kilometra*. 



1 874 20,005 



1875 20,771 



1876 21,761 



The statistics of telegraphs for 1875 were as 

 follows : 



Government stations 2.817 



Length of lines (kilometres) "> i . TOO 



Length of wires " 143.v!84 



Dispatches In 1878 6,550,628 



Receipts (francs) 15.75-.995 



Expenditures (francs) 14,662,5oO 



The donations to public institutions, while 

 varying between 12,000,000 and 19,000,000 

 francs from 1861 to 1871, rose in 1872 to 28,- 

 000,000 francs, and in 1873 to 81,818,381 

 francs. In 1878 they were donated for the 

 following purposes: 



Franc*. 



To religious orders 11,867,788 



To hospitals and charitable Institutions. . . 18,769.164 



To asylums and houses of reluge 187,666 



To institutions of public Instruction 488,604 



To academies and learned bodies 



To communities 4,608,779 



To departments 768,660 



Total 81,818^81 



The French colonies and dependencies had, 

 according to the latest official reports, the fol- 

 lowing area and population : 



