178 



COMMERCE, INTERNATIONAL. 



exports of cotton manufactures there was an 

 inappreciable increase in the number of yards 

 of piece-goods, but a decline in the total val- 

 ues of over 4 per cent. This was partly bal- 

 anced by an increase in the values of lace, so 

 that the total decline in cotton manufactures 

 was from about 39f to 38J millions sterling. 

 In cottou yarn there was a reduced exportation 

 to nearly all countries except Russia, and a de- 

 cline of a million in the values. In raw silk 

 there was a large falling off, which answers to 

 a decline in the exports of silk manufactures. 

 In wool there was an increase in the imports 

 from Australia from 258 to 273 million Ibs. 

 The total imports for the nine months were 

 350,610,036 Ibs., against 345,421,768 Ibs. in 

 1878. The exports of raw wool increased from 

 4,935,278 Ibs. to 7,755,100 Ibs., the principal 

 increase being made up of shipments to the Uni- 

 ted States, who had not before bought much 

 at the English sales, and whose purchases for 

 the nine months this year increased from 292,- 

 678 to 3,274,400 Ibs. The exports of woolen 

 and worsted yarn remained about the same, 

 being 23,408,000 Ibs., those to Germany show- 

 ing a decline, and those to Russia an increase. 

 In the total values of woolen manufactures 

 exported there was a decline from 12.768,- 

 363 to 11,878,871. In woolen cloths there 

 was an increase from 33,637,200 to 33,983,800 

 yards, the increase being in mixed goods, but 

 a decline in values. In worsted goods, there 

 was an increased exportation of all-wool goods, 

 but a considerable decline in the mixed grades, 

 the ttotal falling off being from 149,228,600' 

 to 142,517,200 yards. To France, the United 

 States, Italy, China, and Japan there was an 

 increased exportation; to all other countries 

 diminished shipments. The imports of flax 

 show a slight falling off in quantity and a con- 

 siderable decline in value ; those of hemp de- 

 clined over 10 per cent, in quantity and as 

 much as 20 per cent, in value. In jute there 

 was an increased importation, and also an in- 

 creased exportation of jute and jute manufac- 

 tures, except bags, which showed a decline. 

 The exports of linen piece-goods declined from 

 124,733,100 to 120,092,400 yards, and the total 

 value of linen manufactures from 4,337,527 

 to 4,147,597. The imports of undressed hides 

 fell from 507,000 to 277,000 cwt. ; those of 

 tanned and curried hides from 40 to 26 million 

 Ibs. The exports of leather showed an increase 

 of nearly 25 per cent. In haberdashery and 

 millinery there was a decline of nearly 10 per 

 cent., in hardware and cutlery of about the 

 same, in pottery an increase, in articles of fe- 

 male apparel and men's ready-made clothing a 

 slight increase in value, and in alkalies an in- 

 crease in quantity but a slight decline in value. 

 The imports of copper increased, while those 

 of the ore show a decline. The exports of cop- 

 per declined in value about 4 per cent., while 

 the quantity exported was about 8 per cent, 

 greater than in the preceding year. The im- 

 portation of nearly all articles of prime neces- 



sity was in excess of that of last year. The 

 total imports of wheat for the nine months 

 were 41 million cwt., against 37 million in the 

 corresponding months of 1878; but the total 

 value was only 20 in the place of 21 millions 

 sterling. Of these Russia furnished 5 million 

 cwt., instead of 6| as in 1878 ; Germany, 2f, 

 instead of 3f million cwt. ; India, only i instead 

 of lj( million cwt. The importations from Aus- 

 tralia increased from 1,144,449 cwt. to 1,860,- 

 005 cwt., those from British America from 

 1,570,638 to 2,662,165 cwt., and those from 

 the United States from 22,562,818 to 25,144,- 

 090 cwt. ; from the Pacific States the increase 

 was from 4,124,852 to 6,010,863 cwt., and from 

 the Atlantic ports from 18,437,966 to 19,133,- 

 227 cwt. There was a large increase in the 

 importation of wheat-flour from the United 

 States. The total importation increased from 

 5,760,102 to 7,553,383 cwt., that from the Uni- 

 ted States being 4,890,999 cwt., or nearly double 

 that of the previous year in the same nine 

 months. In the imports of maize there was a 

 decline from 34 to 30 million cwt., or between 

 8 and 9 per cent. In oil-seed cakes there was 

 also a decline, about 4 per cent, in quantity and 

 8 per cent, in value. The importation of oats 

 was about the same ; that of barley declined 

 nearly one half both in quantity and value. 



The foreign commerce of France has in- 

 creased in the last half-century nearly 400 per 

 cent. The average annual trade, import and 

 export together, for the different periods of ten 

 years within tlie space of fifty years from 1823 

 to 1876, has been computed as follows, the 

 numbers denoting millions of francs : 1827- 

 '36, general commerce 1,366, special commerce 

 1,001 ; 1837-'46, general commerce 2,112, spe- 

 cial commerce 1,489 ; 1847-'56, general com- 

 merce 3,175, special commerce 2,301 ; 1857- 

 '66, general commerce 6,280, special commerce 

 4,631 ; 1867-'76, general commerce 8,464, spe- 

 cial commerce 6,714. Averaging the returns 

 for the whole fifty years, we find the mean 

 annual volume of the general commerce to be 

 4,279, of the special 3,227 million francs. 

 The returns for each year of tne last decade, 

 1867-'76, of the total volume of each class of 

 foreign trade, the exports and imports being 

 taken together, were as follows in millions of 

 francs: General commerce 1867, 7,965 ; 1868, 

 7,979; 1869,8,002; 1870,6,954; 1871,7,231; 

 1872,9,258; 1873,9,399; 1874, 9,125; 1875, 

 9,269; 1876,9,456. Special commerce 1867, 

 5,852; 1868, 6,094; 1869, 6,228; 1870,5,670; 

 1871, 6,439; 1872,7,332; 1873,7,342; 1874, 

 7,209 ; 1875, 7,409 ; 1876, 7,564. 



The importations into the United States 

 from France in the year 1860, on the eve of 

 the civil war, amounted to about 50 million 

 dollars. In 1864 they were not more than a 

 third as much in amount. During the ten 

 years from 1867 to 1876 the exportation 

 from America to France increased in a steady 

 progression from about 28 million dollars to 

 nearly 53 millions. The exportation of Ameri- 



