FRANCE. 



353 



deaths, 858,784; the natural increase of popu- 

 lation, 78,974. The total emigration in 1884 

 was 6,100. The number of foreigners resident 

 in France in 1881 was 1,001,090, of whom 

 374,498 were Belgians, 165,313 Italians, 62,437 

 Spaniards, 59,028 Germans, 50,203 Swiss, 30,- 

 077 English, 21,232 Dutch, 12,090 Austrians, 

 and 10,489 Kussians. There were besides 77,- 

 046 naturalized foreigners. Paris contained 

 on May 30, 1886, 2,265,080 inhabitants. 



Commerce and Industry. The returns of the 

 general commerce for 1884 give the total value 

 of imports as 5,239,000,000 francs, and of ex- 

 ports as 4,218,400,000 francs. 



The following table shows, in millions of 

 francs, the value of the special commerce of 

 France with the leading foreign countries and 

 colonies iij 1884 : 



The total value of the imports entered for 

 home consumption in 1885 was 4,215,877,000 

 francs, against 4,343,478,803 francs in 1884; 

 the value of the exports of domestic prod- 

 ucts 3,185,031,000, against 3,232,500,211 francs. 

 The imports of articles of food and consump- 

 tion in 1884 amounted to 1,438,430,000 francs, 

 exports to 783,411,000 francs ; the imports of 

 raw materials to 2,208,405,000 francs, the ex- 

 ports to 759,130,000 francs; the imports of 

 manufactured articles to 696,644,000 francs, 

 exports to 1,689,958,000 francs. The imports 

 of coin and bullion amounted to 228,696,000 

 francs, and the exports to 128,175,000 francs. 

 Cereals were imported to the amount of 360,- 

 200,000 francs, and exported to that of 44,900,- 

 000, francs. The imports of wines amounted 

 to 344,300,000 francs, and the exports to 237,- 

 300,000 francs. During the past ten years the 

 import of manufactured goods has increased 

 82 per cent. The increase has been greatest 

 in machinery, iron ships, metal goods, woolens, 

 cottons, and leather. The export of silk and 

 silk goods fell from 301,419,000 francs in 1873 

 to 226,745,000 francs in 1878, rose to 301,200,- 

 000 francs in 1883, and fell to 236,800,000 

 francs in 1884, besides 155,200,000 francs of 

 raw silk. The export of woolen fabrics was 

 309,300,000 francs in 1878, 401,900,000 francs 

 in 1882, 370,100,000 francs in 1883, and 334,- 

 300,000 francs in 1884. The domestic produc- 

 tion of raw silk was over 100.000,000 francs 

 in annual value before the silk - worm epi- 

 demic of 1851. In 1882 the production was 

 VOL. xxvi. 23 A 



9,721, 206 kilogrammes of cocoons; in 1884 only 

 6,196,994 kilogrammes, valued at 22,681,000 

 francs. The average wine-crop for five years 

 ending with 1884 was 700,000,000 gallons, that 

 of 1884 being 782,566,000 gallons. The yield 

 in 1885 was only 642,083,000 gallons ; the 

 acreage was 4,970,000, showing a decrease of 

 nearly 1,000,000 acres in ten years. The vint- 

 age of 1875, just before the ravages of the 

 phylloxera began, was 1,209,350,000 gallons, 

 the exports 81,767,000 gallons, and the imports 

 only 6,000,000 gallons. In 1885 there were 

 182,587,000 gallons imported and 55,575,000 

 exported. The 1,204,145 acres under beet- 

 root in 1883 yielded 322,303,120 cwt. of sugar. 

 The coal production in 1884 was 20,127,209 

 tons ; the consumption of iron-ore, 5,371,000 

 tons in 1883, including 1,412,710 tons import- 

 ed ; the pig-iron product, 2,039,000 tons, while 

 308,170 tons were imported ; the quantity of 

 wrought-iron produced in 1884, 877,826 tons, 

 against 978,917 in 1883; the steel product, 

 509,516 tons, against 521,820. The mineral 

 products in 1882 were valued at 299,932,511 

 francs; metallurgical products at 591,824,853. 



Navigation. The number of vessels entered 

 at French ports during 1884 was 101,327; the 

 number cleared, 103,036; of 17,951,963 tons. 

 Of the 17,531,561 tons entered, 8,493,747 tons 

 were under foreign flags. The number of for- 

 eign vessels was 23,501 ; of French vessels, 

 77,826, of which 8,907, of 4,272,019 tons, were 

 engaged in foreign commerce, and 68,919, of 

 4,765,795 tons, in the coasting - trade. The 

 merchant navy on Jan. 1, 1885, numbered 15,- 

 352 vessels, of an aggregate tonnage of 1,033,- 

 829 tons, giving employment to 96,299 sailors 

 and fishermen, including 11,219 vessels under 

 30 tons. Of the total 1,414, of 751,650 tons, 

 were engaged in foreign commerce; 2,160, of 

 106,234 tons in the coasting-trade; 535, of 

 57,767 tons in deep-sea fishing; 10,075, of 83,- 

 332 tons, in coast-fishing ; and 1,168, of 34,846 

 tons, were pilot craft, yachts, etc. 



Railroads. The length of railroads in opera- 

 tion at the close of 1884 was 29,363 kilome- 

 tres. Six great companies own the main lines, 

 called the old network, whch had on Jan. 1, 

 1884, a total length of 10,877 kilometres, and 

 yielded in 1883 in gross earnings the sum of 

 787,262,840 francs. The same companies had 

 10,993 kilometres of subsidiary lines, from 

 which the receipts were 256,836,771 francs. 

 From the 4,396 kilometres of the new network 

 belonging to the state the receipts were only 

 35,633,542 francs. 



Telegraphs. In the beginning of 1884 there 

 were 90,472 kilometres of telegraph lines, with 

 328,753 kilometres of wire, the number of 

 dispatches in 1883 was 29,452,708, including 

 5,005,376 international messages. 



The Post-Office. The number of letters trans- 

 mitted during 1883 was 613,861,000 ; of postal- 

 cards, 32,961,000; of journals, 329,752,000. 

 The receipts were 128,582,045 francs in 1883 ; 

 the expenses, 113,577,052 francs. 



