PRANCE. 



243 



the capital, has about 50,000 inhabitants. The 

 revenue for 1899 was estimated at $1,997,000, out 

 of which the King receives $415,200 to maintain 

 his court. The products of the country are rice, 

 cotton, betel, tobacco, indigo, sugar, silk, pepper, 

 corn, cinnamon, and coffee. Fish are exported, as 

 well as cotton and cotton seed, rice, and tobacco. 



Tonquin is governed by the French Resident, the 

 Annamite Viceroy having been removed in 1897. 

 The area is 119,660 square miles. The population 

 is estimated at 12,000,000. Hanoi, the capital, has 

 about 150,000 inhabitants. The force of native 

 troops, officered by Frenchmen, is 14,916. The 

 imports in 1898 were valued at 43,675,000 francs, 

 of which 20,425,000 were French imports; exports, 

 1(5.425,000 francs. The foreign goods sent through 

 to Yunnan were valued at 5,000,000 francs and the 

 return traffic at 3,200,000 francs for shipment 

 abroad. Tonquin is an important producer of rice, 

 and the bulk of the crop is shipped to Hong-Kong 

 for the Chinese market. Other products arc sugar, 

 silk, pepper, cotton, oil seeds, tropical fruits, to- 

 bacco, and coffee, which has been planted by Euro- 

 peans. French companies operate the coal mines, 

 the product of which is about 200,000 tons a year. 

 The tonnage of 1,407 vessels entered in 1896 was 

 401,454. The railroad from Fhulang to Langson, 

 (14 miles, is to be extended to Nacham, and thence 

 into Yunnan, where French engineers were at work 

 when the antiforeign disturbances in China caused 

 a temporary interruption. The local revenue in 

 1899 was estimated at $3,993,638; the contribution 

 of 1900 from the French treasury was 390,000 

 francs. 



Laos has an estimated area of 91,000 square 

 miles and 1,500,000 population. The country pro- 

 duces rice, cotton, and tobacco, and contains large 

 forests of teak. French companies have conces- 

 sions to work gold, tin, and lead mines and to dig 

 precious stones. The budget for 1900, defrayed by 

 the other provinces of Indo-China, was $692,431. 



The French possessions in the Pacific comprise 



ew Caledonia and its dependencies and the Soci- 

 ety Islands and groups and islands of lesser im- 

 portance in Oceanica. New Caledonia, which has 

 been the principal penal colony of France, has an 

 area of about 6,900 square miles, nearly half of 

 which is mountainous and unproductive, and half 

 the remainder pasture land and forest. The Euro- 

 pean population in 1898 comprised 5,585 colonists, 

 1.762 officials, 1,714 soldiers, 2,515 freed convicts, 

 and 7,477 convicts in the penal settlement, which 

 occupies 400 square miles. The total number of 

 Kuropeans was 19,053; Asiatics, 1,829; natives, 

 31.874; total population, 52,756. The products of 

 agriculture include coffee, corn, tobacco, sugar, 

 manioc, grapes, and pineapples. Convicts are em- 

 ployed in agriculture, and also Kanakas and na- 

 tives of the New Hebrides. The minerals produced 

 in 1897 consisted of 27,464 tons of nickel, 3,200 tons 

 of cobalt ore, 3,949 tons of chrome, 2,200 tons of 

 copper ore, and 25 tons of gold ore. The exports 

 of mineral produce in 1898 were valued at 4,261,353 

 francs. The total imports were 9,752,806 francs in 

 value, of which 5,026,928 francs were French; total 

 exports, 6,736,720 francs, of which France took 

 3.497,767 francs. There were 137 vessels entered 

 at Noumea in 1898, of 119,889 tons, and 138, of 

 161,105 tons, were cleared. The local revenue in 

 IS!)!) was 3,180.050 francs: expenditure of France 

 in 1900, including 3,638,100 francs for the penal 

 establishment, 6,643,748 francs. Attached to New 

 < 'a I ('donia is the Isle of Pines, having an area 

 of 58 square miles and a population of 600, besides 

 the convict settlement composed of habitual crim- 

 inals from France. The Wallis Islands, with an 

 area of 58 square miles and about 4,500 natives, 



were occupied in 1887, while Xew Caledonia has 

 been French territory since 1854. The Loyalty 

 Islands, having an area of 800 square miles and 

 14,800 inhabitants, export sandalwood and produce 

 bananas for food and export. Fatuna and Alafi, 

 with a population of about 1,500, were occupied 

 in 1888. The Huon Islands have also been an- 

 nexed. The New Hebrides are controlled jointly 

 by France and England under the convention of 

 Oct. 29, 1887. 



The French possessions in Oceanica comprise the 

 Society Islands, chief of which are Tahiti and 

 Moorea; the Windward Islands, comprising Raia- 

 tea, Taboa, and Bora Bora; the Tubai and Racavac 

 groups; the Tuamotu Islands, the Gambler Is- 

 lands, the island of Rapa, and the Marquesas 

 Islands. They have an aggregate area of 1,520 

 square miles and about 29,000 inhabitants. Tahiti, 

 which produces copra, sugar, rum, and vanilla, 

 and also coffee, cotton, and tobacco, though not so 

 much as formerly, imported 2,933,800 francs' worth 

 of merchandise in 1898, and exported 2,594,975 

 francs' worth. Of the imports 1,290,300 francs 

 came from the United States, which took 982,025 

 francs of exports. The number of vessels entered 

 at Papeete in 1898 was 314, of 38,572 tons; cleared, 

 328, of 38,722 tons. The local revenue in 1899 was 

 1,146,547 francs; the contribution of France in 

 1900 was 852,383 francs. Moorea has an area of 

 50 square miles and 1,557 inhabitants. The popu- 

 lation of Raiatea and Taboa is about 2,300; of 

 Huahine, 1,300; of Bora Bora, 800. The area of 

 the Tubuai and Ravavae islands is about 100 

 square milos, their population 2,300. Rapa, only 

 15 square miles in extent, has 192 inhabitants. In 

 the Tuamotu Islands are about 7,000 natives. The 

 Gambier group contains 460 inhabitants on an 

 area of 6 square miles. The area of the Marquesas 

 group is 480 square miles, with a population of 

 5,240 natives, who gather copra for export. 



In America, all that remains of the once great 

 colonial dominions of France are the petty islands 

 of St. Pierre and Miquelon, retained as a fishing 

 station near the banks of Newfoundland ; the 

 West Indian islands of Martinique and Guade- 

 loupe (see WEST INDIES), and French Guiana. 

 St. Pierre and Miquelon have 10 and 83 square 

 miles of area respectively, and the former 5,700 

 the latter 550 permanent inhabitants. There were 

 18,500 tons of fish caught in 1897, and the exports 

 of dried fish were valued at 24,700,000 francs; fish 

 oil, 1,030,000 francs. The local revenue in 1899 

 was 519,865 francs; the contribution of France in 

 1900 was 282,938 francs. 



French Guiana had a Governor, L. Mouttet, in 

 1900, who was assisted by a Council of 16 mem- 

 bers. The colony sends a Deputy to the French 

 Chamber. The area is 46,850 square miles, not in- 

 cluding the territory disputed w r ith the republic 

 of Brazil. The population is estimated at 30,300, 

 not including 1,500 aborigines but including 3,900 

 convicts and 1,800 on ticket of leave. The capital 

 and seaport, Cayenne, has 12,300 inhabitants. 

 Rice, corn, manioc, cacao, coffee, sugar, indigo, 

 and tobacco are raised, but not in considerable 

 quantity, the area under cultivation not being 

 above 8,000 aci'es. Gold mining is now the chief 

 industry. The export .of sold in 1897 was 74,646 

 ounces; in 1898, 48,600 ounces; in 1899, 81,715 

 ounces. Silver, iron, and phosphates are also ob- 

 tained. Other exports are rum, coffee, cacao, and 

 cabinet woods. The total value of imports in 1897 

 was 9,334,000 francs; of exports, 7,160,0.00 francs. 

 The number of vessels that visited Cayenne was 

 40, of 17,290 tons. The revenue in 1899 was esti- 

 mated at 3,027,750 francs, exclusive of the contri- 

 bution from France, which in 1900 was 6,899,061 





