360 



FRANCE. 



The total value of the general imports in 

 1879 was 5,579,300,000 francs; of the general 

 exports, 4,269,600,000 francs. The general 

 commerce of 1882, which includes the transit 

 trade and goods imported for re-exporting free 

 of duty, amounted to 2,070,099,000 francs, an 

 increase of 1,100,000 francs, as compared with 

 1881. 



The imports and exports of specie from 

 1877 to 1882 were, in millions and tenths, as 

 follow : 



The participation of the principal commer- 

 cial countries in the special commerce of the 

 year 1880 was as follows, in millions of francs 

 and tenths of millions : 



COUNTRIES. 



The following table presents the exports 

 and imports of 1881 and 1882, classified ac- 

 cording to the nature of the products, in mill- 

 ions of francs and tenths thereof: 



In the first class the imports of cereals 

 amounted in 1882 to 596 millions, against 

 574f millions in 1881, the exports to lOOf, 

 against 131 millions; fermented drinks were 

 imported to the value of 399, against 406 mill- 

 ions, and exported to the value of 325, against 

 329 millions; the net imports of tobacco were 

 25, against 27 millions in value; of seeds, 

 fruits, etc., 155, against 175^ millions; of ani- 

 mals and animal food products, 86, against 

 126 millions. In the class of raw materials, 

 the imports of fuel amounted to 183, against 

 173 million francs; of raw metals, to 136, 

 against 133 millions; of skins, hair, and leath- 

 ers, to 224f, against 215 millions, and the 

 exports to 218, against 202 millions; of tex- 

 tile materials, to 986|, against. 1,032^ millions, 

 and exports to 378f, against 377 millions; of 

 timber, etc., to 285, against 241 millions. The 

 increase in the value of manufactured articles 

 imported was principally in machinery and 

 metals and in yarns. The exports of pottery 

 and glass were 40J, against 39|- millions in 

 value ; of machinery and metal manufactures, 

 151, against 146 millions; of leather manu- 

 factures, nearly 180, against 179 millions; of 

 yarns, about 48 millions in both years ; of tex- 

 tile fabrics, clothing, etc., nearly 904^, against 

 817 millions; of paper and paper manufact- 

 ures, about 25 millions in both years; of wood 

 and straw products, about 43, against 53 mill- 

 ions; of jewelry and works of art, 241, against 

 300 millions ; of books, etc., 24, against 28 

 millions. 



The exports for the first eight months of 

 1883 showed a falling off of 82 millions as 

 compared with the same period in 1882, while 

 the imports showed an increase of 112 million 

 francs. There was an increased importation 

 of articles of food and a continued increase 

 in the imports of raw stuffs, plant, and half- 

 manufactured goods. There was. a decrease in 

 the exports of manufactured products amount- 

 ing to 80 million francs, which was largely due 

 to the disturbances in Tonquin and Madagas- 

 car, causing importing merchants in England 

 and other countries to withhold orders, in ex- 

 pectation of a decline of the market. 



The question whether France has entered 

 upon a period of commercial decline has re- 

 cently been a subject of controversy among 

 French economists. In the ten years from 

 1873 to 1882, the imports increased in total 

 value from 3,554 to 4,972 million francs, while 

 the exports decreased from 3,787 to 3,596 

 millions. The imports of corn and wine in- 

 creased from 257 to 876 millions; manufact- 

 ured products from 384 to 673 millions, or 75 

 per cent., the articles in which the increase 

 was greatest being machines and boilers, tools, 

 woolen and cotton fabrics, and glass. The ex- 

 port of French manufactures shows some in- 

 crease since 1878, but is still 171 millions be- 

 hind the amount in 1873. The decrease is 

 mainly in turned goods, toys, brushes, and 

 silk fabrics. In the first three, Germany and 



