COMMERCE, INTERNATIONAL. 



117 



raw cotton thence over the Orenburg Rail- 

 way, which had forwarded already, in No- 

 vember, 1,150,000 cwt., 36 million Ibs. having 

 been brought from Khiva and Bokhara in the 

 three months preceding. The export trade 

 from Russia was greatly stimulated by the war, 

 and by the debased currency. The exports of 

 grain in the same period increased nearly one- 

 quarter ; of spirits, nearly one-half ; exports of 

 tobacco nearly trebled ; those of flax more than 

 doubled ; and those of hemp, hides, sheep and 

 cattle, wool, and many such products, increased 

 in an astonishing ratio. The sugar-culture, 

 owing to special protective measures and a 

 favorable crop, -attained a development almost 

 magical in this period, and, instead of an im- 

 port of 414,000 poods and an export of 1,000 

 in the preceding year, there were, in 1877, no 

 imports, but an export of 3,256,000 poods. A 

 conference, called by the Government of Rus- 

 sia, to consider the probable effect of a block- 

 ade on the grain trade, reported that the 

 average grain exports had lately increased to 

 143 million bushels. 



There has been a gradual increase in the 

 exports from India for many years, which was 

 abnormally quickened by the recent fall in the 

 European silver market. In the year 1872-'73 

 the quantity of wheat sent abroad was 320,000 

 cwt. ; in!875-'76 it had increased to 2,156,000 

 cwt., and in 1876-'77 to 4,839,000 cwt. The 

 cultivation of the tea-plant has increased much 

 in late years. New industries have also been 

 introduced, such as the culture of the cinchona 

 plant. The exports of India are usually about 

 50 per cent, in excess of the imports. In 1875- 

 '76 the imports amounted to about 212 and the 

 exports to 300 million dollars. Not over 11 per 

 cent, of the exports were manufactured arti- 

 cles; an increase in the exports of the latter 

 class, notably of cotton and jute manfactiires, 

 and of leather and tanned hides, is observed. A 

 large increase in the tea culture is noticeable. 

 The tea exports of 1875-'76 were 24 million Ibs., 

 amounting to 10 million dollars. 



The export of silk from Japan rose suddenly 

 in the latter half of 1876, owing to the failure 

 of the silk crop in Europe, to nearly double 

 the quantity exported in the same period the 

 year before. The value of the exports amounted 

 to $12,770,000, which was more than the en- 

 tire exportations of any year since 1860-'70. 

 The high prices brought out the accumulated 

 stocks in the interior. But, aside from this ex- 

 ceptional activity, there are signs that the silk 

 culture in Japan is at present extending, and 

 that the soil and capital employed in the pro- 

 duction of tea for the American market are, 

 owing to the depressed condition of the tea- 

 trade, being turned into the cultivation of silk. 

 The Japan teas exported to America increased 

 from 6,500,000 Ibs. in 1862-'63 to 24,893.000 

 Ibs. in 1875 -'76. The foreign trade of Japan for 

 the year 1875-'76 was reported at 24 million 

 dollars imports, one-half of them from Great 

 Britain, and 16| millions exports, nearly 7 mill- 



ions to the United States, 6 millions of which 

 was in tea. 



The customs returns for the treaty-ports 

 of the Chinese Empire show a gradual exten- 

 sion of the foreign trade, the total exports for 

 1876 being two-thirds greater than the total 

 for the year 1864 ; though the large exports, 

 and high prices of silk in 1876, made the total, 

 151,120,086 taels, considerably higher than it 

 would otherwise have been. More than three- 

 fourths of this trade was with the British Em- 

 pire and colonies ; more than three-fourths 

 also of the shipping in which the goods were 

 exported was British, German shipping rank- 

 ing next, and then American, French, and 

 Japanese in order. The exports of raw silk, 

 stimulated by the recent failures of the Euro- 

 pean crops, will probably remain an important 

 branch of Chinese commerce. The particulars 

 of the Chinese imports in 1875, compared with 

 1874, indicate an increased demand for Euro- 

 pean manufactures and East Indian products, 

 with the exception of opium. The decline in 

 this article, from nearly 43 million dollars to 

 38 millions, is accounted for by the increased 

 production of China, and partly, no doubt, by 

 the efforts of the Government to restrain its use. 

 The increase in cotton goods was from under 

 27J million to 30 million dollars ; in woolens, 

 from 6 to 6f millions; in metal goods, from 

 5-J- to 6 millions ; and in sundries, from 14f 

 to over 20 millions. The aggregate imports 

 increased from $96,541,296 to $101,704,870. 

 The increase in the values of the exports 

 was from $100,069,302 to $103,369,393; the 

 increase in the quantities was, however, con- 

 siderably greater; a growing demand is ob- 

 servable for many peculiarly Chinese manu- 

 factures, and a progress in industries of mod- 

 ern introduction, as in refined sugar, tobacco, 

 etc. The net imports of opium increased 

 steadily from 53,915 piculs in 1868 to 67,468 

 piculs in 1874, and then fell off to 66,461 

 piculs in 1875. The total exports of tea from 

 China were : 1875-'76 green, 8,023,601 Ibs. ; 

 black, 66,396,663 Ibs. ; 1876-'77 green, 9,476,- 

 624 Ibs.; black, 76,113,084 Ibs. The exports 

 in 1875 amounted to 192,054,508 Ibs. of black, 

 27,172,647 Ibs. of green, and 22,281,150 Ibs. of 

 brick, and the total shipments to 242,754,664 

 Ibs. The export of green teas has declined 

 since 1872 ; that of the black and brick varie- 

 ties is steadily increasing. The total exports 

 in 1866 summed up 159,150,423 Ibs. Besides 

 the above quantities, there are large amounts 

 transported overland to Siberia and Mongolia, 

 to the value of a couple of million dollars a 

 year. The land-shipments are increasing, and 

 were, in 1875, nearly 20 million Ibs. 



The industrial condition of the countries of 

 South and Central America is steadily improv- 

 ing, though amid many drawbacks. Large 

 amounts of European capital have been em- 

 ployed in opening up the resources of this 

 part of the world, yet its natural wealth is still 

 very far from being fully developed. Some of 



