126 



COMMERCE (FOREIGN) OF THE UNITED STATES. 



three years ; those of manufactured tobacco 

 have fallen off one-third. The importation of 

 spices has declined nearly one-third in the two 

 years ; that of fruits and nuts about one-fourth. 

 The decline in metals and metal wares is re- 

 markable, namely, from 37 millions in 1875 to 



27 millions in 1876, and 23 millions in 1877 ; 

 the principal cause of this reduction of over 

 38 per cent, in two years is undoubtedly the 

 increased production in the country. The im- 

 portation of leather and leather manufactures 

 declined from 10 millions in 1875 to 8 mill- 

 ions in 1876 and 1877, while that of hides in- 

 creased in the latter year, after having fallen 

 off a quarter the year before, the cattle impor- 

 tations, however, showing a constant increase ; 

 these facts accord with the reports of an in- 

 creased export of leather in 1876, and a de- 

 cline in 1877 to about the same amount as in 

 1875, and show that this promising branch of 

 industry is advancing amid difficulties. The 

 imports of dyes have constantly increased. 

 Those of hemp have declined, while the ex- 

 ports of manufactures have considerably in- 

 creased. The imports of raw wool show a 

 decrease of one- third in two years. The de- 

 cline in the two years of cotton fabrics from 



28 to 23 and 19 millions, of woolens from 45 

 to 33 and 26, of silks from 24 in the first two 

 years to 22, and of linens from 17 to 14 and 

 12 millions of the total textile manufactures, 

 therefore, from 114 to 94 and 79 millions, that is, 

 over 30 per cent, in two years is ascribable to 

 three concurrent causes : to the decline in the 

 prices, to the decrease in consumption, and 

 (not the least cause) to the improvement in the 

 domestic industries. The export of cotton 

 manufactures has, indeed, during the same brief 

 period mounted from 4 to 10 millions, and the 

 wished-for time is probably near at hand when 

 America will become entirely independent of 

 the Old World in this, the most anxiously fos- 

 tered of her textile industries. 



The decline in the imports of unwrought 

 wool , noticed above, may be in a good measure 

 due to the advance in American sheep culture. 

 The total wool clip of the United States formed 

 last year about 14 per cent, of the total es- 

 timated product of the world. 



The wool clip of the United States for 1876 

 was about 200 million pounds; of England, 

 Ireland, and Scotland, about 162 million 

 pounds, mostly combing ; of the Continent of 

 Europe, about 463 million pounds; of Aus- 

 tralasia, about 350 million pounds ; of Buenos 

 Ayres and River La Plata, about 207 million 

 pounds. These are the principal wool-growing 

 countries of the world, and produce 1,382 

 million pounds out of the estimated 1,419 

 million pounds produced on the entire globe. 

 The selling value of the total clip would prob- 

 ably-aggregate 450 million dollars. 



The share of each country in the export and 

 import commerce of the United States in the 

 year 1876, the latest reported, is exhibited in 

 the following table: 



Great Britain, with its dependencies, received 

 nearly two-thirds of the total exports ($422,- 

 416,533), and furnished about three-eighths of 

 the imports ($176,279,227). 



Of American manufactures a good portion 

 go to Europe, and this portion is becoming 

 constantly larger. The articles exported thith- 

 er are generally dearer than the same lines of 

 goods manufactured there, but are preferred 

 on account of their ingenious designs and pe- 

 culiarly practical forms and uses, as in the case 



