COTTON TEXTILES IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 173 



BELGIUM. 



ANTWERP. 



REPORT ST CONSUL STEWART 



The manufacture of cotton goods is a very extensive and important 

 industry in the Kingdom of 13elgium, but the province of Antwerp has 

 no direct part therein, this city acting simply as the transit depot for 

 the receipt and delivery of the raw material and the product therefrom. 

 A large quantity of raw cotton is brought into this port, coming from 

 India, the United States, and England, to be forwarded to its destina- 

 tion, the greater part going to a market, such as Ghent (every Friday 

 being special cotton day there), to be sold and distributed among the 

 factories of the kingdom, and the rest into the neighboring countries. 

 The quantity of the manufactured article passing through here is also 

 very large, both in transit from one foreign country to another and 

 also from home manufacturers for export, and for the large home deal- 

 ers established in the interior. In this city there are no importers or 

 dealers of any consequence ; Brussels being so near and so accessible 

 interferes greatly with the retail trade of this city ; most persons having 

 orders to give or purchases to make go to Brussels, where they claim 

 to find more taste and skill, more extensive assortments and lower 

 prices, hence the large merchants are to be found there. 



For our products Antwerp offers one of the most desirable and im- 

 portant markets on the continent, but for our industries there is not 

 much scope or encouragement. 



The cotton factories are located principally in Ghent, and nearly all 

 are in the Province of Flanders; their product is protected by a high 

 tariff duty, which cripples foreign competition and makes the importa- 

 tion of manufactures of cotton very trifling, whilst the exports are very 

 large. 



There is a very extensive bleaching and dyeing establishment located 

 near Antwerp. The proprietor informs me that he receives a great deal 

 of material from abroad to be operated upon, and that, when finished, 

 he returns or forwards it to its destination without any interference on 

 the part of the customs authorities. 



Cotton fabrics are purchased by the merchants here from the repre- 

 sentatives of the manufacturers or the large wholesale merchants, from 

 samples exhibited by them, the usual credit being three months, or cash 

 in fifteen days, with from 2 to 3 per cent, discount, as already stated. 



Quantities and kinds imported. The official statistics not giving the dif- 

 ferent kinds of cotton goods imported into Antwerp, and not being able 

 to get them at this custom-house, I applied to the bureau of finance in 

 Brussels, and in response have received the statistics giving the de- 

 sired information, as shown in Table A, subjoined to this report. 



