466 IVORY AND THE ELEPHANT 





IMPORTATIONS 



SALES 



AVERAGE PRICE 



Francs 



1902 



370,000 



322,000 



20.16 



1903 



354,000 



356,000 



19.15 



1904 



293,000 



329,000 



21.54 



1905 



338,000 



339,500 



28.55 



1906 



287,000 



303,800 



27.9a 



1907 



327,800 



312,400 



33.52 



1908 



347,000 



227,700 



26.40 



1909 



369,000 



337,000 



25.14 



1910 



330,000 



336,500 



24.00 



1911 



347,000 



342,413 



24.40 



1912 



341,400 



385,330 



24.26 



1913 



351,000 



454,776 



28.10 



There has been a general decrease in the average weight 

 of the tusks imported to Antwerp. In 1889 this average 

 was 12| kilograms and in 1890 10/^ kilograms; but in 1896 

 the average had fallen to 6| kilograms, recovering somewhat 

 from this low point to 9 kilograms in 1900 and 8| kilograms 

 in 1901.* 



Although this necessitates a repetition of the figures for 

 the Antwerp sales, we give here the sales from 1886 at the 

 three European ivory marts, Antwerp, London, and Liver- 

 pool, so as to exhibit in a graphic way the passage of the 

 primacy in this trade from London to Antwerp. \Miat 

 the further development may be when the port of x\ntwerp 

 is again opened to the world's commerce it would not be 

 easy to predict with any certainty, but trade routes are not 

 often completely and radically changed in accord with 

 temporary political vicissitudes. This is the lesson taught 

 us by history, both ancient and modern, many of the 

 Asiatic and African trade routes having been used for 

 commercial intercourse from the very dawn of history; 

 indeed, the use of some of them must considerably ante- 

 date our oldest historic records. 



*H. Jacob de Cordemoy, "Les products coloniaux d'origine animale," Paris, 1903, p. 201. 



