172 ON THE TRADE OP MARSEILLES. 



Wool. — The largest importations of wool ever seen at Marseilles 

 occurred in 1861. Prices, nevertheless, kept rising until the autumn, 

 when they would probably have settled down, had not a sudden demand 

 for 16,000 bales, for the service of the United States army, been made 

 in time to keej:> them up. As there are no woollen manufactures in this 

 part of Trance, this commodity is generally forwarded at once to the 

 more northern parts of the country. The trade, however, is greatly 

 kept down by the high tariffs of the railway companies. It now costs 

 120 francs per ton to send wool from Marseilles to Roubaix, whilst 

 English or German railways would convey the same for a like distance 

 for one-half the amount. Much apprehension exists, therefore, that the 

 wool trade of Marseilles will not be able to compete with the foreign 

 trade, particularly in the face of the treaty with England. 



Total Importation of Wool, from 1856 to 1861. 



Bales. Bales. 



1856 . . 



. . . 86,040 



1859 . . 



. . . 80,210 



1857 . . 



. . . 98,955 



1860 . . 



. .- . 102,095 



1858 . . 



. . . 55,846 



1861 . . 



. . . 111,098 



Metals. — The trade in metals was much affected during 1861 by the 

 American crisis, and also by the change in the Customs' tariff. 



Lead occupied the first place amongst the metals imported at Mar- 

 seilles : about 12,000 tons of rough ore were imported and smelted here, 

 yielding about 5,000 tons of argentiferous lead. Nearly 13,000 tons of 

 pig-lead were likewise landed here, and the silver extracted therefrom. 



Iron and steel rank next, about 12,000 tons thereof having been im- 

 ported, as also 8,000 tons of iron ore from Elba and Spain. 



The following note will show, more or less, the quantity of the dif- 

 ferent ores and metals imported at Marseilles during 1861 : — 



Ores. 



Kilogrammes. 



Iron 8,226,000 



Copper 864,737 



Lead 12,841,603 



Zinc 1,050 



Antimony 26,029 



Manganese 858,809 



Metals. 



Pig-iron 9,013,900 



Iron in bars, sheet iron and old iron 2,889,263 



Steel bars, plates, and wire . . . 292,180 



Copper 1,983,114 



Tin 127,800 



Lead 15,034,148 



Zinc 357,203 



