1798.) ° Prefent State of Commerce, Manufaétures, ic. "£03 
MONTHLY COMMERCIAL REPORT. 
AMONG the various information contained in M. Yan Braam’s account of the Dutch em- 
‘ bafly to Pekin*, it appears, that the principal officers of ftate there are kept in great 
ignorance of the commercial tranfactions at Canton. As a proof of this, it is mentioned that 
the prime minifter fhewed the ambaflador his watch, which was an Englith one of 
Arnold’s make, and had coft him only 375 livres, although it was evident that even in Lon- 
don, it had never-beer, fold for that fum. In order to account for this, we are told that the 
Chinefe merchants, to pay their court to the Mandarins, and particularly tothe Houpou or prin- 
cipal officer of the cuftoms, who is a kind of God in their eyes, and whois charged by the Gran- 
dees of the empire to procure them European merchandize, part with commodities at a price 
inferior to their value, and give receipts accordingly, which are fent to Pekin with the 
articles purchafed: hence the Emperor and the great perfonages about the court are perfe@ly 
ignorant of the real price of things executed by the celebrated artifts of Europe. It is evi- 
dent, that this mode of dealing would be attended with much lofs to the merchants, had they 
mot fome means of reimburfing themfelves ; but this is done froma fund arifing from duties 
on the imports and exports of Canton, eftablifhed in 1779, in order to provide for a debt due 
to Britith merchants from three or four great Chinefe hovfes which had failed. The tax 
having been impofed for ten years only, and the motive of its creation being anfwered, it 
fhould be difcontined; but the Mandarins and the merchants. find it fo admirably adapted to 
the above purpofe, that it will probably remain a perpetual impofition on the merchandize of 
Europeans, and thus the Engliih Eaft-India Company, who at prefent engrofs almoft the 
whole foreign trade of Canton, muft contribute to the fupport of a fyttem of corruption and 
intrigue to which we may probably in a great meafure, afcribe the failure of the objeét of 
Lord Macartney’s late embaffly. 
The attention of the mercantile intereft, is likeiy to be fhortly engaged by fome extenfive 
projects for opening new channels of trade, under the proteétion of commercial treaties with: 
feveral foreign nations, whichare faid tobe at prefent in contemplation, an under which afliftance 
is to be given them in Britifh manufa&ures. We deter any obfervations on this principle, tilt 
the mode of its intended application is more certainly known. 
There has been no material alteration inthe ftate of foreign tradc, or in any of our home 
manufactures. - ! 
The Norwich manufactory has felt the effects of the war more feverely than mof others, 
and was by no #heans in a {tate to encounter the checks which the lofs or change of foreige: 
markets gives toa manufacture depending greatly on them, from having been on the decline: 
fer fome time before the commencement of the war. This city muft anxiouvfly look for the 
return of peace, with the hope of feeing the former channels of its trade once more opened» 
and hearing again the found of thofe looms, which now ‘are all ftopped in one fhed.?) 
In the mean time, fome laudable attempts have been made te introduce the manufaéture of 
new articles: of thefe, none have done more credit, or. brought more profit to the ingenious 
inventor, than the Shawls made in imitation of thofe fram India. This fuperb artiche of 
drefs, which at firft decorated the fhoulders of only the great and wealthy, has by degrees: 
defcended amongft the crowd ; and for five fhillings the chambermaid may now be as gaudily 
caparifoned as an Indian Princefs. It is computed, that fome thoufands of dozens.of them 
are made every week; the embroidering of which employs a prodigious number of young: 
women.——We have been favoured with an interefting account of this manufa¢tory which wild 
appear in our next number. ‘ 
The Watch making bufinefs is beginning to recover from the ftagnation into which it was 
thrown by the late tax, but the effects of it will probably continue to.be feltin a lefs degree 
for fome years. to come. : ; 
It feems a fingular circumftance, that the ingenuity of our artifts fhould not have enabled 
them to equal the Italians, in the fimp!e article of ftrings for violins, violoncellos, c. 
‘The gteat fearcity of foreign ftrings, and the inferior quality of thofe which are to be fad, 
has produced a neceflity of attempting to fubftitute thofe of Englifh manufacture; which 
upon trial give a tolerable tone, but will not ftand. As workmen from Italy have been em- 
ployed, there can be little doubt that we have the right method of making them, and it re- 
mains to be afcertained, whether the defect may not be remedied by fome mode of preparing. 
the material. ; , 
Mahogany and other foreign woods, are five or fix times dearer than they were previous to. 
the war, from the {mall quantity now imported. 
The plans for improving the port of London, propofed by the merchants and by the corpora- 
tion, will be fhortly brought forward again im parliament. Inthe mean time, a new mode of 
obtaining the defired object of more extenfive accommodation for the increafing trade of the 
port has been fuggefted, by an alteration of London Bridge, which it is faid would be attended, 
with muck lefs expence,and might be accomplifhed within a fhorter period than the intended 
docks. The variation confiits of one principal or center arch, te be formed of iron, 100 
feet. 
ae * Sce the Tranflation of it, juft publihhed by R, Phillips. 
