The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-18 00:00:00

TRADE AND NAVIGATION OF THE
UNITED KINGDOM.

The well-known large, square blue-book is just
out, containing the usual annual statement of the
trade and navigation of the United Kingdom with
foreign countries and British possessions in the
year 1858, presented to both Houses of Parliament
by command of her Majesty.
The following is a synopsis of these statistics,
carefully compild from the abstract tables of the
book before us :
The grand total value of the imports of goods
and merchandise in 1858 (which, unless otherwise
stated, is always the year referred to) was
164,583,83 g and that of the exports 139,7g2,779/,
making a gross total trade, on the part of the Bri-
tish empire, of 304,366,6111. The trade of 1857
and 1856 was larger, in the ratio of 334,018,7421 and
311,764,5071. In 1855 the imports end exports to-
gether stood at the sum total of 260,234,1501; and
in 1854 at 268,210,1481.
125,970,3321 worth of goods came from foreign
countries, and 38,613,5001 from British possessions
abroad. Of the 139,782,779/ of exports, 116,608,7561
represented the produce of the United Kingdom,
and 23,174,0231. that of foreign and colonial coun-
tries, re-exported.
The imports are thus classified according to coun-
tries :—From Russia, 11,000,0001 to 12,000,0001;
from Pru55ia,4,107,5091; from the Hanseatic cities,
4,319,0651; Holland, 6,265,2571; Belgium, 3,060,5851;
France, 13,271,8901; Portugal, 1,079,7781; Spain,
2,258,988/. ; Cuba and Porto Rico, 3,798,778/.1
the Two Sicilies, 1,656,2531; Turkey, Moldavia,
andWallachia, about 4,000,0001; Egypt, 6,026,1914
the United States and California, 34,258,4981; Bra-
zil, 2,275,4971; Buenos Ayres, 1,194,9771; Chili,
1,900,3221; Peru, 4,822,2531; China (Hongkong
inc1u5ive),:7,073,509/ ; and Africa (West Coast),
1,563,085/.
From the colonies the imports stand as follows :
From Canada, 2,663,0341; New Brunswick,
1,102,1111; West Indies, 4,890,4881; British Guiana
1,451,341/ ;New South Wales, 1,930,1471; Victoria,
2,110,277/. ; British East Indies, or India proper,
14,989,0391; Ceylon, 1,679,852/. • Mauritius,
1,534,9521; Cape of Good Hope, 1,669,920/. In
every other case the imports are under a million.
The exports from England to foreign parts may
thus be stated:—To Russia, 2,724,6091; Prussia,
1,956,1991; Hanover, 1,640,1891; the Hanse Towns,
9,031,8771; Holland, 5,473,3121; Belgium, 1,815,2574
France, 4,863,1311; Portugal, 1,432,2381; Spain,
2,071,2191; Cuba, 1,797,2191; Sardinia, 1,174,5801;
the Two Sicilies, 1,569,1661; the Austrian territo-
ries, 1,298,1991; (our imports from Austria are
under a million) ; Turkey, 4,255,6121; Egypt,
1,985,8291; United States, 13,994,8151, and Califor-
nia, 426,6331; Brazil, 3,984,9171; Buenos Ayres,
1,008,8191; Chili, 1,117,580; Peru, 1,163,1551; and
China (exclusive of Hongkong), 1,730,778/.
To Canada were exported 1,737,751/ ; the West
Indies, 1,792,323 ; New South Wales, 2,919,5441;
Victoria, 5,417,6011; Hong Kong, 1,145,6691; In-
dia, 16,782,3861; and the Cape of Good Hope,
1,602,6121. The imports above specified represent
the computed, and the exports the declared, real
value of the goods.
The imported articles included 2,325,4391 b of
beads and bugles of glass, 1,156,476 cwt of sul-
phur, 2,055,5961 b of bristles, 10,338,4041 b of cocoa
and 60,697,2651 b of coffee, about 10,000,000 qrs of
wheat and other grain, nearly 4,000,000 cwt of flour,
9,235,198 cwt of raw cotton, 1,283,905 cwt of flax,
3,790,2621 b of goats' hair or wool, 1,638,360 cwt. of
hemp, 3,958,9401 b of tanned, &c., hides; 3,637,178
pairs of gloves, 775,183 pairs of boots, shoes, and
goloshes • 484,988 cwt of nitre, 778,230 cwt of palm
oil, 1,721,953 cwt of potatoes (an immense increase),
3,692,023 cwt of rice (not in husk), 8,155,2561 b of
raw and waste. silk, 3,764,894 sheep and lamb skins,
1,241,370 goatskins,l2,3s7,soBlb of pepper,1,064,663
gallons of brandy, 130,173 gallons only of Geneva
or Hollands gin, 7,311,219 gallons of rum, 9,010,769
cwt of raw sugar, 75,432,5351 b of tea, 59,643,7801 b
of tobacco, and 2,573,9251 b of cigars and snuff,
5,791,636 gallons of wine, 22,673,046 hoops, and
126,738,7231 b of sheep and lambs' wool (including
alpaca and llama wool). 3,458 horses, 89,001 oxen,
bulls, and cows, and 184,482 sheep were added to
the live stock of the country.
The gross amount of Customs duty received at all
ports of the kingdom was 24,155,8521.
The exported produce of the United Kingdom in
1858 included 1,618,28Jewt of soda, 1,559,8951 of
apparel and slops (old and new), 8,840,6471 b of
gunpowder, 3,068,5951 b stearine candles, 1,116,313
cwt of cement, 6,292,190 tons of coal, 1,517,308,665
yards of white or plain calicoes, and 785,666,473
yards of printed or dyed calicoes (cotton goods),
7,277,370 yards of cambrics and muslins (plain , and
3,952,534 yards of printed ditto, 7,335,580 yards of
fustians, velvets, &c., 2,598 463 yards of cotton and
linen mixed, 498,133 dos pair stockings, 200,916,902
lb of cotton twist and yarn, 3,162,832/ haberdashery
and millinery, 663,400 cwt of hardware and cut-
lery, 121,215 dozen hats of all kinds, 187,2701 of
jewelry, 6,364,8581 b of wrought leather (exclusive
of saddlery and harness), 32,047,492 linen yarn,
110,986,886 yards of plain linen goods, 5,008,075
yards of printed ditto, and 1,711,437 yards of cam-
bric and lawn, 3,629,339 yards of sailcloth,
3,176,1311 b of linen thread for sewing, and
4,517,7301 b of cotton thread for same purpose;
1,097,2781 of steam-engines, 2,502,0741 of other
machinery, 6,515,333 gallons of linseed oil, 592,719
tons of salt, 490,0781 b of silk stuffs and ribands, and
about 700,00010 f fringes and mixed silks ; 1,325,311
gallons of British spirits, 1,351,151/ of tin plates,
13,455,9841 b of sheep's wool, 76,584,532 yards of
mixed woollen stuffs, carpets, blankets, &c., 565,709
pieces of woollen cloths of all kinds, and 2,349,908
pieces of worsted stuffs.
The total value of the gold imported was
22,793,126/, and that of the silver, 6,700,0651; the
quantity of the former (coin and bullion) was
5,941,1690 z, and that of the latter 25,296,4890 z,
3,285,0420 z of gold (value 12,567,0401) were ex-
ported. The export of silver was 26,564,4280 z,
value 7,061,8361.
37,751 registered vessels, of 5,609,623 tons, and
employing 288,345 seamen, belonged to the United
Kingdom and the Channel Islands and British pos-
sessions in 1858. Of these, 35,512 were sailing
ships, and 2,239 steamers. In England some 168,603
seamen are employed as crews, in Scotland 32,862,
and in Ireland 14,289, making a total for the
United Kingdom of 215,754 seamen.
51,970 British vessels of 12,891,405 tons, and
45,573 foreigners, of 9,418,576 tons, entered and
cleared from and to foreign countries and British
possessions in the year 1858.

(Fi•om the Times.)
A whole nation of shopkeepers must needs have
a heavy ledger, and if the reader will turn to
another column of our impression this morning he
will see one of the largest Christmas accounts ever
made up. The figures express nothing less than
the entire amount of British trade—export and
import—all we bought, and all we sold. What we
gained by it is matter of further deduction, but
there, at any rate, arc our books completely posted
up for the year 1858. We did a good stroke of
business in that year—not quite so much, appa-
rently, as in 1857, but more in reality, for it was
done on better principles. According to this latest
calculation, we bought goods to the amount of
£160,000,000, and sold goods to the amount of
£140,000,000. The commodities in which we deal are
miscellaneous, but the two comprehensive items of
mines and manufactures will account for almost all.
We produce two great articles of raw material—
coal and iron, and in such quantities indeed, that
the annual value of the yield is fully double that
of all the gold of California. By the aid of these
materials we work up others,—cotton in particular,
but also wool, leather, and metals. The labour of
our hands turns them into calicoes, hardware,
machinery, saddlery, and such like productions, for
all of which we find ready markets abroad. But
for getting through all this work we require two
things—stuffs to work with and food to live
upon. So we send abroad and buy enormous
quantities of cotton, flax, hemp, wool, hides, and
silk ; and almost equal quantities of corn, flour,
coffee, cocoa, tobacco, spirits, and wine.
To these gtshuesaer'in 1858 we added nearly 300,000 live
cattle,e m
principallyorci of our
. sheep.lt is plain, therefore, we
live
hands. We can supply any
people with coal or calicoes, raw iron or wrought
iron, so cheaply that they could never find a better
market, and we can deal with them in return
either for raw materials or articles of food so
liberally that they will get an excellent bargain.
Next to the description of the business, the most
important point is that of our customers, and here
the account 'present some very striking features.
The United States are, beyond all comparison, the
largest customers with whom we have any dealings,
but they do not buy of us half as much as they sell.
Germany, on the other hand, takes from us, through
the llanse Towns, twice as much as she sends, while
Spain and Turkey keep the balance pretty even.
India also is a most important customer to us, for
the account between the two countries is not only
very large-1;30,000,000 and upwards both ways
together—but is somewhat in our favour. From
the Chinese, of course, we buy immense stocks of
tea and silk, whereas at present we sell them next
to nothing. Russia, again, is more of a seller than
a buyer, which is not extraordinary, considering
how much we w
she actually
needs
of h
st
of ours
.prboudtucand
there
is how littleanother
example which is of more
Nothing can be plainer than
muchstricted.
thati'mportandee
rtnhgasnwaitllh.
France are unnaturally . our ea
do not go to France for soreeWr
really
ll ourselves
want,
though we do take /13,000 0 as
w , 00 worth from her,
but when it comes to the turn of Frenchmen to be
buyers the figures are less satisfactory •
still. They

literally only deal with us to the amount of
£4,000,000 or £5,000,000, whereas Holland does
more than this, and Brazil nearly as much.
Evidently there is something wrong here. France
has a population of above 35,000,000; England
of nearly 30,000,000. The two countries thus
peopled lie close to each other, separated only by
a few miles of sea. They produce respectively arti-
cles of peculiar importance to each other's welfare.
We cannot send to market what France sends, nor
can France send what we send. We cannot pretend
to grow the vine, nor can we buy anywhere wines
of that particular quality which France produces
in profusion. On the other hand, if Frenchmen
would come to us for coal and iron, they would save
themselves an infinite amount of money. Can any-
body believe, in short, that the people of South
America have greater need of British markets than
the people of France ? Look at our cutlery. We
could put knives and scissors in the house of every
Frenchman far better than he now gets, and at a
cheaper price; we could lesson by a heavy figure
per mile the cost of laying down those railways on
which the French Emperor wisely counts for the
improvemement of French trade, and we could re-
duce their working expenses in like proportion by
the means of cheap coal. As for ourselves, there are
countless articles which we should be glad to re-
ceive from the other side of the Channel—articles
which everybody who goes to France becomes de-
sirous of purchasing, and of which those who stay
at home never conceive an idea. Would it not be a
thousand times better if each country manufactured
for itself only what it could best manufacture, and
then made an exchange of commodities ?
We say nothing about the present balance of
trade. Of course, we would rather see Frenchmen
come to our market as freely as we go to theirs,
but we should not complain if our imports from
France reached to £30,000,000 instead of
£13,000,000, provided only there was a fair free-
dom of intercourse between the two countries. We
do not wish for any forced reciprocity or any arti-
ficial establishment of a commercial equilibrium.
The best way is to let such dealings find their own
level. If we have more need of French goods than
the French have of English goods, so be it. If the
balance is against us there, it will be in our favour
somewhere else where the conditions happen to be
reversed. What we produce we profess to produce
of such a quality and at such a price that it will
command a market if no barriers are put in its way.
We are sure that we can live by our work as far as
its real value and saleability are concerned. We
ask for no protection, but simply for a fair field.
This, of course, is merely the theory of the case.
At present we cannot expect to see it put into prac-
tice, either in France or elsewhere, for it will require
years to develope the principles which the Emperor
has laid down. This, however, is the true doctrine
and the ideal by which we should be guided. Pro-
tection and self-sufficiency are pure economical delu-
sion. No civilised country can be self-sufficient. Even
where population and territory attain such enor-
mous limits as in the case of the Chinese external
commerce is all but a necessity. The Chinese are
prodigiously the gainers by selling us tea, and they
would increase their advantages if they would deal
with us for clothing. It is sheer absurdity for any
nation to confine itself to articles of its own pro-
duce in any particular department of manufac-
ture when it can obtain those articles better from
some other nation, and thus apply itself to some
branches of industry in which it can naturally
excel. All this, too, we say on grounds of economy
alone; but how much might be added on grounds
of international friendship ? How many quarrels
might be avoided, how much animosity might be
extinguished, by the conviction that one State was
so inextricably connected with the other by this
reciprocity of dependence as to make rupture next
to impossible ? When the trade between England
and France rises to £40,000,000 annually instead of
£17,000,000 the alliance will be effectual indeed.