The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-17 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY STATISTICS.

A Parliamentary document was published 3res-
terday, consisting of reports received from British.
Secretaries of Embassy and Legation on the manu-
factures and commerce of the countries in which

they reside. These have been furnished in confor-
mity with a request issued by Lord Clarendon at
the beginning of last year, with the view of encou-
raging the junior members of the diplomatic service
to turn to account the opportunities of observation
afforded them. The consuls at the outports of fo-

reign countries already send periodical statements,
but it was considered that valuable opportunities of
a more general character would present themselves
to her Majesty's diplomatic servants residing atthe
various capitals where the course and motives of the
commercial legislation of each country would be
more apparent. The dates at which the reports are
recommended to be made are the Ist of January
and the Ist of July of each year, and they are in
all cases to be handed to the head of the Embassy,
who is expected to transmit them, with any additions
of his own, to the Government. The present publi-
cation contains 13 reports all from European coun-
tries. The first is on Sardinia, from Mr. Erskine, at
Turin. • Statistics in that country are not much cul-
tivated, but Mr. Erskine has compiled a number of
tables and collected many facts with regard to its
general industry which possess much interest.
There is likewise a summary of the railway under-
takings of the State, with a description of the efforts
in progress for tunnelling Mont Cenis. Also full
particulars of the State debt up to the Ist of Jan.,
1857, when it amounted to £27,000,000. On
Belgium the report is from Sir T. W. Waller, and
states that the foreign trade of the country has
nearly doubled itself in the last ten years, the im-
ports in 1855 having reached £27,160,000. Of
Bavaria it is stated by Mr. Bonar that so rare and
imperfect is the statistical information imparted by
the Government that it is' next to impossible to
obtain, otherwise than by personal observation,
detailed and accurate knowledge of its annual
foreign commerce. In various parts of the
country coal has lately been discovered in veins
promising to be of considerable extent and of ex-
cellent quality. This may give an impulse to trade,
a costly wood fuel, or an inferior peat turf, having
hitherto been alone used. A very full and favour-
able account of the commercial progress of Switzer-
land is given by Mr. Herries. Some of the figures
are striking-, and the general prosperity is attri-
buted to free-trade principles, coupled with political
liberty. The falling off of the soldier traffic, which
in former times drew away a large portion of the
population from industrial pursuits, is oited among
the minor causes of advancement. The present
value of British exports to Switzerland, which
mostly take place through France, is roughly esti-
mated at £2,400,000. More business is supposed to
have been done of late years by Switzerland with
the United States than with any other country, and
the crisis at New York last autumn was conse-
quently severely felt. In railways the country is
behind most others, and the lines that exist are
are "not greatly to be admired." The total of nomi-
nal capital thus invested is about £12,000,000, of
which a large proportion is foreign, the Paris Credit
Mobilier being a great holder. In telegraphs there
has been much more progress, and the charges for
internal messages are extraordinarily low, amount-
ing only to 2s. 6d. for 100 words, irrespective of
distance. The report of Mr. Howard, the Secre-
tary of Embassy in France, relates exclusively to
the silk trade of Lyons. From Denmark
Mr. Orme describes a steady improvement which
has been going on during the last ten years.
assisted by the breaking down of old restrictions.
In a report from Frankfort it is mentioned by Mr.
Edwardes that a company formed in that city about
four years ago for preserving and compressing
vegetables for naval, military, and other purposes,
has met with singular success. It was established
with a capital of only £lO,OOO, and is now doing
much business with almost every part of the world.
The first year it made a return of 13 per cent.;
the second, in consequence of enlargements,
it paid only 8 per cent., but then advanced to 15 :pep
cent. It began by employing six work-people, and
has at present 120. From Prussia Lord A. Loftus
gives encouraging prospects, her progress being
partly due to the growth of intelligence and scien-
tific knowledge among the mannfacturing classes,
owing to increased facilities of communication with
foreign countries, and to the great development of
the iron and mining interests. It is believed,
moreover, that publie feeling is working towards
a greater development of the principle of free
trade.: From Vienna Mr. Elliot sends a report,
in which he traces the causes of the low rank
held by Austria, with her population of
38,000,000 among commercial nations, to the system
of " guilds and trades" having been one of the
principal. Much general information is alsq
given. As regards Russia, Mr. Fane has.traws:
nutted an elaborate review of the progress qf he*
commerce for 30 years up to 1853, at which, date,
owing to the confusion created by the war, the sta.
tistical tables became for a certain period almost
valueless. The slow development of Russian com-
merce, looking at the fact of the population num-
bering 60,000,000, Mr. Fane attributes to serf
labour, defective means of transport, and vicious

legislation, coupled with the low social status of
the merchant. Each of these, however, is in progre
of amelioration,:the first of the recent edicts decree:
ing the gradual emancipation of the serfs tho
second by the projected system of railways ' • anti
the third by the tariff of 1857. Of the general coin.
mercial system of Turkey an analysis is furnished
by Mr. Alison. The advantages derived by that
country from her system of virtual free trade are
shown to be greatly counteracted by the pernicious
duties levied on the transmission of goods from mit
province to another. The fact is that no prodnq:
tion of the soil or manufactures of Turkey can be
transported by sea between any two towns with-
out paying 13 per cent. on being shipped and
1 per cent. on being sold for consumption,
while as regards the tributary provinces an
average duty of 15 per cent. is levied on goods
merely passing and repassing the frontier. As the
country is totally devoid of roads, the tax on sea
carriage virtually applies to the only means of cheap
transport at command. It is also shown that as re-
spects all the ordinary methods of collecting revenue
those of Turkey arc the most wasteful and barbarous.
The absence of roads, canals, or railways is, how-
ever, the grand evil that explains the low rate of
progress the nation has hitherto made, " compared
with other producing countries possessed of far
inferior natural facilities for the production of raw
produce in excess of -the wants of the country
itself." A paper from Mr. Grey gives, in connexion
with details of the commerce of Sweden, a narrative
of the distress which fell upon the trade of that
country last autumn, and some useful remarks on
her rather tardy railway legislation. The final
document is from Mr. Paget, on Portugal, and
here, again, we have a repetition of the story
always heard in countries where the people look to
the Government to do everything, that the want
of roads and transport is creating universal
impoverishment. From this cause there is a con-
stant emigration to Brazil. "At present," it is
said, "there is barely sufficient corn grown to
supply the wants of the population, for the reason
that, owing to the want of roads and the impracti-
cability or expense of transport, the fanner merely
cultivates sufficient land to supply his own imme-
diate neighbourhood, anything beyond that remain-
ing a dead loss upon his hand." Finally, it is to
be remarked that the whole of the reports thus re-
ferred to will be found to contain interesting in-
formation, stated in a clear and unpretending
manner, and that the volume is a creditable speci-
men of the ability of our young diplomatic officers
to handle commercial and financial topics.