The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-01-04

Our o. numerical Intcrcourse with Rrance
under the EmpasS.
France, under the Empire, wil obviously be .
comme1cisl country. The factories Of Rousn and
Lyoas will be tbronged with busy operatives caring
lessfor politics and more for the loom than their
predecessors Of these latter days. The auays at
Hc7re and Marseiles and the western ports will be
crowded with shipping, and respectable foreign
trade will at length spring up. The lower classss
will consume Of the nocossaries and luxuries u
life, large portion Of which they will require to
purchase from abroad In return, \ new impetus
will be given to the creative industry OF the country
and tho usual domestic exports viii bs vastly in
creased. Silks, ribbons, cloth, hardware, and the
thousand and oae miner manufactures Of luxury Of
which Paris is the mart, will be produced in enor
nous quantities; and there will be fair chance
that we, in New York, shall be enabled to purchase
pair Of hid gloves for something less thaa dollar
Every encouragement viii be held out under the
new regime 70 men Of wealth 70 engage in trade;
and while the laws which guarantee the liberty Of
the subject may be quietly smethered under the
cushions Of the imperial throne, al tho power Of the
Emperor will be exerted to incorporate those relat-
ing to freedom Of trade into the law CT tia
land Trained IN the study 0! political economy
by one Of the first of modern statesmen
late Sir Robert psel--Louis Napoleon Is not
likely to allure, 81 q moment when his priv ate
will is law, those principles for which his mas
tor and model sacrificed power fame, and happiness.
Some approximation towards free trade may conf
IDENTIFY be expected Some allsviaton Of tho terrible
duties by which .hort sighted stateemen strove TO
hem in France within herseif win certainly be :
al Tap,s &,
that the surest mode Of increasing the foreign ex-
port trade Of france Is to all restrictions
her import trade, and he win evince less wiadom
than we give HIM credit for if he delays an hour
longer than is necessary the removal Of imposts so
eminenty rrejudicisl to tho welfare Of his people
To the United States, the commercial policy which
he Willie called to pursue isa matter Of grave
momsnt Though CUR com meTcial intercourse Yith
France has been hitherto subject to constant auotu
ations-now prosperous, and giving employment to
thoufaIds of individuals, and again reduced to
mere nominal figure, by the crisis ensuing upon o
popular movement there is every reason to believe
that under stable government, and more liberal
commercial lava, it might assume very respectable
proportions. In the fiscal year 1850, our do
mestio exports to France were valued at abou.
$l2 500, Goethe unsettled state of the republic
holding out but little indictment to merchants to
make large shipments. The next year, during
which the struggle between Louis Napoleon and tbs
republican party rendered the state Of Franco still
more uncertain and probamatical, our domestic ex-
ports to Hayre and the other ports fell to 81 2Si
e63. Confidence being partially restored during the
year lsoo-5l, they rose to the more respectable
figure Of S25 800 ,os5, ard we presume the tables of
tba las .tra1 - u,;lf ubnm
increase on this amount Taking the returns Of
1901 as the standard we End that our export Of
cotton constitutes reary thresfourths Of our whole
domestic export to France the quantity sent over in
that year being valued at about eighteen millions
Of dollars. Next to cotton, gold and silver coin
rank tho highest in the table; we exported nearly
five millions worth during the twelve months About
half million dollars worth of tobacco, quarter Of
a million worth Of whalebone, slSi00O worth of
boards and staves Sl65 900 worth Of pearl ash and
1852 coo worth Of riee are the otLsr leading items
Of the table.
4 Most Of these articles paid an ex.ravagantly high
duty to the French government. About twenty
nine thirtieths of the cotton paid tre over three
cents pound; and the remaining one. thirtieth "a
ther more than a cent and half The bullion paid
81 Sc per3 h. Il OF troy. Twenty nine thirtieths
VI the tobacco PAID rather more tnan pound,
and the remaining one thirtisth was admitted free
Twenty nine-thirtieths of the rice paid about one
cent FER h. and the remaining thirtieth paid one
cen. per lbs. So it is with the other imports into
France from this country.
But France has not only attempted to make our
exporters bear the chief load o: the support of her
government, but has left no means untried to ex
cluds our ships from her ports. While tho French
flag is as welcome to New York and Boston
az any other, vessels are persecuted
with such yexatious exactions a, Bordeaux
and Havre, that nothing but the indomitabls ener-
gy Of our ship and merchants could keep the
trade alive. A scale of discriminating duties
places vessels under most serious disadvantage
in the Of competition with the native shipping
One hundred per cent additional i. levied on cotton
imported into France in foreign vessels. One cent
pound is exacted on tobacco under the like crcum
stances while French vessels allowed to land it
free Of duty. Four hundred per cent additional is
charged on rice imported from countrie,
out of Europe, in foreign vessels. Besides .hess,
the French port and tonnage duties are obviously
aimed at excluding the foreigner altogether from
Frerch ports II ia almost incredible, but neverhe-
less strictly true, that American vessels trading TO
France, pay in French ports eractty niae times as
'nueh for port ton.ags, and Other duties a, French
ressels do here. That these absurd laws do not at.
tain their object, is perfectly clsir from the pub
Iisbed trade and navis CATION tables Notwithst and
ing the many imposts levied, and the exsctions
practised, our vessels, they carry twenty nine
thirtistbs Of the produce exported from this country
to France. According to another official return,
our import trade from France, during the same
year Qs30-5l), employed PA American vessels,
1882 tons, and only l3s French yes
sels measuring Al, l55 tone; and our export trade
to rance, during the same period, employed 27l
American vessels, measuring 1863, 7O7 tons, and only
70 French vessels, measuring LEO tons. The du-
ties Of which We complain are, therefore, grstui-
tous injury, inflicted primarily on our own ship
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