The Washington union., 1857-11-14
1NrrRrs1INa coaInIERcIAL STATISTICS

INTERESTING COMMERCIAL STATISTICS
The French government is more backward IN the
publication of the annual statement Of its foreign
commerce than that Of Great Britain or Of the United
States. The British annual statement published un
der the direction of the Board of Trade is usually
received in the United States in the spring or early
in the summer following the period to which II comes
down Our fiscal year ends June 80, and Commerce
and Navigation, although required by the act ofSep
tcmber l6 1880 to be completed at as carly day
before the first Monday in January in each year as is
practicable, is usually ready for distribution ON the
first day of the session Of Congress. Indeed, the re-
port for the year ending Both June 1856 was in tire
hands Of the public printer early tho following No
vember and that for the present year lending Juno
80, 1857 is now nearly through the press. And il
may be observed that, although our Annual Report
ON Commerce and Navigation is neither as yolum-
nous nor bulky as those of most other nations it is
not on that account the less complete, either
spects its wellarrapgod and judioiously
tabular statements, or the minute and elaborate
hibt which it presents Of the commerce and
navigation of the United States during the year
to which it relates Indeed, we have, on sew,
eral occasions, noticed in the columns Of the
Union the complimentary manner in which lead
ing journals in Europe refer to American official
reports, special well annual issued from
the different executive departments, and the
mums which they have elected not only for the adj
mirable arrangement, lucid condensation aud sys-
temntic classification of tho varied and interesting in
dence they afford Of the high degree of mechanical
skill and the excellent system Of expediting official
duties attained in the Office of the public printer.
OF this need other proof than the fact already
mentioned Interference to the annualreport Of 1856
namely that it was placed in the hands Of the pub.
lie printer early in Novembcr--it was transmitted
from the Registers Office to the Secretary of the
Treasury November 7thand, although the large edi-
ton $4,000 copies is was print.
cd and bound and the distribution of the usual num-
Der ofcopcs prepared for the of the members of
the two houses Of Congress and their officers was
accomplished on the day of the opening Of the ses-
sion, and, consequently, FIVE weeks in advance
Of tho time limited in the act for that pur-
pose. And were Congress to meet on next Mon.
day, we have no hesitation in saying that Com
merte and Navigation for the present fiscal year
would be on the desk Of each senator and member
on The very morning Of the opening of the
sessio on But we wcro speaking Of the length of
tino which elapses between the close Of the French
Aecaa year and tho appearance of the Commercial
fSep&rt for the samo period. The "Tableau General"
doss not usually 60 to pross before July or august
alth cugh tho year ends with the calendar year. on
tho 3lst December, and it is late in the fall,
times mot before the beginning OF the following year.
that the Yolune reaches this country. An Intelligent
in Paris advises that the report for
last year had just made its appearance, and in anti
cipaton Of the work ITSELF which may not reach us
for some months yet, he has kindly forwarded to us
various statistical documents, from which with
the aid of other data at hand we have prepared the
following comparative statement of the gross amount
of duties received upon the principal articles Of for
eign and colonial merchandise in Great Britain and
France respectively, during the year 1856, to which
we have annexed column showing the gross amount
Of duties received by the United States upon similar
articles during tho same year.