American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1857-04-11
Valuable Statistics.

Soinnherclal helatlonS or the United
States with all Foreign Nations" pre-
pared in the Department of State by
Mr.. Flagg and his assistant, some sta.
tlstics which are not only curious, but
instructive to the reader who has
taste for investigation.
ENGLAND.-It is assumed by British
statisticians the yearly consumption of
tobacco in Great Britain and Ireland
amounts to 10000 tons, about one half
of which, it is supposed is smuggled,
owing to the excessive duties upwards
of a 1000 per cent? levied on the arti-
Gle under the tariff system of that king.
dom. The quantity of cigars & snuff
imported does not exceed 200 or 800
weight per annum.
FRANCE.-The article of cotton has,
for q number of years, constituted in
value upon an average, three quarters
of all our domestic exports to France.
Our other chief export to that coun-
try is tobacco, the trade in which is
monopolized by the government, the
exclusive right to purchase imported
and indigenous tobacco being invested
In the regie, or commission-an associ-
alton under the supervision of the Min
lister of France.
One half of the area of France is
cultivatable, and of this nine parts are
meadow; four and half parts vine.
yaro; fifteen parts woods and forests;
fifteen downs, pastures, and heaths;-
tho remainder consisting of roads, ci-
ties, canals, vegetable gardens, &c.
1t presents every variety of geological
formation, exhibited in almost every va
riety of known relations. All the de-
partments eighty five in number) con-
tain mineral substances. There arc
thirty six coal fields in thirty depart
mcnts, and the annual produce of coal
exceeds 100000 tons. France is
surpassed by England only in the pro
duction of iron, twelve mines of which
are in operation. Three hundred thou
sand persons are engaged in mining, &
their operations show an annual value
of $S0,00O,ooo.
Schools are provided for only about
one sixteenth of the children, and the
annual revenue from all sources is a.
bout $180,000, while the national debt
is over 500, 100000.
THE VINE.-The number of acres
under vine cultivation in France OK
ceeds .$5,OOO,0OO, giving employment
in the cultivation of the vine and the
manufacture of vino, to about 2,000,-
600 persons, mostly females, and in its
transportation and sale to 250,000.-
The vine disease, now more or less pre-
vailing in all the wine producing coun-
tries, has increased the average price
of wine from 100 to ITS per cent
The French Government derives con-
siderable portion of it's internal reyen-
ue from the manufacture of this bever-
age, about 10000, 900 gallons of which
are annually distilled into brandy, the
expectation of which is under special
government restrictions. Next to
wheat the vine is the most important
vegetable production of France, and
extends over the Southern half of the
empire. In 1849 there were produced
in France 925, 100000 gallons of wine.
REAL EsTATE.--Landed property
is more minutely divided in France
than any where else in Europe, or even
than in the United States. In few
departments may be found estates of
200 acres, but they are rare, and daily
becoming more SO, as the law divides
the realty equally among the children.
The greater portion of the farms are
now lessthat 20 acres. improvements
in tho methods of cultivation progress
lahguidly, and the methods of manur-
ing and rotation of crops and machine
ry continue to be very defective.
a Good Onc.-Not many months