The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-06-12

very greatly exaggerated. Inere Is vague
idea that with country having SO vast
population, variously estimated at from
two hundred millions to four hundred
millions, an immense and lucrative for
eign trade must necessarily be carried
on; but when compared with the COM
merce of the Western nations the trade
of the Celestial Empire is found to be rela-
lively very insignificant. 1t is stated by
the best official authority that the total
foreign commerce of China with all coun-
tries in the year 1872 amounted to but
sos, 600, 600. For the same year the value
of the foreign commerce of England was
So, $40 900, 900. For the year 1876 the for
eign commerce Of China is stated to have
been S219, 1000, 900. The value of the for
eign commerce Of the United States for the
same year was, over 81, 100, 900, 900. No more
striking evidence could be presented to
show that other elements than simply that
of population are necessary to afford basis
for profitable trade.
The foreign commerce Of China in 1876
was divided eas follows:-With Great
Britain-imports. s22, $40, 600; exports,
$40, 500, 600. British dependencies-im
ports, s73,3O3, 900 (mostly opium from In
dia) exports, "a, 091, 900. United States
imports, s1.07l, 600; exports, s1O,526, 900.
Continent of Europe--imports, 81, 1876, 600;
exports. $40, 957. OOO All other countries
imports, So, 497, 900; exports, $40, 76s, 600.
The total imports of cotton goods into
China during the year 1876 amounted to but
s29, 314, 600; of woollen goods, $4,000, 600;
and of metals, wrought and unwrought,
SIS, 446, 600. OF the exports the value Of tea
was $50, 1853, 900; of silk and silk goods,
s51, 92S, 900 and of sugar, So, 1884,
These figures show the total commerce of
China with all countries. What our own
commerce with that country has been is
shown by the tables compiled from official
data which we publish to-day, and which
present in one view q statement of our COM
merce with China during the last twenty
one years. From these tables it appears
that for the twenty years ended June 30,
1876, the average value of our commerce
with China has been but $22, 108 026 per
annum. During the last ten years. of that
period the average increased to $27, 300, 174,
and during the last five years to $50, SIC, 595
per annum. The highest figure that has
been reached in any year was in 1873,
when our total exchanges with China
amounted to S36, 9O2, 459.
During the same period Of five years above
referred to our commerce with the island Of
Cuba averaged in value $89, sec, 1852 per an
mum, with the Dominion Of Canada and
Newfoundland, $50, 5S7, 181 and with Brazil,
SAT, GA, 843 per annum.
For the fiscal year ended June 80, 1877,
our total commerce with China amounted
to but $50, 6S1, POI, while the value Of our
commerce with Cuba was $84, 1863, 723 and
with Brazil. s51, 0SO,s54
It will thus be seen that our commerce
with China is far less important than that
with Canada, Cuba or Brazil.
Until last year our annual imports from
China have been greatly in excess of our ex-
ports to that country. During the five
years ended June 80, 1876 our imports from
China averaged $20,01S,397 per annum,
while our exports averaged but $40, 59S, 1913
per annum. This condition of our trade
was reversed during the fiscal year ended
June 80, 1877. our exports to China having
been $40, 1868, 900 in value. while our imports
amounted to but 2,3l2, G3G We find,
however, that less than one-quarter Of our
total exports to China last year consisted
of merchandise, seventy-six per cent: or
above imports from China sixty-four per
cent came in free of duty.
1t is noteworthy that seventy per cent of
our commerce with China is now carried on
through the port of San Francisco, while
New York has twenty;nine per cent. Prob
ably many of our readers will be surprised
to learn that the value Of the tea imported
into the United States last year from Japan
was greater, by 1851, 1888, than that imported
from China. In quantity there was an ex-
cess of 307, 346 pounds in favor of China
Our total imports Of tea during tho last
fiscal year from China amounted to
26, ACT, 5S1 pounds, of the value of Sc. SEQ, 1884,
and from Japan 2G,1GO,135 pounds, of the
value of s7,712, ACT. If all the tea imported
into the United States during the last fiscal
year from both China and Japan had been
landed ut San Francisco and sent thence
overland by railroad it would have fur
nished freight only to the extent Of 26,3l9
tons. The quantity of tea imported at San
Francisco however, amounted only to Sill
tons. Tea is now received in New York by
steamer in sixty days from China through
the Suez Canal, and the freight is not
higher than that earned by our clipper ships
only few years ago. The voyage from
China by fast sailing vessel is made in from
eighty to one hundred days.
Our overland route across the continent
by railroad has therefore to compete for slow
fast freight with that by steamer via the
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