Exports of cotton goods from England to British India during the year 1880.

The British cottons exported to India must be of very low grade, if the prices thereof serve as a criterion by which to judge of their quality, viz, plain piece goods from 4.84 cents in Bombay to 5.34 cents per yard in Madras, and printed goods 6.49 cents in Bengal to 7.25 cents in Madras, per yard. It need scarcely be expected that our manufacturers could, or would care to if they could, compete with these prices, but there must be a comparatively large trade in good cottons, and of this trade our manufacturers should be able to secure a reasonable share, enough, with what we should be able to secure in the trade in metals, liquors, refined sugars, railway materials, provisions, drugs, and medicines, &c., to balance our imports from India.

The falling off in the imports of American gray cottons in 1881, as noted in the Indian official returns, was altogether owing to the fact that our manufacturers, finding better markets for their goods nearer home, neglected the East Indian market-a mistake, if not worse than a mistake, on the part of our manufacturers, very much complained of by our consuls in several countries, as well as in India.

The assistant secretary to the government of India, in his report for 1879, referred as follows to the imports of American cotton manufactures-and the reference is as applicable to the subject to-day as it was at that time.

The imports of American gray cotton goods are increasing; having risen from 387,000 yards, in 1874-'75, to 975,000 in 1878-79-an increase to be attributed, it would seem, entirely to the recent modifications in the Indian tariff, by which gray goods made of yarns not of a higher number than 30 are exempt from duty. Most of the American goods imported are drills, and these when made of 30 yarn and under have been exempted since March, 1878. From inquiries in Bombay it is believed that the increase in the trade in these goods is far greater than appears from our returns of trade with the United States, for large quantities of American drills are imported via England, and it would seem that the Americans have taken full advantage, both in Calcutta and in Bombay, of the remission of duty and placed considerable quantities of their goods in the Indian market. The actual trade from the United States, however, is but a small fraction of the whole trade in gray cotton goods, which were imported to the extent of over 775,000,000 yards, whereas the imports from the United States were under a million. If the addition of what comes via England increased this amount sixfold, the trade in American cloths would still be less than one per cent. of the whole trade.

FOREIGN COMMERCE OF CEYLON.

According to the returns supplied by Consul Morey, of Colombo, the annual foreign commerce of Ceylon is estimated as follows: Imports, $23,694,000; exports, $25,195,000.

Of the total imports, rice and other grain constitute over $11,000,000, and cotton manufactures $3,624,000; the other chief imports being haberdashery and millinery, dried and salted fish, flour, malt liquors,

hardware and cutlery, manures, metals, spirituous liquors, sugar, tobacco and manufactures of, wines, arms and ammunition, &c.

Of the total exports, coffee amounted to $16,760,000, cocoanut oil to $2,193,000, plumbago to $1,028,000, the other chief exports being copra, timber, oils, seeds, barks, &c.

The principal direct trade with the West is with England, viz: Imports from England over $5,000,000; exports to England $16,456,000. Considerable trade is carried on between the island and British India, China, Australia, and the Straits Settlements.

The direct trade between the United States and Ceylon is included with that of India in our customs returns. Consul Morey estimates the value of American products reaching Ceylon during the year 1880, via England and Bombay, there being no direct imports from the United States, at $85,000. The direct exports to the United States during the same year amounted to 13,196 tons, valued at $1,057,000, against 6,601 tons, valued at $815,000, during the preceding year. Comparatiyely insignificant as the foregoing imports of American products appear, Consul Morey says that they are very much in excess of those of any previous year for the last twenty-five years. The American merchandise reaching Ceylon as above comprised arms and ammunition, cotton piece goods, bacon and hams, kerosene, oilmen's stores, and tobacco.

The direct trade between France and Ceylon is embraced in the trade with British India.

The following statements show the details of the trade between Great Britain and Ceylon:

The Straits Settlements comprise Singapore, Penang, and Malacca, and embrace an area of 1,445 square miles. The latest statistics give the population as about 310,000, of which about 8,000 are white and 202,000 colored. The number of schools in the Settlements is 67, with an attendance of 4,679.

In addition to the importance of Singapore as a producing settlement the fact of its lying on the very highway of the large European merchant marine engaged in the Chinese, Japanese, and Malaysian trade makes it a receiving and distributing port for the trade of that portion of the globe. It is a great storehouse from which the English manufacturers supply the immediate and permanent wants of the surrounding markets. An American house at Singapore, established on a solid basis and conducted on true business principles, which would always keep on hand such manufactures as are required, and sending its agents out to the markets which receive their supplies from this port, would in a few years add many millions to the volume of our trade with the Orient.

The importance of Singapore as a port of call and transshipment will be understood from a simple statement of its navigation statistics. About 4,500 vessels, representing a tonnage of 3,122,000 tons, enter and clear at Singapore annually. Of this fleet, 2,880 vessels of about 1,875,000 tons are English. The greatest tonnage of any other country is that of France, followed in their respective order by Holland, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the United States.

The American flag represents about 35 vessels of 33,000 tons in the Singapore fleet, but the tonnage entering from and clearing for the United States is as follows: Entering from the United States, 6,300 tons, showing the very insignificant amount of American products reaching Singapore direct; clearing for the United States, 48,000 tons, showing the preponderance of trade against the United States. The principal tonnage entering and clearing at Singapore is to and from the following countries in their respective order: Hong-Kong, 553,000 tons; Great Britain, 478,000 tons; Dutch Possessions, 460,000 tons; China, 202,000 tons; India, 188,000 tons; France, 150,000 tons; French Possessions, 140,000 tons; Siam, 129,000 tons.

A further analysis of the navigation of Singapore shows that the tonnage to Hong-Kong is more than twice the tonnage therefrom; the tonnage to and from Great Britain is about equal; the tonnage from the Dutch Possessions is greater than the tonnage thereto. There is scarcely any tonnage to China, the tonnage therefrom being 190,000 tons out of

a total of 202,000 tons; the tonnage from India is nearly twice as much as the tonnage thereto; the tonnage from France is nearly twice as much as the tonnage thereto; the tonnage from the French possessions is much larger than the tonnage thereto; the tonnage to and from Siam is about evenly balanced. There is considerable tonnage between Penang and Singapore, but as this may be considered coast trade it is not taken into consideration.

The foregoing tonnage statistics give a fair insight into the trade distribution of Singapore.

In regard to the details of the foreign commerce of the Straits Settlements, the following statements show the principal imports and exports as well as the countries and colonies from which they are received and to which they are shipped. The tables are so arranged as to show at a glance that the greater portion of the trade of the Straits Settlements is merely transit or distributive, the difference between the imports and exports showing the amounts consumed in the settlement, or, where the exports are greater than the imports, showing the values of the native goods entering thereinto, unless in articles which may be imported in one year and held over for export to another year.

It must also be borne in mind that the total trade is greatly augmented by the trade of the settlements with each other, which is largely transit, and yet the imports into Penang are, in many cases, entered again as imports into Singapore and Malacca, the same holding good in the export trade also. Exports from Great Britain, or any other country, are often entered twice and sometimes three times; thus the trade is fictitiously increased, and yet how much thereof is so affected cannot be very well ascertained:

The principal imports and exports of Singapore and Penang during the year 1880.
Trade of Singapore.

Principal articles.

Imports.

Trade of Penang.

Imports.

Exports.

Exports.

Matches

Metals: Tin

149,000

Sago and tapioca.

2, 060, 000

2,313,000

Silk, raw

813, 000

802, 000

50,000

33,000

Silk, piece goods..

439, 000

207, 000

558,000

Spirits and wines

283,000

500, 000

Sugar..

Tea..

Tobacco, and manufactures of

Wood and timber, and manufactures of

Woolen manufactures.

Umbrellas

All other articles.

365, 000

226,000 1,730,000

92,000 1,435, 000 104, 000

83,090 1,428,000

Total of merchandise...

54, 162, 000 46, 175, 000

16,654, 000

16, 48

TRADE OF THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS, BY COUNTRIES, DURING THE YEAR 1880.

In submitting the following statement, showing the trade of the Settlements, by countries, for the year 1880, it is considered necessary to remark once more that the greater portion of the imports are exported, Singapore and Penang being merely entrepôts for the reception and distribution of merchandise. The inter-settlement trade, which gives an artificial inflation to the total trade, must be also borne in mind.