(Translation.
We have received the letter which you did us the honor to write in reply to the report on the deterioration of silk in China which we addressed to you on the 2nd April 1872. We sincerely thank the Chamber of Commerce for the interest it has taken in this important jon. The measures which it adopted and applied on the receipt of our report should have prevented, in 1842, the recarrenee of the neglect and fraud which had caused the alteration in quality of the silks of 1871. Unfortunately this result has not been attained and the evil, instead of diminishing, has i greased and Become more general. And i thus that the Englishmarket, which was less disturbed than our own last year, by the commencement of deterioration in Chinese silks, has this year felt the disastrous conse-read, in effect, in- the annual of Messrs. H. W. Eaton & Son, of dated 4th January The difficulty of dealing with the recent imports has not been diminished by the "increasing inferiority of the new China si "which is even worse than that of the 1871-72 Season. The foulness pervading the entire arrivals of this crop and the coarse-"ness of the size, render it in most cases diffi "cult of use for the purposes to which it had "been previously applied, but worse even "than these defects are the frauds perpetrated "by the Ohinese in the false casing of the "silk, and every effort should be made b "Buropean firms in China to repress suc "deception, which will certainly do more than "aught else to direct the attention of consumers to other classes of silk."
It is then in the highest degree regrettable that the measures taken by the Chamber of Commerce to persuade the Chinese to improve the nature and picking (triage) of their silk, in 1872, have done no youd. The decision taken by the Chamber to distribute afresh, before the crop of 1873, copies of our Report throughout the Silk districts, will no doubt have more effect; and this step might suffice to enlighten the Chinese producers as to their true interests. Nevertheless, in considering the disastrous results of the importation of Chinese silk into Europe, flix year, results which are due in a great measure to the continued depreciation in the quality of the silk, has seemed to us that there was a considerable interest, for all who have to do with these silks, to address your Chamber again on this important question.
We will not revert to the causes of deterioration of the quality of Chinese silk and the means of remedying it; our report of the 2nd April was as explicit as possible on these two points, and we can only refer to it, We will only add that, to the defects which we indicated—defects resulting from the admixture of defective cocoons, and even double with the good in reeling, as well og frauds in packing—another one has this. year been added, of which Messrs. H, W. Eaton Son's circular has also pointed out the gravity. This defect consists in the enormous thickness of the thread of 'T'satlees in general and if. this is not energetically remedic this year, by reeling these silke as before (with seven cocoons we believe), it would alone suffice to reduce further by a half the use of Chinese silk in the fabrication of plain, black and colored tissues, The use had already been considerably reduced in 1871 and 1872 by the dirtiness and irregularity of the thread, defects which cannot be sufficiently corrected in working it, The stuffs produced by such silks, independent ly of the little knots Jouchone) with which they thicker than others (barrées par des covered sea xd by some ends being piss gros gue autre and Metreaked by dit, ferences of shades in the dye, resulting' from the mixture of cocoons in the reeling; 40 that these stuffs are difficult to sell; therefore, for a long time, people only use for this manufacture, which is very neatly the most important of all, Ttalian silke first, afew Japanese, and Chinese woofs of superior manufacture' produced with the best 'Tsatlees of classic chops, the character is of Nos. 2, Saad of which has not yet been greatly deprecint. There results, from this state of things, enormous stock of Chinese woofs, (trames de Chine) in England, Switzerland,' Italy and France the price' of which i constantly ving way. This stock is at present sufficient for more than six months' consumption, And if it is considered that the stock of raw silk is not ess than 30,000 bales (without counting 12,000 bales of Canton and 10,000 Japan) in London and Lyons; we cannot help as they do not come into much greater favour for ing what will happen to these silks if consumption, In our opinion, nothing but an improvement in the quality of these silks, next season, can bring about so desirable a result, You will understand, therefore, M. Jo Prosident, what importance we attach to seeing the Chinese realise seriously the true position of Chinese silks in Europe, and making every effort to improve them.
In our Report of the 4th April 1872, we said, at the close "If our recommendations are followed, the silks of China will have a chance of regal ing their position in European consumption, but if they are not given effect to, we unhappily too sure that this consumption desert them, and that as has been the case with Japan Mybash, they will ultimately be considerably depreciated in value. realised, and the season of 1872, during whid 'These predictions have already been partiall prices have been maintained at' Shanghai out of proportion to the quality of the silk, has been one of the most disastrous that we have known for the importation of such silks in Europe. considerations; the next crop in China. will At present, we can but reproduce the same
have still greater influence than the preceding one, in determining the future of the silks of that country; if the Chinese producers and merchants jay no attention to the recommendations which anew are made to them, and if the silke of this crop are not sensibly better than those of last scaser, a diminished consumption in Europe will again be the result, and this cannot fail considerably to lower their value. If on the contrary, at length recognizing the truth of our assertions, and the imminence of the danger which threatens them, they appreciate the immense importance to themselves of preparing their silks as formerly, and of not falsifying the books, the consumption will doubtless return to these silks, and they will again come into favour.
We are quite convinced, M. lo President, that the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce is, like us, satisfied of the great importance of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.