We reprint from the Daily Press, a transations of an address to the Saigon Chamber of Commerce, by its Chairman, M. Dierx, which gives interesting information regarding the position of the colony.
"None of you are unaware of the difficulties of European commerce, and chiefly of French commerce in Cochin China, Notwithstanding the energy, the perseverance, and the intelligent efforts of our merchants, we have witnessed during the past four-years the disappearance of more than ten houses, who were engaged in importation and exportation at Saigon.
At the same time, at the commencement, people had established themselves full of confidence, because they had faith in the fature of the country. Everybody believed in its rapid development, and, on the strength of this belief, brought to bear all his pains, and employed all the resources which lie had at his disposition, secure a solid and durable standing for the house which he had created.
But instead of the success on which it is the right always to reckon, when one has accepted the sacrifices of exile in a far country, under an unhealthy climate, in the midst of a population with manners so different from ours, in the great majority of instances we witness a failure.
Houses in large numbers have disappeared, without their disappearance causing greater prosperity to those which have survived, and certainly it is neither to foolish enterprises nor extravagant expenses, nor to want of foresight on the part of the partners, that we can attribute the fall of these houses; for, with one or two exceptions, we may say to the credit of commercial men in Saigon, that they have always shown themselves prudent and wise, What, then, is the cause of this state of affairs? You know it. It is the insufficiency of business consequent at once on the absence of production by the colony of articles of exportation for Europe, and on the small consumption in Cochin China of European goods and articles. Those who have established themselves at Saigon eight or ten years, reckoned, as we have said above, on the development of the country, especially from the point of view of French commerce.
They hoped that the European population would augment, and that its presence in this country would introduce, among the Asiatics, a taste for, and want of, European merchandise; they also thought our relations for the exportation of rice would not be bounded only by China, but would continue regularly to develop themselves with the islands of Mauritius, Reunion, and with Europe.
These hopes have not been realised. The European population, far from augmenting, diminishes every day, and the importations from France, which furnish business to many houses, havemuchdiminizhed, and are, at the present day, reduced to a very small figure. The importation of rice by the islands and Europe, which was very active five years ago, has at present entirely ceased. It was necessary, in order to preserve these relations permanently, to send to these markets well prepared-rice; but despite all our efforts, we have not succeeded in teaching the natives to thresh and clean the grain in a better manner.
On another side, French industry, which has endeavoured to realise this progress amidst such great difficulties that after four years we do not seo it developing, is limited to two staples, to which the vroauction ap) little in proportion with the sacrifices made up to the present time end besides, does not at the moment exceed 5,000 tons; a quantity relatively insignia ficant in comparison to our exportation.
The rice of Saigon has no real outlet besides China.
Limited to China, the business in rice is almost entirely in the hands of Chinese merchants; and it is impossible: for us to get clear of them. Some foreign houses in this place take a part in these exportations themselves, thanks to English, American or German connections, which we want entirely.
There are scarcely any French houses in China, and we know of none engaged in the rice trade.
Another cause also adds to our difficulties, the substitution of steamers for sailing vessels.
Up to the present, at least, and as long as the transport was made in sailing vessels, although we were excluded from the business in rice,—of which the production, it must be admitted, took a great development, seeing that from 1,000,000 piculs in 1862' it has risen now to 5,000,000—we had at least the satisfaction of seeing the transport made to a considerable extent in French vessels. Of 300,000 tons which form the present exportation, about 75,000 were sent in our ships. This was some satisfaction' to our national pride, and some profit for our ships and houses.
At the present day, an almost complete transformation has taken place, with proligious rapidity; foreign navigation in steamers, which we may say is even now only at its commencement in the China Sea, at once took possession of the trade. Navigation in sailing vessels, overconie by inevitable circumstances, is daily retiring, and our French vessels are deserting these seas, carrying with them the only interest which France still found in its great possession of Indo-China.
We need not despair if there were a likelihood of our sailing vessels being shortly replaced by steamers; but we do not see that in France they are following the movement of transformation which is making such great progress with our rivals. Our export amounts to 12,000,000f. in freight. Before long this 12,000,000F. will be entirely taken by foreign merchant vessels. Such, gentlemen, is the state of affairs, in the point of view of the purely French commerce of our place: importation insignificant, exportation nothing navigation already compromised, and by to-morrow probably lost.
In a word, French commerce is without present and without future, in a French possession.
It would seem useful, gentlemen, that the Chamber of Commerce, after having proved this state of affairs, should represent it to the Government, and invite it to adopt measures for preventing its becom: ing woree, and all to ameliorate it, After having pointed out the fact, and its causes, it is our duty to endeavour to find by what means it may be possible to remedy it, and to furnish to the languishing French Commerce new elements of prosperity.
These elements 3 the incontestible richness of the soil—richness which is proved by the progress of the culture of rice, of which the production his increased in ten years in the proportion of one to five; but if this remarkable progress con~ tinues, it will in no way touch the evil pointed out, as our French commerce draws nothing from the increase. The exportation will continue to be made in foreign vessels, and almost exclusively to the profit of the Chinese.
We state here a very sad truth; it is that in its present state, Cochin China is a colony for Chinese and foreigners.
Is it rational that the French Government should continue to keep up at such great expense so large a staff of tree and functionaries, in order to have a colo-riy for the benefit of Chinese and foreigners?
Saigon is necessary to our Government vessels in the China seas; but has France only an idea of making' Cochin China a military station? She ought certainly to have another object in occupying this vast country—that of making ita great commercial centre, Immense sacrifices of men and money have been made to assure the existence of the colony; and at the same time, after twelve years during which Saigon has been established, we come to recognize that we are not advancing, and that our prosperity is only apparent. We spend every year 14,000,000. or 15,000,000f., which' we draw from the colony itself, without the colony profiting directly, "and without France finding compensation for its expenses in the exchange of productions, which ought to be the principal object of all colonies, To ask of the soil new productions, such as coffee, sugar, indigo, pepper, sesamums, silk, cocoa, seems to us to be the only way by which we can advance.
'These productions, as is known, our soil would not refuse, as its fecundity' is great cultivators only are wanting.
Some bold French colonists, whose energy and perseverance we cannot praise too much, have not feared to venture on this new way.
But under this trying climate, the European can only direct and supervise the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.