Conranep with the northern ports, those of the south of China show so little elasticity in their trade returns, that it seems an open question whether the limit of their development has not been attained. Looking once more at the returns issued from the Foreign Inspectorate, a few facts cannot fail to strike the observer. Canton, Foochow, Amoy and the Formosan ports show, as compared with previous years, little more than the usual trade finetuations; apparent discrepancies, as in the increased export of tea from Amoy and Foochow, being explained by the delay in shipping consequent on the inferior quality of the article. Swatow alone'shows satisfactory signs of improvement, and this not only in imports but in its staple export, sugar. The
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.