To the Editor of the Sm,—Although there is no reason to doubt the accuracy of the Customs Returns as far as weights and so on are concerned, it is quite clear that as regards values they are utterly untrustworthy, and any conclusions that may be drawn from them are misleading.
Were they accurate, this would be the picture of the foreign trade of Cxina. The total Exports for 1875 would be Tls. 68,912,929 against total Imports 67,803,247. But the latter amount does not include the value' of Imports from Hongkong into non-treaty ports; say 18,000 chests Opium... H. Tls. 7,000,000 400,000 piculs Cotton i" $200,000
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.