AvmmoucH statistics are sometimes at fault in leading us to conclusions other than the actual state of affairs, and those for so short: a spae three months are often of little avail'in showing the course of trade; the quarterly returns of the Foreign Customs, when carefully studied and compared, are interesting as exhibiting the excessive fluctuations of trade in China. this respect the tables of the last three months have a more tha ordinary interest, as showing how sensitive foreign trade is to the special influences on which the prosperity of the empire depends, Most noteworthy, of course, is the trade which has sprang up in rice from lower Kiangsu, and which has given employment at remunerative rates to a large number of for vessels. "It probably marks an imnit 4 been fully recognised, and that no attempt has. been. made to throw artificial restrictions in its way, except the coast trade duty levied by the Foreign Customs, and which under the cireumstane of the case seems to be an unwise impost. It is quite true that the duty sinks into comparative insignificance when compared with the freights piid for the conveyance of the article pat it is nevertheless an unwise provision which decrees that a scarcity in any one province shall not be supplied from another, ill the pressure has boon sufficiently great to overcome this enforced difference in price. It is noteworthy how unsuitable the native janks proved, for the conduct ofa trade for which they might be considered especially fitted. 'Thus, while kiang' exported. some 850,000 picala in foreign vessels to the southern ports, the Commissioner of Customs calculated that only some. 130,000 peculs left in native bottoms; and that all this was intended for the adjacent port of Shanghai, whence it probably found its Way in foreign ships to the south. But while the enormous export of rice from Shanghai and Chinkiang, amounting between the ports to little less than {wo and a-half million pecals, showed the great - productiveness. of lower Kiangsu, it likewise afforded us a les-sou of what grievous. consequences are certain to follow a scarcity, Tarning to the statistics of Swatow {ha Canton, the principal recipients of leone Cee mane ofthe results in the diminished activity wa, general trade of these ports. Frater gives some notes with regard to sate of shies ae the former, while enough of themselves. 'The phe of ies of the latter 5 jami Egat the former port Fole, we leora, to cou Per pecul;.a rate which, however, taal Not be sustained, the price even-ally falling to $2.70,- at which rate Sousiderable losses" wore' -incurred owing to high freights and duties. 'M. Huber's arguments, though plansible, will hardly bear sifting. The import during the entire year from the Ist 'April 1871 amounted in round numbers to 1,400,000 peculs. Assuming that the' population of Chaou-chow prefecture is one million, and that only one quarter required the imported rice, and that, moreover, each individual consumed a catty of rice per day, we find that more than was required was imported. But the result shows' how useless was all'sach calculation. The rice was required and was consumed accordingly, and s0,-assuming for the nonce that Mr. Huber's other calculations were correct: (for which assumption we have not the slightest Ta Sin and)-it-would simply follow that other districts besides the prefecture of Chaou-chow were supplied from the port. The district was, however, doubly unfortunate; not only were the two rice crops failures, but the sugar crop was severely d frosts in winter. These misfortunes diminished the purchasing power of the port. The import of cotton goods was less than one-half the average, while that of beancake, igt on which th productiveness of the succeeding crop of sugar largely depends, fell from $30,000 to 16),000: piculs. The export of sugar fell likewise below last year's, a fall in which most of the other exports concurred. Under the circumstances, the authorities for the first time recognised the advisability of encouraging emigration, and appointed a Wei-yuen for the purpose, at the port. The places to which those emigrants proceeded were Saigon, Siam or Singapore. The authorities were also alive to the advisability of dooponing the river between the port and the prefectural city, not only to improve its navigation, but to reduce the danger of its flooding its banks and made an official survey with that object. Whether this will result in any tactical measure, remains to be seen, experience has too often proved such promises to resolve themselves into very little. The fees on sea-going junks wore reduced during the year, by two-thirds, with the express object of encouraging them to go abroad, and thus to foster a foreign trade in native bottoms; the experiment showed, however; little prospect of success. Notwithstanding a slight increase on the' import of opium, probably because some changes in the internal fiscal arrangements made it more advantageous to enter it at the port of Swatow, the Customs revenue showed a decided decrease, from Tis, 112,000 to Tls. 101,000. The same causes which Bwatow were likewise experienced at reduced a depression of trade at Canton, the revenue for the quarter, as compared with the corresponding period of last year, showing a diminution of Tls. 49,200.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.