Revenue Statistics of the Treaty Ports in China contains so much information, in such a condensed form, that it seems almost hopeless to analyse the returns further, There are, however, some salient facts which may be well exhibited for the information of those who are not led to study the volume itself. Most noteworthy, at the outset, is the steady. increase in the annual value of the foreign trade and of the revenue which it yields. The present returns cover thirteen years, from 1864 to 1876, and during that period the value of the trade has grown from Tls. 94,864,000 te Ts. 151,120,000; and the revenue from Tls. 7,872,000 to Tls. 12,152,000. The figares for 1876 are abnormally swollen, no doubt, by the great inflation in the price of sill, which is estimated at Tls. 30,000,000 against Tls. 19,000,000 in 1875, although the quantity exported was only greater by some 2,000 piculs. Even deducting, however, the full difference of Ts. 11,000,000 under this head, the value of the trade, in 1876, was still greater by Tls. 4,000,000 than any previous year except 1872, when it reached Ts. 142,605,000.—As the centro of the shipping trade, Shanghai naturally figures for a very large proportion of the gross trade; no less than Tle. 124,174,000. This, however, again, is of course swollen by nearly the whole of the silk surplus; the value of the native exports of local origin being set down at Tls.25,377,000, against Tis, 16,598,000 in the previous yenr. Byen allowing, however, for the whole-of this surplus as abnormal, the gross value of the Shanghai trade was Ins. 4,000,000 greater than in any previous year except 1872, when Tls. 117,921,000 was reached.
Going back uow to the general statistics, we find the gross Customs' revenue was Tls. 12,152,000, of which Shanghai contributed nearly one-third; an increase being shown at eight ports out of the fourteen—Takow, Ningpo, Chinkeang, Kiukiang, Chefoo, ang Tientsin being the delinquents; ang the decrease in the ease of the tw, latter, at least, is explicable by the scarcity in the provinces of Shantung and Chibli. The share of Great Britain and her Colonies in this trade was Tls. 118,867,451—England itself figuring for Tls. 56,000,000; Hongkong for Ts.. 41,000,000; India, Tls. 16,000,000; the Straits, Tls, 1,463,000; Australia, Tls. 2,378,000; New Zealand, is. 97,868; South Africa, Tls. 73,164; British America, Tls. 62,601.—And ye. may remark, parenthetically, that the import of opium shows as yet a coutinuous though slight increase during the Inst nine years; a higher figure was reached in 1866 and 1867 than in either of the succeeding four years but the last four years have shown a steady increase even on that maximum.—Next after Great Britain, the "Continent of Europe" figures for Tis, 14,932,000; the United States of America, is. 7,997,000; Russia, Si-bena, and Russian Manchuria together, Tls. 4,476,000; Japan, a-nantly equivalent sum; and afew smaller amounts under @ million'taels go to complete the total.
The foreign trade was carried on by some 2,000 ships; that-is to say, 2,071 ships, representing 1,182,550 tous. entered; and 2,026 ships, representing 1,144,653 tons cleared, during the year. 1,500 of these ships, repres roughly 800,000. tons, were Englis against 217: German, 93 American, 69 French, 55 Japanese, 35 Danish, 32 Spanish, 18 Swedish, &o., de. Or, to speak more precisely, 1,491 ships under the British flag, representing 799,000 tons, entered; and 1,505.ships, representing 823,000 tons, -cleared; 217 ships under the-German flag, representing 82,500 tous entered, and 188 representing 73,800 tons cleared 93 American ships-representing 54,900 entered, and 94 representing 57,600 cleared. We will not weary our readers by analysing in.w: similar manner, the share taken by each nationality in the carrying trade between the treaty ports; merely remarking that-the four principal entries are British, 2,700; American, 1,680; Chinese, 1,587; and French, 714; the English share being rather more than one-third of the total. But there is yet one more table which deserves notice; giving the total entries and clearances at all the ports. both foreign and coastwise, together with the share of each nationality. The total namber, then, of ships entered and cleared was 17,946, aggregating a gross tonnage of 10,226,421 tons; and here we find Great Britain figuring for one-half, viz. 8,604 ships, measuring 5,181,000 tons. Am comes next, with 3,547 ships, measuring 2,410,421 tons; the Chinese next, with 3,063, measuring 1,404,000 tons; Germany, 1,587, measuring 661,668 tons; France, 228, measuring 170,749 tons; Japan, 125, measuring 117,184 tons; é&e., é&.—We will only add that there are 3,607 foreign residents, and 4,750,000 natives, at the several treaty ports at which this trade is carried on.
There lies a little city about five. "piles from the Yang-tse, between the cities.of Chang-soh and Kang-yin, which is not put down on the map Eroept as "a camp; its name is " Yang-s6" B, Tiga very little city," the smallest I've seen, yet a true Chinese city with its wall, moat, and gates. In the memory of the oldest inhabitants" only two. foreigners, had ever Taiping Rebellion and the other eight or been to the place, one previous to the ten years since. It was reached by a wheelbarrow, asthe canal is'driedtp.
There is a marked difference between the lands bordering on the river: and those, of the rice plains. They are comparatively pin lands," high ang diy, 4 foot above the surface of the water. Yet on these "high lands of the Yangtsze" the Chinese plant rice. In some pi es. the water is raised by five sets of water-wheels, It was too hot for the men to wear clothes. water-hi can. pump up in 'a day—surprising the amount of "water 4 enough to last a plot of ai acre for five days, The rains have come the last day or two 3 without good rains there must be a semifamine in the district bordering on the river. The canals are dry, or mearly'so, Along the main routes the water was four or five fect below the usual mark, The people were pumping from reserved pools, but, the ound seemed so dry and arid that it took a lay or two of hard'work to moisten a plot before flooding,. preparatory to planting the sprouts.
The towns at this'season have no business, as the country people are busy. In all this region there is no place to compare with the city of Wu-selli in ts buk trade, It is the great "grain depot" of Kian; 'All the tribute rice is collected there,.and from thence run a line of boats to Shanghai. Its trade-in rice, wheat, vegetable-seeds for oil, is wholesale. its' wHarves ace the Islet matta. in this gion. Tis water frontage is fine, so that the trading boats from the Lake and from high up river are riot crowded, It is sure that it can 20, successfully compote' with Soochow.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.