Ctostve up the year's busine has we unde passed off satisfaotorily among the Chinese. If every trader and banker is not fully satisfied with the results of his twelve months' transactions, there is a general foding of contentment among th The anticipations of hotier times which wore so confidently expressed by several of them some eight months ago have been in w good mensure realised, and whether that la due to a revival of trade elsewhere, brought about in the natural course of things, or to the protection and guidance of divinities whose interest the fortunes of their de. veloos was manifested last cummer, as we mentioned at the time, probably does not now mach matter tour Chinese neighbours, Our renders will porlnps remember that we refer in Jane to the expectations which the Eh expressed that the year would be a good one for all who trade in articles that are white coloured—which comprises most of the things in which foreigners and Chinese deal with each other-eand how a partial, and very feeble, thunderstorm occurring on a doy on which it was lucky there should be thunder, Lad been sufficient to excite the sible men to send large purchasing orders for new crop into the country, That atmospheric disturbance did not raise the silk markets of England and Earope, and the operators wore on that occasion obliged to wait some time bee fore they realised the profits which their omens had promised them. Bat whatever may lave been the result of these particular purchases, the trade in one of the most valuable of white articles las been profitable thi dealers have double disappointments and los bat on the whole they istled. The price fifty trols a picul higher the opening of the season, and a larger quantity has been exported that 1885-86, And we understand that forely generally, who lave shipped find themselves in much the came satisfactory position 580 that the powers which govern the market have not been one-sided in the bestowal of their favours, Dealers in teas have also made money on the year. For though they Jost on the first crop at Hankow and Kiukiang, prices in the country have since then been lower, and the tea-men lave done very well, Green-tea dealers have alo had a good year.
Tradein whitemanufactares, in which grey col tous are included, has aleo been upon the whole satisfactory. The quantities taken have not been so large as in 1885-86, but that has been owing in groat part, if not altogether, to the unusually largo quantities which wore purchased after the close of the trouble with France, Importers and from the serious fall in the value of silver at home and the consequent decline in exchange, bat probably the losses which were made by this earlier he year have been recovered by the rise in exchange which eet in a few months ago, So far us we have ben able to ascertain the inland, native, money markets have been well sup with funda, and basines in foreign imports ne not been hindered us was the cnse a few seasons ago, when (he river money markets were thrown into confusion by the blunders and rapacity of officinle, There has doubt. fess been a return of confidence among Chinese capitalists, consequent on the improved state of foreign relat of the Empire giving the energies, enterprise, and resources of the people fair play, and the losses which were incurred a few years ago various speculative maya Lave probably been forgotten, There is evidence, particularly in the inorensed demand for unnufactnres of n better kind, and consequently dourer, that the condition of the people generally lias been impro of late yeara, and thie, although Inrge districts which draw their supplies from our market have suffered grievously, some from floods and others from drought, Silver, the of great importance in the Chinn trade, us it la all over the Exst, line passed your of violent disturbance, and the vari ious in exchange, but still more have not only inflicted My or time seriously decreased import ple uow take a more bopefal the future of silver lithe rise i during recent months having them from the fear that ite value mast necessarily always tend dow: wards, As we have alrendy suid, banking capital available to the Chinese in the inter-port and luluud trade been larger than in the two preceding years, but ab the same time there has eon a eoarcily of sycee tow and then in various paris. Peking, and possibly table shipman were made during this year us well as in 1885, But a good deal of this local scarcity of sycee is owing to the wretched financial system on whicl the of the Empire li ducted. An improvement in th would be of the greatest benefit to Chinn, and we can only hope that the powers in Peking will bring in their own way, and as auliquated methods of adminis both Imperial and Pr mit. Bat neither offici talcly satisfactory year, euch ay lias been enjoyed by the other dealers in white-coloured articles.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.