Mr. F. E. Tayzor's "Report on the Foreign Trade of China for the year 1900," which has just been published by the Statistical Department, is, as Mr. Taylor's reports are. wont to be, a very thoughtful, compact, and lucid dissertation, so compact, that it is not easy to make another condensation of it. He begins by saying that the great expansion of China's foreign trade in 1899 was continued during the first half of 1900. Then came the Boxer trouble, as to which we are glad to note that Mr. Taylor states the facts. "The idea that the Boxer movement against the Christian converts could be successfully employed in the deliverance of the country from foreign dictation and interference was accepted by only alunited party in Peking and by certain officials in the northern provinces. Elsewhere it was fortunately received with a scepticism which proved sufficient to save China from a general war, and trade went on as usual, hampered only by a want of confidence engendered by the uncertainty of the political outlook." A prompt revival of trade is certain to follow the conclusion of peace, and "the strength of the Chinese lies in their industry and commercial aptitudes and not in their capacity for war."
A very interesting table follows showing the quantities of 92 principal articles imported during each year from 1891 to 1900. The first entry is opium, which under the influence of the competition of the native duct, has fallen from Pls. 77, 1891 to Pls. 59,100 in 1899—it is hardly fair to take 1900, the trade of the second half of the year having been checked by the troubles in the north. We have only room to take out a few of the 92 articles selected: owner. Further reproduction pro! ited without permission.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.