Mr. W. C, Hates Watson is able to write cheerfully of the trade of 1901 at Ghungking, where the total revenue collected, Hk. Tls. 514,949, was the largest since the opening of the port to trade in 1891, The increase over 1900 was nearly Ts. 140,000, of which Tis, 42,000 was in import duty and Tls. 98,000 in opium duty. Anyone coming to Chungking for the first time cannot help remarking the industrious appearance of the city and the air of prosperity worn by its inhabitants. Street after street may be traversed, and the same busy scene witnessed in the clean and well-arranged shops. At the counters of stores for silks, furs, medicines, provisions, etc., custom mers are everywhere en evidence, in marked contrast to the usual unocetpied aspect of Chinese emporiums in most other cities" Mr. Watson makes some remarks on the export trade, what he writes about, wool deserving the serious attention of all those who feel that China's financial security depends on the expansion of her export trade: "The heavy charge for transport, etc., for wool is a great obstacle to trade, and the supplies at Tachienlu and Sung-pan may be said to exceed the requirements of Chungking buyers, the result being a urge surplus always in stock at both pices." An interesting table is giv-n showing the comparative export of native opium from Chungking in the past ten yerrs, Tre few in piculs: 1892, 2.586; 1893, 98; 1894, 6,019; 1895, 11,779; 1896, 8,063; 1897, 10,686; 1898, 7,530; 1899, 15,659; 1900, 11,997; and 1901, 16,027.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.