EXPORTS: JUTE MANUFACTURES.

577

with which

The following statistics, being taken from Indian returns, do Countries not in all cases show the real origin of the imports or the India ultimate destination of the exports, but primarily the countries trades. with which India has direct dealings. London still retains its pre-eminence as the first Oriental mart in the world, whither buyers come from the other countries of Europe to satisfy their wants. To London Germans come for wool, Frenchmen for jute, and all nations for rare dyes, spices, and drugs.

The opening of the Suez Canal restored to the maritime. cities of the Mediterranean a share of the Eastern business which they once monopolized. But, on the other hand, the advantage of prior possession, the growing use of steamers, and the certainty of being able to obtain a return freight, all tend to favour trade with England, carried in English bottoms. As the result of these conflicting influences, the trade of India with the United Kingdom, while in actual amount it remains pretty constant, shows a relative decrease as compared with the total trade. Taking merchandise only, the average value of English exports and imports during the two years 1867-69 amounted to slightly more than 58 millions sterling, out of a total of nearly 86 millions, being 66 per cent. Ten years later, the India's

trade with

average value of English trade for 1877-79 was still 58 England

millions, but the total value had risen to 100 millions, and the proportion had therefore fallen to 563 per cent. In 1882-83, the total value of the English private imports and exports of merchandise had risen to 75 millions; but the proportion to the total trade of a little less than 133 millions (excluding Government stores and private and Government treasure) had fallen to 56.7 per cent. Next to the United Kingdom comes China, with an Indian trade of about 15 millions (imports and exports), or 11 per cent. Of this, nearly 11 millions represent opium, the only other articles which China takes from India with China. being raw cotton, cotton twist, and gunny-bags. In return, China sends silver, copper, raw silk and silk goods, sugar and tea, the balance of trade being adjusted through England. It is said that Chinese tea is now only consumed in India by natives, or sent across the frontier into Central Asia. The annual quantity imported into India is about 2 million lbs., and the price is extremely low.

trade

The trade with the Straits may be regarded as a branch India's of the Chinese trade. The exports are valued at over 3 with the millions sterling, of which more than a half consists of opium, Straits; the rest being principally made up by rice and gunny-bags.

The imports are tin, areca-nuts, pepper, and raw silk,

VOL. VI.

20

with Ceylon ;

with Mauritius. India's trade with France;

valued altogether at less than one-half of the exports. The trade with Ceylon is merely a form of coasting trade, large quantities of rice being shipped in native craft along the Madras coast to feed the Tamil coolies in that island. The imports are hardly a sixth of the exports in value. With Mauritius, rice is exchanged for sugar to a large amount.

Of European countries, France and Italy alone deserve notice beside England. In 1877-78, the Indian exports to France reached the large total of nearly 6 millions sterling, consisting chiefly of oil-seeds (rape and gingelly), indigo, cotton, silk, and coffee. The direct imports in the same year were valued at only £451,000, principally apparel and millinery, brandy and wines, and silk goods; but the same articles are also sent in considerable, although unascertained, quantities viâ England. In 1882-83, the exports to France amounted to £7,207,962, and the direct imports to £484,367. The with Italy. trade with Italy shows a steady increase; the Indian exports to Italy having risen from £1,100,000 in 1877-78 to £3,383.507 in 1882-83, and the return imports from £250,000 to £444-433The exports are cotton, silk, oil-seeds (sesamum), and hides; the imports-corals, glass beads and false pearls, spirits and wines, and silk goods.

India's trade with the United States;

with

Australia.

The trade with the United States comes next to that with Italy, aggregating a total for exports and imports of £4,277,560. The exports are indigo, hides, raw jute and gunny-bags, lac, saltpetre, and linseed; the imports are almost confined to mineral oils. In 1878-79, the import of ice (formerly an important item in the trade with the United States) fell off greatly, under competition from local manufacture at Calcutta and Bombay, and it has now entirely ceased; while the imports to India of American kerosene oil rose to 3 million gallons in 1878-79, and to the enormous quantity of 20 million gallons in 1882-83.

The trade of India with Australia was formerly limited to the export of rice, gunny-bags, and castor oil, and the import of copper and horses. A little coal is sent from Australia, and a little coffee from India. Hitherto Australia has preferred to drink Chinese tea; but a considerable development of trade in this and other Indian products has taken place since the Melbourne and other Colonial Exhibitions. The total exports to Australia in 1882-83 aggregated £1,088,918; return imports, £476,591.

The following tables summarize the private foreign trade of India in 1877-78 and 1882-83

the Suez

The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, while it has stimu- Trade vid lated every department of trade into greater activity, has not Canal. materially changed its character. The use of the Canal implies

steam power.
In 1871-72, the first year for which statistics are
available, the total number of steamers trading with India which
passed through the Canal was 422, with a tonnage of 464,198.
Every subsequent year shows an increase until the great fall
in trade in 1878-79. In 1877-78, the number of steamers
passing through the Canal was 1137, with a burthen of
1,617,839 tons, or 64 per cent. of the total steam tonnage.
Although there was a considerable falling off in the two follow-
ing years, the Canal trade speedily recovered itself; and in
1880-81, 1459 steamers of 2,133,872 tons passed the Canal.
The highest figures hitherto reached were in 1881-82, when
1989 steamers of 2,887,988 tons passed the Canal. In the
following year, 1882-83, the number of Canal steamers was
1645 of 2,585,920 tons.

trade.

As might be anticipated, the imports to India, being for the most part of small bulk and high value, first felt the advantages of this route. In 1875-76, 85 per cent. of the Growth of imports from Europe and Egypt (excluding treasure) passed the Canal through the Canal, but only 29 per cent. of the exports. The export trade, however, has rapidly increased, showing that such bulky commodities as cotton, grain, oil-seeds, and jute now largely participate in the advantages of rapid transport afforded by the Canal. In 1877-78, the import trade via the Canal amounted to 74 per cent. of the total imports into British India, and the Canal exports to 36 per cent. of the total exports. In 1882-83, while the import trade via the Canal. remained stationary at 74 per cent., the proportion of Canal exports had increased to 52 per cent. The proportion of both import and export trade passing through the Suez Canal has increased from 45 per cent. in 1877-78 to 61 per cent. in 1882-83. The Canal has reduced the length of the voyage from London to Calcutta by about thirty-six days. The route round the Cape was more than 11,000 miles, and occupied nearly three months; that through the Canal is less than 8000 miles, and takes from 30 to 45 days.

the balance

Sir R. Temple, when Finance Minister in 1872, drew up a Sir R. valuable State Paper, in which he placed in a clear light the Temple on various means by which the apparent excess of exports over of Indian imports is liquidated. His conclusions were based on special trade. materials reaching from 1835 to 1871. They are therefore