Butter. Cereals: Wheat Maize Rye TABLE VI.-Principal articles of import from the United States in 1884. Articles. Wheat flour Cotton, raw Cotton manufactures Lard Manures, artificial. TABLE VII.-Principal articles of export to the United States in the year 1884. 96, 074 483, 306 Eggs Garden produce Hair Metals, raw Iron bars Quantity. Report of Consul-General Walker. FOREIGN COMMERCE OF FRANCE, 1884 AND 1885.* According to French official returns, the foreign commerce of France was as follows during the year 1884: General imports, $1,011,127,000; special imports, $838,295,000; general exports, $814,151,000; special exports, $623,872,000, As compared with 1883, this shows the following decrease: In general imports, $125,006,000; in special imports, $88,935,000; in general exports, $66,257,000; in special exports, $42,345,000. The following table shows the values of the imports and exports of merchandise for the last twelve years: Value of merchandise imported into and exported from France from 1873 to 1884, inclusive; also, annual excess of imports or of exports. *As most foreign merchandise, when imported into France, pays specific duties, the declaration of the weights and measures is made obligatory; consequently, the quantities may be relied upon as correct; but since the declaration of values, except in a 1873. 1874. 1875. 1876. 1877 1878. 1879. 1880. 1881 18-2. 18-3 1864 Value of merchandise imported into and exported from France, &c.-Continued. Value of gold and silver coin and bullion imported into and exported from France 1873 to 1884, inclusive; also annual excess of imports or of exports. The general commerce rep resents all goods received into and exported from France. Up to the year 1860 the special commerce embraced almost exclusively goods entered through the French customs for consumption and products of the soil and of the national industry exported to foreign countries; but since that year goods that had previously figured only under the head of general commerce were, in consequence of changes in the tariff, entered at the same time under general and special commerce. Certain treaties or tariff laws having suppressed the import duty on these goods, importers declared them as being entirely for domestic consumption without making any distinction between goods intended to remain in the country and those which were intended for exportation. As the result of these declarations, imports under the head of special commerce were thus increased by a certain quantity of merchandise which up to 1860 was only registered as in bond or in transit, few cases, is not required, the Government officials, for statistical purposes, are compelled to form a list of prices which may serve to calculate the values. These prices are revised and corrected yearly at Paris, and consist of the averages obtained from actual sales, prices current, and official decisions made during the year. The values are conseqently official, and while they may not be accurate or to be depended on in every instance, they are, perhaps, as nearly correct as it is possible to make them in absence of the actual declaration of values. or under head of bonded warehouse, the same taking place with reference to the special commerce of exportation. It is also to be remarked that a great quantity of manufactured goods which were, up to 1860, absolutely prohibited or had prohibitory duties laid upon them, have been since, by virtue of treaties, imported for French consumption. While previously the exports of manufactured goods represented the excess of the supply over the demand for domestic consumption, a part of these exports has been since 1860 only the equivalent of foreign goods which take the place of French goods on the market. The following comparative statement of the values of special imports and exports of similar products shows for the year 1884 the values of foreign merchandise necessary to French consumption, and the excess of French supply over the demand for domestic needs. Said statement is divided into three parts, viz, 1, articles free of duty; 2, dutiable articles; 3, goods the values of which as presented in the official statement of special imports and exports have been integrally maintained, because there is no absolute identity between them at their importation or at their exportation: Comparative statement showing the value of similar products imported into and exported from France during the year ended December 31, 1884. Comparative statement showing the value of similar products imported, &c.—Continued. On account of sudden variations that take place in consequence of the state of crops, cereals and other breadstuffs were not included in the preceding comparative statement. Special imports of cereals and other breadstuffs during the year 1884 amounted to $69,523,843. Special exports amounted to $8,674,804, showing an excess of imports over exports of $60,849,039. Statement showing in detail, by countries and by articles, the values of special imports into and special exports from France during the years 1883 and 1884. |