TRADE INDUSTRY.

The industry of Austria extends to all varieties of manufactured products. If we leave out of consideration the mining industry of the Alpine and Carpathian districts, the glass manufacture of Bohemia, the linen manufacture in the valleys of the Giant mountains, Sudetes and Carpathian mountains, carried on as an additional occupation in connexion with agricultural pursuits, and cloth-weaving, transplanted from Lausitz to Bohemia at the end of the seventeenth century, the development of an organic factory system of unceasing growth may be dated from the beginning of the present century. But a particularly rapid progress did not manifest itself until the year 1830, when, through a judicious reorganization of the frontier guardship, the prohibitory system adopted since 1781 was fully brought to bear; and since the settlement of the protective tariff system of 1852, the scale of factory production, as well as organization of labor, has extended largely. If we direct our attention to manufactures destined for immediate use, such as webs and textures, paper, and productions of the same, leather and leather-wares, wood, glass, and earthenware, metal manufactures, vehicles and vessels, machines, implements, musical instruments, fancy goods, chemical products, colors, oils, fats, and chemical lights, literary and art productions, we shall find that the export of them has risen from 78,000,000 florins in 1852, to 140,000,000 florins in 1861; whereas the imports of such manufactures has risen from 24,000,000 to only 35,000,000 florins. Up to the year 1830 the most important branches of productions, the chemical and mechanical, were almost wholly wanting in the organism of Austrian industry. The latter did not enter the circle of home industry with anything like efficiency till after the beginning of railway building in 1838. With such a short existence of these two branches, it is obvious why several kinds of chemicals and machines are to this very period still imported.

The best and surest scale for a ratio of the development of factory system and production by machinery, is the consumption of mineral coal, this fuel having been comparatively little used in the households of Austria. Now, the consumption of coals has, since 1839, increased from 10,000,000 to 70,000,000

cwts.

FOREIGN TRADE.

The foreign trade of Austria is partly land trade and partly maritime trade. Of the trade by land, three-fifths belong to transactions with the German states; one-seventh to the commerce with Turkey and its protectorate states; one-tenth to the commercial intercourse with Italy, and nearly the same ratio with Switzerland; lastly, one-twentieth to the trade with Russia and Poland.

The Austrian trade by sea, carried on with countries abroad, averages 4,500 arrivals and departures of vessels annually, of 130 tons each, mean estimate. Of this trade one-fifth is carried on with Great Britain; the same severally with Turkey and Italy; one-fifteenth of it belongs to France. Besides, the maritime trade with the Russian coasts of the Black sea and the Atlantic range of the United States of America is of some considerable importance. In the trade with all these States, foreign flags compete with the Austrian, so that only onefourth of the number of vessels, and a little more than two-fifths of the tonnage, fall to the share of the Austrian flag.

The result of the import and export trade in the course of the years 1851 to 1860, within the Austrian tariff range, appears, in general, from the following table.:

In 1861 the value of the whole imports amounted to 232,732,554 florins; that of the exports, 310,687,250 florins, distributed among the 22 classes of the custom tariff as follows:

The commercial intercourse of the separate Dalmatian range of customs comprised, in 1861, in values of imports 7,997,684 florins; in values of exports 4,490,731 florins.

COMMERCIAL AND TRADE LAWS.

In the whole empire exists perfect liberty of commerce and trade. Foreigners, too, are admitted to the absolute exercise of manufacturing and com

mercial industry upon obtaining consent of the ministry. There are now but very few licensed trades for the exercise of which a special permission is necessary, mostly dependent on certain references or proofs of personal capacity. To such trades belong-the press; circulating libraries and reading-rooms; undertakings of periodical conveyance of persons; building trades; manufacture and sale of arms, munitions and fire-work materials; inns and taverns; commercial travellers; peddlers; finally, butchers in the military border-land.

PATENTS.

In order to animate progress in industry, discoveries, inventions, and improvements, if of recognized novelty, are distinguished by patents for a term not exceeding fifteen years, upon payment of a tax of from 21 to 735 florins, according to the duration of the patent. For patent articles to be introduced from abroad into Austria, an exclusive patent can be granted only if the same are still patented abroad, and such a grant can be bestowed only upon the proprietor or lawful claimant of the foreign patent.

AUSTRIAN TARIFF Of duties.

Already in the year 1851 Austria abandoned the prohibitory system and adopted the protection system of duties. According to the latter, there are imposed low duties on products, especially on agricultural products imported from abroad; but higher import customs levied for manufactures and works of

art.

The export duties are insignificant; only some raw products have a higher duty laid on. Transit duties are but control duties. After the Hungarian and Croatian intermediate custom line having been abolished in 1850, Austria has been divided into two ranges of customs, one of which embraces Dalmatia; the other, the general range of customs, embraces the rest of the crown dependencies, except some custom exemptions, such as the free ports, Trieste, Venice, Fiume, Zengg, Carlopago, Portorè, Buccari, part of the town of Brody, in Galizia, and the community of Jungholz, in Tyrol.

After the tariff and commercial treaty with Prussia, and the tariff union states of the German confederacy had, on the 19th day of February, 1853, been concluded for the term of twelve years, a new general Austrian tariff of duties was issued for the general Austrian range of customs. This tariff went into operation on the first of January, 1854, and contains, under twenty-two classes, the articles subject to duties. According to the diversity of the merchandise, the ratio for the tariff is adapted to the weight, measurement, or numbers. Austria has no ad valorem duty. By weight (zollcentner, tariff hundred weight) is to be understood, for import, partly the gross weight, partly the neat weight; but for export and transit, always the gross weight.

It is necessitated by special, political, and national economical circumstances that free import and transit are interdicted, being permitted only on particular conditions, for culinary salt, gunpowder, tobacco, and its manufactories, the last being only imported duty free for the exchequer.

The following are wholly exempt from duties: Means of transport, packing cases, or casks; merchandise weighing under 10500 cwt., (less than 150 pound,) or such articles as are not rated higher than 1 kreutzers, Austrian currency; travelling effects, emigrants' property, newspapers, &c., &c.

Free export is the rule. Exceptionally, only, some articles are subject to an export duty, viz: Leather-waste, horn and bones, (75 kreutzers per cwt. neat,) gall-nuts, wood for fuel, (42 kreutzers per hundred cubic feet,) some kinds of timber, sulphur, tartar, hair rags, (4 florins, 20 kreutzers,) cocoons, (13 florins, 12 kreutzers per cwt. gross.)

Through special decisions concerning articles passing the line of customs,

conditional exemptions from duty were introduced, viz: For corn sent or received for grinding, for articles sent or received to be dressed, refined, reformed, &c., or imported for uncertain sale. The amounts of duties are fixed in the imperial standard, and are now to be paid in silver.

The official management attending duties is referred to 515 custom-houses, (chief and secondary offices,) at the frontiers as well as in the interior of the empire. In 1861 the total revenue of duties, additional fees included, amounted, in both ranges of customs, to the sum of about thirteen and a half millions florins.

The total value of goods imported into the general Austrian range of customs in 1861 amounted to the sum of about 232,000,000 florins, but that of exported goods to 310,000,000 florins; consequently the value of the export in comparison to that of the import shows a plus of 78,000,000 florins. In the Dalmatian range of customs the value of imports amounted to about 8,000,000 florins; that of the export to about 4,500,000, whereby a much more unfavorable balance is resulting than of the general Austrian range of customs.

LETTER POSTAGE.

The postage for a simple letter (weighing half an ounce) is settled at three kreutzers, within the distance of the post office district; at five kreutzers, to the distance of ten miles; ten kreutzers, to the distance of twenty miles; and fifteen kreutzers, beyond this distance. Papers sent open, in paper bands, need a stamp of two kreutzers per half ounce; periodicals a one-kreutzer stamp. The following table exhibits the increase of post office transactions:

In 1860 the whole of the Austrian railroads carried 142,147,128 tariff hundred weights. Of all the thirteen railroad companies of Austrian in 1860 the income was 66,000,000 florins; the expenses were 33,000,000 florins.

PERIODICALS AND Newspapers.

Inland political journals.-German, 76; Bohemian, 8; Polish, 5: Sclavonian, 2; Servian, 2; Croatian, 3; Illyrian, 1; Ruthene, 2; Italian, 11; Hungarian, 15; East-Roman, 2; Greek, 1; Hebrew, 2. Total 130.

Inland, not political periodicals.-German 162; Bohemian, 16; Polish 11; Sclavonian, 2; Servian, 5; Slovene, 4; Croatian, 4; Italian, 26; Hungarian, 47; East-Roman, 4. Total, 281.

Sum total, 411.

There are in Austria 28 public libraries of great extent, together with 1,819,630 volumes.

TRIESTE. RICHARD HILDRETH, Consul.

OCTOBER 22, 1862.

In accordance with the "Consular Regulations" requiring the United States consular officers to transmit to the Department of State authentic commercial

information respecting the trade between foreign countries and the United States, I have the honor to present, for the first time during my administration of this office, my yearly report for the port of Trieste.

The value of merchandise imported at Trieste direct from the United States during the year 1861, calculated at official prices, amounted to 551,013 florins, about equal to $275,506, against 5,496,526 florins, equal to $2,748,263, in the year 1860, and the merchandise exported to the United States direct, during the same period, to 386,866 florins, about equal to $193,433, against 1,190,357 florins, equal to $595,178 in the year 1860.

The annexed table shows the value of the whole imports and exports at Trieste during the year 1861.

During the year 1861 twenty-one American vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of 7,009 tons, arrived at Trieste, of which eleven came directly from the United States; eighteen of all these vessels left this port with cargoes, and the rest in ballast.

The pending war has not been without a serious and depressing influence on the trade between Trieste and the United States. Formerly there came a considerable number of ships annually from our southern ports laden with cotton. Since the war broke out there have been no such arrivals. This, however, has been in part made up for by the increased number of ships employed in the carrying trade between Trieste and its dependent ports and the other ports of the Mediterranean. It also appears, from the increased number of currency certificates which the consul has been called on to sign, that the exports to the United States by the way of Hamburg, Bremen, and Liverpool, and the lines of ocean steamers, has considerably increased. The principal articles of exportation to the United States are rags, currants, plums, gums, cuttle-fish bones, and sponges. The chief articles of export from Trieste to European ports are wine, flour, staves, and timber, principally to France and England, though many cargoes of flour are sent to Brazil.

The currency is still the depreciated bank paper, the value of which, however, has been very steady the present year. At present the paper florin of Austria is daily increasing in value, there being to-day only 18 per cent. difference between silver and paper.

VENICE.-W. D. HOWELLS, Consul.

SEPTEMBER 30, 1862.

I have the honor herewith to transmit the annual report on the commerce of this consular district for the year 1861.