Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 12.djvu/783

759 COMMERCE.] INDIA 759 1.-0 n Yes i n iito export was only about 4 million cwts. a year ; but the fiscal change, coinciding with an augmented demand in Europe, has caused an in crease of threefold. In 1877-78 the total export amounted to 12,187,020 cwts. , valued at more than 7J millions sterling. Of this Bengal contributed 7,799,220 cwts., and Bombay 3,179,475 cwts. Linseed and rape are consigned mainly to the United Kingdom, while France takes almost the entire quantity of til or gingelly. The export of oil-seeds in 1878-79 was valued at 4,682,512. In actual amount, though not in relative importance, indigo holds its own in the face of competition from aniline dyes. The export of 1877-78 amounted to 120,605 cwts., valued at 3,494,334, being the highest figures on record. Of this total Bengal yielded 99,402 cwts., and Madras 16,899 cwts.. In 1878-79 the export of indigo amounted to 105,051 cwts., valued at 2,960,463. The most noticeable feature in this trade is the diminishing proportion sent direct to England, and the wide distribution of the remainder. Of other dyes, safflower has greatly fallen off, being now only in demand for a rouge in China and Japan ; the export in 1877-78 was 3698 cwts., valued at 14,881. The export of myrobalans, on the other hand, was greatly stimu lated by the Russo-Turkish war, which interrupted the supply of valonia and galls from Asia Minor. The quantity rose from 286,350 cwts. in 1875-76 to 537,055 cwts. in 1877-78, valued in the latter year at 230,526. Practically the whole is sent to the United Kingdom. Turmeric, also, exhibits an increase to 146,865 cwts. in 1877-78, valued at 123,766, of which the United Kingdom took about one-half. Lac-dye, like other kinds of lac, shows a depressed trade, the exports in 1877-78 having been 9570 cwts., valued at 29,009. No other export has made such steady progress as tea, which has multiplied more than fourfold in the space of ten years. In 1867-68 the amount was only 7,811,429 lt&amp;gt; ; by 1872-73 it had reached 17,920,439 lb ; and in 1878-79, without a single step of retrogres sion, it had further risen to 34,800,027 lb, valued at 3,170,118. Indian tea has now a recognized position in the London market, generally averaging about 4d. per ft&amp;gt; higher in value than Chinese tea, but it has failed to win acceptance in most other countries, excepting Australia. The exports of coffee from India are stationary, if not declining. The highest amount during the past ten years was 507,296 cwts. in 1871-72, the lowest amount 298,587 cwts. in 1877-78, valued at 1,338,499. In 1878-79 the export was 342,268 cwts., valued at 1,548,481. Of manufactured goods, cotton and jute deserve notice, though by far the greater part of the produce of the Indian mills is con sumed locally. The total value of cotton goods exported in 1878-79 was 1,644,125, being an increase of nearly threefold as compared with ] 874-75. The exports of twist and yarn, spun in the Bombay mills, increased from 3 million lb in 1874-75 to 15J million lb in 1877-78, valued in the latter year at 682,058. The chief places of destination were China, 13,762,133 lb ; Aden, 1,181,120 lb ; and Arabia, 393,371 lb. The export of twist and yarn in 1878-79 was valued at 937,698. Piece-goods belong to two classes. Coloured goods, woven in hand-looms, are exported from Madras to Ceylon and the Straits, to the annual value of about 230,000, the quantity being about 8 million yards ; while in 1877-78 grey goods from the Bombay mills were sent to Aden, Arabia, Zanzibar, and the Mekran coast, amounting to over 10 million yards, and valued at 141,509. Jute manufactures consist of gunny bags, gunny cloths, and rope and twine, almost entirely the produce of the Calcutta mills. In all of these the value of the exports is in creasing faster than the quantity, having multiplied nearly four fold in the last five years. In 1877-78 the total export of jute manufactures was valued at 771,127, and in 1878-79 at 1,098,434. Gunny bags, for the packing of wheat, rice, and wool, were exported in 1877-78 to the number of more than 26^ millions, valued at 729,669. Of this total 298,000 (includ- ing by far the most valuable bags) was sent to Australia, 162,000 to the Straits, 80,000 to the United States, 77,000 to Egypt, 32,000 to China, and 81,000 to other countries, this comprising a considerable quantity destined for England. In 1878-79 the export of gunny bags had increased to 45 ^ millions, valued at a million sterling. Of gunny cloth in pieces nearly 3 million yards were exported in 1877-78, almost entirely to the United States, valued at 35,610 ; in 1878-79 these exports had increased to up wards of 4| million yards. Of rope and twine 4428 cwts. were exported, valued at 5443. The following tables, being taken from Indian returns, do not in all cases show the real origin of the imports or the ultimate desti nation of the exports, but primarily the countries with which India has direct dealings. London still retains its historical pre-eminence as the first Oriental mart in the world, whither buyers flock from tho other countries of Europe to satisfy their wants. Germans go there for wool, Frenchmen for jute, and all nations alike for rare dyes, spices, and drugs. Though the opening of the Suez Canal has restored to the maritime cities of the Mediterranean some share of the business that they once monopolized, yet, 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 con flicting influences, the trade of India with the United Kingdom, while in actual amount it remains pretty constant, shows a relative decrease as compared wilh the total trade. Distribution of Principal Exports of Haw Produce in 1877-78, in Cwts. Cutton. Jute. Rice. Wheat. Indigo. United Kingdom .... 1,440,000 611 000 4,493,483 10,488,198 20 117 5,731,349 116 674 51.fi41 2&amp;lt;) yyy 109,000 68 839 Austria 407.000 6 618 Italy 434 000 1 392 United States 845 810 9 832 Egypt 12,417 Pei sia 12(i 824 4,148 Mauritius 1,461,931 154 888 China. 21 J 000 Straits Settlements.. 1,022,431 Distribution of Foreign Trade of India in 1877-1878 (excluding treasure). United Kingdom. France. Italy. United States. Australia. China and Hong-Kong. Straits Settlements. Ceylon. Mauritius. Imports

32,211,303 29,298,152

451,105 5,963,057

349,229 1,867,690

279,717 1,930,340

298,298 449,740

1,403,673 12,634,935

1,079,702 2,343,285

530,555 2,496,323

642,471 1,117,975 Exports Total 61,509,455 49 6,414,162 5 2,216,919 1-8 2,210,057 1-8 748,038 6 14,038,608 13 3,422,987 3 3,026,878 2-6 1,760,446 1-4 Per cent of grand tot. 111(1 The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, while it has stimulated every department of trade into greater activity, has not materially changed its character. As might be anticipated, the imports, being for the most part of small bulk and high value, first felt the advan tages of this route. In 1 875-76 as much as 85 percent, of the imports from Europe and Egypt (excluding treasure) passed through the canal, but only 29 per cent, of the exports. In 1878-79 the proportion of imports was substantially the same, while that of exports had risen to 64 per cent., showing that such bulky commodities as cotton, grain, oil-seeds, and jute were beginning to participate in the advantage of rapid traffic. The actual values of canal trade in 1877-78, the year of its greatest development, were 29 millions sterling for imports, and 23 millions for exports. It is estimated that the canal has reduced the length of the voyage from London to India by the equivalent of thirty-six days, the route round the Cape being more than 11,000 miles, that through the canal less than 3000 miles. In 1873-74, which may be regarded as a normal year, though tho figures are not altogether free from suspicion, the total number of vessels engaged in the coasting trade that cleared and entered was 294,374, with an aggregate of 10,379,862 tons ; the total value of both exports and imports was returned at 34,890,445. Of the total number of vessels, 280,913, with 4,843,668 tons, were native craft. Bombay and Madras divide between them nearly all the native craft ; while in Bengal and Burmah a large and increasing pro portion of the coasting traffic is carried in British steamers. In 1877-78, the year of famine, the number of ships increased to 319,624, the tonnage to 15,732,246 tons, and the value to 67,814,446. By far tho largest item was grain, of which a total of 1,137,690 tons, valued at 13 millions sterling, was thrown into the famine-stricken districts from the seaboard. Next in importance come raw cotton and cotton goods. The trade in raw cotton amounted to 387,438 cwts., valued at 957,900, much of which was merely transshipped from one port to another in the Bombay presidency. Cotton, twist, and yarn amounted to 17,425,993 lb, valued at 965,038, of which the greater part was sent from Bom bay to Bengal and Madras. The total value of the cotton piece- goods was 620,866, including about 24 million yards of grey goods sent from Bombay to Bengal and to Sind in nearly equal propor tions, and about 2 million yards of coloured goods from Madras. Stimulated by the activity of the grain trade, the exports of gunny bags from Calcutta coastwise rose to a total value of nearlj