COMMERCE.] INDIA 757 trade distributed along the coast. The western side has a succession of tolerable harbours, from Goa to Cochin. On the east there is not a single safe roadstead nor a navigable river, but ships anchor some distance off the shore at Madras, and at other points, generally near the mouths of the rivers. Of the total foreign trade of India, Calcutta and Bombay control about 40 per cent, each; Madras has 6 per cent., Rangoon 4 per cent., and Karachi 2 per cent., leaving a balance of only 8 per cent, for all the remaining ports of the country. Calcutta and Bombay may be called the two centres of collection and distribution, to a degree without a parallel in other countries ; and the growth of their prosperity is identical with the development of Indian commerce. li Foreign Trade of India for Forty Tears, classified according to [ile. Quinquennial Periods, in Millions Sterling. Average Imports. Average Exports. Periods. Cotton Manufac tures. Total Merchan dise. Trea sure. Raw Cotton. Total Merchan dise. Trea sure. Balance of Trade including Treasure. 1 1840-44 3-19 7-69 2 76 2-34 14-14 0-48 + 4-17 1S45-49 3-7G 9-14 3-07 1-68 15-68 1-32 + 479 1850-54 5-15 11-OC 4-79 3-14 19-02 1-00 + 4-17 1855-59 6-94 15-58 11-27 3-11 24-93 0-92 - i-oo 1860-64 10-92 23-97 17-09 15-56 42-15 1-02 + 2-11 1865-69 15-74 31-70 17-62 25-98 55-86 1-80 + 8-34 1870-74 17-56 3304 8-26 17-41 5025 1-59 + 10-54 1875-79 18-89 38-36 9-86 11-52 60-32 2-81 + 14-91 General Average. j. 10-27 21-32 9-34 10-09 30-04 1-37 + 6-75 The preceding table, which has been compiled from materials furnished by the Parliamentary Abstract for 1879, demands a few words of explanation. The average of quinquennial periods has been taken in order to coun teract, as far as possible, accidental fluctuations. The two columns giving the imports of treasure and tho exports of raw cotton both show exceptional increases between 1855 and 1869, due mainly to the effects of the Mutiny and of the American War. Far more instructive are the three columns giving the imports of cotton manufactures and of total merchandise and the exports of total mer chandise. Each of these three, without exception, exhibits ft progressive increase in every one of the eight quin quennial periods. In the full period of forty years the value of cotton goods imported has multiplied sixfold; the value of total merchandise imported has multiplied fivefold ; and the value of total merchandise exported has multiplied more than fourfold. Before examining in detail the history of some of the chief staples of trade, it may be convenient to give in this place the statistics of a single year, 1877-1878, which was a year of inflation, despite the incidence of famine in southern India. In 1877-78 the aggregate volume of foreign sea-borne trade exceeded 126 millions sterling in value. The transactions of Government show an import of 2,138,182 and an export of 36,615. The imports of merchandise were 39,336,003, and of treasure 17,355,460 ; total imports, 56,691,463. The exports of merchandise were 65,185,713, and of treasure 2,155,136 ; total exports, 67,340,849. These figures show an excess of exports over imports (including treasure) amount ing to 8,494,250, and an excess of treasure imported to the amount of 15,200,324. The total number of vessels that entered and cleared was 12,537, with an aggregate of 5,754,379 tons, or an average of 459 tons each. Of the total tonnage 76 per cent, was British, 7 per cent. British Indian, 4 per cent, native, and 13 per cent, foreign, American, Italian, and French being best represented in the latter class. There was also a land-borne frontier trade esti mated at 7f millions imports into India 4J millions, exports 3^ millions. The grand total of the land-borne and sea-borne foreign trade of India in 1878, was 134 millions. The following tables give the principal items, together with the totals, of import and export for 1877-78, showing the quantities wherever possible, as well as the values : 1 The p!us sign (+) stands for excess of exports, or so-called favourable balance of trade ; the minus sign (-) stands for excess of imports. Foreign Trade of British India, in 1877-78. Import*. Quantities. Value. Apparel
557,597 1,007,932 2,850,403 11,562,853 2,936,109 2,454,103 369,248 Coal and coke 001 1.50 Cotton twist and yarn.. Cotton piece-goods Grey White It) yds. 30,194,125 992,537,579 215,024,860 150,548,713 Other sorts Total cotton poods. Hardware and cutlery . 448,228 313,070 647,661 436,020 4,808 Liquors . Ale, beer, porter Spirits gals. 1,328,077 737,714 496,733 14,160 Wines and liqueurs.. Other sorts " Machinery, <fcc 850,997 1,498,175 1,435,561 671,728 Metals cwts. 320,103 2,437,721 330,789 g QOO gjg Iron Other sorts " Provisions 858,797 907,002 401,365 678,069 804,883 488,884 798,036 782,781 5,571,693 Railway plant Salt . tons ft yds. ft cwts. 254.231 2,102,1)30 8,328,716 03,123,137 475.105 Silk, raw Silk, manufactured Spices Sugar Woollen goods Miscellaneous yds. 7,069,693 Total merchandise. 39,336,003 17,355,460 2,138,182 Government stores Grand total 58,829,645 Exports. Quantities Value. Coffee ft) 33 "00 64
1 338 400 Cotton, raw 387 416 024 9 383 534 Cotton piece-goods yds. Cotton twist ft 17,540,591 15 600 291 442.286 68 > 058 Indigo cwts. 120 605 3 -194 :>:>4 Other dyes 735 838 406 600 Grain 18 48 386 6 950 276 Wheat 340 150 2 856 990 Other sorts , 879 806 326 834 Hides and skins no. Jute, raw cwts 22,916.317 5 450 276 3,756,887 3518 114 Jute, manufactured 771 127 Lac, excepting lac-dye cwts. Oils 95,075 33--),o;ia 371,552 Opium chests 92,820 12,374,355 Saltpetre . cwts 389,01)2 379.002 Seeds Linseed , 7 198 918 4 224 429 Rape 3 193 488 1,918 438 Gingelly or til Other sorts 1,158,802 635 812 848,226 309,191 ]0 -]0y f)0() 7 <?0f) o<^ 1 512 K19 703 549 Silk, manufactured yds. 1,535,458 151,080 Spices ft 13 805 035 226 515 Sugar .cwts. Tea 11. 844,125 33,459,075 745,851 3,044,571 56 939 406,652 11 102 233 93,037 23,075 323 943.645 Woollen manufactures Miscellaneous 207,873 1.874,929 Total Indian produce ... Foreign merchandise 6:;,14:t,533 2,042,180 . . . 2,155.136 36,015 Grand total 67,377,464 As regards the imports, the first thing to notice is the Principal enormous predominance of two items cotton goods and import* treasure. On an average of tho last forty years, cotton goods form 33 per cent., or exactly one-third of the total, and treasure an additional 30 per cent. Next in order come metals (copper, which is largely used by native smiths, slightly exceeding iron) ; Government stores, in cluding munitions of war, boots, liquor, and clothing for soldiers, and railway plant ; liquors, entirely for European consumption ; coal, for the use of the railways and mills ;
railway plant for the guaranteed companies ; provisions,
