COMMERCE CXXV previous year, with a single exception, 1880, though the popu- lation has increased 50 per cent since that time. The total imports were but {^610,049,654 in value, against $764,730,412 in the preceding year and $779,724,674 a year earlier. The falling off was almost entirely in manufactures and arti- cles of food. The importation of woollen manufactures was $14,823,771, against $49,162,992 in the preceding year; of cot- ton goods $27^,267,300, against $34,429,363 in 1897 ; of manu- factures of iron and steel $12,626,431, against $16,094,557 in the preceding year ; of earthenware and china $6,687,360, against $9,977,297 a year earlier ; of glass and glassware $3,782,617, against $5,603,868 in 1897 ; and of tin plate $3,809,148, against $5,344,638 in the preceding year. The year's record of the imports and exports of the precious metals was also an unusual one. The importations of gold were greater than in any preceding year in the history of the country, and the exports smaller than in any year in the present decade, making the net importations the largest ever known. The total imports of gold were $120,391,674, and the exports $15,406,391, the net imports being $104,985,283, the largest in any preceding year being $97,466,127 in 1881, while on only twelve previous occasions since 1850 have the year's imports of gold equalled the exports. The importation of sil- ver, most of which comes into the country in lead ore and base bullion, amounted to $30,927,781 in value, against $30,533,227 in 1897 and $28,777,186 in 1896, while the exportation of the year amounted to $55,105,239 in value, against $61,946,638 in the preceding year. This satisfactory condition of our foreign trade extended to our commerce with practically every nation and all the great geographical divisions. Our sales to Europe alone increased $160,420,601, while our purchases from that section of the globe decreased $124,258,514; and to all the great divisions, except Oceanica, there was an increased sale, and from all, except Asia and Oceanica, decreased imports. Our exports to Asia show a gratifying gain, those of 1898 having been $44,707,791, against $25,630,029 in 1896 and $11,645,703 in 1880, thus having quadrupled since 1880, and nearly doubled within two years. The following table shows the domestic exports of the fiscal year 1898 by classes, compared with those of 1896 and 1897 :
