Elberfeld, a town near Cologne, a suit relating to a case of meat from America which was packed in borax. It seems that the municipality of Cologne issued through the daily papers a notice or warning to dealers that such meats should not be handled or sold by them, alleging its use to be detrimental to the health of the consumer. Any citizen is permitted, under this order, to file a complaint regarding this kind of meat. As a consequence, when the Bürgermeister (mayor) issues his edict or warning, the dealers in meats are afraid to handle or sell the prohibited products. And this is done in spite of the fact that the Emperor alone has the power to prescribe the manner of packing or preparing human food.

The Bürgermeister of Solingen has exercised the same power as claimed by the Bürgermeister of Cologne, by indorsing and repeating this edict or warning in his district against the use of boraxed meats, and this action has resulted in bringing the case to the attention of the court at Elberfeld. The society for the protection of German trade and industry in foreign meats and fat products, is contesting this question and expects to be able to prove by distinguished German professors that the use of borax for packing meats is not injurious to human life.

I am likewise informed that uninspected American hog products. have been introduced into Germany from Belgium, in boxes in which other regularly inspected meats had been received from America, bearing the label of microscopic inspection.

The following is a case in point:

Originally, in the microscopic inspections in the United States, the certificates thereof were the same as those given for usual ante and post-mortem inspections, with the addition of a red stamp placed on the certificate stating that the goods mentioned were microscopically inspected and found free from trichinæ. On one occasion a carload of bacon arrived at the custom-house of Aix la Chapelle, the certificate of which was without the red stamp. The custom-house officers refused to let the car enter Germany and reported the case to the buyer at Düren. This man wrote to the Antwerp firm that he refused to accept said car, because he was entitled to receive the meat regularly inspected as required by the German laws. The seller at Antwerp replied that, in fact, the meats in question had been regularly inspected microscopically, and it was by mistake that the certificate did not bear the red stamp; that such an error happened sometimes, but that the United States consul in Antwerp would rectify the certificate if the buyer would return it for that purpose. Unfortunately for the Düren merchant, he believed this story, sent the certificate back, and received it again two or three days afterwards bearing now the red stamp. He presented this

document at the custom-house at Aix la Chapelle, in order to have the carload entered into Germany; but the custom-house officer had reported first to the American consul at Antwerp, and when he learned that the consul had neither changed the certificate nor been authorized to do so, the entrance into Germany was refused and the buyer placed under accusation of having falsified a public document. After several years, the suit terminated in the supreme court in Leipzig with a sentence of the Düren merchant to eight days' imprisonment for assisting in the falsification of a public document. The Belgian merchant, of course, could not be prosecuted in Germany.

How many times the Belgian port has sent into Germany uninspected meats, it is impossible to say. It is rumored that a regular traffic in empty boxes with proper inspection labels and certificates has existed in Antwerp for some time, with a probability of a like organization in Rotterdam.

COLOGNE, August 3, 1898.

JOHN A. BARNES,

Consul.

THE COLONIES AND PROTECTORATES OF

FRANCE.

As the colonial question is the subject of widespread study in France to-day, I have made a brief review of the commercial condition of the French colonies, taking my figures from the reports of 1896, as those of 1897 have not yet been given to the public in their entirety. In common with the other great nations of Europe, the statesmen and the business community of France are doing their utmost to augment the importance of their colonies from a business standpoint.

The fifteen colonies that are under French rule contain a superfice of 1,877,991 square miles, and have a population of 51,615,427. Their trade with the home country amounts to $143,806,997; the importations into France therefrom being $73,073,415; exports from France thereto, $70,733,582. The items given herein are condensed from tabulated statements made by Government officials, and covering many pages. I have aimed to give the aggregate trade of each colony, enumerating a few of the principal items of exchange. The recent delimitation of the Niger territory by the Anglo-French Commission, which terminated its labors in June last, will cause some changes in the figures referring to the African colonies, but they will not be forthcoming until some time in 1899. The boundaries fixed by the Anglo-French Commission may be considered as still

uncertain, as the German Colonial Society, on June 28, protested against them as "an infringement of German rights."

The following statistics give the population, area, and annual foreign trade of the colonies and protectorates of France:

AFRICAN COLONIES.

ALGERIA.

The superfice of Algeria is 226, 184 square miles; the population numbers 4,429,421.

The productions of this colony consist of cereals, flaxseed, vegetable fiber, iron ore, oranges, essences, red and white wine.

The commerce between France and Algeria for the year 1896 was $82,972,000-$39,372,000 in importations into France, and $43,600,000 in exportations from France. The general commerce with other nations aggregates $20,400,000, of which $8,800,000 represented exportations from and $11,600,000 importations into Algeria.

The largest item of importation into France from Algeria was wine, the aggregate being $19,410,731. The next item is 458,343 head of sheep, valued at $3,107,093.

Among the exportations from France, the values are in the order given: Tissues, passementeries, and cotton ribbons, $6,098, 233; metal tools, $1,715,365; furniture and objects in wood, $1,583,812; woolens, $1,384,139; postal parcels, $6,414, 199.

Algeria is composed of three departments. The population is as follows: Algiers, called the center, 1,526,667; Constantine, called the east, 1,874,506; Oran, called the west, 1,028,248.

MADAGASCAR AND ITS DEPENDENCIES.

Superfice, 375,000 square miles; population, 6,000,000.

The commercial exchanges between France and Madagascar were $1,200,000-$200,000 in importations into France, and $1,000,ooo in exportations from France.

Importations into France: Rubber and raw gutta-percha, $28,974; phormium tenax, abaca, and vegetable fibers, $66,178; rawhides, dry or fresh, $30, 180.

Exportations from France: Wines, $244,437; machinery, $91,929; tissues, passementeries, and cotton ribbons, $49, 183; tools and other objects in metal, $80, 905; cured hides and objects made of leather, $45,245; brushes, buttons, and fancy goods, $41,259.

Mayotte.-Importations into France from Mayotte: Sugar, $148,230; vanilla, $38,656; molasses brandy, $6,092.

Exportations from France to Mayotte: Wines, $6,477; tools and other manufactures of metal, $3,226; clothing, $2,915; machinery, $2,853.

Nossi-bé.-Importations into France from Nossi-bé: Rubber and gutta-percha, $24,884; rawhides, fresh and dry, $12,528; sugar, $9,202.

Exportations from France to Nossi-bé: Tissues, passementeries, and cotton ribbons, $4,072; wines, $10,433; tools and other articles in metals, $2,140.

Ste. Marie de Madagascar.-Importations into France from Ste. Marie de Madagascar: Preserved meats, $668; plants, $222.

Exportations from France to Ste. Marie de Madagascar: Wines, $11,687; musical instruments, $606; brandy and liquors, $2,264; prepared sponges, $1,197.

RÉUNION.

Superfice, 1,600 square miles; population, 169,493.

The commerce with France amounted to $5,600,000-$3,400,000 in importations into France, and $2,200,000 in exportations from France.

Importations into France: Sugar, $2,609,032; vanilla, $325,884; sago, jalep, and exotic fecula, $283,237; molasses brandy, $112,077. Exportations from France: Tissues, passementeries, and cotton ribbons, $370,723; wines, $432,453; fish, fresh, dried, or otherwise prepared, $154,039; tools and other articles in metal, $65,802; tissues, passementeries, and woolen ribbons, $96,937.

TUNIS.

The superfice of Tunis is 52,903 square miles; population,

1,600,000.

The commerce between France and Tunis for 1896 was valued at $9,600,000-$5,000,000 in importations into France, and $4,600,000 in exportations from France.

The principal items of export from France were: Cereals (grain), $2,131,000; cured hides and objects made of leather, $405,018; clothing and pieces of cloth, sewed, $272,533; metal tools, $224,029; toys, fans, brushes, buttons, and fancy goods, $217,324; tissues, hosiery, passementeries, and woolen ribbons $207,541; the same in cotton, $155,407; machinery and apparatus, $216,167.

The leading items of import into France were: Cereals (flour and grain), $2,456, 171; olive oil, $753, 360; wine, $537,972; sponges, prepared and raw, $256,039.

WESTERN AFRICA.

Senegal.-Population, 1,800,000.

Commerce with France, $5,700,000-$2,800,000 in importations. into France, and $2,900,000 in exportations from France.

Importations into France: Earthnuts (peanuts) in pods, $1,643,436; exotic gums, $892, 205; rubber and gutta-percha, $104,575; feathers, $56,457.

Exportations from France: Tissues, passementeries, and cotton ribbons, $1,078,870; wines, $438,617; rice, $332, 206; clothing and pieces of cloth, sewed, $163,441; tools and other manufactures of metal, $103,794.

Kongo. Superfice, 418,750 square miles; population, from 12,000,000 to 15,000,000.

Soudan.-Superfice, 450,000 square miles; population, 300,000. The commercial exchanges were $3,117,837, viz, $1,781,388 in importations into France, and $1,336,449 in exportations from France. Importations into France: Palm oil, $696,991; seeds, oleaginous fruits, $567,770; rubber and gutta-percha, $353,536, dyewoods, $107,999.

Exportations from France: Clothing and pieces of cloth, sewed, $218,488; brandy, $43,209; glasses and crystal, $85,310; tools and other things in metal, $96,565; copper, $92,771; wines, $74,213.

Dahomey and dependencies on west coast.—Superfice, 7,500 square miles; population, 22,000.

Importations into France from western coast: Seeds and oil fruits, $351,007; palm oil, $286,791; exotic wood, $33,863.

Exportations from France to the western coast. Wines, $8,510, timber, $7,652; tools and other objects in metal, $3,807.

OTHER PARTS OF AFRICA.

Importations into France: Seeds and oil fruits, $679,472; coffee, $221,840; rubber and gutta-percha, $13,713.

Exportations from France: Arms and powder, $217.458; wines, $73,811; tools and other manufactures of metal, $10,286; cured hides and objects made of leather, $11, 195.

AMERICAN COLONIES.

GUADELOUPE.

Superfice, 687 square miles; population, 167,099.

The commercial exchanges between France and Guadeloupe for 1896 were $4,400,000-$2,000,000 in importations into France, and $2,400,000 in exportations from France.

The principal items of importations into France were: Sugar in powder, $2,110,073; coffee, $228, 252; dye goods, $248,819; molasses brandy (rum and tafia), $182,620.

Exportations from France: Wines, $379,971; tissues, passementeries, and cotton ribbons, $312,539; prepared leather and objects. made of leather, $240,032; fans, brushes, buttons, toys, $179,782;