Countries cleared from. TABLE No. 8. Table showing the countries engaged in the commerce of Marseilles, and the number of native vessels and of French and other foreign vessels employed in said commerce. LYONS.-JAMES LESLEY, Consul. AUGUST 4, 1862. I have the honor to enclose herewith a report on the trade with France gene. rally, and of the Lyons consular district in particular, with the United States for the year 1860. Report on the trade of France, generally, and of the Lyons consular district with the United States for the year 1860. No special statistics of the trade of this district being kept by the French authorities, or by the chamber of commerce, it is impossible to give in exact numbers the quantities of American products consumed in this district, or the amount of goods produced here, and exported to the United States. I shall, therefore, give a general report of the French trade, exports and imports, and, from such report, point out the principal articles produced or manufactured in this district for exportation to the United States, and the quantities of United States products used here. The last official reports issued by the French custom-house officers are for the year 1860. The reports of 1861 will not be ready for several months. The nine annexed tables will show (No. 1) a comparative statement of the value of imports into France, for French consumption, from the principal countries of export. The United States in 1860 sent to France one hundred and sixty-three thousandths of the total amount, in official value, imported by that country. They are surpassed only by England and her colonies, who have two hundred and two thousandths of the official value. This table includes all kinds of produce for French consumption. No. 2.-Comparative statement of the exports of French goods and produce to the principal importing countries. The United States bought one hundred and one thousandths of the total amount of the French exports, being the second best customer of France. This table sums up as follows: It will be seen from the above tables that the total trade of France for 1860 both for special and general commerce, amounted to— No. 3.-A statement of the imports into France from the United States, and their value. The first column of the table shows the total amount imported into France to be 262,779,000 francs; of which only 239,751,000 francs has been consumed in France; leaving a difference of 23,028,000 francs re-exported from France, principally to Switzerland, and consisting of cotton, tobacco, raw hides, and grain. No. 4. A statement of the exports from France to the United States, giving a list of the principal articles, goods, and produce export, and their value. The first column, general trade, gives the quantity and value of all goods shipped from French ports direct to the United States, 364,902,000 francs; but of that amount only 249,923,000 francs were French goods and produce. The difference, 114,979,000 francs, is composed of goods produced abroad and passing only through French territory. It consists principally of Swiss manufactures. For instance: silks, 54,000,000 francs; woollens, 5,000,000 francs; cotton, 4,000,000 francs; linen, 21,000,000 francs; and other goods. The following tables have reference only to the special commerce, that is, for imports only, such as are for French consumption; for exports only, such as are produced or manufactured in France. No. 5. Details of imports into France of cotton, rice, tobacco, and oak staves, showing for each article the quantity and amount and average prices imported into France, from the United States, from the other producing countries, and the whole imports from all countries together. The United States furnish to France 924 thousandths of the cotton, 629 thousandths of the tobacco, 378 thousandths of the oak staves, and 210 thousandths of the rice imported into that country. In the table England appears as an exporter of cotton and of rice. It may be safely supposed that the greatest part of the apparent exports of England, in these two articles, comes originally from the United States A part of these articles is used in this district, but it is impossible to give amounts; the former is a government monopoly, and a large manufactory is kept in Lyons; of the latter about 8,000 bales are used in the mountain district, northwest of Lyons, for the manufacture of blankets and of common goods for consumption. DETAILS OF FRENCH EXPORTS. The four last tables show the detailed exports of goods of French manufac ture and produce to the United States and to England and her colonies—the two largest buyers-and the total amount exported to all countries together. Table No. 6, for wines; No. 7, for spirits; No. S, for silk goods; No. 9, for woollen goods. The exports to England have been introduced into the above-mentioned tables as a point of comparison with those to the United States, and with the aggregate to all countries. It must be remarked that the exports to England appear larger than they really are, for two reasons: 1. They include the goods exported to all her colonies and possessions. 2. A part of the French goods appearing in those tables as exports to England merely go through that country, and are thence reshipped to the United States and to other transatlantic countries. No. 6. The wines exported from France are produced in the district of Bordeaux, and in the middle provinces of France from Macon to the north. The common wines of this district do not generally bear a long sea voyage, and in consequence they are mostly kept for home consumption, or sent to the neighboring countries. No. 7. No brandy or spirits are exported from Lyons. No. 8. Some few woollen goods are manufactured here, and there are near Nismes large blanket factories, but it is impossible to ascertain the amounts manufactured and exported. No. 9. The most important manufacture for Lyons and the district is silk goods of all kinds. I therefore give, in this table, full details of the exports of every variety of silk goods manufactured in France. The aggregate of exports to all countries amounted to 454,266,000 francs, of which the United States took 228 thousandths, or 103,677,000 francs, and England 334 thousandths, or 156,275,000 francs, the two together making more than one-half of the whole amount exported from France. The following statement shows, for 1859 and for 1860, the total export to all countries, and the amount and proportion exported to the United States, for each kind of silk goods. Compared with those of 1859 the exports of French silk goods show a falling off of 45,000,000 of francs, of which about 35,000,000 of francs for the United States. The silk and velvet ribbons and the figured goods show the heaviest loss. It is generally allowed that France, for its own consumption, takes about one-half of the amount exported, or, in other words, that the exports amount to two-thirds of the whole French production. The exports of 1860 being 454,000,000 francs, one-half added, say, 226,000,000 francs, would give 680,000,000 francs for the total production of France for all kinds of goods where silk predominates. Of that amount Lyons produces the greatest part. The amount manufactured in this city and consular district can be set down as follows: Plain goods, (Lyons, surrounding villages of Grinoble, Nismes, Valencia, &c., &c.) . . . . Figured goods, (almost entirely in Lyons) Mixed goods.... Crépe tulle, (Lyons) Ribbons, (St. Etienne) Total... Francs. 327, 000, 000 76, 000, 000 40, 000, 000 14, 000, 000 100, 000, 000 557, 000, 000 I believe that the silk goods exported from this district to the United States, directly or indirectly, amounted to at least ninety millions of francs in the year 1860. The exports for 1861 and for this year have been greatly reduced. Figured goods and ribbons have suffered most; but it is impossible, for the present, to obtain statistics. As soon as possible I shall make a report for 1861. It is generally believed that the amount of silk goods exported during the two last years will not reach one-half of the exports of 1860. |