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and as so dependent generally on the immediate prospects of that and the Japan trade that I can scarcely place before Your Grace a true picture of prospects of a colony which is the main depôt of that commerce and the centre of the operations of the orders issued and the has already much exceeded the limits, which I had proposed to myself at its commencement, I shall confine myself to the figures connected with last year except in stating that the total trade in 1865
272,232,038.
in 1866
299,929,541.
an increase in the latter connected therewith exhibiting of 26,697,513.
I allude to the extent and prospects of the general trade with China.
78.
I have fortunately just received from Robert Hart the very able Inspector General of Imperial Customs for the Chinese Government an analysis of the 1865 and 1866 Returns of the China trade and not to add unnecessarily to the length of this communication, which during 18 years generally averaged eight millions sterling, an increase which I may say has since 1860, eleven per cent on each preceding year.
Mr. Robertson at Canton has recently occupied himself much with the returns connected with the trade of the open Ports, bringing to his analysis of that trade great experience