302
SHANGHAI.
consisted of about fifteen steamers, a dock, and extensive wharfs and godowns in the French Settlement and at Hongkew.
The hotel accommodation of Shanghai was formerly, like that of Hongkong and Yokohama, of the most miserable description, but by the opening of the "Central" and the re-building of the "Astor House" in 1876-77, it is now in this respect unexcelled by any port in the East. There are two daily newspapers, the North China Daily News, morning, and the Shanghai Courier, evening, with dependent weeklies, the North China Herald and the Celestial Empire. There are two native daily papers; one of them, the Shun-pao, sold at the price of eight cash, equal to a farthing and a half, has a very large circulation, the other is the organ of the officials. In one matter, that of Postal accommodation, Shanghai is incon- veniently over-supplied, there being British, French, American, Japanese, Local, and Customs Post-offices. It is hoped that the Chinese Government may soon establish a general postal department in connection with the International Union, to be under the control of the Foreign Customs, or that failing this the other Authorities may consent to all correspondence passing through either the British or Local Offices. All foreign hongs and even private houses have to give themselves high flown Chinese names, by which only are they known to the natives. The system is, however, found to have its conveniences.
The currency of Shanghai is the tael of silver, cast into "shoes" of fifty taels, more or less. The foreign banks issue notes of the value of five taels and upwards. Smaller transactions are conducted in clean Mexican dollars and copper cash. There are seven foreign and innumerable native banks in the Settlement.
Shanghai is the great emporium for the trade of the Yangtsze and Northern ports and to a considerable extent for Japan. The export of Tea from 1846 to 1850 averaged sixteen mill on pounds, and Silk during the same period seventeen thousand bales. The total import and export trade of 1868 was sixty-five million taels. In the twenty years which have elapsed this has been nearly doubled. The total trado in foreign bottoms, import and export for 1877, as given by the Customs Statistical Department was Haikwan Tls. 117,000,006, equal to about $180,000,000, which may be summarised as follows:-
Imports from Great Britain... Imports from India
Tls. 19,918,948
Imports from Hongkong
Imports from Japan
...
Imports from United States...
Imports from other Countries
...
19,733,122
5,36.237
2,92',706
1,137,418
3,084,741
Hk. Tls. 52,102,172
Of this amount there was re-exported, principally to the northern aud Yangtsze ports, to the value of Haikwan Tls. 37,009,837.
...
Imports of Opium Imports of Cotton Goods ... Imports of Woollen Goods
Imports of Metals
Imports of Sugar
Imports of Ginseng
Imports of Coal
Imports of Timber
Imports of Sundries
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
***
***
...
...
Tlș. 20,409,014 15,34,385 4,457,908 3,123,560
...
1,443,735
918,298
839,665
582,565
4,979,042
Hk. Tls. 52,102,172
If we exclude Japan and the other Treaty ports we find that ninety-two per cent. of the Imports were from Great Britain and her Colonies. Imports to the value of Tls. 1,026,981 only were sent to the interior under Transit Passes.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.