Directory_and_Chronicle_1884 — Page 200

EHANGHAI.

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well supported by the community. The other public institutions way be enumerated as, a Subscription Library containing about 10,000 volumes, a branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, with the nucleus of a Museum, a Masonic Club, a Sailors' Home, a Polytechnic Institution for Chinese, a Seamen's Library and Museum, a well sup plied Gymnasium, a Wind Instrument Baud, which gives concerts in the Public Gar dens three times a week during the summer months, a Race Club, possessing a course of a mile and a quarter, a Country Club on the Bubbling Well Roal, a Parsee, and a Portugues Club, also Pony Paper Hunt, Cricket, Rifle, Yacht, Racquet, and various other Clubs for recreation. The last named owns a building containing two splendid Courts, Bowling Green, Tennis Lawn, etc. There are ten or eleven Masonic Lodies, with over 500 maubers. In 1870 a District Grand Lodge for North China was con. stituted, with Shanghai as its head-quarters.

There are four Docks at Shangbai, the one at Tunkadon, opposite the city, having a length of 380 feet over all with a depth at spring tides of 21 feet; the Old Deck at Hongkow is 400 feet long and 18 feet deepat springs, and the New Dock at Pootung at the lower end of the harbour measures 450 feet on the blocks with a depth at high water springs of about 21 fest. All steamers and most sailing vessels now discharge and load at the various public and private wharves. The premises of the Associated Wharf Company has a frontage of about three-quarters of a mile. The Chim se have an Arsenal and si ipbuilding establishment at Kaou Chung-mow, a short distance above the citr. The Great Northern Telegraph Company's cable was laid to Shangbai in 1871, and that of the Eastern Exten-ion Company last year, there being now two district lines of communication with Europe. An overland line to Tientsin was opened in December 1881, which has recently been extended to within twelve miles of Peking. A railway constructed by a for igu company was opened to Wousung in June, 1876, bat after running for sixteen months it was purchased and taken up by the Chinese Authorities. During the short time it was running the passenger traffic alone covered the working expenses, leaving sufficient profit to pay a small dividend. A scheme for Tramways in the settlements was sanctioned some time ago, but has not yet leen commenced. In 1877 the property of the Shanghai Steam Navigation Company, a foreign association owning the principal lines of steamers trading to the Yangtsze and Northern ports, was bought by the Chinese Gov. ernment, acting through the China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company, for the sum of two million tals. The property then taken over consisted of about fifteen steamers, a dock, and extensive wharves and godowns in the French Settlement and at Hongkes. There are three locally owned lines of steamers running on the coast and the river Yangisze. Several manufactories under both native and foreign auspices have sprung up of late years, and would considerably increase were it not that the native authorities are offering the most determined opposition to any manufactures under the control of foreigners.

The hotel accommodation of Sbanghai was formerly, like that of Hongkong and Yokohama, of the most miserable description, but by the opening of the "Ceutral" 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 three daily newspapers, the North China Daily News, morning, and the Shanghai Courier and Shanghai Mercury, evening, also two weeklis, the North China Herald and the Celcetial Empire. There are three native daily papers; one of them, the Shun-pao, sold at the price of eight cash, equal to a farthing and a balf, bas a very large circulation; one of the others is the organ of the officials. In one matter, that of "Postal accommolation, 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. Sbangbai was made a port of Registry for British ships in 1874. All foreign hongs and even private houses have to give themselves fancy Chinese names, by which only they are known to the natives. The system is, however, found to have its

SHANGHAI.

conveniences. Jinrickshas to the number of 2,500 and 1,500 passenger wheelbarrows of fifty ply for hire in the Settlements.

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The currency of Shanghai is the tael weight of silver, cast into "shoes tacls, 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.

Shangbai is the great emporium for the trade of the Yangtze and Northern The export of Tea from 1846 to 1850 ports and to a considerable extent for Japan. averaged sixteen million pounds, and Silk during the same period seventeen thousand It is bales. The total import and export trade of 1868 was sixty-five million Taels.

The total trade in foreign bottoms, import and now nearly double that amount. export for 1882, as given by the Customs Statistical Department, was Haikwan Tls. 122,750,226, equal to $188,000,000 or thirty-five millions sterling, against Haikwan Tls. 141,921,357, equal to $220,000,000 or forty-two millions sterling in 1881, a decline of about seventeen per cent. Up to 1881 the value of the trade had steadily increased. The estimated value of imports from Foreign Countries in 1882 was over Haikwan Tls. 13,000,000 less than during the previous year, the decrease being accounted for almost entirely through a falling off in the inports from Great Britain and India, and as regards the estimated value of the exports and re-exports to foreign countries there was a decrease of over Haikwan Tls. 3,000,000. Throughout the year the value of most of the principal articles of import as well as the quantities imported and delivered continued to decline. The import (45,246 picu:s) of foreign opium of all sorts shews a falling off of over 9,600 piculs as compared with the previous year. This is attributed to an increased production of and demand for native opium, the There was a the quality of which is now much superior to what it formerly was. decrease in the export of black tea of over 63,000 piculs and in Green tea over 58,000 piculs. The export of Silk amounted to 44 660 ̊piculs, against 45,862 piculs the previous year, and C8,950 picule in 1880. The import trade may be summarised as

follows:-

Imports of Foreign Goods from Great Britain...

Tls. 18,271,695

Imports of Foreign Goods from India

18,264,160

Imports of Foreign Goods from Hongkong

6,071,874

Imports of Foreign Goods from Japan ...

4,178,050

Imports of Foreign Goods from United States

3,249,355

Imports of Foreign Goods from Continent of Europe

2,434,603

Imports of Foreign Goods from Straits and Australia

1,381,891

Imports of Foreign Goods from Chinese Ports Imports of Foreign Goods from other Countries

782,245

359,601

Hk. Tls. 54,998,474

Of this amount to the value of Haikwan Tls. 39,948,128 was re-exported, namely to the Yaugtsze ports Hk. Tls. 20,735,877, to the Northern ports Hk. Tls. 11,416,175, to Ningpo and Southerr ports Hk. Tls. 6,339,666, to Japan Hk. Tls. 908,695, to Hongkong Hk. Tls. 431,283, and to Foreign Countries Hk. Tls. 116,432, leaving

a balance for local consumption and stock of Hk. Tls. 15,045,346.

Imports of Opium... Tls. 18,776,624

Imports of Cotton Goods... 16,844,616

Imports of Bicho de Mar

...Tl-, 519,635

Imports of Matches

496, 26

Imports of Woollen Goods.

3,907,358

Imports of Birds' Nests

449,311

Imports of Metals

3,588,419

Imports of Dyes and Colours

416,990

Imports of Seaweed

1,219,796

Imports of Sapanwood

254,346

Imports of Coal...

1,027,680

Imports of Needles

233,069

**

Imports of Kerosine Oil

988,419

Imports of Timber

Imports of Pepper..

229,751

956,414

Imports of Sundries

...

3,959,887

Imports of Ginseng

568,437

Imports of Saudalwood

556,166

Hk. Tls. 54,998,474

Imports to the value of Tls. 1,010,619 were sent to the interior under Transit Passes; Metals and Coal being the principal articles thus conveyed. The imports in foreign bottoms of native produce not re-exported amounted to Hk. Tls. 9,443,055.