SHANGHAI
109
The currency of Shanghai is the tael weight of silver cast into “shoes" of fifty taels, more or less. The foreign banks issue notes of the value of one dollar and upwards for both taels and dollars. Smaller transactions are conducted in clean Mexican dollars and copper cash. There are eight foreign and numerous 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 and Corea. The export of Tea from 1846 to 1850 averaged sixteen million pounds, and Silk during the same period seventeen_thousand bales. The total import and export trade of 1868 was sixty-five million taels. It steadily increased each year until 1881, when it reached Hk. Tls. 141,921,357 but afterwards shewed a great decline, the total for 1884 having been twenty per cent. less than that of 1881. It has since, however, shewn a rapid recovery, the total trade in foreign bottoms, import and export, for the last five years, as given by the Customs Statistical Department, being :-
1888... Hk. Tls. 146,917,846 at Ex. 1.54, Mex. $226,253,483, at Ex. 4s.
1889...
33
145,649,999
1.54,
"
"
1890...
"
145,145,106
1.54,
19
1891...
"9
165,543,862
19
1892...
166,827,502
">
""
1.53, 1.54,
""
$224,300,998, $223,523,463, $253,282,109, $256,914,353,
"
48.
8d., £34,510,390 84d., £34,440,156
58.
2 d., £37,647,012
48.
11d., £40,696,199
""
""
48. 4td, £36,319,946
The value of foreign Opium imported in 1892 was slightly over that of 1891, but the quantity was less, while for several years previously there had been a falling off, owing to increased production of and demand for native opium, the quality of which is now much superior to what it formerly was and the taxes on which are very much lighter than on the foreign drug. An export of the native growth to foreign countries has now com- menced. The import in 1881 was 51,522 piculs, which has gradually declined to 35,862 piculs in 1892. The imports of Cotton Goods and Yarn in 1892 was 4 per cent. under that of 1891, but that year was more than 25 per cent. in value over 1890, which exceeded by 25 per cent. that of 1889. Woollen Goods and Metals showed a slight decline in 1890, but increased, the former by 36 and the latter by nearly 10 per cent. in value in 1891 with a further increase of about 7 per cent. in Woollens in 1892, but of only 1 per cent. in Metals. Kerosine Oil showed the heavy decrease of 14,159,237 gallons in 1892, but there had been an increase of 6,437,815 gallons in 1890 and a further increase of 15,174,290 gallons in 1891.
The following table shows the export of Tea and Silk for five years :----
Tea-Black Brick
Green
Silk
Wild Waste
Cocoons
1888......piculs 380,899 345,141
208,753
48,653
7,730 37,601
6,011
1889......
"
366,757 260,426
189,932
53,803
9,514
45,470
8,297
1890....
99
283,819 231,215
196,474
39,699
12,708
39,639
5,954
1891....
"9
283,178
289,689
205,914
60,743
8,925
41,186
7,325
1892......
"
269,730 281,739 187,995
The import trade in Foreign Goods for 1892 may be summarised as follows:- From Great Britain
From Straits & Australia Tls. 1,464,878
61,160
9,173 39,864 3,316
From Hongkong..
From India
...
...
From Japan
***
From United States
***
From Continent of Europe
Tls. 28,278,104
17,436,986
13,847,403
5,834,659
From British America... From other Countries From Chinese Ports
...
5,834,574 5,083,927
***
694,904
77,671
224,320
Hk. Tls. 78,777,126
Of the total an amount to the value of Haikwan Tls. 60,696,696 was re-exported, namely to the Yangtsze ports Hk. Tls. 30,746,815, to the Northern ports Hk. Tls. 22,537,835, to Ningpo and Southern ports Hk. Tls. 7,412,046, to Corea Hk. Tls. 869,568, to Hongkong Hk. Tls. 926,454, to Japan Hk. Tls. 505,063, to Russian Manchuria Ek. Ils. 534,925, to Great Britain Hk. Tls. 124,183, and to other Foreign Countries Hk. Tls. 103,052, leaving a balance for local consumption and stock of Hk. Tls. 15,017,485.
The following were the values of the principal classes of goods imported:-- Cotton Goods. Tls. 27,512,253 Beche de Mer... Tls. 595,186 Sharks' Fins......Tls. 226,879 562,970 Clocks and Watches 191,694
Cotton Yarn 11,476,541
Opium
Metals...
...
Woollen Goods
Kerosine Oil
Coal
Sandalwood
...
...
...
***
179,218
173,192
***
162,910
160,897
***
137,449
129,277 5,772,786
12,924,585
Pepper
436,855 | Cardamons
...
4,683,790 3,733,771
Matches...
403,949
Leather
***
Ginseng
374,344
Isinglass
1,986,253
Birds' Nests
329,038
Umbrellas
...
1,877,075 Soap
...
269,796
Sapanwood
...
Sugar Seaweed
Dyes, Aniline... Timber
...
1,169,394
Braid
265,587
Ribbons
...
...
817,973 Paper
259,911
Sundries
783,246
Needles
259,177
...
689,493
Machinery..
231,837
Hk. Tls. 78,777,426
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