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“...province from west to east Recovery
and is navigable by junks at least as far west as Po-se, a two attributable
days' journey from the Yunnan frontier, is attributable Kwangsi's
more rapid recovery, for not only does the river itself flow through
a prosperous country, but it possesses tributaries connecting it
with the chief centres of agriculture and industry as well as
with the great lumber regions of the province. Yunnan and
Kueichow, on the other hand, possess waterways of little com-
mercial value within the provinces themselves.
Kwangsi, which is much smaller than Yunnan and larger than Area and
Kueichow, is credited with an area of 78,250 square miles and a population of
(246) a 2 kwangsi....”
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“...t°aa°eieign
commercial intercourse. By Article II of the additional conven-
tion between the two powers signed at Peking on June 26, 1887,
the city of Lungchow, in the south-west of Kwangsi—35 miles by Lungchow.
road from the Tonquin frontier and 46 miles from the town of Railway from
Langson—was opened to foreign trade, and a railway is. in course Tonquin to
of construction between Langson and Lungchow. Up to the Traded'
present the trade of Lungchow has been insignificant, the highest Lungchow
value since the establishment of a foreign custom-house there in insignificant.
1889 being reached in the year 1894 where it amounted, in spite
of differential duties, to only 153,133 Haikwan taels, principally
imports. Whether the railway when completed to Lungchow will
affect the trade, through Palthoi, with South-western Kwangsi
remains to be seen; but one thing is certain, and it is the Sikiang The West
or West Eiver is the natural trade highway of the province of Ri™r ^
Kwangsi, and the only thing...”
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“...cognisance of the Imperial Maritime Customs
from that date to December 31, 1897, a period of nearly seven
months.
The gross value of the trade of Wuchow f June 4 to December 31, Total trade.
1897) was 1,916,172 Haikwan taels (285,429/.,) made up as
follows:—Foreign goods imported from Hong-Kong 1,368,983 Foreign
Haikwan taels (203,921/.), and from Chinese ports 26,893 Iiaikwan g0° s'
taels (4,006/.), or a total of 1,395,876 Haikwan taels (207,9272.).
Goods, however, of the value of 3,461 Haikwan taels (5152.) were
re-exported, making the net value of foreign goods imported
1,392,415 Haikwan taels (207,412/.).
The value of native produce imported, chiefly from Canton Native goods
and Samshui, was only 47,394 Haikwan taels (7,060/.), making the imP°rtecl-
net total value of the imports of all kinds 1,439,809 Haikwan taels
(214,472/.).
As regards exports, the value of native produce exported to Native goods
Hong-Kong was 398,329 Haikwan taels (59,334/.), and to Chinese exl)01'ted-
ports—Ningpo...”
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“...passes through the native
custom-house exact statistics on the export are unobtainable.
Indian yarn now heads the list and accounts for nearly one-half
the value of foreign imports—27,141 piculs valued at 624,251
Haikwan taels (92,987?.). Besides yarn, 1,324 piculs of Indian
raw cotton valued at 35,741 Haikwan taels (5,324?.) found their
■way to Wuchow. I shall refer later to the transit trade of the
port, and may simply mention here that, for overland carriage,
these bales of yarn have to be divided up into packages weighing
65 catties, two packages going to each pack animal's load. Of
manufactured cotton goods, grey and white shirtings, 32-incli
and 36-inch cloths, damasks, and velvets were most in demand.
In woollen goods, English camlets, plain lastings, long ells,
Spanish stripes, and broacl cloth were the chief imports. The
total value of metals amounted to only 2,3451., made up chiefly
of rod, bar, and old iron and steel bars.
In sundries, betel nuts, cuttle-fish, llama braid, lily flowers...”
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“...added to as a more intimate acquaintance with the province is
acquired. Meantime, I shall deal with the exports in 1897.
The total value of the exports amounted to 472,902 Haikwan
taels (70,442/.), Hong-Kong taking goods to the value of 59,334/.,
and the balance going to Ningpo, Canton, Samshui, Sliinking,
Kongmoon, and Kuinchuk, principally to Samshui (for tranship-
ment to Fatslian) and Kongmoon, a great manufacturing centre
famed for its fans and grass-cloth, and the most important of the
four places of call on the West Kiver.
The chief exports were star anLeed (5,108/.), rhea fibre Nature of
(2,783/.), hides (cow and buffalo, 13,937/.), liquid indigo (6,916/.). exP0,'ts-
cassia-leaf oil (2,186/.), wood oil (5,646/.), raw white silk (4,957/.),
white sugar (2,339/.), and wood planks (17,688/.). A complete
list of the exports, their quantitj' and value, will be found in
Annex II.
Soon after the opening of the port a grant to collect at Wuchow Transit trade,
a tso-li—a destination or...”
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“...Shipping.
Variety of
craft under
foreign
customs.
Distance from
Wuchow to
Hong-Kong
and Canton.
feed, may be gathered l'rom the fact that transit passes covering
goods of the value of 223,510 Haikwan taels for Nan-ning—the
supposed objective of the Langson-Lungchow railway—were issued
in 1897. This sum is more than double the value of the total
trade of Lungchow in 1896, which amounted to 111,328 Haikwan
taels, made up of foreign imports, 68,162 Haikwan taels, and
exports, 43,166 Haikwan taels. The total value of the inward
transit trade in Kwangsi from Wuchow was 889,306 Haikwan
taels (132,470£). But Wuchow does more; it supplies part of
Eastern Kwangtung (1,862/.), and the West of Kueichow (10,963('.);
and it is bidding strongly for the import trade of Yunnan, which
was supplied with foreign goods of the value of 51,269 Haikwan
taels (7,6371). It is scarcely matter for surprise that goods are
being sent under transit pass to Lin-an Fu, in which prefecture
the port of Kicng-tzu is situated...”
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“...former
province is said to produce three times the export from the latter.
The total export of cassia (including cassia lignea, buds, twigs,
twig bark, and broken cassia) by junk and steamer from the two
provinces, through Canton, in 1896 amounted to 102,810 piculs
valued at 590,798 Haikwan taels. Of so-called cinnamon 99 piculs
(4,801 Haikwan taels) were also exported, as well as 398 piculs of
leaf-oil of the value of 56,484 Haikwan taels, making a total
value of cassia and cassia products of 653,083 Haikwan taels. But
China consumes very much more than she exports, so that the
total value of the cassia trade must be very considerable.
Rice, barley, wheat, Indian corn, and millet (Holcus soryknm, Cereals.
L.) are all cultivated in Kwangsi, but, as in the southern provinces
generally, rice is by far the most important crop not only as being
the staple food of the people, but also as an article of export to...”
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“...Kwangsi as in Kwangtung. Here, as there, the coir is made into
ropes and coarse string.
Eice straw is used for the same purpose, but it lacks strength.
The fibre of Puerarici Thunbergiana, Benth., which grows here,
is not prepared and made into cloth. In the Yangtze Valley this
is a considerable industry. In this province, however, the
creeper is grown only for its bulbous roots, which are an article of
food.
Kwangsi produces a considerable variety of fruits, but they Fruits,
are of little value commercially. They include lichees (Nephelium vegetables,
litchi, Camb.), peaches, pears, plums, pumeloes (Citrus deeumana, and roots-
Z,), dates (Zizyplms vulgaris, Lam.), loquats (JEriobatrya japonica,...”
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“...does not pretend to be an exhaustive list of the
minerals of Kwangsi or their centres of production; but I am
assured by a Chinese gentleman who has made a study of the
minerals of this and the western provinces of China that, so far as
it goes, it is perfectly reliable.
I am indebted to the courtesy of Mr. James Acheson, Acting
Commissioner of Customs, for early access to the returns compiled
in his office.
In converting currency into sterling it has been assumed that Exchange,
the demand value of the Haikwan tael during 1897 averaged
2s. 11| d....”
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“...20 wuchow.
Annex I.—Return of Principal Articles of Import at Wuchow
from June 4 to December 31, 1897.
Articles. Quantity. Value.
Foreign imports :— £
Cotton goods— 10,607
Shirtings, grey, plain Pieces 28,492
„ white ii 15,266 7,277
„ figured, brocaded, and spotted..
791 354
„ dyed, plain, 20 yards .. 2,198 687
», n n • • • • „ „ figured, brocaded, 3,629 1,297
spotted . • ii • • 1,052 376
Cloths, 32 inches i> 12,916 6,094
„ 36 „ »j • • 5,797 1,731
Drills, English ...... II • • 287 118
„ Dutch.. !» ' * 12 7
„ American 11 * * 191 85
Cliintaes and furnitures II ' ' 1,246 780
Tinted cotton balzarines 278 116
,, lenos Turkey red shirtings II * • 608 217
11 1,579 706
Damasks, dyed .. II 1 ' 1,284 1,527
Velvets II ' * 2,028 1,610
Cambrics, plain and printed 11 * * 467 256
Muslins 11 * ' 1,682 111
Handkerchiefs Dozens 7,909 288
Spanish stripes Pieces 165 103
Cotton flannel ii ■ • 769 292
„ cretonne 456 328
„ cloth, Japanese II 833 82
„ crape.. ii 517 76
Yarn, English „. Lbs...”
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“...wuchow. 21
Return of Principal Articles of Import at Wuchow from
June 4 to December 31, 1897—continued.
Articles. Quantity. Value.
Foreign imports—continued :— £
Sundries—
Almonds, sweet Lbs. 4,469 150
Alum, white 65,644 220
Aniseed, star 1,791 45
„ broken Awabi 371 2
>) 4 * 8,283 228
Betel-nuts 311,181 2,812 997
Beche de mer, black.. 24,131 7,779
„ „ white >> * • 174
Clocks Pieces 846 245
Cotton, raw, Indian Lbs. 176,501 5,324
Cuttle-fish 181,813 2,114
Dates, black .. 40,951 252
», red........ • • 19,257 64
Fish, salt........ .. 178,860 440
„ dried i) 656 3
„ raw........ 3,384 210
Flour ........ » ■ * 98,520 372 389
Glass, window Boxes 211
Lamps Pieces 13,179 162
Lily flowers, dried Lbs. 103,920 824
Llama braid .. .. .. 9,612 938
Matches, wooden Japanese.. Gross 84,999 3,163 705
Medicines Lbs. 56,183
Mussels, dried IJ ' • 72,069 604
Oil, kerosene—
American Gallons 749,410 14,847
Sumatra .. .. » 299,710 5,491
Russian >> • 133,455 2,544 167
Oil, ground-nut Lbs. 14...”
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“...Quantity. Value.
Aniseed, star Lbs. 152,420 £ 5,108
Coal ...... Tons 553 371
Firewood Lbs. 1,759,880 382
Glue, eow J) * 67,015 973
Hides, cow and buffalo 832,127 13,937
Horns, cow .. .. }> * 32,079 179
Indigo, liquid J) • • 825,369 6,916
Leather .. .. l» * 153,897 ],978
Lung-ngan pulp )) • • 10,076 15,905 168
Medicines 398
Nutgalls...... >> • ' 25,657 487
Oil-
Aniseed )J * 1,552 378
Cassia-leaf >> * • 10,299 2,186
Ground-nut 3,531 40
Tea .... 11 ' ' 21,805 275
"Wood.. >> • ' 631,685 5,646
Paper, 1st quality » 2nd „ ») ' * 9,183 92
>> * * 32,925 37,391 110
Preserves t) * ' 276
Rhea fibre 1 > • • 325,499 2,783
Seeds, melon .. )) • • 65,361 394
Silk, raw, white »> • • 22,187 4,957
Sugar, brown .. ft • • 99,044 276
„ white >» • • 452,479 2,339
Tallow, animal )> * * 20,947 164
Timber-
Beams, soft wood .. .. Pieces .. 2,047 71
Planks „ >> * * 59,479 17,688
Poles „ Wood, camphor » * * 467 139
Lbs. 32,480 30
TJnenumerated .. .. •• 1,141
Annex III.—Table showing Total Value of all Articles...”
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