So, too, as regards the exportations of logwood from the ports of Hayti to Havre, like confirmation is gathered. If one take, for instance, the shipments thereof for the years, 1880 and 1883, including the twelve months of each year, he will find that the amount of such wood shipped for the first year was 63,477,000 pounds, while for the second it was 49,133,000 pounds, showing a difference of decline of 14,344,000 pounds as to such shipments.

It cannot be otherwise. Revolutions have been, are to-day, and always will be the bane and ruin of this country, whose rude methods of agriculture and unsatisfactory habits of ordinary industry, undisturbed, would yield valuable results through the generous conditions of the climate and the soil, making it possible for the industrious classes to create and maintain an internal and foreign trade really profitable.

But with peace established, justice and order duly maintained, and reasonable improvement made in agricultural methods and industrial habits generally, Hayti would yield a fabulous wealth in products which, by reason of their tropical character, would find constant demand in American and European markets. Her exports, as at present described, would then appear to be, in comparison, entirely insignificant.

Adverting only in passing to the plans and projects of special rewards promised by the Government during the previous year to any who may add to the number of coffee trees, the increased cultivation of cotton, cacao, sugar-cane, and tobacco, heretofore dwelt upon in former annual reports, it may be stated that some interest had been discovered in that regard when the revolution broke out, and calling the laborers away from the plantations to military duty stopped, at least temporarily, any efforts that were being made in that respect.

But really no great or permanent results can be expected as the fruits of such system of rewards in any event. It is only as the owner of the lands of the country and his lessees or laborers discover that new methods of agriculture and increased production of any one or all of the articles named is profitable, that the Government may hope for improvement, real and profitable, in its industry. In this regard, too, the owner of the land and the laborer must have and maintain a common interest. Their mutual improved condition, apparent and possible, must be identical. Thus real advancement would be made and the general welfare wisely supported.

HAYTIAN EXPORTS AND IMPORTS.

As regards the exports of Hayti for the year ending June 30, 1883, from nine open ports, they have consisted, as formerly, of coffee, log. wood, cotton, sugar, cacao, hides, and goat-skins, mainly, the real products of the country; and in their value, as invoiced, amount to $7,344,172.96.

There has been, since our last annual report, a decrease of exports, as shown in the difference of the value thereof for the past year and that of 1881-'82 of $231,585.99.

The imports of Hayti come mainly from the United States, England, France, and Germany, as the exports therefrom find their destination chiefly in such countries.

AMERICAN PRODUCTS IN HAYTI.

Miscellaneous.-The imports from the United States have consisted, for the most part, of provisions, such as pork, beef, hams, flour, sugar, rice, codfish, herrings, mackerel, butter, lard, cheese, canned meats, and

fruits, and soap, drugs and medicines, paints, hardware, agricultural implements, hoes, shovels, spades, axes, furniture and lumber, shoes and carriages.

Cotton goods.-For many years past, too, denims have been imported and used in Hayti. In fact they have constituted for some time the chief article of that special manufacture held in greatest demand in this country, and it is now conceded that they do and will continue hereafter to hold the mastery in the Haytian market. They will also prove, as many of the most intelligent merchants of the country predict, the forerunners of the early and general introduction of American cotton goods not only into Hayti, but into the West India Islands. And this result will be produced upon the real merits of the goods referred to, in spite of efforts made by competing manufacturers in other countries, even where more convenient terms of credit are given merchants, and special endeavor is made to accommodate what is falsely supposed to be the circumstances of the Haytian customer, with a cheap, inferior article.

Steadily, for the past year, has the attention of merchants here been directed to the advantage of buying cotton goods in the United States, where, as stated, the principal provisions for the country are purchased, and as steadily have the opinion and judgment of such merchants inclined toward a decision favorable to American trade.

Denims have not only held their own, but improved on the market, as their purchase and sale have shown. As illustrating this statement, the following single fact is submitted: One of the first merchants of Port-au-Prince stated not long since that a few weeks before he had ordered a thousand pieces of denims from New York, supposing that they would last him at least for several weeks; but, on their arrival, he immediately passed them through the custom-house, took them to his store and opened them, and by the next day at 3 o'clock in the afternoon the whole lot had been sold at remunerative prices. This is not an isolated case. American denims, as compared with all others, are at a premium in the markets of this country. Imitated false trade-marks do not deceive in this matter either, for the texture and quality of the goods constitute a guarantee appreciated by the buyer. It is not strange, therefore, that the Haytian mountaineer, in describing his desire for such article, with other words failing him, calls it the cloth in which the Haytian is not cheated.

The improving importation of other American cotton goods is demonstrated, first, in the increased number of wholesale houses giving their attention thereto; secondly, in the increased importations thereof made by certain houses of the class named, heretofore dealing somewhat in such goods. No special comment need be made further here as to the conduct of the first class of houses mentioned. The facts, however, as to the importations of the second show that, in addition to denims, white and printed duck, prints, printed drills, printed corded goods, and sheeting (called calico here), have been imported during the year in large quantities, all things considered, and have been received in such manner as to give ample proof of their appreciation and their prospective growing demand.

One of the prominent houses of this city reports the amount and character of its importation of such goods as follows:

Another large first-class house gives as the figures descriptive of its importations of cotton goods, manufactures of the United States, the following:

Such facts and figures are given as samples and specimen characters illustrative of the American trade in cotton fabrics, now in its beginning, which is destined, at no distant day, to supply the markets of this region.

American flour.-There is a single import of the United States to this country which deserves here special mention. Reference is made to American flour. It is very true that six hundred thousand people of any class or country consume annually a very considerable amount of breadstuffs. However, the Haytian people are large bread-eaters, and the excellent flour of the United States, imported and used in this country, loses none of its natural sweetness in the baking process of Hayti. In fact, it is often made a subject of remark by visitors here that such fine bread is offered for sale by the bakers, whose occupation in the large cities is so constant and profitable. Baker's bread, so called, is the only kind used, and it always meets the readiest sale. Another thing to be said of the flour sold here is that it is always of the very best quality. None other seems to find general, or even tolerable, demand. It is true, then, that Hayti offers an excellent market for American flour, and its demand is but fairly represented in the estimated annual importation thereof of 150,000 barrels, said to be worth, as a general rule, upon its delivery here with duties paid, $12 per barrel, aggregating $1,800,000.

A single American house in Port-au-Prince reports its flour importations for this year at 6,674 barrels. One of the bakeries reports its importations at 200 barrels per month, and the Atlas Steamship Company, among the 113,424 packages which it has delivered at this port, has brought 17,247 barrels of flour. From 40,000 to 50,000 barrels are estimated as the annual import of this commodity at this port annually, and it is true that the demand therefor grows steadily.

NAVIGATION.

With regard to the navigation employed in connection with the commerce of this country, there are two facts worthy of remark. The first is that no American steamships are engaged therein except, perhaps, the monthly line of the Clyde steamers touching at the Cape on their way to and from New York to Santo Domingo; and secondly, many of the sailing vessels engaged therein fly the Haytian or English flag, when in fact they are the property of Americans. Thus we fail to get that credit in connection with such navigation as is due us. It is to be regretted that this is so, and it is to be hoped that the time is not distant when ships and crews, employed in legitimate trade, doing the carrying service of a nation whose name and power upon the high seas are 14708 C R, PT 2-30

not now sufficiently recognized and felt, may not, for reasons of economy or legal provisions found in our statutes, be compelled to resort to such use of a foreign flag, certainly not in doing our own carrying business upon the seas of this continent.

The return of navigation for the port of Port-au-Prince for this year shows only 23 American vessels arriving and 22 departing, while the whole number thus arriving and departing is 51 and 50, respectively, such tonnage of sailing vessels here referred to being 12,176, 5,660 of which only being, as shown, under the American flag.

The steamships, doing mainly the carrying business of New York to the ports of Hayti, are under the English and Spanish flags.

The following table shows the imports from the United States to the ports named therein, for the year ending June 30, 1883, valued at $2,989,781.27; from England, France, and Germany, valued at $1,584,195.97; and from neighboring West India islands, valued at $7,690.85; with a difference in favor of the United States in value of $1,397,894.45. It also shows the value of the exports for the same period therefrom, as well as the navigation, steam and sailing, employed in connection with the commerce thereof.

Table showing value of imports and exports, the trade with the United States and other countries, and the navigation from nine open ports of Hayti, for the year ending June 30, 1883.

It has been the case for many years that the Haytian Government has made its purchases of military stores, guns, and cannons of American dealers. It has been the habit of the Government, too, to buy its

The four

ships, for the most part, of American builders and owners. small vessels composing its flotilla, so called, came from the United States, and the war vessels "St. Michel" and "1804," which were lost some two years ago, were built to order in American shipyards. The insurgents as often secure their munitions from the same quarter. As connected with the present rebellion, no exception has been made with regard to the sources of such purchases. The purchases made by the Government so far amount, probably, to $200,000, with the prospect, should the rebellion continue for some time to come, of much larger ones, and, if report be true, of one or more ships of war of even greater capacity and power, and costing much more than anything of the sort yet owned by the Government.

The rebellion has also stimulated and increased the importation of provisions generally from the United States, certainly at the port of Port-au-Prince, and has caused increased demand specially for American tobacco and American beer. Such statement becomes apparent when one understands that the Government is forced, as at Miragoane, to mass a large number of soldiers to invest and assault such places, and that such soldiers require large quantities of provisions, and would naturally demand the other articles named.

PORT-AU-PRINCE SOAP FACTORY.

The past year has witnessed the establishment of a large and wellappointed soap factory at Port-an-Prince. While the capital upon which this savonnerie, as it is called, is built is said to be about two-thirds English, and it is characterized as an English establishment here, everything in it, all machinery, furniture, office and other, scales, safes, tools, engines, boxes for packing, and all materials found about it, are Amer ican, and all of its importations of every kind and sort used for making soap-tallow, rosin, and chemicals-all come from New York.

The amount of the annual importations of this establishment, should its operations prove to be remunerative, will be large and important; for in no country. probably, in the world, in proportion to the number of its inhabitants, can one find a more abundant, even wasteful, use of soap for common purposes. Among the valuable and constant importations from the United States to Hayti, brought by every sailing vessel and steamship, soap always figures conspicuously as being in the largest demand.

It has been thought, therefore, that a wise investment might be made in the establishment of a home manufactory, even though all the materials necessary for its manufacture had to be imported, especially could the materials be imported duty free. Hence the establishment of the Port-au-Prince savonnerie. This establishment, under energetic and laborious management, sets out with considerable promise of success, and, so far as it essays to answer a public good and adds to the growing commercial importance of the United States in this country, is entitled accordingly to generous commendation.

With regard to the exports of Hayti, there are two important consid. erations, one relating to a valuable improvement introduced during the year for coffee cleaning, and the other to the growing desire and purpose on the part of many planters to introduce at no very remote day improved machinery for the more advantageous manufacture of sugar, which are worthy of special mention.

HAYTIAN COFFEE AND ITS CULTIVATION.

As touching the exports of this island, it will be conceded that, while coffee is the principal valuable product, sugar, with the cane as prolific