Statement showing the imports at Ceylon for the year ending Decembey 31, 1882—Continued.

Quantity.

* Small quantities American. † Largely American. Statement of the total value of imports to Ceylon, and the countries from which directly im

ported, in 1882.

Statement of exports from Ceylon for the year ending December 31, 1882.

Statement of the total value of the exports from Ceylon and the countries to which exported di

rect in 1882.

Statement of the total value of the exports from Ceylon and the countries to which exported

direct in 1882–Continued.

Statement showing the exports between Ceylon and the United States for the year 1882.

(No direct imports.]

Statement showing the navigation at the island of Ceylon for the year ending December 31,

1882.

Statement showing the navigation at the island of Ceylon, &c.—Continned.

NOTE.—The proportion of steamers to sailing vessels is about 1,670 steamers, aggregating 2,682, 861 tons, to 5,000 sailing vessels, aggregating 529,457 tons.

STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.

Report by Consul Studer on the commerce of Singapore for the year 1882.

AMERICAN TRADE AT SINGAPORE.

In former annual reports I stated that there were firms willing to introduce American articles of manufacture and production and to give them a fair trial; that I found a deeper interest was manifesting itself; that certain importations were increasing ; expressing the hope that they would largely increase over former years, and I am very glad to be able to report now that I was not disappointed. I watched things closely, making diligent inquiries from time to time; and while I had anticipated larger importations of certain articles which previously had found favor and of importations of new articles from our country and was disappointed, I found on the whole, and in contrast with former years, I had reason to be satisfied, all the more as the prospects were and are still getting brighter. And when considering that all these importations, besides petroleum, were made by foreign merchants; that there was not and is not now a single American firm in the colony; that the majority of the importers have never been in the United States, I thought we had still more reason to congratulate ourselves.

I feel fully convinced, too, that had my advice, repeatedly given in annual reports, been more generally acted upon by our manufacturers and exporting agents, viz, to send small consignments of the goods they wished to introduce here (after consulting me by letter if they wished) to good firms, the result would have been still better. I am aware that many have an aversion to consigning at their own risk, and that the great distance from the United States and high freights also tend to deter and discourage; that so long as they find ready cash sales at home and have orders ahead, they naturally do not see the necessity of consigoing “ for trial” imports thonsands of miles away. This appears natural, but I question whether it is a wise policy. The true

old saying is, “In time of peace prepare for war," and without risking a little in business sometimes success is not always certain. In sending a small consignment, after correspondence and consultation with his consul or a good merchant, to a prominent Eastern market, one does not risk much, I am sure, unless the goods are of a very expensive character. If the sender does not make a profit or much profit on the same at first, he may make it subsequently, when those that bought them get to understand the value or the superiority of the same over like goods imported from other countries for a higher, the same, or a lower price. It is queer how such things will work sometimes. The consignees here, perhaps, may write, “ Your goods sold slowly and at a less figure than mentioned in your price-current, and we regret that there is no further demand for this or that,” &c. Now, it may happen that before the consignee's letter reaches the manufacturer in America a demand may spring up for those very goods, at price current rates. “Trade is a queer article, we all agree; and also that on a small consignment one cannot lose much, if there is any loss at all. It will interest inany men of business in our country, not familiar with this part of the world and the modes and manners observed in carrying on and creating trade, how this is done, and where all the traders, merchants, and consumers that buy in the market of Singapore come from; (1) that great distances are traveled to come here; (2) the mode of traveling for a large portion of traders, very important ones among thein, is by native craft called “prahu "; (3) that the latter, owing to the monsoons prevailing at certain times from certain quarters and the native mariners not understanding the science of navigation, can only come here before or with the wind, when the monsoon is favorable, and have to lie here until it is favorable for their return; (4) that, as a consequence, “ time” is a great factor in successful trade.

Let any one taking an interest in commerce and navigation, and in the extension of American trade, take a large-sized geographical wall-map (instead of a little book-atlas) of Sonthern Asia or Oceanica, one that will embrace the whole Indo-Malayan Archipelago, a great mass of islands appearing like ink dots, large and tiny, scattered over a large piece of paper, and then study the scale upon which the map was made, the degrees of latitude and longitude. By measuring and figuring one will feel astonished at the great distances between certain points and the area of islands appearing so small on the map. Look at Java, for instance; how close it appears to Singapore. Who would think that the average time required to go there by an average-speed steamer is three days, and that with an unfavorable monsoon it may take a wellmanaged sailing vessel fiom two to four weeks to go there; and who would further think that Java is over 600 miles long and 50 miles broad, and inhabited, comparatively, by so large a population of now over 17,000,000 of people (the great majority are Malays, natives of the soil), as I have been reliably informed ; further, that Sumatra is larger than France, and that Borneo's area exceeds that of Great Britain and Ireland, with all the adjacent islands thrownin! And so on ad infinitum. Why, thousands of islands, of which a large portion have an area equal to or more than a square mile, and very nearly all inbabited, are not marked on maps at all, and only on sea or "Admiralty charts," so called, and have no other names than those used by the natives.

It requires much time and study, even right here, to find out about the resources, population, wants by the latter, stages of civilization and progress, chances of communication with them, the time of the year when the trading prahus from certain islands arrive, what products they