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

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. 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 neces şity of consigning "for trial" imports thousands 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 many 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 them, 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 Southern 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 from 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 thrown in? 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 inhabited, 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

will bring, and for what goods they will exchange them, &c. A study and knowledge (ay, even an approximate one) of all this is of the utmost importance for the commerce of any nation, and he that has gained it so as to make it useful is a valuable inan.

I am glad to say that the number of small steamers (from 75 to 500 and 1,000 tons), overcoming time, surmounting monsoon difficulties, running from Singapore and Penang and ports in Java to the (commercially) most important islands in the said archipelago, including the Moluccas, is increasing and tending to facilitate commerce generally; and I may mention that among this great mass of islands very few are unproductive, and the majority very productive, and some of them fabulously rich in products of the flora and minerals, but either not at all or hardly developed, and in the straits and bays are some of the best pearl fisheries in the world.

What a great field of commerce is waiting for us and coming generations there, if we would only try to get it, or at least a fair share of it. Holland rules, Borneo excepted, all of them (so to say in international vernacular), and as she is not one of the great powers, and is regarded as an old friend by us, and has her hands "pretty full" in trying to keep her immense insular possessions in order, and knowing so well that we have no hankering after colonies, and therefore can be trusted, she may perhaps welcome and encourage American enterprise under the flag of the Netherlands; and Spain, as the ruler of the Philippine Islands and Sooloo Archipelago, after having abolished the tobacco monopoly and made this branch of agriculture and commerce free, may also be disposed to welcome American enterprise thereabouts. If either of the two is a little fearful of loss of prestige, and accordingly jealous, they will soon get over that on finding what an unselfish, useful, and capable friend we are.

Now, what I want to suggest, after the foregoing explanation, is whether our manufacturers and exporting merchants had not better try to introduce their products in foreign markets of any note in times of prosperity in our own country, so that if trade in the latter should become depressed at any time in the future, as it has been at times in the past, there would be an outlet for the overproducts on hand to foreign markets. This, however, cannot be brought about without some expenses or little risks. In the absence of American firms or agents on the spot, either competent and active agents should be sent abroad or small consignments to try markets and to create them. I know of no better way.

This being a free port (also Penang), with no custom-house regulations, and only a bureau of exports and imports, under the supervision of the harbor-master, and there being no law compelling merchants here to declare or register their exports and imports, and the latter being voluntarily done by the merchants for the sake of obtaining (and) sometimes they enter erroneously, whether with intent or not they know best themselves) the names of places under the caption of "where from," or "where to," or "quantity," or "value," it is exceedingly difficult to obtain correct or reliable information of imports and exports for a certain space of time; better said, it is impossible. The chamber of commerce keeps a more reliable record; but even there, as trustworthy merchants have assured me, erroneous information is furnished, and this especially under the captions of "where from" and "where to." As previously stated in my annual reports, the colonial government issues a blue book for each year (this about eight months after the close of a year), containing statistics upon exports, imports, and navigation

to and from the ports of the colony, Singapore, Penang, and Malacca, being abstracts simply of the records in the bureau of exports and imports, and are, as I have shown, not at all reliable, especially as regards exports to and imports from the United Kingdom, the United States, and various countries in Europe. Particularly at Penang, as regards exports to the countries just named, the statistics furnished from the harbor office for the last blue book (1881) fell so extensively short of the actual exports that the chamber of commerce found it necessary to prepare a corrected statistical table of the same, and to send it to the governor to enable him to be accordingly informed.

Justice warrants the remark that the harbor-masters of Penang and this port cannot be blamed for incorrect commercial statistics so long as the merchants themselves (constituting the chamber of commerce) do not supply them with the necessary and reliable information and data. As it is, the commercial information furnished in the blue book is really very interesting, and may be-Penang as to exports exceptedconsidered approximately (in a measure) correct as regards names of articles and values. If in instances the amounts are wrong, falling short here and there of actual values, the statistics at any rate give an idea of the heavy commerce carried on here, and of the articles of commerce imported; and as regards navigation, the statistics upon the same, especially as regards all vessels, steam and sail, not native craft, may be accepted as very nearly correct, much trouble being taken by the port officers to have them so, and as regards native vessels (junks and prahus) as approximately correct.

What is most annoying is that the information under the captions "where from" and "where to" is so utterly unreliable in said book. Knowing this, and also that the chamber of commerce could not give correct information upon imports from the United States, and being anxious to obtain the same, I concluded I would apply to all the European firms of which I knew that were engaged in the export or import business or in both. I therefore, weeks before I received the blue book of 1881 from the colonial secretary, addressed a sort of circular letter to said firms, in which I stated that, anxious to prepare a report upon the imports from the United States for the year ending June 30, 1882, and not being able to obtain the desired information correctly in the harbor office (which they knew as well as myself), I would request them (each firm separately) to let me know whether they imported any goods from the United States during said period, and if so what, giving the name of each article, and the quantity and value thereof, and I assured them that they could rely on my silence and discretion in the premises. There were among them firms which exported heavily for years to the United States, but of whom I never learned that they imported anything therefrom, while I knew that they imported heavily from Europe, in instances chiefly textile fabrics and in other instances a variety of many kinds of goods. I thought that in asking them whether they imported anything from our country, and what, they would then begin to suspect that "our people were anxious to learn whether there was a disposition for reciprocal trade, and not only one to make all the money they could out of them."

All the addressed answered, and the result in some instances was surprising to me. As regards the class just above mentioned, I found "I had guessed right"; they had imported nothing from America, and none of them intimated they ever would. In one instance a firm of which I knew that it sold large quantities of American condensed milk and canned goods (fruits, vegetables, and meats), and tobacco, answered

that they imported nothing from America "directly." This meant to say, firstly, that they bought their goods from American agents in England out of bond, and, secondly, that they did not want to say "what.” One large firm exporting heavily to the United States for many years back (German), and getting wealthy by it, imported nothing but kerosene oil, which they sold, cargo afloat, to another firm that imports a good deal (steadily increasing) from our country, not only petroleum but a variety of other goods as well. This latter firm had the heaviest record of imports (at Penang also) from America.

Again, another firm which for the last thirty-five years had made exports to the United States its chief object, and occasionally imported (but not largely, except petroleum) American goods, showed a much better record than formerly, especially in certain cotton goods. There were firms, but very few, which had hardly ever exported to the United States, reported imports of not inconsiderable amounts and of various articles. As regards petroleum, having reported receipts thereof in this port last year to September 30, inclusive, as recorded in this consulate (based upon landing certificates), I again report for the year ending September 30, 1882, showing a handsome aggregate, when considering that when I first came here it was not imported at all.

The result, then, of my letters of inquiry to the European firms here of goods imported by them during the year ended June 30, 1882, petroleum not included (replies in instances not being given as requested), was as follows, viz:

Knowing that nearly all the wheat flour used here and imported by Chinamen from Hong-Kong (so recorded in the harbor office, under "where from") is American flour, and that great quantities of preserved provisions received from Hong-Kong and credited to that port in like manner are also American products, and, further, that large quantities of condensed milk, canned fruits, vegetables, meats, &c., tobacco, ship-stores, &c., are imported from ports of the United Kingdom (out of bond), and credited to the same in the import bureau, though actually coming from the United States, it is safe to accept, in the absence of reliable colonial statistics, that the imports from the United States during the year ending June 30, 1882, far exceed the sum of $66,567.50, as above shown,