Statement showing the commerce of Martinique, &c.—Continued. NOTE.-Amount of muscovado sugar exported to the United States as per triplicate invoices... Amount of muscovado sugar exported to the United States as per 15, 450, 086 kilograms net. 13, 337, 761 kilograms net. 15 00 224 00 France. 737 00 47 00 United States. 115 00 911 00 21, 112 00 440 00 497 00 1 00 Difference 2, 112, 325 kilograms net. Statement showing the imports and exports between Martinique and the United States for the Articles. year 1876. GERMANY. BERLIN, November 26, 1877. (Received December 14.) Annual report upon the trade and industries of Germany, for 1876 and 1877. Pursuant to consular instructions, I now have the honor to submit my annual report upon the trade and industries of Germany for 1876 and 1877. THE ECONOMICAL CRISIS. The economical crisis existing for years past, which at its commencement confined itself to certain branches of industry, particularly to that of iron, but then reached a wider expansion and by degrees laid hold upon the entire economic life, has not failed to influence the industrial and commercial state of affairs of Germany in 1876. Everywhere there were manifest reductions in the consumption, a holding back in the production, an anxious precaution in granting and in accepting credit, sinking prices of goods, a reduction in the number of laboring hands employed in trades, and everywhere, in consequence of this, the industrial and commercial establishments have been working at a loss. The principal cause of this state of affairs lies in the immoderate extension and the overstrain of production and speculation, and in the equally rapid decrease in the consumption of many manufactured goods, especially in the iron trade, which followed immediately upon the termination of the Franco-German war. There have been other things added to heighten the economic distress, namely, the circumstance that the countries with which Germany stands in close commercial relations are for the most part in a similarly critical position as regards their com mercial and industrial affairs, that they, like Germany, have lost in their buying powers, and that therefore the sale of German wares has stagnated. Another cause for the general depression is to be found in the circumstance that the first necessaries of life have risen materially in the last decade, the effect of which is making itself more felt now than in the beginning. Of late, signs of improvement are apparent, partly owing to numerous orders from the Russian Government and railroad companies, mostly for war purposes, and to a somewhat improved demand from other countries and the interior. FREE TRADE VS. PROTECTION. The contest which has been raging these two years past between the free-trade school and the protectionists increased in the year 1877 both in extension and in intensity. The protectionists have within the last six months gained much ground in public opinion as well as in govern ment circles. The several customs political measures which have been adopted abroad, as the dissolution of the Anglo-Austrian commercial treaty; the enactment of Russia, according to which, from the 1st of January, 1877, all import duties in Russia are to be collected in gold; and, finally, the breaking off in the negotiations with Austria-Hungary about a new commercial treaty-these circumstances combined have brought about a change in many quarters hitherto inclining to free trade, and therefore an impending revision of the tariff will, in all prob. ability, show higher import duties on iron, iron wares, leather, textile fabrics, and many other articles. THE GERMAN MINT REFORM. The German mint reform continued its normal progress during the year 1876. Up to the end of 1876 there were withdrawn of current silver and copper coin, 601,638,704 marks. The considerable sales of silver of Germany, added to the decrease in the demand for silver in India, was the cause of the sinking in the price of silver, which set in in the spring of last year, which, however, was not of long duration. The withdrawal of old silver coins has been also continued in the year 1877 in equal dimensions, and at the end of August had reached a sum of 881,700,000 marks, in exchange for which up to this period 1,514,818,780 marks in gold, 409,349,190 marks in silver, and 33,160,344 marks in nickel had been coined. It may safely be said now that the mint reform has been nearly carried through without any perceptible disturbance either to trade and industry or to the other productive interests of the country. An estimate which lately appeared from an authority in financial matters puts the total amount of silver which this government had at its disposal in the year 1871 at about 1,350,000,000 marks, equal to about $320,000,000. Of this amount about $120,000,000 have been sold till now-nearly all to England; about $100,000,000 have been required for the new silver coins in marks; and $100,000,000 are to be disposed of yet. In this connection I have the honor to submit to the department the following tables: Table A, showing the total of the imperial money coined in the German mints up to the 6th of October, 1877. Table B, showing the amount of treasury notes outstanding of the states of the German Empire on August 31, 1877. Table C, showing the condition of the German banks of issue on August 31, 1877. Table D, on the condition of German bank-notes on August 31, 1877. Shipments of silver. The shipments of silver from Southampton to India, China, and the Straits settlements, from January 1 to November 1, 1877, were: To India, £11,378,055, against £5,550,235 in 1876; to China, £1,609,797, against £1,015,932 in 1876; to the Straits, £1,266,293, against £569,011 in 1876. AGRICULTURE. With regard to the extent and the management of agriculture, there are unfortunately fewer copious and reliable statements submitted for Germany than about other countries. I must, therefore, confine myself to drawing attention to the harvest yields, as far as such have become known and are accessible. While Germany, a few years ago, exported in articles of food more than she imported, and this particularly as regards grain, now, as is well known, the imports exceed the exports, and in no year to such an extent as in 1876. The statistics of imports and exports of the year 1876, compared with the results of the preceding year, show the following approximative figures: For 1877, up to the end of August, there were imported, in hundredweights, as follows: From these figures, it appears that the imports in rye, barley, and oats have increased to no inconsiderable degree. This movement will, it may be presumed, be somewhat checked when the home harvest, which has turned out somewhat better this year, will have come into the market. Grain harvest of various countries for 1877.—I have extracted the following statement from the "Deutsches Börsen und Handelsblatt." As far as could be ascertained up to the present, the grain crops of this year of the following countries (taking 100 as the average) have turned out as follows: While barley and oats, with respect to Germany, have partly improved, but partly gone back a trifle as compared with the preceding year, the yield in rye and wheat has almost everywhere been a very rich one, and it may be expected that the imports in the latter articles will recede at least 10 to 20 per cent. as compared with the preceding year. For barley and oats, it may be anticipated that a like quantity will be required as in the preceding years. River courses and agriculture.-In connection with this subject, I have translated an article which appeared lately in an agricultural paper, which may be of some interest to agriculturists. It reads as follows: The spirit of enterprise which since the conclusion of peace at Frankfort has manifested itself so conspicuously in France, and to which she owes in a large measure her national prosperity of late, will make itself felt also in her agriculture. Recently the papers bad to announce the appointment of a commission which has to occupy itself with ways and means to promote the profitable use of the courses of rivers. The merit of this is not due to the secretary of public works, Mr. Paris, alone, who has suggested this proposition, this being a problem with which also other professional men have occupied themselves for years, and on which judgment will be passed very soon by their countries as well. To my knowledge, this question has been treated in Germany by Prof. D. Dunkelberg, at Wiesbaden. I will reduce the whole subject to a few words: |