FOREIGN  TRADE

289
was  Tls.  186,338,096,  just  over  40  per  cent,  of  the  whole.
Nothing  but  a  brief  summary  of  the  more  important  articles
can  be  attempted.  Fish  and  products  of  the  sea  in  general
imported  from  foreign  ports  in  1867  were  valued  at
Tls.1,358,716,  and  in  1905  at  Tls.11,820,686.  Cigarettes  were
unknown  in  1867,  and  in  1905  their  value  was  Tls.4,427,171,
imported  half  from  the  United  States,  a  fourth  from
England,  and  a  fourth  from  Japan.  In  1867  the  import
of  coal  was  113,430  tons  ;  in  1905  China  produced  some
400,000  tons,  coming  under  Customs  cognisance,  and
imported  a  further  quantity  of  1,314,032  tons.  Aniline
dyes  were  not  an  article  of  commerce  in  1867  ;  in  1905  the
value  was  Tls.2,626,545  for  aniline  dyes  in  general,  not
including  Tls.1,726,950  for  synthetic  indigo  to  displace
the  natural  product  of  the  country.  The  taste  for  foreign
luxuries  has  been  introduced  by  returned  emigrants,  and
flour,  unknown  in  1867,  was  imported  in  1905  to  the  extent
of  2,635,000  bags  of  50  lbs.  Window  glass  and  glassware  was
valued  in  1867  at  Tls.25,182,  and  in  1905  at  Tls.1,554,832.
Matches  in  1867  figured  for  79,236  gross  of  boxes,  valued
at  one  tael  a  gross  ;  in  1905  the  import  was  26,057,221
gross,  valued  at  Tls.o  215  a  gross,  nearly  ten  boxes  for
each  one  of  the  400,000,000  of  men,  women  and  children
in  the  Empire.  Kerosene  oil  was  not  an  article  of  general
commerce  in  1867,  the  import  amounting  only  to  29,842
gallons  for  the  foreign  community  ;  the  trade  began  to
expand  in  1878,  when  the  import  was  4,161,100  gallons,
entirely  American  ;  Russian  oil  was  introduced  in  1889,
Sumatran  in  1894,  and  Borneo  oil  in  1901  ;  in  1905  the
total  import  was  156,948,040  gallons,  of  which  52  per  cent,
was  American,  8  per  cent.  Russian,  32  per  cent.  Sumatran,
and  7  per  cent,  from  Borneo.  Rice  is  always  wanted  for
the  people  of  China,  but  of  the  713,494  piculs  imported  in
1867  a  large  part  went  to  Ningpo,  while  the  2,227,916  piculs
in  1905  were  mainly  for  Kwangtung.  Of  sugar  the  import
in  1867  was  186,176  piculs,  entirely  Chinese  sugar  reimported ­
  from  Hongkong  ;  in  1905  the  import  was  4,644,315
piculs,  of  which  no  more  than  365,000  piculs  could  have