THE  CHINESE  EMPIRE

298
and  almost  entirely  destined  for  the  United  States,  was
shipped  in  1867  to  the  extent  of  89,908  rolls  of  40  yards  ;
in  1905  the  export  was  438,009  rolls.
Minerals  make  but  a  poor  showing.  With  all  her  vast
mineral  wealth  China  provides  but  a  small  surplus  for  shipment ­
  abroad.  China  is  a  coal  country,  and  the  total
foreign  export  in  1905  (11,534  tons)  was  less  than  1  per  cent,
of  the  quantity  imported  ;  it  has  large  fields  of  iron  ore,
and  the  export  in  1905  (24,600  tons)  was  less  than  a  sixth
of  the  import  ;  it  is  a  copper  country,  and,  with  no  export
in  1905,  it  drew  from  abroad  57,000  tons  to  supply  the
demands  of  the  mints  ;  it  is  a  tin  country,  and  in  1905
imported  54,193  piculs,  while  its  export,  entirely  from
Yunnan  to  Hongkong,  was  75,302  piculs,  this  being  the  first
year  in  which  the  export  exceeded  the  import.  Antimony
is  the  only  other  mineral  deserving  notice  ;  the  export  of
ore,  regulus  and  refined,  coming  from  Hunan,  in  1905  was
94,327  piculs.
Provisions  were  shipped  in  1905,  chiefly  for  consumption
at  Hongkong,  to  a  value  of  Tls.7,239,410,  including  cattle,
sheep,  pigs,  and  goats,  valued  at  Tls.3,210,100,  and  eggs
valued  at  Tls.1,554,607.
Oil  seeds  (cotton,  rape,  and  sesamum),  have  only  recently
entered  into  the  foreign  trade.  In  1888  the  export  of
rape-seed  was  873  piculs,  and  of  sesamum-seed  3,027  piculs  ;
in  1898  the  export  was  rape-seed  212  piculs,  sesamumseed
  47,388  piculs,  and  cotton-seed  566,105  piculs  ;  in  1905,
rape-seed  19,751  piculs  (from  Hupeh  and  Anhwei),
sesamum-seed  575,721  piculs  (from  Hupeh  and  Kiangsu),
and  cotton-seed  659,705  piculs.  The  rape-seed  and  cottonseed ­
  go  entirely  to  Japan,  the  sesamum-seed  chiefly  to
Germany  and  Japan.
Skins,  consisting  mainly  of  goat,  kid,  and  lamb,  coming
from  the  Mongolian  plateau,  chiefly  through  Tientsin,  to
a  secondary  degree  through  Hankow,  form  an  increasing
industry.  The  export  in  1867  was  valued  at  Tls.5,501,
in  1887  at  lls.652,174,  in  1897  at  Tls.3,083,517,  and  m
1905  at  Tls.9,684,286.  Of  the  export  of  1905  the  United