present one. The masonry will be of the best class of limestone, peck faced, laid in cement, and in courses varying from 18 to 30 inches in height. The lock will have two chambers, the lower to be 530 feet in the clear and the upper 270 feet by 50 feet in width, with a lift of 111⁄2 feet at normal water, which, at the lowest stage of the river, is increased to 17 feet. The lock will be built during the season of 1898, and it is expected that one-half of the prism will be completed so that vessels with a draft of 15 feet may pass through with the opening of navigation in 1899.

About 1,200 workmen of all classes are now engaged in this work. This enlargement will cost the Government at least $2,000,000.

MORRISBURGH, May 20, 1898.

JOHN E. HAMILTON,
Commercial Agent.

FIREARMS IN MOROCCO AND AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS IN GREECE.

In my report of March 8, 1898,* I sent a cutting from the London correspondence of the Birmingham Daily Post, in which it was stated that the Sultan of Morocco had decided to rearm his soldiers and that this meant an opportunity for the sale of arms. The sequel to the publication of the report is interesting. Referring to the matter, the London correspondent of the Birmingham Post, in yesterday's issue, said:

The United States armament manufacturers have not allowed the approach of a war in which they are intimately concerned to interfere with their commercial enterprise. It appears that the information, which was first published in this column, that the Grand Vizier of Morocco meditated rearming such army as the Sultan possesses, was telegraphed to the United States. At once two rifle manufacturing companies sent representatives to Morocco, in the hope of securing the commission. One had apparently received orders to see the Grand Vizier himself, if it were possible, and he got as far as Fez in pursuit of the restless Court. There he desisted from his effort, probably because he comprehended the state of the Moorish exchequer, but did not know that the Sultan was raising money by the sale of his jewels. At all events, the order has not gone to America, and it is likely still to come to England.

A merit of the British provincial newspaper is the enterprise shown in gathering and publishing promptly news of value to British traders. The London representative of the Birmingham Post is especially active, and his latest tip to Birmingham manufacturers is as follows:

Advices have reached a consular quarter here to the effect that there will be a good opening in Greece in the near future for British-made plows and all kinds of

*See CONSULAR REPORTS No. 212 (May, 1898), p. 152.

farming and agricultural implements. The Government in Athens is setting aside a sum of about £30,000 ($145,800) to purchase one thousand plows, implements, and other material for the assistance of the Thessalian and other refugees, and further expenditure in the same connection will shortly follow.

BIRMINGHAM, April 27, 1898.

MARSHAL HALSTEAD,

Consul.

Consul Halstead writes from Birmingham, May 16, 1898:

In a report dated April 27, 1898, I inclosed a clipping from the Birmingham Daily Post, in which it was stated that the Grecian Government intended to spend £30,000 ($150,000) for agricultural implements. I also sent a copy of the paragraph to the consul at Athens.

To-day I am in receipt of a letter from Daniel E. McGinley, esq., the consul at Athens, in which he says:

In answer, I must inform you that there is no truth in the report that the Grecian Government is setting aside £30,000 or any other sum of money to purchase plows and other agricultural implements for the assistance of refugees. The Government did buy a few plows for free distribution last year; but the result was not satisfactory, I am told, and there is no prospect of more money being expended in that direction, at least for the present.

SWISS GOODS IN THE PHILIPPINES.

During the past few years the Swiss trade with the Philippine Islands has not been as flourishing as formerly, although a considerable quantity of Swiss goods, such as Spain can not manufacture, has found its way into the islands and has been in fair demand. Among these goods may be mentioned the Toggenburg handkerchiefs, or bandannas, in blue, which have for years been popular among the natives; and, as Spain has not been able to produce these goods in solid colors, most of this trade has been given to Switzerland.

Other articles furnished by Swiss merchants are what are known to the trade as mousseline damassée et mousseline imperatrice à carreaux (damasked and crossbarred muslins), which have been in ready demand up to within the last year, when, owing to the revolulutionary condition of the islands, the trade was much depressed.

The embroideries of St. Gall, famous the world over, have also found their way to Manila, owing to the energy displayed by the Swiss merchants; and they command a fair market. During the year 1897, the exportation of these goods to the Philippines, while not large, was considerably increased over the year 1896. The best class

of embroideries, such as high novelties, do not find a ready market; but the common white goods are popular and sell well.

Silk goods, such as black, broad silks, taffetas, faille noire, and half satins, are exported from Switzerland to Manila, while grenadines, gauze, tulles, etc., are exported principally from Lyons, France.

Watches and musical instruments, such as music boxes and musical clocks, are also furnished to the Philippines by the Swiss, and a fair business is done in this line. Swiss cheese is exported; but the Edam cheese of Holland finds the best sale, because it keeps better in that climate. Some straw goods, chemicals, and the socalled Turkish red yarns are furnished by Switzerland.

There are at present only ninety Swiss citizens on the islands, and they have been placed under the protection of the German consul.

ST. GALL, May 12, 1898.

JAMES T. DUBOIS,

Consul-General.

EXHIBITION OF EASTERN MANUFACTURES IN GERMANY.

I inclose an article clipped from the London Daily Telegraph, which tells of a new line of Government activity for the promotion of German foreign trade.

BIRMINGHAM, May 13, 1898.

MARSHAL HALSTEAD,

Consul.

A LESSON FROM GERMANY-PRACTICAL HINTS FOR BRITISH TRADERS.

[From our Berlin correspondent.]

ner

Germany has always been remarkable for the paternal assistance given by its Government to the people in the attainment of knowledge for commercial and trade purposes. The specialist schools in the Fatherland within the reach of the youth of the country are an ocular illustration of this, as well as the collections of samples made at the residences of German ministers and consuls abroad, in the far distant East or West, open for the instruction of the Teuton full-grown mer chant. But so far nothing has surpassed the very clever task carried out with most laudable intelligence by a committee of German experts sent recently to inspect and collect samples from the industry of China and Japan. The results of the labors of this committee are embodied in an exhibition of samples shown in two small rooms in an upper story of the palace of the German Imperial Diet in Berlin. The exhibition is not open to the general public; indeed, an ordinary layman, misled by the word "exhibition," would be dumbfounded at the sight of what he would probably call rows of more or less rubbish. This exhibition is intended for the specialist desirous of trading with the Far East. Germany having acquired a

territorial footing in China, the Government hopes to find a new field for the energy and enterprise of German merchants. In order to prevent the shipwreck of small capitalists and to encourage Germans to try their luck, the ingenious idea referred to in these lines was conceived and carried out.

The members of the committee were instructed to examine on the spot what progress the Japanese had made in manufacturing those particular commodities which are generally exported from Europe; to make themselves acquainted with the wants of the people, and with their power to purchase goods to satisfy those wants; to report on the capacities of the Japanese and Chinese to render these goods cheaper for their own market, so that they could dispense with having the, articles imported from Europe; and to give full information for the German export merchant by enumerating what actual goods he can import into China and Japan in successful competition with native manufacturers and rival European merchants.

This exhibition is not, as has been elsewhere erroneously stated, a collection of samples of the industry of China and Japan, but of samples from, as I said above, the industry of China and Japan. The visitor will look in vain for costly specimens of native art; the exhibition has nothing to do with native export trade. The committee is giving an object lesson to the Teuton trader to show him what he can profitably import into China and Japan. Take, for instance, a simple example— Japan manufactures "singlets" for men and exports them to China, where they can be purchased for 3d. or 4d. (6 or 8 cents). The ordinary Chinese workingman earns about 31⁄2d. or 4d. (7 or 8 cents) per day, so that he can manage to put by a day's wage to purchase a singlet at this price, his other wants being small; but it is useless for a European trader to introduce for this class of purchasers singlets costing 9d. or Is. (18 or 24 cents), as the people could not afford to buy them. The committee has therefore exhibited specimens of Japanese singlets at the lower price, and it is left to German manufacturers to decide whether they can compete at this figure and export in large quantities. On the other hand, some woolen vests and underdrawers of very excellent and expensive quality, manufactured also in Japan, are exhibited, as well as woolen shawls, socks, blankets, etc., to show the German manufacturers the power of their Japanese rivals to produce better class goods, and to enable them to form an opinion as to whether they can compete with them in regard to price in this field also. Samples of the sort of curtains and furniture stuffs from England that are marketable are given; but it would be useless for small merchants to export to China articles of this kind of a more costly nature for the benefit of the few thousand Europeans who might take them, as the general demand is too small to insure a profit.

The samples will continue to lie on view for some weeks more in Berlin, and then the collection will be split up and sent to the several manufacturing districts of the Empire, according to the nature of the industry, for the same instructive object. When information of the above kind is placed directly under the noses of German men of business, enabling them to obtain accurate and valuable information without running the slightest risk or disbursing a penny, it would be strange indeed if they did not compete successfully against the world.

NOTES.

American Petroleum in Denmark.—Vice and Deputy Consul Blom writes from Copenhagen, April 28, 1898:

The consumption of American petroleum in Denmark is steadily increasing, and that of Russian petroleum steadily decreasing. The consumption in the Kingdom in 1896 and 1897 was:

Prices declined steadily from January to July, 1897, and remained stationary during the balance of the year.

The Danish petroleum business is controlled by the Danish Petroleum Company, Limited, Copenhagen, which has a capital of $536,000. The company has seven tanks in Copenhagen; two in Aarhus, Jutland; one in Korsoer, Seeland, with a capacity altogether of 114,000 barrels. The company has also one tank steamer, Christine, of 17,000 barrels capacity, which plies regularly between the United States and Denmark, and British tank steamers are chartered. The steamers Duffield, Lumen, Beacon Light, and Phosphor appear to be in regular trade from the United States to Denmark. The consumption of water white is steadily increasing, and almost every household prefers it to any other. Russian petroleum, the quality of which comes nearest to the American standard white, is about 10 per cent cheaper than the latter; but the Danish public prefers American petroleum, although at a higher price.

Exports from Switzerland.-The following, dated St. Gall, May 14, 1898, has been received from Consul-General DuBois:

During the first four months of 1898, the amount of the exports from Switzerland to the United States was $4,501, 285, which is $445,870 less than was exported during the same period last year. There was a decrease in exports in every consular district except