The chief imports for home use and exports of home goods are to and from the following countries, in millions of francs :

According to value of the general imports and exports, their distribution appears from the following, in millions of francs :

The share of the principal French ports in the general trade (1897) was as follows-imports and exports combined-in millions of francs :

The imports and exports (special trade) of coin and bullion were as follows

in 1897

The transit trade in 1897 reached the value of 790 million francs. The subjoined statement shows, according to the Board of Trade returns, the value of the imports into the United Kingdom from France, and of the domestic exports from the United Kingdom to France, in the indicated:years

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The total exports to France from the United Kingdom amounted to 21,337,3507. in 1892; 19,795,5007. in 1893; 19,751,0627. in 1894; 20,324,9987. in 1895; 20,657,5287. in 1896; 19,517,7117. in 1897.

The following table gives the declared value, in pounds sterling, of the eight staple articles imported into the United Kingdom from France in each of the last four years :

These eight articles constitute about two-thirds of the total imports from France into the United Kingdom. The total quantity of wine imported into the United Kingdom from France in 1897 was 6,605,077 gallons, being 376 per cent. of the total quantity of wine imported into the United Kingdom.

The following table exhibits the value of the principal articles of British produce exported from the United Kingdom to France in each of the last four years:

On December 31, 1897, the French mercantile navy consisted of 14,352 sailing vessels, of 421,462 tons, with crews 68,132, and 1,212 steamers of 499,409 tons, and crews numbering 20,234. Of the sailing vessels 176 of 17,239 tons were engaged in the European seas, and 297 of 177,998 tons in ocean navigation; of the steamers 240 of 185,014 tons were engaged in European seas, and 171 of 266,820 tons in ocean navigation. The rest were employed in the coasting trade, in port service, or in the fisheries. Of the sailing vessels and steamers 12,971 were not over 50 tons. Government assistance (primes) is given for the construction, equipment, and navigation of vessels, amounting to 12,500,000 francs annually.

The following table shows the navigation at French ports in

Coasting trade 53,961 5,933,679 17,452 975,234 7,701 4,469,566 891 133,754 1--

Foreign trade 1

Total French
Foreign vessels

61,662 10,403,245 18,343 1,108,988
17,810 10,457,568 | 2,462 529,230

Total

Cleared

71,413 6,908,913

8,592 4,603,320

80,005 11,512,233 20,272 10,986,798

79,472 20,860,813 20,805 1,638,218 | 100,277 22,499,031

Internal Communication.

I. RIVERS, RAILWAYS, ETC.

In 1898 there were in France 38,214 kilomètres of national roads. Navigable rivers (1897), 8,832 kilomètres; actually navigated, 6,630 kilomètres; canals, 4,930 kilomètres; actually navigated, 4,851 kilomètres ; rivers navigable for rafts, 2,925 kilomètres.

The traffic on the rivers and canals, expressed in millions of metric tons carried one kilomètre, has been :

By a law of 1842, the construction of railways was left mainly to companies, superintended, and if necessary assisted, by the State; which now constructs lines which the companies work, and works on its own account one important State system. There are lines of local interest subventioned by the State or by the departments. The concessions granted to the six great companies expire at various dates from 1950 to 1960; the periods of State guarantee of four of them terminate at the end of 1914, and of the others in 1934 and 1935. In 1830 there were in France 24 miles of railway; in 1860, 4,000 miles; in 1890, 20,666 miles; in 1896, 22,707 miles, including 1,700 miles belonging to the State. There are, besides, 2,404 miles of railway of local interest. The length of line of general interest open for traffic, cost of construction, receipts, and working expenses have been :

There are 2,610 miles of railway of local interest.

On December 31, 1896, the length of tramways worked was: for goods and passengers, 1,600 miles; for passengers only, 634 miles; total, 2,234 miles.

II. POSTS AND TELEGRAPHS.

On January 1, 1897, France had 8,826 post-offices, and Algeria, 517. The postal (including telegraph and telephone) receipts for France alone in