M‘GREGOR'S COMMERCIAL STATISTICS.*

MR. M‘GnEtioa has now concluded his elaborate labours on the commercial statistics, 'the mercantile laws, the, diplomatic engage- ments, the taxes upon trade, and ," the monies, -weights, and mea- sures of all nations 'aggregates of individuals where these things are not, being, to be reckoned as tribes; not nations. The new subjects of this fifth volume are the 'Chinesc'Empire, the'British Co- lames in Afriea, Asia, and Australia; and the British Possesnions (it is the author's classification) in America and the West Indies. There are supplements besides; containing new treaties, new modi- fications or alterations of tariffs, with various other information similar to that in the body of the former volumes, but brought down to the latest date, collected from, documents that have appeared since the publication of the previous parts. There has not appeared of late years, if at all, a work of such ex- tent and magnitude, with such an immense accumulation of facts, and such a unity of purpose 'for although Montgomery Martin's book on the British Colonies might be as extensive, its subjects were more indiscriminate. At the same time, it must be said:that, critically speaking, the-design is better than the execution ; a re- mark which seems more applicable to this volume than to its because in them the facts had a larger bearing, and if not more numerous were in many cases of a newer date. The volume is rather an inunense repertory of materials than a magazine of commodities ready for general: use., :Whbever shill ;flatiel#9.4,fr. M'Gregor's volume, will become an authority in commercialatatii-.. tics and international trading law. Whoever shall be at the trouble of closely examining the plan so as to comprehenditi matter and scope, will have means of vast and various information within his reach. For purposes of ready referenee—of dictionary use as it - were it is not so well adapted. The mass of the statistics is over- whdming to in untrained; person ; the textual account, especially where it gives a 'description of the country, its configuration and productions, israther toe' much like a geography book. It wants more liveliness and life. How different, for example; is the sketch of Canada, of which Mr. M'Gregor has a personal knowledge, from that Of some other countries. The treaties, the tariffs, the com- mercial laws and charges, have a more business interest, but are overlaid by other matter : a good digest of them might form a

useful book.. • •

The peculiarity we speak of is by no means confined to Commer- cial Statistics ; it belongs more or less to all books of tabular facts that we ever met with. "A godless Regent trembled at a star" : an utilitarian, who sets at nought all common superstitions, is su- perstitious to the last degree over anything that comes to him in the form of tables. He might lay his hand upon the ark without scruple, but he would shrink from touching an official return : its facts, or rather its figures, are sacred in his eyes; the very heading, albeit verbosely technical always, and sometimes not over intelligible to common understandings, is tabooed to the statist. Hence, from the little vade-mecum that will go in your waist- coat pocket to the imperial octavo quarto or folio that makes a librarT-shelf groan under its weight, the reader is presented with transcripts of the emanations of the red-tapist mind, whose immediate contents it takes the uninitiated some time to puzzle out, and whose bearings when he knows the facts which they contain, he cannot always perceive;; besides which, he is frequently liable to repetitions of.,professedly the same figures in different aspects with different results. It is cu- rious that a statist, who will not master tables, and further recast or reproduce their figures, has little scruple about the written text: he will select, he will abridge, nay, he will even comment upon the litera scripts: there seems, however, some question when it is an annotation upon a table by the table-monger-himself.

• Commercial Statistics. A Digest of the Productive Resources, Commercial Legislation, Customi Tariffs, Navigation, Port, and Quarantine Laws, and Charges, Shipping, Imports and Exports, and the Monies, Weights, and Measures of all Na- tions. Including all British Commercial Treaties with Foreign S Cates. Collected from authentic Records, and consolidated with especial Reference to British and Foreign Products, Trade, and Navigation. By John M'Gregor, M.P., late Secre• tary of the Board of Trade. In five volumes. Published by Whittaker. Bilt re r. 3143Irexor's Cotionercial_810/

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POLP,g, ithil,laid,flatfnm Lon- * ,, ,/fe-Y&F94.,4,1teliaitlfon4. inliefliOts of ga- pe e • g into e cost ereof,"namety, the separate cost and expense of the wipes brandy, duty.and,imposts,. casks, ,obare-rent,,jabour,. wastage, interest; wharfage, market dues, slipping expensee, troight, insurance, or- phan-dues, and dock-charges, comprising in the aggregate the sum, of 10/. lls. - To wit—Cost of the wine E2 6 10

Duty and imposts 0 14 0 All other ingredients 7 10 2

Among the "other ingredients," brandy to make the wine drink- able formed an item wi 11' 18.10d. of the -cost of the wine itself— being 2/. 5s. ; and the result of the transaction was a loss of 21. 108. per pipe, as stated thus.

"Say 101. lls. the cost of a pipe of wine laid down in London, exclusive of agency, brokerage,. and a variety of other charges attending the sales. At a moderate computation, these charges may be estimated, including leakage, difference of gauge, &c. at 2/. per pipe; and, taking the average price of Cape wine in the home market during the last two years at 101. per pipe, the lose on all the wines shipped during that period may be estimated at 21 108, per pipe,—an amount exceeding first cost of the wine itself."

The addition which the cost of transport and other charges, either necessary_ or. fiscal, makes to the original cost of production, has been seen in the above table, where wine originally. worth 21, Os. 10d. finally comes to 121. 1 is. before it is even laid down in the merchant's cellars ; though, to be sure, the first cost is nearly doubled by doctoring. There is a larger transaction of a more remote period, relating to the Company's trade with China, from 1793 to 1810. The total prime cost of goods and charges (for agency and packing, &c., at Canton) amounted to a little more than twenty-seven millions; which, by the time the articles were sold by the Company in England, and the duty paid, amounted to upwards of ninety millions, apportioned thus.

Prime cost of goods and charges at Canton from 1793 to 1810 £27,157,066

Freight and demurrage 10,886,017

Charges of merchandise. 2,894,816 Company's profits 16,692,852 Customs-duties paid by Company 266,621 57,896,274 Customs and Excise duties paid by the purchasers at the Company's sales.... 32,290,599 £90,186,873 The mercantile archaeologist may like to know the nature of the commodities : they were as follows. £

Teas 55,160,230 China-wrought silks 16,498

Nankeens 848,425 China-ware 82,001

"The principal part of the remaining 1,7881863/. consisted of China raw silk ; but the exact amount cannot be ascertained, the sales being blended with the Bengal raw silk."

We have spoken of the difference in point of vivacity between the description of the author when picturing what he knows and when compiling from other sources. The account of the river Saghuny may be taken as an example. " The astonishing depth of the Saghnny renders it one of the most extra- ordinary rivers in the world. It is the grand outlet of the waters from the Saghuny country into the St. Lawrence, which it joins on its Southern shore at above a hundred miles below Quebec; and although only a tributary stream, has the appearance of a long mountain lake for an extent of fifty miles, rather than that of a river. The scenery is of the most wild and mag- nificent description. The river varies from about a mile to two miles in breadth, and follows its impetuous course in a South-east direction through a deep valley, formed by mountains of gneiss and sienitic granite, which in some places rise vertically from the water-side to en elevation of 2000 feet.

" There is a feature attending this river which renders it a natural curi- osity, and is probably the only instance of the kind. The St. Lawrence is about eighteen miles wide at their confluence, and has a depth of about 240 feet. A ridge of rocks below the surface of the water, through which there is a channel about 120 feet deep, lies across the mouth of the Saghuny, with- in-which the depth increases to 840 feet; so that the bed of the Saghuny is absolutely 600 feet below that of the St. Lawrence, into which it falls,—a depth which is preserved many miles up the river. So extraordinary a fea- ture could only occur in a rocky country, such as is found in some parts of Canada, where the beauties of nature are displayed in their wildest form." firrat4 .6411,1 Of t'1.1Aiire* flIPAM11101.0411Pnrifoses, rAlli ADP, of matter ill it7SIWO4W0frig refieciliontli at ilietrlietimedn&Ination. ' in thdipalni Id protect!. AtIttige dattrildidartieleicia.ilee l'i- {"ape:( ' id tiii4 slid 13042ta eee 0 ••ts were wont to as stO 4 tii§ '

'WeAi 411 94 ill0ist*Istmeta,-rrIbrakisson,.

Aeteat evidaggib smile, int Inst.:irk In avowed' not so often met with now 0 If n to 1847 .t,

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