A A I £ ' 1 HERNR 1 6 5 EGIONALLIE 4 6 IRARYFACIL 2 /^ VK . 1 1-! LIBR^RV J OK Till' University of California. GIFT OK THP: STATE vniCLLTll^M. COM MI SSI (IN. l^eceiveJ. Jaiiimrv. i8q6. Accession No. . Class No. THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES ^^^^iJJyL ^i^^^<^-t'-^•^-e-J>/^ FRANCO-AMERICAN COMMERCE STATEMENTS AND ARGUMENTS IN BEHALF OF .0 J AMERICAN IKDUSTRIES AGAINST THE ^^DPlD ROPOSED Franco-American COMMERCIAL TREATY SMbmitted to the Special Committee of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, in conforinity with the resolutions of the Cha7nbery passed yu7ie I'^th, 1879. San Francisco: ALIA CALIFORNIA BOOK AND JOB PRINTING HOUSF., 1879. Table of Contents, Page. Resolutions of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce ' 7 Statement of Arpad Haraszthy, Esq., President of the California State Viniculiural Society U Appendix No. 1, to statement of Arpad Haraszthy, Esq. Extracts from reports of C. A. Wetmore, Esq., delegate of the Vinicultural Society to the Paris Exposition of 1878 33 Appendix No. 2. Report of the Finance Committee of the U, S. Senate upon Foreign Wines and Spirits ■ • • • 130 Address of C. A. Wetmore, Esq., before the San Francisco Chamber of Com- merce, in opposition to the proposed Franco-American Treaty 151 Opinions of Hon. Horace Davis and Flon. J. K. Euttrell '2\'l Protest of Manufacturers against the proposed treaty 214: 50065L LIBRARY RESOLUTIONS OF THE SAN FRANCISCO Chamber of Commerce RESOLUTIONS. Adopted unanimously by the San Francisco Chamber of Com- merce, Hon. George C. Perkins, President of the Chamber, in the Chair, on tlie 13th of June, 1879. After an extended discussion of the proposed Franco-Ameri- can Commercial Treaty, participated in by M. Leon Chotteau on behalf of the treaty, and by Mr. Chas. A. Wetmore and others in opposition to it, the following resolutions, introduced by Mr. W. N. Olmstead, were unanimously adopted; Resolved, That this Chamber is decidedly opposed to the proposed reciprocity treaty with France. Resolved, That our rej)resentatives in Congress be requested to use their utmost efforts to defeat any such treaty. Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed by the Chamber to collect and transmit to nur Representatives in Congress, and the various Chambers of Commerce throughout the country, all necessary statistics and information as to the injurious effect such a treaty will have on the interests of this State. THE COMMITTEE. The President ap|)()inted the following named Lientlen.en to act ujjon the committee provided for by the resolutions: Hon. Caleb T. Fav, Chairman. H. 13. Williams, Esq. Hon. Irving M. Scott, W. T. Coleman, Esq. D. J. Staples, Esq. STATEMENT OF Mr, Arpad Haraszthy. President of the California State Vinicnltural Society. II To Caleb T. Fay, Esq., Chairman of the Special Commit- tee of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, having under consideration the injuries to the indus- tries of California, which may follow the proposed Reciprocity Treaty with France. Sir : The Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco, on the thirteenth day of June last, after hearing the argument of Mr. Leon Chotteau in favor of a proposed French Treaty, and a contrary argument from Mr. Chas. A. Wetmore, passed a series of resolutions hostile to the adoption of any sucli treaty, and a com- mittee was appointed, with special instructions to seek out and report to the Chamber, the injurious effects such treaty would have upon the trade, industries and manufactures of our country; on behalf of the wine interest of California, I therefore submit to your consideration the following statement : In order to understand fully the present condition of the vini- cultural interest of California, and its possible great future, an out- hne of its past history and present extent is necessary, which I will endeavor to draw as briefly as the subject will permit. The vine was hrst known to be cultivated in our State, at the Mission San Gabrielle, in Los Angeles county, in the year 1771, and was first planted by the Catholic Fathers. Gradually its cul- tivation was extended from mission to mission, till there was not a single one which did not possess from five acres, upward. Owing to a lack of regular communication with other countries, little or none of the wine could have been exported — its entire quantity being consumed in the immediate neighborhood of its production. Its manufacture and care was also conducted in the most crude, primitive, and unscientific manner. Neither do we hear of any spe- cial reputation as to the quality of the wines of any of the Missions, 12 excepting that of Sonoma, which is reputed to have had some slight preference. Outside of the missions very few vines were planted, and we have no reliable data whereon to base the exact number of vines cultivated before the so-called American occupation of Cali- fornia. Their number however, could hardly have reached half a million vines. At any rate, upon the arrival of the Americans, they found the once splendid missions unoccupied, desolate and in ruins — their wide acres of grain lands trampled down by cattle ; their orchards and vineyards unproductive and running wild for the want of the civilizing hand. The earliest official information we find upon the subject after the arrival of the Americans, is the State Register, which places the number at one and a half million vines in 185 3; two and a quarter millions in 1857, and four millions in 1858. Previous to 1856, hardly any of the vines planted were set out with a view to mak- ing wine, nearly all being intended for the production of table grapes alone. It was about that year that public attention was more especially drawn, by numerous newspaper items, to the possibility of producing good, saleable wines in the State. Choice wine grape cuttings, which had been imported as early as 1853, came into demand, and all sorts were planted by the hundreds of thousands, year after year, till we now possess from forty to forty-five million vines in California; showing an average plantation of nearly two millions per annum for a period of twenty-two years, or nearly three thousand acres per year. And at this rate of increase in less than fifty years, we can pro- duce one hundred million gallons of pure grape wine, and eradi- cate the disease of intemperance from among the American people. And one hundred million gallons of wine fifty years hence, is just ' three times as much as France exported fifty years ago (in 1829). These facts are certainly worthy of consideration. Though wine houses were established as early as 1855, still California wines were hardly offered freely on the market until 1865. Up to that date nearly all the wine was made from one variety of grape, the one first planted by the Fathers at the Missions, and which, for that reason, has since been termed the Mission grape. It was noticed that wine produced from this variety, no matter the sectionof the country, the soil, altitude or climate, possessed a characteristic taste, different from French and German wines, and which, to some 13 consumers, seemed undesirable, and by ignorant people was erroneously termed a ground taste. It was also observed, about the year iS6o, that wine made from certain European varieties of grape, did not possess that peculiar taste found in those made from the Mission. This was justly deemed of so much importance that in 1 86 1, a commission was appointed by the Governor to promote the "improvement and growth of the grape-vine in California," and the late Colonel Agoston Haraszthy, one of the three com- missioners, in the advancement of this object, visited Europe to gather vines and information. The result of his labors was an ample report to the Leg- islature of the State, and the importation of two hundred thousand cuttinp-s and rooted vines, cataloorued under four hundred and ninety names, and comprising every procurable and known \'1lriety of grapevine. This was the first reliable large importation of foreign grapevines, and from it mainly, the entire State has since drawn its present plantations of finer varieties for wine making. These vines were not available for planting till the beginning of 1863, and in that year an immense number of new vineyards were set out, and the old ones increased in extent. Unfortunately for the reputation of the State, at that time nothing positive was known as to adaptability of variety, soil and climate, and thousands of vines were set out more for their fine-sounding names than for any known quality. It was the beginning of the experimental age. It was then thought by the enterprising, but inexperienced wine- maker, that any kind of wine could be produced from one and the same variety of grape, grown on any soil, by simpl)' modifying the method of manufacture. This incongruous theory led to the attempted production of port, sherry, hock, claret and burgundy wines, all from one vineyard, and from one quality of grape.- Of course it was a failure, but it took years to discover the tact, and some of these theorists still remain unconvinced. In 1863, upon the plantation of the imported vines, a new theory was set forth, a little niorc rational than tlic previous one, l)ut still wide of the mark. It held that the variety of grape, com- bined with method of manufacture, would reproduce tlic \aried qualities and characteristics of all the known wines. In this theory soil and climate were entirely lost to sight. Not until some four years ago, after long and most patient waiting, and the cost of 14 endless experiments, have the wine-makers of the State bep^un to acknowledge that there must be a perfect adaptability of grape to soil, climate, method of manufacture, and the quality of wine desired to be produced. At this period we are only beginning to emerge from our false theories, and it will still require ten years more to pass out of our experimental age. Owing to the abso- lute want of knowledge, nearly all the important plantations made in 1863, 1864 and 1865, were set out more with a view of having a greater variety of grapes, than of any consistency in selection ; and hence, to-day, we often meet with vineyards of not more than thirty acres in extent, and possessing from 1 5 to 25 different varieties of vines. Of course a benefit will eventually accrue, in the dis- covery from actual observation of the most suitable variety to the special locality, but in the meantime the entire past has been wasted, and it will require at least from five to six years from the date of such discovery to regenerate the vineyard, and secure its complete plantation with varieties that are suitable. These are merely some of the obstacles met with in the planta- tions at the outset ; combined to them, are to be considered the scarcity of capital and the ruinous rates of interest. In 1862 the vine-grower had to pay two and a half per cent, per month on his borrowed money, and compounded every ino7ith. Not until four years ago could he secure money, even upon the best of security, for less than one and a half per cent, per month. And not until five years after plantation could the vine-grower expect to realize any incomefrom his vineyard ; and even when his vineyard did bear, he only perceived that his expenses had to be suddenly doubled, for then a fermenting house and cellars had to be constructed, press and crushers built, and wine casks purchased. In 1864 and 1 865 old second-hand casks were eagerly purchased for as high as 14 cents per gallon, and new ones commanded as high as 20 cents, and even more. Unskilled labor commanded from 30 to 40 dollars per month and board. With all this there was no settled price for the wine, while very considerable quantities were gradually being thrown upon the market, with very few purchasers. To add to the difficulties of the situation, the wines produced at that period, through lack of proper knowledge and handling, both at its fermen- tation and at its preparation for consumption, as well as through lack of age, was often defective and proved unsatisfactory. Im- 15 oorters of foreign wines, watching with jealousy the greatly increased production of native wines, made the most of these mishaps, and upon every possible occasion assumed to deride and frown down with contempt, the possibility of ever producing a good drinking wine in California. Unfortunately, these interested importers found no lack of ignorant people to ape their assumed condem- nation; to assist in creating a prejudice wherG none should have existed; and wasfe a bitter waras^ainst the wine interest of the State. Now the tables have all changed — not through a kinder feeling from the inporters; not through any renewed protection from the gov- ernment ; not through any less continued condemnation from the prejudiced ignorant; but solely through the intelligent, patient, un- tiring labors of the vine-grower and the enterprise of the California wine dealer. Four years ago the wine importers of the whole Union demanded and secured the present tariff of forty cents per gallon. We then had their sneers ; we now have their supplications to Congress for a reduction to one-half the present tariff, to enable them to compete with us. Then, we were belittled, as was the quality of our productions; and to do this successfully they relied upon the ignorance of the public, and the assumed quality of their own impor- tations. But the public is no longer ignorant ; the scales have fallen from its eyes, and the spurious quality of the bulk of French wines coming into the United States has been amply shown by Mr. Wet- more's several letters from Bordeaux, Marseilles and Cette, and which I append. The wine exporters of France see that their best days will have ceased in our country, unless they can devise some means to prevent American people from drinking American wines. To them there is but one visible preventive, and that is the enactment of a treaty, ratified by Congress, reducing the present tariff. And it is safe to say, that should such a treaty be enacted, the exporters of F'rance will have accomplished their purpose, and compl^etely ruined the wine interests of the whole United States. It is to be hoped that every patriotic American will lift his voice against the execution of so serious a calamity to one of our greatest future agricultural interests. I have now shown tlie difficulties encountered, step by step, by the California wine-maker in his endeavors to plant his vine- yard and produce a good, pure, saleable article of wine: I have followed him in his patient industry, through costly experiment^ i6 covering the best years of his manhood ; I have shown him strug- gling for want of capital, with ruinous rates of interest, high rates of labor, and against a selfish, bitter prejudice. We have followed him from the time the State had less than two million vines till the present day, when it points with pride to its forty-five millions. And now that he is about to reap the benefit of his life-long sacri- fices and untiring energies, it is sought to wrench the golden prize from his grasp, and lay him and the result of his labors forever in the dust by a so-called Reciprocity Treaty with France — a scheme devised in the interest of the French compounder of wines. But I will now give a more detailed account of the present extent and actual value of the wine interest of this State, which this proposed treaty, if carried into effect, would entirely destroy. The latest official sources put the number of vines now in the State at forty-five millions, or about 60,000 acres. These are owned by over four thousand proprietors, and it is computed that ten thousand people in the State, and all of them adults and voters, earn their livelihood and support their families through this one pursuit. The capital invested in vines, lands, animals, tools, ap- pliances, casks, dwellings, cellars and their contents, amounts to thirty million dollars. When our present vineyards are in full bear- ing, which will be in three years hence, our possible production could reach twenty million gallons of wine, not allowing for grapes locally consumed or made into raisins and brandy. Our exports from the State by land and sea in i878aniounted to two million gallons of wine, of which a little more than one-half went by sea, and the rest by rail. The value of these wines reached one million three hundred thousand dollars. The State consumption of our wines is estimated to exceed two and a half million gallons. For four years preceding 1879, the estimated value of the wine consumed in the State at forty cents per gallon, amounts to one million dollars ; that exported to one million three hundred thou- sand dollars; giving a total value for 1878 of two million three hundred thousand dollars saved, earned, and kept within the State by its wine makers. In these figures no allowance was made for the value of two hundred thousand gallons of brandy made, and a surplus stock of one million and a half gallons of wine not exported or consumed. And this is but the beginning of the development of this gigantic industry. 17 During the first six months of the present year we exported from the State, one million one hundred and twenty-four thousand gallons, being a gain of two hundred and sixty thousand gal- lons over the same six months of the previous )ear (1878). Should this proportionate increase hold good for the remainino- six months, our exports of wine this year, will run over two mil- lion six hundred thousand gallons, or one hundred thousand gal- lons more than was received in the entire United States from France in 1877. And to-day, California alone consumes more wine of her own production than the whole amount sent by France to all the States of the Union combined. Yet in the face of such facts, it is generally asserted that Californians do not drink their own wines; it may be that they do not drink them — as Cali- fornia wines. It is well known by the better informed, that our best grades of wines are almost invariably labeled with French and German labels, by retailers who have in view their own im- mediate profit, rather than regard for the future welfare of this great interest. But in this they only follow the pernicious example taught them by their competitors in Cette and in Bordeaux, as fully shown by Mr. Wetmore's letters. But I am glad to say that the attempted imitation does not go farther than the label: we have not yet been compelled to resort to those very questionable practices of the Bordeaux cheap wine exporter — that is, mixing, fixing, flavoring, perfuming, coloring, waterino" and the adding of alcohol: we have not yet reached that state of perfection and scientific skill that is required to produce the Vhi dc Cargaison, sent to the United States by the millions of gallons, to contaminate our taste and vitiate our palates. We have, under the guise of fictitious labels, been lead to suppose that we were drinking fine Bordeaux wines, whereas, in fact, we were nicrely drinking trash, com- pounded at Cette, Bordeaux or Marseilles, and have been the laugh- ing stock of the French wine exporter, whose pockets we filled through our ignorance, and our vanity. We have not \et attempted such imitations, but have confined ourselves to placing upon the market, pure, genuine wines n^adc from the juice of the grape alone, without addition of water, sugar, alcohol, coloring matter, or flavoring essences of any kind. Such qualities as our wines have attained are purely natural, and acquired without i8 adventitious aid of any substance other than grape juice. And it is to be hoped that our efforts to furnish the American people with a pure and wholesome wine, will be fully appreciated by our legislators. But though we may not have followed the foreign wine exporter in his skillful adulterations, we certainly excel him in our mechanical contrivances for the production of wine, the crushing and handling of grapes, and the storage of their product. We point with pride to our stone walled press houses; to our California invented hydraulic presses; to our steam crushers and stemmers; to our magnificent casks, such as are not found in the whole of Trance. These have all been built, created and in- vented by the genius of our own citizens, under all manner of trials, and for the sole purpose of making wine. Nowhere in our State do you see the filthy habit of crushing the grapes with the naked fee*", as is the almost invariable practice in France- -nor do you ever see any nude men enter our fermenting tanks, as they do in France, waist deep, to trample down the grapes in the manufacture of their claret. And )et such practices are alrnost universal in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. I cannot see how any American woman can touch a glass of French claret to her lips without loathing. As to our presses, one man can create a pressure of 40 tons per square inch with our California Hydraulic Press, and it occupies less than one quarter the space of the cumbersome European in- vention of not one-third the power. Then note our steam stemmer and crusher, which crushes and stems from 10 to 12 tons of grapes per hour. Where in the whole of Europe will you find a single equal ? While our large oaken casks, all made in our State, and varying from one to twelve thousand gallons, are marvels of strength, symmetry and beauty. Nor are they possessed by one, two or three in a cellar, but by the fifties and by the hundred. All this we liave accomplished unaided, alone, and against the most determined opposition of the importers, as well as the ignorant prejudice of the masses. But now let us examine the comparative qualities of the wines we have finally produced. The white wines or hocks, have been conceded to be fair in quality from the start; and have of late years improved so much, by better care, earlier gathering of the grape at the vintage, and by 19 plantation of the most reputed foreign grapevines, that the French and German cheap white wines have been driven almost entirely from the market. Our greatest difficulty, however, was our unsuccessful attempts to produce a good claret from the beginning. The mission grape after years of trial, in every soil, climate and method of manufac- ture proved itself unfit. Only within the last few years, have the proper claret producing qualities been discovered in the Zinfandel, the Black Burgundy and the Grenache, singly or com- bined in various proportions, and grown upon certain soils. With- in the last three years our claret wines have made immense strides towards perfection; and now a good cheap ordinary California claret is the rule, instead of the exception, as heretofore; and there are many wine districts in France that cannot make the same boast. Such in fact, has been our progress, that even Mr. Chotteau in an interview with a World reporter on the ninth of July last, is re- ported to have said, that " the American consumer can procure California wine, the quality of which it must be admitted, is prefer- able to that of our French cargo wines," and further on, that "the jobbing and retail merchants enlarge with California wines, the little French wine that they import, to such a degree, that there are consumed certainly ten barrels of native wine, to one from the vine- yards of France." We thank Mr. Chotteau for his candid admis- sions. I also refer in testimony to the very able and pointed official report of Mr. Poorest, Consul General of France, at San Francisco, and which will be found in the appendix. The wines must certainly have some qualities, or over two and a half million gallons would not be consumed in our State, neither would there be two millions more exported. And the demand for export has increased, with very slight liuctuations, from the very beginning as the following figures will show. WINK AND BRANDY E.XPOKTS BY SEA AND KAIL. YEARS. SEA. KAIL. TOTALS. 1872 613,951 gals. 339,334 gals. 953,285 gals. 1873 557,683 " 380,365 " 938,048 " 1874 635,268 " 558,515 " 1,193,783 " In the above figures the wine and brandy are put together, there having been no separate account kept of them at the C. P. Railroad offices till the year 1875. 20 WIXE EXPORTS BY SEA AND RAIL. ye^RS SEA. RAIL. TOTALS. 1875 507,809 gals. 523,698 gals. 1,031,507 gals. 187G 5ir,,2G9 " 598,770 " 1,115,045 " 1S77 890,34(5 " 506,446 " 1,462,792 " 1878 1,238,626 " 573,533 " 1,812,159 " 1879— six months 776,282 " 346,130 •' 1,122,412 " Now, upon examination, the first six months of 1879 show an increased exportation over the same six months in 1878, of 250,723 gallons by sea, and 48.773 gallons by rail; that is, a total increase of 299,496 gallons. By again looking at the figures, it will be seen that this increase for six months is almost equal to the increase of the entire year 1878 over that of 1S77. Our brandy exports from 1875 by Sea and Rail are as follows: YEARS. SEA. RAIL. TOTALS. 1875 39,924 gals. 2,394 gals. 42,318 gals. 1876 30,901 " 23,092 " 59,993 " 1877 04,940 " 74,052 " 138,992 " 1878 91,324 " 37,875 " 129,199 " 1879— six months 49,354 " 31,991 " 81,345 " To say the least, this must be considered encouraging in view of the existing dull times in every part of our continent. In referring again to the above figures, it will be observed that there has been a steady increase in our exports of wine from the year 1875, without a single fluctuation, and that our export for the first six months of the present year was greater than the en- tire export of 1876. Comparing these results to those in the im- portation of French wines into our Port, we find that France sent us in 1874, In wood 750,000 gals. In bottle 51,800 " Total 801,800 gals. 1878, In wood 370,000 gals. In botde 15,900 " Total 385,900 gals. Decreased importation into this Port after 4 years 495,900 gals This decrease in the importation of French wines to the Port of San Francisco, remarkable as it may seem, is nevertheless sur- passed by the decreased P^rcnch wine importation for the whole 21 United States, as a scrutiny ot" the amounts for 187^. and 1.77 \v..i show in the following figures taken from the official French Customs reports. WINES IMPORTED FROM FRANCE IXTO THE UNITED STATES, IN WOOD AND GLASS, REDUCED TO AMERICAN WINE GALLONS. 1868 3,410,000 gallons 1869 5,904,000 " 1870 0,GG3,000 " 1871 6,200,000 " 1872 7,080,000 " 1873 5,511,000 " 1874 5,207,000 " 1875 3,263,000 •' 1876 2,757,000 " 1877 2,486,000 " This very notable reduction may be ascribed, first, to the cheap- ness and progressive good quality of our own wines, and secondly, to the change in tariff which took place on the 8th of February, 1875. Previous to that date the United States had a mixed tariff, that is, a specific and ad valorem combined, the workings of which was so objectionable as to cause the " Wine and Spirit Traders' Society of the United States," to use their best efforts to have it changed to the present purely specific tariff of 40 cents per gallon, on all wines regardless of value. The present system though it may have tended to diminish the amount of wines imported, has on the other hand undoubtedly increased the importation o^ a better quality, for where as under the ad valorem duty, the average value of the wine imported was 40.75 cents per gallon, under the specific they averaged 62.35 cents, showing that we now recieve much finer grades of wines than formerly. But I cannot do better here than quote from a statement emanating from the above mentioned "Wine and Spirit Traders' Society," dated F'ebruary, 1878. It must be borne in mind that the following table shows im- portations, not from France alone, but from all other wine sources as well. I quote, as follows: 22 "STATISTICS TAKEN FROM THE OFFICIAL LIST OF THE BUREAU OF STATISTICS IN WASHINGTON. Statement of the Quantity, Value, Rate and Amount of Duty received from Foreign Wines, during- the fiscal years 1872 /^ 1877. Average Average Year. Gallons. Value Rate of Duty. Duty. Value Duty per gal. per gal. GTS. CTS, 1872. 9.135.771 $3,430,975 "j Value under 40c. pr gal., 25c. pr gal. Over 40c. and under $1, 60c. " '" Over Si $1 and 25 per ct. $2,822,250 37-55 30.89 1873. 9.278,3H 3,711.137 2,840,321 39-99 30.45 1874. 9,000,335 3,736,796 2,662,000 41-51 29-57 1875. 6,459.303 J 2,099,394 ■ji, 151, 728 Act Feb. 8, 1875. (1,464,727 1 763,327 j 43-96 1 68.39 j 30.67 140. 1876. 4,589,025 2,776,274 y Went into effect day of passage. ) 40c. per gal., specific. 2,027,928 60.49 40. 1877. 4,406,279 2,562,944 1,931,266 58.16 40. "It will be seen from the above, that under the ad valorem duty, which it is proposed to reinstate, the average value of wines imported was 40,^0^0 cents per gallon, whereas under the specific, they average 62,^^^ cents, showing that the public received a finer grade under the latter. "As an illustration of the benefit to the Government of the specific duty, we call your attention to the comparative importa- tions of 1873, under the ad valorem duties, and in 1877, under the specific, by which it will be seen, than in 1877, on an importation of less than half the quantity of 1873, the Government collected more than two-thirds of the revenue of that year. 1873 Gallons, 9,278,311 Duty, $2,840,321 1877 ' 4,406,279 " 1,931,266 "It is claimed by the Trade, that the specific duty has been a perfect success, for notwithstanding the great falling off in the quan- tity imported, the revenue has decreased less in proportion than on any other goods belonging to this class, as per following statistics: STILL WINES. MALT LIQUORS. Sparkling Wines. SPIRITS. Gallons. Duty. Gallons. | Duty. Doz. Duty. Gallons. Duty. 1873- - 1874.. 1875.. 1876.. 1877.. 9,278,311 9,000,335 6,459.303 4,589.025 4,406,279 $2,840,321 2,662,00c 2,228,154 2,027,928 1,931,266 2,i77,=;86 S 662,952 2,001,084 586,977 i,9i.)2,iio 577,498 1,483,919 425,986 1,172,679 317,769 237,064 207,152 193.588 158,988 136,735 $1,421,199 1,239,346 11,859,71 954.581 820,513 2,125,994 1,957,826 1,690,590 1,464,000 1.376,728 $4,250,515 3.915.605 3,383,301 2,960,451 2,761,999 Proportion of decrease of revenue on Wines 32 per cent. Do do. do.- Malt Liquors ... . 53 100 " Do. do. do. Sparkling Wines . 42i^„'i " Do. do. do. Spirits ^^Z " 23 "The importation of wine lias materially decreased, in conse- quence of the large production of American wines since 1874, as there is now an annual production of about fifteen niillion gallons. "It is a well known fact, that under the ad valorem duties, the crude ^ u7idevelopcd and poor Wines (unsaleable in European mar- kets and the rest of the world) are made up and shipped to this country, as they are the only grades which can be entered under the lowest rate of duty. In explanation of this we give you the particulars of the importation of 1874, (the last year of the ad valo- rem duty:) "One of the great advantages of a specific duty is its simplicity and decrease of cost of collection. Increase of revenue in propor tion to quantity imported. General satisfaction to the trade of the working of a specific duty. No suits by the Government for claimed undervaluation since the specific duty was adopted. "The present specific duty of 40 cents per gallon has given sat- isfaction to the Treasury Department, the Anierican wine growers and the importers of wines. The change from the ad valorem and specific system in 1875, to the purely specific duty of 40 cents per gallon, was really an advance in the rate of duty ot 30 per cent., as the average duty per gallon on all still wines imported during the years 1871 to 1875, was 33.66 cents. In conscque7icc of this i)i- crcase, the /lai^d times, and the fact that a large quantity of the cheap wine formerly imported is now supplied by the American wine growers, the importations have decreased over 50 per cent. * * H :;: :i: ::= =!: :)= =5= -f "The pure specific duty puts all importers upon an equal looting, whereas under the combined ad valorem and specific system, the honest merchant is at the mercy of the unprincipled dealer, who imports in small lots and undervalues his wines. This feature was one of the strongest inducements the importers had in advocating 24 the advance from 30.66 cents to 40 cents duty. "The specific duty on wine is the only practical one, and we can get no better evidence of this fact than England adopting it after having experimented with the ad valorem system and finding it did not work. The first tariff made under the Constitution of the United States (July 4th, 1789). put a specific duty of 18 cents per gallon on Madeira wine and 10 cents per gallon on all others. We apply the specific rates to brandies and sparkling wines, which vary quite as much in quality as still wines, and if the theory is correct and has worked well on these, why should the latter be exempt? :5: Hi * :£: * * * * * * "The value of wine is different from any other article which is imported, as it changes every year with the quality, increase or decrease of the crop, and therefore what might be a fair standard one year would not be the next. "The average value per gallon of all the still wines imported in 1877 was 58.16 cents, which shows that the bulk of the wines were the low and medium grades." From this document it will be seen that the oro^anization is thoroughly satisfied with the present tariff of 40 cents per gallon, and its membership comprises the largest, wealthiest and most respectable importers of the Union. And in their statement, they make a direct assertion, that the loweringf of the tariff would only increase the importation of ''crude, undeveloped and poor wines (unsalable in European markets and the rest of the world), are made up and shipped to this country," and it is therefore to secure this result that Mr. Chotteau has gone from city to city and advocated a reduction of our tariff, from 40 to 20 cents per gallon. It is to assist the French compounder of wines to get rid of his poor, crude, unsaleable trash- He not only wishes to re-establish the trade in these bogus wines which was carried on in such mag- nificent proportions under a former duty of 30.66 cents per gallon, but now proposes to literally flood the United States, by placing the tariff at only 20 cents per gallon. If the gentleman only becomes successful, what a rich harvest there would be in store for the compounders of Bordeaux, Cette and Marseilles. It is to be hoped however, that no such misfortune will overtake the wine interest of America. But to return and indicate the growing 25 importance of this production, I will submit the following figures, showing the receipts of wines and receipts of brandies at the city of San Francisco, from the year 1872. RECEIPTS OF WINE AT SAN FRANCISCO. 1872 1,298,220 gallons 1873 1,458,804 1874... 1,317,712 1875 1,995,G29 *' 1876 1,096,990 1877 2,336,953 1878 2,983,136 1879 (six monilis) 1,678,553 The first six months of 1879 show an increase of 371,487 gal- lons over the same six months in 1878. RECEIPTS OF BRANDY AT SAN FRANCISCO. 1872 74,719 gallons 1873 45,287 1874 49,530 1875 52,036 1876 60,527 1877 126,324 1878 103,772 1879, six months 61,138 The first six months of the present year show an Increased reception of 5,270 gallons of brandy more, than during the same period in 1S78. The consumption of our wines in San Francisco and its im- mediate neighborhood, must now exceed one million gallons per annum, for the diflerencc between the wines received at the city over the estimate amoiint exported, leaves a yearly average excess of 870,000 gallons for the 7 years preceding 1879. To this must be added what is manufactured within the city irself from grapes brought from the country, and which amount may go from two to two hundred and fifty thousand gallons, mostly manufactured in small lots. Within the last three or four years the local consumption of native wines has been much greater than heretofore. In the first place, the wines now made are much bet- ter than they formerly were, and secondly, the people are becom- ing accustomed to whatever slight differences they may possess in character, from the average European wines. By and by these differences will not only be accepted, but will be sought for and appreciated. 26 I have now In a measure, shown the growth of this agricutural pursuit through a period of twenty- two }'ears, from a mere nothing, to a vakiation of thirty million dollars; and that the flow of gold has now turned toward our State, instead of away from it to France, as was the case but a few years back. All these facts have been verified by the figures quoted, and now with a good understanding of the actual extent at which this interest has arrived, I will en- deavor to show the reasons why no treaty should be entered upon with France in this matter, or that any change looking to a reduced tariff should be contemplated. The duty of 40 cents per gallon is neither prohibitory nor excessive, being but a trifle more than that levied by the octroi of Paris for wines in glass. It is also just to the consumer of foreign wines in the United States, because, according to the statement of the Whie and Spirit Traders themselves, it gives a chance for the importation of finer grade wines which can easily bear the slight extra duty, as against the cheap, crude and com- pounded wines, which cannot. On the contrary, it must be evident that in doing away with the ad valorem duty, and accept- ing the present specific tariff, the finer grades of wine have actitally been made cheaper to the consumer. But neither does France, nor even Europe wish to part with their good grades of wines; they have not enough to supply their home demand. It is merely the low grades that they have in excess and desire to find a more extended market for. To ascertain how this is managed, I refer to the appendix containing Mr. Wetmore's letters from Bordeaux. There also, it will be seen that those houses dealing solely in fine Medoc wines and Cognac brandies, are not only quite satisfied with our present tariff, but are even averse to having it lowered, recognizing as they do the direct injury it would do their export trade in fine wines, by increasing the difference in price between the compound? and the genuine wines. Because the present rate of duty is calculated to bring the Custom House the greatest amount of revenue from the amount of goods imported, and in this I again refer to the statement of the Wine and Spirit Traders Society. That to lower the duty to twenty cents per gallon in wood, and to fifty cents per dozen in glass, would be placing it lower than the octroi of the City of Paris. 27 That owing to the lax regulations of the French government concerning compounded wines intended for export, and which ac- cording to Mr. Wetmore's letters are forbidden to be sold for use in France, that our own country would not only be drained of its money to the extent of such importation;, but that the heakh of our people would be greatly endangered by the consumption of an article that is considered unwholesome by the French govern- ment, for its own people to drink. That the flooding of our country with such cheap, crude com- pounds, would seriously, if not entirely, prevent the growth and production of a pure genuine, wholesome article among our own people. And it is only through the production of a pure andcheao native wine in abundance, that we can hope to promote more tem- perate habits amongst us. And the result of such a production would not only be conducive to temperance, bnt would create wealth among our citizens, and a great future revenue to the State. In order therefore to promote temperance in the United States, we must have cheap wines, and they must be pure, light and "unadul- terated. To secure such wines we must increase our ov\^n produc- tions and stimulate their consumption. The more we produce and the readier sale we find among ourselves, the cheaper can vv^c alford to supply the demand. No matter hov/ low the tariff on i nported wines, they never can become really a cheap economical drink among the laboring classes, and it is among these that temperance should be implanted more than among all other classes. The slight duty, the importers' profits and costs of transportation, will always make an imported wine come higher in price than the native production. The native wine merchant, satisfies himself vv^ith less than one quarter of the profit that the importer seeks and invariably secures. And in proof of the assertion, I again refer to Mr. ^Vet- more's letters, and to the wine cards of all our first class hotels and restaurants. The American people are just on the verge of becoming a wine drinking people, and it is owing solely to the efforts of the American viniculturists that this very desirable change is taking place. There is now produced over fifteen mil- lion gallons of native wine in the United States, per annum, all of which is being consumed by our citizens, whereas, before our present large production, only a few years ago, when the importers were at their best, less than ten millions were imported. Now, besides 28 what we produce, we import four and a half million gallons, which, added to our domestic production, places our annual consumption at twenty million gallons. And who has brought this about ex- cept the American wine producer? Would it then be either fair or wise to cripple him just at the moment that success seems about to crown his labors and his enterprise? Would it be £:ound policy for our government to bring into competition the compound fluids of a foreign land, with our own pure, wholesome productions? And this proposed French treaty proposes nothing else, since we have made the American people drinkers of wine, by the absolute purity and greater cheapness of our own productions. To us should not only belong the merit, but also the benefits of our labors. I assert, also, that France can never supply us with all the cheap and pure wines that our people will soon need. They are even now taxed to the utmost to fill their own demands for legit- imate wines, and this treaty is not at all intended to help introduce that kind of wine into our country. If, therefore, we cannot look to France, where should we look but to our own country, which produces and ripens to perfection, without a year of failure, every known variety of grape that is grown in any part of the world. Where we have every soil and every climate ! Why stunt the growth of this great industry, and rob it of its possible present profits, by the changing of a tariff that will not make wine one single iota cheaper to any consumer? This change may give trade to the importer; and is sure to give wealth to the French exporter! but never can place good, wholesome drinking wine within the reach of every mechanic's household. To lower the tarifi' would only tend to lower the wages of the vineyard laborers, till they reach the French level, from forty to seventy-five cents per day, without board or lodging. The result therefore would merely react upon the laboring classes. But to lull us to sleep, Mr. Chotteau has said that we can ex- port our wines even to France, and that there, by blending them with certain of their own, good qualities of wine would be produced. I do not doubt it, though to say the least, the propo- sition seems a little cool, and even disingenuous. There is a pos- itive belief in my mind that our wines would really very much conduce to the quality of much of their own; but after this has been done, will the wine be sent out as California wine? 29 or will it be treated with the same indignity as those 40 mil- lion gallons that are imported into France from Spain, Italy, and Portugal, mixed with French wines, water, alcohol, flavored, col- ored, and sent all over the world as Medoc wines, with treble the original cost? No, sir ; if our wines must be blended with foreign wines to secure a better quality, then it is just and proper that it should be done here; that the foreign wines come to us, and that our cit- izen i do the trade, and not the merchants at Bordeaux. It would indeed be a strange spectacle to see us tamely give way the result of years of untiring toil and ceaseless energy to the French wine exporter — to bind our hands and feet and turn over to him the trade that we have created for ourselves and those to come after us. In short, we are cooly asked by Mr. Chotteau to step one side, lose our identity, and to play second fiddle. This is funny. I have said that France at the present time is taxed to the utmost to meet her own demands for genuine wine. And every year, as the Phylloxera creates greater havoc in her vineyards, will she meet greater difficulties in procuring the wines she needs for her own people. I mean such wines as the French government permits its citizens to drink, not those it permits them to export. In the face of such facts it is consoling to know that the average yield per acre of California vineyards is more than fifty per cent, greater than that of France — and still more so, that there are over thirty million acres of land suitable for the cultivation of the vine in our State. It is often asked by travelers, to what use we will put our millions of acres of hillside land, covered with sagebrush and chapparal, with liardly a blade of grass here and there? If the wine interest of the coast is let alone to work out its own future, unfettered by dangerous treaties, and unmolested by unwise legis- lation, those hills will not long remain barren — they will all be planted with vines, capable of producing an abundance of the very best wines. A number of our fine vineyards are situated in just such soil, and the i)lanting of the vine in our State will never interfere with or diminish the average of wheat growing lands. It will only take up land that would otherwise prove valueless even for pasturage. And this more than any other reason should recom- mend this pursuit to the fostering care of the United States gov- ernment. If the State of California had as many acres of vineyard as has France, she could support, as France does, over thirty millions 30 of people; for all the other industries would advance as they were needed. But should this treaty go into effect, what will be the consequence ? The fictitious wines of France, made part from grape juice and part from spirits and water, will come to our country and literally flood it under a duty of twenty cents per gallon. Being for the most part fabrications, they will be sold at the very lowest figures, and will always find purchasers among a certain class of retailers, who will foist them upon the people. The native wines will have to be sold lower than the imported, and thus in the com- petition, the profits on the production of the native article will become so small as to barely secure a living to the producer, and this branch of agriculture, instead of growing, as it should, and giving employment to millions of capital, will slowly languish away, and thoLigh it may not die out entirely, will dwindle down to insig- nificance. Sec what revenues the French government receives from its v/ines. Let us but go on unimpeded for a number of years, and we will develop a wealth for our government that will exceed the m.ost sanguine expectations. It will be quite startling to the public to learn that what our State exported and consumed of its own wines, is double the whole amount imported from France into the Uni.ed States last year. Nevertheless this is true. And as to the revenue of the federal government, that can never henceforward be increased by the reduction of the tariff, for if that is diminished one- half, double the amount of wine will have to be imported to retain its present figure. And if it be policy for the gov- ernment to sacrifice revenue on wines, it is far better to make that sacrifice to her own wine producers, rather than to the foreign wine exporter. I contend however, that for the next ten years, the duration of the proposed treaty, that France will not double her present exportation to this country, for the product of our own vineyards which are already planted will be sold, though their value de- preciate and their product barely pay its gathering. The only result of the proposed reduction in tariff therefore, would be a diminished revenue to the United States, a depreciation of our vineyard property, and a reduction in the price of native wines below their cost of production. And with the checked growth of this industry, other industries would suffer, for this is connected with many others ; see for instance the carrying trade ; the Central 31 Pacific Railroad carries yearly, overland, over six million pounds, and in grapes, casks and wines, to and fro in the interior, and for shorter distances, may be twenty million pounds more. See the Pacific Mail steamers often sailing out of our port with eio-hty thousand gallons of wine and brandy on a single steamer, and they carry away yearly over one and a quarter million gallons of wine. Then look at our numerous schooners and smaller steamers, bring- ing to our city, besides the thousands of tons of grapes, fully three million gallons of wine annually. What would become of all these ? What is to become of the coopers, who manufacture over two million gallons capacity of new casks per annum? What of the lum- bermen who saw wood for boxes and split staves for casks; the manufacturers of glass for bottles; the iron works who furnish hoops, nails and rivets; the brass founders who furnish faucets; the paper mills who manufacture wrapping paper, and the printers who print the labels? How will all these be affected? Certainly not beneficially by any Treaty which will either destroy or injure that native wine industry that needs so many men and gives them so much work. The importers of foreign wines have no cause to complain of the present Tariff of 40 cents per gallon. In the first place be- cause it was by their consent that that figure was adopted. It has loii'ered the duty on all high grade wines — and by its operation no extra duty is put upon the spirit contained in fortified wines. But this latter clause is a great injustice to the producer of native sweet wines, and is a direct discrimination against the native, and in favor of foreign productions of the same character. And in this matter I refer to Appendix No. 2, containing the report of the Finance Committee of the U. S. Senate, submitted by Senator J. P.Jones, upon the subject of foreign wines and liquors. From that document it will be seen that any wines in any foreign port, maybe fortified with spirits or brandy distilled in the United States, and then pass our Custom House without paying any duty, tax or revenue for the American or other spirits contained in such wines. But if any spirits or brandy are added in our own country, to our native wines, the government claims 90 cents per proof gallon upon every gallon or part thereof that may be added. Can there be anything more un- reasonable, more unfair lo the American producer? The California wine makers are dragged into Congress at almost every session; 32 not to demand any new favors or concessions; not to demand pro- tective tariffs; but to defend themselves against annual schemes concocted to effect their ruin, similar to the one now advocated by Mr. Chotteau and his colleagues. It is for this reason that I am called upon to make this statement on behalf of the wine makers of California — and for this reason that we will unwillingly be compelled to appear once again in Con- gress. This statement may in places appear aggressive and even bitter, but it can n«iiver compare in aggressiveness to the spirit that wa^ed a war of bitterness asfainst our native wines for the last twenty years, and never missed an opportunity to cast a slur, or let loose a libel. This proposed treaty is merely a pretext, and by its help, it is hoped to throttle and crush us out. But we have at stake thirty millions of dollars; the daily bread of ten thousand people; and twenty-five of the best years of our lives. You will therefore understand that we do feel aofpfressive when we remem- ber the past, and see ourselves menaced in the future. Hoping that your committee will now fully understand how injurious any change lessening the present tariff on wines and brandies, would be to the wine interests of our State, as well as those of the whole United States; and further, hoping that this statement may have given you a complete understanding of the present importance and magnitude of this industry, as well as a clear insight into its possible colossal development, I subscribe myself. Respectfully yours, ARPAD HARASZTHY, President California State Vinicultural Society. San Francisco, August, 1879. APPENDIX [NO. n To the statement •/ MR. ARPAD HARAZTHY, President of the California State Vinicultural Society. EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORTS OF MR. C. A. WETMORE, DELEGATE OF THE SOCIETY TO THE PARIS EXPOSITION OF 1878. 35 Extracts from the Reports of Mr. C. A. JVetmorc, Delegate of the California State Vini cultural Society to the Paris Exposition of 187S. The Preparation of Pure and Imitation Cognacs. Cognac, September 26th, 1878. — Leaving Jarnac and the hospitable mansion where I was so weil entertained and provided with every facility for studying the pro- duction of genuine cognacs, I came here to complete my work in this district. Cognac is a city of about sixteen thousand inhabitants, all supported by the trade in spirits, passing current under the name of cognacs. It is about eight miles \vest of Jarnac, on the same stream — the Charente. Having already exhausted the subject of the production of genuine eaux-dc-v:e, which, as I have already shown, is the work of farmers, there only remains for me to continue the subject of cognacs, which are prepared from these eaux-de-vie, and their imitations. Let the reader remember that, strictly speaking, cognacs, as known to the trade, are not genuine pure brandies. The genuine article is that which is produced by the farmer. When it is of the first quality, and old, it is known as Fhie Champagne, Grande Champagne, or Grande Fine Champigne. This is much superior in every respect to the so called cognacs. But not more than twenty-five per cent, of the gen- uine produc:s of the Charente are of this quality; one-half, at least, is composed of the fourth quality, Fins Bois, ( Bons Bois, Bons Bois Supcrieurs, Bans Bois Ordinaires, etc.) Then there are, also, besides the second and third qualities ('/'^^/'(fj Champagnes and Borderies), numerous brandies of the adjacent country — the Charente Inferieure ( Aigre/euiUe, Rochdle, qX.c.) — and of places more remote, which are brought to Cognac for treaiment. Hence the percentage oS. Fine Champagne among all the spirits. Icgiti- maiely distilled from wine, is small. The world requires for consumption average articles; therefore there is a legiti- mate result obtained in blending these various products. The connoisseur would always prefer pure Fine Champagne to cognac; but there are few connoisseurs, and therefore the world hears very little about pure brandy. As Mr. Curlier remarked in his letter, which I have already made use of, it would be better for the reputation of brandy if consumers would demand the pure article as it comes from the farmer. COGNACS Should be classified into five classes, viz: First — Those in which only pure brandies of one quality, or cru, such as fine champagne, are diluted with distilled water to reduce strength, flavored, sweetened with sugar to suit taste, and cobred with burnt sugar to suit custom. Second — Those .which contain several pure qualities blended, reduced, flavored, sweetened and colored, This forms the larger part of pure cognacs. 36 Third — Those which are supposed to belong to the first and second class, but which contain more, or less of brandies in which the farmers have mixed cheaper spirits, such as spirits from beet-roots, potatoes, etc. Fourth — Those which are manufactured by a mixture of inferior brandies of cheap price, cheap alcohol and Fine Champagne, f[z.voxcd, as well as reduced, sweetened and colored. Fi/ih — Those which are pure fabrications, having common cheap alcohol as the base, with foreign matters added to produce flavor and bouquet. Undoubtedly three-fourths of all the brandies known to the world, and passing under the name of Cognac, belong to the fourth and fifth class. From all that I can learn here, I think it is safe to say that much more than one-half of all he cognacs, even from this place, belong to those two classes. Remember, also, that Bordeaux, Cette, IMarseilles and Havre, export " cognacs;" that quantities are also prepared in all the great cities where the liquor trade is prominent. I do not except New York and Philadelphia. The operation under the fifth class may be conducted anywhere, though the experts of the business are here, and have the advantage of locality to give credit to their imitations. I have tried to learn something concerning the extent of the trade in the first and second classes, which may be termed the trade in genuine cognacs. I find it much easier than might be supposed to gather certain outlines. Here the people live entirely upon the commerce in brandy, and reputations of houses are no secrets, except in distant places. I find the following houses have an unquestioned reputation for deal- ing only in genuine pure articles : Leonin Arnaud (formerly L. Arnaud & Co.,) Anglers Freres & Co., and Jules Caminade & Co., of Cognac ; Curlier Freres & Co., of Jarnac. It is said, also, that Hine & Co., of Jarnac, have had the same reputation ; but I found some doubt about their present carefulness, though they are still considered among the few who are choice in their selections. These houses are composed of gendemen, who are wealthy, and take a pride in excluding all questionable articles from their stocks. Messrs. Angler Freres <SCo. are said to deal only in old, as well as genuine brandies ; the others deal in old and new, according to the demands of trade. The foregoing, however, are not those which do the largest business. A very large business cannot be done in recherche goods. I use the word large in its compuraiive sense, because there are houses here whose business is extraordinary. The houses doing what is called the first-class business are: James Hennessy & Co., Martell xn Co., Otard, Dupuy & Co. , the Participation Charentaise, Sociele Anonynu, Arbouin Marett & Co., Societe des Proprietaires Vinicoles de Cognac (the United Vineyard proprietors), and several of those named above. There are half a dozen or more named as second class, with reference tothe amount of business done, without reference to the quality of goods. Hence, by not naming them, I do not mean to have it inferred from what I write that there are not others whose brandies are quite equal to Martell and Hennessy. Perhaps my information may be in some points defective and I should give other names as among the first-class. In this respect I do not expect to be quoted as authority; I am giving limply the best information I can obtain. In the little Directory of Cognac merchants, which I have before me, I find a large number, noticed in the margin as dealers in " stuff," "imitations," ''buncombe 37 brands,'' etc. The marginal notes I have made myself as the result of inquiry. It would be presumptuous for me to name them and I should be sorry to make any mistakes. I should say, respecting the well-known houses of Hennessy & Co., Martell & Co., and some others, that they have an established trade reputation for dealing in only the genuine cognacs of the first two classes above nimed; but I do not name them among the few who have unquestioned reputations here for dealing only in such goods, for reasons which I shall name. It is granted everywhere here that they do not practice any of the illegitimate operations with trois-six alcohol, and that only what is represented as genuine brandies from the farmers ( proprielaires ) come into iheir magazines; but among the people of the country, all of whom are more or less informed on this subject, an opinion prevails that their agents do not e.Kercise the same care in selecting and purchasing from the farmers as do the representatives ot the houses first mentioned. It is known that the farmers generally, whenever they can profit by it, either add common alcohol (tro{s-six)\.o\}i\t\x wine before distillation, or to their brandies afterward. It is only with difficulty that this class of frauds can be detected and avoided, and it is asserted that it would be impossible to do as large a business as that of the houses first mentioned and of some others and at the same lime reject all brandies adulterated with common alcohol. The field for business here is not a large one. It would be a small county in California. The peasants wink shrewdly when they remark that I must see the agents who do the buying for the great houses, if I want to know anything about what comes into the magazines at Cognac, and they very significantly suggest that some of these agents make a great deal of money, which cannot be accounted for from their salaries. E.KCepting, how- ever, this suspected collusion between agents and farmers, whether with or without thi knowledge of the firm managers, the cognacs of Martell, Hennessy, and others, have reputations for standard purity. MARVELOUS BUSINESS. I have been througn the principal warehouses, blending departments, bottling rooms, cooper shops etc., of the two great establishments of Hennessy & Co. and Martell & Co. In each place 1 found an accommodating porter, or concierge, whose business it seems to be to show strangers these great sights. I expected to see great things, but I was amazed at the reality. I cannot attempt to describe fully what I saw. The Hennessy establishment is the largest. There was a constant coming in and going out of wagon loads of tierces of brandy; a del- uge of spirits seemed lo be bottled, barrelled and cased. The modus optraiidi did not appear to differ from what I saw at j-^rnac, but in quantity it was almost be- yond comprehension. There were several hundreds of the great receiving vats connecting with the blending department, each of a capacity of thousands of gallons. Acres of casks full of liquid. The extent of the business and its briskness may be imagined when I tell that the quantity of brandy at Hennessy 's, bottled, cased, and despatched to the boats in the river alongside, amounts to from eighteen hundred to two thousand cases per day — twenty-four thousand bottles a day. The number of casks filled and despatched must also be great; but 1 did not get the figures. The floors of the great waierooms, where the work of filling and branding the cases was go- ing on, were covered solidly and compactly. The briskness of the work was shown 38 bv the bustle in the fire-room, where the brands were being heated. I saw them emptying tierces, six at a time, into the blending vats — a small river of brandy con- stantly in motion. I felt, when I came out, as though I would strike the first man who ever asked me to drink a glass of brandy again. The sight of so much was positively sickening. The remarkable thing, after all, was the healthy, cheerful and sober appearance ot all the men and women employed. I did not see one who looked like a drunk- ard, or a toper. They can drink all that they wish, but are discharged at once if found intoxicated. I could see no evil effects of cognacs here. Neither have I seen any in the town, though I have wandered about in the evening among the saloons and caf^s. It has the air of a very sob2r town. IMITATION COGNACS. I have tried to learn something concerning the imitations of cognac and I have partially succeeded. I expect before long to be provided with more informa- mation. Meanwhile, I will write briefly on the subject. In the first place, let me quote a characteristic remark made by one to whom I addressed some questions. He said: "It isn't that I wouldn't oblige you; but if we should tell all about how business is done here, people could make cognacs anywhere, and France would lose the trade." Let me first touch upon coarse inferior brandies, such as those of the loweF Charente, which have a gout de terroir and other bad tastes. There is no way to remove the taste, yet the trade demands that they shall go out as cognacs. They are first mixed with irois-six (common alcohol) to reduce the bad taste to a minimum- Then the flavor and bouquet of genuine cognac is produced in several ways. One is to add a portion of genuine old Fine Champagne, then a little Jamaica rum to give what is called the rmicio, and the essence of cherry stones to produce the sligh.ly biiter taste. Sometimes the expense of ihe Fine Champagne is avoided by using what is called the she de cognac — a product of the druggist, which is sold freely. I find it advertised here, as well as the she de Medoc. In making imitations with only common alcohol as a base, rum and the essence of cherry stones are often used to produce the flavors. The Balm of Tolu is also "a good thing." All these imitations go out to the world as "cognac." They can be made in San Francisco as easily as here. GRADES OF COGNAC. All the leading houses have different grades of cognac, which are well known to the trade, but very little understood by the consumer. Courvoisier brandy (Curlier Freres & Co.) Martel, Hennessy, etc., when bottled, are designated by marks upon the corks, indicating the grade. For instance, there are three principal grades of Hennessy, indicated by one, two, or three stars, the quality progressing with the number. There are also special fine qualities, indicated by other marks. The Courvoisier brandy has seven, or more marks, beginning with stars, one, two, three, four and five, and afterward certain letters. New brandy is not bottled by houses dealing in first-class articles — such liquor is sent out in casks. Brandy, it should be remembered, does not improve in glass; hence new brandy is kept in wood. All brandy improves, the older it gets, in wood; hence bottling is only done immediately before sending cognacs to the markets. 39 Brandy, therefore, may be said to be of the purest, yet it may not be of the best Age, purity, and the peculiar excellence of certain vintages are required to complete the qualifications of the best. As the wine varies from year to year, so does, also, the brandy distilled from it. THE GEOGRAPHY OF COGNAC BRANDIES. The area of the Charente is a little less than 1,500,000 acres. Large portions of it, on the east and northeast, are not devoted to viticulture, except in small places. It is situated in tha region of viticulture, which continues northward from the Gironde, or Bordeaux district, and may be considered as the northern limit of that region. The climate is freshened by the ocean breezes and rains are frequent. It is a little cooler than the climate of Bordeaux, and a little warmer than that of Paris. Taking the year 1850 as an example, the lowest temperature was four degrees (centi- grade) below freezing point, and the highest 34 degrees above; four days of snow, twelve of host, six of tempest, twelve of thunder, six of hail, twenty-seven of fog, sixty four of rain, eighty-three of variable weather, and 151 of fine weather. Rains fell mostly from October to February. In the northeast there are large forests and broken mountainous regions. From a work on the brandies, etc., of ihe Charentes, by M. B. Berauld, of this place, I translate a few passages, viz: "Cm, called Grande Champ.igne, or Fine Champagne. Champagne (campus, or campania, of the Romans) signifies a plain cultivated in vines, or cereals, in distinction from Bois, or Socage, a place planted wiih trees. * * * 'pj^g Grande Cham- pagne, between the small stream Ne and the River Charente, comprises only twenty- one communes. The sub-soil is a whitish, friable chalk. * * * Roots penetrate it easily, and draw from it that essence and mellow (moelleux) aroma, which have pro- duced so brilliant a fame for the vicinity of Cognac. The variety of vine which produces the best wine for distillation is \hzfolle blanche. * * * • ''Petite Champagne. The Petite Champagne, which embraces a larger region (about fifty-five communes), is characterized by lands less friable and less penetrable, It furnishes, consequently, a less distinguished brandy. The brandy is, however, very delicate, and acquires with age the rancio. but in a less degree than fine cham- pagne. * * * '•'B rderies. * * * celebrated for white wines from the colomhar vine. It is entirely on the right bank of the Charente, the sub-soil is of rock, quite hard, with some traces of gravel and chalk. The brandy has nerve and tone. This district com* pri.ses very few communes. * * * Fins Bois. The circumference of the /sr^j ^o/> is quite variable and irregular. The brandy is a little dr}er, shorter (according to local expression), than that of the Borderies. The sub-soil is a resisting chalk, and, over certain places, clay is the pre- dominant clement. * * * "Bans Bois. The geological nature of the soil which forms the area ot the Bons Bois is very varied. There are often found, associated in a certain degree, al- luvion, clay, gravel, sand, chalk, etc. The number of communes is three hundred and fifty. * * * "All the other communes of the two Charentes, producing brandy, which do not tigure among the above five growths, (crus) form a sixth class under the name ol Derniers Bois, eaux-dt-vie de Surghes d' Aunis, or de la Rochtllt." 40 RELATIVE VALUES. The relative values of the different growths are given by the same author, as follows: Supposing fine ox grande champagne, to be at 105 francs per hectolitre, we have: Grand Champagne, 1st choice .105 francs " " 2d choice 100 francs Petite '• 1st choice 90 to 95 francs *' " 2d choice 85 francs " "3d choice 80 francs Borderies, 1st choice 80 to 85 francs " 2d choice 75 to 80 francs Fins Bois, 1st choice 75 francs " 2d choice 70 francs " 3d choice 68 francs Bens Bois, 1st choice 65 francs " 2d choice 63 francs " 3d choice 62 francs Derniers Bois, 1st choice 57 francs " " 2d choice 55 francs " " 3d choice 52 francs From the foregoing statement, remembering that the finest qualities are pro- duced in least quantity, (excepting the Borderies) the commercial advantage in blend- ing the cheaper with the finer is made apparent. It also shows how variable the price of genuine cognaes may be, when produced by blending, the quality and value varying with the proportions of each kind used. COGNACS IN EXCESS OF PRODUCTION OF PURE BRANDY. The quantity of cognacs sent out from the town of Cognac in 1872, was 331,- 469 hectolitres, or more than seven million gallons, representing the product of about fifty million gallons of wine, supposing all to have been genuine. This is without estimating the quantities sent from other parts of Charente, also, that which goes out by way of Bordeaux, which is said to be one-third of the whole. I expect to get accurate statistics, when I return to Paris, from the official records. I give, in the foregoing paragraph, statistics from Mr. Berauld's work. I wish yet to know what is the importation of trois-six alcohol into this district, in order to compare the respective quantities of brandies actually produced with those sent out, and so to determine an approximate estimate of the relative amount of trois-six, which even Cugnac sends to the world under the name of cognac. Dr. Lunier gives, in his tables of statistics, as the production of alcohol from wine, in 1873 : Charente 59, 050 hectolitres Charente-Inf^rieure 60,566 " This was a year of small production. Let me compare figures for 1859, as Berauld does not give statements for 1873. According to Dr. Lunier, actual production was: Charente 120,290 hectolitres Charente-Inf^rieure 75,291 " 41 The quantities produced in oiher regions within easy reach of Cognac were comparatively very small. Adding the two above and we have 195,581 hectolitres. Of this only the first part was genuine, fine flavored brandy. The rest, if all used at Cognac, must have been manipulated to produce cognac, as I have above described Berauld gives the quantity of cognacs sent out from the town of Cognac in 1850 as 343,282 hectolitres, to which, I am told, must be added at least one-third sent by way of Bordeaux. How to account for such an enormous diff'erence between the expedition of cognacs and the production of genuine brandy, is not easy, but it is evident that a large margin must be made for the use of /rois-six, beet-root and other common alcohols. Berauld gives, as the quantity of cognacs annually expe- dited from Cognac, (not counting from Bordeaux), at from 350,000 to 400,000 hec- tolitres, valued at from fifty to seventy million francs, (ten to fourteen million dollars.) THE RAVAGES OF PHYLLOXERA Extend all the way from Jarnac to this place, and, indeed, over all the country to the south, as far as the river Gironde. It is only that portion of the Bordeaux district, which is known as the Medoc, where the famous clarets are produced, that is yet free from severe injury. THE USES OF COGNAC. In my letters from London, I treated upon thejiygienic uses of wines and spirits. Among the latter, especially for old and feeble persons, fine brandy ranks first. Containing only ethyllic alcohol, if old, it also contains many ethers, which produce, no doubt, much of the beneficial effect, promoting sleep, as well as stimulat- ing digestion. In medicine it ranks first among all spirits. C. A. W. Bordeaux Wines. Bordeaux, October 14th, 1878. — It is now more than tw^o weeks since I returned here from Cognac, and I have not until now found time to continue mv correspon- dence. This lias been the busy vintage season. I have seen the operations at the principal vineyards in the Medoc, Graves and Sauterne regions, and have given all spare tmie to investigations of commercial quesiions, especially those afTecting the wines exported to the United States. I have found here a great many works on the subjects of wines, vine culture, wine treatment, falsifications, philloxera, etc., which 1 failed to find in Paris, and have thus succeeded in completing quite a useful and comprehensive collection. I am im- pressed, however, now more particularly widi llie idea of the impossibility of attempt- ing in this correspondence to treat upon more than a few of the points which appear to be of the most importance to the producer and the consumer. First of all, I will say something about the genuine characteristic wines produced in this region of France, which, however, I am sorry to say, so far as the foreign com- merce and the consumption even in the large cities of France are concerned, is the least important branch of the wine question to the consumer. I can find little en- couragement or comfort here for the average wine-drinker, who is fond of claret and sauterne, but who does not know how to protect his stomach against imposition and 42 his pocket against extortionate prices. The genuine wines are, however, worthy of all the eulogy that can be given them. They are the gastronomic wonders of the world, on the reputation of which a vast and overgrown trade has grown fat, rich, unscrupu- lous and greedy. BORDEAUX WHINES. I will first speak of Bordeaux wines, which are properly so called, viz: the wines produced in this vicinity, in the Department of the Gironde. The reader must re- member that Bordeaux wines in commerce comprise vastly more than this, including not only great quantities of mixtures of wines from all parts of the south of France, from Spain, Portugal and Italy, but many imitations and falsifications, for which this place is obtaining as unenviable a reputation as that of Cclte and INIarseilles, The region of the Gironde comprises a large viticultural area, lying about the lower waters of the rivers Garonne and Dordogne and the Gironde, which last unites the first two near the Atlantic. The Dordogne liows westerly from the centre of the southern half of France ; the Garonne flows northwesterly from the lower, or foot hills of the Pyrenees. The Gironde is, properly speaking, an arm of the ocean, similar to a Scotch firth, where the tide ebbs and flows. Between the Garonne and its continuation in the Gironde, on the east, and the ocean, on the west, there is a narrow territor}', similar in outline and extent to the peninsula of San Francisco, lacking, however, the mountainous topography. It is on the east slope of this section, facing the Garonne and Gironde, that the celebrated Bordeaux wines are produced. The western slope — about one-half — is a desert of gravel, sand plains and sand dunes, where the viaritime pine grows in scrubby forests. The viticultural area is, therefore, comparatively small ; but, being almost exclusively devoted to vines, the product of wine is large. This area is divided, according to viticultural charts, into three sections — the Medoc, Graves and Vins Blancs (white wines). Each is bounded on the east by the river and on the west by the gravel and sand deserts, called Landes. South of this section is the Department of Landes, a sandy countrv, where the sheep-tending inhabitant use stilts to walk upon. Bordeaux is situated on the west bank of the Garonne, in the centre of the east slope of the Graves. The Medoc comprises the slope north from the Graves, along the Gironde, to its mouth at the ocean. The Medoc has salt water of the Gironde on its east ; the sand plains and dunes and ocean on the west. The Vins Blancs (region of Sau- ternes) is the slope further inland, next to the Graves, on the west side of the Garonne. The Dordogne unites with the Garonne and flows into the Gironde near the commencement of the Medoc. The section between the Dordogne and Garonne,- opposite the slopes of the Graves and Vins Blancs, is called En/re-deux-3fers (between two seas),. This is classed as a distinctive viticultural section. On the north side of the Dordogne, going westward, are the sections, Libournais, Fronsadais and Blayais. The Blayais extend past the junction of the Garonne and Dordogne and along the east bank of the Gironde half way to the ocean. Then comes the western extremity of the Department of Lower Charente. These are the seven vine-growing regions of the Gironde. Southeast, on both sides of the Garonne, is the Department of Lot-et-Garonne; northeast, along the Dordogne, is the Department of Dordogne; and, following further north, we find the Charente, the other principal section of this southwestern vine-growing region of 43 France. The Department of Landes, in the slopes of the Pyrenees, has vine-growinf regions, but the wines are ordinary. Throughout the entire region lying about the junction of the Dordogne and Garonne, the soils, excepting in the narrow and irregular stretches of bottom lands of recent alluvial formation, arc more or less gravelly. The gravel consists of washed quartz stones, varj-ing in size from small particles to pieces as large as hens' eggs, the average being pebbles of walnut size, generally oval. This gravel formation predom- inates in the three sections, INIedoc, Graves and Vms Blancs, between the Garonne and the ocean. It is where the gravel, in a soil of sandy loam, overlying a sub-soil of impervious conglomerate quartz gravel and iron, and sometimes of clay, forms eight-tenths of the constituents of the surface soil, that the most celebrated wines are produced. The narrow stretches of bottom lands, called Palus, furnish an eighth classifica- tion of Gironde wines. Without deducting the areas on the north side, which have been destroyed by phylloxera, the aggregate of vineyards of the Gironde covers about four hundred thou- sand acres. In 1840 the area of vineyards was about two hundred and sixty thou- sand acres. The demand for Bordeaux wines, the reputation of which was created by the wines of the INTedoc and Graves, has been greater than the supply; hence> not only ever)' available spot in this department has been reduced to vine culture, but also the neighboring departments, and even the Midi, along the Mediterranean and the Rhone, and Spain, have been stimulated to furnish supplies to be worked over and blended in the cellars of Bordeaux. About one-fourth of the product of Gironde vineyards is white wine. THE RED WINES. Among the red wines, which are all clarets, are those which have qualities so su- perior to the ordinar}' average of French wines, that they are classed, not only by dis- trict, such as M6doc, Graves, Cotes (the hillsides among the Blayais, etc.), but more generally and particularly by the commune in which they are produced. For instance, the Medoc wines as a class lead all others; but the M6doc is divided into small com- munes, smaller than our townships, often not more than one or two square miles, and the wines are known by the names of the communes, as for instance, Pauillac, St. Julien, Margaux, etc. Then come, also, the distinctions of individual vineyards, generally called after the name of the Chateau, the name being generally that of the present or some former proprietor. Here these distinctions are well known, but there are comparatively few known to the wine drinkers of the world outside of France. The commerce in wines has become so great in this city that, for the benefit o^ the trade, certain well known and favorite products of single vineyards, where the culture and wine-making is systematically careful and the annual results have been so generally fine as to preserve their reputation through many years, have been singled out as " fine wines'' and classified. This classification is more or less arbitrary, con- troled by the taste of the wine-brokers and is seldom changed. Ofien wines not classed turn out belter than wines which are classed ; often a high-classed wine is poorer and cheaper here than one lower classed; but the consumer in foreign coun" tries knows little about the differences of vintages, or of the relative values of Chateau Lafite of 18G8 and .1869. In Russia, for instance, the ordinary v/ine con- sumer only knows two kinds of wine, so I am told — Chateau Lafite of five grades and 44 Chateau Yquem of five grades; one is generic lor all clarets, and the otlier for all white wines. It is much the same with us in the United States. These great vineyards, however, have fairly won their reputations, and now their names serve as representatives of certain standards of merit and relative values. It is in the interest of the trade here to keep the classification of "fine wines " undis- turbed; because if changed annually according to real merits of the vintage, it would be impossible to keep up the illusions in the foreign markets, and the enormous profits on poor vintages would be lost. Chateau Margaux, for instance, always com- mands a high price with the consumer, regardless of the fact that, since 18G8, there have only been only two choice vintages — 1870 and 1874 — the products of the other years having sold cheaply to the merchants who control the trade. These may be called the " fancy wines,'' as well as the " fine wines," because often they turn out quite ordinary in quality, while their names are al\va}-s fashionable. The demand for celebrated wines is also much larger than the supply ; but this demand comes from the foreigner ; it is difficult to humbug the Frenchman, who is near by, and knows the difference between real and fancy prices. The Frenchmjwi's fancy wine is that which is classed according to the name of the commune, as St. Julien, Pauillac, Margaux, St. Estephe, etc.; but he thinks he is extravagant when he calls for St. Julien, instead of 7me bouteille de bon vin ordinaire or for a simple vin rouge supeneur. If he is at all experienced, he knows that he has as little chance of getting a genuine St. Julien as the American has of getting a Chateaux Margaux, if he calls for it. The Frenchman saves himself, however, from paying the fancy price of the Chateau and pays only the fancy price of the commune. In the United States, St. Julien and Medoc are the terms ordinarily applied to the claret which is lowest on the list, while, in truth, St. Julien and INIedoc would be terms which should honestly stand the highest on the claret list of nine-tenths of the best restaurants and hotels in the country ; but if this were done, the profit of selling St. Julien for Cha- teau Leoville, and Margaux for Chateau Margaux, and Pauillac for Chateau Lafite, would be lost to the dealer. There is very little of the high-classed wines that goes to even the first-class hotels and restaurants in America; in fact, as I shall show pres- ently, there is very little to go anywhere, and yet every nation in the world is drinking the labels. I am having prepared here an abstract of invoices to the United States, as I have already done at Marseilles and Cette, and I shall be able to prove to the consumer that, unless he buys his wine by the case from the regular agent of one of the few first-class houses here, he stands as good a chance to win a lottery prize as he does to get Chateau Lafite, Margaux, Latour, etc., no matter what price he pays, at any restaurant, or hotel, or elsewhere, by the bottle. Yet they stand a better chance to succeed in England than in Paris, for these fancy wines only go to Paris as curi- osities. The retail dealers have a great interest everywhere in keeping up the fiction of "fancy wines," so that they may demand fancy prices for wines bottled by themselves, or by the jobber, from casks of ordinary wine sold by the importer, or commission agent, through a broker, by sample. There is, however, also a large interest in keep- ing up the same classification here ; but it is not the interest of the owners of the celebrated vineyards which controls, but the interest of the multitude of wine mer- chants and speculators. It is only a small combination of very rich houses, which buys and controls the four first classed wines, and their efforts to hold the control keep up 45 the prices paid to the vineyards, bul ihey get repaid in the reputation it gives their houses by being known as having purchased the wine. T.alande & Co. bought the whole of Chateau Yquem one year ; Barton & Gucstier, Lalande and two others bought all of Lafite of 1874. A man, whom the celebrated merchants style as a "speculator," has all of Chateau INIargaux of 1874. A German house has all of Chateau Latour for the same year. Since 1870 there has been only one fine vintage — that of 1874; hence it is easy to see how the " fine wine " gets locked up. Chateau Leoville, in the commune of St. Julien, was divided and sold ; one quarter, Leoville-Poyfere, is now the property of Mr. Lalande ; another quarter, Leo- ville Barton, is the property of Barton, of Barton & Guestier. Barton also owns the adjoining Chateau Langoa, and Lalande owns Chateau Brown-Cantenac, or Boyd, as it is sometimes called. Nathaniel Johnston, another leading merchant, owns Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou and Chateau Dauzac. It is comparatively easy for eight or ten houses to control, almost absolutely, the crops of all the vineyards classed among those producing fine wines. This is practically what is done. Yet such is the distrust of the commercial world that even such a highly reputed house as that of Barton &.Guestier is required, generally, by customers to deliver Chateau Lafite, with the stamp of the Chateau on the corks, rather than their own, and they are obliged, therefore, after purchasing the whole, or a part of a year's crop, to leave the wine at the Chateau until bottled. There are a few houses — the number is so small that they can be counted on the fingers of one hand — which have such fine reputations that their stamps on casks or bottles are considered by the public and the trade as a guaranty that the contents are true to label or mark ; but the great majority do not hesitate to substitute false labels, or to lend their hand to assist the sale of inferior articles according to the demand of trade. There are few merchants here who would reply to an order for Chateau this or Chateau that, that the order could not be filled. The real differences between first, second, third, fourth and fifth grades of the classed " fine wines " in ordinar)- years are so small that only the experienced connoisseur can detect them ; yet the conven- tional prices vary greatly. Hence an order for Lafite, which cannot be filled, because the merchant cannot afford to pay the price of the holders, may be filled with impun- ity by substituting a fourth or fifth class wine. The consumer will not know the dif- ference ; the agent to whom it is sent is satisfied by a reasonable price, and the mer- chant here makes a handsome profit. But there are also lots of outside wines which turn out exceptionally fine in certain years : these can also be used to fill out order^ for the high-classed wines. There is nothing to protect the consumer against this class of frauds, except a knowledge of the authentic stamps of the Chateaus upon the corks, if bottled by the producers, or a knowledge of the reputations of the houses, whose stamps are used instead. These are often counterfeited. I have tried to dis- cover some accurate method for identifying the genuine wines, as they pass to the consumer, but it is impossible ; so much wine is disposed of in casks that nothing less than an exhaustive search in each instance, and thorough investigation of amounts sold could be relied upon. Reliance upon cither the brands of the Chateaus upon the corks, or on the few reliable houses, such as Barton & Guestier, Nathaniel Johnston &. Sons, Cruze Fils et Frcrcs, ami Lalande Sc Co., who originally send the wines from here, is the sole means of protecting the consumer from rubbery. It may be generally said that these fine 46 •wines are always exported in bottle, with such brands on the corks. The simple printed labels pasted upon the bottles, such as Chateau Margaux, etc., are of no im- portance whatever, unless accompanied by the authentic brands upon the corks. I have purchased, since I have been here, samples of all such labels, the prices per thousand bein? given in each instance. Orders for these labels can be easily filled. The frauds of this kind are of the least criminality, for often the substituted wine is just as good as the one called for, the difference being only in price, wh ch is paid for the privilege of using a fancy label. But there are also the frauds of imita- tions, cheap wines being " doctored " and labeled to suit any demand and any coun- tr}-. Below I shall give the names of all the " classed " vineyards and their average annual product. The reader may consider, first, the quantity as an annual supply, and then think of the demand, remembering that from the Cape of Good Hope to India, China, Russia, Turkey, Sweden, Germany, Holland, Austria, Italy, England, Canada, United States, Mexico, South America — everywhere — the labels of these great wines are found in restaurants, hotels and retail shops. He may even wonder whether there is enough to supply the demand of England alone, the favored cus- tomer. But the labels are standards of price rather than of real value and merit, and work out many fortunes in the course of the transit from producer to consumer. Hence there is a great interest in keeping up the notoriety of a few names. Among all the classed wines below, the reader, unless an expert and in the trade, will recognize but few as familiar labels. Hence again, the less his chance of getting wine true to label and value. I am writing for the benefit of the ordinar)' consumer, who is lucky if he gets anything equal to a genuine St. Julien, or even " M^doc," which to him ought to be the standard of a wine of luxury, if he drinks foreign wine, with many grades of vin ordinaire beneath it. In restaurants in France the average difference between the price of the vin ordinaire, served without special orders, and St. Julien is from three to four hundred per cent. I refer to St. Julien, often, because in the United States it generally occupies upon restaurant wine lists the lowest place. This, however, has reference to wines, supposing them to be pure, and only falsely labeled to obtain the prices of " fancy '' wines; I shall afterwards show what quantities of wines go to the United States, colored, blended, fortified and made to imitate fine wines by means of bouquets and dyes prepared by chemists. A cent's worth o{ bouquet is made to sell for many dollars in America and in the " Colonies." So far as the wine trade is concerned, the United States is still among the "C donies." I bought a sample of a popular bouquet yesterday for thirty-five cents. It is in a little bottle — about two ounces — and the directions indicate its use, piur vieillir et bonifiir a whole barrel of wine. Th^ /leur de Bordeaux, ?is well as \.\\q. Jlcur de Bougogne, are similar agents.' It may be that they are quite harmless, but it is more than probable that the wine would be quite as beneficial without this chemical bouquet, which would not be added if consumers were wise enough to expect and call for only ordinary wine in ordinary places. But to the uninitiated consumer a bottle of wine, worth, bottle and all, twenty cents in Bordeaux, with the addition of the tenih of a cent's worth of this bouquet, and an equal worth of fuchsine, or cochenille, becomes Chateau the Greal — price three or four dollars the bottle. It is very consoling to the " Colonist," who suffers so many deprivations, to know that his trustworthy merchant keeps him always supplied with the finest wines, which are so scarce, even in France! 47 But the reputation of the great wines of Bordeaux was established before the commerce of Bordeaux labeled so many rivers of wine with their names. I will give them, as they have been arbitrarily classed by the Syndicate of Wine Brokers of the Bourse of Bordeaux. The word cru is the techriical French term for the crop or yield, of a single vineyard. The classes oi cms are in the order of merit, or conven- tonal value. With the exception of Chateau Haut-Brion, they are all in the IMedoc wine section. Haut-Brion is in the Graves, a short distance from the city. The figures indicate the average yield in tomieaux, as given by the best authorities- The totvieau is equal to about 240 gallons. The name of the commune follows the name of the vineyard, the name by which the wine is generally known, with slight variations. lersCnis. — Chateau-Lafite, Pauillac, 140; Chateau-Margaux, Margaux, 100; Chateau-Latour, Pauillac, 125; Chateau-Haut-Brion, Pessac, 100. 2es Cms. — Mouton, Pauillac, 20; Rauzan-Segla, Margaux, 60; Rauzan-Gassies, Id., 45; Leoville-Lascases, Saint-Julien, 125; Leoville-Poyfere, Id., 80; Leoville-Bar- ton. Id., 75; Durfort-Vivens, Margaux, 45; Lascombes, Id., 25; Gruau-Larose Sarget, Saint-Julien, 90; Gruau-Larose, Id., 80; Brane-Cantenac, Cantenac, 100; Pichon-Longueville, Pauillac, 55; Pichon-Longueville-Lalande, Id., 50; Ducru-Beau- caillou, Saint-Julien, 110; Cos-d'Estournel, Saint- Estephe, 150; Montrose, Id., 150. ^es Cms. — Kirwan, Cantenac, 70; Chateau-d'Issan, Id., 100; Lagrange, Saint-Julien, 200; Langoa, Id., 125; Giscours, Labarde, 100; Malescot-Saint- Exupery, Margaux, 150; Brown Cantenac (Boyd), Cantenac, 100; Palmer, Id., 125; La Lagune, Ludon, GO; Desmirail, Margaux, 150; Calon-Segur, Saint- Estephe, 150; Ferriere, Margaux, 10; Becker, Id., 20. Aes Cms. — Saint-Pierre, .Saint-Julien, 50; Id., Id., 40; Branaire-du-Luc, Id., 150; Talbot, Id., 100; Duhart, Milon, Pauillac, 100; Pouget, Cantenac, 40; La Tour-Carnet, .Saint-Laurent, 30; Rochet, Saint-Estephe, 50; Chateau-Beycheville, Saint-Julien, 160; La Prieure, Cantenac, 40; Mis de Therme, Margaux, 60. hes Cms. — Pontet-Canet, Pauillac, 180; Batailley, Id., 110; Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Id., 130; Ducasse-Grand-Puy, Id., 100; Lynch-Bages, Id., 00; Lynch-Moussass, Id., 90; Dauzac, Labarde, 90; Mouton-d'Armaillacq, Pauillac, 150; Le Tertre, Arsac, 85; Haute-Bages, Pauillac, GO, Belgrave, Saint-Laurent, 80; Camensac, Id., 40; Cos-Labory, Saint-Estephe, 40; Pedesclaux, Pauillac, 20; Clerc-Milon, Id., 50; Croizet-Bages, Id., 65; Canter- merle, Macau, 200. The reader may pick out familiar names, add up the number of ionneaux, re- duce them to gallons, and see what the quantity is to supply the demand of the world. I think that there will be few who can recognize more than ten as tamiliar to restaurant and hotel lists, and few more familiar to family butlers. Of the four first classed, together with the Leovilles, Larose and Pontet-Canet, so well known by name in every city and town, there is a total annual supply in good years of 262,800 gallons; and this is the quantity that the whole world draws upon to supply the de- mand for those labels. If the United States should get as much as ten per cent, ol this quantity, our share would be 26,000 gallons. Last year we imported only 4,500,000 gallons of wine, and consumed, including native wines, at least 15,000,- 000 gallons. I will hereafter try to show what is the real proportion of "fine wines" actually invoiced to the United States, supposing iliem to be genuine when they start from France. 48 ' '] ORDI\AR\ WIXES. After naming ihe classified ^ra/u/s rrus, as above, it is useless to talk to the av- erage consumer, who cannot devote his life to the study of wines, about the numer- ous lower grades of wines, all of which arc generically called clarets. They arc more varied in merit and value than the above named, which, though divided into five grades, are all one class of "fine wines." There is more difference between a bour- geois superieiir of Pauillac, or St. Julien, and "a. paysan ordijiaire oi ih.Q same commune, than there is between Chateau Lafite and Chateau Leoville, or even Pontct-Canet. Yet these bourgeois wines have no names known to the foreign consumer, except the names of communes and the brands of the houses that deal in them. They are known to the commerce here simply as bourgeois supericurs, boiis, or ordinaircs. Be- fore leaving the INIedoc, which does not supply the tenth part of all the clarets of the world, though it supplies the best, we must descend still lower in the scale of grades, viz: Artisans super ieurs, or ordinaires, paysans siipiricurs, or ordinaires, Bas-i\Icdoc etc., the name of the commune generally preceding cither of these grades. The authentic carte zmiicole gives a table showing that, assuming 3,000 francs per tonneau as the price for the 1st cm, the average relative value of the 5th cm is about 1,G00 francs; while, in the same INIedoc district, the unnamed, unclassified wines range in value from 1,200 francs down to less than 400. These excessive differences in value in one small district, after excluding the wines whose names are known to the world, should be enough to satisfy any reader that there is plenty of room for him to exercise the discrimination of connoisseur before he passes up from the cheapest vi^i ordinaire through all the grades below the fifth class of the wines whose names are so familiar. When, however, he considers, also, that besides the various qualities of St. Julien, IMargaux, Pauillac, St. Estephe, Macau, Cantenac — select subdivisions of Medoc ordinary wines, varying four hundred per cent, in values — he finds, also, the far greater portion of clarets, coming from Graves, Entre-deux-Mers, the Cotes, the Palus, the St. Emilionais, etc., and these also increased immensely by blendings of IMidi red wines, Bordeaux w-hite \\ines, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese importations, without estimating those which are colored with fuchsineand form a part of the mass of vinsde cargaison, he can see still greater reason for demanding some practical commercial classification of clarets of ordinary con- sumption for the aid of the consumer. By selecting the names of the grand wines under which to classify the better qualities of wines, which have no names except to the trade, which is practically the use of those great names in general consumption, a fiction of fancy prices is maintained which checks all attempts to encourage the sub- stitution of wine for other drinks, because prices are too high, being maintained by the retailer in accordance with the brand or label adopted. For ordinary consump- tion, the label St. Julien should be considered as very high on the list, and quite a choice article of luxury to be obtained. If St. Julien is sold for one dollar a bottle, there should be other grades as low as twcnt}- cents, and from that ujjward. There is a house here that bottles and ships wine at six francs (72 cents) a case (one dozen bottles). The United States gets a share of such stuff. In France they commence with m'n ordinaire, that which is served cheapest ; then }-ou may ascend in price by calling for a bon viji ordinaire (a good ordinary wine), a vin superieiir, a bouteille d trois francs, but when you call for St. Julien, or IM^doc, St. Emilion, etc., you are up among the extravagances, and the waiter has to go to the cellar to get your bottle for 49 you. The Frenchman, jn hotel or restaurant, rarely makes any special order, but takes the vifi ordinaire of the house without question, and remarks onlv, for instance: " The St. George is a good restaurant ; you get a good bottle of wine there." THE QUALITY OF MEDOC WIXES, Which is the standard tyj)C of excellence for Bordeaux red wines, docs not need any explanation by me. It has been sufficiently tasted everywhere to be well known. Its characteristic features arc its bouquet and velvety body, by which the Alcdoc fine whics are. distinguished from all other clarets. Clarets, however, are not less pala- table and good for ordinar\- consumption because the)' lack these two features, and it is a pity that consumers, by objecting to wines because they are a little harsh to tlie palate and without bouquet, really induce and encourage adulterations, the objects of which chieflv arc to make cheap wines marketable in fastidious markets. The effects of pure Aledoc clarets u{)on the system, when drunk, differ much from those of nearly all other wines. They never produce an inebriated condition of brain. They are tonic, refreshing, nutritious, and do not disturb calmness and Coolness of mind. If the production of these wines could be increased, all civilized nations could well afford to admit them free of duty for the sake of their healthful qualities ; but, unfortunately, the Medoc district is small and already overstocked with vines. The quantity of the jjroduct will hereafter rather tend to diminish than to in- crease. Even free trade wiUi France cannot increase the quantity of fine wine for which there is now a greater demand than supply. Of this I will write more partic- ularly in connection with the proposed treaty of commerce, which is being urged in the interest of French wine mercji^ants, who wish to increase their operations in " doc- toring"' .wines for all the world, by making France the entrepot for all the cheap wines of .Spain, Portugal, Italy and Africa, to be here worked over, flavored, colored, etc., and exported evervwhere as French wine. France has no surplus of wine, or brandy, which requires new markets. She has already been -obliged to import largely to sup- ply the demand, and we are asked to help her to increase this trade in imitations, which, if we need them, we can as well operate ourselves. Much better, however, would it be to get for ourselves the pure wines before they pass through the blending and coloring vats of h'rance. WHITE WINES. The while wines of the Gironae are sui generis. They are subject to tne same general observations in respect to classification as those made concerning clarets. There is this marked difference, however : The white wines of France are not con- sidered wholesome to drink ; Frenchmen think only the lighter kinds, and that rarely, except in districts where little red wine is produced ; the while wines are special- ties for the foreign trade. The method of making the wine from rotten grapes has been adopted in order to produce a liquor suited to the taste of norihern countries, particu- larly England. The object has been the same as in Portugal, to produce a heavy, strong wine to suit a foreign demand. A great change, however, is beginning to take place in the vintage of white wines, owing to the same cause that is affecting the production of port. The world is learning that the vin de liqueur and all its kindred are abominations, and the de- mand for pure, well-fenaeuled natural wines is increasing. 50 The "Grand White Wines'' all come from the .section of Vins Blancs, on the west bank of the Garonne, next to the Graves. This is, as I have before said, the continuation of the same slope as that of the ]\I6doc, the Graves intervening, where principally red wine is made, but whence come some light, cheap white wines, called pctiies graves. The "grand" or "fine"' white wines, classed by the Syndicate of Brokers in their order of conventional merits, are as follows : Grand First Cru. — Chatcau-Vquem, Saulernes, 120 tonneaus. First Cms — Chateau-La-Tour-Blanche, Bommes, 40 : Chateau-Pcyraguey, Id., 30 ; Chateau- Vigneau, Id., 60 ; Chateau-Suduirant, Preignac, 100 ; Chateau-Coutet, Barsac, 40 ; Chateau-Climens, Id.,30 ; Chateau-Bayle (Guiraud),Sauternes, 55 ; Cha- teau-Rieussec, or Crepin, Fargues, 40 ; Chateau-Rabaut, Bommes, '25. Second Cms — Chateau-Myrat, Barsac, 30 ; Chateau-Doisy, Id. (divided into several, since classification in 1855), 56 . Chateau-Peyxotto, Bommes, 18 ; Chateau- d'Arche, Sauternes, 20 ; Chateau-Filhot, Id., 80 ; Chateau-Broustel-Nerac, Barsac, 6 ; Chateau-Caillou, Id., 20 ; Chateau-Suan, Id., 2 ; Chateau-Malle, Preignac, 45 ; Chateau-Romer, Id., 30 ; Chateau-Lamorhe, Sauternes, 21. This li.st, however, is practically less important than the list of grand.red wines. It has been modified in practice, and other vineyards are classed among the second crus, with what authority, however, it is difBcult to determine. The small quantity of these fine wines is partly due to the small area of the five communes in which they are produced, and partly to the method of vintage, grapes being j;)icked when baked, or rotten on the vines, and yielding a very small return of juice. The value of Sauterne wines varies, according to the year, excessively. During ten years (prior to 1868), the first crus sold at the vineyards, according to the quality of the year, at prices varying from 800 francs to 5,000 francs, per tonneau. Chateau Yquem sells ordinarily at from twenty to twenty-five per cent more ihan the other first crus. The second crus sell for seventy or eighty per cent, of the price accorded to the first. The circumstances governing the results of die vintage of these wines are such that often the classification is entirely disregarded, and a second cru sells for more than one of the first. For instance, Chateau- Yquem sold for the following prices in the years indicated : 1860, 500 to 1000 francs ; 1861, 6,000 francs. 1862^ 2,500 francs ; 1863, 1,700 francs ; 1864, 4,500 francs ; 1865,4,000 francs; 1866,' 1,000 francs ; 1867, 3,000 francs ; 1868, 2,500 to 3,000 francs. It is evident, from such a statement, that the use of the labels of the white wines to represent in retail a uniform value of wine per bottle or case, is an absurdity. The label, even if true to contents, is no true indicator of the value or merit of the wine, unless the year of the vintage be marked, also, and its relative value known. The opportunity to substitute fair white wines, which have no great reputation, for those which are known to the world, is manifestly great, for it is only the expert, who devotes his time to these wines, who can detect impositions by simply tasting the wine. I have drunk here a Chateau-Yquem of one year that was comparatively a dry wine, while, usually, it is verj' sweet. From the Vms Blancs Communes there are also produced a large quantity of bourgeois, artisan and paysan superior and ordinary wines, which are known to the Bordeaux commerce as wines of this or that commune, as Barsac, Cerons, Sauterne, Haut-Sauterne, etc.; but to the foreign commerce, however, such wines are generally passed simply as Sauterne, just as the ordinary wines of the entire Medoc pass ofteuer as St. Julien than as Medoc, 51 The cheapest white wines of all the districts of the Gironde are principally used to swell the quantity of the clarets. Being very cheap and little in demand, there is great profit in blending them with cheap and inferior red wines, the color and body of the whole being brought up to standard by a small quantity of Roussillon, or red wine from the JMidi, Cahors, Portugal, Spain, or Italy. For the export trade, much of such vin de cargaison, as it is regularly called " on 'Change" and in commercial reports, is also colored by substances not corning from the grape. The merchant who demands a wine cheaper thnn the cheapest genuine red wine of this country, and exacts a brilliant color to tickle the fancy of unsuspecting customers, often consents, and even asks, to have the wine, according to order, colored with fuchsine. This is true of a large order recently filled out here for the West Indies. THE WIXE PKOUl^CT. The wine product of the Gironde in 1873 is given by one good authority here as sixty-one million (wine) gallons of red wine; and twenty-seven million gallons of white wine. Total, 88,000,000 gallons. Heretofore I have been, more or less, confused by the references to English (Imperial) gallons, which contain more than the wine measure of the United States. I shall try hereafter to use only the terms better understood in our country. This quantity for 1873 has been classified by a statistical authority here, as follows: RED. WHITE. Grand wines (classed) 1,33.5,600 276,000 Superior wines (bourgeois, etc.) 3,931,200 531,000 Ordinary and grand ordinary 55,669,200 26,235,000 Total in gallons (.American) 60,936,000 27,043,200 From this statement, which docs not include the large quantity of ordinar}' wines from other sections which enter into the commerce of Bordeaux, the reader can esti- mate the relative quantities of wine imported into the United States, which can prob- ably be apportioned to these several classes, the first and smallest including all the wines known to him as Chateau this, or Chateau that. 1 am constantly arranging these facts, with a view to showing the reader that, no matter what his wishes or orders may be, the imported wines which he drinks must necessarily be nearly all vin ordi- naire, and the moral of it is, that he should be able to purchase his wines at cheap vin ordinaire prices. The St. Julien, Pauillac, St. Emilion, St. Estephe, etc., belong to the small class of superior bourgeois wines, which furnish scarcely more abundant supplies than the Grand Chateaux. The people of the United States drink annually 'rom eight to ten million gallons of wine purporting to be from France ; the entire importation of all foreign wines of late years has been 4'500,000 gallons. The entire product of the Grand Chateau classed wines, together with the Grand Bourgeois (St. Julien, etc.), is less than the nominal consumption of such wines (by label) in the United States alone. Yet the greater and better part of them go to England, Holland, Belgium, Germany and Russia, and the great consumption of the Grand Bourgeois in France must not be forgotten. I shall continue to repeat the moral of my investigations in new words: Since you do drink, and can only drink, ordinarily, ordinary wine, give the wine its proper name and demand it at a reasonable price, and don't try to flatter your stomach with x 52 label, which costs you five times as nuich as the wine costs the retailer who sells It to you. Uon't ever expect to get St. J alien, or INIedoc, unless you can find it under cover of the name of one of less than a dozen respectable Bordeaux houses. J'in ordinaire, without noble name, is the sole resource for ordinar}- wine consumers. Try to get it chca[) and pure, and protect the health of the country by insisting on wise laws against falsifications and adulterations. Shun the effects aimed at in the proposed new treaty with France as you would a threatened jjlaguc. Rather prohibit by exces- sive duties all imports of wine, and leave the people to their beer and what native wine they can produce, and which can be kept within the supervision of law, than accept the French offer to doctor "cheap" wines for us to supply the demand for which their own vineyards are now unetjual. I have shown, and will continue to show, that the jmrc wines which do reach us are already cheap enough to satisfy the peo[)le, if retailers would only sell them hon- estly; but the demand of trade now is for wines cheaper than the cheapest that can be naturally produced, and for compounds, flavored, colored, etc., to imitate high-priced wines. The h'rench merchants complain because such wines are kept out l)y the duty of forty cents a gallon (four cents per contents of a pint bottle), because the dutv en- ables the pure native wine to compete with ihcm in markets where price and label is the only consideration, and where the consumer generally prefers an adulterated to a pure wine, because he has never learned to drink the latter. If such is to be the effect, as proposed, of the treaty demanded, would it not be wise to first have an in- vestigation of the ''cheap" wines, to determine whether our people should be en- couraged to drink them? C. A. W, Blended, Fictitious, Falsified and Adulterated Wines. Paris, November 8, 1878. — After remaining two months in the South of France, more than one-half of the time in the region of Bordeaux, I have brought mv notes, books, etc., to Paris, where I shall try to finish my correspondence concerning viticulture and viniculture. I shall, however, have time only to treat upon a few of the many important questions involved in these subjects, and must leave the greater portion for future work. BLENDING WINES. I have already, in various ways, called attention to the comparativelv small quan- tity of fine wines (wines distinguished and classed according to the names of the vine- yards) that are produced in France, and to the relativelv insignificant proportion of such wines that are or can be exported to anv foreign countrv. I shall summarize facts bearing upon that question when I treat of the statistics of commerce. I have, however, sufficiently shown that the average consumer of French wine, both in and out of France, drinks only ordinary wine. I except, for the present, all reference to champagnes, which must be spoken of as distinct products hereafter. Concerning vi'n ordinaire, remember that there are many distinct classes, varying in strength, body, color, taste, etc. These classes may be divided, first, according to districts of production, into wines of Bordeaux, the Midi, Burgundy, etc. Each of the Departmcnt.s, such as the Gironde, Charente, Lot-et-Garonne, Ilerault,, S3 Pyrenees-Orientales, Cotes-d'Or, etc., produces wines more or less differing in quality and character. All these classes which have general local characteristics must again be classified within the districts themselves. Each may have, as do the wines of the Gironde (Bordcai^x) and of the Cotes-d'Or (Burgundy), one or more peculiar charac- teristics common to the whole class, but there are the minoi subdivisions, which are caused by other special and more restrictive qualities, as I have recently explained while describing the classifications of Bordeaux wines into Medoc, Graves, Cotes, St. Emilion, etc. Then, also, as I have before noticed, there are the variations of the vintages from year to year. Some wines are strong in alcohol, others weak; some thin, others heavy bodied, some dull, others bright; some dark colored, others light; some with bouquet, others with none; some free of after-tastes, others affected by the gout de terroir (eardiy taste); some with much, and others with very little or no astringency. There are also the two great divisions of red and white wines. These wines are ccJnsumed principally in the districts where they are produced; next in importance as consumers are the populations of portions of France which either produce no wine, or less than is required; last to be considered, in respect to quantity, are the foreign countries. Wines are treated, after they are made, according to the demmds of consumers. The inhabitants of the regions where they are produced, generally drink the vin de proprietaire, which is the expression used for all wines which are not mixed or blended, but are the simple products of single vineyards, free from all manipulation excepting that which is necessary to preserve them. Large cilies like Bordeaux and Marseilles in wine districts are, of course, exceptions to this rule, because the inhabi- tants are generally provided, as in other cities, from the cellars of merchants. The people who live in the vicinity of vineyards know the varying qualities and character- istics of each year's vintage and of the wines of each vineyard; hence, they demand no standard quality of wine, prepared to suit their taste, but drink the products natural and pure, without complaining because succeeding supplies vary in qualities of fine- ness, strength, color, etc. The inhabitants of the cities and of districts more or less remote from ihe wine producers, demand wines more or less uniform in quality and general characteristics. The rule seems to be that the less people know about the true, natural qualities of wines, the more critical and exacting they assume to be. This disposition of the con- sumer is a very fair measure of his distance from the place of production, and his ignorance of what is actually produced. In America and Russia, for instance, French wines are known to the consumers only by a few distinguished names; the consumers insist upon a few standards of taste and reputation. In Paris, where they are more familiar with the fact that line wines are rarities and ordinary wines are variable, the consumers insist, when they are dispo.sed to be extravagant, only upon the wines of certain districts; generally, they are satisfied with the simple distinction implied in a demand for a hon vin or vui mperieur, that is, if ihcy attempt to judge in any way except by means of price. The operation of blending wines has for its chief object the satisfaction of con- sumers, who know wines principally by reputation and commercial samples, and not by intimate knowledge of vintages. 'I'hc demand of the trade in distant places is for wines yV/j/ like the hixt sample supplied. 'J'hc consumer in distant countries considers 54 wine as a luxury and not as an ordinary article of diet ; hence he demands the wines that have great reputations. It is impossible for the French producing districts to fur- nish the outside markets even with vin ordinaire often like the last sample supplied, or even all that is demanded of a certain district, such as Medoc win^, and still more remote from possibility to furnish the quantities of celebrated wines demanded in foreign markets. The problem for the wine merchants, who deal with the producers and send to the trade that in turn deals with the consumers, is not quite as difficult as that of " making a silk purse out of a sow's ear," because they simply make a hash of the sow's ear, and season and label it to suit — the consumer accepts it for the silk purse, and is quite satisfied, if only the same kind of hash and label comes regularly every time he orders a silk purse. If there happens to be a few grains of real silk in the hash, the consumer calls himself a connoisseur in silk purses. No one ever orders hash, or even plain sow's ear. This trade has a demand, for instance, for fifty million gallons of celebrated wines, and a supply of only two millions; a demand for millions of gallons of St. Julien and a supply of only some thousands. The trade has a supply of millions of gallons of ordinary wines of a thousand different kinds, and a demand for millions of gallons of only a dozen kinds ; a supply of, for instance, fifty million gallons of red wine and twenty-five millions of white, and a demand for seventy millions of red and for only five millions of white. The trade hxs^ indeed, also another problem, when, with a supply of fifty million gallons, an attempt is made to find a market for seventy-five millions. It is the last problem that the French merchants, w^ho talk about new treaties to increase their trade in wines — which trade is now overdrawn upon — are trying to solve, and is, in real truth, the problem of increasing demand without in- creasing supply. The melange and coupage (the blending and cutting) are the operations which the wine merchants resort to in order to reduce a thousand varieties to a dozen standard mi.xtures, representing favorite types. I shall, however, undertake to use the terms with quite distinct meanings, though they are used somewhat indiscriminately in actual work. Blending wines, theoretically, in legitimate trade, is the operation of : First — -Mixing wines of one class, such as genuine St. Julien wines, which vary more or less from year to year, and from vineyard to vineyard, so that the average product of a vintage, or several vintages, when collected in large quantities, may be supplied to consumers of average quality and according to standard samples. This s what happens even in a single vineyard whenever two small casks are emptied into a large one. Second — Mixing wines of different places with a view, not to radically change the general character of the one which is the base, but to improve it by supplying some defect of alcoholic strength, body, softness, or intensity of color. A similar operation is even practiced in the great vineyards of Chateau Lafite, Margaux, Leo- ville, etc., where the wine from the Malbec grape, fermented separately, is afterward mixed with the wine of the Cabernet varieties, to improve the color and body. This process may as legitimately be practiced in adding a tenth part of heavy, dark, strong Rousillon, or Spanish wine, to a light, weak, ordinary Bordeaux ; or in mixing black Malvoisie with Rose of Peru or Mission wine in California ; in this case, the mer- 55 chant only does with his wines what the producer should have done by growing the different varieties of vines necessary to make a full and perfect wine, or what the pro- ducer could not do, because the peculiarities of soil and climate in his district cause his wine to be either too strong, or too weak, lacking body, or heavy bodied, or to have some other quality which needs to be toned up or toned down by another wine which supplements its weaknesses. How to properly blend wines is something that can only be learned experiment- ally with the materials in hand. The rules must vary with the materials and the general type to wiiich the base of the blending belongs. Analyses of wine would be the scientific way of doing the work, there being -a certain proportion of many ele- ments in a sample of the standard type ; but this is impractical, except so far as it re- lates to alcoholic strength, saccharine weight, and perhaps one or two more particular features, easily determined by instruments. The real tests in other respects must chiefly depend upon the palate of the operator and experiments. The mechanical part is simple enough. The wines are drawn off into casks in the proportions re- quired, as shown by the preliminary test, whipped by a little stirring machine, and af- terward clarified in the ordinary way. In the case of blending wines at the vineyard, immediately after the fermentation in the vat, it is simply a matter of filling the casks in the required proportions. The coupage, or cutting of wines, is, however, essentially different. The former operation of blending is practiced in the cellars of the merchants of highest repute in Bordeaux, and everywhere else where legitimate business is done. The coupage, however, is of more or less bad repute. From the operation may result an ordinary wine of commerce, the mixture having been for no other purpose than to render marketable a lot of cheap wines of varied character, by bringing them up in alco- holic strength to the requirements for transportation, and by modifying color and flavor to suit the commonest taste of the market ; or it may be the mixture of a small portion of heavy red wine with light, weak white wine, fortified with common alcohol, enabling the merchant to sell his cheapest white wine, which, in its natural condition, would not be marketable, at the price of cheap, ordinarj' red wine ; or it may be the via de cargaison, under which name most of the coupages pass in the French wholesale market, and to describe it would be impossible, because it is made to order to suit all markets, fortified, fiavored, colored and given bouquet, more or less adulterated and artificially colored. There is very little of what is'called Chateau Larose in the American market that does not belong to this last class of wine. Chateau- Larose, or Gruau-Larose, is one of the high-priced wines of the M6doc district. The name has become, however, generic in the United States for a certain type of wine, to the taste of w^hich the people have become educated, thinking it a fine wine, but which is in fact one of the cheap vins de cargaison, made up of a mix- ture of cheap, worthless white wines, heavy Spanish red wine, flavoring extracts and bouquet, and what else, only those in the secret can tell. It figures in the invoices from Bordeaux, bottled and cased, at prices of less than one franc, or twenty cents a bottle, as I shall show when I get time to pref)are an analysis of the tables I have prepared from the invoices. A very small quantity of Chateau-Larose, at prices which indicate probable genuineness, goes to our market. I mention this one brand in this connection because it is a favorite in the United States and serves to illustrate one of the ways in which the trade solves the problem of furnishing fine wines to 56 people who are foolish enough to exj)cct to find them in restaurants and hotels. A simple vin ordinaire would never do for a Chateau Larose, hence the necessity of high art in producing cargo wines, to be bottled and labeled in France, or the United States, as the finest wines. There is very little vin de cargaison, wliich is a simple mixture of pure wines > most of it has artificial color, strengtli, flavor and bouquet. The price for which it is sold is cheaper than the cheajjcst ordinary vin de proprieiaire. It must certainly have some water added to it, although this fraud is always denied by the manufacturers. It is made and sold to order by houses which do nothing else. The prices of best qualities are regularly quoted in the "Prices Current" of the Bordeaux Board of Trade; but I found that the merchants, who send such stuff to the United States, pur- chase it much cheaper than the quoted prices. It sometimes figures in American in- voices simply as vin de cargaison, but generally under some such designation as St. Emilion, Montferrand, Chateau Larose. Generally it is sent to be sold on commis- sion, in which case, the blame of importing such stuff in*o the United States belongs to the French trade; often, however, the American merchant writes, either describing this class of wine in his order, or fixing the price, and leaving the French house to select the wine. As an instance of the latter way of doing business, a Bordeaux mer- chant, who was explaining why the poorest of French wines went to America, showed me, among letters from merchants, from New York to Buenos Ayres, one from a house in Panama. The writer told the Bordeaux merchant that he would be glad to have further consignments, but the kind of wine which the trade in Panama demanded was such as would cost from 260 to 320 francs a tonneau (240 gallons) in Bordeaux. At that time the cheapest natural unblended red wine of the Gironde was worth, at the vineyards, about four hundred francs. How to produce a brilliant red wine, with fine flavor and bouquet, and sufficient strength to stand transportation, at 320 francs, was therefore the problem which the Panama trade sent to Bordeaux. The fault is not alwavs on this side of the ocean. I know of Chateau Margaux sent to San Francisco duriu"- the last year for less than two francs a botde, while the price current was not less than nine francs. Of course the dealer in America knew it was a cheat. I am quite satisfied, after a careful study of invoices, that the consumer who drinks poor French vin ordinaire — or, as it is usually marked in our hotels and restau- rants, St. Julien — drinks better and purer wine than nine of ten men who drink wines that they pay for at the rate of three dollars a bottle. I draw this conclusion from the fact that the prices in the invoices indicate that most of the wines, marked in Bor- deaux as Chateau Margaux, Latour, Larose, etc., are only frauds, so far as labels are concerned; so far as contents are concerned, they must be adulterated imitations, be- cause it would be impossible to jmss off, even upon a novice, a cheap vin ordinaire for a grand wine, without first adulterating it to produce flavor and bouquet. I am not making statements at random. I have the proofs of all that I assert, and ever}' merchant in the United States who deals with the foreign trade knows that what I say is true. I found no one to deny this in Bordeaux, except so far as his par- ticular house was concerned. You will probably, my dear reader, find no one to deny these things in San Francisco, though each retailer will claim to sell the genuine; but I will prove to you, before I conclude my work, that you may go into hotels and restaurants and groceries, and call nearly every man, who undertakes to sell you a special brand of French wine, an impostor, and, if prosecuted for scandal, you will be 57 acquitted in ninety-nine cases out of one hundred. If the traders think I am using harsh words, let them take the fancy labels from the bottles and call their wines vin ordinaire — claret, red wine, or vin de cargaison ; they will then have no quarrel to make, though they may not be able to humbug innocent people into paying fancy prices. There is a little genuine high-priced wine that goes to the United States, but it is very little. I have not only the general statement according to reputadon, but the proof from the invoices themselves. After all, what I desire most to impress upon the public is that fancy labels are generally humbugs, and that the wine they drink costs the dealer in San Francisco or New York not more than from four to six cents a bottle higher than it costs the dealer in Paris, and that it is all practically vin ordinaire, and should be sold at vin ordinaire prices. The bouquet, color, and flavor, which is added to ordinary cargo wines to make them seem, to educated palates, like Chateau Larose, costs, perhaps, one cent to the gallon, and yields to the retailer five, or even en dollars. It is the retailer who makes the greatest profit; there is no secret between the shipper, commission agent and broker; the retailer buys it because it is cheap, and because he can find people to pay high prices for it. I don't want the man, who keeps the hotel with the bay windows, to think that I am complaining because he buys his wine cheap, but because he sells it dear, and calls it pet names. I am not referring to some dark-skinned, low-browed villains; but to you, and you, and you, who read this letter; handsome, jolly, good fellows, whom I like very much, person- ally, but who puzzle me a great deal with your mixture of good-nature and deception. I think it is a safe maxim that everybody will deceive if nobody objects; when we begin to object, we ought to be safe in presuming that you will begin to be honest. So we may still be friends and not quarrel. I should take pleasure in advertising the hotels and restaurants that sell good vin ordinaire, instead of wretched vin de cargaison; it is' a question to them of from two to five cents a bottle, extra expense — nothing more. The blending, or, properly speaking, the coupage of wines, is practiced in differ- ent places in different ways, according to the nature of the supplies and the market to be supplied. In Paris, the people drink the poorest and thinnest of all French mixtures, but the deleterious colorations are less used here on account of the rigorous execution of the law against falsifications, and the vigilance of the Bureau of Degustation (tastiivi;), which is under control of the Prefect of Police. The chief feature of the Paris wine supply is the almost total absence of fine wines. Messrs. Barton & Guestier, at Bordeaux, told me that they have scarcely any Paris orders for the grand wines. All the poor white and red wines produced in the northern ranges of vineyards, when not converted into brandy or champagne, or consumed in the producing districts find a market in the Bercy depots, which constitute the wine-dealers' quarter of this city. To make these cheap wines palatable and marketable, heavy red wines from the Midi — principally Rousillon — besides Spanish wines from the region near the Mediterranean and the southern boundary of France, are imported. I ?Ay imported, because practically every large city in France is a foreign country, exacting a duty or tariff tax upon all articles of consumption that come in from the country. This tax is called octroi. I will, in another letter, describe its features and show how it prevents the French from having any desires to trade with the outside world, and how it effectually establishes a Chinese wall against trade with foreign countries. The octroi tax in Paris upon wines and 58 spirits is so great that it tempts the wine-dealers to perpetrate many frauds. The ta.^ upon spirits is so great that the trade in wines of the Midi, alcohohzed to a strength of fifteen per cent., is encouraged. Such wines are sought to enable the large dealers in Bercy to raise with them the strength of the w^eak wines of the north, and to com- municate a dull, claret color to the mixture. The use of such strong alcoholized wines enables them to cover up the addition of a certain portion of water. The result of this coupage, as shown by the ordinary red wine served at restaurants and to the ordinary consumers among the people, has no distinctive character whatever, except poverty in all essential qualities of a natural and generous wine. It is not an imitation of anything. The aim seems to be only to produce a drink which shall have alcoholic strength sufficient only to preserve it two or three weeks, when bottled for the retailers, and a mere apology of a red color and wine flavor. A wine must be red to suit the French. If it were not for the severe execution of the law against deleterious coloring, this product would all be made brilliant enough with fuchsine (an analine color, which is the especial dread of the French), much of which goes into wines that are exported. There is no high art in the Bercy coupage; their customers do not demand imitations of famous wines, hence, though the wine is very poor, it is not as unwholesome as many products that are exported from Marseilles Cette and Bordeaux. This is probably, however, only true of the present time, and since a systematic effort has been made to suppress adulterations. I shall show, by- and-by, that the principal cause of the poor supply in France is the effort of the trade to export more than the excess of production over consumption. France does not now produce sufficient wine to supply her own people's demands ; the consequence is that both the home and foreign supplies are adulterated. I am sorry to be obliged, in truth, to make this statement ; but my readers will have an opportunity to see that I charge less against French wines than is charged by the highest official authorities in France, who are trying in vain to restrain the cupidity of the large dealers. The French, however, as will be shown, are only concerned about the health of their own people ; there is little restraint put upon the exporters, though they say that they seize a wine when it is suspected. I have not been able to learn of any seizures of wine on the quays, that was about to be exported^ though I have made inquiries of octroi and Custom House officers at Bordeaux, and of the people I met in Marseilles and Cette. There are many seizures of wines coming into the country, or being fabricated for home consumption. The coupage is practiced in Bordeaux principally for the foreign trade. There are great establishments which do nothing else except in the manufacture of vin de cargaison. There are many houses which prepare for shipment nothing but such wines. It is from their cellars that Chateau Larose comes, all bottled and cased, so as to fig- ure in American invoices at from ten to fifteen francs a case, including the profits of the houses that buy of these manufacturers. Bottling expenses are about five francs a case. Such houses I found offering in Bordeaux wines at six and eight francs a case of twelve bottles. Nearly all the cost is the cost of bottling ; the wine is a mere nothing. The methods they pursue and the ingredients they use are the secrets of each house, which cannot be known with certainty. I found advertised in Bordeaux newspapers and vinicultural organs, and even in the Directory of the city, scores of compounds for giving flavors and bouquets. I will translate one of them, as an illustration : 5^ " HOUSE FOUNDED IN 1805." " Liqueur Trasforest ; called Seve de Medoc ; forly-five years of success. One flask preserves, perfumes, improves and ages a barrel of wine ; price two francs ; sent by mail for two francs and forty-five centimes ; price per Hire [a trifle more than a quart], thirty francs ;****** " Essence de Cognac, or Rancio Brun, for improving, coloring, perfuming and aging spirits of all kinds ; price per flask sufiicientfor seventy-five ///r^j, sent by mail, four francs, twenty-five centimes; per lih-e, thirty francs. " The Seve de Cognac, or Rancio Blanc ; possesses the same properties and may be applied with equal success to kirsch, hydromel, gin, etc., without coloring them. * * * "* * **>' I made an effort to obtain satisfactory explanations of the processes of manufac- turing viit de cargaison and imitations, while I was in Bordeaux. I was everywhere told by the people in legitimate business, that the majority of the Bordeaux houses were interested in such products. Generally, when talking to officers of the govern- ment, I was told that no artificial coloring matters were used, because the laws of France prohibit the7n. They could not tell, however, how often the laws of France were evaded. The wine merchants, however, except when asked for written notes, etc., or when they think their words may be quoted, do not pretend any such purity in trade. I asked one of the members of a most respectable and important house, whether any fuchsine, or other coloring matters were used in preparing wines for exportation by the manufacturers of common mixed wines and imitations. He replied promptly, " I know they use such things. I had occasion only yesterday to investigate the mat- ter, and I found they were using them in the cellars near the IMidi Railway depot. " Again he remarked: "There was a man in here yesterday showing what could be done with a coloring extract, one drop of which would give a ruby color to a glass of white wine." Another day the same gentleman remarked: " I was passing to-day in front of one of the houses where they turn out the cheap wine for the common consumption of Bordeaux. They were emptying some kind of black stuff into a conduit that led to one of the large vats inside. I don't know what it was, and I didn't like to stand and look on, because they knew me ; but it was some kind of material they use in mixing up their wines." This same gentleman said very positively, when I first spoke to him of the pro- posed change of the United States tariff on wines- "If it is adopted it will injure our business in fine wines ; it will be entirely in favor of vins de cargaison." I asked him whether he would authorize me to say that his house was not in favor of the proposed change ; he replied: " Certainly ; we don't want the tariff changed, and we hope that your native wines will run out entirely all these adulterated wines. There is no con- flict between our fine wines and the native wines in America.'' A few days afterward, he explained that what he had said about the tariff was upon his own responsibility; but it happened that a member of the firm was a mem- ber of the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, which had taken the initiative in the movement for the new tariff', and it would not do for me to quote the firm as opposed to the treaty. "The truth is," he said, "that the change would be against our inter- est, but it is in the interest of Bordeaux, and we cannot afford to appear to oppose it. The majority of the people are interested in these cheap mixed and adulterated wines." He promised me, however, to have some notes prepared describing the kinds of wines used in coupages and the means generally adopted for coloring and perfuming. He said he did not know much about the business himself, but he could get the notes for me to use. One of the employes of his firm, he said, had an interest in one of the houses engaged in manufacturing vins de cargaison, though the firm was not sup- posed to know the fact. I reduced the points of my inquiries to writing; the gendeman had them trans- lated, and said they would be attended to; but I had little faith in any result from this, therefore I did not cease to pursue my inquiries in other directions. The day before leaving Bordeaux, the notes promised me were furnished, all on one page of letter paper. I was told that it had been impossible for them to get any more information on the subject. Here is a translation in full, of these notes: "They do not use in Bordeaux highly colored wines, either of French or foreign origin, to mix with and give color to the wines of Bordeaux. "The use of such wines is reserved for wines called vins de cargaison, which are nothing else than mixtures of white and led wines. "The white wines employed are generally wines of the Entre-deux-Mers. "The red wines employed are wines of Narbonne, Lot-et-Garonne, Lot, Rous- sillon. When the price permits, the wines of the Gironde are preferred. When the wines of France are short they have recourse to the foreign wines, such as those of Portugal and other countries. "No artificial means for giving bouquet are used at Bordeaux, The bouquet is natural in the wine, and e ch wine each year has its particular bouquet. "Neither do they use at Bordeaux any artificial means for coloration. "For exportation, wines are fortified with rectified alcohol ; generally, the degree of alcohol is raised from eleven to twelve per cent." I said to the clerk, who brought me the notes, that they contained nothing that I did not already know, and that it was absurd to say no artificial bouquets and colors were used at Bordeaux ; I reminded him that he had heard the gentleman who sent me the notes say that he knew such adulterations were practiced. " Yes," said he, " I know he did ; but they won't admit it." He meant to say that they wouldn't admit it in any way that might possibly be traced back to them ; such is the conservative cow- ardice of commerce. I will relate another experience I had with another leading wine merchant. I had a long interview with him in the presence of the United States Vice-Consul. He said that, whenever he had any orders for vin de cargaison, he always went to one of the houses that produce such stuff. The price of it was much less than any genuine wines could be bought at. He had frequently asked the manufacturers to tell him how they made it, but they would not tell him. He said he h.d cliarged them with using water in the mixtures, but they always denied it ; "but," said he, " I know they must use water, or they couldn't turn the stuff" out so cheap. They must use water, and keep up the strength with common alcohol, which the law allows them to add, when the wine is to be exported, without paying duty or tax ad libi/iwi." This gen- tleman also agreed that the proposed change in the tariff was being advocated in the interest of such wines, and would injure the trade in fine wines. He authorized me at once to quote him as not being in favor of the change. Two days later I received from him a note as follows : 6i "Bordeaux, October 22, 1878. ' ' Dear Sir : After due reflection, and, also, after a careful perusal of various letters we have received lately, and again yesterday, from the United States, we have come to the conclusion that, if the new tariff, reducing the duty on claret wine, is adopted, it will be so much in favor of the numerous friends who receive their wines direct from us, that we must ourselves be in favor of the reduction, and, therefore, cannot authorize you to put our name forward as being against the reduction, or even as being indifferent to it,'' etc. This letter was no surprise, for I learned that the gentleman was sending out, to order, quantities of vin de cargaison, such as form the bulk of the shipments to the United States already. The trade in fine wines is very small for most houses, and is almost entirely controlled by half a dozen firms such as Barton &Guestier, Cruze Fils et Freres, Nathaniel Johnston, Alfred de Luze and Lalande & Co. The latter also does an immense business in cheap wines, according to the demands of trade. I was one day in one of the offices of the Octroi of Bordeaux. One of the offi- cers became very communicative. As it was in the presence of others, I presume his remarks were not intended as secrets. I told him that I had discovered that most of the wine exported from Bordeaux was very poor stufT. He made a violent affirm- ative shrug of his shoulders, and said : "Certainly; they send the worst wines to America I know one party who has a contract to ship a very large quantity. I don't know whether it is to the United States or not, but it is to some place in Amer- ica. He has orders from the consignee to mix it, and color it with fuchsine.'' I asked: "Do they use fuchsine in wines of exportation.''" He replied: "The law prohibits it, but they do it secretly, and, as in this case, they do it because the parties 'to whom it is shipped wish it to be so colored." The officers of the government who examine wines intended for home consump- tion do not trouble themselves with the wines intended for exportation, unless their attention is especially called to suspected goods, which is seldom, or never, done. The alcohols which are used to fortify wines for exportation, are chiefly German potato spirits. They come into the bonded warehouses and can be added to wines for export without paying duty ; hence the operation is very cheap. The French medical authorities, as I explained some time ago, have made a vigorous protest against the use of such spirits in wines. I was permitted, at the Custom House in Bordeaux, to copy and translate from a volume of decisions and regulations, the fol- lowing articles concerning these foreign spirits. " §402. The trade may, in the bonded warehouse, mix foreign alcohols, 'cut' ihcm, sweeten them, color them, and place them in receptacles, according to its convenience, but upon condition of not applying to the receptacles any etiquettes, or marks whatever, of French origin. (Circular of January Gth, 1805), "The service may permit the addition of foreign alcohols to French wines, with a view to preparing them to suit the taste of the consumer and to putting them in condition to stand transportation." (Decision of April 21st, 185-1). " In this case the French wines must be brought into the bonded warehouse only at the moment when the mixtures are to be elTected, and under no pretext whatever can wines so mixed remain in France ; they must be exported." (Decision of May 24th, 1854). Wines intended for consumption in France may be fortified with spirits distilled from wine or from beet roots — the latter being generally used — under usual rates of 62 taxation, provided the strength of the wine is not raised above fifteen per cent, of alco- hol. Above that degree double taxes are imposed, so as to prevent the circulation of highly alcoholized wines. All spirits and wines are free of taxation, when exported, hence the degree of fortification of exported wines is only limited by the demands of trade and the tariff of the country to which they are to be sent. I have already explained that the United States admits all still wines under twenty-four per cent, of alcohol at the same rate of duty, while England charges more than double for all wines containing above 26 per cent, of /roo/" spirits (about 13 per cent, alcohol) and less than 42 per cent (proof spirits). Hence, even if German alcohol were not used in fortifying wnnes for America, American alcohol could be used, and in this way shipped back to the United States, evading by the operation both Internal Revenue and Customs dues. Large quantities of so-called ports and sherries are shipped from France and Germany to the United States, one-fifth of the volume of which is an addition of common proof spirits, of German or American origin, which, by reason of the mixture, only pays forty cents per gallon duty — the same as wine — while the same article unmixed, has to pay two dollars per gallon. It should be remembered that the German alcohols are considered by the medical authorities to be more deleterious than our American grain spirits; hence it would be well if our government should increase the tax on all wines, alco- holized above the natural liihit of 13 or 15 per cent., and so protect the health of the people by cutting off this kind of legal smuggling of spirits. If the wines must be fortified above the degree necessary to bear transportation, it may as well be done in four country with American alcohols. The Hamburg, Bordeaux, Cette and Marseilles trade would oppose such a re- form, because the Germans and French are building up a great commerce in imitation ports, sherries and all kinds of vhts de liqueurs^ which our laxity of tariff encourages. The British government has set the example, which we should follow in this respect. The trade in genuine ports and sherries would be benefited by a law which would cut off part of the profits of imitations. I find that no one, dealing only in genuine w-ines or cognacs, cares to have any change in the tariff, except such as will help us to keep out of our markets the adulterated articles. Before continuing further on these subjects, I will refer back to what I said in one of my letters from the cognac district about a substance used in making imitations of cognacs. My informant called it rum, but described it as a thick, dark liquid. In Bordeaux, whence the supplies come, I found out only that the substance is a kind of caramel, prepared with molasses, flavored with essence of rum to suit. Old rum is also largely used in the manufacture of false brandies. Extracts with the rum flavor 3re prepared, but I am not able to describe them. These substances are probably harmless, when used without admixtures of fuch- sine and other colors; but they have no merits, being only used to deceive consum- ers. They cannot supply the places of the natural bouquets and flavors, which are essential and valuable parts of wines and brandies. The worst thing is that they are used to falsify villainous alcohols. They cost almost nothing, except to the con- sumer, who pays the prices of genuine wines and brandies for cheap adulterations. To illustrate the notoriety of this business of manufacturing imitation cognacs, 1 will quote a few items from among about one hundred similar ones m the advertise- ment of the laboratory of Mes.^rs. F. Lebeuf & Co., of Argenteuil, included in one of the volumes of the EncyclopedU-Ror^i.- 63 " Arome de innaigre, to give to vinegars of alcohol and other substances the taste and bouquet ol wine vinegar. "Bouquet conservateur dts vins du Midi, to preserve, perfume and age wines des- tined for voyages and transportation. ^'Bouquet de Pomard el de Bourgogne, gives to wine the taste and perfume of old Burgundy. ^'-Bouquet de raisin ou de cognac^ gives to beet-root or grain spirits the taste and the bouquet of wine spirits and of cognac. " Cognac-shoe, perfected chemical preparation for giving the bouquet and flavoi of cognacs to the dilutions of common alcohol and to mixtures all kinds. " Couleur verie en poudre, for coloring absinthes and liquors. With this powder one obtains, within a few hours, a beautiful green color which will stand light. "Essence de cognac (guaranteed) communicates to beet-root and grain spirits the ' taste of cognac. " Essence of madeira, muscat, malaga, alicante, port, lachryma-christi, grenache, sherry, tokay, marsala, etc. — to manufacture them with ordinary wine." And so on, through the whole list of rums, brandies, kirsch, anisette, Bordeaux wines, etc., etc. While I was in Cette I tried to learn something of the methods practiced there in making up wines for exportation. Cette has had the reputation of being the worst drug shop for wines in the world; but I think it cannot surpass Hamburg, and is not now far ahead of either Marseilles or Bordeaux. Every brand of known wine is turned out to order there. A correspondent of the London Ti7nes some time ago, quoting from the French JMoniieur Industrid, stated : " We learn that among the French white wines imported into England are in- cluded imitations of sherry and madeira, proceeding from Cette and Marseille, where ' the real nutty flavor' is skillfully imparted by chemical compounds." Another wri- ter describing Cette, says : "All the wines of the world, indeed, are made in Cette. You have only to give an order for Johannisberg, or Tokay — nay, for all I know, for the Falernian of the Romans or the nectar of the gods — and the Cette manufacturers will promptly supply you. They are great chemists, those gentlemen, and have brought the noble art of adulteration to a perfection which would make our own mere logwood and sloe-juice practitioners pale and wan with envy. But the trade of the place is not so much adulterating as concocting wine. * * They will doctor you up bad Bordeaux with violet powders and rough cider, color it with cochineal and turnsole, and outswear creation that it is precious Chateaux Margaux, vintage of '25." After an examination of invoices in the Consular Agent's office at Cette and a comparison of records of exports during past years, I found that the trade with the United States direct from Cette is rapidly decreasing ; hence, their methods are ol less importance to us. The wines used are those of the Midi, the North of Spain, Italy and Africa. It is far from Cette and its vicinity, along the Mediterranean that " Burgundy port" comes. " Burgundy port " is a name applied to Roussillon red wine, sweetened with boiled grape juice, and heavilv dosed with alcohol. It is this article and "sherry" that form the principal shipment? to the United States ; but the quantities are not very great. The same articles, together with the rough, heavy wines of the Midi, comprise the bulk of the wines shipped from Marseilles. 64 I was assured in Cette, by i\Tr. Nahmcns, the U. S. Consular Agent, that no artificial colors were used in the manufacture of wine there. I was so kindly treated by this gentleman and furnislicd with every fi^cility practicabh for getting in- formation, that I dislike to doubt his word; but it is only necessary to remark that he is the largest proprietor and tax-payer in the city ; that the city is dependent upon the "doctoring" of wines for support ; thit he was for a long time in the wine business, and now owns a warehouse, which is occupied by the Customs officers for guarding wines ; and that it is not to be expected that he is going to reveal the secrets of the trade, if there are any. His office is subordinate to the Consulate of INIarseilles. While visiting the Customs warehouse, which he owns, we noticed that forty-six bar- rels had been seized by the officers of the law. The officer in charge said that it was a lot of wine from Spain in which fuchsine had been found. This was a proof, at least, that the trade was aitetnpting to use fuchsined wines, and was rather a damper to Mr. Nahmens, who had just been telling me that no such things were used in Cette. Of course, there can be no proofs of the use of fuchsine here, except the seiz- ures. How much is exported, after evading the law, no one can tell. Fuchsine is an analine color, used to impart a brilliant ruby to wines. It is, however, only one of the many substances used ; but it is the one most condemned, and oftenest the cause of seizure, because it is considered injurious to health. I have found at least a dozen valuable works, published in France, treating upon falsifications of wines, and especially upon the false colorations, and the means of de- tecting them. I shall refer to them, because I do not wish it to be supposed that I am carelessly charging adulterations against French wine manipulators. The most interesting and useful work is that of Dr. E. J. Armand Gautier, Pro- fesseiir agrege to the Faculty of Medicine of Paris, and director of the laboratory of biological chemistry pertaining to the Faculty, etc.; the book is entitled La sophistica- tion des vins; coloration artificielle et mouillage; moyens pratiques de reconnaitre la fraude; published, Paris, Bailliere et Fils, No. 19 Rue Hautefeuille ; 1877. I will translate from the introduction, as follows : "For several years the fraudulent practices of coloration and watering of wines have spread more and more, and tend to pass from the shop of the retail merchant to the cellars of the great dealers, and even wine-growers. The artificial coloration of wines, which had been attempted only by a small number of operators of low grade, has become so common that it is by tons that must be counted the quantities of coche- nille, Phytolacca, mauve noire (black mallow), elderberries, fuchsine, that are sold annually in a single city, such as Montpellier, Beziers, Narbonne, or Paris. The elevated prices of the crop of 1873, the lack of color and of body of the wines of 1875, the excessive octroi taxes of certain cities, and particularly Paris, have advanced these dangerous practices to the highest degree. The notoriety and the increasing skill of merchants dealing in matters destined to color wines ; their advertisements, scarcely dissimulated, through the medium of journals and pamphlets, or through the efforts of their agents; the enormous gains realized by the sale of coloring materials of small value, employed to adulterate millions of hectolitres; in fine, the impunity of the re- tailers of these dangerous substances, the judicial convictions striking oftener the wine- producer or the wine merchant, excited to fraud by the dealer in coloring matters. 65 than the seller or manufacturer of these suspected things — all these causes tend to spread more and more the practice, so dangerous to public health and wealth, of artificia coloration of wines " The first paragraph in chapter 1st of the same work I translate as follows : " Wines are colored generally only that water may be added with impunity. This productive fraud is practiced upon millions of hcc'.olitres, is much to be regretted and is not without danger to health and the public revenue. In forcing the color ariificially, less is thought, indeed, of giving the wine a deeper or brighter tint, to please the eye of the consumer, than of finding a disguise which may permit, by increasing notably the coloring power of the precious liquid, a proportionate dilution with water, provided the strength is raised a little by the subsequent addition of cheap alcohol." Dr. Gautier gives descriptions and tables indicating how these adulterations may be detected. Dr. Lunier, in his work on " th3 producdon and consumption of alcoholic drinks in France," which I have noticed several times, s\ys there is nothing illicit in the use of dark red wines to raise the color of lighter ones; but he adds: "unfortu- nately there are used also, to obtain the same results, different coloring matters, of which the principal ones are: elderberries (of two kinds — hiebhs and sureau), myrtle- berries, Phytolacca, Brazil and logwood [boss dc campcche), juice of beet roots, holly- hock, ammoniacal cochenille, fuchsine, caramel, etc. The chemists have indicated several methods for detecting each of these falsifications, all of which are culpable and some of which are dangerous to public health." Dr. Lunier is the Inspector- General of the service for the insane and of the sanitar)- service of the prisons of France. I find, in nearly all ihe works on wine-making, chapters relating to falsifications and methods of detecting them. I will quote only from a few of them. Dr. J. Ferrier (Guide de Consommateur de bans vins, etc., Bordeaux, 1857), says ; "According to the Marquise de la Grange. Senator, falsification adds annually to the quantity of wine consumed in Paris, 300,000 hectolitres (nearly nine million gallons), * * * M. Payen, in his last work on alimentary substances, says that an entire volume would be insufficient to describe all the falsifications of which wines have been the subject. * * * There is still another new kind of fraud, which is daily practiced and to which consumers permit themselves to be subjected the most readily, because they only judge wines from appearances; it is the usurpation of the names 0/ imieyards (cms), 0/ producers^ and 0/ the places 0/ production. A wine merchant of bad character applies audaciously to his barrels the mark of a well known vineyard of fine reputation, although the wine contained in them does not come from there, and the same means is emj)loyed for the etiquettes (labels), and the corks of wines in bottle. Another buys one barrel of wine of a renowned vineyard, in order to prove to his clients that he can furnish to them such wine ; but, in his hands, this tonneau is not like that of the Danaides. A third {uirchases, or leases, in a town or village of the M^doc country, which has the most renown for its wines, a cellar or a small patch of vines ; then he calls himself on his cards and in his invoices, a proprietaire en Medoc, and sends out wines, often very common, which he has naturalized upon his pretended property." Dr. Ferrier, who wrote the foregoing, was a physician at Pau- illac, in the Medoc, and formerly surgeon to the Lazaret, in Bordeaux, and member 66 of the Society of Physical and Chemical Sciences and Arts of France. He has only remarked what, from observation, I have found true to-day, especially concerning the tricks of merchants with labels and brands. Mr. Raimond Boireau ( Traitcinent pratique des vins, Paris, E. Lacroix, 54 Rue des Saints-Peres, 1876), gives some excellent chapters on false bouquets, colors, and on the methods of detecting water in wine. Francisque Chaverondier, member of the L?gioa of Honor, Vice-President of the Viticultural Society of the Loire, etc. ( L.i Vigmet k vin, Paris, Librarie Agricole, 26 Rue Jacob), says: "When wine is lacking in color, they have in some vinicul- tural districts the baleful habit of giving color to it by means of the juice of myrtles, elderberries, etc. These falsifications are always to be condemned, are often danger- ous, and we cannot denounce them too much. The vinj-growers have natural means for increasing the color of wine, that is, by the plantation of varieties of vines, which produce wine excessively colored, such as the Teinturier and the Corbeau." Among the other works to which I might refer concerning artificial coloration, etc., are : "Z?« vin, etc." by Dr. C. Husson, Vica-President of th^ Society of Phar- macy of j\Ieurthe-et-Moselle, Paris, P. Asselin, Place de I'Ecole de IMedicine, 1877; " Guide pratique pour reconnaitre et corriger lesfraiides el ks maladies du vin, suivi d'un trade d'aftulvse chimique de tous les vin^," by Jacques Brun, of the Swiss Society of Pharmaceutists, Paris, Eugene Lacroix, 51 Rue des Saints-Peres; " Vins sophistiques," by Eticnne Bastide, pharmaceutist, Beziers, Lnprimerie da Commerce, 1876 ; "Sur la coloration artificielle des vins — sur quelqiies movens de la decelcr," by P. Carles, pharma- ceutist of Bordeaux, Feret et Fils, 187 -i; ^'Considerations generaks sur la coloation artificielle des vins; movens pratiques propres a la dkehrP by INL !\Lirtin Barbat, Pharma- ceutist and Secretary-General of the Central Coaacii of Hygiene of the Department of the Gironde, Bordeaux, imprimerie, G. Gounouilhou, No. 11 Rue Guiraude, 1874. None of the foregoing works are of a sensational character. All are intensely serious, scientific and practical. The work of Dr. Gautier contains, in an appendix, valuable official papers, among which are laws relating to frauds of wines, and the late circular of the Gov- ernment, issued for the purpose of urging officers to rigorously enforce the laws, and defining what is considered a falsification; also, the opinion of Dr. Bouchardat, Pro- fessor of Hygiene to the Faculty of Paris, concerning the means to be employed to prevent frauds in wines. ADULTERATION'S WITH ALCOHOL. The use of distilled spirits, as practiced generally in France in the fortification of wines, is in the nature of a fraud. The object of its use is either to prepare wines for mixing with worthless stu.ff, or to preserve weak mixtures, which cannot safely be exported without its aid. Good natural wines need na fortification. I have six kinds of California wines here at present, which had not been prepared for a long voyage, but which I had forwarded to me from Washington. They have been traveling nearly all the time since May, by rail and sea, across from San Francisco to Wash- ington, changing cellars in Washington, rail to New York, by sea to Liverpool, by rail and steamer from Liverpool to Paris, twice changed here from hotel to hotel; yet every bottle turns out an improved wine, which pleases the most fastidious French- man, and even the Americans, who prefer to buy the same wine under a French label. The Zinfandel is a deliciou.^ wine, as every one attests, INly restaurateur uisisis ih.it 67 it is Bordeaux wine. The Burgundy was compared with wine of that class here, and the difference was that it was a liltle stronger, a defect cured on the instant by the addition of a few drops of water at table. The Riesling proved a great surprise; it had improved so much that a critical French connoisseur, to whom I gave some, could not find anything to say, except in unqualified praise. The majority of French wines would require fortification wiih alcohol to have en- dured this test, because, in real truth, the majority of French wines are imperlect, weak and unmarketable until they have been doctored. This is a hard truth for the affected American connoisseur to swallow, but not so hard as it would be for him to swallow some of the ingredients of h s favorite brands before they pass through the manipulation of French wine doctors. Concerning the/ac/ of the abuse of fortification with spirits in France, I shall rely, as I have done in the case of colorations, upon high authority, in order to satisfy my readers. I quoted from French doctors sometime ago; now I will quote the President and IMinistry of France. In the project of a law, relating to the vinage (for- tification) of wine, presented to the French Assembly by INIons. Leon Say, Minister of Finance, in the name of President IMacMahon, July 27ih, 1875, I find the fol- lowing expressions: "Gentlemen: The vJtage is a useful operation, without doubt, when it has for its object, by a slight addition of alcohol, to secure, from all danger of alteration, wines too feeble to be preserved. It is for this reason that the law of April 28th, 1816, established the precedent of exempting from the tax of consumption (Internal Revenue) the spirits added to wines. " But, in the presence of the abuses of w-hich this exemption became the source and of the great prejudice which resulted from it to the Treasury, the privilege o( vinage, free of tax, was restricted in 1852, to seven departments of the South ol France, and it was necessary, in 1864, to suppress it completely. All addition of alco- hol to wines, carries with it in consequence thereof, under the present laws, the pay- ment of the tax of 125 francs per hectolitre (nearly $1 per gallon), and even some- times a tax 01 175 francs (about $1 25 per gallon). :,< .i: * -pj^g only exception to this rule is in the case of additions of alcohol to wines destined for exportation to foreign countries, and provided that the mixture is operated at the port of shipment, or at the point of departure, at the very moment of exportation." The proposed law was to effect a reduction of the tax on alcohol added to wine for French consumption; it is still before the French Legislature in a modified form. The abuses, which the Government refer to, as existing prior to the suppression of vinage, and which led to the suppression, still exist for wines expor/ed horn France. I think that I am not unjust to French wines, when I respectfully suggest that laws, similar to the French laws pertaining to falsifications and abuses of fortification, should be adopted and enforced in the United States against all wines and liquors, and par- ticularly against those French wines, which the laws of France would not tolerate for home consumption. Notwithstanding the fear of arrest and punishment, the frauds in France go on, as the arrests and convictions prove; is it not, then, probable that there would be found interesting work for our chemists, if called upon to examine the wines shipped to us under circumstances which enable frauds to be perpetrated with impunity.? No wine should be permitted to be shipped to the United States without proper precautions against falsifications, which can be provided for througli 68 the regulations of the Consular offices, and none should be permitted to enter and cir- culate in our countr}-, which a nation, so experienced in wine-drinking as France is, will not permit to be used by the French people. The frauds of mixing water with wine are also admitted by the Government. In the same document quoted last, after enumerating certain proposed restrictions, limiting the privilege of fortification at reduced rates of taxation by the condition that wines shall not be alcoholized above fifteen per cent, of total strength, except on payment of double taxes for any excess, 1 find the following expressions : " Notwithstanding the restrictions which have just been enumerated, it is to be presumed that the practice of fortification, with reduction of taxes to 30 francs per hectolitre, in principal (37 francs 50 centimes with decimes included), will be carried on upon a large scale, since, for an addition of 3 per cent, of alcohol per hectolitre of wine, there will be due to the Treasury only one franc and an eighth. We may expect, therefore, for this reason, a certain increase of receipts ; but it must not be lost sighc of that a great number of speculators will direct the operations of fortifica- tion so as to raise to at least fifteen degrees the alcoholic strength of all their wines which they intend to have used in blending {coupage), whether in the cities, subjected to a single tax, or whether in the retail shops, where the doubling with water is so favorable to the middleman.'' The Minister of Finance then proceeds to show how this encouragement to fortification will aid those who may use it to obtain sufficient strength in wines to cover a large addition of water, and recommends that if the proposed reduction be adopted, it be further limited to the wines of 187-1 and 1875, and that the privilege should cease September 30th, 1876. In a foot note he gives a demonstration of the probable results of the passage of the law as follows ■• He estimates that 2,750,000 hectolitres (about 80,000,000 gallons) of neutral wines of the South of France, hav- ing a natural strength of 7.5 per cent, alcohol, would be fortified with 250,000 hec- tolitres of trois-six alcohol (about 11,000,000 gallons of proof spirits.) In this way 3,000,000 hectolitres of wine having an average strength of 15 per cent, would be obtained. Then he says : "If they mix these three million hectolitres of alcoholized wine with 2,800,000 hectolitres of acid wines of the centre of France, containing 7.5 per cent, of alcohol, they will obtain a mass of 5,800,000 hectolitres of wine at 11.38 per cent. After this mixture these wines will be able still to support an addition of 2,- 450,080 hectolitres of water, and the product of this operation will enable them to deliver 8,250,000 hectolitres (about 250,000,000 gallons) of wine of an average strength of 8 per cent. Admitting that the fraudulent doublings with water may be practiced only on a half of the quantity fortified, the losses to the Treasury and the profits of the reduced tax would almost balance each other.'' The losses are estimated because the water added to the wine would pay no tax to the Government. What more serious remark concerning the morality of the wine trade in France can I offer after quoting the Minister of Finance .' Recollect that all the frauds which the suppression of vinage prevents are possible with the exported wines, because there is no restriction whatever for the benefit of the health of the foreign consumer. The practice of adding water to wine for exportation cannot be carried to such an extent as when for home consumption, on account of the necessity for keeping the wine good during transportation ; but, in exportation to the United States, the wines can be 69 alcoholized up to 24 per cent., if required, and watered in our countr\- before con- sumption. The cost of German alcohol in bond which pays no dut}- when exported in the form of alcoholized wine, is very little — less than thirty cents a gallon of proof spirits ; the exact figure I have not at hand at this moment. If the United Stales should tax all wine for its excess of alcohol above natural strength the same as distilled spirits, the wines we drink would be much better, because the French houses could not then afford to add the spirits, and the American houses could not well afford to add much at home, because then they would have to pay the internal revenue tax. How- ever, two gallons of proof spirits, worth about two dollars and ten cents, would fortify ten gallons of water. How much of such business is done in America is a problem for future consideration ; but it is self-evident that, if done at all, the government has a right to compel it to be done with American spirits that have paid taxes, or exact the proper import tax upon the quantities of German spirits added in France. Again, the French Minister of Finance, in the same document says : " How- ever, we cannot fail to recognize that the fabrication of imit^Ltions of vins de h'queur and of vermouth, and that the preparation of alcoholized wines, destined for exporta- tion, constitute an industry that we cannot hinder without favoring foreign products, which begin to compete with our own in the interior markets, and wi'.hout affecting our exportations. Therefore, the Administration has been lead, in the absence of precise provisions of law which may serve as rules of action, to grant to manufacturers of imitation wines and vins de liqueurs, as well as to wholesale exporting merchants, concessions, more or less extended, which, being without legal sanction, have given rise to such abuses that we have found it necessary to return, in certain respects^ to the rigorous observance of actual legislation." It is this kind of trade which France has encouraged, as the Minister of Finance admits, that the United States is now asked to still further foster by a change in the com- mercial tariff. Can I add anything more forcible against the proposition than what is contained in Mr. Leon Say's document .'* Can I add any stronger argument in favor of laws on our part to discourage such trade .' I think that I shall be able to show, before I finish these subjects, that we do need a change in our tariff, and that the greed of these French manipulators of vins de cargaison and adulterations has done us some good by calling our attention to the kind of change we need. We need a tariff that will discriminate between all alcoholic drinks that are not true to name and label, and against all wines that are not the natural products of fermentation. In another paragraph the French Minister says : " Article 4 (of the proposed law) establishes a special rule for the manufacturers of champagne wines. These wines receive, in fact, a light alcoholization. Although it is a matter only of a tax — very small as compared with the value of the wines — we think, nevertheless, that it is useful to grant the discharge of this tax in the case of exportation." I am making my letter so long that I shall not attempt to moralize upon these authorities which I have referred to. I quote them to satisfy those of my readers, who don't know a pure wine or brandy when they taste it, that France has become a great manufacturing nation, setting the fashi n in mixed drinks for the whole world, and for our people especially. Most of the imported wines and " brandies " in the United States have been prepared by skillful operators, so as to please the senses of taste, smell and sight, and even feeling (for the soft feeling upon the tongue and palate is what enables hot German alcohols to pass American lips as fine brandies and liqueurs). 70 It.is with these as standards that the average American undertakes to judged the merits of pure native wines, which would be drunk readily in France, but which must be doctored by the importers, mixed with French vin de cargaison and labeled with French fashionable etiquettes before the American will use them. I hope that the Press will generally give some attention to the true merits of this trade in French liquors, which we are asked to encourage. The simple truth is, as I have said before, that France does not produce a large quantity of fine wines, and that the whole amount of all kinds of wines and brandies produced legitimately is not sufficient to supply home consumption and the foreign trade. The production is rapidly decreasing ; where, then, is the merit in the demand that we should pass laws to increase her exports to our country ? There is no excess of pure wine in France; but there are thousands of merchants and manu- facturers ready to send us cognacs made from alcohol of beet roots and potatoes, and wines " doctored " in secret, the methods of which they refuse to reveal. AUTHORITIES ON COUPAGES. The best publications which I can find treating on the practical methods and rules for mixing, blending, and producing vins de cargaisons, and all sorts of imita- tions of wines, liquors and spirits, are the following : Traiie Theorique et pratique de vimficaimi^ etc., by L. P. Dubief, manufacturing distiller: Veuve Paul Chaumas, Bordeaux ; Manuel pratique des negociants en vins et spiriteux, etc., Paris, office of the Moniieur Vimcole, 6 rue de Beaune ; Le par/ait viaitre de chat, etc., by Peyron, Paris, Magnin Blanchard & Co., No. 3 rue Honore Chevallier ; Amelioration des liquides (one of the series of the Encyclopedie-Roret), Paris, Librairie Encyclopedique de Roret, Na 12, rue Hautefeuille ; Chauffage des vins, etc., by Giret and Vinas, Paris, Librairie Agricole, 26 rue Jacob ; Distillateur Liquoriste, (Encyclopedie-Roret) ; also the better known works of Ladrey, Boireau, Maumene, Duplais, Vergnette-Lamotte and others, all of which can be easily obtained by application to any of the leading French bookstores. The par/ait maitre is a perfect text book, composed after the manner of a work on algebra, with rules, examples and problems to work out. The Manuel pratique contains, besides rules concerning coiipages, all the necessary information for a fair understanding of the French system of octroi and the relations of the merchant to the Government of France. Dr. Le Canu's work. Etude sur les raisins, leurs produits et la vinification, Paris, Edouard Blot, 66 rue Turenne, contains interesting analyses of the juice of grapes and records of experiments. Dubief's work, above quoted, has thirteen pages devoted to the subject — meth- ods of imitating all kinds of wines with one kind of grape. The Amelioration des liquides and the Distillateur contain advertisements of scores of such chemical compounds for perfuming, flavoring, aging, etc., wines and spirits, such as the liqueur Tras forest, which I have before referred to. The other works, especially \ki(t Manuel pratique, gives pages of advertisers, who have Fleur de Bordeaux , Fleur de Bourgogne, and such things useful to the French manufacturer of adulterated wines and imitations. These works avoid mentioning colorations forbidden by law, and the quantities of water that may be used in certain mixtures ; such things are left for practical and secret experiments. I will finish this letter by quoting a few extracts 71 fro-.n the ^Ta•.l■lel p>\it:qtcc, which has been published under th'2 auspices of as hio:h an authority as the M n:ieur Vmicoh of Paris : "Suppose that at Bercy (the Paris wine quarter) they wish to make a wine capa- ble of being sold at the counter under the name of Petit Bordeaux. We will take: Macon wine 10 hectolitres Narbonne, or Tavel wine 10 " Ain (Bugey) " 10 Dry and hard " 10 Total 40 hectolitres " In the Gironde (Bordeaux), they send to England, under the name of Bor- deaux, the following' coupage .• Bordeaux wine 18 hectolitres Spanish " 3 Dark red wine of the Midi 6 " Alcohol 1 Total 28 hectolitres "To cure a wine with an earthy taste: Wine with earthy taste 2 hectolitres Red wine of good taste 4 " Vin Muet 6 litres. Add Fleur de Bourgogne^ or de Bordeaux. Vin Muet is the term applied to grape juice, unfermented, preserved by means of sulphurous acid fumes. No.v, for the special gratification of our connoisseurs, who " never drink anything except fine wines of France," I will conclude this letter by quoting from the same authority the following: " We will finish this chapter by giving the formula for several imitation wines, composed either for exportation, or to flatter the vanity of consumers who desire to drink, at cheap prices, an appearance of renowned wines. BURGUNDY. Roussillon, or Narbonne 55 litres White wine 25 " Old Red Alicante 10 " Old Sherry 5 " Vin noir of Narbonne 5 " Total 100 litres CHAMBERTIN. Narbonne, or Roussillon 75 litres Red Alicante 10 " Sherry 5 " Malaga 5 " Madeira 6 " Total. 100 litres 72 BORDEAUX. Narbonne, or Roussillon 60 litres. \\'hite Wine of s:^ood quality 25 " Old Red Alicante 12 " Old Malaga 3 " Total 100 litres. CHATEAU MARGAUX. Old Narbonne 47 litres. Light White Wine 20 " Sherry 10 " Red Alicante 20 " Malaga 3 " Total 100 litres. SAUTERNE. Old White Wine 55 litres. Dry " " 25 " Sherry 10 " Madeira 10 '< Total 100 litres. It will be seen that the base of the above imitations is a mixture of cheap wines of the Midi, alcoholized, with flavoring of rich wines of Spain. At the present time, the heavy red wines of Spain take the place of the Roussillon and Narbonne, on account of the increased price of those wines, caused by the decrease of the crops of the Midi by reason of phylloxera. C. A. W. General Statistics and Facts pertaining to Production, Consumption, Importation and Exportation of Wines in France. Paris, November 9th, 1878. — I wish in this letter to present, in condensed form, some salient facts concerning production, consumption, importation and ex- portation, affecting questions of French wine and spirit industries and commerce, before entering especially upon the subject of the nature of the commerce between France and the United States. The subject matters will be dry reading, but I respectfully recommend a careful consideration of them to those of my readers who desire to form intelligent opinions, not only concerning wines of present consumption in the United States, but also concerning the sources of supply. The French official statistics, concerning production and consumption, are not exact ; but they are sufficiendy approximate for general deductions and comparisons. The tables furnished by the Ministers of Finance and Commerce, being prepared from reports of different origin, do not agree. Doctor Lunier, in his work on production and consumption, accounts for these differences, as follows : Certain Mayors of cities, who are called upon by the officers of the Revenue Bureau for information, fearing that the figures given may be used as a basis for taxation, return statements of areas 73 of vines showing less than tlic actual truth. The tables of tlic IMinisters of Com- merce are made up from reports of official correspondents in each canton, who return statements derived from the producers themseh-es. The average price of wine in the tables of the latter represent the prices realized at the vineyards, while the prices given by the jNIinister of Finance are generally those of the wholesale dealers in towns. The Statistiqiie GeneraJe shows oiher variations. I am inclined to rely generally upon the work of Dr. Lunier, because it is the result of comparative study and research, and not merely the simple compilation of the reports in one department. The figures giving areas of vines, total production and average products per hectare (2.47 acres) are approximately even, but the prices of the products show in the reports of the Fi- nance Department nearly double those in the Department of Commerce. For instance, the Finance Reports give the average prices of wine per hectolitre, in 1871, at 52 francs, and 1872 at 52.50 francs, while in the reports of the Department of Commerce they are as follows : 1871, 26.60 francs ; 1872, 27.50 francs. The former prices are, no doubt, those upon which the movements of commerce are based, just as I found in Bordeaux the prices current of the Board of Trade higher than the prices quoted for actual purchases at the vineyards. From the official tables I glean the following statements: The areas in vines were as follows: In 1808, 4,034,347 acres; 1840, 5,000,000 acres; 1862, 5,800,- 000 acres; 1870, 6,000,000 acres. These areas have been given differently at differ- ent times, owing to reliance upon different reports. The figures above are, however, probably sufficiently accurate for any study our people may choose to make of the subject. The annual production has varied enormously. In 1808, 739,500,000 gallons; in 1850, 1,188,450,000 gallons. Then it fell off" rapidly until 1854, when the pro- duct was only 289,800,000 gallons. This decrease was caused by oidium on the vines, which threatened to entirely destroy them, until the sulphur cure was found, after which the production rapidly increased again, until, in 1857, a normal production of 910,000,000 was reached. In 1858, an extraordinary production of one billion four hundred millions was recorded, followed the next year by seven hundred and eightv millions. From 1864 to 1877, the average annual product has been one billion five hundred and five million gallons. The crop of 1877 was an average crop, falling only about fifteen million gallons short. This year's crop will probably be much less. In 1873 there was a short crop, and in 1875 an extraordinary one; the latter reaching the unprecedented amount of hvo billion 07ie hwidred and ninety viillion gallons! The phylloxera, oidium and other diseases, are now affecting the wine production seriously, notwithstanding the increased demand for wines has caused the culture of the vine to be pushed to the greatest extent in all places where it may succeed, in order to provide against the failures in other places. The net decrease in the areas of vineyards shown in one year — 1876 to 1877 — is 50,000 acres, according to official reports ; but this figure is only a statement of the excess of vineyards actually abandoned, over new vineyards. At least 1,000,000 acres, or 2,000,000,000 vines, have been ruined, so far as production is concerned, and the crop this year is less than the average, wherever the vines are producing. I have given the foregoing statement in American wine gallons, the hectolitre being the unit for large estimates here. Heretofore, I have frequently referred to the 74 hectolitre as containing twenty-two gallons, which is the estimate in Imperial gallons, English measure ; the proper estimate ior us is 20.40 gallons. Our wine gallon contains 3.7854:4 litres, according to the regulations of the Con- sular Offices. This estimate causes the gross amounts given above to seem much larger than generally given, because they are usually estimated in Imperial gallons. During the past ten years, the average product of wine to the acre in France has been 2G0 gallons ; the average price at the vineyards, eighteen cents per gallon. The average price in commerce has been about double the original cost. The cost of handling, preserving, and disposing of wine, after it has been produced, is very great, when compared with the cheapest prices at the vineyards. THE WINE PRODUCT OF EUROPE. For the sake of comparison, I will give a single statement, in round numbers (American wine gallons), of the wine products of the wine-growing countries of Europe, for average years : France 1,505,000,000 gallons. Spain 523,000,000 " Portugal 130,750,000 " Italy 810,650,000 " Austro-Hungary 575,800,000 Germany 150,900,000 " Switzerland 10,400,000 " Russia and Turkey 52,300,000 " Greece and Cyprus 20,150,000 " Roumania 15,690,000 " Total average annual European product 3,230,900,000 gallons. CONSUMPTION OF WINE IN FRANCE. The vast variations in the annual productions of wine in France have very little effect upon the quantities exported, though they affect, to some extent, the imports. These variations affect, quite considerably, the question of home consumption, though there is no direct ratio of comparison. Wines in France are, more or less, kept in cellars to improve by age. Much is kept until two years old; also a large stock of superior wines for a longer time. But the great bulk of the wine product is of very ordinary quality, is sent to the manipulators, who blend it and water it, and is not kept long. The stock on hand, however, is always large enough to make up ordi- nary deficiencies of exceptionally short crops. The stock, however, is higher priced than the ordinar}' cheap wines of ordinary years; hence the great manipulators use it as economically as possible. The statistics of consumption, per capita, are based upon the receipt of taxes upon the wine as it passes the Octroi officers, and enters into circulation. Hence if, after a year of short crops of wine, the amount apparendy consumed as shown by octroi receipts, is smaller than usual, it does not follow that the quantity of liquid called wine, actually consumed, is much less than usual. Where wine is abundant and cheap, there is less temptation to water and adulterate it; when it is scarce and dear the temptation is not less understood than the fact of fraud itself Hence it is not in the interest of any wine-producing and wine-consuming nation, the product of whose wines is not very much in excess of the consumption of its own people, to cre- ate a large and growing foreign demand for its wines. France would be the greatest 75 sufferer if her merchants should succeed now in increasing largely the exportation of wines, because that would materially affect the stocks on hand and the prices in the market. The consumption of wine in France has been steadily increasing ; all the excess of each year has been easily disposed of ; old wines in store are becoming rarer ; the product is now in danger of rapid decrease. The present supply is shown to be deficient by the existence of so many frauds, imitations and adulterations ; the demand for the wine has practically stopped the distillation of wine into brandy ; the brandy supply is very small, while the consumption of alcohols is vastly increased ; hence, France will have, for some time to come at least, no excess of pure natural wine or brandies to export, and will have no need of any increasing market ; hence, also, foreign nations cannot expect to call upon France for any considerable increase of shipments of pure wine and brandy. I will show, bj' and by, that the commerce is now too large for the supply. In estimating the quantities of wine consumed in France, Dr. Lunier gives the following comparative statements, estimated in hectolitres, as average results for each year of the periods indicated ; 1829-1838. 1864-1873. Production 33,800,000 59,400,000 Importation 2,000 400,000 Total resources 33,802,000 59,800,000 Exportation 1,250,000 2,600,000 Converted into vinegar 550,000 300,000 Distilled 8,500,000 5,400,000 Quantity upon which taxes of consumption were paid. .. 13,000,000 25,400,000 Quantity consumed free of taxes 6,600,000 19,500,000 Leakage, fraudulent consumption, etc 3,902,000 6,600,000 Total 33,802,000 59,800,000 Total of last three items — being consumption in France.. . 23,502,000 51,500,000 The last three items together approximately represent the average quantity of wine consumed annually during the above mentioned periods. Wine is consumed at the vineyards free of taxation. Portions are also accounted for by fraudulent sales, wherein the government is defrauded of the amount of taxes thereon. These figures represent the actual and natural wines as produced at the vineyards; by the system of dedoullage (watering), coloration and fortification, the amount consumed is probably increased at least one-fourth in volume before it reaches the consumer. The important facts to notice are that while the production of wine increased 25,000,000 hectolitres annually (076,440,000 gallons), the increase of exports was only 35,652,500 gallons; yet so great was the growing demand for home consumption that the quantities converted into brandy, alcohol and vinegar, were greatly decreased, and the quantities of wine imported increased from 56,800 to 10,560,000 gallons. The decrease in the quantities converted into alcohol, brandy and vinegar, was two and a half times greater than the increase of exportations. Hence there could have been no excess of wine, because, if so, more would have been turned into spirits and vinegar. Meanwhile, also, the price of wine has been constantly rising. During this time the supply of distilled spirits has also increased, notwithstanding tlie decreaiie of distillation of wine, from 976,500 hectolitres in 1840, to 1,486.233 76 hectolitres in 1873; in 1840, 900,000 were from the grape, and only 76,500 from beet roots and other substances, while in 1873, only 373,262 were from the grape, and 1,112,971 were from beet roots, etc. An immense quantity of imported spirits was also used in the bonded warehouses, to manufacture for the foreign commerce imitation liqueurs, cognacs, kirsch, absinthe, etc. The main deduction, which I draw from these facts, is that home consumption increases in such a rapid and forcible manner, probably because means of transporta- tion are improved, that the foreign market cannot be well supplied; and that the de- crease of distillation of wine and increase of importations indicate that the supplies of wines produced in France are too small to satisfy the demand. The commerce in so-called cognacs has increased, yet the production of genuine brandies has decreased because wine is worth more to manufacture of vhi de cargaison and cheap coupages than to the distillers. Since 1873 the exportation of wmes has increased to about three million hec- tolitres annually; meanwhile, however, the great increase of imports shows that more wine cannot be exported without creating a deficit at home. Increased exportation has also caused directly an increased importation, because most of the wines exported are merely mixtures of Spanish and Italian red wines with the poorest qualities of French white and red wines. During the period 1829-1838, the average consumption of wine in France per capita was 63 litres annually, or about 17 gallons. During the very small crops from 1850 to 1855, the consumption fell down as low as 31 litres; but as soon as normal production was restored, it increased rapidly, until, in 1872 it was 126.6 litres, or 34 gal Ions /^r capita. These figures, however, do not fairly represent the consumption of the wine- drinking communities. France, by reason of its intricate system of octroi taxation, is divided up into many different commercial parts, each of which is commercially foreign to the other. Wine cannot come from Bordeaux to Paris, or to any other place in France, without paying taxes of entry, just as though the places were foreign countries. For instance, a box of books which I brought from Bordeaux to Paris had to be smashed open in the Paris depot, to see whether I had not smuggled a few botdes of brandy or wine. It is as much trouble to get into Paris with baggage from Bordeaux as it is from New York. Hence it is that in districts, especially in the north and northwest of France, where no wine is produced, very little is consumed, except in large cities. France needs a commercial treaty between Bordeaux and the Nor- mandy Provinces far more than she needs one with the United States. It is an exten- sion of commerce within France, caused mainly by improved railway transportation, that creates the increasing consumption of wines, and which tends to make it still more difficult each year for France to supply pure wines in sufficient quantities to satisfy foreign demands. The/^r capita consumption of wine is greater in the wine-drinking communi- ties than the figures above indicate, based upon the population of all France. Rail- way facilities and a special treaty with Spain increase the supplies for the Paris market, hence the remarkable progression of the per capita consumption in this city. From 1841 to 1850 it was 100.5 litres annually; in 1873 it was 221.2 litres, or about 60 gallons. 77 In Lyons the consumption /^r capita during 18G5-69 was about 59 gallons annu- ally. In Bordeaux, during the same period, 58 gallons, and 57 gallons in 1871. In the Herault, before the great ravages of the phyllo.'vera, it was 65 gallons. In Mar- seilles it is about 45 gallons. In the nine northwestern departments the average consumpiion in 1873 was only four gallons ; in 1859 it was only two. In the eleven northern departments, includ- ing Paris, when the figure was GO gallons, the entire average is brought down to 23 by the small quantity circulating in the other parts. In a former letter I explained how it is that in the places where the least wine is consumed the consumption of distilled alcohols is greater and the evil results o( intemperance more marked. Ai I have remarked before, these figures of consumption are based solely upon the quantities of wine produced, taxed, etc., and must be increased by the amount of water, alcohol, etc., added before consumed. If the production of natural wine were equal to the present demand, the figures would probably be much larger, while tha actual demand of consumers might not be increased, — there would be less adultera- tions. CONSUMPTION OF WINE IN OTHER COUNTRIES. The following statement of per capita consumption of wine in other countries will be interesting to note : Italy, 32 gallons ; Portugal, 22 ; Switzerland, 13 ; Austria, 14 ; Spain, 8 ; Wirtemberg, 5. In countries like Spain, the working class use common alcohol, diluted and flavored with anise seed, as a common beverage. The poverty of masses of people always reduces the consumption of wine and increases that of cheap alcohols. CONSUMPTION OF SPIRITS. I have already touched upon the production of distilled spirits, and shown how it has increased in France, while at the same time the distillation of brandies and alcohols from wine has decreased. The main source of production now is from the beet root. In the tables of production there is a distinction made between alcohol from beet roots and alcohol from melasses, but it should be understood that the molasses is chiefly the product of beet roots. The process of disdlling is different however. In the first case the spirits are distilled from fermented beet root ; in the latter from molasses or syrup, which forms the residuum after the crystallization of beet sugar. It is more difficult to obtain satisfactory statisdcs of the consumption of distilled spirits in France than that of wines. To illustrate this, I will refer again to Dr. Lunier, rather than to the government reports. He gives a table showing the amounts upon which taxes have been paid, and then says : "To the preceding figures one may, with safety for the whole of France, add about a fifth part for the consump- tion en franchise and fraud." There is a certain quantity allowed to be consumed at the distilleries free of tax, or en franchise. He estimates, however, the consumption for 1878 at 1,024,085 hectolitres out of an average production, during ten years, of 1,409,754 hectolitres. In the wine producing Department of the Gironde (Bordeaux) the per capita consumption, in 1873, was : Distilled spirits, 1.36 litres ; wine, 180 ; beer, 3.73. In the Pas-dc-Calais, along the coast uf the British Channel, the figures were : Spirits, G.34 ; wine, 10.8 ; beer, 152.79. In die Nord, north of Paris ; Spirits, 78 4.G5 ; wine, 9 ; beer, 220. In Ille-et-Vilaine, also in the north : Spirits, 3.48 ; wine, 10.6 ; cider, 247.14 ; beer, 8.39. In the Seino Inferieur, west of Paris, the spirits are increased to 10 Hires. In tlie Charente (the cognac country) the figure is only nine- icnths of a litre, or about one bottle per annum to the inhabitant. The people have plcn'.y of wine in the Charente, and the fact that they drink so little spirits is a fair proof that wine does not excite them to its use, notwithstanding it is so largely pro- duced where they live. Of course, if the whole quantity used en franchise were known, the figure would be larger ; but the associated statistics of health and the small pro- portion of evil results from intemperance, prove at least that, if they do drink brandies, they do not suffer evil consequences. The statistics are decidedly in favor of either the wine, or the spirits distilled from wine ; and very much against badly fermented ciders and common alcohols- IMPORTATIONS. I have procured copies of statistical reports, books and laws pertaining to the general commerce of France; also tabulated statements from the customs offices of certain of the most important departments, such as Bordeau.x, Cette and Marseilles, in detail. Concerning the tariff on imported wines and spirits, however, I will q ote from letters furnished me by the United States Vice-Consul at Bordeaux and the Con- sular Agent at Cette, translating where necessary, as follows: "Consulate of the United States of Amkrica, Bordeaux, Sept. 27th, 1878. "My Dear Sir: The following is an exact copy from a letter, just received from the Director of Customs at this port. Yours very truly, " L. A. Price, U. S. Vice-Consul. " Monsieur le Consul: I have the honor to indicate to you below, in response to your letter of September 20th, the taxes applicable to wines imported into France: "tarif general. " Ordinary wines, of European origin or of extra European origin, imported directly from the country producing them, five francs per hectolitre; or extra Euro- pean origin, imported from the entrepots of Europe, .five francs per hect. plus, three francs per 100 kilogrammes, gross weight. " Vins de liqueurs, of European origin or extra European origin, imported di- rectly from the country producing them, twenty francs per hectolitre; of extra Euro- pean origin, imported from the entrepots of Europe, twenty francs per hect. plus, three francs per 100 kilogrammes, gross weight. "According to the terms of the law of December 30th, 1873, these taxes are also increased 4 per cent. " TARIF CONVENTIONEL. " Wines of all kinds, 30 centimes per hect. " The wines of Spain, both ordinary and liqueurs., follow a special rule, and are taxed, all extraordinary and additional duties included, at the rate of three francs, 50 centimes, per hectolitre. "According to the terms of the law of May 8th, 1869, foreign wines imported under the conditions of the general tariff, and containing more than 14 per cent. alcohol, must be subject, also, to the duty upon alcohol for the quaniiiy of that liquid 79 exceeding that limit. Foreign wines must pay, also, the same taxes of consumption as the French wines ; but the collection of these last taxes is entrasted to the service of indirect contributions.'' The following is translated from a letter written, in reply to my inquiries, by Mr. J. S. Nahmens, United States Consular Agent at Cette : " Wines consumed in France are considered, with respect to taxes, as ordinary wines when containing up to 15 degrees of alcohol. "Above 15 degrees, and up to 21, they are subjected to a double tax of con- sumption for each degree of alcohol in excess. "Above 21 degrees they are considered as spirits and subjected to the tax upon alcohol in accordance with their degree of strength. That is to say, a wine of 22 degrees, for example, pays the tax upon 22 litres of alcohol for each hectolitre (100 litres) of wine. " For exportation, wines are fortified free of tax, whether with native or foreign alcohols, in the bonded warehouse {entrepot de Douane) " The alcohols of the United States have been for some time quite shut out of this place, their price not being able to support the competition of the German alcohols. ' ' However, no foreign alcohols can be used to fortify wines for the interior, by reason of the taxes of consumption which are imposed upon them and raise them above the prices of native alcohols. " German alcohols pay a duty of 15 francs per hectolitre of pure alcohol ; the American, as well as those of all other nations which have no treaty of commerce with France, pay 30 francs per hectolicre." From the above it will be seen that, respecting wines, the French have two good provisions of law which the United States should imitate, viz : Increased tax for wines, extra European, imported from some European warehouse, and the tariff of alcohol upon the excess contained in wines above 14 degrees. We should discriminate in favor of pure wines in the same way, and tax Spanish wines coming from a French warehouse at higher rates ; we should also add the alcohol tax to the villainous sher- ries, ports and fortified mixtures that come from Cette, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Havre, Hamburg, etc. We have been making laws to suit importers ; we should begin to make them to suit home producers and consumers. The consumer must not be car- ried away by all the nonsense about reducing duties, when it is a question of shutting out spurious wines and spirits. When I was in Cette, I was told by one of the lead- ing exporting houses that they often fortified wines for the United States up to 20 per cent, of alcohol. This is done, no doubt, to order, for the benefit of houses that get the cheapest wines of Bordeaux, and blend, water and fortify them in New York and other large cities. The alcohol obtained in this way comes in under the wine duty of 40 cents a gallon, instead of $2 per proof gallon. The two other important points to notice are that the payment of duties does not entitle imported wines and spirits to circulate free in France; hence all talk about reducing the French duties in our favor is the purest bosh, and only intended as an illusion, German alcohols pay a duty of 15 francs ; American alcohols, 30 francs. We are supposed to be at a great disadvantage in this respect ; but the dif- ference in duty affects us very little, because, even with the low duty of fifteen francs per hectolitre (26.40 gallons), the German alcohols do not enter largely into con- 8o sumption, as I shall hereafter show. All the commercial authorities that I have been able to obtain, all the wine and spirit dealers, say, as Mr. Nahmens says, that foreign spirits cannot be used in France in competition with the French alcohols ; neverthe- less, the official statistics show that a portion is entered for consumption and pays duty, but in what manner I have been unable to learn. The statistics show, howeven that the importations are principally for re-exportation, the duties not being paid ; hence the difference in duty does not materially affect the question of the French commerce in such spirits, as it is at present, or may be hereafter. The growing importation of alcohols is only a nominal importation, so far as French consumption is concerned. Mr. Nahmens says that the reason why the foreign articles cannot be used to fortify wines with, is the increased cost by reason of duty; .this would be a good reason, if there was not a better one, viz.: The one contained in the official regulations, which I noticed in my last letter, prohibiting the addition of foreign spirits to French wines, except when intended for exportation. It is very certain that the actual consumption of German and Belgian spirits may be accounted for to some extent by fraudulent fortification of wines for the French market. The increased importation, however, is not accompanied by a corresponding increase of quantities consumed in the country; but is followed by increased exportation of the same arti- cles. Hence, our trade with France in this respect will increase or decrease, just as our distillers produce alcohols cheaper or dearer than other countries, and will not be affected much by any change in the tariff, unless the tax be taken off altogether, so as to let our spirits come into the French markets in fair competition with beet-root products. I gave in my last letter the Custom Plouse regulation, which permits the bonded warehouses to be used as places for mixing, "cutting,'' coloring, flavoring, bottling, casing, barreling, labeling, etc., foreign spirits, and authorizes re-exportation free of all taxes, provided only that marks or labels indicating French origin are not placed upon receptacles. It is for this kind of use that American, German, Belgian, and other alcohols are imported, and the nominal duty has very little to do with the trade; the spirits being nearly all re-exported, after paying tribute to French industry and chemistry. While I am on this matter of importations of spirits I will give the results of my inquiries concerning the trade in alcohol from the United States. I had learned that it was growing in importance; but could find but little trace of it until I reached INIar- seillcs. There it is increasing largely. Among the questions which I left there to have investigated was one relating to American alcohols. Here is the reply I have received : ]\Iarseilles, October 5, 1878. "Dear Sir, etc.: * * * * As regards the increase of imports of alcohol from the United States, it must be imputed solely to the fall of the price of that article in America, combined with a simultaneous rise in the north, which used to supply Marseilles with it. Such alcohols have always been in great demand here, as Mar- seilles supplies nearly the whole IMcditerranean coast with it, and chiefly the North African coast. Alcohol from the United States is subjected to a duty of thirty francs -per hectolitre, over and above the taxes imposed upon alcohols and eaux-de-vie of French production. It has consequently to be kept in bond here, until it is re-exported, and cannot be applied to the fortification of wine? for French consump- 8i tion. Alcohols employed for the latter purpose are, to a certain extent, spirits distilled from wine, but mostly the spirits of beet roots distilled in the North of France. "During the entire year 1877, only 8,600 barrels of spirits were imported from the United States, whereas, up to September 30th of this year, 31,043 barrels have already been imported. " I have also found out, beyond doubt, that all of it is exported again to Algeria and the Barbarian Coast, Spain and the East ; to the first two named maikets in its natural state, as received ; to the East, as eau-de-vie, diluted with water, etc., this operation being conducted under the careful eye of the Customs service, in the Docks and Entrepots, where all American alcohols are kept in strict bond until they are re-exported, or the duty of thirty francs per hectolitre paid, which is never done. " As I have stated before, the remarkable increase in the importation of alcohols from the United States, originates solely from the low price at which they can be obtained there, which is, for the present, lower than that of French beet root, or Ger- man potato, or grain spirits, which heretofore supplied this market. "The actual value of American alcohol here is 80 francs per barrel, in bond." The foregoing price of American alcohols in Marseilles, about $15 50 per barrel — which, I understand, contains fifty-five gallons — is at the rate of about 28 cents per gallon. The degree of strength I have not learned. Such alcohols, added to the wines called sherry and Burgundy port, shipped from INIarseilles to the United States, pay only the wine duty of 40 cents; hence the cost of putting them in circulation among our people in such form is only about 70 cents per gallon — 80 cents at most. The same spirits, if not exported to France and re-imported in this way, would have to pay an Internal Revenue tax of 90 cents per proof gallon, and the first cost of cir- culating them would be about $1 05. Inasmuchas France does not and will not actually consume any of these importa- tions from the United States, and the rate of duty does not materially affect the trade as it is, it seems to me that what the American interests require is commercial treaties with countries where France finds a market for them, and not with France. I was informeil at a distillery in Chicago, last spring, that this trade in American alcohols was increasing, but the distiller did not know what became of the goods he sold. Purchases were made at the distilleries by the agents of foreign houses. It is fortunate for the consumers of the so-called French eaux-de-vie on the IMediterranean coast that our corn spirits, are taking the place of German potato spirits, the latter containing a greater proportion of amylic alcohol (fusel oil). I see no reason why the United States cannot build up a trade direct with the cour>tries supplied from France, and so save to the consumers the cost of the French manipulation. The last remark may also apply to the supplies of eaux-de-vie-autres furnished to the United States by France, made from common German alcohols, which have to pay two dollars per gallon duty; whereas better and cheaper corn alcohols couUl he used in the United States, witii an Internal Revenue tax of only 90 cents. The vast difference in cost is paid by the consumers for the privilege of drinking foreign labels. Before giving statistics of the imports and exports of France, I will try to ex])lain some of iheir most important features. These statistics are kept under two heads: " dmunerce General" and "'Commerce Spkial." With respect to importations, the columns of figures under the head of " Genera! Commerce"' indicate the total amounts received within the period for which the statis- 82 tics are given; those under the head of "Special Commerce" indicate the quantities upon which duties have been paid, or which are called " quantities entered for consump- tion " it being assumed that when taxes are paid the articles are to be consumed in the country. It happens sometimes that the figures under the last head are larger than under the first, which is accounted for by the fact that some of the stock of pre- ceding years or periods, held in bond, has been passed into consumption. With respect to exportations, the figures under "General Commerce" indicate the whole amounts exported, whether of French or foreign origin; while under the head of "Special Commerce" are the figures indicating rtiarc/umdises francaises, ou francisks; this latter expression means that the goods are either of French origin, or, if foreign, have been entered for consumption and nationalized, duties on them paid (Jrancisks), or such as have been entered free of duty and re-exported. In the case of exportation the difference between the figures in the two columns indicates the quan- tities, which are certainly of foreign origin; though not ahvays the full amount of such articles, because in some cases a portion of them is included under the head of "Spe- cial Commerce," as yVawc/j-^ffj. In respect to spirits, the differences of the figures tell' quite exactly the quantity of foreign alcohols exported, because, as I have shown such alcohols seldom are actually entered for consumption, duty paid. In respect to wines the rule is somewhat different. The duty on wines being very low, and in the case of Spanish products only three francs and a half per hectolitre — less than three cents per wine gallon, the manufacturer^ of vins de cargaison and imitation wines pre- fer to pay the duty and operate their coupages, where their methods may not be under the inspection of public officers. Hence, although Spanish wines are largely used in the preparation of wines for exportation, nearly all the quantities exported appear under the " Special Commerce " as 7narchandises francaiscs , ou francisks. The figures relating to importations of wines, show that about seven eighths are entered for con- sumption in this way. In the official records and reports of the Customs Service, distilled spirits are enumerated under the following heads, separately : 1. Eau-de-vie de vin (brandy), in wood; 2. Do., in bottles; 3. Eau-de-vie de cerises [kxvsch) ; 4. Eau-de-vie de me/asse (rum, tafia, etc ); 5. Eaux-de-vie auttes ; 6. Esprits-de-toute-sorte. All are estimated in quantity, according to the contents of pure alcohol ; hence, to determine their actual volume when sold for consumption, they must be reduced to proof spirits, about doubling the quantities given. This must be rem.embered when attention is given to the statistics of spirits. All the eaux-de-vie are so styled, in distinction from esprits-de-toute-sorte, because the) are already prepared, or in condition for consumption as drinks, while all com- mon spirits and alcohols, in their natural condition, are classed under one head as "spirits of all kinds." The eaux-de-vie-autres include all alcholic beverages (spirits) not included in the first four items, brandy in wood and boule, kirsch and rum ; in other words, they include all the spirituous drinks, genuine, imitated and adulterated, the alcohol of which is admitted not to have been distilled from wine, cherries or cane sugar. I have studied the bearings of these- distinctions of general and special commerce and the divisions of spirituous drinks, in order to learn from official sources as much as possible concerning the true nature of the exports of wines and spirits from France to the United States, in addition to special investigations of the actual shipments niade.. 83 Generally, what appears in the French Custom House records as eaux-de-vk autres, exported to the United States, appears in the invoices of merchants simply as cognac absinthe, kirsch, etc. The regulation of the Customs Bureau here, which I quoted in my last letter, while it permits the manipulation, coloring, packing, etc., of foreign alcohols in bond, does not permit them to be marked as of French origin ; hence they appear in French statistics of exportations as eaux-de-vie auires, while in the com- mercial papiTS, and after they reach their destination, they are designated as genuine cog- nacs, etc., with impunity. There are, of course, no exports of esprits-de-touk-sorte to the United States. Only the genuine or imitated eaux-de-vie are sent to us, because the common alcohols are cheaper in our country, and could not be admitted without paying the $2 duty imposed upon all spirits. Three-fourths of all the rum and tafia (spirits of sugar-cane) imported into France arc from Martinique, and about one-sixth from Guadalupe. Fine old rums are largely in demand for the manufacture of imitation cognacs and the improve- ment of mixtures of new and poor brandies and common alcohols. At almost every p'ace where I have been entertained by wine-dealers and merchants and cognac man- ufacturers, I have been offered a glass of very rare old rum. Small quantities of the kit article came from Jamaica, generally via England. Hence it is that I find, for instance, in 187G, 13,362 litres of rum shipped from France to Atlantic ports of the United States, though none to the Pacific Coast. This is the country for rechercJie rum; yet it is chiefly used to flavor with, and only cheap articles and alcohols flavored with the essence of rum circulate generally as rum among the people. The statistics, fortunately, are kept so as to distinguish between exports to the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts of the United States; hence I can ascertain something about what we get in California. IMost of the genuine brandies go to England, and we get some supplies from that source. Havre being connected by steam service with New York, shows a largely increased trade with the Atlantic States — wines from Bordeaux, and brandies from the Charente, going there for shipment. Havre has also become a grand manufacturing place for vins de cargaison. Bordeaux being connected by steam lines with Aspinwall, the wines and spirits from that section for California are shipped direct, via the Isthmus, in larger quantities than from anv other port. The extraordinary increase of importations of wines into France during the first nine months of this year is a remarkable item to notice, being more than double the quantities imported during the same period of last year, and about fifty-five per cent, more than either of the entire years 1877 and 1876. The wines exported, however, during the same period of this year arc less in (]uantity than during the same periods in 1877 and 1876. This is another proof of the failing supi)lies in France and the increased home consumption. The importations, as I have before shown, are [)rin- cipally wines of dense color, being demanded for the use of the manufacturers of coupages. An increased exportation would necessarily cause still greater importations, 1 .rger business for those who make imitations, and would tend to still further degrade the wines of commerce. Owing to the increased demand and prices for wines, and to the ravages of the phylloxera, the production of spirits from wine (brandies) has fallen very much lower, and is still rapidly decreasing. Nevertheless, the exportation of so-called brandies is larger this year than during the same period last year, though not equal to 84 that of 187G. The cxporta'ions of eaux de vie and esprits-de-toutc-sortc have also in- creased. Brandies in bottles, the best test, though not accurat.% of ihe movement of pure cognacs, has decreased one-sixih ; the imitations and adulterations are generally sent out in wood ; yet a large percentage of the bottled brandies, as I explained in my letter from Cognac, contains common beet-root alcohol, and only a small portion is pure brandies of the Cognac region, the major part being either cheap and poor brandies of the lower charente, flavored to imitate cognacs, or entire fabrications. The importations of common alcohol have largely increased. About three-fourths of the rums from Martinique, Guadaloupe, etc., are entered under special commerce as having been entered for consumption. Of 9,3r)5,073 litres of alcohols imported this year, only 3,9 ]0,T34 figure as having paid duty ; the exportations during the same time amount to 6,949,400 litres. This re-exportation trade of France in foreign eaiix-de-vie and alcohols may be understood by a brief statement, as fo'lows : \xi\?ri^ \hz eaux-de-vie autrcs imported amounted to 1,5'20,962 litres (392,250 gallons, valued at $300,000, of which only 354,298 litres were entered for French consumption, valued at $70,(t00. During the first nine months of this year, 1,861,- 807 litres were imported, of which 880,751 were entered for consumption, the aver- age value being the same, or one franc a litre. In 1876 the quantity of the same class of drinks exported was 4,161,209 litres, of which 3,505,429 were of Frenc'i origin, or had paid duty in France. (Recollect that none of these eaux-de-vie are spirits of wine ; hence all 9re either made from foreign alcohols or French beet-sugar spirits.) Of this export, 54,690 litres went to California, none to the Atlantic ports (unless included via exports to Fngland), and were entirely of origins outside of France. All such drinks, though nominally from France, contained alcohols from other countries. The values are given at about one dollar per gallon. During the first nine months of this year, the exportations of eaiix-de-vit-autra were 2,560,347 litres, of which 1,924,171 were of French origin, or had paid duty. Concerning espfrils-de-iouk-sorte, or common alcohols, in 187G the importation was 2,876,000 lires, of which 1,350,079 were entered for consump'ion. Of this quantity 175,526 were from the United S:ates, only 24 of which were entered for con- sumption. During the first nine months of this year, the importation of alcohols was 9,355,073 litres, of which 3,366,623 were entered for consumption. I have not been able to get the statement o( the total quantity from the United States, but some idea of it may be obtained from the report from Marseilles, which I have given above, which shows that the trade in our alcohols must have increased to about three million litres (pure alcohol) during nine months. From a comparison of the facts in the last paragraph, it will be seen that while the importation has been va.stly increased, the consumption has not been so in any important degree. Concerning exportations of alcohols: In 1876 there were 6,131,000 litres ex- ported, of which 4,337,600 were of French origin, or duty paid. The principal mar- kets were Spain, Italy, Turkey, S\;itzerland, West Coast of Africa. Algeria and Bel- gium. During the first nine months of this year, the exportation was 6,949,000 litres, of which only 1,229,200 were of French origin. Only Italy, Switzerland and Algeria, as markets, are specified in the reports so far, the major portion, being undistributed in the statistics to be had. 85 These figures show that France is building up a large trade as intermediate agent between foreign countries. It also shows that the interest of our producers is in seeking direct commercial relations with the countries supplied by France, for we are still behind Germany in the business. It is a question of competition with Ger- many in the consuming markets, rather than a question of trade with France. Germany has also taken the lead in the trade in eaux-de-vie-autres. Of the 1,520,962 litres imported by France in 1870, only 389,082 w^re from Germany; 347,919 were from Holland; 347,143 from Austria; 190, 137 from Italy; the remain- der divided principally between Belgium, England, Spain and Switzerland. How- ever, during the first nine months of this year, of the 1,861,807 litres imported, 1,110,306 were from Germany The records show that Germany is rapidly increasing her foreign trade in her products of fabricated spirits, wines and liqueurs. THE COMMERCE IX HRANDIES. The statistics of exportations of eau-de-vie de vin (brandy) show a remarkable decrease, as must necessarily be, by reason of the failing production. In foreign markets, however, this decrease is made up from the eaux-de-vie-aulres , much of which passes for brandies, having been colored, flavored etc., to suit. The foreign trade in brandies cannot evidently be increased, without increasing the trade in the latter kind, which can as easily be made, if permitted, in the markets of consumption, with a saving of the excess of the cost of duty over internal revenue, to the consumer. The ])roposition of the French treaty agitators is to reduce the duty on spirits to one dollar per proof gallon — only ten cents more than the internal revenue tax. The only object of this is to increase the exportation to us of imitated cognacs, kirsch, gin, absinthe, etc., fabricated with cheap beet root, German or American spirits. To encourage such an industry would be manifestly, neither in the interest of public health, nor of our own people, who can as well use the same materials and pioduce the same results, if it is to be permitted. That such things are done in the United States, I do not doubt; but it is fortunate that our tariff does not encourage a great increase of the business. The following are figures of the exports of brandies, England and the United States being specified, because it is through England that we get a portion of our supply. The first nine months of 1878 are compared with the entire years 1876 and 1877 : 1st BRANDY IN WOOD ESTIMATED IN HECTOLITRES OF PURE ALCOHOL. Nine mos. of 1878. 1877. 1876. United States 3,345 4,05S 9,023 England 64,151 82,050 234,505 All countries 120,097 154,305 330,486 2d BRANDY IN BOTTLES — HECTOLITRES OF PURE ALCOHOL. Nino mos. of 1878. 1877. 1S7 i. United States 1,128 1,648 2 474 England 23,407 48,372 57,167 All countries 59,417 78,300 86,800 The hectolitre of pure alcohol would be equal to about 260 bottles of brandy of commercial strength. 86 In 1876, 8,095 hectolitres, in wood, and 2,474 in bottles, were exported to the Atlantic ports of the United States; 928 in wood are credited to the Pacific Coast, but none in bottles. I gave the exports of eaux-de-vie-aulres to the Pacific Coast, in 187G, as 54,G90 litres, equal to about 125,000 bottles. KIRSCH. The total amount of kirsch-wasser credited in the official statistics as exported to the United States in 1876, was 3,090 litres— all to the Atlantic Coast. The most of the kirsch in the market is the imitated stuff — made from common alcohols and fla- voring extracts — one of the eaux-de-vie-aiitres. The average valuation in the customs records of exported brandies is about $1 75 per gallon, while that of the eaux-de-vie-autres is only about $1. WINES IMPORTED INTO FRANCE. The following figures show how the importations of wines into France are in- creasing. The amounts are expressed in litres, and the first nine months of 1878 are compared with the same period of 1877 : ORDINARY WINE, IN WOOD : Nino mos. of Nino mos. of 1878. 1877. Spain 87,842,885 26,341,845 Italy 16,112,028 11,499,376 Other countries 3,520,250 9,425,482 Total Litres 107,475,163 47,266,703 WINES EXPORTED. In this letter I shall only give a few of the gross figures concerning the exports of wines from France, because I shall give more details when I make an analysis of the kinds sent from different ports to the United States. These figures are taken from the statistics of the Customs Service of France, and vary somewhat from the records of our Custom Houses. The reason of the difference is that the French government records, when wines and spirits are released from taxation for exportation, the desti- nation given by the merchant. Some of the goods said to be destined for the United States are supplies for ships ; and it is possible that there are some frauds committed against the French Revenue laws. The French statistics, for instance at Marseilles, show la'-ger exports to the United States than do the records of the United States Con- sul's office. I will compare statistics of the years 1876-1877, and the first nine months of 1878. The wines, it will be observed, are divided into six classes. Wines from the Gironde are all supposed to be wines produced in the Bordeaux district ; but it is evidently impossible for the government to have accurate figures concerning the wines of any particular district exported, because there are so many mixtures. The items of Gironde wines may be accepted as indicating those exported nominally as Bordeaux wine, but with a larg^e marg^in for doubt as to their entire genuineness. 87 1st — WINES OF GIRON'DE, IN WOOD — liSTIMATEU IN HECTOLITRES. Nino mo?, of 1878. 1877. 1876. To the United States 31,796 47,03G 52,599 To all countries 887,389 1,126,017 1,163,569 2d — WINES OF OTHER PLACES, IN WOOD, ETC. United States 15,366 31,602 30,125 All countries 1,156,128 1,683,755 1,887,733 3d WINES OF THE GIRONDE, IN BOTTLES (HECTOLITRES): United States 3,488 5,472 7,994 All countries 80,608 111,757 101,084 4th WINES OF OTHER PLACES, IN BOTTLES (hECTOLITRES): United States 8,492 14,595 16,229 Aircountries 135,836 126,737 104,588 5th VINS DE LIQUEURS, IN WOOD OR SKINS. United States 261 1,906 4,460 All countries 30,645 42,943 50,823 6th VINS DE LIQUEURS, IN BOTTLES (hECTOLITREs) : United Slates 643 2,441 2,260 All countries 40,513 115,172 122,437 Taking the year 1877 as an example, we find that France exported : Bordeaux wine, in wood 1,126,017 Bordeaux wine, in bottle 111,757— 1,237,774 Wine from other districts, in wood 7,683,755 Wine from other districts, in bottle 126,737— 1,810,492 Liqueur wines, in wood, etc 42,944 Liqueur wines, in bottle 115,172 — 158,115 Total (hectolitres) 3,206,381 Total American gallons 84,646,863 Of this quantity the export to the United States was : Bordeaux wine, in wood 47 ,036 Bordeaux wine, in bottle 5,472 — 52,508 Wine from elsewhere, in wood 31,602 Wine from elsewhere, in bottle 14,595 — 46,197 Liqueur wines, in wod 4,460 Liqueur wines, in bottle 2,260 — 6,720 Total (hectolitres) 105,425 Total American gallons 2,786,000 Of the Bordeaux wines imported, the United Slates is only credited wilh about one twenty-fifth part. Of the wines received from France only one-half were even nominally Bordeaux wines, except as claimed in the invoices. Only about 1,300,- 000 gallons, out of an importation of wines from all countries into the United States of about 4,500,000 gallons, were registered in the French Custoni Houses as Bor- deaux wines. One hundred and seventy-five thousand four hundred gallons of the so-called ports, sherries, malagas, madeiras, etc., in the United States, came from France as vins dt liqueur; how much more came from Germany I cannot tell, but, undoubtedly, a great deal. S8 I cannot think that the average American wine-drinker, who "never drinks any- thing but fine French Bordeaux wine, finest sherries," etc., can find much comfort in these statistics, even supposing that all the Bordeaux wines itemized above were fine wines. I will in my next letter show what the wines really are, in more detail, and something about their values. Not one-quarter of the so-called Bordeaux wines shipped to the United States are simple fair products of the Gironde. In my last letter I explained how wines are mixed up. One million three hundred thousand gallons of Bordeaux wine! If we were to accept even that statement, let us compare it with the actual wine consumption of the United States in one year. ' Besides all the other cheap wines from France and else- where, there are consumed in the United States from 10,000,000 to 12,000,000 gal- lons of native wines. Under these circumstances it would seem as if the American connoisseur should consider the opportunities for finding a boltle of Bordeaux quite rare, immensely more so for finding a bottle of fine high-classed wine, such as Cha- teau Larose or Margaux, for such wines are exported from France in bottle, and only one-fourih of the Bordeaux wine comes to our shores in bottle, according to the above statement; and, as I shall show, not one-fourth of that in bottle is "fine" wine. The moral of this is that our people drink vin ordinmre, and are swindled into paying high prices for fancy labels and a few drops of flavoring and coloring extracts. When they demand only vin ordinaire for ordinary occasions, whether of French or American vineyards, thev will begin to get wines in their simple condition, free from adulterations, and will begin to learn to prefer the taste of a pure native wine to a compound of wines, chemicals, water and alcohol. C. A. W. St. Julien and Margaux Wines; Small Production to Satisfy the World ; the Impossibility of Furnishing Genuine Wines to all Restaurants and Hotels Demonstrated. Bordeaux, October 16, 1878.— * * '' * =i: * * « ST. JULIEN AND MARGAUX. There are no fences and few hedges in this district ; it is one grand vineyard. The separating lines are only known by signs familiar to the owners and those acquainted with the country. All that separates the Commune of Pauillac from that of St. Julien is a little water-course in a slight depression running from west to east into the Gironde. St. Julien, adjoining Pauillac on the south, is really a part of the .same distinctive vine-land, and develops similar characteristics in the wine. It is celebrated by six second cms, which almost rival Chateau Lafitte, Ch. Leoville-Lascazes, Ch. Leoville- Poyfere, Ch. Leoville-Barton, Ch. Gruau-Larose-Sarget, Ch, Gruau-Larose and Beau- caillou ; two third cms, Chateau Lagrange and Ch. Langoa ; five fourth cms, Ch. Branaire-du-Luc, Ch. Saint-Pierre (Dubarry), Ch. Saint- Pierre (Luetkens), Ch. D'aux Talbot and Ch. Beycheville ; four superior bourgeois, twenty-eight artisans and/cw^wj and fifteen ^vs\2\\ pavsans. It produces 300,000 gallons of "fine" wine (classed), 1G,800 gallons superior bourgeois ■^iX^di 108,000 gallons of ordinary wine. 89 From this statement can be gleaned an idea of the impossibility of furnishing genuine St. Julien (viyi ordinaire) to all the restaurants and hotels in the world. Even the vin ordinaire is rechercJie in all markets. But what's is a name, except profit to the retailer.'' We breakfasted at Chateau Leoville-Barton, where the vintage of both that vine- yard and the adjoining Chateau Langoa is conducted under one management, the proprietor of both being Mr. Barton. Leoville-Barton produces 19,200 gallons, and Langoa, 33,600. The average production of wine in the ]\I6doc, in good years, is about 200 gallons per acre, for good vineyards. Vines are planted one to each square metre, or 2,000 to the acre. The vines are renewed one fiftieth part each year, to preserve vitality, and to avoid sudden changes by substituting all new for all old vines. Workmen and women are paid from 20 to 40 cents a day, and found. For the use of the workmen -i. piquet te is made by adding water and sometimes a little sugar to the marc after being pressed, and fermenting it. It is a light acid drink, containing less alcohol than ordinary cider. The cost of culture of a bourgeois superieur in the Commune of Margaux, estimated in detail, is $100 per acre. The product is estimated as follows : 200 gallons of wine — price (sold at vineyard, deliverable six months after vintage), average of 875 francs per tonneau — 73 cents per gallon . . . .$146 00 Seven per cent discount and brokerage $10 22 Four per cent, consumption in six months 5 84 16 06 $130 94 Deduct expenses of cuhure, etc 100 00 Net revenue per acre §30 94 The expenses here are, however, larger in respect to cost of manures and labor of raising the vines than in California, but less in respect to per diem charge for workers. I have statistics in detail, showing cost of working vineyards in all the different sections of the Gironde, but they are too voluminous to print. The profit in the Palus, where the wine is inferior, but more abundant, on account of richer soil, is $38 per acre, though the wine sells for less than half the price of the bourgeois of Margaux. The great profit to the vineyardist is not in finding a place to make a grand wine, but in producing good, sound, marketable, cheap wine in abundance. The slopes of this country, in outline, are much like those in the vicinity of the Mission San Jose in California. Pauillac wine is a little stronger than St. Julien, and has more body. The soil of the former Commune is considered richer in loam, though the difference is slight — all quartz gravel and sandy loam. Our parly started on the train for Bordeaux about 4 o'clock. I left them at the Margaux station, took a carriage, saw the vintage at Chateau Margaux and Malescot and returned to Bordeaux late in the evening. Margaux is a small commune, but very celebrated. It contains one firsl crus, Chateau Margaux ; four secofid crus, five ihird crus, one fourth, and seven bourgeois superieur, eighteen ar//ja«j and pay sans and ten very small p.iysayts. It produces 144,- 400 gallons of "fine" wine (classed), 48,000 gallons o[ bourgeois superieur, and go 36,000 gallons of -vw ordbtair . Tlic wine is very fine, with a delicious bouquet ; but it is not from INIargaux that we can get enough to supply the world. At Chatcau-Margaux and Leoville-Barton, the grapes are crushed as well as freed from stems. Men with bare feet dance on the fruit to the tune of a fiddle. The fiddle makes them work faster. In other respects the vintage is as I have described elsewhere. I have described the three principal communes of the Medoc ; to do more would occupy too much space. To-morrow I will send an account of the Graves, Vins Blancs and other points of interest. C. A. W. Wines Exported to the United States ; Invoices Analyzed ; What Americans get to drink from France. Paris, November 14lh, 1878. — Before I enter upon the consideration of the gen- eral and particular characteristics of the commerce in wines and spirits between the United States and France, I must make a few remarks concerning one portion of that commerce which I have in a great measure ignored, viz: the commerce in cham- pagne or effervescing wines. Such wines form an important element in the foreign commerce of France, but must be considered separately. When I refer to wine drinking generally, I mean to be understood as referring to the use of still wines, the wines of ordinary consumption. Concerning champagnes, I am quite certain that more is known about them outside of France than in France. 1 hey are not favor- ites with the French people, but are prepared especially for exportation. Those samples, which I have tasted several times in different parts of this country, have been, with a few exceptions, miserable concoctions, worse than the worst imitations that I ever tasted in the United States. The best champagnes are exported; and much, also, that is poor stuff. I will write concerning these at another time. I conceived the idea, before coming to France, that it would be exceedingly interesting lo our people to know what the wines of France actually are, before being exported to the United States, and before they are worked over, bottled, labeled, and retailed for our consumption. I therefore explained my object to the United States Minister here, who thereupon gave me a circular letter to Consular officers. General Torbert, who was United States Consul-General when I arrived here, had promised me the same courtesy, but at the time when I was ready to leave Paris he had been displaced, and I failed to make the acquaintance of his suscessor, Governor Fairchild, until my return from the South. For the information which I have obtained, I am indebted principally to the facilities extended to me by Mr. Frank W. Potter, Consul at Marseilles, Mr. L. S. Nahmens, Consular Agent at Cette, and IMr. L. A. Price, Vice-Consul at Bordeaux. Through other sources I have obtained some information concerning the trade from other ports. The wine trade directly known to the Consul-General's office in Paris is very small and unimportant. The American people are becoming aroused by the necessity of exporting the surplus of their products, and for the first time in the history of our country, there is a general activity all along the line of mercantile pursuits, which is alarming the great commercial nations of Europe. It is this wonderful change — the United States 91 be;:oming a rival in manufactured as well as raw material— that has stimulated certain French combinations to organize and try to beat us back into the colonial condition. Our merchanls, formerly occupying themselves so much as importers, are finding that the field for them is as exporters. But to succeed in this field needs more inti- mate knowledge of the commerce and trade of other countries, and established agencies in the countries to be supplied. In a few years the United States is certain to become the leading commercial country of the world. This may sound extrav- agant to our people, who, with all their spread-eagleism, are still, in fact, the least conceited and the most provincial in feeling of all great countries; but it is true, and is indeed to-diy the greatest topic of interest among commercial people of England and France, who are to be our competitors in the trade which is springing up from our shores. Bankers, who have an opportunity to observe the movements of money, predict for us a marvelous prosperity during the next generation. Money, bonds, and securities are flowing back to us — the same funds that we have heretofore sent abroad to balance our accounts. The people have only now to realize this new condition of affairs, and to stand firm to each other and the interests of the whole people, and in a few years they will witness a greater revival of business than we have ever seen. We need to begin now with an energetic, well sustained foreign commercial policy. We need to or- ganize a vast machine, in the aid of American industries, out of our consular service. The industries of America should denounce any attempt to weaken this great agency, and every American sent out to do duty in foreign places, should be con- sidered and supported as an agent for the enlargement of American exports. We need Amerxms to work for America, and not to flatter the usual army of travelers who work only for foreign interests, encouraging the notion that foreign products are better than our own. We need to encourage our own industries, instead of forcing American silks, cloths, and wines to be sold, as they now are, under foreign labels, to suit Americans, who talk about hard times and no business, and yet lend all their aid to support foreign markets. Americans need a little of the French conceit to make their own goods fashiona- ble. The French refuse everything that is not French, except raw materials, and a few articles which the\- do not produce and must have. The French refuse to learn foreign languages, and refuse to cook a meal in foreign style. Hence, all the world studies French, and, in Paris, must eat French dishes and use French goods; and French industries, being encouraged b}- French people and forced upon all who visit France, have no need to hide their lights under foreign bushels, but come out and vie with each other for perfection. Paris is cosmopolitan in only one respect, and that is in its population; but in taste and habit, speech, food, diet, and dress, it is intensely French. In this great city, supported almost entirely by foreigners, one cannot find an American, English, German, Italian, or Spanish restaurant, notwithstanding the names, Cafe Americain, Cafe Anglais, etc. It is this protection of French industries, protected by French pride, that improves and maintains them, and makes them fashionable. The French Government bestows the decoration of the Legion , of Honor upon Americans, assuming that it will be considered a great honor; and now it has become fashionable to scramble for such marks of approval. When the United States assumes the position, even modestly, that France insists upon, Americans will be proud of American distinctions and of American industriehi. 02 Now we have nothing that we think is good until it bears a foreign label, or has first been approved in Europe, and especially France, where they know enough not to ap- prove much that is likely to become a rival to anything that the French produce. How many American ladies are there who realize that they are really the greatest allies of the foreign trade against our own working people ? To- day, the trouble with the French manufacturers of silk is that American silks are being made so fine that they deceive the jobbers themselves and are sold under French marks. The American women buy American silks under French marks and the men buy native wines under foreign labels. A manufacturing house in New England declined to exhibit silks at the Exposition, because its pro- ducts were only sold through one agency and were only known on the market as French goods. The pride and proper emulation of our workmen are crushed by a lack of true patriotism and common sense among the consumers of their produce. We need to stop cheating each other, to pull together and stand up with an honest pride in ourselves and our own efforts, which we exhibit only on the Fourth of July. The way in which the trade feels obliged to cheat the public, in order to sell home-made goods, makes me think of a remark made years ago in Oakland by an angry German, who had suffered from some trickery; he said : "These d — d steenk- ing Yankeesh! dey g^es about all day sheeting von oders, and ven dey cooms home at night, dey calls dat peesness ! '' Well, all this proceeds on the popular notion that the public is an ass, and likes to be fooled. Isn't it time that we should change a little and begin to be Americans ? Is it not lime that we should cease to extol wines which the French govern- ment will not permit to be consumed at home ? Is it not time that American indus- tries should be enfranchised and granted the liberties of nationality .'' An American workman enjoys the glorious privilege of personal liberty in a country where his handiwork is outlawed by ignorant provincialism, and absorbed by the representatives of nominal foreign trade. But, to resume my practical suggestion, our merchants, who now are beginning to feel all over the globe for new markets, should urge, in every way, generous support for the Consular service, and should inspire all officers with courage to work for American interests. Now it is only too true that our officers are timid and more or less brow- beaten by the average American sentiment. The men are good enough ; they need support and inspiration from their country. The average Consul to-day is afraid to offend importers, and has little confidence in any appreciation of any good work he may try to do for American workmen. AN OFFICIAL REPORT FROM. LYONS. I neglected in my recent letter concerning the general indications of frauds in wines to quote from the report of Mr. P. J. Asterhaus, U. S. Consul at Lyons, made to the State Department, October 31st, 1876, and published in the volume of "Com- mercial Relations " for that year. I find in the report the following passage : " The French Ministry in response to calls from all parts of the country, has or- dered the police to give its attention to the alleged coloring of wines by artificial means, and to subject all wine depots of merchants, dealers, hotels, restaurants, etc., to the most searching control, and to hand over all falsifiers to the Courts. The pro- tection of the public health, as well as the true interests of the trade, justify the rig- orous instructions of the Minister, and undoubtedly they will have a salutary effect, 93 so far as France is concerned. Kquall}' strict control on the part of importing na- tions, as to the pureness and genuiness of the imported articles, is not superfluous." The report of the Consul at Bordeaux in 1874 called attention to the supposed frauds of merchants in undervaluing their consignments. It was during the opera- tion of the ad valorem tariff on wines, when it was supposed that the wine sent to the United States was undervalued in order to evade the increased tax on wines worth more than 40 cents a gallon at the point of shipment. These supposed frauds tended very much to cause the change in the tariff, which is now specific, the tax being forty cents per gallon, regardless of value. The Consuls were frequently surprised at what seemed to be gross frauds — wines, marked with fancy labels, were sworn to be ex- traordinarily cheap, etc. There was an instance once of a seizure of a lot of wines sent to California, invoiced at a cost so low that fraud was suspected. The shipper cleared himself by swearing and proving that the wines actually cost him only two cents a bottle, besides bottling expenses. Under the present laws, there is no inducement to under\'alue wines in the in- voices. The interest of the shipper is in overvaluing them, if he cares to have them sold at a good price. Hence, the prices in the invoices now undoubtedly include all the valuation that the shipper can honestly put upon the goods shipped — cost price and his own profit. There is, therefore, no danger of doing any injustice to the val- ues of the wines now shipped to the United States by quoting the prices from the invoices. All that the reader needs to remember is that the additional cost in the United States ports is the duty of forty cents a gallon for wine, in wood ; one dollar and sixty cents per case of twelve ordinary, or twenty-four half botdes, and two dollars per gal- lon for proof spirits; to which cost of entry must be added the simple cost of trans- portation, landing charges in the United States, and, if sold by commission houses, the ordinary commission of two and a half per cent. Of course, other commissions and charges of moving the goods intervene between the first cost in American ports and the retail dealers, but this seldom adds more than ten per cent., excepting when dealers in the countiT are .supplied by jobbers. The invoices to-day show that there was less reason to suspect fraud before the law was changed than was supposed. The fact was then, as it is now, that most of the wines shipped were actually very cheap articles, disguised under false brands. The prices are a little higher now, for two reasons : The shipper includes generally his reasonable charge for profit, and the average prices of the raw materials, out of which the common wines for the foreign trade are manufactured, have risen. But the study of invoice prices to-day, as compared with labels and the true market prices for true brands, reveals the fact that what used to appear to be a fraud upon the revenue in low valuations, was, and still is now, simply a fraud upon the consumer. Very little wine is shipped to the United States on " first orders," or upon direct order. Most of it goes for sale on commission. The Bordeaux merchants complain that the American merchants generally decline to give orders on their own account ; hence, they say, we can only afford to send our poorest wines to America, because commission charges always eat up the profits on fine wines. A few houses have regu- lar established agencies, and never deal on commission. Hence, a small portion of the wine shipped is of fine quahty. Excepting the rare high-classed wines, the French clarets are simply tested as to quality, in commerce, by their price. It is impossible 94 to get great quantities of Si. Julien, Margaux, St. Emilion, etc. — wines well known by name to foreign markets. The other clarets are graded by price, rather than name, and the merchant who orders the cheapest will get the clieapest, and the cheapest means vhi de cargaison, such as is usually sent to be sold on commission for Bordeaux. A merchant may order clarets at from 90 to 300 francs a barrel, without touching the higher-priced " fine" wines known by names as Chiteaux. The consumer should remember these facts, and learn to distinguish between ordinary wine sold on commission and ordinary wine imported on the importer's account. There is very little wine actually imported ; mo^t of it is exported to us. There are few real importing houses. Sherries are exported to us from Hamburg, INIarseilles, Cette, Bordeaux ana Havre. Sherries ^vQ-mported by us from the district of Xeres, in Spain. Natural sherry is rare. The sherry of ordinary commerce is an apology for whisky, being one-fifth common proof spirits. Take a glass of California wine which resembles and is called sherry, but which is light and wholesome ; add one-quarter of its volume of spirits, and you will detect at once what is necessary to produce the kind of spirituous liquor which people delude themselves into calling fine wine, because, as the Indians say, " it makes drunk come," and looks brilliant. THE PORT OF MARSEILLES. To comprehend the trade of the Mediterranean coast, of France, the reader must remember what I have N\ritten describing the ravages of phylloxera among the vines of the I\Iidi. The production of wine has enormously decreased in that region; hence the first result is a decrease in the distillation of brandy, the wines being in demand for the Paris and foreign markets. The demand for export being quite steady, and the profits of the foreign trade being probably greater than the home trade ofters, the exports have fallen off slowly. The wines of the Midi being strong, are in great de- mand for the Paris market, where they are used to fortify the coupages, as I have before explained. It is the people of the district who feel the efifects of failing produc- tion most; they take to common alcohols to supply the place of wine, which used to be plentiful with them all. Hence there is a marked change in the alcohol trade, and especially in the class of spirits known to the French customs service as eaux-dt- vie-auires, wKich. I need not explain again. Poverty invariably leads to increased con- sumption of distilled spirits, and this is illustrated during the distress of the people of the valley of the Rhone. The importations of wines of all kinds into Marseilles, from 1878 to 1877, for which period I have tabulated statements, show no material change from a general average of about 5,000,000 litres annually, except in 1875, when they were only half that amount; 1875 was the year of enormous home production. Tlie exportations of or- dinary wines in wood fell off during that period one-fourth, and liqueur wines nearly one-half. The decrease has, however, been quite regular. The export of brandies (eaux-de-vie de vin) fell from 2,032,849 to 1,222,731 litres. The importation of eaux- de-vie-autres mcvco.v,ed from 196,815 to 1,1-42,363 litres, and the exportation decreased from 2,419,556 to 1,332,719 litres. The importation of common alcohols increased from 529,007 to 2,004,210 litres, and the exportation fell from 5,800,450 to 3,873,- 711. This year the American alcohols have been called in to make good the export demand. Of 1,007,533 litres imported from the United States last year, only 16,332 were entered for consumption. 95 The exports of wines to the United States, according to French statistics, have kept comparatively even for the Atlantic ports, but have decreased greatly for the Pa- cific Coast. The following statement is for exports in litres: 187a 1877. Atlantic ports 1,202,341 1,247,701 Pacific ports 796,368 82^390 During 1870-72, the exports to Atlantic ports were given as between three and four million litres annually; to the Paciftc, a liitle more than in 1873. Egypt, the United States, Brazil, Rio-Plata, Martinique, Guadaloupe, Reunion and Cayenne have been respectively the principal markets for Marseilles wines. Turkey and Uruguay have come forward since 1872. The United States " connois- seur '' knows now where to class himself among the wine drinkers, because the Mar- seilles wines, though useful in coupages, are generally the poorest of French wines. In 1870, the JJnited States, Egypt and Brazil were the largest customers, each taking between three and four million litres, while Great Britain took onlv 275,944. I suppose that the INIidi wines have been used in the United States, just as they are in Paris, to fortify weak mixtures. The natural fine-bodied California wines are now displacing them almost entirely with us. The trade with Spanish-America is very large in the aggregate and indicates the field for the future competition of our wines. I have tabulated abstracts of all the invoices of wines and spirits from Marseilles to the United States for the entire years 1870 and 1877. I selected these two years so as to compare prices and trade under the old ad valorem duty with those under the present law. The French statisdcs given above include a whole district of which Marseilles is the centre, and, as I understand, include also the exports of Cette. Hence the in- voices of the United States Consulate show less amounts than the French customs reports. There is such a tiresome uniformity in the prices and brands of wines shipped from Marseilles that I shall not waste m.y time in making analyses. There is no material difference in the character or price of the wines shipped in 1870 and 1877. The wines are principally exported in wood and bear few fancy names, even in the invoices. The dark red wines, Roussillon, Narbonnc, Bandol, etc., predominate and are unquestionably used in the United States for blending operations. Then there is a class of wines, called in the invoices simply " white wine," or " dry white wine of Languedoc," etc. The remaining lots are divided jtrincipally under two almost uniform brands — Burgundy port and sherry. A very small quantity of bottled wines fills out the lists. Hence, the wine shipped from Marseilles is simply &/« rcw^v and Burgundy port, viit hlanc and sherry. No matter what the wines are called, the prices are quite regular and uniform ; all are cheap wines. I shall specify only the quanti- ties sent to San Francisco, the trade with other cides being of the same general character. In 1870 there were shipped to San Francisco : Two hundred and thirty-two thousand nine hundred and eighty litres of red wines, valued, per invoices, at 85,242 francs, which (being 61,635 gallons, price $17,042) is at an average price o!' about 28 cents per gallon. 96 Forty-eight thousand eight hundred and sixty litres, invoiced vin blanc, total in- voice price 20,630 francs — about 32 cents per gallon. Six hundred bottles, vin blanc ; price, -ilO francs, or nearly 14 cents a bottle (botding expenses, 8 cents each, included). Three thousand six hundred bottles Muscat ; 2,100 francs, or a litde less than preceding in cost. In 1877 only a small quantity was shipped to California, as follows : Eight thousand five hundred litres white wine ; 4,139 francs ; at rate of about 37 cents per gallon. Thirty-four thousand litres " sherr)' ;" 14,750 francs ; or at the rate of nearly 33 cents per gallon. Twelve hundred bottles (100 cases) of wine (kind not indicated) ; 1,055.85 francs ; or about 16 cents per bottle. Thirty-five thousand two hundred and twentv-five litres red wine; 16,743 francs; or at rate of 34 cents per gallon. The quantities shipped to New York and other places in the United States were much larger, but the values were practically the same. It seems, therefore, that San Francisco had some very cheap " foreign sherries" last year — less than 7 cents a bottle, plus 8 cents bottling expenses, and 8 cents duty (it went in wood; duty 40 cents per gallon — five bottles). Such sherry, served over the bar, or in hotels, where bottling expense is slight, would cost less than 00 cents per gallon to the retailer, or 18 cents per bottle. I will extract a few passages from the report, which was sent me from Marseilles after I had left there, together with the tabulated statements, which I had arranged to have prepared for me. The writer says : "I have deemed it sufficient to give an accurate idea of the qualities of the wines exported, and particularly of the invariable prices, apparently independent of the names under which they are sent. All the wines, with the exception of very small quantities of really superior brands sent probably for the personal use of private citi- zens, are the cheap vm^ ordinaires of the Midi, generally sent under the denominations of vins rouges or llancs, of Roussillon, Herault, Languedoc, Var, Or Provence, and sometimes, probably to comply with the request of consignees, of Burgundy port or sherry. "The fact being established that the wines sent from this district are of one average quality, I have gathered the prices for the same during the following years : 1871, from 25 francs to 45 francs per 100 litres. 1872, " 28 " 48 " 100 " 1873, " 38 " 57 " 100 " 1874, " 40 " 55 " 100 " 1875, " 28 " 48 " 100 " (N. B. — An average of 40 francs would be at the rate of 30 cents per gallon.) " I have found it difficult to get at the true explanation of the methods of manu- facturing exotic wines ; the dealers who do most of that sort of business, of course, keep it as secret as possible, although the general belief is that such wines are made of the cheap ordinary wines (white and red) of the country, and that the processes of giving the appearance and flavors of fine wines is not injurious to consumers. This may be true, for aught that I know to the contrary." 97 The practice of manufacturing imitation wines is carried on at ^larseilles, as well as at Cette and Bordeaux ; most of the wines shipped to the United States are invoiced simply as red or white wines; whether they are flavored, fortified, and prepared for swindling the public in America, I cannot tell. The fact, however, is established, that nothing but verj' cheap wines come to us from this port. THE TRADE WITH CETTE. There has been only one detailed report called for by the State Department irom the Cette agency. It was made for the year 1873, but not published. I saw the copy, preserved at Cette, and took notes from it. In 1873, Cette imported (principally "from Spain and Italy) 33,554,580 litres of wine, and 73,099 litres of alcohol ; exported 54,243,181 litres of wine ; 1,341,018 of brandies; 27,689 of liquors, and 1,187,931 of ordinary spirits. In the same year the exports of wines to the United States were : Caskf. Valued in francs. New York 26,524 1,818,720 New Orleans 7,209 481,100 San Francisco 3, 147 235,544 Philadelphia 1,500 92,538 Chicago 100 8,056 Baltimore 140 8,250 Boston 140 8,250 This would be at the rate of less than 30 cents per gallon for Cette wines. In the .same report, Mr. Nahmens, the Consul, replied to a question in the De- partment, as follows: " Liqueur wines only are manufactured at Cette, and as to the method followed in imitating malaga, sherry, madeira, burgundy port, porto, malvoisie, and other foreign wines, the commerce of our town makes use of pure wines only, mixing them up in different ways, and acting with a perfect knowledge of the operations. This constitutes the sole way of manufacturing wines here. After the mixture, it is let alone to grow old. "Relative to the ordinary wines that arc bought in the country at the vineyards, ' they are despatched in the same state as when they come out of the tub; but a mer- chant w-ho wishes to give to a weak wine more strength and color, employs the dark wines of the territory — that is to say, he mixes one with the other, and, in so doing, arrives at the degree, color and flavor that constituents desire." This was written just before the change in the tariff, making a uniform specific tax on all wines in wood, and raising the tax of the cheapest, which had been 25 cents on wines valued at less than 40 cents per gallon. He says: "Concerning the impression made upon the commerce of our city by the proposition to equalize the import duties on wines in the United States, our people express different opinions. The greater number.of our merchants believe that if the new tariff is adopted the im- ports of wines into the United States will receive a heavy blow." Since then, the exportations from Cette to the United States have decreased. It is to restore the old condition of things fcrthe benefit of Cette manipulators and those of Bordeaux, Havre and Marseilles, that it is now proposed to reduce the tariff to 20 cents per gallon. Mr. Nahmens gi^es a very curiously-evasive description of the pro- cesses of manipulation of imitation wines in Cette; but his statements, coming from 98 a man who had been in the business and is so largely interested in the place, must be taken cum gram salis. The statement that they " let" cheap Cette wines " alone '" to grow old, is absurd. It is in Cette that the practice of heating wines and giving arti- ficial age by means of mixtures is made a fine art. An old wine from Cette would be a curiosity, unless it were some that had been imported there to mix with new wines, as an aid in improving quality. An examination of the invoices made out during the past year at the Cette office revealed the following facts: During the year ending September, 1878, there were shipped to San Francisco from Cette (generally via ^Marseilles) 4,000 gallons vin rouge doiix (sweet red wine, probably imitation port), price 31 cents per gallon; 1,000 gallons do., at 29 cents; 4,000 gallons do., as 28 cents; 2,000 gallons do., at 32 cents; 3,200 gallons vin noir port, at 33 oents; 1,G00 gallons do., at 33 cents; 2,362 gallons do., at 35 cents; 2,400 gallons sherrv, at 30 cents; 1,200 gallons sherry, at 33 cents; 2,250 gallons vin noir port, at 40 cents; 5,500 gallons do., at 41 cents; 1,000 gallons sherry, at 30 cents; 3, GOO gallons sherry, at 30 cents; 650 gallons "Burgundy port," at 33 cents; 600 gallons sherry, at 33 cents; 1,200 gallons " Burgundy port,"' at 31 cents; 400 gallons sherr}', at 31 cents. This amounts to 27,762 gallons of so-called ports, 9,200 gallons of sherries, taken in San Francisco in the last year from Cette, at prices about 30 cents per gallon. Among the lots shipped to other parts of the United States, I noticed such brands as " Monopole Sherry," "P. Arnaud Sherry," "Sherry-Lion," the prices all averaging as above. A large lot of such wines goes to New York. One honest invoice mentions simply lots of "Picardin a 20"," " Roussillon a 20"," " Narbonne a 20'^," '' Montaignes Nature." I feel quite sure that the last items explain the whole secret of this so called port, and perhaps, sherry trade. A dealer in New York, who wants to imitate the Bercy manipulators of Paris, may desire a dark-red Roussillon, or Narbonne, fortified with alcohol, to mix with cheap vins de cargaison from Bordeaux, and ivaler. He can get "his alcohol at a cost of about seventy cents per proof gallon, by importing it in the shape of fortified wine —"Narbonne d 20'''" for instance, which means that the Nar- bonne red wine has been fortified to 20 per cent, in alcoholic strength. Both the Narbonne and alcohol are needed to perfect the mixtures, and the alcohol is obtained in this way at a price cheaper than the Internal Revenue tax in the United States, for, when, mixed wi h wine, it only pays wine duties. Possibly it is also used in fortifying cheap ports. 1 think that our legislators should investigate this question a little, no ma'l^r whose interests it hurts. Whether these fortified wines are used in the United States, in preparing ports or sherries, or in the manufacture of " fine French wines," for people who won't drink natural, native wines, makes no difference ; such wines are not proper drinks to encourage in any way. The entire exportation of wines from Cette to all countries was, in 1871, 693,099 hectolitres ; from that time there has been a steady decrease, each year falling below the preceding, until in 1877 the amount was only 251,015 hectolitres. The quantities sent into the interior by railway was 487,332 hectolitres in 1871, and 698,147 in 1877. The shipments by the coasting trade fell frgm, 599,463 to, 357.235. 99 This statement again shows that tlie demand for home consumption controls the trade. When the home demand is good, merchants are not Ukely to export much for sale on commission in foreign countries. The statistics concerning Cette show that the interior demand is steadily increasing, and that decreasing production causes decreased exportations. I can find neither in Cette nor INIarseilles any indication of any surplus supplies on which to base any increased foreign wine trade, unless dis- guised alcohols are resorted to in case of increased foreign demand. THE BORDEAUX TRADE. We have not yet found any "fine" wines going to the United States from France, and none at high prices, notwithstanding the labels, that may be used by our dealers. Let us see, now, what the Bordeaux trade can say for itself. Here we must expect to bring up the credit of French labels, or we must give it up, for then there is only Havre left to consider among the exporting places, and there the trade is much inferior to that of Bordeaux, and, in some respects, oh a par with Marseilles. There are no " fine" wines in France known to foreign commerce, except those of small sections of the Bordeaux district, burgundies and champagnes. The bur- gundies do not enter largely into the foreign markets, on account of their inability, generally, to stand transportation. Only exceedingly small quantities are shipped to the United States. Hence, excepting champagnes, we must look to the Bordeaux commerce for the " fine" white and red French wines, which our people suppose they are so liberally supplied with. The very small quantities of fine wines of the Midi, such as cote roti, are too insigiiificant in quantity to be considered as sources of sup- ply for a large commerce. The Frontignan muscats have been swept away by the phylloxera. I have already written enough concerning the rare qualities of genuine M6doc and other fine Bordeaux clarets, as well as of the Barsac and Sauterne white wines, to satisfy the most emhusiastic friends they have. My criticisms are not against the quality of the genuine wines, but relate solely to the actual condition of commerce and the questions of supply and demand. I have shown, by giving statistics of pro- duction and exportation, that it is impossible to expect to make one gallon of fine wine satisfy a demand for ten, and that the demand is much greater than the produc- tion. Hence I have tried to show that we cannot expect much more than viti ordi- naire from France, and that even now we cannot increase the commerce in genuine ordinary wines. According to labels and brands of wines sold in the United States, we should be getting more " fine " wines than ordinary cheap articles ; the facts show that we get little " fine " wine ; that the labels are frauds generally, and that vin ordiyiaire and vin de cari^aison are the staple wines of foreign trade. Some of those wines are undoubtedly good ; but they are cheap, and it is not the tariff which makes them so dear to the consumer. I am quite satisfied now that we cannot get from France much more pure wine of any kind than we do now. It concerns us, however, to know what it is that we do get. I hope I shall not offend any sensitive people, especially French wine-drinkers, who, if they will reflect, will i)erceive at once that, the more light is thrown upon these subjects, the more they will be protected from impositions. I am opposed to the proposed treaty, so far as wines and brandies are concerned, because even now lOO there is not sufficient genuine material lo supply the demand under the present tariff. If there were any excess of pure wine in France ; if the exportation to countries where there are low duties showed increase instead of decrease, I should favor any law that would enable us to increase the supplies of pure wines in our markets. A special treaty with France will not accomplish any good for the wine-drinker. If we need more pure wine of foreign production, we must go to Hungary for it. Spain and Italy are being overdrawn upon by France and cannot supply much more than at present. The products of Greece are loo small. If we want much pure wine, we must produce it ourselves, and to that end every encouragement should be given to our viniculturists that is possible and right, to enable them to establish their industries. When wine is plenty with us, the price, by reason of competition, will be cheap enough. Until then we do not need any increase of the trade in French vin de cargaison, or alcoholic deceits; we had better content ourselves with beer, or even whisky. There- fore, when I lift the veil of popular fancy from the Bordeaux trade, I hope I shall not be considered hostile to the genuine wine trade and genuine French interests, even if in competition with our own, though I shall not hesitate to preach the doctrine that our duty is first to consider the welfare o( our own citizens, including all the French, Germans and other foreign born people, who have come to work and live with us. We must protect the industries of the people whom we have invited to live wiih us, even at the risk of opposing the local rival interests of iheir former homes. The French Customs Service Reports, in full, for 1877, have just been issued. I find by them that the statistics for that year, given in other reports, are somewhat faulty, and I shall therefore give the statement of the wine exports to the United States as I am now able to compile it. In these statistics* a distinction is made between " wines of the Gironde" (the Bordeaux wines) and " wines of other places."^ The mercharits, when obtaining the necessary papers to authorize them to export wines free of all taxes, indicate to the government the place of destination. lience, since it is certain that, by reason oi coupages at Bordeaux, the quantity of genuine and pure wines of the Gironde is much less than the quantities which pretend to be such, the figures for such exports in the French statistics must express more, and not less, than the true quantity exported. We can, therefore, begin comparisons with the French statistics without danger of doing injustice to the character of wines shipped to us. In 1877 the exports for all France to the United States, in hectolitres, were : GIRONDE WINES (iN WOOD) : To Atlantic ports 38,618 To Pacific Coast 8,417 47,035 GIRONDE WINES (iN BOTTLE) : To Atlantic ports 4, 333 To Pacific Coast 1,139 5,472 WINES OF OTHER DISTRICTS (iN WOOd) : To Atlantic ports 30,778 WINES CF OTHE.<» DISTRICTS (iN BOTTLE): To Atlantic ports 14,454 lOl LIQUEUR WINES (iN WOOD): To Atlantic ports 1,793 LIQUEUR WINES (iN BOTTLE): To Atlantic ports 1,233 To Pacific Coast 908 2,141 Total (in hectolitres) 101,673 According to this statement, reduced to American gallons, the amount of French wines exported to the United States in 1877 was 2,084,749 gallons. Of this amount about one-half was represented to be Gironde or Bordeaux wines, white and red. Hence, of the four or more million gallons of wine imported into the United States from all countries, and of the entire consumption of native and foreign wines, amounting to about twenty million gallons, not more than one million and a third can be counted as Bordeaux wine — white and red. Tlie Bordeaux wines received via England cannot change this proportion materially, so far as simple comparisons are concerned. The wine-drinker can therefore see at once that even such wine as is claimed to be Bordeaux wine before it leaves the French entrepots, must neces- sarily be comparatively rare in our retail stores, restaurants, hotels, etc. But the American wine-drinker drinks wines labeletl with fine names. Such wines, if genuine, are exported from France in bottle. From the statement above it will be seen that only a little more than one-tenth of the Bordeaux wines were ex- ported in botde. This amount included all the genuine white and red wines, beside, as I will soon show, being in major part merely cheap imitations, labeled with false brands. Hence it is positively certain, from these general figures, that the rare French fine wines are seldom drunk in our country. The rest is simply viti ordinaire, or, worse, vin de cargaison, and therefore can be sold cheaply by our retailers, I make no mention of the liqueur wines, which are all, or practically all, concoctions prepared in secret but recognized by the whole trade, and especially by the French government, as I showed recently in quoting from the oflliciil document of the Minister of Finance. 1 have prepared, from the records of the United States Consulate at Bordeaux, tabulated statements, showing the quantity (whether in wood or bottle), value and brand of each item of wines and spirits exported to the Pacific Coast from Bordeaux during the entire year ending September 30, 1878 ; also, similar .statements for all ports of the United States to which such articles were exported during the first three months of the present year. From them I am able to show what kinds and quanti- ties of wines and spirits go to the diflferent sections of the country, judging merits by values as well as brands. The values of wines in Bordeaux are not uncertain and fanciful ; they are as well known as the prices of May, June, Spring and Winter wheat are in Chicago — accordmg to brand, age and year of vintage. The prices in the invoices are un- doubtedly a little higher than those given for the same articles in the weekly Prices Current of the Board of Trade of Bordeaux, especially when llie invoices spec fy wines, etc., to be sold on commission. When they, as ihey sometimes but not often do, enumerate shipments purchased to order of consignees, the invoices specify the commissions and other expenses separately from the values or cost of the goods. 102 The tables contain about thirteen hundred separate icems ; hence I cannot attempt to pubUsh them in full. There is not sufficient difference in general charac- teristics to make it worth while for me to analyze at present the tables for all the dif- ferent places, such as New York, New Orleans, etc. I will content myself now by taking up the entire year for San Francisco, collecting together the items under gen- eral heads, according to prices, brands, etc. red wines shipped to san fr.a.ncisco, from bordeaux, during year ending september 30th, 1878. First — Red Wine in Casks. A. — The first group is composed of those which are valued in the invoices at the current prices of cargo clarets (vin de cargaison), and of the cheapest qualities of viti ordinaire, generally less than 100 francs a barrel (barrique) of si.\ty gallons, and never exceeding that price in any material degree. The aggregate shipments were, accord- ing to the brands in the invoices (francs being reduced to United States money, at the rate of five to the dollar, for the sake of convenience, though the dollar is worth three cents more), as follows : Equiv.-ilent Val's red'cd Wine as designated in Invoices. Oals. in Bottles. U. S. Money. Vin 9,120 43,600 $ 3,227 Vin Rouge (red wine) 72,G00 363,090 24,754 Vin de Cargaison 27,800 139,050 9,290 Vin Rouge (price below all others) 6,000 30,000 1,003 Vin de Cargaison— Montferrand 35,550 177,750 11,567 \m de Cargaison— St. Lezignan 5,400 27,000 1,750 Moniferrand 59,490 297,450 19,851 St. Lezignan 52,380 261,900 17,415 Vin de Cargaison — Marqu6 Chateau de de la Passonne 12,900 64,500 4,306 Chateau de la Passonne 7,200 36,000 2,490 Montgaillard 3,000 15,000 988 Chateau de Caix de Cahors 7,200 3,600 2,401 Ludon, Ambes, St. Macaire, Paysan, Pom- pignac. Family and Fronsac, etc 20,700 103,500 7,324 Totals 322,350 1,596,750 $106,426 The average price of the wines in the foregoing table is shown to be 30 cents per gallon in Bordeaux, or six cents per bottle (bottling expenses not included). The cost to the large dealers in San Francisco, including duty, transportation and landing, is not more than 80 cents per gallon. The greater portion, if not all, is vin de cargai- son, whether so styled or not in the invoices. A portion of the last aggregated items is undoubtedly cheap simple red wines, mostly intended for preparing coupages in San Francisco. I have omitted two names of brands from the last mentioned, because I could not read them with certainty. The fourth item is so low in price that it cannot be considered anything else than a gross adulteration — water, alcohol, and perhaps some wine. More than nine-tenths of the whole is unquestionably vin de cargaison, prepared especially for the San Francisco market; under what names it is sold there is known only to the jobbers, who botde it, or the brokers, who sell to retailers, and the retailers themselves. Equivalent Val. in T*. S. ill Ijottk's. Money. y8,700 S;J97 12,000 913 18,000 1,500 15,000 1,050 6,300 644 4,500 422 8,600 360 12,900 1,103 6,000 400 10,500 900 103 B. I will now group the next class, gathering together those which are valued at more than 100 francs per barrel, but considerably less than 200 — that is, those which range, as to price, alongside of the common and medium vins ordinaires of Bordeaux, but not equal to the superior qualities : Gals. Vin Rouge 7,740 Chateau Larose (!) 2,400 St. Macaire (or Mexer ?) 3,600 Chat. Gravelines 3,0U0 Chat. St. Michael 1,200 Medoc 900 Moulis-Medoc 720 Cotes 2,580 Pompignan 1,200 Loudon 2,100 Totals 25,500 127,500 $8,299 This preceding table shows wines averaging 32 cents per gallon ; only two cents more than the first group, or less than half a cent a bottle. There is a great im- provement in quality, but this small increase of cost is what prevents either the French merchants from shipping more of it for sale on commission or prevents the retailers in our country from ordering better wines. They save /zcfl avz/j a gallon— all other expenses of bottling, duty, etc., being the same. This last kind is itself ver}' cheap vin ordmaire, or a good quality of vm de cargaison ; yet the quantity of the lirbt kind, at 30 cents a gallon, exported to us is twelve times as great. Moreover, we find among this cheap wine 2,400 gallons (equaling 12,000 bottles) branded "Chateau Larose." Unquestionably this is a vin de cargaison upon which a litde extra work and expense have been incurred in producing flavors, color, and bouquet. The wine drinkers, who pay two dollars a bottle for " Chateau Larose " and one dollar for the cheapest French wines, may understand that the difference in cost — one dollar per bottle, or five dollars per gallon — is caused by the increase in price of a few cents per gallon. How much any or all of the other brands in the last table were flavored and perfumed, so as to suit the American jobbers, who turn them out as " Chateau Larose," "Chateau Margaux," etc., it is impossible for me to tell. I wish only to call attention to prices, which indicate the relative quality of the wine before it leaves Bordeaux, and to still further impress upon my readers that the great bulk of wines exported to us is vin ordinaire, vin de cargaison and cheap. C. The next group is arranged with reference to another general average in- crease in value, being above 150 and less than 250 francs per barrel, and ranging as to price among the genuine bon and superieur clarets of the Bordeaux district, but not among the high-classed wines known by names of vineyards to the woild outside of Bordeaux : Gals. Vin Rouge 1,290 Bas-Mddoc 900 M^doc, 1874 120 St. Julien 780 St. Estcphe 120 Blanquffort (Medoc) 1,680 'lot-ils 4,890 24,450 §3,211 Equivalent Val. in U S. in bottles. Money. 6.450 $864 4,500 570 600 86 3,900 506 600 80 8,400 1,105 104 This preceding group, small in quantity, shows a general average of 65 cents per t^allon; duty and all expenses included, the cost in San Francisco must be about $1 15. Such wines w^ould cost the restaurant and hotel keeper, who save bottles, or return them lo th: jobber to be refilled, about 25 cents per bottle, certainly not more than 30 cents. Pints, or half botdes, would not exceed 20 cents. These are, how- ever, as compared with the great bulk of other wines, veiy recherche. I have before called attention to the fact that the fastidious wine drinker is fortunate if he gets a boitle of "INIedoc," " St. Julien,'' etc., as above — those names being taken from com- munes and not vineyards. Our restaurants and hotels sell such labels as the lowest on their lists, while they are among the highest imported. The truth is that, the labels " Chateau Lafitte," etc., are put on the Medoc wine, and " Medoc," etc., on the vin de cargaison. This last group, however, does not show any reason for high prices at retail, such as consumers have to pay. The quantity is very small, but this fa t cannot be accounted for by the high price and duty; for the consumer is willing to and does pay enough to secure the genuine article, if it is to be obtained ; but there is little to get, the supply being small in France. D. The next and last group of the red wines exported in cask is a small and rare collection. The brands may not all be true, but the prices, ranging from 150 lo 550 francs per barrel, are very good proofs that the articles are genuine and fine, though the name of one vineyard may have been placed, in some cases, upon wines of another, and though it is possible that there may be some impositions. Equivalent in Values in U. Gals. bottles. S. Money. Vin Rouge, 1874 600 3,000 $1,100 " 240 1,200 280 Chat, de I'Ysle (Medoc) 380 1,800 180 Chat. Lagrange, St. Julien 120 COO 100 Ch. Forney, Moulis, Medoc 120 - 600 100 Chat. Gazin, 1874 120 600 102 Chateau Dillon 720 3,600 770 Chateau Larose 240 1,200 360 Totals 2,520 12,600 $3,012 This small lot of "fine" wines, not equal in quantity to one per cent, of the whole amount of Bordeaux red wines shipped in the last year in casks, has an aver- age value of $1 20 per gallon. This does not, however, include any oi theirs/ cr us, for they are always, as the other fine wines are generally, exported only in bottle. The difference in the values of the small lot of "Chateau Larose" in this table, as compared with the large and spurious lots which figure among the vi'ns de cargaison, ought to trouble the con.science of hotel and restaurant-keepers, for they can even well afford to pay the price of genuine wines, considering the prices they charge per bottle. In addition to the above quantities of red wines in cask, there were also 7,610 gallons of " Burgundy port," valued at about 40 cents per gallon, and about 5,000 gallons of Roussillon, averaging about 38 cents. These wines, however, need not be considered in connection with the others, excepting as indicating that they are used in California by the jobbers, more or less, in preparing cotipages and "fancy'' wines from cheap material. I05 Id. Red wines in bottle .• It should be remembered that bottling expenses more than double the cost of the cheapest wines, but are relatively less for the finest articles. The average rule of the cost in Bordeaux of bottles, corks, straw, labels, cases, and labor in packing, according to the invoices in which such expenses are enumerated, is eight cents (40 centimes) per bottle (quarts), and six cents for pints. \\\ the tables below, the bottling expenses are included in nearly all instances. In a certain invoice to New York, of St. Julicn, Floriac, etc., wine costing 13,915 francs, the bottling, packing, etc., caused an addition of 5,755 francs. But of this I w^ll write hereafter in connection wuth the subject of the proposed treaty, one of the objects of which is to transfer to France all the business of bottling French wines, thereby doubling the revenues from our wine trade in such places as Bordeaux. A. Red wines in botde, valued at 20 cents (one franc) or less per quart bottle : Vnluo in Pints. Quarts. U.S.Money. Vin Rouge ... 11,340 $1,320 " 2,7G6 505 " 900 162 " 750 .... 60 " 1,200 .... 120 Paysan 1.977 290 "• 360 .... 30 M6doc 1,200 240 Chateau Larose 3,600 442 " 2,400 480 Larose, Bertrande & Co 600 90 " 1.200 120 Cantenac ... 1,200 145 St. Emilion 600 120 Chateau Pransy 1,800 270 Montferrand 1,200 140 St. Loubes 1,500 300 Chat. Baran 1,200 160 Chateau Lafitte 1,200 140 " •' ... 800 45 Chateau Latour 300 45 Totals 3,510 34,083 $5,224 From the foregoing group — 34,083 quarts and 3,510 pints, equal to 35,838 full bottles — an average value of a little less than 15 cents per bottle is obtained. Of course most of it is vin de cargaison, flavored and perfumed; some of it, such as that marked " Paysan," is probably some of the cheapest and poorest vin ordinaire. A small part marked "vin rouge," may also be of the cheapest genuine vins ordinaires. All those labeled "Chateau Larose," etc., are frauds, and the bottles, if they contain wines which have apparently fine body, flavor and bouquet, are manufactured imitations. The only genuine Chateau Lafitte, Latour and Larose, in bottle, are quoted in the " Prices Current" at Bordeaux, at from five to ten francs ($1 to $2) per bottle, while those so labeled above are mostly less than fifteen cents! The duty on bottled wine is $1 60 per case, or 13i cents per bottle; hence the ' wine above, adding duty and transportation, costs the trade at the ports of entry about 30 cents a bottle, or less than 40 cents for the highest in the list. io6 B. Red wines in bottle, valued at more than twenty and not more than forty cents per bottle : Value in Pints, Quarts, U.S Monoy. Chateaux IMargaux 336 $107 Chateau Lafitte-Vieux 300 110 Chateau Larose 600 160 Chateau Larose COO ... 75 Gruau-Larose 1,188 396 " 1,176 ,., 283 '' 588 184 Chateau Talbot 1,200 320 " 1,800 .... 307 Red Wine, INIedoc, St. Estephe, St. Emilion, Mont- lerrand, St. Julien, Milan, Pauillac, Chateau- • Paysanne, Maison-Blanche, Chateau-Bonne- son, St. Loubes, Chateau de France, Chateau- Germainville, Chateau-Marbuset, Chateau de L'ysle, M(§doc 5,364 11,040 3,711 Totals 8,940 15,252 $5,593 The above — equal to 19,722 full bottles — have an average value of about 28 cents per bottle. All the Chateaux Margcaux, Lafitte, Larose and Talbot are fraudu- lently labeled — genuine wines of those high classes being quoted at Bordeaux at from 5 to 10 francs a bottle. The others, grouped together, are probably more or les3 genuine, though some of the names I cannot find in the lists of vineyards. "Chateau Lafitte vieux" is a stupid label, and can only deceive the novice in wine-drinking, for genuine Lafitte is sold according to the year of the vintage, which determines whether it is vieux (old) or not. C. Red wines in bottle, valued at more than 40 and less than 60 cents per quart bottle; Value in Bottles. U. S. Money. Chateau Lafitte 60 $30 Chateau Lafitte 300 110 Chateau Margaux 60 30 Chateau Leoville ' 144 96 Chateau Dillon 900 375 Totals 1,464 $641 This small group shows an average value of 44 cents per bottle; but it is re- markable that as the wine in bottle, as well as the wine in cask, ascends in valu3 to- ward prices of genuine fine wines, the quantity becomes exceedingly small in propor- tion to the quantities of such wines, supposed to be consumed. The Lafitte and Margaux in this list are unquestionably falsely labeled, and so are probably the Leo- ville and Dillon; but as to the latter I cannot say certainly, because it is possible that some of the recent new wine, since 1874, which is not of usual fine quality generally, may have been bottled at prices cheaper than the market reports. ' D. Red wines in bottle, all, probably, true to label; 107 FINEST MEDOC CLASSED WINES Vaiue in U . Bottles. S. Money Chateau Lafitte of '68, '74 and 75 G28 $942 Chateau Latour 36 90 Chateau Margaux of '68, 75, etc 264 620 Branne-Mouton 48 52 Chateau Leoville 168 184 Chateau Larose .- 168 192 Chateau Calon-Zegur 48 60 Saint Pierre 48 32 Pontet-Canet 24 17 Cantemerle 72 36 MEDOC BOURGEOIS SUPERIEURS. Chateau Poujeaux, Moulis 48 24 Chateau Beausite, St. Est6phe, '65 180 108 Chateau Pomeys, MouHs 60 43 MEDOC ORDINAIRES. St. Julien, 1870 280 127 St. Juhen, 1874 2,400 676 St. Juhen 72 30 Mecloc 12 11 GRAVES CLASSED WINE. Chateau Haut-Brion, 1874 280 340 GRAVES BOURGEOIS SUPERIEUR. Haut-Brion Larrivet, 1865 240 192 MISCELLANEOUS. Torquay-Lalande , 120 40 Moncaillou 24 24 Red Wine 144 178 Totals 5,372 1^4. COS The prices in the preceding table speak for themselves. The wines seem to have been ordered systematically, so as to furnish samples of the five Isf crus, Supe- rior Bourgeois and ordinary wines of the Medoc, and equal samples of the Graves section. They are, however, collated from a number of different invoices. But out of all the bottled wine shipped from Bordeaux, this is a very small showing of "line," high-classed wines. It is not sufficient to supply the table of ten rich connoisseurs during the year. Where, then, are the high-priced wines to be found among these invoices to account for the labels used so freely everywhere .'' I have finished ihe red Bordeaux wines exported during the year ending Sep- tember 'JOlh, 1878. It has cost me a great deal of labor to make the analysis, which I have done honestly and fairly. I ask my readers whether they are not now satisfied that all the talk of the ordinary wine-drinker, who prates about Chateau Maruaux, Chateau Larose, his fine St. Julien, is not a proof of a grand illusion, created by the frauds of trade; and whether, also, I am not right in sa\ing that, not\vithstan(;Jing labels and fancy names, the people only get vin ordinaire^ or worse, to drink, and thai if they drink imported wines, they should call them by their right names and demand them at cheap prices. io8 BORDEAUX WHITE WINES. Is/ — W/ii/e Wines in wood. The white wines shipped in wood, were as follows : Vnluo in U. ,T. ^, Gnllc. B. Money. Vm Blanc 1,260 $500 Barsac 120 75 Chalcau Poniac ,. 30 5G Totals 1,410 $631 This preceding lot shows an average of a little more than 40 cents a gallon ; only the last item being high priced. Id— White Wines in bottle. . A. White wines in bottle valued at less than 40 cents a bottle : Bottlos. Value. Vin Blanc 2,964 $533 Graves 1,800 240 Haut-Sautcrncs 4,728 1,481 Sauterne, '09 GuO 150 Preignac 300 113 Barsac ... 144 36 Simullac 120 42 Chateau Vigncau 120 40 Totals 10,776 $2,634 This preceding quantity (pints being reduced to quarts for convenience) shows an average price of 24 cents a bottle in Bordeaux. B. White wines in bottle, valued at more than 40 cents per bottle : Bottles. Values. Chateau Yquem 724 $ 610 Haut-Sauternes 600 250 Chablis 360 250 Vin Blanc 600 274 Totals 2,284 $1,384 These few bottles of high-priced white wines are all that the invoices show for the year. 3d — Burgundy Wines. There were a small quantity of Burgundy red wines shipped, as follows : Bottles. Values. Burgundy 540 $300 Chambei tin 264 182 Beaune, Pomard, Corton, Romance, Bichebourg 120 83 Totals 924 $565 4//; — Champagnes. There were also exported to San Francisco 302 cases of champagnes (quarts), and 51 cases of pints. I shall not dwell upon them, for I have hid no time to inves- tigate their merits It is probable that few of them were produced in the champagne district. There arc champagne houses in the Charente (cognac district) and other places near Bordeaux. log THE BORDEAUX OFFTCIAr, STATISTICS. The entire cxportations of wines and spirits from Bordeaux, as shown by the French customs records, for 1877, and the first nine months of 1878, arc shown in Hires, as follows : Gironde (Bordeaux) Wines in Wood. mos. of 1878. 1877. To Atlantic ports 2,243,464 3,8G1,882 To Pacific Coast 936,171 841,730 To all countries 77,839,845 113,064,692 Gironde Wines in Bottle. To Atlantic ports 306.432 433,272 To Pacific Coast 42,416 113,906 To all countries 8,060,844 9,795,450 Wines of Other Districts in Wood. To Atlantic ports None recorded 220 To Pacific Coast None recorded 1,200 To all countries 496,034 741,877 Wines of Other Districts in Bottle. To all countries 20,984 22,767 Liqueur Wines in Wood. To Atlantic ports 36 330 To Pacific Coast i 15 10,530 To all countries 273,449 134,500 Liqueur Wines in Bottle. To Atlantic ports 1,025 12,414 To Pacific Coast 9,649 23,529 To all countries 300,594 637,367 Brandy in Wood. To Atlantic ports 179,088 200,964 To Pacific Coast 19,395 58.578 To all countries 1,947,990 3,344,504 Brandy in Bottle. To Atlantic ports 36,770 86,324 To Pacific Coast 12,136 10,536 To all countries 2,127,556 2,868,666 Rum. To Atlantic ports 156 278 To Pacific Coast 667 To all countries 162,770 290,742 Eaux-de-vie autres, Absinthe, Imitation Kirsch, Gift, etc. To Atlantic ports 343 12,622 To Pacific Coast 15,667 3,440 To all countries 185,722 233,877 Esprits-de-toute sorte. To Atlantic ports 343 12,622 To Pacific Coabt 15,667 3,4-10 To all countries 185,722 233.877 110 Liqueurs. To Atlantic ports 10,111 21,503 To Pacific Coast .... 30,035 26,405 To all countries 1,151,855 1,318^555 These official statements, together with many more which I shall not have room to publish now, were prepared for me in tabular form by one of the clerks in the Bordeaux Custom House. The columns under the head of " Special Commerce," which I do not repro- duce, show that all the wines, brandies and rum exported to the United States (fig- ures given above — " Pacific Coast," meaning simply San Francisco), were either pro- duced in France or had become nationalized by payment of duty. All the eaux-de-vie aiitres, which include all alcoholic beverages excepting the rum, brandy and genuine Kirsch, are shown to have been prepared from foreign alco- hols, or spirits, excepting five Hires to Atlantic ports in 1877, probably a present to some American Captain, The consumers of such drinks in ths United States may know, therefore, that they are paying tribute to German, Belgian and other distiller- ies, and are indebted to France only for the manipulation in th3 bonded warehouse. . In 1877, about one-half the liqueurs were of French origin ; this year, only one- tenth to San Francisco, and less than one-third to Atlantic ports, were French. All these statistics tend to show that France, as an exporter of spirits and liqueurs, is becoming only a medium and manipulator of foreign alcohols. The importations of wines, spirits, etc., have increased at Bordeaux, while the exporta'.ions have decreased in nearly all respects. This, again, shows that the pro- duction of France is not equal to horhe consumption ai^d foreign trade, and that, even to keep up the present trade, France is forced to be satisfied with manipulating foreign products and selling " etiquettes" to label them with in the places to which they are exported. The rage for French fashions and names has resulted in making France the world's grand social and commercial decorator. Among the cxportations for 1877 were G8,432 kilogrammes (150,550 pounds) of " etiquettes" ("printed, en- graved, or colored"), of which 1850 kilos (4,070 pounds), went to the United States. She also exported to the United States 179,047 empty bottles; and to "all countries" 13,899,411. The proposed treaty, removing the increased duty on bottled wine, would increase the bottles annually shipped to the United States about six millions, and take so much away from the American industries, and add, also, to French in- dustry the profits of filling, corking and packing. The following is a statement of importations, in litres, at Bordeaux, for 1877. and the first nine months of 1878 : Wines in Wood. mo''. oi 1S78. 1677. From Italy 5^282 30,903 From Spain 9,330,084 4,006,409 From Portugal 254,000 2,399,700 From all countries 9,018,114 7,125,038 Wines in Bottle. From all countries 130,102 28 738 Liqueur Wines in Wood. From Spain 501,892 349,314 From all countries 081,390 607,195 Ill Liqtuur Wines in Bottle. From all countries 67,513 110,293 Brandy — From all countries 64,207 62013 Rum — From all countries, IMartinique and Guadalupe furnishing nearly all 2,521,680 3,212,432 Eaux-de-vie-auires — Principally from Germany and Holland, from all countries 168, 834 239 463 Alcohols — Principally from Germany and Belgium, from all countries 2,430,905 2,459,972 Liqueurs — From all countries Ill 540 131 815 The tables of "Special Commerce " show that nearly all the wines and rum paid duty, and that nearly all the eaux-de-vie-autres , brandy and liqueurs were re-exported. In 1877 about two-thirds, and in this year nearly the full amount of alcohols, were entered for consumption ; but duties may be .remitted when re-exported, and, per- haps, at the end of this year the amount apparently consumed may not be so great. The spirit trade, however, shows, as well as the wine, decreased capacity in French production or an increased home consumption, and less ability to supply foreign mar- kets with genuine French products. IN CONCLUSION Of this longIetter,which, beside the time expended in procuring original inforrr^aiii/n and statis'ics, has occupied my time for three whole days, I have only time to ;;.iv of thj character of wines shipped to the Atlantic ports, that the New Orleans invoices com- pare very evenly with those for San Francisco, which I have analyzed and arranged in condensed form; the marks or brands, however, being invented generally to suit the fancies of consumers, vary considerably. The wines to New York appear to average a little higher in price, but I cannot say certainly, without making an exhaustive analysis ; there are many more names used as brands. The San Francisco trade can, however, be accepted as a sufficiently fair illustration of the general facts, with this exception, that there are now so many fine California wines which jobbers paSo under French labels, that there is less demand for French bottled wine than in other parts of the country. The " Montferrand " wines, which figure so largely in the shipments to San Francisco, take their name from the Commune of Monlfcrrand, which furnishes the second grade of wines of the Palus, or river bottoms. They are used in Bordeaux, ♦ on account of their color and strength, in ^x(ii^-xx'\x\'^ coiipages oxvins de cargaison, and no doubt are shipped also to supply a similar demand elsewhere, in which case they are no doubt highly fortified with alcohol, as a basis for further manipulation. They are considered among the poorest wines of Bordeaux [petits vins). IMr. Franck, in his work on Bordeaux wines, which is standard authority, says of them : "They im- prove at sea, but require, when not exported, six or seven years of rest in barrels before being good to drink." In F6ret's work — "Bordeaux et ses vins "■—'.:. iZ latest and be^^t of all, I find the following statement under the head of " Monileirand :" " Vins rouges, produced by two-fifths verdot, one-fifth mancin, one-fifth cabernet and bequignot, one-fifth colon, and other varieties of vines, highly colored, possessing a peculiar flavor, which causes them to be sought for as vtns d'operation (wines for operating with). They are also considered as the best ordinaires of the Entre-deux Mers, and zs premihe cargaison." However, there is about as much " I\Iontferrand " shipped to the United States alone as the production of the entire commune. There is 112 a Chateau !\Tontfcrrand in the commune which produces 1,000 barrels, but the quality is not better than the average of all the producerc. The "Prices Current" quote '•Montlerrand" at prices 50 per cent, higher than the values given in the American invoices, which indicates that it has all been "operated" before exportation. The Lezignan wine is probably a <r<??//>a^^ of dark red wine from Lezignan in the Midi with a cheap Bordeaux white wine, such as I have described in a letter written in July, from Paris. I shcmld say, however, that the prices given there for the raw material of vins de cargaison especially of the coloring wines, have advanced; hence the price of th:; compounds is greater. I shall have some interesting facts, concerning the general condition of French commerce, to give in my next letter. C. A. W. How A^ierican Industries are viewed from the French standpoint; Report of the French Senatorial Com- mission concerning the causes of the Sufferings of Industry and Commerce. Paris, November 28th, 1878. — A visit to the champagne district has interrupted the course of my correspondence, which I will not continue, devoting this letter to questions concerning the general condition of French commerce and industry. THE MOVEMENT IN BEHALF OF A COMMERCIAL TREATV With the United States, which has been inaugurated in the interest of a certain class of French exporters, is a beautiful j-^yZ-soap bubble blown from the imaginations of a few, who are blinded by self-interest, aided by a few sentimentalists. At first it had the appearance of a fraternal offer of embrace, coming from the Republic of France to the Republic of the United States, and caught in its grasp unwary Americans, who were flattered by being invited to take part in the effort to " benefit the United States," and all the world besides. No one seemed for a moment to consider why it was that Frenchmen could afford to travel, apparently at their own expense, over our great country, bringing us offers of prosperity and trade. In our distressed condition, which was and still is more fancied than real, it was easy for our people to fall into the error of thinking that France was volunteering to help us. Many of us forgot to " fear the Greeks, bearing gifts." Notwithstanding all their merits, the French cannot be considered generous. They have the happy faculty of always antagonizing French pride, or prejudice, and French industries against all the world; and they know how to sow a field with flatter)', and to reap a harvest of profit. Yet they are so honest and self-satisfied among them- selves that they do not attempt to conceal the evidences of their true motives. There- fore, it is not at all dillicult to prick the grand commercial bubbles, that their over- anxious manipulators blow upon the surface of the world, with their own assertions. Pulling wool over the eyes of the world — the art of being honest, and at the same time blinding the world to what is plainly true and admitted — is peculiarly a French art, and one not to be despised. The demand of the cafe courtizane, who re- bukes the susceptible traveler because he objects to paying bills and purchasing all sorts of trinkets oa first acquaintance, by saying, " Voui n'eki pas gcrUil" is only one 113 indication, in a low form, of a national characteristic, which is especially marked by its adroitness in making people ashamed to resist interested advances. But of one thin^ the people of the United States should be certain — the French people are not such fools that they will send agents to us to work in the interests of American industries, which are rival to their own. The movement for a commercial treaty springs from the fact that the United States commerce is feared, and needs to be repressed in order to save French interests. The French have become so accustomed to extravagance, such as would create revolutions in America — to the support of armies of tax-gatherers, who collect the means to conduct displays, build palaces, pave and light boulevards — that they cannot think patiently of the necessity of a little national economy. They must sell more luxuries, or imitations of luxuries, to the outside world, in order to sustain luxury at home ; hence the frantic efforts of a few organized manufacturers to revive a commerce which is becoming exhausted by inutility, or by foreign competition. For many things I have reason to feel kindl}' toward the French people, but French dinners, wines and politeness, covering a determined effort to repress our growing commerce, are not sufficient reasons for abandoning the hard-earned advan- tages which American labor has achieved. I have little respect for Americans who are humbugged, by social flatteries and red ribbons, into abandoning the interests of their own people. Dinners, under ordinary circumstances, are only worth dinners in return, or polite thanks ; politeness is worth its weight in itself. Courtesy, generosity and benevolence are things to be considered differently, and mere spasmodic enthusi- astic demonstrations must be distinguished from general and reliable characteristics- If the inside history of the humbugging, to which a lot of good-natured, genial, easy-going Americans, who have suffered themselves to fall into this new treaty business, have submitted rather than to be impolite, were written, it would not reflect much credit upon the sagacity of the ordinary American traveler. It is time that our people should comprehend the fact that to-day there is only one nation in the world greatly feared by the commercial powers, and that is the United States. It requires a view of the country from this side of the ocean to realize the true situation and to inspire the American with a perfect faith that in a few years our people will become the richest and most prosperous that has ever existed. The wall of protection which has been erected around American industries, is now like the dam of a mighty river, full and running over. The commerce of the world, that has heretofore fattened on our trade, is now trembling before the coming flood. These proposed commercial treaties are only insidious and undisguised efforts to un- dermine the dam and dissipate the collected force behind it. While our people are talking about " hard times," the transition from the import to the export trade is taking place, money is pouring into our land from all countries, securities are coming back — being paid for by the excess of our own products of labor — and our nation is beginning to reap the harvest to which freedom, generosity to the poor of all the world, and intelligent protection of our workingmen entitle us. With- out such prosperity and such commerce, we could never pay our railroad, State and national debts. The present " crisis " is the real triumph of the American working- man, which temporarily distresses him by reason of the demoralization of trade cen- tres, just as California trade was demoralized for awhile by the completion of the Pacific railroads. The nation must simply be firm, and see that the people arc repaid for the sacrifices they have made in building a nation out of a wilderness, 114 This is not a proper subject for sentimentalism. We cannot afford to be gener- ous with nations that never have been, and never will be, to us, so far as commerce is concerned. If industry in America is active, intelligent and leading, it has as much right to its reward as the banker has to his bonds. The rights of superiority must be respected unless Communism prevails throughout the world. Individuals can afford, in well regulated countries, to act on principles of abstract rights, but nations must fight for themselves, just as the individual has to fight in the woods, because nations, commercially, are not friendly, though some may be weak and tamely submit to others. The free trade doctrine would to-day deliberately rob our own citizens of the rights of properly which have been built up under a protection policy against the op- position of all the great nations. We may be able to change our tariff by and by, but we should not while we are in the heat of batde of commercial rivalry. We have no time to " swap horses while crossing the stream." I am surprised that the foreign correspondents to the American press have neg- lected, until recently, to notice fully from time to time the important questions which our growing commerce has caused to be agitated in Europe, especially in England and France. If our people could see themselves as they are seen and watched from this side, there would be no more talk about want of confidence in business, or dis- tress among workingmen. A few weeks ago one of the leading bankers in Paris, connected with American finances, called upon one of our intelligent citizens, and said: 'T want to have a talk with you about the United States. In our position, bankers can feel, more than all others, the extraordinarj' movement of money, which is taking place in favor of the United States. We all feel that, in a few years, the States will be the richest and most prosperous country in the world. The changes taking place are startling to those who have an opportunity to know them best." THE VERDICT OF THE FRENCH SENATORIAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. On the 29th of November, 1877, the French Senate adopted a resolution provid- ing for the appointment of a Commission of eighteen members, to investigate "the causes to which may be attributed the sufferings of commerce and industry', and to suggest remedies." The first meeting was held on the 4th of December following, and the inquiries were continued until the 2d of last April, when the testimony taken for publication was closed. I have obtained a copy of the reports of the meedngs, including the letters from the various Chambers of Commerce of France, and the report of the Commissioners, based upon the evidence before them. The general impression which is to be gathered from the results of this invesd- gation is, that before long the great commercial nations of Europe will be obliged to put up a wall of protection against American imports, instead of pushing free trade doctrines. What they fear most is the competition of our exportations in the markets which they have heretofore controlled, but they are concerned also very seriously in protecting their liome markets. I will, as soon as I have time, furnish extended trans- ladons and extracts from French and British reports on this subject, all of which will turn on the question of the alarm created by the industry of the United States ; but in this letter I will only attempt to collect brief extracts, to illustrate what I have already written. »***♦»♦**♦** 115 NO BELIEF IN FREE TRADE. This is the refrain which comes up from nearly all the industrial centres of Fiance. A few only preach free trade in the form of special treaties of commerce, in the hope of breaking down some of the threatened competition, and to keep markets open to them, which protection reserves for the benefit of local industries. * * The field for the competition of rival industrial nations is in the countries which do not excel in industry. That is why England is so great ; she seizes upon undeveloped colonial, semi-barbarous, and barbarous trade. It is in that field that the United States must compete for markets — South America, Africa, the Orient, China. Italy may be a better market for us than France, because we are not rivals. Rivals will surely protect their home markets as soon as they are seriously threatened, and that is what France will do and what she now threatens, notwithstanding the insane talk of a few enthusiasts, who imagine that the United States can be humbugged into aban- doning all rivalry. After all, however, the first necessity is the protection of home industry, so that a nation may be as nearly self-supporting as possible ; the rivalry is of secondary im- portance and often dangerous. The Flers delegates said : " Wherever industies have been established and have prospered, they have produced the greatest possible advan- tages for their workmen. The ruin of these industries would be, therefore, ver)' pre- judicial to workmen and to agriculture. Why suppress the work of these workmen to give it to American workmen, or ethers.'' Will foreign workmen ever be consumers of the products of our soil and of our divers industries, as the French workmen are? * * * When the treaties of 1860 were made, they were not in- tended to destroy industries. It was hoped, on the contrary, that a great prosperity would follow in the near future. * * * "Yen years afierwards these promises were not fulfilled. Industry, far from being prosperous, was very unfortu- nate, and, on the occasion of the investigation which took place at the end of 1869, Mr. Forcade, of La Roquette, a strong partisan for free trade, and one of the origin- ators of the Treaty of 1860, agreed that the cotton industry was not sufficiently pro- tected, and that there was something to do."' These remarks are precisely apropos to the United States, with slight alterations, in case the proposed treaty with France should be seriously considered. We are asked to abandon our silk, leather, wine, glass bottle, and other industries in favor of French workmen, and to take, in exchange for our good wheat, beef and crude pe- troleum, rot-gut spirits, adulterated wines and French silks. We had better produce our own pure wines, manufacture our silks and give our wheat and beef to nourish the American workmen, who produce them, and our petroleum to light their homes. This is the true principle of national domestic commerce, and is the sole means of national strength. Other nations, when the current of trade begins to run against them, will protect themselves against foreign attacks. Tlie letter of the Chamber of Commerce of St. Etienne says, on the first page: " Indeed, the United States of America, having imposed prohibitive tariffs upon all European products. American industry- itself manufactures to-day the iron, cotton goods, woolen stuffs, silks and ribbons, which that country used to demand formerly from France and England.'' St. Etienne is interested in the silk trade ; hence, is in favor of supporting existing treaties. The letter adds : " We demand with all Ii6 our force, the prompt conclusion of treaties of commerce with all the European na- tions, and, if possible, with the United States of America." The letter of the Committee of Normandy, dated at Rouen, shows that other nations are rapidly becoming protectionists, and will force France to imitate them. Here, however, it should be remarked that the notion of free trade in France is very ■ confused. They have no real free trade woith speaking of. Certain countries have been granted special privileges ; but there are many things which are absolutely pro- hibited from importation, and the internal system of octroi taxation is only anoiher form for a high tariff, which injures domestic as well as foreign trade. Each city is walled in, as I have before remarked, by a special tariff, which renders free circula- tion in France impossible, even for her own products. The Rouen letter is very exhaustive and interesting. Under the third heading, "England Grappled with by the Industry of the United States," it says : " England has come to swords'-points, during the last four or five years — that is, since the en- quiry of 1870 — wiih a most redoubtable industrial rival, the United States, built up under the shelter of protection, and which becomes more and more formidable. All is henceforward transformed, and the hour is not distant, if it has not yet been sounded, when England will regret having developed beyond measure her man- ufacturing production. Europe, excepting France, shuts the door against her. Let us see what the United States are doing." The. letter then reviews the report of the British Consul at New York, in which is set forth that Ameiican exports of cotton goods to England and Scotland increase each year, and imports from England de- crease. The Manchester Courier is quoted, showing that " the reports of our (British) Consuls from many other countries are similar. The Ameiicans drive us out of their markets, and come to compete with us in our own. They are not con- tent wiih sending their products to Liverpool, but they compete with us also in our colonies and dependencies." The article quoted enumerates statistics of our cotton exports, and adds : " American competition affects us everywhere, and will finish by beating us, considering that their exportations of cotton products have increased regularly since 1872. The result of this competition with England in her own posses- sions is no longer a chimera ; it is an established fact." The letter also shows that our expons of cotton goods were in 1872 valued at $2,304,330, and increased rapidly to $14,000,000 in 187G. It argues that the result of this competition will be to throw the excess of British goods upon the French market, and that the only safety for the French is in raising their tariff. Concerning wines, the Rouen letter says : " We do not contest the fact that the wine merchants arc making active movements in favor of free trade. * * * * But, yet, what can viticulture expect from England in respect to its ex- portations.'"" It is shown, then, that the reduction of the English tariff on wines has produced no great advantages to France, for during the most favorable year the export to England has not surpassed 7,800,000 gallons, much less than the annual consump- tion of a French city of 200,000 inhabitants. "The end pursued by the viticultu- ri.-5ts," says the Rouen Committee, "is therefore chimerical. France is their best customer, and especially industrial France. Viticulture would have good cause to complain if this customer should cease to work." How powerful the last rcir.ark is v>hc:a applied to American agriculture, which sometimes complains against the protection which erublQS American workmen to coa». sumc American products ! 117 These remarks on viticulture illustrate the position of this industry in France, as I have before pictured it. French consumption, constantly increasing, renders it impractical, as well as chimerical, to increase largely the exportation of pure natural wines. The demand for treaties, however, comes more from a desire to maintain the commerce in cargo wines and to restrain viticukure in our own country, which must inevitably educate our people to prefer pure natural products. There is something of jealousy as well as interest involved in the movement. The sixth paragraph of the " Resume" cf the conclusions in the Rouen letter is as follows : " That England is everywhere at war with the competition of the cotton industry of the United States ; that she sees her markets diminished throughout the whole world ; and that, throwing herself more and more upon France, she will succeed rap- idly in ruining our national production if some remedy is not adopted quickly." The seventh paragraph is : "That French agriculture and viticukure cannot boast of the results of the treaties of commerce, and that they are interested really in providing that industrial labor should facilitate the consumption of their products in France." The letter from the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, inspired by the able Pres- ident, jNIons. A. Lalande, of whom I have heretofore written, is full of sophistries in the interest of the Bordeaux manufacturers of botdes, false labels, and vins de cargai- son. It begins, as all the communications do, with attributing the principal cause of the disturbance in Europe to the United St^ates, which offers no longer a colonial mar- ket for the poorest qualiiies of European manufactures. Then, in the face of ih's showing, it calls the prosperity of the United States an " artificial" one, and repeats the stale argument, which Mons. Lalande offered to me while I was in Bordeaux, that the United States is essentially an agricultural country, and should open her markets to European, and especially French, workmen. In other words, the desire is that the United States should consent to remain in the colonial condition, and depend upon Europe for supplies of manufactured goods. It, however, naively suggests that the United States is beginning to see the error of her ways, and is considering a change of tariffs to suit the demands of France. * * * * * C. A. W. Press Opinions ; French Consular Reports on Wines in America; Other Matters. Paris, November 23d, 1878. — The statements in my la.st letter were. from die highest official sources. The report of the French Commission has been |Dublished, to enlighten the French people upon the real questions which Europe has been forced to face. THE PRESS HAS BEEX TEEMING With comments indicating the same general conception of the situation. I will con- tent myself with a few extracts from recent issues, which I have accidcntly seen anrl preserved. ****** ****** In the American Register, published here this week, the third of a series ( f arti- cles on the commercial relations of the United States is published. Concerning the " craze" on questions of free trade and protection, it says: Its "The Journal des Debats^ not usually given to sensational articles, has again de- voted to the prevailing craze, during the past week, no less than three columns. They are published over the name of M. P. Leroy-Beaulieu, who is the co-proprietor of a prominent financial weekly journal. The article deals at the outset with mere generalities, and the confusion of ideas is so great as to make it difficult to follow the writer. But it seems evident that the notion is father to the thought that all nations, in a general way, and the United States in particular, owe certain duties to France of no less import than to purchase, by way of preference, her produce and manufac- tures. ]M. Leroy is silent on the subject as to what France means to do in return. He uses strong language; he is very graphic after a fashion of his own, but he fails to convince. ************ "As regards the United States, M. Leroy is kind enough to say that persuasive measures will be brought to bear on the subject of a treaty. But woe to us if that does not produce the desired effect. In case of hesitancy on the part of the United States, why, says INI. Leroy, England and France must have recourse to other means than mere persuasion. He expresses the word coercion merely by way of implica- tion, and in the meantime desires you to tremble in your boots. In the course of a few days he promises to give his readers an expose of the Commercial Movement with the United States, which will tend to destroy certain ' illusions.' The sooner M. Leroy breaks the spell, the better for all concerned. His own arguments can only assist to prove, if indeed assistance were required, that no treaties in the way he un- derstands them are of any avail; nor will attempts at persuasion, or threats of coercion, have the tendency to turn the tide that has set in. " It has been fully demonstrated in these columns that, for the present, the American markets are closed to several distinct branches of European industry, and we repeat the assertion — ' ?/ faut en /aire son deuil! Manufacturers have had fair warning of 'breakers ahead,' but they refused to listen, and persisted in the prevail- ing insanity. They have now to deal with the consequences. ************ " It is exceedingly doubtful that M. Leroy-Beaulieu can devise means to pro- vide for a treaty which prevents silk or woolen manufacturers to overstock the American market at any future period. Nor can we believe that any code can be framed to prevent a wine merchant from shipping vin decargaison in bottles labeled 'Chateau Margaux.' The exports from California all agree to this — that at no very distant period the State of California will outrank ever}' other wine-growing region in the world. There can be no doubt on the subject. In the meantime, we are importing wines from Bor- deaux, but, as these shipments will be sooner or later reduced in the ratio as the development of vine-growing in California increases, it will be instructive to inform Mr. Leroy of the reasons why the American people prefer home-grown wines rather than continue to pay high rates for Bordeaux wines. " The following is extracted from one of the reports of the United States Consul at Bordeaux : ' It is to be regretted that the better brands of wines but sel- dom find their way to our market. From a careful revision of invoices of wines shipped to the United States, I find that in general they range among the vins ordi- naires and de cargaisoti, i. e., the very lowest grades.' To this we may add that bot- tles, corks, straw envelopes, labels, etc., are separately packed up in cases, and the transformation is effected after passing the casks through the Custom House at the lig landing place. Nor do we fare better in regard to importations of brandies. And here again we must quote from the Consular report, which runs thus : ' IManv con- siderations affecting the price and quality of brandies can be pleaded by the seller so as to leave the determination of these points entirely at his option, and the American purchaser, who is rarely a profound expert, is often the victim of deception. Certain Ic is that American dealers have been accustomed to pay for the older grades of brandy prices that European merchants would regard simply as usurious.' M. Leroy- Beaulieu must admit that matters of this nature cannot be regulated by treaty stipu- lations. And yet it is indisputable that they have acted as the most powerful agent in diminishing exportation from France to the United States." In the matter of wines and spirits, however, it is not so much the fault of French merchants as of American retailers that poor qualities of liquors are sold under false labels at high prices. The American consumer demands good articles and pays high prices; but the commission or importing house can sell to the retailer only the most inferior stuff, and so he instructs his foreign correspondent. The legitimate dealers are "licked out" of our market, as Mr. Barnett, of Barnett & Sons, said to me in London, adopting an American expression in explaining iheir difficulties with our trade. But, so far as the consumer is concerned, he should know the difference be- tween goods sent as consignments and those imported on direct order. THE FRENXH CONSULAR REPORTS Are now published in serial form. Eleven publications were issued last year and seven, up to date, this year, all of which I have obtained. This system is an admir- able one. In the United States we get annually a volume of " Commercial Rela- tions," which is so delayed that the information contained in it can be of little use to our merchants and producers. The report of Mons. A. Forest, the intelligent French Consul at San Francisco, published this year, is the most able review of the commerce of our port that I have seen. These French reports have the advantage for Frenchmen of being made in language intelligible to them, quantities and values being given in French measures. Advice is also freely given to enable French merchants to know how to take advantage of our markets. The American consular reports have, however, been in great meas- ure hampered by the interests of the foreign trade; statistics are quoted in foreign measures, and advice to our producers is given very cautiously, if at all. A litdc generous public support and encouragement would soon cause our Consuls to do good work for us. Mons. Forest, in his report, dated San Francisco, March 10th, 1878, to the French Government, says: "The wines and spirits of California, v/hose quality, it must be recognized, has greatly improved, appear to be more and more liked in the Eastern States; so the ex- portation to those sections increases from year to year. They begin even to export them to foreign countries." He then gives the statistics of the trade, including the values of the wines and spirits. He says, concerning the falling off in the importation of French wines, etc.: '■Two causes have contributed to reduce the importation of our wines and spirits to the figure ot to-day, which is scarcely the third of what it was ten years ago. I mean the increase of the tariff, which is equal to a quasi-prol.ibiiion, and the vinicul- tural pioluclion of California; the influence of the second cause \i permanent, and will make itself felt more from year to year, even if the first ceases to exist. I20 ■'Foreign wines, in wood, are taxed 40 cents, or 2 francs per gallon, or 71 cen- times per litre; those in case, SI GO, or 8 francs per 12 bottles, or 6Q centimes per bottle. At this same price of two francs per gallon, the consumer can procure Cali- fornia wines the quality of which, it must be admitted, is preferable to that of our cargo wines (vins de cargaison). It is therefore evident that a reduction of the tarifT, even if 50 per cent., which is not presumable, would not be s ificient to enable us to sustain the contest for this kind of wines. If a certain quantity still finds an outlet in this market, it is because the jobbing and retail merchants enlarge ( allojigeni, )io use the common expression, with California wines the little French wine that they buy, to such a degree that there are consumed certainly ten barrels of native wine to one of our vineyards." These remarks are very correct, except in some sense where they relate to the tariff. 1 he present duty is not prohibitive of pure and fine wines, and only in part of vins de cargaison. The pure, fine wines, however, are prohibited by the mercenary greed of retailers, who will not purchase anything except the very cheapest stuff in the market, notwithstanding they sell wines by the bottle at from $1 to $4, or at the rate of from $5 to $20 per gallon, while paying seldom more than eighty or ninety cents per gallon, duty included. The vitis de cargaison are not shut out, for they constitute even now nearly all the wine imports. A decrease in the duty would enable commis- sion agents to place more of such wines in the hands of retailers, who would buy ihem because they were cheaper than fine California wines, and would sell them, as usual, under false labels at high prices. The efl^ect of the change would be to retard still longer the education of the popular taste for pure wine, it being the retailers' interest to keep up the prejudice in favor of the false, acquired taste for fictitious wines. There is enough difTerence between California wines, which have a delicious taste of the fruit and fine body, and French wines, to prevent them from being generally passed off without alterations upon consumers under foreign labels. From this state- ment must be excepted a few classes of red and several of white wines, which are easily substituted for foreign articles. The inability to use most of the fresh natural fruity California wines to deceive consumers, unless they are first blended with such wines as come from the Midi and the coarser, astringent vitis de cargaison, of Bordeaux, keeps the retailers from en- couraging them, except so far as they can use them in this way, and keeps up the demand for the kind of stuff that is imported. The retailer cannot sell ordinary Cali- fornia wine without first doctoring it, as Chateau Margaux, Chateaux Larose and St. Julien, for which labels he gets high prices. His interest is to keep California wines from use under their true labels, because when sold honestly they do not command high prices. The present tariff, however, is reducing the practice of using cheap, rough wines in making up deceptions to a minimum, and the quality of wine, nomi- nally foreign, is improving in purity by reason of the smaller quantity of foreign stuff added to the California wines, as I\I. Forest sets forth. In a few years the public will get free from the illusions of labels and the use of foreign wines will become legiti- mate, being either imported in simple, pure state to assist in blending legitimately where certain of our wines lack color, tannin, etc., or being imported directly to satisfy the demands of connoisseurs, whose demand, I showed in my last letter, is now almost wholly ignored, for there is so small a quantity of fine wines recorded in the invoices, notwithstanding the great quantity nominally consumed by label. 121 We need to maintain the tariff, as it is, in the interest of the connoisseur, the ordi- nary consumer, our own producers, public health and honesty. As I have shown before, the consumer suffers from the frauds and extortions of the retailers, and not from the tariff; a reduction in the tariff of fifty per cent., or two cents a pint bottle, would never operate in the interest of consumers, as trade is now conducted. The French Vice-Consul, Mons. Verleye, at Boston, in his report, dated March 31st, 1878, says: "It is shameful that our French houses do not send wines here. The actual tax is 40 cents per gallon, or about $24 per barrel; or, approximately in French money, 120 francs per barrel. At the price of sale of wines in Boston, it seems certain that the business would be fruitful if well conducted. The trade in wines is conducted here by houses without any importance and without capital, which render the sale difficult by reason of the bad quality of the products which they offer for consumption and the excessive profits which they demand from the goods. Strong and perfumed wines seem to be the most generally consumed." I hope I shall not be expected by my readers to produce many more proofs of the true character of the foreign wine trade in the United States. It will be their own fault if they continue to be imposed upon. There should be a fight of consumers against the swindling propensities of retail- ers, rather than against the foreign trade. Foreigners all have a contempt for the American market, and they speak of it as though the consumer was to blame, because the American commission houses write that they cannot sell good articles. This is because the commission houses sell to the retailers, and not to the consumers; for the latter demand good articles and pay good prices — prices far too great, even, for fine articles. I have introduced these questions here because the native American wines do enter into the question of Franco-American commerce, and because it is shown to be, by reason of their improving quality and increasing quantity, that the importations of French wines are decreasing. If we were to become a wine-drinking people, the im- portation of fine wines would largely increase. It is the vin de cargaiso?i, which is being shut out by our wines, which, as M. Forest says, are better wines. The moral of this is, don't continue to drink California wines under foreign labels, mixed and flavored to imitate fancy brands. I have on my table a work entitled Ehide sur les bois^oiis fermeiiiks (a study of fermented drinks), by Maurice Boucherie, published by Eugene Lacroix, Paris. It gives a review of the wines of the world. Under the head of the United States, it says : " At the Exposition, the wines of California, which are, without question, the best in the United States, have not suffered from comparison with their glorious rivals. They are certainly yet far from being wines of high price, but there have been re- marked in them finesse and bouquet. Indeed, the rational culture of the vine in California is of so recent date that the progress realized is quite satisfactory." A series of volumes is being published, entitled I^ pays Etrangers et T Exposition de 1878 (Foreign countries and the Exposition of 1878), by Clovis Lamarre and Rend de la Blanchere. The volume relating to the United States has already appeared- In the chapter on alimentary products, the wines are treated under two headings, those Q^the Atlantic and those of the Pacific Coasts. 122 "California," it says, "commences lo present, in the matter of wines, a serious production. * * * g^j. already California has very remarkable white wines, several of which can sustain rivalry with the wines of the Rhine, and champagnes, the best of which may console people who have not the original wines of the Champagne district. California stands, without contest, at the head of the vStates for vinicultural production." THE UNDERLYING INTEREST IN THE " CHOTTEAU-MEXIER SCHEME," As the American Regtsler calls the proposed new treaty, can be understood from the statements which are set forth in this and my last letter. The French nation, how- ever, is gravitating toward protection, and is threatening reprisals. The clause in the resolution introduced in the French Senate, before al'uJed to, which provides that their proposed general tariff shall apply to all countries which offer France the treat- ment of the most favored nations, and which do not impose duties on French pro- ducts greater than the French do on the same kind of articles from foreign sources, is a shrewd way to complicate matters. Such a clause would enable the French Legis- lature to take issue with nearly every country in the world, for there could be found few where, in some respects, the tariff did not vary in certain particulars so that the duties would be greater than exacted in France on the same. The Chotteau-iMenier scheme is of such a kind as the United States can never enter into with a rival nation. It is a scheme to subvert our general tariff system for a special contract with France. We had better, if any is required, secure a special contract with Great Britain and her dependencies, whose populations will consume more American man- ufactures than many times such nations as France. France does not propose to begin to change the habits of her people ; they will drive foreign goods out of their markets rather than tolerate them. France will receive only raw material, foods, and such manufactured goods as she cannot produce. Any temporary trade must not be con- sidered permanent. The French abhor f jreign goods, and only take to them from necessity. We are in rivalry with France, and we shall, of course, contend with her in the markets which she has been supplying. Shutting up her ports to us will be a matter of small importance compared with what she demands of us. Mons. Menier is the great chocolate manufacturer and an enterprising merchant. Chotteau is the agent of the combination of manufacturers and wine and spirit ex- porters, who came to the United States to try the task of getting Americans to refuse to compete with France and to step back into the line of consuming markets. The Americans connected actively with the movement are very few. There is a patent lawyer, whose office is in Washington, and whose sympathies arc French on account of relationship by marriage ; another lawyer from Cincinnati; a young capitalist of Boston, who was in the Bowles Bros.' failure, and who likes Paris; a merchant of Baltimore, who is interested in the import trade; and a few Southerners, who have been caught by talk about free trade for cotton. Chotteau has endeavored to make his scheme a Southern measure; but I have yet faith enough in Southern men to think that when they understand it they will denounce it. HOW FRANCE NULLIFIES LOW TARIFFS. In my next I will show how illusory are all hopes of increased trade with France, by reason of the internal system of taxation, which walls in all her cities, rendering nugatory, in many respects, any reduction of tariff. C. A. W. 1^3 The fallacies of the proposed Franco-American Treaty — French Internal Revenue and Municipal System of Taxation — The "American Register," of Paris, on the proposed Treaty — Dr. Grothe on American Protection. London, November 28, 1878. I must finish my correspondence, as I can find opportunoty, while en route for the United States. THE GREAT PRINCIPLE Involved in the question of commercial relations and tariffs, which I commenced discussing in my last letter, is one that afTects ihe support of home industry and ulti- mately begets national pride. A nadon of all nations, thrown together as we have been, needs a protective tariff, not only to protect home industry while developing, but to insure proper American pride in American products. What the Union of States and the Constitution do for the political sentiment of the people, so thrown together, the tariff must do for industry, making it national and giving our people time to wean themselves from products bearing foreign marks. The German, French- man, Englishman — all foreign-born citizens naturally favor the products of their former homes; even the native-born, Americanized American clings more or less to the traditions of the Colonial markets. This is not a selfish plea for Americanism. Every man is dependent more on his immediate neighbor than upon the citizens of other countries. We mutually sup- port our government from our mutual trade. We must support each other, in prefer- ence to all others. The protective tariff teaches us to be Americans in justice to each other. The foreigner who is not willing to be American on these conditions will always be a foreigner and an agent of our despoilers. When I advocate the interests of America, from our own standpoint, it is not against the French, but in favor of our own citizens, whether thev be of French, German or English birth We cannot work together on any other basis, and if we cannot work together we cannot be compatriots. I do not deem it necessary to apologize for being an American, with pride in and hope for America, and zeal for American industry against all the world. If such feeling could be made the life of a great American national parly, I should like to see such a party created, and to be a member of it. I have no respect whatever for the American citizen who is not willing, by such small sacrifices as may be called for, to assist in supporting, improving and enlarging American industry in competition with all the world. That man is not worthy of success who does not assist his neighbor, upon whom his own success is dependent. 1 HE TALLACIES OF THE PROPOSED FRENCH TREATY WITH THE UNITED STATES I have, from time to time, touched upon. The people cannot understand ihem too well. A small combination demand that we shall reduce the duty on silks, for no other purpose than to prevent us from competing with France in the manufacture of silk. 124 The common objection, that protective duties make articles dear in our markets, is a fallacy. At first they add to the current prices, but the increased cost is retained in our own country, supports workmen, and they support other producers by their consumption. Competition, however, soon bears down prices, and the protective tariff no longer increases prices. To-day, most that has been protected is able to pay duty in France and England, and compete with foreign products where they are produced. They demand a decrease in the duty on spirits, for no other reason, as I have shown before, than to introduce, under the deception of foreign labels, in our markets, greaterquantities of beet-root and potato alcohols, diluted, flavored, and called cognac, kirsch, gin, absinthe, etc. I have shown that their genuine spirits are not sufficient to supply present demand, and the product is not increasing, but decreasing. They demand a reduction in wine duties, for no other reason than to enable vin de cargaison to retard the production of pure natural wines in our own country. They demand that wine in bottles be admitted at the same rate of duty as wine in wood, for no other reasd^i than to double their profits on the wine trade, by fur- nishing bottles as well as wine, and to enable them to more easily circulate false labels. The supply of wine justly labeled is infinitely less than the demand. They talk about giving us advantages, which advantages would all be nullified by their svstem of taxation. And here it is necessary to consider another question. THE FRENCH INTERNAL TAXES, In the United States, when goods pass the Custom Houses, they are free to cir- culate in the country. The PVench laws provide for indirect taxes in addition to the tariff. First — For the support of the general Government. Second — For the support of towns and cities. This internal revenue system, so far as it relates to the general Government, is called the Regie; so far as it relates to municipalities, the Octroi. It is collected by an army of tax-gatherers, which, I am told, numbers 400,000 officers. I have not been able to verify the statement of numbers, but I assume that it cannot be far from the truth. The principle of this Internal Revenue is to tax consumption and circulation. The methods of the law are quite complex and could not be carried into eflfect, so as to prevent fraud, without an immense army of collectors, guards, inspectors and detectives. These taxes may be described under three heads: the tax of circulation, of en- try, and of octroi. They vary according to departments and the relative populations of communes and cities, according to fixed classifications. Paris, however, is treated distinctly, with special provisions of law. Hence, it is impracticable for me to state much more than the general features and limits of this taxation. The tax of circulation, generally speaking, permits the Government to follow, throughout all their movements, the articles from producer or importer to the con- sumer or retail vendor. It permits the Government to know the place, hour of movement, destination, road followed, mode of transportation of all wines, spirits, etc., subjected to taxation. A viniculturist cannot move his wines from one place to another without obtaining written authority, which the person in charge of them 125 must exhibit, if called upon. Every road and the entrances to every city and to^vn are guarded by officers of the Regie and Octroi. Every carriage which leaves Paris for a short drive into the Bois de Boulogne is stopped at the entrance of the city, when returning, and the formality of inspection is gone through with, to pre- vent smuggling wines and spirits. Ever)- farmer's wagon, loaded with hay or turnips, is inspected for the same purpose. Every tourist entering one French city from another is subjected to the same inspection, as if coming from England or America. Then there is added the tax of entr)' (droit d' entree), also for the benefit of the General Government, which is collected together with the octroi, which is for the benefit of the commune or city. This tax is similar in nearly all respects to a customs tariff — all producers outside the gates of a city being treated as we do foreigners. There is also a tax upon the retailing of goods, which the cities are permitted to convert together with the tax of entry into one tax, collected upon entry. There are four classifications of Departments (districts or counties), in each of which the tax of entry is different. Then again, this tax varies in each class of De- partments, according to population of cities. For instance, the tax on wines in the Gironde, Charente, or Herault (of the first class), varies for a hectolitre (26.40 American gallons), from 45 centimes in a population of 4,000 to 6,000, to one franc 80 centimes in a population of 50,000 or more. In the fourth class (Northern De- partments principally), it varies from 90 centimes to 3 francs 60 centimes for popu- lations as before. The tax of circulation on wines varies from 1.50 francs in the first class to 3 francs in the fourth class per hectolitre. The octroi tax, imposed as an additional tax of entry by the cities and towns, is limited by general laws so as not to exceed by more than one-third the tax of entry imposed by the Regie. There are also decimes (tenths) added by special laws, which increase from time to time, for spe- cial funds, these general and local taxes. I obtained official statements of these taxes for Bordeaux and Paris, and in part for Marseilles. For Bordeaux the taxes in francs are, per hectolitre (26.40 American wine gal- lons), as follows: Circulation. Entry. Octroi. Total. Wines, in wood 1.50 5.05 1.20 7.75 Wines, in botdes 18.75 5.05 1.20 25. Spirits, in wood 30. 156.25 24. 210.25 Spirits, in bottles 30. 218.75 24. 272.75 The spirits are taxed according to hectolitres of pure alcohol contained, and not according to proof measures. In Marseilles, the Octroi tax for wines is 2.40 francs and for spirits 24 francs_ The other taxes for INIarscilles I presume to be the same as in Bordeaux, both cities having more than 50,000 inhabitants and being in the same class of Departments. From this statement, the American alcohol producer can determine what is the cost of placing spirits in consumption in those places, the tax of entry into the country (the tariff) being added — 30 francs per hectolitre, as I have explained in a former letter; Octroi. Total, franc?. 12. 23.87 30. 50. 79.80 266.05 79.80 328.55 79.80 328 55 4.56 10.49 15. 126 In Paris the taxes are specially fixed (the tax of circulation being merged in the tax of entry) as follows: Entry. Wines, in wood 11 .87 Wines, in bottle 20. Spirits, in wood 186.25 Spii its, in bottle 248.75 Absinthe 248.75 Cider (apple, pear, etc.) 5.93 Beer It will be observed from these statements that each city is protected from free entry of bottles containing wines or spirits. This enables each place to maintain its bottling and jobbing trade. Considering this fact, is it not, to say the least, "cheeky" on the part of French wine jobbers to ask the United States to admit wine in bottle at the same rate of duty as wine in cask ? The French tariff needs to be considered in connection with the Regie and Octroi taxes. The Paris Octroi tax upon empty bottles is 61 francs per 100 kilogrammes, sufficient to shut out entirely common foreign-made bottles that might pass the cus- toms tariff. Eighty-two articles are enumerated in the list of Octroi taxes for Paris, princi- pally, articles for eating and drinking, both for man and beast, building material, fuel, lumber, boats, mirrors and other glass manufactures. With such a system in France, all offers for commercial treaties must be care- fully considered, because the internal taxation may operate effectually to nullify any advantages offered by reduction of tariffs. It is this system which creates so much local feeling in France. Every Frenchman talks of mon pays (my country), meaning only the Department in which he lives or was born. He speaks of the whole coun- try as la pairie. The domestic commerce of France is also greatly retarded by the system. Each city is foreign to the others. For the same reason, the circulation of foreign goods entered at one port is practically prohibited elsewhere, unless the agents of theJor- eign trade are established everywhere. For the partial convenience of domestic trade, there is a system of accounts with wholesale dealers, by which the octroi and entry taxes may be remitted in bond, when they are received in one city to be forwarded to another. But 'hia only applies to wholesale dealings. The retail dealer, upon the price of whose goods the tax is added, can offer no inducements to the small outside traders, because the goods must be again taxed when they pass to another place. It is for these reasons, as I have before explained, that the habits of French peo- ple, respecting what they eat and drink, vary so much. In the north they drink cider and coarse spirits; in the northwest, beer and spirits; in the south, wine. They need at Bordeaux a commercial treaty with Normandy. Of what great advantage to us would it be to open the market at Bordeaux, INIarseilles and Havre, in exchange, under these conditions, for a few of our goods, if we must open our whole country, by general reduction of tariffs, for the benefit of the whole world.? Of what advan- age to get cheaply into the bonded customs' warehouse of Bordeaux, while the Octroi of Bordeaux establishes another tax to protect local glass factories .-' 127 Each French city is a community of workmen and producers, walled in, not only from the industry of its neighbors, but from that of the outside world also. A Franco-American commercial treaty would be a one-sided affair, if we should grant free circulation throughout the United States, in exchange for the privilege of knock- ing at the gates of French cities, and paying tribute there. It is true that after paying customs tribute at Bordeaux or Marseilles, we should be on a par with outside French products seeking a market there; but we should not be on a par with French goods produced in Bordeaux or Marseilles. Observe, above, the marked distinction be- tween liquors in botde and those in wood. If \ve should send canned oysters, meat, or vegetables, we should meet the same difficulty. This system also cultivates in the French people a taste for their own products and a distaste for all that is foreign; hence, France will not be, under any circum- stances of tariff, a good market for our manufactures, excepting in certain necessary- things. The French do not like foreign products. They even take our crude petro- leum and refme it themselves; take our tallow and make soap. They prohibit the use of foreign alcohols in their wines for home consumption, but permit the use of French beet root spirits; and the government, as I showed in a previous letter, ad- mits the practice of giving facilities to exporters, without direct sanction of law, to prepare in bond, concoctions which they will not permit to circulate, in some insiances, and which they discourage by oppressive taxation in others, in French markets. " They must be exported," is the language of the official order. They demand that we shall lower our tariffs so as to admit to our markets what they prohibit in France. There are many things of our manufacture which are contraband in French trade. For instance, American locks at the Exposition could not even be given away. They are contraband and not permitted to enter the country for sale. The French tariff discriminates against certain nations ; the American tariff is as favorable to France as to Spain or other countries. We have a right to complain ; the French have none. THE THREAT OF ENGLISH AND FRENCH MANUFACTURERS Is to levy a tax on our wheat, beef, etc. They say that we only export our surplus ; that it would rot on our hands if we did not export it ; hence we are obliged to seek their markets, and if they lew a tax upon our products of raw material, it will not raise the price in their markets, but the tax will come out of our producers. F'ven if their position is a sound one in this respect, it follows that the countries which they flivor would seek the markets that we shun and leave us room for our sur- plus elsewhere; and, more important, if we maintain our manufactures, our farmers can sell to American workmen what they would otherwise be obliged to sell to foreign workers, if we encouraged importations in place of home production. Indeed, the policy of forcing our exports beyond what the world demandj of us, is a bad one, because it is always liable to be affected by the tariffs of other nations ; also by new producing industries. This is the trouble now with F^ngland and France. What we need is to be self-sufficient and supporting, having nearly all the material, brains, strength and energy necessary to provide work for our people in all industries. When we produce all that we need, we may look to a period of exportation as a means of cancelling our debts. Beyond that we need not be greatly concerned. We have to face, however, in the future, the determined opposition of Europe : and now is the time, not for treating with our rivals, but for obtaining a foothold in 128 the markets supplied by France and England. Italy would be a better market for us than France. Why should England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany claim to monopolize South America, Africa, the Orient, the INIediterranean and Asia .' They do it without asking permission of any one, and in the interest of their workmen. We must take the simc course, whether our rivals like it or not. INDUSTRIES IN BORDEAUX. For the sake of showing the importance of some of the industries of one city — for instance, Bordeaux — more or less protected by a prohibitive Regie and Octroi tax in addition to the tariff, I will give a few items of the money annually paid to certain classes of workmen in that city : Cooperage, hoops, pegs, etc $4,200,000 Bottle-making 600,000 Cup making 200,000 Cork-making 80,000 IMetallic capsule-making (for bottles) 22^,000 Straw wrapper making 00,000 Box making 600,000 Preparing crvstalized tartar 150,000 Preparing vinegar 200,000 Total $6,310,000 Nearly all of this sum is expended in Bordeaux in preparing wines for shipment. It includes only the cost of labor. It is not strange that the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce should wish us to increase this labor by letting in bottled wine at the same duly as wine in cask, and to let in their imitations of cognac, absinthe, gin, etc., at such a rate that German alcohols prepared in France might compete, under French labels, with our own better alcohols distilled from corn. Suppose, however, we should grant the request, and that Chicago, New York, San Francisco and all American towns and cities were able to protect their own indus- tries by an octroi, or municipal tariff, we should then be granting to France what a few of her people offer us. THE EXPORTS OF FRANCE To the United States during the year ending September 30th, 1877, amounted in de- clared values to $49,183,091 40, a slight increase over the preceding year and thir- teen million dollars less than the year ending September 30th, 1875. Out of this quantity in 1877 wines figured for only $2,555,705 and spirits for $1,487,229. The silk export was as follows for 1877 : Raw silk, $1,230,223 ; silk and velvet piece goods, $8,499,044 ; silk and velvet ribbons, $293,725. The French should congratulate themselves that their raw silk finds such a grow- ing market in the United States, about equalling the spirit trade. But this is what they don't like to see. They do not wish to see a market in the United States for raw material from France. Yet, wiih all their grumbling, France is far ahead in her commerce in manufac- tures with us, and it is we who should ask for increased advantages, and complain if they are not granted. We may reduce, through our own production, the imports from France, but we cannot largely increase our exports to her, even with more favor- able tariffs. The French dislike for foreign goods is a stronger power than even a protective tariff, I2g The industries, such as in leather, boots and shoes, glass, watches, chemicals, etc., have more reason to complain than either the silk or wine and spirit industries, because they are very large in importance, and cannot send us raw material. The wine and spirit interest, as I hxve heretofore shown, has the least right to complain, because there is no excess of production in France, as the rising prices, increased im- ports, and decreasing exports to all countries, show. Moreover, our native wines shut out of our market a class of wines for which they can say nothing in favor, and, if they could increase their product of fine wines, the popular use of pure native wine will increase the number of wine drinkers and connoisseurs, and increase the demand for fine French wines to serve the taste of the fastidious. But such wines are rare in quality and quantity, and not sufllcient to supply present demands. The production of brandies, I have also shown, is decreasing rapidly, and, if the vineyards of the Cha- rente, destroyed by the phylloxera, are not restored, all the glory of fine champagne W'ill soon be a matter of history only. The wine and spirit men have now a greater market than they can legitimately supply. Hence, they have little claims for consideration. Nearly all the other industries are talking protection for France and favoring increased tariffs. THE SENTIMENT In favor of the proposed treaty is confined to a few Americans, who have been complimented by being shrewdly selected by Mr. Chotteau, the employed agent of Mons. jMenier and his associates, to represent the interests of the United States. I have found none of theUnited States Consuls, or other United States officers, who have been called upon for opinions, favorable to the scheme, except a clerk in the office of the Consul at Paris. This clerk was formerly in the business of importing French ribbons, and manifests a sort of indignation because Americans should presume to compete against French silks. He is charged by General Fairchild, the new Consul at Paris, with the work of preparing the statistics for his first annual report. I was kindly informed by him, when I was enquiring for information useful to our people, that he should not occupy himself with any special interest, and that this year he intended to drop from the report the figures showing the " Special Commerce" of France. I presumed to suggest to him that those figures were most important, because they indicated what portion of imports from the United States were actually con- sumed in France, and what part of her exports were genuine French products. He was then kind enough to say that I was working /or mj> own inta-cst, and that if people wanted to find out these things, they must get the information themselves, or got the State Department to call for it. This man is certainly the wrong man in tlie right place; for of what use are Consular reports if they do not give informa- tion for the use of our people .'' Such a man, with sympathies on the side of Amer- ican importers, and against our producers, can hide many facts, which our pieople have a right to learn through the Consular service. General Fairchild is not in Paris at present, and is new to the French business ; it is to be hoped, however, that he will review carefully the work of his subordinate, before it is sent to Washington. ALCOHOLS. I have received some further particulars concerning the alcohol trade at Mar- seilles. My correspondent write? : "American alcohol, imported here, is all of one 130 quality; that is to say, rectified and measuring 188^; the barrels, also, are all of the same capacity, viz. : 45 gallons, or thereabouts." The Frencli system of measuring spirits is centigrade — 100° being pure, or absolute alcohol. The /rois-six, or al- cohol of commerce, is generally from 85° to db^, corresponding to from about 160° to 180^ your measure. I\Iy informant continues: ''The Germans make alcohol from all sorts of material, and consequently the prices arc extremely variable. I will "'speak only of the best, which is, in fact, pre- ferred here to American alcohol and imported in barrels of 45 gallons and casks of over 100 gallons. The price is 58 francs per hectolitre for the former and 55 francs for the latter, inclulding barrels. Its strength as alcohol is 92*^, Gay-Lussac scale, in other words, 92 per cent, of pure alcohol. "The French alcohol, which is considered the best, distilled from beet roots, rates at from GO francs per hectolitre upwards. The eau-de vie de vin (wine spirits) cost in bond from 90 to 100 francs per hectolitre. " Wines sho-A ing an alcoholic force greater than 15 per cent, are subject to a double octroi tax for the quantity of alcohol contained between 15" and 2^. Those showing a force greater than 21^^ are treated as eaux-de-vie and taxed for the quantity of pure alcohol contained, according to the rite fixed for spirits. "The ordinary bottle is treated as a litre if over half a litre." All prices of spirits in France are quoted, as i?t bond, without the addition of either tariff, regie, or octroi taxes. In a former letter I gave the price of American alcohol in Marseilles as 80 francs per barrel. These statements, the best that I have been able to obtain, will be of more interest to the alcohol distillers of the Western States than to California. C. A. W. Washington, December 27th, 1878. — I will send as a postscript to my letter from London, of November 28th, a few recent extracts from newspapers, which I have received from Paris this week : THE LATEST MOVEMENT OF THE MENIER-CHOTTEAU SCHEME. The "American Register" of Paris, of December 7th, publishes the following: " There was a grand meeting at the circus in the Champs Elysces on Sunday last, called by the French Committee for the Promotion of P>anco-American Commerce. Every seat in the large theatre was occupied by a most respectable looking class of people. M. Foucher de Caveil presided, and made an elaborate introductory speech, closing with a personal compliment to ex-Governor Fenton, of New York, who made a brief response in English, which was taken down by a stenographer, and repeated in French to the audience. Governor Fenton studiously avoided the subject sup- posed to be under discussion — international free trade — but gave his earnest support to any and every measure tending to unite the two countries more closely in com- mercial and social relations. The Governor's remarks, cautious and judicious, were warmly received. He was followed by Senator Laboulaye, who recited a long chap- ter of Franco-American history, from the first settlement of Canada to the last Paris Exhib.tion — a story familiar to cverv American schoolboy. Then came M. Chot- teau, who was sent last year to the United States as a missionary, to preach the gospel 131 of free-trade to the benighted American Congress and people. "M. Chotteau closed with the intimation that he was about to repeat his mission. When we consider that the American tariff, as it exists to-day, is far more liberal than the French, and that every article of American export not taxed in the French schedule is prohibited, seized and confiscated on coming into France, we cannct help thinking and saying that the missionary of free trade might find pltnty of work to do in converting pro- tect onist heathen at home. Wc can well understand M. IMenier's interest in having the American import duty on chocolate abolished, and the Bordeaux and Rheims wine merchants in urging a reduction of the tariff on wines, but they have no right or reason to demand this until France abolishes her prohibitor)^ duty on American expons. The music by the Garde Republicaine was magnificent. 'Hail Columbia' created a furore. The collection at the doors in aid of (he propaganda did not amount to much. It struck us as rather small business." In another article the Register says : " If, however, there was liitle novelty or explanation respecting the comparative advantages of the opposing commercial systems, vouchsafed to the public within the Circus of the Champs-Elysees, some information on the subject has appeared lately in the French press. In a recent article in the Debats, from the pen of M. de Molinari, the following question is proposed. Alluding to the then projected meeting in the Champs-Elysees, J\I. de Molinari says : ' Whilst we oppose to American products our old general tariff, which still contains a respectable number of prohibitions, our products arc submitted on the other side of the Atb.ntic to the excessive dudes which were established in consequence of the War of Secession. This regime of recipro- cal exclusion is, as the Protectionists affirm, the best for the development of the na- tional riches in France and the United States. It is clear that we lose by not selling to the Americans all which we could sell them if their tariff was more hospitable. It is no less clear that the Americans, repelled from our market by a tariff nearly as crabbed as their own, make an analogous loss. These two losses, do they constitute one profit.''' 'Respectable nuinber of prohibitions' and 'tariff nearly as crabbed as their own,' are statements which, in view of the facts, it must have required considerable ' cheek ' to have written. Whatever may be the opinions of Americans on the sub- ject, it is clear that the manufacturers of France fear the losses from a reduction of duties in their conventional tariffs, cr they would not demand, as the French oil trade did a few days ago, from the Custom's Committee, a retention of the present duties, or the application of the General Tariff to the colonies, as was done by some French colonial merchants. Crossing the Rhine, we find the German iron-masters, after ex- periencing the disadvantages of Free Trade in iron for a year, demanding the German Chancellor to re-enact protective duties. It is not, however-, necessary to leave the columns of the Fi'ench Press for an answer to IM. de Molinari's tjuestion. The Temps, in a recent article on the industrial condition of Fi-ance, as shown by the official returns of exports and imports, stated that the excess of the latter over the former was no cause of uneasiness, ' as long as French manufacturers exported more manufacturtd goods than foreign manifacturers poured into the country i" The Temps evidently thinks that a loss sustained by a French manufacturer would be a real loss to the French nation, while it affects to believe that a loss sustained by the American manufacturer would be a gain to the American nation," 132 I find another extract, as follows : " Dr. Grothe, who visited the United Slates in 1876, to examine the operation of the American Tariff Laws, has made his re- port, in which he gives an account of the protectionist policy in America, ascribing its adoption to the sound sense and \yholesome instinct of our people, and their un- readiness to be mislead by theories. He incorporates into his paper valuable tables, which give the substantial, unquestionable results of the policy pursued at the differ- ent periods, and also all the numerical facts needed for a proper understanding of the system. And after a review of all, he emphasizes the conclusion — which he shares with Professor Rouleaux — ' that the United States owe their rapid industrial development essentially to the protective system.' " C. A. W. Good Rules for Consumers ; Suggestions to Producers ; Champagnes; Dealers in Fine Wines not Favoring the Reduction of Tariff. London, November 29th, 1878.— In a few days I shall be on the ocean again, returning to the United States, intending, as usual, to remain in Washington during the Winter. I shall therefore conclude my correspondence concerning the interests of the wine and spirit-producers by presenting some observations — which I must put together hastily, without regard to their relevancy. ***** THE MERCHANTS Dealing in fine wines and brandies here take no interest in the proposition to reduce our tariff. They all say that their trade in fine articles is very small in the United States, and that the reduction of the tariff would only help the "rubbish" to still fur- ther crowd fine articles out of our market. None of them favor the competition of vin de cargaison and imitation cognacs against our native products, but they all look for an increasing trade in fine articles as soon as the use of pure, natural native wines has eradicated the taste for imitations and the illusions of false brands. They all complain of the low standard of commercial honor with which they have to compete in their business in every part of the United States. Mr. Barnett, of Bar- nett & Son, producers of Perinet & Fils' champagne and dealers in cognacs, says that his house has been completely " licked out — to use an American expression" — from our markets by the persistence of demands for false marks. For instance, an agent, visiting the United States, showing samples of different vintages of brandy, is asked to t)rward the 1878, which is the newest, but on condition that the casks are branded " 1803," under the name of the firm. lie says that he has abandoned trying to do business with such people; for honorable m.erchants do not care to lend their names to assist in this kind of robbery of consumers. Mr, Curlier, whom I have frequently seen lately, says, without hesitation, that he is not only not in favor of a reduction of our tariff on spirits, but would be pleased even if it were raised so as to effectually cut out the fraudulent stuff exported to us un- der the name of cognac. He takes a lively interest in our vinicultural progress, and says he intends making a visit to our State during the coming Spring or Summer. 133 It IS probable that most of the evils of spirit drinking in the United States arise from the use of spirits fresh from the distilleries, retailed as "fine old" whisky, brandy, gin, etc. In England, there is an effort being made to prohibit the sale of whisky before it is two years old. There is no excuse for the practice of retailers in selling very cheap new articles to consumers at high prices and under the representation that it is fine and old, except, perhaps, the municipal regulations, which permit too great competition among the saloon-keepers and other retailers. The greater the competition, the less each one sells, and, expenses being heavy, the greater profit he requires on each drink. A wise limitation of the number of places licensed to retail liquors would enable those in the business to furnish better qualities. This excuse, however, cannot be pleaded for the restaurants and hotels, which extort from the wine-consumers from five hundred to a thousand per cent, profit. GOOD RULES FOR WINE AND BRANDY-DRINKERS. It would be well for the consumers who are willing to pay reasonable prices for good articles, to make their opposition to imposition felt by retailers. Let them order their wines through respectable importing houses, and reject, on general principles, the fancy brands sent to us to be sold on commission — unless they bear the marks of well-known firms, which take care to preserve their reputations. But, as I have be- fore shown, there is very little genuine fine wine shipped to us now, and the only way to increase the quantity is by insisting upon good qualities of natural native wine at cheap prices, and procuring rare imported wines by special orders. Discrimination and rebellion on the part of the consumer will force the retailers to purchase better wines. A taste, acquainted with the acids, flavors and bouquets of natural native wines, will sooner detect impositions in foreign wines than one perverted all the while by imitations. The casual consumer of California wines must not permit himself to be hum- bugged and misled by a very common practice of selling the poorest qualities as native wine and the best under foreign labels. A little effort will soon enable the consumer to know the difference between a wine which costs the restaurant or hotel only fifty cents per gallon (five bottles — ten half bottles) and one that costs a dollar or a dollar and a quarter per gallon. You pay high prices, in any event; you are entitled to get the best ordinary wines, at least. Some know already the value of importing wines instead of using those exported to us, and get their supplies regularly in this way. When in Paris, I saw that Mr. Charles Le Gay was picking up quite an interesting business in this line, supplying customers to order, by having good wines forwarded from Bordeaux. A SUGGESTION TO NATIVE WINE PRODUCERS. There is no antagonism between genuine vin ordinaire and the higher priced rare wines — vins fins. The consumer of the latter must rely upon the former for ordinary use. The " fine" wines are also limited in quantity and cannot displace Ordinary wines. Hence there is no rivalry between high priced genuine imported wines and cheaper native wines. On this side of the ocean, all the houses, dealing exclusively in fine wines and brandies, sympathise with our native producing interests, for it is upon a great surface of popular wines of ordinary consumption that the fine wines arc floated to market. The greater the consumption of the former, the greater will be the laf.er. 134 Our producers could find willing co-operators among the importers, if the latter were confined to the trade in fine wines. This co-operation is possible, so far as the reputation of houses dealing in fine articles can be separated from others and made known to the public. A constant tendency toward such co-operation will eventually improve the trade and educate consumers by enabling them to acquire correct habits of taste. Those wine and brandy merchants, who desire to honor their names by their business, as some have done with us, and as more have done in England, owe it to themselves as well as the public to separal-e and free themselves from the ques- tionable practices of trade. They will have to contend against the violent opposition of the retail trade; buc they will win as soon as consumers know good from bad and demand the former. The legitimate native and foreign wine trade should be conducted with co-opera- tion, for wine drinking can never become popular until consumers are fairly treated, and there can be no fair treatment until the people are enabled to discriminate. In speaking of " fine " wines, I do not mean to be understood as indicating that they are all foreign. This is the mistake that enables retailers to sell under foreign brands our finest wines, the existence of which few of the people know at all. But wine drinking must be based on ordinary cheap wine, and imported wines cannot success- fully fill that demand. We must rely upon native wines for this basis. It is, therefore, important for our producers to cultivate the vines which produce the best ordinary wines to suit the public at home. The wine-drinker, if he uses wine habitually, must cease to regard it as a luxury, except when he indulges, on special occasions, or near the end of his dinner, in rare and high-priced articles. It is because wine is treated as a luxury with us that the demand for fancy labels is so common. People who call for good ordinaiy wine will get it, after a while, cheap and good, and will save their pockets from robbery and the consciences of caterers from remorse. A leading wine merchant here to-day remarked : " We find the only practical way is io follow the taste of the public, rather than to educate it. I doubt whether the people of the United States would like genuine natural wine, sold under honest brands, at reasonable prices, as well as they do vin de cargaison, sold at high prices, under false labels. If we should try to introduce our system of circulating wine in your country, we should get a bad name, because nearly all the trade would be against us, and would cry us down. We find great difficulty even in England, where we have been established a long time." If the pliysicians and chemists would join hands with the consumers, and so educate a genuine popular taste, the merchants would follow, because the retailer would be obliged to please his customers. Governments, however — Federal, State, and IMunicipal — should provide the means of detecting frauds, and should compel all articles intended for consumption to bear true labels, and should provide easy methods for prosecuting such swindlers as are now so common. If whisky is made from alcohol, distilled to a high degree to avoid cost of trans- portation, reduced, flavored and adulterated with fusel oil and cheap Hamburg sher- ries and Muscatel wine, the public should have a way to distinguish it from whisky, distilled naturally, at low degree, and improved by age instead of by sugar, flavoring- extracts and aromatic wines. 135 Immense quantities of alcohol are shipped from Chicago to San Francisco; what is done with it? The people should know. Fusel oil is saved at Chicago by the distillers and rectifiers. What is done with it ? I saw three barrels of it last Spring —destination, Philadelphia. The strictest supervision of all retailers, with a view^ to enabling the customer to know the character of stocks for sale, by the glass or bottle; and to suppress adultera- tions and false brands, should be called for by all, and especially by temperance soci- eties. This trade should be no exception to the general rule; it should be as rigor- ously watched as the meat markets, dairies, and municipal water companies. A few complaints in the criminal courts, against persons obtaining money under false pretenses, would have a healthful influence. CHAMPAGNES. It would seem strange if I should conclude this correspondence without saying something about champagnes. I have not the official statements, but, in general, it may be said that out of 20,000,000 bottles produced in the champagne district, all but 2,000,000 are exported. The French are not fond of champagne, and what they drink is very sweet. In this respect, as well as in the matter of beer, they are strangely inconsistent, and prove, to some extent, that their good palate for wine tasting is more a matter of habit than a superior delicacy of taste. They drink dry, well-fermented red wines, when they can get them, which they generally can do; but they use villainous unfermented yeast, called iod, a sickly, syrupy champagne, and heavy sauternes, made from the thick juice of sun-baked and rotten grapes. There are exceptions to this, but the remark is true when generally applied. The public should know that champagnes, like cognacs, are not the products of single vineyards. Just as the farmers in the Departments of the Charentes distil the brandies, which the cognac-maker, purchase for blending, reducing and sweetening, so the farmers of the Champagne district (east of Paris) produce the still wines, which the champagne manufacturers use to convert into sparkling wine. So far as the sup- ply of the natural wine is concerned, Mumm, Roederer, Cliquot, etc., arc all on a level. Each has an equal chance to get the material, and each lays in stocks in the same manner and nearly in the same proportion of one class of wine to another. The wines useful in making champagne vary greatly in price. Most of them are made from the juice of purple grapes, fermented widiout the skins The wine from the white grapes is rare and high-priced, but would not be liked for ordinary con- sumption. One wine is selected for flavor, another for bouquet, another for body. The difficulty is to get wines strong enough; hence, a certain degree of fortifica- tion with spirits is necessary to bring the champagne up to an average strength of 13 per cent, alcohol. This is always considered the great defect in the wine, because the addition of spirits always tends to destroy the bouquet, is an expensive operation and causes headaches. No champagnes for the general market arc made from the highest-priced wine of Ay alone; the cost would be too great and the result would not please the market. In the cellars of the manufacturers arc laid away of stocks old wines, in casks, which are used in varying proportions wiin the new wine. 13^ The new wine of this year's vintage will be used for making champagne next Spring, after being clarified, fortified, and dosed with tannin. In order to produce the effervescence the new wine is mixed with the old, a cer- tain portion of syrup of sugar candy is added, and the whole bottled. After next June the new wine ol this year will be old wine, and cannot be used to make champagnes, except with the addition of new wine, as before, of a succeed- ing vintage. It is by reason of the imperfect fermentation of these wines, which in this north- ern climate do not ferment thoroughly in the Fall, that the ordinary Spring after-fer- mentalion becomes useful in making champagne. If you were to take any ordinary wine before fermentation is complete, and bottle it, you would have effervescent wine; but the degree of effervescence must be controlled by systematic work. Formerly the breakage of bottles in the champagne district used to be as great as forty per cent.; now it is reduced to four or five per cent. The wines, before being put in bottles, are tested to determine their degree of sugar and fermentative matter, and the addi- tion of prepared syrup is made by careful calculation, so as not to exceed the required amount necessary to produce a lasting and perfect effervescence. The champagne bottle is nothing more than an air-tight fermenting cuve ; it is turned every day, shaken and forced to deposit its lees against the cork. When this is perfectly accomplished, it is disgorged, the force of the wine throwing out the sedi- ment. The bottle is then re-filled with champagne, to which the requisite sweetening is added, and it is very soon ready for the market. The skill in making champagne depends upon the proper selection and blend- ing of the wines, purchased from the farmers, in the proper preparation of the syrup, the use of the finest spirits distilled to a high degree from fine brandy, and in careful attention to the bottles while fermenting and depositing lees. A few old houses do not use any tannin before bottling, but they have great trouble with their wines. These sickly white wines of the north of France, fermented without the skins and stems, are subject to a disease called "grease" (graisse), which is caused by a want of sufficient tannin. This is the trouble with the white wines from which fine cognac is produced ; they will not keep a year, but become thick and slimy. The addition of tannin preserves the wine ; in the south of France they use sulphate of lime to precipitate the excess fermentative matter — a very objectiona- ble practice. Champagne is called after the year of the vintage of the new wine. Hence, wine made next Spring will be called " 1878," notwithstanding the portion of older wine mixed with the new. The vintages vary from year to year, as all the wines of France do, more especially those in the north of France, where the seasons are so variable. This year the crop commands a high price, but is not considered a good one, on account of the low degree of alcoholic strength. Some of the manufacturers have declined to lay in any stocks. There are large houses which manufacture champagnes on "speculation." They rely upon the demands of those which have acquired popularity for their marks, and which may run out of stock. For instance, I was told that G. H. Alumm had to pur- chase, not long ago, 250,000 bottles from "speculators." Mumm has adverdsed and pushed his wine until the demand for his brand is greater than his own supply. This is easily remedied by using the wines of another house. ^37 Champagnes are, therefore, made anywhere, when a suitable supply of white wine can be obtained. I do not speak of such wines as those bottled in New York City, and which are manufactured by the injection of carbonic acid gas into old wine ; such wines are merely imitations, and are simply soda-wines, made on the same prin- ciple as soda-water. The pretension that champagnes can only be made in the Champagne district is based soley on the fact that the natural wines of other places do not exactly resem- ble those of Champagne, and are not subject to after fermentation. In the Champagne district, however, the fame was made upon the wines of Ay, which now can enter into the blendings, only in a small proportion; hence the distinction be- tween sparkling wines of the Champagne district and those of other places becomes less and less as the manufacture increases. Nearly all the great champagne houses, well known to our people, are in the city of Rheims, besides many more which have not pushed their wines on our mar- kets. There is great virtue in advertising champagnes and in studying the taste of different markets. Roederer wine sent to England differs from what is sent to Rus- sia, or what is consumed in France. The chief difference is in the sweetness; but for a market demanding much sugar, the manufacturers do not use the highest-priced old wines for giving flavor, for the sugar would simply waste the finest delicacies by covering them up. Dry wines are the most difficult, because the syrup cannot be used t9 cover defects; hence the English market now demands the dryest wines, the United States next. In the matter of champagnes we are better judges than we are in clarets and sherries, though we are humbngged by illusions of brands. Most peo- ple imagine that Mumm and others produce champagne from one vineyard. Mumm makes dry and sweet wines, fine and ordinary, according to demand, purchasing ma- terial in the market which is open to all. Wines may be blended before bottling so as to cost in degrees varying several hundred per cent, one more than the other. This must be done each year, a standard of cost and quality being the problem to work out in the factory with wine from a dozen of vineyards. I visited the manufactory of Barnett & Son, at Rheims. They succeed to the right of using the brand, "Perinet et Fils," known better in England and Germany than in the -United States. They are beginning to introduce their wines in the United States, and I was afforded an opportunity to sample the same kind that they have now on the way to San Francisco. It is a heavier-bodied wine than most of that which is consumed in the United States, and, for that reason, will be liked by those who know sound wine from weak stuff. The great difficulty in the way of champagne producers is to overcome the prejudices in favor of brands, though, when popularity is obtained, the successful ones fight with each other to retain the advantage of prejudice. The great houses, like G. H. Mumm and Heidsicck, e.xpend a fortune every year in this way. Pom- mery is getting a name now, by means of skillful pushing. Messrs. Barnett & Son attempted to secure a connection with a popular house in New York, and were told that the agency would be accepted on condition that they would guarantee eight thousand dollars per annum for three years, twenty per cent, on sales and a part of agents' traveling expenses. Consumers who know these facts will not increase the difficulties of placing wines upon the market by demanding so much label at so much cost, " Good wine " dots, 138 perhaps, need '• push," for there are few who will trust their own taste to say whether a wine is good, if they have not heard it talked about before. I have heard something of the difficulty in getting good California champagnes introduced. People like the wine well enough, but don't think it is stylish to use a wine that has not been sulTiciently advertised. There is much more of interest in champagnes, but I shall not attempt to pursue the subject further at present. I think that I have " done my duty " to our producers and consumers, so far as steady work is concerned, and I shall not apologize for giv- ing up these questions for the few days that I have now to remain in England. I have been able to get together about 500 pounds weight of books on these subjects, which I hoDe to make useful hereafter. C. A. W. APPENDIX [No. 2.] To the Statcine7it of Mr. Arpad Haraszthy , President of the California State Vi^iiadttiral Society. !dO Reports of the Finance Committee of the United States Senate relating to Fortified, Falsified and Adult- erated Wines. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES. February 25, 1879. — Ordered to be printed. Mr. Jones, of Nevada, from the Committee on Finance, submitted the following REPORT : The Committee on Finance, to whom was referred the resolution to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to transmit to the Senate certain information relating to fermented and alcoholic liquors, having had the same under consideration, respectfully report ; The resolution provides : That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed to transmit to the Senate, as early as is practicable, such information as may be in the possession of the Treasury Department, or that may be obtained from collectors of customs and through any other agencies of the department, shozving the relative quan- tities and natures of the various kinds of fermented and alcoholic liquors imported into the United States from foreign countries; the percentage of absolute alcohol contained in each of the several kinds: the relative quantities of imported wines which are fortified with alcohol and exceed in strength 18 per cent, of absolute alcohol, and on which the tariff for still wines is collected; the relative quantities of such imported articles that are re-exported without paying customs-taxes; together with such inform- ation as the department possesses or may obtain, showing in what proportion these articles are imported from different countries; and, so far as is practicable, the original sources of such articles or any of their ingredients when the same are imported from countries which do not produce them. The Secretary of the Treasury is also directed to inform the Senate concerning the facilities which the Treasury Department has, or may require, for the prevention of the importation of falsified, adulterated, and falsely labeled or designated fermented and alcoholic beverages; also to inform the Senate to what extent the commerce and public revenues of the United States may be affected by taxing wines fortified with alcohol, according to the tax on spirits for each degree of alcohol contained in such wines in excess of 13 per cent.; also to furnish a statenaent showing the quantities of alcohols, wines, and other alcoholic liquors, produced in this country, which are ex- ported to foreign countries, and the des'inations of the same, showing also their alco- holic strength and other characteristics. The laws of the United States permit the entry of foreign still wines upon pay- ment to the collectors of customs of a specific tax of forty cents per gallon for wines in wood, or one dollar and sixty cents per case, containing twelve quart bottles, or twenty-four half or pint bottles ; provided such wines do not contain more than twenty- four per cent, of absolute alcohol. All wines containing more than twenty-four per cent, of alcohol must be entered subject to the tax on spirits, viz : two dollars per proof gallon. It is important that the Senate should be provided with the information called for in the first paragraph of the resolution, in order that it may be known what quan- tities of distilled spirits are admitted at the same rate of taxation as that to which natural or unfortified wines are subjected. The law makes no distinction between natural and fortified wines. Natural wines, which are the products of simple fermentation of grape-juice, according to the best authorities, seldom contain more than thirteen per cent, of abso- lute alcohol. Those which contain fifteen per cent, are rarely found. The natural wines, generally consumed, contain less than twelve per cent. " ■ Wines containing more than thirteen per cent., with few if any exceptions, owe the excess of alcohol to an addition of distilled spirits. The subject of the natural strength of pure wines has, at different times, engaged the attention of governments, actuated by motives of regard both for the public health and public revenues. Under the authority of the British government, in the year 1861, there was instituted an exhaustive inquiry "into the strengths of wine in the principal wine-growing countries in Europe." According to the reports of this inquiry, the British government determined, for purposes of taxation under the custom laws, as the limit of alcoholic strength of natural wines, twenty-six per cent of proof- spirit — the proof-spirit being nearly equal volumes of pure water and absolute alcohol, which would consequently be a percentage in volume of about thirteen of absolute alcohol. Wines containing more than twenty-six per cent, of /r£'(y-spirit are sub- jected to duty one hundred and fifty per cent, more than that imposed upon natural •wine. In France the questions growing out of the fortifications of wines have been nu- merous, and have engaged the most serious attention of the government, the Academy of Science, and the medical profession. The law throws every possible obstacle in the way of the practices, which had become common, of adding spirits to wine in- tended for consumption in France, but permits the unlimited fortification of wines for exportation, the spirits or alcohols used for such puri)ose being freed from all taxation. The government prohibits the mixture of any foreign alcohol with French wines, except when such mixture is to be exported. Foreign wines imported under the con- ditions of the general tariff and containing more than fourteen per cent, of alcohol must pay the duty on alcohol for the quantity in excess of that limit. For similar reasons, respecting the })ublic health and the public revenues, it ap- pears to your committee to be important that a careful statement should be prepared for the use of the Senate, showing the relative strength, (luantiiies, and kinds of wines 142 that are imported and consumed in this country, together with such information as may be obtained describing the kinds of alcohols that are used in the fortification of imported wines, and the sources from which they are imported. It has been shown to the satisfaction of this committee that foreign alcohols of different kinds enter into the composition of the various alcoholic liquors imported, many of which arc imitations of genuine products, and we therefore deem it to be important to obtain, as a basis for further inquiry, a careful statement showing the rel- ative quantities, kinds, and characteristics of all fermented and alcoholic liquors, which are imported from foreign countries, together with information relating to the sources Irom which they, or any of their ingredients, are originally obtained. The attention of the government has been called on several occasions to the necessity of protecting consumers against the entry of falsified and adulterated wines and liquors, especially through the reports of officers of the consular service. The government of France has for several years been waging vigorous warfare against fal- sifiers and adulterators of wines circulating in that country, of which notice has been made in the reports of American consuls ; but no assurance has been given that wines exported to our ports are entirely free from the adulterations which are more easily detected in wines when circulated in France. The practices of adulterating with fuchsinc and other deleterious matters are known to exist in Spain, and may j)ussibly exist in other couniries ; but we have no authentic information to determine to what extent such practices prevail, nor to what degree they may affect the wines and liquors imported into this countr}'. Some proper and efficient supervision over the imported articles should be exercised to prevent the introduction of articles, inlendcd for con- sumption, which may contain poisonous or injurious ingredients, unnaturally com- pounded with fermented and alcoholic liquors. A report from the Secretary of the Treasury concerning the facilities jwssessed or required by the Treasury Department for the prevention of such evils is much to be desired. It may be possible also to devise proper and eflicient methods for the prevention of impositions practiced under cover of false labels. The invoices of wines and spirits imported show, in many cases, remarkable discrepancies between the declared values of the articles shipped at foreign ports and the market values of the same in .such ports, affording presumptive evidence of fraudulent labels or marks designating the contents of bottles or casks. A comparative statement of the strengths of wine imported would show to what extent spirits or alcohols have been added to them. This commiiiec is informed that large quantities of white and red wines are imported, one-fifth of ihc volume of which is proof-spirits, in addition to llie natural strength of the wine, or to which from ten to twelve per cent, of absolute alcohol has been added. Such fortified wines, not ex- ceeding in strength 24 per cent, of alcohol, are admitted in wood at the rate of duty of 40 cents per gallon. The addition of alcohol is permitted free of taxation in France and other foreign countries when the wines are not to be exported. The United States tariff of only forty cents per gallon upon the .spirits thus contained in imported wines operates, therefore, to the great disadvantage of producers of swett American wines, sherries, etc., when the latter require to be fortified, because the American producer is required to pay upon all domestic spirits the internal revenue rate of tax of ninety cents per proof-gallon, being fifty cents more than the tax im- posed by the tariff on the spirits contained in the imported wines. This discrimina- 143 tion in favor of a foreign industry encourages tlic importation of a class of wines known as imitations of port, sherry, etc., i)roduccd in INIarseilles, Cette, Hamburg, and other places; and while discouraging American industry of the same nature, results in a considerable loss to the public revenues. It is desirable that the Senate should know- to what extent the public revenues may be affected by the adoption of a system of taxation similar to that of France, whereby the excess of alcohol in fortified wines may be subjected to the ordinary tax on spirits. If this plan should not be considered favorable to the collection of revenue and to commerce, the committee is of the opin- ion that the Secretary should be directed to report upon the propriety of permitting the proper use of brandy in fortifying native sweet wines and liquors upon payment of a reduced internal revenue tax, so as to afford equal advantages to the American in- dustries that are granted to the foreign. There is now a growing exportation of American alcohols, wines, and other alco- holic liquids. It is important that the Senate should be informed concerning the na- ture, extent, and direction of this trade in connection with the other information sought for, in order to determine, if possible, in what manner, or under what condi- tions, such alcohols may be reimportcd in fortified wines or in imitation brandies and other liquors. Wc therefore recommend the adoption of the said resolution (Mis. Doc. No. Gl). IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES. February 25, 1879. — Ordered to be printed. ]\Ir. Jones, of Nevada, from the Committee on Finance, submitted the following REPORT : The Committee on Finance, to whom was referred the resolution (Mis. Doc, No. C2^ directing the Secretary of Slate to transmit to the Senate certain information relating to ferftiented and alcoholic liquors, having had the same under consideration, respect- fully report .• ■ The resolution provides — That the Secretary of State be directed to transmit to the Senate, as early as prac- ticable, any information in the possession of the State Department, or that may l)e obtained through the consular service, relating to the methods of production ami preparation, and the nature of the various kinds of fermented and alcoholic liquors imported into the United States from foreign ports, at which arc stationed officers of the consular service of the United States ; also, relating to the laws and customs of trade in force and prevailing at such ports affecting the purity of such liquors, and the genuineness of labels and marks designating them, and to what extent such laws and customs, and the regulations of the consular service, prevent or encourage the impcxtalion into the United States of falsified, adulterated, and falsely designated wines and other alcoholic liquors ; also, to inform the Senate as to what legislation may be 144 necessan-, if any, for the regnlation of the consular service, in order to encourag:e the commerce only in pure and genuine \vincs, brandies, and other alcoholic liquors, and to prevent the importation of falsifications, adulterated compounds, and falsely labeled articles ; also, to furnish the Senate such information as may be obtained concerning the internal systems of taxation, or prohibitions, which may affect the exports of the United States to foreign countries, in addition to the tariffs or customs taxes of such countries, and, so far as is practicable, concerning the quantities of American alcohols and other articles exported from the United States which are consumed in the coun- tries to which they are exported, or, if re-exported, the ultimate destinations of such articles ; also, information showing what proportions of articles imported into the United States are the products of the countries from which they are so imported, and the original sources of ariicles imported from countries not producing the same ; also, showing the nature, characteristics, quantities, and values of alcoholic liquors imported into foreign p>orts from any countries other than the United States. The practice of falsifying, adulterating, and falsely labeling fermented and alco- holic liquors in several of the foreign countries, from which such articles are imported into the United States, have been well known to the public for many years. In his report of January, 18G7, Mr. Lytton, then the secretary of the British legation, at Lisbon, informed the British government "that all port wine, hith- erto exported for the English market, is largely mixed with brandy, and is com- posed almost quite as much of cldcr-berries as of grapes ;" that "no wine not thus specially adulterated for the English taste was allowed by the government committee of tasters to pass the bar of the Douro before the year 1865." " The Paiz Vinhateiro," he said, " abounds in elder trees. The berries of these tiees are dried in the sun or in kilns, the wine is then thrown on them, and the berries are trodden (as previously the grapes) till it is thoroughly saturated with the coloring matter of the berries, brandy is then added in the proportion of three to sixteen gallons to every pipe of 115 gallons. This is the composition of all the port wine hitherto drunk in England." It is asserted that the methods now pursued in Portugal are different and have been improved; also, on the other hand, that th:5 high price and scarcity of brandy, or the spirits distilled from wine, cause coarse spirits, distilled from potatoes and oiher starchy substances, to be used largely in the process of fortification. " Our best cus- tomers for spirits," said Ridley's Wine Trade Circular, in 18G5, " arc the Portuguese wine growers, who have taken upwards of 1,500,003 gallons to fortify their unfer- mented juice. In 1864 we received from the Portuguese 3,344,871 gallons of port wine. They took from England 1,030,304 gallons of spirits." Mr. Lytton's statement, which at the time it was published, called forth a contro- versy with the wine merchants of England, was as follows: "I have frankly submitted to the judgment of ]\Ir. Johnstone, of the testing depart- ment of the London custom-house, my own estimate of the quantity of adventitious spirit admitted into the composition of port wine, and that gentleman not only assures me that my estimate is a moderate one, but he has also had the kindness to favor me with his own, derived from long observation of the results of the application of the alcoholic test to port wines, since that test was first adopted to the present day, as well as a thorough knowledge of all the details of the manufacture, and a comprehensive and impartial examination of all existing evidence upon the subject, I subjoin this estimate. ' I find,' says Mr. Johnstone (writing to mc ia reply to ray questions upon 145 this subject), 'that the strength of the spirit commonly used in Portugal varies from 45 per cent. O. P. to 50 per cent. O. P., and I assume it at its lowest, viz., 50 per cent. But the German spirit now so largely imported for fortifying purposes into wine-grow, ing countries is often as high as 70 per cent., and rarely below 07 per cent. " ' The composition applies, in this instance, to the higher qualities of port wine. To the half-fermented wine there arc added, to check the fermentation, first — Gallons of proof spirit. 25 gallons brandy, at 45 deg., equal to 3G.25 And say, 5 gallons gcropiga. Then, 6 gallons more of brandy, equal to 8.70 Again, 2 gallons more after racking, equal to 2.90 And, 1 gallon more on shipment, equal to 1.45 39 liquid gallons, equal to , .., 49.30 76 of wine. Total, 115 gallons of port wine. "i' That would be,' he continues, ' of proof spirit, upon the pipe of 115 gallons, a little above the maximum of 42 degrees, at the higher dut}' of 2^-. G:/." In the south of France and in Spain, gypsum (sulphate of lime) is largely used in fermenting wines, the object being to preserve the products from spoiling by reason of an excess of fermentative matter contained in the grape juice. The result of this practice is to leave in the wine a sulphate of potash, which is a drug not found in natural wine. Dr. Thudicum, a celebrated English chemist, in a lecture delivered December 22, 1869, at the Society of Arts, said: "Spanish, Portuguese, and French wines of the south arc plastered ; that is to say, plaster of Paris is dusted over the grapes immediately after they are gathered, or while ihey are on the press, or while they arc in the state of must. Dr. Dupr6 and myself h.vc been unable to find out the logic of that practice. If it is intended to make the wine stronger, it fails, for plaster unites with little more than one-fourth its weight of water ; but the gypsum formed incloses mechanically a quantity of must, and reduces the total yield, so that 50 per cent, of plaster will retain fully half ihc juice, and raise the sugar in the remaining half from 13 to 15 per cent. only, and lesser quantities in proportion. But plaster will diminish the free acid of the wine, in proportion to its quantity, from 5 to 5 per mille. It will do more ; it will decompose the tartrates, and form sulphates, and thus change wines into drugs. In fact, all cherries contain considerable quantities of sulphate of potassium, to which many varieties owe their bitter taste end their purgative action. I am quite open to instruction on the use of plastering, but l:avc lought it in vain of some large producers or importers of sherry. No doubt, the 20 per cent, cf alcohcl in cherry is a frequent cause of kidney affec- tion ; but the cause is, at least, doubled l:y the potassium salt. I vote for sherry without plaster acid, and Ic^s than 16 per cent, of alcohol ; such sherry will require neither camomile nor nitric ether for a flavor. I vote for not changing ripe must into unripe by removing wine acid and leaving LOur-applc acid. I delight in a glass of Amontillado, or even in cheap ' Vino do Arenas \ ' but I gladly leave the 146 * drink of tincture of Glaul^cr's salts to the old gentlemen who, as the phrase goes, 'cannot get anything dry enough.' " Dr. Duprc, lecturer and professor of chemistry at the Westminister Hospital, in the course of the discussion which followed upon the remarks of Dr. Thudicum, at the Society of Arts, above referred to, said : "Moreover, the acids in wine varied considerably. Some contained chiefly tar- taric acid ; in fact, it was the general superstition that this was the prevailing acid of wine ; but this was by no means the case, for port and sherry contained scarcely any. Port being of too great alcoholic strength, the alcohol precipitated the acid in the form of tartrate ; and sherry, because the plastering to which it was subjected removed nearly all the tartaric acid and replaced it by sulphate of potassa, a very aciive salient agent which, like most salts of potassa, had a very depressing action on the heart. Now, wine was very frequently given to keep up the action of the heart, which, as all j)hysiologists knew, was often of extreme importance, and could be effected no way so well as by the administration of alcohol or wine ; but it might often happen, in the case of sherry, the slight stimulating action produced by the alcohol would be en- tirely counteracted by the contrary effect produced by the sulphate of potassa.'' Dr. Thudicum, in a letter to the London Times, also remarked concerning Span- isli sherries : " The common varieties of must are not only plastered, but also impregnated with the fumes by combustion of about five ounces of sulphur per butt, which adds about a pound of sulphuric acid to that brought in by the plaster." The French government instituted inquiries into the practice of using gypsum ii^ wines used by the army, the results of which established the fact, as charged, but. it was considered not injurious to the public health. Other adulterations are known to be practiced in France and Spain, the object of which is to color mixtures of red and white wines, and to cover additions of water. Mr. P. J. Osterhaus, United States Consul at Lyons, in his report to the Secretary of State made October 31, 187 G, said : " The French ministr}^, in response to calls from all parts of the country, has or- dered the police to give its attention to the alleged coloring of wines by artificial means, and to subject all wine depots of merchants, dealers, hotels, restaurants, etc., to the most searching control, and to hand over all falsifiers to the courts. The pro- tection of the public health, as well as the true interests of the trade, justify the rigor- ous instructions of the minister, and, undoubtedly, they will have a salutary effect, so far as France is concerned. Equally strict control on the part of importing nations, as to the pureness and genuineness of the imported articles, is not superfluous." The coloring agent most feared by the French people is fuchsinc — an extract from petroleum used in dyeing. French chemists have published numerous works describing the various falsifications of wines, and furnishing information showing how the frauds may be detected. Among these valuable works is one published in 1877 from the pen of Dr. E. J. Armand Gautier, of the faculty of medicine of Paris, and director of the laboratory of biological chemistry. Dr. Gautier says : •' For se^-eral years the fraudulent practices of coloration and watering of wines have spread more and more, and tend to pass from the shop of the retail merchant to the cellars of the great dealers, and even to vine-growers. The artificial coloration of wines, which had been attempted only by a small number of operators of low grade. 147 has become so common that it is hy tons that must be counted the quantities of coche- nille, Phytolacca, mau'^c wwt: (black mallow), elder-bcirics, fuchsinc, that arc sold an- nually in a single city, such as Muntpellier, Bezicrs, Narbonne, or Paris. The elevated prices of the crop of 1873, the lack of color and of body of the wines of 1875, the excessive octroi taxes of certain cities, and particularly of Paris, have advanced these dangerous practices to the highest degree. The notoriety and the increasing skill of merchants dealing in matters destined to color wines; their advertisements, scarcely dissimulated, through the medium of journals and pamphlets, or through the efforts of their agents; the enormous gains realized by the sale of coloring materials, of small value, employed to adulterate millions of hectolitres; in fine, the impunity of the re- tailers of these dangerous substances, the judicial convictions striking oftener the wine producer or the wine merchant, excited to fraud by the dealer in coloring matters, than the seller or manufacturer of these suspected things — all these causes tend to spread more and more the practice so dangerous to public health and wealth, of arti- ficial coloration of wines." Again he says : "Wines are colored generally only that water maybe added with impunity. This productive fraud is practiced upon millions of hectolitres, is much to be regretted, and is not without danger to health and the public revenue. In forcing the color artifi- ficially, less is thought, indeed, of giving the wine a deeper or brighter tint to please the eye of the consumer, than of finding a disguise, which may permit, by increasing notably the coloring power of the precious liquid, a proportionate dilution with water, provided the strength is raised a little by the subsequent addition of cheap alcohol." Dr. Gautier gives descriptions and tables indicating how these adulterations may be detected. Dr. Lunier, inspector general of the service for the insane and of the sanitary service of the prisons of France, in his work on the production and consumption of alcoholic drinks in France, says there is nothing illicit in the use of dark red wines to raise the color of lighter ones; but he adds: " Unfortunately there are used also to obtain the same results different coloring matters, of which the principal ones arc elder-berries (of two kinds — hieblcs and surcati), myrtle-berries, j)hytolacca, Brazil and logwood (bois de camp6che), juice of beet roots, hollyhock, ammoniacal cochenille, fuchsinc, caramel, etc. The chemists have indicated several methods for detecting each of these falsificatiods, all of which are culpable and some of which arc dangerous to public health." The official statistics of the French production of brandies distilled from the fcr. menied juice of the grape show a remarkable falling off; the production of spirits from the beet root and importations of German alcohols which are produced from po- tatoes have greatly increased. The pure spirits, distilled from wine, are for this reason seldom added to wines when fortification is required; pure brandy and wine spirit are added only to very fine wines. Coarse spirits, or alcohols, are generally used for such purpose, also in fabricating imitations of brandies and other liquors. Mr. C. A. Wetmore, the delegate of the California State Vinicultural Association to the Paris exposition of 1878, in his report, says: [The extract quoted was taken from Mr. Wetmorc's report on adulterations, etc., which will be found in Appendix No. IJ. 148 This committee quote the foregoing statements to show the apparent necessity of further information on the subject of the methods of preparing wines and spirits in foreign ports for the American market, and especially concerning the laws and customs affecting the purity of these articles in commerce. Much complaint has been made against common practices of selling wines and spirits under false labels. This is not always the fault of the foreign shipper, but ex- aminations of invoices show that these official documents are ofcen used to aid impo- sitions. It would be desirable if regulations for the consular offices could be devised, so that invoices might truthfully describe the articles imported into the United States, espe- cially in respect to distilled spirits intended for consumption. Beet-root spirits, German potato alcohols, and compounds made with alcohols should not be permitted to be represented as genuine brandies, kirschwasser, etc., if such impositions can be prevented. The information, called for by the resolution, relating to internal systems of tax- ation affecting American exports, would, if obtained, be especially important for the use of the Senate when considering any propositions for commercial treaties, or other questions relating to commerce. In France all exports of American wines, alcohols, and many other articles of consumption are subjected to the internal system of taxation in addition to the general tariff. The official statement of the r(^^gie and octroi taxes for the city of Paris, to which all foreign as well as domestic fermented and spirituous liquors are subjected before they can be offered for sale in that ciiy, shows the following rates per hectolitre (26.40 American wine-gallons) for the following named articles : Entry. Octroi. Total, francs. Wines, in wood 11.87 12. 23.87 Wines, in bottle 20. 30. 50. Spirits, in wood. 186.25 79.80 266.05 Spints, in bottle 248.75 79.80 328.55 Absmthe 248.75 79.80 328.55 Cider (apple, pear, etc.) 5.93 4.56 10.49 Beer 15. The rates vary in difTerent French cities. They show a discrimination against bottled wines and spirits. An octroi tax is also imposed upon empty bottles. It is important that complete information on these subjects should be obtained, not only relating to France, but also to other countries with which we have commercial rela- tions, in order that it may be shown to what extent local industries are protected against American exports by taxes other than those under general tariff laws. The exports of American alcohols have increased rapidly in recent years. Dur- ing 1877, 9,000 barrels were received in the port of Marseilles; this amount was increased in the first nine months of 1878 to 31,000 barrels; but an examination of the French customs reports shows that, with the exception of a trifling quantity, these alcohols were all re-exported. The interests of American commerce require that it should be known what countries become the real consumers and in what manner they are treated, after leaving the United States, before reaching their final destina- tions. American alcohols come into comp-jtition in foreign ports with French, German, and Belgian products, and it is therefore important to know the nature and ex;tent of such competition. 149 The carefully prepared statistics of the French government show in nearly all cases of exports and imports the relative quantities of each which are the products of France, when exported, or which pay duty and are entered for consumption, when imported. Information showing to what extent the exports of the United States are consumed in the countries to which they are exported, or successively re-exported, together with statements of the relative quantities of articles imported into the United States which are the original products of the countries from which they are imported, is necessary in order to properly estimate our commercial relations with different countries. This committee therefore recommend the adoption of the resolution (Mis. Doc. No. 62). ADDRESS MR. CHAS. A. WETMORE Delivered before the San Fraticisco Chamber of Commerce, on the 1 3/// of June, 1879, in opposition to the proposed Franco- American Reciprocity Treaty. 152 Address of Mr. Chas. A. Wetmore. At the conclusion of the address made by Mr. Leon Chotteau, in behalf of the promoters of the proposed treaty, the President, Mr. George C. Perkins, called upon Mr. Chas. A. Wetmore, who was present by invitation, to address the Chamber upon the sub- ject under discussion. The Question Under Discussion Explained. Mr, Wetmore said: Mr. President and Members of the Chamber of Commerce, Gentlemen : Before entering upon the general discussion of this subject, for which I have come prepared, I will state that, to its proper appreciation, it is necessary, in my opinion, that we should first understand clearly what question is really before us to-day, and how it comes to be brought here. Mr. Chotteau is not the only one working in this matter. Lately it has appeared to be the policy of the gentlemen advocat- ing this reciprocity treaty to avoid discussion of the programme agreed upon in Paris last August by the originators of the move- ment. I wish Mr. Chotteau, who is present now, to correct me if I mis-state anything. This programme was agreed upon by the joint committee which met in Paris. This joint committee con- sisted of an association of French gentlemen, some of them manu- facturers, others, their associates and friends, some being members of the Senate and House of Deputies of France — a self-constituted committee, in no way delegated by the people of France — together with the committee which was the result of the labors of Mr. Chot- ^53 teau during- his first visit to this country, forming a so-called American committee. The joint committee agreed upon a project, or rather a plan upon which a reciprocity treaty should be based. This plan provides that France shall give to the United States the benefit of her conventional tariff, which she orives to all nations having treaties with her. In other words, it proposes to place us on a par with "the most favored nation." In return for this, these gentlemen demanded of the United States that there should be a general reduction of our tariff on all French products, as fol- lows : All articles now paying less than 40 per cent, duty to be reduced 30 per cent.; no article of any kind to pay more than 30 per cent. With respect to spirits, wines and silks, which were the principal articles under consideration by this committee — the most active members being those interested in silks, wines, or spirits — the proposed changes were as follows : On silks, the duty was to be reduced to 30 per cent, within three years; on wines and spirits the reduction was to be as Mr. Chotteau has explained; the tariff on still wines was to be reduced one-half There was to be no discrimination against wine in bottles ; this programme was agreed upon by these gentlemen. Thereupon Mr. Chotteau commenced a new series of visits to the cities of the United States. One of the first thincrs which he did on arrivinof in this coun- try on this second occasion was to announce his intention of visit- ing certain Chambers of Commerce, which he could conveniently reach. To others, which were by far the greater number, he sent a circular. In that circular, a copy of which was published in the New York Herald, he says : " You are aware that a French committee is to-day in con- nection with an American committee, endeavoring to procure the conclusion of a reciprocity treaty between France and the United States. A project was voted upon at Paris, in August last, antl it is now my charge to obtain on that preliminary work the opinion of the important body over which you preside." This, gentlemen, is the (question before us to-day. Any ex- l)ression of opinion favorable to this movement coming from any Chamber of Commerce, or from any committee of the jjeo[)le in any portion of the United States, will be construed as favoring the project agreed upon in Paris, except so far as definite exceptions are made. We are asked whether we choose to except any par- 154 ticiilar thing. The products of France embrace nearly all the im- portant industrial articles known to the world's trade. Therefore a general reduction in our tariff favoring French products, even excepting wines, would affect almost every dutiable article. For this reason, in the address which I have prepared on this subject, I have assumed that the question before us is not whether we should ex- cept wines from the provisions of such a treaty, but whether it is in the interests of the United States that the treaty, as a whole, should be entered into. Mr, Chotteau. Gentlemen, it is a mistake to charge that I am here to act in the interest of France, and not in the mutual interests of the two countries. It is a mistake to suppose that I am here to follow out any such programme as is set forth by the gentleman. When I saw President Hayes, and other leading men of your nation, at Washington, they asked me, " What is your programme?" I said: "I have no programme." I remember a project was voted upon in France, but when that project was under discussion I said to my friends: "The best way would be to give to the United States the clause of the most favored nation, and to take from the United States nothing at all; to leave to the Ameri- can people complete liberty to give us such reduction of tariff as they choose to give." That idea was not adopted. But I can tell you a project was not adopted by me, although voted in France. Never before a Board otTrade or before a Chamber of Commerce in the United States did I speak about that project. I thought it was dangerous to impose a line of conduct. I left all liberty to the Boards of Trade in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and other cities. I leave you in San Francisco the same liberty. I do not ask you to endorse that project. If you and Mr. Wetmore understood well my situation, you would appreciate my feelings, and you would see that I am not here to ask you to follow out any special project. I am sure if you cannot now see the prospect of a sufficient increase in trade to induce you to .support the proposed treaty, you will be able to see that prospect when I shall put before you some new documents. Then you will accept the idea of a treaty between France and your country. And if you think it is necessary for you to do something for your special interests in Cal- ifornia, I am sure your government at Washington will accept your suggestions. I think when you have some new documents you 155 will accept the idea of a convention with France. All your leadino- men in Washington have accepted that idea. I saw your Senators and your Representatives, and I am sure they will accept it soon. And I hope Mr. Wetmore will press you soon to follow the line of conduct which I desire you to follow. Mr. Wetmore. — I am very glad to hear the explanation which the gentleman has made. But even admitting it all to be true, so far as his wishes are concerned, it matters very little. I still say — althoii^h disclaiming any intention to disparage this gentleman — he is not here as the Minister Plenipotentiary of France. Mr. Chotteau. — Certainly not. Mr. Wetmore. — He represents an association which has agreed upon a project. They have provided funds to defray his expenses. They have the management of the affair in France. And when we go to France with our demand for a conventional tariff, we shall find that they have already agreed upon what they will demand, and Mr. Chotteau cannot in any way modify that agreement If, however, the United States should be induced to go to France, demanding, in general terms, a treaty, without know- ing why, or what we are to pay for it, we shall find that they, on that side, have already agreed upon what terms they will make a reciprocity treaty, and those terms will have been dictated by the gentlemen whom Mr. Chotteau represents. As I said before, he is not alone at work in this matter. There are in sympathy with him a number of gentlemen. Mr. Nathan Appleton, of Boston, who has recently become interested in the Darien Canal project on behalf of the French company, is one. Then there is Mr. Hodges, of Baltimore, who made an address to the Baltimore Chamber of Commerce, and announced the Paris project as the basis for a treaty. Mr. Martin P. Kennard made an address to the Boston Board of Trade, in which he recited the terms of the same project, and said : "These propositions will in time be submitted to the respective governments, and it remains to be seen, if these matured and preg- nant suggestions will receive attention and take permanent shape in legislation." The question before us is whether the voice of our peo;:le shall go to our Representatives in Washington and to the treaty making powers, endorsing, or impliedly endorsing this scheme, which means a general reduction of our tariff to suit the demands of '56 French manufacturers. It means nothing- else. Whatever Mr. Chotteau may say about tlic matter will not prevent the association he represents from demancling- what it has announced as its inten- tion CO demand. I will now, ,with your permission, proceed with the reading of the address which I have prepared for this occasion. The Motives of the Promoters of the Proposed Ti*eaty. Gentlemen: — The movement in favor of a Franco- Ameri- can Commercial Treaty was first inaugurated in Paris by a few enterprising manufacturers, who saw, with alarm, a general decline in the exports of French manufactured goods. Markets, formerly monopolized, or controled by them, were being in part, or in whole, supplied by rival industries, which had sprung into existence under the shelter of revenue tariffs, which operated in foreign countries, as they had, and still do, in France, to protect and foster industry during its experimental infancy. These gentlemen seeing also that rival manufacturing industries in the United States were rapidly displacing foreign, and especially French products, to such a degree that in a few leading items we were beginning to compete seriously in exportation to non-producing markets, and in nearly every other item we were rapidly becoming able to supply our own wants, threatening Europe for the future, throughout the whole range of industry with an unconquerable competition in all markets of the world ; seeing also the enormous consuming ca- pacity of the United States — a market, where even the factory hand and farm laborer, artizans and workmen of all kinds, being well paid and stimulated by a general common school education to increased wants, were good customers for the commerce of the world ; seeing this great country, which had contributed immensely to the wealth of Europe, exporting lavishly even its precious metals, its bonds — national, state and municipal — and a great part of the ownership and control of the railroad and other corporations in payment for foreign luxuries and such necessities as home indus- try had not yet believed itself capable of producing ; seeing such a noble field for commercial fora^ine becominof self-sustainincr inde- pendent and in its turn redeeming its exports of treasure bonds, 157 and securities by paying for them with the products of industry, and promising also in its turn soon to become the creditor of the world ; seeing the money centre of the world leaning towards New York ; seeing these things, accentuated by the evidences of pro- ductive power displayed at the Centennial Exhibition, these gen- tlemen conceived the idea for the first time of offering us the almost empty privileges of their country's conventional tariff — to give us what England and other countries now enjoy in France, provided we would consent to a radical reduction of our tariff for the benefit, not only of France, but of the whole world. Not only this, but we were also to be asked to bind ourselves by treaty for ten years to a low tariff system, obtaining for our- selves small privileges in France to which we are now entitled without concessions, but securing none in England, Belgium, Ger- many, Holland, Russia, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Spain and Portugal, which countries, while for the most part, adopting protec- tive and prohibitive tariffs, and competing with us in industries, would share equally with France the benefits of the proposed low tariff in the United States. These gentlemen could easily foresee that the vast accumula- tions of bankruj^t stocks in all the great producing nations of Europe — accumulations caused chiefly by the competing industries of the United States, Germany, Italy and India, would empty themselves upon the United States during the term of the pro- posed treaty, and that their commercial disturbances would find equilibrium restored at the cost of the American industries, which would be for an indefinite period checked and hereafter forced to compete on European principles of poverty for the workingman and luxury for the emplo)er. How far these gentlemen have looked into the future we can- not tell; perhaps they have seen only the temporary relief which this proposed treaty would give them, and perhaps they have not thought that this noble market, created by multitudes of well con- ditioned working people, would be destroyed by their reduction to the conditions of life necessary to manufacturing competition with the working classes of France, Germany, Belgium and England. I shall soon show, by an analysis of our import trade, to what extent our protection of the wages of labor has benefited the commerce of Europe. 158 During the present disturbances of commercial activity, the problem to which European manufacturers address themselves is one of present expediency, viz: one class, aiming to restore the old conditions of their prosperity, and another, recognizing the destiny of American intelligence and determination, to adjust themselves to the future by wise tariff regulations, protecting their own work- men, while at the same time opening wider fields for legitimate commerce in all products, which may easily flow over the walls erected to protect the workman in the enjoyment of his customary privileges. The offer of the association of French manufacturers is without authority from the French government; it is, in fact, opposed by the majority of the industrial forces of France, especially those of the Northwest and North. It is urged mainly by those which are in onflict with and have suffered from the rapid growth of rival forces in the United States. While a general sweeping reduction is demanded in our tariff upon nearly all articles of commerce, the draft of the proposed treaty especially mentions the terms demanded on behalf of the French producers of silks, wines and spirits — these being the really active men represented by Mr. Leon Chotteau, and in whose especial interest he is laboring. The gentlemen are, through the agency of Mr. Chotteau, organizing a powerful party in the United States in favor of the negotiation of a treaty with F>ance, which in substance proposes: I St. That the United States shall be bound for a term of years to permit an enormous increase of importations from all the world. 2d. That, in consideration of this liberality, which will relieve European markets from the pressure under which France now suf- fers, and which will check the progress of our industries, F>ance shall be bound to give us the same privileges that she grants to " the most favored nation." The merits of such a proposition, if we could be induced to surrender liberiy of action for ten years for the benefit of all Europe, and be reciprocated with only by France, must be looked for in balancing our increased gain in our exports to France, with the increased gain of not only France, but all the other countries, in their exports to us, estimating also the losses which our people would sutler from the destruction of industries now growing rapidly. 159 Mr. Chotteau's Addresses. I have read all of the addresses made by Mr. Chotteau before American Chambers of Commerce, but I can find in none of them even a plausible reason for consenting to this radical change. He simply shows us that the French general tariff, applicable to all countries which have no special treaties with France, applies to the United States, and that under its provisions nearly every product of our manufacturing industries is absolutely prohibited; that nearly every natural product, excepting such as cotton, which does not come into competition with French agriculture, is subjected to pro- tective taxation. He admits that France has, on the other hand, the advantao^es of "the most favored nation" under the tariff of the United States, by reason of which she has been able and still is able to export to us vastly more of her manufactured wares than we can of ours to France ; but then when he assumes that an ex- traordinarily fraternal spirit towards our people actuates his coun- trymen, we might almost expect him to offer, in their name, the same privileges for an American lock that we grant to a French clock, in consideration that we shall not retaliate for the past by ab- solutely excluding French manufactures from our markets, nor impose an export tax upon crude petroleum, which we might do with considerable advantage. He says that we are offered the favorable terms of the French conventional tariff, and asks us whether we are willing to grant con- cessions in return for the favor. This conventional tariff is the one applicable only to countries bound to France by treaties of commerce. In what respect it might be advantageous to the United States will depend greatly upon the possible modifications in it whicli are demanded by certain French industries, particularly the cotton, to protect them against British trade. It will depend also very much upon the success or failure of Great Britain in securing such reduct'ons of tariff and changes of regulations as her experi- ence has taught to be necessary before there can be any reciprocal trade. This subject was investigated by the British government and reported upon to the House of Commons last year. The reports show that the advantages of the French conventional tariit are illusory from the free trade point of view, and England's experi- i6o cn:e, when carefully analyzed, will show how much increased trade the United States might expect. Mr. Chottcau, however, in liis addresses does not undertake to explain by any details in what particulars France offers us a market for any greatly increased quantity of our exports. He sat- isfies himself, and I am sorry to say also a great many of our people, including members of Chambers of Commerce from New Orleans to Boston, by arguments such as the following : In his address to the New York Chamber of Commerce, after showing some facts concerning French prohibitions and high tariffs^ and comparing the respective increases in the imports of France from England, Belgium, Germany, Italy and the United States since 1856, he says : " Your government can accomplish to-day the act which your material interests demanded you to conclude ten or fifteen years sooner. If so decided, the Franco-American treaty of Commerce will give you in France, from 1877 to 1886, the annual average of the exports of England from 1867 to 1876, that is to say, already 600,000,000 francs ($120,000,000). "Your average from 1867 to 1876 was 197,000,000 francs ($39,400,000). " A conventional tariff with France would then bring to your country business activity, amounting annually to 400,000,000 francs ($80,000,000). "■'' ■■•' '"'' '•' '■'■ " What do you intend to give us in exchange ?" In his address to the Merchants' Exchange of St. Louis, he adopts another equally vague way of estimating results, this time claiming that our exports to Prance would equal our present exports to Great Britain, instead of, as before the New York Cham- ber, adhering to his estimate equaling the exports of Great Britain to France. He says ; " EXPORTS EROM THE UNITED STATES. " To Great Britain. .... $387,430,730, or 54.57 per cent. " To France 55,319,138, or 7.79 '' " " Then, France, among your foreign markets, occupies the second rank, and you would have to make up, by a treaty of com- merce, the difference between 7.79 and 54.57 per cent ; that is to say, to increase the amount of your exports into France at least $332,111,592. '^ * * * ='= i6i "She (France) will he actuated by the lecj-itimate desire of gaining in her exchanges with you $18,323,279" (to equal the imports from Cuba and Porto Rico), " or $63,91 1,807 annually" (to equal imports from England). " You should not fear such a contingency, since you reserve for yourselves the care of getting annually with France $332,1 1 1,- 592. " So, the Franco- American treaty of commerce gives you with France an advantage of $269,199,785." Mr. Chotteau addressed the New York Chamber on the 6th of March last ; on the 14th of the next month he made the fore- going extraordinary statement to the St. Louis Exchange. In five weeks his enthusiasm or recklessness induced him to elevate the advantages to the United States from $80,000,000 annually, to $269,000,000, whereupon the St. Louis Exchange, dazzled by this new count of Monte Christo, adopted unanimously a series of resolutions approving the proposed treaty, the resolutions being in- troduced by the words "Whereas, we, the members of the Merchants' Exchange of St. Louis, having listened with deep interest to the address of Mr. Leon Chotteau, the able delegate of the F^rench Committee," etc. I hope I may be pardoned for making these criticisms, which only tend to show that Mr. Chotteau, in his agitation of this subject, twists facts and figures together in the most reckless manner, en- couraged by his successes to think that our people are willing to believe that he is laboring at the expense of the French manufac- turers to secure a balance of trade for the United States against France of $269,000,000. He adopts the same style of reasoning to capture the J^aUi- more Board of Trade. He shows that the exports of Baltimore were, for the fiscal year 1877-78 (the same year referred to in the St. Louis address), viz. : "To England $27,826,567 "To Germany 9,979,278 " To France 8,425,987" Then he attempts to analyze the items of exportation, the re- sult of his effort showing that the differences between the conven- tional and the general tariff practically have little effect upon the l62 grain, flour, salt meats, butter, cheese, petroleum, tobacco and barks exported directly to France, the discrimination being generally only against goods reaching France via some other country. Balti- more exported sixty-six thousand hogsheads of tobacco to Germany, and only fifteen thousand to France. Germany imposes a duty, France none, because the import of tobacco on private account is prohibited. The government monopolizes the trade ; the conven- tional offers no advantages over the general tariff. Yet, after show- ing these things, Mr. Chotteau says : " Now, gentlemen, I have endeavored to show you how you can raise your annual exports to France from $8,425,987 to $27,- 826,567, what they were last year to England." He appears to assume two things, which should be matters of serious discussion, viz. : That France would be, tariff obstruc- tions being removed, as good a market for our produce as Enorland is, and that the conventional tariff would ofive us the same advantao-es with France that we now have with Eno-land. Both of these assumptions I shall show to be far from the truth ; indeed I shall show that the proposed treaty would add comparatively little to our present advantages, while it would take from us our present superiority in commercial soundness. By the same processess of reasoning (?) he shows to the Cin- cinnati Chamber of Commerce that our exports of provisions may be increased from $8,000,000, now exported to France, to $80,000,- 000, the amount exported to England. In Boston he showed how we could export cotton fabrics, and in New Orleans, how more raw cotton might go to France not- withstanding the latter is now free of duty. The importation of the latter is paralyzed, he says, by our tariff relations in other mat- ters ; but the treaty will cure the trouble, viz. : The treaty will cause France to import manufactured cotton from Boston, which result will so stimulate French cotton industry that the importation of raw cotton will also increase ! In New Orleans he especially discussed the sugar trade, and showed that France is a large exporter of refined sugar ; that the United States was a large importer of brown sugars ; that the United States might, if encouraged, stimulate the sugar industry by exporting ; that the duties should be lowered to admit French sugar, and other similar inconsistent things. He concludes, com- 1 63 plaining that the Louisiana sugar producers object to a reduction of the tariff, and says : " If California excepts the wines because she has some vine- yards, and if Louisiana excepts the sugars because she has some cane fields, how can we reconcile the interes;;s we intend to brino- together?" I will continue this criticism only by quoting his latest estimate of the advantages of this treaty to us, which -I find in his address to the Board of Trade of Chicago, delivered on the 27th of May. He showed this time that our exports to Great Britain exceeded those to France by $174,000,000, and said : " You have to gain with France $174,000,000. "'' ■'"'■■ '=" England has exported to this coun ry goods worth $107,290,677 ; France has sent only $43,378,870. If, following England's exam- ple, she increases her exports to $107,000,000, it will be $64,000,- 000 more than at present. But you will have increased your ex- ports to her $174,000,003. You will therefore have no cause for complaint, as you will sill have an advantage over France of $110,000,000. Such are the results which we wish you to at- tain." Gentlemen, here is a third estimate of our advantages under the treaty. In New York, on the 6th of March, he fixed it at $80,000,000 ; in St. Louis, on the 14th of April, $269,000,000 ; in Chicago, on the 27th of May, $1 10,000,000. While I may be per- mitted to show that, from the statistical point of view, Mr. Chou- teau's explanations of the probable effects of the proposed treaty are absolutely worthless, I shall not pretend to say that he does not mean what he says when he exclaims : "Such arc the re- sults which we wish you to attain" — viz.: An advantage in our trade with France of $1 10,000,000. \Vc must not question his philanthropy so far as we are concerned, nor the self-sacrificing missionary spirit of the gentlemen who have so nobly planned this scheme to enrich America at the expense of France. Diplomacy, or Recklessness. There is another feature of this movement which is worth a passing notice. The number of gentlemen actively engaged in promoting it is comparatively small. I was in Paris last Summer and 164 had frequent occasion to test the opinions of leading Americans who were there unconnected with this matter. Much was being made of the fact that so many of our influential representatives attended the banquet given by Mr. Menier, the great chocolate manufacturer and President of the. French association represented by Mr. Chot- teau. By personal inquiry I ascertained that most of these guests were either uncommitted on this question or decidedly opposed to the scheme. Nearly every American available for the purpose, from the Minister Plenipotentiary to clerks of our Treasury and Statistical Bureaus at Washington, were complimented by appoint- ments to serve on the American Committee in the interest of France. Mr. Noyes, our Minister to France, found a polite excuse for not serving as an officer of the joint committee by saying that his official duties might require him in future to act for the United States in this matter, etc. Many who were at first captured by large promises of great fortune to the United States afterwards investigated the questions involved and became decidedly opposed to the scheme. Nevertheless their names are freely used to give apparent strength to the organization. A meeting was held at the Cirque des Champs- Elysees on the I St of last December, the object of which was to arouse enthusiasm on the subject and to obtain funds. The American Register, of Paris, pronounced it a conspicuous fizzle. I was in London at the time and read press despatches to the same effect, in which it was said that United States Minister Noyes and Consul-General P'airchild were conspicuous by their absence. I have received a pamphlet containing, in English, a report ot the proceedings, published for the use of the committee, in this I find it stated that the American colony was represented by General Noyes, General P'airchild, etc. This statement reads well and helps the cause along. Ex- Senator Fenton was present, but, when called upon to speak, candidly admitted that he knew so little of the details of the proposed scheme that he could give no opinion upon it. I look Jn vain through the report for one single statement, made by the French speakers, of sufficient practical commercial importance to be worthy of a moment's thought. The whole talk was about the American Revolution, Lafayette, fraternity, and the great love of Frenchmen for Americans. The pamphlet contains, i65 also, an address from the Marseilles Chamber of Commerce, com- plaining that the draft of the proposed treaty does not declare sufficient general reductions to be made in our tariff to satisfy France. I have also what purports to be a reply of an American Com- mittee to the original address of the so-called French Committee. It purports to be signed by the members of the Central Committee of Washington. I read the names of prominent Senators and Rep- resentatives in Congress at that time. How many of them author- ized the use of their names I cannot say; but one of them, at least, has informed me that his name was used without his consent, not- withstanding he was decidedly opposed to the movement — I refer to ex- Senator Sareent. Opposition to the Conventional Tariff System in France. Not only are these things true ot the weakness and reckless- ness of the promoters of the scheme, but also Mr. Chotteau makes no attempt to explain the nature of the great opposition which has developed in France against commercial treaties and of the growing favor for a tariff system similar to our own, just to the French people and impartial to all the world. The French people are beginning to learn that they will have taken their first step to- wards honest and practical free trade when they adopt a general tariff sufficiently protective to enable their people to labor profit- ably, prohibiting nothing and granting no special privileges to any particular country. The French Senate Comniission, appointed in the VrW of 1877 to inquire into the sufferings of industry and commerce and to re- port the remedy needed, made an elaborate report last S[)ring, in which it is shown that the most influential industrial Committees and Chambers of Commerce of France demand further protection during the present crisis, which they demonstrate to have been caused by the development of rival industries, especially in the United States, and also in Germany, Ital^and P)ritish India. They show that the competition of our industries has shut Fngland from our market, and is beginning also to have the same effect upon France ; that the over-production of England — bankrupt stocks of cotton* goods, etc., the excess of glass wares of Belgium, etc., — i66 avail themselves of the treaties with France, and are sold in Paris at less than cost. They call attention to the radical change which is taking place in the tariff policies of Europe towards protection and the rapid change in British sentiment on free trade, and in view of these facts they recommend that no new treaties be entered into until after equilibrium is restored. Meanwhile they also recommend the abrogation of existing treaties, and the adop- tion of a general tariff, applicable to all countries, which shall suffi- ciently protect all industries requiring protection. They say to the Senate : "Let us beware of abstract theories and fanciful systems. We should render unto treaties of commerce what belongs to them; modify them in such respects as they are prejudicial to us; conform them to circumstances; and especially rest upon a grand reserve in presence of the dispositions manifested by other countries of Eu- rope and of the consequences which may follow the industrial revo- lution which is taking place in the United States. Without con- demning, in any way, the principle of international treaties, would the present moment be opportune to contract new ones? Is it not wise to wait until the other nations have regulated their tariffs?" I shall, in the words of the French Commission, ask, also, whether the present movement is opportune to make any radical change in the general tariff of the United States ? It is true, as was shown last Spring to the French Senate, that the industrial and commer- cial crisis in Europe, especially affecting England, France and Ger- many, has assumed the character of an industrial revolution, caused by the appearance of the United States upon the great field of industrial competition. This being true, and it being equally so that we do not intend to abandon the industries which have made our people self-supporting and self-sufficient, and are now paying rapidly our national debts, as well as drawing towards us the finan- cial centre of the world, we must certainly conclude, whatever our notions may be concerning tariff regulations in the future, that the present moment is inopportune to make a radical change. Our position now is good ; it will be assured as soon as equilibrium is restored in Europe, and then we may begin to talk safely of reciprocal commerce when reciprocity becomes possible and safe. 167 Our past policy has surpassed, in its results, the sanguine hopes of its originators ; we have nothing to complain of at present ; we cannot abandon our policy now in the heat of a battle without pros- trating ourselves under the recoil of the force, which we now exert. A few years niorc and resistance will have ceased. We have the fortunes and pros^jcrity of our own people to protect ; let France and England protect their own, and we sliall soon be on an equality for treaty negotiations if we should need any at all. Mr. Chotteau, however, has utterly failed to explain the nature of this opposition to his scheme, which I have noted in France. We have no reason to complain of such opposition ; it is a move- ment in favor of our system and has in view the well being of the French industrial classes. We should prefer to see these classes prosperous and comfortably situated in both countries than to see them precipitated into a vile competition of labor which must inevitably reduce them practically to the condition of slaves of con- tending armies of manufacturers. The first object of great civi- lized countries should not be successful competition in foreign trade based upon the enforced poverty of workingmen ; the first object should be to attain healthful and profitable domestic exchanges. There is little that we export that we could not consume ourselves if our working people were all consumers and their wares taken in exchange for what they consume. Statistics of the Commerce of the United States. A proper understanding of the objects aimed at by the French manufacturers in urging upon our people a general reduc- tion of the tariff cannot be had without first observing the radical changes which have taken place in the commerce of the United States. Under this head I shall refer to the report of the Chief of the Bureau of Statistics on Foreign Commerce for the fiscal year ending June 30, i?->y?>. Comparing the net imports of foreign merchandise with ex- ports of domestic merchandise, specie values, we find that in i860 imports were (round numbers) $336,000,000; exports, $316,000,- 000; excess of imports, $20,000,000. During the civil war both exports and imports diminished. In 1866 the normal progress of trade was again felt, imports i68 amounting to $423,000,000; exports, $337,000,000; excess of imports, $85,000,000. In 1870, imports were $419,000,000; exports, $376,000,000; excess of imports, $43,000,000. In I S73, imports, $624,000,000; exports, $505,000,000; ex- cess of imports, $119,000,000. After 1873 the balance of trade commenced to turn in our favor, imports steadily decreasing, exports increasing. We had $18,000,000 in our fav^or in 1874 ; $19,000,000 against us in 1875, and in 1876, 1877 and 1878, 79, 151 and 257 million dollars suc- cessively in our favor. Importations increased comparatively steadily from $381,000,- 000 in 1867 to $624,000,000 in 1873, and then fell off steadily to $422,000,000 in 1878. Exportations have increased comparatively steadily from $279,000,000 in 1867 to $680,000,000 in 1878. Eighteen hundred and seventy-eight compared with 1867 shows an increase of imports of $4,000,000, and an increase of exports of $401,000,000. In this respect our commerce kept proportionate pace with that of France and England since 1 860, which Mr. Chotteau attri- butes solely to the influence of treaties of commerce ; but we had no treaties. The fact is only that the United States, like all other countries, owed her growth of trade to the general expansion of the world's commerce. During the years i860 to 1878, inclusive, the balances against us on account of merchandise, have amounted to $1,196,000,000 the balances, in our favor, $508,000,000. We have yet to gain a great deal before we extinguish our debts on account of past bal- ances. During the same period we exported coin and bullion in excess of imports to the amount of $914,000,000. In 1875, excess of exports of coin and bullion was $71,000,000; in 1878, only $3,900,000. This statement shows that the products of our mines are now swelling our stocks of precious metals instead of increasing our exports, and that our excess of exports of merchandise is rapidly paying our debts to foreign bondholders, the capital of our people being increased by the amount of bonds and other securities imported to balance accounts. i6g With this enormously rapid increase of capital in interest bear- ins: and neofotiable bonds and mortg-asfes, coin and bullion, our industries and public enterprises have leaped forward with unprece- dented power. This explains the frequent reports of increased activity in manufacturing enterprises, mining and railroad building. Our people can now borrow sufficient capital to build railroads and start new factories without crossing the Atlantic, and the interest money paid will enlarge the consuming power of our people. Heretofore manufacturing enterprises have been struggling against the want of large capital at low rates of interest, for long terms of borrowing. Now this want is being supplied and our industries are growing to be irresistible. If we maintain our pres- ent status we shall, in another decade, be able to compete in all the costliest enterprises; shall again, without any forcing process, acquire the ownership of fleets upon the ocean, and shall hold, as England, Germany and France now do, bonds and the securities of other peoples, thereby swelling the power of our capital, reducing interest and encouraging industry. It is not strange that such a spectacle should produce excite- ment in Europe and cause such missionaries as Mr. Chotteau to be sent to us imploring us to reduce our tariffs before our advanced position becomes assured. Let us examine further and see why it is that our tariff is the objective point of attack. Among the articles of export which have increased since 1 868 are the following : Agricultural implements |$ 673,381 Clocks and watches Copper, brass and manufactures of Manufactures of cotton Fancy and toilet articles. . Hemp, and manufactures of Iron, steel, and manufactures of Leather, and manufactures of Ordnance and ordnance stores 1868. 1878. S 673,381 $ 2,575,198 536,700 1,076,797 939.250 3.078.372 4,87'.o54 11,438,660 455,240 1,065,914 594,810 1,220,962 8,258,700 15,882,508 1,414.372 8,080,030 794,791 4.833.070 Increase over 1868. $1,901,817 540,097 2,139,122 6,567,606 620,674 626,152 7,623,808 6,665,658 4,038.279 The foregoing represents, to some extent, the competition with which our manufacturing industries begin to affect European indus- tries in foreign markets. The table does not yet show a vast ex- portation of manufactures, but it proves that we are in some in stances already established in business, and that the protective tariff does not oppress the people with high prices. There was an increase in 1878 over 1868 of ;^i 12,000,000 in breadstuffs, Si, 800,000 in hops, 52.000,000 in oil cake, $24,000,000 in petroleum, $93,000,000 in provisions, 55,000,000 in animals, $4,500,000 in sugar and molasses. These are the principal items, covering 67 per cent, of the total increase. The following table shows the progress of our exports of manufactured articles : 1850 $15,617,730 I 1870 $76,916,659 i860 42,408,934 I 1878 135,171,921 And this progress is not to be attributed to treaties of com- merce but to our wise tariff system. The meaning of the foregoing tables is best understood by con- sidering them in connection with tables showing decreases in im- portations. Among the items showing decrease in importations are the following : Decrease in 1878 Over 1S73. Manufactures of Iron and Steel $50,250,000 Manufactures of Cotton . 1 6, 1 20,287 Manufactures of Flax - 6,014,791 Manufactures of Silk 10,052,063 Manufactures of Wool 26,000,000 Manufactures of Tin 5,090,000 Manufactures of Glass 4,079,895 Manufactures of Leather 3>909»755 Manufactures of Wood 7,481,365 Chemicals, Drugs, etc 5»955>588 Watches, and materials 2,462,243 Copper, Brass and manufactures of 3,264,924 Earthern, Stone and China Ware 1)964, 1 39 Wine, Spirits and Cordials 3,741,000 Sugar and Molasses 12,81 1,775 Manufactures of Tobacco , 1,071,913 Beer, Ale, Porter 1,235,056 India Rubber, manufactures, etc 657,623 Musical Instruments. 464,161 Paints and Painters' Colors ". 668,337 Paintings, Chromos, Photos, etc 62 1, 147 Raw Wool 1 2,070,92 3 171 The foregoing table is an approximate measure of the growth of industries in the United States which now supply our own wants and in some instances furnish a surplus for exportation. The im- ports of woven goods, of cotton, flax, silk, wool and jute have fallen in five years from $141,000,000 in 1873 to $81,000,000 in 1878 ; the manufactures of iron and steel from $59,000,000 to ^9,000,000 in the same period. It is this rapid decrease in imports of all the principal articles of British and French industry, together with the commencement of increase of exports in some of the items, that, since 1873, has alarmed Europe. It is easy to see why French manufacturers want a general reduction in our tariff. If France is to be benefited by a treaty, it is by causing us to increase our imports of the above named articles, to cease export- ing the same and to reduce our production ; if, however, it is the United States that is to benefit by a treaty, as Mr. Chotteau says, it must be by exporting these goods to France, decreasing our im- ports from her, and reducing still further her industrial production. We need not hesitate in making up our minds as to which result French manufacturers, represented by Mr. Chotteau, aim at. They are very much in earnest, because if they do not win in this move- ment now, it will be too late to attempt it ten years hence. In this struggle we should not expect foreign manufacturers to be idle ; but we must not be caught napping. Our people should at least know as much of the importance of their own industries as foreign- ers do. All that we need now is a season of uninterrupted labor, and then our people will become emancipated from foreign labels and marks. We can then order our tariff regulations to suit the conditions and wants of our own artisans, whose habits of life will always, I hope, demand more wages than their European compet- itors. I hope the day may never come when sharp competition with foreign countries to control foreign trade, shall drive our workmen into the comfortless lives, poorly paid and ill nourished, that are the lot of ihe English and French. If we must compete, let it be by virtue of superior machinery and appliances, rather than by competition in labor prices, long hours for work, and the utilization of women and children. When we control our home markets, we need not worry about foreign trade. 172 How well this situation is understood in France may be learned by studying the report of the Commission on the Sufferings of Commerce and Industry to the French Senate, already referred to. The progress of our industries is referred to as a foundation for a plea in favor of increased protection for French producers and for the abrogation of treaties of commerce. On the other hand, we have the silk and wine producers, especially, • demanding a treaty with the United States to lower our tariff, and to save them from the same competition should our own industries continue to grow. The report to the French Senate, after relating in brief the unusual progress of manufactures in Europe up to 1873, says: " This abnormal increase was necessarily followed by deceptions, as much more cruel in Europe, as, in the same time that the production developed them to excess, a veritable economic revolution was taking place in the United States of America. Under a system almost prohibitive, since the duties reach to 50, 60, and even 90 per cent., the United States, until then a country of consumption, organized a powerful industry, the products of which can now rival in cheapness those of England herself. "Called before our Commission, the lOih of last December, Mr. Ozenne, then Minister of Commerce, showed that the coUon goods of the United States were com- peting vfiih English manufactures in London and Manchester. American metallurgy has reduced to nothing the importations of metallurgists, vast establishments produce and work in iron, and our colleague, Mr. Arbel, has seen at Philadelphia factories which construct up to four hundred and fifty locomotives per annum, or more than one locomotive per day. The American tanneries, watch factories, in a word, all the industries, suffice not only for the wants of domestic commerce, but also take part in '.he markets of South America, Canada, China and Japan. From importer, the Uni- ted States have become exporter. " Thus, therefore, it is, at the very moment that Europe was pushing to excess her means of production, that a country of consumers was not only shut to her, but even transformed itself into a redoubtable competitor and disputed with her a part of her outlets. " In such conditions a crisis was inevitable in Europe, and it would have hap- pened even without the political complications which have intensified it. " Deprived of her outlets in certain markets, and encountering competition in in all the others, England, who was prepared to supply the whole world, threw her- self with more earnestness upon her rivals of the continent. Condemned to j)roduce without ceasing — for the closing, even temporarily, of her workshops would cause more trouble than working at a loss — she has reduced her prices to the lowest limits, so as not to be stopped by the customs duties of her neighbors. The result has been a general depreciation of manufactured products, a depreciation which must increase because there exist enormous stocks, which, even with a pacific settlement of the Eastern question, cannot find a normal outlet. "Production is, therefore, no longer in accord with consumption, and it is difTi- cult to believe that the equilibrium can be re-established, for, in the future, we must always count upon the industry of the United States, of India, and that which is spring- 173 ing up in other countries, which propose to protect their domestic trade and export in their turn." Under the head of cotton industry the report shows that from five million spindles in operation in the United States in i860, the number has increased to twelve millions in 1877. " If we do not take care," says the Commission, " how can our cotton industry escape being crushed in the great battle between the rival industries of England and the United States ? " Concerning tanneries, it says : " After the war of 1870-71, the tanning trade received a great impulse, for it was a matter of replacing the stocks, which were completely exhausted. This indus- try was in a prosperous condition, but it found itself confronted by the competition of the United States, which, in this respect, as in so many others, has become extremely formidable. Only a little while ago America limited herself to sending us hides, which we used to prepare and which were re-exported in great part after being trans- formed into leather. Now the United States have created colossal tanneries, and one single establishment prepares 500,000 hides per annum. There, again, the United States from being importers have become exporters. * * * q^^ export- ations to the Orient have almost ceased since the war. The Americans have furnished leather to the belligerents under exceptional conditions of cheapness.'' The United States are also feared as a rival in the boot and shoe trade, and any reduction in the French tariff is opposed on that score. Concerning metallurgy, there is a great deal in the report. The following is a. paragraph only : " From the depositions all together, it appears that since 1872, the metallurgical industiy has made great prog. ess in Germany. On another side, North America, which used to obtain its iron from Europe, has become a country of production ; it is covered with workshops, and England has lost on that side almost all her outlets. * * * * To give an idea of the development of American metallurgy, it has been related to us that, at the time of the Exposition at Philadelphia, there were already in the United States eleven steel factories, able to produce more steel rails than were necessary for the domestic trade of the country. The American outlet is, therefore, lost foiever, and perhaps even America will come to compete with Europe in her own markets. " Concerning watch-making, it says : " In conclusion, the United States make 300,000 watches per annum, or the fifth of the European production. They export watches even to Geneva, and the Swiss, so favorable to free trade, raise their tarilTs, and seek to protect themselves against the United States.'' Concerning paper-making, the report says that the witnesses ask for an increased export tax on rags, because they, "especially 174 the fine qualities, are taken away by the United States." Concerning glass-working, it says : " It is to be remarked that, so far as glasses are concerned, Belgium encounters already a serious competition in the United States, which are prepared for all kinds of production. The Belgian products thrown back from the United States are cast upon the French market." In final conclusions, the French Commission says : " The United States have shut their markets; they have created, under shelter of protection, the most powerful industries, which, in almost all articles of trade, enters into competition with the manufacturers of England and Europe throughout the whole world. There is seen in this respect a veritable economic rev- olution, which disconcerts all calculations. It is enough to go through the English journals, to consult the reports of British Consuls in the United States, and those of Chambers of Commerce of Great Britain, to be convinced of the excitement that reigns on the other side of the Channel. "England provided herself with the machinery to provision the whole world with her manufactured articles. She had dreamed of being the grand workshop, to which the raw materials of all countries would come to receive prepmration. She had for this purpose ships to bring cotton, minerals, wool, everything to her indfeed, and to return laden with manufactured products. She had coal and iron at small cost. Her spindles, her weaving machines, her workshops, are still innumerable. When he had converted his compatriots to free trade — those who had sustained prohibition for centuries — Richard Cobden had conceived a magnificent project, and England may erect statues in his honor. " But how could Cobden foresee that one day the Americans would think of spin- ning and weaving their cotton instead of sending it to the English manufacturers? Could he foresee that the United States, which have on the grouTid iron, coal, cotton, the raw material, would shut up their markets and cover themselves with workshops ? * * And Germany, who would have supposed that she would develop her metallurgical industry, as she has developed it, and that the Krupp workshop would become one of the greatest in Europe .'' " In a word, after having been benefited in large proportions by the system which she caused to be adopted a little everywhere, England has, to-day, rivals — the Ameri- cans, in the first place ; her own subjects in India, next ; the Germans, for metal- lurgy. Markets shut themselves before her and competition becomes every day more formidable ; therefore, cries of alarm are heard fiom London to Manchester. They struggle on, they produce without ceasing ; but the stocks accumulate and the man- ufacturers of Lancashire have to propose to their workmen a reduction of salaries of ten per cent., and to ask them to pay from their daily bread for a part of this struggle beyond measure, which will terminate, perhaps, in a great industrial disaster. In fine, they are in one of the most critical of situations, which dates not of to-day, and which has had its counterpart in France. "The prices of manufactured products in England have become so low that there have been sold in Paris, at five cents a yard, stocks of cloth, the cost price pf which is si.K to seven cents. In order not to let them invade the market, the 175 French producers have been obHged themselves to make great concessions and to sell at a loss. There is the secret of the crisis. "A return to the system of prohibition, or even to that of extreme proteccion, would not be desired by any one, even though the United States have largely profiled by it. But it should be admitted that a sensible reaction has manifested itself throughout all Europe against the application of English doctrines. "Russia has remained protectionist ; she keeps on raising her duties, demands that they be paid in gold, and gives prizes to those who establish workshops within her borders. " Austro-Hungary hesitates to conclude new treaties of commerce. " Iialy, in the project of treaty with France, makes us submit to increased duties prejudicial to a great number of our industries. " Switzerland has raised her tariffs in considerable proportion. " In fine, Germany is preparing to raise her tariff. The distress of the popula- tion of Alsace — distress on the subject of which your Commission has received pre- cise information — ^justifies only too much this altitude of Germany. "We do not argue ; we limii ourselves to stating what is of public notoriety." Two solutions of the difficulty were proposed to the French Senate— 7the one being to remain in statu qico, which the Commis- sion thinks would be fatal to several French industries ; the other being to take up again liberty of action, and a general tariff, appli- cable to all countries, which offer France the treatment of the most favored nation. " We repeat it," says the report, " that this latter would be only a transitory sys- tem, essentially subject to modification and which would not imply in anything the abandonment for the future of the system of treaties of commerce, only w^e should choose the opportune moment to conclude such treaties ; we shall have learned the wants of each industry and, especially, we shall have been able to appreciate whaj; will be the final outcome of the industrial revolution that is working out in the United States." The Commission, therefore, proposed to the Senate to adopt resolutions requesting the Government to reserve for the present the question of treaties of commerce, and to abrogate simply those which exist up to the promulgation of the new general tariff, which is beinof considered in Parliament. " 1 his general tariff," the rcsolutioij says, "which should be established with the least delay possible, will be applicable, provisionally, to all countries which accord us the treatment of the most favored nation, and which shall not oppress our products with taxes greater than we impose." The resolutions also demand that no reduction be made in du- ties which protect any industry and that they be increased in a sufficient degree for those which are suffering. 176 Meanwhile, however, another party, more sanguine and less practical, has sent Mr. Chotteau to this country, hoping to induce us to make a radical change in our tariff system, to relieve Europe by letting in upon our markets the excess of the European bank- rupt stocks, and to retard our industrial competition. The French journalists also clearly comprehend the situation. The La France o( OctohQr iSth, 1878, says that "it would be puerile to deny that the United States, after having long paid tribute to Europe, is making her tributary." The Le Ttmps, of November 22d, 1878, says: "Carried away by the pride of success, the Americans now poke fun at the En- glish. They have come to making sport of the theories of free trade, and they attrib- ute solely to protection, of which ihey have been since 1865 the most ardent defend- ers, the marvelous results which they have attained. " France, it is sad to say, is not less menaced by them than England. For even in Paterson, New Jersey, they have established ribbon trades, which are conducted by steam, and which have shut out for ever from American shores a portion of French silks. St. Etienne, which a few years ago, and in spile of protective tariffs, used to send to the United States ribbons valued at twenty million francs, now sends scarcely any at all. We have been able to see at the Exposition one of the Paterson ma- chines working and weaving automatically, before the eyes of visitors, fancy ribbons. "In how many American industries does this intelligent introduction of ma- chines not permit victorious competition with similar industries of Europe ! Thence come the repeated cries of our commerce ; thence the incessant menace of the Uni- ted Slates, principally against England. The latter feels hersef struck, and one of her statesmen, Mr. Gladstone, who regrets, they say, having written his famous article in the North American Review, has charitably advised her of the fact during the last month. From being a customer America has become a competitor and this even in the markets of Europe themselves. She is no longer a consumer ; she is a pro- ducer. Such is the economic fact, which is established in all its brutality by the as- tonishing industrial progress of the United States during the last twelve years. "It is true that they complain also in the United States ofthe industrial crisis, which, at this time, seems general, and strikes in some way the whole world ; but business is beginning to revive everywhere — in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco ; in New Orleans, delivered at last from yellow fever, and in Charleston and Savannah, which have never seen such a cotton crop as they have now. The crop of cereals has passed all proportions, and the elevators of Chicago are overflowing with wheat and corn. They complain still —a litde by habit ; but abundance is throughout the country. ' When I return to my country,' said an English diplomat of the last cen- tury, ' if I stop my ears and open my eyes, I see everything prosperous and flourish- ing ; but if I shut my eyes and open my ears, I hear only complaints, and imagine that there is only misery everywhere.' This is what, at the present time, in some degree, is seen and heard in the United States, and perhaps in many other nations." 177 The A77terican Register, published in Paris, is one of the few American institutions there which has not been corrupted by its surroundings. It assumes certain partisan positions, but from American, not European, standpoints. In its issue of November 1 6th, reviewing the situation of the United States, it says: "As regards alteialions in the tariff, it is scircely the moment when foreign nations, in both hemispheres, are increasing the scveri y of their Custom laws to relax ours." The French people fully appreciate the situation. "The boot is on the other leg" now; and those who have preached free trade while they controlled the markets of the world, in order to keep those markets open, are now beginning to threaten the United States with closinof theT markets if we do not lower our duties and permit them to crush out our young established industries. No matter what we may afford to do in the future, when business becomes settled aeain througfhout the world, we cannot afford to make any experiments now, while our present condition is so satis- factory to our own interests. Europe, in many ways, menaces us now with ill-disguised threats in case we persist in being successful ; their threats are all in vain, for they cannot afford to raise the duties on any of the principal articles which they import from us. They must be content to^see us, by means of our exports, calling home our bonds and railroad securities, and the gold which has been drained from us. They must be content to see us paying our debts and our workmen at the same time, for we cannot afford to relapse into a Colonial mar- ket condition to please them. They have had warning long enough ; but they would not heed it. The prize of holding the money centre of the world is in store for the United States ; we have the same right to hold it that England has, the right of successful in'.el- ligent industry ; and we have room in America for those whose occupation will be gone in Europe. What we need now more than all else is a crystallization of American spirit and na ionalit)-. We need leaders in all occupa- tions to teach Americans to be proud of their own work and to use the products of American workmen in j)refercnce to those ol for- eign lands. We need to establish happy homes by making our workmen feel secure in a health)- condition of honest domestic commerce. We need commercial honesty and fair dealing between merchant and consumer. We need in every city to be able to 178 point out the honest traders. Dishonest trading has weakened iis a thousand fold more than poHtical dishonesty ; the latter has only been one of the evidences of the former. What Advantacres the French Market Might Offer. But in answer to all that I have said, Mr. Chotteau will still insist that, if we only had the benefit of the conventional tariff of France, we should vastly increase our exports. We must now turn to the statistics of French commerce as given in the official reports of the Frencli customs service (La Dcnianc ), and from them determine, as well as we can, what kind of a market France has to offer us. We can learn something by studying her trade with other countries. I shall make use only of the statistics under the head of Spe- cial Commerce (Commerce Special), which term is easily explained. In the matter of imports it includes only net amounts, intended for consumption in France, and in exports it includes all products of France, together with such foreign products as have become natu- ralized by free entry, or by the payment of duties. In this way only can fair comparisons be made. For instance, the United States exports large quantities ot alcohol to Marseilles. They are not, however, entered for consumption, but are re-exported; hence, they should not be counted in our exports to France. Likewise, France exports a large quantity of silk ribbons to the United States, which are the products of Switzerland. We should not count these as imports from France. We want to know what France consumes of our products and what products of France we consume. I shall therefore only refer to special com- mercial statistics, in ascertaining the value of the French market to us. The French commerce with the world shows the following aver- age total annual imports and exports combined during five decades, viz. 179 p 1^ ;> 3 trq ^3 k ^ 1827-36 I $ 200,200,000 1837-46 1 297,800,000 1847-56 1 460,000,000 1857-66 , { 926,000,000 I867-I876 ■. I 1,342,780,000 ■ ^'1 ■ < =1 $ 8,200,000 29,400,000 46,000,000 ediffer- favor of $I2,2C0,000 20,200,000 During the year 1877 importations were in excess of exporta- tions $46,<Soo,ooo. The exportations have steadily fallen, and the importations have increased rapidly since 1875. The importations have decreased from England and Belgium especially, and have increased principally from the United States, Ger- many, Italy, Russia, Turke\'. British India, Algiers and the Argen- tine Republic. The exportations have decreased principally to Belgium, Ger- many. Switzerland, the United States and Italy, and have increased to England. The following table will show the relative importance of the French trade (special commerce) for 1877 with eight leading markets : Imports. Exports. England §114,860,000 $211,800,000 Belgium 81,780,000 89,200,000 Germany 74,560,000 79,020,000 Italy 68,360,000 37, 100,000 United States 51,560,000 43,320,000 Algiers 14,420,000 27,620,000 Switzt-rland 19,220,000 47,440,000 Spain 21,840,000 26,500,000 Balance against France. $31,260,000 8,240,000 Balance for France. $96,940,000 7,420,000 4,460,000 13,200,000 28,220,000 4,660,000 The advantage in favor of the United States is much greater for 1878 than for 1877, but I have not yet obtained a complete report similar to those for preceding years from which I compile this statement. It is noticeable from the above statements that the balance of trade is largely in favor of krance in her commerce with countries with which she has special treaties of commerce, and that, not- withstanding the fact that the United States has no such treaty and suffers from absolute prohibitions uflder the French general tariff as well as from high duties on many articles which we are permit- ted to export, our exportations to France are steadily increasing and importations are decreasing. i8o A comparison of the foregoing statements, together with a careful examination of a mass of other statistics, shows that the increase of tlie aggregate imports and exports of France since i860 — or the dates of the treaties with Enorland, Belg-ium and other countries, is not wholly due to such treaties. The expansion of trade has been general throughout the world during the present century, and France has only kept pace with the world's progress and with the ratio of increase shown prior to 1 860. The general prog- ress of civilization in educating mankind and in providing facilities for transportation has increased the demand for the comforts of life and articles of luxury, and France, through her industries, which slic has protected, has reaped a great harvest for her work- innrmen, and is only now checked by the competition of similar in- dustries, which have been fostered in the countries where she formerly found markets. France, however, it will be shown, does not reciprocate by demanding her proportion of the products of the art and mechan- ical ingenuity of other countries. She offers only a market for raw material necessary to her industries, natural products for food and for the cheapest and coarsest of manufactured goods for the consumption of the laboring class, who toil for pittances to sustain her exportations against the competition of the workmen of other nations, whose demands for personal and home comforts are greater. The French people have been prejudiced by education and their system of laws through succeeding generations against the styles, tastes and customs of foreigners ; they rarely leave their country to travel for pleasure, seldom even for business, and there- fore acquire few new tastes and wants; and, even when they emi- grate, it is noticeable that new experiences seldom enlarge the field of their wants, or habits — they do not become consumers, beyond necessity, of the products of the country in which they feel doomed to reside, away from La Belle Finance. It would be invidious in me to refer to these national character- istics in this manner, if it were not necessary to explain why it is that France, with or without antreaty, does not offer a good mar- ket for the manufactured products of other nations ; indeed, in many respects I wish Americans were more like Frenchmen and Frenchmen more like Americans — then we might reasonably talk i8i of reciprocal commerce. Treaties do not seem to change the tastes and habits of the French people, as an analysis of her imports from England, since the treaty of 1 860, will show. Paris is only nine hours from London; there are several lines of railroads and steam- ers, constantly crowded by English tourists and commercial agents, but Frenchmen are seldom seen crossing the channel except on urgent business ; London must come to Paris — Paris will not go to London. Consequently England imported in 1877 from France nearly twice as much as she exported in return. In England there is, as in the United States, an ever constant demand for the novel and beautiful products of all Christendom and all Heathendom, which are sought after and displayed side by side with rich, rare and solid products of the home country. The handiwork of the foreign artisan is not rejected because it looks "odd " — it is prized rather on that account, or, perhaps, because the English have a catholic appreciation for all good things. In France, however, articles, whichare not according to th&goid Franfais, are summarily rejected and spurned; nothing is prized in France on account of its oddity, novelty, or contrast, the French harmony must per- vade everything. New wants, new demands, except in matters necessary for the support of life, or industries, are rare things in France. We can only increase greatly our trade with France in advance of the natural expansion of the general volume of commerce, by supplying raw material to feed industries which we may decline to compete with. If, however, we properly protect our working-men against competition with the overworked, poorly paid and poorly comforted working families of France, we shall, within this genera- tion, need our raw material for our own factories. If, however, we force our industries to compete on a level with those of P^rance, we shall, after years of strikes and labor troubles, by the rigid law of necessity and the cry for " daily bread," succeed also in the indus- trial battle, for France has no permanent advantage except in the poverty and limited wants of her laboring classes ; but we shall see our boasted public schools and the general enlightenment of our people, vain supports of a class which is taught only to know its wants and then is prevented by the vile competition of unsym- pathetic and ruinous commerce from enjoying what it has learned to recognize. An army of manufacturers, backed by millions of l82 capital, employing an enlightened working class, whose houses arc decent and whose families have pride and hope for the future, can- not compete in foreign trade with an equal foreign army, employ- ing a working class which has never been taught to hope for com- fort, happy family relations and a fair share of the products of industry in return for labor. We cannot, therefore, expect American workingmen, except when aided by machinery of superior excellence, to submit to even competition with French workmen ; they will not submit to it un- less after years of suffering. For this reason it is in vain for us to listen to illusory promises ; under no circumstances during this generation can we expect to compete in French markets to any great extent against French artisans, excepting for the supply of raw material, food and coarse, cheap fabrics. The small quantities of manufactures of special value and useful machines, secured by pat- ent rights, and temporary lots of manufactured goods of other kinds, which we may export to relieve overburdened markets, or to sup- ply unusual deficiencies, should not be estimated in this connection. We may increase our exports under a treaty with France, but it will be mainly in the line of raw material; and, if the treaty be such as is now proposed, our small gain, which would bring us little profit, would be offset ten-fold by the destruction of vast industries, which, to supply our home market, would require ten-fold the raw material and labor that would be accounted for by our increased exports. If we make no treaty at all, we do not suffer, as experience proves, for all that France produces we are aiming and able to produce ourselves; hence, we shall not lose in the line of civiliza- tion. Our tariffs prohibit nothing until home productions become cheaper than importations. \Vc have a right, however, to demand from France as free a market as we grant to her people; we shall not complain of a general protective tariff, in place of her present prohibitions, which protects her working people against our own. who are cnofaofed in rival industries; where we are not rivals, we can, under a general and open tariff, fairly and profitably trade, 'ihis is not, however, the design of the proposed treaty. Its design is to prevent the growth of rival industries in this country, now menacing the future of the trade heretofore monopolized by France. i83 To return to the more eloquent statistics. The French Cus~ toms reports show an analysis of the total imports and exports according to their nature. The imports from all countries are classified for the years 1S75 and 1S77, as follows: iS/5 1S77. Raw material necessary to Industry $470,000 000 $452,300,000 ^v- , , ,. ] Natural 160,280000 207,560,000 Ubiects of coniumption h at r ► j ^^ , .^ -^^ - . .„ ■' ' ) Manulactured 77,140,000 74,100,0:0 Total $707,420,000 $733,960,000 The foregoing table shows that only about ten per cent, of the total imports of France are classed as manufactured articles. The objects of consumption classed as " natural," are entirely under the class of alimentary substances, such as cereals, meat, coffee, spirits, etc. The statistics of exportation show, as follows ; 1S75 1877 Raw material, food, etc $384,440,000 $356,380,000 Manufactures, 390,080,000 330,880,000 Total $774,520,000 $687,260,000 This last statement shows that France exports about fifty per cent, manufactured goods against ten per cent, imported. Inasmuch as she has had, for nearly twenty years, treaties of commerce with manufacturing nations, such as Great Britain, Bel- gium, Germany, Holland, and Switzerland, whose proximity and long experience in the wants of European trade far excel any ad- vantages we can everhave, and inasmuchasFrance, in 1877, only im- ported seventy-four million dollars worth of manufactured goods from all the world, England, Belgium, etc., included, do not these state- ments expose the utter fallacy of the glowing promises of increased trade so lavishly and carelessly uttered by Mr. Chotteau in his ad- dresses to the Chambers of Commerce of ihe United States ? If, however, there be any virtue in such treaties of commerce with France from the standpoint of the industries of the nations contracting with her, we should look for it especially in England, Bel- gium and Germany, nations which have taken an advanced position in manufacturing, and whose main support in foreign trade de- pends upon the exportation of manufactures. Moreover, sufficient time has elapsed to test the practical operation of their treaties and every facility is afforded for speedy exchanges, as well as for the study of the markets to be supplied. An analysis of the French statistics for 1877 shows ; 184 I St. Imports into France from England. Belgium. Germany. R.aw material, etc., necessary to industry S 77,007,000 $60,964,000 $37,420,000 Food material 5,623,000 12,618,000 18,083,000 Manufactures .., 32,233,000 8,206,000 19,052,000 Total imports $114,863,000 $81,788,000 $74,555,000 Per,cent. of raw material .68 .74 ,50 Pei cent, of food .04 .16 .24 Per cent, of manufactures .20 .10 .26 2d. Exports from France to England. Belgium. Germany. Raw material, food, etc $123,100,000 $56,840,000 $45,530,000 Manufactures 88,700,000 32,360,000 33,490,000 Total exports $211,800,000 $89,200,000 $79,020,000 Per cent, of manufactures .42 .36 .42 Excess of total exports over imports $ 96,937,000 $ 7,412,000 $ 4,465,000 Total manufactures imported from England, Belgium and Germany 59,491,000 Total manufactures exported to England, Belgium and Germany . . 154,550,000 In considering the foregoing table it should be remembered that England, Belgium and Germany are practically contiguous with France and that neighboring regions are more likely to be- come accustomed to the use of each others' manufactures. It seems strange, even considering the conservative and provincial characteristics of the French people, that France should not con- sume more of the manufactures of England, Belgium and Germany than she does now, even without the aid of a low tariff under spe- cial treaties. If Belgium can sell only $8,206,000 of manufactured goods to France with the aid of a treaty, what hope is there for the sale of American manufactures under Mr. Chotteau's proposed treaty ? We certainly could, to some extent, increase our sales, but we should increase our imports ten fold and by so doing prac- tically destroy a home market for the same class of goods that we should send to France by destroying industries affected by im- portations. The home market is far more important to our manu- facturers of scales and carriages than the French market. More Brewster buggies can be sold in Paterson, New Jersey, where the silk industry now flourishes, than in Paris, and more Howe scales will be required to weigh American silk goods than could be sold in Lyons, or throughout France. Here is the analysis of the trade of the United States with France, according to the P>ench statistics for 1877 : — i85 1st. Imports into France from The Pacific Coast. Atlantic Ports. Totals. Raw material, etc $ 7,508 $43,340,000 $43.347. 5oS Foo'J " 183,538 7,432,000 7,615.538 Manufactures 589,000 589,000 Total impor:s $191,046 $51,361,000 $51,552,046 Per cent, raw material 842 Per cent, food " 147 Per cent, manufactures oil 2d. Exports from France to The Pacific Coast, Atlantic Ports. Totals.'* Raw material, food, etc $364,400 $ 9,600,000 $ 9,964,400 Manufactures 350,000 33,000,000 33,35o,coo Totals $714,400 $42,600,000 $43,314,400 Per cent, of Manufactures ^ 77 Excess of imports over exports $8,237,646 This last table develops the true character of our trade with France, viz: France imports, in manufactured goods from all the world, §74,000,000; the United States imports from France alone, $33,000,000. The total importation of manufactures into the United States from all the world, for the year ending June 30th, 1878, was $257,000,000; in 1873 it was $422,000,000, nearly six times as much as that of France. The relative consuming power of the two countries for manufactures is here exhibited, and the value of our market to the French is demonstrated; no wonder they desire to preserve this market by checking our industries. France imported only S589 000 in manufactured goods from us, against $33,000,000 exported to us. She took in manufactures one per cent.; while we took in the same time, seventy-seven per cent. If we should succeed under a treaty in sending her ten per cent, we should then take at least ninety per cent.; but I shall show that we cannot even attain to the ten per cent, within a decade. We took, in general terms, as much of French manufactures as either Belgium or Germany, notwithstanding our protective tariff; notwithstanding the French treaties with Belgium and Ger- many; notwithstanding their close and neighborly relations. Of. the alimentary substances received by us from France, such articles as pickled olives, olive oil, sardines, potted meats, pates, etc., should be reckoned among manufactures, the cost of labor being greatly added to the original natural products. The food materials exported by us, however, were generally simple and crude, realizing small profits to our industries. i86 The manufacturers of France, though they may lament the decreasing market for their goods in our country, and the growth of our industries, have yet no reason for complaint against our laws, wliich admit $33,000,000 worth of their wares. We must estimate the value of our foreign trade principally by such comparisons as these ; for though we may now be fortunate in our shipments of raw and food materials, in this there is no cer- tainty of demand. We shall find markets for them wherever they are needed without treaties, and it would be folly for us to increase our present markets for them at the expense of our markets at home, thereby causing our agriculturists to suffer the expense of increased transportation. When we turn to the importations from England, Belgium and Germany into France, we find that the increase from Belgium has been mainly in raw material, such as coal, wool, animals, flax, com- mon wood, building material, hops, zinc, and coke; these items com- prising nearly two-thirds of the entire importation. Notwithstand- ing the cheap labor of Belgium, the excess of production and her proximity to France, she found a market, in 1877, for only four million dollars worth of cotton, linen and hemp threads or yarns, and two million dollars worth of woolen, linen, cotton and hemp tissues. On the other hand France was able to send to Belofium four and a half million dollars of woolen, linen, hemp and cotton thread or yarn, and nine and a half millions of woolen, silk, cotton, linen and hemp tissues. Germany succeeds much better than Belgium, probably on account of the contiguous markets on the Rhine and the French affiliations with Alsace and Lorraine, where there are large cotton and other industries, claiming French sympathy and former trade relations. Nevertheless, more than one-third in value of the total importations from Germany are comprised in animals, common wood, coal and coke, hides, cereals and beer. Germany sends across the Rhine eight and one-half million dollars worth of cotton, woolen, silk, linen and hemp tissues, and imports ten and a half millions. The Alsatian provinces furnished France with nearly $4,000,- 000 worth of yarns and import only about $1,000,000. In this pe- culiar trade, fostered by close business relations and sympathies, the United States cannot expect to interfere seriously at any time. The extent of the trade is likewise small. i87 The trade with England shows more rivalry in the textile in- dustries, the battle having resulted, however, greatly in favor of France. England found a market in France in ^^-77 for <? 19,500,000 worth of woven goods and took from France 848,000,000. In yarns and threads she sent $5,000,000, and took only $1,000,000. The balance in favor of France, on account of textile manufac- tures, was, therefore, over $24,000,000 — much greater than all she took from England. France exported to England a large excess in woolen and silk ^^oods ; England exported an excess in cotton, linen and hemp amounting to only about $8,000,000. The excess in favor of France on woolen and silk goods was over $30,000,000. Probably, if we should, at the present time, negotiate a treaty with France, we should experience a less favorable result than is enjoyed by England, because there is beginning to be a revival of the French cotton industry, and the present bankrupt stocks of French silks would crush our silk industries more rapidly than they have reduced the English. I shall show soon why it is that French factories can compete successfully against the English, and for the same reason aorainst our own. The raw material imported from England is principally wool, coal, silk, copper, iron, jute, tallow, cotton and hides in the order given. To compete in any of these items, except coal, we should need to reduce our own exports to England in order to increase those to France. In cereals, France exported to England $15,000,000, and imported only $360,000. Froui this statement, it does not appear that there can be any large market for our cereals in France. From the standpoint of our present trade relations with France, we should not consider our fortunes increased by assuming those of either England, Belgium or Germany. England, however, was rightly in favor of tlie treaty with France, for the same reason that she now demands a new one with still better advantages for her trade. England had already committed herself to free trade, and any reduction in foreign tariffs was to her advantage. She has, however, much more to gain before she can trade evenly; this the French are not willing to grant, because they intend, as formerly, to reserve sufficient protection for their own workmen. i88 A comparison of the average annual imports and exports of certain leading products, affecting French industry, for the decades 1847-56 and 1867-76. will show to some extent how France suc- ceeds, under her treaties of commerce with great producing nations, such as Austria, Belgium, England, Germany, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey, Sweden and Switzerland, which treaties were negotiated between those two periods. 1ST. ANNUAL AVERAGE OF LEADING IMPORTS INTO FRANCE. 1847-56. 1867-76. Annual average of values of spirits, wines, silk, woolen, cotton, leather, linen, hemp and paper manufactures, machines, metal works and sugar $i 1,000,000 $62,000,000 Average annual increase for decade 1867-76 over 1847-56 — $51,000,000. 2D. EXPORTS. ANNUAL AVERAGES OF LEADING ARTICLES OF INDUSTRY FROM FRANCE, FOR 1S47-56. 1867-76. Articles same as preceding table $154,000,000 $302,000,000 Average annual increase of exports in 1867-76 over 1847-56 — $148,000,000. From this statement it appears that in the leading articles of French industry, the treaties of commerce have caused her to increase her exports $148,000,000, while increasing her imports only $51,000,000. Her imports of raw material have exceeded her exports. It is to this kind of commerce that we are invited, the result of which would be, that in another generation we should, by our free supplies of raw material, and our abandonment of man- facturing industries, elevate France into the lead among industrial nations, instead of holding that place ourselves. The value of French commerce in the products of leading industries, as above shown, is much greater when the great profits in exchanges of fancy and toilet goods, artificial flowers and milli- nery are considered ; but I have not been able to procure accurate statements concerning them in detail for 1847-56. I have already shown how the exports of the United States have begun to compete in foreign markets with some of the articles upon which profits of French commerce are based ; and also how greatly and rapidly our imports of all of them are being decreased. This is suf^cient to account for the desire of the French manufac- turers for a treaty, such as is demanded. The foregoing general iSg statistics show also that France does not offer us, even with a treaty, a profitable market for the line of goods in which she has increased her exports, by the aid of treaties, $148,000,000, against an increase of imports of $51,000,000. Mr. Chotteau talks about increasing our market in France for cereals and spirits. Concerning spirits, I will say something here- after in detail. Concerning cereals, it is sufficient to know that the French average annual exports increased for the decade 1867-76, to $24,000,000 from $7,500,000 for the decade 1847-56. Never- theless, Mr. Chotteau talks glibly about increasing our exports of grain to France to ec^ual our epxorts to England. How other Countries would Reap the Benefits. Having shown, in general terms, liow we should suffer under a treaty, as proposed, in our direct trade with France, let us consider to what extent other countries would benefit by a general reduc- tion in our tariff, or by the reduction only upon principal articles of French production. For this benefit to other countries we should have no additional advantages. France would especially demand a low tariff on silk, woolen, and all other textile fabrics, wines and spirits, leather and metals, manufactures of them, sugars, chemicals and fancy articles. The French statistics for 1877 show a total valuation of 'ex- ports of manufactured silks to tb.e United States (general com- merce) amounting to nearly $22,000,000, of which only $10,800,- 000 were of French production ; more than one-half of the amount reaching us from France should be credited to other countries. Besides this statement we should remember that we imported silks from other countries direct. Prance imports manufactured silks principally trom Switzerland, Germany, England, and Belgium, and silk partly prepared for the looms from Italy. This indirect trade through France, as well as the direct, would participate in the bene- fits of the proposed treaty, without any concessions to us. In leather manufactures, b'rance sends us $4,000,000, of which only $2,400,000 are of brench origin. We import also directly from other countries. In woolen goods, we iiiiported in ^^jy, $26,000,000, of which only about $10,000,000 were of brench production. igo In spirits and cordials France sent us $200,000, out of $1,900,- 000; in wines, $1,700,000 out of $4,000,000. In cotton goods, we imported about $19,000,000, of which less than $1,000,000 were of French make. In straw, bark and rush plaitings or braids, the French records show that out of $2,350,000 sent to us only $5,250 were of French production ; also that out of $1,330,000 in straw and bark hats, only $141,000 were of French make. In watches, clocks and material, out of $600,000 only $200,- coo were of French make. A large portion of all the paper goods, linen goods, skins, jewelry, and machines were also of extra-French origin. It is needless for me to say that a reduction of tariff on iron and steel manufactures, fancy wares, chemicals and sugars would benefit other nations equally with France. What, then, would balance for us the great gains we should grant to the whole world of foreign industries? So far as we stimulated French manufactures, we should export raw material instead of manufacturing it ourselves, and we might also send to France a small percentage of such manufactures as scales and carriages, for which, on account of superior quality, we should find a limited market, French prohibitions being removed. We could not send locks, because we should have only the benefit of "the most favored nation" clause, and all foreign locks are pro- hibited in France. We miofht send some sole leather at the ex- pense of receiving the light qualities. In other words, Southern planters. Western shepherds and other producers of raw material would be permitted to compete with the world in the French mar- ket for the sale of as much of their pfoods as the reduction of our industries would shut out of home markets which they now control. What would our producers gain by creating a market in France which they could not control in exchange for a market in the United States which they do control ? This question applies equally to all agriculturists. Their losses would be measured by the new competition they would meet and the costs of transpor- tation. The agriculturists should remember that their home market is a thousand fold greater and more profitable than the foreign mar- ket, and that the true principle of trade, especially among fellow cit- igi izens, who mutually depend upon each other, is to exchange product for product. The agriculturist is the one most benefited by a protec- tive tariff, because he finds cities and towns full of well-paid people, who live generously and comfortably and consume the produce of the country. Free trade means simply bread and water, poor fare and a hard life for the artisan, and therefore a poor market for the farmer. English Objections to the French Treaty. I have shown that the treaty of commerce between France and England, entered into in i860, has been greatly to the advan- tage of France generally, though it has retarded the progress of certain industries, especially that of cotton. For this latter reason there is a great outcry in France in favor of abrogating the treaty, and without doubt the demands of the cotton manufacturers will soon be satisfied in the drafts of the new treaties to be nesfotiated before long, or by the provisions of a general tariff, which may take the place of all special treaties, under which the United States will have equal advantages with England as France to-day has un- der our tariff system in her trade with us. The secret of the success of the French under their treaties is that they always reserve a sufficient tariff to protect their indus- tries against the normal pressure of importations. They suffer now only because bankrupt British and Belgian stocks of cotton, glass and other manufactures, displaced from their customary markets in the United States, India and other coun- tries, by rival industries, pass over the low tariff of France secured by treaty, and are sold for less than cost. From this evil France must suffer until the equilibrium of commerce and production is restored by the adjustment of British and European industries in accordance with the new order of things caused by the appearance of the new successful industries of the United States, India, Italy and other nations upon the field. We cannot afford, in this crisis, from which we do not suffer, to recede from our position and to assume part of the evils of which iM'ance complains. France must protect herself, as she is able lu do ; England must curtail her manufactures, if she is [rroducing too much — for neither can expect or hope that we shall consent to retire again into the conditions o^ 1 92 a colonial market in order to prevent Europe from losing the bal- ance of trade in her favor and her much guarded and cherished money centres. " Westward the course of Empire takes its way." so also does the course of trade and capital. England, however, on the other hand, also claims to be bene- fited and injured by the treaty with France. She is benefited because any concession to her is a gain, she having already con- ceded nearly everything through her free trade system. She com- plains, however, that the French tariff under the treaty does not permit English industries to compete on fair terms in French mar- kets. She complains that she cannot sell a fair share of her manu- factured goods in France. She has the benefit of the conventional tariff in France, which the French manufacturers, through Mr. Chotteau, now offer to the United States, provided we shall make a general reduction in ours, and provided the French government can be induced to grant us this favor, which is ours now by right without further concession on our part. If England, aided by cheap labor, vast capital, long estab- lished industries, an intimate knowledge of the wants of the French markets and close proximity, finds the French conventional tariff an obstacle to the introduction of her wares into France, how much more should we find it so? The experience of England is important to us, aiding us in understanding what advantages it is that Mr. Chotteau's friends propose to us. The French people have no such problem to dis- cuss ; they know that with our present tariff, as it is, they succeed in selling to us $33,000,000 worth of their manufactures, besides much more that passes in general commerce through the hands of their merchants. They know that low tariffs here would increase still further this vast importation and probably check our competitive industries ; they know also that they only import now about half a million dollars of our n-ianufactures, and that their conventional tariff, being sufficient to shut out any large degree of importations from England, would equally operate to prevent a great increase from us. We, however, should know more about the practical value which this conventional tariff might be to us before we nego- tiate to purchase its advantages. I will turn, therefore, to consult an official document of Great Britain, entitled " Papers Relative to French Industry and Com- xg3 merce ; presented to the House of Commons by command of Her Majesty, in pursuance of their Address dated June 6, 1878." Throughout all these very important papers 1 find, of course, the spirit of free trade fairly presented. The British manufacturer, aiming- to monopolize the manufacturing business of the world, can ask for nothing less and grant nothing less. He must find mar- kets ; hence he demands free trade everywhere. But I observe throughout, the candor of che discussions. The demand for an abolition of duties in France is not based upon doc- trines of brotherly love and friendship among nations, but upon estimates of the power of each nation to compete fairly. In nearly every case where a demand is made for the abolition of duties in France, an estimate of the cost of production in each country is made and the demand is based upon statements that the cost is less in France than it is in England, or, as in some cases, not greater — hence they say France has no need of protection. The principle appears to be recognized that protection is legitimate where the cost of production in competing countries is unequal. On this basis, we can fairly discuss tariff regulations which affect interna- tional commerce. Here is an abstract of the papers referred to ; LINEN. In reply to (]uestions addressed to the Belfast Cham- ber of Commerce, a paper is submitted concerning the French conventional taritf on linen goods, in which is said : " The rate of duty, being higher on low than on fine yarns, has been practically prohibitory. It is only those numbers which have been most lightly taxed that have obtained access to the FVench market." RIBBON TRADE. On behalf of the Coventry Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Andrews, deputed to represent the ribbon trade, asked that in the new commercial treaty the duties now levied upon all kinds of ribbons imported into France be completely abolished. " He remarked that d iring the last seventeen years England had admitted all kinds of F>ench ribbons without any duties whatever, and that the effect on the Coventry trade had been most disastrous, it being now reduced to one-half of what it was prior to i860, whilst, at the same time, the value of our imports of foreign rib- 194 bons liad been considerably more than doubled. It was, there- fore, self-evident that the French ribbon manufacturers could not possibly have anything to fear from English competition ; and he therefore asked, as a matter of justice and common fairness, that the duties on all ribbons going into France should be absolutely abolished, and the more especiallv as the present duties, although small, were quite prohibitory." ELASTIC FABRICS. The deputation of the Derby Chamber of Commerce " pointed out to Mr. Kennedy that the protection and facilities enjoyed by French manufacturers of elastics, not only of gusset webs for boots, but also of brace and garter webs, enabled them to expert these goods to England in successful competition to the English manu- facturer, who is no longer able to com.jete in France, in conse- quence of the anti-reciprocal and unjust duties levied upon English elastics." LINEN AND JUTE TRADES. The memorandum of the Dundee Chamber of Commerce says: "The treaty of commerce presently in force, has been of no service to the trade of this district; our trade with France is very small, and not on the increase. '"'^ "' "' In conclusion, this Chamber begs to state, that since the treaty of 1860 was established, the working hours in this country have been reduced from sixty to fifty-six per week, whereas, in France they have remained stationary at seventy-two; further, that wages in this country have considerably advanced, in some cases nearly doubled, whereas in France they have not advanced to the same extent, nor are the French manufacturers subject to the Factory Act, etc.; '^ "'■ "" "'■' It is, therefore, obvious, that a rate of duty which may have been considered moderate in i860, would now act as a prohibitive measure." Wages paid in Dundee, for spinners, $3 per week of 56 hours. SHIP BROKERAGE. The Gateshead and Newcastle Chambers protest because ship- brokerage is not free to Englishmen in France. 195 GLASGOW TRADE COTTONS, PRLNTTS. CHEMICAL5, MINERAL OIX.?. IRON, ETC. The Glasgow Chamber of Commerce says: "The interval which has elapsed has not only coniirmeJ but has deepened the conviction that in paving the conditions of a new commercial treaty between Great Britain and France, a material reduction of duties at the ports of France will be necessary to enable Scotch manufacturers to carry on a trade of any importance in the export of goods to that country. The Chamber is also of the opinion that ad valorem duties should be maintained, and, where it is found possible, extended; and that any attempt to alter them into specific duties must have the effect of diminishing the trade between this country and France.' Concerning cotton goods, such as gauzes, muslins, etc., it says: "The French duty of 15 per cent ad valorem, being prohibitory, no trade exists." Concerning the French con- ventional duty on pig iron it says: " It thus appears that import duties into France are actually higher than in any other country in Europe." ^^ '■'' '^ " The duty on cast-iron pipes is practically prohibitive of this importation into France, if of large sizes, or in any considerable quantities. Only one important contract has b^en taken in this country, and that immediately when the treaty was made, and by way of experiment. It resulted in serious loss to the contractors." LEICESTER TRADES. Concerning woolen yarns, the Leicester Chamber says : " A very large trade is done here in Leicester by French spinners in competition with our own local producers, and also against the Yorkshire spinners, who largely supply this market. The imposs tion of duties against our yarns is a simple exclusion of the produc- tion of our Leicester spinners from the F>ench market." Concern- ing hosiery : "As Fran.x' [)osscsses cheaper labor and raw material at least as low priced, it is self-evident that all duties are protec- tive and tending to prohibition, not 500/. per annum being ex- ported to P>ance from Leicester in the three classes in question," (Nos. 2, 3 and 5). Concerning boots and shoes, complaint is also made of the French tariff; the cost of labor and leather is claimed to be cheaper in PVance. ig6 COTTON TRADE. The Manchester Chamber of Commerce discourses upon the relative proportions of manufactured goods exported to and re- ceived from England by France, in very nearly the same vein that I had used in speaking of our trade with France. The Manchester people say ; "The export to France in 1875, being 27,293,- 855 /., and the imports from France, 46,720,101 /., show that the sales of our productions to France amount to only fifty- eight per cent, of the value we purchased from them." After deduct- ing raw materials, the amount of manufactures exported is reduced to 16,000,000/., and leaves the manufactures taken from France at 45,000,000/. " This calculation," they say, "shows that we only sell to them in the proportion of thirty-six per cent, of the value they sell to us, as affording employment to the people." Afterwards, they say: " It has always been admitted that scarcely any department of the treaty was so unsuccessful, and so unsatisfactory, as that relating to woven cotton goods." IRON TRADE. The Middleborough Chamber says, concerning their products of cast iron in pipes, bolts, rivets, wire, tubes, etc.: " On nearly all these goods the duties into France are prohibitive." EARTHENWARE AND CHINA. The North Staffordshire Chamber complains of the fifteen per cent, duty levied by FVance on these wares. They say that after adding cost of packing and carriage, "the duty is fast becoming prohibitive." SALT TRADE. Northwich Salt Chamber of Commerce : "The operation of the existing law in France is entirely prohibitory as regards the ad- mission of Enorlish salt." o HOSIERY AND LACE. The Nottingham Chamber complains of a duty of one franc, fifty centimes per kilog. on hosiery, which they say, amounts to thirty, or thirty and a half per cent, ad valorem on the cheaper goods, and becomes absolutely prohibitive. The same remark, they say, applied to the duty on lace. 197 SHErriELD TRADES. The Sheffield Chamber complains of the present duty, and still more of the proposed increase under a new treaty. They say : " Under the present circumstances, the export of table knives to France is even now exceedingly small ; but if a specific duty of three francs per kilog. were imposed upon common cutlery, the small trade still carried on in small table knives, would probably be completely destroyed. If the French suggestions were adopted, the duty upon the commonest table knives would be rai.^ed from fifteen to nearly seventy-five per cent." NAVIGATION QUESTIONS. The Southampton Chamber complains of the French surtaxe d Entrepot, an extra duty levied on goods imported indirectly, which frequently becomes necessary, goods first coming, for in- stance, to Liverpool and then transhipped to France. Also, of the dock charges of half a franc per ton on all ships coming from Eu- ropean ports and the excessive charge of one franc for all coming from other parts of the world. Also of the French monopoly of brokerage, an English ship-master, not speaking French, being compelled to pay to a broker \ franc per ton to have his ship registered. WOOLEN AND WORSTED TRADE. The Yorkshire chambers show, that the French manufacturers possess advantages in cheap labor and material that should cause them to reduce their tariff, and demonstrate their position in de- tail. They call attention to the small quantity of woolen goods imported by France in comparison with the vast quantity exported. They oppose specific duties applied to woolen goods. In conclu- sion, they base their demands for the abolition of all duties in France upon pure woolen tissues upon the same ground that siikgoods are admitted free to that country, viz. ; ''That their mamtfacture has been brought to such a perfection there tJiat foreign competition may be considered as 7iearly impossible." This is one of the candid arguments to which I desire to call the attention of those who fail to see that the same demand for a reduction of tariff in this coun- try does not properly apply as it does to France, our industries not yet being all established beyond danger of competition in our home markets. ig8 .\ G R I C U LTU R A 1 . MAC H I N E R Y . The French conventional tariff is shown to be much higher than that of any other European country except Austria. IRON TRADE. The British Iron Trade Association presented an elaborate paper. Among other things they give a table showing the actual value of iron goods and the percentage of duty that the French specific taxes amount to, resulting as follows : Pig iron, 2S per cent. ; rails, 38 per cent. ; bars, 29 per cent. ; plates for boilers and ships, 35 per cent. The duties on ordinary castings, 30 per cent. These duties, they declare, are prohibitive. They complain, also, of the system of favoring FVench exporters with acquits cl caution, of which system more will be said. The same complaints are made of duties on steel. PAPER. A vigorous complaint is made against the French duty on paper. Attention is called to the export duties on rags. FANCY BISCUITS. The same complaint, tariff being practically prohibitive. PLATE GLASS. Complaints because English products are taxed and kept out by France, while French products find a free market and ready sale in England. EXPENSES OF MANUFACTURING IN FRANCE. Delegates appointed to visit manufacturing districts in France reported upon capital, rent, power, machinery, materials, labor, clas.-es of goods manufactured and markets, and taxation, etc. They report that the aggregate of expenses show advantages in favor of French producers over the English. One of the reasons shown why French workmen can work for less than the English and save money is because the consumption by the English work- man of bacon and hams, cheese, butter, eggs, [jotatoes, spirits, wines and tea has increased largely per capita since i860. For instance, bacon and hams from 1.27 pounds in 1860 to 8.20 pounds in 1875 ; eggs, from 5.83 to 22.62 ; tea, from i.(^.-j to 4.44. Tills, which is a serious argument against the workingmen in England, igg because thereby the imports from the United States are increased. is the kind of argument I like to present to our farmers in favor of sustaining well-fed workingmen at home, instead of poorly-fed men in Enjrland, to whom the manufacturer be^rudcres an increased habit of consuming good food, because it prevents competition with France. The wages of operatives in France are shown to vary accord- ing to the trade ; in woolen factories women and girls from s i ^o to $2 50 per week ; men, from $3 to <55, excepting for specially expert hands, who get $9. In other trades the proportions are similar. The prices are shown to be from fifty to ninety per cent, higher in Enorland. o o The cost of the blue linen working suit of the French artisan is given at $1 50. ACQUITS A CAUTION. Complaint is made by the British because the French laws give the French iron manufacturer in the south of France a special permit to import free of duty an amount of pig iron equal to the quantity in the articles he exports. The effect of this is to grant a subsidy to the exporter, who uses iron of his neighborhood and sells his permits to be used in the other parts of France, which are dependent upon imports. This is one of the methods France uses to stimulate exportation. A similar complaint is made against a law affecting exporta- tions of refined sugars, by which the exports obtain an excessive drawback from the government. CLASSES OF GOODS MANUFACTURED. In one of the reports I find a passage corroborating what I have said about France as a poor market for manufactured goods: "Speaking generally, the P>ench manufacturers have hitherto given their attention chiefly to better goods, whose excellence of workmanship is of more importance than low prices. This is, in a great measure, owing to the universal use of the linen blouse by every grade of workingmen." HOURS OF LABOR. The British manufacturers are restricted by law to fifty-six hours per week for workmen ; the French work their men seventy- 200 two hours — or twelve hours per day. And yet the cutlers and forgers at Theirs receive only from fifty to fifty-five cents per day. "Thiers has an air of extreme penury." say the English delegates, "which may be attributed to the low wages paid to the men." This is the kind of a market France would offer us. These are the wages and conditions of life to w'.iich free traders would force our manufacturers to reduce our people. How much would our agriculturists profit by the cha- ge ? I will not attempt any further extracts from these valuable British reports. Enough has been shown to establish the fact that the French conventional tariff is of comparatively little value to British trade ; if the English cannot export to France with advan- tage, then, what may we hope for, if we accept the terms of the proposed treaty and accept the situation of England ? I will con- clude this subject with one passage from one of the reports : "In the year 1875 the value of wine, kid gloves and silk^ imported from France into England was 14,553,152/., whereas the value of all British produce exported to France, excluding coal, was 13,- 740,000/.. and including coal, 15,357,000/. But even these figures fail adequately to show how unfairly the present French customs duties act upon English manufacturers and workmen." False Theories and the Workman's Welfare. It is time that \vc should honestly talk about our own taritt system. It is customary for the French and English, and our o^vn "free traders," to say that our tariff is prohibitory. This is false. I have shown that we import $33,000,000 in French manufactured dutiable goods. So far as England is concerned, we afford a bet- ter market with our high tariff than France does with her treaty of i860. England exports to us, of IVitish productions, 16,376,814/. (about $80,000,000), and exports to France only 14,233,242/. (about $70,000,000) ; that is, our so called high tariff is worth more to England than the French so called free trade. Why is this ? Simply because our people are protected, well paid and large con- sumers. Shall we reduce them to the condition of non-consuming communities of France ? Neither France nor Great Britlan can fairly complain of our tariif, which protects so good a market for them, even though they begin to enjoy itb profits less. 201 Wc have a right to complain of the prohibitions of the French tariff to which we are subjected, while we prohibit nothing from ' France, and do not discriminate against her as she does against us. If we cannot induce her to remove those prohibitions without fur- ther concessions from us, we may easily show her that wc can do with- out her goods by raising our tariff on them until it becomes pro- hibitive. Our people would not suffer. We may well consider the matter of putting an export tax on crude petroleum, because all other nations, except France, take our refined oils, while France takes little besides the crude oil to supply her own refineries. We could shut up those refineries if we would. But even if we do not get these prohibitions removed we shall not mourn. This country is only in a small degree supported by foreign trade. We actually need very little of it. Wc arc not situated as England is. Circumstances alter public policies. Wc are almost self-sufficient, and can afford to be independent of inter- national treaties, which may serve only to complicate the develop- ment of our resources. Our domestic trade must never be sacri- ficed to the foreign trade. Wc must never scrape our twenty- dollar gold pieces to gild our copper cents. This is not essentially a question of free trade to-day. France only asks that she may tie us to a treaty with her. But I should not be afraid to meet the free traders squarely before our working people. The free traders would force our people to the level of foreign competitors — bread and water, poor fare, squalid living, comfortless homes, scattered families, laboring wives and daughters, and no markets for our own farmers — that is what it means. Pro- tection means that we increase the consumers of the country and make markets for our business men. Protection does not mean fortune for the manufacturer ; but comfort for the workman. It is the masses who profit by protection. In this state, protection means that we shall not be forced to perpetuate Chinese labor in our industries. Such schemes as this of Mr. Chotteau would certainly check our industries ; they might not survive; but if they did, it would be after troublesome labor fights. Labor would finally succumb, or repudiate the treaties. Then our industries would go on. If labor succumbs, the end of free institutions has come, and we shall need an army to control the people. 202 The wine and other industries on this Coast might go on, but they would all demand Chinese labor to save themselves. The workinfT-mcn will see the true bearing of these questions, and vote rieht when occasion demands. It is false that protection greatly increases the prices of com- modities. When our industries develop, prices may have a little higher level, owing to the general distribution of property caused by higher wages ; but our experience shows that labor protected here, as in France, soon becornes forcible. It is not subject to epidemics of foreign trade. The protected countries build up the surest and best foreign commerce. The volume may not be so large, but the profits are greater. Protection secures abundant supplies at home, where the losses, if any. are distributed among those who benefit by the same. Protection, in fine, ensures between people of the same country free and fair exchanges — product for product. We sell our wines in New Jersey, and we take New Jersey silks for them The farmer who sells his goods in San Francisco and prefers to buy his supplies in Paris is unjust to his fellow-citizen. Protection ensures sound domestic commerce. The Special Questions of Wines and Spirits. I have left to the last the discussion of the interests of our vine growers. I shall not dwell upon them at length. Our people are already well acquainted with the importance of this industry. Our wine producers have begun to emerge permanently from the experimental era. They are now recognized by the whole world. PVance, during generations, has not been able to educate our people to the use of more than about two and a half million gallons of her wine annually. P^rance, Spain, Portugal, Germany, all the Euro- pean vine growers, have been able to teach the use of not more than four to five million gallons. A few years ago, wine, to the Ameri- can consumer, was a costly article covered with glittering labels. I need not explain now what has been so thoroughly shown to the l^ublic before, that these wines have always been, with rare excep- tions, cheap adulterations, or falsely-labeled compounds of very cheap stuff, called by the foreigners " cargo wines," or " rubbish." What made them costly to the consumer? Simply the deceits of 203 the foreign trade, the cupidity of rc'ailcrs and their scarcity in our markets. The tariff was only a small element in the price. Wines are now cheap to the people and becoming cheaper. What makes them cheap ? Simply the abundance of pure wine produced by our own people. California wines, pure and whole some, are sent east by the thousands of pipes, ranging generally in price according to quality, at from forty to seventy cents per gallon. Wine is sold in German saloons in New York for five cents a glass. Wine is furnished for my table in Oakland, bottled and corked, bottles to be returned, at fifty cents a gallon — ten cents a bottle, five cents a pint bottle. California, Ohio, New York and Missouri wines arc dissipating the superstitions about false labels and high prices. Pure natural wine is driving drugged French, Dutch, German, Portugeese and Spanish compounds from the mar- ket, and thereby serving the public health. The duty of forty cents per gallon on foreign wines has not oppressed the consumer, only eight cents a bottle, four cents a pint — small parts of the cost. The people have reaped the benefit of the dut}- in the public revenues ; and the consumer of wines has been benefited by the abundance of pure natural wine, which has been produced under the shelter of a moderate revenue tax. The French wine growers have taught over forty millions of our people to use, in place of bad whisky, only about two and a half million gallons of wine annually. The California wine growers have seen their products appreciated rapidly, until now more than two and a half million gallons are consumed in this State alone by less than one million people, and they now ship more wines to the Atlantic States than are imported into the whole country from France. The moderate revenue tax has enabled our wine growers to suffer the preliminary losses incident upon experimenting in vines, soils and fermentation, and has made wine a cheap luxury to the whole peo- ple. Now, there are consumed in the United States, about fifteen million gallons of native wines against four and a half millions (jf foreign. ( )f course, we know that colonial prejudices still cling to our people in many cases and that most of our wines arc bought by those who pretend to sell foreign goods only. This is onl)- the; lault ot the consumer, who could change the situation more rapidl) by demanding his beverage under a true label. 204 So much for all the nonsense about high tariffs and high prices. If it were not for our vine growers, wine would not be cheap to- day. But our people do not stand in need of any protection against the pure wines of other countries. The present tariff, low as it is for revenue purposes, operates only to shut out a part of the com- petition of the drugged, colored, flavored and imitated wines of Eu- rope. Our wine growers ask for no protection against pure, natu- ral, undoctored wine ; they ask for no increase of tariffs. They consented to the great reduction of tariff made in 1873 in fine wines. They are content that for the present the government does not levy an internal revenue tax upon their simple wines — this is the full extent of the actual protection they now receive, beyond the bar which the revenue tariff places to check the vile com- petition with unwholesome compounds. I say now, with full assurance that I shall be supported by our vine growers — if the government will continue to foster this great industry for a few years more, by freeing it from domestic taxes, they will soon offnr to the public for revenue purposes an annual production of 100,000,000 gallons. Then they will agree to aid the nation by increasing its revenues directly. The question of reducing the tariff on wines appeals more di- rectly to the public treasury and those who have a regard for the public health than it does to our State, although for the present our producers earnestly desire that no reduction should be made. They have already demonstrated, by their great successes in vine culture, that their industry needs only to be fostered a very little to ensure a vast income and revenue producing occupation for our people in the near future. The wine drinker is on the side of this moderately protective and revenue tariff — it makes wine abundant and cheap, and protects him against the foreign chemist. France, with less area than California possesses suitable for vini- culture, produced during the ten years ending 1877, an annual aver- age of one billion four himdred million gallons of wine ; her vine- yards were owned by more than two million proprietors, large and small owners. This industry supports large cities like Bordeaux, and large sections of cities like Bercy, in Paris. Many industries are as- sociated with and supported by it — notably glass works, cooper and wagon shops. Ships and railroads are employed, houses are sold and 205 rented, and real estate becomes valuable. California vine growers, if not interfered with, will, by their sole industry, support a popula- tion on this bay, within another generation, as great as that of the present San Francisco. Already they give employment to ten thousand persons. California wines to-day average higher in quality than the average productions of France. French excellencies in wine, such as they are, are generally the product of manipulation, as Mr. Chotteau admitted the other day, when he told an interviewer that we might send our pure wines to France and there good wine would be made out of them. The product of the high classed wines in the Bordeaux district is only about 1,500,000 gallons an- nually. For the home consumption in France, they do not, to a great degree, attempt to extinguish the naturalness of pure wines — they blend only to disguise poor white wines, color to cover the deceit, alcoholize to cover the water, and flavor to cover defects of poor mixtures ; but for the foreign market they aim, in their vin dc cargaison, to produce an article that can everywhere, when once introduced, compete against pure natural wine by reason of being so little like it. More than half of all the objections to our native wines are made because our wines are pure and surprise the palates of people who have been drinking only doctored liquids. It is against this falsely educated taste and demand for false wines that our people ask to be protected for a few years more ; then we shall ask nothing except that we shall not be too heavily taxed on our native productions for internal revenue purposes, because we desire that the American people may have an abundance of pure, cheap food and drink in the rich offerings of our vines. Moreover, it has been shown by the Finance Committee of the Senate of the United States that the producers of a very large class of foreign wines have a discrimination in their favor under our present laws. I refer to fortified wines, such as sherries, ports, madeiras, etc. At least two million gallons out of the four and a half millions imported a )'ear ago contained an amount of added spirits equal to one-fifth tlicir volume, or about four hundred thou- sand gallons. These spirits are added in foreign ports free of all taxation and our tariff admits the wines containing them without any extra tax. Our own producers arc obliged to pay an internal revenue tax of ninety cents per proof gallon of spirits, when pre- 2o6 paring such wines. In this respect, thc)- certainly do demand pro- tection, or, rather, equal privileges with foreign producers. Nearly, or quite one-half of the foreign wines imported, instead of meriting a reduced tariff, require the application of the same system that is applied in r>ance, viz.: taxation for each degree of spirits in excess of the natural strength of wine. England more than doubles the tariff for this class of wines. It is, therefore, certain that foreien wine producers have no cause to complain of our tariff. The business of making imitation wines has been encouraged to so great an extent in France that towns, like Cette, have grown in twenty years from ten to forty thousand inhabitants. Do you know that we imported last year 246,000 gallons and 12,000 dozen bottles of wine from Holland ? If Holland, where no grapes grow, can export wine, why cannot Maine and Alaska ? The French wine industry has no merit whatever in any de- mand for increased facilities for new markets. Notwithstanding- the vast production of her vineyards, she is now unable to supply her own home market without importing the crude red wines of Spain, Portugal and Italy, which are worked over in France and sold to consumers before they are a year old. Her home consumption is increasing, production decreasing rapidly on account of the steady ravages of the phylloxera among her vines, and, though importa- tions have rapidly increased to supply deficiencies, her exportations have sensibly diminished. It is only the manipulators of cargo and imitation alcoholized wines who demand a greater market. I know that this is true, because within the past year I have conversed in France with the most reputable French dealers, and they are either quite indifferent to the proposed reduction of wine tariff with us, or earnestly denounce it. I received a letter not long ago from a distinguished wine merchant of Bordeaux, who had read letters of mine describing the methods of preparing cargo wines in France. He heartily concurs in what I wrote, saying he entirely agreed with me. This gentleman has a representative in this Chamber of Commerce. His opinion was that the only effect of thc proposed reduction of our tariff would be to cause foreign imitations and adulterations to run pure native and foreign wines out of our market. These criticisms are still more applicable to French brandies. The increased demand for wine for home consumption has reduced the production of brandy to less than one- third its amount of ten 207 or fifteen years ago. This reduction still continues, and is acceller- ated by the ravages of the phylloxera in the Cognac districts. Pure brandy is getting to be rare in French commerce. Neverthe- less, the city of Cognac annually sends out three times as much so-called cognac as the whole district tributary to it produces of pure brandy. The amount is made up by using principally spirits distilled from beet roots, a class of spirits like corn or potato spirits, but ranked by the highest scientific authorities in France as more injurious to the health than those from corn, and only less than those from potato. Great quantities of German potato and Amer- ican corn spirits are prepared in the bonded warehouses of France for exportation as cognacs. The flavors are produced by com- pounding. The producers of genuine cognacs do not ask for any reduc- tion in our tariff on spirits. Mr. Felix Curlier, of the celebrated house of Curlier Freres, proprietors of Courvoisier brandies, ex- pressly authorized me to say, in his name, that he was not only not in favor of this proposed reduction of our tariff, but was even in favor of an increase, hoping thereby to keep the spurious brands out of our market. The manipulators and compounders of spirits prepared expressly to deceive the public, are interested in reducing the tarifT to near the amount of the internal revenue tax on spirits, so that they may use in Bordeaux, Marseilles and other ports, cheap American and German alcohols, which, when exported, pay no taxeS) and are sold in France for about $ 1 6 per barrel of spirits distilled to 1 80 degrees, converting the same into compounds called cognacs, and exporting them to our country. In this way they expect to make money by deceiving our consumers by their vile art. There is, therefore, no merit in the French demand for a reduction of our tariff on spirits. The demand for fine brandy is now greater than the supply. The scheme proposed by the association represented by Mr. Chotteau, calls for a reduction of wine duties from forty cents a gallon, in wood, to twenty conts; $1.60 in glass, per case, to fifty cents; and the spirit duties from $2 to $1 per proof gallon. These French gentlemen have the assurance to demand that we shall reduce the import tax on wines to less than the internal revenue taxes in France upon thq same, The taxes imposed 2o8 upon wine in wood at the gates of Paris arc 23.87 francs per hec- tolitre, or about 20 cents per gallon, the same as demanded of us; but the French tax in Paris upon wine in glass is 50 francs per hec- tolitre, or double what they ask us to place upon the same wines in our country. In the case of California wines entering Paris, we should have to pay the internal tax, in addition to the tax upon en- tering the country. These facts show that for revenue purposes our Government does not impose a heavy tax on French wines, even judging from a French standpoint. However, if we choose to discriminate a little against articles of luxury in our methods of taxation, the French have no cause to complain, so long as we tax Holland compounds, called wine, at the same rates that we tax French compounds. For a similar and better reason that the internal tax upon en- tering Paris is greater upon wine in bottle than upon wine in cask, so our people will insist upon a heavier duty upon cased wine. Parisian jobbers, bottle makers and packers are protected not only against foreign competitors, but also against all in France outside of Paris. The same system prevails in all French cities. In the United States, protection in this matter, which is purely industrial and does not materially affect prices, extends no farther than the port of entr)- against the outside world. When in Bordeaux, an examination of invoices in the Consular office demonstrated to me the fact that nine-tenths of all the wines shipped to the United States cost only from 30 to 3_^ cents per gallon, regardless of fie itious labels and brands. So far as this class of wines is concerned, bot- tling in France would only increase the opportunities for deceptions ; so far as fine wines are concerned, the producers and our consum- ers are protected by the present law, which makes it unprofitable to send much poor stuff in bottle. The interest of Bordeaux in this matter may be quickly stated The average cost of their bot* tling, labeling and casing is 40 cents a gallon for quarts and 60 cents for pints. This cost, if all retained in Bordeaux, would more than double the present revenues from the wine industries in the inter- est of their glass works and other industries affected. We should lose that much profit to our own industries, without any compensa- ting gains. France cannot, therefore, expect us to reduce the tariffs in any of these particulars ; she cannot ask us fairly to do for French aog wines and spirits what she docs not and would not propose to do for ours. Our tariff is rrioderate now, and only needs amending so as to tax fairly the wines containing spirits which now escape taxation upon their entry here. A few words now concerning our exports of spirits and I shall conclude. Mr. Chotteau has held out the hope to the producers of American corn spirits that by obtaining the conventional tariff of fifteen francs per hectolitre, instead of thirty francs, as at pres- ent, they might increase their exports to France. This needs response, because it appears plausible. There is now a large ex- portation of American alcohol to France, and many of our pro- ducers even think that the French people use it. The truth is that it is all re-exported, and even if there were a lower tariff, it would be the same. Foreign alcohol, as well as wines, must pay the internal taxes as well as the duty. France produces more beet- root spirits than she requires for consumption. She exports largely, and only requires foreign alcohol to swell the volume of her exports. All foreign alcohols are prohibited by special law from being mixed with French wines for French consumption, though they are freely used without taxing when exported. Hence it matters nothing whether the tariff be high or low, for it is never collected on our exports. We really export to France only as a way port, our consumers being principally in other parts of the Mediterranean and African coasts. Our producers would do well to take this business directly into their own hands and so compete more directly with their real competitor, Germany, for this trade. If they suffer the tariff to be reduced here to one dollar, they will find that they will be bringing German potato spirits under dis- guise into this market — the German spirits are more injurious than our own, but can easily be manipulated in France, Germany and Holland into deceptive compounds. The following is an extract from a letter, addressed to me by the Vice Consul of tlie United States, Mr. J. S. Martin, Jr., dated Marseilles, February 13th, i^yg : " I have made careful inquiries concerning the two points to which you have called my attention, and can now answer v/ith the utmost confidence : " I St. That the actual strength of American alcohol (imported here) is from 94 deg. to 95 deg., centigrade — that is to say, 94 to 2IO 95 per cent, of pure alcohol, although merchants here will only guarantee it to be from 92 deg. to 93 deg., in order to avoid diffi- culty by any possible over-rating. " 2d. All the American alcohol that is imported here is re-ex- ported again to the following markets : " First. And mostly to the African coast, especially to Senegal, Goree, Mozambique, etc., etc., with a sufficient addition of water to impress the negroes that they are drinking the actual fine cham- pag?ic of civilized white men ; " Second. To the east (rather important export) and in a smaller proportion to Spain and Italy, where it is sent without adultera- tion. Such countries demand the article for the purpose of passing it through the same, or some similar preparation, to send it finally to the same favorite necrroes. " I may add that the imports of alcohol from New York have increased remarkably. I find for the last two months and a half of 1878 — 11,000 barrels alcohol, measuring 485,048 gallons, and 300 barrels rum, measuring 12,080 gallons." (Note: the 11,000 barrels of alcohol being from 94 deg. to 95 deg. pure, would ecjual about 900,000 gallons proof.) " And from the commencement of this year to date (period of six weeks) — 10,499 barrels alcohol, or 544,1 1 1 gallons," (equal to about 1,000,000 proof), " the value of the merchandise (in bond) being still about the same, viz. : 80 francs per barrel." Conclusion. Gentlemen, I will detain you no longer. I have tried to make it plain to you, that even to the ardent free trader you should say: No ! wait a little; this time is not ijood for making radical changes in our tariff ; we must wait until the commerce of Europe is more composed, and until our present industrial victories are as- sured. Those of you who believe that our workingmen have rights, that it is as much the duty of the Government to protect them in their cherished habits and customs of comfortable living, and against debasing competition in their own markets with the wares of peoples who have nothing in common with them except their human kind, as it is to protect them in their lives and liber- ties, will say that such competition shall never be forced upon us. 211 As a workingman, I should prefer to sec my family die than to see them live, at the expense of their home enjoyments, as most of the European operatives do, who are forced down and degraded by the hot strife of nations competing with each other in foreign trade. So far as the industries of California are concerned, you will no doubt consider your duty to be to consult their interests before consulting tho^e of Bordeaux and Lyons. As a matter of policy, you will n > doubt consider it more im- portant to cultivate trade relations with those countries in whose markets our exports and those of France meet in competition. We are becoming a rival in every respect with France ; this is not the time to tie ourselves to her policy, but to seek markets where she finds them. Our natural interchange of products will soon take care of itself, and after a while we may talk of treaties, but not now. OPINIONS 0/ Hon. Horace Davis and Hon. J. K, Luttrell, memhers of the Forty-fifth Congruj. At the close of the address delivered by Mr. C. A. Wetmore, before the Chamber of Commerce, Hon. Horace Davis said : " I am in sympathy with the views expressed by Mr. Wet- more. I should regard the change, as urged by Mr. Chotteau, as being against the best interests of our people." Hon. J. K. Luttrell said : Mr. Chairman : The only question that presents itself to us is this : Are we, as business men and as producers, to be benefited by this treaty, which has been proposed by this committee of gen- tlemen in France ? Is there a mechanic, or a manufacturer, to- day, in the United States, who can compete with the French man- ufacturer, or the French mechanic? In France, the manufacturers are favored by cheaper work, because their employees work a greater number of hours than we do. They import very little of our manufactured goods. Nearly all of their purchases from this country are of raw material. It seems to me that we should follow their example in doing business. We should manufacture the raw material. In many respects the European governments are our equals in the contest of manufacturers, and in some respects they are our superiors. If we want a reciprocity treaty we should at once endeavor to bring about relations with the South American republic, by which we could import the raw material at satisfactory rates and send in exchange therefor the handiwork of our mechanics and artisans. But, should we make a reciprocity treaty with France, you may rest assured that the Frenchman would get the jug and we would get the handle, and a badly broken handle at that. [Laughter.] Mr. Chotteau has informed us to-day that the Representatives of this coast favor his proposition. It is the first time I have ever heard it. I have never heard one of our Senators, or Repre- sentatives make any expression in favor of the proposed treat v. On the contrary, it is their expressed opinion that the proposition is one, which, if carried into effect, would injure a very larg^e clasb of oyr citiiena. PROTEST AGAINST THE PROPOSED Franco-American Commercial Treaty Signed by Producing and Manufadiiring Finns of the State of California, other than those en- gaged i7i Vhiicidtnre. To Caleb T. Fay, Esq., Chairman of the Special Committee of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, having under consideration the injuries to the industries of California which may follow the proposed Reciprocity Treaty with France: Sir: The project of a Franco- American Treaty of Com- merce, formulated in Paris during the month of August, 1878, by a convention of its promoters, who have since been represented in this country by Mr. Leon Chotteau and others, demands in general terms on behalf of French industries, a reduction in our tariff bear- ing upon imports of French products, as follows: " First. — A reduction of thirty per cent, on the duties inposed for the importation of all articles paying not over forty per cent, ad valorem, or its equivalent on specific duties. " Second. — No higher duty than thirty per cent, shall be levied on any article excepting those hereinafter mentioned. " Third. — Relative to silks, all articles now paying sixty per cent, shall be reduced for the first year to fifty per cent, and for the second year to forty per cent., and for the third year to thirty per cent., and at that rate the duty shall be fixed for the duration of the treaty. " Fourth. — Relative to still wines in casks (en cercle) a reduc- tion to twenty cents per gallon. " Fifth. — Relative to still wines in bottles, a reduction to fifty cents per dozen. '* Sixth. — Relative to spirits, a reduction to one dollar per gallon. " Seventh. — Sugar and molasses do not enter into, and are not affected by tne treaty."- In conclusion of these reductions, it is proposed to grant to the United States the benefit of the Conventional Tariff of 1*" ranee. 'the undersigned, being producers and manufacturers of the 2l8 State of California, desire to express to the Committee, over which you preside, our behef that such a radical chancre in our tariff sys- tem, even though it were modified in some particulars, would seri- ously retard the growth of American industries and tend to destroy the happy results of our past policy of protection to our working- men of all classes; and that, while the benefit of the treaty, so far as our tariff would be concerned, would be enjoyed by all produc- ing nations of the world, thereby greatly increasing our importations, this country would enjoy only small and doubtful advantages under the French Conventional Tariff. We view also with alarm, any departure from our past successful policy, which may destroy our liberty of action in our commercial relations with rival producing countries, such as is proposed by the promoters of the Franco- American treaty, who say: " This treaty shall be obligatory and binding on the contracting parties for the period of ten years." The Industrie-^ which we represent would be seriously injured by the negotiation of the treaty; therefore we earnestly urge your Committee to make known to the o-overnment of the United States, our delegations in Congress, and other Chambers of Com- merce, the desire of our people in this respect, urging them to adhere firmly to the policy which has been so successful in the past. C. C. Burr & Co., manufacturers of spices, mustards, etc. Edwarci Bosqui & Co., engravers, printers and book-binders. John G. lis, coppersmithing and foundry. Auofust Koehler, truss manufacturer. Goodwin & Co., furniture, etc. California Furniture Manufacturinof Co. Giovannini & Co., Union Brass Foundry. Wagner & Todt, Pacific Copper Works. F. C. Bauer, trusses and drugs. W. J. Home, California Elastic Truss Co. Robert Coulter, agent for Wakefield Rattan Co. Sidney M. Smith, President Cutting Packing Co. Code, Elfelt & Co., manufacturers of preserves, sealed goods, etc. Buckingham & Hecht, manufacturers of boots and shoes. Hecht Bros. & Co., manufacturers of boots and shoes, leather, etc. 219 Nonotuck Silk Co., by Brown & Metzner, agents. S. \V. Rosenstock & Co., manufacturers of boots and shoes. M. Monrenthau, manufacturer of soaps and candles. J. Brandenstein, President Pacific Jute Co. Israel Cahn, manager Pioneer and Mission Woolen Mills. W. K. Vanderslice & Co., manufacturers of silver- ware and jewelry. L Atkinson & Co., manufacturers of shirts. P. & F. G. Conklin, manufacturers of gloves. Sanders & Co., coppersmiths. Weed & Kingwell, brass founders. J. J. Pfister & Co., knitted goods. A. Calmann, perfumeries. Wolff & Son, watch materials and tools. Dinkelspiel & Nordman, watch materials, tools, etc. Lorsch Brothers, watches and jewelry. S. Weidenreich, shirts. A. Stolz, shirts. Albert M. Joel, j ^^^anufacturers of neck-ties, etc. A. M. Heineman, ) Wenzel, Rothsclild & Hadenfeldt, jewelry. George Larsen. John S. Kostcr, President Pacific Vinegar Works. Chas. Popper, shirt manufacturer. L. Schuniann, meerschaum pipes. • Henry Tetlow «& Brother, toilet soaps and perfumery. Porter, Oppenheimer, Slessinger & Co., boots and shoes. Geo. K. & B. F, Porter, leather, etc. Neustadter Bros., Standard Shirt Factory, clothing, etc. Colman Bros., clothing, etc. W. W. Montague & Co., stoves, metal works, etc. H. P. Wakelee & Co., wholesale druggists and manufacturers. Chas. Langley & Co., wholesale druggists and luanufiicturers. Abrams & Carroll, wholesale druggists and manufacturers. Redington & Co., wholesale druggists and manufacturors. D. Mirschfeld, steam candy works. Frank I )exter, wholesale manufacturing confectioner. Schroder <^ Albrecht. wholesale manufacturing confectioners. 220 Fahrbach & Seid, wholesale manufacturing confectioners. A. Bergmann, wholesale manufacturing confectioner. L. Saroni & Co., wholesale manufacturing confectioners. M. 11. Mercer, wholesale manufacturing confectioner. Geo. Haas & Co., wholesale manufacturing confect oners. California Silk Manufacturing Co. Will (i Fink, Manufacturing Cutlers IVI. Price, Cutler. A. S. Halladie, Wire Rope and Wire. California Wire W^orks Co., Wire Goods. S. F. & Pacifiic Glass Works, By C. Neuman, General Manager. W. K. Vanderslice & Co., Manufacturers of Silverware and Jewelry. Wm. T. Garratt, Bell and Brass Founder. The Risdon Iron and Locomotive Works, By W. H. Taylor. President. John R. Sims, Manufacturer Iron Uoors, Bank Vaults etc. Birch Argftll & Co.. California Machine Works. Tait & Hainque, Cyclops Machine Works, Francis Smith & Co., Manufactuers of Iron Pipe Gass & Adams, Machinists. Neville & Co., Bag Manufacturers. Hinckley, Speers & Hayes, Fulton Iron Works Steiger & Kerr, Occidental Foundery. Rankin, Bayton & Co., Pacific Iron Works. Prescott, Scott & Co., Union Iron Works. Pendergast & Smith, ALtns. Iron W' orks. N. W. Spaulding, Pacific Saw Manufacturing Co. A. Doble, Steel Works. Golden Gate & Miner's Iron W^orks Holbrook, Merrill & Stetson, Manufacturers in Iron, Ti", Copper etc. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles flB^At ^r. This bocxk is DUE on the last date stamped below. m 1 2 1988 Form L9-25m-8,'46 (9852) 444 UNA^EI;S:TY C" CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES •^"^^^ Chanber of coiq- r8S4 3 1158 01238 9275 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITV AA 001 165 046 2 HF 1732 F834 /^^-^^ CF CK U^^^ .m>.