GOLD EXPORTS OF CALIFORNIA. San Francisco papers contain the full returns of the gold trade and general commerce of that port for 1859, of which an abstract was furnished some days since through our overland dispatches. We copy as follows: The total production of sugar has been for several years comparatively as follows: BURNING OF COTTON AT SEA. We copy from the New York Herald the following list of vessels, laden with cotton, that have been destroyed by fire since the 1st of January, 1859. It appears that sixteen of that class of vessels have been burnt since the above date, at an estimated value of $2,247,000. Eight of those, or one-half of them, were burnt in port, caused by the stevedores smoking their pipes, and dropping fire into the cotton. A portion of those burnt at sea are supposed to be from ignition caused by the concentration of the sun's rays through the decklights :— 1859-60. Name. Jan. Ship Oakland.... LIST OF FIRES IN COTTON LADEN VESSELS. From. Destination. .Charleston......Liverpool..... Feb. Ship Mary and Adeline......At New Orleans. Cork.. 66 Ship Vanguard.. Ship Monticello.. May Ship Pleaides 64 Bark Thames, (Br). Ship Sarah Minot.... Total..... At New Orleans. Cronstadt.... ... .. New Orleans.... .Liverpool.. At Apalachicola. Rotterdam... Value. 75,000 150,000 200,000 150,000 50,000 80,000 250,000 300,000 200,000 275,000 50,000 120,000 70,000 7,500 160,000 $2,247,000 OHIO WOOL PRICES. The following table shows the value of Ohio fleece wool in October of each year, from 1840 to 1859, from actual sales : Showing an improvement in the finer kinds especially. For 1857, the price in August is given, as there were no sales in October. CEYLON EXPORTS OF PRODUCE, OCT. 1 TO SEPT. 30. The chief articles of export from Ceylon have been as follows: IMPORTS AND STOCKS OF SUGAR AND COFFEE AT THE PRINCIPAL EUROPEAN PORTS, FOR THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDING 31ST DECEMBER, 1858 AND 1859. * The stocks in Holland are in first hands only; in all other countries in first and second hands. VOL. XLIII.-NO. I. 7 PROGRESS OF BRITISH SHIPPING-RAPID INCREASE OF STEAM TONNAGE. The Liverpool Mercury, in a recent number, presents the following review of the shipping interest of Great Britain : It appears from a return just laid before Parliament, that the number of British registered vessels employed in the home and foreign trade has increased from 17,828 in the year 1855, to 19,570 in the year 1859; that the tonnage has increased from 3.990,170 tons to 4,269,109 tons, and that the number of men employed, exclusive of masters, has increased from 168,537 in 1855, to 172,506 in 1859. There is, therefore, a considerable increase of vessels, tonnage, and seamen employed in 1859, but that year is not the best of the series, for in 1858 the number of vessels was 20.071. the tonnage was 4,325,242, and the number of men employed was 177,832. The pressure on the shipping interest, which was no doubt very severe in the year 1859, although somewhat diminished in 1860, was the cause of the difference. There are fluctuations from year to year, but always a considerable increase if a period of four or five years is taken. It appears, however, from this return, that a great change is taking place in the proportions between the steam and sailing vessels of this country. As regards the sailing vessels, the increase is only from 3.701,214 tons in 1855, to 3.879,592 in 1859; whilst in steam vessels the increase in that period is from 288,956 tons to 389,515. This, it will be seen, is a very much more rapid rate of increase. The tendency in the British mercantile marine is very strong to substitute the rapid and regular power of steam for the baffling and uncertain power of wind, and this tendency will become still stronger if the experiments which have been tried by the Pacific Ocean Steam Navigation Company in economizing fuel should be as successful as they are expected to be. According to statements made with regard to the result of these experiments, the saving of fuel is from one-half to two-thirds. A much smaller saving of fuel than this would cause a very great extension of steam navigation, and effect its employ ment in trades in which no one has hitherto thought of applying it. The increase in the tonnage of the sailing vessels employed in the home trade is from 691,128 to 777,422 tons, whilst the increase in the tonnage of steamers employed in the home trade is from 57,415 to 90,867 tons. There is no increase, but a decrease from 210.114 to 132,768 tons in British vessels employed partly as home trade ships and partly as foreign-going ships, whilst in steam vessels engaged in that trade there is an increase from 12,562 tons to 21,123 tons. In foreign-going ships the increase in sailing vessels is from 2,799.972 tons to 2,877.527 tons. The total increase in sailing vessels is thus from 3,701,214 tons to 3,879,592 tons, whilst the increase in steam vessels is from 288,956 to 389,515 tons. An increase of 100.000 tons of steam shipping is equal to more than an increase of 200,000 tons of sailing shipping, whether we consider the cost of construction or the power of navigation. One thing is quite clear through all these returns, namely, that the mercantile steam marine of this country far surpasses that of all other nations in extent, and is increasing in a much greater ratio than that of any other nation. The consequence of this is that the British steamship owner has the carrying of nearly all the first-class passengers who cross the ocean, and of all the finer and more profitable articles of merchandise conveyed to or from this country. As far as second-class passengers and heavy goods are concerned, the American and the British shipowners divide the greater part of the trade of the world between them. UNITED STATES TRADE WITH MARSEILLES. During the year ending Dec. 31, 1859. the number of arrivals of United States vessels at Marseilles has far exceeded that of the preceding year. There arrived in all eighty-five vessels, gauging 37,681 tons, the cargoes of which were worth $1,478,153; there cleared eighty five vessels, with a tonnage of 37,201 tons, with outward bound cargoes valued at $1,031,114. During the preceding twelve months there were forty-eight arrivals and forty-seven departures; the former measuring 20,110 tons, with cargoes worth $1,675,731; the latter 20,658 tons, with exported goods to the amount of $1,290,918. Thus it will be observed that, although the number of arrivals, departures, and tonnage for the year just closed exceeds by nearly one hundred per cent those of the former year, yet the amount of importation in 1858 exceeds that of 1859 by $197,578, and the exportation by $259,804. This is to be attributed to the fact that in the year 1858 the articles of importation from the United States were all valuable, consisting chiefly of tobacco, sugar, coffee, and cotton; and in 1859 the largest portion of the ships that arrived were laden with staves and coal for the use of the belligerents. These ships have all or nearly all cleared in ballast for the Italian and Sicilian ports. This accounts also for the difference in the amount of exported goods during these two years. THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. Canadian newspapers publish the annual returns showing the progress of trade and navigation of the province for the year 1859. The canal returns show a falling off in the tonnage and merchandise which have passed through, and the tolls which have been collected from the Welland Canal, with slight increase in the same items on the St. Lawrence, and a largely and steadily augmenting trade on the Chambly Canal. The value of the principal articles imported via the St. Lawrence during the year 1859 is $11,549,068, against $10,765,077 for the previous year. The free goods imported from the United States under the reciprocity treaty were of the value in 1858 of $5,564,115, and in 1857 of $7.106,116. The goods passing through the United States in bond were of the value of $4,546,491; the produce of the United States, including free goods, $12,237,541; and goods not the produce of the United States were of the value of $5,351,865. IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES, LEATHER AND HIDES, |