PATENTS. During the year 1880 patents for inventions were issued in France as follows: This shows a decrease of 168 patents, as compared with the year 1879 MINT. Gold, silver, and bronze money coined by the French Government during the years 1879 and 1880 is stated as follows: The total number of voyages performed by vessels of all classes and of all flags, with cargoes, to and from French ports during the year 1880 was 59,549, representing 19,125,000 tons burden. Compared with the year 1879, this shows an augmentation of 5,748 voyages and 1,946,000 tons burden. As to tonnage, the French mercantile marine participated, in 1880, in the proportion of 35 per cent.; during the year 1879 the proportion was 33 per cent. Distinguishing between navigation by sail and navigation by steam, the French flag participated in the former category in the proportion of 23 per cent., and in the latter category in the proportion of 40 per cent. The following tables show the statistics of navigation between the United States and France during the year 1880, as well as the condition and employment of the French mercantile marine during said period: Statement showing the flag, number, and tonnage of vessels engaged in commerce between France and the United States during 1880. esting report upon the commerce of his district. He dwells at considerable length upon the brandy trade of that locality, the adulteration of the article, and the causes which lead to it. He also gives a valuable report upon the paper manufactories of Cognac, and its commercial importance to the United States, which I believe has never before been reported. This portion of his report is well worth perusal, especially by our paper manufacturers in the United States, who will undoubtedly gain much valuable information from it. LIMOGES.-The trade of this district may be divided into five classes: 1st, porcelain trade; 2d, wine and liquors; 3d, ladies' shoes; 4th, wrapping paper, and 5th, gloves, and leather for gloves. The manufacture of porcelain is by far the most important industry of export of this district, showing, during the last year, a valuation of about $3,000,000 exported to the United States, South America, Eng. land, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Russia (Egypt and Turkey being, as a general rule, an inferior article), but it is estimated that the United States import annually nearly or quite as much as all the others combined. Mr. Jouhannaud, in his report, gives a very good description of the decorative art of painting upon porcelain; how the schools for this purpose are established, managed, &c. Liqueurs and wines.-This trade he reports as being in a prosperous condition, and gives many interesting statistics regarding the same, which the limits of this report will not admit of repetition. The manufacture of ladies' shoes in leather and cloth has resulted satisfactorily to the manufacturers, who find a ready market in Paris and in other large cities in France. For the last two or three years the manufacturers have extended their trade to Switzerland and Spain with good results, and which bid fair to become more important in future, and to extend to other countries. This branch of industry, new to this district, may be estimated for the last year at about $1,000,000. The manufacture of wrapping and other kinds of paper in this dis trict shows well for that industry. Gloves and glove leather. Of these little is exported direct from this district to the United States. The dressing or tanning of goat and lamb skins, used for the manufacture of gloves, unite softness with solidity, and are mostly sold in France. The largest quantity is used on the spot by local glovers, who dispose of their goods principally in Paris. Under the head of agriculture little is to be said, except that the crops generally fall below the average of the previous year. LYONS.-Consul Peixotto informs me that his annual report will not be completed until some time in January, as he is waiting for unpublished statistics which are necessary in making a comprehensive report. The declared exports from this district to the United States for the year ending September 30, 1881, amounted to $10,585,648.66, showing a decrease of $1,120,221.96, as compared with the preceding year. NICE. The declared exports from this consulate to the United States for the year ending September 30, 1881, reached the sum of $63,630.99, a decrease of $26,097.60, as compared with 1880. RHEIMS. Declared exports from this consular district to the United States for the year ended September 30, 1881, amounted to $2,812,283.44, showing an increase of $494,689.72 over the year 1880. ST. ETIENNE. The declared exports from this commercial agency for the year ended September 30, 1881, amounted to $1,750,837.17, being a decrease of $306,568.01 as compared with 1880. GEORGE WALKER, UNITED STATES CONSULATE-GENERAL, Paris, December 31, 1881. SWITZERLAND. ST. GALLE. Report by Commercial Agent De Zeyk. UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL AGENCY, DESCRIPTION OF CONSULAR DISTRICT. In compliance with the requirements of consular regulations, I have the honor to submit herewith my annual report. The consular district of St. Galle embraces the northeastern part of Switzerland, and forms a triangle, one side of which rests upon the Lake of Constance; the other side is formed by the river Rhine, from the place where it empties into the said lake, traced back to its source in the Grisons, and the third runs from there on an imaginary line to the far-famed "Fall of the Rhine," near Schaffhausen. The superficies of this triangle include the entire cantons of St. Galle, Appenzell, and Thurgovie, and also a part of the Grisons and Glaris, which is naturally brought about by the peculiarity of the predominating industry and its connection with the center of commerce at St. Galle. This district has an area of about eleven thousand kilometers, and the number of its inhabitants amounts to a little over half a million. While the southern part (the öberland of St. Galle) constitutes a strongly pronounced high-mountain region interspersed with deep valleys, the northern part is a fertile, hilly country; but the industrious habits and active life are extending everywhere, even so far up into the mountains; they are greatly assisted by rich water-powers and excellent means of communication. As regards the formation of the soil, character of the people, political aspects, industry, agriculture, and the proportionate thriftiness in general, this consular district offers a picture of many more colors than any other in Switzerland, and it would therefore be very difficult to properly deal with all the circumstances in the narrow limits of an annual report. For said reasons I will restrict myself to that which can be of especial commercial interest to the United States, and will first report upon the chief branch of industry: MACHINE EMBROIDERY. St. Galle is the cradle of the machine embroidery. The first embroidery machines were established here fifty years ago, and in the course of twenty years they were so far improved as to furnish a current article which could be readily sold at the market. The center of this industry and export trade has remained here, though it has extended itself during the last ten years over this whole consular district and the Vorarlberg (Austria). In 1853, when the export of the machine embroideries to the United States was beginning, not even 100 machines were existing; in 1872 the number of them was already grown to 6,300, in 1876 to 9,900, and at the end of 1880 it reached about 15,000. With these 15,000 machines4277-60 of which during the summer of 1880, 13,600, during the spring of 1881 only 10,000, and in August, 1881, again 13,000, were working-there could be furnished every week over a million of franes' worth of goods; one-half of which, as it is well known, was consumed in the United States. What enormous quantities of machine embroidery are produced in many parts of East Switzerland can be judged from the fact that, for instance, in Under Toggenburg, of 1,000 inhabitants, 188 are actively engaged in this branch of industry; in Old Toggenburg, 134, in Upper Toggenburg, 113, in the Upper Rhine Valley, 160, and so on; even in the fertile agricultural districts of the canton of Thurgovie there are 70 to 80 manufacturers of machine embroidery. The entire capital which is invested in the embroidery machines of East Switzerland and the buildings necessary for them, is estimated to amount to 50,000,000 of francs. While until about a year ago the machines were only put up in large buildings and manufacturing establishments, the opposite tendency is now apparently prevaling, since many machines have been removed from the factories and are at present established in private dwelling houses. The single machines are not under the "factory law," and the em broiderer can daily work as many hours as he pleases, and can besides employ children under fourteen years as "threaders" at lower wages, which is not allowed here, and the eleven hours' utmost duration of daily work is rigorously complied with, as prescribed by said “ factory laws." Thus the machine embroidery will by and by become a task of house industry and lose more and more the character of manufactur ing industry. This is a point of an importance not to be undervalued, for as house industry the embroidery can still exist even at quite low wages, at which, for example, the owner of a factory would be ruined; by which means a long lasting is secured to the embroidery manufacture under all circumstances; but with the handsome profits, which the machine embroidery realized formerly, it is now all over, because in consequence of the always more frequently occurring splits and divisions in the manufacture, whereby the machines are divided among an increas ing number of proprietors who rely for their living upon the immediate earnings of the day, the export houses can profit of every little stag nancy to reduce the wages, raise the stitch-prices; thus in October and November, 1880, the wages stood for: 4-4 range of width, 34 aune, 42 centimes per 100 stitches; 5-4 range of width, 34 aune 35 centimes per 100 stitches; 6-4 range of width, 34 aure 31 centimes per 100 stitches. In consequence of the meanwhile prevailing overproduction and the great overloading of the American market with cheap goods, the wages fell in February and March of this year by 2 to 4, and for coarser articles even by 6 to 8 centimes, whereby the manufacturers working by the 100 stitches, and not on their their own designs, ran machines with a loss, if they did not prefer to let them stand altogether idle, and many of them chose the latter course until in August and September the wages were rising by degrees to 39-40 for 4-4 to 35-36 for 5-4 and to 31-32 for 6-4; fine specialties, with quite short time of delivery, stand somewhat better, but nevertheless neither the manufacturers nor the workmen are to be envied at present. As the manufacturer who is not working on his own design must deduct from the above-quoted prices, besides the wages of the embroiderer, and the interest of his capital, the expenses for cambric, cotton yarn, needles, lights, and heating, it only remains to him the small gain of, say, 100 to 300 francs per year for a machine; and the embroid erer, who has also to pay his threader, which costs him from 1.50 to 2 francs per day, cannot put his pure yearly profit any higher than 900 to 1,200 francs, as the latter figure can only be attained by very skillful and a superior workman; but if the embroiderer possesses a machine in his house and can use the members of his family for thread. ing, he can earn therewith a tolerably good subsistence. Most of the machines are occupied on white cotton embroidery; the colored one has nearly totally disappeared; also, the silk embroidery is not so strongly represented as it was some years ago, as at present only about 500 machines are working exclusively on this article. Instead of that a new, rather important article, has come into use, viz, the embroidery on tulle, whereby very handsome lace imitations are produced. This specialty employs at present a great many machines, and is capable of great development, but excellent embroiderers and a very careful treatment are indispensable. These lace imitations were, for some time past, executed by the "Gröbli" machine, which is working a great deal faster than the ordinary embroidery machine, as it embroiders the yarn directly from the spool. It is moved by water or steam power, and thus accomplishes in a given time a far greater number of stitches. Another quite new specialty is the "Valdemia," a very handsome combination of embroidery and lace. These new articles of dress-trimming will especially be used next year by the American fashion. It is a remarkable fact that the crisis in the machine embroidery, which lasted from the beginning of March to the end of July, has proved to be of real advantage, bringing to light new inventions and improvements in this branch of business. The machines were corrected; manufacturers and designers made great efforts to produce something new and always tasteful designs, and the embroiderers had especially to undergo a strict control that they should furnish good and solid work. Never since the existence of the machine-embroidery was this control so rigorously enforced as it was the case last summer and it is still now, and there never was such beautiful work executed as is to-day, for which the St. Galle manufacturer deserves a great credit. A number of embroidery machines were broken up here some time ago and taken to the United States, where they are now set to work. Among others, a St. Galle manufacturer set out the end of September for New York with ten machines. As there are every now and then new machines shipped over by the Swiss mechanical workshops, and as many embroiderers emigrate, the prospect lies near that this fine branch of industry will gradually extend itself to the United States. That such perspective is not altogether to the fancy of, the St. Galle commission or manufacturing houses may well be imagined. Such translocation of embroidery machines does not, however, only happen to the United States; they go in all directions, and are especially wanted in Italy, Russia, but more particularly in France, where they are exclusively managed by stitchers of East Switzerland. This is undoubtedly done in order to evade the paying of high duties which the neighboring countries lay on the ready ware. As at present there are no more new embroidery machines requisite for supplying the current demand, and none will therefore be mounted in East Switzerland, the superfluous number, amounting to about 3,000 pieces, may, without any inconvenience for the Swiss industry, be sold out. The price of the embroidery machine. has fallen enormously in the course of this year. While a good new machine cost, a few years ago, 2,400 francs, and even last autumn 1,800 to 2,000 francs (payable in three installments, one-third when the machine is ordered; second, at its delivery; and third, in three or six months), |