COMMERCE. The value of the foreign trade of Mexico has for years been rapidly increasing. The exports are usually large• in value than the imports. A peculiarity of Mexican statistics of foreign commerce should be borne in mind in order to reach correct conclusions as to the actual value of exports and imports. Duties are col lected in gold upon gold valuations of the com modities imported. The value of import articles is thus given in gold. But the value of export commodities is given in :Mexican silver, the value of the peso o• silver dollar fluetuating, in 1001 between 46.4 cents and 50.9 cents.
The value of the exports (in Mexican silver dollars) in was: merchandise, $79, 031.336; precious metals. $71,025,024: total, $150,056,360. The value (in Mexican silver dol lars) of the chief exports in 1900-01 was: Min erals. $97,000,000; vegetable substances. 836,100, 000; animals, $11,400,000: manufactured prod ucts, $2,300,000: various, $600,000.
The value of the imports (in gold) was: in 1899-1900, $61,318,175; in 1900-01, $65.083,451.
The trade with the leading countries (in millions of dollars) was: The leading commodities exported, in the usual order of importance, are silver. gold, henequen, coffee, cabinet and dye woods, copper, live ani mals, lead, hides and skins, chewing gum, to bacco, and vanilla. The commerce of the two ports through which most of the internal trade is condneted was valued in 1900-01 at: Vera Cruz, imports, $22,3'28,154 (gold) ; exports. $21, 892.184 (silver). At Tampico, imports, $9.712, 996 (gold) ; exports, $43,880,140 (silver). About one-half of the imports are purchased from the United States, England. France, and Ger many supplying must of the remainder. The United States buys by far the larger part of the exports. Mexico is thus chiefly dependent upon the United States as a market for its commodi ties and the source from which its foreign sup plies are drawn.