COMMERCE. Pern's business relations with for eign countries have been steadily increasing in recent years. The following table shows the progressive growth in the value of international commerce for six years: ported, Great Britain, the United States, and Chile being the largest buyers. The distinctive qualities of Peruvian cotton create a demand for it in the leading woolen centres of this country and Europe. C'ofl•ee exports are not expanding, be cause most of the plantations are on the Andes slopes and transportation by mule train to the railroads is very expensive.
The principal imports and exports in 1900, in dollars, were: The distribution of trade to the leading coun tries in 1900 was: The trade with the United States for five years was as follows: Exports from Peru in 1593, $714,247; 1899. $1.496.978: 1900, $4.774.480: 1901. $3,656,180: 1902, $3.269,411; and imports into Peru in 1898. $1.302.697: 1899, $1,325650; 1900. $1.487.180; 1901. $3,126.934; 1902, $2,558,
995.
The following table shows the progressive in crease in metric tons in the exports of the ten principal products of Peru for the same period: The chief articles which Peru sold to the United States in the fiscal year 1902 were: Raw sugar (including. some molasses), $2.126.686; In the sugar trade, Peru has the great advan tage that the fields are cheaply irrigated and the absence of rain permits grinding for three•fourths of the year. Raw sugar is therefore produced at small cost. About five-sixths of the crop is ex cotton. A592,509: gold and concentrates. $469.772: goat skins. :8265.798; coca leaves. $175, 552 : straw hats. $65.385: sulphide of silver. $52. 745; silver ore. $36,595; rubber. $36/144: al paca wool. $21.725; guano. $S.750. The chief purchases from the United States were hardware, imichintry, breadstuft•s, and provisions.