Commercial Notes

Washington botéis are expcrieuciiig hard times, and sonie are finaneially cni barrassed. ïhf, New Haven Journal continuos to observe signs of a gradual revival o trade prosperity in the United States. One manufactory of silverwaro in this country lins the eredit of working up more silver than all similar manufac tories in the United Kingdom of Grea Britíiin. A shght advance in the stocks of tii railways the most heayily afilicted by the strikes, andin the midst of theworB of the strike, shows a money-eonñdenc in the roads whieh must have seriousl; disappointed the financial sympatbizei with the strikers. The British trade returns, just pub lished, show thut the total valué of im porta intn tlie United Kingdom durin last year was L375,150,000, being a 'm crease of L1,200,000 over 1875. The to tal exports were L250,700,000, being deerease of L24,800,000 compared wit the previous year. One óf the signs of the times is th eagemess with which American bootanc shoe makers are scouriDg all regious o the earth to build np a foreign trade i their goods. They are succeediugfairlj American stylès are popular, aud ther is a prospect of America shoeing the Chi nese empire and all Soutt America. TnE carrying trade between New Yotaud the West Indies is at last in th hands of Arnericans exclusively, as tara steainers are concerned. Tbis is no ouly a triurnph of American enterpris in trade, but an out-and-out victory fo American ait in the building of Bteain ships and in the navigation of them. The city of Paterson, N. J., is notabl only for its immense silk faetones. Th capital invested is about L6,000,000, aiu the uumbei of persons employed is nearl j 7,000. The manufacturiug capacity o the milis is over $12,000,000 annually The wages of the employés laat yea amounted to more than #2,000,000. Thi business is now at a staudstill, owing to a strike. The iniportatious of sugar tliis sum mor are immense, and the exportatioi sirii'.ll. In eleven months the importa tions have been 1,329,944,035 pounds against l,2:!3,0t0,717 pounds in the cor respondiug period last year, and they have been made at 5 cents a pomul, a agninst 4 cents last year. The expor has been about 36,000,000 pouuds. Las yeai in the same period it was 56,000,00 pounds. Returns trom the customs district o exports and imports during the flsea year ended June 30, 1877, show the tota exports (specie values) to be $(502,474, 581; total imports, $451,307,r)l'.l; exceg of exporta over imports, $151,l(i7,032 In the fiscal year 1876 the excess of ex over imports was but 379,043,481 In t.h(! fiscal year 1877 the exports of coin and bullion amounted to $56,163,327 iind importa to $40,774,414, while in tli preceding year the exports were 85fi,500,302, and the imports ouly 815,936.681. Öeobetary Evarts contemplates a thorough overhauling of the Consular representation of the United States in South America. He fluds that our commercial relations with that región are not benefited by the system whicli has heretofore obtiiined - that of appointiug as Consuls foreigners doing business there, and who naturally consult tüeir individual interest in all caaes where they clash with those of the United Stjites. Mr. Evarts believes that thr appointment of Americans to these Consulates will better conserve tho commercial iuterests of the country, and it is onderstoodthathè will shortly carry this reform into effect.