No. 520.
Mr. Farman
to Mr. Evarts.
Agency and
Consulate-General of the United States in Egypt,
Cairo, February 13, 1878.
(Received March 8.)
No. 208.]
Sir: I have the honor to send you inclosed copies
of short reports relating to the coal trade in Egypt, which have been made
at my request by our consular agents at Port Said and Alexandria. They were
procured to enable me to give information on this subject to Messrs.
Torrence & Co., of Philadelphia, who, as they say in a letter to me, are
in control of a movement to introduce American coal into the Mediterranean,
both anthracite and bituminous.
I send for them inclosed, under cover, a letter and copies of these reports,
which you will please forward to Philadelphia. The copies sent you are for
such use as you may deem proper. If American coal can be shipped to the
Mediterranean and sold at such a price as will successfully bring it in
competition with the English, the importance of the enterprise will be
readily seen. The price of coal is given in the reports in English shillings
and pence.
I have, & c.,
[Inclosure 1 in No. 208.]
Mr. Broadbent to
Mr. Farman.
United
States Consular Agency,
Port
Said, January 23,
1878.
Sir: In replying to your dispatch dated the
15th instant, I regret I am unable to give you a more exact report than
the following in reference to the coal imports here, as there are no
means of getting particulars except from the merchants themselves, and
they strongly object to give any information respecting their trade, but
I trust the following brief statements will give you some ideas of the
method of carrying on the business.
The imports of English and Welsh coal to this port average 250,000 tons
annually, four-fifths of which are from Cardiff, and the balance from
Newcastle, no other coal being brought here. The article bears the name
of the mine it comes from, such as Nixon’s Navigation, generally thought
the best steam coal ever mined, used by Her Britannic Majesty’s ships of
war; Powell, Duffryn, Davis Merthyr, Ocean Merthyr, Taylor Steam
Merthyr, Elbow Vale, these are all from South Wales; Brymbs Welsh
Hartly, from North Wales; and from Newcastle, Hastings Hartly, Buddles
West Hartly, and Cowpan Hartly.
This port is the largest coaling port in the East, and it will be readily
understood, considering the great transit of vessels through the Suez
Canal. With very few exceptions [Page 915] all the passing ships fill up their hunker spaces, those going East
taking, if possible, sufficient coal to bring them back to the canal,
and vessels bound home generally filling up enough to carry them to
their destination. Others, to save a little in price, take enough to
steam to the next coaling station in the Mediterranean, viz, Malta.
There are four firms engaged in the coaling trade here: Wills, Manchi
& Co., The Port Said and Suez Canal Company, Worms & Co., and
Bazin & Co.; the two former English and the two latter French.
The average price per ton, of 2,240 pounds English, is 30 shillings for
the year round put on board the vessels; trimming on board being charged
for extra.
The average stocks of coal kept on hand in depot and in lighters by the
four firms will be about 15,000 tons each.
The discharging of coal, landing, loading, putting on board steamers is
all carried on by the native Arabs, and the merchant calculates that the
cost of labor and rent of depots is, on an average, 4 shillings per ton.
The steamers are coaled at the rate of 100 tons per hour, and as there
is always a large quantity of coal afloat in lighters, it can be got
alongside a vessel in a very short time.
I am, & c.,
R. BROADBENT,
United States Consular
Agent.
[Inclosure 2 in No. 208.]
Mr. C. M. Salvago
to Mr. Farman.
United
States Consular Agency,
Alexandria, Egypt, January 21, 1878.
No. 7.]
Sir: In answer to your letter No. 547, asking
me to send you a short report upon the importation of coal, & c., I
have the honor to transmit you what follows:
The quantities of coal consumed in this country amount to about 300,000
tons annually, of which—
|
s. |
d. |
| 50 per cent. is Newcastle, present price free on
board |
27 |
6 |
| 20 per cent. is Cardiff, present price free on
board |
27 |
0 |
| 20 per cent. is North Wales, present price free on
board |
26 |
0 |
| 10 per cent. is Glasgow, present price free on
board |
25 |
0 |
From the above proportions it will be noticed that Newcastle is the best
adapted for this market, being used almost without exception by the
ginning factories with a slight mixture of Cardiff.
Before the crisis this article was sold payment due after three months,
but at present 75 per cent, is sold cash. Of the total amount imported
one-third is consumed by the Egyptian Government, but in this case three
months’ credit is demanded and a better price generally made. The
principal importers are: Messrs. B. Whit worth & Brothers, Mr.
Charles Grace, Messrs. Dixon Brothers, Messrs. Barker & Co., Messrs.
J. Moss & Co., Messrs. Coats worth Brothers, Mr. J. L. Wakeham, Mr.
A. L. Anglatt, Messrs. D. Lacilly & Co., Messrs. Behrend Brothers,
Messrs. G. Borg & Co.
The charges are 2 per cent, commission, 1 per cent, brokerage, 1 per
cent. de credeie (if required), 9 per ton weighing; custom-house duty ⅔
per ton for Newcastle and 1/9 for other qualities.
Newcastle is by 3 shillings dearer than other qualities, but on account
of the great scarcity of Cardiff at this moment it has risen to its
present high price of 27s. f. o. b., that is,
only 6d. cheaper than Newcastle.
Even at this price it is difficult to be obtained; 35s. is demanded for some warehoused lots.
I am, & c.,
