The solitary and striking exception to this general statement is found in the Japanese trade with the United States, which is still to-day, as she was twenty years ago, the largest single buyer of Japanese goods, notably tea, raw silk, matting, porcelain, and camphor. In the import trade, while the United States is second to Great Britain, the former advanced in twenty years between 1882 to 1902 from 3 to 48.6 million _yen_, and the latter only from 14 to 50.3 millions. The peculiar features of Japan's trade with the American nation which are not found in her European commerce may be said to lie in the fact that the latter buys a considerable amount of the crude or unfinished Japanese manufacture, and sells increasing quantities of raw cotton and flour and other foodstuffs, thus participating in a large measure in the peculiarities of the Japanese trade with the East. The United States also furnishes Japan more cheaply certain products of modern industries which the latter formerly bought from Europe. We conclude our survey of Japan's foreign trade by appending a table showing its distribution by the continents, which will speak for itself without our comment: (Unit of million _yen_.) Europe, America, Asia, Australia, and Others. 1881 Exports, 12.5 11.0 0.6 0.9 Imports, 21.0 1.8 7.6 0.5 1891 Exports, 23.9 31.1 20.9 1.8 Imports, 30.3 6.8 23.7 1.9 1901 Exports, 59.9 75.6 111.4 5.2 Imports, 96.7 42.9 109.0 7.0 1903 Exports, 70.3 85.7 126.7 6.7 Imports, 96.1 46.7 169.1 5.0 1904 Exports, 72.3 104.6 134.5 7.7 Imports, 120.5 58.9 182.5 9.3 FOOTNOTE: [1] The average for the past ten years inclusive. Chapter XIX THE CHINO-JAPANESE WAR. 1894-1895