| 1891-1895. | 1896-1900. | 1901-1905. | |
| Germany | 13,712 | 16,285 | 21,021 |
| Belgium | 19,857 | 22,135 | 24,542 |
| United Kingdom | 39,310 | 45,203 | 49,156 |
| United States | 9,337 | 9,497 | 10,411 |
| Algeria | 7,872 | 9,434 | 11,652 |
The other chief customers of France were Switzerland and Italy, whose imports from France averaged in 1901-1905 nearly £10,000,000 and over £7,200,000 respectively in value. In the same period Spain received exports from France averaging £4,700,000.
The trade of France was divided between foreign countries and her colonies in the following proportions (imports and exports combined).
| General Trade. | Special Trade. | |||
| Foreign Countries. | Colonies. | Foreign Countries. | Colonies. | |
| 1891-1895 | 92.00 | 8.00 | 90.89 | 9.11 |
| 1896-1900 | 91.18 | 8.82 | 89.86 | 10.14 |
| 1901-1905 | 90.41 | 9.59 | 88.78 | 11.22 |
The respective shares of the leading customs in the trade of the country is approximately shown in the following table, which gives the value of their exports and imports (general trade) in 1905 in millions sterling.
| £ | £ | ||
| Marseilles | 88.8 | Boulogne. | 17.5 |
| Le Havre | 79.5 | Calais | 14.1 |
| Paris | 42.8 | Dieppe | 13.5 |
| Dunkirk | 34.8 | Rouen | 11.3 |
| Bordeaux | 27.4 | Belfort-Petit-Croix | 10.7 |
In the same year the other chief customs in order of importance were Tourcoing, Jeumont, Cette, St Nazaire and Avricourt.
The chief local bodies concerned with commerce and industry are the chambres de commerce and the chambres consultatives d’arts et manufactures, the members of which are elected from their own number by the traders and industrialists of a certain standing. They are established in the chief towns, and their principal function is to advise the government on measures for improving and facilitating commerce and industry within their circumscription. See also [Banks and Banking]; [Savings Banks]; [Post and Postal Service].
Shipping.—The following table shows the increase in tonnage of sailing and steam shipping engaged in foreign trade entered and cleared at the ports of France over quinquennial periods from 1890.
| Entered. | Cleared. | |||
| French. | Foreign. | French. | Foreign. | |
| 1891-1895 | 4,277,967 | 9,947,893 | 4,521,928 | 10,091,000 |
| 1896-1900 | 4,665,268 | 12,037,571 | 5,005,563 | 12,103,358 |
| 1901-1905 | 4,782,101 | 14,744,626 | 5,503,463 | 14,823,217 |