A FEW STATISTICS ABOUT GREAT BRITAIN'S COMMERCE, ETC.

Southland Times, Issue 1336, 18 November 1870, Page 3

A FEW STATISTICS ABOUT GREAT BRITAIN'S COMMERCE, ETC.

■».... (From Morgan's Trade Circular.) Commerce is the very pith and marrow of the country ; and the advance in this respect has been the most surprising of all. We have constructed 14,500 miles of railway, and these the most, expensive lines in the world, at a cost of £520,000,000, entirely by joint-stock enterprise, without subsidy or guarantee. The shipping register shows that 28,444 vessels belong to the United Kingdom, with an aggregate tonnage of 5,780,530 ton*. In 1867, 13,340,717 tons of shipping entered British ports from beyond the sea, the clearances being 10,586,370 tons ; while the coasting trade represented 14,109,430 tons cleared. The imports of raw cotton, in 1868, were valued at no less than £55,198,5^2, and the cotton manufactures exported at £67,541,291. laking the total figures presented by the Board of Trade, the following progress is ! discernible: —

When : the figures above given are compared with similar statements furnished by foreign countries, the ascendancy of Great Britain is veryremarkable. The combined imports and exports of France are about £240,000,000 sterling; of the United States, about £175,000,000 ; of Belgium, £87,000,000, ; of Netherlands, £86,000,000 j of Austria, £80,000,000; of Eussia and Italy, £70,000,000 each. India figures for £110,000,000 ; Australasia for £63,000---0 and Canada for £32,000,000. The trade of the whole ten of these countries added together is not twice as large as the commerce of these British Isles. The area of the British Isles is 121,000 square miles. This, it must be admitted, is a mere nothing compared with the 7,225,000 square miles of Eussia, the 3,100,000 square miles of Brazil, or the 2,820,000 square miles of the United States. Even European. States leave us far behind ; for Austria has 227,200 square miles, France 207,500 square miles, and Prussia, Turkey, Spain, and Sweden, are each larger than these islands. But our geographical position makes up for our deficiency of territory. We have no Siberia, no impassable mountains, no blockades of ice, no unbearable heats. In fact Great Britain may be said to lie all upon the coast. Moreover, the area of her colonies, including India, is no less than 4,356,100 square miles, with population of about 180 millions. The advance in the number of our own population, notwithstanding the drain to the colonies, has been very regular. In 1802 the country had 15,500,000 inhabitants, which increased to 21,200,000 in 1820, 24,500,000 in 1830, 26,500,000 in 1840, ■2£SfIQJMX>. in 1850. 29.250,000 in 1860, and about 80,bUU,UUU • in 7 LbW. — TOT" population per square mile was 128 in 1802, and 252 in 1869, showing an increase of 124 persons per square mile, or nearly double the number in 1802. In reality, England becomes every day more and more like a gigantic town. Belgium and the Netherlands are the only States of importance which have attained a greater density of population than Great Britain. England and Wales alone have a population of over 350 persons per square mile, and this is only surpassed by Belgium. The Colonies of Great Britain, (including India), together represent an area of 4,350,000 square miles, a population of 180,000,000, a gross revenue of £66,000,000, an expenditure of £67,500,000, and a debt of £170,000,000, bearing an annual interest of over £8,600,000. The combined imports are returned at about £130,200,000, and the exports £136,000,000.

, Imports. .Exports (total). In 1802 ... 30,000,000 ... 50.000,000 In 1820 .. 32,438,650 ... 46980.564 In 1830 ... 46,245,241 ... 46,822,034 In 1840 ... 67,432,964 ... 65,180,736 Ie 1850 ... 100,469,067 ... 93,242,097 In 1860 ... 210,530,873 ... 16450*r»51 ,la 1866 ... 29R.9.0aa9i^— __ 2ftR.905.682 In 1868 ... 295,511,566 ... 227,588.663^