GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, a monarchy in western Europe, formed by the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain (composed of the Kingdom of England, the Principality of Wales, and the Kingdom of Scotland) with the Kingdom of Ireland, holding supreme dominion over the Empire of India and dependencies and colonies of various kinds-self-governing colonies, colonies administered by the Crown, and protectorates under native rule the whole constituting the British Empire. The reigning sovereign is the Queen-Empress Victoria, born May 24, 1819, the daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent, who was the fourth son of George III. The heir apparent is Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, born Nov. 9, 1841, whose only surviving son, George, Duke of York, born June 3, 1865, of his marriage with Alexandra, Princess of Denmark, is next in succession. Area and Population.—The area of the United Kingdom is 120,979 square miles. The estimated population in 1896 was 39,465,720. England and Wales, with an area of 58,309 square miles, contained 30,731,092; Scotland, area 29,785 square miles, 4,186,849; and Ireland, area 32,583 square miles, 4,547,779. The population of inner London in 1896 was 4,421,492, and of the outer ring 1,756,421; total for greater London, 6,177,913. The population of the principal English municipal boroughs in 1896 was as follows: Liverpool, 632,512; Manchester, 529,561; Birmingham, 501,241; Leeds, 402,449; Sheffield, 342,278; Bristol, 230,623; Nottingham, 229.775; Bradford, 228,809; Kingstonupon-Hull, 220,844; Newcastle, 212,223; Salford, 210,707; Leicester, 198,659; Portsmouth, 178,639; Cardiff, 162.690. In Scotland, Glasgow had 705,052 inhabitants in 1896; Edinburgh, 276,514; and Dundee, 161,620. Dublin, in Ireland, had 361,891 inhabitants in 1891; Belfast, 255,950. The number of marriages in England and Wales in 1895 was 227,865; of births, 921,860; of deaths, 568,578; excess of births, 353,282. In Scotland the number of marriages was 28,380; of births, 126,454; of deaths, 81,864; excess of births, 44,590. The number of marriages in Ireland was 23,120; of births, 106,113; of deaths, 84,395; excess of births, 21,718. From 1815 to 1895 the emigration from the British Islands was 14,259,860. The emigra tion of persons of British or Irish origin between 1853 and 1895 was 8,100,540, of whom 2,390,748 were English, 2,585,005 Irish, and 449,670 Scotch. Of the total number, 5,425,423 emigrated to the United States. The number of Irish who emigrated from Ireland from 1851 to the end of 1895 was 3,651,128; the number who left Ireland in 1895 was 48,703. The number of emigrants, natives and foreigners, who left the United Kingdom in 1896 was 296,053, of whom 154,497 went to the United States, 22,629 to British America, 10,645 to Australasia, and 54.141 to other countries. The emigrants of British and Irish origin numbered 161,939, of whom 102,803 were English, 42,257 Irish, and 16,879 Scotch. The total emigration in 1895 was 271,772, and the immigration was 175,674, leaving a net emigration of 96,098. The number of emigrants of British and Irish origin in 1895 was 185,181, from which 109,418 immigrants of British or Irish origin must be deducted to find the net native emigration, which was 75,763. The power to legislate for the United Kingdom and, except so far as is delegated to local legislative authorities, for the whole British Empire is vested in the British Parliament, consisting of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Members of the House of Lords are royal princes, spiritual lords, who are the metropolitan bishops of ancient sees in England, hereditary peers of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, law lords and life peers created by the sovereign on the advice of the ministers, and representatives elected from the Scotch and the Irish peerages. There were 575 peers on the roll in 1896. The House of Commons numbers 670 members, of whom 495 represent English, 72 Scotch, and 103 Irish counties, boroughs, and universities. All elections, according to an act passed annually by Parliament, are by secret ballot. The number of electors who voted in 1895 was 3,190,826 in England, 447,591 in Scotland, and 220,506 in Ireland; total, 3,858,923. Minors, clergymen of the English, Scotch, and Roman Catholic churches, Government contractors, sheriffs and returning officers, English and Scottish peers, Irish representatives, and all paid officials under the Crown are disqualified from sitting in the House of Commons. The committee of ministers called the Cabinet, representing the actual majority in the House of Commons, exercises in fact the executive authority in the United Kingdom and in the empire that is nominally vested in the Crown. The Prime Minister, who when a member of the House of Commons usually fills the post of First Lord of the Treasury, has the selection of his colleagues and a large degree of control over the administrative and legislative policy of the Government. The Cabinet formed on June 25, 1895, by the Marquis of Salisbury consisted in the beginning of 1897 of the following members: Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Lord Salisbury; Lord President of the Council, the Duke of Devonshire; Lord High Chancellor, Lord Halsbury; Lord Privy Seal, Viscount Cross; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Lord James of Hereford; First Lord of the Treasury, Arthur J. Balfour; Secretary of State for the Home Department, Sir Matthew White Ridley; Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Michael F. Hicks-Beach: Secretary of State for the Colonies, Joseph Chamberlain; Secretary of State for War, the Marquis of Lansdowne; Secretary of State for India, Lord George Hamilton; First Lord of the Admiralty, G. J. Goschen; President of the Local Government Board, Henry Chaplin; President of the Board of Trade, C. T. Ritchie; Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Earl Cadogan; Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Lord Ashbourne; Secretary for Scotland, Lord Balfour of Burleigh: First Commissioner of Works, A. Akers-Douglas President of the Board of Agriculture, W. H. Long. £238, Finances. The estimated revenue for the year ending March 31, 1896, was £96,162,000, and the estimated expenditure was £98.498,496. The actual receipts amounted to £101.973,829, and the actual disbursements to £97,764,357, leaving a surplus of £4.209,472, compared with one of £765,341 in 1895 and a deficit of £169,436 in 1894. The net receipts from customs were £20,762,413, of which tobacco paid £10,748,522, tea £3,746,194, rum £1,985,105, brandy £1,311.728, other spirits £920.088, wine £1,254,994, currants £109,102, coffee £167,673, raisins £221,680, and other articles £297,327. The excise receipts were £26,826,754, of which £15,603,680 came from spirits, £10,718,719 from beer, 539 from licenses, £259,342 from railways, and £6,474 from other sources. The yield of the estate duty was £7,727,532; of the probate duty, £90,323; of the legacy duty, £2,730,861; of the succession duty, £1,051,512; of the corporation duty, £39,672; total, £11,639,900. Stamps brought in £7,339,231; the land tax, £1,020,801; the house duty, £1.486,948; the income and property tax, £15,982,843, The total yield of taxes was £85,058,890, and the revenue from other sources £17,076,106, making the total net receipts £102,134,996. Of the nontax revenue, £11,465,370 came from the post office, £2,885,749 from telegraphs, £519,068 from Crown lands, £689,525 from interest on Suez Canal shares, and £1,566,394 from miscellaneous sources. The expenditure under the three main heads for the year ending March 31, 1896, was £26,601,357 for the consolidated fund, £38,184,000 for the army and navy supply services, and £32,979,000 for civil and miscellaneous services, including the cost of collecting the revenue. The national debt charges were £25,000,000, of which £16,110,274 represented interest on the funded debt, £6,442,138 terminable annuities, £118,367 interest on unfunded debt, £176,447 management of debt, and £2,152,774 the new sinking fund. Other charges on the consolidated fund were £408,022 for the civil list, £305,312 for annuities and pensions, £81,276 for salaries, £515,714 for courts of justice, and £291,033 for miscellaneous expenses. The expenditure on the army was £18,460,000; on the navy, £19,724,000; for civil services, £19,800,000; for customs and inland revenue, £2,702,000; for the post office, £7,018,000; for the telegraph service, £2,744,000; for packet service, £715,000; total expenditure, £97,764,357. The revenue for the year ending March 31, 1897, was £103,950,000, which was £3,470,000 more than the estimate. The total sum raised was £112,199,000, of which £8,249,000 went to the relief of local taxation, an increase of £883,000 over the preceding year, due to the agricultural rating bill and kindred legislation. There was a falling off of £95,000 in land taxes, owing to the recent remission, and of £770,000 in the estate duty, due to the transfer of a part of the proceeds by recent legislation. There were increases under all the other heads. The miscellaneous revenue was £547,000 more, gross post-office receipts £480,000 and telegraph receipts £70,000 more. Income-tax receipts showed an improvement of £550,000. The customs receipts were £21,254,000, an improvement of £498,000 over the preceding year, due to increased consumption of tobacco, rum, tea, and champagne. The excise receipts were £27.460,000. The death duties produced £13,963,000. There was a noticeable decrease, ascribed to the growing tendency of rich men to avoid paying duties by making over their property to their heirs and to substitute gifts for legacies. Stamps produced £7,350,000, the loss in transactions on the Stock Exchange being made good by increased receipts from deeds and joint-stock companies. The estimated expenditure for 1897 was £100,046,000, and the supplementary estimates were £2,279,000, making a total of £102,325,000. The actual expenditures were £101,477,000, of which £799.000 was the advance to the Egyptian Government on account of the Dongola expedition, £145,000 was due to the expenses of the Indian garrison at Suakin, and £487,000 to increases in the army, navy, and education votes. The expenditures of the Government have grown 12 per cent. in four years, while the increase in revenue, apart from new taxation, has been only 9 per cent. The navy expenses have increased 40 per cent, and the education votes 43 per cent. The surplus of £2,437,000 left at the end of 1896 was devoted to the military works act. The expenditure for 1898 was originally estimated at £100,925,000 for the exchequer and £8.979,000 for local-taxation account; total, £109,904,000. The relief of necessitous board schools, increased wages for post-office employees, etc., increased the amount to £101,791.000. The revenue was estimated at £103,360,000, leaving a surplus of £1,569,000, which, however, was swallowed up in supplementary navy estimates, amounting to £500,000, the expense of maintaining an increased garrison in South Africa, which is £200.000 a year, and the cost of improving postal facilities. The funded and unfunded debts on April 1, 1896, amounted to £648,474,143, or, including other capital liabilities, to £652,540,105, of which £589,146,878 represented the funded debt, £49,351,465 the capital value of terminable annuities, £9,975,800 the unfunded debt, and £4,065,962 liabilities under various acts of Parliament. The liquid assets of the Government were £22,627,000 of Suez Canal shares and other assets, making the total £23,666,354, besides £8,975,201 of balances in bank. On April 1, 1897, the gross liabilities of the Government amounted to £644,956,000, the funded debt having been reduced during the year by £1,448,000, the terminable annuities by £4,363,000, and the unfunded debt by £1,843,000. On the other hand, the temporary loans showed an increase of £70,000, owing to the purchase of the telephones and the Uganda Railroad, making the net reduction of debt £7,584,000. The Army. The strength of the regular army, as provided in the estimates for 1897, was 7,534 officers, 1,052 warrant officers, 15,941 sergeants, 3.684 drummers, trumpeters, etc., and 127.963 rank and file; total, 156,174 men of all ranks. The general staff numbered 335 officers; army accountants, 209; chaplains, 85; medical department, 619; veterinary department, 68: noncommissioned officers and men attached to staff, etc., 142; cavalry, 553 officers, 1,368 noncommissioned officers, musicians, etc., and 11,396 men; Royal Artillery, 870 officers, 1,959 noncommissioned officers, etc., and 20,457 men; Royal Engineers, 594 officers, 1,264 noncommissioned officers, etc., and 5,641 men: infantry, 2,804 officers, 6,655 noncommissioned officers, etc., and 79,587 men; colonial corps, 164 officers, 394 noncommissioned officers, etc., and 4,883 men; departmental corps, 199 officers, 1,399 noncommissioned officers, etc., and 3,062 men; army service corps, 246 officers, 818 noncommissioned officers, etc., and 2.792 men; gunnery and musketry instructors, military academies and colleges, regimental schools, and other establishments, 188 officers, 494 noncommissioned officers, etc., and 129 men. The number of horses provided for the establishment was 14,716. This does not include the British army maintained in India at the expense of the Indian Government. The number of troops maintained in the United Kingdom in 1896 was 107,636, comprising 12.340 cavalry, 17,834 artillery, 5.608 engineers, and 71,854 infantry and special corps. The total effective strength of the British army on Jan. 1, 1896, was returned as 222,194 officers and men, of whom 76,393 were in England, 3,735 in Scotland, 25,972 in Ireland, 4,407 in Egypt, 33,644 in the colonies, and 78,043 in India. The total effective of the regular forces at home and in the colonies in 1897 was 145,270; of the army reserve, 77,833; of the militia, 122,115 of the yeomanry, 9,745 of the volunteers, 232,150; making a total of 587,113, or, adding 78,041 British soldiers in India, 665,154 fighting men. Adding to this total the native Indian army, about 146,000 men, the imperial service troops in India, 19,000 men, and colonial troops, about 86,000, with military police, etc., the number of armed men wholly or partly trained that can be counted on for the defense of the empire exceeds 900,000. Of 33.351 British troops in the colonies, the number given in the army estimates, 9,735 were stationed at Malta, 4.924 in Gibraltar, 3,669 in Cape Colony and Natal, 1,669 in Bermuda, 1,620 in Jamaica, 1,459 in Barbadoes and St. Lucia, 1,604 at Halifax, 3,047 at Hong-Kong, 1,520 in the Straits Settlements, 1,076 in Mauritius, 1,063 in West Africa, 134 in Cyprus, and 226 at St. Helena. The estimates for 1898 provide for the following additions to the army: 1 battery of field artillery, to provide a total strength at home of 45 field bat teries, the complement for the 3 army corps authorized for home defense; 11 companies of garrison artillery, for strengthening the garrisons of coaling stations and naval bases, as recommended by the Colonial Defense Committee; 2 battalions of Foot Guards, raising their strength to 9 battalions, of which will be garrisoned in Mediterranean stations, releasing 3 line battalions for home duty; 1 battalion of Cameron Highlanders; 1 battalion for the West India regiment; and 1 battalion for the Malta militia. This involves an increase of 7,835 men, of whom only 2,590 are expected to be raised during the year. The rearmament of the horse and field artillery is proceeding. The number of men to be maintained on the home and colonial establishments in 1898 is 158.774. The number of recruits raised during 1896 was 1,000 less than in the previous year, in spite of a lowering of the standard. Military men have raised an alarm on the subject of the inadequacy of the British military forces. The infantry of the line is organized on the system of linked battalions, and the result is that while the foreign army is largely made up of seasoned and well-trained men, the home army is mainly composed of boys, a great many of them untrained and wholly incapable of going into a campaign. The efficient men are drafted off in increasing numbers to complete the battalions serving abroad, of which there were 13 more than at home in 1897. The condition of the artillery is even worse, all the trained artillerymen being sent to render efficient the batteries abroad. To provide a training-ground of sufficient extent for manoeuvring troops the Government was empowered by the military-works bill of 1897 to purchase 60 square miles on Salisbury plain-new barracks and new rifle ranges with camps attached, accessible to all branches of the service. The same scheme, for which £5,458,000 was voted by Parliament, comprised other works in which the navy was concerned as well as the army, in the nature of further provision for the more effective defense against modern forms of attack of naval bases and coaling stations abroad and at home, and of certain important mercantile harbors in the United Kingdom. At the instance of the Admiralty it was decided to fortify also Berehaven, Lough Swilly, Falmouth, and Scilly, in order to enable trading ships to find protection in the event of war and allow the fleet to act with more freedom in the Atlantic. The Navy. The British navy at the beginning of 1897 counted 28 first-class battle ships, besides 5 under construction, 5 second-class, and 9 thirdclass battle ships, 23 port-defense vessels, 34 firstclass cruisers above 5,000 tons and 17 knots, besides 10 building, 11 others of the first class, 54 secondclass cruisers, 174 of the third class, 125 first-class torpedo craft, besides 42 building, 4 second-class and 20 third-class torpedo boats. The new programme provided for the laying down during 1897 of 4 battle ships, 3 small cruisers, 2 sloops, 4 gunboats, river gunboats, and 2 torpedo destroyers. There are 13 ocean steamers subsidized to serve as auxiliary cruisers in the event of war, besides many more engaged in case they are needed, but receiving no subsidies. There were 209 ships in commission in November, 1896, of which 46 were armored vessels, 130 unarmored vessels, 6 training brigs and ships. and 27 miscellaneous. The Mediterranean and Red Sea squadrons in the beginning of 1897 consisted of 37 vessels, the Channel squadron of 14, the North American and West Indian squadron of 12, and in the East Indies were 10, on the China station 26, at the Cape of Good Hope and in West Africa 18, in the Pacific 7, on particular service 16. in Australia 12, on the southeast coast of America 4, on surveying service 8, and in the training squad ron 4; total on foreign or particular service, 168. The number of officers, seamen, boys, coast guard, and marines voted for 1897 was 93,750. The navy estimates for 1898 add 6,300, bringing up the total to 100,050. The cruiser "Terrible," of 14,000 tons, in her steam trials made the same record as the "Powerful," with 18,000 horse power, the mean speed being nearly 21 knots; with the full 25,000 horse power she did better than her sister ship, making nearly 224 knots. In these powerful deck-protected cruisers, much superior to any others afloat, the Admiralty has adopted for the first time the water-tube boiler. These vessels have a very strong and wellprotected armament composed of 42 quick-firing guns, besides 9.2-inch bow and stern chasers. Their vital parts are underneath a 4-inch curved steel deck, and are further secured by water-tight compartments. Their bunker capacity is 3,000 tons. tic Parliament voted £5,440,000 for shipbuilding during the financial year 1897-'98. Of four battle ships to be laid down, three will be of the "Majesclass, with some improvements and with lighter draught for passing through the Suez Canal, and one will be like the "Canopus." There are already 9 war ships building of the "Majestic" type, the largest vessels in any navy except the Italian, with a length of 390 feet, 78 feet beam, a mean draught of 28 feet, and 14,900 tons displacement, having a mean speed of 16 knots, which can be increased to 174 knots under moderate forced draught, and carrying an armament consisting of 4 12-inch breech-loading guns of new type, mounted in pairs, 12 6-inch quick firers, 16 quick-firing 12-pounders (improved design), 12 6-pounders, and 5 ejectors for 18-inch torpedoes. The heavy guns are mounted in strong barbettes, with armored shields attached to the turntables, and are capable of being loaded by hand power in any position as well as by hydraulic power in the loading station. The hull is protected more completely than in the “Royal Sovereign" class, and the armor is hardened by the Harvey process. The "Canopus" has a displacement of 12,950 tons, and, with 12,000 horse powerthe same as the "Majestic "-is capable of making 18 knots an hour. The main armament will consist of 4 12-inch guns, mounted in armored barbettes, and the quick-firing armament of 12 6-inch guns, 12 12-pounders, and 14 smaller guns, with 5 torpedo tubes. Of this type will be the “ Ocean," Goliath," "Albion," "Glory," and "Vengeance." The programme for 1898 includes 6 light-draught 13-knot screw steamers for river service, and a new royal yacht of 4,600 tons displacement, which will have a speed of 20 knots and great coal endurance, but will not be armed. To keep up with the movement of other naval powers in the direction of providing very strong large cruisers, the Admiralty decided to begin 4 very fast vessels, to cost £700,000 each, capable of taking part in action with fleets and also of guarding lines of communication. They will have a length of 440 feet, a breadth of 694 feet, a mean draught of 26 feet, a displacement of 11,850 tons, and an armament like that of the "Powerful," consisting of 2 9-inch guns, 12 6-inch quick-firing guns, and 14 12-pounders, and will be protected with the superior armor of the "Canopus." They will be wood sheathed and coppered, so as to keep the sea for a long period, with a continuous speed of 194 knots, which can be brought up to a maximum of 21 knots. Four new torpedo destroyers were also provided for. In the number and efficiency of these new vessels Great Britain has a long start, but other countries are making vigorous efforts to provide their navies with the fleetest and most formidable of these engines of destruction, destined in the opinion of many to uce, £56,466,465; total imports and exports, £738,196,009, compared with £702,522,065 in 1895, £682,130,677 in 1894, £681,826,448 in 1893, £715,434,048 in 1892, £744,554,982 in 1891, and £748,944,115 in 1890. The values of the merchandise imports from and exports of British produce to the colonies and dependencies of Great Britain in 1895 were as follow: render obsolete and useless the great armor clads A new naval harbor is being constructed at Dover which will afford berths for 20 battle ships, besides smaller vessels. A large dockyard and a deep basin at Hong-Kong, a breakwater to protect the harbor at Gibraltar, and a dock at Colombo are among the new naval works. The annual expenditure on new construction for ten years from 1887 averaged £4,450,000, rising to £7,300,000 in 1897. For 1898 the expenditure will be £9,230,000. The total expenditure on the navy has risen from £14,000,000 in 1888 to £21,838,000 for 1898. BRITISH POSSESSIONS. India... South Africa.. Straits Settlements. Channel Islands. Malta.. All others.. Total... The values of the imports from and domestic exports to foreign countries in 1895 were as follow: COUNTRIES. United States.. Germany China.. Italy Denmark Portugal.. Commerce and Production.-The wheat crop of Great Britain and Ireland in 1896 was 58,164,000 bushels; the barley crop in Great Britain was 70,775,000 bushels, and that of 1895 in Ireland was 6.378,000 bushels. The live stock of the United Kingdom in 1896 consisted of 2,115,557 horses, 10,942,423 cattle, 30,853,809 sheep, and 4,301,328 pigs. The value of the fishery products in 1896 was £7,435,199; the number of men engaged in fishing was 121,978. The exports of fish were £2,274,940, besides £524,780 of re-exports; imports, £2,975,273. The quantity of iron ore raised in 1895 was 12,615,414 tons, valued at £2,865,709, containing 4,394,987 tons of iron, of the value of £10,534,325. The iron ore smelted in 344 blast furnaces was 18,629,337 tons, from which 7,703,459 tons of pig iron were obtained. The imports of pig iron were 93,119 tons and the exports 866,568 tons. The iron and steel exports were £17,603,850 in value, the chief articles being tin plates for £4,239,193, cast and wrought iron for £3,727,607, hoops and plates for £3,014,488, railroad iron for £1,897,036, unwrought Austria. steel for £1,948,795, and bar, angle, and bolt iron for £854.017. There were 4,450,311 tons of iron ore imported, chiefly Spanish, valued at £2,977,952. Including tin, lead, zinc, copper, etc., the total value of metals extracted from British ores was £11,472,225. The imports of copper ore and regulus were 191,024 tons; unmanufactured copper, 45,761 tons; lead, 162,924 tons; zinc, 62,525 tons; tin, 41,601 tons. The quantity of coal raised was 189,661,362 tons, valued at £57,231,213. The exports of coal were 33,101,452 tons, valued at £15,433,803, going to France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Russia, Egypt, Denmark, the Argentine Republic, Norway, Brazil, and India. The imports of raw cotton in 1895 were 1,757,042,672 pounds, of which 1,553,758,080 pounds were retained for home consumption. The consumption of cotton in 1896 was 1,644,000,000 pounds; of wool, 616,000,000 pounds; of flax, 240,000,000 pounds. The imports of wool in 1895 were 775,379,063 pounds, and the exports 404,935,226 pounds. Of the imports, 541,394,083 pounds came from Australasia. The exports of cotton piece goods in 1896 were 5,220,000,000 yards; of woolens, 221,000.000 yards; of linens, 174,000,000 yards; of cotton yarn, 247,000,000 pounds; of woolen yarn, 62,000,000 pounds; of linen yarn, 19,000,000 pounds. The total value of imports of merchandise in 1896 was £441,807,335; of domestic exports, £239,922,209; of exports of foreign and colonial prod Chili Central America. Uruguay.. Spanish West Indies.. Mexico.. 467.331 1,522,022 Philippine Islands 1,606.271 415.803 Colombia Ecuador Hayti and San Domingo. Tunis and Tripoli... East Africa. Cochin-China and Tonquin Total... 849,843 £321,159,448 1,382,490 £155,888,492 Peru. Venezuela Persia... Siam.. The imports of gold in 1896 were £24,468,337 in value, and exports £30,123,925; imports of silver £14,329,116, and exports £15,048,134. The value of the live animals imported for food in 1896 was £10,438,699; articles of food and drink free of duty, £146,301,708; articles of food and drink paying duty, £25,693,706; tobacco, £4,370,670; metals, £20,464,786; chemicals, dyestuffs, and tanning substances, £6,784,845; oils, £8,446,709; raw textile materials, £74,760,039; raw materials for various industries, £47,240,940; manufactured articles, £81,250,453; miscellaneous articles, £15, 036,432; imports by parcel post, £1,012,348; total imports, £441,807,335. 645 in value; of articles of food and drink, £11,355,141; of raw materials, £17,692,507; of yarns and textile fabrics, £105,353,592; of metals and metal manufactures, except machinery, £33,572,894; of machinery and mill work, £17,036,899; of apparel and articles of personal use, £10,473,345; of chemicals and chemical and medicinal preparations, £8,243,601; of all other manufactured or partly manufactured articles, £33,583,916; exports by parcel post, £1,669,669; total exports of British produce, £239,922,209. The imports of wheat were 16,361,600 quarters of 8 bushels, compared with 19,074,790 in 1895, 14,063,760 in 1890, 12,752,800 in 1880, and 7,131,100 in 1870. Of the total imports of wheat and flour, 30,694,800 hundredweight came from the United States, 17,241,600 hundredweight from Russia, 4,927,600 hundredweight from the Argentine Republic, 5,401,300 hundredweight from Roumania, 1,930,400 hundredweight from Turkey, 1,936,100 hundredweight from Chili, 1,032,910 hundredweight_from Germany, 2,112,940 hundredweight from India, 3,617,900 hundredweight from Canada, and 8,500 hundredweight from Australia; total, 70,027,880 hundredweight, of which 5,739,340 was the product of British possessions and 64,288,540 hundredweight was brought from foreign countries. The imports of flour in 1896 were 21,293,220 hundredweight, of which 15,905,100 came from the United States. The imports of breadstuffs from the United States and Canada declined in four years from 14,500,000 to 12,711,000 quarters, or from 64 to 54 per cent. of the total importation, while those from Europe and north Africa increased from 2,400,000 to 6,934,000 quarters, or from 11 to 29 per cent. of the total quantity imported. The aggregate imports of cereals and flour were 189,644,479 hundredweight, against 179,927,460 hundredweight in 1895. The quantity of bacon and hams imported was 6,008,938 hundredweight; of butter, 3,037,947 hundredweight; of margarine, 925,934 hundredweight; of cheese, 2,244,535 hundredweight; of beef, 2,906,967 hundredweight; of fresh mutton, 2,895,158 hundredweight; of preserved meat, 701,970 hundredweight. The cheese imports, which used to come mainly from the United States, are now furnished largely by British colonies. Of 2,234,563 hundredweight imported in the financial year 1897, the colonies sent 58 per cent.; 1,229,374 hundredweight from Canada and 63,530 hundredweight from Australia, compared with 556,756 hundredweight from the United States. The butter imports in 1897 reached 3,086,400 hundredweight, coming from Denmark, France, Sweden, Holland, Australia, the United States, Germany, and New Zealand. The number of cattle imported in 1896 was 562,553; of sheep and lambs, 769,592. The imports of raw sugar were 15,769,226 hundredweight, and of refined sugar 14,778,314 hundred weight. The imports of spirits for consumption were 8,174,296 proof gallons; of wine, 15,861,251 gallons. The tea importation amounted to 227,785,509 pounds, valued at £10,651,253. In 1895 48-31 per cent. of the tea imported came from India, 32.67 per cent. from Ceylon, 15-52 per cent. from China and Hong-Kong, 134 per cent. from Holland, and 2-16 per cent. from other countries. The value of the grain and flour imports of 1896 was £52,792,697; of the raw cotton imported, £36,272,039 of wool, £24.958.346; of meat, £24,753,002; of timber and wood, £19,202,961; of raw and refined sugar, £18,383,765; of butter and margarine, £17,842,508; of silk manufactures, £16,707,103; of animals, £10,438,699; of flax, hemp, and jute, £9,236,794; of woolen manufactures, £9,236,794; of oils, £8,446,709; of leather, £7,593,599; of chemicals, dyestuffs, etc., £6,784,845; of seeds, £6,735,999; of wine, £5,951,047; of fruit and hops, £5,747,110; of cheese, £4,900,428; of tobacco, £4,370,670; of eggs, £4,184,567; of coffee, £3,578,947; of currants and raisins, £1,600,051; of iron manufactures, £4,574,588; of iron ore, £3,761,722; of iron bars, £570,413; of copper partly manufactured, £2,882,453; of copper ore, £2,853,300; of tin, £2,289,688; of lead, £1,853,468; of zinc and manufactures thereof, £1,664,450. The exports of live animals in 1896 were £940, The value of cotton manufactures exported in 1896 was £59,333,836; of cotton yarn, £10,047,568; total cotton exports, £69,381,404. The total exports of woolen and worsted goods were £18.266,972, and of yarns £5,665,995; total, £23,932,567. The exports of linen manufactures were valued at £5,030,975, and linen yarn at £1,041,814. Jute manufac tures were valued at £2,344,700, and jute yarn at £378,560. The exports of apparel and haberdashery were £6,745,670 in value. The total value of iron and steel exports was £23,813,239, made up of £3,565,564 for railroad iron, £2,535,792 for pig iron, £3,691,632 for hoops, sheets, and plates, £3,035,931 for tin plates, £1,104,352 for bar, angle, bolt, and rod iron, £904,103 for wire, £4,724,322 for cast and wrought iron, £338,832 for old iron, and £3,912,711 for steel, steel manufactures, and mixed steel and iron goods. Hardware and cutlery exports amounted to £2,121,268; machinery, £17,036,898. Exports of coal and coke were £15,160,577 in value. Copper and its manufactures were exported for £2,548,898. The exports of chemical products were valued at £8,243,601. In answer to inquiries sent out from the Colonial Office in November, 1895, the governors of the British colonies made reports touching the displacement of British by foreign goods which showed that in the selected classes of goods in which foreigners compete the values of imports from foreign countries increased from 25.71 in 1884 to 27-82 in 1889 and 31-88 in 1894, and that of the total imports from all sources foreign countries furnished 31.50 per cent. in 1894, compared with 25-79 per cent. in 1884. Excluding Australia, the imports from foreign countries of competing goods into the British colonies and dependencies, including India, was nearly 50 per cent. of the total imports of such goods in 1894. The countries that compete most seriously with Great Britain are the United States and Germany. Belgium is also an energetic competitor in some lines. In the trade of the far East the competition of Japan is rapidly becoming the leading feature. In many places the foreign merchants do more than 50 per cent. of a trade that was undeniably British a few years ago. The returns do not reveal the whole extent of foreign competition, as only the port of shipment, not the country of origin, is given. Cheapness, better finish, better packing, more accommodating terms, the adaptation of goods to the market, and commercial enterprise are some of the reasons given for the preference for foreign goods. The merchandise-marks act is said to have established, instead of discouraging, a demand for the cheaper foreign articles and to have transferred the orders for such goods from London merchants to the countries where they are made. In the best classes of goods the British manufacturers are held to be still supreme, with certain exceptions, such as machinery and tools of certain patterns turned out in the United States, in which Canadian manufacturers are now becoming active competitors. Finished cheap imitations are not made by British manufacturers, who reserve finish for the high grades, and hence when the colonial markets demand cheap articles of finished appearance these must be supplied by the Continent of Europe or the |