524 



Transactions. 



Table II. 



Country. 



Netherlands . . 



Belgium 



Switzerland 



United Kingdom 



Germany 



France 



Italy 



Population. 



5,430,981 

 7,074.910 

 3,463,609 



44,0()(i.iH it i 



60,605,183 



38,901.045 

 33,340.514 



Trade 

 per Head. 



£ 



65 



31 



28 



20 



9 



9 



4 



s. 





 19 



5 

 15 

 19 

 11 



4 



d. 

 



o 





 

 

 

 



In the trade per head is included only the special commerce. 

 The position of the three smallest countries at the head of the 

 list is noteworthy. 



Part II. 



Present Tendencies in Foreign Trade. 



We may now proceed to consider some of the tendencies 

 characterizing the course of the industry and commerce of the 

 world at the present time. We may notice that the growing 

 complexity of manufacturing processes, combined with improve- 

 ments in the means and methods of transport, have a conserva- 

 tive tendency, and assist the manufacturing nations to retain 

 and increase their manufactures ; while, on the other hand, 

 the operation of the law of diminishing return, acting on their 

 supply of raw materials, especially on that of coal, is likely 

 in the future to tend to place such nations at a disadvantage. 

 The existence, too, of local supplies of raw material, and 

 especially of coal, combined with growth of population, is 

 tending to start manufactures in many new districts. The use 

 of water-power through electricity is giving to some nations 

 an impulse towards manufacturing that was formerly lacking 

 through want of supplies of coal, formerly the only extensive 

 supply of mechanical power. The improvement and opening 

 of waterways are important agencies influencing commerce. 

 The improvement of the navigation of the Rhine has proved of 

 great assistance in the development of the iron industry of 

 Germany. But it can hardly be said that there has been any 

 epoch-making development of this character since the opening 

 of the Suez ('anal. Of schemes for new waterways, no other 

 appeals to the popular imagination as strongly as does that 

 of the Panama Canal. The coming canal is already called 

 "the Gate of the Pacific." On this perhaps we may dwell a 

 little with advantage, because of the exaggerated notions that 

 seem to prevail. 



