380 



GEEAT BRITAIN. 



commission 174 steamships, 25 coast-guard 

 tenders, and 39 sailing-vessels, having a total 

 horse-power of 57,205, carrying 1,984 guns, 

 and with a total tonnage of 314,449 tons; 

 there were also in reserve and building 318 

 steamships, having in all 64,286 horse-power, 

 carrying 3,610 guns, and with a total tonnage 

 of 318,845 tons. The iron-clad fleet, which is 

 reckoned the most important division of the 

 navy, consisted in September, 1870, of 54 ves- 

 sels, of which, however, seven would not be 

 completed under one, two, or three years. 

 Forty-seven of these had cost somewhat more 

 than sixty-five million dollars, aside from their 

 armament. They are of various designs, and 

 many of them armored so heavily that there 

 is little probability of their being riddled by 

 any opposing vessel. A number of them have 

 also a ram-bow, which is a formidable addition 

 to their power of offensive warfare. None of 

 them have ever yet been tested in a naval 

 battle, but there can hardly be a doubt that 

 they would acquit themselves admirably there. 

 Some of the best of them have, however, proved 

 deficient in sea-worthiness. The Captain, a 

 twin ship to the Monarch, and regarded by 

 its designer, Captain Cowper Coles (see COLES, 

 in this volume), as his chef-cPceuvre, foundered 

 in the Bay of Biscay, in a moderate gale, from 

 being top-heavy, and over 500 souls, including 

 Captain Coles himself, went down in her. The 

 problem seems as yet not fairly solved of 

 building an armored ship completely protected, 

 of high speed and perfect seaworthiness. 



III. COMMERCIAL STATISTICS. 1. Imports. 

 The imports into the United Kingdom in the 

 year ending December 31, 1869, were 295,- 

 460,214 = $1,477,301,070, of which 225,043,- 

 720 = 1,125,218,600 were from foreign coun- 

 tries, including 42,573,383 = $212,866,915 

 from the United States, and 70,416,494 = 

 $352,082,470 from the British colonies and 

 other possessions abroad. The imports from 

 the United States, though only about one- 

 seventh of her entire imports, and less than 

 one-fifth of those from foreign countries, were 

 yet very much larger than those from any 

 other country. From France, which was next 

 in rank, her imports were 33,527,377=$168,- 

 6315,885. 



2. Exports. The total exports of the United 

 Kingdom in the year ending December 31, 

 1869, were 237,015,052 = $l,18o,075,260, of 

 which amount 51,891,747 was to British 

 colonies and possessions, and 185,123,305 = 

 $925,616,525 was to foreign countries. Of this 

 last sum 26,787,731 = $133,938,655 was ex- 

 ported to the United States. 



The heaviest item of importation in 1869 was 

 as usual raw cotton, of which from all countries 

 there was received 1,220,809,856 pounds, of the 

 value of 56,834, 709=$284,173,545. Theheavi- 

 est export was cotton manufactures, which were 

 sent out to the amount of 67,159,064 = $335,- 

 795,320. The next largest item of import was 

 wheat and other cereals, which were brought 



in to the amount of 37,347,358 = $186,736,- 

 790, and the second item of export was woollen 

 goods, of which 22,625,190 = $113,125,950 

 were sent out. The other leading articles of 

 import were wool (258,461,689 pounds), tea, 

 and raw sugar; and the other leading arti- 

 cles of export, iron, silver manufactures, and 

 coal. 



3. Shipping. The total number of vessels 

 belonging in the United Kingdom in 1869 was 

 21,881, of which 1,725 were steamers; the 

 total tonnage was 5,577,303, of which 880,018 

 was of steam-vessels, and the number of men 

 employed was 195,490, of whom 43,304 were 

 employed on steam-vessels. The total tonnage 

 of entrances and clearances at ports of the 

 United Kingdom in 1869 was 34,910,281 tons, 

 of which 23,789,167 were British, and 11,121,- 

 114 tons foreign vessels. 



4. Metals. Of pig-iron there was produced 

 in the United Kingdom 5,445,757 tons, of 

 the value of 13,614,397 = $68,171,985 ; of 

 copper, 8,291 tons, valued at 644,065 == $3,- 

 220,325 ; of lead, 73,259 tons, valued at 1,- 

 397,415 = $6,987,075; of tin, 9,760 tons, valued 

 at 1,201,456 = $6,007,280 ; of coal, 107,427,- 

 557 tons were raised, of the declared value of 

 26,856,882 = $134,284,410. 



IV. EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS. Primary edu- 

 cation in the United Kingdom is advancing 

 slowly but steadily. In 1869, the number of 

 schools inspected in England and "Wales was 

 8,592 ; the number of children who could be 

 accommodated in these schools was 1,838,416, 

 and the number in average attendance, 1,153,- 

 572, an increase over the previous year of 541 

 schools, accommodation for 112,000 pupils, 

 and an average attendance of 93,500. In Scot- 

 land, the same year (1869), the number of 

 schools inspected was 1,745, there was school 

 accommodation for 237,928 children, and the 

 actual average attendance was 179,214. In Ire- 

 land the number of primary schools was 6,707, 

 of children on the rolls, 991,335, and of aver- 

 age daily attendance, 358,560 ; showing that 

 primary education is better cared for in Ire- 

 land than in England and Wales. The total 

 for the United Kingdom are, schools, 17,044; 

 school accommodation for 3,069,779 children ; 

 an average daily attendance of 1,691,346 chil- 

 dren, or an actual attendance on primary 

 schools of about five per cent, of the popula- 

 tion. The ratio is much too small as yet. It 

 is to be hoped that the new law will make an 

 improvement in this respect. The Government 

 grants for the year 1870 were for public edu- 

 cation in Great Britain 914,721 = $4,573,605 ; 

 and for the same purpose in Ireland 381,172 

 = $1,905,860, a grand total of $6,479,465. The 

 schools of Great Britain receive from school- 

 rates, subscriptions, endowments, etc., a little 

 more than twice as much as from the Govern- 

 ment, so that the actual expenditure in Great 

 Britain is very nearly $15,000,000. In Ire- 

 land, the sums received from other sources 

 than the Government grant are $2,250,000 in all. 



