362 



GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



861. The gross receipts were 1,633,884 ; ex- 

 penses, 1,305,006. 



The number of post-offices in 1881 was 14,- 

 549. The number of letters delivered in the 

 year 1881-'82 was 1,229,000,000: in England 

 and Wales, 1,037,000,000 ; in Scotland, 110,000,- 

 000 ; in Ireland, 82,000,000. There were be- 

 sides 135,000,000 postal-cards and 412,000,000 



newspapers carried by the mails. The num- 

 ber of postal money-orders was 14,900,000, 

 amounting to 23,471,000,000, besides 200,000 

 sent to foreign countries, and 500,000 received 

 from abroad. 



The total value of the exports and imports 

 of Great Britain for the five years last reported 

 was, in round numbers, as follows: 



The declared value of the imports and exports of specie for four years was as follows : 



The value of the exports of British products 

 per head of the population was 6 14s. in 

 1881 ; 6 9s. 5d. in 1880 ; 5 12s, 2d. in 1879 ; 

 5 14s. Id. in 1878; and 5 18s. lid. in 1877. 

 The value of imports per head was 11 7s. 4d. 

 in 1881 ; 11 18s. 7d. in 1880 ; 10 12s. 7d. in 

 1879 ; 10 18s. 3d. in 1878 ; and 10 15s. 10(7. 

 in 1877. 



Articles of consumption made up 187,349,- 

 000 of the total value of merchandise imports, 

 and 10,633,000 of the exports of British 

 products. 



The largest articles of import are grain and 

 flour, the principal part of which comes from 

 the United States; raw cotton, chiefly from 

 the United States ; wool, chiefly from the Aus- 

 tralian colonies ; sugar, raw and refined ; wood 

 and timber ; and tea. The leading exports are 

 cotton manufactures, woolen manufactures, 

 iron and steel, coal, linen manufactures, and 

 machinery. 



The aggregate tonnage of vessels engaged in 

 foreign commerce entering British ports in 

 1881 was 28,519,015: 20,437,035 under the 

 British flag, and 8,081,980 under foreign flags. 

 In 1860 the aggregate tonnage was 12,172,785 : 

 6,889,009 British, and 5,283,776 foreign. The 

 aggregate tonnage cleared in 1881 was 29,430,- 

 530; 21,106,224 British, and 8,324,306 foreign. 

 The tonnage of laden ships arriving was 23,- 

 224,708; departing, 26,336,693. The tonnage 

 of arriving steamships was 19,268,327; 16,- 

 038,726 British, and 3,229,601 foreign. The 

 aggregate tonnage of the coasting-trade was 

 40,364,392 for arriving, and 34,655,235 for 

 departing vessels. 



The total number of ships registered in the 

 United Kingdom in 1881 was 24,830, of the 

 aggregate tonnage of 6,692,000 tons, as com- 

 pared with 25,185 ships of 6,575,000 tons in 

 1880. The number of steamers was 5,505 of 

 3,004,000 tons in 1881, against 5,247 of 2,724,- 



000 tons in 1880. The number of sailing-ves- 

 sels 19,325, of 3,688,000 tons, against 19,938, 

 of 3,851,000 tons, in 1880. The number of 

 ships registered in the colonies was 13,922, of 

 1,844,000 tons, of which 1,732, of 236,000 

 tons, were steamers. Of the shipping of the 

 United Kingdom, 4,163 sailing-ships, of 2,785,- 

 000 tons, and 2,546 steamships, of 2,619,000 

 tons, are employed in ocean-commerce. 



ARMY AND NAVY. By the law of 1881, the 

 duration of service in the army is fixed at twelve 

 years, five active and seven in the reserve. 

 The 109 regiments of infantry of the line and 

 131 regiments of militia, in most of which 

 only one battalion exists, are united with the 

 volunteers to form 68 territorial regiments, of 

 from five to seven battalions, each with its re- 

 cruiting depot. The first two battalions of 

 each regiment are troops of the line. The bat- 

 talions of the line take turns in the colonial 

 service, each remaining twelve years, the in- 

 dividual soldiers being replaced after eight 

 years of service. The effective of the line 

 battalions is from 562 to 1,040 men in the 

 United Kingdom, 915 in India, and 895 in the 

 colonies. The militia, after two months of in- 

 struction, are only called out to drill for from 

 four to eight weeks annually. In the army es- 

 timates for 1882-'83, the strength of the regular 

 army is fixed at 10,595 officers and 183,900 men, 

 together 194,495, with 23,584 horses; the reg- 

 ular army reserves at 500 officers and 35,600 

 men, together 36,100. The yeomanry cavalry 

 and militia number 4,575 officers and 148,157 

 men, together 152,732, with 14,500 horses 

 which they furnish themselves ; the volunteers 

 number 8,192 officers and 238,168 men, together 

 399,092. The strength of the native forces in 

 India is given as 3,212 English officers and 

 117,670 native officers and men, together 120,- 

 882, with 21,870 horses, elephants, and oxen. 

 The total strength of the imperial forces is ac- 



