GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. (RAILROADS TELEGRAPHS THE ARMY.) 443 



employment in the ship -yards were out of 

 work in the beginning of 1885, and wages had 

 fallen 20 per cent, within twelve months. Fur- 

 ther reductions were made in 1885. Of the 

 total tonnage built, 128,518 tons were on for- 

 eign account. There was an increase in the 

 tonnage of sailing-ships built. The tonnage of 

 steel vessels built was 293,309, showing a de- 

 crease of 34 per cent., while the decrease in 

 iron vessels was 40 per cent. The difference 

 in the cost of iron and steel plates has been 

 reduced by improved methods of manufacture 

 to $1.20 per ton. Steel vessels require 15 per 

 cent, less metal for a given displacement. 



Railroads. The length of lines in operation 

 in the United Kingdom at the beginning of 

 1884 was 18,681 miles; the total capital in 

 paid-up shares and loans, $3,819,819,565 ; the 

 receipts in 1883 from passengers, $143,604,248 ; 

 from freight, $188,340,168 ; total receipts, in- 

 cluding miscellaneous, $345,824,536. In the 

 possessions of Great Britain there 

 were 28,177 miles of railroads, 

 making the total mileage of the 

 British Empire 46,858. 



Telegraphs. The telegraphs were 

 transferred to the state in 1870. 

 The length of lines in 1884 was 

 27,604 miles, of wires 140,498 

 miles. The receipts in 1884 were 

 $8,569,414, the expenditures $8,- 

 319,310. 



The Army. The average effect- 

 ive strength of the regular army 

 during 1884 was 183,004. In the 

 course of the year 33,924 recruits 

 were enlisted for short, and 1,729 

 for long service. The losses were 

 1,521 by death, 4,478 by deser- 

 tion, and 12,939 discharged. The 

 number of men of all ranks pro- 

 vided for in the regular army esti- 

 mates for 1885-'86 was as follows : 

 Regular forces at home and in the 

 colonies, 131,769 ; regular forces 

 in India, 61,597, making the total 

 of the regular army 193,366 ; 

 army reserve, 53,250 ; militia, 

 141,334 ; yeomanry, 14,405 ; vol- 

 unteers, 251,417 ; grand total, 

 653,772. The number of horses 

 was 13,452 on the British and 

 9,746 on the Indian establishment. 

 The actual strength of the regular 

 army in the beginning of 1885 was 

 129,831 at home and in the col- 

 onies, and 58,826 on the Indian 

 establishment. 



The actual number of men avail- 

 able for the army, according to the report of the 

 Inspector-General of Recruiting, was on Jan. 1, 

 1885, as follows : Non-commissioned officers 

 and men actually serving in the ranks, 181,008 ; 

 first-class army reserve, all trained men in the 

 best period of life, 39,224 ; militia reserve, par- 

 tially trained men, always available for war ser- 



vice, 30,813; total, 251,045. The strength of 

 the militia was 104,380 men ; that of the volun- 

 teers, who now carry the Martini-Henry rifle, 

 215,015 enrolled men ; that of the yeomanry, 

 10,801 ; and that of the second-class army 

 reserve, 1,225, making with the regular army 

 and the first-class army reserve a total ef- 

 fective of 551,673 men, of whom the volun- 

 teers and yeomanry are not liable tor foreign 

 service. 



After the failure of the Nile Expedition and 

 the fall of Khartoum, the ministry announced 

 that operations would be renewed against Os- 

 man Digna and the railroad from Suakin to 

 Berber constructed, with a view to a campaign 

 in the autumn for the purpose of overthrowing 

 the power of the Mahdi at Khartoum. A proc- 

 lamation was issued authorizing the calling 

 out of the reserves, in order that 12,000 troops, 

 including the native contingent, might be sent 

 to Gen. Graham at Suakin. The supplementary 



STAFFORD NORTHCOTE (EARL OF IDDESLEIGH), 



First Lord of the Treasury. 



estimates provided for an addition to the active 

 army of 3,000 men. 



When the Russian advance on the Afghan 

 border finally roused the ministry to military 

 activity, the Marquis of Hartington provided 

 in the army estimates for the increase of the 

 regular army by 15,000 men. The weakness 



