302 REPORT—1904. 
more smoothly paved, with nearly vertical sides. The whole process is a 
beautiful example of the evolution of large waves of regular period from 
small, irregular disturbances, and its observation, under the simplified 
condition of a straight conduit, is likely to assist in the more difficult 
task of observing waves in natural rivers where the phenomena are more 
irregular. 
The photography of wave phenomena has been continued and ex- 
tended in this as in former years. A selection of enlargements has been 
sent, by request, as part of the British Photography Exhibit, to the 
St. Louis Exhibition. 
The Committee ask for reappointment. 
On the Accuracy and Comparability of British and Foreign Statistics 
of International Trade.—Report of the Convmittee, consisting of 
Dr. E. Cannan (Chairman), Dr. B. GinsBurG (Secretary), Mr. A. L. 
Bow ey, Professor 8. J. CHAPMAN, Sir R. Girren, and Mr. R. H. 
INGLIS PALGRAVE. 
Tur Committee have added Mr. A. J. Sargent to their number. Mr. Pal- 
grave has unfortunately been unable to take part in their proceedings. 
The Committee have made such inquiries as proved possible at the Board 
of Trade, and of persons actually engaged in commerce, and have examined 
and tabulated the information contained in the official statements of trade 
of various countries. The main sources of their information are given 
below. 
The Committee decided to restrict their inquiries for the present year 
to the following countries: United Kingdom, United States, Germany, 
France, Belgium, Holland, Russia, and Austria. They also decided to 
consider mainly questions of value rather than of quantity. They divide 
their report under the following ten headings :— 
A. Definition of international trade. 
B. Methods of estimating value. 
C. Registration of origin and destination. 
D. Changes in A, B, and C in recent years. 
E. The discrepancies between statistics published by different 
countries. 
F. Relation of total of exports to the produce of a country. 
G. Relation of the statistics of imports and exports to the balance 
of trade. 
H. Accuracy of the figures of the United Kingdom. 
J. Conclusion and suggestions. 
K. Bibliography. 
A. Definition of International Trade. 
At first sight it seems a simple matter to define foreign or inter- 
national trade. To the ordinary apprehension it would appear that a 
complete account of international trade would give, in the first place, 
particulars of the quantity and value of every kind of goods crossing 
international frontiers in each direction. There is little difficulty in 
imagining an ideal world in which it would be quite easy to collect and 
publish such statistics, but in the actual world things are not nearly so 
