204 report — 1859. 



Imports and Exports. — The imports show also a considerable increase. The fol- 

 lowing - are the quantities of coals in bolls of 5§ cwt. each : — 



1840. 1850. 1858. 



English 403 ; 532 .... 421,844 .... 444,811 



Scotch 66,238 .... 94,552 .... 82,971 



469,770 516,396 527,782 



And during- the last year there were brought by railway 18,298 tons of Scotch coals 

 Timber. — The quantities of timber in loads of fifty cubic feet each were as follow: — 



1840. 1850. 1858. 



American 4,976 .... 5,187 .... 6,494 



European 5,149 .... 5,239 .... 4,912 



10,125 10,426 11,406 



I may here mention that the exports of our home timber has so much increased 

 as to exceed considerably our imports. 



1840. 1850. 1858. 



Loads 844 .... 10,827 .... 15,800 



It was after 1840 that our great forests began to be cut down, and the demand 

 for pit-props and railway sleepers has added much to the value of our home timber. 

 Wheat. — The number of quarters of wheat imported was 



1840. 1850. 1858. 



14,841 27,003 31,446 



Oats, Barley, 8,-c. — While our exports of oats, &c. were in 



1840. 1850. 1858. 



45,675 48,566 76,158 



thus showing that we export more than double the quantity of grain than we 

 import. Besides the following quantities of meal, in bolls of 140 lbs : — 

 Meal : — 



1840. 1850. 1858. 



18,873 70,188 69,652 bolls. 



Iron. — The imports of iron were as follows : — 



1840. 1850. 1858. 



4734 4300 9116 tons. 



Cattle, Sfc. — The number of cattle exported by sea was in 



1840. 1850. 1858. 



6422 9940 5652 



In the same year, 1858, there were sent by railway 13,674 : so that last year the 

 whole cattle sent from this quarter principally to the London market, was 19,326, 

 besides dead meat amounting to 5226 tons. * The number of sheep and lambs ex- 

 ported last year by sea and railway, was upwards of 15,000, and the value of the 

 whole cattle, alive and dead, sent from this quarter, cannot be less than from 

 £500,000 to £600,000 annually. 



I may here mention that the whole imports and exports of the Scottish North- 

 eastern Railway for the year ending 31st August 1858, were, 



Imports. Exports. 



28,203 26,567 tons, 



besides coal and live stock, which are mentioned above. 



Granite. — The subject of our celebrated granite, in all its departments — quarrying, 

 building, causewaying, and polishing — is to form the subject of a separate paper by 

 Mr. Gibb, a gentleman in everyway qualified to do it justice. I shall therefore 

 merely mention the exports for 



1840. 1850. 1858. 



25,557 30,385 32,422 tons. 



These were principally causeway-stones for London; and I may add that the 

 average value laid down in London is about 20s. per ton, of which 6s. may be stated 



