Uelmar.] 2d2 [Oct. 2, 



ON THE RESOURCES PRODUCTIONS AND SOCIAL CONDI- 

 TION OF EGYPT. 



By Alexander Delmar, 

 Late Director op the United States Bureau op Statistics. 



{Bead before f'e American Philosophical Society, October 2, 1874.) 

 Introduction. 



The United Sbates of America produce annually about 275 million 

 bushels of wheat, or about 6^ bushels per capita of population. Of this 

 amount, they consume over 230 million bvishels, or about ok bushels per 

 capita ; and have about 43 million bushels surplus left for sale. 



The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland produces annually 

 about 95 million bushels of wheat and consumes 190 million bushels, or 

 about 5^ bushels per capita. It has therefore a deficit to purchase, 

 amounting to as much, of wheat, as all it produces, or 95 million bushels. 

 Thus, England has two bushels of wheat to buy where we have one to 

 sell. 



As wheat forms the daily bread of the two countries, and, unless in ex- 

 ceptional or extreme cases, no substitute for it will be accepted by the 

 people, the purchases of these vast quantities of wheat on the one side, 

 and their sale on the other, form, naturally enough, occasions for the ex- 

 ercise of a good deal of what may be euphemized as commercial diplo- 

 macy. In plain English the grain trade abounds with misrepresentation, 

 and, as it happens, at the present time, this misrepresentation has, to a 

 certain extent, centred itself ujjon the agricultural resources and wheat 

 crop of Egypt. 



Treating, as it will pretty fully, upon this topic, the present paper 

 therefore claims to possess something more of scientific value than one 

 which might have related less directly to the affairs of our everyday 

 life ; and although this claim might pass for nothing among peoples 

 whose lives and thoughts are more in the remote past or remote future, 

 than the present, I trust that it does not imply too great assurance 

 if I venture to hope that, if made good, it will lose nothing at the hands 

 of my own countrymen, on account of this utilitarian basis. 



The gist of the present dispute about Egypt is as follows : A school of 

 British agricultural writers at the head of whom is Mr. Kains-Jackson, 

 estimates that during the ensuing harvest year 1874-5, the United King- 

 dom, instead of needing to purchase, as usual, about 95 million bushels 

 of wheat, will require but 64 to 72 million bushels ; and, on the other hand, 

 instead of having to rely, as usual, mainly upon the United States, has 

 hy reason of the present year's abundant wheat harvest throughout the 

 civilized world, the option of purchasing as much wheat — perhaps more 

 — elsewhere, as she will need to purchase from us. 



Among the countries specified by this authority, as having this year a 

 surplus of wheat to dispose of, are France, Germany, Russia and Turkey. 



