STATISTICS OF BELGIUM. 439 



and now only about 4,500,000 lbs. of fish, are annually caught, much of which is 

 cod.* 



The home trade has never been displayed in a statistical return, but some 

 idea of its development may be formed if we look at the extent and variety of the 

 means of internal communication. Merchandise deposited upon the quays of 

 Antwer^o or Ostend is transferred to barges, which convey it to Bruges or Courtrai, 

 Tournay or Mons, Brussels or Charleroi, Hasselt or Liège. The traffic on rivers 

 and canals is far more considerable than that on the railways, amounting to 

 488,000 tons to every mile of navigable highway. The canals, however, do 

 not yet furnish all the convenience to commerce which they might. Most of 

 them are available for barges drawing about 6 feet, but there are man}'- only 

 3 feet in depth, or even less. Additional canals are urgently needed in several 

 localities, t 



As to carriage roads and railways, Belgium is better provided with them than 

 any other country. Except perhaps in the Ardennes, there is not a town or vil- 

 lage inaccessible by a national, provincial, or vicinal high-road. :{: Some of the 

 old Roman roads have been utilized in the construction of modern highways, 

 including the two causeways of Brunehaut, wdiicli connected the sejytemvium of 

 Bavai with the Meuse and the Lower Schelde. 



To the west of the Meuse the railways are more especially numerous, and 

 the trafiic most brisk. The whole of the Belgian rolling stock would make up a 

 train stretching from Ostend to Cologne, a distance of 202 miles. The State owns 

 or manages more than half the railways, and the fares charged are less than in any 

 other country of Europe, a feature which wonderfully increases the number of 

 travellers who avail themselves of the facilities they offer. § On the other hand, 

 the correspondence carried on by post is less than in neighboring countries, ow- ing, 

 no doubt, to the low state of education, but it is increasing rapidly. || 



Education. 



"VVe might imagine that Brussels, which forms the centre of that portion of 

 Europe which includes France, England, and Germany, would act as the intel- 

 lectual intermediary between these countries. Such, however, is not the case, the 

 literary and scientific achievements of Belgium being far less than its industry and 

 commerce would lead us to expect. Until quite recently the number of schools 

 was very small. Forty years ago only about half the inhabitants were able 



* Commercial marine in 18-16 :- 143 vessels of 27,176 tons; in 1876, 48 vessels of 44,980 tons, 

 î^ishing boats in 1S46, 210 of 5,9.58 tons; in 1876, 259 of 8,621 tons. 



t Navigable highways (1874) :— Rivers, 427 miles ; canals, 559 miles. 



X In 1875 the high-roads had a length of 4,753 miles. 



\ Railways (1877), 2,230 miles. Up to 1875 they cos^t £38,784,000, or £18,160 a mile. Rolling 

 stock, 1,100 locomotives, 3,400 passenger waggons, 36,000 trucks. Passengers, on main lines only, 

 51,485,229; goods traffic, 26,314,678 tons. 



II Letters:— 1860, 23,960,846; 1876,61,846,578. Newspapers :— 1860, 26,358,020 ; ] 876, 68,969,000. 

 Book parcels :— 1860, 6,668,452; 1876, 31,735,000. Telegrams :— 1860, 175,415; 1876, 2,910,687. 



