2io National Wealth and Public Debt. [April, 
of vessels for its service. The total tonnage of vessels, of 
all nationalities and classes, entered and cleared at ports in 
the United Kingdom during the year, from and to foreign 
countries and British possessions, was 46,276,838 tons, of 
which upwards of two-thirds, or 30,944,744 tons, were 
British vessels. 
The mercantile fleet of this country (exclusive of river 
steamers) consists of 17,221 sailing-vessels, having an aggre- 
gate tonnage of 4,044,504 tons, and 2970 steam-vessels, of 
1,847,188 tons, or together 20,191 vessels, of a gross aggre- 
gate tonnage of 5,891,692 tons, on which are employed 
nearly 200,000 hands, exclusive of masters. Compared 
with these figures the mercantile marine of foreign countries 
is small indeed. Next after Great Britain the United 
States have the largest fleet. The vessels employed upon 
foreign trade aggregate 3,272,739 tons, and those employed 
in the river, lake, and home trade 1,423,288 tons, or together 
4,696,027 tons. Next comes Norway, with 1,245,293 tons; 
then France, with 1,068,031 tons: Italy, with 1,046,439 
tons, whilst other foreign countries have none of them more 
than about half the last-named tonnage each, and most of them 
considerably less. The tonnage of British merchant vessels 
is in excess of those of Norway, Sweden, France, Italy, 
Austria, Holland, Denmark, Hamburg, Bremen, Belgium;, 
and Greece all put together. 
Perhaps one of the most important sources of wealth to 
a nation is its mineral production. It is not intended now 
to compare the relative produce of different countries in 
coal and iron — the two most important products of mining 
industries ; but we may notice a few circumstances in con- 
nection with the imports and exports of different countries. 
If we except the United States, France and Belgium alone 
of foreign countries possess any iron and coal industries of 
importance, whilst these form two of the most important 
industries of Great Britain ; but gold, silver, and other more 
valuable metals abound chiefly abroad, and are imported 
into this country in their raw state. The exports of foreign 
countries consist chiefly of food supplies and raw materials, 
whilst of those from the United Kingdom manufactured 
articles largely predominate ; and thus we see that England 
not only aCts as the principal carrier, but also as the chief 
manufacturer for other nations; hence the wealth of the 
latter has a tendency to flow to this country. 
Not only is coal produced in England in larger quantities 
than in any other part of the world, but there is also a 
general distribution of that mineral throughout the 
