and in 1888-89, $220,576,989. The following table shows for the years 1887-88 and 1888-89 the values of the exports of domestic merchandise to and the imports from the following countries, according to the United States returns :

Thus, in the year ending June 30, 1889, 52-03 per cent. of the domestic exports of the United States went to Great Britain alone, while 23-93 per cent. of the imports came from that untry.

The exports of raw cotton from the United States to Great Britain and Ireland were of the following quantities and value in each of the five years from 1884 to 1888 :

Other considerable exports to Great Britain were, in 1888, bacon and hams, 5,576,4077.; cheese, 1,906,1677.; lard, 1,708,2487.; petroleum, 2,049,8447.; oil-cake, 1,184,2107.; oxen and bulls, 2,841,2917.; fresh beef, 1,813,3827.; tobacco, 1,718,0217.; leather, 1,720,5381.; sugar, 709,4977. in 1887, 143,6687. in 1888.

The following table gives the total value of the leading articles of British import into the United States in the five years from 1884 to 1888:

Other imports are alkali, 1,223,1547.; silk manufactures, 1,223,9677.; jute manufactures and yarn, 1,064,9831.; silk manufactures, 871,6067., in 1888.

The total trade of the United States (imports and exports) is divided as follows in 1888-89, among the various coasts and frontiers of the States in percentage of the total :—

Atlantic Coast

77.84

Gulf Coast Pacific Coast North Boundary Interior Ports
9.24
6.72
5.69

0.51

The percentage of the leading ports was as follows:Boston Philadelphia Baltimore New Orleans San Francisco 8.97

New York

53.24

5.26

4.42

Shipping and Navigation.

6.61

5.79

The international commerce of the United States is at present mainly carried on in foreign bottoms. The shipping belonging to the United States was classed as follows for 1888 :-Sailing vessels, 17,587 of 2,543,846 tons; steam vessels, 5,694 of 1,648,070 tons; total, 23,281 vessels of 4,191,916 tons.

Of vessels registered as engaged in the foreign trade, the aggregate burthen was in 1888 919,302 tons, showing a decrease of 70,110 tons on 1887; while of vessels engaged in the coasting trade the total burthen was 3,172,120 tons, or 242,903 tons more than in the preceding year.

The shipping is distributed thus :

During the year 1888-89 there were built :-Sailing vessels, 489 of 50,569 tons; steam vessels, 440 of 159,318 tons; canal boats, 88 of 9,452 tons; barges, 60 of 11,793 tons.

The total tonnage on June 30, 1889, was 1,765,551 steam,

and 2,541,924 other than steam.

The tonnage entered and cleared in the foreign trade during the last three years was as follows:

Of the total foreign trade in 1888-89, only 13-70 per cent. was carried in vessels belonging to the United States. The proportion has steadily decreased since 1856, when it was 75-2 per cent.

Internal Communications.

The growth of the railway system of the United States dates from 1827, when the first line was opened for traffic at Quincy, Massachusetts. The extent of railways in operation in 1830 was 23 miles; it rose to 2,818 miles in 1840; to 9,021 miles in 1850; to 30,635 miles in 1860; to 53,399 miles in 1870; to 84,393 miles in 1880; to 91,147 miles in 1881; and to 156,082 miles in Jan. 1889. The railways are divided as follows among the great groups of States, the statistics overlapping to some extent :-New England States, 6,654 miles; Middle States, 20,483 miles; Southern States, 25,633 miles; Western States, 95,210 miles; Pacific States, 9,020 miles.

The total capital invested in railways in 1888 was 9,369,398,954 dollars, the gross yearly earnings 960,256,270 dollars, and the net earnings 301,631,051 dollars.

The telegraphs of the United States are almost entirely in the hands of the Western Union Telegraph Company, which had in 1888 171,375 miles of line, 616,248 miles of wire, and 17,241 offices; the number of messages sent in 1888 was 51,463,955, the receipts 19,711,164.12 dollars, expenses 14,640,592.18 dollars, and profits 5,070,571.94 dollars. Including minor companies, there were altogether over 180,000 miles of telegraph line open for public use in 1888. In 1888 there were 146,438 miles of telephone wire belonging to one company, with 158,712 telephones and 739 telephone exchanges. Including this company it is estimated that in 1888 there were about 160,000 miles of wire for telephone use.

The postal business of the United States for the fiscal year of 1888-89 was as follows:

There are (1889) 58,999 offices. The total expenditure of the department during the year 1888-89 was $61,376,847.24; total receipts $56,148,014.92; excess of expenditure over receipts, $5,228,832.32.

Money and Credit.

The following table shows the amount of gold and silver coin and bullion; gold, silver, and currency certificates; United States notes, and national and State bank notes in the United States, in the Treasury, in

national banks, and in circulation through other banks, in the years ending June 30, 1870, 1880, 1885, 1889:

The following table shows the aggregate resources and liabilities of the national banks, 3,140 in number, on October 4, 1888: