Austria, 68; England, 21; France, 6; other countries, 5 East. Brit. Poss., 99: other countries, 1 Turkey, 76; Med. Brit. Poss., 8; other countries, 6 England, 96; other countries, 4 East. Brit. Poss., 93; other countries, 7 Turkey, 67: Russia, 32; other countries, 1 Italy, 27; France, 25; Med. Brit. Poss., 21; Turkey, 15; other countries, 12 England, 32; Turkey, 26; France, 20; Austria, 14; other countries, 8 England, 74; France, 21; Belgium, 1; Austria, 2; other countries, 2 Turkey, 51; Italy, 18: Med. Brit. Poss., 8; England, 6; other countries, 7 Turkey, 86: Italy, 9; other countries, 5 East. Brit. Poss., 61; England, 34; other countries, 5 France,42; Austria, 23; Turkey, 12; England, 11; Austria, 35; France, 14; Turkey, 14; England, 16; other countries, 21 Turkey, 96; other countries, 4 Turkey, 43; Italy, 14; Russia, 12; East. Brit. Poss, 8; other countries, 23 Turkey, 82; Russia, 9; other countries, 9 France, 48: England, 17; Russia, 15; other countries, 20 Turkey, 94; other countries, 6 Statement showing the principal exports, with the percentage of the total exports, and the percentage for each country :- COMMERCE-SHIPPING AND NAVIGATION 1035 The conclusion of commercial treaties in the course of 1884 with Greece, Italy, England, United States, Portugal, and other countries has given a considerable impulse to Egyptian commerce, particularly in the tobacco trade. The receipts from tobacco were:-In 1885, £E212,267; 1886, £E304,475; 1887, £E289,000; 1888, £E332,500; 1889, £E441,000. The subjoined statement shows the total value of the exports from Egypt to Great Britain and Ireland, and of the imports of British produce and manufactures into Egypt, in each of the five years from 1885 to 1889, according to the Board of Trade returns: The following table shows the principal articles of export from Egypt to Great Britain, and the principal imports from Great Britain :— 1884 1885 £ £ £ £ £ 99.976 £ £ £ 6,243,709 1,458,131 | 345,002 771,712 1,402,445 589,493 163,104 5,707,573 1,704,374 38,321 761,748 1,521,005 577.286 371,233 205,922 1886 4,795,991 1,368,061 15,211 487,400 1,478,326 472,643 183.359 109,431 1887 5,098,226 1.393,876 67,293 462,044 1,596,310 585,852 118,900 104,220 1888 4,297,872 1,480,305 236,236 391.375 1,401,907 609,409 142,658 117,396 1889 5,704,017 1,683,767 104,002 315,358 1,270,304 828,928 134,494 141,390 Shipping and Navigation. The following tables show the nationality and tonnage of vessels arriving and clearing at Alexandria. Great facilities have been afforded to steamers since the completion of the docks, wharfs, and quays; and in order to still further facilitate navigation the Government have decided upon constructing a new pass, 300 feet wide and 30 deep, to enable vessels, which have often been delayed off the Port during stormy weather, to make a direct run into harbour. Arrivals and clearances of commercial vessels at Alexandria, 1885–89:— The following table shows the nationality of commercial vessels arrived and cleared in 1889: The total arrivals and clearances at Egyptian ports other than Alexandria in 1889 were 4,328 vessels of 4,134,000 tons, of which 1,816 vessels of 2,958,291 tons were British. SUEZ CANAL. The following table shows the number and gross tonnage of vessels of the leading nationalities that passed through the Canal in 1889 :— The number and gross tonnage of vessels that have passed through the Suez Canal, and the gross receipts of the company, have been as follows in 1884-89: The number of passengers who went through the canal in 1889 was 180,594. The Suez Canal is 87 miles long, 66 actual canal and 21 miles lakes, connecting the Mediterranean with the Red Sea, opened for navigation November 17, 1869. The state of the capital account was as follows in 1890 as regards bonds in circulation: 394,677 shares of 500 francs 275,028 obligations (1867-68) of 500 francs issued at 71,837 obligations (1880) issued at 330 francs each, 75,492 thirty-year bonds (1871) of 110 francs 397,754 bons de coupons,' or bonds of 85 francs each, Francs 197,338,500 82,508,200 26,999,961 7,549,200 50,188,476 33,809,090 Besides 100,000 founders' shares, with right to participate in surplus profit under certain conditions. In 1889 the founders' share of surplus profits was 2,453,676 francs. Of the above 394,677 shares, 176,602 belonged formerly to the Khedive of Egypt, and were purchased from him by the British Government in November 1875 for the sum of 3,976,5821. But the Khedive, by a convention passed in 1869 between himself and the Suez Canal Company, for the settlement of disputed claims and accounts, had alienated all dividends on his 176,602 shares up to 1894, and placed them at the disposal of the company. Against these dividends the company issued 120,000 ⚫Délégations,' which are entitled to all sums accruing on the above 176,602 shares up to 1894; the dividends which the Délégations' receive are, however, lessened by an annual sum laid aside to provide a sinking fund, sufficient to extinguish them all by the end of the year 1894. The statutes of the Suez Canal Company provide that all net earnings in excess of the 5 per cent. interest on the shares shall be divided as follows: Internal Communications. Egypt has a railway system of a total length of 1,123 miles. Gross receipts in 1889, £E1,301,529. Gross expenditure, 1889, £E585,000. The following are the statistics of passengers and goods carried for five years : The telegraphs belonging to the Egyptian Government were, at the end of 1889, of a total length of 3,640 miles, the length of the wire being 5,704 miles. The Government have also established telephone communication between Cairo and Alexandria, and have given concessions to a telephone company for urban telephone lines. The Eastern Telegraph Company, also by concessions, have telegraph lines across Egypt from Alexandria viâ Cairo to Suez, and from Port Said to Suez, connecting their cables to England and India, Number of telegrams in 1889, 693,640. The Egyptian Post Office carried 5,529,000 inland and 3,110,000 foreign letters, 473,000 post-cards, and 4,446,000 newspapers, samples, &c., during the year 1888. Thirty-one per cent. of the foreign correspondence was with Great Britain. The number of post-offices at the end of 1888 was 171. Money, Weights, and Measures. The money, weights, and measures of Egypt are- Napoleon, gold piece of 20 francs 77 P.T. = A thorough reform was effected of the Egyptian silver coinage during 1885 and 1886. Previously the coins of nearly all the countries of Europe were freely used, but now foreign silver cannot be passed except at a heavy discount. By a decree of the former Khedive, dated August 1, 1875, the metrical system of weights and measures was ordered to be introduced into Egypt on the 1st of January, 1876, compulsory only at first in all public and administrative transactions. DRY MEASURE. The Ardeb is used as the unit in all transactions in grain, &c., and is equal to 5.44046 bushels. The approximate weight of the ardeb is as follows:-Wheat, 315 rottles; beans, 320 rottles; barley, 250 rottles; maize, 315 rottles; cotton seed, 270. |