THE STATESMAN'S YEAR-BOOK STATISTICAL AND HISTORICAL ANNUAL OF THE STATES OF THE WORLD FOR THE YEAR 1904 EDITED BY J. SCOTT KELTIE, LL.D. SECRETARY TO THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY HONORARY CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETIES OF PARIS, BERLIN, Man sagt oft: Zahlen regieren die Welt. Das aber ist gewiss, Zahlen zeigen wie sie regiert wird, GOETHE. PREFACE In the present issue of the YEAR-BOOK an attempt has been made to bring together in the introductory section a series of statistical tables and diagrams which it is hoped may afford some clue to the conditions of British trade and shipping from 1860 down to the present date. The tables (compiled to some extent on the lines of those in the Board of Trade Blue Book) have, of course, been constructed without any bias, and it is for those who may use them to make their own deductions; but it is hoped that the methods adopted in the construction of the tables and diagrams have yielded a fairly accurate representation of the actual conditions about which there has recently been so much discussion. For valuable assistance in the compilation of these tables we are indebted to Mr. S. C. Gilmour. The maps deal to some extent with the same problems, as well as with other matters of present interest. Mr. Fred T. Jane's carefully constructed diagram, showing the distribution among the various fleets of the Belleville and other boilers, will, no doubt, prove of interest, and to him we are again indebted for the revision of the various navies. It is, perhaps, needless to say, that the statistics and other information throughout the book have been completely revised and brought up to date, in some cases up to the end of 1903. Certain changes have been necessitated by the course of events during the past year. Panama, as an independent State, is accorded a separate section. It has also been deemed advisable to remove the section devoted to the See and Church |