1,303,479, of the value of 2,274,3167., being at the rate of 34 orders to every 100 persons, and in Ireland the number was 822,542, of the value of 1,252,9217., being at the rate of 16 orders to every 100 of the population. In 1883, there were 7,369 post-office savings-banks, with 3,105,642 (an increase of 246,000 over 1882) accounts open at the end of the year, the deposits during the year amounting to 13,575,1677. (an increase of 754,000l. over 1882); and the amount standing to credit of all open accounts at end of year, 41,768,8087., an increase of 2,750,000l. over 1882. The telegraphs were transferred to the State on February 5, 1870; in 1884 there were 27,604 miles of line and 140,498 miles of wire (including private lines). The total telegraph revenue in 1884 was 1,760,8997., expenditure, 1,709,5067., leaving 51,3937. net revenue; as compared with revenue, 1,740,0637., expenditure, 1,504,2047., net revenue, 235,8591. in 1883; and revenue, 989,9217., expenditure, 874,9467., net revenue, 114,9757. in 1873. The following table gives the number of telegraphic messages (exclusive of Press and Service messages) forwarded from Postal Telegraph Stations, in each of the ten years from 1875 to 1884: Years ended March 31 England and Scotland Ireland Wales United Kingdom The total number of post offices open for the transaction of telegraph business was 5,873 in 1884, including railway telegraph offices. The gross revenue of the Post Office in 1883-4 was 9,896,053l., and expenditure 7,208,9531., leaving a net revenue of 2,687,1007., being a decrease of 374,6481. on the previous year. Colonial Possessions. The Colonies and Dependencies of Great Britain embrace about one-seventh of the land surface of the globe, and nearly a fourth of its population. The total area of these possessions is estimated at U 8,000,000 English square miles, or sixty-five times the extent of the United Kingdom. Of this vast dominion, over three and a half million square miles are in America, over a quarter of a million in Africa, over a million in Asia, and three millions in Australasia. The whole of the Colonial Possessions are, under the latest arrangements, grouped in thirty-nine administrative divisions, some of them embracing a number of formerly separate colonies. Of these colonies and groups of colonies, three are in Europe, eleven in or near America, ten in or near Africa, eight in Asia, and eight in Australasia. In Europe, the Possessions are, in alphabetical order, first, Gibraltar; second, Heligoland; and, third, Malta. In America, or adjoining the American continent, the possessions are, first, the Bahamas, a group of some 800 islands and islets, of which twenty are inhabited; second, the Bermudas, a group of about 350 islands, rocks and reefs, of which thirteen are inhabited; third, the Dominion of Canada, comprising the Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, the territories of Alberta, Assiniboia, Athabasca, Saskatchewan, and North-west Territory; fourth, the Falkland Islands, two islands of large area, and about 100 smaller islands; fifth, Guiana, on the continent of South America; sixth, Honduras, in Central America; seventh, Jamaica, to which are annexed, by an Act of Parliament, passed in 1873, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Caymans; eighth, the Leeward Islands, comprising the formerly separate colonies of Antigua, Montserrat, and the United Presidency of St. Christopher and Nevis, including Anguilla-the Virgin Islands, and Dominica, the whole united under an Act of Parliament, passed in 1871; ninth, Newfoundland, not yet included in the Dominion of Canada; tenth, the Island of Trinidad; and, eleventh, the Windward Islands, comprising the colonies of Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, and Tobago, which are under one governor-in-chief. In Africa, the colonial possessions are, first, the Island of Ascension, in the South Atlantic Ocean; second, the Cape of Good Hope, with Basuto Land and dependencies; third, the Gambia settlement, on the west coast; fourth, the Gold Coast territory; fifth, the Island of Lagos, and territories on the mainland; sixth, the Island of Mauritius, and its dependencies, in the Indian Ocean; seventh, Natal, separated from the Cape of Good Hope in 1856; eighth, the Niger delta and district of the Oil Rivers extending from Lagos to the Cameroons; ninth, the Island of St. Helena, in the South Atlantic; and, tenth, of Sierra Leone, on the West Coast of Africa. In Asia, there are, first, the town and port of Aden, in Arabia, at the entrance of the Red Sea; second, the Island of Ceylon; third, Cyprus; fourth, the Island of Hong Kong; fifth, the Empire of India; sixth, the Island of Labuan, on the coast of Borneo; seventh, the Island of Perim, in the Red Sea; and eighth, the Straits Settlements, comprising the Islands of Singapore and Penang, with the territories of Malacca and Province Wellesley, in the Malay Peninsula. Finally, in Australasia, there are the Fiji Islands, and the colonies of New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. In 1884 the town and district of Berbera, on the African coast, directly south of Aden, was garrisoned by British troops; and in the same year a protectorate was established over so much of the island of New Guinea as lies to the east of 141° E. long., with an approximate area of 100,000 square miles, and including several groups of islands off the coast. New Guinea is placed under a High Commissioner. In 1884 also part of the West African coast from Lagos to the Cameroons, including the Niger delta and the Oil Rivers, was annexed to Great Britain. To these should be added, as at least indirectly a British possession, the district of North Borneo, for which a charter was granted to a company in 1881. The district embraced in the company's claim extends to about 26,000 square miles, with a population of about 150,000. The preceding table exhibits the date of acquisition, the area, and the form of government, of the whole of the Colonial Possessions of Great Britain at the end of 1882. The form of government is stated after the definition given in the 'Colonial Office List,' under which the colonies are divided into three classes-namely, first, Crown Colonies, in which the Crown has the entire control of legislation, while the administration is carried on by public officers under the control of the Home Government; secondly, colonies possessing Representative Institutions, in which the Crown has no more than a veto on legislation, but the Home Government retains the control of public officers; and, thirdly, colonies possessing Responsible Government in which the Crown has only a veto on legislation, and the Home Government has no control over any public officer, except its own representative. The title of this representative, Governor, President, or Administrator, is added to the description of the form of government in the last column of the table. The following table gives the numbers of the population, distinguishing the sexes, of the whole of the colonial possessions, according to the latest returns. The total population of the British Empire, according to the various censuses and estimates for 1881, was 304,005,549, and the area in square miles was 8,581,556; the area and population of recent acquisitions will increase these figures considerably, but there are no reliable estimates at present available: |