Revenue and Expenditure. The following table shows the actual revenue and expenditure for the years ending March 31. They are revised so as to exclude, in accordance with the system now adopted, the army and navy extra receipts, and the contributions by India for military charges, formerly brought to account as revenue : Expend. 1 Expend- iture. 1884... £86,160,184 £85,954,564 1892.. £90,994,786 £89,927,773 1885. 87,988, 110 89,037,883 1893. 90,395, 377 90,375,365 1886. 89,581,301 92,223,844 1894, 91,133,410 91, 302, 846 1887. 90,772,758 89,996,752 1895. 94,683,762 93,918,421 1888. 89,802, 254 87,423,645 1896. 101,973,829 97,764,357 1889. 88,472,812 87,683,830 1897 103,949,885 101,476,669 1890. 89,304,316 106,614,004 102,935,994 1891. 89,489,112 87,732,855 The following statement shows the oscillations of the national debt of the kingdom from 1748: Annual Principal. Charge. At the end of the Spanish War, 1748......... £75,812,132 £3,165,765 Decrease during eight years' peace...... 1,237,107 412, 199 At the commencement of the Seven Years' War, 74,575,025 2,753.566 Increase during the war... 58,141,024 2,279,167 At the Peace of Paris, 1763...... 132,716,049 5,032, 733 Decrease during twelve years' peace. 5,873,238 329,214 At the commencement of the American War 126,842,811 4.703,519 Increase during the war....... 116,220,334 4,837,737 At the end of the American War. 1784.... 243,063,145 9,514,256 Decrease during the peace.. 3,399,724 109,077 At the commencement of the French War, 239,663,421 9,432,179 Increase during the war.... 297,989,587 10,836,372 At the Peace of Amiens, 1802.... 537,653,008 20,268,551 Increase during war with Napoleon 323,386,041 12,377,067 At the Peace of Paris, 1815....... 461,039,049 32,645, 618 Decrease during forty years... 91,956,500 4,930,415 At commencement of Crimean War, 769, 082,549 27,715,203 Increase during the war..... 39,026,173 834,836 Debt in 1857... 808, 108,722 28,550,039 Decrease since the Crimean War 151,109,781 3,550,039 Debt on March 31, 1895.... 656,998,941 25,000,000 Debt on March 31, 1896.. 648,474,143 25,000,000 Debt on March 31, 1897.. 640,773,679 25,000,000 Debt on March 31, 1898..... 634.435,704 25,000,000 Agriculture. The statement following shows the acreage in cereals and green crops in Great Britain and Ireland respectively : GREAT BRITAIN. Description of Crops. PRODUCE OF PRINCIPAL CROPS. 1895. 1896. 1897. 1893. 5.555 6,437 6,603 5,239 Tons. 1894. 1.000 7.085 2,789 118 54 6 12 10 Tons. Potatoes.... 1,000 Tons. 3,472 4.490 1.000 1.000 Tons. Tons. 2,701 1,498 4.783 4,134 1.8 The following facts are taken from Mulhall: Since 1846 there has been a decline in acreage of nearly two millions, but this has been compensated by the increased pastoral industry. Below are shown the figures : 1846........... 1895........... Year. Total. 44,870,000 8,870,000 11,180,000 27,830,000 47,880,000 The average production of crops and meat for the three years 1893-4-5 was: Wheat, 1,249,000 tons; barley, 1,820,000 tons; oats, etc., 4,460,000 tons; potatoes, 6,100,000 tons; turnips, 30,300,000 tons; hay, 12,300,000 tons: meat, 1,100,000 tons. Notwithstanding that the price of grain has fallen 40 per cent. since 1846, the gross value of farm products then was £218,000,000, as against £230,000,000, the average value for 1893-45. The following figures will show the relation between labor and production and the influence of machinery thereon: 62 Year. Hands. Product, £'s. £'s Per Hand. 1846.. 3,519,000 218,000,000 1895.... 2,527,000 230,000,000 From these figures it may be deduced that two men now produce in quantity what five did then. The fluctuations of agricultural capital are shown below in millions pounds sterling : 1880. 1780. Land.... 2,086 207 1895. 1,686 202 189 230 . COAL AND IRON ORE-PRODUCTION AND VALUES. ----Iron Ore-- Value. Value. Tons. 3.926,445 3.190,647 189,661,362 57,231,213 12.615,415 2,865,709 195,361,260 57,190,147 13.700.764 3,150,424 202, 129,931 59,740,009 14.008,500 1890.. * Includes Isle of Man and Channel Islands. 1885.......... 500,010 PRODUCTION OF BESSEMER INGOTS. PRODUCTION OF OPEN-HEARTA STEEL INGOTS. Year. Gross Tons. 1,304,127 1885 583,918 1890... 2,014.813 1890. 1,564,200 1894 1,535,384 1894. 1,575,318 1895... 1.535,225 1,724,737 1898.. 1,815,842 1896. 2,317,555 1,884,155 | 1897.. 2,601,806 1895.. 1897... IMPORTS, EXPORTS, CONSUMPTION, AND STOCK OF COTTON. The following shows the quantities of each description of cotton for 1897, in thousands of pounds, and the corresponding totals of previous years : 1897. Import. Export. Consumption. Stock Dec. 31. American.... 1,420.530 356,285 Brazilian...... 17.300 3,017 53,876 Peru, West Indian, 8,951 4,816 East Indian, etc.... 41,479 2,924 Total, 1897.... 1,787,077 420,918 Total, 1896. 1.806,087 191,090 587,027 Total, 1895. 1.815.074 209,211 616,690 Total, 1894 1,834,546 642,781 Total, 1893.. 1,498,062 235,580 666,005 Egyptian indian, etc...... AVERAGE PRICE OF COTTON. Ellison & Co., of Liverpool, give the following estimate of the average price of cotton at that port for a series of years: 1897. 1896. 1895. 1894. 1893. 1892. 1891. 1890. 1889. 1888. d. d. d. Import....... 45-16 434 43-16 456 53-16 4 13-16 5 5-16 5 13-16 5 11-16 5 17-32 Export....... 47-164 11-16 4 3-16 4 5-16 51-16 411-16 4 15-16 55-16 54 476 Consumpt'n.. 45-16 444 458 53 16 4 13-16 55-16 5 15-16 5 19-32 d. d. d. d. d. d. WOOL. Left for Total Home Con- Total. Exports. sumption. Lbs. Lbs. 1893.... 151,000,000 696,000,000 847.000.000 485,000,000 1894. 142,000,000 865,000,000 358,000,000 507.000.000 189... 135,000,000 426,000,000 510,000,000 1896... 136,000,000 520,000,000 1897... 139,000,000 767,000,000 906,000,000 411,000,000 495,000,000 -Value FLAX, HEMP, AND JUTE. -- --Quantity - € 1897. 1897. From Russia...... 73,379 67,227 77,874 1,998,482 23,937 131,918 20,715 22,270 16,484 1,024,206 Other count 1,101 1,505 1,276 24,641 Total.. 98.802 95,199 102,622 3,203,184 Hemp-Dressed, undressed, and Tow or Codilla of From Russia.. 7.416 11.071 12,540 177,507 201,845 419,154 94,614 111,228 Total... 89,906 Jute............. ........... 336,919 Total of flax, hemp, and jute. 526,627 97,951 392,025 340,649 1,763,459 4,142,610 9,109,253 4,167,992 9,236,794 2,087,367 4,358,036 9,716,543 527.565 592,598 Fisheries. The quantity and value of fish, excluding shell fish, landed on the coast of the United Kingdom for the year 1897 were as follows: England and Wales, 397,260 tons, value £5,568,494 ; Scotland, 250,087 tons, value £1,627,622; Ireland, 40,918 tons, value £283,944: total United Kingdom, 688,283 tons, value £7,480,000; including shell fish, £7,907,569. Imports and Exports. Total Total Imports and Exports. Exports. 1890. £120,691,997 £64,721,533 £263,530,585 £328,252,118 £748,944,115 1891. 435,441,264 61,878,568 247,235,150 309,113,718 744,554,982 1892. 423,793,882 64,423,767 227, 138,270 291,640,166 715,434,048 1893.... 404,688,178 58,878,552 218,259,718 277, 138,270 681,826,448 1894. 408,344,810 57,780,230 216.005,637 273,785,867 682,130,677 1895. 416,689,658 59,704,161 226, 128, 246 285,832, 407 702,522,005 1896. 441,808,904 56,233,663 240,145,551 296,379,214 738,188,118 1897... 451,238,683 59,833,677 234,350,003 294,183,680 745, 422,363 1895. £8.966 140,242 25.058 CLASSES OF ARTICLES FOR TWELVE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31. 1897. 1896. Animals, living (for food).. £11.380 £10.438 (A.) Articles of food and drink, duty free.... 151,550 147.000 (B.) Articles of food and drink, dutiable.. 26,791 25,568 Tobacco, dutiable... 4,072 4,352 Metals. ...........: 21.265 20,492 Chemicals, dyestuffs, and tanning substances..... 6,006 6,776 Oils..... 7,841 8,459 Raw materials for textile manufactures... 70,263 74.757 Raw materials for sundry industries and manufactures. 52,085 47.241 Manufactured articles, 85,038 81,379 (A.) Miscellaneous articles....... 14,139 14,330 (B.) Parcel post.......... 1,004 1.012 Total value,.... ................ £451,238 £441.808 18,656 6,558 8,111 70,769 44,024 75,601 14,367 978 U . . . . £416,689 Exports of British and Irish produce and manufactures (in thousands of pounds): Animals, living ....... (A.) Yarns and textile fabrics... chinery)......................................... tured.... (G.) Parcel post.... Total value................ ..................... 101,377 28,888 15,150 9,307 8,288 Grain and flour....... |