Page:History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce (Volume 3).djvu/406

 period of protection, there was an actual decrease in the amount of tonnage built and registered, while a large increase took place in the second period of open competition.

The next account shows the number and tonnage of registered sailing and steam vessels of the United Kingdom employed in the home and foreign trades respectively (excluding repeated voyages). Table showing the number and tonnage of registered and (exclusive of river steamers) of the United Kingdom employed in the Home and Foreign Trade respectively in each year, from 1849 to 1857 inclusive.

++      ||  +-+-+++-+-  Years. | Vessels. | Tons. || Years. | Vessels. | Tons. +-+-+++-+-  1849   |   9,610   |  719,815  ||   1849   |   6,694   | 2,089,037   1850   |   9,150   |  721,153  ||   1850   |   7,235   | 2,188,420   1851   |   9,266   |  764,461  ||   1851   |   7,411   | 2,348,892   1852   |   9,134   |  768,409  ||   1852   |   7,580   | 2,449,364   1853   |   8,851   |  774,813  ||   1853   |   8,357   | 2,791,224   1854   |   8,778   |  748,714  ||   1854   |   7,418   | 2,759,120   1855   |   8,590   |  748,543  ||   1855   |   7,957   | 3,018,951   1856   |   9,707   |  787,476  ||   1856   |   8,551   | 3,190,011   1857   |  10,064   |  860,406  ||   1857   |   8,100   | 3,168,105 +-+-+++-+-   ||            || +-+-+++-+-   1849   |   1,917   |  287,490  ||   1849   |  18,221   | 3,096,342   1850   |   1,507   |  227,639  ||   1850   |  17,892   | 3,137,212   1851   |   1,507   |  247,582  ||   1851   |  18,184   | 3,360,935   1852   |   1,105   |  163,111  ||   1852   |  17,819   | 3,380,884   1853   |     998   |  164,050  ||   1853   |  18,206   | 3,730,087   1854   |   1,211   |  221,259  ||   1854   |  17,407   | 3,729,093   1855   |   1,281   |  222,676  ||   1855   |  17,828   | 3,990,170   1856   |   1,012   |  178,590  ||   1856   |  19,270   | 4,156,077   1857   |   1,164   |  182,971  ||   1857   |  19,328   | 4,211,482 +-+-+++-+-

On this return it is to be observed that there has been a greater progress in the tonnage engaged in the foreign trade, where competition exists, than in the home trade, where, although that competition