Page:History of the Fylde of Lancashire (IA historyoffyldeof00portiala).pdf/273

 other indications, that this branch of commerce will continue to develope with equal, if not greater, rapidity. Again, it should be remembered, when considering the falling off in the numerical strength of the coasting vessels trading here, that those now plying are of much greater carrying capacity than formerly, and consequently the actual exports and imports have not suffered diminution in anything like the same proportion as the ships themselves. A series of tabular statements of all the most important and interesting matters connected with the harbour from the earliest obtainable dates has been prepared from the official returns made to the custom-house during each twelve months, and subjoined will be found a list of the vessels retained on the register as belonging to the port at the end of the years indicated, with their tonnages and the number of hands forming the crews:—

Steam	                  Sailing Year. Vessels. Tonnage. Hands. Vessels. Tonnage. Hands.

1850     3         739       49       15        560      54 1851      3         739       49       21        856      77 1852      3         739       49       24       1495     104 1853      4         806       54       31       4002     196 1854      2         560       32       41       5337     261 1855      3         586       35       49       4933     267 1856      4         978       52       51       5458     280 1857      3         952       49       71       7839     391 1858      4         968       54       79       8168     427 1859      4         968       54       76       6930     392 1860      4         968       54       84      12075     570 1861      5        1508       74       93      14760     640 1862      4        1249       62       89      13957     602 1863      4        1249       62       85      12147     567 1864      5        1355       71       81      10338     513 1865      6        1372       74       83       9757     479 1866      6        1372       74       80       8831     454 1867      6        1779       90       77       9265     451 1868      6        1779       90       85      11226     515 1869      5        1239       70       99      12601     587 1870      7        1797       93      104      12546     609 1871      7        1571       81      115      13642     690 1872      7        1571       81      133      15161     789 1873      7        1994       92      150      19379     947 1874      7        1994      122      162      22598    1045 1875      9        2671      160      165      22655    1061

The foregoing tables, taken by themselves, would seem to