Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/627

 MONET, WEIGHTS, AND MEASURES.

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navy sailing under the flag of the United States was 3,744,319 on the 30th June 1869. — (Communication of the Secretary of the Interior to the Statesman's Year-book. )

The following shows the amount of United States, or, as commonly called, ' American ' and of foreign tonnage that entered at ports of the Union from foreign countries during the years named : —

Piscalyears ending June 30

American Tonnage

Foreign Tonnage

Excess of

American over

Foreign

Excess of

Foreign over

American

1830 1840 1850 1860 1861 1864 1866 1868 1869

967,227 1,576,946 2,573,016 5,921,285 5,023,917 3,066,434 3,372,060 3,550,550 3,402,668

131,900 712,363 1,775,623 2,353,911 2,217.554 3,471,219 4,410,424 4,495.465 5,347,694

835,327

864,583

797,393

3,567,374

2,806,363

404,785 1,038,364

944,915 1,945,026

It will be seen that in 1830 the American tonnage was seven- fold that of foreign, and that from 1840 till 1861 the aggregate tonnage of American vessels entered at seaports of the United States was more than double that of foreign vessels ; but from 1863 to 1868 it went on a decline till it came to be only 26 per cent. The steam marine during the same period showed a greater decline than that of sailing vessels, being supplanted almost entirely by foreio-n shipping. The transfer was mainly in favour of the United Kingdom.

Money, Weights, and Measures. The money, weights, and measures of the United States are :

Mo>TEY.

The Dollar, of 100 cents. . Approximate value, 4s. There are practically two denominations of value employed in the United States, the first the gold dollar, worth about 4s. British money, and the second the paper dollar, principal currency since the civil war^ worth from 3.?. lOd. to 3s. 6d., according to the rates of exchange. The average rate or ' premium on gold ' in the years 1868-69 was 141, so that, 100 gold dollars purchasing 141 dollars paper currency, the latter was worth about 3s. Legal enactments have settled that customs duties must be paid in coin, as well as the interest on the national debt of the United States, and any disbursements which the Government may have to make in the intercourse with foreign coun-