Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1377

 COMMERCE — SHIPPING AND NAVIGATION

1021

The quantities and value of wine imported into the United Kingdom I'loni S]iain were as follows in each of the last five years : —

—

1893

1894

1895

1896

1897

Quantities (gallons) Value (£)

3,548,304 732,933

3,757,098 753,543

4,057,015 882,167

3,723,299 • 693,621

4,283,054 807,410

Besides wine, the following were the leading imports from Spain into the United Kingdom in the last two 3'^ears : —

Iron ore. Fruits

Lead and ore. Esparto, &c. . Silver ore

1896

1897

£ \ £

3,117,084 3,621,835

3,026,464: 3,438,604

1,002,640 1,199,024

339,612; 307,699

233,343

234,807

Pyrites Copper ore, regulus, kc. Quicksilver. Olive oil Onions

1890

1897

£

966,184

£

933,451

1,193,849| 1,244,534 285,901 332,716 200,018 7,634

219,125 247,861

The chief British exports to Spain in 1897 were linen yarn and linens, of the value of 167,265Z. ; iron, wrought and unwrought, of the value of 200,743/'. ; coal, of the value of 835, 261 ^. ; machiner}-, 393,595Z. ; cotton yarn and goods, of the value of 220,488^. ; and woollen goods, 108,612Z.

Shipping and Navigation.

The merchant navy of the Kingdom contained in 1898, 436 steamers of 341,951 tons net, and 1,145 sailing vessels of 164,504 tons net ; total, 1,581 vessels of 506,455 tons.

The shipping entered and cleared at Spanish ports in two years was as follows : —

—

1897

1S98

Entered : With cargoes .... In ballast

Total .... Cleared :

With cargoes .... In ballast

Total ....

No. 10,705 8,252

Tons 7,874,576 6,641,176

No.

9,706

7,649

Tons 7,265,436 6,012,715

18,957

14,516,752

17,355

13,278,151

15,749 1,732

13,149,055 1,100,607

15,298 1,659

13,013,250 982,670

17,481

14,249,662

16,957

13,995,920

Of the vessels entered in 1898, 8,490 of 5,495,903 tons, and of those cleared, 7,792 of 5,322,412 tons were Spanish.

Internal Communications.

The length of railways in Spain on December 31, 1897, was 8,020 English miles open for traffic. The whole of the Spanish railways belong to private companies, but nearly all have obtained guarantees or subventions from the Government.

The Post Office carried in 1896, in the inland service, 83,836,000 letters and post-cards, and 49,106,000 printed papers and samples; in the inter-