Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/563

 BERMUDAS

219

AMERICA.

Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados. See West Indies.

BERMUDAS.

Governor.— Lient-Gon. G. Digby Barker, C.B. (2,946Z.), assisted by an Executive Council of 6 members appointed by the Crown, a Legis- lative Council of 9 members, also appointed by the Crown, and a repre- sentative House of Assembly of 36 members ; 1,111 electors.

A Colony, with representative government, consisting of a group of 360 small islands (18 to 20 inhabited), 580 miles east of North Carolina, and 677 miles from New York, noted for their climate and scenery ; favourite winter resort for Americans.

Area, 20 square miles (12,000 acres, 4,000 under cultivation). Popula- tion in 1897, 16,098 (including 6,184 whites) ; 10,627 belong to Church of England (census 1891). In 1897 572 births (93 illegitimate), 124 marriages, 385 deaths. Education : 57;:.schools, with 1,404 pupils, 24 of the schools receiving Government grants, 1,224?. annually. In 1897 185 persons summarily convicted, and 17 sentenced by superior court. Chief town Hamilton, 1,296 population. Average strength of Imperial forces, 3,178. Bermuda is an important naval base on the North America and West India Station, with dockyard, victualling establishment, &c.

—

1893

1894

1895

1896

1897

Revenue Expenditure.

£ 34,893 33,713

£

32,475 34,216

£ 37,830 33,006

£

34,256 34,717

35,965 35,704

for 1898-99 the estimated revenue is 34,603?., and expenditure 38,722Z. Chief source of revenue: customs, 28,117?. in 1897-98. Chief items of expenditure : salaries, public works, ecclesiastical, education. Contribution by Home Government, 2,200?. Public debt (1897), 46,100?.

Savings bank deposits, 20,781?.

—

1893

1894

1895

1896

1897

Exports. Imports.

£

129,069 327,580

£

98,377 286,047

£ 115,913 305,514

£ 108,613 304,970

£ 127,703 323,148

Imports subject to duty, 318,556?. ; duty free, 4,592?. Imports from Great Britain, according to the Colonial Blue Book, in 1897, 95,424?., and exports to the same, 3,519?.

Food supplies are mostly imported from the United States and Canada, and nearly all the export produce of Bermuda goes to those two countries. In 1897 onions exported, 81,463?. ; lily bulbs, 8,080?. ; potatoes, 18,052?.

The registered shipping consisted (1898) of 2 steam vessels of 651 tons net, and 23 sailing vessels of 5,469 tons net ; total net tonnage, 6,120.

In 1897 the total tonnage of vessels entered and cleared was 346,538, of