The following table gives the length of lines open, the capital paid up, the number of passengers conveyed, and the traffic receipts of all the railways of the United Kingdom from 1890 to 1896:

Working expenses for 1895 were £47,876,637, and the net receipts £38,046,065; in 1896 expenses. were £50,192,400, and net receipts £39,926,700.

CANALS AND OTHER NAVIGABLE WATERS.

At the latest date available-1888-the length, traffic, revenue, and expenditure of the canals and navigations in England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland, which do not, and of those which do, belong to railway companies were as follows:

The paid-up capital of these waterways not belonging to railway companies was, in 1888, in England and Wales, £20,959,820; in Scotland, £1,254,047; in Ireland, £2,071,308; total, £24,285,175. The Manchester Ship Canal, opened in 1894, is 35 miles in length, 26 feet in depth, and (except for 26 miles near Latchford) not less than 120 feet in bottom width. The minimum width of the locks is 65 feet. The large docks at Manchester are 26 feet deep, and the smaller 20 feet. The canal is in direct communication with all the large canals of the district. The capital of the company is £15,412,000.

POST CARDS, BOOK PACKETS, NEWSPAPERS, AND PARCELS DELIVERED IN 1895-96 AND 1896-97.

The following table gives the number of telegraphic messages forwarded from postal-telegraph stations:

The sovereign weighs 123.274 grains or 7.9881 grammes, .916 (or eleven-twelfths) fine, and consequently it contains 113.001 grains or 7.3224 grammes of fine gold.

The shilling weighs 87.27 grains or 5.6552 giammes, .925 (or thirty-seven fortieths) fine, and thus contains 80.727 grains or 5.231 grammes of fine silver.

Bronze coins consist of a mixture of copper, tin, and zinc. The penny weighs 145.83 grains or 9.45 grammes.

The standard of value is gold. Silver is legal tender up to 40 shillings; bronze up to 12d., but farthings only up to 6d. Bank of England notes are legal tender.

The following table shows the amount of gold, silver, and bronze moneys issued from the Royal Mint, London, and of light gold coin and worn silver coin sent in for re-coinage:

There is no State bank in the United Kingdom, but the Bank of England, the Bank of Scotland, and the Bank of Ireland have royal charters, and the first and the last lend money to the Government. There were in October, 1896, 97 joint-stock banks making returns in England and Wales, with 2,794 branches: 4 in the Isle of Man and Channel Islands, with 14 branches; 10 in Scotland, 1,015 branches; and 9 in Ireland, 509 branches. There were 29 offices in London of colonial joint-stock banks, with 1,585 branches; and 24 of foreign banks, with 168 branches. Of 27 private banks which made returns in England and Wales, the deposits amounted to £47,298,061; cash in hand and at call, £12,717,640; partners' capital and reserve, £8,594,452.

* Received for exchange at nominal value under provision of Coinage Acts, 1889 and 1891. In the years 1890, 1891, and 1892, there was purchased at bullion value gold coin to the amounts respectively of £973,437, £293,021, and £1,168,125.

End of

1844.

1854.

Issue Department

Notes
Issued.

THE BANK OF ENGLAND.

Securities. Bullion.

Capital

and
"Rest."

Post Bills. Securities.

Notes in

Coin in

the "Re- the "Reserve."

serve."

In £1,000's. In £1,000's. In £1,000's. In £1,000's. In £1,000's. In £1,000's. In £1,000's. In £1,000's. 28.152

14,000

14,000

14.650

14,152

17,664

17,744

16,391 17.334

24,304
27.093

8,960

LITTIITI

17,910
17,646

22,078

791 679 714 709 883

30,611

8,663

35,784

15,000

1884

15,750

20,784
19,812

34,206

1894

16.800

17,720

37,223

58,367

1896.

48,935

16,800
16,800

41,567
32,135

LONDON JOINT-STOCK BANKS.

The following statistics show the condition of the metropolitan Joint-stock banks on June 30, 1897, compared with previous periods;

The following are some statistics of the Joint-stock banks of the Kingdom for October, 1896:

-Scotland

1895.

-Ireland1896. 1895.

-U. Kingdom-1896. 1895.

-England—~—Wales1896. 1895. 1896. 1895. 1896. Received..... £6,848,889 £6,531,154 £83,546 £77,249 £4,623,017 £4,016,439 £468,677 £457,748 £12,024,129 £11,082,590 Interest cred 736,656 735,808 15,718 15,858 324,025 294,548 50,657 48,619 1,127,056 1,094,833 Paid..... 7,640,072 6,678,659 97,577 145,214 3,601,013 3,101,308 425,517 416,465 11,764,179 10.339,646 Due depos'rs 29,923,512 29,978,039 648,762 647,075 13,946,199 12,600,170 2,181,214 2,087,397 46,689,687 45,372,681

The objects to which the capital was applied in 1836 are classified, as nearly as practicable, as follows:

Articles subject to import duties in the United Kingdom, and the rate of duty levied upon each article according to the tariff in operation at the present time:

Cocoa. - Raw, per lb., 1d.; husks and shells, per cwt., 2s.; cocoa or chocolate, ground, prepared, or in any way manufactured, per lb., 2d.

Coffee.-Raw, per cwt., 14s.: kiln-dried, roasted, or ground, per lb., 2d.

Chicory.-Raw or kiln-dried, per cwt., 13s. 3d.; roasted or ground, per lb., 2d.; coffee, chicory, or other vegetable matter applicable to the uses of coffee or chicory, roasted and ground, mixed, per lb., 2d. Fruit (Dried). Currants, 2s. per cwt.; figs, fig-cake, plums, prunes, and raisins, 7s. per cwt. Tea, per lb., 4d. Tobacco, per lb.-Unmanufactured: containing in every 100 lbs. weight thereof 10 lbs. or more of moisture, 3s. 2d. ; containing less than 10 lbs. of moisture, 3s. 6d.; manufactured: cigars, 5s.; cavendish or negrohead, 48, 6d. ; cavendish or negrohead manufactured in bond, 4s.; snuff, containing in every 100 lbs. weight thereof more than 13 lbs. of moisture, 3s. 9d.; not more than 13 lbs. of moisture, 4s. 6d.; other manufactured tobacco, 4s. Wine, per gallon.-Not exceeding 30 degrees of proof spirit, ls.; exceeding 30 but not exceeding 42 degrees of proof spirit, 2s. 6d. With an additional duty of 3d. per gallon for every degree or part of a degree beyond the highest above charged. The word "degree" does not include fractions of the next higher degree. Wine includes lees of wine. The duty on sparkling wine imported in bottle, in addition to the duties in respect of alcoholic strength, 2s. Beer of the descriptions called mum, spruce, or black beer, and Berlin white beer, and other preparations, whether fermented or not fermented, of a character similar to mum, spruce, or black beer, where the worts thereof were, before fermentation, of a specific gravity not exceeding 1.215 degrees, for every 36 gallons, £1 3s.; exceeding 1.215 degrees, £1 12s. 10d. Beer of any other description, where the worts thereof were, before fermentation, of a specific gravity of 1.055 degrees, for every 36 gallons, 7s.; and so on in proportion for any difference in gravity. Spirits or Strong Waters.-Spirits of any description (except perfumed spirits), including naphtha or methylic alcohol, purified so as to be potable; and mixtures and preparations containing spirits, per proof gallon, 10s. 6d, perfumed spirits, per gallon, 17s. 3d.; liqueurs, cordials, or other preparations containing spirits, in bottle, entered in such a manner as to indicate that the strength is not to be tested, per gallon, 14s. 8d.; and so in proportion for any less quantity.

Chloroform, per lb., 3s. 1d.

Chloral Hydrate, per lb., 1s. 3d.

Collodion, per gallon, £1 5s.

Confectionery, in the manufacture of which spirit has been used, in addition to any other existing duty, per lb., 1⁄2d.

Ether, Acetic, per lb., 18. 10d.

Ether, Sulphuric, per gallon, £1 6s. 2d.

Ether, Butyric, per gallon, 15s. 8d.

Ethyl, Iodide of, per gallon, 13s. 7d.

Soap (Transparent), in the manufacture of which spirit has been used, per lb., 3d.

Playing Cards, per dozen packets, 3s. 9d.

CUSTOMS DRAWBACKS.

Coffee. On roasted coffee exported as ships' stores, a drawback equal in amount to the import duty on raw coffee shall be allowed. Tobacco. Upon tobacco containing 14 per cent, of moisture manufactured in Great Britain and Ireland upon which the duties of Customs shall have been paid, on the same being by any licensed manufacturer exported as merchandise or deposited in any bonded warehouse to be used as ships' stores, and packed in whole and complete cases, each containing not less than 80 lbs. net weight, and in proportion if the moisture exceeds or is less than 14 per cent., drawback shall be allowed. Snuff.-Upon snuff manufactured in Great Britain and Ireland, on the exportation thereof or on deposit in the Queen's warehouse to be abandoned, provided the quantity of inorganic matter contained therein does not exceed the proportion of 18 lbs. in every 100 lbs., exclusive of water, drawback shall be allowed. If the snuff contains more than such proportion of inorganic matter, a deduction is to be made from the drawback in respect of every pound of the excess above such proportion.