The following table gives the total value of the gold and silver bullion and specie imported into the United States, and the value of that exported, being the product of the States, in each of the ten fiscal years ended 30th June, from 1879 to 1888:

1882 42,472,390 43,480,271 1887 60,170,792 22,710,340
1883 28,489,391 21,623,181 1888 59,337,986

33,195,504

The general imports and the exports of United States produce are classified as follows for 1887-88:—

The following table shows the value of the chief exports of domestic merchandise for the year ending June 30, 1888:

The leading imports into the United States were in 1888:

Dollars

11,971,958

47,719,393 Tobacco and manufac

39,015,949

tures

14,377,790

60,507,630 India-rubber and gutta

percha

16,067,262

48,992,757

7,863,826

41,605,493

Cotton goods
Hides, furs, &c.

Silk goods
Silk, raw, and cocoons

Tea

Fruits and nuts.

28,917,799 stones
30,674,683 Animals

In 1885-86 the customs duties amounted to $189,410,448, in 1886-87 to $214,222,310, and in 1887-88 to $216,042,256. The following table shows for the year 1887-88 the value of the exports of domestic merchandise to and the imports from the following countries, according to the United States returns :—

Thus, in the year ending June 30, 1888, 52.38 per cent. of the domestic exports of the United States went to Great Britain alone, while 24.58 per cent. of the imports came from that country.

The following is the trade of the United States with Great Britain and Ireland, according to the Board of Trade returns:

The value of the total imports from Great Britain into the United States in 1883 was 36,732,5067.; in 1885, 31,094,5897.; in 1886, 37,607,8051.; in 1887, 40,240,1507.

The total quantity and value of the grain exports to Great Britain were as follows in each of the five years from 1883 to 1887 :

The most valuable of the corn exports is that of wheat and wheat flour, which amounted to 21,630,6917. in 1883; 16,706,3977. in 1885; 15,690,8947. in 1886; and 20,040,1947. in 1887. The value of the maize exports to Great Britain in 1883 was 6,860,3891.; in 1885, 5,242,5417.; in 1886, 4,093,8217.; in 1887, 2,786,4861.

The exports of raw cotton from the United States to Great Britain and Ireland were of the following quantities and value in each of the five years from 1883 to 1887:

Other considerable exports to Great Britain were, in 1887, bacon and hams, 6,339,2381.; cheese, 1,851,0041.; lard, 1,461,7311.; petroleum, 1,894,9567.; oil-cake, 1,209,9157.; oxen and bulls, 1,849,3071.; fresh beef, 1,453,4567.; tobacco, 2,399,2607.; leather, 1,638,8021.; sugar, 709,4971.

The leading articles of import of British produce into the United States are iron, wrought and unwrought, manufactured cotton goods, and manufactured linen and woollen goods. The following table gives the total value of these articles of British import in the five years from 1883 to 1887 :

Other imports are alkali, 929,6671.; jute manufactures and 1,064,9837.; silk manufactures, 924,510l., in 1887.

yarn,

The international commerce of the United States is at present mainly carried on in foreign bottoms. The shipping belonging to the United States was classed as follows for 1887: sailing vessels, 17,582, of 2,563,128 tons; steam vessels, 5,481, of 1,542,717 tons; total-23,063 vessels, of 4,105,845 tons.

Of vessels registered as engaged in the foreign trade, the aggregate burthen was in 1887 989,412 tons, showing a decrease of 98,629 tons on 1886; while of vessels engaged in the coasting trade the

total burthen was 3,010,735 tons, or 71,483 tons more than in the preceding year. In 1887, 545 sailing vessels, of 50,376 tons, and 299 steamers, of 100,074 tons, were built in the United States. The tonnage entered and cleared in the foreign trade during the last two years was as follows:

:

Of the total foreign trade in 1887-88, only 13.48 per cent. was carried in vessels belonging to the United States. The proportion has steadily decreased since 1856, when it was 75.2 per cent.

Industry.

At the census of 1880 there were 536,081,835 acres taken up in farms, being less than 30 per cent. of the total area, excluding Alaska and the Indian Territory; in 1870 the farm acreage was 407,735,041. Of this area 284,771,042 acres, or a little more than one-half, were returned as improved. The following table shows the number of farms of different sizes in 1870 and 1880:

It will thus be seen that the smaller farms have decreased in number during the decade, and that while those between 50 and 100 have only increased 37 per cent., those between 100 and 500