which is also a colonial court of admiralty, with powers as provided in the Imperial "Colonial Courts of Admiralty Act, 1890." There is a Superior Court in each province; county courts, with limited jurisdiction, in most of the provinces; all the judges in these courts being appointed by the GovernorGeneral. Police magistrates and justices of the peace are appointed by the Provincial Governments.

In 1897, 8,027 persons were charged with indictable offences; of these 5,721 were convicted, 4 being sentenced to death, 609 sent to the penitentiary, and the rest sentenced to various terms of imprisonment; and 32,257 were summarily convicted, 27,147 of these with the option of a fine.

Finance.

The financial accounts of the Dominion of Canada are made up under three different headings—namely, first, Consolidated Fund,' comprising the general sources of revenue and branches of expenditure; secondly, 'Loans' in revenue, and 'Redemption' with 'Premiums and Discounts' in expenditure; and thirdly, 'Open accounts.' The headings 'Loans' and 'Redemption' include the deposits in and withdrawals from the Post Office and Government Savings Banks, the amount on deposit forming part of the floating or unfunded debt of the country. Under the head of 'Open Accounts' are included investments, trust funds, Province accounts, and expenditure on capital account on public works.

The revenue and expenditure, Consolidated Fund, for five fiscal years ending June 30, have been :

The total actual receipts and expenditure, under these three divisions, were as follows in the financial year ending June 30, 1898 :

The actual sources of revenue and branches of expenditure comprised under the division called Consolidated Fund were as follows in the financial year, ending June 30, 1898 :

The public debt of the Dominion, incurred chiefly on account of public works, and the interest of which forms the largest branch of the expenditure, was as follows on July 1, 1898 :

There are assets which make the net debt 263,956,399 dollars. The following shows the gross and net debts in five years :

The total burden of the debt, after deducting assets, is 107. 9s. 6d. per head, and of the annual charge for interest and management 88. 54d. The expenditure on canals and railways alone by the Government amounted to over 34 millions sterling up to 1897. At the census of 1891 it was found that the value of the capital invested in manufacturing industries of various kinds was 72 millions sterling, and the annual value of the products 97 millions.

PROVINCIAL REVENUES, EXPENDITURES, AND DEBTS, 1897.

The Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence form a barrier between Central Canada and the United States, but the eastern provinces and Western Canada have neither natural barriers nor fortifications. With the exceptions of Halifax, a small fort at St. John, New Brunswick, and the fortifications at Esquimalt on the Pacific coast, there are practically no fortifications in Canada. Esquimalt is used as a victualling yard.

In addition to the troops maintained by the Imperial Government—the strength of which was reduced, in the year 1871, to 2,000 men, forming the garrison of the fortress of Halifax, considered an 'Imperial Station'Canada has a large militia force. By the terms of the Act passed in March 1868 the militia consists of all male British subjects between 18 and 60, who may be called out to serve in four classes, according to age and condition, married or single. The militia is divided into an active and a reserve force. The active includes the land and marine militia, and consists of those who voluntarily enlist, or of men balloted, or in part of both. The active militia serve for three years. The reserve militia consists of the whole of the men between the ages of 18 and 60 not serving in the active militia of the time being, with certain exemptions. The number of men to be drilled annually is limited to 45,000 and the period of drill to 16 days every year. The establishment of the active militia, June 30, 1897, amounted to 36,204 officers and men, comprising 9 regiments, 1 squadron, 3 troops of cavalry; 1 brigade, 15 batteries of field artillery; 5 battalions, 9 companies of garrison artillery; 2 companies of engineers; and 91 battalions, 6 companies of infantry. The permanent corps, combined with which are schools of instruction, consist of the Royal Canadian Dragoons (2 troops), Royal Canadian Artillery (3 batteries), and the Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry (4 companies). The establishment is 863 of all ranks. There is also a Royal

Military College at Kingston, founded in 1875. The Dominion is divided into twelve military districts, each district being commanded by a Deputy Adjutant-General, whose appointment is permanent. A small-arms ammunition factory is in operation in Quebec. There is at present no active marine militia, the naval defences of the country being the care of the Imperial authorities. According to the Navy List thirteen ships are on the North America and West India Stations, besides seven others on the Pacific Station.

Production and Industry.

Agriculture. Of the total area of Canada in 1891, there were 28,537,242 acres of improved land out of 60,287,730 acres of occupied land. Of the improved lands, 19,904,826 acres were under crop, being 4,792,542 acres more than were under crop in 1881. The acreage under pasture in 1891 was 15,284,788 acres, an increase of 8,899,226 acres since 1881. The acreage under wheat in 1891 was 2,723,861 acres, an increase of 381,506 acres in ten years. The average yield of 1891 per acre was 15 4 bushels, an increase of 1.6 bushels per acre over the yield of 1881. There is a central experimental farm near Ottawa, and others in several of the provinces. In 1895 there were 195 ranches in the N.-W. Territories covering an area of 904,187 acres.

The forest

Forestry. The timber wealth of Canada is very large, and timbering one of its most important industries. The forest area is estimated at 1,248,798 square miles. The forest products of 1891 were valued at 80,071,415 dollars, of which 27,207,547 dollars were exported. The census returns show an aggregate of 2,045,073,072 cubic feet as the total cut of the year. products exported to the United Kingdom in 1897 amounted in value to 14,973,292 dollars out of a total of 32,937,976 dollars. The recently introduced wood pulp industry is increasing rapidly, the exportable surplus being 741,960 dollars in 1897, chiefly going to Great Britain and the United States. The Crown forests belong to the Provincial Governments, except in Manitoba, the N. W. Territories, and the Railway Belt (forty miles wide), in British Columbia, where they belong to the Dominion.

Fisheries.-The total value of the produce of the fisheries of Canada in 1896 was 20,407,424 dollars; in 1895, 20,185,298 dollars. The values of the principal catches in 1896 were: cod, 3,610,979 dollars; salmon, 4,009,679 dollars; herring, 2,909,744 dollars; lobsters, 2,205,762 dollars, and mackerel, 727,743 dollars. In 1896, according to provinces, the values were: Nova Scotia, 6,070,895 dollars; British Columbia, 4,183,999; New Brunswick, 4,799,433; Quebec, 2,025,754; Ontario, 1,605,674; Prince Edward Island, 976,126; Manitoba and N. W. Territories, 745,543.

Mining.-Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Quebec, N. and W. Ontario, and part of the N.-W. Territories, are the chief mining districts of Canada. The total value of the mineral produce of Canada was in 1897, 28,779,173 dollars; in 1896, 22,609,825 dollars. The principal product is coal, of which in 1896, 3,745,716 tons were raised, valued at 7,226,462 dollars; in 1897, 3,876,201 tons valued at 7,442,204 dollars. Among the other minerals produced in 1897 were gold, 6,190,000 dollars; nickel, 1,400,000 dollars: asbestos, 324,700 dollars; petroleum, 1,011,546 dollars; copper, 1,501,660 dollars; silver, 3,322,000 dollars; lead, 1,396,850 dollars; iron ore, 178,719 dollars. It is estimated that the coal-bearing area of the N.-W. Territories extends over 65,000 square miles.

Commerce.

The following statement gives the total value1 of exports and of imports, and the total value of imports entered for home consumption in the Dominion, in each of the years named :

109,673,447

113,093,983

The following table shows the share of the leading countries in the commerce of Canada in the last two years in thousands of dollars :

1 The returns of values of imports and exports are those supplied in entries at the Customs, where imports must be entered for dnty at their fair market value as for home consumption in the country of purchase. Quantities are ascertained from invoices and by examination, wines are gauged and spirits tested. The country of origin of imports is the country of purchase or whence shipment was made to Canada; the country of destination is that to which shipment is made. Thus, Canadian wheat, purchased by New York dealers, shipped to and entered in bond at New York, and thence exported to Great Britian, would appear only as exported from Canada to the United States. The only Canadian port where transit trade is recorded is Montreal, such trade comprising chiefly goods received from the United States and transhipped to other countries by the St. Lawrence route. Transit trade is not included in the general trade, which comprises all other imports into and exports from Canada. The term "special trade," in Canada, is applied to imports from Newfoundland which are exempt from duties leviable on similar goods from other countries.

The accuracy of the statistical results may at times be affected by fraudulent misdescription or undervaluation by importers, and by the adoption of "sight entries" which, under the Customs Act, may be passed when importers declare on oath that, for want of full information, they cannot make a perfect entry. In such circumstances the goods may be landed, examined, and (a sum being deposited sufficient, in the collector's opinion, to pay the duty) delivered to the importer. A time is fixed within which a perfect entry should be made, but when this time has elapsed the deposit is held as payment of the duty, and the provisional valuation, which may be only approximate, is not corrected. Statistics of exports may be affected in two ways: large quantities of goods are shipped at remote points where no officer is stationed, and the prescribed entry outwards is not unfrequently neglected, while, on the other hand, it may happen, by the mistake of officers or of carriers' agents, that exports already entered outwards at the inland port of shipment are recorded also at the point of exit from Canada.