15 years of age and upwards was to the whole population in the ratio of 678 to 1,000; thus the whole agricultural population was computed to be 14,900,000.

II. FORESTRY.

The forestry department is under the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce, with a council (consiglio forestale) consisting of the Director of Agriculture, the higher forestry inspectors, and a legal adviser. The executive of the department consists of inspectors of various classes and 190 guards with 25 officers (brigadieri).

The forest area is about 4,175,000 hectares. The yield from the forests, including both those free from and those under the forest regulations (vincolo), is valued at about 90,000,000 lire, as follows:

The ascertained values of produce, agricultural, animal, and forest, are thus in round numbers-Cereals, fibres, wine, fruit, &c., 3,230,000,000 lire; animals, wool, milk, cocoons, &c., 1,424,000,000 lire; forest yield, 88,000,000 lire total, 4,742,000,000 lire. The value of accessory agricultural produce, such as vegetables, fungi, poultry, eggs, &c., is not known, but the exports alone of such produce amount to about 80,000,000 lire annually.

III. MINES AND MINERALS.

The following table gives the mineral production in 1891 :

The value of the mineral products was:-in 1878, 55,078,461 lire; 1885, 58,979,950 lire ; 1887, 49,977,119; 1888, 52,377,908; 1889, 53,554,255; 1890, 63,826,933; 1891, 79,890,726. The quarries of Italy, especially its marble quarries, employ about 20,000 men; the annual output being valued at a million sterling.

IV. FISHERIES.

On December 31, 1892, the number of vessels and boats employed in fishing was 20,529, with an aggregate tonnage of 55,863. These numbers

include 79 boats of 313 tons engaged in coral fishing. At the same date there were 64,759 fishermen, of whom 7,081 were engaged in deep-sea or foreign fishing. In 1892 there went to the deep-sea fishing 1,079 boats of 11,658 tons. Of these, 25 of 101 tons were employed in coral-fishing, and 44 of 808 tons in fishing for sponges. The value of the fish caught in 1891 (excluding foreign fishing) was estimated at 15,161,318 lire, probably too low an estimate; the value obtained from tunney-fishing was 1,995,640 lire and from coral-fishing 182,950 lire, the quantity (much less than the average) being estimated at 3,953 kilogrammes.

Commerce.

The following table shows the total special imports and exports (excluding gold, coined silver, and goods in transit), and the imports and exports of the precious metals (excluding uncoined silver) in each of the last five years :—

The following table shows the value of the leading imports and exports in 1892:

The following table shows, in thousands of lire, the value of the special trade with the leading countries in 1892 :—

The value of the imports into Great Britain from Italy, and of the exports of domestic produce and manufactures from Great Britain to Italy for five years, according to the Board of Trade Returns, is shown in the following table :

Imports from Italy. 3,418,371 3,230, 131 3,093,918 3,419,281 3,284,486 Exports of British

produce to Italy. 5,762,941 7,113,040 7,757,862 6,296,560 5,564,487

The principal articles of import into Great Britain from Italy in the year 1892 were:-Olive oil, of the value of 483,4731.; hemp, 307,0691.; oranges

and lemons, 417,7107.; sulphur, 145, 6957.; chemical products, 103,9737.; shumac, 126,3447.; other dyes, 115,7887.; wine, 95,8047.; almonds, 80,6587.; stones, 144,6987.; and iron ore, 17,9217. The value of the cotton manufactures and yarn exported from Great Britain to Italy in the year 1892 amounted to 737,4801.; coals, 1,931,9237.; iron, wrought and unwrought, 529,5557.; woollen manufactures, 552,1077.; machinery, 486,8297.; refined sugar, of the value of 54,7601.; arms, ammunition, &c., 11,0491.; fish, 154,1347.; copper, wrought and unwrought, 64,9777.

The following table shows the re-exportation and transit, in thousands of lire, for eight years :—

On January 1, 1892 there were on the registers of the mercantile marine 6,624 vessels, classified as follows:

In 1892 there entered Italian ports 111,621 Italian vessels of 15,585,040 tons, and 9,478 foreign vessels of 7,450,091 tons; in all 121,099 vessels of 23,043,131 tons. There cleared from Italian ports 110,466 Italian vessels of 15,891,490 tons, and 9,429 foreign vessels of 7,405,599 tons; in all 119,895 vessels of 23,297,089 tons.

At the principal Italian ports the number of vessels entering and clearing

in 1892 were :

Of the Italian steam tonnage, more than half belongs to the 'Italian General Navigation' (Società Florio e Rubattino-Genoa and Palermo).

Internal Communications.

I. RAILWAYS.

A large portion of the Italian railways belong to the State, but in accordance with a law of April 27, 1885, the working of the State lines has been transferred to private enterprise. The contracts are for 60 years, but at the end of 20 and 40 years they may be terminated.

On January 1, 1890, there were 8,407 kilometres of State railway, 155 kilometres jointly State and companies', and 4,484 kilometres of companies' railway; in all, 13,046 kilometres. The length of the principal lines, January 1, 1893, was:-Mediterranean, 5,136 kilometres; Adriatic, 5,402 kilometres; Sicilian, 905 kilometres; Sardinian, 414 kilometres; various, 2,130 kilometres; total, 13,987 kilometres.

In 1889 the total receipts were 254,748,017 lire, of which 99,506,926 lire were for passenger traffic. In the same year the expenses were 168,394,065 lire. By slow trains there were forwarded 16,296,311 tons of goods, and by fast trains 9,053, 480 quintals of goods. The number of passengers was in all 50,989,457.

Up to January 1, 1891, there had been constructed 2,539 kilometres of tramway.

II. POSTS AND TELEGRAPHS.

During the year ending June 30, 1892, there were transmitted 182,509, 254 letters and post-cards, to which 38,428,689 Government official letters have to be added. There were sent also 4,624,616 manuscript papers, 189,341,829 periodicals and other printed matter, and 6,148,743 parcels. The money orders numbered 7,689,409, value 665,687,676 lire. On June 30, 1892, there were 5,917 post-offices.

The public telegraph service is a monopoly of the Government, certain concessions, however, being made to the railway and tramway companies. On June 30, 1892, the length of line and wire on land was :