steamers and 13 sailing vessels, most of the latter laid up in harbour. The steamers comprise— 8 corvettes, with a total of 53 guns and of 5,425 horse-power. Total 30 steamers, with 108 guns and of 7,495 horse-power. The largest war-ship of the Portuguese navy is the ironclad cor vette Vasco do Gama, built at the Thames Ironworks, Blackwall, and launched in January 1876. The Vasco do Gama has an unusually sharp prow for 'ramming.' The ship is plated with armour 10 inches thick, and carries two 18-ton guns, one 62-ton, and two 40-pounder guns. The length of the Vasco do Gama is 216 feet, the depth 25 feet, and the breadth, 40 feet. Her displacement is 2,480 tons, horse-power 3,600, and speed about 13 knots. The only other two notable vessels of the navy are the unarmoured screw-corvettes Rainha de Portugal and Mindello, both built at Blackwall, and launched in October 1875. They are sister vessels, 170 feet long, and 36 feet in breadth, and 1,124 tons displacement, with engines of 900 horse-power, each having an armament of 8 guns, two of 90 cwt. and six 40-pound Armstrong cannon. Two gunboats were being built in 1884. The navy is officered by 1 vice-admiral, 10 rear-admirals, and 43 captains; 41 lieutenant-captains; 151 lieutenants; and manned by 3,370 sailors in 1884. The fortified places of Portugal are mostly in a state of decay; they are Elvas, Jerumenha, Campo Mayor, Marvao, Peniche, Nonsando, Almeida, and the forts of Lisbon; there are several naval harbours. Area and Population. Portugal is divided into six provinces, the area of which and population, according to the two last censuses, taken in December 1869, and on the 1st of January, 1878, is given in the subjoined table: To the kingdom belong likewise the Azores, or Western Islands, containing an area of 966 Eng. square miles, with a population of 259,800 inhabitants; and Madeira and Porto Santo, with 317 square miles and a population of 130,584. The population of Continental Portugal was estimated at 4,306,554 in 1881, and of the whole kingdom at 4,708,178. The population increased only 4.1 per cent. in the nine years, or at the average rate of less than per cent. per annum. Of the total population, mainland and islands, in 1878, 2,175,829 were males, and 2,374,870 females. The average density in the mainland is 111 per square mile; it is greatest in province Minho, 367 per square mile; and least in Alemtejo, where it is only 34 per square mile. The only non-Portuguese element in the population of any consequence is the gipsies; there are about 3,000 negroes in the coast towns. Portugal had in 1878 two towns with a population of above 20,000 -Lisbon, with 246,343; and Oporto, with 105,838 inhabitants; the population of Braga was 19,755, Funchal, 19,752, Ponta Delgada, 17,635. The emigration from Portugal (including the Azores and Madura): in the ten years 1872-81 amounted to 133,088. In 1872 it was 17,284; in 1875, 15,440; in 1879, 13,208; in 1880, 12,597; in 1881, 14,637. Of the total number in the ten years 129,549 went to America, mainly to Brazil. In 1879, 12,497 persons were accused before the criminal courts, and 8,130 condemned, being at the rate of 0.18 per cent. of the population of mainland and colonies. The following table gives the number of births, deaths, and marriages, with the surplus of births over deaths, in each of the three years from 1873 to 1875 : The commerce of Portugal has increased rapidly in recent years. During the 30 years ending 1881, the imports had nearly doubled, and the exports had increased 66 per cent. The following table shows the value of the imports and exports for 1881, 1882, and صبر: 1883 The following table shows the value of the leading exports and imports for 1883: The commercial relations of Portugal are largely with Great Britain, although there has been a decrease in recent years both in imports and exports; they each form about 45 per cent. of the total. In 1881 Portugal imported to the value of 1,177,6261. from the United States, of which 1,000,000l. was for breadstuffs; the exports to the United States were only one-sixth of the imports. The share of France is 12 per cent. of imports and 6 per cent. of exports; Brazil, 6 per cent. of former and 24 per cent. of latter. The subjoined table gives the total value of the exports from Portugal to Great Britain, and of the imports of British produce into Portugal in the five years 1879 to 1883 : Years F 1,899,039 2,092,824 1,956,908 1,982,184 Wine is the staple article of export from Portugal to the United Kingdom, the average annual value amounting to over 1,000,000l. (see below). Other exports are oxen 467,550l.; copper ore and regulus, 325,5187.; cork, 270,4797.; pyrites, 298,8067. in 1883. The imports of British home produce into Portugal embrace cotton goods, of the value of 689,0187. in 1883; iron, wrought and unwrought, valued at 239,050l.; and woollen fabrics, of the value of 104,5527. in 1883. The subjoined table shows the quantity and declared value of wine exported from Portugal to the United Kingdom in each of the five from 1879 to 1883:years For the total imports of wine, from all countries, into the United Kingdom, during the last ten years, see Spain, page 446. In 1883 it was 15,559,795 gallons, valued at 5,451,9531.; consequently, one-fifth the quantity and one-sixth the value was from Portugal. Only about 51 per cent. of the soil of Portugal is productive; 22.6 is under tillage, 16-7 under grass, 8 per cent. under woods and forests, 2.2 per cent. under vineyards. Sufficient grain is not produced for the consumption of the population, but considerable quantities of potatoes, oranges, onions, figs, and garlic are exported. The average annual value of the cereal production is estimated at 8,600,000l., of which Indian corn 4,000,000l., and wheat 2,673,000%. were the chief items. The produce of wine in 1882 was estimated at 125,000,000 gallons, and its value at 5,700,000l. In 1882 there were 2,977,454 sheep and 624,658 cattle. Portugal has about 4,000 vessels engaged in fishing, and the exports of sardines and herrings are considerable. Iron ore is worked in some places, and a small quantity is exported; copper is worked in the south, and considerable quantities of copper are exported. There are no manufactures of importance. The commercial navy of Portugal consisted, on the 1st of January 1884, of 478 vessels (including 20 steamers), of an aggregate burthen of 121,100 tons. In 1882 there entered Portuguese ports (exclusive of coasters) 5,067 vessels of 3,013,445 tons, more than half the vessels and about two-thirds the tonnage being British. The length of railways open for traffic in January 1884 was 950 miles, of which only 180 are worked by the State. At the same time 300 miles were under construction. All the railways receive subventions from the State. The number of post-offices in the kingdom in December 1882 was 931, besides 43 in the islands. There were 18,633,667 letters and postcards, and 13,078,015 packets and newspapers carried in the year 1882. The number of telegraph offices, at the end of 1882, was 226. There were, at the same date, 2,920 miles of lines and 7,084 English miles of wires. The number of telegrams despatched in the year 1882 was 1,122,548. Colonies. The colonial possessions of Portugal, situated in Africa and Asia, embrace a total area of 709,469 English square miles. The total population, according to the last official returns, referring to 1871–81, numbered 3,333,700. Official returns state the area and population of the various possessions as follows: The following are some more probable estimates:- -Senegambia area 350 square miles; Angola &c., area 115,000 square miles; population 1,000,000; Mozambique area 80,000 square miles, population 600,000. The Portuguese claim to have jurisdiction to some distance beyond the mouth of the Congo, a claim, however, which has not been admitted. Except in Cape Verde and Macao the expenditure in the Colonies exceeds the revenue derived from them. The total revenue from the colonies in 1883+4 was 607,0987., and expenditure 627,5681.09. + The imports into Portugal from the African colonies in 1880 |