Total Tonnage of Ships built in Great Britain and Ireland.
foundland, fish and seal skins. A great traffic is car ried on between our West India and our North Ame rican colonies ; the fish, flour, and staves of the one being exchanged in great quantities for the rum, the coffee, and the sugar of the other.
Of this tonnage, about three-fourths is built in England, and, the remainder chiefly in Scotland, very little ship-building having as yet taken place in Ire land.
The colonies and dependencies of England in the four quarters of the globe are, The most remarkable fact in this table is the in. creased dimensions of the vessels ; the average size of a West Indiaman, which, in 1788, was only 200 tons (registry) being now fully 320. The revenue arising from our West India imports is five millions annually, of which about three millions are from su gar; the rest chiefly from rum. The trade of these colonies has been exposed, particularly in the years 1806, 1807, 1808, and 1811, to the most distressing fluctuations. At theof 1814, Surinam was restored to Holland ; Berbice, and Essequibo, remain to Britain, with certain provisions in favour of the Dutch proprietors of plantations. They are at liberty to send their produce to Hol. land, and to receive from that country the stores or other articles of supply necessary for their estates; but they are not allowed to import Dutch commo dities for sale.
imported from India is increased by the freight, in terest of money, expected profit, &cr. and, though very fluctuating, might be averaged previous to 1814 at L.800,000 Sterling; and the seamen em ployed, at 6000. But since the trade has been laid open, speculations have been entered into from Liverpool, Bristol, and other ports, which have greatly altered the aspect of this branch of our commerce, and put all correct calculation out of the question. The exports are increased to a de
gree which cannot continue, as British merchandise has for some time sold in India considerably below prime cost.
Tonnage of Shipping cleared outward to the East Indes.
From London, 78,481 87,866 85,172 A-- Liverpool and other ports in Britain, . 1,549 10,655 19,456 — — - 79,980 98,521 104,628 (Customhouse Return, dated 1st May 1818.) China—This branch of trade remains in:the exclu. sive possession of the East India Company. Our an.: nual exports, from L.1,000,000 to L.1,200,000, are chiefly of broad cloth : our imports consist of tea in vast quantities; also of nankeens and raw silk. This trade employs nearly 20,000 tons of shipping, and 2000 seamen. (See the Article CHINA in this Sup plement, Vol. III. p. 108.) X.—Establishments for Religion and Education.
The Church of England has two archbishops and twenty-four bishops ; all peers of the realm, and all indebted for their appointment to the Crown. The bishop of the Isle of Man is appointed by the Duke of Athol, and has no seat in the House of Lords. The province of York comprises four bishop rics, viz. Durham, Carlisle, Chester, and the Isle of Man; all the rest, to the number of twenty. one, are in the province of Canterbury. The cle rical dignitary next to the bishop is the arch deacon, whose duty, though very different in differ ent dioceses, may be termed that of a representative of the bishop in several of his less important func tions. The number of archdeacons in England is about sixty. The name of Dean (Decanus) was pro bably derived from his originally superintending ten canons or prebendaries. Each bishop has a chap. ter or council appointed to assist hun, and each chapter has a dean for president; but there are in the Church pf England many deaneries of other descriptions. Rector is, in general, the title of a clergyman holding a living, of which the tithes are entire ; vicar is understood of a living where the great tithes have passed into secular hands. The very name of curate signifies sometimes (as cure in France) a clergyman in possession of a living, but more frequently one exercising the spiritual office in a. parish under the rector or vicar. The latter are temporary curates, their appointment being a matter of arrangement with the rector or vicar : the former.