The slowness mid costliness of land transporta tion, even in the eighteenth century, made it impossible to convey ordinary goods any long distance. An era of canal-building, which began in England soon after 1750, met in part the in creasing need of the growing industrial centres for communication with one another and with the sea. The same movement appears in the United States in the first quarter of the next century. With the rise of the factory system following 1760, with the application of steam power to mining and manufactures, and the pos sibilities of machine production on a large scale, came an imperative need for more rapid and It appears from these figures that steamships now comprise 58 per cent. of the world's vessels (not reckoning China, Turkey, etc.) and 80 per cent, of their tonnage, although for some na tions the percentages are much higher. The preponderance of British ships is most not able in steamships. In 1801 there was in the United Kingdom a total net tonnage of 1.786,000; in 1850 the figure was 3,565,000; in 1880, 6, 575.000; in 1901, 9,608,000. The percentage of net steam tonnage was 4.7 in 1S50, 41.4 in 1880, and 79.2 in 1901. German shipping has grown
still more rapidly in recent years. The sailing tonnage has decreased from 1,223,000 in 1885 to 667,207 in 1901, but the (net) steam tonnage has risen from 526,186 in 1885 to 1,057,525 in 1895, and 1,548,667 in 1901.
Before the introduction of iron ships American builders were greatly favored by the cheapness of native timber, and for this and other reasons American shipping was dominant in the world's carrying trade. The tonnage engaged in for eign traffic was 667,000 in 1800; and, though somewhat set back by the War of 1812. it rose to 1.439,000 in 1850 and 2.497.000 in 1861. This was its maximum. The coasting trade has con tinued to rise from 1.177.000 in 1840 to 2,645, 000 in 1860 and 4.859.000 in 1902. including vessels of all sizes. But foreign shipping had fallen to 1.314.000 in 1880. and in 1902 was hut 873.000 tons. While in 1860 63 per cent. of the imports and exports of the United States was carried in American vessels, in 1870 the per centage was only 33.1; in 1880, 22.9; in 1890, 16.7; and in 1902, 12.1.
The growth of railway mileage since 1830 is shown in the following table, compiled from the