§ Mr. SANDERSasked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state the number of foreign ships engaged last year in the coasting trade of the United Kingdom and the number of British ships engaged in the coasting trade of European countries?
Mr. BUXTONI have no information as to the number of individual foreign vessels which engaged last year in the coasting trade of the United Kingdom, but the number of such vessels (including their repeated voyages) which entered with cargo in the coasting trade of the United Kingdom was 542, with an aggregate tonnage of 156,161 tons, and the vessels which cleared with cargo numbered 505, with an aggregate tonnage of 143,217 tons. The records of coasting trade in other Continental countries are somewhat scanty, but such incomplete figures for these countries as are available show that in the last year to which they refer 192 British ships of 231,849 tons entered with cargoes in the coasting trading of certain European countries, the corresponding figures for clearances being 215 ships of 306,781 tons. All the above figures are exclusive of vessels in ballast.