It will be observed that the several amounts and totals of this table largely differ from those cited elsewhere, and which are taken from the Colonial Abstract. For such differences there are many good and sufficient reasons, as for instance :—Values leaving this country are incremented on arrival in colonies, so are Colonial values on arrival here, the freight and profits being in each case added. Moreover, the totals being for the Calendar year at each end, the results are incomparable, since it is evident that the january imports of Australia cannot be the January exports of the Home Country to that colony, nor the February arrivals in United Kingdom from Ceylon and Singapore the January exports from those possessions.

From and to British Possessions.

Colonial Tariffs.

For some account of the manner in which these possessions of Great Britain cut off their own noses to spite their faces (by tariffs) in successful attempts to diminish their trade with the Mother Country, we refer our readers to another section of this Almanack.

From and to Foreign Countries.

The foregoing Table is exclusive of Imports and Exports of Bullion and Specie, which are given elsewhere. It shows a decrease of 13 millions sterling in our Foreign, British, and Colonial trade since 1875, about 90 millions as compared with 1883, and of 43½ millions upon 1884, but the figures being only those of value, it is necessary to bear in mind that since 1870 the price level has so greatly fallen as to render comparisons fallacious. (See table below.)

*Wallachia and Moldavia to 1878, and Roumania from 1879.