8. The 320 British ships carried 2,264 British officers and 47 foreigners as follows:~~
177
British,.... Germans,..
....
Americans,
Danes,
Swedes,
Austrian,
Portuguese,
Norwegians,.
2,264
8
20
5
-
4
I
2
Total,...
7
..2,311
་
The proportion of Foreigners was therefore 2%, comprising 7 nationalities, an increase of .4%, with fewer British ships. In one case, that of the "Vale of Doon," arriving in August, from Cardiff, a German was in command.
9. The 273 Foreign, ships carried 1,689 officers, of whom 193 were British, as follows:--
Japanese, Chinese, French,...
Total,
122
64
7
.193
The proportion of Britishers in foreign vessels was therefore 10.8%, distributed under three different heads, a decrease on 1896 of 1.2% with an increase of 19 foreign ships (or 7%) Chinese vessels carrying only about 3% as against nearly 6% last year.
Of the crews of the British vessels-
Of the crews of Foreign vessels—
19.9% were Britishers.
10
19
1.1% other Europeans.
Asiatics.
79.0%
2.0% were Britishers, 28.3% other Europeans.
39
69.7% Asiatics.
19
10. Taking the total of entries and departures, the average crew for British ships was 53, of which 21% were Europeans, and for Foreign ships 45, (8% less than the British ships) of which 30.3% were Europeans.
TRADE.
11. The first half of 1897 shewed a decrease over the corresponding period of 1896 of 358,660 tons of rice imported. The second half-year did little to improve matters, and the year closed with a falling off of over 343,000 tons compared with the already diminished crop of 1896. To this decrease must in a great measure be again attributed the reduction in the figures relating to the British ocean- going vessels (this trade being chiefly carried in British bottoms), as well as in the junk trade which is a reflection of the ocean-going" trade.
"
12. Most of the other imports reported, however, show an increase for the year, and the total decrease is reduced to 48,828 tons. We thus get a decrease of 185,112 tous of European constructed shipping, with a decrease import return of 48,828 tons of cargo.
13. Of exports, a decrease of 103,685 tons of European-constructed shipping, reported a decreased export of 476,423 tons of cargo.
14. The transit returns give an increase of 7,062 tons of cargo.
15. A review of the trade of the port for the year is obtained, as in 1896, by a classification of Returns I and II as follows:-
Class I. Vessels that trade to and from Europe and distant countries, such as
Canada.
Cape of Good Hope.
Continent of Europe. Great Britain.
Mauritius.
Sandwich Islands. South America. United States.