The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-09 00:00:00

STATISTICS OF SHIPPING.

Same further returns relating to the building of ships
and the number employed in the trade of the United
Kingdom, have been printed by order of Parliament, on
the motion of Mr. Ingham, M.P. They show, among
other particulars, that the number of vessels registered
at the ports of the United Kingdom, on the 31st Dec.,
1854, was as follows :-viz., sailing vessels of and under
50 tons, 9,450 ; tonnage, 283,865 ; and above 50 tons,
15,885, tonnage 3,658,628 ; steam vessels of and under
50 tons, 578 ; tonnage, 14,459 ; and above 50 tons, 946 ;
tonnage, 291,778. The number of sailing vessels that
entered inwards, coastwise, at the ports of England in
the year 1854, was as follows :-British, 94,545 ; ton-
nage, 7,554,934 ; and foreign, 297 ; tonnage, 43,778.
The number cleared outwards was-British, 108,630 ;
tonnage, 8,053,953 ; and foreign, 248 ; tonnage, 34,628.
The number of British steamers that entered inwards was
12,787 ; tonnage, 3,106,396 ; and the number that
cleared outwards, 12,584; tonnage, 2,950,775. In Scot-
land, the proportion of British and foreign sailing ves-
sels entered inwards, coastwise, was 13,739 to 52, and
the number cleared outwards as 16,146 to 58. The num-
ber of British steamers entered inwards was 4,879; ton-
nage, 1,075,338; and the number cleared outwards
5,080; tonnage, 1,132,897. In Ireland 17,414 British
sailing vessels entered inwards agaii.st 1 foreign, and
8,070 cleared outwards against 70 foreign. The number
of British steamers that entered inwards was 4,751 ;
tonnage, 1,428,435 ; and the numbericleared outwards
4,797 ; tonnage, 1,493,609. The number of sailing
vessels that entered for the colonies at the various
ports of England, in 1854, was 4,967 British to 567
foreign ; and the number that cleared outward, 4,552
British to 559 foreign. The tonnage of the British ships
was respectively 1,552,071 and 1,501,605 ; and that of
the foreign ships, 290,447 and 223,370. In Scotland
595 British vessels entered inwards from the colonies ;
tonnage, 280,765 ; and 650 cleared outwards ; tonnage,
238,485. The number of foreign ships that entered and
cleared was respectively 8 and 15. In Ireland 383 Bri-
tish vessels entered from the colonies, tonnage 117,605,
and 242 cleared out, tonnage, 77,143. The number
of foreign ships entered and cleared was respectively
41 and 39. The number of British sailing-vessels
that entered inwards from foreign ports, in 1854,
was-in England 9,393 ; tonnage, 1,857,247. In Scot-
land, 1,008 ; tonnage, 166,177, and in Ireland, 494 ; ton-
nage, 92,162. The number of British ships that cleared
out for foreign ports was-in England, 9,594 ; tonnage,
1,975,772; in Scotland, 1,417; tonnage, 232,659; and
in Ireland, 136; tonnage, 40,967. The number of foreign
sailing vessels that entered inwards from foreign ports
was-in England, 16,151 ; tonnage, 2,934,902; in Scot-
land, 2,307 ; tonnage, 264,664 ; and in Ireland, 580 ;
tonnage, 103,201. The number of foreign ships that
cleared out for foreign ports was-in England, 18,565 ;
tonnage, 3,360,166 ; .in Scotland, 2,446 ; tonnage,
281,674; and in Ireland, 401 ; tonnage, 76,759. But
these figures are exclusive of steamers. Of those steam-
ers engaged in the foreign trade, 4,072 that entered in-
wards (tonnage 1,251,458) • were British, and only 597
(tonnage 176,309) foreign; while 3,319 (tonnage
1,191,626) that cleared outwards were British, and
592 (tonnage 181,242) foreign. The number lof
sailing vessels above 50 tons registered at the various
colonies of the United Kingdom on the 31st of Decem-
ber, 1854, amounted to 3,518, and the number of steamers
above 50 tons to 118 ; tonnage, 43,600 ; while the
number of timber ships built and registered in the
United Kingdom in 1854 amounted to 592 ; tonnage,
115,807 ; the number of steamers amounted to 22 ; ton-
nage, 2,090 ; the number of iron sailing vessels to 36 ;
tonnage, 16,80 ; and the number of iron vessels to 152 ;
tonnage, 62,165. The number of sailing vessels sold
and transferred in the United Kingdom in 1854 amounted
to 3,078 ; tonnage, 625,121 ; and the number of steamers
to 173 ; tonna,..;e, 22,458. 721 sailing vessels and 17
steamers, in alt 738 vessels, with an aggregate tonnage
of 163,843, and all belonging to the United Kingdom,
were wrecked in the year 1854 ; 74 vessels were broken
up, tonnage 9,975, of which 59 were sailing vessels and
15 steamers. The number of colonial-built vessels regis-
tered at the ports of the united kingdom in 1854 amounted
to 61, tonnage 43,003. The number of foreign-built
vessels so registered in 1854 amounted "to 267, tonnage
' 97,641. The total number of British vessels employed
in the trade of the united kingdotn in 1854 was 21,340,
entered inwards, tonnage 5,374,551, and 20,876 cleare
outwards, tonnage 5,370,298. The number of foreign
ships so employed was 20,251 entered inwards, tonnage
3,786,815, and 22,618 cleared outwards, tonnage
4,137,423.

SOUTHAMPTON DOCKS.

SOUTHAMPTON, Tuesday.—Our attention has been
called to an enormous pair of shears which are now being .„„
erected at the eastern side of the:outer dock, and which
form a prominent and striking object amongst the im-
provements which are being made to render this dock
one of the most perfect in its arrangements and facili-

ties.
place by which the caP
days since ; but owing to an accidentthey
were taken down
of one of the legs was broken,
~.
An attempt was made to them in position a few
for a new cap to be supplied.
1%1)8 horse power, u_ t
e°ofs raising
by steam, the engine beinrrnei
t ca- bfeeet 7 inches
ple and pa l_
The shears are of large
upon the high-pressure principle,
The front legs are 88
and their diameter
a weight of 60 tons.
104 feet 6 inches,
been supplied by
long, the back legs
machinery bask
Messrs. Fer-
guson, feet 6 inches. The
and framework by
and the legs a
Seaward, p_ rtions, and will wroureted
ements it is obvious that
From aese-ana °6"
Southampton Dock Company are
• --tors of the
deterred by expense, for the ac-
the dire°
making ewer/ effort, ur! • interest. The admirable
-''edr docks—their en I:eP —r° their close contiguity to
odation o
mines, from whence a tramway is con-
cerns, of these
guson, of Londof ntb..e
shipping .
which passes round the whole of the quays ; the
ducted
~th which cattle and horses are shipped and
facility W•• large cattle
1 • ed • the sheds (a range of buildings
transhipped , .
capable of bolding 400 horses or cattle) ; the extensive
ng-docks, and its importance as the foreign mail-
packetgray' .
the constructionra jiwy te
station, eptitle it to a consideration well worthy
the attention of Government and the shipping interest.
We may also notice that the entrance to the dock is
now being considerably widened, to allow of vessels
entering with greater ease. This is a point which needs
no comment, when it is considered that the arrival of the
mails from foreign ports at all hours renders the facility
with which a x essel can enter the docks at night with
safety a great desideratum.
In connection with this, it may be observed, that
though Government have employed in the transport sere
vice seine of the finest and quickest of the severala
.ett
companies' steam-ships, thus leaving the said coinpnout_s.
to carry and bring home the mails with a reducedes,_
.e
mails
her of vessels—yet the arrival and departure h
to their dates—with but very little digression—has
great facility afforded in theexipho
accomplished ; and further evideurctei
these decks by the readiness wded,
vessels can be shipped and lan has been
and import duties of
t which the freights of
coaled, and prepared
furnished of tiro

for sea.
The order with which every-thing connected with the
docks is conducted is worthy of cortneut, and reflects
great credit upon the dockmaster and the executive.

PRICE or SlLYER.—Thebar silver brought by the last
Mexican packet has been disposed of to day for shipment
to the East Indies at 61id. per ounce, being an advance
of id, The dollars are not yet sold,