The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-17 00:00:00

SHIPPING RETURNS.

The Commissioners of Customs have to rePeAr6
that the number of new vessels built and registered
in all parts of the British empire in 1867 shows 3
considerable falling off; the number is 2,180 ves-
sels of 465,899 tons, a decrease of 554 vessels all'
270,600 tons in 1867, as compared with the rigni;
ber of new vessels in 1866, and of 769 vessels e.
510,951 tons as compared with 1865. The de-
crease is chiefly in the vessels built in the Dri
;
tish plantations, which have declined from 1,262
to 852 ; but there has been also a falling e"4
of more than 100 in the vessels built in the
United Kingdom, and those built in the Channel
Islands have been reduced to less than one lA,;
This decline in the shipbuilding trade is attribute'
to there not having been time for its recovery frel
the depression of 1865-66, from which nun3erel
and disastrous failures occurred, but notwithstaii`i:
ing the depressed state of the trade in 1867 (which
has been more observable on the Thames and Afelle•T
than on the north-east coast of England and in the
great Scotch rivers), and notwithstanding the ni
losses at sea, the total number of register,,
vessels on the registry books in 1867 is larger
than in 1866, being 40,942, as against 40,912
vessels. This arises from many foreign vessclo
having changed hands, and now appearing in °u,r
registry books as British property. These trap ;
fers occurred to a great extent with the Anierie.,.so
shipping during the war; and since its conclusiv_a
the heavy taxes imposed on all manufacttlo_
products, together with the scarcity of skilled labo.
have almost entirely checked shipbuilding operatl°b,
in America, and tended still more strongly to vilYtif
draw from this country the competition of eof
greatest rivals, and to throw into the handstho
British shipowners an increasing proportion of eig
carrying trade. In 1861, 4,139 American ve°s34
entered and cleared at the ports of the ifel
4601
Kingdom ; in 1862, only 2,773 ; in 1863, 11
in 1864, 956 ; in 1865, 819 ; in 1866, I,ooolbPer
that in 1866, the latest return available, the ntle3
of vessels was less than one-fourth what it OS
the year of the commencement of the war.

MISSING SHIPS.-1 he Shallett, which sailed it;
Colombo for London on the 14th of December ; the `i°itst
Brewster, from Enos for London, which passed Gibreit'- r'
on the 31st of March ; the Malta, which sailed frore -esAtt
Jiff for Ilavannah on the 4th of January ; and the Ba'bihij- 'Sr
and Landry, which sailed from Montreal for St• I°:ce
Newfoundland, on the 16th of Nov ember, have Ot
been heard of.

Births. at"
AGG —On the 15th inst., at Winchester, the wife of
Colone Ag, of a so—stillborn.
..;fo a
HADDAN— l Ong the 16th n
inst., at Highg ate, the NT-
is
11. Haddan, Esq., of a daughter. vallJi
RALLI —On the 15th inst., the wife of Mr. Thepdore'
of a daughter.

Marriages. old
ARMSTEAD —ROYEE —On the 15th inst., at St' naste °s'
Islington, Walter Samuel, son of Mr. Wm. Alf
to Charlotte, eldest daughter of Mr. W. n•
Newgate-street, city. Oh".
RICHES TAYLOR —On the 16th inst., at Trinity VIZ ,
Chelsea, Benjamin Clifford Riches, of Chelsea, ylo"
0
both Taylor, eldest daughter of the late Thom 66
Esq., Surrey House, Bagshot, and Sydney, 14cvl
Wales.

Deaths.
~. goo.
AIMUTHXOTT—On the 11th inst., General t"'
of
llugh Arbuthnott, K.C.13., Col. 79th Regt- VIVI
Ents—On the 13th inst., at Southend, WOO,
look
104, Thilsover-street, London: aged 53. ti-yers'-„rd,
FRAZER—On the 12th inst at the Rectory', "'", DO'
Bucks, Colonel D. Frazer, late 42d Royal Ilig'l
DP+
aged 71.
PAYNE—On the 15th inst., at 50,, Great Coraul-streel'
Harriet Payne, aged 69.
4s'
sup- 09
London : Printed and Published by WILLIAJII ''' go 0
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Strand, in the Precinct of the savoy, LB the
itiddlosex.—Friday, July 17, UtiS