The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1876-11-11
The Worlds Merchant Shipping.

Board of Trade, we learn that the SHIP
ping of the British Empire aggregates
7.744, PSI tons, of which 6,OS7 ,70l tons
belong to the United Kingdom. Thus
the United Kingdom owns nearly five
sixths of the shipping of the British
Empire Other maritime countries.
that is, the United States and all the
nations of Europe, except Russia, Spain
and Portugal, possess an aggregate ton
mage of no more than IL ,22o, 2ll tons.
The shipping of the British Empire in
mere capacity, therefore, without refer
ence to the quality, age or character OF
the vessels, is equal to two-thirds OF the
shipping of all other maritime coun-
tries. Next to ourselves, he United
States have the greatest merchant navy.
Taken altogether, it has Il tonnage OF
4,772, 217 tons. but of this total no more
than | ,553, S27 tons are engaged IN the
foreign trade. The remaining $3.50, OOO
tons are employed in the lake, III er and
coasting trade. Into this latter trade
no foreign vessel. and even no foreign
built vessel, is admitted; and the I'M
mense seaboard and vast lakes and rlv-
ers, being thus retained for the exclu-
sive employment of United States ship
ping, of course support very large
fleet. But the marine engaged IN the
foreign tiAde-which, being open to
competition is alone comparable with
our OWLS, it will be seen. smaller
than the merchant navies of our colo
MES and dependencies: and it shows no
tendency to increase. Next to the Uni
ted States, Norway possesses the great
est tonnage, u 245, 223; Germany pos
sesses the next largest, 1,05S, 263; and
France almost equals Germany, .O37,-
273. Thus France, with her vast sea-
board, occupies only the fifth rank
among maritime countries. if we reckon
by tonnage only. We need hardly say,
however, that it is the steam fleet which
at present determines the maritime rank
of country. In steamers we are still
more superior to the rest of the world
than we arc made to appear by the fore
going statistics. The steam tonnage of
the British Empire is 2,O72, S04 tons;
that of the United Kingdom alone,
1910, 1877; while all other countries own
no more than .S}S, 345 tons Thus the
United Kingdom alone has greater
steam navy than all other maritime
countries together. AS before, the Uni
ted States stands next to Great Britain,
with 976, 97S steam tons in the coasting
trade, and 19l ,9S9 in the foreign trade:
a total of ,16S. 967. France now, how
ever, takes the third place, with 1874 ,545
tons, or little more than the American
tonnage in the foreign trade. Very
close upon France comes Germany,
with 1S9 .99S tons, while Norway, which
takes precedence of both Germany and
France in aggregate tonnage, is left far
behind in the race here .-Lonioa EcOn
Omist
THE WOMEN OF SERvIA.-A CORE
spondent of London paper says of the
Servian women: "They wore on their
heads red kerchiefs, with the ends hang
ing down their backs, and bound on
their heads by velvet fillet embroid
cred with coins, in which were frequent
~ stuck flowers, chiefly of red and
white, but invariably with the brilliant
apron sewed down to the skirt. and often
with the gaudily embroidered stom-
acher; or, perhaps, breastplate would
be the more descriptive term, studded
with coins on black velvet. The work.
ing dress OF the women in the fields is
short jacket, braided and slashed in
the fashion, and of the cut of that worn
~ tiC Aicu, u ACA dHst NCAiOW NCiSAAOA
crossed over the bosom; petticoat,
striped mostly in the parallel stripes of
Moorish pattern, but occasionally in
checkers, which makes the pattern a
tartan: tapestry-like apron of brighter
colors than the petticoat; and bare legs
and feet The men are fine race
tall, with a certain stateliness and self
respect in every gesture; their faces are
almost always good, and often quite in
tellectual and chivalric; but in muscu-
lar development, the peasant woman Of
Servia can give their husbands stone
and a beating"
VoRAcIoUs.-By way of making an
experiment, took five little sparrow
hawks from high tower, and put them
in cage on the balcony. The parent
bird Immediately brought them food,
and was not surprised to see that this
food consisted of twelve mice, four large
lizards, and six mole crickets. A meal
of like size was brought every day fora
month. At one time there were fifteen
field mice, two little birds. and young
rabbit Last year l made the same ex-
pertinent, with the same general result,
one meal consisting of twelve young
nightingales, one lark, three moles, and
one hedgehog. The parents always ate
the heads of their prey, and picked
from the bodies of the dead birds some
of their feathers. In the case of the
hedgehog, the only part not eaten by
/ Al a.,