The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-06-22

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Asiatic countries, its Illustration by the con-
struetion Of the Suez canal II to be regretted.
But that importation into the United States
should take the route Of the Suez canal in-
stead OF the Pacific roads would seem to ar
que state Of things that ought not to exist
/ There was d time when teas and silks reached
the Eastern States by the transcontinental
roads. This traffic appears to have fallen of
OK late. The heavy charges Of the Pacific
roads have driven q good deal oft away, and
the Suez canal and foreign shipowners.get the
benefit OF 1t. OF course some Of our exports
take the same route, and thus the loss to
our own carriers IL doubled. This is Swing
Ing around the circle" the wrong way.
| 1t Is estimated, on the basis Of the stalls
tics reported for the port Of New York, that
the balance Of trade In favor OF this country
and against the rest OF the world for the
eleven months ending May 81 was S265, OO0, 900.
The governments fiscal year ends June 80,
and the balance Of trade In our favor during
the fiscal year 1873 was $273, O00, 900. So 1t
would seem from this approximate estimate
that the current fiscal year will show gain
on 1878, although there has been marked
falling off since the first Ok January. What
this balance In our favor amounts to will be
better appreciated when 1t ID stated that the
United States js the only one OF the great
nations OF the world which does not show
balance on the other side Of the national
ledger. The excess Of imports over exports In
Great Britain Ii 5000, zoo, 600; Germany, $272-
600 900; France, $45 OOO, 900; Russia $50 900 900
Holland, $73,OO0,0oO; Italy, s36,0oO,OOO; Bel
GUM, $4,000. 900; Turkey, $3o,OOO,0OO. There
Is an aggregate balance against these eight
countries 81 u, 182, 100000.
The Blue Book recently presented to the
British Parliament contains pathetic tale Of
peril. suffering and death. The dry, but not
embarrassing, figures deal with casualties at
sea, not OF the whole maritime world, but Of
that great part Of 1t represented by Great
Britain, and they also cover vessels OF other
nationalities which suffered shipwreek, total
or partial, on the coasts Of British posses
sions. The returns are made out for the
twelve months ending June, 1878. They con-
tain records Oh 965 total losses, 1921 serious
casualties, and 3193 minor ones. There
was, necessarily, considerable loss Of life
LII CUlu5CLlUA WILL Out6o NlSA6I6E6s III
the coasts OF the United Kingdom, the
number Of lives sacrificed was S16, against
$50 In the preceding twelve months Abroad,
however, there was diminution In the num-
Der OF deaths, these being 1896, as compared
with 1892 during the previous year. Beside
those vessels In the case of which the casual
ties had been definitely determined, 88 yes
sells were reported missing, Of which so be-
longed to Great Britain and % to the colonies.
There are also records OF vessels which have
suffered mishaps Id rivers and harbors both
at home and abroad. The returns ID this re-
spect reveal more disasters than might be
supposed, as many as 81 vessels having been
totally lost, while there were BAT serious and
$50 minor casualties. The number OF
deaths In connection with these occurrences
was Is In the United Kingdom and Is
abroad. But while these Blue Book figures
tell tale OF peril and DEATH they also re-
cord many story of Belf-sacrifice and gal
liant rescue Thus, the number OF lives saved
on the British coasts by means of life-boats, |
rocket apparatus, ships boats, and Individual
effort was 1910, while as many as 1921 were
saved abroad by similar agencies. 1t Is In
teresting to note that OF the ships which per-
ished, one had passed through the dangers
and vicissitudes which service on the sea
of one hundred years implies. Six were over
seventy years old, ten were over fifty, nine
teen over forty, and fifty-seven over thirty.