SUMMARY of RETURN SHOWING the POPULATION in 1871 and 1831; NUMBER of ELECTORS, NUMBER of MEMBERS; TOTAL AMOUNT of PROPERTY and INCOME TAX; and the AMOUNT of DUTY Charged on the Inhabited Houses for the Year ending 1880. Number of Passengers Conveyed Total. The enormous growth of the Railway system in the United Kingdom will be realised on a comparison of the Parliamentary abstract of returns for a number of years. In the following Table the total Length, Capital, Passengers conveyed, Receipts, and Working Expenses are given. To this is appended the gross amount of profits assessed to the Income Tax. $ $ + Exclusive of the receipts from steam-boats, rents, and other miscellaneous sources not ascertained before 18C9, in which year these receipts amounted to £1,620,606, in 1870 to £1,661,073, in 1871 to £1,785 222, in 1872 to £1,931,396, in 1873 to £2,06.579, in 1874 to £2,356,217, in 1875 to £2,254,217, in 1876 to £2,297,907, in 1877 to £2,329,271, in 1878 to £2,408,299, in 1879 to £2,381,421, in 1880 to £2,529,858, and in 1881 to £2,544,000. Length of line constructed returned for these years. Inclusive of expenses and net receipts for steam-boats and other miscellaneous items from 1869. The following Companies are not included, as they made no return as required by Parliament; and, in consequence, legal proceedings were ordered to be taken against them:-Dover and Deal, St. Austell and Pentewar, Scutlisca, Clonakuty Extension, Cork and Kenmare, and Donegal Extension. THE RAILWAY EXTENSION OF THE UNITED STATES. The extension of the railway system in the United States in 1881 has been greater than in any previous year. During the year 1881 9358 miles of railway have been built. The cost, at 25,000 dols. per mile, is reckoned at 233,950.000 dols. expended on lines in progress, total, 75,000,000 dols.; expended on old lines, 100,000,000 dols. 408,950,000 dols. It is expected that the mileage to be opened in 1882 will equal that of 1881. Up to June 1, 1882, 3677 miles of line were opened, against 1734 for the same period of 1881. Although this increase will not continue, it is likely that the mileage opened this year will not fall short of 10,000 miles. The railway mileage rose from 52,914 miles in 1870 to 104,813 miles in 1881. At a similar rate, the mileage in 1890 will exceed 200,000 miles. The earnings of all the lines in operation during the past year equalled 725,325,119 dols, an increase over the previous year of 110,000,000 dols., or nearly 16 per cent. The earnings equalled 13 dols. 60c. per head of the population. The current expenses were 449,565,071 dols., and the amount of interest paid on funded debt was 128,887,002 dols.; the amount of dividends paid was 93,344,200 dols., against 77,115,411 dols. for 1880. The cost of working the lines was 449,565,071 dols., or 62 per cent of the gross earnings. The number of persons employed in working them averaged 12 to the mile, or 1,200,000 in all. The number employed in construction was 400.000, making a total of 1,600,000, or about 1-32nd part of the population (53,200.000). The amount of tonnage transported is estimated at 3500 tons per mile, or 350,000,000 tons, which, at an assumed value of 50 dols. per ton, would give a total value, less one-third for duplication, of 12,000,000,000 dols., or more than 200 dols. per head of the population. The following is a statement of the number of miles worked, capital stock, and funded debt, and dividends paid for ten years :— POPULATION: BIRTHS AND DEATHS IN GREATER LONDON (THE METROPOLITAN AND CITY POLICE DISTRICTS) DURING THE FIFTY-TWO WEEKS ENDING DEC. 31, 1881. MERCURY sets on the 1st at Sh 45m p.m., or 41 minutes after sunset; this interval decreases to 6 minutes only on the 5th, when he sets at 8h 14m p.m.; and from the 6th day till July 26 he sets before the Sun, or in daylight; on the 13th he rises nearly at the same time as the Sun rises; on the 20th he rises at 3h 14m a.m., or 30 minutes before the Sun; and on the 29th he rises at 2h 45m a.m., or 1h 2m before the Sun. He is near the Moon on the 3th, in aphelion on the 7th, in inferior conjunction with the Sun on the 8th, and stationary among the stars on the 20th. VENUS is a morning star, rising on the 1st at 2h 45m a.m., on the 11th at 2h 32m a.m., and on the 21st at 2h 24m a.m. She is near the Moon on the 3rd, and near Saturn on the 19th. MARS rises on the 10th at 1h 57m a.m., on the 20th at 1h 32m a.m., and on the last day at 1h 11m a.m. He is due south on the 15th at 9h 6m a.m. He is near the Moon on the 1st. JUPITER is visible for a short time after sunset, setting on the 1st at 10h 1m p.m., on the 10th at 9h 34m p.m., on the 20th at 9h 3m p.m., and on the last day at 8h 33m p.m., or 15 minutes after sunset; from this time to the end of the year he sets in daylight. He is due south on the 15th at 1h 4m p.m. He is near the Moon on the 6th. SATURN rises on June 1 at 3h 34m a.m., or 17 minutes before the Sun; on the 10th at 3h 3m a.m.; on the 20th at 2h 27m a.m.; and on the last day at 1h 50m a.m., or 1h 57m before sunrise. He is due south on the 15th at 10h 30m a.m., and is near the Moon on the 4th. 8th, in his ascending node on the 16th at midnight, near Jupiter on the 20th, in perihelion on the 21st, and in superior conjunction with the Sun on the 29th. VENUS is a morning star, rising on the 1st at 2h 23m a.m.; on the 11th at 2h 29m a.m., on the 21st at 2h 42m a.m., and on the last day at 3h 4m a.m., or 1 hour 20 minutes before the Sun. She is near the Moon on the 3rd, in her ascending node on the 20th, and near Jupiter on the 26th. MARS rises on the 1st at 1h 9m a.m., on the 10th at Oh 59m a.m., on the 20th at 0h 29m a.m., and on the last day at Oh 10m a.m. He is due south on the 15th at Sh 34m a.m. He is near the Moon on the 1st, and again on the 30th. He is near Saturn on the 20th. JUPITER rises on the 6th at 3h 50m a.m., being 3 minutes before sunrise; on the 10th at 3h 39m a.m., or 18 minutes before sunrise; on the 20th at 3h 11m a.m., or 56 minutes before the Sun; and on the 30th at 2h 41m a.m., or 1h 42m before the Sun. He is due south on the 15th at 11h 35m a.m., is near the Moon on the 4th, and in conjunction with the Sun on the same day. MERCURY is a morning star, rising on the 1st at 2h 43m a.m., or 1h 5m before the Sun; he rises on the 4th at 2h 35m a.m., or 1h 16m before sunrise; on the 9th at 2h 35m a.m., or 1h 21m before the Sun; on the 14th at 2h 50m a.m., or 1h 11m before the Sun; on the 19th at 3h 2m a.m., or 1h 4m before the Sun; and on the 29th at 4h 9m a.m., or 12 minutes before the Sun; and at the end SATURN rises on the 1st at 1h 46m a.m., on the 10th at 1h 15m of the month this planet and the Sun rise nearly at the same time; a.m., on the 20th at Oh 39m a.m., and on the 29th at 2 minutes and from this time till Oct. 7 he rises after sunrise, or in daylight. after midnight, and on the 30th at 2 minutes before midnight. He He is near the Moon on the 3rd, and at his greatest western elonga-is due south on the 15th at Sh 47m a.m., and is near the Moon on the tion (21 deg. 26 min.) on the 2nd, near Venus from the 4th to the 2nd, and a second time on the 29th. |