Chapter I: The tables, however, partake of the imperfections already

fully alluded to in the present chapter. With regard to them, Mr John says:—“Unfortunately, neither of these tables show the actual amount of shipping, either steel or iron, built in this country, because there would have to be a small percentage, perhaps between ten and twenty, to be added to those classed at Lloyds on Table I. for unclassed ships, and there would be a certain proportion, which I am unable to ascertain, to be added to the figures on Table II. for ships built for foreign owners in this country, and not entered upon the British register. However, the figures in themselves are sufficiently significant of the enormous growth of steel shipbuilding within the last six years, and it will be seen at once, as I have said before, that steel as a material for shipbuilding has passed entirely out of the experimental stage, and must be judged henceforth by the results of its working in the shipyards, and by the results of the performances of the ships already afloat, both as profit-earning machines for their owners, by their general wear and tear, for their safety against strains at sea, and in cases of collision and stranding.”

_Table I.—Statement showing the Number and Tonnage of Steel and Iron Vessels Classed by Lloyd’s Register of British and Foreign Shipping during the Years 1878 to 1883, both inclusive._

+-----+-------------------------+-------------------------+
| | Steel. | Iron. |
| +------------+-----------+------------+------------+
|Year.| Steam. | Sailing. | Steam. | Sailing. |
| +---+--------+---+-------+---+--------+---+--------+
| |No.|Tonnage.|No.|Ton’ge.|No.|Tonnage.|No.|Tonnage.|
+-----+---+--------+---+-------+---+--------+---+--------+
|1878 | 7| 4,470| | |329| 406,196|106| 111,496|
|1879 | 8| 14,300| 1| 1,700|318| 436,339| 30| 34,630|
|1880 | 21| 34,031| 2| 1,342|324| 422,622| 31| 37,372|
|1881 | 20| 39,240| 3| 3,167|401| 622,440| 51| 74,284|
|1882 | 55| 113,364| 8| 12,477|457| 742,244| 68| 108,831|
|1883 | 94| 150,725| 15| 15,703|576| 817,584| 68| 116,190|
+-----+---+--------+---+-------+---+--------+---+--------+

+-----+-------------------------+---------------------------+
| | Total. | Percentage. |
| +------------+------------+-------------+-------------+
|Year.| Steel. | Iron. | Steel. | Iron. |
| +---+--------+---+--------+-----+-------+-----+-------+
| |No.|Tonnage.|No.|Tonnage.| No. |Ton’ge.| No. |Ton’ge.|
+-----+---+--------+---+--------+-----+-------+-----+-------+
|1878 | 7| 4,470|435| 517,692| 1·6 | 0·85 |98·4 | 99·15 |
|1879 | 9| 16,000|348| 470,969| 2·52| 3·28 |97·48| 96·72 |
|1880 | 23| 35,373|355| 459,994| 6·1 | 7·14 |93·9 | 92·86 |
|1881 | 23| 42,407|452| 696,724| 4·8 | 5·74 |95·2 | 94·26 |
|1882 | 63| 125,841|525| 851,075|10·7 | 12·9 |89·3 | 87·1 |
|1883 |109| 166,428|644| 933,774|14·47| 15·12 |85·53| 84·88 |
+-----+---+--------+---+--------+-----+-------+-----+-------+

_Table II.—Statement showing the Number and Tonnage of Steel and Iron Vessels Built in the United Kingdom and Registered therein during the Years 1879 to 1883, both inclusive._

+-----+------------------------+-------------------------+
| | Steel. | Iron. |
| +------------+-----------+------------+------------+
|Year.| Steam. | Sailing. | Steam. | Sailing. |
| +---+--------+---+-------+---+--------+---+--------+
| |No.|Tonnage.|No.|Ton’ge.|No.|Tonnage.|No.|Tonnage.|
+-----+---+--------+---+-------+---+--------+---+--------+
|1879 | 22| 19,522| 1| 1,700|337| 428,082| 33| 35,332|
|1880 | 26| 36,493| 4| 1,671|362| 447,389| 39| 40,015|
|1881 | 34| 68,366| 3| 3,167|411| 590,503| 50| 68,650|
|1882 | 65| 115,449| 8| 12,478|446| 672,740| 83| 112,852|
|1883 | 92| 141,552| 11| 14,193|548| 742,292| 72| 114,698|
+-----+---+--------+---+-------+---+--------+---+--------+

+-----+-------------------------+---------------------------+
| | Total. | Percentage. |
| +------------+------------+-------------+-------------+
|Year.| Steel. | Iron. | Steel. | Iron. |
| +---+--------+---+--------+-----+-------+-----+-------+
| |No.|Tonnage |No.|Tonnage.| No. |Ton’ge.| No. |Ton’ge.|
+-----+---+--------+---+--------+-----+-------+-----+-------+
|1879 | 23| 21,222|370| 463,414| 5·83| 4·38|94·15| 95·62 |
|1880 | 30| 38,164|401| 487,404| 6·96| 7·26|93·04| 92·74 |
|1881 | 37| 71,533|461| 659,153| 7·43| 9·79|92·57| 90·21 |
|1882 | 73| 127,927|529| 785,592|12·14| 14·0 |87·86| 86·0 |
|1883 |103| 155,745|620| 856,990|14·24| 15·37|85·76| 84·63 |
+-----+---+--------+---+--------+-----+-------+-----+-------+