f
British produce and manufactures to foreign countries, employed only about
300,000 tons of British shipping more than the export to the colonies of
_sixteen millions_ of pounds' worth of products, or say, less than one
half. Proportions kept according to values exported respectively, foreign
trade should have occupied about 3,250,000 tons of British shipping,
against the colonial employment of 1,496,000 tons.

Nor is this all the difference, large as it is, in favour of colonial over
foreign trade, with respect to the employment of shipping. For it may be
taken for granted that, in fact, so far as the amount of tonnage,
_repeated voyages not included_, the colonial does actually employ a much
larger quantity relatively than foreign trade. It may be fairly assumed
that, on the average, the shipping in foreign trade make one and a half
voyages outwards--that is, outwards and inwards together, three voyages in
the year; for, upon a rough estimate, it would appear that not one-tenth
of this shipping was occupied in mercantile enterprise beyond the limits
of that narrower circle before assigned, ad within which repeated voyages
of twice and thrice in the year, and frequently more often, are not
practicable only but habitually performed. Taking one-tenth as
representing the one voyage and return in the year of the more distant
traffic, and one and a half outward sailings for the other nine tenths of
tonnage, we arrive at the approximative fact, that the foreign trade does
in reality employ no more (repeated voyages allowed for as before stated)
than the aggregate tonnage of 1,258,000, instead of the 1,797,000 gross
tonnage as apparent. Applying the same rule, we find that the long or one
year's colonial voyage traffic is equal to something less than two-ninths
of the whole tonnage employed in the colonial trade, and that, assuming
one and a half voyages per annum for the remainder trafficking with the
colonies nearer home, the result will be, that the colonial traffic
absorbs an aggregate of 1,113,000 actual tonnage, exclusive of repeated
voyages of the same shipping. Here, for the satisfaction of colonial
maligners, like Mr Cobden, we place the shipping results for foreign and
colonial traffic respectively.

The registered tonnage of the 13,927 British vessels above fifty tons
burden, stood, on the 31st of December 1841, (the returns for 1840 or 1839,
we do not chance to have,)