BLUFF HARBOR.

Southland Times, Issue 4987, 26 July 1884, Page 2

BLUFF HARBOR.

Th«re were no arrivals or departures at thii port yesterday. . v , : miOROiUUTAU. ' .. From Melbonrner-Waihors. Trom Northern Porte— Te Anau From Wellington— Phonix, barque . . TSBBILB IK POET. Barque— Northern Belie. Barquentine-— Lord of the Isles. Cotter— Rapid. , . - ; A Parliamentary return just issued shows the progress of British merchant shipping. The first table shows that the tonnage of sailing and ■team vessels, with cargoes and m ballast, entered and cleared at ports m the United Kingdom .grew from 9,439,667 tons m 1840 to 64,961,753 tonsjn 1883, the British tonnage m- < creasing from 6,490,484 to 47,039,079, and the foreign from 2,949,182 to 17,922,67*. F«r both British and foreign tonnage 1883 was the heaviest year recorded'; but whereas m that year the foreign tonnage increased only 100,000 tons, the British increased three millions and a quarter -tons, and betweon 1870 and 1883 the British tonnage has nearly doubled. The total tonnage of the merchant navy of the United Kingdom was 6,908.650 tons m 1882, as against 1,292,294 of the United States(registered for overtea), 1,226,650 ;of the German Empire, 990,004 of Italy, and 983,017 ot France. The tonnage of vessels built m the United Kingdom was 472,896 m 1880, 608,878 m 1881, 783,051 m 1882, and 892,216 m 1883, the last year being by far the largest for a quarter of a century. The tonnage built m the United states m 1883 was 265,430, a less total than m either of the two previous years. The total number of seamen employed m vessels belonging to the United Kingdom m 1883 was 200,727, a higher total than for several years previously.