. Report of the fifty-fourth meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science [microform] : held at Montreal in August and September 1884. Congresses and conventions; Science; Congrès et conférences; Sciences. 'i|f'^'!'i 1 'â ' If'. Mi' 'I I'iii 820 REPORT-^1884. After this review of material power, we may summarise the public debt of the British Empire. In this the iirst item is the reffular debt of the Government amounting to 769 millions sterling for the United Kingdom, and 293 millions for India and the Colonies, in all 1,082 millions. The amount seems enormous but happi


. Report of the fifty-fourth meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science [microform] : held at Montreal in August and September 1884. Congresses and conventions; Science; Congrès et conférences; Sciences. 'i|f'^'!'i 1 'â ' If'. Mi' 'I I'iii 820 REPORT-^1884. After this review of material power, we may summarise the public debt of the British Empire. In this the iirst item is the reffular debt of the Government amounting to 769 millions sterling for the United Kingdom, and 293 millions for India and the Colonies, in all 1,082 millions. The amount seems enormous but happily, we may doubt whether it is excessive for so great an empire as the British' The amount is equal to live times what we have seen to be the annual revenue and receipts. It is computed to represent only 9 per cent, of the capital wealth of the empire. The interest payable on it amounts to 41 millions, or 20 per cent, on the income of the Government. If the income of the population of tlie empire be taken into- account, and it can hardly be computed at less than 1,700 millions sterling, then this interest on the debt will represent only a minute fraction. Besides this debt of the Government there are the local and municipal debts contracted for the sake of material improvement. These debts amount to lo^ millions for the United Kingdom, and certain amounts for India, wliich may brine up the total to IGO millions. To this should be added 90 millions raised on a Government guarantee for some of the railways in India. Thus we reach a total of 1,312 millions sterling for the public debt, Governmental and Municipal, for the British Empire. A part of the Government debt raised in Ii\Ai% is for State railways and canals this part amounts to 40 millions sterling. But in these figures there are not included the 187 millions sterling raised by companies for railways in the United Kingdom. The subject of crime cannot be treated completely in this summary, but it may be stated that in


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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectscience, bookyear1885