| Year. | Tons inward, | Tons inward, | TOTAL. | | | British. | Foreign. | | +-------+--------------+--------------+------------+ | 1823 | 1,740,859 | 582,996 | 2,323,855 | | 1824 | 1,797,320 | 759,441 | 2,556,761 | | 1825 | 2,144,598 | 958,132 | 3,102,730 | | 1826 | 1,950,630 | 694,116 | 2,644,746 | | 1827 | 2,086,898 | 751,864 | 2,839,762 | | 1828 | 2,094,357 | 634,620 | 2,728,977 | | 1829 | 2,184,525 | 710,303 | 2,894,828 | | 1830 | 2,180,042 | 758,828 | 2,938,870 | | 1831 | 2,367,322 | 874,605 | 3,241,927 | | 1832 | 2,185,980 | 639,979 | 2,825,959 | | 1833 | 2,183,814 | 762,085 | 2,945,899 | | 1834 | 2,298,263 | 833,905 | 3,132,168 | | 1835 | 2,442,734 | 866,990 | 3,309,724 | | 1836 | 2,505,473 | 988,899 | 3,494,372 | | 1837 | 2,617,166 | 1,005,940 | 3,623,106 | | 1838 | 2,785,387 | 1,211,666 | 3,997,053 | | 1839 | 3,101,650 | 1,331,365 | 4,433,015 | | 1840 | 3,197,501 | 1,460,294 | 4,657,795 | | 1841 | 3,361,211 | 1,291,165 | 4,652,376 | | 1842 | 3,294,725 | 1,205,303 | 4,500,028 | | 1843 | 3,545,346 | 1,301,950 | 4,847,296 | | 1844 | 3,647,463 | 1,402,138 | 5,049,601 | | 1845 | 4,310,639 | 1,735,079 | 6,045,718 | | 1846 | 4,294,733 | 1,806,282 | 6,101,015 | | 1847 | 4,942,094 | 2,253,939 | 7,196,033 | --PORTER'S _Progress of the Nation_, 407, 2d edition; and _Parliamentary Paper, 3d April 1848_. Thus it appears that under the reciprocity system with some countries since 1823, and free trade in shipping with all in 1847, the foreign shipping employed in carrying on the British trade had so rapidly grown upon the British, that, while at the commencement of the period the British stood to the foreign as 174 to 58, or _3 to 1_ exactly, at the close they stood as 49 to 22, or _somewhat above 2 to 1 only_. And observe the vast start of foreign shipping as compared with British, since free trade was introduced by Sir R. Peel in 1846. For while the British tonnage was to the foreign in 1845 as 43 to 17, or as 2-1/2 to 1; in the year 1847 it was as 49 to 229, or 2-1/3 to 1 only. So rapid has been the growth of foreign shipping over British in eighteen months of general free trade. In ten years of such a system, it is easy to see that the foreign tonnage employed in carrying on our trade will be equal to the British; and then our national independence is gone for ever, for we have nursed up in our harbours a body of foreign seamen equal to our own. But we have not yet done with the parliamentary returns. From the return 3d April 1848, it appears that the total tonnage, British and foreign, employed in carrying on our trade was-- British Islands. Foreign. Total. 4,942,094 2,253,939 7,196,033 tons.