This carries our thoughts to another branch of the subject--the importance of the trade with regard to the capital invested in it, a sum which cannot fall short of seventy-five million pounds even in Great Britain alone, without taking the allied industries of machine-making, dyeing, calico printing, lace and hosiery manufacturing into account. By dipping into calculation, taking the spindles at the figure of 17s. 6d. each, and the looms at £16, the amount invested in plant will touch £45,000,000, and adding to this a floating capital of £30,000,000, fully which will be necessary to the trade in importing the raw material, converting it into fabric and distributing the same to the world, a total sum is obtained which indicates what is at stake in this mighty industry. STATISTICS. A perusal of the subjoined list will indicate in figures the extent of the trade, and from it will be observed the comparative importance of our trade with each country. Taking the value of the exports of piece goods only as the standard of comparison, the list of countries will be found as follows:-- _Exports of Cotton Manufactures--Piece goods of all kinds._ +-----------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+ | | QUANTITIES. | VALUE. | | +---------------------------+---------------------+ | | Twelve Months ended | Twelve Months ended | | COUNTRY. | December. | December. | | +-------------+-------------+----------+----------+ | | 1886. | 1887. | 1886. | 1887. | +-----------------------+-------------+-------------+----------+----------+ | | | | £ | £ | |Germany Yds. | 45,358,400| 40,765,000| 676,321| 626,104| |Holland | 34,132,200| 43,203,200| 519,491| 590,154| |Belgium | 61,499,600| 65,712,700| 867,666| 921,207| |France | 35,474,900| 34,585,300| 681,047| 598,531| |Portugal, Azores, | | | | | | and Madeira | 54,312,300| 66,761,400| 563,006| 683,429| |Italy | 85,053,900| 119,961,500| 965,010| 1,364,075| |Austrian Territories | 6,391,200| 5,946,800| 76,291| 72,245| |Greece | 36,020,900| 35,860,000| 429,066| 454,862| |Turkey | 299,706,200| 299,824,400| 3,358,980| 3,271,768| |Egypt | 139,384,500| 156,150,900| 1,280,335| 1,391,736| |West Coast of Africa | | | | | | (Foreign) | 37,493,200| 46,394,300| 427,945| 547,784| |United States | 45,251,600| 44,028,500| 1,148,955| 1,054,221| |Foreign West Indies | 90,237,900| 95,223,700| 922,322| 973,227|