4. The route down the Atlantic and the west coast of Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope, to East Africa, Australasia, and the East. The number of steamers traversing these grand routes, and those tributary to them, is estimated to be more than 11,000. In order to emphasize the importance of ocean navigation, the appended table[20] of the number of steam vessels, their money value, and the value of the merchandise they carry, is given for the five greatest nations of the globe: -------------+----------+-----------+--------------+-------------- | Number | Gross | Value of | Value of | of Steam | Tons. | Vessels. |Trade carried | Vessels. | | | in Vessels. -------------+----------+-----------+--------------+-------------- Great Britain| 6,403 | 8,235,854 | $550,000,000 |$3,476,500,000 Germany | 741 | 928,911 | 63,500,000 | 1,624,000,000 France | 526 | 809,598 | 48,500,000 | 1,471,000,000 United States| 416 | 517,394 | 42,000,000 | 1,462,500,000 Italy | 212 | 300,625 | 22,000,000 | 415,000,000 Russia | 236 | 106,155 | 12,500,000 | 60,000,000 -------------+----------+-----------+--------------+-------------- [Illustration: CHART OF THE WORLD SHOWING THE Principal Steamship Routes.] Owing to the various lines of communication which have been opened up, the traveller is now offered the choice of a number of routes, each vying with the other in attractiveness and interest. For instance, the whole journey from London to Constantinople can be performed with no more than 17 hours of sea-passage; or, if a more leisurely way be preferred, the whole journey can be made by water. Therefore the first thing to be done is to determine the route to be followed, and the time to be given the trip. Then the dates of sailing should be settled. These preliminaries concluded, there comes the question of the selection of steamers. If England is to be visited, passage must be booked on some line bound to that country. If, however, the objective point be on the Continent, a room should be engaged on some line bound for Germany, France, Spain, or the Mediterranean.