imply that from the year 1868, the business of the place had been characterised by a rapid and most satisfactory increase, but unfortunately for such a deduction, the ships registered as belonging to any port afford no clue to the number actually engaged in traffic there, hence it happens that many vessels hailing from Fleetwood, as their maternal port, are seldom to be observed in its waters.
The following are the annual records of the foreign and coasting trade of the harbour, in which the Belfast and all other steamships are included under the latter heading:—
VESSELS WITH CARGOES.
Foreign Trade. Coasting Trade.
Year. Inwards. Outwards. Inwards. Outwards.
1844 8 1 436 327
1845 23 2 580 473
1846 24 13 799 927
1847 6 1 752 913
1848 15 5 873 857
1849 36 15 1247 1059
1850 38 14 986 1014
1851 35 13 943 932
1852 32 12 951 823
1853 22 7 1093 919
1854 23 6 1119 983
1855 21 4 1101 971
1856 10 4 1181 1120
1857 18 7 1130 1150
1858 26 13 1020 986
1859 38 20 1023 865
1860 71 30 1123 813
1861 68 28 953 713
1862 41 7 884 560
1863 27 10 795 615
1864 35 6 783 610
1865 29 2 868 623
1866 39 2 762 612
1867 37 4 737 573
1868 26 3 689 512
1869 28 3 730 512
1870 21 4 694 573
1871 20 6 545 526
1872 21 3 697 621
1873 24 3 696 670
1874 32 6 703 587
1875 33 2 659 589
