been inspected and reported on as to seaworthiness, and that evidence is furnished as above set forth. Such officers will please report fully in regard to all the particulars mentioned, in their letters of transmittal, and will specify the newspaper in which it is proposed to publish the change of name. They will also cause the publication of the notice of the change of name, forwarding a copy of the paper containing the notice to this Office; and they are hereby authorized to require a deposit in advance of a sum sufficient to cover the expense of publication.

In the case of steam vessels, the new name authorized should be indorsed on the certificate of inspection in force.

Application for change of name of vessels over twenty years old will be rejected; and such change will not be authorized in the case of vessels over ten years old, unless repairs shall have been made equaling in cost 40 per centum of the first cost of the vessel; nor in the case of vessels fifteen years old, unless such repairs shall have been made equaling 60 per centum of the first cost of the vessel.

No change will be authorized of the name of a steam-vessel of which the boilers are more than ten years old.

For the purposes of the Act first above cited, the word "enrolled," as contained therein, is held to be equivalent to "documented," and the word "register,” to “documenting."

Under these regulations the applications for change of name of vessels have been approved or rejected as the evidence in each case appeared to warrant. In a few cases, where the facts seemed to prove that the vessel had been nearly rebuilt or money enough laid out to rebuild her, the limit of years allowed in the circular has been exceeded. The following is a list of vessels whose names have been changed during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1885:

List of vessels whose names have been changed under the act of March 2, 1881, during the year ended June 30, 1885.

List of vessels whose names have been changed under the act of March 2, 1881, &c.--Cont'd.

The history of the growth and development of the commercial navies. of the different nations of the world is an interesting study, but although it might in the course of centuries be expected to point out some important facts showing the cause of the flourishing or depressing periods in certain countries, very little is deduced from such inquiry beyond the fact that the "price rules the trade."

A people must of course possess enterprise and a maritime spirit to succeed on the ocean, but aside from this, the competition being in a field beyond the influence or protection of tariffs, the nation that can place the cheapest ships on the ocean has an advantage.

In our early history as a nation, before iron ships came into use, we could build a ship for less money than it could be built for in England. The timber of our forests was then so abundant as to be almost valueless, while England had to import that used by her. The materials were much cheaper here, and only that the cost of labor was greater, a ship of that day could probably be put afloat for nearly one-half the cost of the

same kind of vessel in Great Britain. Our young merchant marine grew up strong and healthy under the stimulus of this advantage, which continued until after the building of iron vessels had begun in England. It was not until after iron had become cheap, and the art of fashioning it into ships had become fully developed, that the demand for wooden ships for the ocean trade was brought to a pause. But although we still build the best wooden ships that are built anywhere, and can compete with the world in that particular branch, the iron vessels of Great Britain have all the time been getting cheaper, and can now be contracted for at from £9 to £10 10s. sterling per tou for a firstclass sailing vessel supplied with an East India outfit. This is actually as low as a first-rate oak ship can now be built for in this country.

The arrest or decline of ship-building for foreign trade in the United States appears to have followed the prevailing prices of the cost of producing the ship in this country as compared with the cost abroad, rather than to have been influenced by legislative enactments. This may be seen by examination of the annexed table, exhibiting the proportion of our tonnage and trade, compared with the prevailing tariff and cost of shipping in this country and in Great Britain since 1820.

The falling off in ship-building has been spasmodic, and depending upon the effect produced by the activity or depression of business; but the decline in the proportion of foreign trade done by American vessels has been quite regular, reaching a minimum in 1882; since which time there has been a slightly favorable reaction.

It is also encouraging to note that iron vessels are now constructed here at much less cost than formerly.

Table showing volume of foreign trade and proportion carried in American and foreign vessels, the ratio of tariff, the tonnage built and tonnage owned in the United States, with the cost of building vessels (wooden and iron) here and in Great Britain since 1820.

Table showing volume of foreign trade and proportion carried, &c.—Continued.

The sea-going merchant marine of the United States at the beginning of the present year numbered 6,639 vessels of all classes, measuring 2,684,067 tons. Of this number 355 were steamers of an aggregate tonnage of 545,187, and 6,284 of 2,138,880 tons were sailing vessels; but the entire number of documented vessels under the flag on June 30, 1885, was 23,963 and their tonnage 4,265,933.79.

The estimated value of the whole amount of floating property under he flag, by adopting the methods of calculation usually made use of and allowing 10 per cent. for the difference between wooden and iron vessels, is about $180,000,000.

UNITED STATES VESSELS ENGAGED IN FOREIGN TRADE.

The tabulated lists of vessels divided in respect to their documents, has heretofore been taken to indicate the trade such vessels were engaged in (the registered being in foreign trade, and the enrolled and licensed vessels in the coasting trade); but such division has necessarily been erroneous, as some vessels on the lakes, none of which are registered, are engaged in foreign trade; moreover, vessels carrying registers occasionally engage in the coastwise business.

To correct any wrong impression of this kind that may have been gathered from the tables, the whole list of American vessels has been examined and the position and employment of each vessel ascertained n the day of the termination of the fiscal year, from which it appears 5556 NAV- -3

that with the exception of those on the Northern lakes the vessels of the United States actually engaged in commerce with foreign countries on June 30, 1885, including those vessels trading between ports on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, amounted to 1,461, with a measurement of 1,060,264.73 tons. The annexed table shows a classification of these vessels with the number and tonnage.

The total number of vessels employed in the different coasting trades and fisheries of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, including the Western rivers and all inland navigation, excepting the Northern lakes, on June 30, 1885, was 19,123 and their tonnage 2,455,720.57.

The following table shows the class and character of these vessels as returned at that date:

The total number of vessels engaged in the coastwise trade, excluding those engaged in the fisheries and upon the Northern lakes and Western rivers, is 15,918, and their tonnage 2,001,917.73.

Our coasting fleet will be seen by these tables to be by far the most flourishing branch of the United States merchant marine. If we include our lake and river tonnage it is the most formidable coasting fleet in the world, surpassing in point of tonnage the combined mercantile navies of any two nations, excluding Great Britain. In fact, the aggregate merchant tonnage of France, Spain, and Italy together falls short of the United States coasting marine. Moreover, this fleet of coasters of various kinds built for conducting the traffic of our extended coasts and long rivers is admirably adapted to the diversified variety of business it was constructed to perform. It is, in point of equipment and efficiency of the vessels and accommodations and comforts for those on board, second to no fleet in the world. The coasting service is moreover thoroughly American, both in the increasing traffic it is intended to carry on and the peculiar style, models, and rig of the vessels themselves. No doubt the experience gained by our shipwrights' and architects in drawing the lines of the fine models that are to be met with along our coasts has enabled them to build yachts that from the days of the "America" to the" Puritan" have kept the prize for fast sailing.