The annual output of tin ore, which in 1878 amounted to 15,045 tons, valued at £530,737, fell to 12,898 tons in 1881, though the value in that year rose to £697,444. During the years 1882–1892 the average output was over 14,000 tons, and its average value about £770,000, but in Tin.1893 a decline began in the output (not however accompanied closely by a decline in the value), slightly relieved about 1905.
| Year. | Tin Ore. | Value. |
| Tons. | £ | |
| 1893 | 13,689 | 637,053 |
| 1900 | 6,800 | 523,604 |
| 1905 | 7,201 | 574,183 |
| 1909 | 5,193 | 617,376 |
Tin ore is obtained almost exclusively in Cornwall.
Like others of the less important mining industries, copper mining in the United Kingdom has declined. In 1881 the output of ore amounted to 52,556 tons, in 1891 to 9158 tons, in 1893 to 5576 tons, in 1905 to 7153 tons, valued at £32,696 and yielding 716 tons of metal by smelting. Copper.The total tonnage of ore included 5757 tons from England (chiefly from Cornwall) and 1146 from Ireland (Wicklow, &c.). Copper precipitate is taken from water pumped up from old copper mines on Parys Mountain in Anglesey.
Zinc ore is obtained chiefly from mines in Cumberland, Wales and the Isle of Man. In 1881 the output reached 35,527 tons, valued at £110,043; in 1891 the output was only 22,216 tons, but its value was £113,445. In 1897 the quantity was 19,278 tons, and the value £69,134; but in 1898 Zinc.the price had risen so that the output of 23,552 tons was worth £117,784. In 1900 the output of 24,675 tons was worth £97,606; and in 1905 that of 23,909 tons was worth £139,806.
During the period 1890-1905 gold mines were worked continuously in Merionethshire. Notices of the discovery of gold elsewhere (as in the Forest of Dean, Argyllshire and Ireland) have appeared from time to time.
The principal fluctuations in production were as follows:—
| Year. | Ore. | Gold. | Value. |
| Tons. | Oz. | £ | |
| 1890 | 575 | 206 | 675 |
| 1891 | 14,117 | 4,008 | 13,700 |
| 1893 | 4,489 | 2,309 | 8,691 |
| 1895 | 13,266 | 6,600 | 18,520 |
| 1898 | 703 | 395 | 1,229 |
| 1900 | 20,802 | 14,004 | 52,147 |
| 1902 | 29,953 | 4,181 | 14,570 |
| 1904 | 23,203 | 19,655 | 73,925 |
| 1905 | 15,981 | 5,797 | 21,222 |
| 1908 | — | 915 | 3,311 |
It should be noted also that from imported cupreous iron pyrites, copper, gold and silver are extracted at some fifteen metal extraction works in Great Britain. From 386,858 tons of burnt ore in 1900 there were obtained 13,925 tons of copper, 1777 oz. of gold and 309,486 oz. of silver; and in 1905 the figures were: ore, 402,863 tons; copper, 14,502 tons; gold, 1850 oz.; silver, 322,291 oz.
Textile Industries.—The most important of the textile industries of Great Britain is cotton manufacture. The quantities of raw cotton imported, exported and retained for consumption for various years during the period 1890-1910 were as Cotton.follows:—
| Year. | Imported. | Exported. | Retained. |
| ℔ | ℔ | ℔ | |
| 1890 | 1,793,495,200 | 214,641,840 | 1,578,853,360 |
| 1893 | 1,416,780,064 | 224,621,488 | 1,192,158,576 |
| 1895 | 1,757,042,672 | 203,284,592 | 1,553,758,080 |
| 1898 | 2,128,548,352 | 203,072,464 | 1,925,475,838 |
| 1900 | 1,760,206,672 | 215,747,168 | 1,544,459,504 |
| 1905 | 2,203,595,520 | 283,177,888 | 1,920,417,632 |
| 1907 | 2,386,901,104 | 330,352,064 | 2,056,549,040 |
| 1909 | 2,188,761,456 | 268,633,456 | 1,920,128,000 |
During the same period the minimum and maximum amount of raw cotton (in ℔) imported into the United Kingdom from the principal countries whence it is exported was as follows: United States of America (1893), 1,055,855,360; (1898), 1,805,353,424; Egypt (1890), 181,266,176; (1907), 423,052,448; British possessions in the East Indies (1898), 27,349,728; (1890), 238,746,704; (1909), 75,621,168; Brazil (1899), 5,464,592; (1906), 54,362,000; Peru (1891), 6,175,344; (1909), 24,413,648. In 1905 there were imported 7,941,920 ℔ from Chile (only 195,328 in 1909); 6,033,104 ℔ from Canada (this also fluctuates greatly: 1,801,072 in 1909); 1,241,408 ℔ from British West Africa (4,985,232 in 1909); 1,126,720 ℔ from the British West Indies and Guiana (3,022,208 in 1908).
According to the census returns of 1901 there were 546,065 persons employed in cotton factories, 199,920 male and 346,145 female. Of the total number of workpeople, 529,131 were employed in England and Wales, 14,805 in Scotland and 212 in Ireland. In 1907 the total had risen to 576,820 (217,742 males and 359,078 females).
The extent of the woollen and worsted manufactures of the United Kingdom is indicated by the following table showing the imports and exports of wool and the quantity wool retained for use in various years Wool.(1890–1905):—
| Year. | Imports. | Exports of imported Wool. |
Retained. |
| ℔ | ℔ | ℔ | |
| 1890 | 633,028,131 | 340,712,303 | 292,315,828 |
| 1895 | 775,379,063 | 404,935,226 | 370,443,337 |
| 1898 | 699,555,048 | 283,317,748 | 416,237,300 |
| 1900 | 558,950,528 | 196,207,261 | 362,743,267 |
| 1905 | 620,350,885 | 277,864,215 | 342,486,670 |
| 1907 | 764,236,625 | 313,519,232 | 450,767,343 |
| 1909 | 808,710,087 | 390,695,182 | 418,014,905 |
During the same period the minimum and maximum amount of wool (in ℔) imported into the United Kingdom was as follows: Australia (1904), 220,483,961; (1895), 417,163,078; New Zealand (1890), 95,632,598; (1909), 176,457,150; British possessions in South Africa (1900), 32,219,369; (1909), 115,896,598; South America (1890), 11,173,692; (1908), 78,938,15; British possessions in the East Indies (1901), 24,069,571; (1909), 56,238,63; France (1890), 10,873,788; (1902), 27,770,790; Turkish Empire (1908), 5,705,671; (1897), 25,727,462.
In the woollen and worsted industries 239,954 persons were employed according to the census of 1901, of whom 99,425 were males and 140,529 females. Of the total number 209,700 were employed in England and Wales, 24,906 in Scotland and 5348 in Ireland.
The numbers of persons employed in the other principal textile industries in 1901 was as follows:—
| England and Wales. |
Scotland. | Ireland. | United Kingdom. | Total. | ||
| Males. | Females. | |||||
| Flax . . | 4,493 | 23,570 | 71,464 | 29,226 | 70,301 | 99,527 |
| Hemp, jute, | ||||||
| &c. . . | 2,750 | 39,200 | 639 | 11,618 | 30,971 | 42,589 |
| Silk . . | 34,847 | 2,424 | 209 | 11,058 | 26,422 | 37,480 |
| Hosiery . | 48,374 | 11,957 | 611 | 15,067 | 45,875 | 60,942 |
Commerce.—British commerce received an enormous development after the first quarter of the 19th century. In 1826 the aggregate value of the imports into and exports from the United Kingdom amounted to no more than £88,758,678; while the total rose to £110,559,538 in 1836 and to £205,625,831 in 1846. In 1856 the aggregate of imports and exports had risen to £311,764,507, in 1866 to £534,195,956 and in 1876 to £631,931,305. Thus the commercial transactions of the United Kingdom with foreign states and British colonies increased more than sevenfold in the course of fifty years.
An important fact in connexion with the foreign commerce of the United Kingdom is that there has been a steady increase in imports, but there has been no corresponding steady increase in exports of British produce and manufactures. Many industries, which formerly were mainly in British hands, have been developed on the continent of Europe, in America, and to some extent in the East. The movement began in 1872. Up to that time the exports of British home produce had kept on increasing with the imports, although at a lesser rate, and far inferior in aggregate value; but a change took place in the latter year. While the imports continued their upward course, gradually rising from £354,693,624 in 1872 to £375,154,703 in 1876, the exports of British produce fell from £256,257,347 in 1872 to £200,639,204 in 1876. The decline in exports, regular and steady throughout the period, and with a tendency to become more pronounced every year, affected all the principal articles of British home produce just enumerated. The value of the cotton manuctures exported sank from £80,164,155 in 1872 to £67,641,268 in 1876; woollen fabrics from £38,493,411 to £23,020,719; iron and steel from £35,996,167 to £20,737,410; coals from £10,442,321 to £8,904,463; machinery from £8,201,112 to £7,210,426; and linen manufactures from £10,956,761 to £7,070,149. The decline during the four years, it will be seen, was greatest in all textile manufactures, and least in coal and machinery.
