INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS 150 The following gives the number and tonnage of steam vessels which entered and cleared Indian ports vid the Suez Canal during the years indicated : — — Entered Cleared Total No. Tons No. Tons No. 1,640 1,714 1,618 1,430 1,336 Tons 1893-94 1894-95 1895-96 1896-97 1897-98 712 811 725 643 578 1,575,836 1,834,009 1,698,707 1,554,653 1,454,321 928 903 893 787 758 1,987,474 1,980,900 2,025,408 1,823,784 1,790,223 3,563,310 3,814,909 3,724,115 3,378,437 3,244,544 The number of vessels which entered with cargoes in the interportal trade in 1896-97 was 94,806 of 11,046,072 tons; and in 1897-98, 91,522 of 10,479,527 tons; and cleared in 1896-97, 89,349 of 11,092,238 tons ; and in 1897-98, 86,660 of 10,523,910 tons. For the year 1897-98, 163 vessels of 2,033 tonnage were built at Indian ports ; 22 of the vessels in I'^ombay, and 20 in Madras. The following table compares the number and tonnage of all the vessels built and of those first registered at Indian ports for six years : — Built . Registered 1892-93 1893-94 1894-95 1895-96 189(5-97 No.! Ton- 1 No. nage 72 2,141 118 6,102 i 129 Ton- nage No. 3.280 8,994 107 Ton- nage No. Ton- nage No. Ton- nage 1897-98 No. Ton- nage 2,8111 90 4,477 i 149 2,212 8,573 81 2,975' 86 I 5,112 2,033 6,717 Internal Communications. I. Roads and Canals. The following table shows approximately the length in miles of roads maintained b} public authorities throughout the country : — — Metalled Miles Unmetalled Miles Total Miles Bengal . (1896) 4,212 32,662 36,874 N. W. P. and Oudh ,, 5,2653 23,714 28,980 Punjab (1897) 2,327 23,729i 26,056i Lower Burma 993i ],762i 2,756 , Upper Burma 335^ 2,8841 3,2201: Central Provinces (1896) 1,382 5,620i 7,0024 Assam . (1897) 137i 5,65Ui 5,789i Madras . 12,469i 10, 299. i 22,769i Bombay 2,892 4,608 7,500 Haidariibad . 236 800 1,036 Coorg . J 1 122 175^ 297* Mvsore (1896) 1,769 — 1,769 Raj put an a ) } — — — Central India (1897) l,419i. 5,360i 6,780 Baluchistan . (1896) 66U 770f l,432y Military works j> 1,393 437 1,830 1 Exclusive of bridle paths.
