Note 239 — Chapter XVI
Reading edition
In 1816, according to the official returns, the merchant navy of the United Kingdom amounted to 2,783,933 tons; and in 1835 to 2,783,761 tons, or a fraction less; but we know that, at the former period, there were a great many more vessels on the Register than there actually existed, from the fact that no means were then taken to ascertain the losses, or to erase from the records vessels which were lost.