onary at 8.0%; those to Austria
had dropped from 6.3% to 4.0%, to Russia from 9.11 to 8.43%.

For the quinquennial period 1901-1905, the average annual value of the
exterior trade was:--imports L17,787,296; exports L18,811,588; total
L36,598,884. In 1907 the total value of the merchandise imported and
exported, exclusive of transit, re-exportation and specie, was
LE.54,134,000--constituting a record trade return. The value of the
imports was LE.26,121,000, of the exports LE.28,013,000.

_Shipping._--More than 90% of the external trade passes through the
port of Alexandria. Port Said, which in consequence of its position at
the northern entrance of the Suez Canal has more frequent and regular
communication with Europe, is increasing in importance and is the port
where mails and passengers are landed. Over 3000 ships enter and clear
harbour at Alexandria every year. The total tonnage entering the port
increased in the five years 1901-1905 from 2,555,259 to 3,591,281. In
the same period the percentage of British shipping, which before 1900
was nearly 50, varied from 40 to 45. No other nation had more than 12%
of the tonnage, Italy, France, Austria and Turkey each having 9 to
12%. The tonnage of German ships increased in the five years mentioned
from 3 to 7%. In number of steamships entering the harbour Great
Britain is first, with some 800 yearly, or about 50% of all steamers
entering. The sailing boats entering the harbour are almost entirely
Turkish. They are vessels of small tonnage.

The transit trade with the East, which formerly passed overland
through Egypt, has been diverted to the Suez Canal, the traffic
through which has little to do with the trade or shipping of Egypt.
The number of ships using the canal increased in the 20 years
1880-1900 from 2000 to 4000, while in the same period the tonnage rose
from 4,300,000 to 14,000,000. In 1905 the figures were:--Number of
ships that passed through the canal, 4116 (2484 being British and 600
German), net tonnage 13,134,105 (8,356,940 British and 2,113,484
German). Next to British and German the nationality of ships using the
canal in order of importance is French, Dutch, Austrian, Italian and
Russian. About 250,000 passengers (including some 40,000 pilgrims to
Mecca) pass through the canal in a year (see further SUEZ).

_Currency._--The monetary system in force dates from 1885, when
through the e