text:  The returns for 1840 give 6663 as the number of British vessels and 1 495 957 as the aggregate tonnage carrying on the export trade with the colonies; thus it will be seen that the exportation of _thirty-five millions_ of pounds' worth of British produce and manufactures to foreign countries employed only about 300 000 tons of British shipping more than the export to the colonies of _sixteen millions_ of pounds' worth of products or say less than one half