Canada : Statistical Abstract and Record for 1888. (Chamberlin, Ottawa.)—We
need hardly say that this is an interesting volume. Under the head of " Vital Statistics," we find returns from the principal cities and towns. Of the large cities, Montreal shows a mortality of 30.74 per thousand ; Toronto, 1984. Winni- peg, considering what should be its healthy conditions, has the high average of 24.55. Both the death-rate and the birth-rate are highest among the French Canadians. The revenue has increased from $13,087,928 in 1808, to $35,908,463 in 1888; and the expenditure from $13,486,092 to $30,718,494. Four of the seven provinces spend more than they receive, as does the Dominion itself. The debt is now $234,531,358, about .247,000,000. Not far from a half was assumed when the Dominion was confederated, and more than the balance has been spent on railways and other public works. The wheat crop of 1887 was nearly 40,000,000 bushels, of which about a tenth was exported. In this year, the price reached the lowest figure yet known. There has been an, extraordinary decrease in the exports of butter. It is interesting to find the report making exactly the same complaint of Canadian that is made of English dairy-farmers in this respect :—" The decrease has been very considerable, amounting to 63 per cent.,. and is attributable almost entirely to carelessness on the part of the farmer in not producing an article of sufficiently high quality to obtain a ready sale in the English market." The increased manufacture of cheese accounts for part of the falling-off, but not for all. Out of nearly 170 millions of pounds imported into Great Britain, less than four come from Canada.
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