a Complete returns for previous years not having been received the estimates of the British post-office for the year ending March 31, 1873, which have been accepted by the Treasury, are used instead.

b Figures for 1870 published by Western Union Telegraph Company. Oficial reports do not include wires used partially for railroad messages.

c Reimbursed from net profits.

d Estimated at averge of continental lines.

e Including those of railroad of other companies open to the public.

f Employed exclusively in the telegraph-service.

g Including governmental, and excluding free railroad and telegraph-service messages and messages sent under private frank.

h Government messages not counted.

i Not including news-messages. The messages and receipts are classified upon an average obtained by counting one week's business.

j Excluding over 500.000 government messages not classified.

k Including over $200.000 estimated as the produce of news-messages and of rents of special wires. 7 For salaries of exclusively telegraph employés.

m Including sums paid to railroads and to postmasters for service supplied by them.

n A line of poles carrying one wire is estimated to cost four times as much as each additional wire erected thereoa, equipments included.

o Twenty words are allowed to a message in the United Kingdom, exclusive or address and signature, and ten in the United States. On the continent the message is of twenty words, counting address and signature, which are (together) estimated to average seven words, leaving thirteen "body. words."

a The figures given in this column are derived from estimates based upon data furnished by tole graph companies controlling over nine-tenths of the lines in the United States.

b Estimated at average of continental lines.

e Including those of railroad or other companies open to the public.

d Including governmental, and excluding free railroad and telegraph-service messages and messages sent under private frank.

e Including nearly 2,000,000 press messages.

f A line of poles carrying one wire is estimated to cost four times as much as each additional wire erected thereon, equipments included.

g Twenty words are allowed to a message in the United Kingdom, exclusive of address and signature, and ten in the United States. On the continent the message is of twenty words, counting address and signature, which are (together) estimated to average seven words, leaving thirteen "body-words." h Including salaries of some officials on postal account.

TELEGRAPHS, 2.,

The following tables, from A to I, inclusive, give a comparison between the rates for telegraphic messages (internal and international) in Europe and those in the United States. Table E also shows the inequality of rates in different sections of the United States, and the reduction in charge produced by competition:

Twenty-six messages; average cost per message, 20 cents; per mile, 0.063 cent.

Thirty-two messages; average cost per message, 25 cents; per mile, 0.109 cent.