^{page 515 note 1} ‘The wealth of the people (of Europe) all told, which would probably not have been reckoned at more than 5,000,000,000 at the beginning of the century, must be reckoned now by tens of thousands of millions.’—Sir Robert Giffen, Manchester, 17th Oct. 1900.

^{page 519 note 1} The Democratic party some years ago asserted that Protection—to which they are opposed—has ‘concentrated one-half of the wealth of the great Republic in the hands of 17,000 individuals, and handed over to 250 capitalists one-twelfth of the total assets of 63 millions of citizens.’

^{page 520 note 1} A writer in the Times a few years ago estimated that of people speaking European languages at the beginning of this century, 19·6 per cent. (31,000,000) spoke French, 18·4 per cent. (30,000,000) spoke German, and barely 13 per cent. (21,000,000) spoke English, while at the time he wrote 31 per cent, spoke English—twice as many as spoke any other European language. Speaking at Manchester, 17th October, Sir Robert Giffen estimated the population of the United States with those of the United Kingdom and her self-governing Colonies at 135,000,000. A fraction of these, as in Canada, do not speak English, but on the other hand there are many English-speaking in our Crown Colonies and Dependencies.

^{page 525 note 1} Encyclopœdia Britannica—Article, Usury.

^{page 525 note 2} ‘It was not until 1887 that the last provision against usury—a provision limiting the rate of interest in the East Indies to 12 per cent.—was removed from the Statute Book.’—Scotsman, 23rd October 1900.

^{page 527 note 1} In 1867 it was enacted that ‘No purchase, made bona fide and without fraud or unfair dealing, of any reversionary interest in Real or Personal estate (in England) shall hereafter be opened or set aside merely on the ground of undervalue’ (31 Vic. cap. 4).

^{page 528 note 1} On the occasion of a loan to a railway company in 1849, of which I have knowledge, nineteen documents had to be produced to satisfy the lenders that the sum required was within the company's borrowing powers. These included Acts of Parliament, certificates by the Sheriff of a County, and affidavits and certificates by the Secretary of the borrowing company.

^{page 529 note 1,2} Report of Select Committee on Railway Companies' Borrowing Powers, 1864.

^{page 530 note 1} Railways constructed by authority of the Board of Trade under ‘The Railways Construction Facilities Act, 1864’ (27 and 28 Vic. cap. 121) are not allowed to borrow ‘a larger sum in the whole than one-third of the share capital authorised by the certificate’ granted them by the Board of Trade, and cannot exercise this power ‘until the whole of the share capital is subscribed for or taken, and until one-half thereof is actually paid.’