The annual imports of breadstuffs for food, taking the average of the four years ending with 1852, may be thus summed up—­

Tons. 
Corn and grain, 8,085,903 quarters, at 60 lb. the bushel 173,270
Flour and meal 207,180
Rice 40,817
Potatoes 42,440
Sago, arrowroot, &c. 5,000
-------
Total 468,707

Some portion of this quantity is doubtless consumed in the arts—­as starch for stiffening linens, &c., and for other purposes not coming under the term of food, but I have purposely left out in the calculation about 30,000 to 40,000 quarters of rice in the husk annually imported.

Ireland took, in 1849, of foreign grain 2,115,129 quarters; 1,683,687 quarters in 1850; and 2,504,229 in 1851; as well as 256,837 cwts. of various kinds of meal and flour in 1849; 220,107 cwts. in 1850; and 341,680 cwts. in 1851.  England also supplied her with about 500,000 quarters of grain and 350,000 cwts. of meal in each of those years.

The comparative returns of the importations of grain into the United Kingdom for the last four years, are as follows, in quarters:—­

                  1852. 1851. 1850. 1849. 
  Wheat 3,068,892 3,812,009 3,738,995 3,845,378
  Barley 656,737 829,564 1,035,903 1,381,008
  Oats 995,480 1,198,529 1,154,473 1,267,106
  Rye 10,023 24,609 98,836 240,566
  Beans 371,250 318,502 443,306 457,933
  Peas 107,017 99,399 181,419 234,366
  Maize 1,479,891 1,807,636 1,277,071 2,224,459
  Other sorts 8,085 3,432 868 1,150
                --------- --------- --------- ---------
  Quarters 6,667,375 8,124,280 7,930,871 9,651,966

The meal and flour imported in the same years, in cwts., were as follows:—­

                  1852. 1851. 1850. 1849. 
  Wheat 3,889,583 5,314,414 3,819,440 3,349,839
  Barley 212 34 108 224
  Oats 521 2,525 5,999 40,230
  Rye 92 6,493 964 18,468
  Indian corn 742 9,561 11,334 101,683
  Other sorts 54 343 163 1,396
                --------- --------- --------- ---------
  Cwts. 3,891,195 5,323,370 3,838,008 3,511,840

Before the famine in Ireland the imports seldom reached 20 millions of bushels of grain and meal of all kinds.  In 1848 our imports were about 60 millions; in 1849, 85 millions; in 1850, 68 millions; in 1851, 751/2 millions; in 1852, 69 millions, with good wheat harvests; showing the great shock received and the slowness of recovery.