ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 



The Argentine foreign trade was distributed 

 in 1886 as follows (in thousands of dollars): 



The Argentine Republic is rapidly advancing 

 toward the position of an important grain- 

 exporting country. Immense tracts of pasture 

 are being converted into farmland. A few 

 years ago not sufficient wheat was raised to 

 supply the home market. The number of 

 reapers imported into the country last year 

 was 1,429. The chief exports of Argentine 

 products in 1887 were: Indian corn, 361,000 

 tons; wheat, 238,000 tons; linseed, 81,000 

 tons; jerked beef, 19,800 tons; wool, 240,- 

 000,000 pounds (against 290,000,000 in 1886) ; 

 sheepskins, 67,000,000 pounds ; cattle, 110,000 

 head. 



The American trade with the Argentine 

 Republic is shown in the following table : 



Beginning with the year 1888, the export 

 duty on wool and all products emanating from 

 stock-raising has been abolished. An octroi, 

 or consumption-tax, is charged on all goods 

 leaving the bonded warehouses for local con- 

 sumption, but from this. tax several articles are 

 exempted, paying from 2 to 60 per cent, import 

 duty. The free list remained the same as in 1887. 



A French syndicate has conceived the plan 

 of organizing a service of towing, by means of 

 tug-boats, vessels through the Straits of Magel- 

 lan, between the Atlantic and the Pacific, the 

 toll to be twenty cents a ton. Chili would 

 have to give its consent, and has been applied 

 to. 



Education. There are 3,000 schools and edu- 

 cational establishments in the republic, attend- 

 ed by 230,000 pupils. 



Immigration. The number of immigrants 

 landed in 1887 was 120.842, in 574 steamers, 

 as compared with 93,116 in 1886. During the 

 first six months of 1888 there arrived 63,503 

 immigrants. During the six years, from 1882 

 to 1887, both inclusive, 515,220 immigrants 

 landed. 



During the summer of 1888 the Government 



sent to Europe the General Commissioner of 

 Immigration, Don Samuel Navarro, to make 

 arrangements for advancing passage-money to 

 desirable individuals from the north of Europe 

 wishing to emigrate to the republic, under pro- 

 visions of the law of November, 1887, to be 

 repaid in three equal yearly installments; the 

 first, one year after arrival. 



Colonization. A colonization society has been 

 formed in Brussels, Belgium, for the settle- 

 ment and exploitation of 40,000 hectares of 

 land granted by the Argentine Government for 

 the purpose t-j Florimond van Varenbergh. 

 the capital being fixed at 2,500,000 francs, and 

 the charter of the company extending over 

 twenty years. The site is on the Atlantic, on 

 the peninsula of Valdez, and the colony is to 

 l>e called "New Flanders." The concession- 

 naire has bound himself to introduce there 125 

 Belgian families of farmers Another coloni- 

 zation company was formed at Corrientes, " I .a 

 Colonizadora de Corrientes," with a capital of 

 $1,000,000. 



The Government has made the following 

 land grants during seven consecutive years: 

 In 1881, 40,000 hectares; in 1882, 20.000; in 

 1883, 120,000; in 1884, 40,000; in 1885, 182,- 

 000; in 1886, 907,000 ; and in 1887, 4,369,000, 

 together, 5,678,000 hectares. During the first 

 four months of 1888 the total land sales 

 amounted to 2,752,818 hectares, sold for $23,- 

 851,495. 



Exploring Expeditions. The Geographical In- 

 stitute of Buenos Ayres, under Government aid, 

 has undertaken to explore southern Patagonia. 

 Don Augustin del Castillo, captain of a frig- 

 ate, who explored that part of the country be- 

 fore, was to command the expedition, which 

 sailed for the Gallegos islands, and was to pene- 

 trate, if possible, beyond Lago Argentine to 

 Lagos Viedna and San Martin, returning by 

 the Rio Negro; also to determine the precise 

 boundaries between the republic and Chili. 



Another expedition, having for its object 

 the exploration of the eastern slopes of the 

 Cordillera from Mendoza to the Rio Negro, left 

 on Dec. 1. 1888, undertaken by Dr. Frederick 

 Kurtz, Professor of Botany at the University 

 of C6rdoba, and Dr. William Bodenbender, of 

 the Palseontological Museum of that city. The 

 expense is defrayed by the Geographical Insti- 

 tute of Buenos Ayres, and by the National 

 Academy of Sciences at Cordoba jointly. 



Permanent Exhibition. The President has is- 

 sued a decree creating a permanent exhibition 

 of Argentine products at Buenos Ayres. 



Cattle. The slaughterings at the saladeros 

 for exportation of salted hides in the valley of 

 the Rio de la Plata were as follows: 



