FRANCE. 



351 



in treating the capitulations as having lapsed 

 before a formal notification to the powers of 

 the taking possession of Massowab, in compli- 

 ance with the Congo treaty that was made at 

 Berlin in 1885, and in his first circular Signor 

 Crispi made such notification. This was treat- 

 ed hy the French Government in the further 

 correspondence as only a preliminary to nego- 

 tiations respecting the abolition of the capitu- 

 lations by consent of the powers. 



The Hungarian Premier, M. Tisza, in an- 

 nouncing in May that the Hungarian Govern- 

 ment would not only take no official part in 

 the French Exhibition of 1889, as he had al- 

 ready declared a year before, but would dis- 

 courage Hungarians from exhibiting, based the 

 decision on the ground that the French Gov- 

 ernment would not or could not protect for- 

 eigners from violence. His utterances on this 

 subject in the Hungarian Chamber conveyed 

 an admonition that the days of Hungarian 

 sympathy for France were over in a tone so 

 provocative that explanations were asked. 



Colonies. The colonial possessions and pro- 

 tectorates of France have a total area of 2,267.- 

 034 square kilometres, with a population of 

 26,003,995. The following table shows the 

 area and population of the colonies and pro- 

 tectorates, according to the latest estimates 

 and returns: 



Total colonies 



Protectorates : 



Tunis 



Annam 



Cambodia... 

 Comoros... 



Total. 



Grand total 2.267,034 26.003,995 



The budget for 1888 estimates 41.841,331 

 francs for the colonies, including 2,500,000 

 francs for New Caledonia, 6,333,00~0 francs for 

 Senegambia, 3,000,000 francs for Cochin-China, 

 and 3,250,000 francs for Annam. 



By a decree that was issued on Oct. 17, 1887, 

 the whole of the possessions of France in Indo- 

 China, comprising Cochin-China, Tonquin, An- 

 Dam, and Cambodia, were united under one 

 civil governor-general of Indo-China, with a 

 lieutenant-governor in Cochin-China. a resi- 

 dent-general in Tonquin and Annam, and a 

 resident-general in Cambodia. M. 

 previously resident at Hanoi, was nominated 

 Governor-General, but in the beginning of 

 September, 1888, he was dismissed in c 

 quence of a dispute between himself and the 

 under-secretary for the colonies, and M. Rich- 

 aud, his chief subordinate, was appointed to suc- 

 ceed him. The revenue of French Indo-China 

 for 1^ -limited at $13,656,000, and the 



expenditure at $18,756,126. The estimated 

 revenue of Annam and Tonquin for 1887-'88 

 was 44, 860,000 francs, and the expenditure 44,- 

 758,230 francs. The expenses of the annexa- 

 tion and Government of Tonquin up to the end 

 of 1887 were 299,000,000 francs. For 1888 the 

 ministry asked for $20,000,000 francs, and was 

 almost defeated by the vote of the Chamber 

 on February 13. The number of troops main- 

 tained in Indo - China is still nearly 14,000. 

 There are moreover 18,000 native troops. The 

 King of Annam has ceded to France the towns 

 of Haiphong, Hanoi, and Tourane, and the 

 country around them, and has decreed that 

 French property shall be subject to French 

 laws in Tonquin and the free ports, and that 

 Frenchmen may acquire property in any part 

 of his kingdom, subject to the laws of Annam. 

 Kebellion against French authority, or "pira- 

 cy," as it is called, is still rife in Tonquin, and 

 the conquerors have resorted to the plan of 

 imposing heavy fines on villages that are 

 suspected of aiding or harboring pirates, and 

 distributing one half of the proceeds among 

 villages distinguished for loyalty, while the 

 remainder is employed in maintaining and im- 

 proving the. Tonquinese militia, which has 

 been reorganized under the name of the civil 

 native guard, and is no longer trusted to op- 

 pose the rebel bands, but is employed for po- 

 lice duties only. In October, 1888, the former 

 King of Annam, who, with his minister Thuyet. 

 kept up a vigorous resistance after his capital 

 had been captured and another king in- 

 stalled, was made a prisoner by French troops, 

 Thuyet being slain. For protecive and fiscal 

 purposes, the French general tariff was put in 

 force in Indo-China on July 1, 1887. Although 

 it increased the revenue, the change did not 

 stimulate the importation of French goods, and 

 the effect on commerce and production was 

 very unfavorable. 



The Senegambian possessions have been ex- 

 tended in the past four years, either by treaties 

 with native chiefs or by simple assumption 

 of dominion, until they include the whole 

 of the upper Niger as far as the great falls 

 east of Timbuctoo. The territory claimed 

 by France embraces all the country behind 

 British Gambia and Portuguese Senegambia 



