832 



VENEZUELA. 



was dedicated at its acquisition, and for which it has 

 been used by said late corporation and by operation 

 of law, become escheated to and the property of the 

 United States of America, subject to the costs and 

 expenses of this proceeding, and of the receivership 

 by this court instituted and ordered. It is further- 

 more ordered and adjudged that there is not now, and 

 lias not been, since the 3d day of March, 1887, any 

 person legally authorized to take charge of, manage, 

 preserve, and control the personal and real property 

 hereinbefore set out, except the receiver appointed by 

 this court ; and it is therefore ordered that the receiv- 

 ership hereinbefore established by this court is con- 

 tinued in full force and effect; and that the said re- 

 ceiver shall continue to exercise all and entire the 

 powers and authority conferred upon him by the de- 

 cree appointing him. 



The Temple Block was excepted from this 

 decree, and the receiver was ordered to sur- 

 render possession of it to trustees already ap- 

 pointed for the use of the Mormon Church as 

 a house of worship. An appeal from this de- 

 cree was taken to the United States Supreme 

 Court, the principal ground therefor being the 



constitutionality of the act under which the de- 

 cision was rendered. No decree had been 

 made at the close of the year by the District 

 Court as to the escheat of the other realty. 



Political. Late in September a call was is- 

 sued by the Utah Democratic Club for a meet- 

 ing of representatives at Salt Lake City, on 

 October C, to form an independent Democratic 

 Territorial organization, the object being to 

 include in the organization all anti-Mormon 

 Democrats of the Territory. This convention 

 accomplished the object for which it was called, 

 and nominated S. R. Thurman as its candidate 

 for delegate to Congress. The People's party 

 (Mormon) held its Territorial Convention at 

 Salt Lake City on October 8, and renominated 

 Delegate John T. Caine. The Republicans, 

 Labor men, and other opponents of Mormon- 

 ism, joined in supporting Mr. Baskin for dele- 

 gate. At the November election Caine re- 

 ceived 10,127 votes, Baskin 3,484, and Thur- 

 man 511. 



VENEZUELA, a republic in Sooth America. 

 Area, 1,539,398 square kilometres ; population 

 in 1886, 2,198,320. 



Government. The President, elected on July 

 5, 1888, is Don Pablo Rojas Paul. His term 

 will expire on Feb. 20, 1890. The Vice-Presi- 

 dent is Dr. S. Pacheco. The Cabinet was 

 formed of the following ministers: Interior, 

 Dr. Nicanor Borges ; Treasury, Don Vicente 

 Coronado ; Public Credit, Don Bermudes 

 Grau ; Public Instruction, Don Santiago Gon- 

 zalez Guinan ; Public Improvements, Don 

 Nicolas Gil ; Public Works, Senor Muttoz Le- 

 bar ; and Foreign Affairs, Don Agustin Tetu- 

 riz. The United States Minister Resident at 

 Caracas is Charles L. Scott ; the American 

 Consul at Ciudad Bolivar is George F. Under- 

 bill. The Venezuelan charge d'affaires at 

 Washington is Don Francisco Antonio Silva. 

 The Consul-General at New York is Dr. Pedro 

 Vicente Mijares. 



Finances. By virtue of a convention con- 

 cluded on Nov. 24, 1888, between the financial 

 agent of the republic in Europe and the council 

 of foreign bondholders, the debt of the repub- 

 lic was consolidated, making 3,753,420, for 

 which amount 4-per-cent. bonds were issued, 

 bearing interest from Jan. 1, 1889. Part of 

 the customs receipts is to be regularly set aside 

 in pledge for payment of both the principal 

 and the interest. Aside from this conversion, 

 the Government floated an additional loan for 

 457,000, to which a similar pledge of duties 

 for payment attaches. 



Army and Navy. The effective strength of 

 the permanent army is 2,000 men. The navy 

 is composed of 3 steamers, 1 schooner, and 1 

 school-ship. 



Postal Service. There are 162 post-offices, 

 which forwarded 2,734,576 items of mail- 

 matter during the fiscal year 1885-'86. 



Railroads. There were in operation, on Jan. 

 1, 1888, 286 kilometres of railway; in course 

 of construction, 353 ; authorized, 1,982. Since 

 that time several other lines have been char- 

 tered. The railway between Puerto Cabello 

 and Valencia was opened in February, 1888. 



Telegraphs. The length of telegraph lines in 

 Venezuela is 4,462 kilometres, with 80 offices. 

 Communication was opened in 1888 between 

 Caracas, La Gnayra, and Colombia, and simul- 

 taneously by cable with Hayti. 



Steamship Line. In May, 1888, a new line of 

 steamers was established, the Royal Dotch 

 West Indian Mail Steamship Company, whose 

 steamers ply between New York, Port-au- 

 Prince, Cnracoa, Puerto Cabello, La Guayra, 

 Trinidad, Demerara, and other West Indian 

 ports. Three steamers were placed on the 

 line to begin with. 



Commerce. Venezuela imported in 1887 from 

 England $2,194,237 worth of merchandise ; 

 from France, $678,441 ; from Spain, $148,267. 

 She exported to those countries in the same 

 year goods to the amount of $705,044, $3,500,- 

 421, and $707,016, respectively. The Ameri- 

 can trade was as follows: 



The Anglo- Venezuelan Imbroglio. Early in 1888 

 there was excitement once more about the 

 frontier dispute between Venezuela and British 



