80 



BRAZIL. 



and they were preceded by the resignation of 

 the chief Federal officials in that province, friends 

 of ex-Minister Ribeiro. Another decree of the 

 Minister of Finance ordering 20 per cent, of all 

 duties to be paid in gold caused much dissatis- 

 faction. On Aug. 2 the Government issued a 

 charter for a national mortgage bank with a 

 capital of 100,000 contos of reis in gold. Dr. 

 Ruy Barbosa was finally ousted by his republican 

 antagonists on Aug. 20, when he was replaced 

 by Gen. Floriano Peixoto, who had formerly 

 been adjutant-general of the army, and since 

 April had administered the Ministry of War. 

 Senhor Benjamin Constant, one of the leading 

 spirits in the revolution and author of many of 

 the acts of the Provisional Government, had been 

 a professor in the Military Academy under the 

 empire. He retired from the War Department 

 because the soldiers preferred a minister more 

 closely connected with the service, and was 

 placed at the head of the new Ministry of Public 

 Instruction and Posts and Telegraphs. In this 

 post he showed his activity of mind by devising 

 a plan for the reform of the primary schools, 

 which have been starved while superior instruc- 

 tion has been lavishly provided by the state. 



The New Constitution. When the repub- 

 lican Constitution was drafted the members of 

 the Government concluded that it would be 

 simpler and safer to promulgate it at once with- 

 out the intervention of a specially elected con- 

 stitutional convention. It was proclaimed on 

 June 22, subject to the ratification in November 

 of the Congress elected under its provisions on 

 Sept. 15. It institutes a Federal Government 

 modeled in all its chief functions and limi- 

 tations after that of the United States. The 

 first President will be elected by Congress, and 

 future presidents by the people. He is declared 

 responsible only to the nation, and will choose 

 his Cabinet, consisting not of ministers responsi- 

 ble to Parliament, but of secretaries of state re- 

 sponsible solely to him. His term of office is 

 six years, and he can not be re-elected till ten 

 years have passed. He is elected indirectly by 

 electors, as in the United States. A Cabinet 

 office disqualifies, unless resigned six months be- 

 fore election. The members of the House of 

 Representatives are elected for three years, 

 Senators for nine years. Each State sends three 

 Senators, of whom one retires every third year. 

 The members of the popular branch are elected 

 directly in districts so bounded as to embrace a 

 population of seventy thousand each. The States 

 will be self-governing under forms that must be 

 republican. If after two years any State shall 

 have neglected to frame a constitution Congress 

 shall impose on it the constitution of one of the 

 other States with only necessary modifications. 

 All existing imposts cease at the end of two 

 years from the adoption of the Constitution. 

 The judges of the existing Supreme Court retire 

 on pensions as soon as the Constitution passes 

 into force, and a Federal judiciary will be created 

 with a supreme court consisting of fifteen 

 judges nominated for life. Duties on exports 

 are not to be imposed after 1897. The Federal 

 Government shall not grant public lands to 

 companies, but may guarantee interest on capi- 

 tal for a maximum period of ten years. A Fed- 

 eral district will be the seat of Government, dif- 



BULGARIA. 



fering from the District of Columbia in having 

 the same electoral privileges as a State, with 

 representation in both Houses and m the electoral 

 college. Suffrage is the right of all who can 

 read and write, excepting beggars, private sol- 

 diers, and members of religious orders, companies, 

 congregations, or communities that impose con- 

 ditions of obedience. Every citizen may do or 

 leave undone whatsoever he pleases providing he 

 infringes on none of the rights of others. He 

 may profess and practice any religion, and may 

 teach or learn whatever he desires, and select 

 the way of life that pleases him best. He shall 

 have the right of free speech. Every citizen 

 may ask whatever he pleases. All persons are 

 equal before the law, and no titles, distinctions, 

 privileges, or decorations are recognized by the 

 State. Every citizen's house shall be inviolable. 

 All persons may enter or leave the country at 

 their pleasure. Citizens may assemble in pub- 

 lic or private meetings without police interfer- 

 ference. Amendments to the constitution must 

 be proposed by one third of the members of 

 both Houses and carried after three debates and 

 votes by a two-thirds majority of the entire 

 Congress. Separation of church and state and 

 obligatory civil marriage are made a part of the 

 fundamental law. The States may regulate ele- 

 mentary education, but the schools must be free 

 to all. Unnaturalized foreigners have the right 

 to vote for municipal officers. 



BULGARIA, a principality in southeastern 

 Europe, tributary to Turkey. The Constitution 

 of 1879 vests the legislative power in a single 

 chamber called the Sobranje, the members of 

 which are elected by universal suffrage. Eastern 

 lloumelia, now known as South Bulgaria, cre- 

 ated an autonomous province of Turkey by the 

 Treaty of Berlin, was united with Bulgaria in 

 September, 1885, and in April, 1886, the Sultan, 

 by an imperial firman, committed the govern- 

 ment to the Prince of Bulgaria. Ferdinand, 

 Duke of Saxony, born Feb. 26, 1861, was elected 

 Prince of Bulgaria by unanimous vote of the 

 National Assembly on July 7, 1887, but his elec- 

 tion has not yet been confirmed by the Porte 

 and the great powers. His predecessor, Alexan- 

 der of Battenberg, abdicated on Sept. 7, 1886. 



Area and Population. The area of Bulga- 

 ria, including Eastern Roumelia, but excluding 

 the Kirjali district and the villages in the Rho- 

 dope ceded to Turkey in 1886, is 38.390 square 

 miles. The population is 3,154,375, of which 

 number 2,326,224. or about 75 per cent., are Chris- 

 tian Bulgars ; 607,372, or 20 per cent., are Mus- 

 sulmans ; 58,326, or about 2 per cent., are Greeks ; 

 and the remainder are Serbs, Roumanians, Rus- 

 sians, gypsies, and others. 



Finances. In the budget for 1890 the reve- 

 nue was calculated at 64.549.030 lei, and the ex- 

 penditure at 70,730,062 lei. The chief sources of 

 income are direct taxes, yielding 38,880,000 lei, 

 and customs and excise duties amounting to 

 11.824,000 .lei. The expenditure for military 

 purposes is estimated at 23,281,584 lei : for the 

 Department of the Interior, 8,292,129 lei ; for the 

 public debt, 2,600.000 lei ; for public works. 

 7,655,243 lei: for financial administration, 10.- 

 900,969 lei ; for public instruction. 4,519,200 lei. 

 The public debt is made up of 26,545,626 lei 

 standing against Bulgaria as the cost of the Rus- 



