SAMOA. 



raised a force of 2,000 men in Honduras, marched 

 on the capital and seized the artillery barracks 



(while Ezeta's army was on the frontier of Guate- 

 mala, encamped opposite the army of volunteers 

 that threatened his overthrow, behind whom 

 were posted menacingly the regular troops of 

 Guatemala. Gen. Antonia Ezeta was ordered 

 from the frontier with 2,000 men, and reaching 

 San Salvador, he attacked Gen. Rivas vigorously, 

 and recaptured the city and fortress. The city 

 suffered much during the siege of two days. 

 Itivas was captured and publicly shot. Promi- 

 nent persons who were concerned in the rebell- 

 ion were executed unless they could flee to for- 

 eign parts. The Congress met in September 

 and unanimously elected Gen. Carlos Ezeta to 

 act as Provisional President till March 1, 1891. 

 The treaty with Guatemala was ratified by Con- 

 gress on Sept. 22, with the exception of two arti- 

 cles that seemed an intrusion into the sover- 

 eignty of Salvador, which, notwithstanding an 

 explanatory declaration interpreting them in 

 the contrary sense, were reserved for reconsider- 

 ation. Salvador, being anxious to have separate 

 representatives from the United States and other 

 powers^ which have hitherto accredited their dip- 

 lomatic representatives to all five republics, ap- 

 pointed Geronimo Pou minister to Mexico arid 

 the United States, and on Oct. 30, a Salvadorian 

 legation was created at Washington, and Gen. 

 Benjamin Molino Guirola was appointed envoy 

 extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. 



SAMOA, a kingdom occupying a group of 14 

 volcanic islands in the south Pacific. Their 

 area is 2,787 square kilometres, or 1,701 square 

 miles. The natives number about 36,000. Ger- 

 many, Great Britain, and the United States signed 

 an act, at Berlin, on June 14, 1889, guaranteeing 

 the neutrality of the islands. The citizens of 

 t'ne three powers have equal rights, residence, 

 property, trade, and protection. The inde- 

 pendence of the Samoan Government is recog- 

 nized, and the Samoans are secured by the treaty 

 in the right to elect their King and govern them- 

 selves accord ing to their native laws and customs. 

 A supreme court was created to secure the rights 

 of foreigners. It consists of a single judge, called 

 the chief justice, who is appointed by agreement 

 among the signatory powers, or, in default of 

 their agreement, by the King of Sweden. This 

 court has jurisdiction overall disputes regarding 

 the title and possession of lands, over all suits 

 arising between natives and foreigners or foreign- 

 ers of different nationalities, and over crimes 

 committed on foreigners by natives or committed 

 by foreigners who are not subject to the consular 

 courts. King Malietoa Laupepa. who was de- 

 ported to Cameroons on a German war ship, was 

 re-elected King by the people on Nov. 9, 1889, 

 and on Dec. 10 was proclaimed and installed 

 anew by the American, British, and German 

 consuls. Conrad Cederkrantz was nominated 

 chief justice by King Oscar, of Sweden, at the 

 unanimous request of the protecting powers. A 

 treaty, embodying the results of the Berlin con- 

 ference, was s'igned by King Malietoa and the 

 consuls on April 19, 1890. The treaty prohibits 

 the sale of arms and ammunition and of intoxi- 

 cating liquors by foreigners to natives. Apia, 

 the capital, is con verted into a municipal district, 

 or international port, and is placed under a mu- 

 voi,. xxx. 49 A 



SANTO DOMINGO. rr , 9 



nicipal magistrate. TheSa.m,,,, (iov,,,,,, 

 allowed to collect certain specified dutHO!ily on 

 foreign merchandise, but is free to lew i a .\e's 

 the natives, and may, with the c.onsn.t O j th,. 

 consuls, impose taxes on land outside the munici- 

 pal district, provided the property of natives ,! 

 foreigners is taxed equally. Land still held by 

 to white* ^ " e genera1 ' inca P able ol ^ing sold 

 The delay in the appointment of a chief jus- 

 tice due to disagreement of the power,, and 

 in the establishment of a regular government 

 was a cause for the recrudescence of the civil' 

 strife between the rival claimants for the thro,,,. 

 Malietoa had possession' of the ports of Savaii 

 and Upolu, but in the interior the people ^up- 

 ported Tarnasese or Mataafa, and refused to ac- 

 knowledge the restored King. Judge Ceder- 

 krantz arrived near the close of the year. 



SANTO DOMINGO, a republic occupying 

 the eastern part of the West Indian island of 

 the same name. According to the Constitution 

 of Nov. 24, 1844, modified on Nov. 17, 1888, the 

 members of Congress, 2 for each of the 10 prov- 

 inces, and the President and Vice-President of 

 the republic, are elected for four years by indi- 

 rect suffrage. The President is 'Gen. Ulisses 

 Heureaux, elected in 1866. 



The area of the republic is estimated at 18,- 

 045 square miles. The population in 1888 was 

 estimated at 417,000. The bulk of the people 

 are blacks and mulattoes, speaking Spanish, and 

 to some extent French and English. There is a 

 larger white population than in the neighboring 

 republic of Hayti, consisting of descendants of 

 Spanish settlers. Santo Domingo, the capital 

 city, has about 25,000 inhabitants. The revenue 

 is collected mainly from imports and exports. 

 In 1889 Congress voted to increase the import 

 duties 60 per cent, The tobacco crop in that 

 year was almost an entire failure. Dutch plant- 

 ers have started plantations on the model of 

 those of Sumatra, but are compelled to import 

 coolie laborers, as the natives are careless in 

 their work, besides demanding excessive wages. 

 Hitherto the cultivation of tobacco and of coffee 

 and cacao has been of the rudest description. 

 Inducements have recently been offered to im- 

 migrants, who are given state lands for cultiva- 

 tion. The product of the sugar plantations in 

 the southern and western parts of the republic 

 has become an important article of trade, while 

 the once considerable exports of mahogany have 

 greatly declined. In 1887 the exports of sugar 

 were 406,142 hundred-weight ; of molasses, 476,- 

 933 hundred-weight ; of tobacco, 175,637 hun- 

 dred-weight ; of cacao, 9,731 hundred-weight. 



SERYIA, a monarchy in southeastern Kurope. 

 By the Constitution of Jan. 3, Ifr'MUhe execu- 

 tive authority is exercised by the King through 

 a Council of 'Ministers, who are individually and 

 collectively responsible to the Skupshtina or 

 National Assembly. Projects of law are sub- 

 mitted to a Council of State, composed of 8 mem- 

 bers chosen by the Skupshtina and 8 nominated 

 by the King. The members of the Skupshtina 

 are elected triennially on Sept. 14 by all male 

 Servians twenty-one years of age who pay the 

 capitation tax. Each" county elects by gcrvfin 

 de liste a member for every 4,500 voters and ono 

 for the fraction remaining if it exceeds 3,000. 



