A LA HA MA. 



actual contact with the Russiaii empire. The Hindu 

 Kush. with numerous practicable passes, hut none 

 availahle for an army, divides India from Afghan- 

 istan, and the Murtagh range forms an impassable 

 boundary between India and the new dominion of 

 China. While China is separated from the new Rus- 

 sian - by the Sarikol mountains. Direct 

 38 to the passes leading into British India by 

 way of Chitral from the Great Pamir, in which is 

 Lake Victoria, can only be obtained by passing 

 through the Little Pamir and its extension west- 

 ward to Bozai Gumbaz. So long as there was a 

 Russian post at Bo/ai Gumba/ there was a domina- 

 tion of the passes that caused apprehension on the 

 part of the Anglo-Indian authorities and exercised a 

 disturbing influence on the neighboring hill tribes. 

 The retirement of the Russians, under the treaty. 

 to a point many miles from Bozai Gumbaz, with an 

 impracticable mountain range intervening, changes 

 the situation in this respect. The narrow strip of 

 Afghan territory will form but a slight obstacle in 

 the event of war, but nothing short of war will jus- 

 tify a violation of the boundary. Hence no fresh 

 Pamir incident is likely to arise to cause alarm in 

 India and Great Britain. To complete the arrange- 

 ment between England and Russia there remained 

 only the surrender of the Darwaz district of Bok- 

 hara to the Afghans up to the Amu Daria. Owing 

 to the reputation of the Afghans for cruelty, the 

 Russian Government wished to give the inhabitants 

 plenty of opportunity to retire across the river into 

 Bokhara before the Afghans entered, and hence the 

 transfer was not completed till October, 1896. after 

 the people had gathered in their harvest. 



Russian Railroads. While the English are im- 

 peded in the race to Herat by the refusal of the 

 Ameer to permit the extension of the British mili- 

 tary railroad from its present terminus at Charman 

 into Afghan territory as far as Candahar. the Rus- 

 sians have it in their power to extend their railroad 

 on their own territory from Merv up the Murghab 

 and Kushk valleys to the frontier post at Kushk. 

 within 94 miles of Herat. The Indian Government 

 has collected a great quantity of railroad material 

 at the end of the Northwestern Railroad of India, 

 ready to lay down the line at once as soon as the 

 Ameer will grant the coveted permission, or as soon 

 as an outbreak of hostilities with Russia shall neces- 

 sitate the occupation of Afghanistan and a race for 

 Herat in earnest. These preparations on the Brit- 

 ish side have prompted the Russian Government to 

 make the long-deferred railroad extension, which 

 the prospect of trade with the rich province of He- 

 rat renders desirable in commercial regard also. 

 No sooner was the Pamir scare removed by the new 

 boundary treaty than British fears were excited by 

 the report that the Russian authorities had decided 

 to build a broad-gauge line 220 miles long, from 

 Merv to the Kushk, and also to collect at the Kushk 

 terminus the material for laying down rapidly 200 

 miles of Decauville railroad between that point and 

 Herat. The Kushk Railroad is expected to be com- 

 pleted in two years. Another contemplated branch 

 of the Transcaspian trunk line is planned to run 

 140 miles along the Oxus from Charjui to Kerki. 

 which will bring Russia within striking distance of 

 Balkh, the ancient capital city of Afghan Turkestan, 

 and thus will greatly improve the strategic position 

 in the direction of Mazari-Sherif, along the line of 

 advance to Cabul. 



ALABAMA, a Southern State, admitted to the 

 Union Dec. 14, 1819 : area. 52.250 square miles. 

 The population, according to each decennial census 

 since admission, was 127,901 in 1S20 : 309.527 in 

 1830: 590.75C, in 1*40: 771.623 in 1S50; 964.201 in 

 1860: 996.992 in 1870: 1.262.505 in issO: and 1,513.- 

 017 in 1890. Capital, Montgomery. 



Government. The following were the S 

 ofiieers during the year: Governor. William C. 

 Oates ; Secretary of State, .lame-, K. .lack-on ; 

 Treasurer, J. Craig Smith ; Auditor, John Purifoy : 

 Attorney-General, William C. Fitts: Commissioner 

 of Agriculture, II. I). Lane : Superintendent of 

 Education, John 0. Turner; Adjutant General, II. 

 E. Jones; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 

 Robert C. Brickell ; Associate Justices, Thomas X. 

 McClellan, Thomas W. Coleman. James B. Head. 

 and Jonathan Ilaralson ; Clerk, Sterling A. Wood 

 all Democrats. 



Finances. The reports of the Treasurer arid the 

 Auditor for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1895, 

 show the following: Cash in the treasury at the be- 

 ginning of the year, $19,816.76; receipts during 

 the year, $2,038,648.95 ; disbursements, $2,047,966.- 

 41. The total bonded debt of the State on Oct. 1, 

 1895, was $9,354,600, on which the interest charge 

 is $379,964. The amount of bonds yet to be issued 

 is $188,400. 



Valuations. The total assessed valuation in 

 the State in 1895 was $241,338,024.99, divided as 

 follows : Real estate, $145,516,138.49, on which the 

 tax was $800.330.50: personal property, $95,821,- 

 886.50, on which the tax was $528,486.89. The tax 

 rate was 5-J- mills, the Legislature of 1894 having 

 increased the tax rate half a mill on the dollar. 

 The total of tax assessed was $1,328,817.39. The 

 valuation in 1895 was less than in 1894 by $1,833,- 

 652.01, and the tax levied amounted to $111,536.- 

 39 more than in 1894. The shrinkage in tax values 

 during the past four years has been about $36,- 

 000.000. 



Railroads and Telegraphs. The State Board 

 of Assessment, in April, fixed the valuation of the 

 railroads in the State at $42,186,809.58 and the 

 tax value of the telegraph companies at $415,694.- 

 31. the tax value of both amounting to $42.602,- 

 503.89. The fifth annual report of the Alabama 

 Car Service Association states that during 1895 the 

 total number of cars handled by the roads be- 

 longing to the association was 242.273 against ls2.- 

 129 in 1894. The expenses were $10,684.83. The 

 following-named roads are interested in the asso- 

 ciation : Queen and Crescent, Louisville and Nash- 

 ville. Southern. Central of Georgia, Kansas City, 

 Memphis and Birmingham, Western of Alabama, 

 Plant System (Third Division). Mobile and Bir- 

 mingham, Birmingham and Atlantic, Georgia and 

 Alabama. Mobile and Ohio. 



Banks. According to the last published report 

 of the United States Comptroller of the Currency, 

 Alabama, on Sept. 28. 1895. had 26 national banks, 

 whose combined capital was 3.485.000, and the 

 total resources of which amounted to $12,195.- 

 N75.51. The amount of United States bonds held 

 to secure circulation was $1,142,000 ; excess of such 

 bonds beyond requirement. 7o2.5oo : amount of 

 coin anil coin certificates held. 62S.44S.40; notes 

 issued for circulation. s7.:i2s.440: redeemed. $6.- 

 121.617: outstanding 1.20ii.S23; and loans and 

 discounts, 6.319.975.:',7. The number of State 

 banks was 17. with a combined capital of 858,500, 

 resources of $1.981,889. deposits of *M 7.022. and 

 surplus and other undivided profits of 253.227. 

 On June 29. is',5, there were 7 private banks, with 

 a total capital of 435.050. n-~,,urces of $1.0s.V 

 596, deposits of $512.609. and surplus and profits 

 of $109,509. The savings banks did not report. 



Education. The public-school teachers of the 

 State did not receive payment on Oct. 1 for the last 

 scholastic quarter. In a letter dated Oct. 9. 1>96. 

 Gov. Oates stated that he had been unable to bor- 

 row from Northern banks the money needed to 

 meet these and other Slate obligations, the ground 

 of refusal being that the Democratic party in Ala- 



