534 



NORTH CAROLINA. 



to surrender the customhouse. The Honduranean 

 general threatened to occupy Corinto without wait- 

 ing for orders from Gen. Zelaya, whereupon the 

 British ship was cleared for action and the Ameri- 

 can marines were drawn up in line before the cus- 

 tomhouse. Gen. Metuta then apologized and re- 

 tired, and President Zelaya telegraphed approval 

 of the action of the naval commanders. 



The Conservatives who aided Zelaya to suppress 

 the rebellion hoped for a larger share in the Gov- 

 ernment. Their expectations were not realized, 

 and soon the President had more enemies than be- 

 fore. In September a plot was laid to capture the 

 barracks and the palace and kill President Zelaya; 

 but the conspiracy was disclosed on the eve of its 

 execution. Some of the leaders were arrested, and 

 others escaped. 



The formation of the Greater Republic of Cen- 

 tral America, which was ratified by delegates ap- 

 pointed by Presidents Gutierrez, Bonilla, and Ze- 

 laya at Amapala on Sept. 15, secured to President 

 Zelaya the support of the existing governments of 

 Honduras and Salvador, and also the hostility of 

 Guatemala. A constitutional assembly was con- 

 voked in Managua in September, which rescinded 

 the clause lately incorporated in the Constitution 

 forbidding a President to succeed himself, and nom- 

 inated Zelaya as candidate for the term from 1898 

 to 1902. Great Britain claimed $75,000 as indem- 

 nity for losses of British subjects in the Mosquito 

 Territory during the disturbance of 18!)4. A con- 

 vention was concluded in London providing for the 

 settlement of the claims by a mixed commission, to 

 consist of one Nicaraguan, one British, and a third 

 member, who should not be a citizen of any Ameri- 

 can state, and who was to be chosen by agreement 

 between the contracting parties or, failing such 

 agreement, by the President of Switzerland. 



Colombia in the autumn revived an old claim to 

 the Great and Little Corn island. The Nicaraguan 

 Government raised a force in the Mosquito Territory 

 to defend the islands if an invasion was contem- 

 plated, and the islands were fortified and protected 

 by mines of dynamite. 



'NORTH CAROLINA, a Southern State, one of 

 the original thirteen, ratified the Constitution Nov. 

 21, 1789; area, 52,250 square miles. The popula- 

 tion, according to each decennial census, was 393,- 

 751 in 1790 ; 478,103 in 1800 ; 555,500 in 1810 ; 638,- 

 829 in 1820 ; 737,987 in 1830; 753,419 in 1840 ; 869,- 

 039 in 1850; 992,622 in 1860; 1,071.361 in 1870; 

 1.399.750 in 1880 ; and 1,617,947 in 1890. Capital, 

 Raleigh. 



drovernment. The following were the State 

 officers during the year : Governor, Elias Carr ; 

 Lieutenant Governor, Richard A. Doughton ; Secre- 

 tary of State. Charles M. Cooke ; Treasurer, W. H. 

 Worth ; Auditor, R. M. Furman ; Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, F. M. Osborne ; Adjutant General, F. M. Cam- 

 eron ; Superintendent of Instruction, John C. Scar- 

 borough all Democrats except Mr. Worth, who is 

 a Populist ; Labor Commissioner, B. R. Lacy ; Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture, S. L. Patterson ; Chief 

 Justice of the Supreme Court. William T. Faircloth, 

 Republican ; Associate Justices, D. M. Furches, 

 Republican ; W. A. Montgomery, Populist ; and 

 A. C. Avery and Walter Clark, Democrats. 



Finances. The assessed valuation of the State 

 in 1895 was $257.437,227.99, a decrease from the 

 preceding year of $2,127,222. There was a decrease 

 on properties other than railroads, steamboats, and 

 telegraphs of $3,618,770, but an increase on the 

 latter properties of $1,491,548. The total tax levy 

 by the State was 43 cents on the $100 21-| for gen- 

 eral purposes, 18 for schools, and 3J for pensions. 

 The total revenue from all sources was $1,503,- 

 403.98. The privilege taxes increased $33,731.94, 



mostly from the tax provided for by the last Legis- 

 lature upon doctors, lawyers, dentists, hotels and 

 boarding houses, and corporations other than rail- 

 road or banking. 



The total number of pensioners was 5,324, who 

 are divided into 4 classes, receiving from $16 to 

 $04. The whole amount paid to the four classes 

 was $104,736. 



The Auditor shows that the percentage of tax 

 paid on real and personal property, other than rail- 

 roads, steamboats, telegraph, stocks, or privilege 

 taxes, for the public schools is 96'34 by whites and 

 by colored 3 - 66. 



The total assessment for 1896 was $256,316,- 

 092.99, a decrease of $1,121,135. The assessment of 

 railroads, etc., included in the above, amounts to 

 $26.576,096.99. 



The Treasurer's report shows that the balance at 

 the beginning of the biennium was $303.239.38, 

 which was increased to $1,433,423.85, Dec. i, 1895. 

 The disbursements that year were $1,343,01 :>. 55 : 

 with the balance and receipts in 1896, the total that 

 year was $1,333,493.23, and the disbursements were 

 'si. ','45,140.20, leaving a balance of $88,353.03, show- 

 ing that the expenditures exceeded the receipts in 

 1895-'96 by more than $200.000. 



The balance in the educational fund Dec. 1, 1894, 

 was *S.OS7.72: the receipts in 1895 and 1896 

 brought it up to $51,335.72; the disbursements 

 were $14,695.71 in 1895 and $1,648.70 in 1896, leav- 

 ing a balance of about $35,000. 



The bonded debt is $3,360,700. Of the direct 

 land tax, $1,096.64 remains in the treasury. The 

 date for refunding this tax expires March 2, 1897. 



Education. There are in the State 634,185 chil- 

 dren of school age six to twenty-one. Of these, 

 410,809 are white and 223,376 are colored. In 1895 

 there were 621,249 school children 403,812 white 

 and 217,437 colored. 



The percentage of school children enrolled in the 

 schools shows a falling off of 4 to 6. In 1895 over 

 60 per cent, of the white and nearly 59 per cent, of 

 the colored children of the State attended the pub- 

 lic schools : during 1896 the percentage was 56 for 

 whites and 52 for the colored race. Formerly a 

 larger per cent, of the colored children attended 

 the public schools than of the whites. There were 

 348,610 pupils enrolled in the schools during 1896, 

 divided as follows: whites, 231,059; colored, 117,- 

 551. During 1895 the total enrollment was 373,- 

 563; of whom 245,413 were white and 128,150 

 colored. 



The average attendance on the schools during the 

 year 1896 was: Whites, 137,115; colored, 67,088. 

 Total, 204,203. 



White male teachers received an average salary 

 of $24.75 a month, and female $21.64. Male col- 

 ored teachers were paid $26.70, and female, $20.96. 



During 1896 about 664 more schools were taught 

 than during 1895. 



The receipts of the school fund in 1895 were 

 $825.988.84, and in 1896 $824.238.08; disburse- 

 ments, $834,711.79 in 1895 and $817,562.31 in 1896. 



The Legislature provided for special levies in 

 counties in order to continue the schools for four 

 months in the year, but the levy was resisted on the 

 ground that it brought the amount of State and 

 county taxes above the constitutional limit. The 

 Supreme Court held that the school tax was in- 

 cluded in the term "State and county tax," and so 

 the children get but sixty-three days' schooling. 



The Normal and Industrial School began its fifth 

 year Oct. 5. It had 444 students and 23 teachers in 

 1896, having begun with 223 in 1892. A large ma- 

 jority of those who have left the institution have 

 taught in the public schools. 



The State University registered for the fall term 



