PORTUGAL. 



655 





:i height and weight varies with age in such a 

 way thai older children an- heavier in proportion 

 to their height tlian younger children. 



Kecent experiments liy .M. de Candolle at (Jeneva 

 go to show that seeds continue for a long time 

 to preserve tlie power of germinating when they 

 are placed under circumstances in which life can 

 not exhibit any of its activity. Seeds of corn. o;u>. 

 fennel, mimosa, and other plants were exposed to u 

 temperature of 40 F. for four months, yet when 

 placed under favorable circumstances produced 

 normal seedlings. The observations of Robert 

 Brown long ago showed that seeds of Xehanbium 

 more than a hundred years old were capable of ger- 

 minating. Hence M. de Candolle concludes that 

 protoplasm in resting seeds is analogous to a smol- 

 dering fire, but is endowed with potential life, with 

 its constituents able to develop active powers when 

 placed under favorable conditions. 



In explaining the perfumes of flowers, M. Eugene 

 Mesnard assumes that it is light and not oxygen 

 which is the principal cause of the transformation 

 and destruction of odorous substances ; but in many 

 cases the two agents seem to act in concert. The 

 action of light makes itself felt in two different 

 ways: On the one hand it acts as a chemical pow- 

 er, "capable of furnishing energy to all the trans- 

 formations through which the odorous products 

 from their elaboration to their total resinifica- 

 tion ; and it exerts a mechanical action which plays 

 an important part in the general life history of 

 plants. This property explains the mode of' the 

 periodical liberation of the perfumes of flowers. 

 The intensity of the perfume depends on the equi- 

 librium which is established every day between the 

 water in the cellules of the flowers, which tends to 

 drive outward the perfumes already elaborated con- 

 tained in the epidermis, and the action of light. 

 which combats this tnrgesence. It is thus explained 

 why in countries of the East the flowers ar> 

 odoriferous than in Europe ; why the trees, the 

 fruits, and even the vegetables are filled with odor- 

 iferous products more or less resinified. It is also 

 explained why in those countries the vegetation is 

 thorny. It has too much light and too little water 

 there. 



PORTUGAL, a monarchy in southwestern Eu- 

 rope. The throne is hereditary in the family of 

 Saxe-Coburg-Braganza. The legislative power is 

 vested in a Cortes, consisting of a Chamber of Peers 

 and a Chamber of Deputies. There are 5'2 heredi- 

 tary peers. 13 spiritual peers, and 90 life peers. The 

 Chamber of Deputies has 100 members, elected for 

 three years by direct vote of citizens having an ele- 

 mentary education or a revenue of 500 milreis per 

 annum. The reigning king is Carlos I. born Sept. 

 28, 1863. The ministry at the beginning of 1896 

 consisted of the following members : President of 

 the Counsel and Minister of Finance. E. R. Hintze- 

 Ribeiro; Minister of Foreign Affairs. Luiz Pinto 

 de Several: Minister of the Interior, J. F. Franco 

 Pinto Castello Branco ; Minister of Justice and 

 Worship. A. d'Azevedo Castello Branco: Minister 

 of War, Col. L. A. Pimentel Pinto: Minister of 

 Marine and the Colonies, Jacinto Candido da Silva: 

 Minister of Public Works, Industry, and Commerce, 

 Campos Henriques. 



Area and Population. Portugal has an area 

 of 34.038 square miles, and had at the census of 

 1890 a population of 5.049.709. There were 35.769 

 marriages. 104.007 births, and 107.037 deaths in 

 1890. The number of emigrants in 1895 was 44.746. 

 airainst 06.911 in 1894. 30.383 in 1893. 01.074 in 

 1*90. and :;::.o*5 in 1891. Lisbon, the capital, has a 

 population of 307.661 : Oporto has 139.856. 



Finances. The revenue for the fiscal year 1895 

 was 43,905,093 milreis, and the expenditure 41,064,- 



1147 milivi.- <1 milreis = si. (is,. K,, r 1897 tl. 

 ceipts are estimated at 49,700,969 milreis ; n.'.' 

 from direct taxe> on land, indu.-try, lion-, <. jn- 



.. 0.755.1 MM) from registration, 2.1 i 

 from .-tamped paper. 33<i.o()(] from lotteri. 



Tom indirect taxes, 717.DOO from additional 

 imposts. 4.45H.074 from railroads, telegraphs. ; 

 etc., and 0.0*1,073 rtcttti'.t d'urdn:. The expendi- 

 tures are estimated at 49,430,00* miln . 

 for civil li-t and appanages, -96,494 for 



.199 for interest and amortization. 1.037.600 f. r 

 other expenses. 16.470,058 for the consolidated and 

 terminable public debt. 400,000 for loss by exchange, 

 3.593.444 for the Ministry of Finance. 2.504.423 for 

 the Ministry of the Interior. 1.010.480 for the Min- 

 istry of Justice and Worship. 5.201.670 for the Min- 

 istry of War. 3.739.078 for the Ministry of Marine 

 and the Colonies. 386,454 for the Ministry of Foreign 

 Affairs. 5.301. 7HJ for the Ministry of Public Works. 

 Commerce, and Industry. 59.877 for the savings 

 bank, and 0.516.500 for extraordinary purp 



The consolidated debt on Oct. 30, 1893. amounted 

 to 509.993.076 milreis. bearing 3 per cent, interest, 

 comprising 340.198.736 milreis of internal and 18?,- 

 794.340 milreis of external obligations. The law of 

 Feb. 26. 1892. reduced by 30 per cent, the interest 

 on the internal or currency debt, and the law of 

 April 20. 1893. reduced the interest on the external 

 or gold debt by 665- per cent. The redeemable debt 

 on June 1. 1894, was stated to be 138.210,392 milreis. 

 consisting of 28.180.900 milreis of internal, and 

 1,890 milreis of external obligations, on which 

 also the interest was reduced by these laws, and 

 4:;.084.600 milreis of tobacco d'ebt. The annual 

 charge, including loss by exchange, is 15.395.740 

 milreis. 



Commerce. The value of the imports of mer- 

 chandise in 1895 was 39.853,010 milreis. and of the 

 exports 00.971.806 milreis. The imports of specie 

 were 1.143.030. and exports 0.309.287 milreis. The 

 imports of cereals were 5.570.000 milreis: of cotton. 

 2,590,000 milreis; of animals, 2,017.000 milreis; of 

 codfish. 1.960.000 milreis; of sugar, 1,955,000 mil- 

 reis: of coal. 1.771.000 milreis; of cotton cloth, 

 1.750.000 milreis; of iron. 1.656.000 milreis: of wcol. 

 -.000 milreis. The export of wine was 11.090.- 

 000 milreis in value. Next in importance were cork 

 for 3.504.000 milreis. animals for 2,519,000 milreis, 

 copper for 1.707.000 milreis. fish for 1.445.000 mil- 

 reis. cotton cloth for 880,000 milreis, and fruits for 

 701.000 milreis. 



There were 1,788 ocean sailing vessels, of 319.000 

 tons. 4.002 ocean steamers, of 5.939,000 tons, 3.364 

 coasting sailing vessels, of 191,000 tons, and 976 

 coasting steamers, of 969,000 tons, entered at all the 

 ports in 1896. The merchant navy numbered 51 

 steamers, of 41.161 tons, and 207 sailing vessels, of 

 47.704 tons. 



Communications. The railroads on Jan. 1, 1896, 

 had a length of 1,453 miles, of which 914 miles be- 

 long to the state. The others receive subventions. 



The post office in 1894 forwarded 21.017.000 let- 

 ters. 5.406 postal cards. 19.507.000 newspapers and 

 circulars, and 250.000 postal orders and letters of 

 declared value, transmitting 30,050,000 francs. The 

 telegraphs had 3,985 miles of line, and 8.839 miles 

 of wire. 



Currency. The legal standard of value is gold, 

 but the money in circulation is for the main part 

 depreciated paper notes of the Bank of Portugal, 

 the issues of which on Sept. 30. 1895. amounted to 

 54.139.000 milreis, protected by a metallic reserve of 

 12.102.000 milreis. 



Political Affairs. The financial crisis that be- 

 gan in 1890 had not passed away in 1896. Xew 

 taxation and a reform in the system of collection 

 were proposed to meet the demands of the creditors 



