COLOMBIA, UNITED STATES OF. 



COMMERCE. 



119 



of the national laws, and it was in consequence 

 finally put a stop to, though not a dollar of 

 all the thousands fraudulently collected under 

 protest was ever refunded. In the same way 

 the agents of the companies were taxed at 

 first very moderately ; by degrees the tax got 

 up to $75 per month ; even this was paid by 

 them rather than complain, but, when the at- 

 tempt was made to raise it from $75 to $350 per 

 month, the agents refused to pay, and on the 

 matter being referred to Bogota it was again 

 decided that there was no law by which the 

 agencies could be taxed a single cent. Not- 

 withstanding these oft-repeated attempts to 

 force money illegally from them, the companies, 

 seeing the poverty of the treasury of the State, 

 voluntarily agreed to contribute a monthly 

 donation of $100 each, to enable the Govern- 

 ment to keep up a police force, and have since 

 continued to pay this sum. At the close of 

 the year the difficulty between the merchants 

 and the Government of Panama was not set- 

 tled- 



In November, the Legislature of the State 

 of Santander approved a proposition presented 

 by Deputy Mantella, relative to the contract 

 of the Panama Kailroad, as follows : 



" The Legislative Assembly of the State, in 

 use of th.e power ceded to it in Art. 25 of the 

 national Constitution, gives its vote of nullity: 



ARTICLE 1. To the contract reformatory of that of 

 15th April of 1850, relative to the construction of a 

 railroad from one ocean to another, over the Isthmus 

 of Panama, celebrated 5th July, 1867, between the 

 Secretary of State of the United States of Colombia 

 and George M. Totten, Engineer-in-Chief and gen- 

 eral agent of the Panama Eailroad. 



ART. 2. To the approval given to said contract by 

 the national Executive power. 



ART. 3. To the decree of Congress issued 15th 

 August, 1867, approving the said Congress. 



ART. 4. To the decree of the Executive of 16th 

 August^ 1867, promulgating as a law of the republic 

 the legislative decree approving the contract cele- 

 brated 5th July, 1867, reformatory of that of 15th 

 April, 1860, relative to the construction of a railroad 

 from one ocean to another over the Isthmus of Pan- 

 ama. 



" The Legislature calls upon the Assemblies 

 of the States of Antioquia, Cauca, Cundina- 

 marca, and Magdalena to issue a resolution of 

 the same nature. This vote is to be communi- 

 cated to the national Congress, to the Su- 

 preme Federal Court, to the national Execu- 

 tive power, and to the Legislative Assemblies 

 of the States." 



General Acosta, Provisional President, after 

 the expulsion of President Mosquera in 1867, 

 was, in 1868, sent to the United States as 

 agent for the General Government, to enter 

 into negotiations at Washington in regard to 

 the canal scheme across the isthmus, or rather 

 to conclude the arrangements made at Bogota 

 by Minister Sullivan. The Government of 

 "Washington, for the same purpose, sent the 

 Hon. Caleb Cushing to Bogota. 



On June 27th, in the Corps Legislatif of 

 France, the contract made with the General 



Transatlantic Steamship Company, for the 

 transportation of the mails to Panama and 

 Chili, was approved. This convention pro- 

 poses that the Government should advance 

 the company four millions of francs to facili- 

 tate the construction of three new steamers, 

 and pay an annual subsidy of 750,000. francs 

 as a postal contribution, and further, guarantee 

 from the 1st of July, 1868, an interest of five 

 per cent, on the capital of the company 

 already invested in the present service as well 

 as on that to be employed in carrying out the 

 new line. The entire capital will be nearly 

 sixty millions of francs, and the Government 

 appropriates for the fulfilment of the guaran- 

 tee the sum of two millions. 



COLOEADO. (See TEEEITOEIES.) 

 COMMEKCE OF THE UNITED STATES. 

 The most remarkable feature of the commerce 

 of the country for the fiscal year ending June 

 30, 1868, is the continuance of the decline 

 which commenced at the close of the fiscal 

 year 1865. The net imports and domestic ex- 

 ports, including specie and bullion, for a series 

 of years, have been as follows : 



From this statement it appears that the im- 

 ports, which in 1860 amounted to $335,233,232, 

 declined to $222,444,879 in 1865, when the 

 war closed. During the following year they 

 rose to $431,645,714, the highest amount which 

 they have ever reached. Since 1866 they have 

 gradually fallen. The decrease of imports was 

 chiefly in textile fabrics, hardware, cutlery, 

 and iron goods. This was ascribed to the re- 

 peal of the internal revenue taxes on the home 

 manufacture of these articles, whicli acted as 

 an increased protection to the American man- 

 ufacturer by enabling him to make and sell his 

 fabrics at a lower price than the similar articles 

 could be imported for under the existing tariff. 



The domestic exports declined from $382,- 

 836,474, in 1861, to $196,235,455, in 1865; 

 then advanced to $417,142,084 in 1866, de- 

 clined in 1867, and again advanced in 1868. 



The imports at New York represent a large 

 proportion of the total imports of the country. 

 In the twelve months of 1868 they amounted 

 to $251,193,834. As compared with the year 

 1866, this shows a falling off of nearly fifty- 

 five millions, but is larger than any other pre- 

 vious year excepting 1867. The decline from 

 the previous year is about one and a half mil- 

 lions. Nearly all the goods imported were 

 dutiable. 



The following table shows the imports at 

 New York during each month of the year for 

 a series of years : 



