706 



VENEZUELA. 



VERMONT. 



unions, etc., connected with them. In New 

 York there is a State Relief Fund of $30,000. 



The literary institutions of the Universalists 

 are steadily improving. The principal one is 

 Tufts College, at Medford, Mass. The total 

 value of its property is $805,000. The pres- 

 ent numher of students is 63. The Divinity- 

 school at this institution was opened in July, 

 1869. 



Lomhard University, Galesburg, 111., has 

 property valued at $165,000, and an endow- 

 ment fund of $100,000. 



The St. Lawrence University, at Canton, N. 

 Y., has classical, theological, and law depart- 

 ments. 



Smithson College will be located at Logans- 



port, Ind. The buildings will be commenced 

 in 1870. 



There are also seven academies and insti- 

 tutes in Maiue, Vermont, Massachusetts, New 

 York, and "Wisconsin, with full boards of in- 

 struction. 



The total number of students in all the 

 schools was 1,450. The number of collegiate 

 students, including 28 young women, and 21 

 in scientific and partial courses, was 21. The 

 number of divinity students was 33. 



Universalists in the British Provinces : Nova 

 Scotia, two societies, one minister; New 

 Brunswick, two societies, one minister; Can- 

 ada West, one association, three societies, two 

 ministers ; Canada East, one minister. 



V 



VENEZUELA, a republic in South America. 

 Area, about 368,000 square miles ; population, 

 in 1858, about 1,565,000. The revenue, wholly 

 derived from customs, amounted, during the 

 year from July 1, 1866, to June 30, 1867, to 

 4,390,054 pesos. The internal debt amounted 

 on June 30, 1868, to $18,297,311 ; the external 

 debt to $53,612,801. The most important ar- 

 ticle of export is coffee, of which, Porto Ca- 

 bello, in the year 1867-'68, exported 18,300,000 

 pounds. 



In the beginning of 1869, the provisional 

 Administration issued a decree, setting aside 

 fifty per cent, of the revenue of the country 

 for the payment of all debts, and of this fifteen 

 is to be applied to the payment of international 

 claims, such as American, French, British, 

 Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and probably German, 

 as a minister from the North-German Con- 

 federation was expected to arrive shortly. The 

 gross revenue of the country being estimated 

 at $4,000,000 (Venezuelan currency), would 

 therefore leave the sum of $300,000 for this 

 purpose. 



The Venezuelan Congress provisionally in- 

 trusted, in February, the executive powers to 

 Generals Jose" Ruperto Monagas and Guillermo 

 Villegas, until an election for President of the 

 republic should take place. The factions of the 

 ambitious leaders seemed bent, however, upon 

 plunging Venezuela again into the troubles of 

 revolution. While ex-President Falcon re- 

 mained at Cura9oa, his adherents in Venezuela 

 actively conspired for his restoration to power. 

 In June, the .ministers resigned, being dissatis- 

 fied with the timid and vacillating policy of 

 the acting-President, Monagas. 



Congress enacted only one important meas- 

 ure. On May llth it decreed that the naviga- 

 tion of the Orinoco, and the Lakes of Valen- 

 cia and Maracaibo, shall be thrown open from 

 that date to merchant steam- vessels owned by 

 foreigners, and sailing under foreign flags. 

 During ten years, all machinery, fixtures, and 



necessary combustibles for the said vessels, are 

 to be exempt from duty. 



The Government of the United States, be- 

 coming tired of the machinations constantly 

 practised by Venezuela to thwart the pressing 

 demands on her by the American ministers, 

 finally succeeded in making a treaty to organ- 

 ize a mixed commission for the decision of all 

 the claims pending between the two Govern- 

 ments, and the amount to be awarded, made 

 payable to the United States Government by 

 Venezuela, in ten annual instalments, with in- 

 terest at five per cent. 



In June, another civil war commenced. 

 Pulgar, Governor of the State of Zulia, made 

 vigorous preparations for an armed conflict 

 with the General Government. He added 

 several rifled guns of heavy calibre to the ar- 

 mament of the Fort of San Carlos, command- 

 ing the channel to the Lake of Maracaibo ; 

 erected a number of batteries on the island of 

 Baji Seco, at the entrance of the lake ; and 

 fortified strongly every point at which an ene- 

 my might attempt to force a passage. Do- 

 mingo and Gregorito Monagas were in his 

 favor ; the. adherents of Falcon were generally 

 also on his side. The country again was in a 

 wretched condition. On October 2d, General 

 Monagas left with 4,000 men, four steamers, and 

 several sailing-vessels, to operate against Gen- 

 eral Pulgar, at Maracaibo, but he was defeated 

 by the latter near Coro. On October 21st, how- 

 ever, President Monagas entered, after a bloody 

 action for seven hours, Maracaibo, and on the 

 26th of October General Pulgar and many of 

 his officers were carried as prisoners to Fort 

 San Carlos. A large number of troops were 

 sent in December to operate against the guer- 

 rillas in the State of Valencia. President 

 Monagas appointed a new ministry, and was 

 making, according to the last accounts, efforts 

 to unite the different political parties. 



VERMONT. The system of government of 

 the State of Vermont contains a provision for 



