110 



COLOMBIA, UNITED STATES OF. 



Tacbira and a great part of Casanare and 

 Merida. 



The House of Representatives rejected, by 

 14 votes against 7, the contract between the 

 National Government and Messrs. Saravia and 

 Duran, for the opening of a road from San 

 Agustin, in the State of Tolima, to San Sebas- 

 tian on the Cauca. 



In the Senate, at the session of February 2d, 

 the following secretaries were voted for: Senor 

 AquileoParra, Secretary of the Treasury; Sefior 

 Florencio Vezga, Secretary of the Interior and 

 Foreign Kelations ; Senor Manuel Abello, Sec- 

 retary of War; Sefior Eamon Santo Domingo 

 Vila was black-balled for Secretary of the 

 Treasury. 



The Senate declared that " the political con- 

 duct of Citizen Eustorgio Salgar, as President 

 of the Union, had satisfied, as far as the present 

 circumstances of the country permitted, all par- 

 ties. The administration which terminates 

 will be held as the happiest in the annals of 

 Colombia." A copy of the resolution, duly 

 signed and authorized, was sent to Sefior Sal- 

 gar, "in testimony of the national esteem 

 which he gained as first magistrate of the re- 

 public." 



In the House of Representatives, Sefior M. 

 A. Arango asked for the collection of the acts 

 in force issued by the Provisional Government, 

 relative to a convention celebrated for the set- 

 tlement of accounts with Mexico, as well as 

 the documents which refer to the claims of 'an- 

 cient Colombia, known as the " claims for the 

 cacao of Maracaibo." 



The telegraph-line between Bogota and La 

 Mesa is in working order. The English engi- 

 neers destined to survey the north road were 

 to commence their labors in April. 



In Bolivar, a merchant of Barranquilla ex- 

 ported to Europe 800 tierces of raw sugar, in 

 cakes, known as panela. The tobacco of Car- 

 men was in demand. The industry of the State 

 was becoming rapidly developed. The produc- 

 tion of sugar and panela increases at arapid rate, 

 the value of that exported being not less than 

 two millions and a half annually. The finan- 

 cial and political condition of the State of Bo- 

 yacd was not satisfactory. The public roads 

 were bad, and the money advanced for them 

 by the national Government had somehow dis- 

 appeared ; public instruction was at a stand-still, 

 and there was no money to pay the teachers. 

 Tolima was occupied, both Government and 

 people, with the schools and roads of the 

 State. 



An important law was passed in April, in 

 reference to the foreign debt of the republic. 

 The following is a summary of it : 



ARTICLE I. The Executive power is hereby au- 

 thorized to enter into arrangements with foreign cred- 

 itors for the purpose of converting the foreign debt, 

 conformably to the Convention of Paris, of March 21, 

 1871, into a new debt to the amount of $7,000,000, 

 with an interest of 5 per cent, per annum. 



ART. IT. The Executive has the power of appro- 

 priating, for the payment of the interest of the new 



debt, the branches of the Fedefal income which 

 it may deem convenient. It can also arrange the 

 manner and time of said payments, so as to give com- 

 plete security to creditors in regard to the fulfilment 

 of the new agreement. 



ART. III. If the Executive power cannot come to 

 any general agreement for the conversion and amor- 

 tization of the foreign debt, according to the terms 

 of this law, it can also convert the debt, in the terms 

 of Article L, partially, or as a whole, within and 

 without the Union, at the following rates : The new 

 debt active, to the extent of 40 per cent ; the old debt 

 active, to 24 per cent ; the deferred debt, 14 per cent. 

 The Government bonds of the foreign debt obtained 

 in this way will, like the others, go into circulation 

 toward the collection of the interest, arid to the re- 

 duction of the debt on account of the republic, in 

 conformity with the existing agreement, until the 

 entire conversion of the debt nas been effected. 



ART. IV. While the income of the Federal Treas- 

 ury is not sufficient to meet the expenses of the pub- 

 lic administration, the Executive power can reduce 

 to a minimum of $300,000, guaranteed by Article IV. 

 of the convention now existing, the sums appropriated 

 to the payment of interest, and the .amortization of 

 the foreign debt. The difference between those 

 $300,000 and that produced by the 37 i per cent, of 

 the rents of the customs, applied to the foreign 

 debt, shall be carried by the general Treasury to the 

 account of deposits^ to be faithfully paid over as soon 

 as the causes mentioned in this article cease. 



AET. V. The agreement made by the Executive in 

 accordance with the cases of the present law, shall 

 be definitive, and not require the further sanction of 

 Congress. Given in Bogota, this 21st day of April, 

 1872. 



The balance of 72,100, the value of the 

 foreign debt bonds emitted in 1845 and 1861, 

 is by Congress declared to have been can- 

 celled. 



The House of Representatives, among other 

 matters, voted an additional credit of $50,000 

 in case of war with Venezuela, Brazil, or 

 Ecuador. 



A memorial, signed by numerous influential 

 citizens, was presented to Congress, petition- 

 ing that body to cause the Indian's of the Goa- 

 jiro Peninsula to be instructed and civilized, 

 in order that they might be united politically 

 and socially with the rest of Colombia. 



The Congress of 1872 passed the following 

 bills: The law prohibiting pearl-fishery with 

 diving-machines ; a law reforming that of June 

 10, 1870, respecting the custom-house of Cu- 

 cuta; a law designating places of detention, 

 and punishment of violators of the constitu- 

 tion and national laws. 



The Senate on the fourth day (February 6th) 

 proceeded to verify the ratification of the act 

 reformatory of the constitution establishing a 

 federal district. There were eight votes affirm- 

 ative and one negative. The former were 

 of the States of Antioquia, Bolivar, Boyacd, 

 Cauca, and Tolima, and the latter the State of 

 Cundinamarca. 



The following resolution, dictated by Sena- 

 tor Carlos Holguin, was agreed to : To recom- 

 mend to the Executive power the active pros- 

 ecution of the suit against the house of James 

 S. Hermann, his trustees . or legal representa- 

 tives, to make effective the guarantee given 

 for the North American steamer " Uncle Sam," 



