78 



BRAZIL. 



tore, or even the presidency ot a province, 

 where, owing to the government need of a safe 

 and uMcrupuloni delegate for difficult elec- 

 tion*, the nay will correspond to the MrricM. 

 A* to the public employe* in the Chamber, 

 the ministers count on their adhesion without 

 the need of soliciting it ; and, if one by chance 

 show* signs of independence, they become irri- 

 tated, and general astonishment is excited." 



Among the leading reforms advocated is one 

 requiring that every voter should be able to 

 read and write, and pay some direct tax; 

 another is for direct suffrage; another estab- 

 lishes the ineligibility of judiciary and public 

 officers to exercise legislative functions; that 

 senators, instead of being elected for lift- by 

 "electors," should be chosen by the provin- 

 cial aMotnblies; and that renewals of one-third 

 should take place at certain intervals, as in 

 the United States. 



The Chamber of Deputies, in 1878, was com- 

 posed of: advocates, 44 ; judges, 18 ; public em- 

 ploy6s, 18; physicians, 11; collegiate profess- 

 ors, 8; priests," 6; capitalists, 6 ; planters, 18; 

 and merchants, 8. Total, 118. 



The Treaty of Extradition between Brazil 

 and Belgium was ratified and promulgated. 

 By a protocol, the penalty of death is not to 

 to carried into effect in the case of persons 

 delivered up under the treaty. 



At Caetite, Bahia, a great bed of amethysts 

 was discovered, ana some four hundred dia- 

 mond-miners left Diamantina for the new 

 mines. 



A diamond-strike is threatened in lirazil. 

 Number* of the diamond-miners have, in conse- 

 quence of the low price* obtainable in Europe, 

 abandoned the search for diamonds, and turned 

 their attention to gold-washings, or repaired 

 to the amethyst-tods in Bahia. The Diaman- 

 tino organ advocate* this move and a general 

 strike, by way of reprisals against Europeans, 

 who now give the preference to the cheap, 

 colored diamond* from Afri<-i. 



In consequence of an unusual freshet of the 

 Amazon, in September, sixty thousand head 

 of cattle perished in seven municipalities of 

 Pars and Atnazona*. 



Step* were taken to develop the province of 

 Parana, and improvements made in the port, 

 eo that ocean-steamers can discharge into rail- 

 way-trucks. 



A law wa* promulgated concerning the natu- 

 ralisation of foreigners, of which tin- following 

 were few of the leading clauses : 



Any fcnifMr, over twenty-oat year* of age, hav- 

 \nt rvl.lr-l two rears In Rrull, or Wn t 

 to foreign MM>K of the state, esa tw naturalized by 

 h GovmoMM, oo declaring his Intention to oon- 

 UBM hU mldBM or hi. wrrlce. 



Tb rwUUao* nujr be dUncaned with in the OEM 

 of Wing married to a Bruilian woman, of owning 

 natty In It null, nf being toe Inventor or Introducer 

 trade, of being notable for hi* Ulent* or nro- 

 I (kill, or of beta* the ton of* naturalised 

 f, bom abroad before bU father's naturali- 



1'roof can be liven by certlaoau* of reoords, or 



teatimoniala given by authorities, or even by persons 



The only tax on naturalization if the $12.60 stomp. 



The oath, or promise to obey the Constitution and 

 Jaws, and to recognize Brazil ai his country, may be 

 taken by attorney, before the Government, or a pro- 

 vincial president. 



State colonist* have further facihtu : 



A foreigner buying and settling on land, or coming 

 at hi* own cost and working at a trade, can be natu- 

 ralised after two yean of residence, by making the 

 declaration in the Municipal Chamber; and, upon a 

 certificate thereof, the president of the province will 

 give the proper certificate, free of expense or fee. 



The Government may dispense with the two years' 

 residence. 



The father* or guardians of minor colonists, bom 

 abroad before the naturalization of their parents, con 

 make the above declaration for them, but on attain- 

 ing majority the miners may change their national- 

 it;. , notwithstanding that declaration. 



On the evening of February 28th, the re- 

 publicans of Rio held a meeting at the office 

 of the RtpMica, on receiving the news of the 

 .ihlishment of the republic in Spain, and 

 speeches were made to the assemblage outside. 

 Finally, however, some persons got up a coun- 

 ter-demonstration, demolished the colored oil- 

 lamps forming "Viva a Republics! " nnd a 

 transparency of Castelar, and demanded tho 

 lowering of the republican flag, which was 

 composed of tho national colors, but without 

 the usual arms. But, before the affair assumed 

 importance, the police magistrate obliged the 

 proprietor of the building to withdraw the ob- 

 noxious flag, and the assembled crowds then 

 dispersed quietly. The republican new;-] :q i r 

 had not been a financial success, and the pro- 

 prietor, on the next day, announced its suspen- 

 sion, but continued to issue daily Inflammatory 

 bulletins, of which neither the authorities nor 

 the public took any notice. 



On the 6th of February the Minister of For- 

 eign Affairs gave the requisite year's notice to 

 the legations of France, Switzerland, Italy, 

 Spain, and Portugal, of the intention of lirazil 

 to rescind the consular treaties with those 

 countries. 



Dr. Ladlslao Nepto, Director of the Rio Mu- 

 seum, announced that nn alleged copy t'r.m an 

 in-cribed stone found in Parahybn is dearly 

 in Phomician characters, and records a visit to 

 Brazil (supposed by him to have licui involun- 

 tary) by Sidonian refugees, in the reign of one 

 of the Ilirams, apparently the later, and there- 

 fore two thousand years before the discovery 

 of Brazil by Cabrol. 



Tho first and second sessions of the present 

 Legislature were respectively closed anil opened 

 on May 8d. In his speech, his Majesty tho Em- 

 peror announced that the steady increase of 

 the revenue would permit of reductions on the 

 taxes; that a bill on public instruction would 

 be introduced ; that immigration, professional 

 education, roads, and telegraphs, are the special 

 need of the country; that the coast-cable <-"ii- 

 cession had been modified and transferred to 

 the Brazilian Submarine Telegraph Company; 

 and recommended to the attention of the Leg- 



