664 



PORTUGAL. 



The aggregate length of telegraph lines was 

 3,533; and of telegraph wires, 7,656 kilometres. 

 The military system is based on the law of 

 June 23, 1864, which has been modified by 

 several decrees of the year 1868, as well as by 

 , decrees of October 4, 1869, and December 15, 

 1875. The strength of the army in 1876, on 

 the peace-footing, was 1,615 officers, and 32,- 

 356 men; on the war-footing, 2,566 officers 

 and 71,378 men. 



The trade of Portugal in 1872 was as fol- 

 lows (value expressed in contos; 1 conto = 

 1,000 milreis) : 



The following are the chief articles of im- 

 port and export : 



According to a report on education in Por- 

 tugal, transmitted to the Washington Bureau 

 of Education by Hon. B. Moran, United States 

 minister at Lisbon (dated December, 1875), 

 the number of elementary schools was 2,244, 

 of which 1,910 were for boys and 334 for 

 girls; the number of pupils was 113,097 (92,- 

 834 boys, 20,263 girls) ; of teachers, 2,609 (2,- 

 114 males, 495 females). Secondary instruction 

 was imparted in 18 lyceums, with 2,385 pupils, 

 and in 123 other secondary schools. The Uni- 

 versity of Ooimbra had 52 professors, 15 as- 

 sistants, and 913 students, of whom 39 studied 

 theology, 843 law, 6 political economy, 56 

 medicine, 104 mathematics, 262 philosophy, 

 103 drawing. The Polytechnic School at Lis- 

 bon had 174, the Military Academy of the 

 same city 272, and the Polytechnic School at 

 Oporto 109 students. In the Medico-Surgical 



Schools of Lisbon, Oporto, and Funchal there 

 were in all 277 students. The principal spe- 

 cial schools are the Academies of Fine Arts at 

 Lisbon and Oporto, with 277 students ; the 

 Conservatory of Music at Lisbon, with 95 stu- 

 dents ; and the Industrial and Commercial In- 

 stitution, witli 388 students. The total annual 

 expenditure for education was $1,200,000. 



The Portuguese Cortes was formally opened 

 by the King January 2d. In his speech his 

 Majesty said that the most friendly relations 

 were maintained with foreign powers. Re- 

 ferring to the happy termination of the arbi- 

 tration of the question respecting the title to 

 Dehigoa Bay, the King said that he had man- 

 ifested his gratitude to President MacMahon, 

 of France (by whom the question had been de- 

 cided), for the impartiality and justice with 

 which lie had considered so delicate an affair. 

 He spoke of the visits of the Seyid of Zanzi- 

 bar and the President of the Transvaal Repub- 

 lic, who had signed a treaty giving advantages 

 to the colony of Mozambique. Among the 

 subjects commended to the deliberation of the 

 Cortes were the adoption of measures for im- 

 proving the condition of the colonies, and for 

 further strengthening the possession of the 

 Portuguese territories ; also moral and material 

 reforms, including an improvement of the sys- 

 tem of public instruction on the basis of com- 

 pulsory education, and measures for the con- 

 struction of railways in Beira. With regard 

 to the budget, it was announced that the pros- 

 perity of the country enabled the Government 

 to dispense with any new taxes. In view of 

 the prosperous condition of the Treasury, Sen- 

 hor Ardrade Corvo, Minister for the Colonies, 

 intended to ask the Cortes to authorize the 

 negotiation of a loan for colonial improve- 

 ments, such as the construction of railways, 

 bridges, landing-stages, roads, telegraphs, and 

 lighthouses. 



Mr. Watson, British secretary of legation at 

 Lisbon, has published some facts showing that 

 a rapid and great improvement has taken place 

 in the condition of the finances of Portugal 

 within the last ten years, as exhibited by the 

 budgets for 1866-'67, 1871 -'72, arid 1876-'77, 

 respectively. In 1866 the total revenue of 

 the kingdom was estimated at not more than 

 3,529,000, while the expenditure amounted 

 to 4,694,900, thus showing an estimated de- 

 ficit of 1,165,900. In the budget of 1871-'72 

 the revenue had risen to 4,915,069, while 

 the amount of expenditure had increased only 

 220,000, and the two items balanced each 

 other. In the budget for 1876-'77 the revenue 

 was estimated at 5,346,661, showing an in- 

 crease in five years of 430,000, or of 86,000 

 per annum ; while the expenditures were esti- 

 mated at 163,539 more than that amount. 

 The increase of revenue is caused not by the 

 application of new principles of finance, but by 

 the greater productiveness of the taxes, and 

 especially of the customs duties. The chief 

 item of increase in the expenditures is in the 



