748 



SAN SALVADOR. 



Great Britain were of nearly double the value 

 of those to the United States, and the value of 

 the imports from the former almost five times 

 as great as that of the imports from the latter; 

 but, what is more remarkable still, the absolute 

 balance of trade in favor of San Salvador in 

 both cases was almost the same, say very little 

 K-ss than $700,000. The value of the cotton 

 goods imported from the United States was but 

 $45,010, against $983,247 from Great Britain ; 

 but American machinery was imported to the 

 amount of $20,418, against but $1,073 worth 

 of British. The chief staples of export are in- 

 digo, coffee, sugar, balsam of Peru, and India- 

 rubber, the first thing by far the most impor- 

 tant. The total indigo crop in 1877 amounted 

 to 1,636,227 Ibs., of which Great Britain alone 

 took 1,055,700 Ibs. There were 15,861,947 Ibs. 

 of coffee produced in the same year, and 3,- 

 521,138 Ibs. of sugar. Eice is now grown in 

 considerable quantities, as is also tobacco : of 

 the former Costa Rica took 405,635 Ibs., and 

 of the latter 213,650; the entire crop amount- 

 ing to 604,135 and 270,550 Ibs. respectively. 

 Of 313,062 Ibs. of hides shipped, the larger 

 portion went to the United States. 



The total values of some of the principal 

 commodities exported to all destinations in 

 1877 were as follows: Indigo, $1,636,227 (con- 

 siderably less than usual); coffee, $1,686,194; 

 silver ores, $142,466; sugar, $111,634; balsam 

 of Peru, $50,137. Cotton fabrics were im- 

 ported to the amount of $1,077,701 ; woolen 

 fabrics, $58,832; silk fabrics, $53,215; hard- 

 ware, $370,404; flour, $111,856 (mainly from 

 California) ; provisions, $58,242 ; wines, spirits, 

 etc., $48,065 ; glass and earthen ware, $64,448. 

 The shipping employed in the foreign trade of 

 the republic in 1877 was nearly 12,000 tons; 

 of which 4,269 were for the United States, 

 4,564 for England, 1,080 for France, 788 for 

 Germany, 726 for Costa Rica, and the remain- 

 der for other republics of Central and South 

 America. 



A new contract with the Pacific Mail Com- 

 pany was talked of. The Government ex- 

 pressed its willingness to pay $10,000 per an- 

 num in addition to the present subsidy, on 

 condition that all through steamers should 

 touch at both La Libertad and Acajutla every 

 voyage, keeping up the same service as usual 

 in the intermediate lines. 



In Chalchuapa, a fertile district in the north- 

 ern part of the republic, inducements are of- 

 fered to immigrants. A free building site in 

 the town, and security of person and proper- 

 ty, are guaranteed. The lands are remarkably 

 good, and those not private property can easily 

 be obtained. Coffee, sugar, indigo, tobacco, 

 etc., are the staples of production. 



The Government has announced its inten- 

 tion of joining the Postal Union. Although 

 the mail service is tolerably well provided for, 

 so far as the establishment of mail routes is 

 concerned within the republic, the rates of 

 postage on letters have always been high. 



SERVIA. 



Peace remained undisturbed throughout the 

 republic during the year. 



SERVIA, a principality of southeastern 

 Europe. The Prince, Milan IV. Obrenovitch, 

 born in 1854, succeeded to the throne by the 

 election of the Servian National Assembly, af- 

 ter the assassination of his uncle, Prince Mi- 

 chael Obrenovitch, in June, 1868. He was 

 crowned at Belgrade, and assumed the govern- 

 ment August 22, 1872. He was married Octo- 

 ber 17, 1875, to Natalie de Keshko, the daugh- 

 ter of a Russian nobleman, and has one son, 

 Prince Alexander, born August 14, 1876. The 

 area of Servia is 18,687 square miles; popula- 

 tion in 1878, 1,720,000. According to the bud- 

 get for the year 1877-'78, the revenue was 

 38,800,338 " tax piasters " (1 piaster = 7 cents), 

 and the expenditures 38,627,752 piasters. A 

 loan was contracted in 1876 in consequence of 

 the war, the amount of which is not known. 

 The number of taxable persons in 1875 was 

 287,047. The imports in 1874 amounted to 

 32,456,362 francs, the exports to 39,001,878 

 francs, and the transit trade to 6,631,000 francs. 



The army consists of the standing army and 

 the national army. The former is estimated at 

 4,222 men, and the latter at 150,590. 



For an account of the war with Turkey, and 

 the provisions of the treaty of Berlin affecting 

 Servia, see TURKEY and EASTEEN QUESTION. 



The Skupshtina was opened on July 7th, by 

 Prince Milan. In his speech from the throne 

 he stated the motives for entering upon a 

 second campaign against Turkey, and thanked 

 the national militia for their services in the 

 field. He dwelt upon the article of the treaty 

 of San Stefano relative to the independence of 

 Servia and the extension of her territory, and 

 expected that the Congress would sanction 

 Servian independence, and increase Servian 

 territory by those districts in which Servians 

 for centuries past have demanded union with 

 Servia. The Prince also expected from the 

 justice and good will of the Great Powers an 

 amelioration of the condition of the Servian 

 countries not united with Servia. Servia, in- 

 dependent and enlarged, would, he said, ac- 

 quire fresh strength for the development of all 

 the national forces. The Prince concluded by 

 recommending to the Skupshtina to confine it- 

 self to the most pressing matters, such as the 

 budget, the laws enacted during the war, the 

 discussion of the law upon invalided soldiers, 

 and the reorganization of the active army. 

 Senator Matitch was then elected President of 

 the Skupshtina. On July 18th the Skup- 

 shtina unanimously voted the budget for 1878 

 as introduced by the Government, with the 

 exception of a few unimportant amendments, 

 and on the 20th the bill with regard to the 

 pensions for invalids and the families of sol- 

 diers who fell in the late war. M. Ristitch, the 

 Minister for Foreign Affairs, addressing the 

 House on the 24th, declared that Servia should 

 be well satisfied with the result of the Berlin 

 Congress. She had acquired more than her 



