BRAZIL. 



71 



crops prevented the expected reaction after 

 the suppression of the imperial taxes, by per- 

 mitting the supply to exceed the consumption." 



It should here be observed that sugar is 

 another Brazilian article of export, produced 

 in all parts of the empire, but particularly in 

 the provinces of Pernambuco and Bahia. The 

 quantity shipped, however, is never or rarely 

 in excess of 140 tons, or about the amount of 

 the total shipments from the little island of 

 Mauritius. 



There have been no official returns of port 

 movements published since those given in our 

 volume for 1880, to which volume reference 

 may be made for details relating to Brazilian 

 railways and telegraphs. On the subject of 

 the new line of steamers there mentioned as 

 about to be established between Canadian and 

 Brazilian ports, the> folio wing particulars were 

 published in Rio de Janeiro in February, 1881 : 



"St. Thomas, at which port the steamers of 

 this line will call, is the distributing point for 

 the mails and traffic of the West Indies and 

 Central America, and arrangements are in prog- 

 ress with the Royal Mail Steam Packet Com- 

 pany for an interchange of traffic by through 

 bills of lading at that port for the West Indies, 

 British Guiana, and Central America, and at 

 Rio de Janeiro for the republics of the river 

 Plate, thus bringing all these countries into 

 direct communication with Canada. The di- 

 rect trade of Canada with these countries for 

 the year 1879 has been as follows: Imports, 

 value $1,256,817; exports, value $4,242,112; 

 but it has been carried on entirely by sailing- 

 vessels, and will necessarily be further devel- 

 oped by the establishment of this company. 

 It is proposed to employ four steamers in this 

 service, each of 2,200 tons burden, which will 

 run monthly between Canada and Rio de Ja- 

 neiro, touching at St. Thomas, Para, Maranhao, 

 Ceara, Pernambuco, and Bahia, between which 

 ports the coastwise traffic in passengers and 

 goods is very important. The contract with 

 the Canadian Government is for three years 

 certain from 1st of May next, thereafter being 

 terminable by six months' notice, as is usual 

 in the Dominion. The Brazilian contract is 

 for ten years, and it is understood that nego- 

 tiations are in progress for additional subsidies 

 to the company in respect of intermediate ports 

 of call. The company has the advantage of 

 being introduced to public notice by a strong 

 and influential board, and, in view of all the 

 circumstances, it is reasonable to anticipate that 

 the capital will be at once taken up by those 

 who are in search of a favorable form of in- 

 vestment." 



The Telephone Company of Brazil had re- 

 ceived, by decree of April 17, 1881, authori- 

 zation to operate in the empire, and it was 

 hoped that contracts would at once be made 

 for the establishment of telephonic communi- 

 cation between Rio de Janeiro and the neigh- 

 boring town of Nictheroy. 



The Minister of Agriculture had announced 



his intention, as the state of the finances had 

 improved, to apply to the following Legislature 

 for an appropriation in the budget for 1882-'83 

 for an immigrants' house in Rio, to receive 

 and support for eight days 40,000 spontaneous 

 immigrants per annum, for the transportation 

 of 30,000 immigrants from Rio to their destina- 

 tion, for the acquisition of 53,000 acres of land 

 in readily accessible portions of Southern Bra- 

 zil, and for the survey of public lands and the 

 making of roads to colonies. He had also de- 

 clared that the Government would not give fur- 

 ther aid or make further subsidized immigra- 

 tion contracts.* 



The new electoral reform bill mentioned in 

 our volume for 1880 passed the Senate in the 

 session of 1881. We here transcribe the prin- 

 cipal clauses of the bill : 



ARTICLE I. The nominations of senators and depu- 

 ties to the General Assembly, members of the Pro- 

 vincial Legislative Assemblies, and any other elective 

 national or local authority, shall be made by direct 

 elections, in which all citizens enrolled as electors, in 

 conformity with this law, may take part. The elec- 

 tion of Regent of the Empire shall continue to be 

 made according to the additional act to the Constitu- 

 tion by the electors treated of in this law. 



ART. II. Every Brazilian citizen, in accordance with 

 Articles VI, IX, and XCII of the Constitution of the 

 empire, having a net annual income of not less than 

 200 milreis from realty, trade, business, or employ- 

 ment, is an elector. 



The exclusions of said Article XCII include the 

 men of the army, navy, and police corps, and the 

 workmen of the public departments and establish- 

 ments. 



ART. III. The proof of the income referred to in 

 the preceding article shall be made : 



SECTION 1. As to income arising from realty : 



(1.) When the realty lies within the bounds of the 

 Imposto Predial or Decima Urbana, by certificate from 

 the fiscal department that the realty is assessed at a 

 rental value of not less than 200 milreis, or by a re- 

 ceipt of the same department for payment of that tax. 



(2.) When not within the bounds of the Imposto 

 Predial or Decima Urbana : 



If consisting of premises situated where neither of 

 those taxes is levied, of rural establishments, or of 

 lands occupied by the owner, then by computing the 

 income at six per cent upon the capital the realty rep- 

 resents, verified by a legitimate deed of ownership or 

 holding, or by a judicial sentence recognizing either. 



If not occupied by the owner, then by reckoning 

 the income in the same manner, or by the exhibition 

 of a contract of lease of the realty entered in notarial 

 books a year before, with express declaration of the 

 price of the lease. 



SEC. 2. As to income derived from trade or profes- 

 sion: 



(1.) By certificate showing inscription, a year pre- 

 viously, in the " Commercial Register," as merchant, 

 broker, auctioneer t chief clerk ofa commercial house, 

 master of vessel, pilot, or administrator of a factory. 



(2.) By certificate from the respective fiscal depart- 

 ment of ownership of a factory, workshop, or com- 

 mercial, manufacturing, or rural establishment, with a 

 capital of at least 6,800 milreis, paying an imperial or 

 provincial annual tax of not less than 24 milrcis in 

 Rio, 12 milreis in other cities, and 6 milreis in towns 

 and other places of the empire. 



The taxes referred to in this provision confer elect- 

 oral capacity only when paid for at least a year before 

 enrollment. 



No taxes but those mentioned in this law can serve 

 for proof of income. 



* See " Annual Cyclopaedia" for 18SO. 



