BRAZIL. 



97 



988,831 

 209,051 



PROVINCES. Population. 



Minas-Geraes 2,449,010 



Para 843,511 



Parahyba 482,817 



Parana 189,063 



Pernambuco 1,014,700 



Piauhy 



Kio de Janeiro 



Eio Grande do Norte 



Eio Grande do Sul 563,703 



Banta Catharina 201,043 



Sao Paulo 1,058,950 



Sergipe 211,178 



Neutral municipality 485,508 



Total 12,002,978 



In regard to sex, the ratio was about 5*80 

 females to 6'20 males. With respect to race, 

 the proportions were approximately as fol- 

 low: Caucasians, 37'89 per cent.; Africans, 

 19-54; indigenous, 3*86; hybrids (mestizos, 

 cafuzos, etc.), 38-71. 



As to nationality and religion, about 85 per 

 cent, of the total number of inhabitants were 

 Brazilians (of all races) by birth, and 99 per 

 cent. Roman Catholics. 



Of the whites of foreign birth, the Portu- 

 guese (about 140,000) were by far the most nu- 

 merous. 



Immigration. Although Brazil, while mak- 

 ing strenuous efforts to attract European im- 

 migrants to her shores, has hitherto done but 

 little to induce them to stay, the inflowing tide 

 rolls on from year to year in constantly grow- 

 ing proportions. The number of arrivals was 

 9,123 in 1870; 12,331 in 1871 ; 18,441 in 1872; 

 14,931 in 1873 ; 29,029 in 1877 ; 22,423 in 1878 ; 

 22,859 in 1880 ; 25,845 in 1882 ; and 26,789 in 

 1883. Of these last, 11,226 were Portuguese, 

 10,698 Italians, 2,343 Spaniards, 1,690 Ger- 

 mans, 249 Austrians, 158 English, 152 French, 

 94 Swiss ; and 119 of other nationalities. Free 

 passages are no longer given toimmigrants ; but 

 these on arriving may have board and lodging 

 for eight days at Government expense, and 

 then be forwarded free of charge to such of 

 the colonies as they may desire to join. About 

 13,500 were assisted in this way in 1883. *' Un- 

 fortunately, the desire is to import farm la- 

 borers on three or five year leonine contracts 

 a species of serfdom ; and a colonization 

 company in Rio proposes to engage ignorant 

 Canary-Islanders in thousands at twelve mil- 

 reis a month with board, for men, and eight 

 milreis with board, for women say $5.40 and 

 $3.50 respectively while the ordinary board- 

 wages for boatmen and women is at least 30 

 milreis a month." 



Slavery and Emancipation. According to offi- 

 cial registers, the slave population on Sep- 

 tember 30, 1873, amounted to 1,541,819, which 

 number, at the end of 1883, had been reduced, 

 by deaths (195,348) and emancipation (134,- 

 525) to 1,211,946. Of the 134,525 manumis- 

 sions, about 18,500 were effected out of the 

 emancipation fund, and the rest were due to 

 private liberality. The final abolition of slav- 

 ery was announced in Ceara, on March 25, 

 1883, amid universal rejoicings; the number 

 of slaves then set free was 22,660, of whom 

 VOL. xxiv. 7 A 



1,805 by the Imperial Government. The prov- 

 ince of Amazonas soon followed the exam- 

 ple, liberating the whole of its slaves in 1884. 

 The grand abolition movement is daily grow- 

 ing more and more popular, and has come to 

 be the chief concern in all classes of society. 

 The great project, on being presented by the 

 Government, passed its first reading, amid a 

 scene of uproarious clamoring, by a small ma- 

 jority, and was submitted for report to com- 

 mittees. The report of these, and proposed 

 modifications, were to be brought before the 

 House on July 30, 1884, and the ministry had 

 repeatedly declared they would stand or fall 

 by that project alone, declining all challenges 

 and votes of confidence upon any other point. 

 But as the oppositi on percei ved th e inexpediency 

 of defeating the Government and facing their 

 constituencies direct upon that issue, a power- 

 ful combination was organized with the view 

 of securing a defeat before the presentation of 

 the bill in its modified form, and this was ac- 

 complished on the 28th by a majority of seven 

 upon a minor point of votes of supply. This 

 little victory for the opposition, however, led 

 to their ultimate and complete discomfiture, 

 for the Emperor, at the request of the presi- 

 dent of the Council, and in the exercise of his 

 prerogative, signed the decree dissolving the 

 Camaras on the night of the 29th. The chief 

 of the Cabinet, on the 31st, proposed to the 

 House that they should continue until the votes 

 of supplies should be all sanctioned, which pro- 

 posal they meekly accepted. The Camaras 

 virtually dissolved, sitting only to vote supplies, 

 powerless even to make reference to any other 

 question ; such was the situation of the would- 

 be victorious opposition, whose absurd obstruc- 

 tion, together with his own keen foresight and 

 skillful manoeuvres, strengthened the premier's 

 position beyond all precedent, and assisted him 

 to immortalize his name as the champion of 

 abolition. The result of the ensuing election 

 was looked forward to with lively interest, as 

 the decision, not of a mere contest between 

 Liberals and Conservatives, but of a, death- 

 struggle u between slavery and abolition, be- 

 tween labor and capital under the worst as- 

 pect of each; between justice and injustice; 

 between right and wrong." 



Government. The Emperor is Dom Pedro II, 

 born December 2, 1825 ; proclaimed April 7, 

 1831; regency until July 23, 1840; crowned 

 July 18, 1841 ; married September 4, 1843, to 

 Theresa Christina Maria, daughter of the late 

 King Francis I of the Two Sicilies. 



The Cabinet, of June 6, 1884, was composed 

 of the following ministry: President of the 

 Council and Minister of Finance, Senator 

 Councilor of State M. P. de Souza Dantas; 

 Interior, Senator P. Franco de Sa; Justice, 

 Deputy J. da Matta Machado; War, Deputy 

 C. L. M. de Oliveira ; Navy, Senator Admiral 

 J. R. de Lamare ; Commerce, Agriculture, and 

 Public Works, Deputy A. Carneiro da Rocha. 



The Council of State comprised, besides the 



