152 



COLOMBIA. 



PARIS CLUBS. 



COCAINE. HYDROCHLORATE OF. See DRUGS, 



NEW. 



COLOMBIA, an independent republic of South 

 America. 



Boundary Questions. The question of limits be- 

 tween Colombia and Venezuela, referred to the 

 King of Spain for decision, was still unsettled 

 at the close of the year. It was reported in 

 November, 1884, that the maps of the Colom- 

 bian frontiers, dating from colonial times, and 

 executed by order of the viceroys, and pur- 

 chased for $2,000 by the Government of Colom- 

 bia in 1877, had disappeared from the Ministry 

 of Foreign Affairs. 



The ancient question of territorial jurisdic- 

 tion with Nicaragua has again been mooted in 

 the Colombian press, apropos of the Nicara- 

 guan interoceanic canal project; but up to 

 Dec. 31 no exchange of official correspond- 

 ence had taken place on the subject between 

 the Governments of the two republics.* 



Area, Territorial Division, Population, etc. A 

 detailed statement concerning these may be 

 found in the " Annual Cyclopedia " for 1877. 

 In the census returns of 1870 the population 

 was set down in round numbers at 3,000,000 ; 

 and an official estimate gave it at 4,000,000 in 

 1881. The 3,000,000 in 1870 included 50,000 

 uncivilized Indians, and showed the civilized 

 population to comprise 1,434,130 males and 

 1,515,870 females. 



According to the census of 1884, Bogota, the 

 capital of the republic, had 95,813 inhabitants 

 44,061 males and 51,752 females. Among 

 the trades and professions were included the 

 following: Lawyers, 324; physicians, 126; 

 clergymen, 152 ; farmers, 1,962 ; artisans, 20,- 

 807 ; artists, 230 ; merchants, 5,567 ; students, 

 11,621; laborers, 3,587; soldiers, 1,625; lite- 

 rati, 81. 



Government, Government Officers, etc. By the 

 terms of the Constitution of May 8, 1863, the 

 executive power is exercised by a President 

 elected for two years, and the legislative 

 power by a Senate and House of Representa- 

 tives. The Senate is composed of 27 members, 

 three for each of the nine States of the repub- 

 lic ; and the House of 66 members, elected by 

 universal suffrage, at the rate of one for every 

 50,000 inhabitants in each State, and one more 

 for every additional 20,000. The designados, 

 or substitutes, are elected each year by Con- 

 gress to fill, in order of seniority, any vacancy 

 occurring in the presidency. Each State has, 



* See article " Nicaragua" in this volume. 



besides, its own Legislature, and a chief magis- 

 trate with the title of President, except Cundi- 

 namarca, where that functionary is styled Gov- 

 ernor. 



The President of the Republic is Dr. Rafael 

 Nufiez, whose term of office was to have be- 

 gun April 1, 1884.* 



The Cabinet was composed of the following 

 ministers : Interior, M. Castro ; Foreign Affairs, 

 Eustorgis Salgar ; Finance, J. M. Caro ; "War, 

 Gen. Jose Maria Campo Serrano; Public In- 

 struction, N. Barrero; Commerce and Com- 

 munication, F. Angulo ; Public Works, J. J. 

 Vargas. 



The chief magistrates of the several States 

 were: 



Antioquia President T. Llano. 



Bolivar President V. Garcia. 



Bayaca President P. J. Sarmiento. 



Cauca President E. Payan. 



Cundinamarca Governor Daniel Aldana. 



Magdalena 1'resident M. 8. Kainon. 



Panama President D. Cervera. 



Santander President Gonzalez Lineros. 



Tolima President Gabriel Gonzalez. 



Diplomatic and Consular Corps. The United 

 States Minister Resident at Bogota is Mr. W. L. 

 Scruggs; and the United States Consuls at 

 Aspinwall, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Medellin, 

 and Panama are, respectively, Messrs. F. W. 

 Rice, T. M. Dawson, E. W. P. Smith, E. R. 

 Edmund, and T. Adamson. 



The Colombian Consul-General at New York 

 is Sefior Lino de Pombo. 



Army. The peace footing of the army, de- 

 termined each year by the Legislature, was 

 fixed at 4,000 for 1882-'83 by act of Aug. 

 18, 1882. The war footing is determined by 

 the Executive as circumstances may require. 

 On Dec. 9, 1884, in consequence of the dis- 

 turbed condition of the country, President 

 Nufiez issued a decree raising the strength of 

 the Federal army to 8,000. 



From Dec. 22, 1862, to Jan. 1, 1883, the na- 

 tional Treasury paid out $718,687 to the Army 

 Department. 



Education. President Otalora, in his message 

 to Congress on the opening of the session in Feb- 

 ruary, 1884, says that the total attendance at 

 the various establishments for public instruc- 

 tion throughout the republic (exclusive of those 

 of the States of Cauca and Bolivar) during the 

 year 1883 was 60.011 1,166 at the colleges 

 and normal schools, and 58,845 at the primary 



* President-elect Nunez having been absent, the presiden- 

 tial chair was temporarily occupied by the First Designado, 

 General Ezequlel Hurtado. 



