592 



NICARAGUA. 



NORTH CAROLINA. 



All sources of revenue had increased in 1883, 

 except the amount collected from import du- 

 ties and the tobacco-tax. The former fell off 

 because the low price of coffee, etc., caused 

 decreased importation, and the latter on ac- 

 count of a short tobacco-crop. On the other 

 hand, the liquor-tax yielded $445,286 in 1883, 

 against $371,068 in 1882 an increase under 

 this head of $74,218. The tobacco-tax usually 

 nets the Government $300,000 per annum, yet 

 the Minister of Finance recommends that it be 

 abolished, for, in his belief, the suppression of 

 the monopoly would give a great impulse to to- 

 bacco-culture, and thus greatly redound to the 

 prosperity of agriculture in the country. 



Public Works. While devoting, in 1881, 

 $247,729 to canceling its debt, the republic 

 spent in the same year $297,910 on public 

 works such as roads, railways, etc. In 1882 

 the respective amounts disbursed for these two 

 items were $329,210 and $286,008, and in 1883 

 $267,825 and 412,786. 



Railroads. The future railroad system of Ni- 

 caragua, to be called the National Railroad, 

 will extend from Corinto Harbor to Pueblo 

 Nuevo (La Paz), thence a branch line to Morao- 

 tombo, to Managua, the capital, and Granada, 

 making a total distance of 125 miles, and form- 

 ing a right angle through the most fertile part 

 of the country. That section is finished which 

 connects Corinto, on the Pacific, with Momo- 

 tombo on Lake Managua a beautiful sheet of 

 water of about 560 square miles. On reaching 

 Momotombo, passengers and goods are for- 

 warded to Managua by steamers, which make 

 connections every day both ways. The rail- 

 road line is 58 miles long, and was completed 

 Jan. 1, 1884. The first section of it, to Leon,, 

 has been in operation for two years. The road 

 is well equipped and well maintained; best 

 Bessemer rails, forty pounds per yard in weight, 

 three feet six inches gauge, on mahogany, lig- 

 nnm-vita9, coajoche, guachipilin, laurel-negro, 

 roble, or cortez-negro sleepers. Sand ballast 

 has been ussd throughout. 



The traffic consists of freight mostly, which 

 is dye-woods, coffee, India-rubber, and hides. 

 As much as 400 tons of dye-woods are daily 

 transported to Corinto for shipment. The net 

 proceeds of the road in 1883 were 4J per cent, 

 of the invested capital; cost of building and 

 equipment, operating and maintenance ex- 

 penses, 56 per cent, of gross earnings. 



The line that will connect Managua with 

 Granada is under construction and the grading 

 is completed. Its length is thirty-two miles, 

 ten miles of which are laid. 

 ^ Commerce. The import into Nicaragua va- 

 ries little from $3,500,000 annually, nor the ex- 

 port from $4,000,000. 



WOOD SHIPMENTS FROM CORINTO, 1883. 



84,034 tons of fustic, at $10 a ton . . $340,840 



406 tons of Brazil-wood, at $24 a ton 9 744 



730,600 feet of cedar, at $30 per M ... 23'418 



81,000 feet of mahogany, at $30 per M '930 



Total $1(74,432 



First six mouths of 1884 : 



11,512 tons of fustic, at $11 a ton .7 $126 682 



50 tons of Brazil-wood, at $24 a ton 1,200 



403,400 feet of cedar, at $30 per M 12 102 



Total 



Other products exported are India-rubber, 

 about 14,000 quintals annually (one quintal = 

 101 pounds American) ; coffee, 7,000,000 Ibs. ; 

 indigo, skins, and gold and silver bullion. 



The tonnage entering the ports of the re- 

 public amounted to 260,000 tons ; out of 213 

 arrivals, 156 were steamers. 



The Interoceanic Canal. The "Official Ga- 

 zette " of Nicaragua, speaking of the Govern- 

 ment decree abolishing the contract with the 

 Provisional Company of New York, known as 

 the " Menocal contract," for the construction 

 of the Nicaragua Canal, says that the company 

 bound itself within two years from the date of 

 the acceptance of the contract (April 21, 1880) 

 to conclude definite plans for the work, and to 

 form the company destined to accomplish it, 

 and that non-compliance with this obligation 

 implied the recision of the contract. As the 

 plans had not been drawn up, nor the con- 

 struction company formed by May 25, 1882, 

 the contract should have been null and void 

 on that date ; but the company applied for an 

 extension of time, and by the law of Feb. 22, 

 1882, a further term of two years was granted. 

 The extension of two years elapsed on Sep- 

 tember 30 last; consequently the concession to 

 the New York company has become null and 

 void, and the republic has acquired the right 

 to negotiate with other companies. This the 

 Government has already officially declared. 



On Dec. 1, 1884, the President of the United 

 States informed Congress, in his message, of the 

 conclusion of a treaty with the Nicaraguan 

 Government. 



NORTH CAROLINA. State Government. The 

 following were the State officers during the 

 year : Governor, Thomas J. Jarvis, Demo- 

 crat; Secretary of State, William L. Saun- 

 ders; Treasurer, John M. Worth; Auditor, 

 William P. Roberts; Attorney-General, Thom- 

 as S. Kenan ; Superintendent of Public In- 

 struction, John 0. Scarborough. Judiciary, 

 Supreme Court : Chief- Justice, William N. H. 

 Smith ; Associate Justices, Thomas S. Ashe 

 and Augustus S. Merriraon. 



Finances. The entire expenditures for the 

 fiscal year ending Nov. 30, 1884, were $785,- 

 641.78 ; but this amount embraces several items 

 that are not chargeable to the expenses of the 

 State government proper, because the funds 

 from which they are defrayed are not raised 

 by general taxation. These items aggregate 

 $214,694.11. Deducting these, we have, for 

 the usual and ordinary expenses of the State 

 government proper, $570,947.67. 



On the financial situation for the coming two 

 years, the Governor, in his message to the Legis- 

 lature of 1885, says: 



The Treasurer and the Auditor substantially agree 

 in their estimates of the expenses of the State govern- 



