VENEZUELA. 



793 



VENEZUELA, a republic in South America. 

 It is divided into eight States, one Federal Dis- 

 trict, eight Federal Territories, and two na- 

 tional colonies. The area is 1,639,398 square 

 kilometres, and the population 2,121,988. The 

 agricultural zone covers 349,488 square kilo- 

 metres; pasturages, 400,000; forests, 889,910. 

 The number of foreigners settled in the coun- 

 try in 1881 was 34,916, of whom 11,544 were 

 Spaniards; 4,041 British subjects, mostly from 

 the adjacent island of Trinidad ; 3,237 Italians; 

 3,206 Dutch subjects, from the neighboring 

 island of Curacoa; 2,186 Frenchmen; 1,171 

 Germans; 204 Danish subjects from St. Thomas ; 

 8,729 Colombians; only 179 Americans; and 

 419 of other nationalities. 



The Federal capital is Caracas, at the foot of 

 Mount Avila, which rises 2,632 metres above 

 the sea. Its population in 1883 was 70,509. 

 The cities next in importance are: Valencia, 

 36,145 inhabitants; Maracaybo, 31,921; Bar- 

 quesirneto, 28,918; La Guayra, 14,000; Pu- 

 erto Cabello, 10,145; Ciudad Bolivar, 10,801; 

 Merida, 10,747; Maturin, 14,743; Cumana, 

 12,057; Carupano, 12,389; Barcelona, 11,424; 

 La Victoria, 12,000; Villa de Cura, Il,6i4; 

 Tocuyo, 15,383 ; and San Carlos, 10,741. 



Education. Elementary instruction has been 

 compulsory and gratuitous since 1870. In 1873 

 the number of Federal free schools was 141, 

 with 7,064 pupils, and there were besides 401 

 city and private educational establishments. 

 Ten years later there were 1,232 Federal free 

 schools, 75,275 pupils attending them, besides 

 646 city and private schools with 17,386 pupils, 

 and 8 barrack-schools where 1,900 soldiers were 

 taught, making an aggregate number of educa- 

 tional establishments in 1884 of 1,786, attended 

 by 94,561 pupils. In 1831 there were but 200 

 such establishments, with 7,500 pupils ; in 1840, 

 212 with 8,075 ; in 1847, 480 with 12,815 ; and 

 in 1871, 300 with 10,000. The expenditure by 

 the Federal Government in 1884, for 1,240 free 

 schools, attended by altogether 77,175 pupils, 

 was 2,122,965 bolivars or francs. 



In universities and Federal colleges, 2,528 

 boys are being instructed ; in private institu- 

 tions of the kind, 699 ; in national colleges for 

 girls, 432 ; and in male and female normal 

 schools, 108. There is a Naval School, and one 

 of Telegraphy ; and a Polytechnic Institute, as 

 well as a School of Arts and Trades, have just 

 been founded. 



Libraries and Maseanis. In 1874 all public 

 libraries and collections, including those un- 

 earthed from convents, were united at the 

 library of the Caracas University, which now 

 numbers 30,000 volumes, besides the public 

 documents. The National Museum is contig- 

 uous to the library. Another collection is be- 

 ing formed at the Palace of the Centennial, 

 tailed the " Bolivar Library." New libraries 



are being founded at all the capitals of the eight 

 States of the Confederacy. There are pub- 

 lished in the republic 120 periodicals. 



Government. The President is Gen. Joaquin 

 Crespo, whose term of office will expire on Feb. 

 20, 1886. The Cabinet is composed of the fol- 

 lowing ministers: Foreign Affairs, Seflor Ben- 

 jamin Quenza ; Public Credit, Seflor J. A. Va- 

 lentini ; Public Works, Sefior Abelardo Aris- 

 mendi; Finance, Sefior Rivas Castillo; Interior, 

 Gen. V. Amengual; and Public Instruction, 

 Seflor M. F. Pirnentel. President of the Su- 

 preme Court of the Confederacy, Seftor A. A. 

 Silva ; and Governor of the Federal District, 

 Gen. Bernardins Mirabal. 



The Minister Resident of the United States 

 at Caracas is the Hon. Jehu Baker, and the 

 American Consul at La Guayra is Scott Bird. 

 The Minister from Venezuela to the United 

 States is Seflor A. M. Soteldo. The Venezue- 

 lan Consul-Generul at New York is J. G. Call. 



Finances. There are two species of home 

 debt: the consolidated, bearing 5 per cent, 

 interest; and the convertible, not paying in- 

 terest. The former amounted, on June 30, 

 1883, to 36,167,297 francs, and the coupons 

 are paid with scrupulous punctuality. At the 

 time the new era of radical reforms obtained 

 ascendency, the nation owed abroad 276,000,- 

 000 francs ; but the new regime, by dint of 

 economy and clever management, succeeded in 

 reducing the foreign debt to the trifling amount 

 (considering the resources of the country) of 

 68,040,400 francs, the 3 per cent, interest be- 

 ing regularly paid quarterly in London. Vene- 

 zuelan bonds are now looked upon with favor 

 by foreign capitalists, and they are scarce. 



The budget for 1882-'83 made the following 

 estimates of income and outlay : 



REVENUE. Franct. 



Duty on imports 19,581,322 



Transit dues on goods 5,414,601 



Stamp-tax 1,394,212 



Salt-tax .../ 1,007,591 



Income of universities and colleges 564,128 



Income derived from Yaracuy Territory 468,814 



Income derived from Caura Territory 106.262 



Interests earned by the state 137,200 



Telegraph dues collected 152,071 



Minor items of revenue 161,321 



Total 28,957,522 



EXPENDITURE. Frnnci. 



Legislative and executive 1,035,246 



Interior... 2,625,006 



Public Instruction 2,500.622 



Public Works 4,549.1 11 



Treasury 3,040,796 



Publicdebt 4,253,320 



War and Navy 2,425.538 



Foreign Affairs 1,284,075 



Justice 1M,620 



Contributions for States 8,S2->,966 



Sundries. 916,571 



Total 2<M55b,STl 



The actual expenditure, however, proved not 

 to exceed 25,024,476 francs, while the revenue 



