NORTH CAROLINA. 



NOVA SCOTIA. 



643 



were thrown from the crater. The volcano 

 Viejo also parted in several places. 



Finances* The public indebtedness consisted, 

 on Jan. 1, 1885, of the consolidated debt, $106,- 

 397; the railroad debt, $222,270; and the 

 floating debt, $580,040 ; forming a total debt 

 of $908,707, while there were available funds 

 in the treasury on that date to the amount of 

 $598,534. 



The political troubles in Central America, 

 and the expenses of three military expeditions, 

 interfered somewhat with the usually flourish- 

 ing state of the national finances ; the timidity 

 of capitalists caused a scarcity of specie, and 

 induced the Government to have recourse to 

 paper money. In December $25,000 worth of 

 ten-cent bills were issued. 



Commerce. The chief exports in 1883-'84 

 consisted of India-rubber, of which there were 

 shipped 28,748 quintals, worth $1,318,164 ; 

 coffee, 126,964 quintals, $1,209,306; fustic, 

 $645,904 ; the remainder being indigo, hides 

 and skins, cattle, cedar-wood, and gold-dust. 



Ports* Formerly San Juan del Norte was 

 the first port in commercial importance, but 

 since rail communication has been made be- 

 tween Corinto and the interior, Corinto may 

 now be considered the principal port. All com- 

 merce with the interior cities passes through 

 this port, with the exception of that for the 

 cities of Granada and Rivas. San Juan del 

 Norte is a free port. Merchandise for the in- 

 terior passing through it pays duty at Castillo 

 Viejo, on San Juan river. 



NORTH CAROLINA. State Government. The fol- 

 lowing were the State officers during the year : 

 Governor, Alfred M. Scales, Democrat ; Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, Charles M. Stedman ; Secre- 

 tary of State, William L. Saunders ; Treasurer, 

 Donald W. Bain ; Auditor, William P. Roberts; 

 Attorney-General, Theodore F. Davidson ; Su- 

 perintendent of Public Instruction, Sidney M. 

 Finger. Supreme Court: Chief-Justice, Will- 

 iam N. H. Smith ; Associate Justices, Thomas 

 S. Ashe and Augustus S. Merrimon. 



Legislative Session. The Legislature met on 

 Jan. 7, and adjourned on March 11. Among 

 the important acts passed were : 



To increase the number of Superior Court Judges. 



In regard to actions against administrators. 



To provide for the erection of fences around stock 

 law districts. 



Extending time for settling the State debt. 



To extend time for adjusting and renewing State 

 debt. 



Making it unlawful for physicians to disclose infor- 

 mation disclosed by patients. 



To make seduction of women under promise ol 

 marriage criminal. 



To establish a true meridian in the several counties 

 of the State. 



To require the registration of deeds. 



To prohibit the importation of obscene literature. 



To incorporate the Confederate Home Association. 



To establish a State flag. 



To establish and maintain an Industrial School. 



To lay off the oyster-beds, and providing for the 

 sale of tne oyster- waters by the State. 



A large number of railroad acts and of amendments 

 to existing laws. 



Zebulon B. Vance, Democrat, was re-elected 

 United States Senator. 



Financial. The following is a general state- 

 ment of the receipts and disbursements for the 

 year ending Nov. 30, 1885 : 



Balances In the treasury Dec. 1, 1884 : 



Educational fund $20,981 68 



Public fund 926,086 98 



$947,068 56 



Receipts for the fiscal year: 



Educational fund $7.176 64 



Public fund 878,957 62 



886,134 16 



Grand total $1,888,202 72 



Disbursements for the same time: 



Educational fund $5,195 14 



Public fund 795,486 26 



$800,651 40 



Balance in treasury Nov. 30, 1885 $532,521 32 



Industries. In 1880 the assessed valuation of 

 property amounted to $156,268,241, while for 

 this year it amounts to $222,300,000, an in- 

 crease of $66,031,759. The tobacco industry 

 is credited largely with this increase, and the 

 crop is far in excess of any previous one. The 

 peanut - crop has seldom been estimated at 

 over 150,000 bushels in former years, but in 

 1884 there was a large increase in acreage, 

 and the production is reported at 300,000 bush- 

 els. This crop is marketed at Wilmington, and 

 there was reported to be on hand there 50,000 

 bushels of the old crop to be carried into the 

 new year beginning Oct. 1, 1885. 



JfOVA SCOTIA. Government. The Lieutenant- 

 Governor is Matthew Henry Rickey. Execu- 

 tive Council: Premier, Provincial Secretary, 

 and President of the Council, W. S. Fielding; 

 Attorney-General, A. J. White; Commissioner 

 of Works and Mines, 0. E. Church; without 

 office, Thomas Johnson, T. F. Morrison, Isi- 

 dore Le Blanc, and J. W. Longley. 



Repeal Movement. At the opening of the Pro- 

 vincial Legislature the Lieutenant-Governor 

 announced that no reply had been received 

 from the Federal Government to the memo- 

 rial of the Legislature sent in 1884, demanding 

 financial assistance for the province. This 

 memorial sets forth that, previous to confed- 

 eration, the province was in a healthy financial 

 condition, but now it has not sufficient revenue 

 for its wants. It complains that the tariff op- 

 erates unequally upon the various provinces 

 and unfairly to Nova Scotia. It declares that, 

 previous to confederation, Nova Scotia had the 

 lowest tariff and was in the best financial con- 

 dition of all the provinces; that as it made 

 the greatest sacrifices upon entering the union, 

 the province ought not to be left in a worse 

 financial condition than the others. At the 

 time of the union it was estimated that a sum 

 amounting to 28 per cent, of the customs 

 revenue collected under a 15 per cent, tariff, 

 together with the revenue from local sources, 

 would be sufficient for local purposes, and that 

 the remaining 71 per cent, of the customs du- 

 ties, with other sources of revenue allotted to 

 the Federal Government, would be sufficient 

 for its wants. Experience has shown that the 

 15 per cent, tariff did not yield enough revenue 



