190 



COLOMBIA. 



CaMeron ; and Foreign Affairs, Dr. Don Vicen- 

 te Restrepo. The United States Minister at 

 Bogota, is Hon. Dabney H. Maury ; and the Co- 

 lombian Minister at Washington, Don Ricardo 

 Becerra. The Colombian Consul at New York 

 is Sefior C. Calderon ; and the American Con- 

 sul at Panama, T. Adamson. 



Army and Navy. The strength of the army in 

 1886 was 3,000 on a peace footing, to be in- 

 creased in time of war or insurrection by a 

 contingent of 1 per cent, of the population. 



The navy consists of the recently plated war- 

 steatner "Boyaca." a steam-yacht, "Rafael 

 Nunez," built in 'the United States in 1883, 

 and a coasting-steamer. 



Finance. The public indebtedness, on Dec. 

 31, 1884, was represented by a foreign debt of 

 $11,000,000, and a home debt of $15,000,000. 

 The income of the Government during the 

 fiscal year 1883-'84 was $5,155,000, and the 

 outlay $4,000,000, leaving a surplus of $1,155,- 

 000. The amount of national-bank notes in 

 circulation in January, 1886, was by decree 

 reduced to $1,500,000, small nickel coin to 

 take the place of the notes withdrawn and 

 canceled. In a message to the Assembly of 

 Delegates, March 31, President Nunez said he 

 was able to negotiate a 6 per cent. Govern- 

 ment loan in London to the amount of 2,500,- 

 000, and asked for authority to conclude it. He 

 added that two years' interest would have to 

 be advanced by him, and that 1 per cent, 

 would have to be set aside toward the sinking- 

 fund of the loan, the republic to pledge for the 

 payment of the loan the rights secured it by 

 the Panama Canal Company, besides a certain 

 percentage of revenue from customs. 



Monopoly. The Government farmed out to a 

 private syndicate of merchants the monopoly 

 of importing alcoholic beverages into Colombia, 

 for an annual rental of $300,000. The monop- 

 oly does not include either wine or beer. 



During the summer, rich placer gold-mines 

 were discovered at Bucaramanga and in other 

 localities of the province of Santander. 



Railroads. In addition to the 142 miles of 

 railroad in operation, there is a project on foot 

 for building a line across the republic from the 

 Atlantic to the Pacific. 



The gross earnings of the Panamd Railroad 

 in 1885 were $3,267,922; operating expenses, 

 $2,655,272; net earnings, $612,650; interest, 

 $541,041 ; balance, $71^609. The treasurer's 

 statement of Dec. 31, 1884, showed a surplus 

 of $1,076.557, out of which a 10 per cent, divi- 

 dend was paid, amounting to $700,000, leaving 

 on hand, in December, 1885, $448,166. 



Telegraphs. No sooner was the country paci- 

 fied than a new line of telegraph was added to 

 the 2,376 miles then in operation, bringing into 

 direct communication the provinces of Antio- 

 quia and Cauca by connecting Maniznles with 

 Cartago, a line very much needed on account 

 of the large trade in cattle, cocoa, salt, etc., 

 carried on in that region. 



New Ports. By decree of the President, dated 



at Bogota, July 5, 1886, the ports of Arauca 

 and Orocul were thrown open to commerce as 

 ports of entry and export. They are on the 

 banks of the Casanare, a tributary of the Ori- 

 noco. The import duty is the same as per 

 general tariff, less 40 per cent., but with the 

 additional 25 per cent, war duty. 



Tariff. The new tariff became operative on 

 Oct. 1, 1886, the duties ranging from one cent 

 to $1.20 the kilogramme. The free list includes 

 articles for the use of the Government, proper- 

 ty of the representatives of other Governments, 

 and the natural productions of such countries 

 as may enter into reciprocal treaties. All arti- 

 cles not enumerated are dutiable at the highest 

 rate namely, $1.20 per kilogramme. The im- 

 portation of money of inferior standard is pro- 

 hibited, as is also machinery for making money, 

 arms, and munitions of war. Machinery ex- 

 ceeding 1,000 kilogrammes in weight pays one 

 cent, per kilogramme; not exceeding 1,000 

 kilogrammes, it pays five cents. 



Extra Duties. The extra import duty of 15 

 per cent, on goods consumed in the province 

 of Bolivar since 1878 was, on Jan. 1, 1886, re- 

 duced to 10 per cent. ; but efforts since made 

 to abolish it altogether have failed to receive 

 the consent of the Central Government at Bo- 

 gota. On the other hand, the extra 50 per 

 cent, levied on internal taxes paid in the same 

 province as a war-tax has been abolished. 



The Government has received proposals from 

 a New York merchant, who asks for a conces- 

 sion to remove the bar obstructing the entrance 

 of vessels at Barranquilla into Magdalena river. 

 No Government aid is to be extended to the 

 enterprise, which proposes to be allowed to 

 levy tonnage-dues for the improvement. 



New Steamship Line. In September the new 

 line of the French Transatlantic Steamship 

 Company was established from Marseilles. 

 One of the steamers is to call monthly at Bar- 

 ranquilla via Italian and Spanish ports, the 

 ports touched at being Genoa, Naples, Cadiz, 

 Teneriffe, Port de France, Trinidad, Barcelona, 

 La Guayra, Barranquilla, and Colon. 



Commerce. The following tabular statement 

 shows Colombian trade with some of the lead- 

 ing commercial countries : 



FROM COLOMBIA INTO 



TO COLOMBIA FROM 



The United States trade with Colombia in 

 two years has been : 





