MADAGASCAR. 



MAINE. 



519 



.ie explanatory letter is considered by the 

 Trench Government as null and void ; (2) that 

 je loan contracted with an English banking- 

 louse was disapproved by the French Govern- 

 .nent, which would not accept the payment of 

 the indemnity with money obtained on such 

 conditions, and would not evacuate Tamatave, 

 or allow natives of France to pay customs to 

 the agents of an English bank ; (3) that France 

 asserted her right to select the limit of nearly 

 eight miles for her possession at the Bay of 

 Diego Suarez ; (4) that Gen. Willoughby's mis- 

 sion was an infringement of the treaty, and 

 that he ought to be recalled, or his powers 

 withdrawn. Rainaiarivony, in his reply, said 

 that he would not consent to the annulment of 

 the appendix, which he considered to be of 

 equal force with the treaty, but would agree to 

 a limit at the Bay of Diego Suarez, a little 

 greater than that indicated, if it were in writ- 

 ing. Concerning the mission of Gen. Willough- 

 by, he explained that it was not intended to be 

 of a political but principally of a friendly char- 

 acter. The French resident said that he would 

 take the foreign affairs into his own hands, and 

 would relieve the consuls at Mauritius and Lon- 

 don of their duties. The Prime Minister re- 

 plied that in political questions France would 

 represent Madagascar abroad. If the consuls 

 found political matters before them, they would 

 refer them to the French resident, but in re- 

 gard to all other matters the Malagasy Govern- 

 ment had the right to treat with foreign pow- 

 ers. In a postscript to the letter explaining 

 and restricting the treaty, the Malagasy Gov- 

 ernment were empowered to make any treaties 

 of commerce they see fit. 



When Gen. Willoughby reached Europe he 

 visited Paris and presented his credentials to 

 the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but M. de Frey- 

 cinet would not receive him. On November 12 

 he addressed a letter from the Malagasy em- 

 bassy, which he established in London, to the 

 French minister, in which he said that France 

 and Madagascar are at serious variance, re- 

 specting the interpretation of the treaty, and 

 the differences are bound to endure so long as 

 France thinks fit to treat the Queen's envoy in 

 Europe in a temporizing manner. He threat- 

 ened that, if the French agent interfered in the 

 internal administration of Madagascar on such 

 points as the raising of loans and the leasing of 

 customs, hostilities would be renewed. 



French Colonization. The Madagascar credit 

 voted by the French Chamber provided the 

 sum of 200,000 francs for barracks, magazines, 

 and a hospital on the Bay of Diego Suarez. 

 There are two inhabited places in the French 

 territory, one on each side of the bay. The 

 arsenal and other buildings are in Antsirano. 

 The other town is Diego Suarez, which was 

 first established in June, 1886. The locality is 

 more healthful. Many French colonists settled 

 in this region, and great numbers went to Ta- 

 matave. They were mostly people of small 

 means. French merchants and Catholic mis- 



sionaries established themselves at the Hova 

 capital, but neither Catholics nor Frenchmen 

 were cordially welcomed by the inhabitants. 



MAINE. State Government. The following 

 were the State officers during the year: Gov- 

 ernor, Frederick Robie, Republican ; Secretary 

 of State, Oramandel Smith ; Treasurer, Edwin 

 C. Burleigh ; Attorney-General, Orville D. Ba- 

 ker ; Superintendent of Common Schools, Nel- 

 son A. Luce ; Railroad Commissioners, A. W. 

 Wildes, John Fehnderson, and D. N. Mortland. 

 Supreme Court : Chief -Justice, John A. Peters ; 

 Associate Judges, Charles W. Whelton, Thomas 

 F. Haskell, Charles Danforth, William W. Vir- 

 gin, Enoch Foster, Artemas Libbey, and Lucil- 

 ius A. Emery. 



Finances. The Governor recommends that 

 the State tax be reduced by the sum of $235,- 

 945.33, which is 26f per cent, of the total 

 amount now levied. The condition of the 

 State finances, according to the annual report 

 of the Treasurer, will justify this step. The 

 nominal amount of the bonded debt of the 

 State is $5,157,000, all of which is due and 

 payable in 1889 $2,330,000 in June and $2,- 

 827,000 in October. In offset to the total 

 amount of the debt, there is in the treasury a 

 sinking-fund of $2,110,390.57. This fund is 

 composed of State bonds to the amount of 

 $1,161,500; United States bonds, $834,300; 

 New Hampshire State bonds, $92,600; and 

 Massachusetts State bonds, $21,000. The pre- 

 mium on the three last-named securities 

 amounts, according to the statement of the 

 Treasurer, to $247,260,000, thus making the 

 aggregate value of the sinking-fund $2,357,- 

 650.57. Deducting the sinking- fund at its act- 

 ual value, the aggregate debt of the State which 

 remains to be provided for is $2,799,349.43. 



To provide for the State debt still remaining, 

 the Governor recommends that a refunding 

 bill be enacted, giving the Treasurer the right 

 to sell to the highest bidder bonds of the State 

 of Maine to an amount not exceeding $2,800,- 

 000, the bonds to run for thirty years at 3 per 

 cent., interest to be paid semi-annually. He 

 also recommends that for the ultimate redemp- 

 tion of these new bonds a sinking-fund be estab- 

 lished, amounting to 1 per cent, annually of the 

 whole amount. 



The suspension of the interest on the State 

 bonds now held in the sinking-fund, together 

 with the suspension of the $80,000 annual con- 

 tribution to that fund and the termination of 

 the $50,000 for direct payment of State debt, 

 form the groundwork for the reduction of the 

 State tax recommended. 



The State tax to be levied in 1887, after the 

 reduction referred to, will amount to 2| mills 

 on the dollar of State valuation, or 27 cents 

 on each $100. But it must be noted that 1 

 mill of the 2 is especially levied for the school 

 fund. This tax is levied according to property, 

 and divided among the towns according to the 

 number of pupils. Deducting this mill-tax for 

 schools, the State tax proper for the ensuing 



