ROUMANIA. 



719 



were in 1884 as follow, the values being given 

 in lei : 



In 1885 the imports fell off to 268,539,150 



lei, while the exports increased to 247,968,201. 



The European Commission of the Danube. The 



number of vessels entered at the Roumanian 

 ports on the Danube during 1884 was 20,478; 

 the tonnage, 3,711,143; the number cleared, 

 20,650; tonnage, 3,678,849. The exports of 

 grain from the ports of the Lower Danube 

 were 6,461,889 quarters, against 6,070,157 

 quarters in 1885 and 4,441,039 quarters in 

 1884. Of 872 steamers of 866,763 tons that 

 entered the Sulina mouth of the Danube dur- 

 ing 1886, 564, of 622,201 tons, were English ; 

 61, of 63,140 tons, Greek: 84, of 62,836 tons, 

 Austrian; and 49, of 55,772 tons, French. Of 

 1,379 sailing-vessels, of 950,567 tons, 568, of 

 623,470 tons, were British; 262, of 102,599 

 tons, Greek ; 91, of 64,823 tons, Austrian ; 

 and 50, of 57,025 tons, French. 



The receipts of the Danube Commission in 

 1885 were 1,430,958 francs from taxes, and 1,- 

 196,400 francs from special resources. The ex- 

 penditures were 1,805,824 francs. The only 

 remaining debt of the commission was 583,782 

 francs advanced by the Porte. The assets 

 were 1,821,534 francs, not including a pension 

 fund. 



Railroads, Posts, and Telegraphs. The length of 

 the railroads in operation in 1886 was 1,682 

 kilometres, of which 1,458 kilometres belong 

 to the state. There were 900 kilometres build- 

 ing, and 454 kilometres more surveyed. 



The post-office during the year 1885 for- 

 warded 18,330,367 letters and postal-cards and 

 528,992 packets. 



The telegraphs in 1886 had a length of 5,319 

 kilometres, with 9.674 kilometres of wires. 

 The internal paid dispatches during the year 

 numbered 814,880 ; the international dis- 

 patches, 272,858. The receipts of the postal 

 and telegraph service were 4,530,468 francs; 

 the expenses, 3,053,730 francs. 



Polities and Legislation. The Chamber on Feb. 

 7, 1886, voted a Government project for the 

 fortification of Bucharest, and authorized the 

 emission of a loan of 6,000,000 francs for cov- 

 ering the first part of the cost. The works are 

 to be completed in 1890. Models of armor- 

 plated towers were submitted by German and 



French engineers. After a series of tests the 

 French design was selected. The Minister of 

 War, M. Falcojano, resigned on Jan. 23, 1886. 

 The Prime Minister took the portfolio provis- 

 ionally, and on February 25 Gen. Angelesco 

 was appointed to the post. 



Attempted Assassination of the Prime Minister. 

 "While M. Bratiano was returning from a Cabi- 

 net council on Sept. 16, 1886, he was fired at 

 by a hotel-keeper named Alexandrescu. The 

 bullet, which was fired from a revolver, struck 

 a deputy named Robesco, who was walking 

 with the minister. For some time previous 

 the Prime Minister had been the object of 

 virulent attacks in the Opposition press, simi- 

 lar to those that preceded the former attempt 

 on his life, in 1880. The assassin was imme- 

 diately arrested, and confessed that he was led 

 to the crime by political motives. In his pos- 

 session was found a check for 5,000 francs, 

 signed by Oroveanu, an Opposition deputy. 

 The next day an attempt was made to lynch 

 Alexandrescu; The same evening on which 

 the shot was fired a mob surrounded the office 

 of the "Epoca," the only paper in Bucharest 

 that opposed the Government, blamed the 

 editor for inciting the deed by his inflamma- 

 tory articles, broke up the furniture and fit- 

 tings, wounded two of the staff, and would 

 have destroyed the building if the police had 

 not succeeded in gaining the upper hand. 

 Alexandrescu was sentenced to twenty years' 

 imprisonment at hard labor. All the suspect- 

 ed accomplices were acquitted, except Muscal, 

 a non-political offender. 



The Government commanded a large ma- 

 jority in the Chamber, 110 against 37, and had 

 an equal preponderance of votes in the Senate. 

 Yet among the peop>le there was a very bitter 

 feeling against Bratiano on account of his des- 

 potic party government. 



Foreign Relations. Several important com- 

 mercial treaties expired in 1886. A new gen- 

 eral tariff' was adopted, which subjects to light 

 imposts raw material and manufactured arti- 

 cles not produced in Roumania, exempts from 

 duty raw materials that it is in Roumania's 

 interest to obtain as cheaply as possible, and 

 imposes protective duties on articles entering 

 into competition with Roumanian products. 

 The protective principle was followed in the 

 English treaty and in the negotiations for rec- 

 iprocity treaties with other powers. 



The expired ten-years' treaty with Austria- 

 Hungary hindered the development of Rouma- 

 nian industries by admitting Austrian manu- 

 factures at the lowest rates of duty. The 

 reciprocal concession of permitting the free 

 importation of Roumanian cattle and swine 

 into Austria-Hungary was rendered futile by 

 the Hungarians, who on various pretexts 

 stopped the imports on the border, and finally 

 prohibited them altogether. The result was 

 that, in the winter of 1886-'86, the Roumanian 

 farmers had more cattle than they could feed, 

 and oxen were sold for thirty francs a pair. 



