04 



BRAZIL. 



for 1890 were 139,340,000 milreis of income and 

 153,147,844 milreis of expenditure, and those for 

 1891 showed 142.989.500 milreis of receipts and 

 151,219,720 milreis of expenditure. The budget 

 proposed for 1892 brought the receipts up to 

 180,444,000 milreis, of which 98,820.000 milreis 

 were set down to import duties, 25,020,000 mil- 

 reis to export duties, 51.984,000 milreis to in- 

 ternal duties, 500,000 milreis to port dues, and 

 4,120.000 milreis to extraordinary receipts. The 

 proposed expenditure was 240,724,558 milreis, of 

 which 99,100,875 milreis were assigned to public 

 works, 62,661.315 milreis to financial administra- 

 tion, 33,231,478 milreis to military affairs, 15,- 

 131,051 milreis to the navy, 15,968.545 milreis to 

 education, 7,790,072 milreis to internal affairs, 

 5,031,197 milreis to justice, and 1.809,725 milreis 

 to foreign affairs. These estimates were revised 

 and proposals submitted later which equalized 

 the budget by bringing up the receipts from or- 

 dinary sources to 207,992,000 milreis and cut 

 down the expenditure to 205,948,000 milreis. 

 (The milreis has a par value of 56 cents. The 

 exchange value corresponded with this in Janu- 

 ary, 1890, but it has fluctuated greatly since, go- 

 ing down in September, 1891, below 30 cents.) 



The national debt in December, 1889, was of- 

 ficially stated to be 1,072,062,138 milreis, which 

 is equal to $585,345,927. The foreign debt then 

 amounted to $148,036,500. The bonds or apoli- 

 ces representing the bulk of the domestic loans 

 bear 5 per cent, interest. On May 31, 1891, the 

 foreign debt was reported officially to be 267,- 

 097,778 milreis, and the internal debt to be 536,- 

 844,800 milreis, not including a floating debt of 

 138,415,128 milreis, which made the total 942,- 

 357,706 milreis. There is a sinking fund of 1 

 per cent, per annum for the redemption of the 

 foreign debt, and when the bonds are above par 

 they are called in by lot to be paid off, but when 

 below par they are bought in the open market. 



The Army and Navy. The active army in 

 1891 numbered 1,600 officers and 28,877 men, 

 not including a gendarmerie of about 15,000 

 men. Men serve six years in the active army 

 and three in the reserve, and they are con- 

 scripted into the service by lot, no substitution 

 being allowed. There are 36 battalions of in- 

 fantry, 12 regiments of cavalry, 5 regiments of 

 field "artillery, 5 battalions of fortress artillery, 

 and two battalions of engineers. 



The navy in 1891 consisted of 4 sea-going 

 ironclads, 6 armored vessels for coast defense, 

 5 first-class, 6 second-class, and 3 third-class 

 torpedo boats, 1 torpedo school-ship, 5 unar- 

 mored cruisers, 2 corvettes, 17 unprotected gun- 

 boats, and 15 other vessels. The " Riachuelo," 

 of 5,700 tons displacement, and the " Aquida- 

 ban," somewhat smaller, are English steel vessels 

 built between 1883 and 1885, both protected by 

 a belt of 11-inch steel-faced armor, with double 

 turrets plated with 10-inch armor, each mount- 

 ing 4 20-ton breech-loading guns. 



On May 21 the " Salinities," which had been dis- 

 patched with other vessels to aid in suppressing 

 the rebellion in the State of Matto Grosso, was 

 wrecked off Cape Polonio on the Uruguayan 

 coast and went down with Captain Castro and 

 125 of the crew, only 5 being saved. These said 

 that they had been sent ashore for assistance 

 after the steamer struck a sunken reef, and after 



they put off a great explosion was heard, when 

 she sank immediately in deep water. 



Commerce and Production. Only a small 

 part of the cultivable soil is utilized and none 

 of the valuable mines and forests have yet been 

 exploited to any extent. Coffee, which is the 

 chief product, is grown only in three provinces, 

 in which the crop in 1887 amounted to $65,000,- 

 000. Sugar is the next most important com- 

 mercial product. Cotton also is grown, and is 

 manufactured in subsidized mills. Cattle, of 

 which there are 27,000.000 head in the country, 

 are raised on a commercial scale in the south, 

 and there is a considerable export of hides. 

 From the northern ports large quantities of rub- 

 ber are exported. Tobacco is also raised for ex- 

 port. The total value of the exports was 212.- 

 592,000 milreis in 1888, 309,000,000 milreis in 



1889, and 317,822,000 milreis in 1890. There 

 were 4,526,906 bags of coffee, weighing 60 kilos 

 each, shipped from Rio, Santos, and Victoria in 



1890, 104,536 tons of sugar from Pernambuco, 

 18,682 tons of rubber from Para and Manaos, 

 and 749,301 hides from Rio Grande do Sul. The 

 United States take a third of the exports. Great 

 Britain nearly the same proportion, and France 

 and Germany about one tenth each. Export 

 duties are levied on the principal products in 

 addition to heavy duties on all imports. The 

 value of the imports was 260,999,000 milreis in 

 1888,221,621,000 milreis in 1889, and 260,100,000 

 milreis in 1890. Of the imports, 45 per cent, 

 come from Great Britain, 17 per cent, from 

 France, 12 per cent, froin Germany, and 10 per 

 cent, from the United States. The imports from 

 the United States in 1889 amounted to $9.276,- 

 908. consisting of wheat, flour, and other bread 

 stuffs, mineral oil, iron and steel manufactures, 

 cotton and woolen goods, limber, and lard. 



Railroads, Posts, and Telegraphs. There 

 were 5,900 miles of completed railroads in 1890 

 and 984 miles under way, while 4.938 miles of 

 new railroads and extensions were projected. 

 The Government owns 14 lines with a length of 

 2.091 miles. Of the companies' lines 1,748 miles 

 are guaranteed by the National and 1,754 miles 

 by the State governments. The capital expen- 

 diture on all the railroads up to 1888 was 448,- 

 148,327 milreis, of which 195,636,000 milreis 

 were spent on State lines. The gross earnings 

 of the State railroads in 1890 were 15,834.931 

 milreis, and the expenses 12,760,331 milreis. 

 The guaranteed interest on the private lines is 

 for the most part 6 or 7 per cent. The total 

 guaranteed capital in 1888 amounted to 220,475,- 

 850 milreis. 



The telegraphs belong to the Government. In 

 1890 there were 7.765 miles of lines, with 12,467 

 miles of wires. The number of messages in 1890 

 was 750,621. The receipts .amounted to 2.042,755 

 milreis, and the expenses, including extensions, 

 to 2.883,950 milreis. 



The post office during 1890 forwarded 18.822.- 

 148 letters and 19,280,135 newspapers and circu- 

 lars. 



Extraordinary Session of Congress. An 

 extraordinary session of Congress, called in De- 

 cember, 1891, was closed on Feb. 22. The budget 

 was voted hurriedly in pretty nearly the shape 

 in which it was left on Nov. 3, when Congress 

 adjourned. The bills vetoed by President Fon- 



