BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



amnesty bill for all political exiles. A com- 

 mission appointed by the Minister of Finance to 

 study the means of putting an end to the finan- 

 cial crisis recommended amplifying the powers 

 granted by a law of 1875 to come to the aid of 

 great enterprises in extraordinary circumstances 

 by making advances to the banks out of the 

 funds of the treasury, and also the issue of bonds 

 of the character of the five-twenties of the United 

 States. On June 8 the minister, Rodrigues 

 Alves, made an arrangement with the two prin- 

 cipal banks of issue whereby they renounced 

 the privilege that they had of putting into circu- 

 lation about 16 contos of new paper money, and 

 were- allowed one of them to substitute Govern- 

 ment bonds for its gold reserve and the other 

 to receive treasury notes with which to replace 

 its outstanding circulation of 4,000 contos. In 

 order to terminate the long-standing boundary 

 dispute with the Argentine Republic regarding 

 the territory of the Missions, the Brazilian Gov- 

 ernment has agreed to refer the question to the 

 arbitration of the President of the United States, 

 and sent Baron Aguilar de Andrada as envoy 

 extraordinary, with Capt. Guillobel and Col. 

 Cerqueire, in June, to lay the Brazilian case 

 before Mr. Harrison. 



The Senate approved a bill putting limitations 

 on the declaration of martial law in the future. 

 It provided that a state of siege can only be 

 proclaimed when there are 10,000 men in arms 

 against the Government and that after the cessa- 

 tion of martial law all prisoners who have been 

 arrested must be handed over to be tried by the 

 ordinary courts ; also that Congress must meet 

 at once on the proclamation of martial law, in 

 order to hear the explanations which the Presi- 

 dent must render, accompanied by proofs. Dr. 

 Victorino Monteiros, the retiring Vice- President 

 of Rio Grande, in September was appointed 

 Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs. 



BRITISH COLUMBIA. The opening of the 

 Canadian Pacific Railroad has begun a revolu- 

 tion in the affairs of the Pacific province. By the 

 census of 1891, the population of British Colum- 

 bia had increased, during the preceding decade, 

 at the rate of 87'56 per cent., exceeding in this 

 respect all other provinces of the Dominion ex- 

 cept Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. 



Government and Legislature. The second 

 session of the Sixth Legislative Assembly was 

 opened at Victoria, on Jan. 8, 1892. The Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, in his opening speech, con- 

 gratulated the House upon the solid prosperity 

 of the past year. The public revenue had far 

 exceeded expectations, with the prospect of a still 

 more satisfactory increase during the current 

 year ; and the principal industries were, for the 

 most part, in a thriving condition. Especially 

 was this the case with respect to the mining in- 

 dustries and to railway extension. The Kootenay 

 and Columbia Railway had been completed and 

 in operation for some time, and the practical 

 completion of the Shuswap and Okanagan Rail- 

 way is announced. Surveys had been vigor- 

 ously prosecuted in different parts of the prov- 

 ince during the previous season, and thereby 

 much valuable information had been obtained, 

 and a continuation of the work was recom- 

 mended. The Lieutenant-Governor announced 

 that one of his ministers had gone to London, 



where he was successful in floating a 3-per- 

 cent, inscribed stock loan on terms highly favor- 

 able to the province, and this, it was believed, 

 would enable the public debt to be consolidated 

 on a most advantageous basis. A further advance 

 was made during the session in extremely desir- 

 able legislation, " with a view to discouraging 

 speculation in public lands suitable for agricul- 

 tural purposes," and to the preservation of the 

 same for actual settlers. The usual amendment 

 to the mining law, which has become perennial 

 in British Columbia, was passed as of course; 

 and amendments were also made in the general 

 municipal act and in the public-school act. 

 During the recess the province met with a se- 

 vere loss in the sudden decease of Hon. John 

 Robson, the provincial Premier, which took 

 place in England on June 9, 1892. Mr. Robson 

 had been leader of the administration since 

 1883. He was immediately succeeded as Premier 

 by Hon. Theodore Davie, previously Attorney- 

 General in the Robson administration. 



Trade. The total exports of British Colum- 

 bia during the year ending June 30, 1892, 

 amounted in value to $6,574,989. This exceeds 

 any previous year's export, the nearest approach 

 to it, that for the year ending June 30, 1891, 

 amounting to $6,257',158. This export is made 

 up as follows: Mining products, $2,979,470; 

 fisheries, $2,351,083; forest, $425,278; animals 

 and their produce, $390,854 ; agricultural prod- 

 ucts, $25,018; miscellaneous, $31,976; manufac- 

 tures. $117.942; net product of British Colum- 

 bia, $253,368 ; total, $6,574,989. 



The total imports for the same year amounted 

 to $6,495,589. This, too, exceeded the import 

 of every previous year, that of 1891, the nearest 

 in amount, showing a return of $5,478,883. Of 

 the whole amount there was, of dutiable goods, 

 $4,671,888; free goods, $1,803,105; leaf tobacco, 

 $20,596 ; total, $6,495,589. 



The duty collected amounted to $1.412,878, 

 against $1,346,059 in the year ending June 30, 

 1891. 



Railways. That portion of the Kootenay 

 river which extends from the great Kootenay 

 lake to the junction of that river with the Co- 

 lumbia, is unnavigable for craft of any descrip- 

 tion, owing to rapids and cataracts. This diffi- 

 culty has been overcome by the recent construc- 

 tion of the Kootenay and Columbia Railway, 

 26 miles long, the terminal stations being Rob- 

 son, on the Columbia, and Nelson, on the west 

 arm of Kootenay lake. The opening of this 

 short line has had the effect of opening up for 

 traffic the whole Kootenay district, comprising 

 an immense tract of the southeastern portion of 

 the province, recently found to be exceedingly 

 rich in mineral wealth, but which was all but 

 inaccessible. On Columbia and Arrow lakes, a 

 line of steamers now plies between ReveLstoke 

 Station, on the Canadian Pacific Railway, and 

 Robson. Other steamers run from the head of 

 Kootenay lake to the international boundary 

 line. Besides those already mentioned, Ains- 

 worth and Kaslo, on Kootenay lake, and other 

 new towns are springing up in that vicinity 

 with rapidity. Another railway line is projected 

 from the Kootenay, via Slocan river and lake, 

 through a supposed rich mineral tract, to Na- 

 kusp, on upper Arrow lake. Another line just 



