NETHERLANDS. 



NKVADA. 



489 



Tin- long-pending difficulties with England 

 ling the frontier dispute in Borneo were 

 brought to a close by a treaty between the two 

 countries in .March, 1892, whereby the protecto- 

 niir over Sarawak, Brunei, and North Borneo 

 was conceded to the English. 



eruptions. On June 7, 1892, the island of 

 (mat Sailer was visited by a volcanic eruption. 

 The disaster came unexpectedly, without subter- 

 ranean rumblings or other seismic warnings 

 usual in such cases. The eruption began sud- 

 denly from the great volcano Gunona Awa, 

 which is near Tarvena, the capital of the island. 

 Immense masses of ashes and stones began to 

 fall on the unfortunate natives, who were en- 

 gaged in the fields gathering in the paddy crop, 

 killing hundreds; those who reached their 

 homes were met by a similar fate, as the light 

 wooden houses collapsed under the weight of the 

 stones and ashes, burying whole families in their 

 ruins. The numerous farms and villages on the 

 slope of the mountain were destroyed by great 

 streams of lava, which flowed with astonishing 

 rapidity into the surrounding valleys, carrying 

 with it the houses and burying their occupants. 

 The loss of human life was estimated from 1,000 

 to 1,500. The crops were completely destroyed, 

 and a famine was averted by the prompt action 

 of the Government, which placed a steamer at 

 the disposal of the local controller for the pur- 

 pose of bringing relief to those parts of the 

 island which suffered most. Large quantities 

 of rice were furnished by the Government. No 

 Europeans or Chinese were reported to be killed 

 or injured. 



Colonies in the West Indies. These con- 

 sist of Dutch Guiana or Surinam and the island 

 of Curacoa. The area of Dutch Guiana is 46,060 

 square miles, and the population in 1880 was 

 55,968, of which number 28,526 were inhabi- 

 tants of Paramaribo, the capital. The execu- 

 tive power is vested in a Governor, who is as- 

 sisted by a council, of which he is the president, 

 and the Attorney-General the vice-president, and 

 which consists of three other members, all ap- 

 pointed by the Crown. The representative body 

 of the colony is the Colonial States, to which the 

 Governor appoints four members every year, 

 while the others are elected. The revenue for 

 1891 was estimated at 1,439,000 guilders, and the 

 expenditures at 1,670,000 guilders. In 1889 the 

 production of sugar amounted to 7,507,647 kilo- 

 grammes; of cacao, 2,166,930 kilogrammes; of 

 bananas, 569,200 bunches ; of coffee, 6,090 kilo- 

 grammes; of rice, 17,201 kilogrammes: of fruits, 

 201,127 kilogrammes; of rum, 469,090 litres; 

 and of molasses, 704,060 litres. In 1889. 625 con- 

 cessions were granted for gold mining. The out- 

 put amounted to 894,333 grammes, of the value 

 of 1.125,236 guilders. 



Curacoa and the small surrounding islands be- 

 longing to the Netherlands have an area of 403 

 square miles and a population of 45,162. The 

 chief executive is the Governor, who is assisted 

 by a council of 3 appointed members and the 

 Attorney-General. The budget for 1891 esti- 

 mated the revenues at 681,211 guilders, and the 

 expenditures at 681,211 guilders. The imports 

 in 1889 amounted to 8,441,508 guilders. The 

 exports, exclusive of those of Curacoa, were 669,- 

 573 guilders. 



NEVADA, a Pacific eoaM, State, admitted to 

 the Union Oct. 31. 1864; area, 110,700 wjuarr 

 miles. The population, according to each decen- 

 nial census since admission, was 42,491 in 1870; 

 62,260 in 1880; 45,701 in 1890. Capita), Carson 

 City. 



^orernnient. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, Koswell K. 

 Colcord, Republican ; Lieutenant-Governor, J. 

 Poujade; Secretary of State, Olin H. Grev; 

 Comptroller, R. L. Horton ; Treasurer, John If. 

 Egan ; Attorney-General, J. D. Torreyson : Su- 

 perintendent of Public Instruction, Orvis King; 

 Surveyor General, John E. Jones; Justices of the 

 Supreme Court, R. R. Bigelow, M. A. Murphy, C. 

 H. Belknap ; Clerk, J. Josephs ; Regents of the 

 State University, E. T. George, J. W. fiaines. 



Finances. On Dec. 31 the State debt amount- 

 ed to $218,282.39, of which $183,000 was repre- 

 sented by 4-per-cent. State bonds; $13,160 was 

 accrued interest thereon ; $20,174.40 was repre- 

 sented by outstanding warrants, and the balance 

 of $1,947.99 by deficiency claims. At the same 

 date the cash in the State treasury applicable to 

 payment of the debt was $210.655.13. leaving an 

 actual indebtedness of $7,627.26. There is also 

 a nominal State debt of $380,000 held by the 

 State school fund, represented by an irredeem- 

 able bond bearing 5 per cent, interest. 



The following is a statement of the receipts 

 and expenses of the State treasury for the last 

 biennial period: Balance on Jan. 1. 1891, $366,- 

 825.28; receipts during 1891. $453.891.54; re- 

 ceipts during 1892, $437,420.43; disbursements 

 during 1891. $503,414.05 ; disbursements during 

 Ib92, $354,561.17; balance on Dee. 31, 1892, 

 $400,162.03. The State holds in its school fund 

 securities to the amount of $975.000, and in 

 its University fund securities to the amount of 

 $88,000. 



Education. The number of children of 

 school age in the State is 9,755, a large propor- 

 tion of whom are enrolled in the public schools. 

 The State is fortunate in having a large school 

 fund derived from the sale and rental of public 

 lands. The National Government has been gen- 

 erous in its land grants, and the Legislatures 

 have guarded the funds arising therefrom with 

 wisdom, so that in the near Juture it will be 

 possible to maintain the public schools without 

 the aid of local taxation. The State University 

 is flourishing, and is supported by liberal appro- 

 priations. 



Charities. On Sept. 1 there were 179 in- 

 mates of the Insane Asylum at Reno, 139 men 

 and 40 women. The State has recently expend- 

 ed over $12,000 in repairs and additions to the 

 buildings. 



Irrigation. On this subject the Governor 

 says: "Millions of acres are awaiting the com- 

 ing of the waters that shall turn them into wav- 

 ing fields and blooming meadows. The Legis- 

 latures have been considerate and painstaking 

 in trying to find out the best means of assisting, 

 encouraging, and carrying on irrigation, but there 

 everything ceases. No successful effort has been 

 made to organize under the 1891 law and prove 

 its practicability or impracticability. The 1889 

 law was declared not suitable to our want*, 

 and the $100,000 appropriation was returned 

 into the treasury unused. Nevada's arid lands 



