sts 

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INDIA. 



INDIANA. 



369 



started an insurrection. The Indian Government 

 settled the difficulty through the Afghan Gov- 

 ernment, but in the autumn announced its in- 

 tention to retire from Chitral and save the ex- 

 pense of the occupation. 



A demarcation of the Afghan frontier was 

 begun in the Zhob valley in the spring of 1894 

 in accordance with an agreement made with the 

 Ameer by Sir Mortimer Durand. In the autumn 

 a strong force was sent into Waziristan to en- 

 force the agreement and occupy the territory 

 given up to India by the Ameer. The Waziris 

 resisted the invasion and several sharp engage- 

 ments were fought. The Durand agreement by 

 the Waziris and other troublesome Afghan tribes 

 were handed over to be dealt with by the British, 

 and another considerable slice of Afghanistan 

 added to the Indian Empire was obtained by 

 promises of assistance to the Ameer in uphold- 

 ing his authority in the territories remaining 

 under his rule and a fuller recognition of his in- 

 dependence. He is permitted to import arms 

 through India. The annual subsidy paid him 

 by the Indian Government has been increased 

 from 12 to 18 lakhs. 



The Burmese Frontier. The former policy 

 of leaving the frontiers vague and unsettled has 

 been reversed on the side of Burmah as well as 

 on the northwestern borders. On March 1, 1884, 

 a boundary convention with China was con- 

 cluded, which was ratified on Aug. 23. The im- 

 portant states of Mung Lem and Kiang Hung, 

 situated between the Salwen and Mekong riv- 

 ers, were formerly regarded as vassals of the 

 King of Ava. In 1893 the Chinese, encouraged 

 by England, forestalled France by occupying 

 Kiang Hung. In the convention both provinces 

 were recognized as belonging to China, and the 

 claims of Burmah were renounced in considera- 

 tion of concessions made by China in the north, 

 but China can not cede to any other power either 

 Mung Lem or Kiang Hung or any portion of 

 their territory without' a previous understanding 

 with England. Thus is created the buffer terri- 

 tory which Great Britain desired to have between 

 Burmah and the French possessions on the east. 

 The right of free navigation on the Irrawaddy 

 is conceded to Chinese vessels for six years. 

 Goods entering China from Burmah pay 3 per 

 cent, duty, the same as French imports over the 

 Tonquin frontier. Chinese subjects in Burmah 

 shall enjoy equal treatment with those of other 

 powers. China abandons her claim to the coun- 

 try north of Bhamo, including the whole of Kun- 

 long and its ferry, while the state of Kokang is 

 left to China. Merchandise can not enter China 

 by any routes other than those of Manwyne and 

 Sansi, in the Chinese Shan states, northeast of 

 Bhamo. The frontier beyond, down to the Me- 

 kong, is reserved for a future understanding after 

 a joint survey. Imports of salt into Burmah, of 

 cash, rice, pulse, and grain into China, or pri- 

 vate imports of opium, spirits, arms, or ammuni- 

 tion into either country, are forbidden. All other 

 Chinese merchandise can be imported free into 

 Burmah for six years. 



Expedition against the Abors. A punitive 

 expedition sent in the beginning of 1894 against 

 the Abors of the Assam frontier failed of its ob- 

 ject. Captain Maxwell endeavored to capture 

 the town of Damroh, but the Abors, re-enforced 

 VOL. xxxiv. 24 A 



by other Himalayan tribes, offered serious resist- 

 ance and forced the British column to retreat to 

 Sadiya, after Bordak, his base of supplies, had 

 been taken by the enemy. A train of provisions 

 and ammunition was taken by the Abors, and a 

 strong detachment was sent out from Sadiya to 

 succor the retreating column. 



INDIANA, a Western State, admitted to the 

 Union Dec. 11, 1816 ; area, 36,350 square miles ; 

 population by the census of 1890, 2,192,404. 

 Capital, Indianapolis. 



Government. The State officers during the 

 year were: Governor, Claude Matthews; Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, Mortimer J. Nye ; Secretary of 

 State, William R. Myers ; Attorney-General, 

 Alonzo G. Smith ; Auditor, J. 0. Henderson ; 

 Treasurer. Albert Gall ; Superintendent of Pub- 

 lic Instruction, H. D. Vories; Statistician, Wil- 

 liam A. Peelle all Democrats. Judges of the 

 Supreme Court, Silas D. Coffey, Walter Olds, 

 Jephtha D. New, James McCabe, Timothy 0. 

 Howard. 



Finances. The receipts of the treasury for 

 1893 amounted to $6,609,447. In March bonds 

 were taken up to the amount of $370,000. These 

 were three-year 3-per-cent. registered .bonds, 

 dated April 1, 1891, and issued for a temporary 

 loan under the provisions of the act of May 27, 

 1852. The State debt still remaining amounts 

 to $7,636,615.12. Interest aggregating $32,237.50 

 was paid at the same time. The amount refund- 

 ed by the Government on account of the war 

 tax was $719,000. 



A conference of county assessors was called by 

 the State tax commission, at Indianapolis, March 

 14, for the purpose of establishing a uniform 

 rate of assessment of personal property of all 

 kinds. Of the 92 counties, 88 were represented, 

 and the conference was judged to have done its 

 work successfully. 



The petition of the Indiana railroads for a re- 

 hearing in the cases involving the legality of the 

 State law of 1891 for increased taxation of rail- 

 roads, which had been decided against the roads, 

 was denied in October. The litigation began in 

 May, 1892. 



The railroad property of the State was assessed 

 for taxation in 1891 at $161.000,000. Under the 

 law in operation before 1891 the valuation was 

 $61,000,000. The aggregate taxes on the in- 

 creased valuation which was contested by the 

 railroad companies is about $2,145,000 a year. 

 The railroads made their fight almost solely on 

 the fourteenth section of the Federal Constitu- 

 tion, which they claimed was violated by the tax 

 law of 1891. They contended that the law made 

 a distinction between corporation property and 

 other property in assessing it for taxation. Farm 

 lands, they claimed, were frequently assessed at 

 50 cents on the dollar, while railroad property 

 was assessed at its full value. 



A large amount of money belonging to the 

 school fund remained unexpended at the close 

 of the last school year, due to the fact that, while 

 valuations were raised, the percentage of tax for 

 schools was not lowered. All the unexpended 

 balance over $100 is required, by an act of 1893, 

 to be returned to the treasury. A suit was 

 brought by the Attorney-General to compel a 

 school trustee of Wayne County to return the 

 balance. The circuit court, although holding 



