VERMONT. 



733 



salt deposits, receiving 10 per cent, of the net rev- 

 enue, and agreed to extend creuit to the Govern- 

 ment likewise to the extent of 6,000,000 bolivars 

 at 8 per cent, interest, and also to lend 10,000,000 

 bolivars to cattle breeders and fanners. 



The Army and Navy. The permanent army 

 consists of 3,000 men, distributed in garrisons 

 throughout the country. The militia, in which 

 every man is enrolled between the ages of eighteen 

 and forty-six, numbers about 250,000 men. The 

 fleet consists of 3 unarmored steamers and several 

 small gunboats. 



Commerce. The principal exportable product 

 is coffee, of which 13,808 tons were shipped from 

 the port of La Guayra in 1898, 13,023 tons from 

 Puerto Cabello, 26,495 tons from Maracaibo, and 

 119 tons from Ciudad Bolivar; of cacao, 5,290 

 tons from La Guayra, 326 tons from Puerto Ca- 

 bello, 130 tons from Maracaibo, and 41 tons from 

 Ciudad Bolivar. The export of hides and skins 

 was 3,454 tons; of rubber, 580 tons; of quina 

 bark, 13,094 kilogrammes. Sugar, copaiba, tonga 

 beans, feathers, fustic, divi-divi, and fish sounds 

 are also exported. The export of gold bars was 

 1,218 kilogrammes. The chief imports are pro- 

 visions, dry goods, hardware, coal, kerosene, tim- 

 ber, cement, and machinery. 



Navigation. The number of vessels that vis- 

 ited La Guayra in 1898 was 332, of 473,164 tons; 

 Ciudad Bolivar, 129, of 44,088 tons; Puerto Ca- 

 bello, 152, of 218,788 tons; Maracaibo, 302, of 29,- 

 220 tons. The merchant fleet of Venezuela con- 

 sisted of 11 steamers, of 2,185 tons, and 17 sail- 

 ing vessels, of 2,760 tons. 



Railroads and Telegraphs. There were 529 

 miles of railroads in operation in 1899. A con- 

 tract was concluded in April of that year for the 

 construction of a line from Puerto Cabello to Yari- 

 tagua. Contracts were made in 1S96 for branch 

 railroads and for steamboat service on the Lake 

 of Valencia. 



The length of telegraph lines in operation in 

 1898 was 3,882 miles. 



Political Affairs. Financial and political in- 

 ternal complications and difficulties kept Vene- 

 zuela in a state of unrest in 1900 and disturbed 

 commerce. In January the Government had a 

 quarrel with the directors of the Bank of Caracas 

 and the Bank of Venezuela because they refused 

 to advance money, and the officers of these banks 

 and other prominent business men, many of them 

 foreigners, were arrested. The Opposition party 

 made trouble for the Government in several of the 

 states, but in July peace was officially proclaimed 

 and political prisoners were set at liberty. On 

 July 30 a new Cabinet was appointed, as follows : 

 Minister of the Interior, Dr. Rafael Cabrera Malo ; 

 Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Eduardo Blanco: 

 Minister of War and Marine, Gen. J. Prilido; Min- 

 ister of Finance, Tello Mendoza; Minister of Public 

 Works, Juan Otaiiez; Minister of Public Instruc- 

 tion, Dr. Felix Quintero; Minister of Commerce, 

 Ramon Ayala. A dispute arose later between the 

 Government and an American company regarding 

 the limits of the latter's concession. 



VERMONT, a New England State, admitted 

 to the Union March 4, 1791 ; area, 9,565 square 

 miles. The population, according to each decen- 

 nial census, was 154.465 in 1800; "21 7, 895 in 1810; 

 235.966 in 1820; 280.652 in 1830; 281,948 in 1840; 

 .114,120 in 1850; 315,098 in I860; 350,551 in 1870; 

 332,286 in 1880; 332,422 in 1890; and 343,641 in 

 1900. Capital, Montpelier. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers in 1900: Governor, Edward C. Smith: 

 Lieutenant Governor, Henry C. Bates ; Secretary 

 of State, Frederick A. Howland; Treasurer, John 



L. Bacon; Auditor, Orion M. Barber; Adjutant 

 General, T. S. Peck, resigned, and succeeded, Oct. 

 1, by W. H. Gilmore; Railroad Commissioners, 

 Messrs. Foster, Miller, and Watson; Superintend- 

 ent of Education, Mason S. Stone ; Fish and Game 

 Commissioner, John W. Titcomb; Highway Com- 

 missioner, W. B, Viall; Inspector of Finance. F. 

 S. 1'latt; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 

 Russell S. Taft; Associate Justices, Lovehuid 

 .Muiison, John W. Rowell, John H. Watson, H. R. 

 Start, L. H. Thompson, James M. Tyler; Clerk, 

 M. K. Smilie. All are Republicans. 



State officers are elected biennially, in Septem- 

 ber of the even-numbered years. The Legislature 

 meets biennially in October of the same years. 

 There are 30 Senators and 245 Representatives. 

 The town system of representation is still main- 

 tained. 



Population. The population of the State by 

 counties in 1900 was as follows: Addison, 21.912; 

 Bennington, 21,705; Caledonia, 24,381; Chitten- 

 den, 39,600; Essex, 8,856; Franklin, 30,198; Grand 

 Isle, 4,462; Lamoille, 12,2b9; Orange, 19,313; Or- 

 leans, 22,024; Rutland, 44,209; Washington, 36.- 

 607; Windham, 26,660; Windsor, 32,225. Addi- 

 son, Essex, Lamoille, Orange, and Orleans lose in 

 numbers. The largest gain is in Washington 

 County, from 29,606 to 36,607, an increase of 

 7,001, or about 24 per cent. The next in order are 

 Grand Isle, 619, or 16 per cent.; Chittenden, 4,211, 

 or less than 12 per cent.; Rutland, 812, or less 

 than 2 per cent. The State as a whole has made 

 the first appreciable gain that has been made in 

 thirty years. 



There are 48 incorporated cities and villages in 

 Vermont, for which the population in 1900 is 

 separately returned. Of these only 13 had a popu- 

 lation of more than 2,000 in 1900, and only 2 

 more than 10,000 namely, Burlington, with 18,- 

 640, and Rutland, with 11,499. Those having a 

 population of 2,000 or more are as follow: Bane. 

 8,448; Bellows Falls, 4,337; Bennington, 5,656; 

 Brattleboro, 5,297; Burlington, 18,640; Fairhaven, 

 2,470; Montpelier, 6,266; Proctor, 2.O13; Rutland. 

 11,499; St. Albans, 6.239; St. Johnsbury, 5,666; 

 Springfield, 2,040; Winooski, 3,783. 



Finances. The financial condition of the 

 State on June 30, 1900, was as follows: Re- 

 sources cash on hand and in banks, $117,161.- 

 20; due from towns, State tax, $4,412.79; corpora- 

 tion taxes estimated, $400,000; collateral inherit- 

 ance tax estimated, $20,000; total, $541.573.99. 

 Liabilities due to towns United States deposit 

 money, $14,383.26; due to soldiers' unpaid bal- 

 ances, $8,312.18; due to towns for school and 

 highway taxes, $171,991.08; Auditor's orders un- 

 paid. $13,971.54; total, $208.658.06. This left 

 available for the fiscal year from July 1, 1900, to 

 June 30, 1901, $332,915*93. 



The receipts for the tw r o years ending on that 

 date were: Cash on hand and in banks, June 30, 

 1898, $137,431.76; tax, collateral inheritance, $39,- 

 988.89; tax, corporation, $841,633.47; tax. State. 

 $355.972.50: from all other sources, $255,675.59; 

 total, $1.630,702.21. The disbursements were: 

 Paid soldiers, State and allotted pay. $32,438.55; 

 paid debentures, Legislature, $57,844.20; paid bal- 

 ance temporary loans, $145,000; paid interest, 

 $49,930; paid Auditor's orders, $1,228..S-_ ) S.26: bal- 

 ance cash on hand and in banks, $117,161.20; 

 total, $1,630,702.21. 



Besides the amount paid on Auditor's orders 

 as given above, there were orders outstanding and 

 unpaid to the amount of $13,971.54. So that all 

 the orders drawn for State expenses for the bien- 

 nial trim :i -iiount to the sum of $1,242,299.80. 



The Auditor reports that the net amount of 



