LOUISIANA. 



407 



Palha's^ " Epheinerides navaes," and points out the 

 valuelessness and dryness of history studied by 

 dates alone. Scientific research is exemplified in 

 " Palma Mattogrossenses nova? vel minus cognitae," 

 by J. Barbosa Rodrigues ; the " Revista " of the 

 Acadeuaia Cearense ; the " Boletin " (interesting and 

 useful) of the CommissSo geographica e geologica 

 de S.Paulo; and the " Revista do Museu Pau- 

 lista." Alfredo de Carvalho has published " A 

 linprensa pernainbucana (1706-1898). A well-made 

 " Catalogo alphabetico " of the " Bibliotheca do 

 Senado Federal da Republica dos Estados Unidos 

 do Brazil " has been issued. Jose Fialho Dutra's 

 " Apontamentos sobre Composigao portugueza " 

 (grammar and rhetoric ; an accurate and intelligent 

 study). ' Theatre Brazileirp Martins Penna (come- 

 dias) com um Estudio critico sobi'e o Theatre no 

 Rio de Janeiro o sobre o Autor por Mello Moraes 

 Filho e Sylvio Romero " is a new edition of Penna's 

 comedies, Filho's notice of the Brazilian drama is 

 inadequate. 



Chili. J. J. Medina offers a " Bibliografia es- 

 panola de las Islas Filipinas (1523-1810) " and Vol. 

 XVI of " Coleccion de Documentos ineditos para la 

 Historia de Chile." Much interesting material is 

 published in the " Anales de la Universidad." 



Guatemala. Ramon^A. Salazar's " Historia del 

 Desenvolvimiento intelectual de Guatemala " (good 

 style, erudition, sound criticism ; among the best 

 produced in this country). 



Mexico. F. Ramos y Duarte's " Critica del 

 Lenguaje usado por Escritores, Publicistas y Ora- 

 dores del Pais "; " Biblioteca de Autores Mexi- 

 canos " Vol. XI (" Obras del Lie. D. J. Lopez Por- 

 tillo y Rojas," Vol. I) and Vol. XII (" Obras de D. 

 J. Garcia Icazbalceta," Vol. VI). 



Peru. J. Capelo's " La Via central del Peru " 

 and R. P. F. Gabriel Sala's " La Montana central 

 del Peru. Apurites de Viaje." 



Uruguay. D. Granada's " Resena historico-de- 

 scriptivo de antiguas y modernas Supersticiones del 

 Rio de la Plata." 



Venezuela. Julio Calcano's " El Castellano en 

 Venezuela. Estudio critico " and Alberto Mem- 

 breno's " Hondunerismos. Vocabulario de los Pro- 

 vincialismos de Honduras " (second edition, 1897) 

 are interesting contributions to the literature of 

 provincialisms. 



LOUISIANA, a Southern State, admitted to the 

 Union April 30, 1812 ; area, 48,720 square miles. 

 The population, according to each decennial census 

 since admission, was 152,923 in 1820; 215,739 in 

 1830; 352,411 in 1840; 517,726 in 1850; 708,002 in 

 1860; 726,915 in 1870; 939,946 in 1880; and 1,118,- 



!7 in 1890. Capitol, Baton Rouge. 



Government. The following were the State offi- 

 cers in 1898 : Governor, Murphy J. Foster ; Lieuten- 

 ant-Governor, Robert H. Snyder ; Secretary of State, 

 John T. Michel ; Treasurer, Alexander V. Fournet ; 

 Auditor, W. W. Heard ; Attorney-General, M. J. Cun- 

 ningham ; Superintendent of Education, Joseph V. 

 Calhoun ; Adjutant General, Allen Jumel; Com- 

 missioner of Agricultui'e and Immigration, Jordan 

 G. Lee; Commissioner of Insurance, J. J. McCann; 

 Railroad Commission (organized in December), C. L. 

 DeFuentes, R. N. Sims, and W. L. Foster, with C. J. 

 O'Shaughnessy as secretary ; Bank Examiner, Fred. 

 G. Freret (appointed in December); Chief Justice 

 of the Supreme Court, Francis T. Nicholls ; Asso- 

 ciate Justices, Newton C. Blanchard, Lynn B. Wat- 

 kins, Joseph A. Breaux, and Henry C. Miller; Clerk, 

 T. McC. Hyman. All are Democrats. 



Finances. From reports of the Auditor and the 

 Treasurer, rendered to the Legislature in May, it is 

 learned that assessments steadily increased from 

 1880 to 1897. In 1890 the total assessments for the 

 State amounted to $234,350,791.60; in 1897 they 



amounted to $259,798,212.75. The report shows an 

 increase of more than $7,000,000 in the assessment 

 of 1897 over that of 1896. This increase in the 

 valuation of property is confined almost entirely to 

 the country. 



Among the unusual drafts made upon the treas- 

 ury were : For the constitutional convention, $80,- 

 000 ; for drought sufferers, $88,600 ; for closing the 

 crevasse in the Pontchartrain levee district, $3,475. 



The estimated amount available for appropria- 

 tions, out of the general fund of 1898 from the 

 1-mill tax, licenses, the penitentiary lease, and other 

 sources, was $768,000. 



The Legislature of 1896 appropriated $329,060.83 

 for the first six months of 1898, leaving for the re- 

 maining part of the year $438,939.17. 



Within the biennial period the Board of Liquida- 

 tion retired $206,700 4-per-cent. bonds at a cost of 

 $199,825.73. The total amount of indebtedness 

 retired by the State since 1892 is as follows: Four- 

 per-cent.' bonds, $918,700, costing $890,557.30; war- 

 rants, $315,555.26, at a cost of $189,333.13 ; coupons 

 1 to 11, $343,589.28, costing $158,566.45 ; baby bonds, 

 $363,210, costing $150,450.71, making a total retired 

 indebtedness of $1,941,054.54, at a cost of $1,388,- 

 907.59. 



Of the direct tax fund of $314,500.84 returned to 

 the State, the sum remaining after all claims were 

 settled was $73,749.64, of which $73.600 was given 

 to the drought sufferers. 



Education. Since the establishment of the State 

 Normal College at Natchitoches in 1885, the number 

 of its students has increased from 59 to 441, and of 

 this number 317 are in the normal department 

 proper. It has graduated 235 students, most of 

 whom are now teachers in the schools of the State. 

 The graduating class of 1896 numbered 31, and 

 that of 1898 had 55 members. The monthly cost 

 to the State for each student is $4.60. The build- 

 ings have been improved through an appropriation 

 by the Legislature of 1896. 



The State University at Baton Rouge has had a 

 successful session; the enrollment for the spring 

 term was 249, and at the previous session 220, not- 

 withstanding the fact that the sub-freshmen course 

 has been eliminated. 



The Audubon Sugar School has been transferred 

 to the college. Both colonels and many of the 

 commissioned officers of the two volunteer regi- 

 ments recently mustered into the service of the 

 United States from Louisiana are representatives 

 of this institution. 



The State Industrial College at Ruston was or- 

 ganized in 1896, and began with 202 students ; the 

 number has risen to 300. Its curriculum includes 

 the industrial arts and sciences. 



The Southern University, the State institution 

 for colored students, has had an attendance rising 

 during the two years from 368 to 443. The State 

 has paid a little less than half the cost of its main- 

 tenance, the National Government the remainder. 



The enrollment in the public schools for 1897 

 showed an increase over that for 1896 of 11,324 ; 

 and the total increase from 1890 was 65,022. The 

 number of schools in 1897 was 3,055, and the num- 

 ber of teachers 3,854. 



Charities and Corrections. The enrollment at 

 the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb at the last 

 report in May, was 106, with an average of 93. 



The Institute for the Blind had 55 pupils. A 

 new building has been erected for the boys at a 

 cost of $11,000. Music is taught, besides various 

 industries ; the manufacture of brooms is mentioned 

 as the most profitable. 



The number of inmates of the Confederate Sol- 

 diers 1 Home has increased 50 per cent. ; there are 

 now 138. The constitution recognizes the Home as 



