506 



NEW YORK CITY. 



NICARAGUA. 



136,367 in 1898 and $28,079.302 in 1897. The 

 figures for the "in-transit trade" were as follow: 

 Merchandise, $28,554,717 for 1898 and $38,668,039 

 for 1897; gold and silver, $2,476,491 in 1898 and 

 $4,734,340 in 1897; domestic exports of gold and 

 silver, $44.986.002 in 1898, compared with $75.237,- 

 235 in 1897; foreign exports of gold and silver, 

 $13,253,617 in 1898 and $2,293,874 in 1897; the 

 foreign exports of merchandise aggregated in value 

 $8.650,719 in 1898, against $8,362,182 in 1897. 



Naturalization. An abstract of the work done 

 in 1897 by the Naturalization Bureau shows that 

 the number of citizens naturalized was 1,602. There 

 were 2,140 petitions for certificates of naturalization 

 filed and 8,054 declarations of intentions to become 

 citizens were made. Duplicates of lost naturaliza- 

 tion papers were obtained by 1,548 persons. Ger- 

 many heads the list with 467 naturalized citizens. 

 Ireland follows with 447; Russia with 189 ; Austria, 

 162; England, 84; Italy, 54; Sweden and Norway, 

 47; Scotland, 32; Canada, 24; Switzerland, 22; 

 Roumania, 20; France, 14; Denmark, 12; Spain, 10; 

 Holland, 6 ; Turkey, 4, and Wales, Greece, Vene- 

 zuela, Peru, Australia, Egypt, and Nicaragua, 1 each. 



Real-Estate Transactions. In 1898 there were 

 filed for record 14,627 conveyances of realty, amount- 

 ing to $103,742,216, against 14,724 conveyances, 

 amounting to $109,989,154, in 1897; 16,915 mort- 

 gages, amounting to $233,706,811, were filed, against 

 15,913 mortgages, amounting to $210,806,651. for 

 1897. The total number of building plans filed 

 was 3,313, calling for an expenditure of $72,6(51,- 

 956, against 3,511 plans in 1897, with expenditure 

 of $82,401,440. The total amount of alterations 

 was $6,646,257 in 1898, and $7,299,404 in 1897. 

 The real-estate auction sales in 1898 amounted to 

 $28,236.362; in 1897, $36,162,725. 



Political. The interest in the election in 1898 

 was mainly on the two nominees for Governor, and 

 the vote for these candidates was as follows : Man- 

 hattan and Bronx, Roosevelt 112.084, Van Wyck 

 172,250; Brooklyn, Roosevelt 82,821, Van Wyck 

 101,203; Queens, Roosevelt 9,691, Van Wyck 13,- 

 002; Richmond, Roosevelt 4,577, Van Wyck 

 6.723; total, Roosevelt 209,173, Van Wyck 293,- 

 179. Plurality for Van Wyck, 84,006. The Demo- 

 crats elected their candidates for State Senators in 

 Districts 1 and 2, included within Richmond and 

 Queens County. In Districts 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9, in 

 Brooklyn, the Democratic candidates were elected, 

 while in Districts 4 and 8 the Republicans were 

 successful. The senatorial Districts 10 to 22 are 

 included in Manhattan and Bronx, and in these 

 the Democrats were successful in every district 

 except in 15, 19, and 22, in which the Republican 

 candidates were elected, so that out of the 22 Sena- 

 tors chosen from the city of New York 17 were 

 Democrats and 5 were Republicans. The election 

 of Assemblymen was similar. Out of 21 from 

 Brooklyn, 15 were Democrats and 6 were Repub- 

 licans, while out of the 35 Assemblymen chosen 

 from New York County 27 were Democrats and 8 

 were Republicans. For the 16 members of Con- 

 gress from the districts included within the limits 

 of New York city all the successful candidates 

 were Democrats. This shows a loss of 10 to the 

 Republicans. The most conspicuous of the con- 

 tests was that in the Fourteenth Congressional 

 District, where Lemuel E. Quigg, a Republican who 

 had served for three terms, was defeated by William 

 A. Chanler, who received ::i. :!!!) votes, against 25,(is:5 

 for Quigg. Two years ago Quigg's vote was '33,233. 



Events. On Jan. 15 the Old Guard moved from 

 its {iuarters on the corner of Fourteenth Street and 

 Fifth Avenue to Forty-ninth Street and Broadway. 

 It was escorted to its new home by delegations from 

 the Ninth, Fourteenth, and Forty-seventh Regi- 



ments. On April 3 the first trolley car over the 

 Second Avenue surface line was run. On Aug. 1 

 the Third Avenue iron bridge over the Harlem 

 river was informally opened to the public. It 

 cost more than $3,000,000. On Aug. 15 through 

 trains began running to Tremont, without change 

 of cars, over the elevated railway from City Hall to 

 One Hundred and Seventy-seventh Street." 



NICARAGUA, a republic in Central America. 

 The Congress is a single Chamber composed of 48 

 members, half of them elected by the popular vote 

 and half by the Legislatures of the 12 provinces. 

 The President, who is elected for four years by di- 

 rect universal manhood suffrage, is Gen. Jose Santos 

 Zelaya. The Cabinet at the beginning of 1898 was 

 composed as follows : Secretary of the Interior, 

 Police, Ecclesiastical Affairs, War. and Marine, (Jen. 

 Erazmo Calderon ; Secretary of Public Instruction, 

 Dr. M. C. Matus ; Secretary of Finance and Com- 

 merce, E. Lopez ; Secretary of Communications and 

 Public Works, J. A. Roman. 



Area and Population. The republic has an 

 area of 49.200, square miles, with 420,000 inhabi- 

 tants, of whom about 1,200 are of pure European 

 extraction, not including 371 foreign settlers, of 

 whom 88 are Germans, C9 Italians, 60 Americans, 

 and 52 British. 



Finances. The revenue is derived from the 

 alcohol, tobacco, and gunpowder monopolies and 

 from import and export duties. The Government 

 in 1894 stopped paying interest on 285,000 bor- 

 rowed in London at 6 per cent, in 1886 for the pur- 

 pose of building railroads, and in 1895 made a set- 

 tlement with the bondholders, agreeing to pay half 

 the overdue coupons and for the future 4-per-cont. 

 interest. The amount outstanding on July 1, 1897, 

 was 294,335. The internal debt amounted to 

 $7,000,000 before a new loan of $500,000 was issued 

 in 1896. The standing army of 2,000 men is, besides 

 the debt, the chief expense of the Government. 



Commerce and Production. The cultivation 

 of coffee, sugar, and bananas is increasing. The 

 exportation of rubber was interdicted from the be- 

 ginning of 1898. The estimated value of all imports 

 in 1896 was $3.730,000, and of exports $5,647.000. 

 The trade with the principal countries was as follows : 



For 1897 the exports were estimated at a tola 

 value of $2.641,920, of which $1,0^3,000 came fron 

 Great Britain. $501.600 from the United Stales. 

 $474,820 from Germany, $275,000 from France, am 

 $367.500 from other countries: the exports at $3,- 

 057.665, of which $1,400.750 went to Germany, 

 $750,250 to Great Britain, $530,500 to the Unite*. 

 States, $100,000 to France, and $276,165 to other 

 countries. The export of coffee was valued ai; 

 $1,925,000; gold, $550.000; gum, $80,000; hides, 

 $68,100; timber, $56,535; cattle, $32,500. 



Navigation. There were entered during 1897 a: 

 the port of Corinto 211 vessels, of 188,182 tons, of 

 which 129 were steamers, of 182.892 tons. 



Com inimical ions. The completed railroad mile- 

 age is 89, that of now railroads in prospect 520 mile:-. 

 The telegraphs have a length of 1,246 miles. 



Political Affairs. A revolution was attempted 

 in (he early part of 1898, but was suppressed after 

 the rebels had been driven from San Juan del Sur 

 on Feb. 7 and from Rivas aday or two later. About 

 the same time a British cruiser arrived at Corinti) 

 to enforce (ho payment of the indemnity due to 

 British subjects for losses resulting from the Mos- 



