SPAIN. 



705 



frigates, the "Numancia" and "Vitoria"; and 1 

 monitor, the " Puigcerda." The unarinored vessels 

 included 11 cruisers, the "Alfonso XII," "Alfonso 

 XIII," " Aragon," " Conde de Venadito," "Infanta 

 Isabel," " Isabel III," " Lepanto," " Marques de En- 

 senada," " Navarra," " Nueva Espafia," and " Qui- 

 ros"; 12 torpedo gunboats; 2 first-class gunboats; 

 3 torpedo-boat destroyers, the " Audax," " Osado," 

 and " Proserpina "; and 11 first-class torpedo boats. 

 There were under construction 1 ironclau, the " Pe- 

 dro d'Aragon," of 6,840 tons and 13,000 horse power, 

 with 40 guns and 2 torpedo tubes ; 1 armored 

 cruiser, the "Cataluna," of 7,000 tons and 15,000 

 horse power, with 24 guns and 7 torpedo tubes; 3 

 cruisers, the " Isabel la Catolica," " Reina Regente,'' 

 and " Rio de la Plata " ; and 1 torpedo gunboat. 



Commerce. The total value of the imports in 

 1896 was 909,589,000 pesetas, and of the exports 

 1,021,252,000 pesetas. The imports of cotton were 

 68,801,000 pesetas in value ; coal, 50,830,000 pesetas ; 

 timber, 36,070,000 pesetas ; tobacco, 32,840,000 pese- 

 tas ; wheat, 35,616,000 pesetas ; salt fish, 24,371,000 

 pesetas; animals, 23,192.000 pesetas; machinery, 

 26,885,000 pesetas; chemicals, 22,858,000 pesetas; 

 hides and skins, 22,541,000 pesetas ; sugar, 17,180,- 

 000 pesetas ; iron, 22,127,000 pesetas ; ships, 13,163,- 

 000 pesetas ; coffee, 17,749,000 pesetas ; wool, 12,- 

 879,000 pesetas; silks, 10,746,000 pesetas; woolen 

 goods, 8,840,000 pesetas; cacao, 11,995,000 pesetas; 

 linen yarn, 8,728,000 pesetas ; petroleum, 7,187,000 

 pesetas ; silk, 7,519,000 pesetas. The exports of 

 wine were 144,459,000 pesetas in value ; iron, 59,- 

 590,000 pesetas ; lead, 49,829,000 pesetas ; cotton 

 goods, 52,123,000 pesetas ; copper, 48,600,000 pese- 

 tas ; oranges, 40,908,000 pesetas ; boots and shoes, 

 24,309,000 pesetas; animals, 27,183.000 pesetas; 

 cork, 31,564,000 pesetas ; raisins, 14,966,000 pesetas : 

 wool, 17,177,000 pesetas; wheat flour, 21,975,000 

 pesetas ; almonds, 10,189,000 pesetas ; hides and 

 skins, 12,325.000 pesetas ; grapes, 7,762,000 pesetas ; 

 paper, 9,659,000 pesetas ; quicksilver, 8,413,000 pese- 

 tas ; esparto grass, 6.954,000 pesetas. 



The value, in pesetas, of the commerce with the 

 different countries and colonies, in 1896, is shown in 

 the following table : 



Of the total trade, excluding the precious metals, 

 France had 25.4 per cent., Great Britain 23.9 per 

 cent,, Cuba 10 per cent., the United States 5.4 per 

 cent., and all other countries 35.3 per cent. The 

 imports from the United States consisted of lum- 

 ber and cotton. After the lapse of the commercial 

 treaties in 1892 the foreign trade went through 

 great fluctuations, and when exports recovered 

 from the loss of the old markets they were different 

 and less beneficial to the producer. Owing to the 

 colonial wars coined money was exported in large 

 quantities. The chief exports in the order of their 

 importance in 1896 were wine, 15 per cent, of the 

 total value ; silver money, 14.3 per cent. ; minerals, 

 VOL. xxxvni. 45 A 



10.6 per cent. ; metals, 9.6 per cent. : fruit, 8.8 per 

 cent. ; and cotton cloth, 5.4 per cent. Manufactured 

 goods are of small importance compared with agri- 

 cultural and mineral products. The chief imports 

 are codfish, cacao, petroleum, wheat and other 

 grains, spirits, sugar, coffee, and flour, which to- 

 gether produce 45 per cent, of the total duties on 

 imports. The high tariff on raw materials pre- 

 vented the growth of the manufacturing industries 

 which would otherwise have been stimulated bv the 

 new import duties on manufactured goods. Prac- 

 tically all the textile goods exported went to the 

 colonies, and this was approximately true of the 

 boots and shoes and other manufactured goods. 



Navigation. In 1897 there were 9,GG8 Spanish 

 vessels, of 6,612,378 tons, and 9,070 foreign vessels, 

 of 7,622.876 tons, entered at Spanish ports, and 

 8,233 Spanish vessels, of 6,294,397 tons, and 9,119 

 foreign vessels, of 7,920,351 tons, cleared. 



The merchant navy in 1898 numbered 1,145 sail- 

 ing vessels, of 164,504 tons, and 436 steamers, of 341,- 

 951 tons. 



Communications. There were 8,020 miles of 

 railroad in operation in 1897. The post office in 



1896 carried in the internal service 83,068,000 let- 

 ters, 768,000 post cards, 49,106,000 newspapers and 

 circulars, and 165,000 money letters of the total 

 value of 183,440,000 pesetas; in the international 

 service, 20,863,000 letters, 462,000 post cards, 20,- 

 674,000 newspapers and circulars, and 44,000 money 

 letters of the value of 14,680,000 pesetas ; in transit, 

 244,000 letters and 53,000 newspapers and circulars. 

 The receipts were 23,952,026 pesetas ; expenses, 12,- 

 579,306 pesetas. 



Bread Riots. Although the wheat crop of 



1897 was larger than the average, there was great 

 scarcity of grain in the winter, when the heavy 

 customs duties prevented the inflow of supplies 

 from abroad. After the surcharge was imposed in 

 1895 the duty on wheat was 10.50 pesetas per 100 

 kilos and on flour 17.30 pesetas, yielding in that 

 year and the next 17 per cent, of the whole customs 

 revenue. Before the end of February bread riots 

 eccured in Salamanca. When war broke out be- 

 tween Spain and the United States the food ques- 

 tion disturbed the country more than the military 

 danger. The sudden rise in the price of wheat oc- 

 casioned desperate outbreaks in all parts of the 

 country. In the beginning of May the Government 

 prohibited the exportation of wheat, flour, rye, 

 corn, and potatoes and suspended the import duties 

 on those articles. The troops were employed in 

 quelling bread riots at Talavera and Velaxo, out- 

 breaks of the fisherfolk of Gijon, striking workmen 

 of Murcia, and coal miners of Oviedo, disturbances 

 in Valencia, Caceres, and other places. The inter- 

 mission and subsequent reduction of the corn duties 

 did not suffice to check the rise in the price of 

 flour or the growing distress and consequent un- 

 rest of the population. Disorders occurred at Cadiz, 

 Jaen, and Albacete. At Martos and other places 

 mobs of men and women destroyed the octroi 

 offices. At Linares the police fired into tumultuous 

 crowds, killing many persons. 



Martial Law. When the news came of the 

 Spanish defeat in the Philippines, political dangers 

 complicated the situation rendered difficult already 

 by the lack of employment and dearth of food and 

 the discontent of the people on account of the con- 

 scription of the young men. who for years had been 

 drained from the country to perish of tropical dis- 

 eases in Cuba and the Philippines, and were now 

 taken in greater numbers to fight the Americans. 

 Gen. Weyler attacked the Government for its re- 

 versal of his rigorous Cuban policy and assumed 

 the lead of a party of Conservative malcontents 

 who made revolutionary demonstrations in Madrid 



