BRAZIL. 



BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



89 



in exchange. Still the exchange value of the 

 milreis, which at par would be 54 cents, was only 

 12 cents in 1899. Coffee, the main product of the 

 country, was still very depressed in 1899, owing 

 chiefly to overproduction, the world's crop of 



1898 having been about 850,000 tons, of which 

 Brazil produced 660,000 tons, while the world's 

 requirements were only 750,000. The crop of 



1899 in Brazil was almost 600,000 tons. In 1900 

 many new plantations will come into bearing. 



Navigation. During 1897 there were 1,274 

 vessels from foreign ports, of 2,146,834 tons, en- 

 tered at the port of Rio de Janeiro; 948, of 1,145,- 

 706 tons, at Pernambuco; 285, of 258,368 tons, 

 at Ceara; 189, of 260,443 tons, at Maranhao; 

 241, of 51,763 tons, at Rio Grande do Norte; 194, 

 of 185,488 tons, at Parahyba; 429, of 227,713 tons, 

 at Paranagua; and 474, of 294,145 tons, at Rio 

 Grande do Sul. 



The merchant fleet in 1898 comprised 229 

 steamers, of 94,262 tons, and 344 sailing vessels, 

 of 88,000 tons. There were 212 steamers, of 

 70,680 tons, and 388 sailing vessels, of 26,637 tons, 

 employed in 1897 in the coasting trade, in which, 

 under the law that entered into force in Decem- 

 ber, 1896, no foreign- owned vessels can par- 

 ticipate. 



Railroads, Posts, and Telegraphs. The 

 railroads of Brazil had on Jan. 1, 1897, a total 

 length of 8,662 miles completed and 4,670 miles 

 under construction, besides 4,670 miles surveyed 

 and 8,440 miles more projected. Of the com- 

 pleted lines, 1,982 miles belonged to the National 

 Government, 3,260 miles to the states, 2,430 

 miles to subsidized companies, and 990 miles to 

 other companies. Of the lines under construction 

 880 miles belonged to the states, 3,699 miles to 

 subsidized companies, and 384 miles to other 

 companies. The Government usually guaran- 

 tees 6 or 7 per cent, interest on the capital of 

 the subsidized lines. The cost of the Govern- 

 ment railroads was 257,674,937 milreis, and the 

 sums paid to cover deficiencies in the revenue 

 amounted to 11,118,481 milreis. 



The Government telegraph lines have a total 

 length of 10,143 miles, with 21,936 miles of wire. 

 The number of messages sent in 1895 was 1,283,- 

 695. The receipts were estimated for 1897 at 

 3,600,000 milreis; expenses, 9,844,722 milreis. 



The postal traffic in 1897 was 33,441,000 let- 

 ters and postal cards and 37,674,000 samples and 

 printed packets. 



Political Affiairs. Before the meeting of Con- 

 gress on May 3 the Brazilian Government had 

 agreed in principle to the proposition of Great 

 Britain to submit to arbitration the question 

 of the boundary line between Brazil and British 

 Guiana, and had sent Joaquin Nabuco to Lon- 

 don to negotiate an arbitration treaty. The 

 country had remained perfectly tranquil since 

 Campos Salles assumed the presidency. In his 

 message to Congress the President asked for a 

 revision of the pension law and the creation of a 

 law dealing with the stamp duties, which the 

 separate states had unconstitutionally appropri- 

 ated. He also proposed measures to improve the 

 collection of customs duties and other dues. The 

 economic and financial reconstruction of the 

 country required the good-will and the efforts of 

 all Brazilians. The equilibrium of the budget 

 without the aid of fresh issues or loans and 

 without fresh taxation, which the country could 

 not bear, the President hoped to achieve by strict 

 retrenchment and economies. The commercial 

 policy to be followed was to export everything 

 that Brazil can produce better than other coun- 

 tries and import everything that other countries 



can produce better than can Brazil. He approved 

 the leasing of railroads, as the small lines already 

 leased, which gave deficits under Government 

 management, are now under private control yield- 

 ing surpluses. The income derived from the 

 railroads already leased, together with the pay- 

 ment by the banks of their indebtedness and the 

 sale of Government assets, go to constitute the 

 redemption fund, while the guarantee fund is 

 derived from the gold customs duties, increased 

 5 per cent. The President asked Congress to 

 abrogate the law of 1875 authorizing temporary 

 issues. When Dr. Prudente de Moraes Barros 

 transmitted the presidency to Dr. Campos Salles 

 in November, 1898, he had effectually broken 

 down the system of militarism that oppressed 

 and demoralized the country during the admin- 

 istrations of Deodoro da Fonseca and Floriano 

 Peixoto, though the effort nearly cost him his 

 life on Nov. 5, 1897, at the hands of conspirators 

 belonging to a band of unscrupulous political op- 

 ponents, who plotted to bring his reforms to an 

 abrupt end by assassination. The bullet struck 

 down Marshal Bittencourt, the Minister of War, 

 instead of President Moraes. The murderers 

 were finally sentenced on July 5, 1899, to under- 

 go thirty years of imprisonment. 



BRITISH COLUMBIA, the westernmost 

 province of the Dominion of Canada. 



Politics and Legislation. To the Pacific 

 coast portion of Canada 1899 was a most pro- 

 gressive year, and at the same time a very stormy 

 one politically. The Legislature was opened on 

 Jan. 6 by Lieut.-Gov. T. R. Mclnnes. In the 

 " speech from the throne " he said : 



" In nearly all the leading industries of the 

 province growth and improved conditions are to 

 be observed. The output of the coal mines largely 

 exceeded that of the previous year. The develop- 

 ment of the quartz mines, especially of those in 

 Kootenay, has been most satisfactory, while a 

 like activity to that which has occurred there, 

 it seems probable, may soon be witnessed in the 

 Boundary creek district, when, by the completion 

 of the railway now in process of construction, 

 the immense bodies of ore known to exist there 

 can be profitably developed. On the west coasts 

 of the mainland and island there is also every 

 probability of considerable mining developments 

 shortly taking place. There is also likely to be 

 a large increase within the present year in placer 

 and hydraulic mining operations. Already some 

 large enterprises of this character have been put 

 in successful operation in Cariboo and, on a small 

 scale, in the Om'neca district; while the recent 

 discoveries at Atlin lake, in the northern part of 

 the province, has disclosed deposits of auriferous 

 gravel rich in quality and spread over a large 

 area. In anticipation of an influx of population 

 into that region, my Government has already 

 taken steps for the proper administration of the 

 district. In order to conserve the natural wealth 

 in these gold gravels for the benefit of Canadian 

 miners and Canadian traders, a bill will be placed 

 before you prohibiting the acquisition of placer 

 claims by aliens. After some years of depression 

 the outlook for the lumbering industry appears 

 more favorable, while the enterprise of those en- 

 gaged in it has opened new and large markets 

 for the products of our forests. I regret that 

 the past season has not been a successful one 

 for the salmon-canning industry on the Fraser 

 river, owing to a combination of adverse circum- 

 stances. With abundant crops and an ever-ex- 

 panding home market, there is little doubt that 

 in the future agricultural pursuits will contribute 

 much more largely to the wealth of the province. 



