806 



SPAIN. 



coin and bullion, 123,790.122 pesetas in 18!) < and 

 70,223,934 pesetas in 1898: exports, 170,028,82 

 pesetas in 1897 and 21,403,150 pesetas in_l 

 The wine exports in 1897 amounted to 143,4* 1,18! 

 pesetas, of which 081,000 pesetas represent heavy 

 wines, 11,257,440 pesetas vintage sherries, and 

 101,393,000 pesetas common wine. The value m 

 pesetas of the commerce with different countries 

 in 1897 is given in the following table: 



Navigation. The total number of vessels en- 

 tered at Spanish ports during 1898 was 17,355, of 

 13,278.151 tons, 9,706 of these, of 7,205,43(5 tons, 

 with cargoes and 7,049, of 0,012,715 tons, in bal- 

 last; cleared, 10,957 vessels, of 13.995.920 tons, 

 of which 15,298, of 13.013,250 tons, were with 

 cargoes and 1,059, of 982,070 tons, in ballast. Of 

 the total number entered 8,490, of 5,495,903 tons, 

 and of those cleared 7,792, of 5,322,412 tons, were 

 Spanish vessels. The merchant marine consisted 

 in 1898 of 1,145 sailing vessels, of 104,504 tons 

 burden, and 430 steamers, of 341,951 tons. 



Colonies. The loss of Cuba and Porto Rico 

 and of the Philippine Islands and Guam, as the 

 consequence of the war with the United States 

 in 1898, left Spain with no colonial possessions 

 in America, and with only the Caroline Islands 

 and Palaos and the minor islands of the Mari- 

 anne or Ladrones group in the Pacific. The Caro- 

 lines, with Palaos, have an area of about 500 

 square miles, with a population not exceeding 

 30,000. The Ladrones without Guam have an 

 area of perhaps 50 square miles and 1,000 in- 

 habitants. 



In Africa Spain possesses a sphere of influ- 

 ence on the Atlantic coast of the Sahara 243,000 

 square miles in extent, embracing the Rio de 

 Oro territory and Adrar, with only about 100,000 

 inhabitants. The territory on the banks of the 

 Muni and Campo rivers, having an extent of 69,- 

 000 square miles, with 500,000 inhabitants, is 

 claimed both by Spain and by France. The set- 

 tlement at Rio de Oro is administered by a local 

 official under the orders of the Governor of the 

 Canary Islands, which are politically joined to 

 Spain. Ifni, near Cape Nun, is a Spanish settle- 

 ment with an area of 27 square miles and 6.000 

 inhabitants. Other African possessions are Fer- 

 nando Po, Annabon, Corisco, Elobey, and San 

 Juan, having a combined area of 850 square miles 

 and 30,000 inhabitants. 



Politics and Legislation.^ The Cortes met 

 on Feb. 20, 1899, having adjourned in the pre- 

 vious September after authorizing the Govern- 

 ment to conclude peace with the United States in 

 accordance with the Washington protocol of Aug. 

 12, 1898. The consent then given by the Cortes 

 to the renunciation of sovereignty and the ces- 

 sion of territories in the colonies did not cover, 

 in the view of the Opposition at least, the sur- 

 render of sovereign rights in the Philippines and 

 the Sulu Archipelago. Therefore Premier Sagasta 

 prepared a bill sanctioning the cession of these 

 islands, and it was passed before the Queen Re- 

 gent ratified the treaty of peace. The Repub- 

 licans and some malcontents in the army and 



navy found fault with the Government for having 

 made peace on such hard conditions, and the 

 Carlists tried to make the surrender of the colo- 

 nies the occasion of a new insurrection. The 

 Basques and Catalans, however, unwilling to 

 sacrifice their prosperity by engaging in another 

 civil war, would give Don Carlos only a theo- 

 retical support, nor could he obtain financial as- 

 sistance except from a few fanatical reactionaries 

 in France and England. He had missed the fa- 

 vorable opportunity when the whole nation felt 

 hurt and irritated* in consequence of the peace. 

 Just before the reassembling of the Cortes he 

 issued a circular forbidding the Carlist Senators 

 and Deputies to take their seats in the Parliament 

 that was about to sanction the treaty of peace. 

 At the opening of the session attacks were made 

 upon the military and naval commanders who 

 had capitulated to the United States forces. The 

 Government had decided to prosecute Gen. Jaude- 

 nez. who signed the capitulation of Manila, (Jen. 

 Toral, who made the surrender of Santiago, Ad- 

 miral Cervera, and Admiral Montojo. The Min- 

 istry of the Colonies was abolished by royal de- 

 cree. On Feb. 9 the constitutional guaranty -. 

 which had been suspended for seven months, urn- 

 restored in all the provinces of Spain, the Mate 

 of siege was raised, and the censorship of the 

 press abolished. All persons who had been con- 

 demned for press offenses received pardons. In 

 the election of a commission to report on the 

 bill for the cession of the Philippines the Gov- 

 ernment suffered a moral defeat in the Senate. 

 the vote being 99 to 90 for the ministry, with 17 

 Conservatives abstaining. When Gamazo with- 

 drew from the Cabinet and seceded from the min- 

 isterial party in October, 1898. taking 30 Senators 

 and (>3 l)e|>uties with him, the Sagasta Govern- 

 ment no longer commanded a majority, but no 

 hostile combination was willing to relieve it of 

 the responsibility of carrying through the treaty 

 bill and the financial and other measure* rni- 

 dered necessary by the defeat of the Spanish 

 forces. The Conservatives, the dissident Liberal-. 

 and the Republicans all recognized the impera- 

 tive necessity of accepting the peace treaty. The 

 Republicans 'offered a formal opposition in order 

 to disclaim any share in the responsibility for 

 the loss of the colonies, since they had been out 

 of power for a quarter of a century and had al- 

 ways advocated colonial self-government. 



On March 1, in consequence of a virtual defeat* 

 in the Senate, Sefior Sagasta offered the resigna- 

 tion of the Cabinet, declining to carry on the 

 Government longer unless there was a dissolu- 

 tion of the Cortes. The Queen Regent then com- 

 missioned Sefior Silvela to form a Conservative- 

 Cabinet. The Cabinet was definitely formed mi 

 March 4 as follows: President of the Council and 

 Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francisco Silvela; 

 Minister of the Interior, Seflor Dato; Minister f 

 Mercy and Justice, Sefior Duran y Bas. Mini-ter 

 of Finance, Sefior Villaverde; Minister of Public 

 Works and Instruction, Marquis De Pjdal : Min- 

 ister of War, Gen. Polavieja; Minister of Marine. 

 Gomez Imaz. The Queen signed the ratification 

 of the treaty of peace on March 17. although it 

 had not been formally sanctioned by Parliament, 

 and on the same day the Cortes were dissolved 

 and a decree issued 'convoking the new Parlia- 

 ment in June. The reform of Spanish finances 

 was the main task of the new Government. The 

 cost of the recent prolonged campaigns in Cuba 

 and the Philippines and of the war with the 

 United States, including the expense of !!. 

 patriation of troops and arrears of pay due to 

 the colonial army, navy, and civil services, had 



