PARAGUAY. 



PERSIA. 



me 



i 



sted in the Oriental trade. Three large steamers 

 are already making regular trips, and the trade 

 is assuming such proportions that two others are 

 in contemplation. 



The rapid growth of the Oriental and oceanic 

 trade with Pacific coast ports in the last three 

 years has been phenomenal, but it is merely an 

 indication of what the United States may expect 

 in the future development of this commerce. 



PAN-AMERICAN CONGRESS. (See IN- 



ERNATIONAL CONFERENCE.) 



PARAGUAY, a republic in South America. 



e Congress consists of a Senate and House of 

 Representatives, both elected by the direct suf- 

 frage of adult male citizens, 1 Senator to 12,000 

 inhabitants. The constituency of a member of 

 the lower house is half as numerous. There are 

 13 Senators and 26 Representatives, all of whom 

 receive a salary of $1,000. The President is elect- 

 ed for four years. Emilio Aceval was elected 

 President for the term ending Nov. 25, 1902, and 

 Hector Carvallo was elected Vice-President. The 

 Cabinet at the beginning of 1902 was composed 

 as follows: Minister of the Interior, Guillermo 

 de los Rios ; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Col- 

 onization, J. Cancio Flecha; Minister of Justice, 

 Worship, and Public Instruction, Pedro Boba- 

 dilla; Minister of War, Col. J. A. Escurra. 



Area and Population. The area of Paraguay 

 is about 157,000 square miles. The .population 

 by the. census of 1899 is shown to be 530,103, 

 not including about 100,000 uncivilized Indians. 

 In 1895 there were 18,180 foreigners. In the ten 

 years ending with 1899 there were 4,655 immi- 

 grants. The number in 1900 was 170. Asuncion, 

 the capital, has about 45,000 inhabitants. The 

 Paraguayans are a mixed population, part Span- 

 ish, part Guarani Indian, and to some extent 

 African. 



Finances. The revenue in 1900 was stated to 

 be $9,866,000, and the expenditure $8,122,139. 

 The revenue is mainly derived from customs. The 

 budget estimate for 1900, which was repeated for 

 1901, made the total expenditure $8,065,782, of 

 which $1,846,567 were for administration, $2,469,- 

 663 for finance, $2,118,640 for justice and educa- 

 tion, and $645,852 for war and marine. The army 

 consists of 82 officers and .1,500 men, the navy of 

 3 armed steamers. 



The foreign debt, resettled in 1885 by the con- 

 cession of lands and anew in 1895 by the reduc- 

 tion of interest, amounted in 1901 to 965,500. 

 addition to this the Government was respon- 

 ibte for 786,747 of railroad bonds and owed 



e National Bank $42,590. There is a debt of 

 12,393,600 in silver due to the Argentine Repub- 

 ic, and one of $9,876,500 due to Brazil. The in- 

 al debt on Jan. 1, 1901, was $1,163,340. The 



nk-notes in circulation amounted to $11,291,325. 



old was at a very high premium in 1901. 



Commerce and Production. Paraguay is 



ainly a grazing country. There were 2,283,000 



ttle, 182,790 horses, 7,626 asses and mules, 214,- 

 sheep, and 32,334 goats in 1899. The growing 

 f ycrba-mate, or Paraguay tea, is a peculiar and 



portant industry which was carried on by the 



overnment until the plantations were turned 

 >ver to foreign capitalists. Fruit-growing and 

 he planting of tobacco are growing enterprises. 

 1900 the number of oranges exported was 



,500,000. Plantations of rubber have been 

 rted. Timber is exported, and a trade has 



own up in the Quebracho Colorado, a wood com- 



ining a tanning extract, which is shipped to 



ermany. A factory for the extraction of this 

 ubstance has been established, also a sugar fac- 



>ry. About 225,000 hides are exported annually 

 VOL. XLII. 34 A 



to Buenos Ayres. With Government aid 7 agri- 

 cultural settlements have been founded, with 

 2,148 colonists, who cultivate coffee and fruits 

 and rear horses and cattle. The English com- 

 pany which took public lands in partial settle- 

 ment of the Government debt sold 52,000 acres 

 in 1899. The number of immigrants in 1900 was 

 170. The public lands which constituted three- 

 quarters 01 the territory have passed into other 

 hands, and a great part now forms immense pri- 

 vate estates. The total value of imports in 1900 

 was $1,838,710 in gold; exports, $2,064,290. Tex- 

 tile goods, wine, and rice are the largest imports. 

 Great Britain supplies 85 per cent, of the textiles 

 and 48 per cent, of the total imports. The export 

 of yerba-matt in 1900 was valued at $560,000; 

 tobacco at $176,635; hides at $512,000. Timber, 

 oranges, and hair are the next most important 

 articles. There were 596 vessels, of 68,075 tons, 

 entered at the port of Asuncion in 1900. 



Railroads, Posts, and Telegraphs. The 

 railroad from Asuncion to Pirap6, 156 miles, car- 

 ried 624,741 passengers and 75,503 tons of freight 

 in 1900; receipts, $1,568,037 in currency. 



The post-office in 1900 handled 1,729,878 pieces 

 of mail-matter. 



The length of telegraph-lines in 1900 was 600 

 miles; number of despatches, 83,560. 



Political Revolution. A revolution support- 

 ed by the army was carried out on Jan. 9, 1902, 

 on the eve of the presidential election. A de- 

 tachment of soldiers surrounded the house of Dr. 

 Aceval, carried him a prisoner to the barracks, 

 and there he was requested to sign a letter of 

 resignation. He was allowed to consult the lead- 

 ing members of his party, and when he refused 

 to resign the revolutionary leaders announced 

 that he was deposed. When Congress met in 

 extraordinary session a few hours later on the 

 summons of Vice-President Carvallo the revolu- 

 tionists denounced the President as a traitor who 

 had forfeited the confidence of the country. The 

 friends of the President called for specific charges 

 and regular impeachment and trial according to 

 the Constitution. A fight between the two par- 

 ties followed, in which one revolutionist Senator 

 was killed, and several Senators, Deputies, and 

 soldiers were seriously wounded. Besides Presi- 

 dent Aceval, former President Egusquiza was ar- 

 rested by the military, and when they were re- 

 leased both took refuge in the Argentine legation. 

 The Minister of War, supported by the Minister 

 of Finance, was at the head of the revolution. 

 Guillermo Rios was the presidential candidate of 

 the revolutionary party after Dr. Facundo Ins- 

 fran. the first choice, was killed. During the fight 

 in the Senate chamber, in which the supporters 

 of the President were getting the best of it, being 

 better armed, the artillery began to fire on the 

 building with Krupp and Maxim guns. The 

 friends of the President were in the minority 

 when the firing was stopped, and Hector Carvallo 

 was by formal vote declared Acting President. 



PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY. (3M 

 GRANGE, NATIONAL.) 



PENNSYLVANIA. (See under UNITED 

 STATES.) 



PERSIA, an empire in central Asia. The 

 reigning Shah in Shah, or Emperor, is Muzaffer 

 Eddin, born March 25, 1853. second son of Nasr 

 Eddin, whom he succeeded on May 1. 1896. The 

 Valiahd, or heir apparent, is Mohammed AH 

 Mirza, the Shah's eldest son. born June 21. 1872. 

 The ministry appointed at the end of September, 

 1898, was composed as follows: Grand Vizier, 

 Mirza Ali Ashgar Khan ; Minister of Foreign Af- 

 fairs, Mushir ed Dowleh ; Minister of War, Prince 



