260 



COSTA RICA. 



The Government of Oorea is disposed to en- 

 courage the trade for the revenue it will yield. 

 One of the plans for developing commerce is 

 a museum of articles of foreign production, 

 such as machinery, mining and agricultural 

 implements, and all classes of fabrics which 

 merchants and manufacturers will send to be 

 put on exhibition, in the hope of finding a de- 

 mand in Oorea. According to the report of 

 the naval officers who accompanied the Ger- 

 man embassy which concluded the treaty of 

 commerce, the foreign trade of Corea is not 

 capable of assuming any considerable dimen- 

 sions. The people are described as having few 

 and simple wants, and not inclined to work 

 more than is necessary to satisfy their moder- 

 ate requirements. They are said to lead in 

 general a poor life, and are depicted as indo- 

 lent and uncleanly compared with the Japan- 

 ese, and lacking the diligence of the Chinese. 

 They say that agriculture and cattle-growing 

 are the chief and most profitable employments, 

 and describe the land as being fertile and well 

 cultivated. 



The importation of shirtings of coarse qual- 

 ity is the only trade which is likely to develop 

 rapidly. This will fall to the English, unless 

 American manufacturers are able to compete 

 with them. For the Corean rice and for the 

 timber existing in large forests near the sea, 

 there is a market close at hand in Japan and 

 the north of China. 



Commercial Relations. The treaty of commerce 

 with the United States, signed in 1882, was 

 ratified in 1883. In this and the provisional 

 treaties made with England and Germany the 

 Corean Government was allowed to levy an 

 import duty of 10 per cent, on articles of ne- 

 cessity, and 30 per cent, on articles of luxury. 

 Pressure was brought through the Japanese 

 Government to have the scale altered to a 

 general tariff duty of 5 per cent., the same 

 rate as in the existing treaties between China 

 and Japan and the Western powers. This 

 limitation was exacted of China and Japan by 

 force, and it was expected that they would 

 support Corea in her desire to establish the 

 higher scale from motives of policy, in order 

 to obtain more liberal terms for themselves 

 when their treaties came to be revised; but 

 the wishes of the Western powers have, as 

 usual, prevailed. The Corean duties are pay- 

 able in Mexican dollars or Japanese silver yen, 

 instead of in the inconvenient Haikwan tael of 

 variable standard. A Corean embassy arrived 

 in the United States in September, 1883. 



COSTA RICA. The President of Costa Rica 

 is Don Prospero Fernandez ; Vice-Presidents, 

 the ministers Seflores E. Figueroa, V. Guardia, 

 B. Soto, and M. Guardia. The Cabinet was 

 composed as follows in 1883 : Minister of the 

 Interior, Charitable Institutions, and Worship, 

 E. Figueroa ; Commerce and Finance, B. Soto ; 

 War and Navy, M. Guardia ; Interior and Jus- 

 tice, V. Guardia ; President of Congress, Sefior 

 J. M. Carazo ; Secretaries, V. C. Segreda and 



J. Solan o ; President of the Supreme Court, 

 Dr. R. Orozco; commander-in-chief of the 

 army, Gen. H. Duran. 



Finance. In the budget estimates for the fis- 

 cal year ending April 30, 1884, the gross reve- 

 nue and expenditures were set down as follow : 



$574,000 

 746,000 



REVENUE. 



From customs 



From monopolies (spirits and tobacco) 



From postal service, telegraphs, national printing- 

 office, railroads, etc 165,600 



From direct taxation 101,000 



From sundries 825 



From unforeseen income 20,000 



Total $1 ,607,4215 



EXPENDITURE. 



Department of the Interior $172,374 



Police 36,232 



Finance and Commerce 174,859 



Justice 87,561 



War 252.449 



the Navy 33,900 



Public Works 341,441 



Public Instruction 180,110 



Public Worship 19.340 



Public Charities 1,660 



Foreign Affairs 36,380 



Collection of internal revenue, and 

 payments on account of internal 



debt 1,167,824 



Total $2,504,130 



Deficiency 896,705 



Public Debt. The final treasury accounts for 

 the fiscal year ended April 30, 1880, stood as 

 follows: Liabilities: Public debt, $6,258,629, 

 of which foreign indebtedness, $5,463,285; 

 bills of exchange due, $176,886 ; paper money 

 issued, $105,915; sundry consolidated debts, 

 $161,682; internal loan, $140, 774, and float- 

 ing indebtedness, $210,087. Assets: $10,918,- 

 062, of which public improvements such as 

 railroads, etc., $10,281,778; tobacco and spir- 

 its in warehouses, $155,821 ; deposits in banks, 

 $156,788 ; money due by municipalities, $30,- 

 805 ; and other outstandings, $293,370. 



In 1883 the foreign debt of Costa Rica 

 amounted to 3,276,000, on which no interest 

 had been paid since 1874 ; quoted on the Lon- 

 don stock exchange, those of the loan of 1871 

 (940,300) at 17 and 19, and those of 1874 

 (2,335,700), at 13 and 15 per cent. President 

 Don Prospero Fernandez has now made a prop- 

 osition to Mr. Minor C. Keith to make, if fea- 

 sible, an arrangement with the foreign bond- 

 holders, by pledging the customs revenue for 

 coupons due and not paid, and for the creation 

 of a sinking fund for the eventual liquidation 

 of the capital. After the arrangement is per- 

 fected, Mr. Keith is to procure a $6,000,000 

 loan to complete the principal railway line. 



Customs collected 1876-'77, $557,407; 1877- 

 '78, $846,691; 1878-79, $921,406; 1879-'80, 

 $800,957; 1880-'81, $647,803. 



Railroads. The following lines of railroad are 

 in operation : Alajuela-Cartago, via Heredia 

 and San Jose, 43 kilometres ; from Punta Are- 

 nas to Barranca, 14 kilometres ; and from Li- 

 montotheRioSucio, 113 kilometres; together, 

 170 kilometres. The gross earnings in 1882-'83 

 were $52,931 ; the expenses were $82,857. 





