268 



DANUBE, EUROPEAN COMMISSION OF THE. 



At the election in November the Constitu- 

 tion was ratified by a majority of 5,552. 



Progress during the Year. Relative to the con- 

 dition and recent progress of the Territory, 

 Gov. Ordway, in his report for 1883, says : 



The tide of immigration which set in strongly in 

 1880 has been constantly increasing, until during the 

 past year, I think, a fair estimate of the increase in 

 population would reach 100,000, while the increase of 

 assessable property has even been more marked than 

 the increase in the number of inhabitants. 



The section properly denominated the " Corn Belt," 

 running as far north as the 44th degree of north lati- 

 tude, and west to the 24th degree of longitude west 

 from Washington, has been unusually prosperous 

 during the past year. Flax and even wheat, which 

 sometimes blights during the extreme heated term. 

 have yielded handsomely. Sheep - husbandry and 

 stock-raisin** have both received a marked impetus 

 in what is Known as Southern Dakota, and general 

 farming is fast becoming the rule in that section. 



The Black Hills mining region and the Great Sioux 

 Reservation, embracing the section of country lying 

 west of the 24th degree of longitude west from Wash- 

 ington, still remain somewhat isolated. The agri- 

 cultural developments, however, in the counties of 

 Pennington, Fail River, Custer, Lawrence, and Butte. 

 have increased wonderfully. Flour, vegetables, and 

 other agricultural products, formerly transported into 

 the Black Hills at heavy expense, have, during the 

 past year, been exported overland to Pierre and other 

 points on the Missouri river, and sold at remunera- 

 tive prices. The increase in stock and sheep hus- 

 bandry in this section during the past year has been 

 marvelous. The cattle-trade alone, west of the Mis- 

 souri river, absorbs many millions of dollars every 

 year. 



The wheat belt, commencing at the 44th parallel of 

 north latitude and extending to the extreme northern 

 portion of the Territory ; has maintained its well- 

 earned fame for producing the largest number of 

 bushels per acre of the best wheat grown on this 

 continent. The continued large returns to investors 

 in wheat-lands have largely increased the improved 

 acreage and carried up the price from $5 to $25 per 

 acre on the Northern Pacific Railway and in the Red 

 River valley. Even in the center of the Bad Lands, 

 on the Little Missouri river, a large amount of capital 

 has recently been invested in cattle and sheep, which 

 are said to find excellent feed and shelter in that 

 romantic and weird region. 



The annual production of gold and silver in the 

 Black Hills region still continues, although, owing to 

 the scarcity of water and the necessity for having ex- 

 pensive mining machinery, the increase has not been 

 large during the past year. 



Miscellaneous. The yield of wheat in 1883 

 has been stated at 16,128,000 bushels, being 

 an average of 16 bushels an acre. In Novem- 

 ber, 1882, John B. Raymond, Republican, was 

 elected delegate to Congress by a vote of 38,- 

 151 against 9,034 for his Democratic opponent. 

 The following Territorial institutions have been 

 established : Hospital for the Insane, at Yank- 

 ton ; Penitentiary and School for Deaf-Mutes, at 

 Sioux Falls. 



DANUBE, EUROPEAN COMMISSION OF THE, an 

 international corporate institution, exercising 

 certain sovereign powers, independent of the 

 Roumanian Government, over the Danube be- 

 low Galatz. It was originally created by the 

 Treaty of Paris, signed March 30, 1856, was 

 confirmed and endowed with larger powers by 

 the Treaty of Berlin, signed July 13, 1878, and 

 at the expiration of its term of full powers on 



March 13, 1883, was reconstituted and extended 

 for twenty-one years, with power of perpetual 

 renewal. The jurisdiction of the commission 

 was extended over the middle Danube as far 

 as Braila. Its sovereign rights are derived 

 from the delegated authority of the seven con- 

 tracting powers and of Roumania. They con- 

 sist in the exercise of police control over the 

 river, the right to enact and issue regulations 

 which have the force of law, and powers to 

 levy imposts and to contract loans, and to em- 

 ploy its resources in public works for the im- 

 provement and conservation of navigation. 

 The seat of the commission is at Galatz. The 

 first regular meeting of the new Commission 

 was held on Nov. 3, 1883. 



Finances. The financial report of the Danu- 

 bian Commission for 1881 shows an excess of 

 receipts amounting to 842,095 francs. The 

 total receipts amounted to 3,448,190 francs, of 

 which 1,985,052 francs were derived from tax- 

 es, including 147,328 francs from pilotage and 

 light-house dues, and 1,463,138 francs from 

 other sources. The total expenditure was 2,- 

 606,095 francs, under the following main heads : 



Francs. 



Administration 289,458 



Technical service 711,098 



Service of the debt 1,111.665 



Various charges _J493,854 



Total 27606,095 



The debts of the commission amounted, on 

 Jan. 1, 1882, to 2,781,911 francs, and consisted 

 of an advance made by the Sublime Porte, 

 which ceded the claim to Erlanger & Co., 

 amounting to 2,469,371 francs, paying 4 per 

 cent., which was paid off at the end of 1883, 

 and a loan of 312,540 francs, extinguished in 

 1882. Besides a reserve fund of 1,000,000 

 francs and the surplus, in 1881, of 826,095 

 francs, the commission had a sinking fund of 

 264,856 francs, and a pilotage fund amounting 

 to 44,565 francs. 



Trade and Navigation. The shipments of grain, 

 which is the principal article of export, from 

 all the ports of the lower Danube, in 1882, 

 aggregated 6,629,843 quarters, against 5,401,- 

 441 quarters in 1881. 



The total number of steam- vessels cleared at 

 Sulina in 1882 was 760, of 741,066 tons, against 

 770 of an aggregate tonnage of 653,016, in 

 1881 ; the total number of sailing-vessels in 

 1882 was 784, tonnage 110,179, against 941 of 

 140,438 tons in 1881. The tonnage of 1882 was 

 divided in respect to nationality as follows : 



Total | 741,066 110,17 



