ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 



ARKANSAS. 



35 



Tiie duties on foreign merchandise for Salta and 

 Jujuy reached $21,768.73. 



The official value of foreign merchandise reem- 

 barked and forwarded to other custom-houses of the 

 Eepublic amounted to $355,223.25, the duties of 

 which on entry reached $50,718.97. 



The official value of native products embarked in 

 this port with destination to other ports of the Ee- 

 public was $477,808.66, and their export duties 

 $28,668.52. 



The tax for lighthouses brought in $1,392.56; and 

 the port duties reached the sum of $22.50. 



The total receipts for 1876 were as follows : 



Cash on hand $88,452 56 



Imports 1,109,069 34 



Exports 122,794 80 



Stamps 20,687 77 



Telegraphs. 26,931 27 



Andine Railway 6,082 24 



Lighthouse tax 1,892 56 



Stamped paper. 26,016 56 



Sundries 188,908 14 



San Qer6nimo telegraph 804 05 



San Lorenzo telegraph 250 00 



National bank 261,619 49 



Total $1,802,458 73 



The above figures show a notable decrease. The 

 imports of 1876 were $704,667.75 under those of 

 1875, and exports fell $20,677.15, making a difference 

 of $725,344.90, or a falling off of over 38 per cent. 



The causes of this decrease are but too well known. 

 The present crisis has paralyzed the progress of com- 

 merce in the country, but its effects have been se- 

 verely aggravated by the notorious bank question, 

 which has caused a complete restriction of credit, 

 this important branch of commerce having been 

 forced into liquidation. But, doubtless, the present 

 state of affairs is only temporary, and our custom- 

 house will soon recover its former importance. 



The advance to the Government by the London 

 and Kiver Plate Bank, which amounted to $725,000, 

 was, at the end of 1876, reduced to $96,180. 



As the minister will see, the revenue of this cus- 

 tom-house amounted to $1,232,448.92, but the cost 

 of collecting this sum amounted to over 8 per cent. 



It may be found not uninteresting to present 

 at one view the imports from the Argentine 

 Republic to the United States, and the exports 

 from the latter to the former, during the 

 twenty years from July 1, 1857", to June 30, 

 1876: 



public, and the values of the exports aiid im- 

 ports for 1876, were as follows : 



The annexed table will serve to show the 

 value of the printed books imported from the 

 countries therein expressed, in the four years 

 1871-74: 



The several ports of the United States car- 

 rying on commerce with the Argentine Re- 



ARKANSAS. The regular biennial session 

 of the Legislature of Arkansas began on the 

 8th of January, and came to an end on the 

 9th of March, being limited by the constitution 

 to 60 days. Ex-Governor A. H. Garland was 

 elected to the United States Senate by a near- 

 ly unanimous vote of both branches. A joint 

 committee, including persons of both politi- 

 cal parties, was appointed to notify him of 

 his election. A Republican member of the 

 committee addressed to him a separate com- 

 munication, in which he said : " It may not be 

 out of place for me, as one of the committee, 

 and a conceded Republican, to advise you of the 

 reasons that have prompted a majority of the 

 votes of a majority of that party who hereto- 

 fore have been found opposing you on many a 

 political field. You found the State Govern- 

 ment in confusion : you have restored peace. 

 You found human life insecure and uncertain : 

 you vouchsafed and gave protection to all, re- 

 gardless of condition. You found financial 

 prostration: you have built up the State's 

 credit. You found the State looked upon with 

 distrust : you have placed her name high on 

 the roll of States for integrity and honor. In 

 fact, you have fully shown, as we believed, 

 as Arkansas's favorite son, that you knew her 

 wants, and that you have as fully anticipated 

 them in their fruition. With a firm and un- 

 yielding hand you guided the ship of state, 



