106 



COLOMBIA. 



The recent annual production of coal through- 

 out the world has been as follows : 



COLOMBIA (ESTADOS UNIDOS DB COLOMBIA), 

 an independent state, occupying the southeast- 

 ern portion of Central and the northwestern 

 of South America, and extending from lati- 

 tude 12 21' north to 1 20' south, and from 

 longitude 68 52' to 83 5' west. Its bounda- 

 ries are : on the north, the Caribbean Sea ; on 

 the northeast and east, Venezuela; on the 

 southeast, Brazil ; on the south, Ecuador ; 

 and on the west ; the Pacific Ocean and Costa 

 Rica. 



The present state of the question of limits 

 pending with Brazil is set forth in the article 

 on that Empire in the present volume.. 



For the territorial division, population, etc., 

 of Colombia, reference may be made to the 

 ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA for 1874 and 1876. 



The President of the Republic is Sefior Aqui- 

 leo Parra, inaugurated April 1, 1876. 



The Cabinet is composed of the following 

 members : Minister of the Interior and of For- 

 eign Affairs, Dr. Manuel Ancizar ; of Finance 

 and Public Works, Dr. 0. N". Rodriguez; of 

 Treasury and Credit, Sefior Luis Robles; aud 

 of War and Marine, Sefior Rafael Nino. 



The chief magistrates of the nine states were 

 as follows, respectively : 



STATES. 



Antioquia Seflor E. de Villa. 



Bolivar . 

 Boyaca. 



Cauca 



Cundinamarca 



Magdalena 



Panama 



Santander . 



R. Nuflez. 



E. Neira. 



C. Conto. 



J. Sanchez. 



M. Davila Garcia. 



R. Aizpuru. 



M. A. Estrada. 



Tolima Genl. C6rdoba. 



The Colombian Consul-General in New York 

 is Seftor Miguel Salgar. 



The American Minister resident at Bogota 

 is the Hon. W. L. Serugge. 



From the following tables, exhibiting the 

 various branches and amounts of the national 

 finances for the fiscal year ending August 31, 

 1877, it will be seen that almost two-thirds of 

 the entire revenue is derived from the customs, 

 and that the cost of the Post-office department 

 is $198,088 in excess of the yield : 



REVENUE. 



Customs ................................ $1,971,555 



Salt monopoly .......................... 728.721 



Panama Railway ........................ 168,750 



Post-office ............................. 61,125 



Telegraphs ............................. 23,070 



Mint ................................... 5,308 



National property ....................... 21,710 



Church property .................... ... 108,211 



Sundries ............................... 26,169 



Total ............................... $3,114,619 



EXPENDITURE. 



Ministry of the Interior ................. $252,404 



Finance 

 " War and Marine 



National debt 

 Public works 

 Foreign affairs 

 Treasury 



Public instruction . 

 Pensions 

 Post-office 



801,038 

 412.146 



193.725 

 74,164 

 70.994 



119J22 

 41,433 



259,213 



TotaL $2,779,410 



By comparison of the foregoing tables, a 

 surplus will be observed of $335,209, against 

 $1,725,596 for the fiscal year ending August 

 81, 1877. 



For details concerning the national debt of 

 Colombia, reference may be made to the AN- 

 NUAL CYCLOPEDIA for 1875 and 1876. Fears 

 were entertained in London financial circles, at 

 the end of 1876, that Colombia would be un- 

 able to meet her engagements with the desired 

 promptness, in the matter of the installment to 

 fall due in February, 1877, as will appear from 

 the subjoined extract from a London financial 

 publication, under date of December 30, 1876 : 



We very much regret to say that the apprehen- 

 sions lately expressed regarding the service of the 

 Colombian Loan are likely to be realized. We have 

 received a communication from the Council of 

 Foreign Bondholders, that, in consequence of the 

 civil war in Colombia, the Government have been 

 obliged to discontinue temporarily the monthly pay- 

 ments for the service of the debt made to the agent 

 of the bondholders at Bogota. There is not, there- 

 fore, enough of money in the hands of the bankers 

 to pay the coupons of the 1st of January. 7,700 

 have been remitted to the bankers j 7,300 are still 

 in the hands of the agent at Bogota (who is unable 

 to obtain means of remittance), so that one-third of 

 the coupon has still to be provided for. 



A more encouraging aspect of affairs is pre- 

 sented by the author of the subjoined sketch, 

 which, giving as it does a view of the present 

 condition of Colombia in more than one re- 

 spect, will not be out of place here. The date 

 of the publication is August, 1877 : 



There is nothing which affords us more real 

 pleasure than to witness evidences of improvement 

 in the condition of this country. It is our greatest 

 delight to believe that the Colombian Union pos- 

 sesses all the elements of national success, and that 

 it only requires a long and uninterrupted season of 

 peace to insure the development of these elements 

 and the secure establishment of unbounded pros- 

 perity. The boundaries of few countries embrace so 

 splendid a realm. Few lands can boast of so liberal 

 endowment of natural resources. Its geographical 

 position, its diversity of climate, its fine rivers, rich 

 soil and mineral wealth, cannot be excelled by any 

 other on the face of the globe. It is no wonder that 

 Colombianos are proud of their country, and enthu- 

 siastic about its future. They may well be pardoned 



