PORTUGAL. 



641 



The following are the chief articles of import 

 and export (value expressed in contos) : 



The movement of shipping in 1874 was : 



The commercial navy of Portugal consisted 

 in 1876 of 575 vessels, of which 89 were steam- 

 ers. The total length of railways in operation, 

 in October, 1877, was 968 kilometres, exclu- 

 sive of 85 miles of railroads in mines. The 

 aggregate length of telegraph lines was 3,608 

 and of wires 7,788 kilometres; number of 

 stations, 157. The number of dispatches sent 

 in 1876 was 582,827. The number of post- 

 offices in June, 1877, was 669, of which 86 

 were on the islands. The number of inland 

 letters was 10,470,152; of newspapers 6,021,- 

 744; and of printed matter, postal cards, and 

 samples of goods, 187,462. The number of 

 foreign letters, newspapers, etc., was 2,858,864. 



A ministerial crisis occurred in Portugal in 

 the first week of March, which resulted in the 

 formation of a new cabinet under the presi- 

 dency of De Avila, in which De Avila took the 

 departments of Foreign Affairs and of the In- 

 terior; Barrose Cunha, Public Works; Mexia 

 Salema, Justice ; General de Sousa Pinto, the 

 Army ; and Jose de Mello e Gouveo, the INavy. 

 The old ministry had been in office since 1870, 

 and had asserted that the means for a financial 

 improvement were to be secured by the great- 

 est possible taxation. Their fall was caused by 

 the miserable financial condition of the coun- 

 try, so that it was determined to give De A Vila's 

 party a trial. They proposed to secure a re- 

 duction of the taxes by a reduction of the ex- 

 penses. 



The Portuguese Cortes, in April, placed at 

 the. disposal of the Government 6,600, to send 

 out a scientific expedition to explore the Cen- 

 tral African territories between the colonies 

 of Angola and Mozambique, and to study the 

 hydrography of the Congo and the Zambesi. 

 In the Chamber of Deputies, following an inter- 

 pellation respecting the malpractices charged 

 against Portuguese officials by English travel- 

 ers, Senhor Thomas Ribeiro carried a proposal 

 for an inquiry into the facts, laying down the 

 following questions : 1. What territories ex- 



PLAZA, OOIMBRA. 



port slaves to the African coasts? 2. At what count or for others ? 6. What will he thtiglt 



ports are slaves embarked ? 3. Of what nature effectual means for putting an end 



are the dealers? 4. Whither are the slaves Foreigners and others acquainted wit 



sent? 5. Do the traders deal on their own ac- tugnese colonies in Africa, tt 

 VOL. xvn. 41 A 



