$800, and the members of the third a salary of $600. In cities of less than 75,000 population, it divided the letter-carriers into two classes, those of the one class to receive a salary of $800, and those of the other a salary of $600. Foreign Contract Labor.-A bill was passed by Congress and approved by the President, which added to the act to prohibit the importation and immigration of foreigners and aliens under contract or agreement to perform labor in the United States, its Territories, and the District of Columbia, approved Feb. 26, 1885, and to provide for the enforcement thereof, the following sections:

SEC. 6. That the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby charged with the duty of executing the provisions of this act; and for that purpose he shall have power to enter into contracts with such State commission, board, or officers as may be designated for that purpose by the Governor of any State to take charge of the local affairs of immigration in the ports within said State, under the rules and regulations to be prescribed by said Secretary; and it shall be the duty of such State commission, board or officers so designated to examine into the condition of passengers arriving at the ports within such State in any ship or vessel; and for that purpose all or any of such commissioners or officers, or such other person or persons as they shall appoint, shall be authorized to go on board of and through any such ship or vessel; and if in such examination there shall be found among such passengers any person included in the prohibition in this act, they shall report the same in writing to the collector of such port, and such persons shall be permitted to land.

SEC. 7. That the Secretary of the Treasury shall establish such regulations and rules, and issue from time to time such instructions, not inconsistent with law, as he shall deem best calculated for carrying out the provisions of this act; and he shall prescribe all forms of bonds, entries, and other papers to be used under and in the enforcement of the various provisions of this act.

SEC. 8. That all persons included in the prohibition in this act, upon arrival, shall be sent back to the nations to which they belong and from whence they came. The Secretary of the Treasury may designate the State Board of Charities of any State in which such board shall exist by law, or any commission in any State, or any person or persons in any State, whose duty it shall be to execute the provisions of this section, and shall be entitled to reasonable compensation therefor, to be fixed by regulation prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury. The Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe regulations for the return of the aforesaid persons to the countries from whence they came, and shall furnish instructions to the board, commission, or persons charged with the execution of the provisions of this section as to the time of procedure in respect thereto, and may change such instructions from time to time. The expense of such return of the aforesaid persons not permitted to land shall be borne by the owners of the vessels in which they came; and any vessel refusing to pay such expenses shall not thereafter be permitted to land at or clear from any port of the United States, and such expenses shall be a lien on said vessel. That the necessary expense in the execution of this act for the present fiscal year shall be paid out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.

SEO. 9. That all acts and parts of acts inconsistent with this act are hereby repealed.

SEC. 10. That this act shall take effect at the expiration of thirty days after its passage.

In addition to the bills already noticed, those relating to appropriations and those giving pen

207

sions and relief to individuals, bills were passed as follows:

Providing for the erection of public buildings at Eastport, Me., Springfield, Mass., Worcester, Mass., Binghamton, N. Y., Camden, N. J., Wilmington, Mich.,Owensborough, Ky., Chattanooga, Tenn., HousN. C., Charleston, S. C., Huntsville, Ala., Detroit, ton, Tex., Fort Scott, Kan., San Francisco, Cal., and Los Angeles, Cal.; also increasing the appropriations for the public buildings at Brooklyn, N. Y., and Troy, N. Y., and authorizing the exchange of the property purchased at Abingdon, Va., as a site for a public building, for more suitable property.

Authorizing the construction of bridges as follows: Across the East River between the city of New York and Long Island; across the Great Kanawha River below the Falls; across the Eastern Branch of the Potomac River at the foot of Pennsylvania Avenue East; across the Tradewater River by the Ohio Valley Railroad Company; across the Coosa River by the East and West Railroad Company of Alabama, and across the same river by the Talladega and Coosa Valley Railroad Company of Alabama; across the Sunflower, Yazoo, and Tombigbee Rivers in Mississippi by the Georgia Pacific Railroad Company; across the Tombigbee River at or near Columbus, Miss., by the Tombigbee Railroad Company; across the Red River in Louisiana by the Louisiana North and South Railroad Company; across the Tennessee River at or near Sheffield, Ala., at or near Guntersville, Ala., at or near Chattanooga, Tenn., and at or near the foot of Muscle Shoals Canal; across the Cumberland River, by the county of Davidson, Tenn.; across the Red River of the North; across the St. Louis River at the most accessible point between the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin; across a part of the Mississippi and a certain island therein by the city of Winona, Minn.; across the Mississippi River at Fort Madison or Keokuk or between those points, at Grand Tower, Ill.; between East Dubuque, Ill., and Dubuque, Ia., and at St. Louis, Mo.; across the Missouri River between Omaha, Neb., and Council Bluffs, Ia., within five miles of Yankton, Dak., at Pierre, Dak., by the Duluth, Pierre, and Black Hills Railroad Company, and at the most accessible point between the city of Kansas and the town of Sibley, Mo.; and across Bayou Barnard, in Mississippi.

Granting right of way to railroads as follows: To the Annapolis and Baltimore Short Line Railroad Company across the Government farm connected with the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.; to the Ohio Central Railroad Company through United States lock and dam property in the Great Kanawha Valley, W. Va.; to the Chicago, Kansas, and Nebraska Railway through the Indian Territory; to the Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad Company through the Indian Territory; to the Fremont, Elk Horn, and Missouri Valley Railroad across the Fort Meade military reservation; to the Prescott and Arizona Central Railway Company across the Fort Whipple military reservation in Arizona; to the Maricopa and Phoenix Railway Company of Arizona through the Gila River Indian reservation; to the Utah Midland Railway Company through the Uncompahgre and Uintah reservations in the Territory of Utah; through certain public lands in the Territory of Utah, etc.; to the Rocky Fork and Cooke City Railway Company through a part of the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana Territory; and to the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railway Company through the Indian reservations in Northern Montana and Northwestern Dakota.

To make Tampa, Fla., a port of entry and Hartford, Conn., in place of Middletown.

To provide for holding terms of United States courts at Vicksburg, Miss., and at Texarkana, Ark.: at Wilmington, N. C.; of the Circuit Court for the Eastern Judicial District of North Carolina; of the Circuit and District Courts of the United States for the Eastern District of Michigan at Bay City; pro

viding an additional circuit judge in the second judicial circuit; to amend section 536 of the Revised Statutes of the United States relating to the division of the State of Illinois into judicial districts, and to provide for holding terms of court of the Northern District at Peoria; and to amend the act dividing the State of Missouri into two judicial districts, and to divide the eastern and western districts thereof into divisions, establish district and circuit courts of the United States therein, and provide for the times and places for holding such courts, and for other purposes.

For the relief of the sufferers by the wreck of the United States vessel Ashuelot.

For the construction of a military telegraph line from Sanford, Fla., to Point Jupiter, Fla., and the establishment of a signal-station.

To provide for the settlement of an account with the Vicksburg and Meridian Railroad Company for internal-revenue tax, and to refund the amount of said tax erroneously assessed and collected.

To establish agricultural experiment stations in connection with the colleges established in the several States under the provisions of an act approved July 2, 1862, and of the acts supplementary thereto.

To provide a school of instruction for cavalry and light artillery, and for the construction and completion of quarters, barracks, and stables at certain posts for the use of the Army of the United States.

To provide for the location and erection of a branch home for disabled volunteer soldiers west of the Rocky Mountains.

Making an appropriation for the establishment and ⚫ erection of a military post near the city of Denver, in the State of Colorado."

To repeal certain provisions of the act approved March 3, 1875, relating to the purchase of arms for the use of the States.

For the relief of graduates of the United States Military Academy.

To amend an act entitled "An act to provide for the muster and pay of certain officers and enlisted men of the volunteer forces," approved June 3, 1884. Authorizing the Secretary of War to accept certain lands, etc., near Chicago, Ill.

To amend the act entitled "An act to modify the postal money-order system, and for other purposes," approved March 3, 1883.

For the relief of the survivors of the exploring steamer "Jeannette," and the widows and children of those who perished in the retreat from the wreck of that vessel in the Arctic seas.

To grant certain seal-rocks to the city and county of San Francisco. State of California, in trust for the people of the United States.

To provide for the redemption and sale of the school-farm lands now held in Beaufort County, South Carolina, by the United States.

To provide for the appointment of hospital stewards in the United States Army, and to fix their pay and allowance.

Authorizing the employment of mail-messengers in the postal service.

To amend an act entitled "An act to amend the statutes in relation to the immediate transportation of dutiable goods, and for other purposes," approved June 10, 1880.

To provide for the adjustment of matters connected with certain judicial proceedings in Pennsylvania in which the United States was a party.

To amend the third section of an act entitled "An act to provide for the sale of the Sac and Fox and Iowa Indian reservations, in the States of Nebraska and Kansas, and for other purposes," approved March

3, 1885.

To authorize the city of Newport, R. I., to use the site of Fort Greene as a public park. To release unto the city of San Antonio, Tex., for its use as a public thoroughfare, certain portions of the military rescrvation near said city.

To authorize the Secretary of War to improve and enlarge the barracks at Newport, Ky.

To convey to and confirm in the city of Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, a small isl and in Fox River, located within the limits of said city. To provide for the settlement of accounts with the Mobile and Ohio Railroad Company.

To define the boundaries of the collection districts of Miami and Sandusky, in the State of Ohio.

To authorize the Secretary of War to credit the Territory of Dakota with certain sums for ordnance and ordnance-stores issued to said Territory, and for other purposes.

Relating to the importing and landing of mackerel caught during the spawning-season.

For the allowance of certain claims reported by the accounting officers of the United States Treasury Department.

To amend section 1661 of the Revised Statutes, making an annual appropriation to provide arms and equipments for the militia.

To amend an act in relation to the immediate transportation of dutiable goods, and for other purposes, approved June 10, 1880.

To amend section 533 of the Revised Statutes of the United States.

To repeal certain sections of the Revised Statutes of the United States relating to the appointment of civil officers.

Providing for the sale of public documents.

To provide for grading and paving the approaches to the national cemetery near Danville, Va.

For the repair and preservation of the road, heretofore constructed by the Government, leading from Vicksburg to the national cemetery adjacent thereto. To authorize the construction of a graveled road to the Richmond national cemetery, near Richmond, Va. To authorize Frank W. Hunt to maintain a ferry across the Missouri River at the military reservation of Fort Buford, Dakota.

For the construction of a stable for the use of the horses and wagons for the use of the officers of the House of Representatives.

Extending the charter of "The President and Directors of the Firemen's Insurance Company of Washington and Georgetown," in the District of Columbia. To regulate insurance in the District of Columbia. For the further protection of property from fire, and safety of lives, in the District of Columbia.

To enable foreign executors and administrators to sue in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.

For the relief of St. Dominic's Church, in the District of Columbia.

To authorize the Commissioners of the District of Columbia to permit the temporary occupation of streets by a railway for the purpose of transporting material to fill about the base of the Washington Monument. To regulate steam-engineering in the District of Columbia.

To regulate the construction and operation of elevators within the District of Columbía, and for other purposes.

To quiet title to certain land in the city of Washington, D. C.

Relating to arrears of taxes in the District of Colum

bia.

Authorizing the Treasurer of the United States to credit the District of Columbia with certain moneys in lieu of investing the same in bonds.

CONNECTICUT. State Government. The fol

lowing were the State officers during the year: Governor, Phineas C. Lounsbury, Republican: Lieutenant-Governor, James L. Howard; Secretary of State, L. M. Hubbard; Treasurer, Alexander Warner: Comptroller, Thomas Clark; Secretary of State Board of Education, Charles D. Hine; Railroad Commissioners,

George M. Woodruff, W. H. Haywood, John W. Bacon succeeded by William O. Seymour; Chief Justice of Supreme Court, John D. Parks; Associate Justices, Elisha Carpenter, Dwight W. Pardee, Dwight Loomis, Miles T. Granger succeeded by Sidney B. Beardsley. The first tive officers were elected by the Legislature in January, there being no choice by the people in the election of 1886.

Legislative Session. The session of this year was the first under the biennial system established by a recent amendment to the constitution. It continued from January 5 till May 15. United States Senator Joseph R. Hawley, Republican, was re-elected early in the session by a vote of 128 to 98 for Charles R. Ingersoll, Democrat. The refunding of a part of the public debt was accomplished by an act authorizing the redemption of $1,030,000 of bonds issued in 1877 and bearing 5 per cent. interest on or before the 1st of August of this year. To enable the treasurer to do this, he was empowered to issue new bonds to the amount of $1,000,000 bearing 3 per cent. interest from May 2, and payable May 1, 1897. The remaining $30,000 of bonds were to be paid out of funds already in the treasury. The new bonds were made exempt from taxation. Under this law the State treasurer, by advertising for bids, was able to sell the new bonds in June at a premium, one half of them at 103-27 and one half at 102.55.

The State tax for 1886 was 2 mills on the dollar, an increase over former years necessitated by extraordinary expenses for building new armories, and for the enlargement and improvement of the State prison. No such expenses being required for 1887 and 1888, the Legislature restored the former rate of 14 mills on the dollar.

The following resolutions were passed by the lower house:

Resolved, That the following be proposed as an mendment to the constitution of the State, which, when approved and adopted in the manner provided by the constitution, shall to all intents and purposes become a part thereof, viz.: The manufacture or compounding of, and sale or keeping for sale of, intoxicating liquors, excepting for sacramental, medicinal, scientific, mechanical, and art purposes, shall be and hereby are prohibited in this State; and it shall be the duty of the Legislature to pass laws for the enforcement of this article.

Resolved, that the foregoing proposed amendment to the constitution be continued to the next general assembly, and be published with the laws passed at the present session.

The principal sums voted for specific objects were, for the Statute Revision Commission, $18,000; for the Industrial School for Girls, $10,000; State Reform School, $30,500; for preserving the record of the Connecticut Volunteers, $25,000; Danbury Hospital, $6,000; Waterbury Hospital, $25,000; Fitch's Soldiers' Home, for the purchase of land, $8,000; School for Imbeciles, $5,000.

Other acts of the session were as follow:

To subject trust and investment companies to the supervision of the bank commissioners.

tion of cattle and other animals, and to punish giving To punish false pretenses in obtaining the registrafalse pedigrees.

Restricting railroad traffic on Sunday to cases of necessity or mercy, and providing that the highest regular fare shall be charged on that day; season, mileage, or commutation tickets not being receivable. To punish desertions by husbands.

Raising the age of consent in females from ten to fourteen years.

To procure enforcement of the law requiring the attendance of children at school.

Regulating the rights and duties of electric companies, in placing their wires in public highways. To punish blackmail.

Providing that no-person shall practice dentistry dental college; or has had eighteen monthe' expounless he has a diploma from some duly authorized rience in a dental office and attended a course of lectures; or, if from another State, a certificate from a board of dental examiners, or six years' practice.

To prevent discrimination by life-insurance companics against persons of color.

Prohibiting and punishing the employment of women or children under sixteen years of age more than ten hours a day in any manufacturing, mercantile, of mechanical establishment.

Providing for weekly payments of wages.

Society to take charge of and care for animals neglectEnabling the agents of the Connecticut Humane ed, abandoned, or cruelly treated, and to destroy discased, disabled, or useless animals.

used unless the fact of such sale or use is plainly Providing that imitation butter shall not be sold or stated on a printed notice posted at the place of sale or use; that it shall only be sold in packages labeled to show the fact of such imitation, and appointing and creating a dairy commissioner to enforce these provisions.

To prevent the sale of liquors at agricultural fairs. To regulate the sale of medicines and poisons. Imposing a tax on the net earnings of any registered or enrolled sailing-vessel.

Revising the law regarding collection of taxes. Providing for the punishment of incorrigible crim

inal.

To establish free public highways across the Connecticut river in Hartford County,

Requiring insurance agents to obtain a license from the insurance commissioner.

Enabling women to be eligible to any office connected with the management of the public schools. Adopting the revision of the general statutes made by the commission appointed for that purpose. Providing for the inspection of factories as to dangerous machinery, bad ventilation, etc.

Revising the methods of assessing the valuation of railroads, and imposing a tax of 1 per cent. on such valuation, and also on the amount of their funded or floating indebtedness.

That treasurers of savings-banks shall give new bonds at least once in six years.

That a druggist shall not make more than one sale on any liquor prescription.

That houses of persons who make a business of taking children under ten years to board, exceeding two at the same time, shall be under the supervision of the selectmen, and inspected monthly. machine-gun platoons, and adding trumpeters to the

Amending the militia law so as to recognize the

militia.

That no cemetery association shall make any regulation prohibiting the erection of headstones provided by the State for the graves of soldiers, sailors and

marines.

That $10,000 of bonds, mortgages, or money held by any church shall be exempt from tax, provided the revenue is used for church purposes, and provided

the society's property, real and personal, exempt from taxation, does not exceed $20,000. That no person not a citizen of the State shall be appointed a special constable, policeman, or deputy sheriff, excepting the Governor may appoint as special officer any regular employé of any railroad or steamboat company.

The Senate contained 14 Republicans and 10 Democrats; the House, 137 Republicans, 109 Democrats, and 2 Independents.

State Prison. The remodeling of the State prison at Wethersfield, for which provision was made by the Legislature of 1886, was in progress during the year, and was nearly completed at its close. The improvements include not only additions to the former buildings, but the entire reconstruction of the cells and flooring, leaving only the stone walls of the old prison intact. When finished, the new struct ure will be one of the best-equipped institutions of its kind.

Railroads.-The Legislature of 1884 passed a law permitting the gradual removal of gradecrossings in the State, on petition of the railroad company or the local authorities to the board of railroad commissioners, the expense of such removal to be equally borne by the town and the railroad. Considerable anxiety was felt in the latter part of the year over the workings of this law, and petitions from more than forty towns were received by the Governor, urging him to call an extra session of the Legislature to secure its repeal. The danger apprehended arose from the intention of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad to abolish all its grade-crossings within two or three years, compelling the towns along the line to bear half of the expense. As the law contemplated only a gradual removal, and its execution rested entirely in the discretion of the commissioners, the Governor refused these petitions, believing that the board would carry out the spirit of the law and not impose too heavy a burden upon the towns by hastening removals

COSTA RICA, one of the five Central American republics. The area is estimated at 19,980 square miles; and on Dec. 31, 1886, the population was 196,280.

Government. The President of the Republic is Don Bernardo Soto, whose Cabinet is composed of the following ministers: Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Commerce, Don Mauro Fernandez; Interior, Public Works, Justice, Public Worship, and Charity, Don Cleto Gonzalez Viquez; War and Navy, Don A. de Jesus Soto.

The United States Minister to the five Central American republics, resident at Guatemala, is Hon. H. C. Hall. The Costa Rican Consul-General at New York is Don José Maria Muñoz.

Treaties. In September, 1887, the Costa Rican Congress ratified the extradition treaty with Guatemala. On July 26, 1887, the Presidents of Costa Rica and Nicaragua made a treaty at Managua, the principal provisions of which are the following: Confirmation of the

boundary treaty as it stands; permission to dig a canal and conduct enough water from Colorado river for improving the navigation of San Juan river, Costa Rica to pay 25 per cent. of the expense involved in such work; free navigation for all time on San Juan river and Lake Nicarauga; acknowledgment of Costa Rica's right in the canal; settlement of all doubtful points in the treaty having reference thereto; Costa Rica to be consulted in all matters of granting concessions relating to the canal or transit; liberty to navigate in Nicaraugan waters without exercising jurisdiction ; fixing of a date when commissioners are to meet for determining the boundary-line.

Finance. The report of the Minister of Finance, of June 8, 1887, shows that the national indebtedness stood as follows: Consolidated foreign debt, £2,000,000; home debt, $527,819; paper money in circulation, $1,044,983. Of the latter, $25,000 were withdrawn and destroyed on January 22, and this canceling is to continue at the rate of $25,000 quarterly till extinguished. It had been estimated by him that the home debt would be reduced to $426,823 on Dec. 31, 1887; but the Government resolved to pay this amount by anticipation, and did so on September 30, much to the benefit of Costa Rican finances, the two series of bonds advancing in London to 791 and 771, respectively, on the strength of the dispatch announcing the liquidation of the internal indebtedness of the republic. Another wise financial measure, sanctioned by the National Government on Dec. 31, 1886, was the renting of the Central and Atlantic sections of the Government railroad to the Costa Rica Railroad Company, a London corporation, undertaking to finish the line under the management of Minor Cooper Keith, the well-known financier and railroad contractor. From 1879 to 1887 the Government had incurred an annual loss of $48,000 on that portion of its railway, while it now ceded the management upon terms favorable to the national exchequer. The income of the nation in 1886-'87 was $2,888.752, being $176,138 in excess of the estimate; the actual outlay was $2,772,315.

At the instigation of the President, a "banco hipotecario" is to be established in the capital, with a capital of $1,000,000 in shares; the charter to extend over seventy years; to be a bank of deposits and issue; to do a general banking business, and advance, on first mortgage on long credits, money on real estate.

Army. The actual strength of the active army in 1887 was 6,219 men; of the reserve, 1,067; national guard, 692; together, 7.978 men, commanded by 2,521 officers. There were 40,238 citizens capable of bearing arms.

Post-Office. In 1886 there passed through the post-offices of the republic 2,437,639 items of mail matter, as follows: 664,910 letters; 325,738 Government dispatches; 618 registered let ters; 9,576 postal-cards; 1,411,602 newspapers, and 24,959 sample packages. The in

crease was 609,247 as compared with the previous year.

Telegraphs. During the year 1886-'87 the national telegraph employed 27 offices, and 7 of them had been opened during the year. The income was $22,962, against $17,603 in 1885'66, an increase of $5,359. Messages dispatched to the interior during the fiscal year 1886-'87, 69,885; sent abroad, 4,191. New lines laid during the year, 20,324 metres. The telephone service of the capital was improved in July, 1886, by building a central station, and uniting all the telephones in one system. In July, 1887, the Minister of Public Works of Costa Rica completed with Señor Cuenca Cruz, of Paris, a contract respecting cable communication. Under it Señor Cruz is granted permission to lay one or more submarine cables from Costa Rica to the West Indies and Venezuela, and to New York. Permission is also granted to run the cables to any points in Central or South America. The contractor binds himself to connect these cables with the Canary cable system in course of construction. Costa Rica guarantees the contractor receipts amounting to 35,000 francs a year. The first cable must be laid within two years.

Railroads.-The Costa Rica Railroad Company has been formed in London to finish and operate the Central and Atlantic sections of the Government railway under a lease, with a share capital of £3,055,000, £1,255,000 of which are set aside for finishing the railroad, the first £355,000 shares being placed on the London market and sold on June 24, 1886, at 92-10. The republic is a shareholder in the company to the extent of £600,000, and is also entitled to dividends in the net earnings, after the interest of 6 per cent. shall have been paid on the £1,255,000 named. The Pacific section of the railroad, which has remained under the Government's own management, showed net earnings of $19,793 in 1885-'86, and of $17,226 in 1886-'87. But this Government railway is in good running order, well equipped, and the workshops furnished with the best of machinery.

Steamer Lines.--During the summer of 1887 M. C. Keith completed arrangements for placing on the line from Port Limon to the United States eight steamers a month to convey plantains, such steamers to leave on Wednesday and Saturday of each week, the line to go into operation with the year 1888. The Government has extended to the end of 1887 the time which Don Rafael Montúfar has to perfect arrangements for the establishment of a line of steamers between Port Limon and New Orleans or New York.

Chinese Immigration. On Jan. 27, 1887, the Minister of the Interior issued a circular directed to the captains of the ports of Puntarenas and Limon, saying that the Government will not, under any pretext whatever, allow the landing of individuals belonging to the Mongolian race arriving from China, whether

they come on their own account or under contract with others.

New Industries.-The Government procured from abroad 25 cwt. of superior cotton-seed, for free distribution among planters, in order to encourage this branch of agriculture, and also 10,000" ramie" plants.

Rosewood.-Until the spring of 1887, no Costa Rican rosewood had been expor.ed from the Pacific coast. But this trade has now been established.

The manufacture of salt has been undertaken at Puntarenas-a new enterprise.

Goods admitted Duty Free.-In July, 1887, the Congress of Costa Rica continued for another year the law exempting from duty the following articles imported into Costa Rica through Port Limon: Linseed-oil, turpentine, plows, harrows, pitch, carts, wheelbarrows, nails, stills, hammers, chopping-knives, wooden houses in pieces, doors, windows, putty, spades, pitchforks, rakes, pickaxes, paints, slates, cartspokes and felloes, salt, seed of all descriptions, screws, glassware, bits. sacks, galvanized iron, and zinc in sheets. The right to import Indian corn, beans, and rice duty free into Limon was also extended for one year.

Commerce. The imports into Costa Rica during the fiscal year 1886-'87 amounted to $4.562,727, as against $3,428,696 in 1885-'86; an increase of $1,134,031, from which $718,346 railroad material is to be deducted, leaving the increase $415,685. The exports were valued at $3,296,508 during the calender year 1885, but in 1886 they did not exceed $3,225,807, the decrease being $70 701. The various products shipped during 1886 were represented by the following amounts: Coffee, $2,259,262; bananas, $476,775; hides, $95.754; gold-dust, $27,340; cabinet and dye woods, $39.239; other products, $120,787. The amount of coin shipped was $246,650, against $229,351 in 1885. The American trade was as follows:

The expansion of trade was due to the rise in coffee.

Education. There were on Jan. 1, 1887, 138 primary public schools, attended by 14,478 pupils, who were taught by 278 teachers, the Government paying toward the expense involved in teachers' salaries the sum of $103,598. Early in 1887 a decree was issued that, at the expense of the public treasury, eight young men and two girls, Cosa Ricans by birth, be sent either to Europe or the United States, after examination as to capacity; the former to study either mining, civil or mechanical engineering, or arts and manufactures, or the military or natural sciences, the latter artistic or any other suitable female pursuits, the monthly outlay for each pupil not to exceed $50, with free passage.