AREA AND POPULATION

Area and Population.

Following are the census returns of 1890 and of 1900:

Population

659

In 1908 the population was estimated at 21,461,100.

The Acré Territory (not included in the census results) has an area of about 74,000 sq. miles, and a population of about 70,000. For this territory Brazil paid to Bolivia 2,000,0007. in 1902; the revenue from the territory in 5 years, 1903-07, amounted to 2,118,4017. In 1909 the Territory petitioned to be received into the Brazilian Union as a State.

In 1900 the population consisted of 8,825,636 males and 8,492,920 females. In 1900 the population of Rio de Janeiro was 750,000; in 1906, 811,265; São Paulo (1906), 348,000; of Bahia, 230,000; of Pernambuco, 150,000; Belem, 120,000; Porto Alegre, 100,000; Maráos, 50,000; Nictheroy, 35,000; Santos, 35,000; Ceará, 33,000; Maceió, 33,000; Parahyba, 32,000; São Luiz, 32,000.

The number of immigrants into Brazil from 1820 to 1907 was 2,561,482, of whom 1,213,167 were Italian, 634,585 Portuguese, 288,646 Spanish, 93,075 German, 11,068 English. In 1907 there were 67,787 immigrants; in 1908,94,695.

A boundary treaty with Colombia was signed on April 24, 1907; and a boundary treaty with Peru was signed September 8, 1909.

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Religion.

The connection between Church and State has been abolished, and absolute equality declared among all forms of religion. The Government left to the Church all religious buildings and their properties and income. The Catholic Church is perfectly free; religious orders are allowed and are prosperous. All but about 100,000 of the population are Catholics.

There is a Cardinal whose seat is at Rio de Janeiro and who acts as an Archbishop, an archbishop at Bahia, one at Rio de Janeiro, one at San Paulo, one at Pará, and one at Mariana (Minas). There are 25 suffragan bishops. For instruction of the clergy there are 11 seminaries.

Instruction.

Education is not compulsory. The Republican Government undertakes to provide for higher or university instruction within the Union, leaving the provision of primary and training schools to the State Governments. There is, in fact, no university in Brazil, but there are 25 faculties which confer degrees. In Rio de Janeiro are also the military college, the preparatory school of tactics, and the naval school. At the Capital are maintained by the Federal Government a school for the blind and another for the deaf and dumb. The Federal Government maintains also a School of Arts and a National Institute of Music in the Capital, there being similar academies of music in the States of Maranhão, Pará, São Paulo, and several in the State of Rio de Janeiro. In Manàos, Bahia, and Curitiba there are schools of Fine Arts. There are, besides, 28 industrial schools, 11 agricultural and 9 commercial institutions for tuition. There are faculties of law at Recife, São Paulo, Ceará, Goyaz, Pará, Bahia, Bello Horizonte, Porto Alegre, and Rio de Janeiro (2); faculties of medicine at Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, and Porto Alegre; colleges of pharmacy at Ouro Preto, Belem, Juiz de Fóra, and São Paulo; schools of odontology at Rio de Janeiro, Bello Horizonte and also attached to the colleges of medicine and pharmacy; engineering colleges at Rio, Ouro Preto, Bahia, Recife, Porto Alegre, and São Paulo.

There existed in 1907 in the various States, 7,089 public schools, of which 1,363 were in Minas Geraes, 1,144 in Rio Grande do Sul, and 1,122 in São Paulo. Besides these the municipalities maintained 1,815 schools, and private institutions numbered 2,243. In the Federal capital there are 2 preparatory schools controlled by the Federal Governor, and 40 private. In the States there are 24 public and 258 private establishments of a similar character. For teachers diplomas there are 29 colleges in all Brazil, supported by the Union and 15 private. In recent years public instruction has made great progress.

Justice and Crime.

There is a supreme Federal court of Justice at Rio de Janeiro; and Federal judges in each State. Justice is administered in the States in accordance with State law, by State courts, but in Rio de Janeiro Federal Justice is administered. Judges are appointed for life. There are also municipal magistrates and justices of the peace, who are elected for four years, and whose chief function is to settle cases up to a certain amount.

The consolidated foreign debt of Brazil on December 31, 1908, amounted to 75,943,9577. and 50,000,000 francs the internal paper debt, to 526,235,537 milreis (or 34,529,7507.); the floating debt, to 67,218 gold miles and 169,023,914 paper milreis. The total debt (external, internal and floating) amounts to 131,432,7807. sterling. Paper money in circulation on October 31, 1908, 635,224,487 milreis. The external debt of States and Municipalities amounted December, 1907, to 31,687,2277.; the internal 14,892, 2037.; total 46,579,4307.

The rate of interest on the Foreign Debt varies from 4 per cent. to 5 per cent., that on the Internal Funded Debt from 4 per cent. to 6 per cent., but this last has been to a large extent redeemed. The internal debt is chiefly represented by bonds, called Apolices, inscribed to the holder, and the payment of its capital and interest, which is provided for by an annual vote of Congress, is under the charge of the sinking fund department (Caixa da Amortisação), independent of the Government, directed by a committee, presided over by the Minister of Finance, and composed of a general inspector and five large Brazilian bondholders.

State Finance.

The receipts and expenditure and the amount of the debt of each of the States of Brazil in recent years were as follows in sterling (as officially converted) milreis=158d. in 1905; 16 d. in 1906; 15 d. in 1907) :—

1 Loans are included in the receipts of the following States :

Minas Geraes

598,1561.
17,5591.

Paraná

245,8161.

Parahyba do Noste

6121.

1,536,2351.

Rio Grande do Noste

6821.

4617.

Rio Grande do Sul

215,4961.

3,933,7711.

240,7361.

2 The funded debt is either foreign, or internal, or both. The total includes the floating

debt.

3 For 1907; for 1906 the funded debt of Minas Geraes amounted to 4,750,0561., and the total debt to 5,131,9127.

4 For 1907.

5 For 1905.

6 At the end of 1908 the total debt of São Paulo was 27,929,9961,

Defence.

Under the military law of January, 1908, military service is obligatory on every Brazilian from 21 years of age to 44. The terms of service are 2 years in the ranks, 7 in the reserve, 7 in the Territorial Army, and 7 in the National Guard. The army is organised in 5 brigades (which apparently expand to divisions on mobilisation). Each brigade in time of peace consists of 3 regiments of infantry of 3 battalions, 1 regiment of cavalry of 2 squadrons, an artillery regiment of 9 batteries of 4 guns, a battalion of engineers, and a squadron of train. The independent cavalry comprises 3 brigades of 3 regiments, and 1 or 2 horse batteries. The total peace strength of the army, including mountain artillery and fortress artillery, and engineer There is also a gendarmerie units, is about 730 officers and 28,000 men. 20,000 strong.

Ships of the Brazilian navy are as follows:

There are 5 torpedo gunboats (Tupy, Timbira, Tamayo, Gustavo Sampaio, and Tiradentes), 10 Yarrow destroyers built or building, 4 firstclass torpedo boats, 1 scout, 4 destroyers, a mine ship, and 3 submarines are building or projected to complete the naval peogramme.

There are three naval arsenals-at Rio de Janeiro, Pará and Ladario de Matto Grosso (this latter a river arsenal).

Production and Industry.

Brazil is an agricultural country, though only a small fraction of its soil has been brought under culture. Agricultural industries are encouraged by the State governments. Coffee is the chief product cultivated, and after that sugar, tobacco, and cotton, maté (Paraguay tea), india-rubber, timber, cocoa, and nuts. The State of San Paulo has enacted a law imposing from October 1, 1908, an additional duty of 20 per cent. ad valorem on coffee exports from the State exceeding 9 million sacks in the year commencing July 1, 1908, 9 million sacks in that commencing July 1, 1909, and 10 million sacks in that commencing July 1, 1910. Also the surtax imposed in 1905 is to be raised to 5 francs on all coffee exports. A loan of 15,000,000l. sterling was isused, the proceeds to be applied to operations for the protection of coffee. Large crops have interfered with the coffee valorisation scheme. The coffee exports amounted in 1905-06 to 11,055,378 bags (60 kilos); in 1906-07 to 20,409,180; in 1907-08 to 11,349,271; in 1908-09 to 13,036,586; 1909-10 probably to 15,408,150. Cocoa is produced in many States but chiefly in Espirito Santo, and Bahia. The exports in 1907 were stated at 24,397 tons (2,002,7487.), and in 1908 at 32,956 tons (1,975,3987.). The tobacco industry flourishes at Bahia. The tobacco exports amounted in 1908 to 14,866 tons. The rubber exports amounted in 1908 to 37,686 tons; in 1909 to 39,740 tons. In Pernambuco there are 47 sugar factories, in Campos (Rio de Janeiro) 40, in Bahia 12, and in other parts of Brazil 15. From Pernambuco in 1908, 2,600,000 bags of 60 kilos of sugar were produced. The cultivation of rice is extending. Cattle breeding is important in San Paulo which has 3,738,000 cattle; 1,282,000 swine; 136,000 sheep; 230,000 horses; and 124,000 mules. The cotton exported in 1907 amounted to 28,036 metric tons; in 1908, 3,565. The cocoa exports from Brazil amounted in 1907 to 24,397 tons; in 1908 to 32,956.