Of the total imports in 1897 the value of 84,195,455 dollars (85 per cent.), and of the exports 61,487,591 dollars (67 per cent.), passed through the port of Buenos Ayres. The following are the principal articles of import and export with their value, for two years :— Of the imports in 1897 the value of 85,699,700 pesos was subject to duty; and 12,589,200 pesos duty free. Of the exports the value of 61,855,000 pesos was subject to duty, and 39,314,300 pesos duty-free. In 1897 the duties collected amounted to 26,384,142 pesos. Among the more important exports were the following: In 1896 the imports of gold and silver coin and bullion amounted to 6,063,345 pesos, and the exports to 2,178,891 pesos; in 1897 the imports amounted to 663,378 pesos, and the exports to 4,936,088 pesos. The foreign trade in the Argentine Republic was mainly with the following countries, to the following values in gold dollars : The commercial intercourse between the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom for five years, according to the Board of Trade returns, was: Imports intoU.K. from Argentina 4,836,682 6,168,624 9,084,497 8,974,164 5,753,916 Exports of British produce to Argentina. 5,535,754 4,514,563 5,349,091 6,620,993 4,801,125 The staple Argentine imports into the United Kingdom are as follows:Tallow and stearine, 140,5897. in 1896; 106,5277. in 1897; fresh mutton, 1,071,8917. in 1896; 1,175,1297. in 1897; skins, mainly sheep, 102,0347. in 1896; 194,4247. in 1897; bones, 48,6217. in 1896; 30,8297. in 1897; hides, 66,4987. in 1896; 87,7317. in 1897; wool, 216,578l. in 1896; 355,0187. in 1897; wheat, 2,432,6747. in 1893; 3,400,9547. in 1894; 3,142,3787. in 1895; 1,440,3207. in 1896; 318,8717. in 1897; other sorts of grain, 1,562,5977. in 1895; 2,796,3727. in 1896; 589, 1947. in 1897; cattle, 923,6257. in 1896; 1,153,5077. in 1897; sheep, 501,7127. in 1896; 528,6077. in 1897; linseed, 1,167,9257. in 1896; 644,378. in 1897. The exports of British produce to the Argentine Republic consist chiefly of cottons, 1,145,4877; jute manufactures, 133, 8701.; woollens, 454,9757.; iron, 851,354.; and machinery, 314,908.; railway carriages, 101,4887.; coal, 490,3397. in 1897. Shipping and Navigation. The vessels entered in the foreign trade at the ports of the Repul lic in three years were : In 1895, of the vessels entered from abroad, 1,211 of 1,634,504 tons were British. In 1898 the merchant shipping of the Republic comprised 86 steamers of 31,976 tons net, 157 sailing vessels of 39,695 tons net. Internal Communications. The length of railway open for traffic in 1897 was 9,270 miles, which connect the principal cities of the Republic with the capital. In 1896 the capital was 510,643,296 dollars gold; gross receipts 31,238,326 dollars gold, and expenses 15,934,466 dollars gold. Of the capital invested, 56,331,063 dollars corresponded to lines the property of the nation, 113,311,995 dollars gold to guaranteed lines, 257,141,178 dollars gold to private lines, and 83,859,062 dollars gold to provincial lines. The TransAndine line from Mendoza to Santa Rosa has a length of 158 miles. The total cost of construction of the lines open for traffic at the end of 1894 was 483,508,766 dollars. In 1897 the number of passengers carried was 16,044,389; and the weight of goods, 9,001,559 tons. There were in 1891 173 miles of tramway. In 1896 there were in the Republic 25,345 miles of telegraph lines with 59,060 miles of wire. The national lines had a length of 11,023 miles with 23,572 miles of wire; the railway telegraph lines, 7,070 miles with 18,717 miles of wire; the telegraph companies' lines, 4,428 miles with 7,462 miles of wire; and other undertakings, 2,824 miles of line with 9,309 miles of wire. The number of telegraphic despatches (1896) was 4,953,887. There were 1,237 offices. The Post Office in the year 1896 carried 177,641,000 letters and packets, of which 24,947,340 were international. There are 1,660 offices (post and telegraph). The receipts in 1896 from the postal and telegraph service were 30,069,799 pesos, and the expenditure 27,169,020 pesos. Money and Credit. By law of October 16, 1891, the old National Bank was placed in liquidation, and a new bank, called 'Banco de la Nacion Argentina,' with a capital of fifty million dollars was opened on December 1, 1891. There are 14 State banks (exclusive of the old National Bank) and many private banks. The total coinage of the Argentine mint has been to the nominal amount of gold, 31,716,545 pesos; silver, 2,805,840 pesos. Of The paper currency in August, 1897, amounted to 285,115,964 pesos. this amount, 75,488,542 pesos had been issued by the nation and the Treasury; 193,218,285 pesos by various banks (including 120,103,907 pesos by the National Bank); and 16,409, 137, pesos by guaranteed banks. In 1878 the Provincial Government of Buenos Ayres founded the Municipal loan and savings bank, which in 1888 became the property of the Municipality. Its capital is 300,000 dollars. A A Money, Weights, and Measures. The silver Peso fuerte, or dollar of 100 centavos is of the value of 4s. at par. The 5-aollar gold piece weighs 80645 grammes 900 fine and therefore contains 7.25805 grammes of fine gold. The silver dollar (like the French 5-franc piece) weighs 25 grammes 900 fine and thus contains 22 5 grammes of fine silver. There are 50, 20, and 10-centavo silver coins, and both nickel and copper fractional money. Professedly the standard of value is gold. The money in circulation is chiefly inconvertible paper currency. Since January 1, 1887, the use of the French metric system is compulsory. Diplomatic Representatives. 1. OF THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC IN GREAT BRITAIN. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. - Florencio L. Dominguez. Secretary. There are Consular representatives at Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham Cardiff, Dublin, Dundee, Edinburgh, Falmouth, Glasgow (C.G.), Hull, Leeds, Leith, London (C.G.), Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Newport, Southampton. 2. OF GREAT BRITAIN IN THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. Envoy and Minister.—Hon. W. A. C. Barrington. Appointed February, 1896. Secretary.-F. S. Clarke. Consul.-Alfred Grenfell. There are Vice-Consuls at Buenos Ayres, Bahia Blanca, Concordia, Cordoba, La Plata, Parana, Rosario, and Santa Fé. Statistical and other Books of Reference concerning the Argentine Republic. 1. OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS. Annual Statement of the Trade of the United Kingdom with Foreign Countries and British Possessions. Imp. 4. London. Anuario de la Dirección General de Estadistica. 2 vols. Buenos Aires. Boletin mensual de estadística municipal de la ciudad de Buenos Aires. Census Committee. Preliminary Reports for Census of 1895. Buenos Aires. 1896. Datos trimestrales del comercio exterior de la República Argentina. Buenos Aires. Estadística general del comercio exterior de la República Argentina. Annual. Bu nos Foreign Office Reports. Annual Series. London. Handbook of the Argentine Republic, Bulletin No. 67 of the Bureau of the American Republics. Washington, 1892. Higiene Publica, Anales de. Monthly. Buenos Aires. Informe presentado á la Oficina de Estadística de Buenos Aires. Annual. Buenos Aires. Informes del Delegado Argentina. 2 vols. Paris, 1890. Informe sobre el estado de la educacion comun, durante el Año de 1891. By Dr. Benjamin Zorrilla. Buenos Aires, 1893. Informe sobre deuda pública, bancos, &c., por P. Agote. Año vii. Buenos Aires, 1896. Instituto Geographico Argentino, Boletin del. Buenos Aires. L'Agriculture l'Elevage, l'Industrie, et le Commerce dans la Province de Buenos Aires in 1895. Buenos Aires, 1897. La República Argentina en la Exposicion Universal de Paris, 1889. Ligeros apuntes sobre el clima de la República Argentina, por el Director de la oficina meteorológica Gualterio G. Davis. Buenos Aires, 1889. Los presupuestos, los recursos y las leyes de impuestos de la nacion, las 14 provincias y las principales municipalidades. Año de 1894. Buenos Aires, 1895. Map of the Argentine Republic. With a short description of the country. Published by the Argentine Government Information Office. Memoria del Ministerio del Interior de la República Argentina, presentada al Congreso nacional de 1896. 4. Buenos Aires, 1896. Memoria presentada por el Ministro de Estado en el departamento de Hacienda al Congreso nacional de 1896. 4. Buenos Aires, 1896. Message of the President of the Republic in opening the Session of the Argentine Congress, May, 1898. Buenos Ayres, 1898. Registro estadístico de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Fol. Buenos Aires, 1898. 2. NON-OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS. Akers (C.E.), Argentine, Patagonian and Chilian Sketches. 8. London, 1893. 1890. Bates (H. W.), South America. London, 1882. Trois ans chez les Argentins. 4. Paris, Child (Theodore), The Spanish American Republics. London, 1891. Diareaux (Emile), Buenos Aires, la Pampa et la Patagonie. Paris, 1878. Dodds (J.), Records of the Scottish Settlers on the River Plate. Buenos Ayres, 1897. Dominguez (L. L.), Historia Argentina. 4th edit. Buenos Ayres, 1870. Gibson (H.), History and Present State of the Sheep-Breeding Industry in the Argentine Republic. London, 1893. Goodwin (W.), Wheat Growing in the Argentine Republic. Liverpool, 1895. Hudson (W. H.), Idle Days in Patagonia. London. König (À.), A traves de la Republica Argentina. Santiago, 1890. Martinez (Alberto B.), El Presupuesto Nacional, Buenos Aires, 1890. Mitré (Bartolomé), Historia de San Martin. 4 vols. 8. Paris and Buenos Aires, 1890. Mitré (B.), The Emancipation of South America. Pilling, of The History of San Martin. London, 1893. A Condensed Translation, by W. Mulhall (M. G. and E. T.), Handbook of the River Plate. London, 1893. Paz (Ez. N.), and Mendonça (Manuel), Compte-Rendu de l'Exposition continentale de la République Argentine. Buenos Ayres, 1882. Paz Soldan (Mariano Felipe), Geografia Argentina. Buenos Ayres, 1885. Report of the Council of the Corporation of Foreign Bondholders. Appendix for 1897. London, 1898. Review of the River Plate. Weekly. Buenos Aires. 8. Buenos Aires, 1892. Rumbold (Sir H.), The Great Silver River. London, 1888. Saldias (Adolfo), Rozas y su Epoca. 2nd ed. 5 vols. Sarmiento (Domingo Faustino), Life in the Argentine Republic in the Days of the Tyrants. Translated by Mrs. H. Mann. 8. London, 1868. Turner (T. A.), Argentina and the Argentines. London, 1892. Vincent (F.), Round and About South America. New York, 1890, |