BRAZIL.

(ESTADOS UNIDOS DO BRAZIL.)

Constitution and Government.

IN 1807 the royal family of Portugal fled to Brazil; in 1815 the colony was declared a kingdom'; and the Portuguese Court having returned to Europe in 1821, a national congress assembled at Rio de Janeiro, and on May 13, 1822, Dom Pedro, eldest son of King João VI. of Portugal, was chosen Perpetual Defender' of Brazil. He proclaimed the independence of the country on September 7, 1822, and was chosen Constitutional Emperor and Perpetual Defender' on October 12 following. In 1831 he abdicated the crown in favour of his only son, Dom Pedro II., who reigned as Emperor until November 15, 1889, when by a revolution he was dethroned, and he1 and his family exiled, and Brazil declared a Republic under the title of the United States of Brazil.

General Deodoro Fonseca was the first President. On November 23, 1891, he resigned, and Vice-President Peixoto took his place. Dissatisfaction, occasioned principally by military interference in the States, led to a rising in Rio Grande do Sul and to a naval revolt in the Bay of Rio de Janeiro. The rising in the South terminated in August, 1895, and the naval revolt was suppressed in March, 1894.

According to the constitution adopted by the National Congress in February, 1891, the Brazilian nation is constituted as the United States of Brazil. Each of the old Provinces forms a State, administered at its own expense without interference from the Federal Government save for defence, for the maintenance of order, and for the execution of the Federal laws. Fiscal arrangements in such matters as import duties, stamps, rates of postage, and bank-note circulation belong to the Union; but export duties are the property of the various States.

The legislative authority is exercised by the National Congress with the sanction of the President of the Republic. Congress consists of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. It meets annually on the 3rd of May, without being convoked, unless another day be fixed by law, and sits four months, but may be prorogued or convoked extraordinarily. No member of Congress, after his election, can contract with the executive power or accept any commission or paid office, except such as are diplomatic or military or imposed by law. If, in ordinary circumstances, the acceptance of diplomatic or military office would cause the loss of the legislative services of a member, the permission of the Chamber is required. Nor can any member of Congress take part in the administration of any company which receives a subsidy from the

1 Dom Pedro died in 1891.

Federal Government. Deputies and Senators are paid, and neither can be Ministers of State, and retain at the same time their seats in Congress. Deputies must have been Brazilian citizens for four years. Senators must be over thirty-five years of age and must have been citizens for six years.

The Chamber of Deputies consists of 212 members elected for three years by direct vote (providing for the representation of the minority), in a proportion not greater than one to every 70,000 of population as shown by a decennial census, but so that no State will have less than four representatives. It has the initiative in legislation relating to taxation.

The following table shows the number of Deputies from the different States and from the Federal district :

Senators, 63 in number, are chosen by direct vote, three for each State, and for the Federal district, for nine years, and the Senate is renewed to the extent of one-third every three years. The Vice-President of the Republic is President of the Senate.

The executive authority is exercised by the President of the Republic. He must be a native of Brazil, over thirty-five years of age. His term of office is four years, and he is not eligible for the succeeding term. The President and the Vice-President are elected by the people directly, by an absolute majority of votes. The election is held on the 1st of March in the last year of each presidential period in accordance with forms prescribed by law. No candidate must be related by blood or marriage, in the first or second degree, to the actual president or vice-president, or to either who has ceased to be so within six months.

The President has the nomination and dismissal of ministers, supreme command of the army and navy, and, within certain limits, the power to declare war and make peace. He (with the consent of Congress) appoints the members of the Supreme Federal Tribunal and the diplomatic ministers. No minister can appear in Congress, but must communicate by letter, or in conference with commissions of the Chambers. Ministers are not responsible to Congress or the Tribunals for advice given to the President of the Republic.

The franchise extends to all citizens not under twenty-one years of age, duly enrolled, except beggars, 'illiterates,' soldiers actually serving, and members of monastic orders, &c., under vows of obedience.

President of the Republic.-Dr. Campos Salles; assumed office, Novem ber 15, 1898.

Vice-President.-Dr. Rosas e Silva.

There are 6 Secretaries of State at the head of the following Departments:1. Finance, 2. Justice, Interior and Public Instruction, 3. War, 4. Marine, 5. Foreign Affairs, 6. Industry, Communications and Public Works.

In 1885 a bill was passed for the gradual extinction of slavery, and on May 13, 1888, an act was passed repealing all former acts on the subject, and abolishing slavery from the day of the promulgation of the law.

I. LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

According to the new Constitution each State must be organised under the republican form of government, and must have its administrative, legislative, and judicial authorities distinct and independent. The governors and members of the legislatures must be elective; the magistrates must not be elective nor removable from office save by judicial sentence. The Federal executive cannot intervene directly in the local government of the States. In cases of obstinate infringement of the Federal Constitution by State authorities the only resource of the central power is an appeal to the Supreme Tribunal of Federal District. The Federal District is administered by a council elected by the citizens of the District, the municipal executive authority being exercised by a Prefect appointed for four years by the President of the Republic. There are in Brazil 892 municipalities and 1,886 parishes.

Area and Population.

The Bureau of Statistics has published returns from the census of 1890, showing the population of the States and the Federal District.

In 1890 the population of Rio de Janeiro was 522,651; of Bahia, 174,412 of Pernambuco, 111,556; Belem, 50,064; San Paulo, 64,934; Ceará 40,902; Maranhão, 29,308; Porto Alegre, 52,421; Parahyba, 18,645; Pelotas, 41,591; Ouro Preto, 59,249.

At the census of 1872 there were 3,787,289 whites, 3,801,787 mětis, 1,954,452 negroes, and 386,955 Indians. In the northern provinces the Indian element preponderates, while in Pernambuco, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro,

and Minas the negroes are numerous. population is of European descent.

At the seaports the chief part of the

In April, 1897, a convention was signed on behalf of the French and Brazilian Governments, submitting the Guiana boundary dispute to arbitration.

MOVEMENT OF THE POPULATION.

The returns of oirths, deaths and marriages are incomplete, and no statistics are available later than 1884.

From 1871 to 1892 860,991 immigrants are stated to have entered the country. The annual rate through Rio, Santos, and Victoria during five years has been 1892, 86,513; 1893, 84,143; 1894, 63,294; 1895, 164,371; 1896, 157,948. Of the immigrants in 1896, 96,324 were Italians, 24,154 Portuguese, 1,070 Germans, 11,366 Austrians and Hungarians. In Rio Grande do Sul there are, under the administration of the Land and Colonisation Department of the Federal Government, 15 Colonies with a population of 108,000, occupying 562,400 hectares of land, of which 220,050 hectares are under cultivation. In September, 1892, the President sanctioned a law permitting Chinese and Japanese immigration.

Religion.

The established religion under the Empire was the Roman Catholic, but under the Republic the connection between Church and State has been abolished, and absolute equality declared among all forms of religion. The Federal Government continues to provide for the salaries and maintenance of the existing functionaries of the Catholic Church. The population in 1890 contained 14,179,615 Catholics; 143,746 Protestants; 3,300 of other faiths; and 7,257 of no religious profession.

Brazil constitutes an ecclesiastical province, with a metropolitan archbishopric, the seat of which is at Bahia, 11 suffragan bishops, 12 vicarsgeneral, and 2,000 curates. For the private instruction of the clergy there are 11 seminaries.

Instruction.

Public instruction is divided into three distinct forms or classes—namely, primary; secondary, or preparatory; and scientific, or superior. The higher education is controlled by the central Government. There are two schools of medicine, four of law, four military and one naval school, a school of mines, and a polytechnic. In 1890 these schools had, in all, 2,916 pupils. There are, besides, the Lyceum of Arts and Trades with 2,277 pupils, and five other special schools with 575 pupils. Connected with the observatory at Rio is a school for astronomy and engineering. The two establishments for secondary education called jointly the Gymnasio Nacional (old Pedro II. college) confer a degree, and are controlled by Federal Government. The States Governments are allowed to found gymnasia with similar organisation and privileges, and to a certaiu extent control this branch of instruction. All other secondary schools are private. Examinations are always official. Primary instruction in the Federal District is under the charge of the municipality, and in the States under the municipal and State authorities. According to the Constitution education is, at all stages, under lay management, and primary education is gratuitous. The central department complain that they can get no data from the States on public instruction. It seems that education is nowhere compulsory in Brazil. In 1889 there were, it was

officially stated, 7,500 public and private primary schools, attended by 300,000 pupils in all. The number of illiterates is returned at 8,365,997, or 84 per cent. of the population.

Justice and Crime.

There is a supreme tribunal of Justice at Rio de Janeiro; and a court of appeal in the capital of each State. There are courts of first and second instance, both in civil and criminal cases. Judges are appointed for life. There are also municipal magistrates and justices of the peace, who are elected, and whose chief function is to settle cases by arbitration.

Finance.

The following table shows the revenue and expenditure according to the last Official Reports, balances on both sides from former years being omitted. For 1898 the estimate of the Finance Minister is given. The figures given for revenue also do not include proceeds of loans, balance of deposits, and the issues of nickel and paper money :

The proposed budget for 1899 was as follows:

The public debt on December 31, 1897, according to the Finance

Minister's report, was as follows:

26,439,932

46,329,296

89,464,676

165,924,210

346,000,423