URUGUAY.

(REPÚBLICA ORIENTAL DEL URUguay.)

Constitution and Government.

THE republic of Uruguay, formerly a Brazilian province, declared its independence, August 25, 1825, which was recognised by the Treaty of Montevideo, signed August 27, 1828. The constitution of the republic was proclaimed July 18, 1831. By the terms of this charter, the legislative power is in a Parliament composed of two Houses, the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives, which meet in annual session, extending from February 15 to July 15. In the interval of the session, a permanent committee of two senators and five members of the Lower House assume the legislative power, as well as the general control of the administration. The Representatives are chosen for three years, in the proportion of 1 to every 3,000 inhabitants of male adults who can read and write; there is one Senator for each department, chosen for six years, one-third retiring every two years. A new division into 18 departments was made in 1884. There are (1884) 46 Representatives and 18 Senators.

The executive is given by the constitution to the President of the Republic, elected for the term of four years.

President of the Republic.-General Maximo Santos, elected President of the Republic March 1, 1882, after the resignation of Dr. Francisco Antonio Vidal, President from 1880 to 1882.

The President is assisted in his executive functions by a council of ministers divided into five departments, namely, that of the Interior; Foreign Affairs; Finance; War and Marine; and the department of Worship, Justice and Public Instruction.

The Roman Catholic is the State religion, but there is complete toleration. In 1882 it was estimated that 40,000 children were at the various public and private schools.

Revenue, Public Debt, and Army.

The revenue of the republic is mainly derived from import and export duties, both very largely increased in recent years; there is a property-tax of from 5 to 5 per cent. The total revenue during

and

In

the financial year 1883 was 10,928,639 pesos, or 2,325,2421., that of the first half of 1884, 6,783,939 pesos or 1,443,3917. the budget for 1883 the expenditure was estimated at 9,925,956 pesos or 2,196,9801. The budget for 1880-81 set down the revenue at 7,890,000 pesos, and the expenses at 7,857,275 pesos, but the actual expenditure exceeded the revenue by 1,015,428 pesos. The actual accounts of revenue and expenditure of preceding years also showed large deficits. The financial year has recently been altered from the calendar year to the year ending June 30, when the budget for 1884 would be presented. More than one-half of the total annual expenditure is on account of the charges connected with the public debt; the next largest item being for war. By a law, passed in 1875, one-fourth of the customs receipts are to be set aside specially for the service of the debt. In 1873 the total capital of the republic was valued at 75,500,000l.; and in 1882 the value of real property and stock alone was estimated at 76,500,000l.

The total public debt of Uruguay on Sept. 1, 1883, was 12,908,9561. (reckoning 4.70 dollars = 11.), according to an official statement. A scheme for unification was accepted by the bondholders on November 17, 1883, and has been carried out so that the debt, it is officially stated, stands in 1884 as follows:-Unified debt, 11,127,0001.'; International debt, 879,6767.; Debt to Railway Companies, 572,7661.; Total, 12,579,4421.

The unified debt is made up as follows:-Internal, 6,808,5007. ; external, 3,467,500l.; additional issued, 851,000l.; total unified, 11,127,000l.

The reason that the total stands at less after unification than before-although an additional amount is included in the unification-is that in June 1883 a convention was made with the internal bondholders whereby they agreed to forego from 30 to 50 per cent. on the nominal amount of their stock, in consideration of the Unified Bonds being quoted in the London market.

The Unified Bonds will bear interest at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum, and will be subject to a per cent. accumulative sinking fund from January 1, 1884. Interest and drawn bonds are to be paid on the 1st January, April, July, and October of each year in London, by Messrs. Thomson, Bonar & Co. in sterling, and in Montevideo at the fixed rate of 470 dollars to the pound. During 1884, 13,900l. of the unified debt has been redeemed.

The permanent army of Uruguay is officially reported to consist of 3,494 men, including 5 regiments of cavalry, 2 of artillery, and 3 battalions of riflemen. There is besides an armed police force of 3,200 men, and a national guard of 20,000 men. In recent years there has been an excessive expenditure for the maintenance of an increased military force.

Population, Trade, and Industry.

The area of Uruguay is estimated at 73,538 English square miles, with a population, according to a partial census taken in 1880, of 438,245, comprising 226,580 males and 211,665 females. In 1882 the population was estimated at 505,207. A new census was taken in 1884, which was officially expected to show that the total population was between 700,000 and 800,000. Of the total population 68.33 per cent. are natives, mostly of mixed race; of the foreign population 8.66 per cent. are Spaniards; 8:31 Italians; 4.62 Brazilians; 3.56 Argentines; 3.29 French; and 0.63 English. The Spaniards and French are mostly Basques. In the department of Montevideo the density is 265 per square mile; but in other departments it varies from 12 to 1. The average density is 53.7 per square mile. The country is divided into 18 provinces. The capital, Montevideo, had, in the year 1879, a population of 115,500, with suburbs, of whom about one-third were foreigners. There were in 1882, 3,304 marriages, 21,719 births, 9,640 deaths, leaving a surplus of 12,079. There is a considerable flow of immigration, numbering 21,148 individuals in 1870; 5,298 in 1875; 10,710 in 1879; 9,208 in 1880; 8,336 in 1881; 10,116 in 1882; 11,086 in 1883. The number of emigrants in 1883 was 6,089; of the immigrants in 1882, 4,045 were Italian, 2,489 Spanish, 970 French, 531 English, 453 German.

Uruguay carries on an active commerce with foreign countries. was as follows in 1880-83:

:

Great Britain stands highest in imports and exports, followed closely by France; next follow Brazil, the United States, Spain, Germany, and Italy.

The principal articles of export are cattle, 1,733,000 pesos in 1883; salted, dried and preserved meat, 4,628,000 pesos; and hides, 7,236,000 pesos. Nearly the whole of the exports and imports of the republic pass through Montevideo, the capital, at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata.

The commercial intercourse of Uruguay with the United Kingdom is exhibited in the following tabular statement, which shows the value of the exports from Uruguay to Great Britain and Ireland,

and of the imports of British and Irish produce and manufactures into Uruguay in each of the five years 1879 to 1883 :

:

Imports of

British Home Produce
into Uruguay

£

922,625

1,381,338

The chief articles of export from Uruguay to the United Kingdom are hides, of the value of 318,8641.; tallow, 110,5571.; preserved meat, 66,1447.; sheep skins, 21,3037.; bones, 22,7697. in 1883. The British imports into Uruguay consist chiefly of manufactured cotton goods, woollens, and coal-the first of the value of 498,7921., and the second of the value of 157,7177., and coal, 97,8457. in the year 1883.

The rearing of cattle and sheep is the chief industry of Uruguay. The pastoral establishments in 1882 were officially estimated to occupy 35 million acres, on which were 6,711,778 head of cattle, 1,500,000 hares, and 20,000,000 sheep; valued at over 10,000,0007. sterling. In 1881, 576,170 head of cattle were slaughtered for their hides, tallow, &c., for manufacturing extract of meat and being preserved in tins; besides this a vast number of sheep are slaughtered annually, and from 60,000 to 80,000 mares for their hides and tallow. The value of these is estimated at from 2 to 3 millions sterling annually. Agriculture is also carried on to some extent, occupying 500,000 acres in 1882; wheat and maize being the chief products; the value of the agricultural produce in 1882 was estimated at 1,270,000l. There are several agricultural colonies in the country, composed mainly of Swiss and Spaniards.

There entered at the port of Montevideo in 1883 1,170 foreign vessels, of 1,075,634 tons, and cleared 1,051 vessels of 1,026,781 tons; of the vessels which entered 360 of 457,794 tons were British. In the river and coasting trade there entered 2,856 vessels of 850,247 tons, and cleared 2,930 vessels of 888,468 tons.

There were railways of a total length of 271 English miles open for traffic in September 1884. The telegraphic lines in operation at the end of June 1883 were of a total length of 1,405 English miles, including 295 miles of coast cables.

The Post-office carried 1,456,811 letters, 15,128 postcards, 2,094,711 samples and papers in the year 1882. The receipts of the Post-office in recent years were insufficient to cover the expenditure.

Diplomatic and Consular Representatives.

1. OF URUGUAY IN GREAT BRITAIN.

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.--Colonel Amaro Carve, appointed Chargé d'Affaires, September 25, 1883; Minister, October 6, 1884. Secretary. Meliton Gonzales.

Consul-General.-William Cranwell, appointed June 1880.

2. OF GREAT BRITAIN IN URUGUAY.

Minister and Consul-General.-William Gifford Palgrave, appointed January 25, 1884.

Money, Weights, and Measures.

The money, weights, and measures of Uruguay, and the British equivalents, are:

The metric system has been officially adopted, but is not in general use.

Statistical and other Books of Reference concerning Uruguay.

1. OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS.

The Republic of Uruguay: its geography, history, rural industries, commerce and general statistics. Issued by authority of the Consulate-General of Uruguay. London, 1883.

Cuaderno No. XIII. de la Direccion de Estadistica general; datos para, 1883. Montevideo, 1884.

Report on the trade and commerce of Monte Video, in Reports of H.M.'s. Consuls.' Part VII.

1884.

Report by the Hon. Edmund Monson on the trade, commerce, and finances for 1880, &c., in Part II., and on the trade, commerce, &c., on agriculture and on finance, in Part VI. of 'Reports of H.M.'s Secretaries of Embassy and Legation,' 1882.

་

Trade of Uruguay with Great Britain; in Annual Statement of the Trade of the United Kingdom with Foreign Countries and British Possessions in the year 1883.' Imp. 4. London, 1884.

2. NON-OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS.

Banga (Francisco), Historia de la Dominacion Española en el Uruguay. Montevideo, 1880.

Gardner (Gilbert J.), The Financial Position of Uruguay. 8. London, 1874.