New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-09-28
!. aneer E.lttle republic.
an nARlSo-Irs ousrous AaD aornRyNENr,

A correspondent of the London Herald gives al
interesting account Of visit to the little republic
Of san Marine in August, BE says:
1t is especially singular that this little territory
containing only about 5000 Inhabitants. SHOULD
have remained intact for more than fifteen cen
turies and that now, while all its powerful neigh
bors have become merged into one great State
this tiny republic should be the sole portion D
Italiap soil possessing q separate autonomy. /
was i@fmed by San Marine, who was native o
Dalmatia, and came over and settled in Rimini
Soon after the persecution of the christians by
I the Emperor piocletian commenced, and tindinl
| that it was impossible to remain in Rimini, Saf
Marine led his little flock ont from the city, ant
established christian colony at the summit
the highest and most rugged mountain in this par
Of the country and which was atthat time probably
surrounded by untrodden forests; and from tha'
day to this the little State thus founded has re
mained separate and distinct from the neighhoring
sfcountries.
Immediately we get into the open country, my
driver pointed out the mountain of San Marine,
rising far above all the hills in the neighborhood,
ana distant from Rinni nearly fifteen miles. The
road led across an undulating and very richly cul-
! tivated country. The peasants were engaged in
I picking the grape harvest, which. by the way, is
i this year one of the worst ever known, from the
extreme dryness of the early part Of the season.
| They were also occupied in picking the maize
| which forms so important an item of the italian
farmers crop.
When about six miles from the mountain we
CROSSED IiLte sIEGafi ana my CfIVSf Told me tht
we were now in the Republic of San Marine.
The circumference of the state is thirty-nine
miles, the mountain-or erag as it should rather
be cailed-rising nearlyin the center The ground
with the exception of the rock itself, is every
where very fertile and well cultivated, and its
value is considerably more than that of similar
ground in the surrounding country, from the alb
sence of taxation and other advantages peculiar
to the republic, chief among which is the freedom
from military CONSUMPTION
Every NAL in San Marine Is i, two
der, but this is very minor evitwhen soldering
Involves no fighting or absence from home. Al
though all are liable to be called upon TO serve in
case ofnecessity, only thoseunder certain age are
on ordinary occasions called out, and the strength
of this regular army of the republic is 500 men
Of these 700 form the National Guard, the re-
naming 100 the body.guasd of the president. The
uniform of all is blue. The faeings of the National
Guard are red, those Of the body-guard yellow,
and Of the band white, The police is admins
tered by chief and five carbineers, whose uni
form is blue, with white cross belts, and gray
trousers, and is very similar to that of the earb-
neers of the Italian Service These five earbi-
neers are, of course always on duty, and are reg
| ularly salaried police.
4 In old times, affairs were administered by q
| grand council, composed Of the heads of all the
families IN the State; but this was found SO large
and eumbrous an assembly that in 1877 a council
| was substituted of sixty members twenty mobiles,
/ twenty citizens, and twenty farmers or peasants
4 who were chosen BY the old assembly. Any va.
i eaney that occurs by death or otherwise in the
1 council, is filed up by new members chosen by
4 themselves: consequently, the government is now
rather oligarchc than democratic in its character.
4 Thirty members must be present to make the
meeting legal one. The council elects two
presidents, or as they are called ttCapitani Re-
| gent, every six months. One presides over the
/ upper village, the other over the lower and the
surrounding country: at present Signor Innocent
Bonelli is captain regent of the city, the upper
village is called and Amicale Vita is captain re-
nff A "a md Ft 1A size He
and before the election of the new presidents is
held. there is an interegnum of three days, syn
die being chosen by the council to manage affairs
during the time; and during this period any one
is AZ liberty to impeach the e1-presidents for their
conduct during their term Of office. The election
of the presidents il conducted in the following
manner: Six names are chosen by the council,
fle names are written upon papers, and the coun-
Gil then proceed to the church, where, after mass
is celebrated and special prayers offered up two
names are drawn by lot, and these two are the
presidents for the next sxshonths.
vice every year there is grand assembly of
me heads Of all the families of the Republic, and
these can then protest against any measure adop-
ted by the council. None of the officers of state
are paid, but the captain regents are allowed
seFenty.tiye francs each for Office expenses dur
Ing their term of office. and the foreign and home
ministers have an annual allowance of two hum
dred and fifty francs each for office expenses
postage, etc. The commander-in-chief of the
army receives no peeuniary consideration for his |
SERVICES, Inc hignest paid ofnefaS OF the Repub-
lie are the medical men--there are two doctors |
and one surgeon, who receive two hundred and |
fifty scudl, or thirteen hundred and fifty francs
year each. There are no doctorsis bills to
pay in San Marine; for this munifcent salary Of
hfty-four pounds year each, the doctors render
their services gratis to all the citizens Of the State
but IT they are sent for out of the two towns the
patients have to provide conveyance.
The revenue Of the State and its expenditure
alike amount to about $4,000 year. This sum is
raised by profits upon the sale Of tobacco and salt
both, as in italy, State monopolles and by very
small tax upon the land proprietors. There is in
addition to this, which forms the ordinary budget
the sum of $4,000 francs year paid by the Italian
government, and whichis used for making roads, |
assisting the poor giving aid in case Of losses by
Ire or other misfortunes, and repairing the public
buildings This sum ia paid by the Italian govern
ment for customs duties. OF course San Marine /
would have had right to have brought its goods |
infEee of duty, but this would have caused so /
much difficulty at the Italian custom.houses that
that government agreed to pay instead an annual
sum equal to Incorporation of customs dues which
would be paid by an equal population of Italians.
This sum was found upon calculation to amount to
eighteen thousand francs, which seem accordingly
Tee Italian government pays annually to San |
Marino. The republic is represented at all the
oreign courts. AT London and Paris their am
1assador is the Duke of Aquayiva. presume
hat the duties are not onerous.