Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-04-05

slueS tne OlVil, criminal anu DiStrlct
Courts, Commercial Courts are also held.
The Presidents term OF Office is six
years. He is assisted by Vice-President,
seven Ministers and Council of State.
Original legislation belongs only to Con-
gress, but the Governors of departments
have power to issue edicts upon laws
passed by Congress, for facilitating the
affairs of the various districts. The pres
ent Executive, DIR. Rafael Nunez, is en-
joying lis third term of office, and has
nearly. three years yet to serve.
Thsngh Roman Catholicism prevails,
there is no State religion, natives and for
eigners being guaranteed freedom OF con-
science and worship. So far as the text of
the law goes, foreigners enjoy equal rights
with the Coiombians; but it would be
hardly advisable to test the question in a
native Court of justice. Imprisonment for
debt has been done away with, and trial
by jury in criminal cases is coming into
vogue. The only monopoly in the coun-
try is that Of salt, which is still in the
hands of the central Government; and in
some departments that of the rum distil-
leries, which is administered for the bene-
tit of their own municipal revenues The
trade in arms and ammunition is now en-
tirely free. There is large public debt
owing to foreigners, three fourths of
which is due to British creditors, who held
as security mortgage on the Republics
chief source of revenue-that derived from
the customs.
a system intended to place the CONNER
cinl and public credit of the country on a
more substantial basis has been introduced
and already largely developed. In the
year 1871, what is known as
BILL AND DISCOUNT COMPANY
Was established IN Bogota, and has sue
ceeded in commanding public confidence,
although there is nothing that varies so
much as the money market. The princi-
pal national coin current is the half-dollar;
but that, being away below par, is not
thought OF at all in the conduct of COM
mercial transactions abroad, and is pretty
nearly valueiess even in Central America,
where drafts are sometimes sought by busi-
ness men on the Isthmus. For the pur-
pose of such drafts the silver dollars OF
Peru and Chile, the former called Soles, the
latter pesos, are preferred, and are quoted
at from one to ten per cent. above the
money of Colombia. The demand for
these foreign dollars, however, ceases when
the price of local drafts is such as to in
duee purchasers TO buy them at home,
where the gold OF the United States,
brought here for Panama Railroad pur-
poses, is generally plentiful, and is eagerly
bought up twice every month by mechan-
les and Others, principally to send away to
their friends and relatives at home.
When the foreign dollar was introduced
this gold was sold at par; but domestic
want added to the bi-monthly calls above
alluded to, has sent the American money
long way up In the market. Therefore
the very best sort OF funds one can posi-
bly, bring to South America is United
States gold, the premium on which is
always considerable.
The Colombian Government has lately
been occupying itself with
THE EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM.
The new organization ofnational schools
modelled on the German method. took eff.
feet in the year 1870, and already there are
IN the republic as many as 1900 educa-
tional institutions that are supported from
the public treasury, with an average oi
10000 pupils. There is also national
escuala normal for the special instruction
OF teachers in the capital of every depart
ment. Those trained for the work in these
normal schools are appointed to teach the
common branches in the national public
schools. There are many seminaries and
colleges of higher grade, besides private
schools for girls, where needlework and
household economy very properly receive
OFT .ba, al
matics, mechanics, etc.
The practice of all trades and profess
sions, including those of law, medicine,
and the apothecary, is absolutely unre-
stricted, so that one need not even possess
license or diploma Rather too much
liberty, one would say, in thus placing
human bones and bodies at the mercy OF
any quack who chooses to call himself a
doctor
In 1864 the Government began the con-
struction of telegraphic system, and
already more than two thousand meters
have been completed, connecting the i'm
portant centers of Northern Colombia, in
cluding the Pacific port of Buenaventura.
AT the latter town the telegraphic system
will be united with that OF the submarine
cable which runs along the coast of Chile
and Peru, and is intended to form iunc-
tion with the European and Atlantic
cables at Panama.
As mistress of the connecting hyphen
between the two countries, Colombia must
some day become very important coun-
try; although so far it has progressed at a
snaiPs pace. Its resources are incalcu-
liable, both in extent and variety. Its
numerous rivers render the agricultural
and manufacturing possibilities excep-
tional, while in metallic wealth it shows
the same richness that characterizes the
mountainous sections of the rest ot South
America. Calculated on the basis of 1880
the world produces one hundred million
dollars worth of gold, and seventy-ive
million dollars worth of silver annually.
To this total Spanish-America annually
contributes FIVE millions of gold. and
twenty-five millions OF silver.
According to Mulhall, the total amount
of gold which Spanish America has already
put into circulation amounts to
1920 TONS,
! Or the enormous sum of 81, 600 600
Most of the old mines are still yielding a:
we'll as they did centuries ago, while new
ones are being constantly discovered. Null.
hall places the United States next on the
list, with product of Sl,430,000 600, and
Australia third with 81, 100000.
An official estimate, based on State rec.
ords, OF the production of precious minerals
in Colombia during the last three han,
dred years puts the figures at S652 100000
up to the year 1884, and adds that the sill
yer produced during the present century
up to that date amounts to S226, 100000
The principal minerals yet discovered ara
gold, silver, platinum, mercury, lead, Gin
nabar, rock k-salt, coal and nitre. The re
gion about the cordilleras has as yet beer
but little explored, therefore no accurate
estimates of the mining possibilities can be
made. Many mines exist, however, ant
prospecting, which has lately received 9
| new imDetus Is seldom, fr,Iifless