The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-11-01

Good Deal of Pooh Bah.
This deputy seems TO be a good deal
of a Pooh Bah in his way, for he as
| sesses the taxes and collects them
/ presides as a judicial functionary and
acts IN a variety of other capacities.
! Paramount TO him, however is the
| Spanish Bishop of Laruns, a neigh
! boring prelate, selected by the people
a. arbiter, who, with the chief deputy
and the remaining eleven members of
! the council, form the entire list of pub
/ lie functiOnaries. Probably they are
! enough in a population of l30! No
one is buried within the area of the
| republic, and as the only way in or
out is via the giddy mountain pass
| descending to LaTuns on the plains
! below, dead citizens are conveyed
! thence for burial by means of an arti
/ fetal chute constructed on the face of
/ the mountain. The ceremonies OF
marriage and christening are also per
! formed at Laruns. In dress and man
Ders this interesting little community
/ of democrats are much the same as
! they We're 200 years ago, isolation from
the rest of the world naturally con-
ducing to this result. They maintain
themselves by weaving a kind of cloth
and by raising sheep They speak a
! by brid dialect of French and Spanish
Independent commonwealth. It's ter
ritory at the eastern foothills of the
AppenlneS, covers an arear of thirty
three square miles. This Italian re-
public has been such since 1881, but
mas existed as a separate community
since SS5. San MarinO is, in one re
spect, like no other place on earth
you cannot print anything there, nor
publish anything printed else where
/ IN II
either. No business may be traus
actet in San MarinO city, markets of
all kinds being baniehed to San Ma
rinO iii BorgO, which is "a few miles
distant. San Marine city has IA pOpu-
Iation of about 1000, who, in their
customs and costume, have not aban
dODed or altered a siugIe detail of
those of the sixteenth century.
\ Quaint Old Place.
Reaching the place from Pisaro-
UrbinO by road, travellers are aston
ished at the medieval air of every
thing. Lofty, somber houses of for
gotten architecture, frowning over
narrow, hilly streets, gay Italian
dresses of the exact fashion of 1895,
the absence of commerce and the
quaint customs and manners of an
other age, produce an effect almost in
describable in its charm The great
council of sixty, whose mem berS mold
office for lite, are eligible for election
TO the council of twelve, who form n
final court of arbitration. The head
of the state is composed of a captain
regent chosen by the democracy and
another captain regent from among
the mobiles For there is an aristO-
cracy in this republic, and thus both
classes obtain full presentation IN
the government. The council of
twelve maintain a regular cabinet,
with a home and foreign secretary
and chancellor of the treasury. a
military establishment of 1000 men
constitutes the national defense and
acts as a police force beside; The
whole population of the republic is
probably about 5000 souls Italy re
cogntzes the complete independence
of San MarinO.
To reach the small republic of A u
dora, Independent since S19, in the
east of the Pyrenees, you must either
come in by water from France or by a
risky mountain trail from Spanish
territory. The Belela river enters it
from French soil in the depart
ment of Angee, the pass from
Spain in the district of Gala
DORA. The area of AndOrra IL
about $50 square miles, but its pOpu
latiOn little greater than that of San
MarinO. A bout one third of the peO
pie occupy the chief city, named after
the republic at large. Unlike SIu
Marino. this capital town Is losing
its former picturesqueuess year ~
year, for the people are active and in
touch with the outer world. Govern
ment is by the sovereign council of
twenty -four, elected by popular vote.
oh h. -
own number a syndic, who acts
as chief magistrate during his life
time. NOtwi hstandiug the autonomy
OF the AndOrTan government, pro-
tectOrate is claimed by France, tie
latter republic appointing one me ember
of the suprem- bench besides which
the court of final resort for AndOrran
lawsuits is that of the cessation III
Paris. But there is no further inter
ference The people of AudOrra are a
splendid race, who find in the noun
tain regions and on the fertile pains
of their country profitable work, min /.
ing iron and lead and raising fruit /
More than thousand men serve III /
the army Of the republic of AndOrra.
An Army of Three soldiers.
Wedged b-tweeu Vermees, in Bel |
gium, and AK la Chap-Ile Is another /
small repubtic-that OF Mausuct, with /
an area of four square miles. Three F..
thousand people here enjoy the privil |
eges of natIOuhOOj, and "a similar mum |
htr have done sO for more than 200 .
years Mausuet Is the capital town, aud .
1t mOnopOlizes about Onen nalf the /
pOpu ION. The national council of I
five held office for three years, ami /
there il also Il president who cannot
tie re elected more than once. Per 1
haps the most noticeable feature of /
the internal economy of this brave
little republic, which is guaranteed |
The protection of the German mpire,
- It's army. This is CO. posed of just
rhree soldiers, who, as there never can
be- any war, vary the mOnOtOny of
their lesurely existence by doing duty
n, policemen Clearly Mausuet must
be a vIrtuOus as well peaceable
democracy.