The evening times., 1898-10-19


| Advance sheets of consular reports is
| sued by the State Department give vari-
| GUS interesting facts observed by Ameri-
! can consuls in foreign cities. Papers just
out contain the following bits of informa-
( ton:
| Consul Halstead at Birmingham Eng
land. forwards to the department a state
! ment that 1t is seldom one can pick up
anything indicating that there are phases
| in the scheme of ocean freight rates so
| favorable to the United States as to Off
| set, in a measure, the disadvantage of
| non-ownership of a merchant marine.
| statement in the Birmingham Post.
which the cOnsu! refers to in this connec-
| tion contains some recent correspondence
| between a firm of British merchants and
the British-owned Tyser Line. steaming
from New York to Australia and New
Zealand. 1t shows that this British
steamship company gives American mer-
! chandse nearly half-rate preference in
! freight rates Notwithstanding the shorter
distance. The claim is also made that
! I-ii5 BOOCS are not dC-
cepted at the low American rate, even
/ when offered in New York city; but In
I one communication the Tyser people ex-
| pressed their willingness TO give the
| same rate TO British merchants.
| Consul Furniss sends the following from
! Bahia, Brazil, under date of August 2t:
There is one factory in this consular
| district devoted 10 the manufacture of
! powder This is situated in Cachoeira, a
! town of about 5000 inhabitants, some 20
miles distant from here. and reached by
! daily boats. The town is on the Para
/ Suazu River, a few miles above the head
! of the bay on which Bahia City is stu
! ated
| Il understand that the annual output
! amounts TO about 1909 kegs of 25 pounds
/ each. and that it retafls at from 80 10 40
/ nilreis per keg As the milreis varies
! each day in value a definite price in the
| United States money cannot be given:
| but today a milreis is worth H2 cents
| United States.
THE greater part of the manufacture
! Is common black sporting powder; very
| little of a better grade is made. Much of
! the powder is used 10 manufacture na-
| tive fireworks, consisting of poor roman
! candles, Skyrockets, pin wheels, and. the
| like, for which there is great demand. on
account of the numerous church festivals
| and saint days, and the national and
| state holidays, to say nothing of the
| large amount daily and nightly used for
| private parties and receptions, or to cele-
| brate the drawing of a prize at one OF
| the many lotteries.
In the city of Bahia no powder is al
| lowed 10 be kept except in cartridges
| and shells for soortsmen's use; and on &C
| count of the restrictions there is only one
store where these are handled. There are
I dor rar1 h4
| chased clandestneIy at prices sufficiently
! high to reimbu for risk run. This
practice is induiged in by the smaller
| stores where it Is sold under the name
| 'farinha prata. or black flour"
| Consul General Stowe sends from Cape
| Town, under date Of August 49, 1898.
copy of the bill to provide for the entry
of the colony of Natal into a South At
rican customs union. This. says Mr.
Stowe. is the first step toward the estab
| Hshment OF customs union, TO be en-
| tered into by the Orange Free State, Ma
! tai Rhodesia. Cape Colony. and, it is
| hoped the South African Republic The
third schedule of the bill prohibits the
| entrance of all articles of foreign manu-
/ facture bearing the name of manufactu-
! rers resident in the United Kingdom and
! the consul general calls attention 10 this,
because. he says. assumed names and ad
| dresses are used on nearly all lines pack
| ed in the Colony-perfurles with French
! names soothing syrupS with American
| addresses. etc. The proposed tariff. ne
| adds collects a duty of 20 per cent on
| all proprietary preparations.
Consul Little at Tegucigalpa sends to
| the department a copy of the constitution
| of the United States of Central America
| formerly called the Greater Republic of
Central Americal. which was formed by
! the representatives of Honduras. Nicar
aqua and Salvador in Managua, Near
| aqua, on the 9th of August 1855 BY this
| it is shown that the government of the
| nation is a representative democracy, and
is divided into three powers-legisative,
! executive and judicial.
The federal congress is composed of two
chambers-that of senator's and that of
| representatives The senate is to be COM
| posed of six senators from each of the
| three states and three from the federal
| district elected for the term of six years
by the respective legislatures. From the
| states and district, there is to be the
| same respective number of alternates-
Representatives are to be elected to the
| lower chamber for each 80 600 inhabitants
| Until census of the new republic is TAX
en- there are to be fourteen representa-
| tives from each state and four from the
| federal district. There is to be the CORE
spending number of alternates. Represen-
| tatives are to be elected for the term of
| four years.
The president of the republic is to be
elected by popular vote. His term of Office
is TO be four years beginning the 18th of
| March. The first constitutional term is
to begin on the 18th of March. 1899 Until
then, there is TO be a provisional execu-
| tive council, composed of one delegate
from each of the three states, which will
be installed at Amapala on November 1,
1885, The executive council is 10 adopt the
laws of one of the states, to prevail pro-
visionally in the federal district, until
congress determines the definite laws. The
first federal congress is to be installed the
| 1st day of March, 1899.
I "hp DarT nnTc