The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-05-10

The Nations Resources I'm the Light OF
Its Dim Past.
New York Sun.

aTchy, the executive resting IN the KING,
The power to make laws lin the cortes
with the king" The cortes are COM
posed Of a senate and a congress, equal
in authority. There are three classes
of senators-first senator's by their
, own right; secondly, senators nominal
ed by the crown, and thirdly, senators
elected by the corporations of state,
that is, the and provincial
states, the church, the universities, acad-
emies and by the largest payers of con-
tributions. Senators by their own right
are the grandees of the kingdom, whose
titles and possessions entitle them to the
. privilege. The congress is formed by
deputies in the proportion of one to ev-
cry $1,000 population. In 1873 Cuba secur-
ed the right to send deputies to the cortes
in the proportion of one to every 1900
free inhabitants paying Us pesetas in
taxes yearly. The constitution further
enacts that the king is inviolabIe, but
his ministers are ~responsible and all his
DEGREES must be countersgned by one of
them. Thu cortes must approve his mar
rage before ne can contract 1t, and ne
cannot marry any one excluded by law
from accession to the crown If all the
lines become extinct the king would be
elected by a vote of the nation After
the king the reins of government are
guided by a president Of the council and
ministers of foreign affairs. justice,
finance, the interior, war, marine. agri-
culture, commerce and public works, and
a minister of the colonies.
) SPANS area and population, IS they
are at the present time, are interesting,
In view of the fact that once her pos
sessions were greater than those of any
other European power. Her present
area, including the Balearic and Cam
airy islands, each of which is considered
Il province, is 1I $40 square miles. New
, York New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and
all of the New England States COM
ined have an area OF 1906 square miles.
Spain is therefore a trife larger than
these states. On the other hand, Texas
has an area of 262, go square miles, so
that Texas is 74,620 square miles larger
than Spain. The population of Spain is
estimated to be II, go, ga, about the same
as that of the New England and Middle
States named.
Besides the Balearic and Canary is
lands Spain hofds the colonies of Cuba,
area Al $50 miles; population before the
war, 1881, 6S7; Porto Rico, area $500
square miles, population SOC, 70S. Total
area and population in America 1926
square miles and 2,43S,3 s5 persons respec-
Philippine islands, area 14,326 square
miles, population 100000; the Sulu is
lands, area $50 square miles, population
5000; the Caroline islands and Palaos.
area $50 square miles, population &c 5000;
the Marianne islands, area 420 square
miles, population 1O,172. Total area and
population i'm Asia, 1926 square miles
and 7,121 ,12 persons. Her possessions in
Africa are Rio de Orc and Adrar, area
2f3, 600 square miles, population 100, OOO;
Ifui (near Cape NUM-, area q square
miles, population 5000; Fernando Pc, An
nabon. Corisco. Elobey and San Juan,
area $50 square miles, population 80. 600.
Total area and population in Africa, 243,-
SIT square miles and 1916, 600 persons. The
total area of Spain's foreign possessions
is 45, SS square miles. The total pOpu-
laltion is 9,695,56l persons. So that her
foreign possessions have an area more
than twice as large as her own and a for
eigr population nearly half the size of
her own. Of course, when She loses Cuba
her foreign area will be reduced one
ninth and her foreign population, if the
loss of garrison is considered, reduced
nearly One-sixth.
Census returns show that a very
large proportion of the inhabitants of
the kingdom can neither read nor write.
In the whole of Spain it was found that
but 5,0o4,4 400 persons could read and write,
COS, 05 persons could read only, and yet
Spain supports "a 1929 public and 5.576 pri-
vate schools. A law making education
compulsory was passed in 1857, but it was
never enforced, partly for political rea-
sons and partly because of the wretched
pay of the teachers-$50 to 500 a year
being a usual fee. In higher education
Spain is not behind hand. She has ten
large universities, carrying an enroll
ment of 5000 students.
Spain gets it's revenue by a system Of
direct and indirect taxation, stamp du-
ties. government monOpolies, etc. Di-
rect taxes are imposed on Fdnueu prop
critics, houses, live stock, commerce, reg
istration acts, titles of nobility, mort
cages, etc: the indirect taxes come form
foreign imports, articles of
tolls, bridge and ferry dues. Her revenue
for 1896 and 1897 was 80, m, $50 pounds: her
expenditures so, 456, 5S4. She had besides
this, however. an extraordinary expendl-
ture Of 9.36o,Wo pounds. Her public debt
Is now over 81. 700. 900, 900. including over
$3.50, 900, 900 incurred in Cuba.
SnaiO is an AGRICULTURAL country. In
the early .nart C the century the coun-
try was Q med by landed proprietors
who had acquired great tracts of land,
but in recent years these tracts have
been divided and have passed into the
hands of small farmers and fruit grow
ers. The grape is the most important
culture. but large quantities of oranges,
raisins, nuts and olives are exported eV-
cry year. Spain is rich in minerals, the
annual value of her mineral exports
being about 6,64O,0O0 pounds. She also
manufactures cotton goods. She has
nearly 10000 looms. Her imports for 1896
and 1897 amounted to %, 366, 9O6 pounds.
Her exports brought her in 34;sS, 400
pounds. The most primitive conditions
prevail in many parts of Spain, and in
some parts life is almost the same as it
was when Columbus Travelled the coun-
try roads on foot leading his little son
by the hand. This is due to THE meagre
means of communication, there being
only 7,54S miles of railroads in the whole
country. This is only SO linear miles of
oo " SNSy w SdooA hAf~O 49,
tory. New England alone has is many
miles of railroad as has Spain, and her
territory is not nearly as great. The same
area aus Spain picked out of the upper
Eastern United States has nearly 80, OC
miles of road. But the people of Spain
still adhere to their gayly caparrisoned
mules, which, perhaps, make up in worn
out romance what they lack in speed.
Spain is we'll defended from invasion
by "a Gordon Of forts and fortified towns
drawn completely around her frontier
On the north there is Fuenterrabia, tine
fortified port of Passages and the mill
ltary ports Of Santona, Santander. Fer.
roll, Coruna and Vigo. In the BASQUE
provinces are Birboa and Vitoria. Tx
the left OF the Bbro are Pamplona, Ia
faila, Jaca- Venasqua, Monzon. Puy-
cerda. SEQ de Urzel BalaQuer and Leri
da. Nearer the Mediterranean are Car
dona. Hostafrich, Campredon. Ripol
Corona, Olot, Carte1fof,lt and Figueras
On the Mediterranean are Palamos
Barcelona, Tarragona, Malaga, Aime
ria, Carthagena and Alicante. Logrono
Tudela, Zaragoza. Mequinenza and Tor