Defence. Two regiments There is also a The standing army consists of about 5,000 men, stationed in Seoul. They are drilled by two American instructors and native officers. are equipped with Remington rifles, and are fairly efficient. battery of Gatling and one of Krupp guns. A force of 500 cavalry has been organised, armed with carbines and swords. In theory about 1,200,000 men are fit for military duty, and these should be supported by the population at the rate of about two soldiers to three families; but, in fact, not one-hundredth of the men available perform military duties. Even of those who serve, the work is chiefly that of messengers, tax-gatherers, and police. The Corean Government has three merchant steamers which carry tribute and rice to Chemulpo from the non-treaty ports. Production and Commerce. In the south of Corea, rice, wheat, beans, and grain of all kinds are grown, besides tobacco; in the north the chief crops are barley, millet, and oats. Probably only half the available land is cultivated. Gold, copper, iron, and coal abound, but no attempt is made to develop these resources. In 1876 Corea concluded a treaty with Japan; in 1882 China (Trade and Frontier Regulations) and the United States; in 1883 Germany and Great Britain; in 1884 Italy and Russia; in 1886 France; in 1892 Austria. An overland Trade Convention has been concluded with Russia, whose frontier is separated from that of Corea by the Tiumen River. In these treaties Corea was treated with as an independent State. By virtue of these treaties Seoul and the three ports of Jenchuan, Fusan, and Yuensan are open to foreign commerce. The total value of the trade (merchandise only) at the three ports has been as follows: The imports in 1892 were: cotton goods, chiefly shirtings and muslins, value 2,130,103 dollars; woollen goods, 31,713 dollars; miscellaneous piece goods, 11,326 dollars; metals, 759,364 dollars; sundries, 1,665,979 dollars. The chief exports were beans, value 797,884 dollars; cow-hides, 291,080 dollars; rice, 998,519 dollars. The actual trade is much greater than that stated. The statistics refer only to the three open ports, at which a customs service has been established, conducted by foreigners detached from the Chinese customs service. No account is taken of the trade at non-treaty ports, or of that on the Russian and Chinese frontiers, or of the under-valuation of imports owing to "ad valorem duties. Government has a monopoly of the important product ginseng, which is farmed out to a company and exported overland to China to the value of about 40,000l. annually. Of the total imports in 1892, 2,050,854 dollars were from China, 2,542,486 dollars from Japan, and 5,145 dollars from Russian Manchuria. About 60 per cent. (in value) of the imports are goods of British manufacture, and 30 per cent. Chinese and Japanese. Of the exports, 149,861 dollars were to China, 2,271,928 dollars to Japan, and 21,950 dollars to Russian Manchuria. The export of gold (mostly to China) for 1892 as declared at the customs was 852,751 dollars, but almost as much is said to be taken away by junks and fishing vessels visiting the non-treaty ports. The number of vessels entering from foreign countries in 1892 was 1,386 of 390,497 tons. The shipping is nearly all in Japanese hands; three British steamers of 426 tons (three visits of one small whaler), 15 German of 6,045 tons, 22 Norwegian of 9,768 tons, and 45 Russian of 24,855 tons entered the three ports. The number and tonnage of the vessels entered in 1892 was :-Steamers 538 of 358,771 tons; sailing vessels, 131 of 8,278 tons; junks, 717 of 23,448 tons ; total, 1,386 of 390,497 tons. Transport in the interior is by porters, pack-horses and oxen. Two river steamers are being built for a Chinese company to ply on the Han river between Chemulpo and Riongsan, and there is a project for a tramway to connect Riongsan and Seoul (3 miles). A telegraph line runs from Seoul north to the Chinese frontier, connecting with the line to Shanghai; another runs south to Fusan, connecting with the cable to Japan; a third from Seoul to Yuensan, thence north to the capital of the north-east province, and will probably be connected eventually with the Russian telegraph system at Novokievsk. Money. The legal currency is the copper cash, but the Mexican dollar and the Japanese yen can, in some provinces, be changed. In remote districts only silver ingots can be changed. About 560 old cash pieces are given for the dollar or yen; of the inferior 5-cash pieces recently coined, as many as 650 are given for a dollar. A new mint has been built at Chemulpo, and from metal sent from Japan, specimens of a new coinage have been struck in silver, nickel, and copper. British Minister Plenipotentiary.-N. R. O'Conor, C. B., C. M.G. (at Peking). British Consul-General at Seoul.-Walter C. Hillier. Acting Consul-General at Scoul.-W. H. Wilkinson. Acting Vice-Consul at Chemulpo.-H. H. Fox. Books of Reference concerning Corea. Annual Reports and Returns on the Trade in Foreign Vessels. Shanghai, 1893. Dallet, Histoire de l'église de Corée. Paris, 1874. [This work contains much accurate information concerning the political and social life, geography, and language of Corea]. Dictionnaire Coréen-Français, par les missionaires de Corée de la Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris. Yokohama, 1880. Grammaire Coréenne (by the same). Yokohama, 1881. Griffis (W. E.), Corea: the Hermit Nation. London, 1882. Hall (J. C.), A Visit to Corea in 1882, in Proceedings of Royal Geographical Society, 1883. Hamel (Hendrik), Relation du Naufrage d'un Vaisseau Holandois, &c., traduite du Flamand par M. Minutoli. 12. Paris, 1670. [This contains the earliest European account of Corea. An English translation from the French is given in Vol. IV. of A. and J. Churchill's Collection, fol., London, 1744, and in Vol. VII. of Pinkerton's Collection, 4, London, 1811]. Lowell (Perceval), Choson, the Land of the Morning Calm. A Sketch of Korea. London, 1883. Oppert (Ernst), Corea: a Forbidden Land. S. London, 1880. Report for the Year 1892 on the Trade of Corea, 'Diplomatic and Consular Reports.' London, 1893. Reports by Vice-Consul Carles on Journeys in Corea. London, 1885. Ross (Rev. J.), History of Corea. Paisley, n.d. Scott (James), A Corean Manual. 2nd ed., London, 1892. Scott (James), English-Corean Dictionary. Shanghai, 1891. Underwood (H.), Concise Dictionary of the Corean Language. Shanghai, 1890. Underwood (H.), Grammar of Corean Language. Shanghai. COSTA RICA. (REPÚBLICA DE COSTA RICA.) Constitution and Government. THE Republic of Costa Rica, an independent State since the year 1821, and forming part from 1824 to 1830 of the Confederation of Central America, is governed under a Constitution first promulgated in 1859, but modified very frequently since that date. Practically there was no constitution between 1870 and 1882. The legislative power is vested in a Chamber of Representatives one representative to every 10,000 inhabitants-chosen in electoral assemblies, the members of which are returned by the suffrage of all who are able to live respectably.' There were 537 electors in 1889, and 26 deputies. The members of the Chamber are elected for the term of four years, one-half retiring every two years. The executive authority is in the hands of a president, elected, in the same manner as the Congress, for the term of four years. President of the Republic.-José Joaquin Rodriguez was popularly elected President on May 8, 1890. Owing to a dispute with the legislature the President on September 13, 1892, proclaimed himself Dictator, and suspended all constitutional guarantees. The adminstration normally is carried on, under the President, by four ministers-viz. of the Interior; of Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Worship; of Commerce and Finance; and of War and Marine. Area and Population. The area of the Republic is estimated at 23,000 English square miles, divided into five provinces and two territories. According to the census of February 18, 1892, the population was 243,205 (122,480 males and 120,725 females), besides 19,456 (estimated) unenumerated, and about 3,500 aborigines. The enumerated population gives on an average 10 5 inhabitants to the square mile. There were in 1891 1,000 marriages, 7,684 births (197 per cent. illegitimate), and 8,489 deaths, showing a deficiency of 805 births, but the registration of births and marriages is very imperfect. In the same year 6,330 persons entered and 3,706 left Costa Rica. The population of European descent, many of them pure Spanish blood, dwell mostly around the capital, the city of San José (population 19,326), and in the towns of Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia (pop. 6,047), Guanacaste, Puntarenas, and Limon. The government encourages immigration by the sale of land on easy terms. Attempts are being made to form Spanish, Cuban, and North American colonies. Religion and Instruction. The Roman Catholic is the religion of the State, but there is entire religious liberty under the Constitution. In 1892 there were in the Republic 2,245 Protestants, 35 Jews, and 224 Buddhists, &c. Education is compulsory and free. In 1892 there were 267 primary schools, with 11,472 pupils in attendance, besides five establishments for higher education costing 87,030 In 1891, 546,035 pesos were devoted to education. pesos. Justice. Justice is administered by the Supreme Court of Justice, two Appeal Courts, and the Court of Cassation. There are also subordinate courts in the separate provinces, and local justices throughout the Republic. Capital punishment cannot be inflicted. For 1891-92 the principal items of revenue were, in pesos:-Customs, 2,143,164; spirits and tobacco, 2,185,670; of expenditure-public works, 549,287; education, 525,249; interior, 417,590; finance and trade, 415,215; army, 431,590.; police, 257,208. The foreign debt of the Republic consisted of a six per cent. loan of the nominal amount of 1,000,0007., contracted in England in 1871 and a 7 per cent. loan, of the nominal amount of 2,400,0007.-issued at 82-contracted in 1872. The amount outstanding in January 1887 was 2,691,3007., and the accumulated interest amounted to 2,119,5127. This debt has been converted into a total amount of 2,000,0007. sterling at 5 per cent.¡from January 1, 1888, and has been taken over by the Costa Rica Railway Company. The internal debt on March 31, 1892, amounted to 2,811,100 pesos. To facilitate agricultural operations and immigration, a concession has been granted for an agricultural bank with a capital of 1,000,000. The bank will not only make advances on the security of lands and produce, but will bring out colonists and settle them on lands which will be ceded to the company. Defence. Costa Rica has an army of 600 men, and on a war footing can command 34,273 militia, as every male between 18 and 50 may be required to serve. Industry and Commerce. Almost anything can be grown in Costa Rica, but, the principal agricultural products are coffee (378,224 quintals in 1892), bananas and sugar (162,804 quintals in 1891.) In 1890 there were 8,130 coffee plantations with 26,558,251 tons. Maize, rice, wheat, potatoes, are commonly cultivated. Gold and silver mines are worked; the annual value of the produce being about 128,000 pesos. In 1892 the live stock consisted of 345,665 cattle, 77,043 horses, and 2,765 sheep, valued at, in all, 5,827,606 pesos. The following is the value in pesos of the imports and exports for five years : 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 5,201,922 6,306,408 6,337,500 8,351,029 5,389,749 5,713,792 6,965,371 10,290,760 9,664,607 9,113,948 The most important export is coffee, the quantity exported in the year 1892, being valued at 8,024,651 pesos. Other exports were bananas, 707,282 pesos; hides and skins, 90,249 pesos; wood, 97,102 pesos; coin and bullion, 68,047 pesos. Of the imports the value of 1,702,145 pesos was from Great Britain, 1, 295, 682 pesos from the United States, 947,647 pesos from Germany, and 526,382 pesos from France. Of the exports the value of 4,916,287 pesos was to Great Britain, 3,642,896 pesos to the United States, and 386,737 pesos to Germany. The imports into the United Kingdom from Costa Rica, according to the Board of Trade Returns, amounted in 1892 to 519,1117., of which 504,3077. was for coffee; and the value of the domestic exports from the United Kingdom to Costa Rica amounted to 124,4787.; the chief articles exported being cottons, 34,6327.; iron, 17,7197.; woollens and worsteds, 11,7467. ; machinery, 5,9241. (For earlier years see GUATEMALA.) Shipping and Communications. In 1893 Costa Rica had 2 merchant steamers of 528 tons and 1 sailing vessel of 318 tons. In 1892 the number of vessels which entered the ports of Limon and Puntarenas was 372 of 388,499 tons. In 1891 the number entered was 395 of 411,539 tons (126 of 164,560 tons British); and cleared 398 of 416,116 tons (128 of 165,347 tons British). The railway system of Costa Rica extends from Limon, on the Atlantic coast, inland to Alajuela, 147 miles. From Puntarenas, on the Pacific, a line extends to Esparza, 14 miles. This line is being continued to Alajuela, and when it is completed there will be railway communication between the east and west coasts. Other railways are projected. In 1891 there were 50 post offices. Letters, &c., despatched internal, 838,051; external, 752,686. There are (1891) telegraph lines of a total length of 630 English miles, with 43 telegraph offices. The number of messages in 1891 was 222,231. Money, Weights, and Measures. MONEY. There are two banks in Costa Rica, the Anglo-Costa Rican Bank, and the Bank of Costa Rica, with a capital of 1,000,000 pesos, and 1,500,000 pesos respectively. The Peso or Dollar, of 100 Centavas: normal value, 4s.; approximate value, 28. 10d., gold being at a premium of 90 to 95 per cent. In 1892 the silver coinage executed at Birmingham for Costa Rica amounted to 138,091 pesos. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. The metric system is now in use; the following are the old weights and The old weights and measures of Spain are in general use, but the introduction of the French metric system is contemplated. |