I. AMERICA.

ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.

(REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA.)

Constitution and Government.

THE Constitution of the Argentine Republic, a group of states formerly known by the name of 'Provincias Unidas del Rio de la Plata,' bears date May 15, 1853, with modifications in 1860, when Buenos Ayres joined the confederacy. By its provisions, the executive power is left to a president, elected for six years by representatives of the fourteen provinces, equal to double the number of senators and deputies combined; while the legislative authority is vested in a National Congress, consisting of a Senate and a House of Deputies, the former numbering 28, two from each province, elected by the provincial legislatures, and the latter 86 members. By the constitution there should be one deputy for every 20,000 inhabitants. A deputy must be 25 years of age, and have been a citizen for four years. The deputies are elected for four years, but one half of the House must retire every two years. Senators must be thirty years of age, have been citizens for six years, and have an annual income of 1007. One-third of the Senate is renewed every three years. The two chambers meet annually from May 1 to September 30. The members of both the Senate and the House of Deputies are paid for their services, each receiving 7001. per annum. A vicepresident, elected in the same manner, and at the same time as the president, fills the office of chairman of the Senate, but has otherwise no political power. The president is commander-in-chief of the troops, and appoints to all civil, military, and judicial offices, and has the right of presentation to bishoprics: he is solely responsible for the acts of the executive; both president and vicepresident must be Roman Catholics.

President of the Republic.-General D. Julio A. Roca, elected President, September 1880, and installed in office, October 12, 1880.

The Ministry, appointed by and acting under the orders of the

President, consists of five Secretaries of State, namely, of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, Finance, War, and Justice.

The president has a salary of 4,000l., the vice-president of 2,000, and each of the five ministers of 1,8001. each per annum.

ment.

The Constitution, with certain small exceptions, is identical with that of the United States. Such matters as affect the Republic as a whole are under the superintendence of the Central GovernThe governors of the various provinces are invested with very extensive powers, and to a certain degree independent of the central executive. They are not appointed by the president of the Republic, but elected by the people of each province for a term of three years. The provinces elect their own legislatures, and have complete control over their own affairs.

Although Roman Catholicism is recognised as the religion of the State, all other creeds are tolerated; in 1883, 53,8001. were set down in the budget for public worship.

There are two Universities in the Republic, Buenos Ayres and Cordova, with 66 professors and 923 students in 1882; a mining school and an agricultural school with 10 professors and 76 students. There are also 28 middle-class and normal schools, with 6,707 pupils, and 1,985 primary (national, provincial, municipal, and private) schools, with 128,919 pupils. There are besides a few special schools. In the elementary schools there is thus only 1 pupil to about 28 inhabitants. On primary schools the State spent 120,000l. in 1883, which was considerably supplemented by the provinces and municipalities.

Justice is exercised by a supreme court of five judges and an Attorney-General, which is also a court of appeal, and by a number of inferior and local courts, trial by jury being established for criminal cases.

Revenue and Public Debts.

The public revenue assigned to the central government is derived almost entirely from customs duties, which are very heavy, and al! other sources furnish comparatively little to cover the public expenditure. The latter is made up chiefly of the cost of army and navy, and the service of the national debt. For some years past the annual expenditure exceeded the annual revenue.

The total receipts in 1883 amounted to 30,050,195 dollars (from which 2,814,015 dollars are deducted for expenses of collection), and ordinary expenditure 34,837,337 dollars, besides 19,223,689 dollars of debt, which were due. The estimates for 1885 wererevenue 40,494,184 dollars, expenditure 43,080,761 dollars. The following are the details of the budget for 1886 :

Each province and municipality has besides its own budget, involving an additional expenditure of 3 millions sterling; the total national and provincial expenditure amounting to about 31. per head. The budget of Buenos Ayres province for 1886 is 5,799,666 dollars revenue, and 6,719,351 dollars expenditure, showing a deficit of 919,685 dollars.

The Argentine debt (in June 1885) was as follows:

The internal debt being in paper money, and gold at 43 per cent. (Sept.) per annum, the actual balance of internal debt is only 6,800,000l. The above does not include the new Pelligrini loan for 8,000,0007, about which there are some questions still pending between the London Syndicate and the Argentine Government. Nor does it include the Madero port loan for 19,340,000 gold dollars, which, according to the semi-official papers of B. Ayres, was duly signed and concluded in August, 1885. The total debt (exclusive of uncovered paper money,) would therefore amount in October, 1885, to the following sums:

The loans of the Provinces include a new railway loan for Entre

Rios for 1,230,000l. sterling.

Army and Navy.

The army comprises 18 generals, 320 field-officers, and 740 subalterns, with 800 artillery, 2,500 horse and 3,500 foot, in all 7,000 combatants. The militia comprises 236,000 men, between 17 and 45 years, and 68,000 reserve, between 45 and 60 years. There is a military and a naval academy.

In 1885 the navy of the Republic included 1 sea-going armourclad, 2 armoured monitors, 1 unarmoured corvette, 6 gunboats, 1 torpedo-depôt ship, 4 first-class torpedo boats armed with Whitehead torpedoes, 4 other boats with spar torpedoes, and about 20 other steamers of various classes, mostly of small size. There are

also a few sailing vessels. There are in all about 65 guns. The Patagonia, an unarmoured cruiser, was launched in July, 1885, and will soon be ready for her trials. The seagoing armour-clad Almirante Brown is of 4,200 tons displacement, 5,400 horse-power, and is protected by 9-inch steel-faced armour. In her central battery she carries 6 11 ton breech-loading guns of the new Armstrong type, and has 2 other guns of the same calibre mounted at the bow and stern respectively. She is also equipped with Whitehead torpedoes and the electric light. Her design was prepared by Mr. W. H. White, now Assistant Controller and Director of Naval Construction, H.M. Navy, and she was built in 1881 by Messrs. Samuda. The 2 monitors were built in 1874-5 by Messrs. Laird. They are each of 1,535 tons displacement and 750 horse-power; have 6-inch iron armour and an armament of 2 12-ton guns in a single turret protected by 8-inch armour. The torpedo-depôt ship Mai-pú is a paddle-wheel steamer, and carries a large outfit of the appliances needed for torpedo warfare. The first-class torpedo boats were built by Messrs. Yarrow, and attained remarkably high speeds. None of the other vessels in the fleet call for any special notice. The navy is manned by 1,500 officers and men, of whom 320 are officers and 370 marines.

Area and Population.

At the last census, 1869, the population of the provinces amounted to 1,736,922, exclusive of the national territories. An official estimate for 1885 gives the population as 3,000,000, including 400,000 foreigners-viz. 130,000 Italians, 60,000 French, 60,000 Spaniards, 20,000 English, 10,000 Germans, and the rest of various nationalities.

The following table contains a list of the fourteen provinces actually composing the Argentine Republic, their estimated area, and the number of inhabitants, according to an official estimate of