"I am gratified to find that the revenue of the country is expanding to such dimensions as to indicate the rapid development of our undoubted resources in minerals and other natural products. The vast discoveries of gold in the Yukon region will give a great stimulus to commercial enterprise throughout the province, and in view of the urgent necessity of securing an all-Canadian route to the Yukon a measure will be laid before you for furthering that object as expeditiously as possible. The widespread discoveries of mineral wealth in the province indicates the importance of affording increased transportation facilities for their development, and I commend for your careful consideration certain measures which will be introduced tending to that desirable end.

"I have much pleasure in informing you that the efforts you made on former occasions to assist the Crow's Nest Railway have, in conjunction with aid from the Dominion Government, resulted in the active construction of that railway, and there is every prospect of its completion as far as Nelson during the present year. By this means the exten

lation on Vancouver island, of which Victoria is the capital, and of some jealousy on the mainland, of which Vancouver is the great commercial and business center. The old buildings, which were now replaced, dated from 1859, and were certainly not worthy of the province.

With the opening of the Legislature the political fight began. C. A. Semlin was Lader of the Opposition, and his chief assistant was F. Carter-Cotton. Though Conservatives in Federal politics, they were given during this session and in the ensuing elections the full support of the local Liberal party, led by Hewitt Bertock, M. P. The Hon. D. W. Higgins was re-elected Speaker, however, and much important legislation passed. Of this the loan bill and the redistribution-of-seats bill were the chief items. The former measure, dealing with railway development in the province, was the most important of the kind since 1883. The amount to be borrowed was $5,000,000. The bill involved the construction of an all-Canadian railway route to the Yukon from the coast to Teslin lake, an estimated distance of 400 miles; from Vancouver and

sive coal fields in the Crow's Nest pass will be made available, and the importance to the mining industry of a good and cheap fuel can not be exaggerated. I am happy to inform you that negotiations are in progress for insuring the early construction of the Victoria, Vancouver and Eastern Railway, which will open up the rich mining camps and agricultural lands.

"It is satisfactory to learn that the abundant harvest of last year has relieved the depression which formerly existed in our agricultural industry. In view of the adaptability of our province for dairy farming, steps will be taken for promoting its development. Our fisheries have maintained their high reputation, and offer a wide range for further expansion. The timber industry has shown marked improvement during the past year. "The revision of the statutes has been completed, and legislation will be introduced to give effect to the work of the commissioners."

The formal opening of the new Parliament buildings, erected at a cost of $900,000, took place on this occasion, and was the cause of much congratu

English Bluff, via the Fraser river valley and Chilliwack to Penticton, 230 miles; from Pentic ton to Boundary, 100 miles; from Boundary creek to Robson, 80 miles; and from Bute inlet to Quesnelle, 230 miles, being a grand total of 1,040 miles, all of which projected lines were on the mainland. The railway subsidy act of 1898 provided for a loan of $5,000,000, half of which had been authorized by the public works aid act of last year, out of which the proposed railways from English Bluff and Vancouver to Boundary creek via Penticton, and from Bute inlet to Quesnelle, were to be subsidized. The new act, which was in amendment of that of last year, continued these subsidies and added to them $4,000 a mile for a railway from Boundary creek to Robson, 80 miles, and a like amount for a railway from the coast of British Columbia to Teslin lake, 400 miles, which at a subsidy of $4,000 a mile called for $4,160,000. The remainder of the contemplated loan will be subject to the control of the House. The measure was vigorously opposed on the ground of increasing public liabilities, but eventually passed by a fair majority.

On April 14 the redistribution bill was introduced. It increased the number of members of the House from 33 to 38, gave Vancouver the same number as Victoria, and distributed the representation in other localities to suit the changing and increasing population. About this time also the provincial Government was advised by the Federal authorities that the alien labor bill, passed in the preceding session and held for the Governor General's approval, would not be put in operation, as it "seriously interfered with international relations and Federal interests." The House was prorogued in May, and dissolved soon afterward.

The elections took place on July 9 and resulted in the return of 19 Government supporters and 19 Oppositionists. A curious complication in the contest was the active participation of the Hon. Joseph Martin, formerly Attorney-General of Manitoba, a new resident in the province. He was elected for Vancouver and at once took a place as one of the Opposition leaders. The Turner Government thus lost its previous majority of 9, and on Aug. 8 the province was startled by the statement that Lieut.Gov. McInnes had dismissed his ministry and called upon the Hon. Robert Beaven, a member of the Opposition who had been defeated in the elections, to form a new Government. A prolonged constitutional controversy followed. The following extracts from letters written by the Lieutenant Governor to Mr. Turner explain his position in the matter and his reasons for calling in Mr. Beaven instead of Mr. Martin or Mr. Cotton. On July 14, five days after the election, he wrote: "I can not look on the result of the general elections in this province, held on the 9th instant, as other than adverse to your administration and an expression of want of confidence on the part of the people." On Aug. 8 he repeated this opinion, and added that the result of the single Cassiar election "would not reverse the verdict of the electorate," and he expressly declared that in calling for the resignation of his ministers he was "acting on what I consider the verdict of the electorate." Later in the same letter he says: "For, as I would not feel justified in granting you another dissolution and appeal to the electorate, and as, after a careful consideration of the situation, I am convinced that you could not command a majority of the Assembly, I shall not put the province to the delay or to the expense of a special session of the Legislature merely for the purpose of formally demonstrating to you what has already been sufficiently demonstrated to me by the general election." Writing to Mr. Semlin, the Lieutenant Governor said: "From the best information I could obtain, it was made to appear to me that there was no recognized leader of the party since the general election on the 9th ultimo, it being divided into two factions supporting respectively the claims of yourself and Mr. Martin to leadership."

Eventually Mr. Semlin was sent for and formed a ministry as follows: Hon. C. A. Semlin, Premier and Commissioner of Lands and Works; Hon.

Joseph Martin, Attorney-General; Hon. F. CarterCotton, Minister of Finance and Agriculture; Hon. J. Frederick Hume, Provincial Secretary; Hon. R. E. McKechnie, M. D., without portfolio. The new Government has entered upon its duties at an auspicious time. Financially, the province is in a good condition. The revenue has grown from $821,000 in 1893-'94 to $1,383,000 in 1897-'98, and out of this all ordinary expenditures have been made and more than $1,000,000 expended on permanent public works. An indication of the expansion in this direction is seen in the Kootenay district, where a revenue of $30,000 has grown to one of $230,000.

Mines and Minerals.-In 1897 the value of the product of British Columbia mines was $10,455,268, almost exactly $3,000,000 more than in 1896. To show what strides have been made since 1890 the value of the output for that year-namely, $2,608,803-must be mentioned. This progress is by no means all to be credited to gold, or even to the two precious metals exclusively, though they did contribute much the greatest part of it, but it is practically all to be set down to gold and silver mining, that is, the whole gain made within the past seven years has been derived from mines yielding mainly gold and silver, but in addition thereto copper and lead. Of the gold output, lode and placer, the value in 1897 was $2,636,340, against $1,788,206 in 1896; and of silver $3,272,836, against $2,100,689 in 1896; making the total yield of the two precious metals $5,909,170 in 1897, against $3,888,895 in 1896. In addition to this increase in the gold and silver constituent of the ores, there is an increase of about $750,000 to be put down to the lead and copper extracted from the same ores. The whole of this advance springs from the mines of a single district-West Kootenay; and mostly from two divisions of that district-the Slocan and the Trail or Rossland divisions. West Kootenay's yield, which amounted to $4,002,735 in 1896, rose to $6,765,703 in 1897. It will serve to emphasize the latter figures to note the fact that as late as 1892 the total output of West Kootenay's mines had not passed $100,000. Properly to appreciate this growth, we have to take into account the remoteness, almost inaccessibility, of the wilderness in which it has taken place. Of course, the isolation of the Kootenay miners is now a thing of the past, and more perfect connections with the outside world are being developed. An early realization of the wealth there led to the extension thither of the Spokane Falls and Northern Railway, one branch of that road, the Nelson and Fort Sheppard, being pushed into the silver country; another, the Red Mountain Railway, being thrown out to Rossland, The desire for an early entrance into the same promising market impelled the important mercantile interests of Eastern Canada to call for the construction of the Crow's Nest Pass Railway, which is now completed as far as the Columbia river. The following table shows the mineral production in two recent years:

Education. The twenty-sixth annual report on the condition of the public schools of the province was laid before the Legislature on Jan. 16, 1898. It covered the year ending June 30, 1897. There were 244 schools in operation-4 high, 22 graded, 213 common, and 5 ward. There were 384 monitors and teachers employed, 34 more than in the previous year. The whole number of pupils enrolled was 15,798, an increase of 1,338 over 1895'96. The actual daily attendance was 9,999.61, an increase of 745.36. The percentage of average daily attendance in the city districts was 71.06, in rural districts 58.81, and for the entire province 63.29. The expenditure from the provincial treasury for education proper during the year was as follows: Teachers' salaries, $150,949.22; per capita grants, cities, $49,687.80; incidentals, rural districts, $10,157.28; education office, $10,016.08; total, $220,810.38. The cost of each pupil, based on the total enrollment, was $13.97, and based on the actual daily attendance, was $22.08. The expenditure by the Lands and Works Department for the construction of schoolhouses, furniture, repairs, and improvements to school property was as follows: Schoolhouses in rural districts, $10,923.19; furniture, repairs, etc., $4,947.75; total, $15.870.94. The total expenditure by the provincial Government during the fiscal year for all purposes of education was as follows: Education, $220,810.38; Lands and Works Department, $15,870.94; total, $236,681.32.

Fisheries.-The yield of the fisheries of British Columbia in 1896 was as follows: Salmon, $3,142,732; halibut (fresh), $113,827; fur seal skins, $501.093; miscellaneous, $426,347; total, $4,183,999. The capital invested was $2,614,578, and the men employed numbered 15,925.

BULGARIA, a principality in eastern Europe, tributary to Turkey, created out of a former Turkish province by the Treaty of Berlin, signed July 13, 1878, giving effect to the independence achieved for Bulgaria through the armed intervention of Russia. Eastern Roumelia, which was made an autonomous province by the same treaty, expelled the Turkish officials in 1885 by the aid of Bulgarians of the principality, and the union of the two Bulgarias was proclaimed. The Sultan on April 6, 1886, signified his acquiescence in the fait accompli by a firman confiding the government of the province to the Prince of Bulgaria under the title of Governor General.

The legislative power is vested by the Constitution of 1879 in the Sobranje, a single Chamber containing 1 representative for every 20,000 of population, elected by universal adult male suffrage. The reigning Prince is Ferdinand I, son of Prince August of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, born Feb. 26, 1861, elected by the Great Sobranje on July 7, 1887, after the abdication of Alexander of Battenberg, and confirmed by the Porte and the powers in March, 1896. The ministry constituted on Sept. 7, 1897, was composed as follows: President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs and of Public Worship, Dr. C. Stoiloff; Minister of Finance, T. Theodoroff; Minister of Justice, G. Zgoureff; Minister of the Interior, N. Beneff; Minister of War, Col. N. Ivanoff; Minister of Public Works and Communications, J. Madjaroff; Minister of Commerce and Agriculture, C. Velitchoff.

nationalities. Sofia, the capital, has 47,000 inhabitants. The number of marriages in 1894 was 26,640; of births, 127,516; of deaths, 92,037; excess of births, 35,479.

Finances.-The revenue for 1897 was estimated at 83,425,019 lei, or francs, and the expenditure at 83,422,659 lei. The receipts from direct taxes were reckoned at 33,731,145 lei, and customs and excise receipts at 31,080,000 lei. Of the expenditures 18,267,992 lei were for the service of the debt, 22,104,000 lei for the army, 9,188,560 lei for public instruction, 8,380,876 lei for the interior, and 4,991,940 lei for finance. For 1898 the total revenue is estimated at 84,516,000 lei, and expenditure at 84,462,000 lei.

The debts consist of 42,063,500 lei of the loan contracted in 1886 for the purchase of the Varna and Rustchuk Railroad, 27,440,000 lei raised in 1888 and 1889, 83,141,000 lei borrowed under the act of 1892, a balance of 11,918,296 lei due to the Russian Government on account of the occupation, and 6,785,204 lei due to the Ottoman Government; total, 171,348,000 lei, besides the tribute of Eastern Roumelia, which never has been paid since the union was consummated, and the Bulgarian share of the Ottoman debt and annual tribute, which have remained in abeyance, the powers having omitted to fix the amounts in accordance with the treaty of Berlin.

The Army and Navy.-About 16,000 of the 40,000 young men who reach the age of twenty each year are drawn by lot to serve in the army for two years in the infantry or three years in the cavalry or artillery. The infantry are armed with Mannlicher repeating rifles, and the cavalry with carbines of 8 millimetres caliber, the artillery mostly with Krupp guns. The nominal peace strength for 1897 was 2,807 officers and 40,234 men, with 7,937 horses; war strength, 126,970 men in the first line and 81,996 in the reserve, or 208,966 in all, with 38,788 animals and 432 guns.

The naval force consists of an armed yacht, 4 gunboats, 7 sloop gunboats, and 3 torpedo boats.

Commerce and Production.-The Bulgarian peasants own their small farms of 1 to 6 acres, with common rights in the woods and pasture lands. They pay tithes of their crops to the Government, still mostly in kind, as under Turkish rule. Wheat is the main crop and the chief export, besides which tobacco, flax, and silk are raised, and sheep and goats are kept, furnishing wool, tallow, butter, cheese, and skins for domestic use and for export. The foreign trade is conducted to a large extent by Greek, Austrian, and Roumanian merchants. The leading imports in 1896 were textile manufactures for 26,457,000 lei, colonial goods for 6,575,000 lei, metals for 8,788,000 lei, timber and furniture for 4,124,000 lei, and machinery for 2,611,000 lei. The exports of grain were valued at 94,089,000 lei; of live animals, 4,247,000 lei. The amount of trade with different countries in 1896 is shown in the following table, giving values in lei:

COUNTRIES.

Great Britain.

Turkey..
Germany.
Austria-Hungary
France..

Belgium.
Russia
Italy..
Roumania
Servia.
Switzerland
Greece
United States

Total..

Communications.-There were 600 miles of railroads in 1897. The state telegraph lines had a length of 3,164 miles, with 6,500 miles of wire. The number of dispatches in 1895 was 1,282,525. The post office in that year carried 18,385,000 pieces of mail matter. The postal and telegraph receipts amounted to 2,720,399 lei; expenses, 2,929,791 lei. Political Affairs.-The understanding between Austria and Russia served to avert any serious disturbance in Macedonia when the Greco-Turkish war afforded an opportunity to the Balkan states to seek to achieve their ambitions. Yet, however correct the attitude of the Bulgarian Government, the party of expansion at Sofia was restless, and became bolder and more excited when the war was over and the Turkish provincial authorities dealt severely with Macedonian revolutionists and PanBulgarian agents who had stirred them to futile sporadic action. The gradual massing of an immense Ottoman military force in Thrace and Macedonia checked the smuggling of arms and seditious publications into Macedonia, discouraged fresh incursions of Bulgaro-Macedonian bands, and effectually restrained the Bulgarian party of action. The diplomatic relations between Sofia and Constantinople were not outwardly ruffled. On Jan. 31, 1898, the Grand Vizier replied to a memorandum of M. Markoff, the Bulgarian diplomatic agent, promising that all persons arrested on mere suspicion in the vilayet of Uskub would be released, that the vali would be held responsible for any further acts of violence, and that a military court would investigate. In the vilayets of Kossovo and Monastir also all imprisoned Bulgarians were set free except those who were known to have been implicated in revolutionary designs. After the commission of officers sent to inquire into cases of murder and outrage alleged to have been committed by Turkish soldiers, principally in the vilayet of Kossovo, had begun its investigation a secretary of the British embassy made a tour of inspection in Uskub and found evidences that some of the imprisoned Bulgarians had been horribly tortured, but they had been released before the arrival of the commission and threatened with death in the event of their giving evidence that they had been ill treated. The Porte's apprehensions concerning Bulgaria were allayed by the assurance that the Government would not provoke nor promote any Macedonian movement. Nevertheless the Turkish forces in the adjoining vilayets

CALIFORNIA, a Pacific coast State, admitted to the Union Sept. 9, 1850; area, 158,360 square miles. The population, according to each decennial census since admission, was 92,597 in 1850; 379,994 in 1860; 560,247 in 1870; 864,694 in 1880; and 1,208,130 in 1890. Capital, Sacramento. Government. The following were the State officers during the year: Governor, James H. Budd, Democrat; Lieutenant Governor, William T. Jeter, Democrat: Secretary of State, Lewis H. Brown, Republican; Treasurer, Levi Radcliffe, Republican, until his death, April 21, when the Governor appointed W. S. Green, Democrat, to succeed him ; Attorney-General, William F. Fitzgerald, Republican; Comptroller, E. P. Colgan, Republican; Superintendent of Instruction, Samuel T. Black, Republican; Surveyor-General, Martin J. Wright, Republican; Superintendent of Printing, A. J. Johnson, Republican; Insurance Commissioner, Andrew J. Clunie: Adjutant General, A. W. Barrett; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, W. H.

continued to be strengthened. The military activity excited in the neighboring Balkan kingdoms by the Bulgarian intrigues in the Turkish provinces acted also as a check on the movement. Roumania began moving troops down to the Danube. Diplomatic relations with Servia were strained. Meanwhile the tension that had existed between the courts of Vienna and Sofia since the reception of Prince Boris, the Bulgarian heir apparent, into the Orthodox Church was relieved to such an extent that the Emperor Franz Josef received Prince Ferdinand on March 7. Austria-Hungary continued to observe the truce with Russia in regard to Balkan affairs. The influence of Great Britain, which was long so powerful, in conjunction with the former policy of Austria, as to keep the Bulgarians estranged from their Russian liberators, had been completely extinguished. The warm and effusive New Year's congratulations exchanged between Prince Ferdinand and Prince Nicholas of Montenegro, long the only protégé of the Czar in the Balkans, was a sign of the changed relations between Bulgaria and Russia. The complete and triumphant subordination of the Bulgarian Government to Russian influence was proved by the return of the refugee Bulgarian officers who had been forced to fly the country because of the part they had taken in the various pro-Russian conspiracies against Prince Alexander and the regency and later against Prince Ferdinand and his ministers. One after another these officers, upon whom the death penalty would have been inflicted by former governments, were welcomed back to Bulgaria and reinstated in the army and advanced in rank on account of their service in the Russian army over the heads of those who had remained steadily loyal to the Government and impervious to the temptations held out by the insidious agents of Russian diplomatic intrigue. Excessive military and other expenditures created financial embarrassments for the Government, which were temporarily bridged over by a loan of 10,000,000 francs obtained from a French syndicate. Large retrenchments in the military expenditure are promised. In July the Czar signalized the return of cordial relations with Bulgaria by entertaining Prince Ferdinand with the Princess and their son, Prince Boris, at Peterhof. After his return from Russia, Prince Ferdinand visited the Czar's other protégé, Prince Nicholas of Montenegro.

Beatty, Republican; Associate Justices, T. B. McFarland, C. H. Garoutte, R. C. Harrison, W. C. Van Fleet, F. W. Henshaw, Republicans, and Jackson Temple, Democrat.

Finances.-The assessment roll was fixed, Sept. 1, at $1,085,904,868 for all property other than railroads. Railroads were assessed at $44,457,473, making the total roll $1,130,362,341. The amount to be raised was $2,553,602 for the general fund, $2,314,963 for the school fund, $141,435 for the interest and sinking fund, and 2 cents on each $100 for the State University. This requires a tax levy of 48.8 cents.

In San Francisco the amount of taxable property was $351,784,094, an increase over the assessment of 1897 of $3,829,264. The assessment of personal property is $68,695,110, and of real estate $283,088,984. Of the latter sum $189.559.834 represents the assessment of land and $93,529,150 of improvements. The figures show an increase in real-estate valuations of $4,931,119 and a decrease in personalproperty assessments of $1,101,855.

The University of California has $558,960 loaned on mortgage and has real property valued at $446,430, making a total of $1,025,390, which has been withdrawn from assessment.

The franchises of all corporations having special privileges, such as water, gas, electric light, telephone and street railroad companies, are assessed at $11,026,400.

Banks. The report of the Bank Commissioners gives the following summary of the condition of the commercial, savings, national, and private banks in the State Aug. 31, 1898: Resources-bank premises, $7,105,034.31; real estate for debt. $17,594,326.88; invested in bonds, $52,340,237.14; loans on real estate, $111,283,350.18; loans on stocks and bonds, $19.041,115.21; loans on other securities, $7,295,105.59; loans on personal security, $57,815,271.76;

HENRY T. GAGE, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA.

money on hand, $31,242,296.76; due from banks, $23,451.148.01; other assets, $3,724,645.74; total, $330.892,531.58. Liabilities-capital paid in coin, $50,870,258.21; reserve fund, $28,296,584.14; due depositors, $232,709,284.16; due banks, $12,380,739.94; public money, $177,718.29; other liabilities, $6,457.946.84; total, $330,892,531.58. Compared with the figures in the report of July 31, 1897, it shows an increase of assets and liabilities for all the banks of $28,477,075.96.

Loan Associations.-The annual report of these associations comes down to May 31, 1898. There were through the year 148 in the State; besides these, 5 ceased business and 4 began within the

year.

Three of the 5 are in course of voluntary liquidation, and 2 are in the hands of receivers. The number of members in all the associations is 37,690, of which 11,074 are borrowers. The report on the 148 associations was as follow: Assetsloans, $17,627,375.63; arrearages, $506,122.17; real estate, $1,761,625,87; cash in hand, $610.612.71; other assets, $264,990.34; total, $20,771,226.72. Liabilities-dues, installment stock, $13,107,176.69; paid up and prepaid stock, $1,231,121.75; earnings apportioned, $4,342,436.79; advance payments, $65,592.29; reserve and undivided profits, $450,209.63; unearned premiums, $234,075.63; overdrafts and bills payable, $938,895.74; other liabilities, $401,718.20; total, $20,771,226.72.

The net profits were $1,306.575.74, equivalent to 7.28 per cent. of the average amount of loans in force during the year. In 1894 the percentage was 7.77, in 1895 it was 7.19, in 1896 it, was 7.11, and in 1897 it was 7.20. Mortgage loans to the number of 2,584, and stock loans to the number of 1,802 were made during the year, the amount represented being $3,521,824.06, which is 19.97 per cent. of all the loans outstanding. The loans repaid amounted to

$4,156,450.66, or 19.08 per cent. of all the loans in force.

Education.-The annual apportionment of school money in July distributed $1,071,637.39 on the basis of the census enumeration of 340,952 children.

In the report of the San José Normal School it was shown that 93 per cent. of the graduates of the preceding year had taught in the public schools of the State. The enrollment for the year was 592.

The University of California received in September a gift valued at $2,000,000 from Miss Cora Jane Flood, consisting of the Flood residence and tract of about 540 acres, near Menlo Park, Cal., one half interest in about 2,400 acres of marsh land adjacent to the residence tract, and four fifths of the capital stock of the Bear Creek Water Company. The only conditions made by the giver were that the residence and a reasonable area about it, including the present ornamental grounds, shall be kept in good order for fifty years, and that the net income from the property and its proceeds shall be devoted to some branch of commercial education.

The new building for the medical department, one of the affiliated colleges for which buildings have been erected on a hill south of Golden Gate Park, was formally opened in October.

More than 200 students were graduated at the University May 18. Small classes were graduated in December.

At the commencement of Stanford University, May 25, a class of 161 students received degrees. A department of metallurgy and mining engineering has been added to the university. Heretofore the little work done on these lines has been in connection with the department of geology. It is announced that the Stanford residence (see "Annual Cyclopædia" for 1897, page 98) is to become "The Stanford Academy of History, Economics, and Social Science." It is to be the center of the extension work of the university; courses of lectures will be given on the subjects named, and provision will be made for post-graduate study.

Convicts. The annual report of the warden of the prison at San Quentin for the forty-ninth fiscal year, published in July, shows that the cost of maintaining each prisoner during the year averaged $10.76 a month. Deducting the earnings of the prison from the gross expenses, the net cost of maintenance was $9.06 per capita, or 30 cents a day. The monthly average of prisoners was 1,335 against 1,329 for the previous year. During the twelve months 37 deaths were recorded, of which 5 were executions and 1 a suicide.

The Insane.-At a session of the State Commission of Lunacy, July 19, a committee was empowered to enter into negotiations with the Chinese Six Companies and some steamship company to deport all the insane Chinese now in the State asylums. It was said that there are between 400 and 500 of these insane, and that their exportation to China would save the State annually $60,000.

The Chinese companies offered to give $25 a head toward the cost of transportation. As they are obliged to send to China the bones of every dead Chinaman, the shipment of which costs a material sum, the companies are in favor of transporting the insane as a business measure.

Insurance. The Insurance Commissioner made a written demand, in January, on each of the 34 European fire insurance companies doing business in California for unpaid license fees aggregating $279,530.98. In the majority of cases the claims ran back twelve years. They are based upon section 1 of the act of March 3, 1885, requiring foreign insurance companies to pay annually 1 per cent on their premiums to the treasurer of every county or