Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/395

* GUIANA. 847 GUIANA. rum (£300,583). Some timber and woods, bala- ta. and molasses are also shipped out. About 40 per eent. of the sugar goes to (Jreal J5ritain and I he Inited States. The eonimeree of liritish (iui- ana dtH-s not appear to be increasing. The total value of e.xports for lilOO-Ol was £2,0tiS,40G; of imports, £1,393,529. The latter eonsist principally of tissues, flour, manures, rice, and machinery. Xorth America supplies the Colony with fish. Fully half the Colony's trade is with Great Brit- ain. " In 1900-01 the total tonnage entcreil and cleared was 709,928 tons. The colonial fleet consists of 48 vessels, with 2793 tons, (ieurge- town (q.v. ) is the chief port: next in commercial importance is New Amsterdam, at the mouth of the Berbice. There are 75 miles of railway. 500 miles of river navigation, GOO miles of telegra[)h lines, and about 75 post-offices. The Colony is administered by a Governor ap- pointed by the Crown. The Governor is assisted by an E.xecutive Council and by a Court of Pol- icy, consisting of seven appointed and eight elect- ed representatives. In addition, there is a court made up of six financial representatives, who are also chosen by the registei'ed voters (2400). In 1900-01 the revenues and expenditures of the Colony nearly balanced at a little over £500,000. The colonial" debt was £088,400. Besides the twenty-five savings banks, there are two banks with a note circulation. The population in the same year was 294,943, among whom were 2000 Europeans, 105,500 East India coolies, 99,700 negroes, and 3800 Chinese. The Asiatics furnish the labor for the plantations. The common lan- guage is English, and English money is ordinarily used. In 1900 there were 212 public schools, at- tended by 27.500 pupils. Dutch Guiana, or Surinam. This Colony, belonging to the Xetherlands, lies next east of Britisli Guiana, and is bordered on the east by the Maroni River. Its estimated area is 49,800 square miles. Only the sea region is developed, the interior having been little explored. The coast is generally rather swampy. Its inhabited portions are protected and drained by dams and canals, and are nowhere wider than 25 miles. Along the coast are fine mangrove forests. Among the woods exploited by the natives here and farther inland are manioc and .several varieties of palms. -Agriculture is almost the sole indus- try of the Europeans, sugar being the principal product. Cacao, bananas, rice, and maize are grown. The coffee and cotton industries have been rapidly dying out since the abolishment of slave labor. There are over 40,000 acres in all crops. Gold was first discovered in 1870 along the east- ern edge of the territory, but the mining of it has been not a little interfered with by the contest over the boundary line. In 1900 the production of gold was .$522,000. practically the whole being exported. The total of all exports for the Col- onv in 1900 was 5.540,000 guilders (.?2.2!r).OO01 ; of" all imports 6.170,000 guilders (.«2,4r)S,000) . The colonial fleet consists of 404 ships with 280.- 113 registered tons. The trade is with the I'nited States, Great Britain, and (chiefly) Holland. There are no railways and only a few miles of telegraph lines. The Colony has a Crown Governor, with a coim- cil of four members nominated by the Queen. The Colonial .Assembly, or 'States,' consists of four representatives named by the Governor, together Vol. IX.— 23. with one representative elected for every two hun- dred electors. There are 16 districts for admin- istrative purposes. The laws are those of the Netherlands. In 1901 the colonial revenues were 2,324,000 guilders (.$929,000) ; the expenditures, 2,705,000 guilders (.$1,082,000): subvention from the mother country, 381,000 guilders ($1.52, 400) . The official language is Dutch, but English is much used. The population in 1899 numbered 82,300, of whom 12.000 were Indians and Bush negroes, and 1200 were Israelites. The po|>ulation for the most part belong to the Mtu'avian and the Re- formed Lutheran churches. The natives are of little .service for industrial purposes except as workers in the forests. In 1899 there were 53 common schools, with 7200 children in attendance. The high schools numbered three. Paramaribo (q.v.) is the capital and only important town. French Guiana, or Cayenne. This Colony and penal settlement of France lies between Dutch Guiana and Brazil, the River Oyapok being on the eastern border. Its area is estimated at .30,- 500 square miles. The surface rises quite grad- ually from the unhealthful coast to the moun- tain border on the south, where the highest point, however, does not reach above 2700 feet. The coast is not so low as that of British and Dutch Guiana. There are several rivers, but none of importance. Only a small part of the country is icnown. Fevers, particularly yellow fever, decimate the region, and proved so fatal to French convicts that white prisoners have long been sent elsewhere. Less than 10,000 acres of land are under cultivation. Cacao, coflTee, cot- ton, tobacco, and many other crops grow-. Cacao also flourishes wild. The industrial growth of the Colony is very slow and discouraging. The culti- vated land is poorly handled and b.y about only 6000 hands. There are but a few thousand head of live-stock in the Colony. Gold-mining is the leading industry, and gold is the chief article of export. CJold was discovered in 1853. The value of its annual export has fluc- tuated considerablv. In 1900 the total mined product of the niet'al was .$1,412,000. The devel- opment of this industry is much affected by the high rate of mortality. There is a little produc- tion of phosphate, silver, and iron. Some marble and balata and rosewood oil also figure in the list of exports. In 1900 the imports were 9.700,- 000 francs : the export of native products, 0,350,- 000 francs. Nearly all the trade is with France. In the Colony's commerce of 1899 were engaged 180 ships, of 38,872 registered tons. There are no railways. A cable connects Cayenne with France. The Colony is administered by a Governor ap- pointed at Paris. He has a Privy Council of seven members. The Colony has sixteen represen- tatives in its Council General, and sends one Deputy to the National Chamber. The Colony is comparatively a heavy financial drain on the Republic, requiring, in 1902. 7,086.000 francs — mostly for the penal establishment. In 1901 the local budget balanced at about $550,000. In 1895 there were 30.310 inhabitants, among whom were 4360 hard-labor convicts and 1500 native Indians. The convicts are restricted to four localities. The He du Diahle off the coast, northwest of Cayenne, became famous throiich the imprison- ment there of Alfred Dreyfus. Cayenne, the capi- tal (q.v.). and the only important town, h.ns one college. The group of islands called the lies du