Finance Act, 1896,"* or any Acts amending the same, has been paid in the United Kingdom in respect of property situate at any place within the jurisdiction of such Court, passing on the death of the deceased person, representation of whose estate and effects shall have been granted out of such Court, it shall be lawful for such Court to repay the legal personal representative or representatives the amount paid by him or them to such Court in respect of that property on obtaining probate or administration under section 27 of this Table. 33. On every summons, motion, application, or demand, taken out, made, or filed (not particularly charged) 34. On every rule.. 35. On every decree or order (not particularly charged) 050 0 10 0 026 36. On motion for new trial after trial with a jury 100 50. On record of appeal (including expense of transmission). Such sum as the Court directs. Miscellaneous. 51. On taxation of any bill of costs, for every ten folios, from each party to the taxation 52. On every deposition taken before trial £ s. d. 050 0 10 0 2 per cent. on 53. On balances of estates of deceased persons paid into Court otherwise than in a suit .. amount. 54. On deposit or registration of bill of sale, will, deed of partner 61. For every exhibit 1 0 0 If exceeding that number, for every subsequent 100 words or At request of parties interested or of local authorities, if At request of parties interested, for each additional hour or 400 68. For preparing contracts between travellers and persons in their 72. For communication in writing to a foreign Consulate or to local 73. For attendance of Consular officer at local office or Tribunal 74. For attendance of interpreter at Consular Court, if required by a party in a suit .. Criminal Matters. per cent. on amount involved, not exce ding a total fee of 50 Such sum as the Cor directs, not exerci ing 31. per diem. 75. On every summons or warrant, unless specially directed by the M. J. MEADE, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General for Fars and Khuzistan. December 28, 1899. Approved and sanctioned by the Governor-General of India" Council at Fort William, this 16th day of January, 1900. W. J. CUNNINGHAM, Secretary to the Government Approved: SALISBURY. PROCÈS-VERBAL respecting the Deposit of Ratifications of the Venice Sanitary Convention of March 19, 1897.-Rome, October 31, 1899. [See Vol. LXXXIX, page 208.] MESSAGE of the President of the United States, on the Opening of Congress.-Washington, December 5, 1899. TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. AT the threshold of your deliberations you are called to mourn with your country inen the death of Vice-President Hobart, who passed from this life on the morning of the 21st November last. His great soul now rests in eternal peace. His private life was pure and elevated, while his public career was ever distinguished by large capacity, stainless integrity, and exalted motives. He has been removed from the high office which he honoured and dignified; but his lofty character, his devotion to duty, his honesty of purpose, and noble virtues remain with us as a priceless legacy and example. The The Fifty-sixth Congress convenes in its first regular Session with the country in a condition of unusual prosperity, of universal good-will, among the people at home, and in relations of peace and friendship with every Government of the world. Our foreign commerce has shown great increase in volume and value. combined imports and exports for the year are the largest ever shown by a single year in all our history. Our exports for 1899 alone exceeded by more than a billion dollars our imports and exports combined in 1870. The imports per capita are 20 per cent. less than in 1870, while the exports per capita are 58 per cent. more than in 1870, showing the enlarged capacity of the United States to satisfy the wants of its own increasing population, as well as to contribute to those of the peoples of other nations. Exports of agricultural products were 784,776,142 dollars. Of manufactured products we exported in value 339,592,146 dollars, being larger than any previous year. It is a noteworthy fact that the only years in all our history when the products of our manufactories sold abroad exceeded those bought abroad were 1898 and 1899. Government receipts from all sources for the fiscal year ended the 30th June, 1899, including 11,798,314 dol. 1 c., part payment of the Central Pacific Railroad indebtedness, aggregated 610,982,004 dol. 35 c. Customs receipts were 206,128,481 dol. 75 c., and those from internal revenue 273,437,161 dol. 51 c. For the fiscal year the expenditures were 700,093,564 dol. 2 c., leaving a deficit of 89,111,559 dol. 67 c. The Secretary of the Treasury estimates that the receipts for the current fiscal year will aggregate 640,958,112 dollars, and upon the basis of present appropriations the expenditures will aggregate 600,958,112 dollars, leaving a surplus of 40,000,000 dollars. For the fiscal year ended the 30th June, 1899, the internal revenue receipts were increased about 100,000,000 dollars. The present gratifying strength of the Treasury is shown by the fact that on the 1st December, 1899, the available cash balance was 278,004,837 dol. 72 c., of which 239,744,905 dol. 36 c. was in gold coin and bullion. The conditions of confidence which prevail throughout the country have brought gold into more general use, and customs receipts are now almost entirely paid in that coin. The strong position of the Treasury with respect to cash on hand and the favourable showing made by the revenues have made it possible for the Secretary of the Treasury to take action under the provisions of section 3694, Revised Statutes, relating to the sinking fund. Receipts exceeded expenditures for the first five months of the current fiscal year by 13,413,389 dol. 91 c., and, as mentioned above, the Secretary of the Treasury estimates that there will be a surplus of approximately 40,000,000 dollars at the end of the year. Under such conditions it was deemed advisable and proper to resume compliance with the provisions of the Sinking Fund Law, which for eight years has not been done because of deficiencies in the revenues. The Treasury Department therefore offered to purchase during November 25,000,000 dollars of the 5 per cent. Loan of 1904, or the 4 per Cent. Funded Loan of 1907, at the current market price. The amount offered and purchased during November was 18,408,600 dollars. The premium paid by the Government on such purchases was 2,263,521 dollars, and the net saving in interest was about 2,885,000 dollars. The success of this operation was sufficient to induce the Government to continue the offer to purchase bonds to and including the 23rd day of December instant, unless the remainder of the 25,000,000 dollars called for should be presented in the meantime for redemption. Increased activity in industry, with its welcome attendant-a larger employment for labour at higher wages-gives to the body of the people a larger power to absorb the circulating medium. It is further true that year by year, with larger areas of land under cultivation, the increasing volume of agricultural products, cotton, corn, and wheat, calls for a larger volume of money supply. This is especially noticeable at the crop-harvesting and crop-moving period |