PAPERS READ. COMMERCIAL RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES WITH SPAIN AND HER COLONIES. By His Excellency DON ARTURO DE MARCOARTU, Madrid, Spain. [ABSTRACT.] ON many occasions the development of the commerce between the United States and the Spanish Antilles has been recommended, but this is the first time, I believe, that the improvement of the relations of all Spain, I mean of the Spanish Peninsula and her colonies, with the United States has been discussed in public. At this very moment the American and Spanish governments are negotiating, in Madrid, a treaty of commerce between this country and Cuba and Porto Rico. No doubt such a treaty can increase the wealth and the enjoyment of the commodities of both countries, but North America and Spain, the most southwestern state in Europe, have adequate products to exchange and want to supply each other. The following statements give an idea of the imports and exports of the United States and Spain and her colonies in America (Cuba and Porto Rico), in Africa and in the Pacific (Philippine Islands). The principal imports into the United States from Cuba are sugar, molasses, tobacco, and manufactures of this article. The principal imports of Porto Rico are sugar, molasses and coffee. THE TOTAL EXPORTS AND IMPORTS OF SPAIN AND HER COLONIES ARE THE TOTAL IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF THE UNITED STATES ARE: The principal exports from the United States to the Spanish Antilles are living animals, bread, breadstuffs, coal, some cotton manufactures, drugs, acids and mineral oils. The total commerce of 25,000,000 of inhabitants in Spain and her colonies with the 50,000,000 in the United States, is only 110,000,000 of dollars made by 75,000,000 of people, or making yearly 1.4 dollar per head; a very insignificant figure, considering the advantageous conditions given by nature to the American Union and Cuba, in their proximity and the difference of products to be exchanged. An examination of the suffering condition of the trade between America and Spain shows: 1. That the letters for Spain from Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, in fact, from all the states of the American Union, generally go to northern latitude (Liverpool), and come down to southern latitude in the Iberian Peninsula, about the same latitude as that of the principal American cities; that is to say, that letters between Spain and North America are uselessly made to take twice the time and to go double the distance that they should. 2. Cablegrams between New York and the Iberian peninsula go by to the northward of that territory, and therefore double the distance, time and money. 3. Heavy customs tariff and irregular difficulties in the consular regulations hinder the national expansion of trade between such rich countries. In regard to the cablegrams between North America and Spain it is expected that a new cable will produce before long a reduction in price and time. The yearly direct commerce of to-day between the United States and the Iberian peninsula, without taking account of smuggling at Gibraltar, is: Spanish imports and exports, 1881. $19,967,026 5,404,754 $25,471,780 No doubt, this commerce will be much increased with the reduction of the tariff in both countries, and improving the telegraphic and postal communications; but the present commerce is a sound basis on which to establish a direct and regular line of steamers between the United States and the Iberian peninsula. The splendid ports of Vigo and Lisbon are within the extreme latitude of Boston and Baltimore. The distance from Vigo to the American ports is much shorter than the distance from Liverpool to Boston, New York, Philadelphia or Baltimore. The road from Vigo to New York is farther from danger of the icebergs than the road between Liverpool to New York, and less exposed to fogs and collisions at sea. In every season, but specially during the winter, the track from Vigo or Lisbon to New York will be more pleasant than the northern track. And always being the shortest crossing of the Atlantic, the New York-Vigo line will be the future line for mails and passengers between North America and central and southern Europe, making the voyage from New York to Vigo in 5 days and from Vigo to Paris by rail in 14, or the entire voyage from New York to Paris in one week. The well-known shipbuilders, Messrs. John Elder & Co., of Glasgow, on the eleventh of July last, wrote to me: "We have no doubt that such a steamer as the Umbria could easily accomplish the voyage between Vigo and New York in the six days named by you." This American-Spanish line will be the shortest, pleasantest, quickest and cheapest in time and in money for crossing the Atlantic from and to the majority of eastern states. The tariffs must be arranged to allow the exportation all over the Spanish territory of the American cereals, bread, coal, wood, cattle and meats, and some other products wanted by the Spanish colony, and to allow at the same time, on the other hand, the importation into the American Union of wines, spirits, molasses, sugar, fruits, salt and other Spanish products required in the United States. The English free-traders have written very eloquently against American protection. A prominent minister of England said that the great extension of the American territory saves this great nation from the ruin which would be carried by their tariff's system. But at the same time that those Europeans are right in preaching American free trade, they have forgotten the injuries of our European militarism. I believe that this country would be richer under more liberal tariffs, but between the two evils, American protection and European militarism, I have no hesitation in declaring that the American system is less injurious. The uniformity of tariffs over all the American territory is equivalent by the extension and different products to one union of customs (Zollverein) all over Europe. Nevertheless, the high American tariff is rapidly diminishing the national debt and increasing the population and national wealth. In Europe, militarism is only good for the privileged manufacture of war implements, but instead of diminishing, the national debts, the taxation, and the number of paupers are increasing. Happy this great country without conscription, with 25,000 soldiers for 50,000,000 of inhabitants, and without dreams of conquest! Unfortunate Europe, with conscription, I say, with the slavery in the army for the white race, with millions of soldiers and millions of paupers, and always preparing for war! Between the Spanish people, discoverers of America, and the energetic inhabitants of America there will be no war. Let us negotiate a treaty of international arbitration to submit all the differences between Spain and America to an international tribunal. There have been made in Europe in late years nineteen treaties of commerce, with one clause of international arbitration. I rejoice to see that America is so inclined to a peace policy that the international arbitration system is introduced in one of the platforms for the next Presidential election. I hope that before long a liberal treaty of commerce between the United States and Spain will open for both countries a market of 75,000,000 of inhabitants; and a new telegraphic system and a regular line of steamers between the United States and the Iberian peninsula will prepare a new era of prosperity for the time in which the inter-marine canal may be opened to the universal traffic. THE FUTURE OF THE UNITED STATES. By JOHN BIDDULPH MARTIN, M. A., F. S. S. (Delegate of the Statistical Society), London, England. [ABSTRACT.] THE century that has witnessed the development of the United States has been one in which the human race has effected a simultaneous revolution in the condition of social life; and the appreciation of chemistry, electricity and steam, to the purposes of daily use, has both stimulated and been stimulated by the expansion of the great western republic: we have before us the spectacle of a highly civilized race, occupying a territory apparently boundless in extent, at a period in the history of the world when all the material adjuncts to civilization are in their most expansive condition. Yet it is beginning to be recognized that if the recent enormous growth of population has not already brought us within a measurable distance of the time when the soil will be fully taken up, we are rapidly approaching a day when the conditions of life will begin insensibly to be affected by the growing pressure of population; in fact the fixed size of the country is the unstable pivot on which the whole machine turns. Of the land area of the United States (3,000,000,000 sq. m.) one-third is taken as unavailable for cultivation; of the remaining two-thirds more than three-quarters is already taken "for settle |