good citizens, all patriots who love their country and cherish their country's honor.

The State election took place on the 10th of October, and resulted in the choice of the Republican candidates. The total vote for Governor was 50,083, of which Silas Garber, Republican, received 29,947; Paren England, Democrat, 17,719; and J. F. Gardner, "Greenback," 3,017. Garber's plurality over England was 12,828; majority, 9,811. The candidates for Congress received the following vote: Frank Welch, Republican, 30,900; Joseph Holman, Democrat, 18,206; Marvin Warren, "Greenback," 3,580. The total vote for presidential electors on the 7th of November was 53,389. The Republican candidates received 31,916; Democratic, 17,554; "Greenback," 2,320; Prohibitionist, 1,599. The Republican majority was 10,443.

As the new constitution imposes the duty of canvassing the votes upon the Legislature, and the regular session was not to be held until January, 1877, the Governor called an extra session of the members of the last Legislature, to be held on the 5th of December, for the purpose of canvassing the votes for presidential electors. The legality of this course was disputed by the Democrats, and steps were taken to invoke the intervention of the courts, and prevent the electors from casting the votes. The Legislature met, however, and canvassed the votes for electors, declaring the Republican candidates elected. Question having been raised as to the eligibility of Amasa Cobb, one of the candidates, the following resolution was adopted by the House of Representatives:

Resolved, by the House of Representatives of the State of Nebraska, That the Senate be and is hereby invited to meet the House in joint convention in mediately after the adoption of this resolution, for the purpose of electing an elector of President and Vice-President of the United States, to fill said alleged vacancy.

The following points of order were raised: 1. That this body had no knowledge of any vacancy existing in the board of electors.

2. That the law required that the presidential electors be elected by the people, at the general election in November.

3. That the joint resolution under which this body sought to appoint an elector was void, for the reason that it was not read at large on three separate days, as required by the constitution, nor does it repeal the present law providing for the election of presidential electors.

These were promptly overruled, the resolution was adopted, and the two Houses in joint convention filled the "alleged vacancy." The electors met next day and cast their votes for Hayes and Wheeler, without any interference from the courts.

Much damage was done again this year over a large portion of the State by grasshoppers. A convention of Governors of several Western States and Territories was held at Omaha, in October, to consider the question of dealing with this destructive pest. Among those present were Governors Pillsbury, of Minnesota;

Kirkwood, of Iowa; Hardin, of Missouri; Pennington, of Dakota; Garber, of Nebraska; and several scientific men. The following plan of action, suggested by Governor Pillsbury, of Minnesota, was adopted, after a discussion upon the whole subject:

1. A joint and urgent appeal to the President of the United States, to be signed by the Executives here assembled, and others favoring the movement, requesting him in his forthcoming annual message, or other suitable manner, to commend the subject to the prompt and favorable action of Congress.

2. A similar joint request from this body to the congressional delegations from the States here represented, and others interested, urging their assiduproviding for the appointment of a commission of ous efforts for the passage of an act of Congress both scientific and practical men to consider the whole question, including cause and remedy, with adequate provision for suitable bounties for the prevention and cure of the evil.

form of combined official action by our several Legis3. A joint memorial, if practicable, or some other latures, asking the aid of Congress for these purposes, and to that end requesting the concerted and persistent influence of our several congressional delegations.

4. Recommendations of the subject by the Governors to the favorable consideration of the several State Legislatures interested, invoking the adop tion of such practicable measures as have proved efficacious, and such as further experience may suggest, including the repeal of existing game-laws,

or such modification of them as will prevent the destruction of birds which feed upon the insects; the offering of bounties for the destruction of eggs and able time, for the destruction of the young grassinsects; the prevention of prairie-fires until a suithoppers by firing the grass. The encouragement of tree-culture for promoting moisture and harboring birds, and such other means as may promote the great end desired.

A decision of the U. S. Circuit Court, rendered in May, by Justice Miller, confirmed the title of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company to the lands taken under a grant by act of Congress of July 2, 1864. An attempt had been made to have the patents set aside, on the following grounds: that lands had been taken beyond the lateral limit of twenty miles on each side of the road; that some sections being fifty or a hundred miles from the road could not be considered "on the the sections were not distributed equally along line thereof," as required by the grant; that each twenty miles of the road; and that along certain portions of the road, where it came within twenty miles of the Union Pacific, the lands had all been taken from one side. The court held that, as no lateral limit was mentioned in the grant, the allowance of "ten sections per mile, on each side of said road, on the line thereof," could be taken at any distance necessary to make up the amount of the grant from lands "not sold, reserved, or otherwise disposed of by the United States;" that "on the line thereof" meant simply parallel to the road, and was not restricted to any particular distance; that it was not necessary that the lands should be taken up and patented on the completion of each twenty miles of the road, though that was authorized; that it was

Education is provided for by a non-denominational primary instruction law, passed 1857. Under its working there were in December, 1873, according to the report of the royal commissioner, issued in 1876, 2,669 public schools, with 6,519 schoolmasters and 729 schoolmistresses, and 143 subsidized and 978 nonsubsidized private schools, with an aggregate of 4,217 teachers (2,472 males and 1,745 females). At the same date the pupils in the public schools numbered 382,146 (212,995 boys and 169,151 girls); the pupils in subsidized private schools numbered 5,999 (2,870 boys and 3,129 girls), and in non-subsidized private schools 111,914 (49,950 boys and 61,964 girls). The total number of elementary schools was 3,790, of pupils 500,059, of teachers 11,465.

The teachers appointed under the law of 1857 are superintended by 94 district-school inspectors, who act under 11 provincial superintendents. The inspectors grant licenses for the establishment of schools, and present to the Government, three times a year, an account of the state of the public instruction.

The number of pupils in the public eveningschools was 19,236, in private evening-schools 4,555; total number, 23,791, of whom 17,736 were boys and 6,055 girls. The number of repetition and Sunday schools was 241, of which 102 were public, 18 subsidized private, and 121 non-subsidized private schools. The total expenditures for elementary instruction

navigation-schools, with 23 teachers and 350 pupils. In the colony of Java there were 53 government schools, with 4,160 pupils, of whom 2,352 received instruction free; 29 private schools were reported to have 2,000 pupils. There were also 73 government and 114 private schools for natives of which the number of pupils was not given.

The army of the Netherlands in Europe consisted, in 1876, of 2,076 officers and 60,867 men; the East Indian army numbered 1,425 officers and 33,996 men.

The navy of the Netherlands on July 1, 1876, consisted of 87 steamers, with 386 guns, and 18 sailing-vessels, with 119 guns: total, 105 vessels, with 505 guns.

The merchant-navy, on January 1, 1876, consisted of 1,749 sailing-vessels, of 437,897 tons, and 86 steamers, of 76,828 tons: total, 1,835 vessels, of 514,725 tons.

The aggregate length of railroads in operation was, on January 1, 1876, 1,602 kilometres (1 kilometre = 0.62 English mile), of which 988 were state railroads.

The aggregate length of the state telegraph lines was, on January 1, 1876, 3,440 kilometres; the aggregate length of the wires, 12,333 kilometres; the number of officers was 330; the number of telegrams carried in 1875 was 2,214,730; the revenue was 708,986 florins; the expenditures, 1,276,540.

Early in January General Enderlein, War Minister, retired from office, in consequence of the unfavorable action of the States-General upon his plan for putting the country into a condition for defense. Heer Klerck, formerly a counselor in the department of railroad affairs of the Ministry of the Interior, was appointed War Minister in his place. The questions concerning military affairs in reference to which the differences arose that led to this change in the War Ministry were more political than technical in their character, and were closely connected with the increasing objections of the upper classes to military service. In May the Second Chamber approved a bill providing for the introduction into the coinage of the exclusive gold standard of value. The bill, however, authorized to be used still, for change, gulden-pieces in silver and cents in copper. A proposition to introduce the gold standard into the Indian possessions was referred to the State Council.

A cabinet crisis was brought about in June by the continued unfavorable action of the States-General toward the military bills of the Government. The Second Chamber denied a motion for the increase of the contingent from 11,000 to 14,000 men, whereupon, June 19th, Heer Heemskerk, Minister of the Interior, announced that the cabinet had sent in their resignations to the King. By the request of the King, the resignations were held in suspense for several weeks. It was found extremely difficult to form a new minis

try, as agreement between the present Chambers and the Government seemed to be impossible, and new elections would only result in the return of a new Chamber of precisely the same stamp as the old one; so the ministers had no alternative but to stay, confining their attention, however, to keeping the machinery of the Government in regular operation, without attempting to enter upon or carry out any definite policy. Early in August the King invited Heer Kappeyne van de Copello to a consultation with reference to the formation of a new ministry. Heer Kappeyne was one of the most prominent speakers on the side of the Left in the debate which resulted in the rejection of the military law. The conferences were without result. Heer Heemskerk refused to withdraw his resignation.

About the beginning of September the King succeeded in partly reconstructing his ministry, by naming Heer Alting Mees to be Minister of the Colonies, and by giving the Ministry of War temporarily to Heer Taalman Kip, Minister of the Marine.

A difficulty which had arisen with the Republic of Venezuela with reference to the ship Midas was peacefully adjusted in August, the Government of Venezuela agreeing to deliver the ship to the Dutch consul at St. Thomas.

The new session of the States-General was

opened September 18th. The King in his speech said that the relations of the kingdom with foreign powers continued friendly. The country was in a flourishing condition, agriculture was prosperous, and the crops generally were satisfactory. A part of the land had been visited with floods at the beginning of the year, but the help afforded by the nation to the sufferers had healed many wounds. The great public works which were in progress, the new approaches from the sea to the commercial towns, now almost completed, the extension of the railroad system, the improvement of the rivers, and the proposed connection by canal of the northern part of the country with Germany, promised to be of great advantage to trade. The condition of the finances was favorable, and the public revenues were increasing, thereby also showing the material progress of the nation. The display of the art and industry of the nation, and of the skill of its ship-builders, at the International Exhibition at Philadelphia, was spoken of as creditable. The attention of his Majesty was given to the strengthening of the military force. Extraordinary exertions were still necessary to protect the dominions of the nation in Northern Sumatra. The army and the fleet in that region were doing their duty steadfastly and vigorously. In all the other possessions of the East Indies quiet prevailed. It was hoped that a peaceful solution of the difficulties with Venezuela was assured. The cooperation of the States-General was invoked in the revision of the laws. Propositions would be made for the improvement of the military laws and the re

vision of the election laws. A bill respecting elementary education would be submitted. Bills were contemplated concerning railroads and the quarantine laws, bills modifying the tax laws, and bills concerning the regulation of the money standard, both at home and in the Indies, in all of which the cooperation of the States-General was asked. Shortly after the opening of the Chambers, the King appointed Major-General Beyen War Minister. On the 25th of September, in the Second Chamber, the Minister of Finance brought forward the budget for 1877. The expenditures were estimated at 115,500,000 gulden, of which 10,000,000 gulden were for the making of railways, 27,000,000 gulden for the payment of interest on the public debt, and 4,000,000 gulden as extraordinary expenditure for improving the national defenses. The receipts were estimated at 107,000,000 gulden, thus showing a deficit of 8,500,000 gulden, which would be covered by the accumulated surpluses from previous budgets and the regular increase in the public revenues. In a discussion in the Second Chamber concerning the affairs of the colonies, Heer van der Putte asked the Government to limit its operations to the erection of a few coast-forts. The Colonial Minister replied that he doubted if such a limitation were possible. Speaking in reference to the relations of the country with Venezuela, the Minister of Foreign Affairs remarked that he considered that the formal resumption of diplomatic relations was very near. On the 24th of November the Second Chamber adopted a money bill which temporarily continued the double (gold and silver) standard of value, and authorized the Minister of Finance to sell silver and buy gold, as circumstances required. The bill likewise provided for the currency of gold and silver in the East Indian colonies, but did not give the Government the right to sell silver further than to limit the circulation of foreign coinage. On the 22d of December the First Chamber, by a vote of 16 to 11, rejected the money law passed for Holland, and laid on the table the one relating to the East Indies. On the 1st of December, in the course of the debate on the colonial budget in the Second Chamber, the statement was made by the minister that it was understood that the agricultural laws would be carried out in the East Indies, and the culture of coffee would be maintained by the Government. On the 26th of December, in the Second Chamber, the Minister of War made an explanation of the condition of the defenses of the nation. He suggested that it would be better to consider the subject in a secret session, so that foreigners should not be made acquainted with the present deficiencies. The defenses were weak, and the nation had the right, and ought, to refuse to publish the particulars of its weakness.

Much interest was attached to the modificstions of the electoral law which the Government intended to propose to the Chambers.