monetary unit is the gold colon weighing .778 gramme, .900
fine, and thus worth about 23d. It is legally equivalent to the silver
peso, which continues in circulation. The gold coins of the United
States, Great Britain, France and Germany are legally current. The
metric system of weights and measures was introduced by law in 1884, but
the old Spanish system is still in use.

_Constitution and Government._--Costa Rica is governed under a
constitution of 1870, which, however, only came into force in 1882, and
has often been modified. The legislative power resides in a House of
Representatives, consisting of about 30 to 40 deputies, or one for every
8000 inhabitants. The deputies are chosen for a term of four years by
local electoral colleges, whose members are returned by the votes of all
self-supporting citizens. One-half of the chamber retires automatically
every two years. The president and three vice-presidents constitute the
executive. They are assisted by a cabinet of four ministers,
representing the departments of the interior, police and public works;
foreign affairs, justice, religion and education; finance and commerce;
war and marine. For purposes of local administration the state is
divided into five provinces, Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia and
San Jose, and two maritime districts (_comarcas_), Limon and Puntarenas.
All these divisions except Guanacaste--which takes its name from a
variety of mimosa very common in the province--are synonymous with their
chief towns; and each is controlled by a governor or prefect appointed
by the president. Justice is administered by a supreme court, two courts
of appeal, and the court of cassation, which sit in San Jose, and are
supplemented by various inferior tribunals.

_Religion and Education._--The Roman Catholic Church is supported by the
state, and the vast majority of the people accept its doctrines; but
complete religious liberty is guaranteed by the constitution. The
Jesuits, who formerly exercised widespread influence, were expelled in
1884. Of the other religious communities, the most important are the
Protestants, numbering 3000, and the Buddhists, about 250. Primary
education is free and compulsory; the standard of attendance is high and
the instruction fair, but a large proportion of the older inhabitants
were illiterate at the beginning of the 20th century. In the matter of
secondary education considerable neglect has been shown. In 1904 there
were