ning
this country being in the line of the increased restriction of the
deleterious trade in spirituous liquors with the native tribes, which
this Government has from the outset urgently advocated. The amended
general act will be laid before the Senate, with a view to its advice
and consent.

Early in the year the peace of Bolivia was disturbed by a successful
insurrection. The United States minister remained at his post, attending
to the American interests in that quarter, and using besides his good
offices for the protection of the interests of British subjects in the
absence of their national representative. On the establishment of the
new Government, our minister was directed to enter into relations
therewith.

General Pando was elected President of Bolivia on October 23.

Our representative has been instructed to use all permissible friendly
endeavors to induce the Government of Bolivia to amend its marriage laws
so as to give legal status to the non-Catholic and civil marriages of
aliens within its jurisdiction, and strong hopes are entertained that
the Bolivian law in this regard will be brought, as was that of Peru
some years ago, into harmony with the general practice of modern States.

A convention of extradition with Brazil, signed May 14, 1897, has been
ratified by the Brazilian Legislature.

During the past summer two national ships of the United States have
visited Brazilian ports on a friendly mission and been cordially
received. The voyage of the _Wilmington_ up the Amazon River gave
rise to a passing misunderstanding, owing to confusion in obtaining
permission to visit the interior and make surveys in the general
interest of navigation, but the incident found a ready adjustment in
harmony with the close relations of amity which this Government has
always sedulously sought to cultivate with the commonwealths of the
Western Continent.

The claim growing out of the seizure of the American-owned newspaper
"The Panama Star and Herald" by the authorities of Colombia has been
settled, after a controversy of several years, by an agreement assessing
at $30,000 the indemnity to be paid by the Colombian Government, in
three installments of $10,000 each.

The good will of Colombia toward our country has been testified anew by
the cordial extension of facilities to the Nicaraguan Canal Commission
in their approaching investigation of the Panama Canal and other
projected routes across the Isthmus of Darien.