,453,000, and the exports $12,658,000, presumably U.S.
gold, as the figures are taken from the _Monthly Bulletin_ of the
Bureau cf American Republics (July 1907). An approximate equivalent
would be: imports L3,011,000, exports L2,637,000; which shows a small
increase in the first and a very large decrease in the second. The
imports include wheat flour, rice, barley, prepared foods, sugar,
coal, kerosene, beer, wines and liquors, railway equipment, machinery
and general hardware, fence wire, cotton and other textiles, drugs,
lumber, cement, paper, &c., while the exports comprise coffee,
bananas, hides and skins, tobacco, precious metals, rubber, cabinet
woods, divi-divi, dye-woods, vegetable ivory, Panama hats, orchids,
vanilla, &c.

_Government._--The government of Colombia is that of a centralized
republic composed of 15 departments, 1 federal district, and 4
intendencias (territories). It is divided into three co-ordinate
branches, legislative, executive and judicial, and is carried on under
the provisions of the constitution of 1886, profoundly modified by the
amendments of 1905. Previous to 1886, the departments were practically
independent, but under the constitution of that year the powers of the
national government were enlarged and strengthened, while those of the
departments were restricted to purely local affairs. The departments are
provided with biennial departmental assemblies, but their governors are
appointees of the national executive.

The legislative branch consists of a senate and chamber of deputies,
which meets at Bogota biennially (after 1908) on February 1st for an
ordinary session of ninety days. The Senate is composed of 48 members--3
from each department chosen by the governor and his departmental
council, and 3 from the federal district chosen by the president himself
and two of his cabinet ministers. Under this arrangement the president
practically controls the choice of senators. Their term of office is
four years, and is renewed at the same time and for the same period as
those of the lower house. The chamber is composed of 67 members, elected
by popular suffrage in the departments, on the basis of one
representative for each 50,000 of population. The intendencias are
represented by one member each, who is chosen by the intendant, his
secretary, and 3 citizens elected by the municipal council of the
territorial capital. As the constituent assembly which amended the
c