AFRICA. The French Government were disappointed in their expectation that the insurrection of some of the native tribes in Algeria was effectually subdued at the close of the year 1864. New outbreaks occurred during the year 1865, and at its close the most formidable of the insurgent chiefs, Si Lala, was still in the field. Very alarming rumors that Si Lala, at the head of 50,000 men, held the whole south of Algeria, circulated in Paris, in November; but the Moniteur denied their correctness, and asserted that, on October 19th, he had only made his appearance in the southern districts of Algeria with 2,000 horsemen and 1,400 soldiers on foot. According to the Moniteur de l'Algérie of November 12, Si Lala, finding his efforts to be fruitless, his resources exhausted, and his cavalry fatiguing themselves in vain, decided upon retreating rapidly toward the southwest, and was actively pursued by the French forces. Gen. Lacretelle, marching from Daya, overtook and defeated, on November 8th, at Oud-bon-Lerdjem, to the west of Maia-Chott, the Hamian tribes and the fractions of the Djembas and Chafas who had joined Si Lala. Oficial news from Algeria reached Paris on December 15th, which stated that Col. Colomb, reenforced by the tribes recently subjected, had on several occasions beaten the tribes still in insurrection, who were seeking refuge in the desert of Sahara, that the tribes who had been defeated had asked for pardon, and Col. Sonis had cut off the retreat toward the east of Si Lala. In May the Emperor Louis Napoleon visited Algeria, where he received an enthusiastic reception on the part of many chiefs and tribes, and was met by special ambassadors from Tunis and Morocco. On his return to France, it became known that the Emperor was preparing a pamphlet on French colonization in Algeria, but its issue was delayed until November 3d,

VOL. V.-1 A

when it appeared in the form of a letter to Marshal McMahon. It concluded as follows: "I would turn to account the valor of the Arabs rather than bear hardly upon their poverty; render the colonists rich and prosperous rather than establish settlements of emigrants, and maintain our soldiers in healthy situations rather than to expose them to the wasting climate of the desert. By the realization of this programme we shall appease passions and satisfy interests; then Algeria will be to us no longer a burden, but a new element of strength. The Arabs, restrained and conciliated, will give us what they can best give, namely, soldiers, and the colony, become flourishing by the development of its territorial riches, will create a commercial movement eminently favorable to the mother country."

Не

In accordance with the views of the Emperor, the French Government, on June 22d, brought forward the draft of a decree respecting Algeria. It provides that the native Mussulman be considered a Frenchman. will, nevertheless, continue subject to the Mussulman laws of the country, but can, on application, be admitted to the rights of French citizenship. The native Israelite also is to be considered a Frenchman. He will continue to be governed according to the peculiar statutes of the Hebrew race, but, on application, can enjoy the rights of a French citizen. Foreigners, upon proving three years' residence in the country, are entitled to the rights of citizenship. An administrative regulation will determine the conditions of admission to the public service and of advancement in the army for native Mussulmans and Israelites, and also the offices to which they can attain. This draft was adopted by the Senate without important modifications. In July, Mr. P. H. Rathbone, the President of the Liverpool Chamber of

Commerce, on returning from a visit to North Africa, presented an interesting report on the commerce of Algeria. Mr. Rathbone is of opinion that Algeria might rapidly be developed into a "paying" colony if ruled by France on more sound economic principles, and if the colonists were not, as at present, subordinate to the army, and the colony to Marseilles. Mr. Rathbone also advocates the opening of the ports and the establishment of regular steam communication with Great Britain. The Arabs he denounces as dishonest and lazy, and encouraged by the laxity of the Bureau Arabe to cheat Europeans, particularly in the sale of wool. The Kabyles, he says, are both industrious and honest. With more business freedom, Algeria, he thinks, would easily produce immense quantities of good wool, cotton, wine, oil, and corn, as well as useful grass, called crin végétal, much used by upholsterers in place of horsehair.

In Morocco, a fresh insurrection broke out in the neighborhood of Rabat, in May, but it was soon quelled. In July, the Emperor of Morocco issued an important edict commanding that no person, poor or rich, should be punished contrary to law, and prohibiting the exaction of any fines except as prescribed by law. It also forbids people to present money or other gifts to any governor or employé; and if any governor imposes fines contrary to imperial decrees, the people have the liberty of appeal to bis Majesty, who promises complete satisfaction. The Emperor also appointed a day in each week for receiving and determining the complaints of his poor subjects.

The Suez Canal has made sufficient progress to enable light boats to pass from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. The completion of the work, and its opening for navigation, the company expects to take place by the 1st of July, 1868. (See SUEZ, CANAL OF.)

The English Government had not, at the close of the year, obtained from the Emperor of Abyssinia the release of Consul Cameron and other British subjects who have been kept in prison nearly two years. A parliamentary paper issued by the Government on June 20th, contains full and interesting information respecting the relations of the Emperor Theodore of Abyssinia with England and France.

The Island of Madagascar continued to be agitated by internal convulsions. In October, the French Government received despatches stating that Raharia, governor of Tamatava, persisted in his refusal to pay to the commander of the French squadron on the station the sum due to the French Government as an indemnity. His refusal was approved by the Queen, and a reënforcement of 1,000 men was sent to him to guard the house where the money was deposited, thus raising the force stationed there to 3,000 men. The Government of the Hovas moreover resolved to burn the treaties in the public square of Tamatava between King Radama and the agent of the French Government.

The accounts given by the Rev. Mr. Ellis, the pioneer missionary, were more favorable. He stated in a public address delivered in England, that the Government of Madagascar upheld religious toleration, that Christianity was spreading very rapidly, not only in the capital, but in the most remote parts of the country, and that there was reason to hope that the next generation would be predominantly Christian, and witness the extinction of Paganism.

South Africa was throughout the year the scene of hostilities between the Orange Free State and the Basutos, which sometimes threatened the peace of the frontier of the English Colony of Natal. In reply to representations from the Governor of the Cape Colony, Moshesh, the chief of the Basutos, stated that he had met the demand of the Natal Government for invading their frontier. He also urged the governor to take possession of his country and people, alleging that they were desirous of becoming British subjects. The governor declined to take steps at the present juncture, and doubted the sincerity of Moshesh, but lamented the war, which, he said, if continued much longer, would cause much misery and destitution among the Basutos, and largely increase their cattle thieving.

The Government of the Cape Colony proposed to the Colonial Parliament the annexation of British Kaffraria to the colony, and carried the measure, although considerable opposition was made to it.

AGRICULTURE. The year 1865 was, on the whole, a favorable one for agricultural prod ucts, though the extreme moisture of May and June in some sections affected the earlier grain crops, and the extraordinary drought of the autumn in New England and portions of New York, affected the late crops, and especially the fruits, unfavorably. So vast is the extent of the country, however, and so varied its climate, that with our abundant and constantly multiplying means of communication, a deficiency of a particular crop in one section is readily made up by its excess, or at least abundance, in another.

Of the cereal grains, the wheat crop is smaller both in the number of bushels and the weight of the grain than in any year since 1860. The following are the crops of this grain, according to the estimates of the Agricultural Department during six years past, omitting the crop of 1861.

Ohio.
Indiana.
Ikiagis.
Totals of three States! 88,301,692 76,100,052

80,796,032 20,407,503 17,601,472
20.292,160 22,821,376 13,020,803
82,213,500 83,371,178 25,266,745
55,889,020

The reduction it will be observed in these three States is about 27,500,000 bushels from the crop of 1862, and of over 20,000,000 from the crop of 1864. Illinois is still the leading wheat-growing State, but Wisconsin has passed all its other competitors and ranks second in the list, while Ohio ranks third, and Michigan fourth.

The Rye crop, a far less important one than the wheat, is a trifle and but a trifle below that of last year. Its range during the past six years has been limited, as the following table will show:

that of 1862, nearly 54,000,000 bushels. In this crop New York takes the lead, its production being 48,675,090 bushels, and Pennsylvania follows with 46,571,661 bushels. The other principal oat-growing States are, in the order of their production, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Maryland, Kentucky, Vermont, Minnesota, Missouri, Connecticut, and Maine.

The Hay crop was also very large, exceed ing by nearly 5,500,000 tons the crop of 1864, and by more than 3,000,000 that of any preceding year, as the following table will show:

In this crop New York leads largely, producing considerably more than one-fifth of the entire crop. Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Ohio come next, and Maine, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Missouri, and New Jersey, follow in order. The production of hay by the other States is comparatively small.

The Corn crop of the Northern States was a very large one, 22.7 per cent above the average. The amount raised in the Southern States was also large, but its amount is not readily ascertained. The following statistics show the amount of this crop in twenty-two States and territories, the States lately in rebellion and those on the Pacific coast not being given for want of complete statistics. The crop of 1865 is estimated from the returns to the Agricultural Department:

In this crop Illinois takes the lead, producing nearly one-fourth of the entire crop; Indiana follows, and then in their order, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Maryland, Wisconsin, and New Jer sey. Adding the crop in the Southern States, and the aggregate production of corn for the year cannot fall much, if at all, short of 900,000,000 bushels.

The Cotton crop of 1865 was larger than it was materially affected by the rain and worms, that of 1863 or 1864, though in some sections and much of it was planted very late owing to the continuance of the war in the early months of the year, and the necessity of the corn crop for the subsistence of the people. The amount given can as yet be only approximately ascertained, but probably falls but little short of one million bales. Eleven or twelve hundred thousand bales of the crops of former years also remained over, so that the supply of cotton in the country at the beginning of 1866, was about one-half the amount of the crops of 1860, or of 1859.

The Tobacco crop was a fair average, except

in Kentucky, where there was a falling off of about 13 per cent. The amount planted was not quite as large as usual in some of the tobacco-producing States, in consequence of the apprehension of a tax upon the unmanufactured

leaf.

The Potato crop is slightly above the yield of the preceding year. The rot prevailed to some extent, but not sufficiently to excite serious fears in regard to the crop.

The Sorghum crop, now becoming a very important product in the West and South, where the syrup or molasses has, to a large extent, taken the place of the molasses from the sugar cane, was, owing to the lateness of the frosts, gathered in excellent condition, and the yield was, as a whole, very satisfactory.

The Buckwheat crop was also a trifle larger than the crop of 1864, and of excellent quality. The crop of Hops was poor, being in many districts, especially in Central New York (which produces about nine-tenths of the entire amount raised), seriously injured by the lice, which for the last three years have made great havoc with the hop yards. The ravages of these insects during the year 1865, were singular in their character. Yards which the previous season had been so thoroughly ruined by them that the hop-growers had been tempted to root up the plants and cultivate other crops, were this year entirely free from the pest, and those which had escaped the previous year were subjected to its ravages. The crop of 1865 was probably about 7,000,000 pounds against 10,991,996, in 1864.

The Root crops were never better than in 1865. The yield was more than ten per cent. in advance of 1864, though that had been a remarkable year.

The larger autumnal fruits, apples, pears, quinces, &c., were very abundant in the States bordering upon the great lakes in Central and Western New York, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Northern Indiana and Illinois; but in New England, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the region bordering on the Ohio River, the crop was almost a total failure. In New England, the drought, severe and long continued, prevented their coming to maturity; in the central district, especially along the Ohio River and its tributaries, the severe frosts of the winter of 1863-'64 had killed the taproot of the apple trees, and probably rendered them permanently barren.

Peaches were very abundant in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, but there were very few in the region bordering on the lakes.

Of the small fruits, strawberries of the later varieties were abundant, while the early sorts were in small quantity and not of the usual quality. The other summer fruits were in about the same quantity.

The Grape crop suffered severely in the States on the Atlantic coast, and those bordering on the Ohio River, from rot, the result of the very

wet weather of June and July. In the region lying in the vicinity of the lakes and in the belt visited by the trade winds, as California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska, the crop was excellent both in quality and quantity.

The Wool crop has been constantly increas ing in magnitude during the last five years. The attention of many agriculturists has been turned toward the raising of sheep, which has been rendered extraordinarily profitable both by the large demand for wool and its consequent high price, and the increasing use of mutton for the table. In 1860, the whole number of sheep in the United States, according to the census, was 22,471,275, and in the twentythree States and territories, from which alone during the war returns could be obtained, 15,104,272. In 1864, the number of sheep in these States had risen to 24,346,391, and in 1865, to 28,647,269. In 1860, the wool-clip of the whole United States was 60,264,913 pounds, and of the twenty three States already named, 47,900,862 pounds. In 1864, owing not only to the great increase in the number of sheep, but to the improvement in the breeds, it was 97,385,564 pounds, or more than double the yield of 1860; in 1865, it had further increased to 114,589,076 pounds, and is still rapidly on the increase, as it should be, for the demand for wool still causes a considerable importation from Great Britain and Canada as well as from Germany, the South of Europe, South Africa, and South America. California will probably soon supply the grade of wool hitherto imported from South America. The importation of 1864 was in round numbers 75,000,000 pounds. Owing to the increased tariff on foreign wools the importation of 1865 would probably not much exceed 30,000,000 pounds, but there is very little of this which might not be grown to advantage on our own territory.

The Pork crop was, in the number of hogs slaughtered, about ten per cent. below that of 1864, but the hogs were much better fattened though generally of smaller size than the pre vious year. The number of hogs packed in the winter of 1863-'64, is stated by the Cincinnati Price Current as 3,328,884; in the winter of 1864-'65, as 2,422,779; while the number for the winter of 1865-'66 is estimated at 2,180,000.

With the exception of sheep, and milch cows,* all classes of live stock have materially diminished during the war. The following tables show this conclusively, while they also give the present valuation and the average price of each description of stock. The dimi nution of number, is of course due to the extraordinary demand for horses and mules for army purposes, and for beef and pork for commissary supplies.

Taking the whole country through, these, too, have probably diminished, though they have nearly or quite held their own in the loyal States east of the Rocky Mountains.

In the ANNUAL CYCLOPÆDIA for 1864, the culture of the grape was discussed at considerable length, and the various wine districts of the country described. The experience of 1865 indicates that in the districts near the Atlantic coast, or on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, the frequent occurrence of wet seasons makes the wine crop an uncertain one, both as to quality and quantity. The same difficulty is experienced in most of the wine districts of Europe, where of late years hardly one year in proves a "good wine year." In the region ring on Lake Erie, and embracing the southern Sands of that lake in Western Missouri and Kansas, and probably also in Texas, there is difficulty experienced in making wine. Bat California is preeminently the wine region of the United States. Its dry climate, semitropical in its character, its deep, rich, and aromatic soil, and the fact that all the tenderest

fire

varieties of grapes of the South of Europe grow freely in the open air there and are readily acclimated, render it the future wine-producing region of the continent. There are probably not less than 10,000,000 vines which have been set within the past ten years, of which one-half were set in 1864 and 1865. The wine product of 1864 exceeded 4,000,000 gallons, although the extreme drought diminished it somewhat. While the production of wine in that State is still comparatively in its infancy, and every year increases the amount and improves the quality, we may ere long expect to receive from thence wines which shall compete successfully with the best products of the best vintages of Europe, for with the choicest varieties of wine grapes they have also the most skilful wine makers of Europe.

The culture of the hop though restricted to comparatively small tracts of country, and more