was finally decided to defer the printing of Mr. Kelley's report, but to proceed with the photolithographing of his maps and profiles, proposals for which should be invited.

The Chairman then read a statement showing the financial condition of the Commission to be as follows:

Amount advanced Lieut. Com. Brown, Disbursing Officer, from money

In hands Disbursing Officer, Department of State
Total amount placed to credit of Lieut. Com. Brown, Dis-
bursing Officer, Intercontinental Railway Commission

$3,930.52

175,028.12

Total disbursed by Lieut. Com. Brown

144,017.21

Balance in hands Lieut. Com. Brown

31,010.91

2d and 3d quotas from Ecuador, 1st from Bolivia, and three from Guatemala, now in hands Secretary of

State

7,597.31

Available October 3, 1893

$42,538.74

LIST OF COUNTRIES THAT HAVE CONTRIBUTED, WITH AMOUNTS, TOWARDS THE EXPENSE OF A PRELIMINARY SURVEY FOR AN INTERCONTINENTAL RAILWAY.

Mr. Párraga desired to explain the non-payment of the eight thousand dollars ($8,000) constituting the second and third quotas of the Colombian Government toward the common fund of the Intercontinental Railway Commission. He said that his Government had deposited the money with a banking firm at home and sent the draft for the amount to New York, but before it could be collected the firm had failed and was now in the hands of the sheriff. The draft, therefore, had to be returned to the Colombian Government, but would be replaced; and he believed that in the course of two or three months the amount would be turned over to the representative of the Commission.

At 1.35 P. M. the Commission adjourned, to meet at the call of the Chairman. E. Z. STEEVER,

SIXTH MEETING.

Secretary.

A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Intercontinental Railway Commission was held at the headquarters of the Commission, 1016 Vermont Avenue, Washington, D. C., on Friday, January 19th, 1894, at 12.15 P. M.

Present.

Mr. A. J. Cassatt, of the United States, Chairman.

Mr. C. F. Párraga, of Colombia.

Mr. L. L. Buck, of Perú and Ecuador.

Mr. John Stewart, of Paraguay.

Capt. E. Z. Steever, U. S. Army, Secretary of the Commission.

By special invitation:

Mr. H. G. Davis, of the United States, Chairman of the Committee on
Finance.

Mr. R. C. Kerens, of the United States, Chairman of the Committee on
Trade and Resources.

Also Lieut. Com. R. M. G. Brown, Executive Officer.

Absent.

Mr. Luis J. Blanco, of Venezuela.

The Secretary read the Minutes of the last meeting, which were approved. The Chairman stated that as there were no reports from sub-committees, the first thing in order would be the consideration of the subject of bids for printing the reports and maps of Corps No. 3. In this connection he stated that it had been considered best not to advertise but to invite proposals by circular from a number of the best firms in the country and then to let the work to the lowest bidder who would give guarantee of satisfactory execution. Mr. Párraga suggested that an opportunity be given the American Bank Note Company to bid on the work, stating that the company was in a position to do the whole of the work within its own building. Mr. Davis thought that as the maps were the principal part of the work, and map-making not being their specialty, it was questionable whether they were fully prepared to undertake the work. Mr. Cassatt raised the point as to whether it would be proper to give the American Bank Note Company a chance to bid now after the bids had been opened in the presence of the bidders. The Secretary then read an abstract of the proposals received, from which it appeared that only one firm, Hoen & Co., of Baltimore, had bid upon the entire work. Messrs. Hoen and Gibson, the only bidders present at the Commission rooms in answer to invitation, appeared before the Committee and explained their bids. After further discussion and a full consideration of the subject, in which the inadvisability of letting the several parts of the work to different bidders, owing to the divided responsibility that would result, was duly taken into account, it was finally decided by the Executive Committee to reject all of the present bids, to issue a new circular calling for proposals to print and bind the entire work of Corps No. 3, the bids to be for the letterpress, illustrations, maps, profiles and binding, the cost of the different parts to be stated separately but the offer to be for the work in its entirety.

Mr. Cassatt suggested the advantage of having the letterpress stereotyped, of ordering an additional thousand copies of the maps and profiles printed at the