Page:Narrative of an Official Visit to Guatemala.djvu/497

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SKETCH OF GUATEMALA.
475

may incur in their respective administrations.

The general financial system of the federation is next to be considered; and, although it has been before observed, no direct statement or abstract of this branch has been presented by authority or in any public manner, it would be fortunate for any country if its account could be rendered with equal facility. There is an old national domestic debt, of which an explanation is given by the minister of finance, amounting to 1,825,189 dollars; for the redemption of which, however, there should appear by his statement to be ample funds. There is now a small debt, of course, arising from that portion of the loan which has been realized with the house of Barclay and Co., which was intended to the amount of 7,142,857 dollars; and should any further sums be raised they ought hardly to be calculated by their arithmetical amount, as they would tend to consolidate the new system of a government which has been