at Stanleyville and Nyangwe to Lakes Albert and Tanganyika. Over 100 miles of this already are open. Thirty-two steamers ply the upper Congo. Telegraph lines connect Boma and the Equator by way of Leopoldville, 744 miles long, Kasonga and Baroka on Lake Tanganyika, 200 miles, Lisala and Umangi, 14 miles, and some 50 miles in Mayumbe, a total of 1,008 miles.
Con′go, French. See French Congo.
Con′go, The, is the great river of equatorial Africa and the second largest river in the world. Its mouth was discovered by Diego Cam in 1482, who set up there a pillar and called it the Pillar River. The Portuguese following him did not go far into the interior, and called it the Zaire, a native word meaning “the river.” The country thereabout was called the Congo, and the mapmakers gave the name to the river. Captain Tuckey, in 1816, wished to see if it was not a mouth of the Niger, and with his boats went up the first navigable part, 110 miles; but many of his men sickened and died, and for half a century the river was avoided by all but the hardy slave-traders. Livingstone, between 1867 and 1871, while exploring between Lakes Nyasa and Tanganyika, found a large river flowing to the north, which he thought to be the Nile. Five years later, Stanley, exploring in the same lake-region, gazed on the mighty stream, and, following its course to its mouth, proved it to be the Congo. Lake Bangweolo is the reservoir from which the Congo issues, called there the Luapula. Flowing north, it widens into Lake Moero; from here, as far as Nyangwe, its name is the Lualaba; from Nyangwe to Stanley Falls Stanley named it the Livingstone; and from Stanley Falls to its mouth it is known as the Congo. It is 3,000 miles long, and drains an area of 1,600,000 square miles. It discharges a body of water into the Atlantic second only m volume to the Amazon. Its two largest branches are the Kasai from the south and the Mobangi from the north. The Congo is divided into the lower, the middle and the upper river. The lower river is navigable for its entire length up to the rapids, a distance of 110 miles, for steamers of 18-foot draught; the middle river is un-navigable through the cataract region, extending 255 miles to Stanley Pool. The upper river, as far as Stanley Falls, is navigable for 1,068 miles to steamers of four-foot draught.
Con′gress of the United States, the legislative or law-making body. There are two houses, the house of representatives and the senate. The senate is made up of two members from each state, chosen by direct vote, (See U. S. p. 1974) for six years. One third of the senate goes out of office every two years. The senators now (1912) number 96. The representatives are chosen directly by the people every two years, the number of members from each state depending upon its population. A new apportionment is made every ten years in accordance with the decennial census. On the basis of the census of 1910 there is one representative to every 211,430 inhabitants. The house at present has 435 members. The vice-president of the United States is president of the senate; the house chooses its own speaker. All money or appropriation bills must originate in the house. The senate has sole power of impeachment and of confirming or rejecting important appointments made by the president. Besides its legislative functions the senate is intrusted with the power of ratifying or rejecting all treaties made by the president with foreign powers, a two thirds majority of senators present being required for ratification. Congress lasts two years, and has two sessions, both commencing the first Monday in December. The first is called the long session, and lasts from seven to nine months, adjourning on a day agreed upon by the two houses; the second, called the short session, lasts until March 4, at 12 noon. Every bill which passes the two houses, is sent to the president for his approval or disapproval. In the latter case he vetoes it, that is, returns it with his reasons to the house where it originated; if it is passed again by a two-thirds majority in both houses, it becomes law. The powers of Congress are limited and separated from those of the state legislature by the federal constitution. By the 5th article of the constitution, Congress has the power to propose alterations in the constitution. The emoluments of a senator and representative in Congress, as fixed in 1907, are $7,500 a year, with traveling-expenses. The speaker receives $12,000. There also is an allowance each year to members for stationery and similar expenses. The representation of the various states in Congress in 1912 is as follows: Alabama 10; Arkansas 7; California 11; Colorado 4; Connecticut 5; Delaware 1; Florida 4; Georgia 12; Idaho 2; Illinois 27; Indiana 13; Iowa 11; Kansas 8; Kentucky 11; Louisiana 8; Maine 4; Maryland 6; Massachusetts 16; Michigan 13; Minnesota 10; Mississippi 8; Missouri 16; Montana 2; Nebraska 6; Nevada 1; New Hampshire 2; New Jersey 12; New York 43; North Carolina 10; North Dakota 3; Ohio 22; Oklahoma 8; Oregon 3; Pennsylvania 36; Rhode Island 3; South Carolina 7; South Dakota 3; Tennessee 10; Texas 18; Utah 2; Vermont 2; Virginia 10; Washington 5; West Virginia 6; Wisconsin 11; Wyorning 1; Arizona 1; New Mexico 1.
The first colonial congress met in New York, Oct. 7, 1765, made up of delegates from nine colonies. A second congress, which met at Philadelphia, July 5, 1774,
