In many points of the Republic telephone lines are established. The principal lines in Montevideo are: The Co-operative Co., the Telefonica Nacional Co., the Telefonica de Montevideo Co. During the year 1891 these lines have had 21,000 daily communications. They have 3,600 subscribers and the wires they employ represent 5,500 miles. They have 10 offices and employ 174 persons, 74 men and 100 women. The capital of each company is: The Telefonica de Montevideo $220,000, the Telefonica Nacional $105,000, the Telegrafica Telefonica del Plata Company has established a telephone line between Montevideo and Buenos Ayres. Postage. The movement in the Postoffices of the Republic is greater every day, owing to the continual improvement of the ways of communication. The following table gives an idea of the movement in the Montevideo Postoffice: Letters, Years. Papers, etc. 1885, 12,203,381 1886, 11,407,596 1887, 17,157,345 1888, 20,171,929 1889, 21,366,472 1890, 21,534,209 1891, 20,105,295 The movement during 1891 may be divided thus: Letters, in general 6,152,654 Business papers, samples 543,127 Official correspondence 423,178 Post-cards 55,955 Papers, etc. 12,930,381 ---------- 20,105,295 Carriages, Coaches, Etc. The number of coaches is very considerable in the Republic. Montevideo alone counts over 4,000 carts and more than 700 carriages. Public Education. Primary education is gratuitous and obligatory in all the Republic. The public schools are at the expense of the State, that gives the books and all the necessary materials. Since the year 1877, in which was issued the law on public education, the primary education has improved a great deal. The reform of the primary schools was initiated in the year 1868 by a private society, founded by the great reformer, Jose Pedro Varela, the Horace Mann of Uruguay, under the name of "Friends of Popular Education Society," which created an application school, called "Elbio Fernandez," in honor of one of the founders of the society. Various North American books and manuals were then translated for the use of the schools and masters. Varela's ideas soon were diffused among the people, and the reformer was appointed to a high situation in the Public Instruction Board, in the year 1876. Immediately he reformed all the official schools, and organized the scholar administration, being himself appointed principal director of it, with the title of "National Primary Instruction Inspector." University. The number of the students in the University of Montevideo during the year 1891 was 668, distributed thus: