Tiny Republics

A quaint little republic carne to llght only recently, when the citizens oí An3orra boldly threw off the yoke of tribJte to the French. 'Tis true it was only the sum of $200 which they refused to [ay; but their action was sufflcient to recall from obscurity for a moment the láliputian realm nestling on the heights of the Pyrenees. The vale of Andorra measures less than eighteen miles in either direction; but it is the home of one of the oldest republics in the world, the constitution of which is four years older than England's Magna Charta. The Andorrese number in all but 10,000 souis, and these and their ancestors have lived for a hundred years in the heart of Europe, without having written one word of its history. But Andorra is only one of a score oL :iny republics - miniature nations, some 3f whioh are only to be found marked on navigators' charts. Tavarola, for instance, is the smallest republic on the face of the globe. It occupies an island off the northeast coast of Sardinia, and comprises flfty-five people. It enjoys, however, the distinction of equal suffrage. Then there are Goust, Franceville, and San Marino, all smaller than Andorra. Truly, one-half of the world knows not the other half.