I06 CHILE - MISCEI,I,ANEOUS 



emancipated from the Spanish domination. As early as 1817, the Supreme 

 Director of the first free government, Don Bernardo O' Higgins, encour- 

 aged immigration from Ireland and Switzerland. In 1845, the first colon- 

 isation law was promulgated ; in 1848 an immigration agent was sent to 

 Germany, and towards the middle of 1850 the first German colonists 

 began to arrive. In the province of Valdivia where these colonists settled, 

 there was,, so to speak, nothing but the soil ; ten 3'ears later considerable 

 progress was perceptible; agriculture and livestock improvement were 

 prospering ; there were farms and a beginning had been made in the 

 exchange of produce with other countries and the estabUshment of certain 

 factories. Valdivia is at the present time one of the most industrious and 

 prosperous (i) of the provinces, and the descendants of the old colonists 

 live in comfort. Valdivia, I^a Union, Osorno, Puerto Montt are the most 

 important centres. 



Other immigrants arrived later, French, Swiss, Germans and 

 Basques; by means of whom the government has estabhshed various 

 colonies, the chief of which are Vittoria, Temuco and Imperial. 



A new impulse was given to colonisation when the more fertile terri- 

 tories inhabited by natives (provinces of Malleco and Cantin) whose mode 

 of life is truly primitive, were conceded for private enterprise. At present 

 these two provinces are among the most progressive as regards agricul- 

 ture, cattle-rearing and wood manufactures. 



More recently, contemporaneo sly with the foundation of colonies 

 on official initiative, others have been established by private enterprise, of 

 which the chief and the most prosperous is that of " Nueva Italia " 

 founded by Italians. 



In order to attract again to their own country those Chilian subjects 

 who at various times had emigrated across the Argentine frontier, the 

 Government decided (1896) to found national colonies, offering grants 

 of land to Chilians. Thus, in a short time, arose those centres in which, 

 according to Perez-Canto, there are now 1,000 persons, each possessing 

 100,000 acres of land. 



According to recent pubHcations, the colonising work the State has 

 undertaken has been as follows: in the provinces of Malleco, Valdivia, 

 Llanquihue and Chiloc and in the territory of Magellan 437,045 hectares 

 have been set apart for colonisation ; besides this, in the last three 

 provinces 2,740,493 hectares were sold for the same purpose and 20,234,000 

 hectares were granted to private enterprise for pasture lands. In the 

 colonised districts there are 37 colonial centres, national and foreign. 



2. Systems of Colonisation. — (^f these there are two kinds: {a) national, 

 that is of Chilian subjects ; (b) foreign. 



(a) National Colonisation. — This is regulated by the laws of vSeptember 

 14^., 1896 and January'- 18^., 1898. By these the Government is 

 permitted to grant to families of Chilian citizens land to the extent 



(i) Thi5 province is specially noted for agriculture, tanning and preparing skins, the 

 manufacture of shoe soles, honey, beer etc. 



