BRAZIL. 



61 



children learning hereafter of our selfishness 

 and our moral and physical degradation ? In this 

 deplorable state of things, let us renew our ef- 

 forts to arouse the slumbering spirit of our coun- 

 trymen to reconstruct Bolivia, prepare for the 

 national defense, and gain the victory overChili, 

 cOit what it may. To that end the National Con- 

 vention should, we think, continue for at least 

 six months longer its labor of reconstructing 

 our demjralized national administration. Let 

 the representatives be paid, for no labor is more 

 worthy of remuneration than theirs. Exac- 

 tions can lead to no practical or useful end. 

 The members of the Convention have hitherto 

 manifested an unusual degree of self-denial in 

 the service of their country. Many of them 

 will continue to do so ; but such can not be 

 expected to constitute the rule. It is but fair 

 that those who devote their time and energy 

 to the cause of Bolivia, and thereby neglect 

 their own private concerns, should be remu- 

 nerated. In the trying times through which 

 we are now passing, it is not prudent to ex- 

 pect everything of the Executive. Chili, in 

 making war against us, has had the counsel 

 and guidance of her people's representatives, 

 while we intrusted everything to the Govern- 

 ment. What has been the result? Daza's 

 Government plunged us in ruin ; and the 

 present Government, spite of all its patriot- 

 ism, will at no distant day lose its prestige, for 

 of professional malcontents there is, unfortu- 

 nately, no lack in Bolivia. The wise direction 

 of public affairs requires the energetic coop- 

 eration of the Parliament with an honest Gov- 

 ernment like that of the illustrious General 

 Campero. Our country's wounds need the 

 firm hand and determined treatment of a 

 National Convention, and a National Conven- 

 tion alone. Lastly, Bolivia, like the phoenix, 

 must find within her own breast the secret of 

 her regeneration. The Assembly, by the light 

 of their understanding, the Executive by pa- 

 triotic action, and the people by unceasing 

 labor in the cultivation of the fruits of the 

 earth, must raise up the nation from the 

 depths to which she has fallen, and carry our 

 arms to the retrieval of honor lost and soil 

 usurped." A confederation between Peru and 

 Bolivia, accepted by the people of the first 

 country in June, and to be decided upon by a 

 plebiscitum in the second, appears to have been 

 favorably considered by the National Conven- 

 tion at La Paz, and the question even submit- 

 ted to the President for Executive sanction in 

 October. (The leading incidents of the war 

 will be nnrrated in the article PERU.) 



BRAZIL (IMPERIO DO BRAZIL). (Statistics 

 concerning area, territorial divisions, popula- 

 tion, etc., will be found in the " Annual Cyclo- 

 pedia " for 1878.) The commissioners appoint- 

 ed to determine the limits of the empire with the 

 neighboring republic of Venezuela were re- 

 ported to have made satisfactory progress. At 

 latest accounts the Brazilian section had ad- 

 vanced as far as Maroa, a Venezuelan village 



situated on the Rio Negro and above San Car- 

 los ; while the Venezuelan commissioners were 

 at Javita, one day's journey beyond that point. 

 According to the latest official returns, the 

 number of slaves in Brazil was 1,368,254; but 

 as these figures were taken from registers reach- 

 ing only to the end of 1878, the number must 

 at present be several thousand less, allowing for 

 deaths, and for public and private emancipation. 

 The distribution of the accumulated emanci- 

 pation fund (about $2,204,940) was, however, 

 based on the same returns ; and the following 

 table shows the number of slaves in, and the 

 share of said fund allotted to each of the prov- 

 inces at the close of the year above referred 

 to: 



It is stated that, in virtue of a recent rev- 

 enue law, the emancipation fund will be 

 doubled in the fiscal years 1881-'82, and be 

 probably about $1,000,000. 



In the matter of immigration, Brazil has 

 been particularly unfortunate, notwithstanding 

 the many sacrifices she has made with a view to 

 attracting useful colonists to her shores. Recent 

 experiments with Russians have been attended 

 with results so unfavorable as to discourage 

 the Government from further attempts of the 

 kind. Indeed, it would appear that the aban- 

 donment of state immigration has been re- 

 solved upon, and that recourse will hereafter 

 be had to the more practical plan of reforming 

 the land laws so as to facilitate grants, salfs 

 on credit, and leases, thus affording to small 

 holders easy terms and security from former 

 trammels. Notice is stated to have been 

 transmitted to Europe that the "assisted pas- 

 sage "system would be discontinued, except 

 in the case of already existing contracts; and 

 on the 7th of May all Government lodging- 

 houses were to be closed. Frequent allusion 

 has been made in the British and in the Bra- 

 zilian press to the disadvantage of allowing 

 large tracts of land to be held on a nominal 

 tenure, yet lying neglected and uncultivated ; 

 and it is hoped that the remedial measures 

 just mentioned, together with others in con- 



