CHILI. 



cited the greatest indignation throughout the 

 country, not only among the natives but also 

 among the British residents. A meeting of 

 about four hundred of the most influential 

 British merchants was held in Valparaiso, to 

 express their feelings with regard to the claim, 

 and they were unanimous in condemning it 

 as most unjust. The English Government, at 

 length, consented to compromise the matter. 



On the 8th of December, 1862, Santiago, 

 the capital of Chili, was the scene of a terrible 

 calamity. The church of the Jesuits, while 

 crowded in the evening to overflowing by 

 more than three thousand persons, caught fire. 

 The camphene in a transparency on the high 

 altar set on fire its frame-work, and wrapped 

 in flame a kind of tabernacle wholly composed 

 of canvas, pasteboard, and wood. As no less 

 than twenty thousand lights in long festoons of 

 colored globes hung in the church, with gauze 

 and drapery of every description, the whole 

 interior was in a few minutes an inextinguish- 

 able bonfire^ and a rain of liquid blue fire 

 poured down 'upon the crowded masses below. 

 The church had only one door of easy access, 

 which, opening inside, was soon blocked up, 

 and made escape impossible. In less than a 

 quarter of an hour, about two thousand human 

 beings had perished, including many children, 

 but very few men. Feats of the most pro- 

 digious valor and thrilling heroism were per- 

 formed by many individuals on the spot. Mr. 

 Nelson, the American ambassador, in particu- 

 lar, distinguished himself. He was instrument- 

 al in saving the lives of fifty young ladies, and 

 never deserted his post at the threshold of the 

 doors until the roof had fallen in, when a com- 

 plete shower of sparks and cinders seemed to 

 envelop him. He was carried from the spot, 

 with his clothes smouldering, and his hair 

 singed to the roots. 



On December llth, he addressed a letter to 

 the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the re- 

 public, expressing the profound regret caused 

 in his mind, and in that of his fellow citizens 

 residing in Chili, for the terrible misfortune, 

 and assuring the Chilian Government that 

 the Government and people of the United 

 States would feel the deepest sorrow upon re- 

 ceiving the news of this catastrophe. To this 

 letter Sefior Toornal, the Secretary of Foreign 

 Affairs of Chili, replied, on December 12th, 

 that he was specially charged by the President 

 of the republic to assure the representative 

 and the citizens of the United States who had 

 taken part in the public mourning, that the 

 noble conduct manifested by them upon this 

 sad occasion would ever be gratefully remem- 

 bered by the Chilian people and Government. To 

 allay the popular excitement, the Government 

 issued an order that the building in which the 

 disaster occurred should be razed to the ground. 

 The Legislature also passed an act providing that 

 henceforth there should be no illuminations of 

 churches and splendid night services, and that 

 proper measures should be taken in all the 



CHINA. 



183 



churches to secure a sufficient number of doors. 

 Another result of the calamity was the organ- 

 ization of a fire brigade. On the 31st of De- 

 cember, a similar calamity had nearly befallen 

 the worshippers in another church of Santiago, 

 but fortunately the fire was extinguished. 



In point of material prosperity, Chili is mak- 

 ing great progress. The railway of Coquimbo, 

 arid the line from Santiago to Valparaiso, are 

 finished, and it was intended to construct a tel- 

 egraphic line from Valparaiso to Panama. 



CHINA. An empire in Eastern Asia. Em- 

 peror : Ki-Tsiang (before his accession to the 

 throne, Tsai-Sung), born in 1855, succeeded his 

 father Hiengfung in August 22d, 1861. Prime 

 Minister, Yih-soo, Prince of Rung. Population, 

 in 1849, estimated at 415 millions. Area, esti- 

 mated by McCulloch at V6,815 geographical 

 square miles, by Malte Brun at 69,840, by Bar- 

 row at 60,072. 



The treaty of Nankin, concluded in 1842, 

 opened to foreign commerce the ports of Can- 

 ton, Amoy, Fu-tcheu, Ningpo and Shanghai. 

 Th# treaty of Tien-tsin opened also the follow- 

 ing ports : Kiung-tcheu on the island of Hai- 

 nan, Taiwan upon the island of Formosa, Swa- 

 tan on the coast of the province of Kiang- 

 tung, Tchi-fou on the northern coast of the 

 province of Shan-tung, Niutchiang in the gulf 

 of Leaotong, and the ports of Chinkiang, 

 Kiukiang and Hangchow on theYang-tse-kiang. 

 The treaty of Pekin, of Oct. 24th and 26th, 

 opened the port of Tien-tsin. 



Since the middle of the year 1862 the Im- 

 perial Government, supported by England and 

 France, has been constantly gaining upon the 

 powerful Taeping rebellion. A number of Eng- 

 lish and French officers have been in the employ- 

 ment of the Chinese Government and formed 

 different corps off native troops, which learned 

 from them the tactics of the European troops. 

 Several of the French officers lost their lives in 

 engagements with the Taepings. Thus Admiral 

 Protet was killed in an attack upon the city of 

 Kiu-ting, which he undertook to take from the 

 insurgents. Two other officers, Lebreton and 

 Tardif de Moidry, captains of artillery, were 

 likewise killed. The latter was succeeded by 

 Gen. d'Argraibelle, who, in March, 1863, com- 

 pelled the insurgents co evacuate the towns of 

 Shaouh-sing (90 miles from Ningpo) and Seaou- 

 san (20 miles from the former place), and to 

 fall back upon Hangchow. In Oct. 1863, the 

 Franco-Chinese contingent captured Foyang, 

 which was accomplished with 900 men and 

 four guns. 



The American General "Ward, who had great- 

 ly distinguished himself in the service of the 

 Chinese Government, was mortally wounded 

 on September 20th, 1862, in an engagement with 

 the Taepings near Ningpo, and died on the fol- 

 lowing day. He was succeeded in the com- 

 mand of the disciplined Chinese by Gen. Bur- 

 gevine, who, however, got very soon into diffi- 

 culties with the Chinese. On Jan. 4th, 1863, 

 Gen. Burgevine marched into the settlement of 



