BOLIVIA. 



BOTTS, JOHN M. 



73 



in the Beni and Chiquitos provinces. On the 

 higher lands are found the llama, the sheep, 

 goat, and the vicuna. The mineral wealth of 

 Bolivia is fabulous. Besides silver, there are 

 found gold, lead, tin, copper, iron, coal, and 

 fossil salts. The gold washings of the head- 

 waters of the affluents of the Madeira are 

 celebrated, and from the single silver mountain 

 of Potosi nearly enough silver has been taken 

 to pay our national debt. 



The foreign trade passes through the Peru- 

 vian port of Arica. The foreign European 

 trade in imports amounts to about $3,000,000 

 annually. This is offset in exports of Peruvian 

 bark, guano, copper, etc. The balance of trade 

 against the country is paid for by a part of her 

 silver product, which is about $2,500,000 an- 

 nually. 



Bolivia made, in March, 1867, a treaty of 

 limits, commerce, and navigation, with Brazil. 

 This was, late in 1868, ratified by both nations, 

 and the party favorable to the treaty hope that 

 it will open the way to steam communication, 

 via the Amazon, with the world. On the other 

 hand, discontent with it still prevails. 



There is an internal trade in Bolivia amount- 

 ing to about $50,000,000 annually. 



The revolution prevailing in 1867 was ended in 

 the beginning of 1868, by the revolutionary lead- 

 ers emigrating to the Argentine Republic. Pres- 

 ident Melgarejo caused his first cousin, Colonel 

 Lozada, one of the bravest officers in the army, 

 to be shot for having attempting to raise a coun- 

 ter-revolution. The despotic act excited great 

 indignation ; but Melgarejo had the army per- 

 fectly under his control. The general dissatis- 

 faction with President Melgarejo continued, 

 however, and the President proclaimed himself, 

 in February, 1869, again dictator of the republic. 

 His Cabinet approved unanimously of this step. 

 In May he issued a decree restoring the consti- 

 tution, and ordered elections for Congressmen 

 and Senators. The people received this return 

 of their constitutional rights with enthusiasm. 

 He continued, however, to exercise full control. 



The Government recognized, in June, the 

 belligerent rights of Cuba by the following 

 decree : 



To His Excellency the Minister of Foreign A fairs of 

 the Provisional Government of Cuba : 



Sm: I have the honor to transmit herewith to 

 your Excellency a copy of the decree by which Bolivia 

 recognizes the belligerent rights of the Cuban patriots 

 and the legitimacy of the Provisional Government 

 which they have organized. The cause espoused by 

 General Cespedes is thoroughly American, seeking 

 for independence and the destruction of Spanish 

 despotism. God and right sustain its justice, and 

 the prayers of the Continent are offered for its suc- 

 cess. I have the honor, etc. 



MARIANO DC-NATO MUNOZ. 



LA PAZ, June 10, 1869. 



Mariano Melgarejo, Provisional President of Bo- 

 livia, decrees : 



1. That the Government of Bolivia recognizes the 

 Cuban patriots as belligerents, and the legitimacy of 

 the government organized by them. 



2. Bolivia sends her heart-felt sympathy to the 

 noble upholders of such a sacred cause, and to 



General Cespedes, as a first homage to his American 

 spirit and heroic efforts for the liberty and indepen- 

 dence of his country. 



A new revolutionary movement against Mel- 

 garejo was begun at the close of October, by 

 General Morales, consul of Bolivia at Callao, 

 who a few years since attempted the overthrow 

 of President Belzu. He appeared upon the fron- 

 tier of the country with three hundred muskets 

 and rallied a number of adherents to his stand- 

 ard; but the movement was speedily crushed. 



The Government continues to make great 

 efforts to develop the resources of the Amazon 

 Valley. On October 1, 1869, it gave to Mr. 

 A. D. Piper, a citizen of California, a conces- 

 sion of a vast tract of land. Mr. Piper, who 

 represents a California company, contracted, 

 on the other hand, to introduce 1,000 families 

 for each five years during twenty-five years. 

 A great impulse to Bolivian commerce is also 

 expected from the new railroads which the Ar- 

 gentine Republic, Brazil, and Peru, expect to 

 build to the Bolivian frontier. 



BOTTS, JOHN MINOE, a Virginian politician 

 and statesman, born in Dumfries, Prince Wil- 

 liam County, Va., September 16, 1802 ; died 

 at his residence in Culpepper, Va., January 7, 

 1869. Soon after his birth his parents removed 

 to Fredericksburg, and from thence to Rich- 

 mond, where they perished in the great theatre 

 fire in 1811. Young Botts received a good 

 school education notwithstanding the loss of 

 his parents during his youth, and so thorough 

 a preparation for the law, which was the pro- 

 fession of his choice, that he was admitted to 

 the bar at the age of eighteen. After he had 

 practised law for about six years, he retired to 

 a farm in Henrico County, and established 

 himself as a Virginia country gentleman. He 

 did not long remain in quiet, however, for, in 

 1833, he was elected to represent his county 

 in the Legislature of the State. He at once 

 took a prominent position among the leading 

 members of this body, and soon became one 

 of the most active politicians in Virginia, 

 working with the Whig party. He was sev- 

 eral times reflected to the Legislature. In 

 1839 he was elected to Congress, and there 

 stood earnestly and ably by Henry Clay, zeal- 

 ously advocating most of the points of the great 

 leader's programme a national bank, a pro- 

 tective tariff, and the distribution among the 

 States of the proceeds of the public lands. 

 After serving two terms he was defeated by 

 Mr. Seddon, but, in 1847, succeeded in gaining 

 a reelection. In 1839 he was a delegate to the 

 National Whig Convention, which nominated 

 Harrison and Tyler. He had been a warm 

 personal friend of John Tyler, elected Vice- 

 President in November, 1840, and who, by the 

 death of General Harrison, in April, 1841, be- 

 came President of the United States ; but, soon 

 after Mr. Tyler's accession to office, Mr. Botts, 

 in a conversation with him, learned his intention 

 of seceding from the party which had elected 

 him, and he at once denounced him, and pro- 



