CHILI. 



CHINA. 



99 



Bolivia contributed ores, principally silver 

 and tin; Ecuador cocoa; while the Central 

 American States displayed dyewoods, coffee, 

 and drugs. As to machinery, England took 

 the lead, then came France, and finally the 

 United States. There were nearly three hun- 

 dred machines for agricultural and mining pur- 

 poses. The Exhibition was successful. Almost 

 all the machines were sold to farmers and 

 miners in the republic. To promote industry 

 and commerce, Congress passed a bill pro- 

 roguing for one year the powers conferred 

 upon the President of the republic by the law 

 of the 13th of December, 1862, for the con- 

 struction of the Chilian, Concepcion, and Tal- 

 cahuano Kailway; and further, to submit to 

 arbitration, by and with the consent of the 

 Council of State, all questions arising out of 

 the contract that may be entered into for the 

 construction of the said railway; also a bill 

 empowering the President of the republic to 

 call for tenders, and enter into contracts for 

 the construction of a branch line of railway 

 from Llaillai to San Felipe, according to the 

 estimates, plans, and specifications formed by 

 William Barre", 0. E. The cost of the con- 

 struction of the line is to be paid for in govern- 

 ment bonds, the rate of interest upon which is 

 not to exceed six per cent, per annum, payable 

 half-yearly, and redeemable in thirty or more 

 years, at not exceeding par, the right of in- 

 creasing the redemption fund being reserved 

 to the state. The same bill empowers the 

 President of the republic, as soon as the be- 

 fore-mentioned line is concluded, to order its 

 prolongation as far as Santa Eosa, in the man- 

 ner and form already described. The Govern- 

 ment declared also all materials to be used in 

 the construction and repair of vessels free of 

 import duty, which measure will add consider- 

 ably to the prosperity and importance of Val- 

 paraiso. The works on the railway between 

 Chilian and Talcahuano were commenced, and 

 were expected to be finished in two years. 



Considerable discoveries of copper were re- 

 ported to have taken place at Mejillones. 



Rather an important society has been recent- 

 ly formed in Chili, with the object of export- 

 ing the valuable animals found in the country, 

 and importing those from foreign countries not 

 yet known. The association numbers among 

 its members several of the most influential men 

 in the country, and will doubtless be productive 

 of great good. 



The following data will give some idea 

 of the importance of the movement of Chil- 

 ian commerce during the year 1868 : In 1867 

 47,755 custom-house policies were issued, 

 against 59,244 in 1868, leaving in favor of the 

 last year a balance of nearly 11,500; 1,278 

 ships have entered the Chilian ports, against 

 1,100 in 1867. The receipts of the custom- 

 house in Valparaiso amounted to the consider- 

 able sum of $5,500,000, nearly $1,000,000 more 

 than in the preceding year. 



In Chili business is but little affected by the 



political events which may transpire. The 

 commercial interests of the country being al- 

 most entirely in the hands of foreigners, who 

 never mix in political matters, their course is 

 not changed by the action of Congress or of the 

 Executive, the business community having suf- 

 ficient influence to prevent the passage of any 

 measures that would prove hurtful to them ; 

 and, as the large transactions in copper prod- 

 uce, which, with grain, constitute the great 

 exports of the republic, are also controlled, in 

 the main, by foreigners, no injury is received 

 from executive proceedings. 



CHINA,* an empire in Eastern Asia. Em- 

 peror, T'ung-Chet (before his accession to the 

 throne, Tsai-Sung), born April 21, 1856 ; suc- 

 ceeded his father, Hieng-Fund, August 22, 

 1861. The estimates of the area of China 

 Proper vary from 1,294,000 to 1,548,000 Eng- 

 lish square miles ; and of the area of the depen- 

 dencies of China, from 3,012,000 to 3,118,000 

 English square miles. The total area of China 

 and dependencies is given by Behm (Geograph. 

 Jdhrbuch, vol. ii.) as 4,695,334 square miles. 

 The population of China Proper is estimated 

 at 450,000,000; of Mantchooria, 3,000,000; 

 Mongolia, 3,000,000; Thian-Shan-nanlu and 

 Thian-Shan-pelu, together, 1,000,000; Thibet, 

 11,000,000; Corea, 9,000,000; the Loo-Choo 

 Islands, 500,000. The total population of 

 China and dependencies would therefore be 

 about 477,500,000. At the head of the depart- 

 ment of Foreign Affairs is Prince Kung, an 

 uncle of the Emperor. The empire is divided 

 into eighteen provinces, each of which has a 

 particular administration, army and finances. 



Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Pleni- 

 potentiary to the Treaty Powers, Hon. Anson 

 Burlingame, Chih-Kang, and Sun-Chia-Ku. 

 Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipo- 

 tentiary of the United States in Peking, Hon. 

 F. W. Low, appointed in 1869. 



Notwithstanding the endeavor of the Chinese 

 Government to enter into more satisfactory re- 

 lations with foreign powers, the last year has 

 exhibited a continuance of hostile actions and 

 feelings between the Chinese and foreign resi- 

 dents, in particular the English. The dif- 

 ficulty which in 1868 J had occurred at Yang- 

 Chow was settled by the dismissal of the 

 local officers at Yang-Chow, and damages for 

 destruction of property of the missionary, as- 

 sessed at 1,826 taels, were promptly paid. 

 The missionary and his family were formally 

 invited to return to Yang-Chow, and a tablet 

 of stone has been erected at the front door of 

 the mission with the following inscription : 



THE PREFECT OF YANG-CHOW. Whereas, this 

 house has been rented by the British subject Taylor, 



* See AMERICAN ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA for 1868, for an 

 account of the nrmv, of commercial statistics, and the 

 movement of shipping. 



t At first (1861) the name Ki-Tsiang was selected for 

 the new government (see the preceding volumes of the 

 AMERICAN ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA), but it has subsequent- 

 ly been changed into Tung-Che, which signifies " United 



% Se'e AMEHICAN ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA for 1868. 



