PARAGUAY. 



555 



PARAGUAY, a republic in South Amer- 

 ica. President, General Francisco Solano Lo- 

 pez, born in 1827; assumed the presidency on 

 September 10, 1862. Area of Paraguay proper 

 (situated between the Rivers Parana and Para- 

 guay), 73,000 English square miles; but, in- 

 cluding part of the Grand Chaco, a disputed 

 territory on the right bank of the Paraguay, 

 between Bolivia, Paraguay, and the Argentine 

 Republic, and a small tract of land between 

 the Parana and Uruguay, to which Paraguay 

 lays claim, the territory would exceed 200,000 

 square miles. The population, in 1867, 

 amounted to 1,337,431. 



A division of iron-clads left Asuncion on the 

 5th of January, and, entering the Manduvira 

 on the 6th, chased six Paraguayan steamers to 

 a narrow river, seventy miles from the Para- 

 guay, but were there stopped by the Paraguay- 

 ans sinking a steamer across the narrow chan- 

 nel. Being unable to follow the chase farther, 

 the Brazilian vessels returned to Asuncion. 

 During the pursuit the Paraguayans abandoned 

 a nearly-completed steamer, an old one cut 

 down, a schooner laden with tackling and 

 cordage, and a number of barges and boats. 



Lopez ordered the crews and guns of the 

 steamers to be removed to his new position at 

 Birabibi, in the mountains, where he had 5,000 

 men, and was actively recruiting. 



The American minister, General McMahon, 

 and the French and Italian consuls, were still 

 with Lopez. As regards the forces of the con- 

 tending parties at the beginning of 1869, it 

 seems that the Paraguayans under Lopez num- 

 bered about 9,000, and the allies, under the 

 command of the Marquis Caxias, 18,000 men. 

 The allies for a while were inactive. Caxias 

 left his command on account of alleged sick- 

 ness, giving it up to Marshal Guilherme de 

 Souza. This indecision gave Lopez time to 

 recover and to fortify himself in his new posi- 

 tion at the mouth of the Tebicuari. Paranhos, 

 the Brazilian commissioner to Paraguay, en- 

 deavoring to bring the war to a close, made 

 propositions of peace to the Paraguayans on the 

 following conditions: that the independence 

 of Paraguay shall not be impaired; that the 

 freedom of navigation of the Rio Paraguay 

 and the Rio de la Plata be guaranteed, and 

 that Lopez renounce his claims to a portion of 

 the Chaco territory and the province of Matto 

 Grosso. 



This proposition was not accepted. The 

 Paraguayans were determined to fight to the 

 bitter end. The prisoners of war, released by 

 the allies at Angostura, rejoined Lopez, who 

 made several very successful raids into the ter- 

 ritory held by the allies. On April 14th the new 

 commander-in-chief of the allies, Count d'Eu, 

 arrived at Asuncion, and applied himself first to 



remedying abuses and providing for a vigorous 

 campaign. 



In March General McMahon, the minister of 

 the United States in Paraguay, was recalled by 

 the new Administration in Washington. 



The following is President Grant's letter to 

 Lopez, informing him of McMahon's recall : 



Great and Good Friend : Mr. Martin T. McMahon, 

 who has for some time resided near the Government 

 of the Republic of Paraguay, in the character of min- 

 ister resident of the United. States, being about to 

 return to this country, I have directed him to take 

 leave of your Excellency. Mr. McMahon, whose in- 

 structions had been to cultivate with y_our Govern- 

 ment relations of the closest friendship, has been 

 directed, on .leaving Paraguay, to convey to your 

 Excellency the assurance of our sincere desire to 

 strengthen and extend the friendly intercourse now 

 happily subsisting between the two Governments^ 

 and to secure to the people of the two countries a con- 

 tinuance of the benefits resulting from that inter- 

 course. The zeal with which he has fulfilled his 

 former instructions leads me to hope that he will 

 execute his last commission in a manner agreeable to 

 your Excellency. 



Written at Washington the fifteenth day of March, 

 in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred 

 and sixty-nine. 



Your good friend, U. S. GEANT. 



By the President : 



HAMILTON FISH, Secretary of State. 



At the formal departure from Lopez, Gen- 

 eral McMahon addressed him as follows : 



Tour Excellency : My mission near the Government 

 of Paraguay having terminated, I have the honor to 

 place in your Excellency's hands the autograph letter 

 of the President of the United States, announcing my 

 recall. The heroism and noble perseverance which I 

 have witnessed during my short residence in this 

 country has filled me with profound and lasting in- 

 terest in the lot of its people. I hope sincerely that 

 the day is not far distant when the din of arms will 

 cease forever within the confines of the republic, and 

 that the heroic sacrifices made by the gallant people 

 over whom your Excellency presides will meet their 

 just reward in the prosperity and lasting indepen- 

 dence of their country. I now fulfil the last duty 

 with which I am intrusted, by expressing to your 

 Excellency the sincere desire 01 the President 01 the 

 United States to strengthen and draw closer the 

 friendly relations happily existing at present between 

 the two Governments, and to insure to each people 

 the "benefits resulting therefrom. I offer you this 

 assurance with the greatest pleasure, from the fact 

 that, during my mission near your Excellency's Gov- 

 ernment, nothing has occurred to interfere in the 

 slightest degree with these friendly relations, and I 

 devoutly hope that they will ever continue on the 

 same footing. 



To this President Lopez made the following 

 reply: 



Mr. Minister : I had cherished the hope that the 

 worthy representative of the greatest of republics 

 would have been a witness to the end of the heroic 

 sacrifices made by this people for their existence, 

 whatever be the final lot which the God of nations 

 may design for them. I feel flattered, nevertheless, 

 at the just terms in which you recall the heroism of 

 this generous people, and, while our voice is stifled, 

 they will serve to prove to the world that the Para- 



