66 



BOLIVIA. 



within a year or two he walked erect and 

 straight as an arrow, and with the stately 

 tread of an old soldier. He was slight of fig- 

 ure, but strong limbed, and the strength of his 

 arms was something remarkable. He was 

 very fond of physical exercise, and generally 

 employed the early hours of dawn in running, 

 in Highland fashion, around the walks at his 

 Fort Washington home. 



BOLIVIA, an independent republic of South 

 America, lying between lat. 10 and 24 S., 

 and Ion. 57 25' and 70 30' W., bounded north- 

 east by Brazil, from which it is partly sep- 

 arated, southeast by the river Paraguay, south 

 by the Argentine Republic and Chili, and west 

 by the Pacific Ocean and Peru. Bolivia, how- 

 ever, claims that portion of the Gran Chaco 

 comprised between the rivers Paraguay and 

 Bermejo, which would extend its southern 

 limits to 26 53' S. The republic is divided in- 

 to nine departments, which, with their areas 

 in square miles, capitals, and population, in 

 1865, are as follows: 



^The departments are subdivided into 37 dis- 

 tricts, and these into 45 provinces. No official 

 survey of the country has ever been made; 

 but the above areas are, with the exception 

 of that of the department of Beni, according 

 to a map of Bolivia published in 1859 by Lieu- 

 tenant-Colonel J. Ondarza. Behm gives only 

 535,747 square miles as the total area ; but the 

 former is probably more correct. The popula- 

 tion consists of native whites, for the most part 

 descendants of the Spanish settlers, mestizoes 

 or cholos (mixed white and Indian), mulat- 

 toes, zambos (mixed Indian and negro), Indians 

 in a domesticated state, and savage Indians. 

 Of the last there are about 250,000, which, 

 added to the figures of the table, gives a total 

 population of 2,081,585, rather more than 

 one-fourth of whom are whites. The aborigi- 

 nal is by far the most numerous element of 

 the republic ; it forms in the province of La 

 Paz nine-tenths of the population; in that of 

 Tarija it is five times as numerous as the 

 white. Of the many aboriginal tribes still ex- 

 isting in Bolivia, the most noteworthy are the 

 Aymaras, or Aymarus, Quichuas, Moxos, and 

 Chiquitos. The first two, once united under 

 the dominion of the Incas, speak languages of 

 kindred origin, while in their customs and 

 manners little dissimilarity is noticeable. The 

 Aymaras dwell chiefly in La Paz, although some 

 are met with in Oruro, and the Quichuas inhab- 

 it the coast, the valley of the Desaguadero, 



and the northern and eastern portions of the 

 republic. Most of these Bolivian Indians have 

 embraced Christianity and fairly entered upon 

 the career of civilization. The language of 

 the Chiquitos is copious and flexible, and re- 

 markable for possessing a special vocabulary 

 for the use of females. The Spanish Creoles 

 are most numerous in the mining districts 

 and in Cochabamba ; immigrants into the 

 country since the separation from Spain have 

 chiefly settled in these places and in La Paz. 

 By the provisions of the Constitution of Bo- 

 livia, drawn up by Simon Bolivar in 1826, and 

 considerably modified in '1828, 1831, and 1863, 

 the whole executive power is vested in a Pres- 

 ident, elected for a term of four years. The 

 legislative authority rests with a Congress of 

 two Chambers, the Senate and the House of 

 Representatives, both elected by universal 

 suffrage. The President appoints a Vice-Pres- 

 ident to assist him in his functions, and also a 

 ministry, divided into the departments of the 

 Interior, Justice, Finance, "War, and Education 

 and Public Worship. The ministers are liable 

 to impeachment before Congress. The seat of 

 the executive government, formerly at La Paz, 

 was transferred to Oruro in 1869. 



The President is Don Adolfo Ballivian, 

 elected in November (1872) ; Minister of the 

 Interior and Foreign Affairs, Dr. C. Corral; 

 Minister of Finance, etc., Don *J. S. Garcia; 

 Minister of War, General J. Sanjine ; and Min- 

 ister of Justice and Public Worship, Dr. M. 

 Terrazas. Archbishop and Primate of the Re- 

 public, Dr. S. J. Puch y Solona (1861). There 

 are four bishoprics, namely : La Paz, vacant ; 

 Santa Cruz de la Sierra, F. X. Rodriguez 

 (1870) ; and Cochabamba (titulary bishop), F. 

 M. del Gran ado. 



The standing army is composed of 51 gen- 

 erals, 359 commanding officers, 654 subaltern 

 officers, and about 4,000 men. The cost of 

 the army is about $2,000,000 annually. 



The commerce of Bolivia is limited to the 

 importation of cotton goods, hardware, furni- 

 ture, jewelry, and silks, in exchange for Peru- 

 vian bark, guano, copper-ore, tin, borax, furs, 

 hides, woollens, and wool hats. To facilitate 

 the development of trade, the port of Cobija 

 has been declared free. 



The total imports, in 1871, amounted to 

 $6,000,000 ; and the total exports to $5,000,000. 

 In 1859 the export of calisaya-bark through 

 the Peruvian ports of Arica and Islay amount- 

 ed to $153,970; and from January to Novem- 

 ber, 1860, to $223,850. The internal trade 

 reached in 18G8 about $50,000,000. The State 

 mint at Potosi coins annually about 2,250,000 

 pesos in silver. In October, 1872, the National 

 Assembly adopted a law permitting the ex- 

 portation of silver in bars from June 1. 1873, 

 subject, however, to an export duty of 50 c. 

 per mark, and 20 c. per oz. for gold. An ex- 

 port duty of 4 per cent, is still paid on good 

 money. A very large trade is carried on with 

 coca leaves, used, with lime, for mastication 



