PERU. 



671 



was prompted by him. He continued to take 

 an active interest in public affairs, but fell 

 from political influence with the empire, and 

 after that time lived in retirement. 



PERU (REpfJBLioA DEL PERfj), an indepen- 

 dent state of South America, and one of the 

 earliest Spanish colonies in the New World. 

 It extends from latitude 3 30' to 21 28' 

 south, and from longitude 68 to 81 20' west ; 

 and is bounded on the north by Ecuador, on 

 the east by Brazil, on the south by the same 

 empire and the republic of Bolivia, and on 

 the west by the Pacific Ocean. 



The territory of Peru, with an area esti- 

 mated at 500,000 square miles, is divided into 

 14 departments, 2 fluvial departments, 1 lit- 

 toral and 1 constitutional province, which, 

 with their population and capitals, are shown 

 by the following table : 



The army, in 1872, was composed as follows : 



Infantry, 8 battalions ..................... 5,600 



Cavalry, 3 regiments ...................... 1,200 



Artillery, 2 brigades ...................... 1,000 



Gendarmerie ............................. 5,400 



The foregoing figures, from official returns 

 published in Lima in 1871, are, by some good 

 authorities, regarded as too high by more than 

 half a million. 



The most numerous race in the republic is 

 *hat of the aborigines, making, as it does, 

 about 57 per cent, of the entire population ; 

 23 per cent, are made up of mestizos (cholos 

 and zambos) ; 12 per cent, are whites born 

 in Peru ; If per cent. Chinese ; 1 per cent, 

 whites of other nationalities, among whom 

 the Ecuadorians and Chilians are in a majority ; 

 Germans, Italians, and French, being like- 

 wise in good numbers. Lima, the capital, has 

 a population of over 150,000. 



President of the Republic, Manuel Pardo 

 (August 2, 1872); first Vice - President, M. 

 Costas ; second Vice-President, F. Garmendia ; 

 President of the Council, and Minister of War 

 and the Navy, General M. Medina; Minister 

 of Foreign Affairs, J. de la Riva Agiiero; 

 Minister of the Interior, F. Rosas ; Minister 

 of Justice, J. E. Sanchez ; Minister of Finance, 

 J. M. La Jara; commander-in-chief of the 

 Army and Navy, the President of the Repub- 

 lic; Inspector - General, General A. Segura; 

 commandant of the Navy, Captain D. De la 

 Haza; President of the Supreme Court of 

 Justice, J. M. Casio. 



Total. 



13,200 



The fleet consisted of 6 iron-clads, and 6 

 other steamers, with an aggregate armament 

 of 94 guns. Two of the iron-clads mount 14 

 guns each, one of them having 12 70-pounders 

 of 4 tons, and 2 pivot-guns, 150-pounders, of 7 

 tons. Two others carry, on revolving turrets, 

 3 guns capable of throwing projectiles of 500 

 pounds' weight ; when in action, they are but 

 six inches above the sea-level ; and are pro- 

 vided with facilities for casting streams of boil- 

 ing water upon an enemy attempting to board 

 them. 



Chief among the articles exported from Peru 

 are guano, nitrate of soda, Peruvian bark, su- 

 gar, and wool. The first two are mainly shipped 

 to England ; the exports of guano to that coun- 

 try in 1870 amounting to no less than $16,250,- 

 000, and of nitre in 1871 to $5,077,075. 



Almost every article of necessity is imported 

 from the United States, Great Britain, France, 

 and other European countries, as very little, 

 if any, attention is paid to home manufacture : 

 silk fabrics and general fancy goods come from 

 France; England supplies the woollen, linen, 

 and cotton fabrics, railway material, coals, etc., 

 while machinery of all kinds, agricultural im- 

 plements, American manufactures in general, 

 provisions, lumber, etc., are furnished by the 

 United States : the last-mentioned commodity 

 being exported from California and Oregon. 



The value of imports at the port of Callao, 

 for the year ending September 30, 1871, was 

 as follows : 



In American bottoms ................. $4,023,600 



In British bottoms .................... 6,750,055 



In French bottoms ................... 3,425,000 



In Italian bottoms .................... 1,059,000 



In North-German bottoms ............ 412,000 



Total ............................. $15,669,655 



To this total may be added perhaps $9,000,- 

 000 for merchandise imported in Salvadorian 

 vessels, and for damaged goods; and about 

 $2,000,000 more for imports by the English 

 line of steamers, ma Cape Horn, and of which 

 no returns had been made ; whereby the fig- 

 ures of the table would be increased, in round 

 numbers, to the sum of $27,000,000. 



The total imports of the republic were : 



By the port of Callao .......................... $27,000.000 



By the port of Iquiqne, about ................. 5,000,000 



By the port of Arica, about ................... 6,500,000 



By the ports of Islay, Mollendo, and others 

 (about) ............................. , ........ 4,000,000 



Total (about) ............................. $42,500,000 



The import duties at the port of Callao, for 

 the months of January and February last, were 

 as follows: For January, $303,185.87; for 

 February, $203,514.54 ; being a difference in 

 favor of February, although a short month, 

 of $328.65. 



