CHILI. 



the flower. In this way blue, violet, and purple 

 flowers were changed to green, carmine-red 

 flowers to black, white to yellow, etc. The 

 most singular changes were presented by flowers 

 in which several tints are combined ; the red 

 lines changed to green, the white to yellow, 

 and so on. After the flowers have undergone 

 these changes, if they are placed in pure water, 

 they retain their new coloration several hours, 

 and then gradually resume their original hues. 

 Gabba has further observed that the flowers of 

 aster, which are naturally inodorous, acquire 

 an agreeable aromatic odor under the influence 

 of ammonia. When moistened with dilute 

 nitric acid they change from violet to red. If 

 inclosed in a wooden case, and exposed to 

 hydrochloric acid vapor, they in six hours as- 

 sume a beautiful carmine-red. 



Source of Ammonia in the Air. This ques- 

 tion has been reinvestigated by Schloseng, who 

 fives his results in a communication to the 

 rench Academy of Sciences. Among the 

 points enumerated in his research are, the 

 origin of the ammonia diffused on the surface 

 of the soil, its circulation, its variations in the 

 atmosphere, and its distribution between the 

 sea, the continents, and the air. It is a well- 

 known fact that, in the course of the trans- 

 formations of organic matter, a certain amount 

 of nitrogen is set free ; also that this gaseous 

 nitrogen is not assimilable by organisms. Hence 

 the necessity of some agency which shall take 

 this free nitrogen and cause it to reenter into 

 combination. The author, after criticising the 

 various opinions put forth on this subject, as- 

 sents to the theory of Boussingault, who holds 

 that, under the influence of atmospheric elec- 

 tricity, nitric acid is produced in the air. Fur- 

 ther, he says that the surface of the continents 

 is essentially an oxidizing medium ; that nitri- 

 fication is there abundantly developed; and 

 that a portion of the nitrates thus formed en- 

 ters again into the cycle of life, while the rest 

 is carried into the sea. Experience also shows 

 that if the decomposition of organisms pro- 

 duces nitre on the continents, it produces am- 

 monia in a medium so little oxidized as is the 

 sea. Hence the author recognizes on the sur- 

 face of the globe a regular circulation of nitric 

 acid and of ammonia, taking place in this way, 

 viz., nitrous production in the air, nitrous gains 

 from the air to the continents, transfer of ni- 

 trates to the sea, formation of ammonia in the 

 saline medium; finally, disengagement and 

 passage of the alkali into the air, to be given 

 back again to the continents. 



CHILI (REpfJBLioA DE CHILE), an indepen- 

 dent state of South America, extending from 

 the 24th to the 56th parallel of south latitude 

 and from 70 to 74 west longitude. It is 

 bounded on the north by Bolivia ; on the east 

 by the Argentine Republic and Patagonia, from 

 both of which it is separated by the great chain 

 of the Andes ; on the south by Cape Horn 

 and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. These' 

 it should be observed, are the boundaries 



claimed by the Chilians, but still warmly pro- 

 tested against by the Argentines.* 



A Santiago journal published the following 

 remarks on this subject, about the month of 

 August : 



Our boundary question with the Argentine Kepub- 

 lic_is still very far from a satisfactory settlement. 

 Senor Avellaneda's determination to carry out to the 

 letter the law passed by the Argentine Congress, pro- 

 viding for the establishment of a line of sailing-ves- 

 sels to Patagonia, has called forth a fresh protest 

 from the Chilian minister at Buenos Ayres, and a re- 

 ply from the other side. A portion of the newspa- 

 per press has urged on our Government to recall its 

 representative, on the ground that, after what has 

 occurred, his longer stay there is uncalled for. Still, 

 despite the critical state of relations between the 

 two republics, we hope that the Argentine Govern- 

 ment will ultimately accept the long-standing pro- 

 posal of Chili, namely, that the matter be submitted 

 to arbitration. 



The Argentine Government, however, satis- 

 fied of the justice of its claim to the Putago- 

 nian territory, commissioned, in 1873, Dr. Que- 

 vada, director of the National Library, to pro- 

 ceed to Spain, for the purpose of examining as 

 many books and manuscript documents as he 

 could find in the Government archives at Mad- 

 rid, bearing upon the colonial history of La 

 Plata ; and the result of his labors has been 

 published, under the auspices of the provincial 

 Government of Buenos Ayres, in an 8vo vol- 

 ume of 800 pages, the contents of which may 

 be enumerated as follows : 



1. Discovery and conquest of La Plata. Instruc- 

 tions to the Adelantados Mendoza, Cabeza de Vaca, 

 Sanabria, Zarate, and Vera. Foundation and limits 

 of Buenos Ayres. 



2. Establishment of Paraguay. Separate prov- 

 ince marked out for Buenos Ayres. 



3. Governors and Viceroys of Buenos Ayres ex- 

 ercising jurisdiction over Patagonia, the Straits of 

 Magellan, and Cape Horn. Explorations and mis- 

 sions. Towns founded on the coast. Maritime com- 

 pany and fishing. 



4. Provinces of La Plata erected into viceroyal- 

 ty of Buenos Ayres. Limits marked out by the 

 King for Viceroy Vertiz. 



5. Koyal audiencia established at Buenos Ayres. 

 Its jurisdiction and limits defined by the Govern- 

 ment of Madrid. 



6. Argentine and Chilian documents on the sub- 

 ject of uti possidetis, based on the state of things in 



At the end of the book are an appendix of 

 200 pages, containing extracts from the vari- 

 ous decrees issued by the home Government, 

 constituting Patagonia a dependency of Buenos 

 Ayres, and a list of 191 writers, from Ovalle, 

 author of a "Description of Chili," published 

 at Rome, in 1646, down to the Messrs. Mulhall, 

 the compilers of the excellent " Hand-book of 

 the River Plate Republics" (London, 1875), 

 by all of whom Patagonia is uniformly assigned 

 to the country now called the Argentine Re- 

 public. The list just referred to is not confined 

 to Spaniards and Argentines ; it presents well- 

 known German, English, French, and even 

 Chilian names, and among them many noted, 

 those of Balbi, Cantu, Stewart, Bouillet, Malte- 



* See ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA for 1872, et seq. 



