THE LATIN-AMERICAN REPUBLICS 1065 



of one-seventh, and by 1910 one-sixth. But about two-thirds of all the British Latin 

 American trade is carried on with only three of the Republics Argentina, Brazil and 

 Chile. 



The problem of Central- American unrest remained during 1912. The revolution 

 in Nicaragua has threatened the political stability of the neighbouring States of Guate- 

 Ceatral- mala, Honduras and Costa Rica. The Central- American States collectively 

 American have resented the recent armed interference of the United States in Nica- 

 unrest. raguan affairs, but the local issues involved have remained rather obscure, 



being dominated to a large extent by private financial and commercial interests. 



A state of revolution, upon a less serious scale, has ben observable in Paraguay. 

 In Brazil, several minor uprisings against constituted authority have been noted; but 

 in these cases the Federal Government has proved competent to deal effectively with 

 the situation. Mexico has presented the most serious and prolonged state of upheaval, 

 one revolution after another occurring in rapid succession; the amount of damage to 

 life and property has proved considerable. Foreign interests, however, have hitherto 

 escaped lightly. The two negro Republics, Santo Domingo and Haiti, have maintained 

 their unenviable reputation for internal disorder, and U.S. Gunboats have been despatched 

 to both in order to protect American interests. 



In a diplomatic note presented to the Nicaraguan Government by the United States 

 Minister, Mr. Weitzel, the United States announced a new extension of its policy towards 

 the smaller republics of Latin-America, viz: Santo Domingo, Cuba, Guate- 

 ma l a > El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama. They 

 have been notified that the Northern Republic would strongly support all 

 duly constituted good governments in these countries; but that it would exert its force, 

 physical and moral, against selfishly inspired revolutions, and that it would protect 

 American legations and American citizens there resident. In effect, the United States 

 now extends a broad protectorate over the countries mentioned. 



For the third or fourth time there has been put forward the proposal of a Confedera- 

 tion of the Central-American States, with the President of Guatemala (Senor Manuel 

 Estrada Cabrera) as the first President. The earliest attempt at such a Confederation 

 was made in 1824, when El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa 

 Rica formed themselves into the Central-American Federation, with Senor Manuel 

 Jose Arce as the first President. It was dissolved in 1839; further efforts were made in 

 1842, when the promoter, General Morazan, lost his life in the attempt, and yet again 

 in 1909, when Senor Jose Santos Zelaya, President of Nicaragua, was expelled from his 

 country. There is little reason to anticipate any ultimate success even should the 

 proposal make any further headway. 



Early in 1912 Dr. Blair, Bishop of the Falkland Islands, visited England for the 

 purpose of raising a sum of 100,000 to provide churches, chaplains, schools and nursing 

 homes throughout his vast diocese, comprising the whole western seaboard 

 ^ South America and including the Republics of Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, 

 hind. Peru, Chile and Argentine-Patagonia as well as the British possession, the 



Falkland Islands, in all about 2,000,000 square miles of territory. In 

 spite of a vigorous Press campaign, there was but a meagre response to the Bishop's 

 appeal, and he was obliged to return to his diocese with less than one-fifth of the amount 

 for which he had asked. The Anglican Church in South America remains in a very un- 

 satisfactory condition; the attendances at divine service, even in such large cities as 

 Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Lima, Santiago, Valparaiso and Asuncion, are decidedly 

 scanty. 



The year 1912 was notable for the large number of new treaties entered into, and 

 old ones ratified, between the different States, the principal exceptions being in the 

 Treaties. cases of Peru with Ecuador, and of Peru with Chile. Boundaries were 

 also adjusted, leaving but few questions of settlement still open. 



The amount of newly-invested capital in Latin-American enterprises was somewhat 

 less than during the previous year, the largest borrowers having been Brazil and Chile, 



