178 



CHILI 



40 S. The streams in the north are of little 

 importance, being mostly shallow brooks, which, 

 after a short course, are licked up by the thirsty 

 land ; in the south they are larger and more 

 numerous, although most are navigable for only 

 a few miles. The principal are the Maipu, which 

 waters the valley of Santiago ; the Maule ; the 

 Biobio (q.v. ), the largest river in the country; the 

 Cauten, or Rio Imperial ; the Bueno ; and the 

 Callecalle, or Rio de Valdivia (100 miles'), the 

 most important of all, because of the sheltered 

 harbour at its mouth. In the south are also many 

 deep lakes, such as Llanquihue ( 30 miles long by 

 22 broad) and Ranco (32 miles by 18). Mineral 

 waters, chiefly saline and sulphureous, are abun- 

 dant ; the principal spa is at Chilian (q.v.). The 

 most important islands are those constituting the 

 province of Chiloe (q.v.); Juan Fernandez (q.v.) 

 also belongs to Chili. Owing to its great extension 

 from north to south, Chili comprises regions of 

 very different nature and climate. The north pro- 

 vinces, Tarapaca, Atacama, and part of Coquimbo 

 are arid, rainless districts, where the principal 

 industry is mining and extraction of saltpetre. 

 The middle and southern provinces viz. Acon- 

 cagua, Valparaiso, Santiago, Colchagua, Curic6, 

 Talca, Linares, Maule, Nuble, Concepcion, Arauco, 

 Biobio, and Valdivia, are agricultural and viti- 

 cultural, and have also valuable coalfields. The 

 Patagonian region is densely wooded and sparsely 

 inhabited by a few Indians. The climate of Chili 

 is temperate. In the north it is moderately hot 

 and rainless, but banks of clouds always hang over- 

 head, and heavy dew falls at night. In the south 

 it is dry for about 'eight months of the year, and 

 rainy the other four. The temperature is remark- 

 ably even and pleasant, and always cool at nights. 

 The south wind blows fiercely during many days 

 of summer dry and cold ; the north wind brings 

 heat, tempest, and rain ; other winds are unknown. 

 In Southern Chili generally the land is poor and 

 of hardly any value for agriculture, which, indeed, 

 is carried on in a very primitive fashion ; but the 

 soil of the valleys, where large herds of cattle 

 graze, is very fertile. Vines, also, grow well on 

 the hillsides, and the wines of the country are 

 superseding in Chili the French red wines. The 

 Andes are almost everywhere visible, covered with 

 perpetual snow. The highest peak is Aconcagua, 

 22,867 feet. The average height of the great range 

 is 8000 feet. There are many volcanic peaks, 

 mostly extinct. Amongst these may be mentioned 

 Tupungato, Descabezada, Chilian, Osorno, Villa 

 Rica, &c. Chili is subject to frequent shocks 

 of earthquake, and occasionally to destructive 

 terremotos. The most notable of these recorded 

 was in 1822, when the coast near Valparaiso was 

 thrown up permanently between 3 and 4 feet : 

 this elevation' extended over 100,000 sq. m. In 

 1835 Concepcion and Talcahuano were destroyed by 

 a fearful earthquake which produced disaster all 

 over the southern provinces. In 1868 Iquique was 

 destroyed by a shock which was felt more in the 

 northern districts, and again in 1875. 



The population of Chili according to the census 

 of 1885 was 2,524,476, an increase of 352,813 since 

 the preceding census of 1875, making allowance 

 for the new territories. In 1894 the population was 

 estimated at 2,920,000. The number of foreign 

 residents increased from 26,635 to 40,000 during 

 that period. The natives of Chili are a mixture of 

 Spanish with the Araucanian Indians. In the 

 upper classes the race has been kept more purely 

 Spanish than in any other South .\merican country. 

 The working-classes are laborious and docile, 

 but it cannot be said that there is as yet any 

 effectual protection for property. Wages are still 

 very low. On estates labourers receive about 



Is. 6d. per day, but are allowed a patch of land to- 

 cultivate for themselves. Since the acquisition of 

 the territory of the Araucanian Indians in 1881 the 

 government has been anxious to attract European 

 emigrants, but British adventure in that direction 

 has been deprecated. There is practically no- 

 demand for English mechanics, and the manufac- 

 tures, properly so called, are confined to copper- 

 smelting, sugar-refining, tanning, brewing, manu- 

 factures of soap and candles, biscuits, boots and 

 shoes, woollens, flax, and nitrates. A special 

 effort is being made to introduce new manufacturing 

 industries which will be protected by tariff. 



The established religion of Chili is Roman 

 Catholic, but public opinion is now very liberal, 

 and other religions are tolerated. Education re- 

 ceives much attention, and is gratuitous and at the 

 cost of the state. There are 1200 public elementary 

 schools, with 110,000 pupils, besides 500 private 

 schools ; but in spite of the elaborate educational 

 apparatus, less than 650,000 persons can both read 

 and write. There is a first-class university at 

 Santiago, normal and agricultural colleges, and a 

 lyceum in every provincial capital. The language 

 spoken in Chili is Spanish, but with many local 

 words of Indian origin. 



The value of imports in 1890-94 varied from 

 $63,000,000 to $78,000,000; and of exports from 

 $69,000,000 to $72,000,000; a third of the imports 

 and two-thirds of the exports were British, the 

 German and French trade being next in import- 

 ance. Mineral products represented five-sixths of 

 the total exports. The chief articles of export 

 were nitrate and iodine, copper, silver, gold, man- 

 ganese, hides, wool, wheat, and barley. The 

 principal imports were cotton, woollen, and jute 

 goods, iron, hardware, coal, machinery, timber, 

 rice, sugar, earthenware, cement, paper, beer, 

 glassware, kerosene, tallow, matches, tea and. 

 coffee. 



The railway system of Chili is well developed. 

 A government broad-gauge line runs from Valpa- 

 raiso to Santiago, crossing the coast-range of the 

 Andes, and thence southwards through the central 

 valley to Concepcion, and through Araucania towards 

 Valdivia, making a total length of about 1500 

 miles. A branch from the Valparaiso and Santiago 

 line also runs to Santa Rosa at the foot of the 

 Andes, from which a line is now in progress, to 

 unite with the Argentine railway system, vid the 

 Uspallata Pass, which it will cross at the elevation 

 of 9843 feet above sea-level by means of a tunnel 

 6^ miles in length. When this is finished there 

 will be a through communication from the Pacific to- 

 the Atlantic Oceans, and by many it is argued that 

 this will be the shortest route from England to the 

 Australian colonies. The length of the railway 

 from Valparaiso to Buenos Ayres will be 880 miles. 

 In the northern provinces there are several mineral 

 railways belonging to English companies. One of 

 these, the Antofagasta line, has been prolonged 

 into Oruro in Bolivia. 



The financial position of Chili is satisfactory, and 

 its credit stands higher than that of any other 

 South American state ; it has borrowed money in 

 the London market at the rate of 4J per cent, per 

 annum, as well as at 5 and 5. The public debt 

 in 1894 comprised an external debt of 71,780,000' 

 (usually stated in English pounds sterling), and an 

 internal debt of $66,000,000 (paper pesos : the paper 

 peso being worth little more than Is.). The 

 revenue of 1895 was stated at $70,502,000 (paper), 

 and the expenditure at $57,090,000, showing a 

 large surplus, as is not unusual. The revenue is 

 mainly derived from customs now producing about 

 $40,000,000 (paper) annually. The progress of the 

 country may be tested from this branch of the 

 revenue, which in 1856 amounted to $4,147,298, in. 



