SOUTH AMERICA. 



seated on three distinct thrones, which they never 



:juit, and are constantly surrounded by the attri- 

 butes of their power.' Within the tropics, between 

 the Andes and the Atlantic, the year is divided 

 almost equally into the rainy and the dry seasons, 

 the former extending from November to May. 

 The belt along the Pacific is almost rainless. In 



Patagonia, except in the sheltered valleys, winter 

 holds an endless reign. 



Of the vegetable productions more especially 

 characteristic of the continent, we may mention 

 the following : The forests of Brazil and other 

 tropical parts present the most luxuriant vegeta- 

 tion of palms, and tree-ferns tangled with rope- 

 vines and other climbers, and studded with 

 the strangest forms of the orchidacese. Here 

 also flourish the mahogany and other timber- 

 trees ; the dye-woods of commerce ; the banana, 



inana, cocoa ; the cinchona, or Peruvian bark ; 



"ic native potato ; the caoutchouc-tree, Brazil- 

 nut, castor-bean, pine-apple, agave", and cactuses 

 innumerable species; while the rivers are 

 covered with gorgeous floaters, among which is 



"ic celebrated Victoria regia of Schomburgk. In 



le high grounds of Peru and Bolivia, arau- 

 caria, the milk-tree, and gigantic courbaril, are 

 met with ; in Paraguay, the mate", or Paraguay 

 tea-tree ; La Plata is noted for its extensive 

 tracts of thistles ; under the tropics, are cultivated j 

 coffee, sugar-cane, cocoa, tapioca, indigo, to- 

 bacco, cotton, and a thousand luscious fruits ; 

 while in Chili, ' the Italy of South America,' are 

 grown the vine, olive, and ordinary European 

 grains. 



The animals deserving of notice are the wild 

 horses and oxen of the pampas (none of which 

 existed till introduced by Europeans) ; the llama 

 and alpaca of the Andes ; the tapir, jaguar, and 

 tiger-cat ; ant-eater, sloth, monkeys ; the croco- 

 dile, guana, boa-constrictor, tree-frog, and other 

 reptiles ; the condor, rhea, albatross, and innumer- 

 able sea-fowl, whose droppings on the rainless 

 islets of Peru constitute the guano of commerce ; 

 the electric eel, Silurus, and other curious fishes ; 

 the cochineal insect, gigantic spiders, centipedes, 

 luminous flies, and other insect forms unknown to 

 the Old World. 



POPULATION GOVERNMENTS. 



The population of South America is estimated 

 at about 27^ millions, consisting of whites, In- 

 dians, negroes, and mixed breeds. The original 

 settlers from Europe were chiefly Spaniards and 

 Portuguese ; but recently there has been a large 

 immigration from different European countries, 

 and also from the United States, the East Indies, 

 and China. The Indians, the original possessors 

 of the continent, were subdued in the early part 

 of the sixteenth century by the Spaniards and 

 Portuguese. Except in Peru, where they had 

 attained a considerable degree of civilisation, 

 they were then in a state of the rudest barbarism. 

 Most of the aborigines are now in some sort 

 Christianised and subject to the several govern- 

 ments ; but many tribes are still heathen, and 

 live in wild independence. Except in British 

 and Dutch Guiana, the Roman Catholic religion 

 prevails throughout the continent. 



In the early part of the present century*, during 

 the troubles in Spain and Portugal, their South 



American colonies asserted their independence. 

 The Spanish provinces now constitute the re- 

 publics of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, 

 Bolivia, Chili, the Argentine Confederation, Para- 

 guay, and Uruguay. The constitutions of all these 

 republics are copied more or less closely from 

 that of the United States. All are governed by 

 a president and a legislative body, composed of 

 two chambers. Brazil is a limited monarchy, 

 under an emperor; and the only colonies are 

 British, Dutch, and French Guiana, and the 

 Falkland Islands, now a British dependency. 

 The following table exhibits the names, extent, 

 population, and chief towns of the different states, 

 according to the latest authorities : 



The next table gives the annual revenue, yearly 

 value of imports and exports, and debt of the 

 several independent South American states for 

 the period 1880 to 1883 : 



VENEZUELA. 



Area, 368,235 square miles ; population, 1,564,433 

 of European descent, 600,000 aborigines. 



On the death of the celebrated Bolivar in 1830, 

 the republic of Colombia founded by him was 

 broken up into the three independent states of 

 Venezuela, New Granada, and Ecuador. After 

 a long period of intestine struggles, the charter 

 of Venezuela, which dates from 1830, was re- 

 proclaimed with modifications in 1864. This 

 charter differs from that of the United States 

 chiefly in giving more power to the provincial 

 governments. The country is divided into thir- 

 teen provinces, each of which has its own legisla- 

 ture. All citizens who are able to read and write 

 are eligible to all offices of state, without distinc- 

 tion of birth, colour, or race. 



Venezuela extends from Brazil to the Caribbean 



823 



