SOUTH AMERICA. 



large additional supply has recently been dis- 

 covered in the islands lying to the south. The 

 other exports are cubic nitre, sheep and alpaca 

 wool, hides, Peruvian bark, sugar, cotton, gold, 

 silver, &c. The imports are cotton and woollen 

 fabrics and iron. Between 1875 and 1885 the 

 total imports had a value of about .5,000,000 a 

 year ; the exports, of ,6,000,000 (by far the greater 

 part of which go to Britain). Owing to recent 

 disasters, the revenue has fallen to some 3,000,000, 

 while the debt has risen to above ^50,000,000. 

 Of the population, 57 per cent, are Indian, 23 per 

 cent, mixed races, and the remaining 20 per cent, 

 consist of Spanish Creoles, negroes, Chinese, and 

 Europeans. The principal towns are Lima, the 

 capital (population upwards of 100,000) ; Cuzco, the 

 ancient capital of the Incas ; and the sea-ports 

 of Callao and Arequipa. Lima has been three 

 times, and Arequipa six, times almost entirely 

 destroyed ; the former by earthquakes, and the 

 latter by volcanic eruptions. Peru has recently 

 entered upon a new career of improvement. 

 Internal reforms have been made, the old muni- 

 cipal institutions have been remodelled, schools 

 have been established, educational and scientific 

 schemes have been encouraged, and grants have 

 been made to aid immigration. By means of the 

 Pacific Steam Navigation Company, Callao has 

 been brought into regular intercourse with Panama 

 on the one hand, and Liverpool on the other. 

 A system of railways, to the extent of more than 

 1600 miles, undertaken mostly by the state, but 

 partly also by private companies, several lines of 

 which are already open, have been undertaken on 

 a costly scale ; and only two of the shorter lines 

 are a commercial success. One line runs to near 

 the summit of the Andes, almost 14,000 feet high ! 

 The recent disastrous war with Chili, in which 

 Peru had Bolivia for an ally, but was utterly 

 defeated by sea and land, has resulted in the loss 

 of territory to both states, the payment of a large 

 war indemnity, the waste and destruction of 

 enormous wealth, and the total disorganisation of 

 the state, its finances and commerce. 



BOLIVIA. 



Area, 473,300 square miles ; population, 1,742,352 

 of European descent, 245,000 Indians. 



This republic, so named in honour of the 

 liberator, Simon Bolivar, is bounded on the north 

 by Peru and Brazil ; on the east, by Brazil ; on 

 the south, by the Argentine Republic and Chili ; 

 and on the west, by the Pacific Ocean and Peru. 

 It lies between 12 10' and 25 30' south lat. 

 and between 58 and 70 40' west long. It in- 

 cludes the departments of Potosi, Chuquisaca, 

 La Paz, Santa Cruz, Cochabdmba, and Oruro. 

 The seat of government is at the fortified town of 

 Oruro, having been transferred thither from La 

 Paz in 1869. The constitution originally framed 

 by Bolivar in 1826, has been several times modi- 

 fied, the latest modification having been made in 

 1869. Since 1839, the fundamental law, which 

 requires that the president shall be elected every 

 four years, has been disregarded ; and the govern- 

 ment of the state has generally been seized by 

 successful soldiers. 



The greater part of Bolivia is situated at a very 

 Ugh elevation, but it stretches down in extensive 

 plains towards Brazil. From Potosi, at an aver- 



age elevation of 13,400 feet, through Oruro, at 

 12,400, La Paz, at 12,000, Chuquisaca, at 9300, 

 Cochabamba, at 8400, down to the plains of Majos 

 and Chiquitos, the climate passes through all 

 known degrees of temperature, from extreme cold 

 to extreme heat. This mountainous region is 

 rich in mines of gold and silver the silver mines 

 of Potosi being inferior in importance only to 

 those of Guanaxuato in Mexico. Bolivia pos- 

 sesses only a very small coast-line, and only one 

 sea-port, Cobija. Through this port, and that of 

 Arica, in Peru, the whole foreign trade, which is 

 carried on principally with Great Britain, passed, 

 until recently, that a new route to the Atlantic, by 

 means of the Amazon and its tributaries, has been 

 opened up by the National Bolivian Navigation 

 Company. Owing to the want of roads, the whole 

 internal traffic used to be carried on by means of 

 mules and pack-horses ; but lately, roads have 

 been constructed ; railways have been planned, 

 and sanctioned by government, and one line from 

 La Paz to the port of Aygacha, on Lake Titicaca, 

 was opened in 1872. The exports, amounting 

 annually to ,1,324,000, consist of silver, copper, 

 tin, and other ores, guano, cubic nitre, Peruvian 

 bark, cocoa, coffee, and alpaca wool. The imports 

 (value ,1,288,900) consist chiefly of cotton goods 

 and iron. The chief towns are La Paz (pop. 

 76,372), Cochabamba (pop. 40,678), Sucre (23,979), 

 Potosi (22,850), Santa Cruz (9780), and Oruro, 

 the capital (7980). 



CHILI. 



Area, 130,977 square miles; population, 1,938,861 

 of European descent, 70,000 Indians. 



Chili is bounded on the north by Bolivia ; on 

 the east, by the Argentine Confederation, from 

 which it is separated by the Andes ; and on the 

 west, by the Pacific Ocean, along the shores of 

 which it stretcheg from 23 to 43 20' of south 

 latitude. It is 1400 miles long, and from 100 to 

 200 broad. The ground ascends gradually from 

 the ocean to the Andes, but is intersected by their 

 projecting branches, some of which run almost 

 down to the sea-shore. The soil in the northern 

 parts, where irrigation is deficient, is barren ; 

 but in others, the finest crops of wheat, barley, 

 rye, and other species of grain are raised, with 

 scarcely any trouble beyond scattering the seed. 

 Cotton, vines, &c. are also extensively cultivated ; 

 and the whole country is rich in mines. The 

 numerous rivers which descend from the Andes 

 to the Pacific are of the utmost importance to 

 agriculture in a country where it rains very little ; 

 but, from the shortness of their course, they are 

 not adapted for navigation. There were, however, 

 at the end of 1872, 620 miles of railway open, and 

 195 in course of construction ; the most important 

 being the lines from Valparaiso to Santiago (115 

 miles), and from Santiago to Curico (116 miles), 

 both the property of the state. 



Chili revolted from Spain in 1810, succeeded in 

 achieving its independence in 1818, and adopted 

 its present republican constitution in 1833. The 

 capital is Santiago (pop. 115,377) ; and the princi- 

 pal sea-port is Valparaiso (pop. 70,438). The 

 yearly revenue and expenditure amount each to 

 nearly ^6,000,000, and the debt is upwards of 

 ; 1 7,000,000. The foreign commerce of Chili is 

 mainly carried on with Great Britain, from which 



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