140 



CHILI. 



more than 10,000 inhabitants in 1875 were: 

 Santiago (the capital), 129,807 (or 150,367 in- 

 cluding suburbs) ; Valparaiso, 97,737 ; Chilian, 

 19,044; Concepcion, 18,277; Talca, 17,496 ; La 

 Serena, 12,293; Copiap6, 11,432; Quillota, 

 11,369. The number of marriages registered 

 in the republic in 1877 was 13,576; of births, 

 82,295; of deaths, 62,349. 



The chief magistrates of provinces are In- 

 tendants, those of the departments Governors : 

 both are appointed by the President of the 

 Republic, the former for a term of three years, 

 the latter for two years. The salary of the 

 Intendants is $4,000 per annum ; that of the 

 Governors, $2,000. The local administration 

 in the departments is vested in municipal cor- 

 porations elected by the people. 



The executive power resides in a Presi- 

 dent, elected for a term of five years (salary 

 $18,000 per annum), and a Council of State, 

 composed of the Cabinet Ministers (salary $6,- 

 000 each), three members elected by the Senate, 

 three members elected by the Chamber of Dep- 

 uties, one member of the courts of justice, one 

 ecclesiastical dignitary, one general, the chief 

 of one of the boards of direction of finance, 

 and one ex-minister or ex-intendant, the last 

 five being appointed by the President of the 

 Republic, who is also President of the Council. 

 The legislative power is vested in a Senate, 

 composed of 37 members, whose term of office 

 is six years each, and in a Chamber of Depu- 

 ties with 109 members elected for three years 

 (at the rate of one deputy for 20,000 inhabi- 

 tants). The chief of the judicial power is the 

 President of the Supreme Conrt of Santiago. 

 The President of the Eepublic is Sefior Don 

 Anibal Pinto (September 18, 1876). The Cabi- 

 net is composed of the following Ministers : 

 Interior, Don Domingo Santa Maria ; Foreign 

 Affairs and Colonization, Don Miguel Luis 

 Amunategui; Finance, Don Augusto Matte; 

 Justice, Public Worship, and Public Instruction, 

 Don Jos6 Antonio Gandarillas ; and War and 

 the Navy, Don Rafael Sotomayor. 



The Chilian army in 1878 was made up as 

 follows: Regulars 10 generals, 10 colonels, 

 29 lieutenant-colonels, 57 majors, 134 captains, 

 and 249 lieutenants; 5 battalions of foot (2,000 

 men), 2 regiments of horse (712 men), 1 regi- 

 ment of artillery (804) ; total, rank and file, 

 3,516. Such was the usual strength, being all 

 that was required for service on the Arauca- 

 nian frontier and the maintenance of military 

 instruction in the country. When war with 

 Bolivia became imminent, the strength of the 

 regular army was raised to 20,000 (distributed 

 in three divisions : 1st, 10,000 ; 2d, 8,000 ; 3d, 

 2,000), which, with the National Guard, in- 

 creased to 30,000 at the same time, constituted 

 an aggregate force of 50,000. The National 

 Guard in time of peace is composed of 1,200 

 horse, 21,200 foot, and 1,900 artillery ; total, 

 24,300. 



The navy comprises 22 vessels, classified as 

 follows : 



The national revenue amounted in 1878 to 

 $20,443,977, made up as follows : Ordinary 

 receipts, $14,031,868 ; extraordinary receipts, 

 $4,063,918; balance from 1877, $2,348,191. 

 The expenditures in the same year were as fol- 

 lows : Ordinary, $16,093,981 ; t extraordinary, 

 $566,308 ; payment of balances from previous 

 year, $4,715,439 ; total, $21,375,728, leaving 

 a consequent deficit of $931,751. The chief 

 sources of revenue and their mean annual 

 yield are : Customs, $8,000,000 ; state rail- 

 ways, $2,800,000 ; agricultural tax, $2,000,000 ; 

 tobacco monopoly, $1,500,000. The public 

 debt of Chili stood as follows on December 

 81, 1878: Foreign debt (exclusively to Eng- 

 land), $35,535,000; home debt, $27,647,544; 

 total, $63,182,544. The foreign debt, amount- 

 ing to rather more than $35,500,000, being 

 guaranteed by mortgage on state railways, the 

 value of which has recently been estimated at 

 $38,329,635, commands at all times a fair price 

 in the London market. The rates of interest 

 on seven loans embodying this debt vary from 

 8 to 7 per cent. On the home debt, for the 

 most part held by bankers and private capital- 

 ists, the Government pays interest at rates 

 varying from 6 to 9 per cent, per annum. 



The crisis of 1878, the immediate cause of 

 which was a crushing drain on gold and silver, 

 but which was really determined by the fail- 

 ure of the wheat - crop and the depression in 

 the price of copper, Chili's main staples of 

 export, necessitated the emission by the banks 

 of paper money to the extent of $16,500,000, 

 guaranteed by the state, and redeemable in 

 coin on August 31, 1879, up to which date the 

 banks were authorized by the Government to 

 suspend payments in specie. Before the coun- 

 try had had time to recover from the effects of 

 the crisis, the Government, in the spring of 

 1879, found it necessary to resort to another 

 emission ($6,000,000) of paper money, but, hav- 

 ing failed in the attempt to negotiate therefor 

 with the banks, resolved upon an issue on its 

 own account. Here follows a translation of 

 the decree to that effect : 



SAOTIAGO, May 8, 1879. 



Having been unable to make with the banks an ar- 

 rangement compatible with fiscal interests, in accord- 

 ance with the power conferred upon me by the law of 

 April 12, 1879,1 decree : 



ARTICLE I. The Ministers of the General Treasury 

 will proceed to sign bills (vales) payable to bearer, for 

 $1,000 each, without interest, and for a term of five 



* The Huascar, captured from the Peruvians. (See PBBU.) 

 t Including the expenses of the executive power. 



