ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 



25 



and will always keep it as a proof of your friendship. 

 The cordial feelings you express for myself, and the 

 kind view you take of the part I have had in arrang- 

 ing the boundary treaty with Chili, are highly nat- 

 tering to me. It the treaty of July 23d assure peace 

 and reknit the bonds that have bound both nations 

 together since they achieved their independence, as I 

 firmly believe it will, very much of such a happy con- 

 summation for the civilization and progress of this 

 part of America will be due to you. We have both 

 contributed something to the work jou so justly call 



food I by carrying out the instruction of the Presi- 

 ent, and you by so worthily interpreting the pol- 

 icy of the Government of the United States. I am 

 already rewarded by the approval of iny Government, 

 my countrymen, and public opinion in general. As 

 for you, my highly esteemed friend, it is a source of 

 extreme pleasure to me that your honored name is 

 linked with the international deed of July which re- 

 stores peace between two peoples who are alike neigh- 

 bors and brothers. Your most sincere friend, 



BERNARDO DE IRIGOYEN. 



Here follows the translation of the text of 

 the treaty of limits between the two countries: 



In the name of Almighty God. The Governments 

 of the Argentine Republic and of the Republic of 

 Chili, being desirous of effecting a friendly and hon- 

 orable settlement of the dispute between their coun- 

 tries, and in pursuance of the treaty of April, 1856, 

 have decided to make a treaty of boundaries ; and 

 to that end have appointed the following plenipoten- 

 tiaries, namely, by his Excellency the President of the 

 Argentine Republic, Dr. Bernardo de Irigoycn, Min- 

 ister of Foreign Affairs ; and by his Excellency the 

 President of Chili, Don Francisco de B. Echeverria, 

 Consul-General in the Argentine Republic ; who, hav- 

 ing duly presented their credentials, and found the 

 powers respectively conferred upon them sufficient, 

 have agreed as follows : 



ARTICLE I. The limits between Chili and the Ar- 

 gentine Republic are from north to south, as far as the 

 fifty-second degree of south latitude, the Cordillera of 

 the Andes, the ^dividing line being that extending over 

 the loftiest summits of the said Cordillera and separat- 

 ing the water-sheds of either side. All questions aris- 

 ing as to the limit* in valleys, or where the peculiar 

 features of the Cordillera render the determination of 

 the dividing line of the water- sheds difficult, shall be 

 submitted to two arbitrators, a third to be appointed 

 should such two fail to agree ; and the decision of the 

 arbitrators, when drawn up in the form of a public 

 instrument and duly signed by them, shall be accepted 

 as final by both Governments. The present treaty 

 shall go into effect upon the day on which it is signed, 

 and shall thenceforth be regarded as binding and valid, 

 and waiving any further formalities or negotiations ; 

 and a copy thereof shall be given to each of the two 

 Governments. 



ART. II. In the southern part of the continent and 

 north of the Straits, the boundary between the two 

 countries shall be a line extending from Point Dun^e- 

 ncss along the land to Mount Dinero ; thence welt- 

 ward over the highest points of the mountain-chain of 

 that region to Mount Aymoud ; thence to the point of 

 intersection of the 70th meridian and the 52d parallel 

 of south latitude ; and thence westward along that 

 parallel to the dividing line of the water-sheds of the 

 Andes. The regions lying north of said lines shall 

 belong to the Argentine Republic; and those south 

 of said lines to Chili, save as stipulated in Article III, 

 concerning Tierra del Fuego and the adjacent islands. 



ART. 111. In Tierra del Fuego a lino shall be drawn 

 from Cape Espiritu Santo, in latitude 52 40', and, 

 coinciding with the meridian of longitude west from 

 Greenwich, 68" 34', extended south to Beagle Chan- 

 nel. Tierra del Fuego being thus divided, the west- 

 ern portion shall be Chilian, and the eastern Argen- 

 tine. Concerning the islands, the following shall 

 belong to the Argentine Republic : those of Los Es- 



tados and the islands in proximity thereto, and, in 

 the Atlantic, those lying east of Tierra del Fuego and 

 of the eastern shores of Patagonia ; and to Chili shall 

 belong the islands lying south of Beagle Channel, and 

 all those west of Tierra del Fuego to Cape Horn. 



ART. IV. The arbitrators mentioned in Article I 

 shall in like manner fix the limits referred to in Ar- 

 ticles II and III. 



ART. V. The Straits of Magellan shall be neutral 

 for ever,* and the navigation thereof free to all nations ; 

 and, for the better securing said freedom and neutrality! 

 no fortification or military defense shall be constructed 

 there. 



ART. VI. The Chilian and Argentine Governments 

 shall exercise full sovereignty for ever over the regions 

 to them respectively appertaining under this treatv ; 

 and should any question unhappily arise between the 

 two countries, whether in virtue of this treaty or from 

 any other cause, such question shall be submitted to 

 the arbitration of a friendly power ; but the limits de- 

 fined in this treaty can in no event be disturbed. 



ART. VII. The ratifications of this treaty shall be 

 exchanged within sixty days, or sooner if possible, and 

 the exchange bo effected cither in the city of Buenos 

 Ayres or the city of Santiago. 



In witness whereof the plenipotentiaries of the Ar- 

 gentine Republic and of the Republic of Chili havo 

 affixed their hands and seals to this present treaty, in 

 duplicate, hi the city of Buenos Ayrcs, on the twenty- 

 third day of October, in the year of our Lord one 

 thousand eight hundred and eighty-one. 



(Signed) BERNARDO DE IRIGOYEN, 



FRANCISCO DE B. ECIIEVERRlA. 



For statistics relating to area, territorial 

 division, population, etc., reference may be 

 made to the "Annual Cyclopaedia" for 1872, 



1877, and 1878. The population of the re- 

 public, which was set down at 2,250,000 in 



1878, is now estimated at not less than 2,400,- 

 000, and consequently presents a rate of in- 

 crease hitherto unparalleled elsewhere in 

 South America. 



In Dr. Coni's demographic bulletin, under 

 date of July 31, 1881, the population of the 

 capital, Buenos Ayres, was estimated at 278,- 

 603. 



The number of immigrants in 1870 was 39,- 

 667 ; in 1871, 20,928 ; in 1872, 37,037 ; in 1873, 

 76,332 ; in 1874, 68,277 ; in 1875, 42,066 ; in 

 1876, 30,965; in 1877, 28,798; in 1878, 35,- 

 876; in 1879, 50,205 ; in 1880, 41,615. 



The following table exhibits the nationality 

 and number of the immigrants who landed at 

 Buenos Ayres in 1879 and 1880 : 



* This neutrality clause was suggested and urged by the 

 United States minister. 



