BOLIVIA. 



99 



BOLIVIA) an independent republic of South 

 America. (For particulars relating to area, 

 territorial division, and population, see " An- 

 nual Cyclopaedia " for 1883.) 



Government. The President of the Republic 

 is Don Gregorio Pacheco. His Cabinet is com- 

 posed of the following ministers : Foreign Re- 

 lations, Dr. Jorge Oblitas ; Justice, Public Wor- 

 ship and Instruction, Don Martin Lanza; Fi- 

 nance, Sefior , H. Gutierrez ; Interior, Dr. M. 

 M. D. Medina ; "War, Col. Severo Zaphata. 



The Bolivian Consul-General at New York 

 is Sefior Melchor Obarrio ; the Consul at New 

 Orleans, Sefior T. P. Macheca, and the Consul 

 at San Francisco, Sefior F. Herrera. 



The United States Minister Resident at La 

 Paz is Hon. William Seay. 



Army. The standing army comprises 8 gen- 

 erals, 359 superior and 654 subaltern officers, 

 and 2,000 men, involving an annual expendi- 

 ture of about $1,400,000. 



Finances. The national indebtedness amounts 

 to about $10,000,000, and consists of a war 

 loan of $4,000,000, and of damages amounting 

 to $6,000,000 allowed by the Government in 

 the treaty with Chili, to the Chilian holders of 

 Bolivian mining-stocks. There is no other 

 outstanding debt. 



Telegraphs. There is a line in operation be- 

 tween Chililaya, on Lake Titicaca, to La Paz 

 and Oruro, measuring 183 miles, thence to be 

 carried to Cochabamba and Sucre, and also a 

 line of 200 miles from Sucre through Potosi, 

 Tupiya, and other cities to the frontier of the 

 Argentine Republic, where it connects with 

 lines through that country. 



Exports. The export of silver - ore alone 

 amounts to $21,700,000. Other exports con- 

 sist of gold, copper, tin, lead, bismuth, cincho- 

 na-bark, coca-leaves, coffee, and cocoa, which 

 are recognized as among the best in the world, 

 medicinal plants, hides, goat and chinchilla 

 skins, and alpaca, llama, and sheep wools, 

 which amount to more than $10,000,000. The 

 total exports are over $33,000,000 ; the total im- 

 ports, over $12,200,000. Nearly seven eighths 

 of the imports and exports of Bolivia pass 

 through the Peruvian port of Arica, owing to 

 its proximity to the principal cities of Bolivia ; 

 hence the credit of this trade is given to Peru 

 ir the usual statistical reports. 



Silver. The product of the silver-mines of 

 Bolivia is estimated at $15,000,000 per annum. 

 The introduction of new machinery is adding 

 much to this production. The Huanchaca 

 mines, in the southern part of Bolivia, about 

 latitude 20 south, and longitude 67 west, in 

 a southwestern direction from Potosi, are con- 

 sidered the richest, and produce about 6,500,- 

 000 ounces. Late discoveries there promise an 

 increased yield. Potosi is still productive, aft- 

 er being worked over two hundred and fifty 

 years, and produces about 2,800,000 ounces. 

 Oruro yields as much. A great and apparent- 

 ly well-directed revival in mining enterprise 

 has been going on in Bolivia in 1885, atten- 



tion being given particularly to old and aban- 

 doned mines. Many of these have been un- 

 worked for over sixty years for the lack of 

 capital, during and after the war of independ- 

 ence, and the period of continual turmoil that 

 has followed up to quite recently, when the 

 country was plunged into a war that has now 

 virtually excluded it from the Pacific by the 

 loss of its only port there, Cobija. Besides the 

 three mining districts named, there are now 

 the Oplquechaca, Gallofa, Guadalupe, and oth- 

 ers vigorously being taken in hand. The re- 

 vival taking place is clearly noticeable in the 

 growing prosperity and activity of the cities 

 of Sucre, Potosi, Oruro, and La Paz. In the 

 south the capitalist and mine-owner, Sefior 

 Aillon, has formed a company for the working 

 of the Garci-Mendoza mining district, which 

 had been long abandoned. The discovery of 

 good coal in the province of Lipez promises to 

 be of great assistance. 



Copper. While silver-mining is in the ascen- 

 dant in Bolivia, copper-mining has of late years 

 been on the decline, through lack of miners and 

 difficulties of exportation, though in most other 

 copper-producing countries, despite the low 

 price, larger amounts have been turned out. 



Cinchona -Bark, Bolivian cinchona was for- 

 merly gathered by the Indians, and in such a 

 manner that large forests were destroyed, trees 

 cut down, and the bark taken in any way, 

 merely to make up large quantities. Now the 

 quinine-bark plantations, or, as they are called 

 in Bolivia, quinales, are cultivated and nour- 

 ished with care and science; the principal 

 planters being Mr. Otto Richter, a German, 

 possessing 2,000,000 plants, and the estate of 

 John Kraft, lately deceased, 2,000,000. The 

 cultivation of " quina " in plantations, system- 

 atically, has been carried on for about eight 

 years. At Mapire there are under cultivation 

 about 4,500,000 plants; Yungashas 1,000,000; 

 Longa, 500,000 ; Guanay, 500,000. Where the 

 principal quinales are, it is a very rough and 

 broken country, the Andes being seamed and 

 cut into deep valleys in every direction. The 

 trees are planted on the sides of the valleys or 

 ridges, at altitudes of 3,000 to 4,000 feet above 

 the sea. They want a great deal of sun, heavy 

 rains, and fresh winds. 



Commerce. American customs returns make 

 no note of any trade with Bolivia, for the reason 

 that whatever trade we have with that republic 

 is conducted through adjacent countries. Bolivia 

 having no seaport. In 1884 England exported 

 to Bolivia cotton goods, iron manufactures, ap- 

 parel, woolens, etc., to the amount of nearly 

 $2,000,000. There are more than fifty first- 

 class importing houses in the republic. Twen- 

 ty of these are Bolivian firms, fifteen Ger- 

 man, six French, five Spanish, and one Dutch. 

 There are neither English nor American firms. 

 The Bolivian consul-general at New York 

 has urged his Government to establish a sys- 

 tem of minute statistics relating to commerce 

 with foreign countries, and thus demonstrate 



