CHILI. 



113 



customed to experiment only at an atmospheric 

 pressure, a few pounds on the square inch, and 

 at only a few hundred degrees removed from 

 absolute cold. Under other conditions we had 

 the temperatures of the suns and stars which 

 might be measured by thousands of degrees; 

 we had pressures in the center of the earth 

 which might be measured by millions of atmos- 

 pheres; and we had motions of masses of plan- 

 etary matter which might be measured by hun- 

 dreds of miles in a second. Without reaching 

 these extreme limits, the study of explosives 

 widened our range of experience, and as such 

 it must lend some efficient aid to the advance 

 of science. 



CHILI, an independent republic of South 

 America. (Fur details relating to area, see 

 "Annual Cyclopaedia" for 1884.) The popu- 

 lation of Chili, according to the last census, 

 taken on Nov. 26, 1885, is 2,524,476. 



Government. The President is Don Manuel 

 Balmaceda, whose term of office will expire on 

 Sept. 18, 1891. The Cabinet was composed in 

 1887 of the following ministers : Interior, Don 

 Anibal Zaflartu ; Foreign Affairs, Don Miguel 

 Lamunategui ; Justice. Don Pedro L. Cuadra ; 

 Treasurer, Don Agustin Edwards; War and 

 Navy, Don Manuel Garcia de la Fuente ; and 

 Public. Works, Don Pedro Montt. The Chilian 

 Minister to the United States is Don Domingo 

 Gana. The Chilian Consul at New York is 

 Don Justo R. de la Espriella ; and tbe Consul- 

 General at San Francisco, Don Juan de la 

 Cruz Cerda. The United States Minister to 

 Chili is Hon. William R. Roberts. 



irmy and Jfavy. While the rank and file re- 

 mained 5,541, the number of officers, toward 

 the close of 1886, was reduced from 970 to 928, 

 the National Guard being at the same time, 

 for the three arms, fixed at 48,674 men. 



The Minister of the Navy, Aug. 20, 1886, re- 

 ported that the navy consisted of two iron- 

 clads, one monitor, three corvettes, two gun- 

 boats, three cruisers, one steam transport, four 

 escampavais, six pontoons, and nine torpedo- 

 boats, the armament of the fleet being 75 guns ; 

 the joint tonnage 17,080, with 4,550 horse- 

 power, manned by 1,481 sailors. Adding the 

 officers, engineers, and garrison, the number 

 of men serving in the fleet aggregated 2,473. 

 In September, 1887, this number was" increased 

 by decree to 2,800, to be raised if need be to 

 6,000. The number of cadets in the naval 

 schools was fixed at 150, volunteers, after serv- 

 ing their time, to be entitled to 108,900 square 

 metres of Government laud, and the premiums 

 to be paid them as follows ; $200 to those en- 

 listing for the first time ; $250 to those re-en- 

 listing; and $300 to those serving a third 

 term. 



In August the Government ordered Don 

 Enrique Simpson, Captain of the Navy, to 

 draw up a project of fortification for the ports 

 of Iquique, Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Valparaiso, 

 Talcuhuano, Lota, Corral, and Ancud. 



A commission of engineers was sent from 

 VOL. xxvii. 8 A 



Valparaiso to Fiume, Austria, to study the 

 construction of Whitehead torpedoes. 



The French firm of George Chautiers, naval 

 architects, made proposals to the Government 

 in September, 1887, to build a steel-clad of 

 6,000 tons, furnished with all the latest im- 

 provements of naval warfare. 



Finances. In spite of the costly war with 

 Peru and Bolivia, the public debt amounted 

 on Jan. 1, 1886, to but $83,653,737, being com- 

 posed as follows: Foreign indebtedness, pay- 

 able in gold, $33,733,500 ; home indebtedness, 

 bearing from 3 to 9 per cent, interest, $23,- 

 232,321 ; paper money in circulation, $26,687,- 

 916. Total, $83,653,737. On Jan. 1, 1887, 

 the foreign debt stood, $34,601,270; and the 

 internal debt, $49,223,429. Total, $83,824,- 

 699. The total increase consequently was, 

 $170,962, the home debt having decreased 

 $686,808, and the foreign debt increased $867,- 

 770. Toward the close of 1886 the Chilian 

 Government succeeded in converting into 6,- 

 200,000 4|-per-cent, bonds, at 98|; 852,100 

 1858 4^-per-cent. ; 1,244,800 1867 6-per-cent., 

 and 3,696,800 1870, 1873, and 1875 5-per- 

 cent, old outstanding bonds. The proceeds, 

 while canceling the old bonds, left besides 

 315,000- for Peruvian bondholders. The re- 

 port of the Chilian Minister of Finance, June 

 1, 1887, showed that in 1886 the amount of 

 money received into the treasury was $65,764,- 

 588, which included the $14,652,331 surplus 

 from 1885. The expenditure in 1886 was 

 $49,413,775. 



War Claims. During 1887 negotiations con- 

 tinued between Chili and Germany with re- 

 spect to fourteen claims presented by German 

 subjects for losses suffered by them during the 

 war in the Pacific. The Italian Government 

 also holds heavy claims in behalf of Italians, 

 and demands that at least 20 per cent, of 

 the amount claimed shall be paid. The French 

 Government, tired of the continuous disputes 

 that have occurred in consequence of the 

 French claims, has offered to accept a round 

 sum of $1,000,000 in coin, which it would 

 distribute among French neutral citizens who 

 were sufferers by the war. 



Commerce. The foreign-trade movement in 

 Chili has been as follows: 



The chief exports of 1886 consisted of : Prod- 

 ucts of the mines, $40,264,340, showing a de- 

 crease, as compared with the previous year, 

 of $1,785,331 ; agricultural products, $9,710,- 

 747, being $1,783,401 greater than in 1885; 

 manufactures, $172,900, being $31,000 more ; 

 and specie and bullion, $644,416, being $3,138 

 less. The amount representing nitrate expor- 

 tation was $1,424,075 less than in 1885 ; cop- 



