CHILI. 



CHINA. 



15T 



copper ore and concentrate, 421,725 pesos; of 

 hides, 218,493 pesos; of nuts, 195,025 pesos. Of 

 the exports of nitrate, Germany takes 39 per 

 cent., France 17.3 per cent., the United States 

 13.3 per cent., England 11.2 per cent., and Bel- 

 gium 10.9 per cent. 



Navigation. The number of vessels entered 

 from abroad at Chilian ports during 1890 was 

 2,193, of 3,315,420 tons; cleared, 2,340, of 3,901,- 

 990 tons. The coasting vessels entered had an 

 aggregate tonnage of 0,050,003. The merchant 

 navy on Jan. 1, 1897, numbered 48 steamers, of 

 25,521 tons burden, and 112 sailing vessels, of 

 54,754 tons. 



Bailroads, Posts, and Telegraphs. The 

 railroads open to traffic in 1897 had a total 

 length of 2,001 miles, of which the Government 

 owned 1,233 miles. The receipts of the state 

 lines, which cost 82,209,000 pesos, were 13,259,007 

 pesos, and the expenses were 12,878,248 pesos. 

 A railroad is being built over the Andes to bring 

 Chili into communication with the Argentine 

 Republic, and all but 40 miles were completed 

 before 1898, the Chilian section which is already 

 built being 18 miles and the Argentine section 

 being 88 miles. 



The post office forwarded 54,537,087 pieces of 

 internal and 5,387,020 of international mail mat- 

 ter in 1890; the receipts were 951,810 pesos, and 

 the expenses 890,058 pesos. 



The state telegraph lines had a total length of 

 9,832 miles in 1898, with 11,200 miles of wire. 

 The number of dispatches that were transmitted 

 in 1897 was 1,255,800. In addition to these, the 

 private and railroad telegraphs had a total length 

 of 2,013 miles. 



Political Affairs. The ministerial crises that 

 have resulted from the successive trials to solve 

 the commercial and monetary difficulties of Chili 

 and the strained relations with the Argentine 

 Republic came faster in 1899 than in any pre- 

 vious year. On Dec. 20, 1898, there was a re- 

 construction of the Cabinet, Ventura Viel suc- 

 ceeding Admiral Latorre as Minister of Foreign 

 Affairs, and being succeeded in the Ministry of 

 War by Carlos Subercaseux, and Arturo Ales- 

 sandri taking Seiior Codecido's place as Minister 

 of Public Works. A protracted extraordinary 

 session of Congress came to an end on Jan. 31, 

 1899. Th6 commercial community was relieved 

 from the dread of further issues of paper money 

 before summer, and the rise in the price of cop- 

 per and other improvements in the economic 

 situation helped to raise the rate of exchange 

 and relieve the commercial depression. The Cabi- 

 net after a short time underwent a change, Eduar- 

 do Videla Concha becoming Minister of War 

 and Seiior Palacio Minister of Public Instruction. 

 On May 24 a new coalition Cabinet was consti- 

 tuted, in which Julio Zegero became Premier and 

 Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Walker Mar- 

 tinez Minister of Finance, and Eduardo Matte 

 Minister of Industry. On June 2 this Cabinet 

 resigned, and on June 27 one composed entirely 

 of Liberals was constituted as follows: Premier, 

 Silva Cruz; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fede- 

 rico Borne; Minister of Justice, Francisco Her- 

 boso; Minister of Finance, Federico Izarra; Min- 

 ister of War, Javier Figueroa; Minister of In- 

 dustry, Daniel Rio Seco. This Cabinet lasted 

 only till Sept. 3, when a new coalition ministry 

 was formed as follows: Premier, Rafael Soto- 

 mayor; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rafael Erra- 

 zuriz Urmeneta; Minister of Justice, Francisco 

 Herboso; Minister of Finance, Manuel Salines; 

 Minister of War, Carlos Concha; Minister of 

 Industry, Gregorio Pinochet. 



CHINA, an empire in eastern Asia. The Gov- 

 ernment, as denned in the collected regulations of 

 the Tsing dynasty, is based on the government 

 of the family, and in theory the Emperor exer- 

 cises supreme paternal authority. The acts of 

 Government are largely regulated by precedents 

 running back thousands of years. The imperial 

 administration is directed by a Cabinet composed 

 of 2 Manchu and 2 Chinese members, advised by 

 2 delegates of the Hanlin College to watch against 

 contraventions of the dynastic regulations or of 

 Confucian precepts. The highest governing body 

 is the Grand Council, which issues laws and regu- 

 lations for the empire. Subordinate to the Cabi- 

 net are the boards of administration, presided 

 over each by a Manchu and a Chinese. One board 

 supervises the conduct arid administration of the 

 officials, another directs the finances, the third 

 enforces the laws relating to the duties and cere- 

 monies of the people, the fourth has charge of 

 military affairs, the fifth of public works, the 

 sixth is the high court of criminal jurisdiction, 

 and the seventh directs naval affairs. The Board 

 of Censors, presided over also by a Manchu and 

 a Chinese, watches over all the other bodies, and 

 reports to the Emperor shortcomings and delin- 

 quencies occurring in any branch of the public 

 service. The Tsung-li-Yamen, or Foreign Office, 

 is a modern body, which has conducted since 1801 

 all affairs with Western nations and with insti- 

 tutions directed by foreigners, such as the Mari- 

 time Customs and the Pekin University. 



The present Emperor reigns under the name 

 of Kwangsu, signifying " continuation of glory." 

 He is the son of Prince Chun, seventh son of the 

 Emperor Taokwang, and was born on Aug. 2, 

 1872, succeeded his cousin Tsaichun, who reigned 

 as Tung-Chi, on Jan. 12, 1875, under the regency 

 of his aunt, the dowager Empress Tsu-Hsi, born 

 Nov. 17, 1834, and assumed the Government on 

 March 4, 1889. The Empress Tsu-Hsi was co- 

 regent jointly with another dowager Empress till 

 1881, then sole regent until the young Emperor 

 became of age and married. Even after that she 

 had a large share in directing the policy of the 

 Government. When the Emperor issued a series 

 of edicts embodying radical and wide-reaching in- 

 novations and reforms she emerged from her re- 

 tirement, and on Sept. 22, 1898, obtained from 

 him an imperial edict whereby he resigned all 

 power into her hands once more. The reform 

 edicts were revoked, and since then she has re- 

 tained the supreme direction of affairs. 



Area and Population. The 18 provinces con- 

 stituting China proper have an area of 4,218,401 

 miles, according to a recent estimate, and a popu- 

 lation of 380,000,000. The dependencies of China 

 are Manchuria, with an area of 302,310 square 

 miles, and about 7,500,000 population; Mongolia, 

 area 1,288,000 square miles, with 2,000,000 popula- 

 tion; Tibet, area 051,500 square miles, with 0,000,- 

 000 population; Jungaria, area 147,950 square 

 miles, with 000,000 population; and Eastern 

 Turkestan, area 431,800 square miles, with 580,- 

 000 population. The island of Formosa was ceded 

 to Japan by the peace terms of 1895. Russia in 

 March, 1897, obtained a lease of Port Arthur and 

 Talienwan and adjacent territories on the penin- 

 sula of Liaotung for the term of twenty-five years, 

 renewable on agreement. Germany occupied the 

 port of Kiau-Chau, on the coast of Shantung, 

 and obtained from China in January, 1898, a lease 

 of the district for ninety-nine years. Great Brit- 

 ain occupied the naval port of Wei-Hai-Wei in 

 June, 1898, to be held, by the terms of the lease, 

 for as long a period as the Russians shall remain 

 in possession of Port Arthur. The British ob- 



