628 



PERU. 



approximates $12,500,000 per annum ; that of 

 the exports, $7,500,000. The external com- 

 merce 'is mainly with Europe, through Tabreez, 

 by way of Constantinople. All goods are for- 

 warded by caravans between Tabreez and Tre- 

 bizond. There is also a growing commerce 

 with Russia on the north. In 1883 Russia pro- 

 hibited the free transit of foreign goods through 

 the Trans-Caucasian provinces, imposing pro- 

 tective duties, so as to give her own products 

 a monopoly in the markets of the neighboring 

 parts of Persia. The chief article of import is 

 cotton goods, of British manufacture, which 

 were imported to the average value of $4,000,- 

 000 during the five years ending with 1880. 

 Other imports are glass, paper, iron, copper, 

 sugar, and tea. The chief article of export 

 until recently was silk, shipped to Great Britain 

 and France. Of late years opium has become 

 the most important article. The exports from 

 the ports of the Persian Gulf of this commod- 

 ity increased from $348,000 in 1879 to $4,- 

 235,000 in 1881. Carpets are exported to Eu- 

 rope of the value of about $500,000 per annum. 

 Other exports are tobacco, skins, gums, wool, 

 dates, grain, and rice. 



Posts, Railroads, and Telegraphs. A postal ser- 

 vice, established by Europeans, was opened in 

 1877. Mails are conveyed between Julfa, on 

 the Russian frontier, Tabreez, Teheran, and 

 Reshd, on the Persian Gulf. The number, of 

 letters forwarded in 1879 was 426,008. 



At the end of 1879 there were 3,367 miles of 

 telegraph in operation, with 5,660 miles of wire. 

 The number of dispatches transmitted in 1878 

 was 500,000, the receipts about $45,000. 



In November, 1882, the Government ar- 

 ranged with a French syndicate for the con- 

 struction of the first line of railroad, to run 

 from Reshd to Teheran, 250 miles. 



PERU, a republic of South America. Area, 

 about 540,000 square miles ; capital, Lima. By 

 virtue of the treaty concluded with Chili in 

 1883 (see CHILI), Peru has ceded to the latter 

 the province of Tarapaca, and Chili may fur- 

 thermore acquire from Peru the provinces of 

 Tacna and Arica, if, ten years after the date of 

 the treaty, the people of those provinces should 

 so decide ; but such decision will involve a pe- 

 cuniary indemnity by Chili to Peru. The ces- 

 sion of Tarapaca has diminished the area of 

 Peru by 20,600 square miles. 



According to the census of 1876, Peru had a 

 population of 2,699,945, of whom 1,365,895 

 were males and 1,334,050 females, without 

 counting about 350,000 wild Indians. The 

 cession of Tarapaca has taken away 42,000 citi- 

 zens, 28,014 of whom were males and 13,988 

 females, thus leaving Peru a population of 

 2,657,943; or, if the wild Indians be added, 

 about 3,000,000. 



The principal cities are : Lima, the capital, 

 with 101,488 inhabitants ; Callao, 33.502 ; 

 Arequipa, 29,237; Cuzco, 18,370; and Chicla- 

 yo, 11,325. 



Government. The President of the Republic 



is Gen. Iglesias. The Cabinet was composed 

 of the following ministers: Minister of State 

 and Justice, Sefior Barinega; Foreign Affairs, 

 Sefior Lavarelle; War, Gen. Osma; Finance, 

 Sefior Malpartida. 



The United States Minister at Lima is Capt. 

 S. L. Phelps. The Peruvian Minister at Wash- 

 ington is Sefior J. F. Elmore ; and the Consul 

 at New York, Mr. J. C. Tracy. 



Army. During the war, Peru had enrolled 

 for active service about 16,000 men. 



Navy. Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, 

 the Peruvian navy was composed of four iron- 

 clad steamers, one of which was a frigate of 

 550 horse-power, mounting 22 guns ; one ram 

 of 300 horse-power and 5 guns ; two monitor- 

 rams, each 330 horse-power and 2 guns; six 

 steamers, one a frigate of 400 horse-power 

 and 13 guns; two schooners, each of 180 

 horse-power and 6 guns; and three steam 

 transports, one of 400 horse-power and 4 guns, 

 one 90 horse-power, and one 250 horse-power 

 and 6 guns. There were also three school- 

 ships and two steamers, and five river-steamers 

 of 386 horse-power. The entire naval force 

 was therefore eighteen vessels, with a joint 

 horse-power of 3,396, and mounting altogether 

 66 guns. The war caused the destruction of 

 the iron-clad frigate and of one monitor, while 

 the ram and one corvette were captured by the 

 Chilian navy. 



(For a sketch of the war in 1883, and other 

 events connected with it, see BOLIVIA.) 



Finances. The public indebtedness on Jan. 1, 

 1876, was as follows: 



Internal debt $24,952,158 



Foreign debt : 



Ecuador bonds $38,580 



The Pisco-Ica loan 1,323,400 



The loan of 1870 56.834,900 



The loan of 1872 107,733,700 



165,930,530 



Floating debt 23,000,000 



Grand total $213,882,688 



On the date above named, the coupons of 

 Peruvian bonds failed to be paid, but it was 

 officially declared that this was only a "mo- 

 mentary interruption of punctuality." Since 

 then there have been two short periods when 

 there was some hope that something would be 

 done to satisfy the bondholders. The first of 

 these periods fell in the year 1877, when the 

 so-called " Raphael contract " raised such ex- 

 pectations ; and the second occurred in 1880, 

 when the committees, till then hostile to each 

 other, blended into one and accepted the Chi- 

 lian proposals. But on reviewing the past 

 eight years it will be found that the names of 

 the Societe Generale, the Peruvian Guano Com- 

 pany, the Raphael contract, the Drey fuss law- 

 suit, the Sir Charles Russell Committee, the 

 Croyle Committee, the MacKellar & Co. con- 

 tract, the agents Anthony Gibbs & Co., and 

 the Peruvian and Chilian Government repre- 

 sentatives, are mixed up in such inextricabk 

 confusion that it would be useless to wade 

 through the history of the many guano con- 



