Justice and Crime. There are, in addition to a High Court of Justice in the capital, five Courts of Appeal, Courts of First Instance in the departmental capitals, and subordinate courts in the districts. The cost of the administration of justice in Chile is 840,065 pesos a year. At the end of 1887 there were 565 convicts in the Penitentiary at Santiago, and during 1888, 96 persons were sentenced to penal servitude, 73 for offences against the person, 11 against property, and 12 against the State. Finance. The public revenue is mainly derived from customs duties, while the chief branches of expenditure are for the national debt and public works and salaries. The following, according to official statement, shows the income of Chile, with balance at end of year, from 1880 to 1887 : The estimated income for 1888 was 46,000,000 pesos, and the estimated ordinary expenditure 40,234,685 pesos. The actual revenue for the first eleven months of 1888 was 42,992,204 pesos. The estimated revenue for 1889 is 46,000,000 pesos, and expenditure 53,000,000 pesos; the latter includes 7,000,000 pesos for the construction of new railways, and the sum necessary for the substitution of specie for paper currency. The following table shows the public debt of Chile on January 1, 1889: External. Loan of 1843 at 3% interest and 1% amortisation of 1885 at 41% and 1% of 1887 at 44% 99 By the law of December 30, 1887, the strength of the army must not exceed 5,835 men, distributed between 2 regiments of artillery, 1 battalion of coast artillery, 1 of sappers, 8 of infantry, and 3 regiments of cavalry. There are 5 generals of division, 7 of brigade, 29 colonels, 76 lieut.-colonels, and 824 inferior officers. Besides the regular army there is a National Guard, composed of citizens, the strength of which at the same date was 48,530 men. In January 1889 the Chilian war-fleet included 3 ironclads, 1 deck-pro tected cruiser, 10 first-class, 2 second-class torpedo-boats, 2 corvettes (built 1864-66), 3 rams (1866-74), 2 despatch vessels (1874-76), 2 transports (187375),4 gunboats (1881-84), 4 sailing vessels. Two of the ironclads,the Almirante Cochrane and Blanco Encalada, were built at Hull in 1874-75 from the designs of Sir E. J. Reed-each 3,500 tons displacement, 2,900 horsepower, 9-inch armour at water-line, one with four 18-ton and two 7-ton, the other with six 12-ton guns carried in a central battery; speed 12 knots. The third ironclad, the Huascar, was captured from the Peruvians in 1879; built 1865; 2,000 tons displacement, 1,050 horse-power, has 4}inch armour at the water-line, and 53-inch and 8-inch on the turret, and is armed with two 12-ton Armstrong guns carried in a single turret, and two 40pounders. The protected cruiser, Esmeralda, was launched in June 1883, at the works of Sir W. G. Armstrong & Co.: 2,810 tons displacement, armour 1 inch thick, engines 6,500 horse-power; two 25-ton breech-loading guns, six 4-ton guns, besides machine-guns; 18 knots an hour. One ironclad of 6,000 tons, built of steel, and to steam 17 knots, is being constructed; as are three deckprotected cruisers, one of 4,500 tons, and two of 2,000 tons each-all are of steel; also two torpedo gunboats. In 1889 there were 4 rear-admirals, 43 captains of various grades, 39 lieutenants, and 152 other officers, with 1,465 sailors and 600 soldiers. There is a naval college at Valparaiso, with 90 cadets in 1888. Industry. About 1 million of the population are engaged in agriculture. Chile produces annually about 21 million bushels of wheat, and about 24 million gallons of wine. Of mineral produce the annual yield averages about 40,000 tons of copper, 335,000 lbs. of silver, 1,000 lbs. of gold, 10 million tons of coal. The total produce of nitrate during the last five years is stated to have been 550,000 tons in 1884; 350,000 in 1885; 450,000 in 1886; 700,000 in 1887; and 800,000 in 1888. A large amount of British capital has recently been employed in developing the nitrate industry of Chile. Commerce. The imports in 1885 were 40,096,629 pesos, and in 1886 44,170,147, while the corresponding exports were 51,259,623, and 51,240,149 pesos. The following table gives the leading imports for 1886-87, and exports for 1887 and 1888 : The total value of the imports for 1888 was 60,718,000 pesos. The total value of the country's trade in 1888 was 184,000,000 pesos. The revenue from customs was in 1886 23,370,862 pesos, in 1887 29,883,852 pesos, in 1888 37,406,000 pesos. The value of the nitre exported in 1886 was 19,230,047 pesos, in 1887, 28,690,970, and 33,866,196 in 1888; of copper in 1886, 8,477,857 pesos, in 1887, 7,986,175, and in 1888, 15,160,882; of silver in 1886, 6,570,585, in 1887, 8,293,597, and in 1888, 7,733,864; of guano in 1886, 2,129,642, in 1887, 38,462, in 1888, 1,535,035; of iodine in 1886, 1,756,800, in 1887, 771,960, in 1888,913,750; of wheat in 1888, 5 million bushels, valued at 4,548,729 pesos. The export transit trade in 1887 was valued at 3,163,539 pesos. A British Consular report states that the total quantity of nitrate exported during the year 1888 amounted to 16,700,000 quintals, equal to 759,090 tons, of which 15,000,000 quintals were sent to Europe and 1,700,000 quintals to the United States. The trade of Chile was divided among the leading countries as follows in 1887 and 1888: The commercial intercourse between Chile and the United Kingdom is shown in the subjoined tabular statement in each of the five years from 1884 to 1888 according to the Board of Trade returns :-- The staple article of export from Chile to the United Kingdom is copper. In the year 1888 the value of the total exports of copper to Great Britain amounted to 1,827,2667. Next to copper, the most important articles exported to Great Britain were wheat and barley, of the value of 687,6957.; silver ore, 120,3997. ; sugar, of the value of 43,7771.; chemical products, 24,3877.; nitre, 50,3557.; and wool, of the value of 59,6027., in the year 1888. The principal articles of British produce imported into Chile are cotton and woollen manufactures and iron. In 1888 the total imports of cotton fabrics were of the value of 791,2887.; of woollens, 295,7567.; of iron, wrought and unwrought, 350,1507.; coal, &c., 115,9731.; hardware, 55,6307.; machinery, 88,8781. Shipping and Navigation. The commercial navy of Chile consisted, on January 1, 1888, of 177 vessels, of 77,087 tons, of which 38 were steamers, of 18,825 tons. In 1887 there entered the ports of the Republic, including coasters, 9,880 vessels of 8,730,329 tons, and cleared 9,795, of 8,655,579 tons; of these about threetenths in number and tonnage were British, four-tenths Chilian, and twotenths of other nationalities. There are English, German, and French lines of steamers from the coasts of Chile to Europe, through the Straits of Magellan, and English and Chilian lines to Peru and Panama. Communications Chile was the first State in South America in the construction of railways. In 1889 the total length of lines open for traffic was 1,748 English miles, of which 749 belonged to the State. Receipts of the State railways, 1887, 6,349,621 pesos, expenses 4,197,250 pesos. The cost of the State lines to the end of 1887 was 48,247,398 pesos. The State has authorised the construction of 614 miles of railway at a cost of 3,542,000l. The post-office in 1888 transmitted 41,093,855 letters and packeis. There were 483 post-offices open at the end of the year. The length of telegraph lines was reported, at the beginning of 1889, at 10,640 miles, of which 7,030 belonged to the State. The number of telegraph offices at the same date was 313 (240 belonging to the State); the telegraph carried 572,333 messages, besides those of the private lines. Money and Credit. The number of banks of issue in Chile is 19. Their joint capital amounts to 23,111,887 pesos, and a registered issue of 16,679,790 pesos. There are also a number of land banks which issue scrip payable to bearer and bearing interest, and lend money secured as a first charge on landed property and repayable at fixed periods. In 1887 the circulation of these banks was 57,519,600 pesos, and in 1888 it was 75,837,500 pesos. Money, Weights, and Measures. The money, weights, and measures of Chile are: MONEY. The silver Peso 100 Centavos, nominally equal to a dollar, but actually coined on the basis of the 5-franc piece = 38. 4d.; actual value 38. 2d. Ten-dollar (condor), five-dollar (medio-condor, or doblon), two-dollar (escudo), and one dollar (peso) gold pieces are coined, but the currency is practically a silver one. There are also half, fifth, tenth, and twentieth parts of a dollar in silver. The metric system has been legally established in Chile, but the old weights and measures are still in use to some extent. Diplomatic and Consular Representatives. 1. OF CHILE IN GREAT BRITAIN. Envoy and Minister.-Señor Don Charles Antunez. |