Peruvian province of Tacna is to continue in the possession of Chile for ten years, at the end of which time a plébiscite is to decide to which country it shall belong.

Chile claims possession of Easter Island, in the Pacific.

At

In 1885 there were in Chile 1,263,640 males and 1,263,680 females. the last census (1885) the foreign population amounted to 87,077 persons, of whom 34,901 were Peruvians, 13,146 Bolivians, 9,835 Argentines, 6,808 German, 5,303 English, 4,198 French, 4,114 Italian, 2,508 Spanish, 1,275 Swiss, 1,164 Chinese, 924 Anglo-American, 674 Austrian, 434 Swedish and Norwegian, and the rest from other countries of Europe and of America. In 1886 there were 82,623 births and 82,529 deaths, giving a surplus of only 91. By the treaty (1881) with the Argentine Republic, the latter retains all Patagonia, except a small strip on the west coast and Magellan Straits, ceding to that country all except the eastern part of Tierra del Fuego.

The returns are, however, admittedly incomplete, and it is officially estimated that the population of Chile is much larger than appears from the foregoing table; including 50,000 Indians it probably amounts to about 3,200,000.

The two largest towns of Chile are Santiago, the capital, and Valparaiso, the first of which had 200,000, and the second 105,000 inhabitants in 1885; other towns are Talca, 24,000; Concepcion, 24,000: Chillan, 21,000; Serena, 17,000; Iquique, 16,000; Tacna, 14,000; San Felipe, 12,000; Copiapó, 10,000; Curicó, 11,000; Angeles, 9,000; Quillota, 9,000; Linares, 8,000; Cauquenes, 7,000; Angol, 7,000; Valdivia, 6,000.

Religion.

The Roman Catholic is the religion of the State, but according to the Constitution all religions are respected and protected. The clergy in charge of dioceses and parishes are subsidised by the State. There is one archbishop and three bishops. Civil marriage is the only form acknowledged by law.

Instruction.

Education is gratuitous and at the cost of the State. It is divided inte superior or professional, medium or secondary, and primary or elementary instruction. Professional and secondary instruction is provided in the University and the National Institute of Santiago, and in the lyceums and colleges established in the capitals of provinces, and in some departments. The branches included are law, mathematics, medicine, and fine arts. The number of students inscribed for the study of these branches at the beginning of 1888 was 1,074. The total number of students under superior and secondary instruction in 1888, including those of the University section and the provincial lyceums, was 4,877. There are besides normal, agricultural, and other special schools. There were 950 public primary schools in the country, with 81,362 pupils in 1887, and an average attendance of 55,813; and 501 private schools, with an inscription of 26,912. At the census of 1885 there were 600,634 children between 6 and 15 years of age. At the census of 1885, 634,627 people could read and write, and 96,636 could only read. The National Library contains 70,000 volumes of printed books, and numerous manuscripts.

JUSTICE AND CRIME-FINANCE-DEFENCE

407

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 and expenditure of Chile, from 1880 to 1889 :

The customs revenue in 1889 amounted to 41,102,102 pesos; the revenue includes in many cases loans.

The estimated income for 1890 was 58,000,000 pesos, in addition to the balance of 31,257,526 pesos for 1889; and the estimated ordinary expendi. ture 67,069,809 pesos.

The following table shows the public debt of Chile on January 1, 1890:

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 1890 the Chilian war-fleet included 3 ironclads, 1 deck-protected 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 71-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 54-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 chick, 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 1890 there were 5 rear-admirals, 59 captains of various grades, 27 lieutenants, and 160 other officers, with 1,609 sailors. There is a naval college at Valparaiso, with 90 cadets.

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 40,000tons 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 following table shows the value of the imports and exports of Chile for five years :

Pesos

Pesos

Pesos

Imports

Exports

Pesos 40,096,629 44,170,147 48,630,862 60,717,698 65,090,013 51,259,623 51,240,149 | 59,549,958 73,089,934 65,963,100

Pesos

The following table shows the leading imports and exports for 1888 and 1889:

The following table shows the value of the principal articles of export for five years :—

The trade of the leading ports was as follows in 1888 and 1889:--

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 1885 to 1889 according to the Board of Trade returns :-

The staple articles of export from Chile to the United Kingdom are copper and nitre. In the year 1889 the value of the total exports of copper to Great Britain amounted to 1,124,9237.; nitre, 1,066,0477.; wheat and barley, 329,1497.; silver ore, 204,2467.; sugar, of the value of 52,4337.; chemical products, 58,7661.; and wool, 62,6487.

The principal articles of British produce imported into Chile are cotton and woollen manufactures and iron. In 1889 the total imports of cotton fabrics were of the value of 874,9227.; of woollens, 382,6367.; of iron, wrought and unwrought, 568,5887.; coal, &c., 95,6947.; hardware, 52,000l.; machinery, 205,4137.

Shipping and Navigation.

The commercial navy of Chile consisted, on January 1, 1890, of 152 vessels (of 100 tons and above), of 102,391 tons, of which 29 were steamers, of 30,934 tons. In 1889 there entered the ports of the Republic, including coasters, 11,109 vessels of 9,723,998 tons, and cleared 11,286, of 10,174,173 tons; of these about three-tenths in number and tonnage were British, fourtenths Chilian, and two-tenths 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.