1. ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.

Capital, Buenos Ayres. Area, 826,828 square miles. Population, 1,465,000. History. Discovery of the country on the River Plata, 1515; Foundation of Buenos Ayres, 1535; Establishment of the Vice-kingdom of Buenos Ayres (or Rio de la Plata), 1777; Beginning of the war for Independence, 1810; Declaration of Independence, 1816; Presidency of Rosas, 1835; Bauishment of Rosas, 1852; Presidency of Mitre, 1862-1868; Sarmiento elected President, 1868. In 1866 it was estimated that there were in the country 70,000 Italians, 32,000 Spaniards, 32,000 Englishmen, 25,000 Frenchmen, 5,000 Germans and natives of the United States. The immigration of the year 1866 was estimated at 13,000, of whom 31 per cent. were Italians, 21 French, 10 English, 7 Swiss and Spaniards, 2 Germans. The immigration during the first three months of 1868 was 9,493, chiefly from Germany and Italy.

Government. President, DOMINGO F. SARMIENTO; Vice President, ADOLFO ALSINA. By the Constitution of May 15, 1853, the President and Vice President are elected for six years. The present incumbents were elected in 1868 for the term 1868-1874. The Senate consists of 28 members, two from each state. The House of Representatives numbers 54 Deputies.

Finances. The revenue is almost wholly derived from custom house duties, averaging from 15 to 20 per cent. In 1866, according to the message of President Mitre, the revenue was 9,763,830 pesos, 5 pesos fuertes-1 £-$4.84. The public debt, at the beginning of 1867, amounted to 32,483,710 pesos. The paper currency is greatly depreciated, 25 paper pesos being equal to 1 pesos fuerte. The budget of Buenos Ayres amounts to about 2,000,000 pesos.

Army and Navy. The army consists of about 10,700 men, exclusive of the militia and national guard. In the war against Paraguay the Republic was to contribute from 30,000 to 40,000 men, but in 1867 the Argentine force never exceeded 8,000 men. The navy comprises seven steamers and ten sailing vessels.

Commerce. The imports of the port of Buenos Ayres, in 1865, amounted to £5,207,043, exports to £4,413,358. The most important countries for the commerce of Buenos Ayres, are France, England, Brazil, and the United States. The chief articles of export are wool (46 per cent.) and hides, (34 per cent.); chief articles of import breadstuffs, beverages, cotton and woolen manufactures. In 1867, 621 miles of railroad were either open or projected. Nearly the whole of the capital had been subscribed in England.

2. BOLIVIA.

Capital, Chuquisaca. Area, 535,769 square miles. Population, 1,987,352.

History. Declaration of Independence, 1825; the name of Bolivia assumed Aug. 11, 1825. The frontier of the Republic is not yet regulated. A treaty with Chili, of Aug. 10, 1866, fixes 24 S. Lat., as the boundary line between these two Republics. In 1868, a treaty was concluded between Bolivia and Brazil, recognizing the claims of Brazil to most of the territory which has heretofore been disputed between Brazil, Bolivia and Peru.

Government. President, MARIANO MELGAREJO. The President is elected for a term of four years. The army consists of about 2,000 men, exclusive of the national guard. The revenue, in 1864, amounted to 2,471,000, the expenditures to 2,435,000 pesos, The Republic has no public debt. The value of the annual imports is about 5,570,000 pesos.

3. BRAZIL.

Capital, Rio Janeiro. Area, 3,231,047 square miles. Population, 11,780,000. History. Discovered by Pedro Alvarez Cabral, in 1500; beginning of colonization by the Portuguese, 1531; foundation of the city of Bahia, 1549; conquest of Bahia (1624), and gradually of one-half of the fourteen provinces of which Brazil consisted at that time, by the Dutch; evacuation by the Dutch, 1654; formal retrocession of Brazil to Portugal, 1661; constituted a kingdom by King John VI. of Portugal, in 1815; declaration of Independence, 1822; constitution adopted, 1825.

The number of slaveholders is about 40,000. The law for the suppression of the slave trade was fully carried out in 1850. There were in 1861, 55 colonies of German and Swiss settlers, chiefly in the province of Rio Grande do Sul, inhabited by 33,970 foreigners. Since then immigration has considerably increased.

Reigning Sovereign and Family. Pedro II. was born Dec. 2, 1825; succeeded to the throne on the abdication of his father, Pedro I. April 7, 1831; declared of age, July 23, 1840; crowned, July 18, 1841; married Sept. 4, 1843, to Theresa, daughter of the late king Francis I. of the Two Sicilies. Children: 1. Crown Princess Isabel, born July 29, 1846; married Oct. 15, 1864, to Prince Louis of Orleans, Count of Eu. 2. Princess Leopoldina, born July 13, 1847; married December 15, 1864, to Prince Augustus of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha; son, Prince Pedro, born March 19, 1866.

Government. Emperor, PEDRO II. The Legislative Assembly consists of a Senate and House of Deputies. Senators are appointed for life, by the Emperor, from three candidates chosen by electoral meetings specially convened for this purpose. A Senator must be forty years of age, a native born Brazilian, a Roman Catholic and possessed of an annual income of 800 milreis. The members of the House of Deputies are chosen by indirect election; every 200 voters choose an elector, and a number of the latter nominate the deputy. A voter must have an income of 100 milreis, an elector of 200 milreis, a deputy of 400 milreis. The deputy must be a native Roman Catholic. Voters are compelled to vote, under a penalty. The salary of a Senator is 3,600 milreis, of a deputy 2,400 milreis. The annual session of the Legislative Assembly commences May 3. The Chamber of Deputies has the initiative in the assessment of taxes, in matters concerning the army and navy, and in the choice of a sovereign, in case the throne should become vacant. The Senate has to take cognizance of offences committed by members of the Imperial family, and by Senators and Deputies, if committed during the session. It also convenes the Legislative Assembly, should the Emperor fail to do so, two months after the period fixed by law.

The Ministry is divided into seven departments: 1. Finance; 2. Foreign Affairs; 3. Interior; 4. Justice; 5. War; 6. Marine; 7. Public Works, Agriculture and Commerce. The Council of State consists of 12 ordinary and 12 extraordinary members, all appointed by the Emperor for life. Each Province has a President appointed by the central Government, and a provincial assembly.

A new (conservative) Ministry was formed in July, 1868. President, Viscount Itaborahy: Foreign affairs, Paranhos; War, Baron Muritiba; Agriculture, Senhor Antao; Marine, Baron Cotigipe; Empire, Paulino Soares de Souza; Justice, J. M. Alencar.

Finances. The revenue during the financial years 1859 to 1866, was as follows:

The estimates for the year 1868-69, were: Expenditures, 67,742,627 milreis; receipts, 59,000,000 milreis; probable deficit, 8,742,627 milreis. The foreign debt in June 1867, amounted to £15,458,200; the internal funded debt, March 31, 1867, to 106,350,600 milreis. The total amount of paper currency in circulation was estimated, in June 1867, at 107,021,950 milreis.

Army and Navy. The Braziliar. army, in 1867, numbered 74,318 men; consisting of Special Corps, 25,844 men; 1st Army Corps in the field. 33,078 men; 2d Army Corps in the field, 15,396 men. The armed navy consisted, in 1867, of 12 ironclads (exclusive of 4 in course of construction); 46 steamers, and 11 sailing vessels. The number of sailors and marines was according to the navy estimates for 1867-68, 14,909 men.

Commerce. The value of imports and exports in the financial years from 1864 to 1866, was as follows:

1864-65.

1865-66..

Imports.
.131,600,000 milreis...
.138,100,000

Trade with the United States from 1864 to 1867, was as follows:

Exports. .141,100,000 milreis. .157,000,000

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4. CENTRAL AMERICA.

History. Landing of Columbus on the east coast, 1502; invasion by the Spaniards, 1594; declaration of independence, 1821; establishment of the Republic of the United States of Central America, 1823; dissolution of the Union, 1839-since which time the five republics of Guate mala, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica have been independent of each other. The idea of a restoration of a Central American confederation has still many friends.

Squier, (in "The States of Central America," New York, 1858), estimated the total population of Central America at 2,114,000; of whom 1,195,000 were Indians, 800,000 of mixed descent, 100,000 whites, and 19,000 negroes.

1. GUATEMALA.

Capital, Guatemala. Area, 44,778 square miles. Population, 1,180,000.

Government. President, VINCENTE CERNA. A new constitution was adopted, October 19, 1851, by which the powers of government were confided to a President and General Assembly, composed of a Legislative Chamber (59 deputies), in which the archbishop, the members of the courts of supreme justice and the Council of State, have a voice in the deliberations. The revenue, in 1864, was $1,147,809; expenditures, $1,130,708. The public debt, in 1865, amounted to $2,461,978. The regular army consists of 3,200 men, the militia of 13,000 men. The imports, in 1866, were $1,699,125; the exports, $1,680,341. The largest amount of the imports came from the following countries: England, $1,220,064; France, $230,521; Spain, $67,639; Germany, $118,968; United States, $31,647. In 1867 the imports amounted to $1,574,587, the exports to $1,996,450.

2. SAN SALVADOR.

Capital, San Salvador. Area, 7,335 square miles. Population, 600,000. Government. President, FRANCISCO DUEÑAS. The Senate consists of 12, and the Legislative Chamber of 24 members. The sessions are held biennially.

According to the budget of 1867, the revenue was $783,713; the expenditures, $693,003. The consolidated debt, in 1866, was estimated at six millions; the floating debt at one million. The militia consists of 5,000, of whom 1,000 are in active service. The imports, in 1867, were valued at $1,856,387; the exports at $2,737,243. Of the leading products there were exported: 15,000 ceroons indigo, 50,000 cwt. coffee, 80,000 cwt. sugar, 10,000 cwt. rice. For the six months ending March 31, 1868, the exports from the ports of La Union, Libertad and Acajutla amounted to $2,493,480; an excess over the same period the previous year of $415,104.

3. HONDURAS.

Capital, Comayagua. Area, 47,092 square miles. Population, 350,000.

Government. President, JOSÉ MARIA MEDINA. A new constitution was adopted in 1865. The Senate has seven, and the Legislative Assembly eleven members. The Council of State consists of the ministers and seven other members. The annual revenue is about $200,000; it exceeds the expenditures by about $17,000 annually. Imports, mostly from Great Britain, $750,000; exports, $825,000. Chief port, Omoa.

4. NICARAGUA.

Capital, Managna. Area, 58,169. Population, 400,000.

Government. President, FERNANDO GUZMAN. The area includes Greytown and the Musquito territory. The population embraces about 30,000 whites, and 10,000 negroes; the remainder are Indians and Mestizoes. The capital has 10,000 inhabitants. The republic is divided into the departments of Rivas, Granada, Leon, Segovia, and Matagalpa. The revenue for the year 1865 was estimated at $532,471; the expenditures at $630,120; the public debt at $4,000,000. The imports, in 1865, were valued at $1,154,000, the exports at $722,000.

5. COSTA RICA.

Capital, San José. Area, 21,495 square miles.

Population, 135,000.

Government. Provisional President, JESUS JIMENEZ. The Senate consists of 25, and the Chamber of Deputies of 29 members. The annual revenue is about $1,000,000. There is no public debt. The exports (principal article coffee) amounted in 1864 to $1,812,682; the imports to $1,718,000. The militia consists of 5,000 men; of whom 200 are employed in active service.

5. CHILI.

Capital, Santiago. Area, 132,624 square miles. Population, 2,084,960.

History. First invasion by the Spaniards, 1525; beginning of the war for independence, 1811; independence fully established, 1818; recognized by Spain, 1844; General Bulnes, president 1841 to 1846, and 1846 to 1851; Manuel Montt, president 1851 to 1856, and 1856 to 1861; José Joaquin Perez, president 1861 to 1866; re-elected in 1866.

It is remarked in the census report of 1865, that to the population of the organized provinces (1,819,223), must be added (1) about 10 per cent, for persons omitted, (2) 80,000 Araucanians, (3)

3,800 Patagonians. The result of former censuses was as follows:-Census of 1835, 1,010,332; 1843, 1,083,801; 1854, 1,439,069. Increase in thirty years, 808,891. The number of foreign born persons in 1854, was 19,669; in 1865, 23,220, among whom were 17,618 males.

Government. President, José JOAQUIN PEREZ-born, 1801; secretary of legation in France, 1829-31; minister plenipotentiary at Buenos Ayres, 1832; subsequently councillor of state, minister of finance, of the interior, of foreign affairs, president of the chamber of deputies, and president of the senate; elected president of the republic, September 7, 1861; re-elected July 24, 1866. The vote for President is by electors (in 1866, 216).

The ministry, in November, 1868, was composed as follows: (1) Interior and Foreign Affairs, L. M. Amunatequi, (appointed 1868); (2) Finance, Alejandro Rejes (1864); (3) Justice, Worship and Instruction, Joaquin Blest Gana (1866); (4) War and Navy, Echaurren, (1868).

The Council of State is composed of the acting ministers, two members of the courts, one ecclesiastical dignitary, one general or admiral, one chief of a financial board, two ex-ministers, and several other functionaries. President of the supreme court, Manuel Montt, ex-president. According to the Constitution of 1833, the Senate consists of 20 members, elected for a term of nine years, and the Chamber of Deputies of one member for each 20,000 of the population, elected for a term of three years.

Finances. The revenue, in 1864, was estimated at $6,654,912, (customs, $4,047,787, government monopolies, $1,110,648, &c.); but in effect it only amounted to $6,574,518. The expenditures which had been estimated at $8,070,368, rose, in consequence of the Spanish war, to $10,986,358. The budget for 1866, estimated the expenditures at $9,079,936, and that for 1867, at $10,814,000. The internal debt, January 1, 1867, amounted to $15,820,319; external debt to $14,142,570; the total debt to $29,962,889. In addition to the above a loan of £2,000,000 at six per cent. was contracted in England, in 1867.

Army and Navy. The army consists of the standing force raised by conscription (3,250 at the end of 1865), and of the national guard (35,600 at the end of 1865). The navy was, in May, 1867, composed of 14 screw steamers, carrying 120 guns.

Commerce. The imports and exports from 1861 to 1865 were as follows:

The number of vessels entering the ports of Chili in 1865 was 2,858, of 1,123,344 tons; among them were 1,288 Chilian, of 263,607 tons: 144 North American, of 62,525 tons; English, 1,163, 695,304 tons. The merchant navy of Chili consisted, in 1862, of 259 vessels, of 57,110 tons; in 1865, of 257 vessels, of 67,090 tons. Up to the middle of 1866, 336 English miles of railways had been constructed at a total cost of $21,360,798.

Education. A University, divided into five faculties, is charged with superintending public instruction. Secondary instruction is gratuitously given by the State in the National Institute, in the Provincial Lyceums, and in one Military School, two Nautical Schools, one Medical School, one Astronomical School, one Conservatory of Music, one Academy of Painting, one School of Obstetrics, and one Polytechnical School.

6. COLOMBIA, United States of.

Capital, Bogota. Area, 357,179 square miles. Population, 2,920,473.

History. The Republic of Colombia which was established December 17, 1819, and consolidated by the fundamental law of July 22, 1821, embraced besides the present United States of Colombia, the republics of Ecuador and Venezuela. Venezuela seceded in November, 1829, and Ecuador in May, 1830. The remainder, then called New Grenada, assumed, September 20, 1861, the name of United States of Colombia, and was changed by the fundamental law of June 15, 1858, from one republic into a confederation of eight states, to which subsequently a ninth was added. The population of the nine states in 1864, was as follows:

To this population should be added the independent Indians, whose number is estimated at 126,000.

Government. President, SANTOS GUTIERREZ; elected, 1868; term, 1868 to 1870. The President is elected by an absolute majority of the states, the vote in the states being direct. The ministry in September, 1868, was composed as follows: Interior and Foreign Affairs, Santiago Pérez; Finances, Miguel Samper; War and Navy, Sergio Camargo; General Treasury, Narciso González Linéros.

The Senate consists of three members from each state; the Chamber of Representatives of one member for every 50,000 inhabitants, and one additional for a remainder of more than 20,000. The members of the supreme court are elected by the legislatures of the nine states. Each state has a Governor, except the state of Panama, which elects a President.

Finances. In the budget for 1866-67, revenue and expenditures were each estimated at $2,350,000. The public debt in 1861, was reported to be $44,000,000, of which $34,690,000 was due English creditors.

Army. The federal army, in times of peace, numbers 2,000 men; in times of war, the states are bound to furnish a contingent of one per cent. of the population.

Commerce. The imports of the port of Panama and Colon (Aspinwall), amounted, in 1864, to $35,000,000; the exports to $67,000,000. The number of arrivals at Panama, in 1865, was 134 sea vessels, of 177,448 tons; 36 coasting vessels, of 865 tons; the number of arrivals at Colon, in 1865, 339 vessels, of 242,757 tons.

7. ECUADOR.

Capital, Quito. Area, 218,984 square miles. Population, 1,300,000.

History. The Republic was constituted in 1830, by secession from the Republic of Colombia. (See United States of Colombia). In 1858, the population was 1,040,371, among whom were 600,000 whites; in 1867, it was estimated at 1,300,000, including about 200,000 uncivilized Indians.

Government. President, XAVIER ESPINOSA; elected in 1868. The republic is divided into ten provinces: Pichincha, Imbabura, Leon, Chimborazo, Esmeraldas, Oriente, Guayas, Manavi, Cuenca, and Loja.

Finances. The revenue, in 1865, amounted to $1,401,300; the expenditures to $1,399,672. The foreign debt in 1865, was $9,390,554; the interior, $3,692,955. The republic has neither a standing army nor a fleet.

Commerce. The exports from the port of Guayaquil, were valued, in 1865, at about $4,000,000; in 1866, at $5,015,752; in 1867, at only $2,510,733. The exports in the latter year amounted to $2,104,722.40. The movement of shipping, in the port of Guayaquil, in 1866, amounted to 182 vessels, of 13,969 tons, exclusive of 58 mail steamers.

8. HAYTI.

Capital, Port au Prince. Area, 10,205 square miles. Population. 572,000.

History. Discovered by Columbus 1492, who called the island Hispaniola, which name was subsequently changed into San Domingo. The western part of the island, the present Hayti, was ceded by Spain to France in 1697. Insurrection of the negroes, 1791; evacuation by the French, 1803; recognized by France, 1825; Soulouque, president, March, 1847; declared himself emperor under the name of Faustin I. August 26, 1849; resigned in consequence of a successful revolution, January 15, 1859; Fabre Geffrard, president, 1859; expelled, 1867.

Government. President, SYLVAIN SALNAVE; term of office, from 1867 to 1871. A new constitution was adopted, January 14, 1867. There are four ministers: 1. Foreign Affairs, Wor ship, and Public Instruction; 2. Finances and Commerce; 3. Interior and Agriculture; 4. War and Navy. The members of the House of Commons are elected by a direct vote for a term of three years; the members of the Senate are appointed by the House of Commons from a list drawn up by the electoral colleges.

Finances. The budget for 1864 estimated the revenue at 28,710,800 Haytien dollars*; the expenditures at 37,331,811 Haytien dollars; the total debt, in 1864, amounted to 9,847,233 piastres fortes (dollars).

Commerce. The imports, in 1864, amounted to about $6,700,000; the exports to $7,457,700. Of the imports about 46 per cent. are from the United States, and about 30 per cent. from Eng. Haytien dollars (gourdes) are paper money of changing value. In 1863, 12.25 Haytien dollars were equal to one (gold) dollar.

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