and expenditure $3,360,000.

The material and industrial progress of the country are retarded by the laws prohibiting freedom of conscience, the tax of 10 per cent imposed on all agricultural products, and the lack of proper roads. The Hon. Alexander McLean, formerly U. S. Consul at Guayaquil, thus sums up some of the disadvantages of a region teeming with undeveloped riches: "The crops reach a market in canoes. The implements sparingly used are similar to those of the ancient Egyptians. Oats are threshed by driving cattle over them, and corn is gathered and sold by the individual ear. The crops raised for export are cocoa, coffee, rice, sugar, cotton, and tobacco. Rubber and cinchona are not properly crops. They are obtained in a barbarous manner by killing the trees, in the case of rubber for the sap and in that of cinchona for the bark."

Ecuador was discovered by Pizarro in 1526, and passed into the hands of the Spaniards on the downfall of the empire of the Incas. It remained a Spanish possession till 1812, when the inhabitants rose in rebellion. In 1821 New Granada and Venezuela united and formed the republic of Colombia, in 1823 the Spaniards were driven from that part of South America, in 1831 New Granada and Venezuela separated, and Ecuador, or the ancient kingdom of Quito seceded from the former, declared itself an independent republic, and adopted a constitution. For many years the boundaries between Ecuador and Peru and Venezuela were a subject of much contention. In 1859 there was an unsuccessful revolution at Guayaquil, and a successful one at Quito, which nearly resulted in the country becoming subject to Peru. In 1866 Ecuador joined in alliance with Chili and Peru to resist the attacks of Spain upon those republics. Revolutions and assassinations have been frequent, but the country has not been engaged in a war of any magnitude since 1823. It was visited by severe earthquakes on August 13th, 1868, and June 29th, 1887.

CITY OF QUITO.

UITO, the capital of the republic, is built on a side of the extinct volcano of Pichincha, in latitude 0° 13′ south, and longitude 78° 43′ west, and at an elevation of over 9,000 feet above sea level. Notwithstanding its close proximity to the equator, it enjoys a healthy and equable climate, the temperature ranging from 45° to 75° F., and averaging 60°. Eight summits of the Andes covered with perpetual snow can be seen from

its heights, and, in remarkable contrast, the beautiful cultivated valley of Chillo. The houses are solidly built and mostly one story in height, to reduce the dangers of earthquakes. The public buildings embrace the palaces of the president and archbishop, the cathedral, and municipal hall, all built to face the Plaza Mayor, a university, four colleges, eleven schools of a higher grade than those previously mentioned, several seminaries, nearly 300 parish schools, a mint, a public library, a polytechnic school established 1872, and numerous churches, many of them with convents attached. In its neighborhood are the ruins of many ancient palaces of the Incas, beside traces of the great road which in the days of the Incas led from the city to the southern extremity of the valley of Titicaca. South of Quito is Tacunga, or Lactacungo, which, between 1698 and 1797, was four times destroyed by earthquakes. The modern city of Quito was founded by Benalcazar in 1534, and had in 1885 a population variously estimated at from 75,000 to 80,000. GUAYAQUIL, the chief port of the republic, is on a river of the same name, in latitude 2° 12′ south, and longitude 79° 39′ west, had a population, 1885, of 25,000, and has long been noted for its manufactures of Panama hats.

THE REPUBLIC OF PARAGUAY.

O portion of South America has sustained such extreme vicissitudes through the terrible ordeal of war, as the republic of Paraguay. At one time its territory included the enormous region lying between latitude 16° south and the Straits of Magellan, and between Chili and Peru on the west, and Brazil on the east. By the war with Brazil and the Argentine Republic in 1865-70, the country lost much of its best territory, beside the lives of nine-tenths of its entire population. Since 1870 the republic has been confined to the tract between latitude 22° and 25° south and longitude 53° and 59° west, and been bounded on the north by Bolivia, on the west by Venezuela, on the south by the Argentine territory of the Missions, and on the east by Brazil.

Its area was estimated in 1879 at 91,980 square miles, and its population, exclusive of 130,000 Indians, at 346,048-not as much as that of some thrifty cities in the United States. The country is well watered by the numerous tributaries of the Parana River on the south and east, and of the Paraguay on

the west. It also has several large lakes, one covering an area of 100 square miles. There are no mountains within its limits, and no land exceeding 3,500 feet in elevation. The highest portion, in the north, is quite fertile, but the greater southern portion is almost wholly covered with swamps and jungles. The animal kingdom is similar to that of Brazil, and is without distinctive species. It has a vast growth of forest, with some valuable woods; not more than half of its most fertile districts are under cultivation; and it stands alone among the countries of South America in having no mineral resources of commercial consequence.

It is governed, under a constitution, by a president elected for six years, who has a cabinet of five ministers. Its dominant religion is the Roman Catholic, its language a patois in which the Spanish is combined with that of the Guarini Indians, and its educational interests have received but little attention till within the last few years. The exports are chiefly yerba maté, or Paraguay tea, tobacco, .dry hides, tanned hides, tanning bark, oranges, lumber, tallow, wax, and wool; and the imports, silks, woollens, linens, cottons, hardware, wines, and general provisions. There is no direct trade with the United States worthy of the name. Paraguay has a standing army of only 2,000 men, and a public debt growing out of the war aggregating $200,000,000. It is in no wise prosperous, and there are no indications that it will be for many years to come.

Prior to 1810 it was a colony of Spain. In that year it declared its independence, and in 1812 elected Dr. Francia consul, soon afterward making him dictator. Under his government, which lasted till his death in 1840, the country enjoyed its greatest prosperity, though its development was seriously checked by the rigorous policy he purused of excluding all foreigners from the country. In 1846 the elder Lopez was elected president for life. He died in 1862, and was succeeded by his son, Solano Lopez, the most merciless tyrant of modern times. Though a Roman Catholic country, but little respect was shown toward the Holy See, either by father or son; the bishops possessed no immunities by reason of their sacerdotal character, and under the son nearly all of the most intelligent priests were arrested, tortured, and put to death. The younger Lopez was killed in the disastrous war he precipitated with Brazil and the Argentine Republic. Since its termination the country has been practically a dependency of Brazil. It was discovered by Sebastian Cabot in 1526. The first bishop for it was appointed 1554, and took with him laws for the protection of the natives, who had been reduced to slavery and divided

among the conquerors. Jesuit missionaries settled there in 1556, and conferred great civilizing benefits upon the country, till their expulsion by the Spaniards in 1767.

CITY OF ASSUMPTION.

SSUMPTION, the capital of the republic, founded in 1536, is on the

Paraguay River, in latitude 25° 18′ south, and longitude 57° 30′ west. Owing to its advantageous location, it became a city of considerable importance under its Spanish settlers. The majority of its houses are of brick, one story high, and roofed with tiles. It is a bishop's see, and contains a cathedral, government palace, custom-house, military hospital, college, and public library. During the war of 1865-70, it was bombarded and nearly destroyed by a Brazilian fleet. In 1885 the population was estimated at 19,463, of whom less than 300 were foreigners.

THE REPUBLIC OF URUGUAY.

HE republic of Uruguay, long known as the Banda Oriental del Uruguay, lies between latitude 30° and 35° south, and longitude 53° and 58° 30' west, and is bounded by Brazil on the north, northeast, and east, the Atlantic Ocean on the southeast and south, and by the Rio de la Plata and the Uruguay rivers on the southwest and west, the latter separating it from the Argentine Republic. It has an area of 73,538 square miles, and its population was estimated in 1884 at 593,248, of whom 60,000 were Italians, 30,000 Spaniards, 30,000 French, 30,000 Basques, and 20,000 Brazilians. More than half the entire population was of foreign extraction. It has a coast line accessible to shipping of 625 miles: 200 on the Atlantic Ocean, 155 on the Plata, and 270 on the Uruguay, and a land frontier of 450 miles.

The general character of the country is that of a vast rolling plain, abounding in natural pastures, and presenting here and there low, well-wooded ridges, from which numerous streams descend in all directions. Its chief watercourses are the Rio Negro, formed by the union of several small streams that rise in the Grand Cochilha near the Brazilian border, and divides the country into two nearly equal parts from northeast to southwest; the Rio de la Plata,

the left bank of which now belongs wholly to Uruguay; and the Uruguay, which receives the Rio Negro just before entering the Rio de la Plata, contains a number of falls, and is navigable for over 1,000 miles. The country enjoys a temperate climate, somewhat changeable, and resembling that of Spain and Italy, and the air is pure and healthy. A large portion of it is fertile land, and a vast extent profitable pasturage. As a result the rearing of cattle and sheep forms the chief industry of the people, though in agriculture there are large products of wheat and Indian corn. Hemp and different qualities of flax, nearly all kinds of vegetables, cotton, sugar-cane, the vine, and the fruit trees common to the south of Europe thrive abundantly. An enumeration in 1882 showed that there were 6,711,778 cattle, 20,000,000 highgrade sheep, and 1,500,000 horses in the country, and that 35,000,000 acres were in pasture.

For many years previous to 1884 the country was divided for administrative purposes into thirteen provinces or departments, but in that year a reorganization of the territory was made and eighteen departments were established. Uruguay is a republic with an elective president, and a national legislature of one senator and three representatives for each department, but the actual power is generally centred in the president, who, as in most South American countries, is usually a successful military officer. In 1882 the exports were valued at $21,962,930, and the imports at $18,174,800; 1883 the exports were $26,831,555, and imports $21,634,475; and 1885 exports $25,253,600, and imports $25,275,349; of the exports of the latter year $6,000,000 were on account of hides alone. The public debt amounted to $62,330,491 in 1886, and in the following year the revenue was $8,181,815-three-fourths of which were derived from custom duties—and the expenditures were $7,414,815. Over 500 miles of railroad and over 2,000 miles of telegraph lines were then in operation. The prevailing religion of the country is the Roman Catholic; but while the constitution of 1864 declared that to be the religion of the state, it guaranteed freedom to all other forms. In the admirable educational system of the country, in which a number of American ladies and gentlemen are employed, there is no apparent denominational bias.

The first settlement in the Banda Oriental del Uruguay was made by Jesuit priests in 1622, though Brazil, of which it was a province many years, was discovered by Pedro Alvarez Cabral, a Portuguese navigator, in 1500. The Brazilians shook off their allegiance to Portugal and declared in favor of an independent kingdom in 1815. The present republic of Uruguay as well as