XXVI. Speech of Hon. S. S. Cox,.. V. BANQUET GIVEN TO THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PRESS iii. VII. EULOGY ON ABRAHAM LINCOLN, FROM A SOUTH AMERICAN I. Attempted arrest of B. VICUÑA MACKENNA, Confidential Agent of Chili in the United States, and preliminaries of his trial for alleged violation of the neutrality law of the 11. Letter from Mr. Vicuña Mackenna to the Editor of the New York Herald on the circumstances of his attempted III. Mr. Vicuña Mackenna's affidavit in Court, claiming and proving his diplomatic privileges. IV. Letter from Hon. Thomas H. Nelson, Minister Pleni- potentiary of the United States in Chili, to the Hon. Secretary of State, W. H. Seward, and other documents v. Official Documents of the Foreign Department on Mr. 3 PREFACE. THE present little work comprises two parts under separate titles. The first contains a physical description of Chili with statistical data up to the present time. The second relates to the actual war between that country and Spain. Although in the last part of this pamphlet some idea of Chili is given to the general reader, we deem it important to go still further into details, in order that a country so admirably fitted to benefit emigrants may be better known. For this purpose we give, in this preliminary part of our little work, a more minute description of Chili, paying particular attention to its geography, climate, agriculture and mines, and especially to the various laws, privileges and colonies which have been established in that generous and well-governed country, in order to favor the introduction of emigrants from all nations and of all religious creeds. The lecture upon Chili, which we publish in the second part, given at the Travelers' Club, by Mr. Vicuña Mackenna, was of a pictorial, rather than a statistical and positive character. Consequently, we shall endeavor to supply that deficiency, but in such a way that one part will complete the other, without useless repetition. With these few explanations, we have tried to condense, into a few pages, such important information as would make of this little pamphlet a real vade mecum or easy guide for emigrants. POSITION AND LIMITS OF CHILI. CHILI lies west of the Andes, and between the parallels of lat. 23° and 55° 59′ S., having a coast line of about 2,270 m., and a breadth varying from 200 m. to 40 m. Its area is variously estimated by different geographers at 146,300 sq. m. (Lieut. Gilliss), 348,000 (Abbé Molina), 170,000 (Lieut. Strain), and 240,000 by German geographers. Chili is bounded N. by lat. 23° S., which separates it from Bolivia, E. by the Andes, which form the dividing line between it and the States of the Argentine Confederation, S. and W. by the Pacific Ocean. It includes in its territory all of Patagonia west of the Andes, as the Argentine Confederation does that portion lying east of those mountains. POPULATION AND POLITICAL DIVISIONS. According to the latest census, taken in the Republic on the 19th of April, 1865, Chili is divided into fifteen provinces, with a population of 1,814,218 inhabitants; but making the usual allowance of ten per cent. for the number omitted, the actual population cannot fall short of 2,000,000. In this proportion the Indians are not included. Those belonging to independent tribes form a community of some 30,000 souls. The emigrant settlement of Llanquihue, where 2,000 German agriculturists live in prosperity, and the military settlement of Magallanes, are included in the full amount of the population-the latter having only 195 settlers. |