The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-10-17
NElrs FROM THE SOUTH PACIFIC.

The Chile Congress closed its session on the 3lst o
August One of their last and most important acts
that of bill authorizing the Executive to purchase the
Valparaiso and Santiago railway shares.
There in the republic 1877 parishes, and for the
support by the State it that the Of $500
would be required During the year the of s9l 2SO
has been expended in repairing and building churches
The nations expense for public worship during the yeai
amounted to S3s3933 In the several colleges of the
higher order in the republic O65 pupils educated Of
the expense of the State Also 900 children Of both
in the ass primary schools. The Teachers school
has "a pupils and the government has Just endowed
other female school in Colina, and popular library in
Meliplla. .rH#f@.#. t..
The organization of body Of pilots in the port of An
cud had been declared and that of Valparaiso has been
regulated The lately received from the provinces
is rather satisfactory than otherwise In the agricul
tura districts in the south appearances very promis-
ing, and it seems that the crops will be plentiful not
withstanding the excessive rain which has fallen In
Conception the municipal body has contracted the light
ing of the town by gas In the German colony of Liam
quihue the crops and all things in general present ater
ing APPEARANCES and the foundation Of the colony
celebrated by ball in its last anniversary. &
An extensive coal mine has just been discovered fifteen
miles inland from the port Of Ancud, in the province OF
Choc the owners intend constructing small railway
from the port to the mine in order to surmount the diff
cuties presented by the distance and facilitating expor-
taton The mines in the North continue less
favorable to the miners. The railway, branch Of Copa-
po from Pabclon TO Chanacillo is nearly finished IL
miles Of the line which is to unite the most important
merng in the Alps Of Austria, travelged by the Vienna
and Trieste railway is supposed to be the highest point
crossed by a locomotive. This summit is about
3006 feet above the level of the The pass of the
Blue Ridge, in Virginia. trayersed by the Baltimore and
Ohio railway is supposed 10 rank next and has ec-
vaton of 100 feet The highest point in the railway
Copapo branch is about two miles from the present
minus has elevation of 479 feet above the level of
the sea- and before the celebration of the next anniver
sary Of the independence Of Chile the steam engine will
have crossed that height and the locomotives shr
whistle will awaken the echoes amidst the Atacama
mountains at elevation Of 400 to 300 feet higher
than in any other part OF the world This fact is
thy Of being mentioned in the history Of railway pro-
ges and leads the speculative mind to believe that the
time not very far distant when the locomotive will find
path the Andes, opening channels of COM
merce and wealth to the nations on both sides
There was report in Valparaiso which, however,
cannot vouch--that Gen. Echenique bad started on
another revolutionary expedition to Peru II appears he
had not been seen many days prior to the sailing of
the steamer and it said that his friends had pur-
chased for him the cargo of ammunition on board the
American brig Townsend Jones' and that she was about to
sail from Valparaiso for port in Peru to land II there
From Peru we have received nothing of importance.
Our Africa correspondent writes that trade is very de-
pressed there account of the unsettled state of Bolivia
and that the Tacna merchants refusing TO sell
credit The mole at Psco is progressing very salts
factorly Already $50 feet have been completed II is
to be 1900 feet in length and built iron piles
imported hom England. u will, when finished bc The
largest and probably the finest work Of the kind on the
Pacific coast. General Castillo continues to govern the
country as President and general tranquility exists. In
Lima everything IL quiet and trade dull There were
forty vessels loading at the Chnchs islands, and for
ty-two lying in the harbor of Callao. m t'se