The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-06-28
The Wealti, OF Peru.

places along the coast we find half-breetl
Spaniards, mixtures of negroes, Chinese
and white people44ta people having the
vices of every nationality and the yir-
tues Of hardly any The Incas or In
dams still prcservG their Simple habits,
but are stepped inthe deepest ignorancc
and kept down in every way. They
are engaged mostly in agriculture and
mining. They form but an insignitl-
can't factor among the people on the
sugar plantations along the coast. Chi.
nese laborers are chiefly employed, be-
ing cheaper and more reliable. Many
have been thrown out Of employment,
the haciendas hayilig;lsetees.n, !, 1setsoyed l,y
the Chilians. In g3Sn6S alone the re,
venue for twenty -lfsaGS years was ST 900.
OOO.0O0. All the cdlntry has to show
Tor this immense wealth is Il few lines
of railway-0ne towards tho mines of
Cerro del Pasco, which, for want of
funds, is left unfinished to within sixty
miles Of the mines. Another line runs
from Yollendo to Puno, on Lake Titi-
caca, and is the most direct route to LII,
l'az, Bolivia, the road going by way of
Arequipa. There are two or three
other short lines. All these are govern
ment property. There are also two or
three short lines of rail oM ned by pri-
Vate parties.
The debt Oh the govermmc trailways
is nearly S200,000,000. Much of this
money has enriched foreign merchants,
but most of it could be found in the
pockets of runaway presidents and
other Peruvian notableS. PcculatiOn
i'll official circles has ruled in Peru to
such extent that man who, after oc-
cupying Office, came out without for
tune, was called un leso (half-wittcd. J
Industries hardly exist in Peru. Com
merce is in the hands Of foreigners.
First quality Of rice (chiclayO) and
large quantities of sugarcane are grown
almost without labor. Much Peruvian
bark and some caoutchouc are found in
the interior, some being sent abroad
by way Of Guayaquil, but most of it
lmdlng market by way of the Anna
ZOnrlVer. The immense mineral wealth
OF the country is almost undcvelopeu
and until different race of people takes
lolu OF things the mines will not rise to
the Importance they should. or late
years immense deposits of nitrate of
soda have been discovered along the
coast of southern Peru, extending to
the Bolivian and north coast of Chile.
They have proved Il largo source Of re-
venue. These deposits have been the
Chief cause Of the war. From the nit
rates large quantities of iodine are OBJ
tanned to such All extent that this metal
has become a drug. in the market.
Many experiments have been made to
discover IA mordant to iodine for dyeing
purposes, but SO far Without any prac-
tical result. Like Ecuador, the east
ern slope Of the Andes in Peru contains
immense forests Of valuable woods, but
owing to the lack of communication
they are almost unattainable. In the
interior, near lea, the celebrated liquor
called piScO is made. Some is made
from rice and some from grapes. The
liquor is put in large conical carthen
jars, holding about six gallons each
10 give it age it is buried III the sand
and in time becomes mellow. Much
WOOL is shipped from several ports of
Peru, going by the Straits steamers to
England.
With few exceptions from Payta, the
extreme northern port Of Peru, to CAL
dera, in Chile, the country Oh the sea-
board Is destitute OF Vegetation-nOth-
ing but barren Sand-hills, with an oc-
c;tslonal oasis OF vegetation. In times
past, through volcanic action, the sea
recedcd some miles, lcayinga Il wide strip
Of sand eNposcd. Our steamer remain
ing at Payta all day, l. went ashore to
take look at the place. a couple of
months before the Chileans had landed
and destroyed the railway shops and
depot. The town looked desolate. All
who could had left. Nearly all the
houses We're empty. | took four Mcxi-
can dollars ashore with me. We had a
bottle Of bear, which cost So, and | rc-
turned with $3l. The explanation is
that the silver was exchanged for Pc
nlVlan currency, 50 i'll paper money
being equal to one Mexican dollar.
This might pass as an adaptation of the
miracle OF the "loavcs and flshes.n So
much for the credit Of poor Peru. NV
companion invited mo to take some
chlcla. Here it is made from maize.
1t is fcrmentcd beverage! We ell
tered an adobe building without floor
An old woman handed us Il muddy
looking liquid i'll an old teapot. One
gulp:WaS sufficient. 1t tasted like vine
gar bittcrs. The natives said it was
clicha. Tambo dc Moro is an exccp-
ti9nai Peruvian port 1t is a green
spot i'll the desert. The finest oranges
Oh the west coast are grown here; also,
fruit of all kinds. The pllta, fruit
tasting like fresh butter, is much grown
here and priced by the people of the
coast. Here the vegetation is very rich
showing that many places in Peru could
be- madeprOductive if the people would
take the trouble to irrigate the land, as
is done in Chile.
Next to Callao the most important
Peruvian port is at present Iquique. Ii
is near the frontier Of Bolivia, but ONLY
in name, Chile having gobbled the
whole territory, for the time at least.
Ihls port has acquired it's Importance
through the large salt deposits in its
immediate vicinity. IQuiquc is the ca
pital OF the province OF Tarapaca. It's
Importance may be understood when il
Is known that It's average monthly re-
ceipts at the custom house are over
$500, 900. There is a railway leading to
the salt fields some sixty miles dist
ant. The road, until lately, was owned
by Montero, q Peruvian notable, who
turned it over to an English company,
but has lately been actually sold to par
ties III England connected with the Pc
ruyian bonds. A year ago an opposi-
ton road was started by this company.
Three leading firms, uniting, built and
equipped a wagon-road and now get
l... 4. m