The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-17
THE ARGENTINE
REPUBLIC.
Rear.Admiral ellis Talks of the
Country and the Disturbances.
A Land Wealthy Beyond Most Lands-Ths City
Of Buenos Ayres and Its Marvellous
Growth-Pubic Buildings.

72EAR-ADAIIRAL GILLIS. U. S. N.
tASS who recently returned from cruise
INV along the South American Coast,
was interviewed by a reporter for the New
York Sun, and in giving his impression of
the Argentine Republic said:
The Argentine Republics area is up
ward Of 100000 square miles, and the
country is larger than Great Britain, Ire
land, France, Germany. Austria, Hungary,
Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Holland,
Greece and Turkey in Europe. The old
unknown land called Patagonia in the old
geographical books is in Argentine Terri
tory. The country is rich beyond computa-
ton. When developed il will feed 100, OO0, 600
people.
The wheat grown in the interior is of
excellent quality, and it will soon be grown
in sufficient quantity to compete with
American grain. Maize, or corn, is export
ed ip enormous quantities, and so are hay,
sugar, liDseed ard minor products, while
cattle, horses and sheep are like locusts
over the face of the land. The soil is WON
derfully rich, generally a black loan, such
as you meet in the Mississippi bottom
lands. was informed by authority that
there are 100000 head of cattle and 1OO.-
100000 sheep in the country, the value of
which is about S40O, 600 600. About 1000. 900
horned cattle were slaughtered last wear,
OF course, with all of this natural
wealth. the country was sure to rise from
the condition of wildness which eharac-
terlzed 1t until long after the time of Posas.
The GnachOs. as the plainsmen of the
Interior are called, ruled the country in a
savage way until 1852 Juan Manuel POsas,
who was himself once GuachO, residing
on an estanciero at Guarda Monte, ruled
the people with the often quoted rod of
iron from 1929 to 1852. This bloody tyrant
was the supreme power. After one of the
numerous revolutions or outbreaks against
him was suppressed he murdered and
ravished from Mendoza to Buenos Ayres.
In the latter city he harneSsed a number of
the most beautiful and distinguished ladies
OF Spanish blood to his daughters carriage
and forced them TO draw her about the
streets.
The civil war prevailed, and the blood
OF some Of the best men in the country was
shed between 1852 and 1861, when General
Mltre won the battle of Payton and assumed
the Government. He was not constitu-
tional President--very far from it; but he
was dictator who was vast improvement
on Posas. Dr. Sannient0 succeeded Mitre
in 1868. DR.. Ayellanda became President
in 1874 and General Roca in 1880. The
President against whom the present revo-
luton is directed, Dr.. Miguel Juarez Gel
man, next came in power. He is a brother
in-law of General Roca, and was a lawyer
at Cordova originally. 1t is illegal for a
President to succeed himself, and General
Roca made Celman President as family
arrangement to keep control of the reve-
nues Of the country. Roca went in
AFTER A REVOLUTION.
The emigration from Europe to Argen-
tine was heavy, and it swelled and
swelled until human tide flowed in at the
cities of Buenos Ayres and Rocano. The
boom was we'll under way when Roca was
in power, but the height was obtained
after CelmaD assumed Office | called at
tention to the Argentine Republic and to
the products of the land in order to show
the foundation for the boom. OF course
the geography of the country is known to
most people, but wished to point out the
enormous territory and the richness of its
resources as compared with the limitation
OF the population. In 1857 the country con-
tanned, so far as could be counted, only
10000 inhabitants. In 1882 there were
2, $4,000 people. This represented growth
of 154 per cent, which was more than
double the relative growth of the United
States during the same period. At present
the population is estimated at 4, 200. 00O and
the Government anticipates 100000 in
1895 and 100000 in 1910.
Buenos Ayres has grown as IL an Alad-
din's lamp were constantly being rubbed TO
affect her destinies. The city is the finest
in South America, and in many respects il
is superior TO cities IN the United States.
The popular idea here at home is, as you
know, that the South American countries
are immensely inferior. The impression
influences many of our acts. When we send
an obsolete man-0f-war, armed with obso-
lete guns, to South America, she comes in
comparison with first class steel ships.
bearing batteries of approved modern steel
rifles. 1.-The United States are rich but &C.
centric" say the educated. polished gentle
men who comprise the upper classes. How
ever, it is not best for me to comment.
Buenos Ayres is well built, clean,
thoroughly policed city of nearly o,OO0
people. The public buildings are fine.
There are bank buildings that would look
well on Broadway. The palace is hand
some and the theaters and cafes are thor
Oughly Partisan. You will see carriages
and horses in the Bots de Boulogne of the
city, the Tres de FebrerO Park, that could
not be eclipsed in point of style in New
York or London. The houses are of the
modern French or Italian type of archi-
lecture and some of them are palaces. The
jewelers. shops rival those of the Rue de la
Paix.
The imports last year were about
S130,000,000, and the exports fell short of
500, 100000. The new docks in process of
construction will cost millions to finish.
When l first visited the country you could
not approach the shore near enough to lard
III du sup UOaks Il6 Sllb WhSueQ
down and deposited by the mighty river has
shoaled the water for miles. l used to go
ashore in an oX-cart, which was backed off
into the water several hundred yards. The
new docks, when completed according to
the plans. will be six In number, and they
will occupy space nearly three miles long.
The Darsena Sud is complete, and the next
dock, No. l, is open. The Boea, as the en-
trance of the little River RachuelO is called,
is the starting point for the system of
docks, and the latter will occupy the whole
river front of the city. took the Richmond
into the Boca, as the ship had comparatively
a small water draught. 1t was reported
that there were 1900 craft of all kinds
packed in the Boca and the Darsena. A fire
would have swept every one OF them.
TIE SPECULATIVE MOVEMENT,
AS / have said, commenced during the
Presidency of General Buca but Celman
witnessed the great boom. The emigration
from Europe brought class of people who
left their homes to make money, and the
speculative craze was OF q sort that would
have filed the mind of John Daw with ad-
mirati0n. can give You an idea of the
emigration. In 1888 there were $4,000 emf
grants from Italy, and there are at present
about 100000 Italians In the country, or
approximately one-sixth of the population.
There were 25,C00 Spanish emigrants and
there are about 100000 natives of the penin-
sula in the country at present. The French
came over 1900 strong, and the re are 125, 900
in the land. There are %, 600 English, and
they are the bankers and heavy merchants.
There are 10000 Swiss, $4,000 Anstrians,
1900 Germans, $500 Belgians and 5000
who are classed under the head of various.
The year 1883 and the first half of 1889 were
the periods Of greatest emigration. You
will perceive that about one-fourth of the
entire population came over seas from Eu-
rope. Among the stories heard from re-
liable sources was the one of man who
held tract Of land in the rear Of the city.
He sold half of it for $4,000, q railway
corporation paid 100000 for portion Of
the other half that he held, and lie subse-
quently sold the remainder for $4,000, O00
The city of La Plata, the capital of the
Province of Buenos Ayres, is located about
ten miles below the city Of Buenos Ayres.
Less than dozen years ago the place was
a sheep pasture; to-day it Is one of the