Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/583

 POPULATION AND TRADE.

547

thirds of the revenue was derived from state property and monopo- lies, and the remainder chiefly from customs duties. The republic had no debt until March 1866, when the National Congress autho- rised the President to contract a foreign loan of 5,000,000/. sterling to carry on the war against the armies invading Paraguay. At the same time, the National Congress voted a compulsory internal loan of 900,000 pesos, or 135,000/.

The military force formerly numbered about 3,000 men, prin- cipally cavalry ; but in the war against the united forces of Brazil, Uruguay, and the Argentine Republic,, carried on during the years 18G5-70, the President raised an army of 60,000 men, including 10,000 cavalry, and 5,000 artillery. These troops were divided for a time into four corps-d'armee of from 10,000 to 20,000 men, and had with them 400 field pieces and battery guns.

The Paraguayan navy was said to consist, in 1868, of 3 bri°-s of war, 21 steamers, and 15 small gunboats, partly iron-clad, each carrying one 80-pounder Armstrong gun.

Population and Trade.

The frontiers of the republic have never been well defined', and large territories considered as forming part of it are claimed by Brazil, Bolivia, and the Argentine Confederation. Geographically, Paraguay comprises three vast districts, the area of which, in leguas quadra, or square leagues, is as follows, according to an official return of the year 1860 : —

Districts Leguas quadra

Chaco, or Western Paraguay ....... 16,537

Country between the Parana and Paraguay rivers. . . 11,113 „ „ tile river Parana and Uruguay .... 1,820

Total. . 29,470 English square miles. . 1<)::;1L5

Not more than 2,500 leguas cpiadra, or less than one-tenth of the area of the republic, are cultivated and inhabited.

An enumeration made by the government in 1857 showed the population to number 1,337,439 souls. About one-third of the inhabitants were living at the date of the census in the central pro- vince, containing the capital, the rest being spread thinly as settlers over the remaining portion of cultivated country. Nearly one-half the entire territory is national property. It consists of pasturage lands and forests, which have never been granted to individuals; the estates of the Jesuit missions and other religious corporations : and a great number of government farming establishments Part of these lands are let at a very moderate rent, and for an unlimited period,

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