Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/731

* ECUADOR. 637 ECUADOR. present the biidfiet Imlances at over 8,000,000 siures (^o,8!t(i.OOO), but the revenue generally falls short of the expenditures and loans are necessarily resorted to. The puhlie deht is in a .state of confusion. Ecuador's share of indebted- ness at the dissolution of the Republic of Colom- bia in 1S30 amounted to £1,S2-1,000 (.$8.883.000 1. It was not, however, until 18.')4 that the bond- holders luanajjed to get from the Government a formal recognition of its debt. In 18(!7 jiaymcnt on the debt ceased, and the arrears amounted in 18!>l to £-l2S.ti40. By an arrangement with the ereditors in 1892 the princi])al was reduced to £7.50.000, which sum was afterwards further re- duced, an<l at present the entire fmeign debt amounts to about £071,000 (.$.),Jt)7,S00), and is held entirely by the Guayaqtiil and (Juito Rail- way Company. In 1896 the internal debt .ini'ounted to 4.580.000 sueres (.$2,275,400). It has increased considerably since then. Ecuador adopted the gold stamlard in 1900. The metal currency of the repuldie is estimated at 4.000.000 sueres ($1,048,000), of which only one-fourth is gold coin. There are also in circulation banknotes to the amount of about 0,000.000 sueres ( $2,922.- 0001. Two banks issue notes for circulation: the Banco del Ecuador and the Banco Comereial y Agrlcola. with .a combined capital of 2.500,000 sueres. There are two other leading banks. Weights .^nd JIeasures. The unit of value is the peso or sucre. equivalent to 48.7 cents. There are gold condors (10 sueres) and fractions of a Sucre in nickel and copper pieces. The metrical system, adopted in 1856. is used only in official publications. The current measures and weights are essentially the same as in the United States. The unit for linear measure is the vara (yard) ; for weight, libra (pound) ; for capacity, fanega (4.44 cubic feet) . EorciTiox. Elementary education is gratu- itous and obligatory. There are a university at Quito, and a number of secondary .schools; the elementary .schools number over 1000. and have an attendance of about 70,000. Ecuador is at a low ebb. Popn..TiON. The population of Ecuador in 1889 by provinces is given as follows : Caichi 38.000 Imbahura 67.940 Pichincha 205.000 I-eou 109.600 Tuncuragua 103.033 niimborazd 122,200 Caii.ir 64.0U Amay 132.400 LnJa 66.4.i0 Bolivar 43.000 Rloe 32.800 Oro 32.600 Puayas ; 98.042 MnMihi G4.133 K""' rill .- H..5.53 went* 80.000 Total 1,271,761 In 1S97 the population was estimated at 1,400.000. The population of the territory of the Galfipagos is given as 400. The whites num- ber about 100.000, those of ini.ed origin about 400.000, while the remainder consists of Indians and a small number of negroes. The prevailing language of Ecuador is a Peruvian dialect. There are laid still to be communities of pure Quiehuas. The Cayapas and the Toehi are probably de- •eendcd from the ancient conquered peoples of Ecuador. The civilized Indians, belonging gen- erally to the Quitus race, form the great laboring class. In the Anuizonian valleys several tribes — llic Oregcmes, lOncabelhulos. etc. — are related to those of western Brazil. In the east, too, gen- erally are found the .livaros, Zaparo, Abiquira, and other peoples who are supposed to be of the Tupi and the Carib races. They were formerly ])rogressive and prosperous, but have greatly de- teriorated since the expulsion of the .Jesuits in the latter part of the eighteenth century. The Constitution provides that the religion shall be Roman Catholic. Other faiths are rather freely tolerated. History. The history of Ecuador up to the coining of the Spaniards is involved in ob>eu- rity. Whatever there was among the natives in the way of writings and records which dealt with their earlier experiences the fanatical mis- sionaries converted into ashes. There is, how- ever, among the Indians the tradition that cen- turies prior to the coming of the Europeans there had existed a strong kingdom in what is now Ecuador, called t^iuito, which in the tenth century was overthrown by a coast people known as the Caras. The kings of the Caras occupied the throne until 1475, when, after a long and desperate resistance, they succumbed to the Inca armies of Peru, led by Huayna Capac the Great, who added Ecuador to his dominions, establishing his capital at Quito. At his death his territories were divided between his two sons, Huascar, who held Peru, and Atahualpa, who reigned at Quito. They soon fell out, prosecuting war after war against each other, the former being at last overthrown in 15.32. It was at this jimcture that Pizarro. having, with a handful of men, embarked ujion the conquest of the realm of the Incas, arrived on the scene. He seized Atahualpa at Cajamarca, and in 1533 he put him to death. The vast territories of the unfortunate Inca were added to the Spanish Em- pire. They were erected into a presidency, with Quito as capital, and subordinate to the Viceroy of Peru. It remained thus until the outbreak of the gieat revolution which freed South America from Spanish rule. The defeat of the Spaniards in the battle of Pichincha. in 1822, liberated the Province of Quito, which now constituted part of the Republic of Colombia, organized under the auspices of Bolivar. In 1829 Venezuela withdrew from the confederation, and in 1830 the independent Republic of Ecuador was constituted. Then there followed a number of struggles between rival political leaders, of whom the chief were Flores and Rocafuerte. which demoralized the country, destroying all security of person and fortunes. The Ecinidorians, however, were not content with fighting among themselves — they interspersed their local outbreaks with wars against their neighbors, Peru and Colombia. In 1845 Vicente Roc.a became President, and one of the distinguishing acts of his regime was the convention with England for the abolition of slavery. I'^rom 1850 the struggle between the Clerical and Liberal parties became bitter. In that year Diego Xoboa, of the Clerical Party, having seized the Presidency, was overthrown by the Liberals under General Urbino. The power rested with the latter party till 1860. when there occurred a general breaking up, with several leaders claiming