650
ECUADOR
[history.
the constitution in a more Liberal direction, and struck various blows at the Clerical party, among other things abolishing the concordat with Rome. In 1878 Veintemilla caused himself to be declared elected as president for a term of four years. At the expiration of this period the president assumed dictatorial powers and remained in office as chief of the executive. This action on the part of General Veintemilla led to a union between the Clericals and Moderate Liberals, and resulted in a popular rising throughout the republic, ending in his defeat and overthrow. His power was first restricted to Guayaquil and Esmeraldas, and finally General Rinaldo Flores drove him from Guayaquil, and Veintemilla fled (July 1883) to Peru. Dr Placido Caamano was then called upon to take charge temporarily, and on 17th February 1884 was definitely elected for the presidential period terminating in 1888. Several revolutionary outbreaks occurred during the Caamano administration, but were successfully suppressed. In 1888 Dr Antonio Flores succeeded Caamano, the four years following being passed in peaceful conditions. In 1892 Dr Luis Cordero was elected, his administration again plunging the country into an epoch of internal disturbance. The cause of the troubles under President Cordero was the assistance lent by Ecuador to Chile in the matter Communications.—Roads are nothing better than mule tracks, of the sale of the cruiser Esmeralda to the Japanese over which wheeled vehicles cannot pass. The highway of 115 Government in 1894, in the middle of the Japanese-Chinese miles between Guayaquil and Quito is constantly in need of repair, War. The Government of Chile arranged the sale of the bridges and culverts being frequently washed away. The naviga- Esmeralda, but wished to be free from all danger of tion of the rivers Guayas, Daule, and Yinces is carried on by a international complications in the affair. To this end the fleet of 17 steamers, and by small craft and canoes. The only railway is that—with a gauge of 36 inches—from Duran, near Guaya- transfer of the vessel was made to Ecuador, and she proquil, to Chimbo, a distance of 58 miles. A concession has been ceeded to Ecuadorian waters. On arriving at the Galapagos granted to an American syndicate to take over the line and pro- Islands the flag of Ecuador was replaced by that of Japan fong it to Quito. The total length of telegraph lines open to public service in 1898 wras 1242 miles, with 60 offices. The and the vessel handed over to the representatives of that principal cities are connected with Quito, and that city with nation sent for the purpose. When the part played by Guayaquil. From Guayaquil there is cable connexion with the President Cordero in this transaction became known, an rest of the world. The telephone is in use in Guayaquil and the outburst of popular indignation occurred. An insurrection, vicinity. The inland postal correspondence is stated to comprise headed by General Eloy Alfaro, followed; and after about 850,000 letters annually, and the foreign correspondence desultory skirmishing extending over a period of nearly a about 1,809,000 letters and 6,347,000 newspapers and parcels. Money, Weights, and Measures.—The monetary unit is the silver year the Government forces were finally routed, President sucre of 100 cents, weighing 25 grammes, and -900 fine. The swere Cordero abandoning his office and escaping from the derives its name from President Sucre, a prominent figure in the country. War of Independence with Spain. Other silver coins are 50General Alfaro then assumed dictatorial powers as 20-, 10-, and 5-cent pieces. There are nickel coins of 5-, 1-, and 4-cent pieces, and bronze coins of 2 cents and 1 cent. By an supreme chief of the nation, continuing in this capacity agreement between the banks and the commercial community a until 6th February 1897, on which date he was declared rate of exchange equal to 10 sucres to £1 was sustained during 1898, to be elected president of the republic. A series of revoluand still continues, with slight variations. Congress has recently tionary movements against the administration of President provided for the coinage of gold pieces of the same weight and fineness as the British sovereign ; these will be known as corutores, Alfaro occurred in the course of the next few years. Many each condor being equal in value to 10 sucres. The Biitish of these risings were due to the intrigues of the Church sovereign is also declared by this measure to be legal tender tor party, and in view of these circumstances President Alfaro the same value as the condor. The principal banks within the republic are the Banco del curtailed the influence of the clergy in several directions. Ecuador and the Banco Comercial y Agricola. The former has On 31st August 1901 General Alfaro peacefully handed a capital of 2,000,000 sucres, the latter one of 500,000 sucres. over the presidency to his elected successor, General Plaza. Both issue notes, the banking law providing that one-third of Authorities.'—Bates, H. W. Central and South America. the value of the issue must be held in coin, one-half. of the reserve being in gold. On December 31, 1898, the note issue of London, 1882. — Camvos. Galeria de Ecuatorianos edebres. the Banco del Ecuador was 2,138,170 suerds, and that of the Guayaquil, 1881. — Cevallos, Pedro F. Resumen de la Banco Comercial y Agricola 3,522,242 sucres. There are also Historia del Ecuador. Guayaquil, 1886. Geografia dH two mortgage banks, the Banco Hipotecario and the Banco Terri- Ecuador. Lima, 1888.-Church, G. E. Ecuador in im. torial. The rate of interest charged is from 8 to 12 per cent, per Report to the United States Government. Washington, 1881. Flemming, B. Wanderungen in Ecuador. Leipzig, 1872. annum. By the law of 6th December 1856 the metric system of weights and measures is the legal system of the republic, but Reiss, W. and Stubel, A. Das Hochgebirge der Ecuador. Berlin, 1892-98.—Simson, A. Travels in theJVUds the old Spanish weights and measures are almost invariably used. Ecuador. London, 1887.—Whvmper, Edward. Travels Recent Political History.—After the assassination of of amongst the Great Andes of the Equator. London, 1892. President Moreno at Quito, in August 1875, Dr Borrero T Geografia y Geologia del Ecuador. Leipzig, 1892.—Stubei., was elected to the presidency, but his tenure of power A. Skizzen aus Ecuador. Berlin, 1886. Die Vulkanbcrge Ecuador. Berlin, 1897. —Reports of the Council oj was short. A revolution headed by General Veintemilla, von Foreign Bondholders. London. —Anuario de Estadistica Gomerthe Radical leader, then military commandant at Guayaquil, cial de la Republica del Ecuador. Guayaquil. British Foreyv. broke out in 1876, and on 14th December of that year the Office Diplomatic and Consular Reports. London.— United htau Government forces under General Aparicio were completely Consular Reports. Washington.—AfowdSooi: of Ecuador. Bureau routed at Galte. Veintemilla was proclaimed president, of the American Republics, Washington, 1892. (w. W. R.) C. E. A.) and in 1877 was duly elected by the Cortes. He altered
The imports consist mainly of cotton and woollen fabrics, piovisions, flour, hardware, wines and spirits, and other articles of consumption or common use. The staple article of expoit is c°coa, of which there were shipped abroad in 1895, 32,516,000 lb ; m 1896, 33,909,000 lb; in 1897, 33,123,000 lb; in 1898, 35,036,000 lb ; in 1899 47 704,550 lb. Of the shipments in 1899, 22,186,190 lb went to France ; 5,535,310 lb to Spain ; 9,781,720 lb to Germany , 5 493 100 lb to Great Britain; 3,473,220 lb to the United States; 1,235,010 lb to other countries. The exports will probably increase, since millions of new plants are planted every year Other articles of export have been already mentioned. Of the imports, about 33 per cent, in value are from Great Britain, 15 per cent, from Germany, 15 per cent, from the United States, and 14 per cent, from France. The imports from Ecuador into the United Kingdom in 1899 (according to British statistics) amounted to £175,500, of which £154,960 was for cocoa ; while the exports to Ecuador from the United Kingdom amounted to £403,425, of which £253,640 was for cotton goods. According to American statistics, the Ecuadorian imports into the United States in the year 1899-1900 amounted to the value of $1,524,3/5 (£304,875), and the United States exports to Ecuador to the value of $1,216,005 (£243,201). . . Shipping. —Guayaquil, the principal port, is m regular communication not only with other Pacific ports, but with New York, Liverpool, and Hamburg. The coasting trade is carried on by small vessels under the Ecuadorian flag. Of vessels in the foreign trade in 1898, 206 of an aggregate tonnage of 298,805 entered and 200 of 290,855 tons cleared at the port of Guayaquil. Of those that entered, 110 of 162,280 tons were British. At the same port there entered also 3600 vessels of 34,989 tons engaged in the coasting
