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successful gold and silver mining in this country, are cheaper transportation and cheaper fuel. The Government, recognizing these as prime essentials, has recently granted liberal concessions for the construction of railways to the mountain districts and navigable rivers of eastern Bolivia and to its western frontier, with branch lines connecting many of the principal mining centers. With these lines once in operation, bringing cheap lumber and fuel from the great timber districts of the montaña and furnishing cheaper transportation between the mines and the coast, present conditions will vanish, and for the first time in the history of the country, the opportunity will be presented for the safe investment of the large capital essential to profitable mining; and, from being the third silver-producing country of the world, Bolivia will probably become the first.