accessible to all the shipping of the coast by water, while the Paita and Piura railroad runs along the valley a distance of 20 miles.

The third river, counting from the north, is the Piura, the valley of which was selected by Pizarro, as the site of his first capital, which he called, on account of its pure atmosphere, the City of San Miguel de Piura. The banks are too high to permit any extensive inundation during the septennial floods, but where they have been thus wet the result has been extraordinary in amount of production. The population of the valley is 62,000, but when the floods come, once in seven years, thousands of the younger men, who have left the valley for work in the towns along the coast and in Ecuador, return to the old home and devote themselves to farming, the favorite pursuit of the Peruvian Indian. This migratory element in the labor of the region has produced a very independent class of laborers in northern Peru; they bring money into the district and an unusual degree of ingenuity, combined with physical ability and industry.

The development of the agriculture of the north has been considered so essential to the prosperity of Peru that some extremely advantageous provisions have been incorporated in the concessions relating to the region. Thus the work is declared to be for the public weal, and therefore every landowner whose land is accessible to the waters of irrigation must pay the water rent, whether he take the water or not. The land and crops, also all capital invested in the estate, are made security for the payment of rents and may be seized for it. An equitable arrangement has been devised by which the fertile lands of the pampas may be "expropriated" by paying a nominal price.

The concession for the valley of the Piura contains a provision, that when the water of that river has been exhausted the company may take water from the Chira for reinforcing the former. It also provides for water-supply systems for the cities. All the conces

sions provide for selling water for domestic purposes, railroads, manufactures, and machinery; also for the establishment of watersupply systems in the different valleys.

These concessions are made by an act of Congress the base of a general authorization to the President to grant similar privileges to other parties.

A concession has been given for the construction of a railroad from the city of Piura to Morropon, a distance of about 100 miles. In this, as in all other concessions, the Government gives the right to import those articles necessary to the construction of the works without payment of custom-house duties.

Chapter VII.

POLITICAL DIVISIONS-CITIES AND TOWNS-GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTION-WEIGHTS AND MEASURES-CURRENCY.

The prime political divisions of the Republic are departments and littoral provinces. The departments are subdivided into provinces; these and the littoral provinces into districts. The executive and police power of the various divisions emanate more or less directly from the President of the Republic. Thus he appoints the prefects, who govern the departments and littoral provinces, and the subprefects, who, under the prefects, have charge in the provinces. The districts are under governors, who are nominated by the subprefects and appointed by the prefects, while the lieutenant-governors are nominated by the governors and appointed by the subprefects. All police functionaries charged with the duty of maintaining public order hold directly from the President.

There are eight departments and littoral provinces on the coast, which generally extend across the sierra to the central range, and contain the most important cities of the Republic. In addition to these are ten interior departments.

The coast departments are Piura, with an area of 14,000 square miles and a population of 136,000; Lambayeque, which covers 18,000 square miles and has a population of 86,000; Libertad, 16,000 square miles and a population of 148,000; Ancachs, 17,000 square miles and a population of 284,000; Lima, with the littoral Province of Callao, 15,000 square miles, the former with a population of 227,000, while Callao has 34,500; Arequipa, with an

area of 28,000 square miles and a population of 160,000; Moquegua, 22,500 square miles. and a population of 28,000.

The principal towns of the department of Piura are Tumbez, with a population of 3,000; Paita, with 5,000, and Piura, capital of the department, with a population of 12,000, all in provinces of the same names; Catacaos, population, 25,000, in the province of Ayabaca; Sechura, population, 8,500, and Sullana, 7,000, in Huancabamba. In the eastern mountain district are the towns Morropon, population, 5,000; Tambo Grande, population, 8,000, and Chulucanas, population, 6,000.

Lambayeque is divided into three provinces, Lambayeque, Chiclayo, and Pacasmayo, of which the principal towns are Lambayeque, population, 6,000; Chiclayo, population, 14,000, and Ferriñafe, population, 8,000.

Libertad contains four provinces, Truxillo, of which the capital is Truxillo, population, 8,000; Otuzco, Huamachuco, and Pataz. Ancachs embraces seven provinces, Santa, with the town of Santa, population, 3,000; Pallasca, having Samanco, population, 2,000; Pomabamba, its town Huarmey, population, 1,500; Huaraz, with the town Huaraz, population, 8,000; Huaylas, its town Huaylas, population, 6,000; Huari, and Cajartambo. In the sierra are the important towns of Caraz, population, 6,000, and Carhuaz, population, 5,000.

Lima contains the capital of the Republic, and is divided into six provinces, Chancay, in which the town of Ancon has a population of 3,000; Lima, in which is the capital, the city of Lima, population, 102,000; also the towns of Chorillos, population, 15,000; Miraflores, population, 6,000, and Barranca, population, 5,000; all suburbs of the capital. The remaining provinces are Cañete, Canta, Huarochiri, and Jauja. The town of Huancavelica, in the sierra, has a population of 8,000.

Callao is a littoral province, embracing only the city of Callao, with a population of 34,500.

Ica is another littoral province of two provinces, Chincha and Ica Arequipa contains seven provinces, Arequipa, of which the principal town has the same name and a population of 35,000; Camana, Islay, Unión, Caylloma, Condesuyos, and Castilla.

Moquegua is divided into three provinces, Moquegua, Tacna, and Arica, of which the principal towns bear the same names, having, respectively, populations of 6,000, 10,000, and 30,000. The port of Arica is at present in the hands of the Chileans, in accordance with the terms of the treaty of peace. Its ultimate lot is to be determined by a plebiscite in 1894.

Besides these departments and provinces are the eight of the interior, as follows:

Cajamarca, with an area of 14,000 square miles and a population of 213,000, divided into seven provinces, Jaen, Chota, Hualgayoc, Celendin, Cajamarca, Contumaza, and Cajabamba, the principal towns being Cajamarca and Cajamarquilla, with populations, respectively, of 12,000 and 8,000.

Amazonas: Area, 14,000 square miles; population, 34,000. It is in three provinces, Bongara, Luya, and Chachapoyas; the principal town, Chachapoyas, has a population of 6,000.

Loreto: Area, 33,000 square miles; population, 61,000, contains four provinces, Alto-Amazonas, Bajo-Amazonas, Moyabamba, and Huallaga. The town Moyabamba has a population of 10,000.

Huanuco and Junin have together an area of 34,000 square miles; the population of Huanuco is 79,000, divided among three provinces, Huamalies, Dos de Mayo, and Huanuco. Junin contains a population of 210,000 in the provinces of Cerro de Pasco, Tarma, Jauja, and Huancayo. The principal towns: Tarma, population, 6,000; Jauja, population, 15,000; Pasco, population, 15,000.

Huancavelica: Area, 11,000 square miles; population, 104,000; contains the four provinces of Tayacaja, Huancavelica, Angares, and Castro-Vireyna. The capital, Huancavelica, has a population of 8,000.