THE CLAIMS.

such an extent that the following action | Ministers Plenipotentiary of the United has been already taken: States were either personally interested or On February 24th Mr. Bayard offered in improperly connected with a business the Senate a resolution reciting that where-transaction in which the intervention of as publication has been widely made by this Government was requested or expected the public press of certain alleged public and whereas, it is alleged that certain pacommercial contracts between certain com- pers in relation to the same subject have panies and copartnerships of individuals been improperly lost or removed from the relative to the exports of guano and nitrates files of the State Department, that therefrom Peru, in which the mediation by the fore the Committee on Foreign Affairs be Government of the United States between instructed to inquire into said allegations the Governments of Peru, Bolivia and and ascertain the facts relating thereto, Chili is declared to be a condition for the and report the same with such recommeneffectuation and continuance of the said dations as they may deem proper, and they contracts; therefore be it resolved, that shall have power to send for persons and the Committee on Foreign Relations be papers. The resolution was adopted. instructed to inquire whether any promise or stipulation by which the intervention by the United States in the controversies existing between Chili and Peru or Chili and Bolivia has been expressly or impliedly given by any person or persons officially connected with the Government of the United States, or whether the influence of the Government of the United States has been in any way exerted, promised or intimated in connection with, or in relation to the said contracts by any one officially connected with the Government of the United States, and whether any one officially connected with the Government of the United States is interested, directly or indirectly, with any such alleged contracts in which the mediation as aforesaid of the United States is recited to be a condition, and that the said committee have power to send for persons and paper and make report of their proceedings in the premises to the Senate at the earliest possible day.

Mr. Edmunds said he had drafted a resolution covering all the branches of "that most unfortunate affair" to which reference was now made, and in view of the ill policy of any action which would commit the Senate to inquiries about declaring foreign matters in advance of a careful investigation by a committee, he now made the suggestion that he would have made as to his own resolution, if he had offered it, namely, that the subject be referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. He intimated that the proposition prepared by himself would be considered by the committee as a suggestion bearing upon the pending resolution.

Mr. Bayard acquiesced in the reference with the remark that anything that tended to bring the matter more fully before the country was satisfactory to him.

The resolution accordingly went to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

In the House Mr. Kasson, of Iowa, offered a resolution reciting that whereas, it is alleged, in connection with the Chili Peruvian correspondence recently and officially published on the call of the two Houses of Congress, that one or more

The inner history of what is known as the Peruvian Company reads more like a tale from the Arabian Nights than a plain statement of facts. The following is gleaned from the prospectus of the company, of which only a limited number of copies was printed. According to a note on the cover of these "they are for the strictly private use of the gentlemen into whose hands they are immediately placed."

The prospects of the corporation are based entirely upon the claims of Cochet and Landreau, two French chemists, residents of Peru. In the year 1833, the Peruvian government, by published decree, promised to every discoverer of valuable deposits upon the public domain a premium of one-third of the discovery as an incentive to the development of great natural resources vaguely known to exist. In the beginning of 1830, Alexandre Cochet, who was a man of superior information, occupied himself in the laborious work of manufacturing nitrate of soda in a small oficina in Peru, and being possessed with quick intelligence and a careful observer he soon came to understand that the valuable properties conta ned in the guano-an article only known to native cultivators of the soil

would be eminently useful as a restorative to the exhausted lands of the old continent. With this idea he made himself completely master of the mode of application adopted by the Indians and small farmers in the province where he resided, and after a careful investigation of the chemical effects produced on the land by the proper application of the regenerating agent, he proceeded in the year 1840 to the capital (Lima) in order to interest some of his friends in this new enterprise. Not without great persuasion and much hesitation, he induced his countryman, Mr. Achilles Allier, to take up the hazardous speculation and join with him in his discovery. He succeeded, however, and toward the end of the same year the firm of Quiroz & Allier obtained a concession for six years from the government of Peru for the ex

portation of all the guano existing in the [in the service of a country whose cities had afterwards famous islands of Chinchi for risen from desolation to splendor under the the sum of sixty thousand dollars. In sole magic of his touch-a touch that had consequence of the refusal of that firm to in it for Peru all the fabled power of the admit Cochet, the discoverer, to a partici- long-sought "philosopher's stone." In 1853 pation in the profits growing out of this Cochet returned to France, but he was then contract a series of lawsuits resulted and a already exhausted by enthusiastic explorapaper war ensued in which Cochet was tions in a deadly climate and never rallied. baffled. In vain he called the attention of He lingered in poverty for eleven painful the government to the nature and value of years and died in Paris in an almshouse in this discovery; he was told that he was a 1864, entitled to an estate worth $500,000,visionary." In vain he demonstrated 000-the richest man in the history of the that the nation possessed hundreds of mil-world-and was buried by the city in the lions of dollars in the grand deposits: this Potters' Field; his wonderful history well ilonly confirmed the opinion of the Council lustrating that truth is stranger than fiction. of State that he was a madman. In vain he attempted to prove that one cargo of guano was equal to fourteen cargoes of grain; the Council of State cooly told him that guano was an article known to the Spaniards, and of no value: that Commissioner Humbolt had referred to it, and that they could not accept his theory respecting its superior properties, its value and its probable use in foreign agriculture at a period when no new discovery could be made relative to an article so long and of so evident small value.

THE LANDREAU CLAIM.

About the year 1844 Jean Theophile Landreau, also a French citizen, in partnership with his brother, John C. Landreau, a naturalized American citizen, upon the faith of the promised premium of 333 per cent. entered upon a series of extended systematic and scientific explorations with a view to ascertaining whether the deposits of guano particularly pointed out by Cochet constituted the entire guano deposit of Peru, and with money furnished by his partAt length a new light began to dawn on ner, John, Theophile prosecuted his searchthe lethargic understanding of the officials es with remarkable energy and with great in power, and as rumors continued to ar- success for twelve years, identifying beds rive from Europe confirming the assevera- not before known to the value of not less tions of Cochet, and announcing the sale than $400,000,000. Well aware, however, of guano at from $90 to $120 per ton, a de- of the manner in which his fellow-countrygree of haste was suddenly evinced to se- man had been neglected by an unprincicure once more to the public treasury this pled people, he had the discretion to keep new and unexpected source of wealth; and his own counsel and to extort from the Peat one blow the contract with Quiroz & ruvian authorities an absolute agreement Allier, which had previously been extend-in advance before he revealed his treasure. ed, was reduced to one year. Their claims This agreement was, indeed, for a royalty were cancelled by the payment of ten thou-of less than one-sixth the amount promised, sand tons of guano which Congress de- but the most solemn assurances were given creed them. There still remained to be that the lessened amount would be promptsettled the just and acknowledged indebt-ly and cheerfully paid, its total would give edness for benefits conferred on the coun- the brothers each a large fortune, and paytry by Cochet, benefits which could not be ments were to begin at once. The solemn denied as wealth and prosperity rolled in agreement having been concluded and duly on the government and on the people. But certified, the precious deposits having been few, if any, troubled themselves about the pointed out and taken possession of by the question to whom they were indebted for profligate government, the brothers were at so much good fortune, nor had time to pay first put off with plausible pretexts of departicular attention to Cochet's claims. lay, and when these grew monotonous the Finally, however, Congress was led to de- government calmly issued a decree recogclare Cochet the true discoverer of the value, nizing the discoveries, accepting the treauses and application of guano for European sure, and annulling the contract, with a sugagriculture, and a grant of 5,000 tons was gestion that a more suitable agreement made in his favor September 30th, 1849, might be arranged in the future. but was never paid him. After passing a It will be seen that these two men, Coperiod of years in hopeless expectancy-chet and Landreau, have been acknowfrom 1840 to 1851-his impoverished cir- ledged by the Peruvian government as cumstances made it necessary for him to claimants. No attempt has over been made endeavor to procure, through the influence to deny the indebtedness. The very deof his own government, that measure of support in favor of his claims which would insure him a competency in his old age.

He resolved upon returning to France, after having spent the best part of his life

cree of repudiation reaffirmed the obligation, and all the courts refused to pronounce against the plaintiffs. Both of these claims came into the possession of Mr. Peter W. Hevenor, of Philadelphia. Cochet left one

To the Peruvian Company Mr. Hevenor has transferred his titles, and on the basis of these that corporation maintains that eventually it will realize not less than $1,200,000,000, computed as follows:

son whom Mr. Hevenor found in poverty in | republics exceeds that of Brazil 180,060 Lima and advanced money to push his square miles, and the total population exfather's claim of $500,000,000 against the ceeds that of Brazil 5,069,552.* Brazil, begovernment. After $50,000 were spent ing an empire, is not comprehended in the young Cochet's backer was surprised to Blaine proposal-she rather stands as a learn of the Laudreaus and their claim. strong barrier against it. Mexico and Not wishing to antagonize them, he ad- Guatamala are included, but are on this vanced them money, and in a short time continent, and their character and reowned nearly all the fifteen interests in the sources better understood by our people. Landreau claim of $125,000,000. In the South American countries generally the Spanish language is spoken. The educated classes are of nearly pure Spanish extraction. The laboring classes are of mixed Spanish and aboriginal blood, or of pure aboriginal ancestry. The characteristics of the Continent are emphatically Spanish. The area and population we have already given. The territory is nearly equally divided between the republics and the empire, the former having a greater area of only 180,060 square miles; but the nine republics have an aggregate population of 5,059,522 more than Brazil. The United States has an area of 3,634,797 square miles, including Alaska; but excluding Alaska, it has 3,056,797 square miles. The area of Brazil is greater than that of the United States, excluding Alaska, by 552,363 square miles, and the aggregate area of the nine republics is greater by 732,423 square miles. This comparison of the area of the nine republics and of Brazil with that of this nation gives a definite idea of their magnitude. Geographically, these republics occupy the northern, western and southern portions of South America, and are contiguous. The aggregate exports and imports of South America, according to the last available data, were $529,300,000; those of Brazil, $168,930,000; of the nine republics, $360,360,000.•

The amount of guano already taken out of the Cochet Islands-including the Chinchas-will be shown by the Peruvian Custom House records, and will aggregate, it is said, not far from $1,200,000,000 worth. The discoverer's one-third of this would be $400,000,000, and interest upon this amount at six per cent. - say for an equalized average of twenty years-would be $480,000,000 more. The amount remaining in these islands is not positively known, and is probably not more than $200,000,000 worth; and in the Landreau deposits say $300,000,000 more. The Chilian plenipotentiary recently announced that his government are about opening very rich deposits on the Lobos Islands-which are included in this group. It is probably within safe limits, says the Peruvian Company's prospectus, to say that, including interest to accrue before the claim can be fully liquidated, its owners will realize no less than $1,200,000,000.

THE COUNTRIES INVOLVED.

In South America there are ten independent governments; and the three Guianas which are dependencies on European powers. Of the independent governments Brazil is an empire, having an area of 3,609,160 square miles and 11,058,000 inhabitants. The other nine are republics. In giving area and population we use the most complete statistics at our command, but they are not strictly reliable, nor as late as we could have wished. The area and the population of the republics are: Venzuela, 426,712 square miles and 2,200,000 inhabitants; United States of Colombia, 475,000 square miles and 2,900,000 inhabitants; Peru, 580,000 square miles and 2,500,000 inhabitants; Ecuador, 208,000 square miles and 1,300,000 inhabitants; Bolivia, 842,730 square miles and 1,987,352 inhabitants; Chili, 200,000 square miles and 2,084,960 inhabitants; Argentine Republic, 1,323,560 square miles and 1,887,000 inhabitants; Paraguay, 73,000 square miles and 1,337,439 inhabitants; Uruguay, 66,716 square miles and 240,000 inhabitants, or a total in the nine republics of 3,789,220 square miles and 16,436,751 inhabitants. The aggregate area of the nine

These resolutions will bring out voluminous correspondence, but we have given the reader sufficient to reach a fair understanding of the subject. Whatever of scandal may be connected with it, like the Star Route cases, it should await official investigation and condemnation. Last of all should history condemn any one in ad vance of official inquiry. None of the governments invited to the Congress had accepted formally, and in view of obstacles thrown in the way by the present administration, it is not probable they will.

Accepting the proposition of Mr. Blaine as stated in his letter to President Arthur, as conveying his true desire and meaning, it is due to the truth to say that it comprehends more than the Monroe doctrine, the text of which is given in President Monroe's own words in this volume. While he contended against foreign intervention with the Republics on this Hemisphere, he never asserted the right of our government to participate in or seek the control either of the internal, commercial or foreign policy of any of the Republics of America, by ar

bitration or otherwise. So that Mr. Blaine is the author of an advance upon the Monroe doctrine, and what seems at this time a radical advance. What it may be when the United States seeks to "spread itself" by an aggressive foreign policy, and by aggrandizement of new avenues of trade, possibly new acquisitions of territory, is another question. It is a policy brilliant beyond any examples in our history, and a new departure from the teachings of Washington, who advised absolute non-intervention in foreign affairs. The new doctrine might thrive and acquire great popularity under an administration friendly to it; but President Arthur has already intimated his hostility, and it is now beyond enforcement during his administration. The views of Congress also seem to be adverse as far as the debates have gone into the question, though it has some warm friends who may revive it under more favorable auspices.

The Star Route Scandal.

Jury sitting at Washington presented indictments for conspiracy in connection with the Star Route mail service against the following named persons: Thomas J. Brady, J. W. Dorsey, Henry M. Vail, John W. Dorsey, John R. Miner, John M. Peck, M. C. Rerdell, J. L. Sanderson, Wm. H. Turner. Also against Alvin O. Buck, Wm. S. Barringer and Albert E. Boone, and against Kate M. Armstrong for perjury. The indictment against Brady, Dorsey and others, which is very voluminous, recites the existence, on March 10, 1879, of the Post Office Department, Postmaster-General and three assistants, and a Sixth Auditor's office and Contract office and division.

"To the latter was subject," the indictment continues, "the arrangement of the mail service of the United States and the letting out of the same on contract." It then describes the duties of the inspecting division. On March 10, 1879, the grand jurors represent, Thomas J. Brady was the lawful Second Assistant Postmaster-General engaged in the performance of the duties of that office. William H. Turner was Directly after Mr. James assumed the a clerk in the Second Assistant Postmasterposition of Postmaster-General in the General's office, and attended to the busiCabinet of President Garfield, he disco-ness of the contract division relating to the vered a great amount of extravagance and probably fraud in the conduct of the mail service known as the Star Routes, authorized by act of Congress to further extend the mail facilities and promote the more rapid carriage of the mails. These routes proved to be very popular in the West and South-west, and the growing demand for mail facilities in these sections would even in a legitimate way, if not closely watched, lead to unusual cost and extravagance; but it is alleged that a ring was formed headed by General Brady, one of the Assistant Fostmaster-Generals under General Key, by which routes were established with the sole view of defrauding the Government that false bonds were given and enormous and fraudulent sums paid for little or no service. This scandal was at its height at the time of the assassination of President Garfield, at which time Postmaster-General James, Attorney-General MacVeagh and other officials were rapidly preparing for the prosecution of all charged with the fraud. Upon the succession of President Arthur he openly insisted upon the fullest prosecution, and declined to receive the resignation of Mr. MacVeagh from the Cabinet because of a stated fear that the prosecution would suffer by his withdrawal. Mr. MacVeagh, however, withdrew from the Cabinet, believing that the new President should not by any circumstance be prevented from the official association of friends of his own selection; and at this writing Attorney-General Brewster is pushing the prosecutions.

On the 24th of March, 1882, the Grand

mail service over several post routes in California, Colorado, Oregon, Nebraska, and the Territories. On the 16th of March, 1879, the indictment represents Thomas J. Brady as having made eight contracts with John W. Dorsey to carry the mails from July 1, 1878, to June 30, 1882, from Vermillion, in Dakota Territory, to Sioux Falls and back, on a fourteen hour time schedule, for $398 each year; on route from White River to Rawlins, Colorado, once a week of 108 hours' time, for $1,700 a year; on route from Garland, Colorado, to Parrott City, once a week, on a schedule of 168 hours' time, for $2,745; on route from Ouray, Colorado, to Los Pinos, once a week, in 12 hours' time, for $348; on route from Silverton, Colorado, to Parrott City, twice a week, on 36 hours' time, for $1,488; on route from Mineral Park, in Arizona Territory, to Pioche and back, once a week, in 84 hours' time, $2,982; on route from Tres Almos to Clifton and back, once a week, of 84 hours' time, for $1,568.

It further sets forth that the Second Assistant Postmaster-General entered into five contracts with John R. Miner on June 13, 1878, on routes in Dakota Territory and Colorado, and on March 15, 1879, with John M. Peck, over eight post routes. In the space of sixty days after the making of these contracts they were in full force. On March 10, 1879, John W. Dorsey, John R. Miner, and John M. Peck, with Stephen W. Dorsey and Henry M. Vaile, M. C. Rerdell and J. L. Sanderson, mutually interested in these contracts and money, to be paid by the United States to the three