But in addition to this great fact of radical difference of climate, and consequently of production, there are subsidiary geographical, topo. graphical, and climatic facts of particular interest, which are specially favorable to an extensive interchange of commodities between the Americas. The countries are so united as to admit of international railway communication whenever it shall be demanded. The great basin of the Mississippi, the center of our largest grain-growing region and of population, lies only about 3,100 miles by sea from the great basin of the Amazon, on the equator, the distance to the mouth of the Amazon being nearly the same from New York and New Orleans; while from the latter city to the mouth of the Magdalena, in Colombia, it is at most but 1,700 miles, and from the latter by land to the heart of the Amazon başin but 1,500, or in all, from the Mississippi by water and land to the mouth of the Madeira, 3,200 miles, or about the distance from New York to San Francisco by railway.

Of further interest are the facts that in both North and South America the greatest humidity or water supply is upon the eastern side, while in South America the greatest heat is also upon the east side, but in North America upon the west. As heat and moisture are among the main causes of fertility, the singular distribution here noted having its influence upon production has also its influence upon the character and volume of exchange of surplus production. This influence on both sides of the two continents is decidedly favorable to extended and intimate relations based upon exchange of surplus products; and this is probably sure to be exhibited more and more strongly with increase of population, and of means of communication related principally to this intercontinental exchange.

It may further be noted that the extreme west coast of South America, in Peru, lies nearly as far east as the eastern coast of the United States; so that with navigation by ship canal across the narrow isthmus which connects the two continents, each is accessible to the other upon both coasts by the shortest lines of communication, and by lines shorter also than those which have been or can be established between either country and any other climatically and productively dissimilar. It therefore appears that a series of great natural causes favors an exchange of productions between the two continents, which ought to be promotive of the best and most satisfactory results to both, through the nature of the articles exchanged, and through the facility and economy of the exchange; taking into account the relative character and the growth of demand and supply, distance, time, freightage, risk, and insurance, and all the items which affect profits to the producer and cost to the consumer.

Strengthening the influence of the favorable material conditions referred to there exists, or should exist, a bond of neighborliness between the United States and the Latin-American Republics due to similarity of political institutions. It is particularly noticeable that in all the recent works upon South American States written by Europeans, the

claims of those States to a republican form of government are held up to ridicule. Yet it is as noticeable and patent a fact that nearly all the material, intellectual, and moral progress achieved in those States dates from their birth as republics. The apparent exception in the case of Brazil is technical only. The advance in that country under Dom Pedro II was mainly due to his liberal opinions, his affirmed republican tendencies.

Such are some of the general features relating to the aspect of the United States and South America towards each other as to interchange of productions. Those more particular to the several South American States are considered in the following articles. The classes of commodities of which each produces a surplus for export, and the proportion of the exportation which is made up of articles of an agricultural character, are set forth in a work entitled La America Latina, by Señor Lamas, and quoted approvingly by the Bulletin of the National Society of Agriculture of the Argentine Republic of March 20, 1891, substantially as follows:*

The articles herein were prepared before the value of the trade of the United States with South America and other countries for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, could be ascertained. From the publication of the full returns for that year, made by the Bureau of Statistics of the Treasury, the following table has been arranged relating to the trade of this country with all South America, in a manner relative to agriculture believed to be self-explaining and to cover all essential features of a general statement. By the table it appears that of the entire trade, amounting to $151,963,069 in value, 78.1 per cent, or $118,736,668, was in imports into the United States, and 21.9 per cent, or $33,226,401 in exports from the United States; and that of the imports 85.0 per cent, or $100,889,912 was in articles of agricultural derivation, while of the exports, but 36.8 per cent, or $12,242,439 was of such a character, the total value of the agricultural articles exchanged being in round numbers $113,000,000 of the $152,000,000 representing the total trade.

The table will also show that of the agricultural imports over 92 per cent were admitted free of duty. Something as near an analysis of the effects of such an extensive bequest as is possible is given in the arti cles upon Colombia and Venezuela; for considering the facts that generally in South America export taxes have been imposed at once upon the articles which this country has made free, and that, therefore, prices have not been reduced to consumers in this country, especially upon principal articles, the remitted import duties have become a bequest, except to the extent they are now saved through recently established reciprocities. As our agricultural exports to South America have to pay high import duties there, and as nearly all our agricultural imports from there pay an export duty, the whole subject and scope of reciprocity is of especial interest to the agriculturists of the United States.