ned on the 15th of September, 1865. To this road has since been
added an extension to Talcahuana, as well as several branch lines. The
total amount that has been expended by the Chilean government for the
construction of railroads is $43,000,000. The total number of miles of
road operated in Chile in 1887 was 1,674, of which 992 were the property
of private companies and 682 miles were owned by the state. Two hundred
and fifty miles of road have since been constructed, and the
construction of 700 additional miles of railroad has been authorized by
the government.

The Argentine Republic opened its first road, extending from Buenos
Ayres to Belgrano, in December, 1862. Several other lines soon
followed, and in 1870 over 600 miles of road had been constructed. This
number had increased to 1,440 in 1880 and to 5,100 in 1889. Since then
several new lines have been completed, aggregating over 600 miles. Among
the principal lines of the Argentine Republic is the transcontinental
road which connects the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean. The whole line
is 880 miles long, of which 665 miles are in the Argentine Republic and
the remaining 115 miles in Chile. Of the 3,705 miles of road which were
in operation at the beginning of the year 1887 the republic owned 1,148,
the province of Buenos Ayres 572, the province of Santa Fe 102, and
private companies 1,888 miles. The total amount invested in railroads
was $154,000,000 in 1887, which yielded an average dividend of 3.9 per
cent.

The oldest railroad in Brazil is the Petropolis road. It was built by a
private company and opened on December 16, 1856. In 1881 the total
number of miles in operation was 2,422, and in 1889 it had increased to
5,766. Furthermore charters had been granted for the additional
construction of 2,271 miles of road. Of the lines in operation about
1,200 miles are the property of the state, yielding a revenue of nearly
3 per cent. on the capital invested. The state gives aid, besides, to
several private roads. The most important road of Brazil is the state
road Dom Pedro I., which connects the three richest provinces of the
country, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerals and Sao Paolo, with the national
capital. It was opened in 1883, and has a total extent of 544 miles.

The principal roads of Uruguay were built between 1865 and 1875. In the
latter year the total number of miles in operation in Uruguay was 190,
which in 1880 had increased to 230, and in 1889 to 469 mile