ve) because of unsanitary and intemperate habits, and for other
causes not well understood, one being the custom noticed by early
travellers among some of the tribes of the La Plata region of avoiding
the rearing of children. (See Southey's _History of Brazil_, iii. pp.
402, 673.) Of the wild Indians very little is known in regard to either
numbers or customs.

The white population (231,088) is descended in great part from the early
Spanish adventurers who entered the country in search of mineral wealth.
To these have been added a small number of Spanish Americans from
neighbouring republics and some Portuguese Americans from Brazil. There
has been no direct immigration from Europe, though Europeans of various
nationalities have found their way into the country and settled there as
miners or traders. The percentage of whites therefore does not increase
as in Argentina and Brazil, and cannot until means are found to promote
European immigration.

The _mestizos_ (486,018) are less numerous than the Indians, but
outnumber the whites by more than two to one. It has been said of the
_mestizos_ elsewhere that they inherit the vices of both races and the
virtues of neither. Yet, with a decreasing Indian population, and with a
white population wanting in energy, barely able to hold its own and
comprising only one-eighth of the total, the future of Bolivia mainly
depends on them. As a rule they are ignorant, unprogressive and
apathetic, intensely superstitious, cruel and intemperate, though
individual strong characters have been produced. It may be that
education and experience will develop the _mestizos_ into a vigorous
progressive nationality, but the first century of self-government can
hardly be said to have given much promise of such a result.

_Divisions and Towns._--The republic is divided into eight departments
and one territory, and these are subdivided into 54 provinces, 415
cantons, 232 vice-cantons, 18 missions and one colony. The names, areas
and populations of the departments, with their capitals, according to
the census of 1900, to which corrections must be made on account of the
loss of territory to Brazil in 1903, are as follows:--

+----------------+-------------+----------+--------------+----------+
| | Area sq. m. |Population| |Population|
| Department. |from Official| 1900.[*] | Capitals. | 1900. |
| | Sources. | | |