scape the observation
of its suspicious neighbors.

The policy of Peru was determined partly by personal motives and partly
by reasons of state. In 1873 the President, lacking sufficient financial
and political support to keep himself in office, resolved upon the risky
expedient of arousing popular passion against Chile, in the hope that he
might thereby replenish the national treasury. Accordingly he
proceeded to pick a quarrel by ordering the deposits in Tarapaca to be
expropriated with scant respect for the concessions made to the Chilean
miners. Realizing, however, the possible consequences of such an
action, he entered into an alliance with Bolivia. This country thereupon
proceeded to levy an increased duty on the exportation of nitrates from
the Atacama region. Chile, already aware of the hostile combination
which had been formed, protested so vigorously that a year later Bolivia
agreed to withdraw the new regulations and to submit the dispute to
arbitration.

Such were the relations of these three states in 1878, when Bolivia,
taking advantage of differences of opinion between Chile and Argentina
regarding the Patagonian region, reimposed its export duty, canceled the
Chilean concessions, and confiscated the nitrate deposits. Chile then
declared war in February, 1879, and within two months occupied the
entire coast of Bolivia up to the frontiers of Peru. On his part the
President of Bolivia was too much engrossed in the festivities connected
with a masquerade to bother about notifying the people that their land
had been invaded until several days after the event had occurred!

Misfortunes far worse than anything which had fallen to the lot of its
ally now awaited Peru, which first attempted an officious mediation and
then declared war on the 4th of April. Since Peru and Bolivia together
had a population double that of Chile, and since Peru possessed a much
larger army and navy than Chile, the allies counted confidently on
victory. But Peru's army of eight thousand--having within four hundred
as many officers as men, directed by no fewer than twenty-six generals,
and presided over by a civil government altogether inept--was no match
for an army less than a third of its size to be sure, but well drilled
and commanded, and with a stable, progressive, and efficient government
at its back. The Peruvian forces, lacking any substantial support from
Bolivia, crumpled under the terrific attacks of their adversaries.
Ef