South America because the conditions do not require it, but they are far better than is generally supposed.

There is also a bogie, prevailing in the minds of a majority of the people who have not studied carefully the geography of Latin America, that they are all hot or tropical countries. It is overlooked that the great southern end of South America, including southern Brazil, all of Uruguay, practically all of Argentina, and nearly all of Paraguay and Chile, are in the south temperate zone. It is also overlooked that in the countries right under the equator, or near it, there are remarkable plateaus in the Andes and other mountain ranges where the temperature remains the year around at about the temperature which prevails in Massachusetts in June and September. It is an interesting fact that if a man is on the seashore of Ecuador where the equator crosses South America, he can experience a greater change of climate by traveling inland and upland for five hours on the back of a mule than he can in traveling north or south for six days on the deck of a steamer! When I made a journey of nearly 2000 miles through the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador in the summer of 1906, during my incumbency of the post of minister of the United States at Bogota, the capital of Colombia, I had the unique experience of sleeping on the equator under three heavy blankets and being obliged to build a good fire in order to get warm in the morning! That was at an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet. In Bogota and Quito, which, are within a short distance of the equator as one looks at the map, I never say the thermometer in the offices of the United States legations in those capitals go above 78°, while frequently at night it would go down to 60°, and yet both of these cities are located on plateaus, either of which could support a million or more population.

Now let me drive home one or two remarkable facts about each one of the Latin-American countries, so that the new student of Latin America who may hear or read what I am saying tonight will understand to some extent my interest in these republics.

Glancing at South America and first noting Brazil, we are impressed by the fact that it covers an area greater than

the connected area of the United States; that in the Amazon it has a river whch empties into the ocean daily four times the volume of water which the Mississippi pours into the Gulf of Mexico, and that Rio de Janeiro, its capital, has already reached a population of 1,000,000 and is regarded as one of the show cities of the world.

Uruguay, lying between Brazil and Argentina, occupies a position in South America similar to that of Holland and Belgium in Europe. It is a land of remarkable progress, and its capital city, Montevideo, has a population of nearly 500,000.

Argentina covers an area larger than the entire section of the United States east of the Mississippi River. Its capital city, Buenos Aires, often called the "Paris of America," has a population of nearly 1,600,000. It is the largest city in the world south of the equator, the second Latin city, ranking after Paris, and the fourth city of the western hemisphere, following after New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. Argentina last year, with a population of approximately 9,000,000, conducted a foreign trade of $900,000,000, which is greater than the foreign trade of Japan or China.

Chile extends for 2600 miles along the southern Pacific temperate coast of South America. Its capital, Santiago, is often called the "Paris of the Andes," and has a population of 500,000. The principal port of Chile, Valparaiso, is spending $15,000,000 in preparing for the opening of the Panama Canal.

Paraguay, lying also between Brazil and Argentina, is a land of remarkable potentialities just starting upon a new era of agricultural development. Asunción, its capital, is one of the interesting cities of South America.

North of Argentina and northeast of Chile is Bolivia, covering an area twice that of the state of Texas and enjoying a period of remarkable mining and railroad development. La Paz, its capital, is the highest capital city in the world, but is connected by railroads with the ports of Chile and Peru on the Pacific Ocean.

Peru, lying northwest of Chile, has a reach on the Pacific Ocean equal to that of the whole Atlantic Coast of the

United States from Maine to Georgia, with a corresponding variety of products. Lima, its capital city, is famous for its culture and possesses the ancient University of San Carlos, to which I have already referred.

North of Peru is Ecuador, into which Massachusetts could be placed nearly ten times over. Its port, Guayaquil, will be one of the principal harbors on the Pacific south of the Panama Canal when it is made sanitary. Quito, its capital, is one of the old but attractive mountain cities of South America, and is connected with Guayaquil by a railroad which is a remarkable engineering achievement.

North of Ecuador, and the only country which has an extensive coast line on both the Atlantic and Pacific, is Colombia, with an area nearly equal to that of France and Spain combined. Bogota, its capital, located about 600 miles in the interior, is situated on a plateau nearly as large as the state of Connecticut. This city is noted for the culture of its people and the high quality of its civilization.

Venezuela, the most northern of the countries of the South American continent, is nearly as large as Colombia in area, and possesses within its limits the mighty valley of the Orinoco. Caracas, its capital, is one of the attractive cities of the so-called "Spanish Main" visited by the American traveler.

Turning now to the countries of Latin America which are in North America, we find that Panama has much to her credit aside from the Panama Canal, and is now entering upon a period of material and economic development which will be an influence other than the Panama Canal to advance its prosperity.

Costa Rica, northwest of Panama, is famous for its stability of government, having known no serious revolution since it was established as a republic. San José, its capital, is readily accessible by rail from the port of Limon on the Caribbean and is becoming more and more a point of visit by American travelers.

Nicaragua, north of Costa Rica, is a country of extraordinary natural possibilities, and, when once permanent peace is established, it will surely go ahead with rapid strides.

Managua, its capital, on the lake of similar name, is only awaiting the touch of a new material era to become a progressive city.

Honduras, lying north of Nicaragua, is another land of vast potentialities which only requires the construction of railways and investment of capital for opening up its interior to enter upon an era of prosperity. Tegucigalpa, its capital, when connected by railway with the Caribbean on the one side and the Pacific on the other is sure to evolve into a city of modern progress.

Salvador, the only Central American country bordering solely upon the Pacific Ocean, has the largest per capita population of any American country, and has enjoyed comparative peace and prosperity for a number of years. Its capital, San Salvador, is a prosperous city.

Guatemala, the most northern and western of the Central American Republics, has enjoyed a long period of peace which has been characterized by the construction of railways and the development of the interior, and has brought a large amount of capital into that country. Its capital, Guatemala City, is the largest of the Central American capitals and easily reached by railway from the Caribbean or Pacific sides.

Of Cuba, let it be said that it is justifying the confidence that has been placed in it as an independent republic and it is now going ahead with strides which are surprising to those who have not kept track of its onward movement. Havana, its capital, can not be classed as one of the great capitals of the western hemisphere, having passed the mark of two hundred and fifty thousand in population.

Of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, it can be said that they form one of the richest islands in the world, and, when once permanent peace and stability are established, they are sure to progress in a way that will astonish their critics. Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, and Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, are now in a process of evolution from the old to the new style of city and both are ports of importance upon the Caribbean. To Mexico I refer later on.

In making this survey I have only touched upon, as it

were, a few of the high points. The student will be expected to study each country carefully, and, if he does, he will discover facts and figures which will not only awaken his interest but cause him to become an advocate of more general appreciation in the United States of these countries, their peoples and their possibilities.

In discussing this great subject, it is in order to make a few observations in regard to the meaning of the Panama Canal. In studying the effect of that mighty waterway, it is a mistake to think only of the countries and the commerce which will be reached through and beyond the canal. We must also think of the countries and the commerce on the road to the canal from the Gulf and Atlantic seaboard of the United States. It is not generally appreciated in the hasty judgment of the passing observer that eleven Latin-American countries are tributary to either the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean Sea which form the great basin approaches to the canal. The ports of these countries have heretofore been, to a considerable degree, in a commercial pocket or cul-desac, but they are all beginning to feel a new life as a result of being taken from this pocket or cul-de-sac and placed upon a great avenue of international trade and travel. The student who has watched the history of the Gulf and Caribbean coast line is profoundly impressed with the changes which have come in the last few years as a result of the building of the canal and of the expectations of what will follow its opening.

Looking beyond the canal, with reference to Latin America and without considering the commerce of the entire Pacific Ocean, valued at $4,000,000,000, and having tributary to it nearly 1,000,000,000 of the world's population, we note that twelve of the countries of Central and South America either have a coast line upon the Pacific Ocean or are tributary to it. There is a reach of 8000 miles from northwest to southeast or from the California-Mexico line to the Straits of Magellan. While many differ with me as to the future growth and possibilities of this western coast, I am convinced that the opening of the Panama Canal will have the same influence on it that the building of the transcontinental railways had upon California, Oregon and