Condition Of Peru

Tho situalloii of Lima at the present time conld not be more digtressing, nor lie outlook tói the future mote gloomy. Occupièd by a liostile anny, its exposition buildings, churches, araenals, and forts Btrippsd of everytliing valuable whicli would pay the expeuse of Bhipment t(j Chili witli no Grovernrnent in exlBtenét or in the immedtate prospective; its late Preetdent a fugitive, issuing from hisretreatbeyond the Cordilleras useloas ediets, proclamations, and correspondence, aiul malntainlne the (orm of Government without its power; a currency worthless abroad, and almostdestituteof purcbasing power at home; provisions and UI classes of merchandlfie soexcessively deur that the marvel of thedayis how the ix)or manage to live - such are some of the conditions of tho situation in the once opulent, gay, and proud ('hul nd de los Heyes. Aniong' all the pub lic mei) of Lima none have been found to undcttako the t-iisk of forming a Wovernnient, of convoking Congreso to an extraordinaiy session, or of even Rsoertainlng what an tbe terms which the Chilians have to propose. The l reason and oowavdice of tlieir soldiers In the bloody üelds of Chorilloa and Miraflores were not more remarkable th.iii are the inaptitude and timldity of the nKiiiv men In Lima who have bad imple experienw! in public life, and who cannot allege iiiexperlence as au excuse for ref iiuing to accept thé situation In all its gravity and endeavoring to make tlie niest of what is left to theni in the ruin which summnds them. The Chilian conmiander has repeatedly soüght to arouse the patriotisni of 'the Peruviana to activity in the case, but vvith meagre results so far. Considering every thlng they have done up i" thepresenl In this dixéetlon, it WOUld ahnost aplicar as though they regarded Unir country as conquered and annexation to Chili as ceriain. And that tliis is not so unccitain niay be gathered IVom tlie fact that the Chilians have, extendwl their ;ion to ('hielayo and ïnijillo to the uortli, with the early probability tliat ihcv will take posseeaion of Chimbóte, Payta, and Piura atill further ín that ilirection, leaving te Peru and Bolivia neither eoast-line nor important towns witliin each reach of coast f rom Payta to A.ntofagasta. Every week the Cliilian holtl on the country is extendIng and strengthing, yet Peru's public men make no efforts to improve any grace vtrhiSh may be left to them. During tlie early days of the occupation of Lima repeatcd commuulcationa were made to Pierola that the Chillan authorities were preparad to treat with hini, to whicli he; replied in proelamations announcing his deterniination to ( anv on the, war to the bitter end. The natural result of tilia was to provoke the declaration tliat the Chihans would have nothing more to do with lrm. lio Uien unbent liis dignity to the extent of solieiting, through the British minister in Lima, Mr. Spencer St. John, permission tor his minister of foreign affaire, Dr. Irigoyen, to visit Lima toe tho purpoae of opening peace negotiations. The permissiou to visit Lima was gr.mtecl, but the Chilianeotnmander declined to treat witb Dr. irigoyen iis tlie represen tative of the exdictator In any negotiations wbatever. l'ierola theu nained a coimnission posed of Drs. A hirco, Antonio Arenas, and .1. Eusebio Sancho, to confer wlth (en. Baquedano and Minister Vergara, but before tlie comtníssioners had presented their crodentinls, the ex-dictator expressed his wish to return to gome point uear Lima and opon negotiationa in person. The answer of the Chillan authorities to tliis requesl waa not known when the mail left, nor liad their wishes been developed concerning the reception they would give to tlie commission ;;bove referred to. As the membcrs of the latter are mong the most prominent statesmenof Peru, and of different political larties, it is jirobuble the Chi liana will trat with them is rej)resentatives of the country and of its best public opinión, rather than as representatives of an official whose further control of the govermnent they have declined to recognize. A sufflcient nmnbei" of senators to form a quorum are now in the oapital, as also of the house of representatives and strongefforts are operaüng to induce them to convene ln extraordinary sesslon and take up the dutiesof the hour, like men and patriota. The terms Chili may propose to L'eru are not known, luit the Arica proposiüóns are regarded as a probable basis, witli an oddiliotial suin in nioney as war indenmity. A recent decree of Gen. Baquedano announces his tutention oC exactingwar eontributions from private individuáis able to pay the same Ollieials are now making lists of all persons Hable to t his contribution, and other arrangements are in progresa lookingto the same end. It is probable the object of this raoYement was to induce Peruviana to hasten their organizatlon of a government and a satisfactory conclusión put tothe struggle. Business in Callaba and Limaisslowlv Improvlng. Á few cargoes of goods, mostly from Chili, have arrived at ('alian. The Aii.lrew McCuIlum arrived with English coal on board, butflnding the duty imposed by the Chilian port authorities lo lie prohibitory - lis. 2d. per ton - she was oidered to proceed to San francisco. The object of this excessive duty is to force the consumption of Chili coal, which is admitted duty f'ree. The Star and Ilerald's Lima letter of Feb. lü says: "Gen. Baquedano has ordered all the goods to be taken out of the Callao custom-house within 30 days; otherwiso they will bo sold at auction, and thepioceeda paidto the Chillan treasury. Severa) important deerces havo al -O been issued by the General in referonce to import and export dues. Oh eccupying Callao he deelared duty fno all goods imported i rom Chili. lic now imposes 20 per cent. ad valorom duty on them, witli t hc exception of wheat, which is to pay 30 pur cent., and merchandise subject onder the Peruvian tariff of Jan. last to Bpeciflo ducs, which will pay 50 jer cent. of the suin tlicn ini]osed. All dutiea ara rocoverable at the rate of 38d. to the Chilian dollar or Peruvian sol. As the tarifl was arranged for Peruvian paper currency at par, it is evident the duty will be enormoua which will now lic collected. It will prohibit the importatioh of a large Qumber of arfcicles. WhencoinJa not paid in, the Chilian paper dollar will be received at itsvalueacGordingtothe rate of exchan ;e calculatod at 38d. to the coin dollar. "Ibelieveall the foreïgn niiuisters resident hereli ive comnninicatcd with their governnuiits with respect to the wanton destruí tion of property belongLng to their 8u')jocts al Chorrillos, Barranco, Miradores, and other places in Peru. All cl tims for property destroyed are beiiig received, Investigated, and report od apm. Such is the warmth of ft'. n in respect to this matter among tho.se acejuainted with he steps taken and the aasuranceagiv en by theChilian leaders prior to the Back ai id plunder whicli luis been goingj on, tli;it tnuny confldentially assert thal within a nuil or lwo iust i ui-t imis will be received frotn Kuixipe nnd the United stutos toa tlie seizura ot the whole of the ('lnliiin siu;i(Jron. This event vas iinniinpiit when it was reportwltlie q tuisten and the Bnglish ÁdiniraHiad been killed by the ChiliaiiS. Whcn the rumor s[ire:icl llirough the l'oreign fleet in Callao and Ancón the feeling was inti.'iisc and neaily led U action being taken which Bubsefaeot events have proved would have been premature. Soine day a similar feeling will burst forth the world ovei', when the foreigu muísteis pubiisii autnentlcated repons )f the number of their fellow cltizèns who ware barbaiously murdered in Chorrillos, Marraneo, and Miraflores. riie Chilians are endeavoring to palíate the murder of ItaJians by assertiug that tliey fouiul several of tlu'iii with caps on their heads maiked "(iaribaldi," wtaieh led them to believe they belonged to the anny. This, liowever, is no excuse, as their general had been infornied that all the foreigners wort'. distinctive badges of one kind or the other, and that their roperties were marked accordlng to the plans, whicl were ateo sent to (Jen. Itaquedano ünlv a visit to Chorrillos during the first few days could coiiTey an idea of the scènes which must have been there enactcd while it was in the hands of the dronken soldiery, is only a visit to ;he battltí-íields coiild convoy tlie i viction tliat the woundcd were l ■red wherever found. t "The threedivisions into which the ' Chilian invadiug ariny was rtlvtded ' have been dissolved, and their ' manden ordered to report ut once to head-quaitero, Santiago. Capt Lyncbi ' who is to be proinoted to liear-Adniiial, returns at once to Chili. Gen. Saavedra, who has been acting as ' litical Chtef of Lima since the 17th of last inontli, lias rcsigncd office. Very little becomes known i' the intcntions of the Chilian leaders, who at the present moment are agjjnterested in the politica! contest about to be urged in Chili as they are in scltling affaire in Peru. (en. Baquedano and Adtnirsl Riveros are said to be acting togetlier to protnote and support the unce of the military party, whilst the eivi! party ara tnucli alarnied at tlie proliability of' the govjerament of Chili falling into tlie liaiuls of its opponents - In wliicli case it is very justly feared a series of barrack revohitions would produce similar disastious effectá tO tbosG wliicli have leil l'eru to lier present position. "Officials are liusily engaged preparing lists o(' the war contributions which are to be exacted from Perurians, Although owners of property and land, the greater number of them have no ready ïneans. The Chilians are emptying the stores of ill numitions of war. There was an enonnous stock on hand. A large nuinber of the heavy guns have been blown to pieces by the Chilians. The tvvo l.OOO-pounders wliicli are in battery in Callao, are to betakci to Chili and, ofliccrs assert, put up in the Magcllan Strails. Chillan papers announce the early rtvestalilishinent oi the South American Steain-ship Company with a new line of steatnera b6 tween Panama and Valparaíso."