=Other Ports.= Of the other principal ports we have observed that Arica is the terminus of the Arica-La Paz Railway, that Iquique is important for nitrates, Antofagasta for nitrates, copper, and as the medium of commerce with Bolivia by the old railway to Oruro and now to La Paz; Coquimbo as the port of a province with both mineral and agricultural wealth. Below Valparaiso are better harbors. Concepción, the largest city south of Santiago, 350 miles distant, is spoken of as the outlet of the rich Province of that name, but being 12 miles from the mouth of the Bio-Bio River it is not a real seaport and is served by Talcahuano, 9 miles away, which has one of the best harbors on the coast. For this reason, though a much smaller city, population 24,000, it was selected as a military port and for the Government dry docks. A little farther south on Arauco Bay are Coronel and Lota, both important coaling stations, at one of which all steamers call; Lota, the larger city, has all conveniences for shipping. At the tip of the mainland in the Straits is Punta Arenas, not visited by the regular coasting steamers, but a port where every passing ship is likely to make a brief call. RAILWAYS While the Chilians have always cultivated a taste for the sea, for strategical more than commercial reasons railway construction has of late been strongly favored. In this medium of traffic Chile in proportion to her area is far ahead of the other West Coast countries. It is true that the difficulties of topography are less. The oldest existing line in Latin America was here constructed in 1849 by a Bostonian, William Wheelright, who later founded the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, the earliest giving regular steamship service to Europe from the West Coast. This first railway line was from the port Caldera to the mining town Copiapó. The line from Valparaiso to Santiago, also constructed by Americans, was finished in 1863. Government ownership is popular in Chile, and of the 8000 miles of road in operation the State owns over 5000, with considerable extensions planned. Unfortunately six different gauges have been used, varying from 2 feet 6 inches on the Antofagasta Bolivia Line to 5 feet 6 inches on the Central Railway. =The Central Railway.= This is a Government Line connecting Valparaiso with the capital Santiago, express trains with American parlor cars making the run of 117 miles in four hours. The road is now to be electrified. South along the rich Central Valley, the same Railway runs through sleeping cars to Valdivia and to Puerto Montt, the latter city 750 miles from Santiago. This section is well worth a visit, whether from a scenic or a business point of view. A bridge 1400 feet long and 300 above the bed of the Malleco River cost over $1,000,000.