The telegraph service extends from one end of Peru to the other, the capital being united by wire with the most remote departments of the republic. The system covers more than three thousand miles of telegraph wires. The first line in Peru was constructed by private enterprise in 1864 between Lima and Callao, the government assuming the administration of the public telegraphs in 1875. The national wires connect at the boundary line with those of neighboring republics, making a general South American system. The Minister of War and Marine, General Juan N. Eléspuru, is a distinguished soldier and statesman, universally admired for his military talent and the noble qualities of his character. His administration is devoted especially to those matters which tend to the elevation of the army, and particularly to its education. Civil as well as military instruction is provided in the quartel, and the standard of training in the military schools is higher than it has ever been. The French military commission, engaged in 1896 to reorganize the army, under the direct authority of the War Office, has accomplished an important work, with the entire approval of the government. The head of the commission, Brigadier-general Pablo Clement, is chief of the general staff and is consulted on all matters relating to the instruction and organization of the army. One of the captains of the commission has charge of the Military High School, and another, of the Military Academy, in Chorillos. The latter, created for the technical and practical instruction of commissioned and non-commissioned officers destined to serve in the army, has been most important in increasing the efficiency of the military service. Annexed to the Military Academy is a school of musketry for technical instruction in the use of portable arms. The preparatory school and the school of application afford instruction for beginners. [Illustration: THE WAR ARSENAL, LIMA.] [Illustration: INFANTRY UNIFORM, PERUVIAN ARMY.]