The Constitution of Uruguay--Government of the Republic--Deputies and senators--Their duties--The Civil Code--Marriage--Rights of foreigners--Law--The Commission of Charity and Public Welfare--Hospitals--Orphan asylums--Infirmaries--The charity hospital lottery--The distribution of political parties--The Colorados and the Blancos--Policy of both--Feud between the parties--Old-standing strife--Explanation of the nomenclature--Origin of the feud--Rivera and Oribe--Inherited views--Attitude of the foreigners--Revolutions--Manner of their outbreak--Government precautions--The need of finance and arms--Some rebellious devices--Rifles as Manchester goods--The importance of horses--Difficulties that attend a revolutionary movement--The sweeping up of horses--Equine concentration camps--A powerful weapon in the hands of the authorities--First signs of an outbreak--Sylvan rendezvous--The question of reinforcements--Some desperate ventures--Their accustomed end--Chieftains of the north--Effect of a revolution upon local industries--Needs of the army--Estancia hands as troopers--Hasty equipment--Manner in which actual hostilities are conducted--"The Purple Land that England lost"--The spirit of modernism and the internal struggle--Tendency to localise the fields of strife--Power of the Colorado party--Whence the respective partisans are drawn--Distinguishing insignia--Some necessary precautions on the part of the foreigner--Adventures derived from colour in clothes--Some ludicrous episodes--The expense of revolution. The Constitution of Uruguay has now stood the test of eighty years, and thus claims to be the oldest in South America, or, at all events, the one that has suffered no modification for the longest period of time. The basis on which this is composed is liberal in the extreme, and the laws undoubtedly concede to Oriental subjects an amount of freedom that can be surpassed in few other countries. The Republic possesses two chambers, one of deputies elected by the direct vote of the people, the other of senators. In addition to their legislative functions it is the duty of these chambers to elect the President of the nation, whose term of office lasts for four years. The chambers also nominate the judges of the High Court, who, in turn, select the magistrates of the lower courts.