number, viz.: the Beni or Veni; the Rio Madre de Dios or Mayulata; the Mamore and the Stenez or Guapore. These rivers have more than one hundred branches, navigable in great part for steamers, while all may be traversed by small craft. These splendid rivers would long since have been opened to the commerce of the world but for the difficulties offered by the rapids of the Madeira. These falls and rapids are 19 in number and extend for 230 miles along the great bend of the Madeira at the northeast boundary of the Republic. Fourteen of them are in Brazil, while through the center of the upper five passes the boundary line between that country and Bolivia.
In order to enlist the co-operation of Brazil in some adequate scheme for overcoming this formidable obstruction, the Bolivian Government, on the 27th March, 1867, effected a "Treaty of friendship, limits, navigation, commerce, and extradition" with that country, which was formerly ratified by the Bolivian Congress the following year.
As early as November 5, 1833, under the administration of Gen. Andres Santa Cruz, the Government issued a decree offering a reward of $10,000 to $20,000 to the first person who, in a steamer, reached Bolivia from the Atlantic Ocean by way of any of the rivers of the Republic that run from south to north, and from $5,000 to $10,000 to the first who, in a similar craft, navigated from the same ocean to the territory of the Republic by the rivers which run from north to south.
On the 2d of June, 1843, under the administration of Gen. José Ballivian, another decree was issued authorizing the Executive Power to adopt such measures and incur such expense as might be deemed necessary to realize the navigation of all the navigable rivers of the Republic.
For the purpose of further inviting the attention of other nations to the importance of opening the rivers of the Republic to the commerce of the world, the decree of January 26, 1853, under
