The people of Montevideo maintain more than 4o charitable associations, including the Caridad (charity) hospital on Calle 25 de Mayo, and the insane asylum in he suburb of La Union, both built and largely supported from the proceeds of frequent lottery drawings. They also maintain a beggars' asylum and a foundlings' asylum. The national museum (founded in 1830) and public library (founded 1833) are in one wing of the Solis theatre. There are a British hospital (founded 1857, the present edifice dating from 1867) chiefly for the use of sailors, an Anglican church in Calle Santa Teresa dating from 1847, and a handsome Italian hospital of modern construction. The University of Montevideo has faculties of law, medicine, let ters, mathematics, engineering and other groups of studies, in cluding agriculture and veterinary science. The Government main tains normal schools, a school of arts and trades (antes y oficios) and a military school.
The harbour of Montevideo consists of a shallow bay, circular in shape, opening to the south-east, and about 21 m. from shore to shore, and an outer roadstead exposed to the violent winds of this latitude, where the larger ocean-going steamers were compelled to anchor before the construction of the present port works. In 1899 the Uruguayan Government entered into a con tract for the dredging of the bay, the construction of two long breakwaters, the dredging of a channel to deep water, and the construction of a great basin and docks in front of the city. Sur taxes were imposed on imports and exports to meet the expendi ture, and work was begun in 1901. The entrance channel, with a minimum depth of 244 ft., permits the admission of large steamers. Another important improvement, for which a con cession was given to an English syndicate, is the extension em bankment and new shore line on the south side of the city. There are three large dry-docks connected with the port, known as the Maui (275 ft. long, inside) and the Gounouilhou (30o ft.) on the east side of the bay, and Jackson and Cibils (45o ft.) on the west side at the foot of the Cerro. Four railways terminate at Montevideo, one of them (the Central Uruguay) extending to the Brazilian frontier. Many lines of ocean-going steamers make reg ular calls at the port and several lines of river steamers operate to Buenos Aires and the ports of the Parana, Paraguay and Uru guay rivers. The exports consist chiefly of live stock, jerked beef, hides, wool and other animal products, wheat, flour, corn, linseed, barley, hay, tobacco, sealskins, fruit, vegetables and some minor products. Manufactures exist only to a limited extent and chiefly for domestic consumption.
The suburbs of Montevideo include the fashionable bathing resorts of Playa Ramirez and Pocitos on the coast east of the city, the inland suburbs of Paso Molino and La Uni6n and the industrial town of Cerro, across the bay. Maldonado, east of the capital, is another popular resort. The Flores island quaran tine station is 12 m. east of the city. The station was formerly on Rat island (within the bay), which is now used as a public de posit for inflammables. The chief point of natural interest is the conical hill known as the Cerro, or "mount," from which the city takes its name, on which stands an old Spanish fort from which rises a tower used as a radio station. The hill's elevation is 486 ft.
and a lighthouse also rises from within the fort, carrying a revolv ing light visible 25 m. at sea.
Montevideo was founded in 1726 through the efforts of Don Mauricio Zabala, governor of Buenos Aires, who wished to check the advance of the Portuguese on this side of the La Plata. A small military post had existed there since 1717, but efforts to create a town had been fruitless until Zabala offered to make hidalgos of the first settlers and to give them cattle and sheep. The first families to accept this offer came from the Canary islands in 1726 under the direction of Don Francisco Alzeibar; they were followed by others from Andalusia and some of the Spanish-American settlements. Its growth at first was slow, but on the abolition of the Cadiz monopoly in 1778 it became a free port and its trade increased so rapidly that it soon became one of the chief commercial centres of South America. The city was captured in 1807 by a British expedition under Sir Samuel Auch muty, but was abandoned when the expedition against Buenos Aires under Gen. Whitelocke was defeated. In 1808 the governor of Montevideo established an independent junta, but after the Buenos Aires declaration of independence in 1810 the Spanish forces were concentrated in Montevideo and held it until expelled in 1814 by the Argentine land and sea forces under Gen. Alvear and Admiral Brown. The dissensions following the expulsion of the Spanish and the rivalries of Argentina and Brazil over the possession of Uruguay, then commonly termed the "Banda Oriental," greatly reduced the population of the city and partially destroyed its trade. It was made the capital of the republic in 1828 and had partially recovered its population and trade when the disastrous struggle with Rosas, dictator of Buenos Aires, broke out and the city was subjected to a nine years' siege
52), the investment being conducted by Gen. Oribe, and the de fence by General Paz. In 1864-1865 Brazil intervened in the affairs of the republic, blockaded the port, and reinstated ex president Flores. The war with Paraguay that followed, which lasted until 1870, made Montevideo the base of supplies for the Brazilian army and navy and added largely to its trade and wealth. In addition to the reckless speculation of this period, there were continued political dissensions, repeated dictatorships and financial mismanagement on the part of the Government. Not the least of these burdens were the personal and irregular drafts of some of the executives upon the treasury and revenue officers, particularly the custom-house of this port, upon which the republic depended for the major part of its revenue. The commercial and financial collapse that followed lasted through the greater part of the last three decades of the century ; but settled government and im proved finances subsequently contributed to a slow but steady recovery in the trade and industrial activities of the city.