EDUCATION AND RELIGION. The University of Uruguay, at Montevideo, has a faculty of about 100 instructors and over 400 regular students. There are also a school of art, an industrial school, a museum and a library. and a military school. The Government contributes annually about $700.000 toward the maintenanee of about 600 public elementary schools, enrolling about 55.000 pupils. In addition there are over 300 private schools of this grade with about 22.000 pupils. Notwithstanding, a compulsory educa tion law, the school attendance is only ?bout. 8 per cent. of the total population. Roman Catholi cism is the State religion, but there is complete toleration of other sects.
Hisrour. The natives of the "Banda n Iriental." the region to the northeast of the Plata River, for ninny years prevented any exploration of the interior, and in 1580 forced the garrison to abandon the only fort established in their terri tory, on the San Salvador River. In 1603 a powerful Spanish force, intended to protect a colony, was S defeated. and it was not until the year 1624 that the first settlement whic•li beeame permanent was founded, at Santo Domingo de Soriano, on the Rio Negro. The Portuguese of Brazil claimed this region as a part of their ter ritory, and their outposts crept down the coast from Rio de Janeiro, until, in 1680. they estab lished themselves at Sacramento, not far distant across the river from Buenos Ayres. The local Spanish officials profited by the commerce be tween this city and the Portuguese, and for fifty years no very serious efforts were made to drive them away. In 1723 the Portuguese fortified the heights surrounding the Bay of Slontevhleo and apparently planned to enter into more active competition with Buenos Ayres. This aroused the Spaniards, who promptly organized an expe dition which forced the surrender of the Portu guese works at Montevideo, where a colony of families from Buenos Ayres was established. In termittent conflicts between the two claimants fill the annals of the remainder of the eighteenth century, resulting in the ultimate establishment of the Spanish rule. In 1807 the English fleet under Popham captured Montevideo. but their oc cupation ended with the failure of the attack on Buenos Ayres. The inhabitants of Uruguay promptly joined those of Argentina in the revolt against Spain in 1810, and established an inde pendent confederation under the Protector Arti gas (q.v.) ; the Spaniards were driven from Montevideo in 1814. The country was weakened and demoralized by the efforts to drive out the Spaniards., and the Portuguese in Brazil. perceiv ing their opportunity. revived their claim to the territory. They captured Montevideo and drove Artigas into the interior, until he was forced to take refuge in Paraguay. Uruguay was annexed to Brazil as the Cisplatine State. The Uruguay an patriots established headquarters across the Rio de la Plata in Buenos Ayres, watehing for an opportunity to revive the struggle. This value in 1825, when an insurgent force was organized which won several engagements and shut the Portuguese up in their coast stron,dadds. In February, 1828.
the Brazilians were decisively defeated, and in August peace was concluded and the independence of Uruguay was recognized. In 1830 the repot- lien Oriental del Uruguay was organized, and for five years the country cnjuycd comparative quiet under the Presidency of Fruetuoso Ribera. In 1835 he was succeeded by Manuel °Hite and soon a political conflict broke out between the two, terminating in civil war. Rihera made himself the leader of the ttanehos (9.v.) constituting the great mass of the non-Indian population. while nribe represented the interests of the great land owners. In 1838 Ribera succeeded in overthrow ing Grille, who thereupon turned for aid to Ro sac (q.v.), the dictator of Buenos Ayres. With the aid of Argentina's troops Orihe repeatedly de feated his rival, but could not make himself master of Montevideo, which was besieged from 1S42 to 1S51. In the latter year the party of Ribero concluded an alliance with Brazil, and the State of Entre Rios, which, under Urquiza, had broken away from the Argentine Confederation. Orihe was overthrown, and the party of Riberas, after a short interval, was restored to power. In 1S54 Venancio Flores was elected Pre:ident, but was forced to resign in the following year. There ensued a period of utter disorder marked by close successions of elections and insurrections until, in 1864, Brazil intervened to restore order, and in the following year brought Flores back to power. An alliance with Brazil and Argentina was con cluded in the same year, directed against the dic tator Lopez (q.v.) of Paraguay. This war, which brought ruin upon Paraguay, terminated in 1S70. Flores was assassinated early in 1868, and five years later Jose Ellauri was legally elected Presi dent. During his administration many public works were undertaken, and the transatlantic cable laid, with the result that the national finances became complicated.
In Slay, 1S75, Pedro Varela became President, to he succeeded a year later by Colonel Latorre. Numerous changes, at irregular intervals, fol lowed. President ldiarte Borda, who was elected in 1S94, was assassinated in 1897, and was suc ceeded by Juan Lindolfo Cnestas, who, in spite of some attempts at revolution, retained power till 1903. In STarch of that year be was succeeded by Jose Battle y Ordofmez.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Murray, Travels in Uruguay Bibliography. Murray, Travels in Uruguay (London.1871) : Diaz, Notice historigur (Paris, IS78) Bauza, Historia de la dominaeion espanol en la Uruguay (Montevideo, 1880) ; Ramon Lo pez Lomba, La rcptibliea oriental del Uruguay (ib., 1884) ; Van Bruyssel, La republique orien tate de l'Uruguay (Brussels, 1889) Vincent, Round and A bout South America (New York, 189(l) ; De Saint-roix, La republigue orientate de Pt 'ruguay (Paris, 1892) ; Arreguine, Hist oria del Uruguay (Montevideo, 1802) ; Aranjo, Com pendia de la geografia nacimat (ib., Julio Silva y Autuna, Comereio exterior de la repliblica oriental del Uruguay, Anus 1887-N (ib., 1895): Keane, Central and Soilth, America (London, 1901); The Uruguay Republic: Ter ritory and Conditions (London, 1888).