276 A HISTORY OF CHILE be a neutral administration of affairs in the port under the guarantee of the three republics ; that the customs of the territory should be applied first to the local ad- ministration, then that the rest should be divided be- tween Bolivia and Chile. Chile demanded that preparations for war on the part of Peru should cease, that the secret treaty of 1873 be annulled, that neutrality be declared. These require- ments were declined. Chile, therefore, on the 5th of April, 1879, declared war and Peru became one of the belligerents, expelling many Chilean residents from her territories. Prior to the breaking out of war, the Chilean regular army numbered about 2,500 men, one-fifth being cav- alry, one-fifth artillery, three-fifths infantr}'. These regulars were recruited from the Indians, and were a fine body of men, excellently disciplined, well- officered and equipped with the best modern weapons. The national guards, or militia, numbered twenty-five thou- sand, and this force was raised to fifty-five thousand when war was declared. The standing army of Peru numbered anywhere from nine thousand to thirteen thousand men, the troops being stationed in and around Lima. The soldiers were principall}' of Indian descent, with quite a large number of negroes. After the declaration of war this army was increased to forty thousand men. The Bolivian regular army was about the same in size as the Chilean, but the government possessed only 1,500 stands of Remingtons, the most of the troops being armed with old flintlock muskets. The Bolivian army was composed almost exclusively of Aymara In- dians, brave, sturdy fellows and excellent soldiers. More important, however, than the armies was the command of the sea, and here Chile had the advan-
