LA PAZ LA PEROUSE 159 abundant, as are also jaguars, pumas, foxes, vizcachas, and monkeys. The vampire is com- mon and destructive of cattle. Gold and sil- ver are found in several places ; but the chief mineral wealth of La Paz is derived from the copper mines of Corocoro. The celebrated Lake Titicaca is partly situated on the W. border of the department, a large portion of which is watered by the Rio Desaguadero, carrying the waters of this lake to that of Au- llagas in Oruro. The department is also re- markable for the ancient ruins of Tiaguanaco, near the village of that name on the borders of Titicaca, and attesting the high civilization of a people anterior to the incas (probably the Aymaras). II. La Paz de Ayacncho, a city, cap- ital of the department, in lat. 16 30' S., Ion. 68 30' W., about 300 m. N. N. W. of Sucre; pop. in 1865, 83,092, nine tenths Aymaras. It is about 13,000 ft. above the sea level, built in amphitheatre in a deep valley formed by the Chuquiapo, a torrent which descends from the neighboring peak of Illimani, rising 8,000 ft. higher, and is here crossed by nine handsome bridges. The streets are not very regular, but the houses are substantially constructed, the lower part frequently of stone, and have a neat and agreeable appearance. The cathedral, fronting the principal square, is a beautiful edifice, tastefully decorated outside with bas- si rilievi, and possessing a magnificent image of the Virgin of the Pilar of Saragossa, the gift of Charles V. Of the 14 other churches, some have much architectural beauty. There is a monastery, the university of San An- dres, a school of medicine, and a number of other schools public and private, besides the college of law, sciences, and arts, and a semi- nary. The alameda is a delightful resort for promenading; and the cemetery or panteon is surpassed in beauty by very few in South America. La Paz is the chief commercial emporium of the republic, owing to its situa- tion almost due E. of the Peruvian port of Arica, which is in reality the most convenient for Bolivia. There is no industry of impor- tance, and the principal trade consists in the traffic in coca leaves, and the export of copper extracted from the extensive mines of Coro- coro in the vicinity. A curious commodity daily received in the markets is taquia, the dried excrements of the llama and its con- geners, constituting the chief fuel used in the country. The city was founded in 1548 by Alonzo de Mendoza, who named it Nuestra Sefiora de la Paz. In 1605 it was raised to a bishopric ; and in 1825 it received its present appellation of La Paz de Ayacucho, in memory of the battle fought in the plain of the last name, decisive of Bolivian independence. LA PAZ, a seaport of Mexico, capital of the territory of Lower California, on a bay of the same name, on the "WV shore of the gulf of Cali- fornia, 240 m. K W. of Mazatlan; lat. 24 15' N., Ion. 110 12' W. ; pop. about 500. Many of the houses show in their tasteful construction 478 VOL. X. 11 that the town was once the abode of luxury. The port is well sheltered, and easily defensible against attack from the sea. But the shipping is now almost insignificant; and the pearl fisheries, once very extensive and productive, have lost much of their importance. The climate is hot and insalubrious, and the surrounding country is for the most part barren ; yet there are numerous ranches at some distance in the interior, exporting fruits and animal products. LAPEER, a S. E. county of Michigan, drained by the sources of Flint and Belle rivers ; area, 828 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 21,345. It has a rolling surface and a rich soil, and is well wooded. The Port Huron and Lake Michigan, and the Detroit and Bay City railroads pass through it. The chief productions in 1870 were 357,521 bushels of wheat, 241,266 of In- dian corn, 300,735 of oats, 37,585 of barley, 152,984 of potatoes, 33,650 Ibs. of hops, 241,- 179 of wool, 646,757 of butter, 29,365 of cheese, and 29,835 tons of hay. There were 4,973 horses, 5,301 milch cows, 1,011 working oxen, 6,346 other cattle, 52,191 sheep, and 6,793 swine ; 4 manufactories of carriages, 2 of iron castings, 1 of engines and boilers, 7 of saddlery and harness, 3 of sash, doors, and blinds, 1 of woollen goods, 11 flour mills, and 30 saw mills. Capital, Lapeer. LA PEROUSE, Jean Francois de Galanp, count de, a French navigator, born at Guo, near AIM, Languedoc, Aug. 22, 1741, perished prob- ably by shipwreck at Vanikoro, an island in the South Pacific, in 1788 or 1789. He en- tered the navy at the age of 15, and in 1759 was wounded and taken prisoner in the en- gagement with Sir Edward Hawke off Belle Isle. Subsequently he served in the American war of independence, and in 1782 entered Hudson bay with a small fleet and destroyed the British trading establishments there. Upon the conclusion of the war Louis XVI., with a view of securing for the French people a share in the glory which the English were reaping from the discoveries of navigators like Cook, caused the frigates Astrolabe and Boussole to be fitted out under the command of La Pe>ouse for maritime explorations in the Pacific, and along the coasts of America, China, Japan, and Tar- tary. La Perouse, sailing from Brest, Aug. 1, 1785, doubled Cape Horn and proceeded to the N. W. coast of America. From Mount St. Elias he explored the coast as far as Monterey, California, whence he crossed over to Asia. During the summer of 1787 he followed the coast from Manila to Petropavlovsk, at which place he arrived in September, having ex- amined the waters which separate the coast of Tartary from the Japanese group of islands, and discovered the straits between the islands of Saghalien and Yezo which bear his name. From Petropavlovsk he sent to France copies of his journals and charts and other data, from which an account of his voyage was subse- quently prepared. Sailing south in the latter part of September, he touched at Manua, one
