Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. Among such merits as I may claim for this work is a total lack of haste in its preparation. Written under the stress Of no other pre-occupation save that caused by the deep shadow of the war, there has been no question here of a rapid gathering together of material; but rather that of a lengthy process of selection. To pick out the most salient features from the vast field of British enter prise in South America is not an easy task. This book having been written in the comparative soli tude of the country, and its sources of information largely derived from my own library, I have taxed the good na ture of a smaller number than usual of the various ex perts. It is, nevertheless, impossible for me to pass by the names of three gentlemen without a special note of thanks.