6o  SELLING  LATIN  AMERICA

The  population  is  estimated  at  800,000,  over
100,000  of  which  are  wild  Indians,  the  remainder ­
  being  largely  of  mixed  blood,  negro
predominating.  There  have  been  some  sporadic ­
  attempts  to  encourage  immigration,
which  have  not  resulted  in  any  great  movement ­
  in  this  direction,  owing  to  the  instability
of  the  government  and  the  backward  condition ­
  of  the  people  as  well  as  to  the  general
isolation  of  the  country.
Travel  in  Paraguay  is  most  primitive.
There  are  few  roads  and  most  of  the  commerce ­
  is  carried  by  bullock  carts  on  almost  impassable ­
  trails  or  by  pack  train  over  narrow
paths.  But  one  railway,  having  a  total  length
of  about  250  miles,  ekes  out  a  homeopathic
existence,  running  from  Asuncion,  the  capital,
to  Ville  Encarnacion.  Many  railways  must
be  built  to  open  the  country.  One  can  go  by
rail  from  Asuncion  to  Buenos  Aires  in  two
days,  the  trip  requiring  a  ferryage  from  Posadas ­
  to  Ville  Encarnacion.  The  Trans-Paraguayan ­
  Railway  now  in  course  of  construction
will  do  much  to  develop  the  country.  Com-