[XXXI-2] Royal decree of July 25, 1814. Fernando VII., Dec., 12.

[XXXI-3] The king ratified it June 4, 1820. The Indians were benefited thereby, for even priests were strictly forbidden to flog them. Id., 301-2.

[XXXI-4] Those desirous of studying the judiciary of Guat. as it existed down to 1872 may find information in Guat., Recop. Ley., i. 241-2, 603-4; ii. 21-45, 51-69; iii. 215-29, 365-6; Rocha, Cód. Nic., ii. 242-3; Montúfar, Reseña Hist., ii. 336-41; Guat., Boletin Ofic., 132-7.

[XXXI-5] The first complete reorganization was by the law of May 22, 1872. The creation of the superior court at Quezaltenango was by law of July 29, 1872. Guat., Recop. Ley. Gob. Democ., i. 88-9, 114-15. On the 15th of Oct., 1876, a supreme court, composed of a president and four magistrados, was established, because the organization of the superior courts hindered the prompt administration of justice. Salv., Gaceta Ofic., Oct. 13, 14, 1876. Subsequently, there was an increase in the number of justices, the court was divided into five sections or chambers, of which the fifth was suppressed March 29, 1882.

[XXXI-6] Trial by jury had been decreed, on the promulgation of the Livingston code in Jan. 1837, under the law of Aug. 27, 1836. It was suspended by decree of March 13, 1838, on the ground of its impracticability in a country so unprepared for it as Guat. then was. Montúfar, Reseña Hist., ii. 289-343; iii. 63-84; Salv., Diario Ofic., Feb. 14, 1875; Pineda de Mont, Nota, in Guat., Recop. Ley., i. 464; Dunlop's Cent. Am., 192; Squier's Trav. Cent. Am., ii. 419, 426.

[XXXI-7] In consequence 350 reformatory articles were adopted in connection with the civil code, and the reforms to the code of procedure in civil cases were almost as extensive; a few were also made to the commercial; and a considerable number to the penal code, and to that of procedure in criminal causes. Guat., Mem. Sec. Gobern., etc., 1880-3.

[XXXI-8] Guat., Mem. Sec. Fomento, 1880, 38-9, 65-6, 1885, 53, and annex 13.

[XXXI-9] During 1881 the supreme court, issued 1,995 sentences in criminal cases, only two of them were capital, one of which was commuted; in 1882, 1,467; 1883, 1,726; 1884, 2,489 offences were classified as crimes, and 10,130 as mere misdemeanors; of the former 1,321, and of the latter 1,460, were acquitted; 1,168 of the former and 8,670 of the latter were sentenced, none to death, and only two to extraordinary imprisonment.

[XXXI-10] It was notorious that escaped criminals freely moved, menacing the lives of those who had had any agency in their arrest. The facility for evading the action of the law was such that criminals did not fear it. Hond., Mem. Ministro Gen., 1852, 9-10.

[XXXI-11] A robber and murderer named Umansor, who effected his escape from the fort at Omoa, survived under 400 blows on two occasions; but 200 blows on the bare back generally ended the sufferings of the culprit when applied with that design. Wells' Hond., 229-30.

[XXXI-12] Presid. Soto, Mensaje, May 27, 1877.

[XXXI-13] Salv., Mem. Sec. Gobern., 1875; Id., Diario Ofic., March 17, 1875.

[XXXI-14] Trial by jury in criminal cases was first established in Aug. 1832, but being found impracticable, owing to the ignorance of the masses, it was abolished. Dunlop's Cent. Am., 186. The system was restored by the constitution of 1872. Salv., Diario Ofic., Oct. 17, 1875.

[XXXI-15] The supreme court is composed of eleven magistrados, one of whom is the president. In San Salv. there are two chambers of 2d resort with two justices in each, and one of 3d resort composed of the president and the two senior justices. A majority of the magistrados constitutes the full supreme court. There is also a chamber of 2d instance in San Miguel, and another in Santa Ana. Seven suplentes or substitutes fill temporary absences of the incumbents, three for the capital, and two for each of the others. No magistrado, or judge of a court of first resort, can hold office in the executive or legislative departments of the government. The supreme court-martial was abolished by law of Aug. 31, 1875. Military courts of first instance existing in the depts were suppressed, excepting that in the capital, and their functions devolved on the comandantes. Salv., Diario Ofic., Sept. 3d-8th; Id., Gaceta Ofic., Sept. 13, 1876.

[XXXI-16] Presid. Zaldívar, Mensaje, Jan. 14, 1878.

[XXXI-17] The 1st chamber of 2d instance in the capital, 1,736; the 2d, 1,889; that of Santa Ana, 2,323; and the one at San Miguel, 1,370. Salv., Mem. Sec. Rel. Just., etc., 1879; Salv., Diario Ofic., June 26, 28, July 4, 13, 1878.

[XXXI-18] The Livingston code of Louisiana with trial by jury was established in 1836, but suspended in 1845. Dunlop's Cent. Am., 192; Sandoval, Rev. Polít., 22. The organic law of the courts is dated July 4, 1857, and underwent modifications Sept. 3, 1858. Rocha, Cód. Nic., ii. 167-98; Nic., Dec. y Acuerdos, 1859, ii. 27-8; Informe, Min. Gobern., 1859.

[XXXI-19] The former has jurisdiction over the depts of Leon, Chinandega, and Segovia; and the latter over those of Granada, Rivas, Chontales, and Matagalpa. Lévy, Nic., 344.

[XXXI-20] There is in each department or district a court for civil and criminal affairs; but in largely populated departments there is also a court of criminal jurisdiction. Rocha, Cód. Nic., ii. 217, 244-316. There should also be a juez de agricultura, and a juez de la mesta, under existing laws. Cases involving only $100 are acted upon verbally; all others in writing.

[XXXI-21] Nic., Informe Min. Fomento, 1869; Id., Dec. y Acuerdos, 1871, 123-33; Id., Gaceta, March 18, Apr. 1, 22, June 3, 1871; El Porvenir de Nic., Oct. 22, 1871; Feb. 25, 1872; Nic., Mem. Min. Hac., 1872; Id., Informe Min. Gobern., 1875.

[XXXI-22] 'Los pleitos, por decirlo así, se eternizan, y es muy raro ver uno que llegue á concluirse.' Mensaje del Presid., Marzo 1871.

[XXXI-23] Nic., Semanal Nic., Oct. 16, 1873.

[XXXI-24] Marure, Efem., 49. It has been asserted that as a rule offenders are not vigorously prosecuted, and for various reasons often go unpunished.

[XXXI-25] Ley de presidios, Aug. 18, 1858; Ley de Palos, Sept. 1, 1858. Prisoners sentenced to hard labor serve out their terms on the works in forts San Juan and San Cárlos, by president's order of Oct. 6, 1880. Nic., Mem. Min. Gobern., 1883, 22-3, and annex B, 27.

[XXXI-26] Of which 578 resulted in conviction; 244 were dismissed; and 1,087 were pending. Id., annex G, no. vi.

[XXXI-27] Costa R., Col. Ley., iii.-xxii., passim; Id., Mem. Min. Gobern., 1857 and 1859; Montúfar, Reseña Hist., v. 344, 348.

[XXXI-28] The yearly salaries are: chief president, $2,160; the other presidents, $2,040 each; justices, $1,800 each; secretary, $1,200. The yearly appropriation for the supreme court is nearly $43,000. Costa R., Mem. Sec. Gobern., 1884, annex D.

[XXXI-29] Suits for sums not exceeding $100 and trivial offences are attended to by alcaldes and jueces de paz. There is also a special court of hacienda to adjudicate upon claims of the treasury against private parties, and for the trial of offences against the revenue, including also the counterfeiting of coin. The expense of this court is nearly $700 per month. In Limon there is an alcalde who acts as judge. The civil and criminal judges of San José receive $105 a month each; the other judges, $125; the alcalde at Limon, $50. The yearly expenditure of the judiciary, including the supreme court, fiscal agencies, casa de reclusion $720; presidio de San Lúcas $11,560; and contingents for the year 1884 was a little over $90,100. In former years, when the ecclesiastic and military fueros were recognized, each had its own courts, the system being an inheritance from the old Spanish rule. It has been abolished.

[XXXI-30] Costa R., Informe Sec. Int., 1860 and 1865.

[XXXI-31] This was recognized by the min. of justice in his report of May 15, 1884. Costa R., Mem. Soc. Just. y Gracia, 1884, 29.

[XXXI-32] The commissions began their labors at once, but had not completed them in July 1885. Costa R., Mem. Just. y Gracia, 1872-85.

[XXXI-33] A law of July 10, 1873, introduced the jury system in criminal causes. Costa R., Col. Ley., xxii. 52-69; Id., Informe Sec. Just., 1873, 23-4; 1876, 19-20.

[XXXI-34] The prison on Coco was first decreed July 3, 1874, but the law not having been carried out, it was reiterated Jan. 21, 1878. The regulation of Feb. 25, 1874, for San Lúcas placed it under the control of the governor of the comarca of Puntarenas. Costa R., Col. Ley., xxii. 35-48, 89-90; Id., Inf. Sec. Gobern., 1874, 28; 1879, 16-18; Id., Col. Dispos. Leg., 1878, 92-3.

[XXXI-35] Composed of three justices, whose terms of office are of four years. There are substitutes to fill temporary vacancies.

[XXXI-36] The alcaldes and regidores have charge of the preservation of order in their respective districts, and initiate proceedings for offences against the laws, and after the investigation has been completed, pass the papers to the proper court. These officials also have jurisdiction over civil causes not exceeding $200 in value. When the claim does not exceed $25, the court's decision is final. If it does, the court hears the parties, receives the testimony of witnesses, and renders a decision, which may be appealed from to the superior court. Judges and alcaldes in former years were greatly respected by the people, and their decrees obeyed without demur. Maldonado, Asuntos Polít. Pan., MS., 2, 5.

[XXXI-37] Other penalties: imprisonment, banishment, deprivation or suspension of political rights, surveillance of the authorities, fines, etc. Credits are allowed prisoners for good behavior. Trial by jury in criminal cases exists. A jury of seven meet at the chief town, hear the evidence, and by an absolute majority convict, qualifying the offence, or acquit. Pan., Gaceta, Aug. 30, to Sept. 24, 1863; Feb. 19, 1880; Id., Boletin Ofic., Nov. 18, 1865.

[XXXI-38] The civil, penal, procedure, military, and commercial codes. Id., Sept. 5, 1868; Id., Inf. Mem. Sec. Est., 1872, 13; 1877, 33.

[XXXI-39] He drew the conclusion that the jury system, in the state of ignorance so general among the masses, instead of being a safeguard for society served to afford impunity to criminals. Id., Mem. Sec. Jen. Est., 1876, 19-22; 1879, 102-3.

[XXXI-40] Pan., Ley., 1879-80, 52-5.

[XXXI-41] Pan., Informe Gobernador, 17-19.

[XXXI-42] A decree of Dec. 23, 1879, fixed the force at 140 with the officers; a second of March 1, 1880, ordered the organization of the battalion Ancon no. 1 with 95 to 125; another of Feb. 22, 1881, reduced it to 75. The pay of the rank and file was fixed in 1880 as follows: 1st sergt, $27; 2d sergt, $24; 1st corporal, $21; 2d corp., $18; private, $15. No rations allowed. Pan., Gaceta, Jan. 8, March 21, May 9, June 24, 27, 1880; Sept. 15, 25, 1881. The force was greatly augmented during the disturbances of 1885. Pan. Star and Herald, Dec. 22, 1885.

[XXXI-43] A law of 1881 established the ranks of gen.-in-chief, gen. of division, gen. of brigade, colonel, lieut-col, major, capt., lieut, and sub-lieut. On the 1st of Dec., 1877, there were 8 generals, 43 colonels, lieut-col, and majors, and 254 from captains down. The appropriations for 1877 and 1878 were $64,000 each, of which $45,000 was for pay. Pan., Mem. Sec. Jen. Est., 1878, p. xxvii.-xxxii.; Id., Id., Hacienda, 1878, annex X.

[XXXI-44] Laferrière, writing for 1873, says that the regulars did not count for much as to numbers, though the country had been of late years under a military gov. De Paris à Guatém., 55-6.

[XXXI-45] Costa R., Mem. Min. Guer., 1883 and 1884.

[XXXI-46] There were garrisons in Managua, Granada, Leon, Corinto, San Cárlos, Castillo Viejo, and Matagalpa, aggregating with the officers 506 men. The revenue guards and police number about 460. Nic., Mem. Min. Guer., 1883. The battalions stationed at Managua, the capital, bears the name of guardia de los supremos poderes, being the guard of honor of congress or the executive. The officers and soldiers are well dressed. The other troops merely get a pair of pants and a shirt. The bright trimmings distinguish them from civilians. As to pay, the general of division in active service receives $5 per day; the private only 30 cts per day and no rations. Lévy, Nic., 343-4.

[XXXI-47] In 1882 the monthly appropriation for pensions was $1,188. Nic., Mem. Min. Guer., 1883.

[XXXI-48] The army might be raised to 30,000 or 40,000 men. Pan. Star and Herald, June 2, 1886. The practice has been to send out press-gangs, to seize men and force them into the ranks, thus forming as motley a set as can well be imagined; some have shirts, some jackets, and others neither. Most of them probably have breeches, but exceedingly short at the legs. Wells' Hond., 238-40; Laferrière, De Paris à Guatém., 100-1; Squier's Trav., ii. 183-4.

[XXXI-49] The eastern, furnished by the departments of San Miguel, Usulutan, La Union, and Gotera; the central, by San Vicente, Cabañas, Cuscatlan, and Chalatenango; the western, by Santa Ana, Sonsonat, and Ahuachapan; and the reserve, by San Salvador, La Paz, and La Libertad. Each division was formed with four brigades, and another of artillery; each brigade to have 1,000 men in two battalions; five companies of 100 men to form a battalion. Salv., Diario Ofic., Apr. 6, May 16, July 9, 10, 1879.

[XXXI-50] Divisions to be commanded by generals of division, brigades by generals of brigade; battalions to have colonels and lieut-colonels; and each company a capt., 1st lieut, 2d lieut, and 2 sub-lieuts, 5 sergeants, and 8 corporals. Brevets were recognized in all grades of commissioned officers, under an executive decree of 1875. Id., Aug. 13, 1875.

[XXXI-51] The pay of a gen. of div. was $150 per month, of a gen. of brig. $125, col $100, lieut-col $90, capt. $57, lieut $45, sub-lieut $37.50, serg. $15, corporals, $13⅛, and private $11.25. The new organization given the army at that time was said to secure a saving of $200,000 a year. Salv., Gaceta Ofic., Oct. 7, 11, 1876.

[XXXI-52] The scale was fixed in March 1877, from $50 for a general of division down to $10 for a sub-lieut, sergeants $7 and $6, corporals $5, and privates $4. The same scale standing for widows and orphans to whom pensions might be allowed. Id., Feb. 16, March 6, 1877.

[XXXI-53] It went into effect on the 15th of that month and year. Salv., Diario Ofic., Jan. 2-14, 1880.

[XXXI-54] A few paid for their exemption till 1892. Guat., Mem. Sec. Hac., 1883, 24, and annex 19.

[XXXI-55] The ranks of captain-general and lieutenant-gen., created for Miguel García Granados and J. Rufino Barrios respectively, soon after the overthrow of the oligarchs, were suppressed by the latter in his decree of Feb. 9, 1873, together with the grade of mariscal de campo formerly existing. He likewise annulled the grade of sargento mayor, creating in lieu thereof those of segundo comandante and primer comandante. Guat., Recop. Ley. Gob. Democ., ii. 12-13, 25.

[XXXI-56] The pay of a private is three reales per day, out of which he supports and clothes himself.

[XXXI-57] The secretary of war said of it: 'Este establecimiento promete mucho para el porvenir.' And indeed, a number of its graduates were already engaged in engineering work on the northern railroad, in running the boundary line with Mexico, and in instructing the several battalions. Some had been also assigned to the artillery department. Guat., Mem. Sec. Guer., 1884, 6, annex no. 1.

[XXXI-58] Officers in active service cannot marry without leave from the sec. of war, which is not granted if their marriage may prove detrimental to the service. Id., 1882, 5, 13-14.

[XXXI-59] It has been properly kept, with beneficial results. Id., 1882, 15; 1883, 6-7, annex 3; 1884, 9-10, doc. 3.

[XXXI-60] Id., 1884, annex no. 1. Other authorities containing information on military affairs of Guat. from 1822 to 1873: Thompson's Guat., 496-504; Dunlop's Cent. Am., 168-9; Guat., Recop. Ley., ii. 639-759, passim; Id., Gob. Democ., i. 6, 103-5, 132-7; Id., Decretos, nos. 11, 23, 36-7; Id., Mem. Sec. Guer., 1837, 24-6, table 6; Squier's Cent. Am., 516-17; Boddam Whetham's Across Cent. Am., 205-8.

[XXXII-1] Humboldt estimated the production at the value of $4,500,000. Essai Polit., ii. 446; Guat., Apunt., 17-20; Guat., Gaceta, vi. 70-1, 293-337, passim.

[XXXII-2] The yearly products of Cent. Am. were estimated in 1826 at $52,529,450. Ocios Esp. Emigr., v. 3-11.

[XXXII-3] Guat., Recop. Ley., i. 658-89, 744-60.

[XXXII-4] Though land was free to all, agriculture was so low that even on the richest soil staples were scarcely produced in sufficient quantities for the consumption. Berendt, in Smithsonian Rept, 1867, 424.

[XXXII-5] The annual export was estimated at nearly $1,100,000, but chemical substances having been discovered to take its place for coloring, the decadence of the industry soon followed. Cochineal could not fetch over 2 to 3 francs per kilogr. in France. Laferrière, De Paris à Guatém., 247.

[XXXII-6] It had young trees planted in every department, and for the further increase of the staple, exempts the product from interior taxation and export dues. Pan. Star and Herald, May 29, 1886.

[XXXII-7] Presid. Barrios, Mensaje, Sept. 11, 1876.

[XXXII-8] Guat., Mem. Sec. Gobern. y Just., 1880; Id., Mem. Sec. Fomento, 1880-2; Id., Sec. Hac., 1882-3; Pan. Star and Herald, March 2, May 29, 1886.

[XXXII-9] Cochineal, reduced from 67,709 qls in 1860-4 to 2,845 in 1879-83. Coffee, 1860-4, none; crop of 1883-4 was 495,385 qls; next year's estimated 520,000, valued at $5,291,074. Sugar, 1860-4, 115,486 qls; the production of 1883 of sugar, panela, muscovado, and molasses valued at $976,902; 1884, $1,058,551; 1885, $915,789. Rubber, 1879-83, 9,074 qls. Sundries, 1879-83, 115,999 qls. Flour, 1884, probable production 931,144 qls. Tobacco cult. progressing. Live-stock, 1884, horses, 107,187; mules and asses, 41,386; neat cattle, 441,307; sheep, 417,577; goats, 27,618; swine, 177,118. Total value, $15,112,233. Guat., Mem. Sec. Fomento, 1885-5; El Guatemalteco, Jan. 1, Sept. 15, 1884; Pan. Ev'g Telegram, May 26, 1886.

[XXXII-10] As early as 1800 there were 9,600 trees of China cotton. Quinta Junta Púb., 14-15; Juarros, Guat., i. 38-46.

[XXXII-11] Viag. Univ., xxvii. 172-4. The Sp. gov. had all the vines destroyed for fear of injury to the wine industry of the mother country. Squier's Cent. Am., 273; W. Ind., Descr. Sp. Settlers, 45.

[XXXII-12] Squier's Cent. Am., 192-204; Laferrière, De Paris à Guatém., 97.

[XXXII-13] They do not yield a high income, however, the consumption at home being comparatively small, and the demand of the neighboring states limited. Id., 209-11, 272. Gov. is endeavoring to improve the breed.

[XXXII-14] Comparative values: Indigo—as early as 1630 the yield was 10,000 quintals a year; the production from 1791 to 1800 was 8,752,562 ℔s. at $2 a ℔.; 1864, $1,129,105; 1877, $2,146,423. Coffee—1864, about $80,000; 1877, $2,115,669. Maize—1877, $2,786,433. Sugar and muscovado—1877, $334,361. Rice—1877, $154,728. Hides and deer-skins—1876, $444,805. Cattle—1876, $672,948. Aggregate values for 1876-7—including rum made from molasses, and set down at $925,457—were $15,448,794. These figures are from official sources, but may not be altogether reliable. Salv., Diario Ofic., Oct. 21, 1875; Id., Gaceta Ofic., Feb. 7, 24, 1877; Feb. 19, 1878.

[XXXII-15] The cotton is of superior quality, and grown in considerable quantities; the cacao is second only to Soconusco; the sugar-cane is indigenous, and yields beautiful sugar; the indigo has a high reputation; the coffee is fully as good as Costa Rica's, and flourishes well in the higher grounds. The same may be said of tobacco. Maize and rice grow in perfection and abundance. Stout's Nic., 73-85, 345-53; Dunlop's Cent. Am., 265-7; Baily's Cent. Am., 120-4; Squier's Cent. Am., 363-4, 377-8, 663; Id., Trav., i. 34-9, 158-63; Id., Nic., 620-2; Lévy, Nic., 458-81; Wells' Hond., 141-3; Id., Walker's Exped., 116; Laferrière, De Paris à Guatém., 77-80; U. S. Gov. Doc., H. Ex. Doc., 75, 210-12, 216, vol. x. Cong. 31, Sess. 1; Pan. Star and Herald, March 13, 1886.

[XXXII-16] Exempting them from taxation and otherwise. Rocha, Cód. Nic., i. 191-4, 206-11; ii. 106-11; Nic., Reg. Ofic., 328-9; Id., Dec. y Acuerdos, vol. for 1851-61, passim; Ley de Agric., Feb. 18, 1862; Nic., Boletin Ofic., Feb. 15, 1862; Id., Gaceta, years 1865-74, passim.

[XXXII-17] Mahogany abounds, especially on the margins of the branches of the large rivers. The cutters are mostly Mosquitos and Caribs, who hire themselves for the season at $10 to $15 a month and fed. In 1862-9 the govt adopted the plan of farming out the privilege of cutting mahogany. The caoutchouc trees were by law declared in 1860 govt property. Nic., Mem. Min. Hac., 1862; Id., Gaceta, Apr. 1, 1865; El Nacional, Nov. 10, 1860.

[XXXII-18] Nutritious grasses and water are scarce in the summer. On the other hand, an immense quantity of vermin constantly torment the animals, and disease takes hold of them, killing many. Cows yield only a small quantity of milk. A dairy possessing 150 to 200 milch cows is said to do well if they yield 50 lbs. of cheese per day. Lévy, Nic., 478.

[XXXII-19] Said to be as good as that of Soconusco; but the country is generally too high and cold for cacao culture; nor is the climate favorable for cochineal, cotton, or grape, owing to excessive rains. Molina, Bosq. Costa R., 30-1; Astaburuaga, Cent. Am., 37. Spec. laws have been passed for the promotion of cacao and indigo culture. Costa R., Col. Ley., xi. 299-301; xii. 216-17; Id., Col. Ley., 1866, 161-2; Id., xix. 184-6.

[XXXII-20] As late as 1829 her sole article of export was Brazil wood. The miserable condition of the country made its name ridiculous. But in a few years the situation became changed. An act was passed Sept. 7, 1831, to promote coffee culture, and in 1835 the first export of the article took place. Another decree for the same purpose was issued in 1843. Id., iii. 94-6; El Nicaragüense, Jan. 9, 1856. In 1845 no less than 45,000 quintals were produced; in 1848 double that quantity; and in 1850, 140,000 qls; from 1854 to 1856 there was no increase, owing to cholera, locusts, and the Walker war in Nic. However, the crop of 1856 was about 55,200 qls. Costa R., Gaceta, Jan. 26, 1850; July 1 to Sept. 23, 1854; Id., Boletin Ofic., June 29, 1854; Id., Mem. Sec. Rel., 1856, 10-12; Guat., Gaceta, Oct. 7, 1853; Wagner, Costa R., 41, 307-21; Squier's Cent. Am., 454-72; Laferrière, De Paris à Guatém., 48-9; Belly, A trav. l'Amér. Cent., i. 397-400.

[XXXII-21] In 1862 there was a fair crop: 1873, 333,843 qls; 1874, about 300,000 valued in Puntarenas port at $15.50 per quintal of 100 lbs.; 1876, a scanty crop; 1877, 186,000; 1877, 180,652; 1879, excessive rains caused heavy loss; 1884, about 375,000 quintals; but 1885 only yielded 125,000 or 130,000. Costa R., Informe Sec. Interior, 1862, 10-11; Id., Sec. Agric., 1874, 28; 1876, 20-1; 1878, 14; 1879, 22; Laferrière, De Paris à Guatém., 34; Jülfs, Die Seehäfen, 18; Pan. Star and Herald, Apr. 9, 23, 1885.

[XXXII-22] The manufacture of rum from sugar-cane is a government monopoly. The cultivation of tobacco has been for many years under the strictest regulations; its manufacture and sale was exclusively in the hands of govt agents. In 1850 it was declared free from Jan. 1, 1852, but the law was repealed June 23, 1851. In 1869 the monopoly was abolished, but restored again by law of Feb. 4, 1884. Molina, Bosq. Costa R., 30; Costa R., Col. Ley., x. 132-40; xi. 331-3; Id., Col. Ley., 1869, 15-17, 219-20; Id., Mem. Sec. Hac., 1852-3; Id., Mem. Sec. Gobern. Hac., etc., 1884, 25-6.

[XXXII-23] The U. S. govt evinced in 1863 a disposition to promote its cultiv. See correspond. of agric. dept. with U. S. consul in Pan. Bidwell's Isth. Pan., 268-70.

[XXXII-24] Exempting from taxation, and by other privileges. Pan. Ley., 1876-7, 7; Id., Gaceta, Jan. 7, 1877; Bidwell's Isth. Pan., 264-72; U. S. Gov. Doc., H. Ex. Doc. 113, vol. vi. 1-2, 35-7, Cong. 41, Sess. 2.

[XXXII-25] Tobacco, 2,770 quintals; grain, 197,320 qls; cacao, 261 qls; sugar, 155 qls; panela, 29,445 qls; molasses, 4,694 jugs; coffee, 2,853 qls; rubber, 80 qls; sundries, 354,285 qls; medicinal roots, 390 qls. Total value, $518,662. Pan., Mem. Sec. Fomento, 1882, annex L.

[XXXII-26] No sheep are raised, and the goats, sometimes killed, are a poor substitute. The pork is excellent. Live-stock said to exist on the Isthmus in 1882: neat cattle, 114,157; mules and asses, 470; horses, 9,942; goats, 24,732; hogs, 203,209. Total value, $1,270,945. Id.

[XXXII-27] It would take too much space to enumerate them; but a list may be found in the report on the physical and polit. geog. of the state of Pan., drawn up by a commission despatched thither for that purpose, by the govt of New Granada, in 1859. See also report of Martin, New Granada minister in London, May 1858, in Bidwell's Isth. Pan., 322-40.

[XXXII-28] Silver ores are the most abundant, and chiefly located on the Pac. group of mountains, whereas the gold washings, if not the gold mines proper, are most numerous on the Atlantic side. The mineral districts in the departments of Tegucigalpa, Choluteca, and Gracias are very rich in silver in various combinations. The upper or old mine of Coloal yielded 58 per ct. of copper, and 78 to 84 ounces of silver to the ton; the ores of the new mines of Coloal, a combination of chloride of silver, a little sulphuret of silver, oxide of iron, and antimony, mixed with earthy matter, yielded 8,470 ounces per ton of 2,000 lbs. Gold mines abound in Hond., but only a few have been worked. The chief supplies have been drawn from the washings of Olancho. The rivers of Guayape and Jalan, as well as the streams running into them, are decidedly the richest in auriferous sands. The finest gold is from the Guayape, Jalan, and Mangualil, and from the Sulaco, Caimito, and Pacaya, in the dept of Yoro. The southern districts bordering on Nic. have rich placers. Hond. has also mines of copper, iron, platina, cinnabar, zinc, and coal. Very productive opal mines are worked to some extent in Gracias. Amethysts are said to be found in Campuca. Squier's Cent. Am., 145-51, 178-89; Id., Hond. R. R., 85-94; Montgomery's Narr., 1134; Baily's Cent. Am., 100-2; Hond. Gac. Ofic., Feb. 20, March 10, 1853; Wells' Hond., 233-539, passim.

[XXXII-29] Foreigners are allowed to work and own mines, under the federal law of June 27, 1825. The ordenanzas of New Spain regarding mines were declared to be in force June 17, 1825. Rocha, Cód. Nic., i. 209; Guat., Recop. Leyes, i. 238.

[XXXII-30] The absence of roads and difficulty of travel make mining unprofitable as yet. Presid. Soto, Mensaje, Feb. 19, 1883; Pan. Star and Herald, March 23, 1883; Feb. 23, 1886; H. S. Davys' Gold Fields along the Guayape, etc., in Cincinnati Enquirer.

[XXXII-31] Combined with lead and copper, and also as a sulphide of silver. Materials convenient for working them were at hand. The Central Am. Mining Co. operating on the locality sold between 1858 and 1865 ore and bar silver to the amount of 621,000 ounces, worth over $700,000. U. S. Gov. Doc., H. Ex. Doc., Cong. 40, Sess. 2, pt 1, 212-14; Squier's Cent. Am., 526; U. S. Land Off. Rep., 1867, 116-17, 131-2, 188-90; Nic., Gaceta, Apr. 28, 1866.

[XXXII-32] Early in the present century nuggets of 22 carats were found near Chol. In some mines the ore treated with quicksilver yielded one ounce of gold to the 100 ℔s., or $320 to the ton of 2,000 ℔s. Blazquez, Opinion, in Doc. Orig. Chiapas, 5.

[XXXII-33] Gold placers in the dept. of Izabal were being worked on a large scale. Several silver mines promise large yields when they become exploited. The Indians of Zunil repeatedly offer for sale in Quezaltenango quicksilver obtained from a mine which they keep strictly secret. In the departments of Quiché, Alta, Vera Paz, and Huehuetenango are salt springs and deposits; in Chimaltenango peat and lignite; between Guastoya and Izabal, marble; and in several places on the Atlantic slope, coal. The government had a mineralogical survey of the country made. Guat., Mem. Sec. Hac., 1882, 28; 1883, 34, 72-4; Id., Mem. Sec. Fomento, 1884, 42; Wagner, Costa R., 36; Pan. Star and Herald, Jan. 17, 1883.

[XXXII-34] Among them must be mentioned zinc, iron, copper, lead, tin, antimony. The mines of lead, iron, and copper are believed to be inexhaustible. They are situated in a fertile, cool, healthy, and picturesque region, affording every other facility for working them. The whole northern frontier abounds in silver, a little of it being obtained by primitive processes. Quicksilver mines, though not rich, are common. The gold veins of Nic. come from Hond., running along the cordillera to the San Juan River, where they become somewhat ramified before crossing it, and reappear in Costa R. The chief one crosses the Machuca River. The gold is almost pure when washed from river-beds, and more or less mixed with silver when dug out of the earth. In the districts of Juigalpa and Libertad hundreds of mines have been entered. The Jícaro mines near Trinidad, and those of Santa Rosa, Achuapa, San Francisco, etc., have been famous. The Potosí and Corpus in colonial times yielded large quantities of gold. The whole upper region of the Coco River is rich. It may be asserted that the mines of Nic. are excellent, but the miners are generally incompetent. They use the crowbar, avoiding gunpowder as too expensive. Men are easily procured, who work steadily though slowly and by primitive methods, earning $8 to $10 per month, and their rations. The mills are mostly poor. Sixteen carat gold is worth at the mine $12 an ounce, but the average price paid by factors was $8 or $9. Considerable quantities of gold are taken by the Indians from river sands and bed, and washed in pans. Lévy, Nic., 160-6, 482-6; Squier's Cent. Am., 364, 392-400; Id., Nic., 653-6; Nic., Mem. Min. Fomento, 1871; Id., Mem. Min. Rel., 1875; U. S. Gov. Doc., H. Ex. Doc., 212-13, vol. x., Cong. 31, Sess. 1; Belly, Nic., i. 340-6; Nic., Gaceta, Nov. 11, 1865; May 26, 1866, suppl.; Sept. 7, 1867; Jan. 11, July 18, Aug. 8, 1868.

[XXXII-35] Nic., Gaceta, March 1, 1873; Rocha, Cód. Nic., i. 163-72; Nic., Correo Ist., Aug. 29, 1850.

[XXXII-36] It is said their yield was 47 to 2,537 oz. of silver to the ton. Dunlop has it that they yielded at one time $1,000,000 annually, though worked rudely and without machinery, and the chief one of them once produced $200,000 annually. Trav. in Cent. Am., 277. A French company undertook to work the Tabanco and Encuentros, invested a large capital, and sustained losses. The Loma Larga and Divisaderos, though represented as richer, probably fared not much better. Dunn's Guat., 225-6; Baily's Cent. Am., 92-3; Squier's Cent. Am., 291-4; Salv., Diario Ofic., Dec. 1, 2, 1875; Jan. 23, 1876; Jan. 28, 1879; Id., Gaceta Ofic., Oct. 24, 1875; Jan. 30, Aug. 15, Nov. 11, 1877.

[XXXII-37] Squier's Coal-mines of Riv. Lempa, 3-13.

[XXXII-38] It is believed that the Tisingal, which gave the country its name, lies near the Colombian frontier on the Atlantic. Molina, Bosq. Costa R., 33.

[XXXII-39] Squier's Cent. Am., 457; Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour., vi. 128; Thompson's Guat., 214-15; Dunlop's Cent. Am., 42; Costa R., Gaceta, July 15, 1854; Id., Inf. Sec. Hac., 1872; Laferrière, De Paris à Guatém., 36; Wheelright's Isth. Pan., 7.

[XXXII-40] Information for the years preceding 1800 may be gleaned from Juarros, Guat., 16-79, passim; Id., Stat. and Com. Hist. Guat., 21-105, passim; Montanus, Die Nieuwe Weereld, 275-7; Arevalo, Compend., 175; Russell's Hist. Am., 191, 391-2; Churchill's Coll., viii. 764-5; Dunn's Guat., 222-5; Squier's Trav., i. 39-40; Id., Guat., 586-7. To the end of the Spanish rule most of the precious metals from Hond. were smuggled out through Belize and Mosquito, probably one third only reaching the mint at Guat. The coinage in 1817-18, was $983,225; 1820-4, $1,319,106. Thompson's Guat., 217, 520. The superintend. of the old Guat. mint calculated the coinage in gold and silver for the 15 years anterior to 1810 at $2,193,832, and for the 15 years posterior at $3,810,382, adding that much of the production had been exported in its native state or manufactured. He estimated the actual products of the mines in those 30 years at ten times the amount coined; his estimate could probably bear some deduction. De Bow's Review, Jan. 1855, 77-8.

[XXXII-41] The Guat. mint has coined in the years 1879-83 $974,957, all in silver pieces from one dollar down to 3⅛ cents. Guat. Mem., Sec. Hac., 1880-4, in tables 6, 11, 14, 20, 18, respectively. The coinage of the Costa Rican mint from 1829 to 1880, both inclusive, was as follows: gold, $2,351,808; silver, $568,648; copper, $1,682; total, $2,922,138. Costa R., Mem. Min. Hac., 1883, table 11.

[XXXII-42] 'Hay oro en mucha cantidad; están descubiertos veinte rios, y treinta que tienen oro salen de una sierra que está fasta dos leguas de esta villa.' Carta, Eno 20, 1513, in Navarrete, Col. Viages, iii. 363.

[XXXII-43] They were several times plundered by buccaneers. Harris in 1684 took away 120 lbs. of gold. Dampier speaks glowingly of them in that year; 'the richest gold mines ever yet found in America.' New Voy. round the World, i. 158-9. Another exped. in 1702 carried off 50 lbs.

[XXXII-44] An extensive and able report by the governor, many years after, gives much information on the whole Darien region, especially on its mineral wealth, making particular mention of the Cuque gold mine, and of a silver one in the country of the Curias Indians, who allowed no whites to visit it. Ariza, Comentos de la rica y fertilísima Prov. del Darien, Apr. 5, 1774, MS., 2, 12, 19-21, 32-7; Id., in Anales Instruc. Púb. Colombia, May 1883, 369, 380, 687-9, 397-401.

[XXXII-45] Gisborne's Isth. Darien, 173; Pan., Boletin Ofic., July 4, Aug. 1, 1867.

[XXXII-46] Restrepo, Minas de Oro y Plata de Colombia, in Anales Instruc. Púb. Colombia, Mar. 1884, 230-45. Many rivers are represented to contain abundance of gold, namely, Marea and Balsas in Darien, Coclé, Belen, Indios, and their tributaries. Their are mines in Las Tablas, etc. Gold has also been taken from Indian graves. Seemann's Narr., i. 242-3; Pan., Crón. Ofic., March 6, 1853; Id., Gaceta del Est., Dec. 15, 1855; June 14, 1856; June 22, 1857; Sept. 23, Oct. 22, 1859; May 4, 1860; Id., Gac., Sept. 6, 1873; Feb. 20, 1876, to May 8, 1881, passim; U. S. Govt Doc., 54, 169-72, vol. ix., Cong. 40, Sess. 3.

[XXXII-47] Six hundred and four millions in gold and auriferous silver, and 26 millions in silver. Restrepo, Vicente, Industria Minera, in Pan. Star and Herald, Jan. 2, 1884.

[XXXII-48] Bogotá, Gaceta Ofic., Feb. 6, 1848; Pan., Gac. Estado, Aug. 4, 1855; Jan. 5, 1856; May 10, 1862; Id., Gac., Aug. 22, 1874; Feb. 27, 1875; Jan. 12, 1876; Nov. 7, 1880; Id., Boletin Ofic., Dec. 7, 1867; Id., Star and Herald, Feb. 28, 1876; Wheelright's Isth. Pan., 8; Pan. Rept on Coal Bocas del Toro, in Costa R. Bound, 3-19; Selfridge's Explor., 177-80; U. S. Gov. Doc., H. Ex. Doc., 41, 45-53, vol. vi. Cong. 36, Sess. 2; S. F. Bulletin, July 26, 1873.

[XXXII-49] They were known, however, from the earliest times, and the needs of the inhabitants in cotton and woollen goods, pottery, etc., were mostly supplied at home. The decline of cotton manufactures began in 1773, after the destruction of old Guat. city, and was completed when permission was given a little previous to 1799, for the importation of foreign manufactured goods. Diario, Méx., March 29, 1806; Juarros, Guat., i. 16-82, passim; Saravia, Bosq. Polít. Est., 12; Guat., Apuntam., 12, 138-9.

[XXXII-50] Exempting from taxation, establishing schools of mechanic arts, introducing skilful mechanics, granting subsidies, etc. Montúfar, Resúmen Hist., i. 321; Guat., Mem. Sec. Fomento, 1880-4; Batres, Sketch, 53, 60.

[XXXII-51] Guat. has been creditably represented at several international exhibitions; she has also entered into conventions with several foreign powers to secure patents for inventions. Costa R., Mem. Sec. Rel., 1884, annex 8; El Guatemalteco, Sept. 24, Oct. 12, Nov. 1, 1884; Voz de Méj., Sept. 14, 1878; Guat., Mem. Sec. Fomento, 1885, 36-8.

[XXXII-52] A cotton rebozo may be had for $4 or $5, and a silk one for $12, the finest selling at from $16 to $20. Laferrière, De Paris à Guatém., 209-10.

[XXXII-53] Some machinery for refining sugar, ginning cotton, distilling liquors, cleaning coffee, sawing lumber, and extracting fibres have been introduced. Nic., Mem. Min. Fomento, 1871, 3.

[XXXII-54] Mats, baskets, palm-leaf and maguey hats, and cordage. The hammocks of Masaya and Sutiaba are much esteemed. Cotton fabrics are coarse but strong, and dyed with permanent colors, and of original design. They also make good rebozos, but the silk in some of them is imported. Hides enter into the manufacture of several common articles. Rum is made and sold by the govt. The miller's art is in its infancy. Lévy, Nic., 486-91; Squier's Cent. Am., 373; Rocha, Cód. Nic., i. 188-90; Nic., Reg. Ofic., 328-9; Sandoval, Rev. Polít., 58.

[XXXII-55] Aside from some furniture, arms, etc., their hammocks, nets, cotton goods, and pottery, are all made in a very primitive manner. There is no skill whatever. Fernandez, Col. Doc., iii. 366-8; Costa R., Censo, 1864, p. xxv. Beer and rum are also made, the latter said to be a good imitation of Jamaica; distilling rum is a govt monopoly. Laferrière, De Paris à Guatém., 53; Costa R., Col. Ley., v. 122-45; xi. 331-46.

[XXXII-56] Subsidies granted in 1885 for silk culture and manufacturing paper, rebozos, cotton goods, and sacks. Costa R., Gaceta, Aug. 2, 5, 12, 13, 1885; Pan. Star and Herald, Sept. 9, 1885.

[XXXII-57] An official report for 1882 gave the following as about the extent of such industry in that year: 1,600 rush hats and 1,600 of jipijapa, 200 M tiles, 7 M jars, 525 M bricks. Pan., Mem. Sec. Fomento, 1882, annex L. It is said that a factory for making carriages was opened in 1885. Pan. Star and Herald, Jan. 5, 1886.

[XXXIII-1] Two or three vessels at most came every year to Acajutla from Peru with wines, olive oil, and other articles for the table, and 200,000 or 300,000 pesos in specie for the purchase of indigo. From Cuba came eight or ten vessels with petty cargoes of rum, onions, etc., the average worth being $5,000 or $6,000. They each took back, besides indigo, 30,000 or 40,000 pesos in coin and in gold and silver bullion. Mex., Gaceta, 1804-5, xii. 178-80; Cancelada, Ruina N. Esp., 48-9; Córtes, Col. Doc., ii. 341; Henderson's British Hond., 30-1, 35; Guat., Apuntam., 136-41; Nic. y Hond., Docs., 11-12; Arrillaga, Informe, in Cedulario, iv. 60-1; Urrutia, Modelo, 2-3; Guat., Gaz., vii. 293-320, passim; iii. 70, 464, 504.

[XXXIII-2] This hybrid commerce was effected through Belize and Curaçoa; and also by foreign whalers at Realejo and Acajutla, where they were wont to enter with the pretext of procuring water and fresh stores, and while in port sold English goods, receiving in return copper, wool, sugar, cacao, etc. Humboldt, Essai Polít., ii. 467-73.

[XXXIII-3] Bustamante, Voz de la Patria, iv. no. 18, 4-8; Guat., Recop. Ley., i. 745-7; ii. 301; U. S. Gov. Doc., H. Ex. Doc., 75, 215-16, x., Cong. 31, Sess. 1; Squier's Trav., i. 44-5.

[XXXIII-4] In 1853 the several governments entered into contracts with the Central Am. Steam Navigation Co., an American concern, to run a line of steamers once a month between Iztapam in Guatemala and Panamá, touching at Acajutla, La Libertad, La Union, Amapala, Realejo, San Juan del Sur, and Puntarenas, for the conveyance of passengers, merchandise, and mails at fixed rates, each government paying a subsidy, and allowing exemptions from port dues and other privileges. The service began early in 1854, and continued with repeated trips in each month, first by the Panamá Railway Company's steamers, and subsequently by those of the U. S. Pac. Mail Steamship Company. Costa R., Boletin Ofic., Feb. 16, 1854; Id., Col. Ley., xii. 256-7; Salv., Gac., Jan. 20, 1854; Id., El Rol, Dec. 1, 1854; Cent. Am. Miscel. Doc., 44; Hunt's Merchants' Mag., xxiii. 113.

[XXXIII-5] Guatemala: chief articles of export, cochineal, coffee, cotton, wool, sugar, India-rubber, hides, and indigo; also rice, mules, cacao, pork, horns, timber, sarsaparilla, vanilla, tobacco, etc. Cochineal at one time was a great staple, the export being nearly 68,000 centals in 1860-4, and about 59,000 centals in 1870-4; reduced to about 2,845 in 1879-83. The principal importations were comestibles, wines and liquors, cotton, linen, woollen, and silk fabrics, clothing, hats, fancy goods, furniture, arms, articles for agric., arts, and sciences. Arms, lead, and gunpowder might not be imported without special permission of the govt. Some articles were exempt from duty, such as material for ship-building, instruments for medicine, surgery, science, schools, arts, implements of agric., machinery, and tools for manuf., steam-engines, money, gold, silver, guano, mineral, coal, etc. Articles of luxury paid an import duty; foreign manufactures entered with a high duty. Small amounts should be paid at the time of entry in cash; and larger sums, part at the adjustment of the duties, and the rest in instalments of from one to three months. The republic has several ports open to foreign commerce on both oceans; namely, Santo Tomás, Livingston, and Golfo Dulce, which is navigable only for vessels of light draught, on the Atlantic, and San José, San Luis, Champerico, and Ocós on the Pacific. Iztapam or Independencia was closed in 1853, and the custom-house removed to the roadstead of San José, which is sheltered by a bold breakwater. Actual value of foreign trade: imports, 1851-7, $7,672,682; 1860-4, $6,268,227; 1871-5, $12,304,289; 1876-80, $15,054,152. The average of importations in the five years 1880-4 was $2,700,000. The largest importations in 1883 were from G. Britain, including Belize, $884,205; U. S., $529,458; France, $149,687; Germany, $128,296; Switzerland, $76,278; Spain, $65,470; China, $54,855. The rest from Belgium, Cent. Am., Italy, Colombia, and Denmark. The war between Guat. and Salv., and revolution in Pan., paralyzed trade in 1885. It is noticed that notwithstanding the greater proximity and wealth of the U. S., Guatemala's commercial relations are greater with England. Exports: 1851-7, $9,613,099; 1860-4, $7,386,541; 1870-4, $12,418,083; 1879-83, $22,552,867. Coffee loomed up from none in 1860-4, 695,671 centals in 1870-4, to 1,519,494 centals in 1879-83. Sugar was also a prominent staple, followed by India-rubber. The number of merchant vessels which visited Guat. ports on the Pac. during 1883 were 7 steamers of the Pac. Mail S. Co., which made their periodical trips; 3 stmrs. of the Kosmos (German) line, to which special privileges were granted by the Guat. govt, in 1882. Sailing vessels, 6 Am., 1 Eng., 6 French, 3 German, and 1 Salvadoran. To Livingston, on the Atlantic, came monthly 4 Am. and one Eng. steamer. Seven vessels did coasting trade under the Eng. flag. Vessels arrived in 1884, 171 with 173,982 tons; departed 168 with 173,758 tons, carrying away 109,402 packages of merchandise and products of the country.

Honduras: exports consisted of bullion, mahogany, and other woods, hides, sarsaparilla, tobacco, cattle, and indigo; the imports, of cottons, silk, hardware, etc. The chief ports are Omoa and Trujillo on the Atlantic, and Amapala on the Pacific. Values of imports: 1856, $750,000, chiefly from Great Britain; 1867, $750,000; 1873, $1,000,000; 1877, $640,000; 1880, $750,000; 1882-3, $2,885,000; 1886, from $2,000,000 to $2,500,000. The tariff was low. Exports: 1856, $825,000; 1867, $825,000; 1872-3, $2,370,000; 1876, $1,234,983; 1877, $595,000; 1880, $650,000; 1882-3, $3,415,000; 1886, $2,000,000 to $2,500,000. British Hond. or Belize: imports: 1873, $1,183,074; 1878-81, $1,923,000, nearly two thirds from G. Britain, and the rest from the U. S. Exports: $1,251,000, about two thirds to G. Britain, and the rest to the U. S. The principal exports to the latter country were woods, raw sugar, fruits, nuts, coffee, drugs and dyes, rubber, hides, etc.

Salvador: articles of export, indigo, coffee, sugar, tobacco, caoutchouc, rebozos, balsam, hides, and cotton. Imports: comestibles, wines and liquors, cotton, linen, woollen, and silk fabrics, hardware, etc. The ports of entry were La Union, La Libertad, and Acajutla. Imported goods pay duties according to the tariff, which were mostly specific, but many articles paid, besides, 20 per cent ad valorem. Products of the other Central American states on being imported, reciprocity existing, paid only 4 per cent ad val. Articles intended for the development of industries and education were exempt. The importation of arms, without special leave of the government, alcohol and common rum, cognac, gin, absinthe, aniseseed, coriander, sassafras, saltpetre, and obscene images was forbidden. Products of the country were free from export dues, except indigo, ores, gold and silver bullion, and jewelry. Import values: 1855-61, $6,816,879; 1864, $1,233,711; 1866-8, $5,799,912; 1871-4, $12,869,514; 1877, $2,186,000; 1880-3, $5,750,000. Exports: the greater part to Great Britain, the U. S. occupying the second place: 1855-61, $8,831,990; 1864-8, $13,931,675, cotton counting somewhat among the exports during the war in the U. S.; but after its termination this staple ceased to figure; 1871-8, $29,206,953; 1880-3, $8,708,000.

Nicaragua: principal markets, U. S., Eng., France, and Cent. Am.; chief exports, coffee, India-rubber, cattle, hides, and gold; also cabinet and dye woods, indigo, sugar, rum, cacao, dairy products, gums, pearl and tortoise shells, etc. Ports San Juan del Norte, San Juan del Sur, and Realejo or Corinto. The first named was declared a free port in 1860. Import values: 1861-73, $3,355,600, exclusive of coin, and not including the years 1870-2. Nic., Gaceta, Feb. 21, 1874. Lévy, a good authority, gives the imports for 1865-71 at $6,275,324, adding that in the first two years the balance of trade was against Nic. to the amount of $453,429; 1873-6, $4,313,876; 1877-80, $5,117,661; 1881-4, $7,157,525; these figures include about half a million dollars in coin. Wholesale merchants sold at long terms, often 18 months; most of the buyers disposed of the goods at once, with 20 per ct loss, but for cash, and during 17 months' use of the capital making as much as 50 per ct profit, which enabled them to pay for the merchandise originally bought. Exports: 1861-73, $4,153,677, without including for 1871-2. Lévy has for 1865-71, $6,789,841; 1873-6, $5,694,009; 1877-80, $6,303,589; 1881-4, $8,926,965. In view of the fall in the price of coffee in late years in foreign markets, and of the decrease in the production of rubber, there was cause to fear that the day was not distant when the balance of trade would be against Nic., unless with the facilities afforded by the railroads the exportations of timber and dye-woods should be greatly developed, as expected. The exports of cattle to the other states of Cent. Am. have become quite considerable. The two chief centres of internal trade were Granada and Leon, which supplied their own departments. Chontales was supplied from the former, Segovia from the latter, Matagalpa from both. Rivas and Chinandega imported a portion of their supplies, buying the rest respectively at Granada and Leon. Rivas furnished cacao; Jinotepeque and Chinandega, sugar; Leon, corn and salt; Masaya and other towns, edibles.

Costa Rica imported cotton, linen, woollen, and silk fabrics, fancy articles, comestibles, wines, liquors, and other things, from England, France, U. S., etc., and exported chiefly coffee, tortoise-shells, hides, rubber, vanilla, sarsaparilla, timber, etc. Her ports for foreign trade are at present Limon on the Atlantic, and Puntarenas on the Pacific; the latter being, down to 1883, almost the only port of Costa Rica; but of late the former, owing to railroad facilities, has obtained the first rank; shipments through Puntarenas being mainly of produce from Esparta, and other places near it. It was a free port at one time, but ceased to be such in Jan. 1861. In earlier years Matina and Caldera had been open ports, and even Guanacaste was made a free port in 1848. Port Limon was created in Oct. 1852; it has a free zone under decrees passed in 1883. Costa Rica's import values: 1845, $463,000, through Matina and Puntarenas; 1852-9, $7,330,398; 1864, $1,718,000; 1871, $2,225,000; 1873-4, $6,980,000; 1877, about $2,000,000; 1880-3, $7,220,000. Exports: 1845, $631,700; 1852-9, $7,458,913; 1864, $1,812,682; 1868, $2,189,118; 1871, $2,288,450; 1873-4, $8,192,517; 1877, $5,308,000; May 1, 1879, to Apr. 30, 1881, $7,724,810; 1882-3, $6,470,000. The exports of coffee from Puntarenas and Limon in 1884 were 191,719 centals. Large quantities of bananas were also exported from Limon. Vessels arrived in 1882-3, at Limon 86, at Puntarenas 75; in 1883-4, at Limon 77, at Puntarenas 110. Marure, Bosq. Hist. Cent. Am., i. 147; Baily's Cent. Am., 158; Squier's Cent. Am., 269-70, 310, 458-9, 471-2, 526; Squier's Travels, i. 83; Molina, Bosq. Costa R., 31-3, 64-6; Belly, Nic., i. 93; Laferrière, De Paris à Guatém., 34-7, 51-4, 168-9, 261-3, 436; Am. Cyclop., v. 290, 395; viii. 790; xiv. 610; Montúfar, Resúmen Hist., v. 519; Encyclop. Brit. (Am. ed.), vi. 398; xii. 135-6; El Guatemalteco, March 19, May 19, 1884; Wappäus, Mex. und Cent. Am., 322, 359; Jülfs, Die Seehäfen, 36; Lévy, Nic., 512, 516-17; Batres' Sketch Guat., 862-6, 73; Camp's Year-Book, 1861, 527; Salv., Constitucional, no. 6; Id., Diario Ofic., June 3, 7, Oct. 21, 1875; March 4, 1876; Sept. 17, 1878, suppl.; Jan. 11, May 3, 1879; Id., Gac., Aug. 12, 1853; Oct. 27, 1876; Feb. 27, 1877; Nic., Gaceta, Dec. 23, 1865; Dec. 15, 1866; Aug. 22, 1868; March 12, 1870; Id., Decretos, 1869-70, 141-4; Id., Boletin Ofic., March 8, 1862; Id., Mem. Min. Fomento, for years 1867-71; Id., Mem. Min. Hac., 1871-83; Presid. Cárdenas, Mensaje, Jan. 15, 1885; Guat., Recop. Ley., i. 771, 785-92; Id., Gob. Democ., i. 2-3; Guat., Mem. Sec. Hac., for years 1880-4; Id., Mem. Sec. Fomento, for years 1883-5; U. S. Gov. Docs., Comm. Rel., for years 1856-77; Id., H. Ex. Doc., Cong. 43, Sess. 1, vol. i. years 1873-4, 440-7; Sess. 2, xvi. 188-95, 200; Cong. 46, Sess. 2, xxv. pt 1, 27; Cong. 47, Sess. 1, xiv. 38; Costa R., Col. Ley., iv. 112-14; v. 232-4; vi. 301-3; x. 78-9, 142-4, 148-57; xvi. 199-200; xvii. 135-6; Id., Col. Dispos. Legisl., 1878, 113-14; Id., Mem. Sec. Hac., 1853, 11-12; 1875, 34; 1880, annexes 15-23; 1883, annexes 11-12; 1884, 24, 246-66, 304, 308; Id., Informe Sec. Obras Púb., 1878, 15-17; Id., Informe Sec. Agric., 1879, 22, and table 4; 1880, 23-4; Id., Gaceta Gob., Jan. 26, Feb. 16, 1850; Id., Mem. Sec. Marina, 1883, 7, and two tables, annex 5; Id., Regl. Franquicias, 1883, 1-15; Pan. Star and Herald, March 23, 1881; Sept. 13, 1882; Jan. 17, Feb. 1, 17, March 23, 1883; March 8, 15, Dec. 16, 1884; March 9, Oct. 24, 1885; June 2, 1886; La Estrella de Pan., Nov. 6, 1884; Samayoa, J. M., Apuntam., 1885, 5.