164 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



and that generally spoken along the coast, is the English tongue. 

 The Mosquito state is an autonomy under the sovereignty of 

 Nicaragua, but to understand its unique position in the family of 

 nations it would be necessary to give an outline of its more recent 

 history. Such a sketch would scarcely prove of interest, and 

 would far exceed the limits of this article. 



Bluefields, the capital and only port of the Mosquito Reserva- 

 tion, gets its name from a famous old pirate of the past, called 

 Bleevelt, the remains of whose stronghold in an advanced state 

 of decay are still seen on a high promontory at the entrance of 

 the harbor known as the " BlufP." The town proper lies about 

 six miles from the sea, and is reached by crossing a large lagoon 

 of such shallowness that only after much tugging, pushing, and 

 pulling in small boats of the lightest draught is the passenger 

 landed at the Government wharf. Seen from the lagoon, the 

 town presents a pleasant picture. Seated upon comparatively 

 high ground, the luscious green of the luxuriant vegetation in 

 which it is framed runs quite down to the water's edge, while 

 here and there a stately palm or cocoanut tree, its leaves nodding 

 lazily in the almost imperceptible breeze, gives the landscape that 

 calm, dreamy look so characteristic of tropical life. There is but 

 one street in the town (King Street) leading up from the wharf. 

 On this street are its few stores and trade shops. The rest of the 

 settlement covering an area of two square miles is scattered 

 about, wheresoever the householders willed it, without plan or 

 reference to streets and lanes. At the time of my visit the town 

 contained three horses and two carts or wagons, so it is evident 

 that streets would be of less use for traffic than for the sake of 

 symmetry, and Sambo idea of symmetry is an unknown quantity. 

 The houses of Bluefields, with the exception of a few native 

 " shacks,'' are built of lumber brought from the United States, 

 and are similar in style of architecture to those found in small 

 American villages. All buildings are erected on j)osts, and raised 

 two or three feet above the ground, to avoid the wet and mud of 

 the rainy season. The population, numbering about fifteen hun- 

 dred, is composed principally of the descendants of Jamaica 

 negroes, with a sprinkling of cross-breed Indians, Spaniards, and 

 negroes ; these are known as " Sambos." 



Bluefields and Bananas. Such as it is, Bluefields owes its 

 prosperity chiefly to American enterprise and capital. The in- 

 creasing demand in the States for bananas, and the proximity of 

 the Mosquito country to New Orleans (the journey being only 

 four days by steamer), induced some Americans of a speculative 

 turn to explore the country, with a view to supplying the demand 

 for the fruit. Their ventures were successful beyond expectation, 

 the soil and climate being peculiarly adapted for banana grow- 



