6 The Naturalist in Nicaragua 
that he renders in all cases of emergency, free of charge, have 
made him very popular at Greytown. His beautiful house 
and grounds, with a fine avenue of coco-nut trees in full bear- 
ing, form one of the most attractive sights in Greytown. I 
found Mr. Paton, the vice-consul, equally obliging, and I am 
indebted to him for much information respecting the trade 
of the port, particularly with regard to the export of india- 
rubber, the development of which trade he was one of the 
first to encourage. 
Behind the town there is a long lagoon, and for several 
miles back the land is quite level, and interspersed with lakes 
and ponds with much marshy ground. Perfectly level, sur- 
rounded by swamps, and without any system of drainage, 
either natural or artificial, excepting such as the sandy soil 
affords, Greytown might be thought a very unhealthy site 
for a town. Notwithstanding, however, its apparent disad- 
vantages, and that for nine months of the year it is subject 
to heavy tropical rains, it is comparatively healthy, and freer 
from fever than many places that appear at first sight better 
situated. Much is due to the porous sandy soil, but more I 
believe to what appears at first sight an element of danger, 
the perfect flatness of the ground. Where there are hills 
there must be hollows, and in these the air stagnates; whilst 
here, where the land is quite level, the trade winds that blow 
pretty constantly find their way to every part, and carry off 
the emanations from the soil. As a similar instance I may 
mention the city of Pernambuco, on the eastern coast of 
Brazil, containing 80,000 inhabitants. It is perfectly level 
like Greytown, surrounded and intersected with channels of 
water, above the level of which it only stands a few feet. 
The crowded parts of the town are noted for their evil smells 
and filth, but, though entirely without drainage, it is cele- 
brated for its healthiness; whilst a little lower down the 
‘coast, the town of Maceio, situated about sixty feet above 
the sea, surrounded by undulating ranges and with a good 
natural drainage, is much more unhealthy, fevers being very 
prevalent. As at Greytown so at Pernambuco, the trade 
winds blow with much regularity, and there are neither hills 
nor hollows to interfere with the movements of the air, so 
that miasmatic exhalations cannot accumulate. 
Surrounding the cleared portions around Greytown is a 
