Granada ; 263 
—whether the chief of the state be elective or hereditary— 
but the fundamental principle of good government, namely, 
that the will of the majority shall be the law of the land, 
is trampled under foot and treated as the dream of an 
enthusiast. 
The environs of Granada are very pretty; it is situated 
only a mile from the lake, and a few miles lower down the 
sleeping volcano of Mombacho juts boldly out, rising to a 
height of nearly 5000 feet, and clothed to the very summit 
with dark perennial verdure. The cacao of Granada and 
Rivas is said to be amongst the finest grown, and there are 
many large plantations of it. The wild cacao grows in the 
forests of the Atlantic slope, and when cultivated it still 
requires shade to thrive luxuriantly. This is provided 
at first by plantain trees, afterwards by the coral tree, 
a species of Evyihrina, called by the natives Cacao madre, 
or the Cacao’s mother, on account of the fostering shade it 
affords the cacao tree. The coral tree rises to a height of 
about forty feet, and when in flower, at the beginning of 
April, is one mass of bright crimson flowers, fairly dazzling 
the eyes of the beholder when the sun is shining on it. 
One of the principal courts of law is held at Granada, and 
whilst we were there a priest was being tried for having 
seduced his own niece. He was afterwards convicted, and, 
to show the moral torpidity of the people, I may mention 
that his only punishment was banishment to Greytown, 
where he appeared to mix in Nicaraguan society as if he had 
not a spot on his character. 
Having finished our business in Granada, we started for 
Masaya, where I wished to consult a lawyer, Senhor Rafael 
Blandino, who most deservedly bears a very high character 
in Nicaragua for probity and ability. We had a difficulty in 
obtaining horses, and did not get away until noon. The 
road was a good one, having been made by the late President, 
Senor Fernando Guzman, who seems to have done what little 
lay in his power to develop the resources of the country. The 
soil was entirely composed of volcanic tufas, and was covered 
with fine grass; but there were no springs or brooks, all the 
moisture sinking into the porous ground. Lizards were 
numerous, and on damp spots on the road there were many 
