314 
large burden; which cut is to commu- 
nicate with the bay of Nicoya, in the 
Pacific Ocean, in lat. 10°. 
With the general views of the pro- 
jectors, as far as the lake Nicaragua is 
made the centre of operations, we con- 
cur, as we have said; but with its de- 
tails we totally disagree. As far, also, 
as the river St. Juan is concerned, 
nothing can be objected. The course 
of that river is through a country re- 
plete with animal and vegetable produc- 
tions; rich in mineral wealth, and re- 
dundant with commercial capabilities. 
The great labour, with regard to the 
eastern, or Atlantic side of the lake, is 
accomplished to the hands of the pro- 
jectors, and nothing remains but to 
open a communication on the western, 
or Pacific side. Here nothing opposes 
itself but a narrow unobstructed strip 
of land, in some places fifteen, in others 
not more than ten miles in breadth. 
For what purpose then prolong the 
distance of the communication over a 
tract of country forty miles in length, 
and over a mountainous ridge, which 
separates the district of Nicaragua 
from that of Nicoya? The head of 
the river Nicoya is on the southern- 
most side of this ridge; but we are 
greatly mistaken, if a canal of less than 
twenty or twenty-four miles in length 
(and not fourteen), will reach it from 
the southermost point of the lake Nica- 
ragua. It is suggested, we presume, 
on account of the natural advantages 
of the Gulf of Salinas, into which the 
river Nicoya falls, as a sea-port: but 
the Gulf of Papagayo offers scarcely 
less advantage on the western side of 
the strip of land, which divides lake 
Nicaragua from the Pacific Ocean. In 
short, it is a remarkable fact which ap- 
pears to have escaped the projectors, 
of the Nicoya line, that the communi- 
cation on the western side is already 
completed by nature, as well as on the 
east; and all that nature wants is a 
little art, in order to improve the ad- 
vantage she offers: for the river De 
Partido, which runs from east to west, 
through the upper part of the province 
of Nicoya, communicates by an arm of 
not more than ten miles in length, with 
lake Nicaragua, and falls, at the distance 
of another ten miles, into the bay of 
Papagayo, at Brito Creek, where there 
is an excellent roadstead for shipping. 
The communication we now recom- 
mend, is, therefore, to ascend the river 
De Partido at Brito Creek, to enter lake 
Nicaragua, traverse the lake from west 
Union of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. 
2 
[Nov. I, 
to east, skirting the volcanic and roman- 
tic islet of Ometepec, and so to descend, 
by means of the river St. Juan, into the 
Atlantic. The harbour of St. John 
forms the eastern, the harbour of Brito 
the western points of the line. : 
We will now give a few topographi- 
cal details of the province of Nicaragua, 
which are interesting in point of novelty, 
and are necessary to a perfect view of the 
practicability and advantage of the pro- 
jected communication. ' 
The lake of Nicaragua may rank 
among the most extensive of the world; 
being more than 180 miles long from west 
to east, and nearly 100 broad from north 
to south. It has every where a depth of 
ten fathoms, with a muddy bottom, ex- 
cept along the shore, where there is 
a clear sand. The city is supplied with 
water from the lake, which also fur- 
nishes an inexhaustible abundance of 
fine fish, It is rendered extremely 
picturesque, by the numerous small 
islands with which the surface is stud- 
ded. These are all uncultivated, ex- 
cept Ometep, which is inhabited, and 
on which there is a lofty yolcano of a 
conical shape, which emits both flames 
and smoke. Although a great number 
of rivers fall into this basin, and the 
river St. Juan is the only visible outlet ; 
it is remarked, as an extraordinary phe- 
nomenon, that there is no indication, 
at any time, of increase or decrease of 
the waters. On the north, the district 
of Matagalpa, and many large farms for 
breeding cattle, border the lake. On 
the east, the river St. Juan communi- 
cates .with the Atlantic, and on the 
west is the lake of Leon, which is cen- 
nected by a canal with that of Nicara- 
gua, and extends upwards of fifty miles 
in length, by thirty in breadth. 
The principal towns in the district 
of Nicaragua are Granada, New Sego- 
via, and Leon. 
Granada is a handsome and agree- 
able city on the margin of the great 
lake of Nicaragua: its figure is that of 
a parallelogram, fortified by natural 
dykes which serve as fosses. The 
situation of this city, close to the lake, 
by which there is a direct communica- 
tion with the Atlantic, and its conti- 
guity to the Pacific Ocean, affords the 
most advantageous facilities for°carry- ~ 
ing on an extensive commerce. The 
population is about 8,000 souls. New 
Segovia, though the residence of the 
Deputy-Intendant-General of Leon, is 
small, containing not more than 1,000 
souls, Spaniards and Ladinos. The 
city 
