CENTRAL . AMERICA. 



173 



CENTRAL AMERICA, REPUBLICS OF. 



There are at present in Central America five 

 independent republics, namely : 1. Guatemala, 

 with an area of 1,918 geographical square 

 miles, and about 850,000 inhabitants. Geu. 

 Carrera is president for life. He was elected 

 October 19th, 1851. The receipts of tbe Gov- 

 ernment in 1859 amounted to $1,283,594, the 

 expenditures to $1,272,280. The regular army 

 consisted of 3,200 men ; the militia of 12,000. 

 The value of the importations was (in 1860), $1,- 

 434,671; that of exportations, $1,916,325. 2. San 

 Salvador. According to a decree of 1809, the 

 president of this republic is to be chosen every 

 Bix years, and the legislative chambers con- 

 sist of 24 deputies and 12 senators, who meet 

 biennially. The area of the republic is 345 geo- 

 graphical square miles ; the number of inhabit- 

 ants 600,000. The receipts were in 1861, 

 $559,623 ; the expenditures, $604,847. There 

 were in circulation in 1862, treasury bonds to 

 the amount of $175,245. Besides the republic 

 had a consolidated foreign debt, amounting to 

 $360,000. The army consisted of 1,000 regular 

 troops and 5,000 militia. The importations 

 amounted, in 1861, to $1,319,727; the exporta- 

 tions to $2,340,778. 3. Honduras. The dura- 

 tion of the office of the president is four years. 

 The representative chamber consists of 11 mem- 

 bers, the senate of 7, the council of state of 

 the ministers and 7 other members. The area 

 is about 2,215 geographical square miles, and 

 the population 350,000. The annual receipts 

 of the Government amount to about $250,000. 

 The importations are about $750,000; the 

 exportations, $825,005. 4. Nicaragua. Accord- 

 ing to the -constitution of August 19th, 1858, 

 the president is elected for four years. It has a 

 representative chamber and a senate. The area 

 is 2,iT36 geographical square miles, and 400,000 

 inhabitants. The receipts of the Government, 

 in 1861, amounted to $385,044 ; the expendi- 

 tures to $378,955; the public debt to $4,000,- 

 000. 5. Costa Rica. The president and vice- 

 president of the republic are elected for a term 

 of three years. The senate has 25, and the cham- 

 ber of representatives 29 members. The area 

 is 1,011 geographical square miles, and the 

 population 126,750. The annual revenue of the 

 Government is about 1,000,000 piasters. The 

 militia numbers about 5,000 men, 200 of whom 

 are periodically called into active service. 



Propositions for reuniting the republics of 

 Central America have frequently been made. 

 The latest of these is the one made by Senor 

 Iglesias, the minister of foreign affairs of Costa 

 Rica. Under date of November 25th, 1862, he 

 issued a project for a Central American union. 

 By this document it was proposed that Guate- 

 mala, Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa 

 Rica should mutually guarantee their territorial 

 integrity, their independence and institutions. 

 To effect this purpose two representatives were 

 to be elected by each State, and remain in per- 

 manent session, under the name of the Central 

 American Diet. 



These representatives were to be elected ac- 

 cording to the law which exists in each State 

 relative to the election of members to the 

 legislature. It was proposed to elect them for 

 two years, with power to continue them in office 

 indefinitely. Their duties were thus defined : 



In all questions arising between the Central 

 American Governments, threatening to disturb 

 the peace, their decision is to be definite and 

 without appeal ; in case of foreign invasion they 

 are to adopt the measures for the general pro- 

 tection, decide on the contingent to be furnished 

 by each State, and appoint the commander-in- 

 chief. By them all treaties made with foreign 

 Powers were to be either rejected, accepted, or 

 modified, and all questions of colonization, tran- 

 sit, navigation, or grants of territory, must be 

 submitted to them and approved. 



In addition to the foregoing, constituting the 

 principal duties of this body, a power was given 

 to decide in international questions between the 

 States, and to propose the best plan for a uni- 

 form system of duties, weights, measures, &c. 



After a number of minor clauses, the last ar- 

 ticle of Sr. Iglesias's project appoints the first 

 meeting to be held in the city of Guatemala, to 

 consider on a permanent location, but the clause 

 expressly declares that none of the capitals of 

 the five States shall be selected. 



Many of the statesmen of Central America 

 sympathized with the plan of Sr. Iglesias, but 

 it was not adopted. 



On January 23d, 1863, the president of Guate- 

 mala, Gen. Carrera, declared war against the 

 republic of San Salvador. Four months before, 

 the president of San Salvador, Gen. Barrios, had 

 proposed to Gen. Carrera to place himself at 

 the head of a Central American league, and 

 march to the aid of Mexico against France. 

 The answer of Gen. Carrera was a declaration 

 of war against Salvador. He left his capital, 

 Guatemala, on February 4th, with an army 

 of 2,700, who were to be joined on the frontier 

 by 2,300 men. On February 18th, he entered 

 the territory of Salvador, and occupied the 

 town of Santana. On February 24th, he at- 

 tempted to storm with his entire army the 

 position of the Salvadorians at Ocotepec, but 

 was totally routed, and forced to retreat into 

 the territory of Guatemala. Soon after he 

 again invaded the territory of Salvador, but 

 had scarcely crossed the frontier before a revo- 

 lution broke out against his rule in Guate- 

 mala. He at once returned, after having 

 burned the town of Matapan, and succeeded 

 in crushing the insurrection. He then re- 

 sumed the invasion of San Salvador, in which 

 he was assisted by the troops of Nicaragua. 

 Gen. Barrios, who was supported by Honduras, 

 encouraged an invasion of Nicaragua by Gen. 

 Jerez, an exile leader of the liberal party of 

 Nicaragua. This insurrection was, however, 

 soon suppressed, Gen. Jerez having been totally 

 defeated at Leon. During this insurrection the 

 steamers of the Central American Transit Com- 

 pany were seized, on April 7th, by an Anier- 



