594 



NICARAGUA. 



fee in 1872 brought a higher price than had 

 ever before been obtained for that article, 

 namely $15.04 (soft) per quintal. 



In the course of the year 1871 the shipping 

 movements, at the port of Corinto, were as 

 follows : 



Entered Steam ere 65 ; tons, 79,283 



Sailing-vessels 24 ; tons, 5,548 



Cleared Steamers 66; tons, 79,183 



" Sailing-vessels 14 ; tons, 8,804 



And at the port of San Juan del Norte : 



Entered Steamers 13; tons, 36,963 



" Sailing-vessels 12 ; tons, 2,647 



Cleared Steamers 12 ; tons, 36,826 



" Sailing-vessels 11 ; tons, 2,457 



All kinds of merchandise imported for sale 

 or consumption, at the port of San Juan del 

 Norte, pay duties to the governor of the port ; 

 while duties on goods imported in transitu, for 

 the interior, are collected at the custom-house 

 located at the Castillo Kapids, or " El Castillo 

 Viejo," 80 miles up the river San Juan. 



The navigation of this river, and of Lake 

 Nicaragua, under the direction of a company 

 composed of foreigners and natives, who, some 

 three years ago, entered into a contract with 

 the government for the exclusive right to navi- 

 gate the waters of the republic by steam for a 

 term of twenty years, has so far proved suc- 

 cessful, and is paying very handsome profits. 

 There is an iron steamer on the lake, and half 

 a dozen excellent boats on the river ; besides 

 which, an iron steam-tug is constantly plying 

 with freight between the wharves and such 

 vessels as cannot cross the bar at the entrance 

 to the port, where there are but seven feet of 

 water. No precise statement of the national 

 revenue and expenditure has been published 

 for a number of years. The outlay in 1868 

 was given at $517,709. 



The public debt is estimated at $4,000,000. 



The Government organ published, about the 

 beginning of the year, a number of documents 

 relative to the Central American Congress, 

 held at San Jose, Costa Rica, for the purpose 

 of forming an offensive and defensive alliance 

 between the Central American republics, the 

 result of which was the establishment of the 

 Central American Union (see CENTRAL AMER- 

 ICA). 



Although the conference had taken place, 

 and the pact been signed without the attend- 

 ance of a representative from Nicaragua, it was 

 urged that the latter republic should, never- 

 theless, not be deprived of the benefits accru- 

 ing from the union, and separated from the 

 " Central American family." Accordingly, 

 the minister plenipotentiary from Costa Rica, 

 Don Rafael Ramirez, was commissioned to 

 place the terms of the pact before the Nicara- 

 guan Government, for the purpose of obtaining 

 its adherence in case the cabinet should deem 

 it convenient. Seiior Ramirez was, however, 

 by a sudden indisposition, impeded from pro- 

 ceeding to Managua ; but he forwarded the 

 document to Don Vicente Navas, who at a 

 late hour had been appointed to represent the 



Nicaraguan Government. Seiior Navas replied 

 that, not having had an opportunity to present 

 his credentials, nor the honor of taking part 

 in the deliberations which preceded the treaty, 

 he could not then interfere personally, but 

 that he would inform his Government of the 

 matter. 



On February 16th Mr. J. Simpson made his 

 first experiment in raising water from Lake 

 Masaya by the aid of steam. The occasion 

 was solemnized by three days of feast, with 

 bull-fights at the expense of the municipality. 

 In Masaya was also celebrated, at the same 

 time, the hundredth anniversary of the erup- 

 tion of the volcano of the same name, traces 

 of which still remain, formed by the incan- 

 descent lava in its downward course to the 

 lake. The place, still bare of vegetation, is 

 known by the name of Piedra Quermada 

 (burnt stone). 



President Quadra received an autograph 

 letter from Dom Pedro II., Constitutional 

 Emperor and Perpetual Defender of Brazil, 

 congratulating him upon his elevation to the 

 presidency. 



The steamer on Lake Nicaragua was 

 wrecked under circumstances which excited 

 suspicions of foul play having been used. A 

 new steamer has been built to replace the one 

 that was lost. 



Riots took place at Satiaba and Chinandega, 

 but they were characterized as mere local 

 effervescences, that did not affect the general 

 tranquillity of the country. 



The relations between Church and State 

 were also on a cordial footing. 



In March last an expedition set out from 

 New York to survey the Sapoa and Child's 

 routes, from Lake Nicaragua to the Pacific, 

 for the purpose of determining a practical 

 route for a ship-canal between the Atlantic 

 and Pacific. The expedition, in charge of 

 Commander Grossman, consisted of Lieutenant 

 Schetkey, U. S. Navy; Lieutenant W. W. 

 Rhodes, U. S. Navy ; Lieutenant Noel, U. S. 

 Navy; Lieutenant Leutze, U. S. Navy; Mas- 

 ter J. F. Moser, U. S. Navy; Midshipmen 

 Hughes, Winslovv, and Keeler ; Civil Engineer 

 Menocal ; and Assistant Civil Engineer Crow- 

 ell. 



Early in April, Commander Crossman, Lieu- 

 tenant For6e, and four men from the Kansas, 

 while crossing the bar at Greytown, were 

 drowned. This melancholy occurrence was 

 dispiriting to the expedition, and considerably 

 damped the ardor of the whole party. Com- 

 mander Crossman was a gentleman much es- 

 teemed for his professional capabilities as well 

 as for his personal qualities, and his death 

 was much regretted as a loss to his comrades 

 and on account of the valuable services the 

 survey was deprived of by his untimely end. 

 His place was taken by Commander Hatfield. 

 of the Kansas, who continued to lead the ex- 

 pedition during the survey. 



The expedition proceeded up the San Juan 



