SAN SALVADOR. 



SAN" SALVADOR (RptBUOA DK SAS 

 SALVADOR), one of the five independent states 

 >: Central America; lying between latitude 

 13* and 14 10' north, and longitude 87 and 

 00 west It is bounded northeast by Nica- 

 ragua ; southeast by Fouseca Bay ; south by 

 tbe Pacific Ocean ; and northwest by Guate- 

 mala. The territory is divided into eight de- 

 partments: San Miguel, San Vicente, La Paz, 

 Chalatenango, Sucbitoto, San Salvador. Son- 

 sonate, and Santa Ana, with their capitals of 

 the same names respectively, except La Paz, 

 whose capital is Sacatecoluca. 



The area of the republic comprises 9,600 

 square miles, according to Squier; but most 

 authorities give it at 7,500 square miles ap- 

 proximately. 



The population is computed to be abont 

 600,000, distributed according to races in the 

 following manner: whites, 9,000; Indians, 

 300,000 ; negroes, 1,000 ; and mestizoes, 290,- 

 000. 



San Salvador, the capital city, had at the 

 commencement of 1873 about 20,000 inhab- 

 itants. According to a census taken in Octo- 

 ber, it had been reduced to 16,000, a diminu- 

 tion to be accounted for by the earthquake of 

 last March. 



The President of the republic is General 

 San J. Gonzalez, reflected on February 1, 

 1872, for a term of two years ; the Vice-Pres- 

 idont is the licentiate M. Mendez; the Minis- 

 ter of Foreign Affairs, ; the Min- 

 ister of War and Finances, General IJ. Busta- 

 mante; Minister of Public Instruction, the 

 Vice- President of the Republic ; and the Min- 

 uter of Justice, the licentiate M. Trigueros. 



The President of tbe Corps legislatif is M. 

 Vasconoellos ; President of the Senate, Dr. T. 

 Silva; and the Bishop, T. M. Pineda y Zal- 

 duna. 



The army is 1,000 strong in time of peace, 

 and the militia 6,000. 



The chief staples of export are indigo, 

 coffee, sugar, balsam of Pern, and India-rub- 

 ber ; the most important of these by far is the 

 first The exports of the year 1872 reached a 

 total value of $8,800,000; and the imports, 

 $8.000,000. 



During the first half of the fiscal year 1872- 

 '73, the importation through the custom-house 

 at La Libertad, comprised 2-1,216 packages, at 

 the value of $21,090 40; the exports of 11,804 

 packages, valued at $401,208. 



A railway to connect the capital with the 

 port of La Libertad is in process of construc- 

 tion. As early as February Mr. Bneron, the 

 engineer, informed the Government that 1,415 

 metres of the line were graded and prepared 

 for the laying of the rails; and that, with 

 1,010 metre* more, the most difficult section 

 that from San Salvador to Santa Tecla would 

 be completed; so that only three kilometres 

 would then le wanting to finish that portion 

 of tlio line between the port of La Lagnna and 

 the capital. Five bridges required between 



the Arena! and the Panteon were likewise in 

 course of preparation ; and it was regarded as 

 probable that trains would begin to run in 

 May over the section alluded to. The survey 

 lit' t lie remainder of the line from Santa Tecla 

 tn Lu Libertad was in progress. The rails and 

 rolling-stock for the road were shipped from 

 Kunipu in 1872. The railways from Sun 

 uel to La Union and from Santana to AcajuUa 

 via Sonsonate were progressing favorably. 



There are 570 kilometres (abont 220 miles) 

 of telegraph in the republic, the lines com- 

 municating with those of Guatemala an. 1 Hon- 

 duras. The working expenses of the whole 

 triumph system amount usually to about 

 $20,000, and the receipts are reported at $22,- 

 000. These lines belong to the Government. 



Much was done during the year to improve 

 the national highways, and particularly the car- 

 riage-road from Chalatenango to the capital. 



The revenue for 1878 was estimated at 

 $1,019,857.40. 



The municipal revenues in the republic moke 

 an annual total of about $200,000. 



The consolidated debt of San Salvador was 

 reported to be, on Septembers, 18(59, 

 800, represented mainly by libranzas, treasury- 

 bills, at six per cent, interest, with an annual 

 amortization of $24,557. The only other in- 

 debtedness of the country at that time was a 

 floating debt of $84,264. But this prosperous 

 state of affairs underwent a complete change 

 by the war with Honduras in 1872, which cost 

 the Government, in all probability, little less 

 than $7,000,000. 



In San Salvador, as in all the Spanish-Amer- 

 ican states, the lack of hands for the prosecu- 

 tion of the public works is sensibly felt, and 

 seriously retards the material development of 

 the country. The Government, despite the po- 

 litical broils and petty revolutions by which it 

 is almost incessantly harassed, makes use of 

 such means as it has at its disposal to remedy 

 the evil ; but as European immigrants are not 

 easily obtained in the more prosperous of the 

 Central-American republics, and much less so 

 for San Salvador, coolies are looked to as tlio 

 more immediate source of relief. A conces- 

 sion was secured in April for the introduction 

 of 500 immigrants, Chinese and Earopc.-m. 



At the beginning of the year, when tlio re- 

 public was at peace with the neighboring 

 . ^rr. at anxiety was caused in political 

 circles by the undecided and suspicious pol- 

 icy of Costa Rica, the real nature of whose 

 relations with and intentions toward the sister 

 republics ol'( Yntral America it was somewhat 

 difficult to define. But a short time before, a 

 peace policy had been declared in a circular 

 issued by Dr. Castro, of Costa Rica ; but the 

 resumption of the supreme power by President 

 Guardia was immediately followed by the 

 banishment of a number of leading citizens 

 from the republic, and among them Dr. <'a>tro 

 himself other acts of President (iuanlia (re- 

 corded in the articles COSTA RICA, GUATEMALA, 



