A TRIP TO THE TROPICS. 15 



Rio Diilce, a watercourse which extends from a hxrge lake in the 

 interior of Guatemala to the Caribbean Sea. There are several 

 sniall steamboats pl3'iug on this river and lake, making regular 

 trips uji and down, and I have to regret that I was unable to make 

 a i-ound trip in one of them. 



The river after we get over the bar at the mouth is very deep ; 

 and as it comes down through a lofty range of mountains, densely 

 wooded to tlie water's edge with tropical forests, it presents to the 

 lover of inland navigation a most beautiful and enchanting scene. 

 Just back of Livingston and on the Rio Chocon, Mr. William T. 

 Brigham, who read a paper before this Society in 1884, has estab- 

 lished a Tropical Products Company, and is very largely engaged in 

 growing sugar cane, coffee, India rubber, and in fact all the best 

 productions of a tropical country, and as Mr. Brigham is present 

 he will tell us of his success. 



The great drawback to the navigation of all the rivers in Cen- 

 tral America is the presence of sand bars accumulated at their 

 mouths, so that ships must lie out in the bays, from a half-mile to 

 one and a half miles from shore, while loading. This is rather 

 awkward in a rough sea, and often detains ships beyond their time 

 and at serious expense. 



While walking through one of the streets of Livingston I came 

 upon a man and woman who were building a house. The frame 

 consisted of some poles set in the ground, and to each side of 

 these were tied strips of the midribs of leaves of palm, and these 

 were also tied together, at regular intervals, with some very tough 

 vine from the woods. I did not see a nail used in the whole struct- 

 ure. Alongside of this house an excavation had been made about 

 two feet deep, and in this the soil which had been taken out was 

 being kneaded into mortar by tlie feet of the man and woman. 

 After the mud had become adhesive and was of the proper consist- 

 ency for handling, a small tray full of it would be taken out, and 

 the process of building up the sides of the house by filling in be- 

 tween the posts v.'ould go on till the house was complete. The roof 

 is always finished before the sides, so that the mud is protected from 

 the rains, and in due course of time it dries and makes a durable 

 house. I was told that from ten to fifteen years would pass before 

 the house would require rebuilding. The roof is a thatch, generally 

 of the fronds of the Cohuue palm ; this is preferred, because it does 

 not readily take fire. The fronds are split the whole length through 



