Across Nicaragua ivith Transit and MacJiete. 315 



ACROSS NICARAGUA WITH TRANSIT AND 

 MACHETE. 



By R. E. Peary. 



The action of this National Society, with its array of distin- 

 guished members, in turning its attention for an hour to a region 

 which has interested the thinking world for more than three cen- 

 turies gives me peculiar pleasure and satisfaction, 



I propose this evening to touch lightly and briefly upon the 

 natural features of Nicaragua, to note the reasons for the inter- 

 est which has always centered upon her, to trace the growth 

 of the great project with which her name is inseparably linked ; 

 to show you somewhat in detail, the life, work, and surroundings 

 of an engineer within her borders ; and finally to show you the t 

 result that is to crown the engineer's work in her wide spreading 

 forests and fertile valleys. 



That portion of Central America now included within the 

 boundaries of our sister republic Nicaragua, has almost from the 

 moment that European eyes looked upon it attracted and 

 charmed the attention of explorers, geographers, gi'eat rulers, stu- 

 dents, and men of sagacious and far reaching intellect. 



From Gomara the long list of famous names which have 

 linked themselves with Nicaragua reaches down through Hum- 

 boldt, Napoleon III , Amraen, Lull, Menocal and Taylor. 



The shores were first seen by Europeans in 1502, when Colum- 

 bus in his fourth voyage rounded the cape which forms the 

 northeast angle of the state, and called it " Gracias a Dios," 

 which name it bears to-daj^ Columbus then coasted southward 

 along the eastern shore. 



In 1522, Avila, penetrated from the Pacific coast of the coun- 

 try to the lakes and the cities of the Indian inhabitants. 

 Previous to this the country was occupied by a numerous 

 population of Aztecs, or nearly allied people, as the quan- 

 tities of specimens of pottery, gold images, and other articles 

 found upon the islands and along the shores of the lakes, prove 

 conclusively. 



