REVIEWS — NOTES OK CENTEAL AMERICA. 369 



made, under my directions, may, however, be regarded as having put the question 

 at rest. Coal was found at a number <>f places in the valley of the Rio Titiguapa, 

 flowing into the Lempa from the west, of good quality, proper geological conditions 

 and with every indication of abundance. This river, it may be observed, is navi- 

 gable for seven months in the year. The coal occurs about two leagues above its 

 junction with the Lempa ; also in the valley of the Rio Torola, about three leagues 

 from its junction with the Lempa, of good quality, apparently abundant, and having 

 all the geological conditions perfect. Near the town cf Hobasco, close to the Rio 

 Lempa, it is reported to exist in large beds, and to have been used for many years 

 by the village smiths. 



The coal of San Salvador is all of the variety called broicn coal, and is a later for- 

 mation than what is known as pit coal. In Germany it is fouDd in vast deposits in 

 Croatia, Moravia, Bohemia, Tyrol, Saxony, Silesia, etc., and it is worthy of remark 

 that all the coal which has been found south of the Mississippi Valley, in Mexico, 

 Central America, New Granada, Chili, etc., appears to be of this variety. In the coun- 

 ty of Mansfeldt, in Germany, the brown coal is used for toughening copper, and for 

 melting the white metal for the blue metal in reverberating furnaces. All 

 the steam-engines in the above named German coal districts are fed with this 

 coal. It can be used for refining lead and silver, for the calcination of ores, and 

 generally for all the operations performed in reverberatory furnaces. Trials 

 which have hitherto been made to coke it, for use in blast furnaces, have 

 not been successful. I am not aware that its use has ever been attempted for lo- 

 comotives and steam ships. This is not remarkable, as it has hitherto been found 

 where no opportunity has existed of submitting it to this kind of trial. That found 

 in the valley of Rio Titiguapa, already alluded to, has a specific gravity of 1.57 ; 

 ashes 10.5 per cent. It is of that peculiar kind of brown coal called pitch coal, and 

 is rich in bitumen." 



In these notices we have devoted the largest share of attention to 

 San Salvador, which, though the smallest of the Central American 

 States, is in many respects the most remarkable. It has relatively 

 the most numerous population, and surpasses all the other States in 

 industry and extent of commerce. But there is another subject, re- 

 lating to the whole region of Central America, in reference to its 

 varied population, which has specially engaged Mr. Squier's atten- 

 tion, and to which we shall devote the remainder of our space. There 

 is a disposition apparent on the part of the author to disparage the 

 Mosquito population, such as we can scarcely avoid ascribing fully as 

 much to political as to ethnological grounds. But, making allow- 

 ance for this, the following generalization is of considerable value : 



" The area of Central America may be calculated, in round numbers, at 155,000 

 square miles — very nearly equal to that of the New England and the Middle States 

 combined. The population may be estimated at not far from 2,000,000, of which 

 Guatemala i Salvador, 894,000; Honduras, 350,000; Nicaragua, 



300,000 ; an.i Cosl I Rica, 1 :^,000. 



The geographical and topographical features of all countries have had, and always 

 must have, an important and often a controlling influence upon the character and 



