REVIEWS — NOTES OK CENTRAL AMERICA. 371 



These natural conditions will continue to foster settlement and population on 

 the one hand, and discourage and oppose it on the other ; and not until those por- 

 tions of Central and South America which are most favored in respect of position 

 and climate are filled to overflowing, and the progress of discovery, both in science 

 and art, has invested men with augmented ability to combatsuccessfully the diseases 

 and physical difficulties which exist in the valleys of the Amazon and Orinoco, and 

 on the Mosquito Shore, will those regions be submitted to the influences of civiliza- 

 tion, or become the seats of any considerable populations. 



The natural relations of Central America, as indicated by the physical facts alrea- 

 dy pointed out, are clearly with the Pacific and the states which now exist or may 

 spring into existence upon that coast. To California and the greater part of 

 Mexico, as also to some of the states of South America, it must come sooner or 

 later, to sustain a position corresponding with that which the "West Indies have 

 held toward the United States and Europe, with the important addition of being an 

 established route of travel, and perhaps ultimately of commerce, between the 

 eastern and western hemispheres. Its destiny is plainly written in the outlines of 

 its coast, and is printed on its surface, not less than demonstrated by its geographi- 

 cal position.'' 



The whole of the third chapter is devoted to the question of popu- 

 lation, and embodies much valuable information, derived from official 

 documents, statistical tables and various other sources of iuformation, 

 supplemented by the author's own peculiar views and critical deduc- 

 tions. From this, as well as some later pages of the volume referring 

 to the same subject, we shall make some extracts : 



" Mr. Taompson who was British commissioner to the old Federation of Central 

 America in 1823, estimated the relative proportions of the people as follows : 



Whites and Creoles One fifth. 



Mixed Classes Two fifths. 



Indians Two fifths. 



He estimates the Europeans, ' or perfect whites,' at not more than 5000. Mr. 

 Crowe, referring specially to Guatemala, calculates the proportions as follows: 



Indians Three fifths. 



Ladinos One fourth. 



Whites One fortieth. 



Mulattoes One eightieth. 



Negroes One fiftieth. 



Sambos One hundredth. 



Ladinos, it may be observed, is a term signifying gallant men, and is understood 

 to apply to the descendants of whites and Indians. It is only used in Central 

 America. 



The following Table probably exhibits very nearly the exact proportions in 

 Central America, so far as they may be deduced from existing data and from per- 

 sonal observation : 



Whites 100,000 



Mixed 800,000 



Negroes 10,000 



Indians 1,109,000 



Total 2,019,000 



