214 



Doc. No. 75. 



to the other, areliabie to fall into the error of supposipg the country afmo'Sf 

 wholly uninhabited. Their dwellings are usually of canes thatched with 

 palm^ many of them open at the sides, and with no other floor but the* 

 bare earth, the occupation of which is stoutly contested by pigs, calves ^ 

 fowls, and children. These fragile structures, so equable and mild is the 

 climate, are adequate to such protection as the natives are accustomed to- 

 consider necessary. Some of them are more pretending, and have the 

 canes plastered over and whitewashed, with tile roofs and other improve- 

 ments; and there are a few, belonging to large proprietors, which are ex- 

 ceedingly neat and comfortable, approaching nearer our ideas af habita- 

 tions for human beings. 



A large part of the dwellings in the towns a^e mo-ch of the same char- 

 acter; the residences of the better classes, however,, are buift of adobes, 

 are of one story, and enclose large courts, which are entered under arch- 

 ways often constructed with great beauty. The court-yard has generally 

 a number of shade trees, usually orange, making the corridors upoa v^rhich 

 all the rooms open exceedingly pleasant. 



The State is divided into five departments, each of which has several 

 judicial districts, as follows: 



Departmental 



Population* 



Districts* 





20,000 

 95,000 



90,000 

 40, 000 

 12, 000 



Rivas or Nicaragua. 

 Acayopa or Chou tales,, 



Grenada, Masaga, and 



iVlanagua. 

 Leon and- Chmandegas^ 

 Matagalpa. 

 Segovia. 







4. Septentrional of Matagalpa. . . 



5. SeptentrionaL of Segovia 



247,000 



The population here given is the result arrived at,, in round numbers^ 

 by a census attempted in 1846. it was only partially successful, as ih& 

 people supposed it preliminary to some military conscription,, or new tax^ 

 The principal towns of the State, with their estim^ed population,, are- 



as follows: 



Leon, (the capital^) inciading Subtiava - - 25,000 



Chinandega 11,000 



Chinandega Yiejo - 3,000 



Realejo - - - - - - 1,000 



Chichigalpa 2,800 



Posultega - 900 



Telica - - - ^ - - 1,000 



Somotilla . ^ - - . - 2,000^ 



Villa Nueva - - ... l,00a 



PueblaNueva - ... 2,900 



Nagorote ------ 1,800? 



Sonci - ...... ... 



