39 
Chap. III.—B. S.J CITY OP LEON. 
entertainment in Nicaragua. There I found Mr. John 
Holman, a Cornish mining captain of great experience, 
who had been engaged by the Central American Asso¬ 
ciation to accompany me on my journey through the 
country, and who went out by the previous mail- 
steamer to get things ready for an early start, for it 
being the fag end of the dry season, there was but 
little time to spare. Our chief object was to explore 
the little-known districts of New Segovia and Mata- 
galpa, for the purpose of ascertaining the value of 
their mines. 
Leon is one of the thousands of fine cities built by 
the old Spaniards in tropical America, and one which 
has suffered severely in the civil wars which have 
devastated the country. There are whole acres of 
houses in ruins. The cathedral is a fine old building, 
in the Italian style, which, though it has to forego 
the most necessary repairs, will yet stand for ages to 
come. From the top you have, especially at sunset, a 
most beautiful view of the plain of Leon and the 
mountain ranges and volcanoes encircling it. During 
my visit these volcanoes looked very quiet and inoffen¬ 
sive ; but whilst these sheets are going through the 
press, information has been received that they have 
discarded their inactivity for a while. The details are 
thus stated in the correspondence of the ‘ Panama Star 
and Herald— 
“ In Nicaragua one of those not very uncommon 
phenomena in Central America has presented itself to 
rouse the superstitious fears of the ignorant, and ex¬ 
cite the interest of the more intelligent of the inhabi- 
