22 
GUATEMALA. 
On the Atlantic side Puerto Limon is the chief com¬ 
mercial town, and on the Pacific, Punta Arenas. In 
1871 the Government negotiated a loan in London of 
.$5,000,000, and the next year another of $12,000,000, 
— but from both of them never received more than 
$5,058,059.60, — with the avowed intention of building 
an inter-oceanic railway between the two principal ports; 
but only detached portions have been built, — twenty-four 
miles from Alajuela to Cartago, sixty from Limon to Car¬ 
rillo, and six from Punta Arenas to Esparta. The country 
is bankrupt, and makes no attempt to pay any part of its 
liabilities; indeed, its revenues, derived from intolerable 
duties (even on the export of coffee), monopolies of spirits 
and tobacco, national bank, sales of land, and internal 
taxes, do not balance the expenditures. 
The legislature is composed of a Congress of Deputies, 
— one for each electoral district, — holding office six 
years, half being renewed every three years. The mem¬ 
bers of the Corte de Justicia are elected by Congress. 
The present constitution (from 1871) is the seventh that 
has been in force. The departments are, — 
Departments. 
Chief C 
ties 
San Jose 
. 45,000 
San Jose 
15,000 
Cartago . 
. 36,000 
Cartago .... 
10,000 
Heredia . 
. 30,000 
Heredia .... 
9,000 
Alajuela 
. 29,000 
Alajuela 
6,000 
G-uanacaste 
. 8,000 
Liberia .... 
2,000 
Pnnta Arenas . 
6,000 
Punta Arenas . 
1,800 
The population is estimated by M. Belly. 
Both the northern boundary on Nicaragua, and the 
southern one on Columbia, are in dispute. 1 
1 Guatemala has been accepted (1886) by both Nicaragua and Costa Rica 
as referee in the boundary dispute. 
